<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-07-18</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Renee Mayes</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist: x *Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate x*Review structure: FRONT,BODY, BACK, DIV or rarely GROUP x*Add DIV TYPEs, make sure that @types makes sense as a navigational aide, and work in the context of the whole text, validate x*Survey book for troublesome formats of all kinds, including lists, illustrations, tables, music, math, end-notes, quasi-tabular arrangments, and marginalia. x*Proof title page(s) x*Examine marginalia. Is it all best tagged as NOTE? x*Observe divtop and divbottom material marking beginnings and ends of divisions, check that they are correctly tagged as HEAD, TRAILER, CLOSER, OPENER, ARGUMENT, EPIGRAPH, SIGNED, DATELINE, BYLINE, etc. x*Check for GAPs x*Check PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N="" x*Check ^, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c. x*Check for illustrations and correct usage of FIGURE. Add FIGDESCs if necessary. x*Check q; startq endq Q x*If appropriate, check for yoghs. x*If appropriate, check for Latin problems, e.g. oe and ae digraphs x*If appropriate, check for abbreviation and brevigraph problems. x*If appropriate, check for units of measure, symbols (alchemical, astronomical, etc.) and the like.
*Correct illegibles from proofsheet x*Check illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs x* Run Check x*Final validate Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ]. Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible". DONE</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B17645">
<STC T="W">B1885</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]08613889</BIBNO>
<VID>204287</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<P>Of the Eternity of GOD's Election, The Certainty of Saints Per&s;everance, Together with the Peculiarity of Chri&s;t's Redemption.</P>
<P>IN ANSWER TO HENRY HAGGAR'S <HI>Order of Cau&s;es,</HI> Of God's Fore-knowledge, Election, and Prede&s;tination, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>By <HI>John Bennett,</HI> a &s;ervant of Chri&s;t and his Church at <HI>Brentford-end</HI> in the County of <HI>Middle&s;ex.</HI></P>
<Q><P>Be not carried about with divers and &s;trange doctrines: for it is a good thing that the heart be e&s;tabli&s;hed with grace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> <BIBL><HI>Heb. 13.9.</HI></BIBL></P>
<P>Prove all things: hold fa&s;t that which is good. <BIBL><HI>1 The&s;&s;. 5.21.</HI></BIBL></P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>I. C.</HI> for <HI>Livewel Chapman,</HI> at the Crown in Popes-head-Alley. 1655.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>To the Chri&s;tian experienced READER.</HEAD>
<P>_I Should have been loth to have appeared a|mong the crowd of Antagonists in this con|tending Age, had not &s;ome kinde of nece&s;&s;ity thrust me forward. I know I am like to meet with variety of cen&s;ures; but as the expecta|tion of them afore-hand hath not prevented my writing, &s;o I hope the hearing of them afterwards will not make me repent what I have done for the vindication of the Truth as it is in Je&s;us. <HI>Jude</HI> advi&s;eth me as well as others, in <HI>v. 3.</HI> of his Epi&s;tle, <HI>Earne&s;tly to contend for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints.</HI> And Solomon, <HI>Pro. 23.23.</HI> bids me <HI>buy the Truth, and not &s;ell it.</HI> Now I do not know any thing of a more incon&s;iderable value, (that can be laid down by me) then my Reputation with the men of the world; I am willing to venture that, and it is all the rea&s;on in the world that I &s;hould do &s;o; con&s;idering it is for the ho|nor of him, who (though he was the Lord of Glory) made him&s;elf of no reputation for &s;uch worthle&s;s creatures as I am. Now the occa&s;ion of this undertaking of mine, was this: A friend of mine &s;hewing me <HI>Henry Haggar</HI>'s Book; and I &s;uddenly upon the o|pening of it, ca&s;ting my eye upon that expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>(our obedience is the cau&s;e of our &s;alvation)</HI> and afterwards, having read it, and found the glory of Gods Free-grace exceedingly darkned, while he &s;eemed as if he was pleading for it; I could not &s;atisfie my &s;elf, without doing &s;omewhat toward the removing away of the vail which he had drawn over the face of truth; &amp; that upon the&s;e particular grounds; fir&s;t, for the &s;atisfaction of my Friend who lent me the book to read. Secondly, out of that tender re&s;pect that I have towards tho&s;e thou&s;ands of mi&s;-led &s;ouls in this Nation, that have even lo&s;t them&s;elvs in the dark labyrinths of tho&s;e errors that are packed together in that book; that &s;o (if it be the will of
<PB REF="4"> the Lord) they may be enlightned. And then thirdly, that they that do own the truth (and particularly, that Church of Chri&s;t to whom I &s;tand in more particular relation) may be more confirmed in the truth which they have received. I may likewi&s;e (as another ground) add &s;ome Con&s;iderations concerning the ill tendency of tho&s;e Opinions that are maintained in that Book: <HI>viz.</HI> That they tend to the &s;ubjecting of the infinite unchangeable God, to the will of poor finite &s;inful changeable creatures; to the making the death of Chri&s;t void, in that he affirms, that Chri&s;t died to &s;ave tho&s;e that &s;hall never be &s;aved; and, to make void the decree of God, and the Covenant of Grace, in that he affirms, that tho&s;e that are at pre&s;ent believers, may fall from God, &amp; &s;o peri&s;h eternally which la&s;t con&s;ideration doth likewi&s;e tend to the great di&s;couragement of believers, and to the hindring of them from giving God the glory of what he hath done and will do for them The&s;e are the grounds of my writing. And now I &s;hall de&s;ire thus much of thee in the reading of my book, that thou would&s;t read before thou do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t judge; and when thou doe&s;t judge, joyne together Scripture and experi|ence; the word of God without, and the work of God within; the want of which experience, cau&s;eth men &s;o generally to embrace tho&s;e fal&s;e Opinions. If thou do&s;t look for eloquence, thou wilt be di&s;appointed; but if plain truth will content thee, I hope thou wilt obtain thy de&s;ire; and I hope when thou ha&s;t found that, in this plain tract, thou wilt not reject it for the plainne&s;s of the &s;tile, or unworthine&s;s of the Author. And now I &s;hall commit thee to the onely wi&s;e God, to teach thee, who is able to make &s;ome u&s;e of the meane&s;t in&s;trument, and doth glory in manife&s;ting his power in doing great things many times by very weak means, and is able to lead thee from all error into all truth by his Spirit; and that God would vouch&s;afe to make &s;ome good u&s;e of this book, (which I now leave with thee) for that end, &s;hall be the prayer of him who is</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine (though unworthy, yet) willing to &s;erve thee in the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, John Bennet.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>Of the Eternity of God's Election, the certainty of Saints per&s;everance; toge|ther with the peculiarity of Chri&s;t's Re|demption; in an&s;wer to <HI>Henry Haggar,</HI> &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>_HE begins his book with &s;ome Scriptures which he &s;eems to clo&s;e with, and yet makes it his bu&s;ine&s;s to deny them, while he &s;eems to give a right interpretation of them, by comparing them with other Scriptures.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Scripture that he mentioneth, is that in <Q><HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.4. <HI>He hath cho&s;en us in him be|fore the foundation of the world, that we &s;hould be holy, and without blame before him in love,</HI> &amp;c.</Q></P>
<P>And truely, I cannot but wonder that he &s;hould make &s;uch an en|trance into his Book, &s;eeing his de&s;ign is to overthrow the Doctrine of E|lection, as it is laid down by the Apo&s;tle in that Scripture. But I confe&s;s, it is a matter of policy; for &s;ure he could not think any other, but that this Scripture would follow him clo&s;e at the heels; and therefore it &s;eems to be the wi&s;e&s;t cour&s;e, to endeavour at lea&s;t, to make peace with that, before he goes any further. But I confe&s;s it is &s;trange to me, that he &s;hould have any hope of making this Scripture a Friend to his Opinion; for this Scripture is &s;o irreconcilably bent again&s;t his Opinion, that it
<PB N="2" REF="5"> &s;eems to be ab&s;olute labour in vain to endeavour to finde out an umpire between them. For fir&s;t, the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of an election or choice be|fore the Foundation of the world: now if God &s;aith by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>That we are cho&s;en before the foundation of the world;</HI> who dare &s;ay, We are not cho&s;en till we believe and obey the Go&s;pel? Let God be true, and every man a lyer. Truely, for my own part, I do not know, but that a man may as well deny that Chri&s;t was Mediator, as deny that Saints are cho&s;en in Chri&s;t before the foundation of the world; for the Scripture doth not anywhere &s;peak more plainly to that, then it doth in this place to this.</P>
<P>But again, there is another thing remarkable in this Scripture, and that is this: the Apo&s;tle tells us, that the end of this Election is, <HI>That we &s;hould be holy and unblamable before him in love.</HI> Now from hence I thus argue: If our holine&s;s and unblamablene&s;s in love be the end of our Election, (as it doth appear by the Scripture that it is) then our E|lection cannot be the con&s;equent of our holine&s;s, as <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> doth &s;eem to prove.</P>
<P>But before we come to con&s;ider how to denies the Truth contained in this Scripture, let us a little take notice of his conce&s;&s;ion: when he hath mentioned this and &s;ome other Scriptures, which &s;hall in their &s;ea&s;on be con&s;idered, he &s;aith thus: <HI>From all which places we mu&s;t needs con|clude, that God hath cho&s;en &s;ome to life and glory, even before or from the foundation of the world, becau&s;e the Scripture &s;aith it;</HI> and <HI>(as Chri&s;t &s;aith in another ca&s;e)</HI> the Scripture cannot be broken.</P>
<P>This is, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, a very fair conce&s;&s;ion, &s;o fair, that I know not what more need be de&s;ired; and it were well if he would &s;tay here: but he goeth on, and tells us, <HI>That it is the wi&s;dom of Chri&s;tians, To labour to have judgments informed according to the Scripture.</HI> And truly, for my own part I can very well clo&s;e with him here too: and I judge that the ready way to have our judgements in any one particular in|formed according to the Scriptures, is, to con&s;ider and weigh the plain ex|pre&s;&s;ions of Scripture, and to compare tho&s;e Scriptures together that &s;peak of the &s;ame thing. So that if he had con&s;idered what this Scrip|ture &s;peaks, and compared it with tho&s;e other Scriptures which he men|tioneth together with it, he might by that means have had his judgement better informed according to the Scriptures.</P>
<P>But he thinks rather to help him&s;elf out by other Scriptures, and there|fore he mentioneth <HI>Rom.</HI> 4.17. <HI>As it is written, I have made thee a father of many Nations before whom he believed, even God who quickneth the dead, and calleth tho&s;e things that are not, as though
<PB N="3" REF="5"> they were.</HI> This the Apo&s;tle quotes out of <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.5. Now <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> asks the que&s;tion: Seeing <HI>Abraham</HI> had no childe then, but <HI>I&s;hmael,</HI> how could God &s;ay, <HI>I have made thee a father of many Na|tions?</HI></P>
<P>Now he taketh the an&s;wer to his que&s;tion from the very expre&s;&s;ion of the Apo&s;tle, namely, <HI>That it was &s;o before God, who</HI> calleth things that are not as though they were.</P>
<P>Now let us a little con&s;ider, what may the meaning of that expre&s;&s;i|on be, (namely, <HI>before God</HI>) and I take it that it was the Apo&s;tle's meaning, that <HI>Abraham</HI> at that time when God &s;pake to him in <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.5. was according to God's account a Father of many Nations; and it could be no more prevented, (God having from Eternity purpo&s;ed it) then if he had been actually at that pre&s;ent a Father of all tho&s;e Nations that came of him. And therefore it is that he gives him a Name at pre|&s;ent, &s;ignifying what he &s;hall be, <HI>Thou &s;halt no more be called A|bram, but Abraham; for a father of many Nations have I made thee.</HI> As if God &s;hould &s;ay, It hath been my purpo&s;e from all Eternity that thou &s;hould&s;t be a Father of many Nations; I now declare my purpo&s;e to thee; and therefore that thy faith may not fail, I will have thee from this time forward, called by a Name that &s;hall put thee in minde of what I will do for thee; thy Name &s;hall be no more called <HI>A|bram,</HI> but <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;hall be thy Name.</P>
<P>Another Scripture which he thinks will help him, is that in <HI>Rev.</HI> 13.8. where Chri&s;t is &s;aid to be a Lamb <HI>&s;lain from the foundation of the world; Yet</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>he was not &s;lain many thou&s;and yeers after.</HI></P>
<P>Now I conceive this Scripture is &s;o far from affording him any help, that it gives him a deadly wound; for his de&s;ign is to deny the Eternal coun&s;el and purpo&s;e of God in reference to per&s;ons and things; and this Scripture doth very fully hold forth &s;uch an eternal purpo&s;e. True it is, Chri&s;t was not actually &s;lain from the foundation of the world: but as <HI>Abraham</HI> was the Father of many Nations before God, even when he was not actually a Father, becau&s;e God had decreed that he &s;hould be &s;o; even &s;o Chri&s;t is &s;aid to be the Lamb <HI>&s;lain from the foundation of the world</HI> when before God, as man, he had not a being.</P>
<P>Now that the death of Chri&s;t was by the decree and pu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">po&s;e of God, appears by tho&s;e two plain Scriptures in the Acts of the Apo&s;tles, <HI>Acts</HI> 2.23. <HI>Him, being delivered by the determinate coun&s;el and fore|knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucifi'd and &s;lain.</HI> The other is <HI>Acts</HI> 4.27, 28. <HI>For of a truth, again&s;t thy holy child Je&s;us whom thou ha&s;t anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
<PB N="4" REF="6"> with the Gentiles, and the people of I&s;rael, were gathered together, for to do what&s;oever thy hand and thy coun&s;el determined before to be done.</HI></P>
<P>But be&s;ide, Chri&s;t being a Lamb <HI>&s;lain from the foundation of the world,</HI> and before the foundation of the world in the decree of God; Chri&s;t may be &s;aid to be &s;lain from the foundation of the world in that promi&s;e of &s;alvation by the death of Chri&s;t, which was given pre&s;ently upon the fall of our fir&s;t Parents, which was but a little after the laying the foundation of the world. And then again, Chri&s;t may be &s;aid to be &s;lain in the Type; for the fir&s;t Sacrifice that was &s;lain, was a Type of that Sacrifice, namely, the Lamb of God, that was in God's time according to the purpo&s;e of God to be &s;lain; &s;o that Chri&s;t was &s;lain before God in his Decree, and Chri&s;t was &s;lain in the Promi&s;e, and Chri&s;t was &s;lain in the Type; though not actually &s;lain till afterward.</P>
<P>But when <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> hath mentioned that of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and this of Chri&s;t; let us a little con&s;ider what it is that he would infer:</P>
<P><HI>By all which</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>it is clear, That as Chri&s;t was called a Lamb</HI> &s;lain from the foundation of the world, <HI>and yet not &s;lain nor touched till the day of his death; &s;o al&s;o God calleth men Elect from the foundation of the world, yet they are not Elect nor cho&s;en until the very day of their conver&s;ion, and turning from &s;in to God.</HI></P>
<P>Now let us con&s;ider who is mo&s;t to be credited, he who &s;aith, That men are not cho&s;en till the day of their conver&s;ion; or God, who &s;aith by the Apo&s;tle, That Saints are cho&s;en in Chri&s;t before the foundation of the world, as is plain by that <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.4. and be&s;ides that, in <HI>ver.</HI> 5, he &s;peaks more plainly; <HI>Having prede&s;tinated us to the adoption of children by Je&s;us Chri&s;t to him&s;elf, according to the good plea&s;ure of his will.</HI> From whence I argue thus: If the adoption of children, on &s;on&s;hip, by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, be that we are prede&s;tinated to, Then we are prede&s;tinated before we obtain the adoption of children, and &s;o, by con|&s;equence, before we are converted and turned from &s;in to God.</P>
<P>But, that we may leave this Scripture in the <HI>Ephe&s;ians</HI> for the pre&s;ent, let us briefly gather up the &s;um of it, and &s;o proceed in our work.</P>
<P>God knowing from eternity what he him&s;elf would do, and what he would &s;uffer to be, did look upon man as made, and fallen; and did make choice of Chri&s;t to be the Redeemer of tho&s;e whom he did intend to &s;ave: &amp; therefore Chri&s;t is called Gods <HI>elect,</HI> or <HI>cho&s;en one,</HI> I&s;a. 42.1. And likewi&s;e he did chu&s;e &s;ome in Chri&s;t; that is, that upon account of that intere&s;t that &s;ome &s;hould have in Chri&s;t, and the adoption of chil|dren which they (when born into the world, and believing) &s;hould re|ceive
<PB N="5" REF="6"> by Chri&s;t, &s;hould become heirs of Salvation. And all this, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, was done <HI>according to the good plea&s;ure of his will.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd Scripture which he mentioneth in the beginning of his book, is that in 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.2. <HI>Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through &s;anctification of the Spirit, unto obedience,</HI> &amp;c. Now that which he concludes from this Scripture, is this:
<Q><P>If the elect are cho&s;en through the &s;anctification of the Spirit, then they were not cho&s;en before they had the Spirit, and were &s;anctified by the Spirit.</P>
<P>But they had not that &s;anctifying Spirit before they had a being, either in the world, or el&s;e in their mothers womb at lea&s;twi&s;e:</P>
<P>Therefore, not cho&s;en before the foundation of the world, but only as afore&s;aid.</P></Q></P>
<P>Now in this Argument of his, it is worth the noting, that he leaves out <HI>obedience;</HI> which, if taken in, will help much to the clearing of the truth. <HI>Peter</HI> tells us, that they are <HI>elect according to the foreknow|ledge of God to obedience:</HI> which is as if he &s;hould &s;ay, They were elect, that through the &s;anctification of the Spirit, or through the opera|tion of the Spirit of God &s;anctifying them, they might become obedi|ent. Now what &s;hould hinder, but that God from eternity might in him&s;elf, according to the coun&s;el of his own will, chu&s;e &s;ome to obedi|ence; and make choice of this, as the way to bring them to obedience, namely, his own Spirit, in time to be given to them, and to work effe|ctually in them, as to the &s;anctification of their hearts? So that <HI>H. H.</HI> mi&s;take lieth here: He refers that expre&s;&s;ion of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>[through &s;anctification of the Spirit]</HI> unto the word <HI>[elect;]</HI> whereas it hath relation unto the expre&s;&s;ion following, namely, <HI>[unto obedience.]</HI> So that it appears, that &s;anctification of the Spirit is the means whereby God makes men obedient; not a means whereby he elects them. From which Scripture, rightly under&s;tood, we may draw this Conclu&s;ion:</P>
<P>If men are elected through &s;anctification of the Spirit unto obedi|ence. Then they are not obedient before they are elected. And if Ele|ction be before obedience, what &s;hould hinder but that we may (accor|ding to the Scripture) conclude it to be before the foundation of the world?</P>
<P>But I come to the next Scripture which he mentioneth in the begining of his book and that is 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.13. <HI>We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, becau&s;e God hath from the b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ginning cho&s;en you to &s;alvation through &s;anctifica|tion of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, whereunto you wer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="6" REF="7"> called by our Gospel.</HI> Which Scripture &s;peaks the &s;ame language with that, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.2. and therefore, as he concludes the &s;ame thing from this as from that, &s;o may I. He argues thus:</P>
<P><HI>If Saints are cho&s;en to &s;alvation through &s;anctification of the Spirit, and believing of the truth, and were called to believe that truth by the hearing of the Go&s;pel; then they were not cho&s;en be|fore they had believed the truth, and before they did hear the Go|&s;pel.</HI></P>
<P>Sure he hath no great minde here to take notice of <HI>[from the begin|ning:]</HI> if he did minde that, it might po&s;&s;ibly help him to frame a bet|ter Argument, thus:</P>
<P>If Saints are from the beginning cho&s;en to &s;alvation, through &s;ancti|fication of the Spirit and believing of the truth; then they were cho&s;en before they were &s;aved, nay, before they were &s;anctified, or did believe the truth: for it cannot be &s;aid that they are &s;anctified from the be|ginning.</P>
<P>But his mi&s;take in this Scripture, is the &s;ame that it was in the other Scripture lately mentioned: for he would have us believe, that we are cho&s;en through believing; as if through our believing (which is the be|ginning of our &s;alvation) we were cho&s;en: which is a very ab&s;urd Con|clu&s;ion; for then we are &s;aved before we are cho&s;en to &s;alvation. For <HI>John</HI> tells us, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.36. <HI>He that believeth on the Son, hath ever|la&s;ting life.</HI> From whence I thus argue: If a man, when he fir&s;t be|lieves, hath everla&s;ting life, but is not cho&s;en to this life and &s;alvation till he believe; then he hath the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the thing, before he be cho&s;en to it, (and &s;o by con&s;equence, without God;) which is both ab&s;urd in it &s;elf, and al&s;o directly contrary to the truth laid down in this Scripture: for the Apo&s;tle tells us, that we are cho&s;en to &s;alvation from the begin|ning, through &s;anctification and belief of the truth. Which is thus to be under&s;tood, namely, that men through &s;anctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, are brought into the actual po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that &s;alvation (at lea&s;t, an entrance thereinto) which from the beginning God had cho&s;en them to.</P>
<P>But he goeth on thus: <HI>According to the Scripture</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>they were cho&s;en through &s;anctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: and if through it, then not without it. Moreover</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>they were called to this faith by the Go&s;pel; which they never heard before they had a being.</HI></P>
<P>Truely, what he him&s;elf &s;aith, is a &s;ufficient ground of arguing again&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hat which he would infer. For I argue thus:</P>
<PB N="7" REF="7">
<P>If men are called to faith by the Go&s;pel, and they neither believe nor hear the Go&s;pel till they have a being, (which is mo&s;t true) but yet the&s;e men that believe after they have heard the Go&s;pel, were from the begin|ning, from the foundation of the world, nay before the foundation of the world, cho&s;en to &s;alvation; then they were not cho&s;en to &s;alvation through &s;anctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth in his &s;en&s;e. For as it cannot be &s;aid that Election and Believing are contemporary; &s;o, much le&s;s can it be &s;aid that believing doth go before election.</P>
<P>Now whereas he thinks it is much to the purpo&s;e to &s;ay, <HI>If men are cho&s;en through &s;anctification and belief of the truth, then not with|out it;</HI> (for he bids us ob&s;erve that) I apprehend, it makes nothing at all for him. For here lies the di&s;tinction: We are cho&s;en without it; for being cho&s;en before we had a being, we could not then have &s;ancti|fication or faith: but we are not cho&s;en to be &s;aved without it; for (as hath been already hinted) it is the will of God, in chu&s;ing men to &s;alva|tion, that through &s;anctification of the Spirit, and belief of the Truth, they &s;hould be initiated, or make an entrance into the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that &s;alvation (at lea&s;twi&s;e in the promi&s;es of it) which they were cho|&s;en to.</P>
<P>But <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> goeth back again to <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.4. from whence he would (by comparing that with <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.11, 12.) &s;eem to draw an|other Argument: for the Apo&s;tle bids them (who are &s;aid in the fir&s;t Chapter to be <HI>cho&s;en in Chri&s;t before the foundation of the world that they &s;hould be holy) Remember, that they were in time pa&s;t without Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Now from hence he argues: <HI>If at that time they</HI> were without God, <HI>and</HI> without Chri&s;t, <HI>then at that time they were not in him: for they could not be without him and within him both at one time: and if not in Chri&s;t, then</HI> not cho&s;en in him, <HI>as</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>all rational men will grant.</HI></P>
<P>Truely, I judge there is no &s;uch ab&s;urdity in the thing (the Go&s;pel being a my&s;tery) as he would make us believe there is. If things be rightly con&s;idered and weighed, I do not know but that the &s;ame man may at the &s;ame time be &s;aid to be <HI>in Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>out of Chri&s;t:</HI> for God from Eternity chu&s;ing Chri&s;t to be Mediator and Saviour, and chu&s;ing others in him, and together with him, in time to b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;aved by him, though the&s;e men after they have a being in the world, may live a great while without Chri&s;t, that is, without being by faith actually ingrafted into him, (as was the ca&s;e of tho&s;e <HI>Ephe&s;ians;</HI>) I know no rea&s;on, but
<PB N="8" REF="8"> we may &s;ay, The&s;e were <HI>in Chri&s;t,</HI> (before God) that is, upon account of God's Election: &s;o that in one &s;en&s;e they may be &s;aid to be <HI>in Chri&s;t</HI> before they were converted, nay, before they were born; and yet, in another &s;en&s;e, be &s;aid to be <HI>without Christ</HI> till they believe in him.</P>
<P>But he hath another Scripture yet, which &s;eems plain to him, and that is <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.11, 12.13. <HI>Being prede&s;tinated according to the purpo&s;e of him, who worketh all things after the coun&s;el of his own will, that we &s;hould be to the prai&s;e of his glory, who fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t; in whom ye al&s;o tru&s;ted, after that you heard the word of truth, the Go&s;pel of your &s;alvation.</HI></P>
<P>This Scripture (as plain as it is) is gro&s;sly mi&s;taken by him; for he concludeth from thence, That they whom God did prede&s;tinate accor|din to the coun&s;ell of his own will, were &s;uch as did fir&s;t tru&s;t in Chri&s;t before they were prede&s;tinated: whereas, if the Scripture be rightly con&s;idered, it will appear, That it doth not, in the lea&s;t, &s;eem to look that way: For,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, when the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of their being prede&s;tinated, he &s;aith, <HI>They were prede&s;tinated according to the purpo&s;e of him who work|eth all things after the coun&s;el of his own will:</HI> &s;o that as God (when he doth work upon the hearts of people, to turn them from darkne&s;s to light, and from the power of Satan to God) doth act willingly; &s;o that willing acting of his, is according to that coun&s;el and purpo&s;e that was in him&s;elf from Eternity.</P>
<P>In the next place, let us con&s;ider the end of this prede&s;tination, and you &s;hall finde it plainly expre&s;&s;ed by the Apo&s;tle, namely, that the per|&s;ons prede&s;tinated by God, &s;hould be to the prai&s;e of his glory. From whence it doth plainly appear, that Prede&s;tination doth go before the Souls acting to the glory of God.</P>
<P>But thirdly, let us con&s;ider the per&s;ons here &s;poken of, and that will take off that &s;trange interpretation, that he gives of the Scripture. Now the per&s;ons are &s;et out by tho&s;e two expre&s;&s;ions, <HI>(WE</HI> and <HI>YE)</HI> that is, <HI>We</HI> believing <HI>Jews,</HI> and <HI>Ye</HI> believing <HI>Gentiles;</HI> we that fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t; and you, who afterward, when you had heard the Word of the Go&s;pel, tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t too. So that the intent of the Apo&s;tle is not to &s;hew, That tru&s;ting in Chri&s;t goes before Prede&s;tina|tion; but rather to &s;hew, that (though tho&s;e that at any time believe in Chri&s;t among <HI>Jews</HI> and <HI>Gentiles,</HI> were from Eternity prede&s;tinated) yet &s;ome of the prede&s;tinated <HI>Jews</HI> did believe and tru&s;t in Chri&s;t before the Go&s;pel (which is the means of working Faith) was preached to the
<PB N="9" REF="8"> <HI>Gentiles.</HI> Therefore this being the meaning of that expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>(who fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t)</HI> let any impartial Reader judge, whether there be any thing in this Scripture, to prove that which <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> would prove from it.</P>
<P>But yet he is willing to try once more what &s;ervice that place 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.2. will do him, <HI>Elect according to the foreknowledge of God. Whence,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>it is plain, if God</HI> knew them <HI>before he</HI> elected them, <HI>then he knew the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> as men in the fle&s;h, and not as they were no|things: and if he knew them as men, they mu&s;t needs be born: for of nothing, nothing can be known before time, nor cho&s;en in time. Therefore,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>I conclude, that the real and ab&s;olute act of E|lection comes to pa&s;s in time, though known by God before time, who according to his foreknowledge</HI> calleth things that are not as though they were. Thus far he.</P>
<P>Now let us con&s;ider fir&s;t what he &s;aith, and then what the Scripture &s;aith.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, What he &s;aith; and there we &s;hall finde a plain contradiction; for minde it, it is his de&s;ign to prove Election according to the foreknow|ledge of God, and yet would have us think it an ab&s;urd thing that God &s;hould have any knowledge of men before they are born: <HI>For,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>of nothing, nothing can be known before time, or cho&s;en in time.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;s, if he &s;peaks of creatures, they cannot know things be|fore they are in being; and when the things are in being, they have but an imperfect knowledge of them: but to mea&s;ure God by the Creature, and to &s;ay, God cannot know, becau&s;e Man cannot; to me &s;eems &s;ome|thing unrea&s;onable. For &s;ure it is as con&s;onant to rea&s;on, that per&s;ons as well as thoughts, may be known before they have a being, (both which are too hard for man) but God knows the thoughts before they are in being: <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 139.2. &s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, Thou under&s;tande&s;t my thoughts afar off:</HI> What then &s;hould hinder, but that God may know per&s;ons before they are actually in being in the world?</P>
<P>But know let us con&s;ider what <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, (<HI>Elect,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>accor|ding to the foreknowledge of God,</HI> &amp;c.)</P>
<P>Now that our way may be plain before us, we &s;hall fir&s;t con&s;ider, what is the meaning of the word, <HI>(Foreknowledge)</HI> and then in the next place, what the meaning of the thing is, which is expre&s;&s;ed by that word.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t. What is the meaning of the word; and truely we need not &s;tand long upon that: the meaning of it is obvious to mean capacities.
<PB N="10" REF="9"> <HI>Foreknowledge,</HI> that is a knowledge of things or per&s;ons before. Now if this be not a knowledge of the things or per&s;ons before they be, we can make nothing of the word at all. I cannot therefore but wonder, that this &s;eems &s;o &s;trange to <HI>Henry Haggar.</HI></P>
<P>But we &s;hall now come to con&s;ider the thing, what we are particularly and di&s;tinctly to under&s;tand by the foreknowledge of God. Now I judge there are the&s;e two things to be under&s;tood thereby: 1. a fore&s;ee|ing of per&s;ons and things; 2. fore-approving of per&s;ons and things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, a fore&s;eeing of per&s;ons and things: and that is, that knowledge that was in God from Eternity, whereby he knew what &s;hould be, what he would do, and what he would &s;uffer to be done in the world. Now according to this foreknowledge, God did know what men and women &s;hould be in the world, what their &s;tate would be by the fall, what way &s;hould be taken for the re&s;toring of man fallen (namely, the death of Chri&s;t,) what means he would afford men to bring them to Chri&s;t, and what &s;ucce&s;s he would give to that means, by the effectual work of his Spirit, &s;o, as to bring them into a &s;tate of Salvation by Chri&s;t. So that we are not to think that this foreknowledge is an idle &s;peculation of what would be done and acted in the world without God, or whether God will or no; but rather, that it is a foreknowledge or fore&s;ight of what God would do, and &s;uffer to be done in the world, (as I have &s;aid) for the exalting of his own glory.</P>
<P>But there is more in it then &s;o; and therefore I come now in the next place to &s;peak of the fore-approbation of God. Now that by <HI>know|ledge</HI> &s;ometime in Scripture we are to under&s;tand <HI>approbation;</HI> (&s;o that fore-knowledge and fore-approbation may be judged all one) will ea&s;ily appear by the&s;e Scriptures: <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 1.6. <HI>For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly &s;hall peri&s;h.</HI> Mat. 25.12. <HI>And he an&s;wered, and &s;aid, Verily, I &s;ay unto you, I know you not.</HI> And then again, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7.23. <HI>And then will I profe&s;s unto them, I never knew you.</HI> Now that in the&s;e &s;everal Scriptures is not un|der&s;tood knowledge, according to the common acceptation of the word; for &s;o God knows the wayes of wicked men as well as righte|ous men, and well were it for wicked men if they could hide their way from the Lord.</P>
<P>But by knowledge we are to under&s;tand a knowledge of appropria|tion, and of approbation; for &s;ure if tho&s;e in <HI>Matthew</HI> knew Chri&s;t (as it &s;eems they did,) for they call him <HI>Lord,</HI> and &s;ome of them &s;ay, They had preached in his name, and ca&s;t out devils in his name; yet Chri&s;t
<PB N="11" REF="9"> &s;aith, He knew them not; nay, He never knew them, that is, he never owned them, nor approved of them.</P>
<P>Now I judge, That <HI>Peter</HI> by foreknowledge, means &s;uch a fore|knowledge as this, and then his meaning is, that God from Eternity did fore&s;ee mankinde made and fallen, and did in his heart own and appro|priate to him&s;elf &s;ome of the po&s;terity of <HI>Adam;</HI> and according to this foreknowledge it is, that God did elect or make choice of men to be &s;aved by Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>So that you &s;ee, notwith&s;tanding the fair flouri&s;h that <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> hath made, he hath not made good any thing which he took upon him to prove; and yet he tells us, That <HI>the great Objection about Gods election is an&s;wered, and the &s;tumbling-block taken away.</HI></P>
<P>Truely, this I &s;hall &s;ay, (notwith&s;tanding what he affims is a &s;tum|bling-block in the way of Truth) yet I hope Truth will in time prevail, to the removing all &s;tumbling-blocks out of the way; that &s;o, in God's time, the way of God may be &s;o plain a way, that a fool &s;hall not erre.</P>
<P>Well, he goes on yet, and tells us, That <HI>the &s;ame may al&s;o be con|&s;idered of God's prede&s;tination or fore-appointing all obedient be|lievers to life and &s;alvation, (not without, but)</HI> according to his fore|knowledge <HI>of all their words and actions</HI> from the foundation of the world. <HI>And &s;o likewi&s;e he prede&s;tinateth or foreappointeth all di&s;|obedient unbelievers and apo&s;tates to death and damnation, (not without, but)</HI> according to his foreknowledge <HI>of all their words and actions</HI> from the foundation of the world. Thus far he.</P>
<P>Now I judge, he might very well have &s;pared his labour in &s;peaking of Gods Prede&s;tination to life and &s;alvation: for what may be &s;aid of Election, may be &s;aid likewi&s;e of Prede&s;tination; as what may be &s;aid of one <HI>&s;ynonyma,</HI> may be &s;aid of another: for I judge them to be one and the &s;ame thing; and therefore it is, that the Apo&s;tle doth u&s;e &s;ome|time one word, and &s;ometime the other, but &s;till to &s;ignifie the &s;ame thing; as in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.29. <HI>Whom he did foreknow, he al&s;o did prede|&s;tinate:</HI> here the Apo&s;tle doth not mention the word <HI>elect,</HI> or <HI>chu&s;e,</HI> but he intends the &s;ame thing that he intends in other places where he u&s;eth the word; and the &s;ame that <HI>Peter</HI> intends, when he &s;aith, that men are <HI>elect according to the foreknowledge of God.</HI> But if there be any difference between Election unto &s;alvation, and Prede&s;tination unto life, it &s;eems to lie here: Election hath rather reference to that act of God in &s;eparating per&s;ons, and Prede&s;tination hath rather reference unto
<PB N="12" REF="10"> the end of Election, namely, the thing unto which they are cho&s;en, or the good that the&s;e cho&s;en ones are to enjoy.</P>
<P>But now whereas he &s;aith that <HI>Gods prede&s;tination is (not without, but) according to his foreknowledge of all their words and actions;</HI> I do not know any Scripture that &s;peaks any &s;uch language, and there|fore I wonder that he &s;hould affirm it, as if it were an unque&s;tionable truth. But he goeth on, after this manner:</P>
<P><HI>Thus I do believe that God fore&s;aw all men and things pa&s;t, pre|&s;ent, and to come, at once: I do believe that God fore&s;aw</HI> Adam<HI>'s fall long before he was a creature in being: for, nothing is hid from his eyes, but</HI> all things are naked and bare before him with whom we have to do. Thus far he.</P>
<P>Truely it is well that at la&s;t he will acknowledge the truth. In the &s;ame page of his book he affirmed, that <HI>if God knew men before he elected them, then he knew them as men in the fle&s;h; and if he knew them as men&punc; they mu&s;t needs be born fir&s;t:</HI> and now, on a &s;udden, he believes that God fore&s;aw all men and things. Now if a man had a minde to be of <HI>H. H.</HI> judgement, where &s;hould he fa&s;ten? whenas he &s;aith that God did and did not fore&s;ee per&s;ons and things before they had a being.</P>
<P>But in the next place, he goeth about to rai&s;e and an&s;wer an Obje|ction; and his Objection ri&s;eth from his granting that God did fore&s;ee <HI>Adam</HI>'s fall long before he was a creature in being. The Objection is this:</P>
<P><HI>If God did fore&s;ee that</HI> Adam <HI>would fall when he h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d created him, why then did he make him?</HI></P>
<P>To which Que&s;tion or Objection, he gives a twofold an&s;wer: The former of them, I confe&s;s, is a good one; and it is by way of Query, thus: <HI>What have we to do to reply again&s;t our Maker? Shall the thing formed &s;ay to him that formed it, Why ha&s;t thou made me thus? Shall Adam &s;ay to his Maker, Why ha&s;t thou made me thus (&s;ubject to fall?)</HI> And truely I wi&s;h he would have &s;tayed here: for the Apo&s;tle in <HI>Rom.</HI> 9. doth write very fully, to &s;top the mouthes of all curious Que&s;tioni&s;ts, that enquire after that that belongs not to them; which Scripture we &s;hall by and by take &s;ome more particular notice of. But in the mean time, there is &s;omething el&s;e in his an&s;wer which I can|not let pa&s;s without &s;ome con&s;ideration. He could not, it &s;eems content him&s;elf with <HI>Paul</HI>'s an&s;wer to &s;uch vain curious Que&s;tions but he mu&s;t have an an&s;wer of his own, which is this: <HI>What is that to</HI> Adam,
<PB N="13" REF="10"> <HI>&s;eeing God hath given him and his po&s;terity means to ri&s;e again to as good or a better condition?</HI></P>
<P>Truely Sir now I mu&s;t tell you, that your &s;elf, who are a &s;on of fal|len <HI>Adam,</HI> are a little too bold with your Maker. What, was God bound to <HI>Adam</HI> and his po&s;terity, to put them in as good an e&s;tate after their fall, as they were in before their fall, or el&s;e mu&s;t he be que&s;tioned for making <HI>Adam?</HI> What now becomes of the free grace of God? &s;ure that is &s;hut up and forgot. What &s;hall we make of that Scripture, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.16. <HI>God &s;o loved the world, that he gave his onely begotten Son, that who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life?</HI> If God in ju&s;tice were bound to provide a &s;tate of happine&s;s for fallen man, then &s;ure our mouthes may be &s;topped, and &s;o might <HI>John</HI>'s too, as to the declaring any thing concerning the love of God, as being the cau&s;e of God's &s;ending Chri&s;t to be a Redeemer. But &s;ure it was love, free love, without any other engagement lying upon God, that did move him to &s;end Chri&s;t into the world to become a Sa|viour. God, when he created man, gave him a &s;tock; and he became a prodigal, wa&s;ting his e&s;tate by voluntary &s;inning again&s;t God: &s;o that if all mankinde had peri&s;hed, it had been mans fault. Now that &s;ome are &s;aved, and not all, this is that which we may conclude: Tho&s;e that are &s;aved, have cau&s;e abundantly to ble&s;s God, and to admire the riches of his grace; and they that God doth not &s;ave, have no cau&s;e to complain that God hath done them wrong.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> tells us further, that <HI>the neglect of that means that God hath afforded, will ri&s;e up in judgement again&s;t all &s;lothful di&s;obe|dient ones, that will not make u&s;e of their talents of power, wi&s;dom and under&s;tanding which God hath given them to work out their &s;alvation with fear and trembling while they may.</HI></P>
<P>Now to this I an&s;wer, fir&s;t, that it is a very great &s;in for a man to neglect or contemn any means of good that God doth afford; and this I grant is the great &s;in that doth as it were &s;hut up men in other &s;ins. Chri&s;t tells &s;ome, in <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.36. <HI>You al&s;o have &s;een me, and believe not?</HI> he doth aggravate the &s;in of unbelief in them, upon this con&s;ide|ration, that they had &s;een Chri&s;t, and they had &s;een great works done by Chri&s;t, and yet did not believe. And &s;o, <HI>Joh.</HI> 5.40. Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>You will not come to me, that you might have life:</HI> there Chri&s;t doth blame them, that their wills were &s;o oppo&s;ite again&s;t Chri&s;t, that though there were life in Chri&s;t; yet they would not come to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But, in the next place, I would fain know what talents of power, wi&s;|dom,
<PB N="14" REF="11"> and under&s;tanding they are, which he would make us believe that God hath given to all the po&s;terity of fallen <HI>Adam.</HI> If he means moral endowments, I believe there is &s;omething of that nature in all men and women; and by vertue of that, they do know that there is a God, and they know &s;omething of their duty to God, as they are creatures, and he their Creator; and &s;omething of their duty to men; and this ac|cording to that glimmering of light that remains &s;till in the dim-&s;ighted nature of fallen mankinde. And I mu&s;t confe&s;s, men are to be blamed, when they do come &s;hort (as I believe all men do) in the improving of their natural abilities. But take the utmo&s;t extent of the&s;e abilities; and grant, that a man &s;hould make the utmo&s;t improvement of them: yet the&s;e abilities, like a tired hor&s;e, would leave him &s;hort of his jour|neys end; they could never bring him to &s;alvation, or to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But let us con&s;ider what tho&s;e gifts are which he mentioneth; and whether indeed there are any &s;uch gifts, &s;ince the fall given to man in ge|neral. Now the Names he gives them, are <HI>Power, Wi&s;dom,</HI> and <HI>&V;nder|&s;tanding.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing then to be enquired into, is, Whether there be any power by God, given to all mankinde fallen, whereby they may be|lieve and be &s;aved: for if he intends not &s;uch a power, he had as good &s;ay nothing. Now that there is not &s;uch a power in all men naturally, appears by what the Apo&s;tle affirms concerning the <HI>Ephe&s;ians, Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.1, 5. where he affirms, That <HI>the believing Ephe&s;ians, before they did believe, were dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es.</HI> It is not to be under|&s;tood, that they were naturally dead; neither is it to be under&s;tood, that they were dead as to all moral actions: but, they were dead as to &s;piritual actions; and in particular, they could no more (by any power that they had) embrace the Go&s;pel, and believe, then a man natu|rally dead, can walk and perform the actions of a living man.</P>
<P>Object. But it may be &s;ome will &s;ay to me, <HI>If they be thus dead, what &s;hould the Go&s;pel be preached for?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Now to this I an&s;wer, The Go&s;pel is therefore preached to them, becau&s;e they are dead; for the Go&s;pel is the means that God makes u&s;e of to make men &s;piritually alive; and therefore it is that the Go&s;pel is called by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.16. <HI>the power of God to &s;al|vation to every one that believeth;</HI> which is, as if the Apo&s;tle &s;hould have &s;aid, The power of God is manife&s;t in the preaching of the Go&s;pel, in that thereby, as by an in&s;trument in his own hand, he cau&s;eth them to believe unto &s;alvation. And this acting of God is according to that pro|mi&s;e,
<PB N="15" REF="11"> <HI>John</HI> 5.25. <HI>Verily, verily, I &s;ay unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead &s;hall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear &s;hall live.</HI> Now this is a promi&s;e of good &s;ucce&s;s, by hearing of the Go&s;pel, to &s;ome that are dead in &s;in, but not to all; for he &s;aith, <HI>They that hear &s;hall live,</HI> that is, &s;hall be &s;aved. And tho&s;e that &s;hall live, were before in the &s;ame &s;tate of death; as tho&s;e that &s;hall not live. The ca&s;e of men and women naturally, is like the ca&s;e of <HI>La|zarus;</HI> he was dead, and bound up in grave-clothes, and buried; and there he had layen, had not Chri&s;t come to him to rai&s;e him; but now Chri&s;t coming to him, and &s;aying, <HI>Lazarus, come forth,</HI> John 11.43. you may &s;ee in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 44. that he comes forth pre&s;ently: now neither Grave-clothes nor Grave could keep him there any longer.</P>
<P>Ju&s;t thus it was with men and women in their natural condition; they are dead, and like to continue &s;o, till Chri&s;t comes to them to make them alive. And then when Chri&s;t in the Go&s;pel &s;peaks a powerful word to the heart, neither lu&s;ts, nor men, nor devils can keep them in a &s;tate of death any longer.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>Then it &s;eems God doth exerci&s;e a power upon men to make them believe, whether they will or no.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Now to this I an&s;wer, There is no &s;uch thing: but God when he works upon the hearts of men by his Spirit in the Go&s;pel, he doth not onely make them believe, but he makes them believe willingly; according to that, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 110.3. <HI>Thy people &s;hall be a willing people in the day of thy power:</HI> &s;o that the end why God puts forth his power, is, that his people may be made willing. I might tell you further, That the word which ordinarily in the New Te&s;tament, is tran&s;lated, <HI>(Faith)</HI> doth come from a word which &s;ignifieth to <HI>per&s;wade;</HI> &s;o that God doth in a powerful manner by the operation of his Spirit in the preach|ing of the Go&s;pel, per&s;wade men to believe; and in per&s;wading of them, doth make them to believe. Believing being nothing el&s;e, but a per&s;wa&s;ion of the heart to accept of, embrace, and in a &s;elf-denying manner relye upon the Te&s;timony that God in the Go&s;pel hath given concerning his Son.</P>
<P>Object. Yet it may be &s;ome will be ready to &s;ay, <HI>If it be &s;o, that men have not a power to believe when the Go&s;pel is preached to them, then &s;ure it cannot be ju&s;tice in God to condemn men for not doing that which they have not a power to do.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I know this is an Objection that is much made u&s;e of; but to me there &s;eems no great weight in it. For God doth not condemn
<PB N="16" REF="12"> any man meerly, becau&s;e he cannot believe; but becau&s;e he will not be|lieve, that is, becau&s;e he doth &s;et his will again&s;t that which in the Go&s;pel is held forth, as the way of obtaining &s;alvation. Ju&s;t as if a man &s;hould bid his &s;on, being but a child, fetch him &s;omething which is much too heavy for the child to lift; though he cannot blame the child, becau&s;e he is not able to do what he bids him, yet if the child (not knowing any thing to the contrary but that he may lift it) will not go to the place, nor try whether he can bring it to his father, or no, but ob&s;tinately re|fu&s;e to obey his father's command; here the father may blame him, and that ju&s;tly, though he know he is not able to do the thing. So it is in this ca&s;e; God commands men to do that which they have no power of them&s;elves to do; but they know nothing to the contrary, but they by God may beinabled to do it. However, they &s;et them&s;elves again&s;t it, and rebel wilfully and ob&s;tinately again&s;t the command of God. So that it cannot be counted inju&s;tice in God to command any thing what he plea&s;e, &s;eeing he hath an ab&s;olute power over the creature; neither is it inju&s;tice to condemn men for not doing that which they cannot of them&s;elves do, (but might, for ought they know, receive &s;trength from God to ena|ble them to do it) if they do ob&s;tinately refu&s;e and reject the command of God.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>But is it not meer mockage in God to offer &s;alvation to men in the preaching of the Go&s;pel, and yet withhold that &s;alvation (thus offered) from them?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> For an&s;wer to this, I would give this advice, that you would take heed of charging God fooli&s;hly. But,</P>
<P>Secondly, I &s;ay, God doth not profer more then he gives; he doth but profer and make a tender of the Go&s;pel to all men where it is preached; he doth not &s;ay, nor bid his Mini&s;ters &s;ay, That God will &s;ave all where the Go&s;pel comes: for we finde the contrary. But that which he makes a tender of, is the Go&s;pel, namely, <HI>That he that believeth and is bap|ti&s;ed, &s;hall be &s;aved; and he that believes not, &s;hall be damned.</HI> Now God doth make u&s;e of this Go&s;pel, when he plea&s;eth, to work faith in whom he plea&s;eth: and they that are thus &s;aved, are &s;aved by the Free-grace of God; and they which peri&s;h, peri&s;h by their own ob&s;ti|nacy: &s;o that God is clear.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>But it &s;eems by what you &s;ay, that the Lord works effectu|ally but upon a few, though the Go&s;pel be preached to many; why then is it preached to them all? were it not better for God to &s;end the Go&s;pel onely to tho&s;e that he will &s;ave, and let others alone
<PB N="17" REF="12"> without tendring the Go&s;pel to them, rather then by a tender alone, without enabling them (to embrace it) to aggravate their condemnation?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t, That it is &s;o, that the Go&s;pel is preached to many more then do imbrace it, and &s;o believe, and be &s;aved by it, appears by that <HI>Mat.</HI> 20.16. <HI>Many are called, but few cho&s;en.</HI> But,</P>
<P>Secondly, Whereas in the other part of the Objection it is demanded why the Go&s;pel is preached to &s;o many? why not rather to tho&s;e per&s;ons alone whom God intends by the Go&s;pel to &s;ave? I &s;hall give you the&s;e &s;everal An&s;wers:</P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, it is the will of God, that the Go&s;pel &s;hould be thus preached; and who is it that dare ask God in an upbraiding manner, Why do&s;t thou &s;o? But,</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly, It is not the will of God, neither doth it &s;eem conveni|ent, that men that are &s;ent by God to preach the Go&s;pel, &s;hould know who &s;hall be &s;aved, and who &s;hall not be &s;aved. And therefore when the Lord encouraged <HI>Paul</HI> to continue preaching at <HI>Corinth,</HI> he did not tell him what per&s;ons &s;hould be &s;aved, and what per&s;ons &s;hould not be &s;aved: but &s;aith onely thus, <HI>I have much people in this city,</HI> Acts 18.10. and upon this <HI>Paul</HI> continued preaching among them three yeers and &s;ix months.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, the Go&s;pel is preached to many, though but few are by God wrought upon, &s;o as to embrace Chri&s;t in the Go&s;pel; that &s;o the peculiarity of the love of God to them, whom he doth &s;ave by the means of preaching the Go&s;pel, may appear. For &s;ure it cannot but tend to the exalting of the grace of God in a &s;pecial manner toward &s;ome, and to the endearing of their hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ts toward God, when they con&s;ider that the Go&s;pel hath been preached by the &s;ame Me&s;&s;enger of God at the &s;ame time to many, and yet they have mo&s;t of them got no good thereby; but God hath culled out &s;ome particular per&s;ons among the re&s;t, &amp; wrought effectually upon them by his Spirit, to cau&s;e them to believe, when others continue di&s;obedient.</P>
<P N="4">4. And then in the la&s;t place, I conceive another rea&s;on may be, that all mouths may be &s;topped, and all fle&s;h &s;ilent before God. For whenas the Go&s;pel hath been preached among&s;t them, they cannot &s;ay, they have not heard of the terms of the Go&s;pel; &s;o that they cannot blame God, but them&s;elves in that, notwith&s;tanding what they have heard, they yet ob&s;tinately oppo&s;e the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>But we &s;hall come in the next place to con&s;ider whether there be any
<PB N="18" REF="13"> &s;uch wi&s;dom and under&s;tanding in men before conver&s;ion, as <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> &s;eems to hold forth to us; and I believe (when we have con|&s;idered what he &s;aith, with what the Scripture &s;aith, and what the peo|ple of God have experience of, by comparing their unregenerate &s;tate, and their regenerate &s;tate together) we &s;hall not finde that men in their natural condition have any more wi&s;dom and under&s;tanding of &s;piritual things, then they have &s;trength to walk or act in a &s;piritual way.</P>
<P>Now, for the clearing of this, I would de&s;ire you fir&s;t to con&s;ider that full place in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.14. <HI>But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are fooli&s;hne&s;s unto him: nei|ther can he know them, becau&s;e they are &s;piritually di&s;cerned.</HI> Now con&s;ider, fir&s;t, who it is that is &s;poken of, and then what is &s;aid of him. The man &s;poken of, is the natural man, which may be tran&s;lated ac|cording to the <HI>Greek,</HI> the &s;oully man, that is, that man, who&s;oever he be, that hath no other light but the light of a rea&s;onable &s;oul, and a natural under&s;tanding.</P>
<P>Now let us in the next place con&s;ider what it is that the Apo&s;tle &s;aith of this &s;oully man; and that is, that he doth not receive, neither can he know the things of the Spirit of God. As if the Apo&s;tle &s;hould &s;ay, Let a man be never &s;o well accompli&s;hed with natural wi&s;dom and un|der&s;tanding; con&s;ider him as compleat a man, (as to his natural intel|lectuals) as you can; yet is he not able to reach or attain to the under|&s;tanding of &s;piritual things.</P>
<P>Que&s;t. <HI>But what is the matter? what hinders, but that &s;uch a man may under&s;tand tho&s;e things when he reads them, or when he hears them?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, with the Apo&s;tle, They are <HI>fooli&s;hne&s;s</HI> to him; that is, in the fir&s;t place, they are too high for his under&s;tanding to reach to, &s;o as to apprehend there is any wi&s;dom in tho&s;e things. And then &s;econd|ly, he is further blinded by that prejudice that he hath taken up again&s;t them; he counts them meer folly. Be&s;ides this, I might give you ano|ther rea&s;on in regard of Satan; he blindes the eyes of men that are na|turally blinde, more and more, that &s;o they may not apprehend tho&s;e things which are of a &s;piritual nature, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.4. where the Apo&s;tle tells us that <HI>the God of this world hath blinded the mindes of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, who is the image of God, &s;hould &s;hine into them.</HI></P>
<P>But yet further, for the clearing of the thing in hand, take notice of what the Apo&s;tle &s;aith concerning the Go&s;pel, wherein the things of the
<PB N="19" REF="13"> Spirit of God are held forth to the &s;ons of men; nay, concerning the choice&s;t piece of the Go&s;pel, the preaching of <HI>Chri&s;t crucified,</HI> name|ly, that it was <HI>a &s;tumbling-block to the Jews, and to the Greeks fooli&s;hne&s;s,</HI> 1 Cor. 1.27.</P>
<P>Now by <HI>Jews</HI> and <HI>Greeks,</HI> I conceive, in the fir&s;t place, is under&s;tood all men; (that being the ordinary di&s;tinction that the Apo&s;tle doth make:) and then we may ea&s;ily from thence conclude, that all men are naturally in the &s;ame condition of ignorance and blindne&s;s, as to the things contained and held forth in the Go&s;pel; and particularly, and e&s;pecially, as to a crucified Saviour.</P>
<P>But then we may &s;ee &s;omething further into the truth, if we con&s;ider the Jews di&s;tinctly by them&s;elves as one people, and the Greeks di&s;tinct|ly by them&s;elves as another. And fir&s;t, let us &s;ee who the Jews were; and we &s;hall finde that they were the people, nay the onely people of God by outward profe&s;&s;ion; they had the Ordinances of God, the Ora|cles of God among them. This was their original &s;tate; yet the&s;e Jews, though they were Legally wi&s;e, yet they &s;tumble at a crucified Chri&s;t, and the things of the Go&s;pel, becau&s;e they could not under&s;tand them.</P>
<P>Again, con&s;ider who the Greeks were; and you &s;hall finde that they were, as to natural things, very wi&s;e men; and they had as it were mo|nopolized humane learning to them&s;elves: yet the Apo&s;tle &s;aith of the&s;e, that a crucified Chri&s;t was to them <HI>fooli&s;hne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Away then with all high conceits of Legal righteou&s;ne&s;s, with the <HI>Jew;</HI> or of natural wi&s;dom, and humane learning, with the <HI>Greek:</HI> for if you have no more, you will never be able to reach to the under&s;tanding of the things of the Spirit of God. I confe&s;s, the&s;e things are both good in their place; but they cannot act above the &s;phere of their own activity: and therefore when a man goeth about by them to reach to the appre|hen&s;ion of &s;piritual things, here they will give out, and leave him &s;hort of his journeys end.</P>
<P>But to go on: you &s;hall finde, that the natural man doth not onely come &s;hort as to the apprehending of &s;piritual things, as if his &s;ight were too weak; but you &s;hall further finde, that there is an antipathy in his natural light again&s;t &s;piritual light: <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.7. <HI>The carnal minde is enmity again&s;t God.</HI> Now ob&s;erve; the Minde is the lighte&s;t part of the man; yet this light that is in him, is oppo&s;ite to God, and the light of God: for it is enmity again&s;t God.</P>
<P>Now upon the&s;e con&s;iderations I judge it is, that the Apo&s;tle writing to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> and minding them of the condition that they were in
<PB N="20" REF="14"> before conver&s;ion, he &s;aith, <HI>Ye were &s;ometimes darkne&s;s,</HI> Eph. 5.8. he doth not &s;ay, Ye were dark, or blinde; but, Ye were <HI>Darkne&s;s,</HI> in the ab&s;tract: he could not tell how to fit him&s;elf with a concrete expre&s;&s;ion, and therefore he tells them, <HI>Ye were Darkne&s;s;</HI> whereby he doth &s;et forth thus much, That while they were in their unregenerate &s;tate, they were in an ab&s;olute incapacity of under&s;tanding that, to the under&s;tand|ing whereof real light was required: they had nothing to contribute to under&s;tanding of &s;piritual things, but meer darkne&s;s.</P>
<P>Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf, likewi&s;e, tells us as much, that natural men, though wi&s;e men, cannot under&s;tand the things of God, the my&s;teries of the Go&s;pel; they mu&s;t be revealed by God, or they will not be known. And he (&s;eeing his Father exceedingly honoured upon this account) can|not chu&s;e but be very thankful; as you may &s;ee in <HI>Matth.</HI> 11.15. <HI>I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou ha&s;t hid the&s;e things from the wi&s;e and prudent, and revealed them to babes.</HI></P>
<P>But yet more plainly: whereas <HI>H. H.</HI> &s;peaks of a <HI>talent of wi&s;dom and under&s;tanding</HI> given to all the po&s;terity of <HI>Adam,</HI> to be improved in reference to &s;alvation; Chri&s;t tells us, that it is peculiarly given to his di&s;ciples, and not to others, to know the my&s;teries of the kingdom of heaven, <HI>Matth.</HI> 13.11. So that from hence it doth very clearly ap|pear, (let men &s;ay what they will) that notwith&s;tanding all the wi&s;dom and under&s;tanding that is in the whole lump of mankinde, there mu&s;t be &s;ome peculiar, choice, additional gift of unden&s;tanding from God to the creature, or el&s;e he will not be able to under&s;tand the my&s;teries of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>And before I leave this, I &s;hall appeal to the experience of all tho&s;e whom God hath made wi&s;e to &s;alvation, whether, before God &s;hined by his Spirit into their hearts, they had any of that under&s;tanding in the my&s;tery of the Go&s;pel, which they have now.</P>
<P>But if you do further take notice of <HI>H. H.</HI> expre&s;&s;ions, you &s;hall find that he goeth about in particular to tell you what may be done (as he conceives) by this power, and wi&s;dom, and under&s;tanding, in &s;lothful di&s;obedient ones: for he tells us, that <HI>God hath given the&s;e talents to all &s;lothful di&s;obedient ones, that they may work out their own &s;al|vation with fear and trembling.</HI></P>
<P>Now I de&s;ire that this may be further taken notice of: for (though afterwards he &s;eems to &s;moothe over the bu&s;ine&s;s, by telling us that men have all from God, yet) here he doth attribute very much to man, upon
<PB N="21" REF="14"> a common account; namely, that all men, as men, even while they are di&s;obedient, may, if they will, work out their own &s;alvation.</P>
<P>And that we may come to &s;ee whether this be a truth or no, let us con&s;ider whether the Scripture &s;peaks of any &s;uch power in natural men, to work out their own &s;alvation; or whether ever God doth in Scri|pture give any &s;uch command to men in their natural &s;tate &s;o to do: and then let us con&s;ider what the meaning of the expre&s;&s;ion is, where the Scripture &s;peaks of working out our own &s;alvation with fear and trem|bling; and whether there be not &s;ufficient in that very Scripture, to de|ny any &s;uch &s;en&s;e as he would put upon the words.</P>
<P>Now that the Scripture doth nowhere &s;peak of &s;uch a power in na|tural men, to work out their own &s;alvation in his &s;en&s;e, or indeed in any &s;en&s;e; there hath been enough from plain Scripture already &s;aid to the contrary: and &s;ure the Scripture doth not contradict it &s;elf.</P>
<P>But again, let us con&s;ider whether the Scripture that &s;peaks of work|ing out our &s;alvation with fear and trembling, doth in the lea&s;t intend that exhortation to natural men; or whether it be not an exhortation to Saints: and that will appear, if you do con&s;ult with the words of the text at large, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.12, 13. <HI>Wherefore, my beloved, as you have al|ways obeyed, not as in my pre&s;ence onely, but now much more in my ab&s;ence, work out your own &s;alvation with fear and trembling: for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do, of his good plea&s;ure.</HI></P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle gives this exhortation to the Saints in Chri&s;t Je&s;us at <HI>Philippi:</HI> Now to argue from hence, that becau&s;e the Apo&s;tle writes to Saints, exhorting them to work out their &s;alvation with fear and trembling; therefore all the &s;ons and daughters of <HI>Adam</HI> have received power from God to work out their &s;alvation, is to me a very &s;trange kind of arguing. Nay, I &s;hould rather conclude, that being the Apo&s;tle doth exhort Saints to do it, therefore it is &s;omething peculiar to Saints, which doth not appertain to others; nor is it a thing within the verge of other mens power. But we &s;hall have Arguments enough tending this way, from the very Scripture laid down before you. For,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Apo&s;tle calls them <HI>Beloved,</HI> to denote that they were per|&s;ons beloved of God, and beloved of Saints; that he did very tenderly affect them: yea, we may conclude, that, in regard of the condition they were in, they were a lovely people. But,</P>
<P>Again, the Apo&s;tle mindes that they were an <HI>obedient</HI> people; yea, that they were con&s;tantly obedient, not onely in his pre&s;ence, but al&s;o in
<PB N="22" REF="15"> his ab&s;ence. So that it doth appear, that the Apo&s;tle doth not now begin to exhort them to obedience; neither did they begin then to be obedient: for the Apo&s;tle doth bear witne&s;s in their behalf, that they had <HI>always obeyed;</HI> which is to be under&s;tood, &s;ince the fir&s;t time that the Apo&s;tle had had any acquaintance with them as Saints. I conclude from hence therefore, that this exhortation, whatever the meaning of it is, hath relation to Saints, beloved ones, obedient ones; and to none other.</P>
<P>I &s;hall therefore, in the next place, come to con&s;ider what the mean|ing of the exhortation is: and fir&s;t, I &s;hall tell you, that it is not to be under&s;tood to be a working out of &s;alvation &s;o, as that men thereby come to be in a &s;tate of &s;alvation; for it is directed to &s;uch as were in a &s;tate of &s;alvation at pre&s;ent, as hath been already clearly di&s;covered: it mu&s;t be therefore &s;omething that is proper to per&s;ons in a &s;tate of &s;al|vation; which I judge to be one of the&s;e two things: either,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, to endeavour in fear and trembling to know, or to come to a more full acquaintance with their &s;tate; and this may be one meaning of it: for many times it is &s;o, that Saints are in a happie e&s;tate, and yet are full of doubts as to the full knowledge of that e&s;tate of theirs. Or el&s;e,</P>
<P>Secondly, &s;eeing holine&s;s is part, and a great part of &s;alvation; I conceive, that by working out &s;alvation, he intends endeavouring after a high pitch of holine&s;s, which al&s;o doth tend to the further di&s;covering of their being in a &s;tate of &s;alvation: and &s;o I judge this exhortation to be much of the &s;ame nature with that of the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.1. <HI>Let us clean&s;e our &s;elves from all filthine&s;s of fle&s;h and &s;pirit, perfecting holine&s;s in the fear of God.</HI></P>
<P>But that it may not be thought that God doth by the Apo&s;tle exhort the believing <HI>Philippians,</HI> to work out their &s;alvation (in this &s;ence) by their own &s;trength; he tells them further, That <HI>it is God that worketh in them, to will and to do, even of his own good plea&s;ure.</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, What I exhort you to, you have received &s;trength in &s;ome mea&s;ure from God, whereby you are able to do it: But &s;eeing it is &s;o, that you cannot live altogether upon the old &s;tock, I tell you, You &s;hall have, nay, you have, a con&s;tant &s;upply from the Spirit of God, whereby your faith &s;hall be &s;trengthned, and your holine&s;s encrea&s;ed, and the work of your &s;alvation &s;hall go on in your &s;ouls: <HI>For,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his own good plea&s;ure.</HI> So that (without wronging of the Scripture, there cannot be &s;uch a con&s;truction
<PB N="23" REF="15"> made of this expre&s;&s;ion <HI>(work out your &s;alvation)</HI> as <HI>Henry Haggar</HI> would make of it.</P>
<P>But however, when he hath told us of the&s;e Talents, <HI>Whereby,</HI> he &s;aith, <HI>di&s;obedient ones may work out their &s;alvation;</HI> he tells us, That <HI>this well con&s;idered, will give light into</HI> Rom. 9.10, 11, 20, 21, 22. <HI>and if men will needs under&s;tand, that God loved Jacob, and hated E&s;au before they were born, they &s;hould con&s;ider that God knew them both before they were born, and after they were born alike, according to his foreknowledge, as afore&s;aid.</HI></P>
<P>You &s;ee when it is for his own turn, he can tell us, That <HI>God knew men before they were born;</HI> though before he denied it. But whereas he &s;aith, <HI>If men will needs under&s;tand, that God loved Jacob and hated E&s;au before they were born;</HI> I do not know how we can under&s;tand any other, being the Scripture is &s;o clear.</P>
<P><HI>But,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>I know this is brought, to prove that Gods Election is not becau&s;e of works fore&s;een.</HI></P>
<P>And truely well it may, if you do but con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly what the A|&s;tle &s;aith in that <HI>Rom.</HI> 9. where his de&s;ign is to declare, that there are, and &s;till have been two &s;orts of men in the world; and he doth particularly in&s;tance two families, and they very eminent ones too, namely, <HI>Abra|ham</HI>'s Family and <HI>I&s;aac</HI>'s; fir&s;t, <HI>Abraham</HI>'s Family, and there was <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> and <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> wherein was a manife&s;tation of a two-fold &s;eed; a &s;eed after the fle&s;h, and a &s;eed according to promi&s;e. The &s;ame you have likewi&s;e in the Family of <HI>I&s;aac;</HI> there was an <HI>E&s;au,</HI> a &s;on after the fle&s;h, and a <HI>Jacob,</HI> a &s;on according to promi&s;e; and of the&s;e he &s;aith, That the one was loved by God, and the other hated. Nay, further, (though in <HI>Jacob</HI>'s Family he doth not particularly mention who were &s;ons after the fle&s;h, and who were &s;ons according to promi&s;e, yet) he tells of a two-fold &s;eed there; for he &s;aith, <HI>They are not all I&s;rael, which are of I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>But becau&s;e it is the family of <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> that is at pre&s;ent mo&s;t in con|trover&s;ie, I &s;hall &s;peak &s;omething to that, and that according to what the Apo&s;tle layeth down in plain undeniable expre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>For the Apo&s;tle tells us plainly both what God did, and why he did it. Fir&s;t, what he did; and that is very plainly expre&s;&s;ed, namely, that he loved <HI>Jacob,</HI> and hated <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and that before they were born, and before they did good or evil. And truely the expre&s;&s;ions being &s;o full, may very well &s;erve to remove all Objections at once; being the Apo&s;tle doth not onely &s;ay, <HI>before they were born;</HI> but likewi&s;e, <HI>before they had done either good or evil;</HI> to &s;hew, that the obedience of the creature,
<PB N="24" REF="16"> is not at all a ground wherefore God loves him. But the Apo&s;tle tells us likewi&s;e why the Lord did love <HI>Jacob,</HI> and hate <HI>E&s;au</HI> before they were born, and before they had done good or evil; and that is, <HI>That the purpo&s;e of God according to election might &s;tand, not of works, but of him that calleth.</HI> Which is as if the Apo&s;tle had &s;aid, God would not &s;u&s;pend his love till <HI>Jacob</HI> was born, and had acted in a way of o|bedience to him; but before he was born, God loved him, that the pur|po&s;e of God according to Election, might &s;tand upon the right Foundati|on, and not be built upon the works and obedience of <HI>Jacob</HI> or any other creature.</P>
<P>But the Apo&s;tle well knowing what Objection might be made again&s;t this dealing of God, by men by corrupt mindes, doth lay down the Ob|jection, and an&s;wer it him&s;elf&punc; for the better clearing of the Truth in hand.</P>
<P>The Objection is in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 14. <HI>Is there unrighteou&s;ne&s;s with God? As if the Apo&s;tle &s;hould now per&s;onate &s;uch men, and &s;ay, Sure this &s;eems to be a &s;trange dealing of God: how can it be thought that the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God &s;hould be kept without violation, if God doth hate men without any cau&s;e at all given by them, without their doing any evil?</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this Que&s;tion, <HI>Whether there be unrighteou&s;|ne&s;s with God?</HI> the Apo&s;tle gives this brief an&s;wer, <HI>God forbid;</HI> or, as it is in the <HI>Greek, Let it not be:</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, Let there not be a thought of any &s;uch thing, as that there can po&s;&s;ibly be any unrigh|teou&s;ne&s;s with God. Now whereas it was added in the Objection, that God cannot without violation of his ju&s;tice, hate men without any cau&s;e given by them&s;elves; Now to this I an&s;wer, God loves no men nor women, but Saints; nor hates he any men and women, but wic|ked ones: but yet he loves and hates before they are either actually Saints or &s;inners.</P>
<P>But if it be minded what further an&s;wer the Apo&s;tle gives to the Ob|jection, it will appear to be a full one indeed: for he brings a very clear Scripture as an an&s;wer thereto: <HI>For</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>he &s;aith to Mo&s;es, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compa&s;&s;ion on whom I will have compa&s;&s;ion:</HI> which Scripture you &s;hall finde in <HI>Exod.</HI> 33.19. So that we may take notice from hence, that it is a Prerogative Royal that God doth re&s;erve to him&s;elf, That he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and harden whom he will, as it is in ver&s;. 18. of this <HI>Rom.</HI> 9. and that he will not be con|trolled by the creature, though he doth both love and hate, before good or evil are acted by the per&s;on thus loved or hated.</P>
<PB N="25" REF="16">
<P>But further, when the Apo&s;tle had been telling of us, that mercy and compa&s;&s;ion are by God di&s;pen&s;ed to the &s;ons of men meerly upon ac|count of the will of God, he comes to lay down a notable Conclu&s;ion, ver&s;. 16. <HI>So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that run|neth, but of God that &s;heweth mercy.</HI> Which doth plainly deny, that either the will of the creature, or the utmo&s;t improving the ability of the creature, (for 't is well known, that in running, a man puts forth his whole &s;trength) doth contribute any thing towards the &s;alvation of the creature.</P>
<P>But yet the great Controver&s;ie, and that which men can hardly di|ge&s;t, is, That God &s;hould meerly, at his own will, harden men. Now that this is &s;o, likewi&s;e, the Apo&s;tle proves from Scripture, <HI>Exod.</HI> 9.6. where God &s;peaking to <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> &s;aith to him, <HI>Even for the &s;ame pur|po&s;e I have rai&s;ed thee up, that I might &s;hew my power in thee, and that my Name might be declared thorowout all the earth. There|fore,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.</HI> The proof that the Apo&s;tle gives, is full; and the conclu&s;ion that he draws from it, is clear: and who dares now que&s;tion whether God may do thus or no? God leaves <HI>Pharaoh</HI> un|der his natural hardne&s;s, and doth as it were deliver him fully up to the power of that innate corruption; and &s;o he becomes hard-hearted indeed again&s;t the people of God, and God him&s;elf. Now if you would know why God (who could have &s;oftned his &s;tony heart if he had plea&s;ed) doth thus deliver him up to hardne&s;s; God tells us him&s;elf why he did it, namely, That his power might be known, and that his Name might be declared thorow all the ea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th: as if God &s;hould &s;ay, I will deliver up this great King to hardne&s;s of heart, that &s;o he (&s;etting him&s;elf again&s;t me and my people) may feel my power; and that the whole world, that hears of the bu&s;ine&s;s, may know, that in power the God of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> doth infinitely &s;urpa&s;s the proud King of <HI>Egypt.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But it may be &s;ome will &s;ay, <HI>This that the Apo&s;tle men|tions concerning Gods hardening</HI> Pharaoh, <HI>is but a hardening of him in reference to his outward de&s;truction: but that God &s;hould meerly upon his own will harden men unto final de&s;truction of &s;oul and body, this &s;eems very har&s;h.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Now to this I an&s;wer fir&s;t, by conce&s;&s;ion: I confe&s;s, that which the Scripture doth particularly mention concerning <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and the Egyptians, is a temporal de&s;truction. But yet I mu&s;t &s;ay further, that we cannot &s;ay that was all.</P>
<P>But then in the next place, if it will be granted that God may at
<PB N="26" REF="17"> plea&s;ure bring a temporal de&s;truction, I do not know but that upon the &s;ame we may conclude likewi&s;e, that he hath power and authority at plea&s;ure to harden men unto final de&s;truction of &s;oul and body. For if we &s;peak of the ju&s;tice or inju&s;tice of an action, it is as really unju&s;t to burn a man in the hand, or to inflict &s;ome petty puni&s;hment upon him without ground, and again&s;t Law, as to hang him. Now thus I argue: If by vertue of the unlimited will of God, he may harden <HI>Pha|raoh</HI> as to the de&s;truction of his body; by vertue of the &s;ame unlimited will, he may harden him or whom el&s;e he plea&s;eth, as to a final de&s;tru|ction: for there are no bounds to be &s;et to that that is unlimited.</P>
<P>But the Apo&s;tle, ver&s;. 19. lays down a dreadful Objection, which he &s;uppo&s;eth &s;ome may be ready to make: and truely too many have made it in the&s;e days.</P>
<P>The Objection is this: <HI>Why doth he yet finde fault? for who hath re&s;i&s;ted his will?</HI></P>
<P>Oh &s;ad! that ever it &s;hould enter into the heart, or proceed out of the mouth of any proud arrogant creature, thus to contend with God after this manner: for it is as if &s;uch a proud carnal heart &s;hould &s;ay, If it be the will of God that I &s;hould be hardened, and I am &s;o, then it &s;eems he hath his will; and why then doth he complain, and blame me for &s;inning again&s;t him?</P>
<P>Now when the Apo&s;tle hath laid down this Objection, in &s;tead of an an&s;wer, he gives a check in the fir&s;t place to the carnal Objector; and that by putting a que&s;tion to him, thus: <HI>Nay but O man, who art thou that replie&s;t again&s;t God?</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, What, art thou a man, a creature, and yet dare&s;t thou be &s;o bold as to reply again&s;t thy Creator? Thy Objection hath been an&s;wered &s;ufficiently to &s;top thy mouth, if thou had&s;t but the mode&s;ty that thou as a creature &s;houlde&s;t have; and yet dare&s;t thou reply?</P>
<P>But be&s;ides this, the Apo&s;tle goeth about to convince &s;uch a perver&s;e ob&s;tinate &s;pirit, if it be po&s;&s;ible, by telling him of the Potter making what u&s;e of the clay he plea&s;eth; and &s;o likewi&s;e of the ve&s;&s;els when he hath made them: and he &s;eems to argue thus: O thou vain man! wilt thou grant more to the creature then to the Creator? Hath the Potter power to make what ve&s;&s;el he plea&s;e, and de&s;igne it to what u&s;e he plea&s;e; and wilt thou deny God that authority, who made the Potter? It is an evil, to mea&s;ure God by the creature; but to put God below the creature, mu&s;t needs be a far greater evil.</P>
<P>Now this Scripture in <HI>Rom.</HI> 9. having been thus far con&s;idered, I
<PB N="27" REF="17"> judge there may be &s;ufficient ground of proof from thence (whatever <HI>H. H.</HI> thinks) that God's election is not becau&s;e of works fore&s;een. But however, he endeavours to remove this block out of his own way, by di&s;tingui&s;hing works, into works done while we are out of Chri&s;t, and works done when we are in Chri&s;t, thus:</P>
<P><HI>It is true, God doth not chu&s;e us becau&s;e of any works of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s that we have done, or can do out of Chri&s;t: but it is be|cau&s;e of works of righteou&s;ne&s;s that Chri&s;t him&s;elf hath wrought for us in his own per&s;on, and doth work by us and in us when we are believers.</HI></P>
<P>Now I de&s;ire it may be con&s;idered, whether this di&s;tinction of works will help him or no: and truely, for my part, I judge, that when the Apo&s;tle doth exclude works, he doth not &s;hut out &s;ome, and take in &s;ome; but he &s;huts out all works, of what kinde &s;oever, and at what time &s;oever they are performed; whether when we are out of Chri&s;t, or in Chri&s;t. Therefore I know no rea&s;on why we &s;hould di&s;tingui&s;h, where God doth not. But however, it may be worth the enquiring, whether there be any ground from Scripture, to believe, that works performed by the creature when he is in Chri&s;t, and the Spirit of Chri&s;t in him, be the cau&s;e of our Election; nay, whether there be any &s;hadow of ground to believe that what Chri&s;t hath wrought for us in his own per&s;on, be a ground or cau&s;e of Election.</P>
<P>Now that it is not works done by us, that are the cau&s;e of Election; for works are excluded: and works done by us, when Chri&s;t is in us, are no le&s;s works then tho&s;e that are done before Chri&s;t is in us, or we in Chri&s;t. But becau&s;e the&s;e works are done by the power of the Spirit of Chri&s;t in us, and therefore may &s;eem to contribute &s;omething of cau|&s;ality to our Election; I &s;hall therefore adde, that the works of Chri&s;t in us, are not a cau&s;e of our Election: for (as hath been already demon|&s;trated) we were elected before we had the Spirit of Chri&s;t; and we are elected unto that obedience, and tho&s;e good works which are by the Spi|rit of Chri&s;t wrought in us. Now that good wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ks &s;hould be both the cau&s;e for which, and the end to which we are elected, is not to be imagined.</P>
<P>But yet further, I &s;ay, Our Election is not becau&s;e of tho&s;e works that Chri&s;t hath wrought for us in his own per&s;on; and that I prove thus:</P>
<P>Gods electing love, or Gods chu&s;ing of us in Chri&s;t before the founda|tion of the world, was the cau&s;e why he &s;ent Je&s;us Chri&s;t: for, <HI>God &s;o loved the world, that he gave his Son, that who&s;oever believeth in
<PB N="28" REF="18"> him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI> Now Election be|ing (as hath been proved) an eternal act in God; and the &s;ending of Chri&s;t into the world, to perform actually the office of a Mediator, be|ing an act performed in the fulne&s;s of time: it cannot be imagined that the act of Election in God, and the act of Mediator&s;hip in Chri&s;t, &s;hould be mutual cau&s;es and effects of each other.</P>
<P>But whereas <HI>H. H.</HI> him&s;elf doth in this di&s;tinction concerning Works &s;eem wholly to &s;hut out works done before conver&s;ion; I judge it is &s;ufficient to overthrow whatever he &s;aith concerning Works: but it doth more particularly minde me of one Contradiction, <HI>viz.</HI> whereas before he had &s;poken of talents that God had given to di&s;obedient ones, for this end, that they might work out their &s;alvation with fear and trembling; he now affirms that no works are required of unbelievers. Now whether this be a Contradiction or no, let any man judge.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall now come to another di&s;tinction that he makes, and that is concerning boa&s;ting in works; what works we may boa&s;t in, and what works we may not boa&s;t in. He doth grant, that boa&s;ting in the works of the Law, and boa&s;ting in works before believing, is reproved. But yet he brings a Scripture to prove that there may be a boa&s;ting of works done after believing, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.10. where <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>As the truth of Chri&s;t is in me, no man &s;hall &s;top me of this boa&s;ting in the regions of Achaia.</HI> Now I would de&s;ire that it may be con&s;idered &s;eri|ou&s;ly, whether there be any thing to boa&s;t of mentioned by the Apo|&s;tle; or whether he doth declare any boa&s;ting in him&s;elf, as if he had done any thing that was a cau&s;e of his election. His boa&s;ting here, is a con&s;trained boa&s;ting, occa&s;ioned by the vain boa&s;ting of tho&s;e fal&s;e teachers that were crept in among the <HI>Corinthians;</HI> and that the Apo|&s;tle might vindicate the truth of the Go&s;pel, and likewi&s;e the &s;implicity of it, he tells them, that though he have preached the Go&s;pel in a very plain way, and &s;o be by them counted rude; yet he was not rude in knowledge. But the main thing that he doth boa&s;t of, is, that he hath preached the Go&s;pel freely to the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> though now they were drawn to undervalue him: nay, that he robbed other Churches to do them &s;ervice, (whereas he might have been chargeable to them.) So that now (the Apo&s;tle having met with &s;o much unkindne&s;s from them, from whom he might ju&s;tly expect more then ordinary re&s;pect) he is forced to tell them what he hath done, out of tenderne&s;s to them.</P>
<P>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t <HI>H. H.</HI> go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th on, and tells us, that <HI>though Paul cried down <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> before faith in &s;o many places, yet he preached up works after
<PB N="29" REF="18"> believing loud enough, in the</HI> 1 Tit. 8. <HI>This is a faithful &s;aying, and the&s;e things I will that thou con&s;tantly affirm, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works, for they are good and profitable,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Now truely I cannot but wonder why he &s;peaks after &s;uch a manner, or why he brings this Scripture to prove that <HI>Paul</HI> did pre&s;s good works; truely I judge that he might have brought many other places, if there had been need, to have proved that it is a duty to pre&s;s good works upon Saints; or that it is duty for Saints to do good works: but this being not at all denyed by us, I think he might very well have &s;pa|red his labour. But mu&s;t it follow, that therefore the&s;e good works mu&s;t needs be the cau&s;e of Election?</P>
<P>But I wonder why he could not as well mention the la&s;t word in the <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> as mention the re&s;t; &s;ure I am ready to believe that there is &s;ome deceit in it: the Apo&s;tle &s;aith <HI>The&s;e are profitable to men;</HI> but <HI>H. H.</HI> &s;aith they are <HI>profitable,</HI> and leaves <HI>men</HI> out. Now I conceive he would have us believe, that the&s;e good works are profitable to the man him&s;elf, in reference to his &s;alvation; whereas the Apo&s;tle onely &s;aith, the&s;e good works are good and profitable to men, that is, that other men will be benefited thereby.</P>
<P>Another Scripture that he brings, is that formerly mentioned <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.12, 13. <HI>Work out your &s;alvation,</HI> &amp;c. Now here I cannot but a|gain take notice of his deceitful contradicting of him&s;elf, for in the very &s;ame page of his Book he had made u&s;e of this Scripture, as ap|plicable to di&s;obedient ones, and now he applyeth it onely to believers; but I conceive there need no more at pre&s;ent be &s;aid to that Scripture.</P>
<P>But he mentioneth &s;ome of the words of another Scripture yet, and that is 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.1. <HI>We then as workers together with him, be&s;eech you that you receive not the grace of God in vaine.</HI> Now the A|po&s;tle in this place doth but declare him&s;elf and other mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel to be workers together with God in the work of the Go&s;pel, not as if they were equal with God in doing the work, but rather that they are in&s;truments in the hand of God, whereby he doth work upon the hearts of men. And that it may appeare that it is his de&s;igne to attri|bute to him&s;elf no more but the honour that is due to him as Gods In|&s;trument, we may &s;ee by what he &s;aith to the &s;ame thing in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.7. <HI>We have this trea&s;ure in earthen ve&s;&s;els, that the excellency of the power may be of God, not of us.</HI> But all this makes nothing at all to the proofe of the thing that he would prove thereby, <HI>viz.</HI> that good
<PB N="30" REF="19"> works which are performed by men after they believe, are the cau&s;e of Election.</P>
<P>But what a deale ado he makes about that which he had &s;poken e|nough on before, though to little purpo&s;e, That <HI>although God &s;aw A|dam would fall, yet he &s;aw him a creature fir&s;t, or el&s;e he could not have fore&s;een, he would fall when he was a creature: therefore God is the God of order, and not of confu&s;ion, and fore&s;eeth all things or|derly, and not confu&s;edly.</HI></P>
<P>Much more he &s;aith to the &s;ame purpo&s;e, <HI>which,</HI> he &s;aith <HI>(if well con&s;idered) would put an end to all the confu&s;ed and di&s;tracted thoughts in men about the&s;e things.</HI></P>
<P>Now for my own part, I do not judge that there is any need to &s;ay any thing more then hath been &s;aid already to the&s;e things; onely this I &s;hall adde, that we need not trouble our &s;elves about Gods order of working; I am &s;ure it doth not become us to pre&s;cribe him an order. It is &s;ufficient for us, that we may &s;ee from cleare Scripture what God hath done as to the matter of election, before the foundation of the world. Now as to that place which he quoteth (though he renders the words &s;omthing fal&s;e) 1 Cor. 14, 33. <HI>God is the God of order,</HI> (as he &s;aith, though the Apo&s;tle &s;aith <HI>peace) not of confu&s;ion;</HI> I conceive that this makes nothing for his purpo&s;e neither. For the de&s;igne of the Apo&s;tle is to bring the <HI>Corinthians</HI> to an orderly walking, as you may &s;ee in the la&s;t <HI>ver&s;e</HI> of the <HI>Chapter;</HI> and in this 33 <HI>ver&s;e</HI> he &s;aith, <HI>God is not the author,</HI> or the <HI>God</HI> (for I confe&s;s <HI>author</HI> is not in the Greeke) <HI>of confu&s;ion, but of peace, as in all Churches of the Saints.</HI></P>
<P>Now that the Apo&s;tle may prevaile with them as to an orderly peace|able working, he tells them that God is the God of peace; and &s;o by con&s;equence, whatever di&s;cord and confu&s;ion was among them, came from Satan and corruption.</P>
<P>But, &s;aith H. H. <HI>It may be &s;ome will yet object, that I hold faith and obedience in us to be the cau&s;e of Gods electing or chu&s;ing us to life and Glory.</HI></P>
<P>For an&s;wer to which objection of his (before I come to take notice of his an&s;wer) I mu&s;t &s;ay thus much: If this be not his de&s;igne, he hath been hitherto at a great lo&s;s in finding out expre&s;&s;ion to &s;et out his o|pinion. And I think no man that reads tho&s;e &s;ix fir&s;t pages of his book, can judge any other, but that he hath indeavoured by all the Scriptures and Arguments that he hath brought, to prove this; which now by his Objection he would &s;eeme to be a great injury if any &s;hould charge it
<PB N="31" REF="19"> upon him, as his opinion. Now that it may appear that we do not wrong him, if we do &s;ay, that he holds that our faith and obedience is the cau&s;e of God's electing us to life and glory; let us take a little notice what he &s;aith pre&s;ently after his own An&s;wer to the Objection, in pag. 7. of his Book: <HI>Suppo&s;e I &s;hould affirm my Obedience to be the cau&s;e of my election to Salvation,</HI> &amp;c. But it may be he will &s;ay, We may <HI>&s;uppo&s;e</HI> that that is not our opinion, (for Arguments &s;ake.) To which I an&s;wer, If it be but a bare &s;uppo&s;ition of that which he doth not hold as his Opinion, it &s;eems &s;trange to me, that he &s;hould build all that fol|lows upon it, as he doth.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall now come to con&s;ider what An&s;wer he gives to his Ob|jection, which is in the&s;e words: <HI>That Faith in Chri&s;t, and Obedi|ence to Chri&s;t is [a cau&s;e] without which God chu&s;eth none to Life and Salvation, I affirm, becau&s;e we never read that God cho&s;e any di&s;obedient unbeliever to Life and Glory, which lived and died &s;o: but that it is [the cau&s;e] for which he doth chu&s;e any, I &s;hall utterly deny.</HI></P>
<P>There are two things in this An&s;wer of his to the Objection, to be taken notice of: fir&s;t, what he affirms; &s;econdly, what he denyes. Fir&s;t, he affirms, That Faith in Chri&s;t, and Obedience to Chri&s;t, is <HI>a cau&s;e</HI> without which God chu&s;eth none to Life and Salvation. Now before I go any further, I mu&s;t deny what he affirms; for the contrary to what he &s;aith is cleer in Scripture. I &s;hall grant, that God chu&s;eth none to Salvation, but before he be&s;tows the fulne&s;s of Salvation and Glory upon them, he works faith in them, and makes them obedient; but that he chu&s;eth them without Faith and Obedience is plain, in that they were cho&s;e (as hath been proved) before the foundation of the world; but they believe not, till God by his Spirit works upon their hearts, after, and &s;ometimes, a great while after they are born.</P>
<P>But whereas he tells us, That <HI>he doth utterly deny Faith and O|bedience to be the cau&s;e for which he doth chu&s;e any to life and &s;al|vation;</HI> I cannot but wonder, that he &s;hould here deny it, and a lit|tle lower in the &s;ame &s;eventh page of his Book, affirm it; mark his words: <HI>Thus all men may &s;ee, that I do not hold that God cho&s;e any to Life &amp; Salvation for any good in them, before he put it in them:</HI> intima|ting, that it is for the good that is in them, that they are cho&s;e; though he would have us think, that they had that good from God at fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Now I de&s;ire it may be taken notice of, that there is in this particular abundance of &s;aying and un&s;aying; &s;o that what he &s;aith in other places, is to be the more narrowly looked into.</P>
<PB N="32" REF="20">
<P>I &s;hall now come to con&s;ider his chain of Cau&s;es; and truely I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, before I begin the particular examination of them, that though he makes a great flouri&s;h, yet there is no proof at all, by what he &s;peaks, of that which he would infer; for the thing that he would infer, is, That man's Obedience is the Cau&s;e of his Election.</P>
<P>For thus he begins: <HI>Suppo&s;e I &s;hould affirm my Obedience to be the cau&s;e of my election to Salvation.</HI> And truely, if you do &s;uppo&s;e &s;uch a thing, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, You &s;uppo&s;e that which is not to be &s;uppo&s;ed; for the Scripture will not warrant any &s;uch &s;uppo&s;ition, for the Scripture attributes all to Free-grace.</P>
<P>But he goeth on: <HI>What then,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>is the cau&s;e of my Obedi|ence?</HI> His an&s;wer is, <HI>My love to Chri&s;t.</HI> Now I would fain know, whether he doth attribute the power of efficiency to the love of the crea|ture to Chri&s;t: if he do, I &s;hould de&s;ire to have &s;een the proof of it; if he doth not, I judge he had as good have &s;aid nothing. I grant that obedience to Chri&s;t, is the demon&s;tration of our love to Chri&s;t; and our love to Chri&s;t, is that which is an inward motive in us to obedience: but if you would know what is the cau&s;e of our obedience; I &s;ay, it is the &s;ame which is the cau&s;e of our love to Chri&s;t, and that is, God's electing love: <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.11. <HI>For we are his workman&s;hip, created in Chri&s;t Je&s;us unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we &s;hould walk in them.</HI> From whence we may &s;ee, that God's fore-or|daining of men, is the cau&s;e of their doing good works. And that place, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.4. which hath been &s;o much &s;poken to already, doth prove the &s;ame thing abundantly; <HI>According as he hath cho&s;en us in him before the foundation of the world, that we &s;hould be holy and unblameable before him in love.</HI> Where Election before the foun|dation of the world, is &s;aid to be the cau&s;e both of our love and of our holine&s;s.</P>
<P>But he tells us in his next Que&s;tion and An&s;wer, That <HI>our Faith in Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of our love to Chri&s;t.</HI> But I need not &s;ay much to this; it is enough, that you have heard already another cau&s;e of love; and likewi&s;e, that the Scripture nowhere &s;aith, That our faith in Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of our love to Chri&s;t: but rather, that our faith and love both, are wrought in us by that &s;ame Free-love of God which did elect us.</P>
<P>But in the An&s;wer to his next Que&s;tion, he tells us, That the preach|ing of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t is the Cau&s;e of Faith. Now to this I &s;ay, It is true, it is an in&s;trument that Chri&s;t makes u&s;e of to work Faith in men: but that is all that (from what the Scripture &s;peaks in this ca&s;e) can be granted.</P>
<PB N="33" REF="20">
<P>But it is worth the con&s;idering, what he intends by preaching of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t. Now this is the Go&s;pel that he &s;peaks of, <HI>viz.</HI> That <HI>Chri&s;t died for my &s;ins, and ro&s;e again for my ju&s;tification.</HI> Now I do not know any warrant, that any man hath from Chri&s;t to preach to men &s;uch a Go&s;pel, (for the fir&s;t working of faith in them,) That Chri&s;t died for them, and ro&s;e again for them. The Go&s;pel which Chri&s;t commands his Di&s;ciples to preach to every creature, is, That <HI>he that believeth and is bapti&s;ed &s;hall be &s;aved, and he that believeth not &s;hall be damned:</HI> but that Chri&s;t died for the &s;ins, and ro&s;e again for the ju&s;tification of every particular man to whom this Go&s;pel is preach|ed, is not to be affirmed; for if all men are ju&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">fied, then all men are &s;aved; which cannot be affirmed. It is true, the Apo&s;tle, when he writes to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> who did then believe in Chri&s;t, tells them, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.3 4. <HI>That he delivered to them fir&s;t of all, which he al&s;o received, how that Chri&s;t died for their &s;ins,</HI> (that is, for the &s;ins of tho&s;e that believe in him) <HI>according to the Scriptures; and, that he was buried, and ro&s;e again the third day according to the Scriptures.</HI> Now you have heard already what the Scripture &s;aith as to this particular, namely, That they that believe &s;hall be &s;aved; not all that hear the Go&s;pel preached: for then there need be no &s;uch word as this preached to them, <HI>[he that believeth not &s;hall be damned.]</HI></P>
<P>Again, in his An&s;wer to the next Que&s;tion, he tells us, That <HI>Chri&s;t dying for us is the cau&s;e of preaching the Go&s;pel to us.</HI> Now for an|&s;wer to this, <HI>I</HI> grant that the death of Chri&s;t for &s;inners is the matter of the Go&s;pel; but the real and immediate cau&s;e of preaching the Go&s;pel, is the anoynting of Chri&s;t, as may be &s;een by what Chri&s;t &s;aith him&s;elf, <HI>Luke</HI> 4.18. <HI>The &s;pirit of the Lord is upon me, becau&s;e he hath anointed me to preach the Go&s;pel to the poor,</HI> &amp;c. So that it is ap|parent from hence, that Chri&s;t his being anoynted and de&s;igned by the Father to that work, was the cau&s;e both why Chri&s;t did preach the Go&s;|pel him&s;elf, and why he did and doth employ others at this day, and will do till his coming again to preach the Go&s;pel to the &s;ons of men.</P>
<P>I confe&s;s at la&s;t he mentioneth one proper Cau&s;e, and that is this; he tells us, That <HI>God's great love of pity wherewith he loved us, e|ven when we were dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins, is the cau&s;e of Chri&s;t his dying for us.</HI></P>
<P>But I &s;hall now come to con&s;ider his Cau&s;es in that order of de&s;cent wherein he layes them down, together with the Scriptures that he brings for proof, And</P>
<PB N="34" REF="21">
<P>Fir&s;t, he &s;aith, <HI>God's love to the &s;ons of men, as they were &s;inners again&s;t him, and enemies to him, was the cau&s;e of his &s;ending his Son to die for &s;inners, for his enemies, for the ungodly, for the un|ju&s;t, as appeareth</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>by the&s;e following Scriptures,</HI> John 3.16. Rom. 5.6.8, 10. 1 Pet. 3.8. And truely, I &s;hall ea&s;ily grant this to be a Truth: and indeed if he con&s;iders what hath been granted by me, and what is the Opinion generally of tho&s;e that hold the Truth as it is in Je&s;us, he need not take pains to prove this; for it will be &s;ome|thing difficult to meet with any that will oppo&s;e it, without it be &s;ome that are of the &s;ame Opinion with him&s;elf. But however, I &s;hall a little con&s;ider one or two of the places that he mentioneth; and it will ap|pear, that the love of God was not onely the cau&s;e of &s;ending Chri&s;t to die for &s;inners; but likewi&s;e, that it was the cau&s;e of that Salvation, which men obtain by the death of Chri&s;t. Fir&s;t, we &s;hall con&s;ider that in <HI>John</HI> 3.16, <HI>God &s;o loved the world, that he gave his onely begotten Son, that who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI> From whence I conclude, that the love of God was as real a cau&s;e of Salvation by Chri&s;t, as of the &s;ending of Chri&s;t. And when I &s;ay it is the cau&s;e of Salvation, I mean, it is the cau&s;e both of the end, and of the means tending to the end; &s;o that when he hath &s;aid, That the love of God was the cau&s;e of &s;ending his Son, he might have added the re&s;t of tho&s;e things which he calleth Cau&s;es, and &s;o have &s;aid, That the love of God to &s;inners, is the cau&s;e of &s;ending Chri&s;t to die, of preaching the Go&s;pel, of working faith, love and obedience by his Spirit in the preaching of the Go&s;pel; and at la&s;t, of that glory which the people of God are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed at la&s;t withal. So that according to this Scripture, (which according to the extent of it, doth reach from Election to Glorification) he need have mentioned but one cau&s;e of man's Salvation.</P>
<P>The other Scripture that I &s;hall take notice of, is, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.18. <HI>For Chri&s;t al&s;o hath &s;uffered for &s;ins, the ju&s;t for the unju&s;t, that he might bring us to God.</HI> From whence I conclude, that God in &s;ending his Son, and the Son in dying, (being &s;ent) have both one de&s;ign, <HI>viz.</HI> To carry on the work of Salvation, till tho&s;e that are to be &s;aved are put in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that Salvation that Free-love hath provided for them.</P>
<P>But however, though I need take no further notice of his Cau&s;es, yet I &s;hall go on. He &s;aith, That <HI>Chri&s;t's dying for our &s;ins, and ri&s;ing again from the dead, is the cau&s;e of the Go&s;pels being preached to
<PB N="35" REF="21"> &s;inners.</HI> But having &s;poken &s;omething to this already; I &s;hall add the le&s;s now. Yet I judge it may not be ami&s;s to con&s;ider whether the Scri|ptures that he brings, prove the thing in hand or no.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Scripture mentioned (though fal&s;e rendred by him) is <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.18, 19. <HI>And Je&s;us came and &s;pake to them, &s;aying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth: Go ye therefore and teach all Nations,</HI> &amp;c. Now let any one judge whether this Scripture be &s;ufficient to prove what he would infer from it. <HI>I</HI> confe&s;s we may conclude from hence, That all power in Heaven and in Earth, was after the Re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t (according to the de&s;ignation and appointment of God) given unto Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and he by vertue of this power did &s;end Di&s;ciples forth to preach the Go&s;pel; but &s;till <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, (as <HI>I</HI> have &s;aid and proved from <HI>Luke</HI> 4.18.) That the anointing of Chri&s;t, or the de&s;igning of him to the Office of Mediator, is the cau&s;e of preach|ing the Go&s;pel. And therefore it is, that Chri&s;t &s;peaking of this au|thority of his, would have us know, that the authority, and the exerci&s;e of it, is by vertue of the decree God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 2.7. <HI>I will declare the de|cree,</HI> &s;aith he. And &s;ure <HI>I</HI> am ready to think, that <HI>H. H.</HI> hath &s;ome apprehen&s;ion, that his inference will not come in full from the con&s;ideration of that Scripture that he mentioneth: and therefore (it &s;eems) he altereth it a little, that it may be the more fit for his turn; and in&s;tead of &s;aying, <HI>All power is given to me,</HI> he &s;aith, <HI>All power is mine;</HI> as if his Death and Re&s;urrection had been the efficient cau&s;e of that power and the exerci&s;e thereof in the preaching of the Go&s;pel. The &s;ame that is &s;aid to <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.18. may be &s;aid to <HI>Mark</HI> 16.15, 16. But <HI>I</HI> go on.</P>
<P>Another Scripture, which yet &s;peaks as little to his purpo&s;e, is that in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.13, 14. where the Apo&s;tle is pleading for the Doctrine of the Re&s;urrection of the dead; and he proves it by the Re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t; as if he &s;hould &s;ay, If there be no Re&s;urrection of the dead, then Chri&s;t (who did really die) is not ri&s;en: but Chri&s;t is ri&s;en; there|fore there is a Re&s;urrection of the dead. Now that Chri&s;t is ri&s;en, he appeals to them&s;elves; as if he &s;hould &s;ay, Why do you hear the Go|&s;pel, which according to the Doctrine of it, doth hold forth a crucified ri&s;en Saviour? And why do you believe in Chri&s;t, if he be not ri&s;en? &s;urely a dead Saviour can do you no good, &s;o that your faith will of nece&s;&s;ity be a vain thing. So that now if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould look upon the Text to &s;ee what it will afford us as to the bu&s;ine&s;s in hand, it &s;eems to me one|ly to hold forth thus much, that to preach that Chri&s;t is ri&s;en, (if he be
<PB N="36" REF="22"> not) is to preach a lye; and to believe in Chri&s;t for Salvation, (if he onely died, and did not ri&s;e) is to believe in vain, or to tru&s;t in a vain help. For fir&s;t, a dead livele&s;s Saviour cannot be looked upon as any Saviour at all. And &s;econdly, it was the de&s;ign of God, that Chri&s;t by dying and ri&s;ing again, &s;hould be the means of procuring Salvation for us: and if the means be made void, the end will be fru&s;trate too. But neither this, nor any other Scripture that he mentioneth, doth prove that the death of Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of preaching the Go&s;pel to the &s;ons of men.</P>
<P>I come now to his third cau&s;e, which is this: <HI>The Go&s;pel being preached to &s;inners, is the cau&s;e of their believing.</HI> Now the Scri|pture that he brings to prove this, is <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.14.15, 17. ver&s;. but he mentioneth not the 16 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> which might very well have &s;erved for the clearing of the truth. The words that he mentioneth are the&s;e: <HI>How then &s;hall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? and how &s;hall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how &s;hall they heare without a preacher? and how &s;hall they preach except they be &s;ent? as it is written. So then faith cometh by hear|ing, and hearing by the word of God.</HI> Now that which may be ga|thered from hence, is (not that the preaching of the Go&s;pel, is pro|perly the cau&s;e of believing, but) that preaching of the Go&s;pel is the means that God makes u&s;e of, to worke faith in men. And that this is the meaning of it, appears by the 16 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> of the <HI>chapter,</HI> (which he &s;eems purpo&s;ely to leave out) <HI>but they have not all obeyed the Go&s;pel: for I&s;aias &s;aith, Lord, who hath believed out report?</HI> From whence it appears, that all that hear the Go&s;pel do not believe; nay, few that hear do believe: for the Prophet &s;aith, <HI>Who hath believed our report?</HI> (and the Apo&s;tle here owns this report, to be Go&s;pel-peaching) &s;o that I conclude, that the preaching of the Go&s;pel, is not the proper cau&s;e of mens believing: for if it were, then all that heare the Go&s;pel &s;hould be|lieve.</P>
<P>That therefore which is mo&s;t &s;afe to conclude from hence, is this, that the preaching of the Go&s;pel is a means appointed and made u&s;e of by God to worke faith in a &s;mall number of tho&s;e to whom it is preached. But enough of this.</P>
<P>I come now to con&s;ider his fourth cau&s;e: he tells us, <HI>Mens believing is the cau&s;e of their ju&s;tification from &s;in.</HI> Now for an&s;wer to this, me thinks it is not &s;afe to affirm that which the Scripture doth nowhere affirm: therefore I judge we ought to be very wary in entertaining this
<PB N="37" REF="22"> as a truth; for the Scripture nowhere &s;aith it. I confe&s;s the Spirit of the Lord doth enable the &s;oul in believing, to appropriate to it &s;elf the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t for ju&s;tification: and men are &s;aid to be ju&s;tified by faith; but it is not to be under&s;tood, as if the very act of believing were the cau&s;e of our Ju&s;tification, (as <HI>H. H.</HI> affirmes) but the &s;oul in believing doth lay hold upon him who is <HI>the Lord our righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>But however, let us examine the Scriptures that he brings; and the fir&s;t is that in the 13 Acts 38, 39. ver&s;. <HI>Be it known unto you, that through this man is preached to you the forgivene&s;s of &s;ins,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>by him all that believe are ju&s;tified from all things,</HI> &amp;c. Now where|as the Scripture &s;aith, that <HI>through this man,</HI> that is, Chri&s;t, <HI>is preached forgivene&s;s of &s;ins;</HI> for a man to infer from hence, that believing is the cau&s;e of forgivene&s;s of &s;in, is &s;o ab&s;urd, that I need &s;ay nothing to it. But I conceive <HI>H. H.</HI> doth mo&s;t depend upon the other expre&s;&s;ion, viz. <HI>by him all that believe are ju&s;tified from all things,</HI> &amp;c. But this doth confer as little to the proof of the thing in hand, (<HI>viz.</HI> that be|lieving is the cau&s;e of Ju&s;tification) as the other expre&s;&s;ion. This rather tends to di&s;cover their per&s;ons, who they are that are Ju&s;tified, then to &s;hew that which is but the qualification of the per&s;on ju&s;tified to be the cau&s;e of Ju&s;tification.</P>
<P>The like mi&s;take he hath, in that he would make the &s;ame conclu&s;ion from <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.26. ver&s;. <HI>that he might be ju&s;t, and the Ju&s;tifier of him that believeth in Je&s;us:</HI> he mi&s;takes likewi&s;e in the &s;ame man|ner, in his applying that in <HI>Rom.</HI> 4.24.25. ver&s;. <HI>if we believe on him that rai&s;ed up Je&s;us our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was rai&s;ed again for our Ju&s;tification:</HI> &s;till, I &s;ay, in the&s;e places, he takes the qualification of the per&s;on Ju&s;tified, for the cau&s;e of ju&s;tification.</P>
<P>Another Scripture that he mentions, is <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.28. ver&s;. <HI>there|fore we conclude that a man is Ju&s;tified by faith without the deeds of the Law.</HI> Now this Scripture &s;peakes of faith in oppo&s;ition to Legal righteou&s;ne&s;s onely; and &s;o the meaning of it is this: there is now no ju&s;tification to be expected upon account of Legal obedience performed by us: but Je&s;us Chri&s;t being become our righteou&s;ne&s;s, we by faith are to apply the death and Re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t to our &s;elves for Ju&s;ti|fication.</P>
<P>Another Scripture mentioned, is <HI>Rom.</HI> 4.3. ver&s;. <HI>For what &s;aith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> Now this ju&s;tification or reckoning righteou&s;ne&s;s
<PB N="38" REF="23"> to <HI>Abraham,</HI> was not founded upon his believing, but rather upon that grace which wrought this faith in him: which is &s;o clearely to be ga|thered from the 4 and 5 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> of the chapter. <HI>Now to him that worketh is not the reward reckoned of grace, but of debt; but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that ju&s;tifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>There are three things that I de&s;ire may be taken notice of from hence.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that the Apo&s;tle doth di&s;claime all works in reference to ju&s;ti|fication.</P>
<P>Secondly, that he doth plainly hold forth God to be the ju&s;tifier.</P>
<P>Thirdly, that he calls the per&s;ons ju&s;tified by God, ungodly ones.</P>
<P>I &s;hall &s;peak &s;omething briefly to the&s;e three things; and I hope thereby the truth will appear, and the mi&s;take of <HI>H. H.</HI> about ju&s;ti|fication will be manife&s;t.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Apo&s;tle, I &s;ay, doth di&s;claime all works: and if he di&s;claime all works, he mu&s;t among them di&s;claime believing too (as it is an act of the creature) from having any cau&s;ality in the ju&s;tification of a &s;inner. <HI>I</HI> confe&s;s, if we con&s;ider faith as an in&s;trument, and believing as an ordinance of God appointed for that end) to lay hold upon that which is our righteou&s;ne&s;s, then faith may be &s;aid (in a &s;en&s;e) to ju&s;tifie, becau&s;e it doth appropriate that which is it's own object, and the means of our ju&s;tification, <HI>viz.</HI> the death and re&s;urrection of a crucified Sa|viour as held forth in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, here God is &s;aid to ju&s;tifie <HI>(he that believeth on him that ju&s;tifieth)</HI> &s;o that it is indeed the proper act of God to ju&s;tifie: as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks in plain termes, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.33. <HI>Who &s;hall lay a|ny thing to the charge of God's elect? it is God that Ju&s;tifieth:</HI> where there are two things ob&s;ervable; fir&s;t, That God doth ju&s;tifie: and it mu&s;t needs be &s;o; for to whom can it belong to acquit a man from an offence committed again&s;t him, but he again&s;t whom it is com|mitted? Now it is God again&s;t whom the &s;ins are committed; as <HI>Da|vid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Again&s;t thee onely have I &s;inned:</HI> therefore God, and God alone, can ju&s;tifie.</P>
<P>But the other thing con&s;iderable in that Scripture, is, that God is &s;aid to ju&s;tifie the elect: <HI>who &s;hall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? it is God that ju&s;tifieth:</HI> by which the Apo&s;tle doth lay the foundation of ju&s;tification upon election. But yet further, God is not onely the efficient cau&s;e of ju&s;tification; but he doth perform this, as he doth all other acts
<PB N="39" REF="23"> toward his people, meerly of his grace, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.24. <HI>being ju&s;tified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> In which Scripture you have the efficient, &amp; that is the free grace of God: Secondly, the means that this free grace doth make u&s;e of, for the making over of righteou&s;ne&s;s for the ju&s;tification of men; and that is the redemption that is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us: But here is not a word of believing being the cau&s;e of it. Indeed, if faith be con&s;idered according to the proper na|ture of it, it doth appear to be &s;uch a grace as will not nor cannot at|tribute any thing to it &s;elf.</P>
<P>The very voyce of faith, as any thing whereby the Soul is or may be advantaged, is, It is not in me, but in him upon whom I depend for all.</P>
<P>But the third thing to be con&s;idered from that Scripture mentioned by me in <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. is the per&s;ons ju&s;tified, and they are &s;aid to be ungod|ly ones; from whence I thus argue: if God ju&s;tifieth ungodly ones, or if they be ungodly when God doth ju&s;tifie them, then they are not be|lievers; and if they are not believers before they are ju&s;tified, then be|lieving is not the cau&s;e ju&s;tification; &s;o that <HI>Henry Haggar</HI>'s fourth Cau&s;e is come to as little as the re&s;t of his Cau&s;es.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> come now to his fifth Cau&s;e, and that is this, <HI>Our knowing our &s;elves ju&s;tified from our &s;ins by faith in the blood of Chri&s;t, is the cau&s;e of our love to Chri&s;t.</HI> Now <HI>I</HI> do not know how to clo&s;e with him here neither. <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;s, ju&s;tification from &s;in doth go before our love to Chri&s;t. But <HI>I</HI> cannot believe, nay, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t deny, That the knowledge of our ju&s;tification mu&s;t needs go before our love to Chri&s;t. For there are many poor &s;ouls in the world that are ju&s;tified, and yet do not certainly know it; but go complaining as if they were not ju&s;tified; &amp; yet they love Chri&s;t, and by rea&s;on of their love to him, they have their hearts pant after him, and they are willing to do any thing that Chri&s;t will have them do. <HI>I</HI> do not &s;ay they are altogether ignorant of the love of God, nor of ju&s;tification by the blood of Chri&s;t; but as to their particular intere&s;t in that blood, they may be much at a &s;tand, and yet their affection is much to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>I</HI> confe&s;s, after a man is ju&s;tified, and doth know him&s;elf to be ju&s;tified, the more knowledge he hath of the love of God, the more he loves Chri&s;t, and cannot chu&s;e: but there may be, and is, (as <HI>I</HI> have &s;aid) love, and &s;ometimes a great and &s;trong affection to Chri&s;t, when the &s;oul dares not affirm him&s;elf to be a ju&s;tified per&s;on.</P>
<P>Now the Scripture he brings to prove what he &s;aith, is 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4.10, 19.
<PB N="40" REF="24"> <HI>Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and &s;ent his Son to be the propitiation for our &s;ins. We love him, be|cau&s;e he fir&s;t loved us.</HI> Which Scripture proves, that God loves Saints, and that Saints love God, and that God's love is fir&s;t; yea, that it is the cau&s;e of the love of Saints to God: but it doth not prove that the knowledge of our ju&s;tification is the cau&s;e of our love to Chri&s;t; as if there could be no love at all to Chri&s;t, till our particular ju&s;tification be certainly known by us.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> now come to his &s;ixth Cau&s;e, and that is, <HI>Our love to Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of our obeying Chri&s;t. I</HI> confe&s;s, as <HI>I</HI> have already done, that obedience is a di&s;covery of love; nay more, that our obedience is the very acting of love: and to this do tho&s;e Scriptures mentioned by him tend, 1 John 5.3. <HI>For this is the love of God, that we keep his Commandments, and his Commandments are not grievous.</HI> And &s;o <HI>John</HI> 14.15, 21, 23. <HI>If ye love me keep my Commandments; and he that hath my Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me,</HI> &amp;c. But this <HI>I</HI> &s;hall &s;ay withal, that as God doth kindle love in the &s;oul at fir&s;t, &s;o it is, and that doth blow up that love into a flame, and cau&s;e it to be active in obedience.</P>
<P>But I come now to his 7th Cau&s;e, which is, our obeying of Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of his giving us eternal life.</P>
<P>And now any one that is not dim-&s;ighted may &s;ee what his drift hath been all along. The other things that are called Cau&s;es by him, are laid down for no other end but to u&s;her in this. He hath indeed kept a great adoe to little purpo&s;e. Now thus I &s;ay, If this that he now in the la&s;t place layes down &s;o po&s;itively, and affirms &s;o confidently, be a Truth, (as he would have us believe that it is) what need &s;o many things go before, to make way for it? Truth is able to make way for it &s;elf. Sure I believe he was fearful, that this la&s;t would not be received, if the other had not gone before: and truely I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, (as to me) He hath lo&s;t his labour; for I am &s;o far from receiving the la&s;t becau&s;e of his former flouri&s;hes, that I judge it as much, if not the more to be &s;u&s;pected.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall come now to examine the thing it &s;elf, namely, that our obeying of Chri&s;t, is the cau&s;e of his giving us eternal Life: which affir|mation of his, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay is fal&s;e. For if eternal Life be a gift, as he doth affirm, then our obeying Chri&s;t cannot be the cau&s;e of it: for if we &s;hould grant our obedience to be the cau&s;e of it, then God doth rather &s;ell then give eternal Life. But the Scripture doth con&s;tantly af|firm
<PB N="41" REF="24"> it to be a gift, yea, to be the free&s;t gift, &s;o free, as that nothing can be freer, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. <HI>ult. The wages of &s;in is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord.</HI> Ephe&s;. 1.11. <HI>In whom we have obtained an inheritance, being prede&s;tinated according to the purpo&s;e of him, who worketh all things after the coun&s;el of his own will.</HI> Now thus <HI>I</HI> argue: If God doth work all things after the coun&s;el of his own will, then upon the &s;ame account he giveth Salva|tion and eternal Life. But yet more plain, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.8. <HI>For by grace are ye &s;aved through faith, and that not of your &s;elves; it is the gift of God.</HI> John 10.28. <HI>I give unto them eternal life, and they &s;hall never peri&s;h, neither &s;hall any man pluck them out of my hand.</HI> Abundance more te&s;timonies might be brought in to witne&s;s to this Truth, that eternal Life is a gift of God, nay, that it is &s;uch a gift as cannot admit of any thing in us, or any thing done by us to be the cau&s;e of it; but <HI>I</HI> &s;hall at pre&s;ent onely name one Scripture more, and that is very full indeed, <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.4 5. <HI>But after that the kindne&s;s and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared: not by works of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s which we have done, but according to his mercy he &s;aved us, by the wa&s;hing of regeneration, and renewing of the holy Gho&s;t.</HI> This Scripture needs no interpretation, it is &s;o plain; nor no other to be added to it, it is &s;o full: and &s;ure if <HI>H. H.</HI> did but &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider the&s;e Scriptures that <HI>I</HI> have mentioned, and tho&s;e many other which <HI>I</HI> might have mentioned, he would not be able to affirm our obedience to be the cau&s;e of God's giving us eternal Life.</P>
<P>But let us now &s;ee what Scriptures he brings to prove it; and the fir&s;t is that in <HI>Mark</HI> 16.16. <HI>He that believeth and is bapti&s;ed &s;hall be &s;aved.</HI> Now this Scripture doth &s;hew who &s;hall be &s;aved, namely, tho&s;e that believe; but it doth not tell us, that believing is the cau&s;e of Salvation. That Salvation is a gift, <HI>H. H.</HI> him&s;elf doth grant, though he would fain have &s;omething done by the creature to procure it; and &s;o doth indeed deny it in a proper &s;en&s;e to be a gift. But if be&s;ides this, we finde by Scripture, that Faith is the gift of God, as well as that Salvation which follows believing, <HI>I</HI> hope then it will be granted that no act performed by us can be the cau&s;e of eternal Life being given us by God.</P>
<P>Now that Faith, which doth go before our being po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with eter|nal Life, and whereby God doth actually in&s;tate us in eternal Life, <HI>(for he that believeth on the Son hath everla&s;ting life)</HI> that this Faith, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, is the gift of God will, appear by the&s;e Scriptures: fir&s;t, that in
<PB N="42" REF="25"> <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.29. <HI>For unto you it is given, in the behalf of Chri&s;t, not onely to believe, but to &s;uffer for his &s;ake.</HI> Now it appears from hence, that not onely the power whereby men are enabled to &s;uffer for Chri&s;t, but likewi&s;e the power whereby they are inabled to believe in Chri&s;t, is given them by God. And &s;o you may &s;ee in <HI>Act.</HI> 18.27. it is &s;aid of <HI>Apollos,</HI> that <HI>he helped them much which had believed through grace.</HI> So that it appears, it was through the grace and love of God that they believed.</P>
<P>Object. But it may be it will be objected, That <HI>I let bapti&s;m pa&s;s, as if that were not to be taken notice of in the Text, though it be joyned with believing.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To which <HI>I</HI> an&s;wer, fir&s;t, <HI>I</HI> am not willing to let it pa&s;s al|together, &s;eeing God hath taught me that it is the duty of man, when God hath wrought Faith in him, to be bapti&s;ed. And truely, <HI>I</HI> cannot but lament that darkne&s;s that is yet remaining upon very many Profe&s;&s;ors, (nay, many whom <HI>I</HI> believe that they are real Believers, and that they are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with that precious Faith, which is called the Faith of God's Elect) that they do not as yet &s;ee this to be their duty. And <HI>I</HI> &s;hould much rejoyce, if the Lord would di&s;pel that thick dark|ne&s;s that is in the world, and in many &s;ocieties of the Saints, as to this particular; that they may &s;ee this to be as real a duty to be performed by them, as to pray, or obey any other Command of Chri&s;t what&s;oever; nay, that it is a duty that &s;hould have been performed by them, when fir&s;t they did believe.</P>
<P N="2">2. But in the next place, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, that <HI>I</HI> cannot affirm Bapti&s;m nor any other act of obedience; no, not Bapti&s;m, together with all other acts of obedience to Chri&s;t, to be the cau&s;e of our Salvation. Fir&s;t, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, Bapti&s;m cannot be the cau&s;e of Salvation, for then we mu&s;t condemn all tho&s;e that have not obeyed that Command; which <HI>I</HI> cannot, nor dare not, do. For <HI>I</HI> believe there are many that have not practi&s;ed this du|ty, who would practi&s;e it, if they did know it to be a duty. But though <HI>I</HI> would not condemn any that do not &s;ee it to be their duty, yet <HI>I</HI> would give this caution to all Believers, to take heed le&s;t they &s;hut their eyes again&s;t any light, that doth in the&s;e dayes of light &s;hine forth before them.</P>
<P>Again, as to bapti&s;m, that that cannot be the cau&s;e of Salvation, be|cau&s;e a man is not to be baptized; this duty is not required of him be|fore h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> be a Believer: and if he be a Believer, he hath (as <HI>I</HI> have &s;aid) the beginning of Salvation.</P>
<PB N="43" REF="25">
<P>And then in the next place, if we con&s;ider the nature of the duty, it will appear not to be a cau&s;e of Salvation: for when a man is bapti&s;ed, he doth by this act of his, profe&s;s before the world, that he doth onely relye upon the Death and Re&s;urrection of a crucified Saviour for Life and Salvation.</P>
<P>But yet further, Chri&s;t would not have us to think, that the neglect of Bapti&s;m is the cau&s;e of damnation; he onely &s;aith, <HI>He that believeth not, &s;hall be damned;</HI> but &s;peaks nothing of Bapti&s;m. From whence <HI>I</HI> argue, If believing be not the cau&s;e why God gives us eternal Life, much le&s;s can Bapti&s;m be looked upon as a cau&s;e of it.</P>
<P>Now that no other act or acts of obedience is the cau&s;e why God gives us eternal Life, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall &s;hew, when <HI>I</HI> come to the la&s;t Scripture mentioned by <HI>Henry Haggar,</HI> for the cleering of his cau&s;e; and in the mean time I &s;hall con&s;ider his &s;econd Scripture.</P>
<P>And that is <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.14. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that do his Command|ments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the City.</HI> Now that it may appear whether this Scripture proves the thing that he would prove by it, namely, that our obeying of Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of God's giving us eternal Life, we &s;hall look a little into the Scripture, to &s;ee what may be the meaning of it.</P>
<P>By <HI>the tree of life,</HI> I under&s;tand Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and by <HI>the City,</HI> that is here mentioned, <HI>I</HI> under&s;tand the Church of Chri&s;t, in that mo&s;t excellent State wherein it &s;hall enjoy the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t in &s;uch a maner as they may truely &s;ay, <HI>The tabernacle of God is with men.</HI> Now by having <HI>right to the tree of Life,</HI> I judge is to be under&s;tood, having a privi|ledge of enjoying &s;weet lively communion with Chri&s;t; and by <HI>entring thorow the gates into the City,</HI> we under&s;tand an orderly enterance into, and communion with the Church of Chri&s;t. So that the meaning of all together, is to &s;hew who they are that have a real intere&s;t in Chri&s;t, and to whom the priviledge of having communion with the Church of Chri&s;t in her be&s;t &s;tate doth belong; and that is, they that keep the Commands of Chri&s;t; &s;uch as the&s;e may come in at the gate, they need not &s;eek a by-way to come in and not be &s;een: it is the City of their habitation, and they may come in boldly.</P>
<P>But the great que&s;tion lies here; Whether or no their keeping the Commands of Chri&s;t doth give them a right to the&s;e priviledges? To which I an&s;wer, No. And my rea&s;on is, (be&s;ides all tho&s;e Scriptures that have been mentioned) becau&s;e the Apo&s;tle doth attribute all &s;piri|tual
<PB N="44" REF="26"> ble&s;&s;ings to God as the Author of them, and that upon account of the relation wherein Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;tands to him; and doth therefore ble&s;s God for all, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.3. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who hath ble&s;&s;ed us with all &s;piritual ble&s;&s;ings in heavenly things in Chri&s;t.</HI> Now if by our obedience to the Com|mands of Chri&s;t, we do procure a right and title to our &s;elves of enjoying union and communion with Chri&s;t and with the Church of Chri&s;t, then we may thank our &s;elves, and not God, for what we attain to. But if any &s;hould &s;ay, We have our fir&s;t ability from God, and therefore we have cau&s;e to be thankful; I &s;ay, Then it appears from hence, that one|ly the Stock is from God, but the Improvement from our &s;elves: &s;o that the happine&s;s of the creature is not to be attributed to God alone, but to God in part, and to the creature in part. Again, the Apo&s;tle in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.22, 33. (&s;peaking of the priviledges of Saints, lay's all upon the love of God in Chri&s;t, and upon the intere&s;t that Chri&s;t hath in God: <HI>All</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>are yours, and you are Chri&s;ts, and Chri&s;t Gods.</HI></P>
<P>But again, to lay the foundation of our right to the&s;e priviledges <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">p|on our obedience, (let men &s;ay what they will) is to make void the death of Chri&s;t, whereby all the&s;e priviledges were purcha&s;ed.</P>
<P>But in the next place, it is apparent, that we have not our right to the&s;e Go&s;pel-priviledges by our obedience, becau&s;e it is granted even by <HI>H. H.</HI> him&s;elf, that men cannot obey till they are believers: and certain it is, when they are believers, they have a right to all the priviledges of Saints. Now thus <HI>I</HI> argue: If they have their right before they keepe the commands of God, then the keeping the commands of God doth not give them their right.</P>
<P>But it may be <HI>H. H.</HI> will &s;ay, That a man hath no right to the&s;e things before he doth believe; and believing is in Scripture called obe|dience.</P>
<P>To which <HI>I</HI> an&s;wer, Believing is not keeping the commands of Chri&s;t; for that is but one command. But then again <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, It is not our believing that doth give us a right to Chri&s;t, but rather the electing love of him, by who&s;e power we are enabled to believe; by which elect|ing love, the &s;oul hath a real intere&s;t in Chri&s;t: and it cannot be, but that in time he &s;hall be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with Chri&s;t, though his intere&s;t doth not appear to him&s;elf or others till he do believe.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> come now therefore to &s;hew what the meaning of this expre&s;&s;ion is: and <HI>I</HI> do conceive, that <HI>keeping of the commands of Chri&s;t,</HI> is a badge whereby tho&s;e that by the free grace of God have an intere&s;t in
<PB N="45" REF="26"> Chri&s;t, and &s;o a right to have communion with Chri&s;t and his Church in the greate&s;t priviledges thereof, are di&s;covered. And all the obedience of the people of God to the commands of God, &s;eemes to be no other but as tickets that are given to men that are invited to a fea&s;t. Now no man will &s;ay that the&s;e tickets are that which gives them a right to come to the fea&s;t (though without the&s;e tickets they cannot come in;) but it is the loving invitation of the Ma&s;ter of the Fea&s;t, that gives them a right; and the&s;e tickets. declare that they are invited gue&s;ts. So it is in this ca&s;e&punc; obedience to the commands of Chri&s;t, is the ticket, or the mark of God upon Saints, whereby they are di&s;covered to be per&s;ons that by free-grace have an intere&s;t in Chri&s;t; and now the&s;e per&s;ons may come with boldne&s;s to Chri&s;t, to maintain Spiritual communion with him: and they may challenge admittance into the Church of Chri&s;t, to partake of all priviledges there: and the inhabitants of the City of God (&s;eeing the&s;e marks and characters of an intere&s;t in Chri&s;t upon them.) cannot keepe them out from partaking of any of their birth-right-priviledges.</P>
<P>But I now come to the con&s;ideration of <HI>H. H.</HI> third Scripture that he brings to prove that our obeying of Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of his giving us eternal life; and that is <HI>Heb.</HI> 5.9. where the author to the <HI>He|brews</HI> tells us, that <HI>Chri&s;t being made perfect through &s;ufferings be|came the Author of eternal &s;alvation unto all them that obey him.</HI> And truely now I cannot but wonder that he &s;hould bring a Scripture not onely that cannot helpe him, but that is directly again&s;t what he would prove. <HI>H. H.</HI> &s;aith, our obeying of Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e; but the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, the &s;uffering of Chri&s;t is the cau&s;e of eternal life: for, Chri&s;t being made perfect though &s;ufferings, became the Author of e|ternal life.</P>
<P>But I know that it will be objected by &s;ome, Though Chri&s;t be the Author of eternal Salvation yet it is onely to tho&s;e that obey him.</P>
<P>N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">w <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> this I an&s;wer, If they will but grant the thing, I &s;hall not opp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">m as to the per&s;ons: But this I mu&s;t &s;ay, that this doth not prove that man by his obedience doth procure eternal life to him&s;elf; but rather that man by his obedience doth manife&s;t to the world that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is Author of eternal &s;alvation for him. Now that mans obedience cannot be the cau&s;e of Chri&s;t his being the Author of eter|nal &s;alvation for him, appears thus:</P>
<P>Je&s;us Chri&s;t by &s;uffering became the Author of Salvation for men: but he did not actually receive his Authority to give fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th commands for
<PB N="46" REF="27"> men to obey, till he had fini&s;hed his &s;uffering, and was ri&s;en again from the dead: therefore, mans obedience could not be the cau&s;e of Chri&s;ts being the Author of eternal Salvation.</P>
<P>Nay further, if our obedience be the cau&s;e of Chri&s;t his being the Author of &s;alvation for us, then we our &s;elves are a primary, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t but a Secondary cau&s;e of our &s;alvation.</P>
<P>Thus I hope the matter in controver&s;ie, according to what is laid down by <HI>H. H.</HI> in his &s;eventh cau&s;e, is cleared. I confe&s;s I have been &s;omthing larger upon this then upon the others, (and larger indeed then I thought to have been) becau&s;e this is the main thing aimed at by him in the other cau&s;es that went before; namely, to lay a foundation for this; And becau&s;e that which in this &s;eventh Cau&s;e is affirmed by him, is &s;o derogatory to the free grace of God, and &s;o diametrically oppo&s;ite to the covenant of grace, and the whole current of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Now when he hath done, he tells us, <HI>Thus are the cau&s;es of Gods election and mans &s;alvation laid down in order &s;o clearly, that the meane&s;t capacity may under&s;tand them.</HI> To which I &s;hall &s;ay no more but this: I judge that the experience of the meane&s;t Saint in the world (without he be already drawn into a &s;nare) may apprehend a great deale of deceit in what he &s;aith is &s;o cleare.</P>
<P>But it &s;eems, though he affirms &s;o much clearne&s;s in what is laid down already, yet he goes over his cau&s;es again, forward, and backward, and then concludes after this manner: <HI>Thus it appears, that it is not for any works of righteou&s;ne&s;s that we have done, but of his love and mercy he &s;aved us by &s;ending a Saviour.</HI></P>
<P>Now I would have all that de&s;ire to be acquainted cleerly with the minde of God, to con&s;ider how he doth by this endeavour to ob&s;cure the Truth, though he would have us believe that he aims at cleerne&s;s. For when he hath expre&s;&s;ed, him&s;elf in the manner as I have related, he quotes <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.4, 5. as if what he had written had been the words of that Scripture, whereas there is a manife&s;t difference: <HI>Not for any works of righteou&s;ne&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> which we have done,</HI> &s;aith H. H. But <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Not by works of righteou&s;ne&s;s which we have done.</HI> See now how he endeavours to muzzle the Scripture: he is contented that it &s;hould &s;ay, It is not for our works of righteou&s;ne&s;s that we are &s;aved; but he would not have it &s;peak out, and &s;ay it is not by works of righteou&s;ne&s;s: &s;o that you &s;ee he rather endeavours to bring the Scripture to his Opinion, then his Opinion to the Scri|pture.</P>
<DIV2 N="47-99" TYPE="pages">
<PB N="47" REF="27">
<P>But though he hath now done with his Cau&s;es, (as going under that name of Cau&s;es) yet he cannot leave them; and therefore he turns his &s;even Cau&s;es into eight Nece&s;&s;ities. And in the fir&s;t place he tells us, <HI>There was a nece&s;&s;ity of God's love in &s;ending his Son to die for us.</HI> Now methinks it is &s;trange, that he &s;hould &s;ay there was a nece&s;&s;ity, as if God were bound to &s;end Chri&s;t to die for his enemies; methinks an|other expre&s;&s;ion might have &s;erved better.</P>
<P>But he goes on, and tells us, <HI>There was a nece&s;&s;ity of Chri&s;t his love in dying for us;</HI> and, <HI>a nece&s;&s;ity of the Go&s;pels bei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">g preached;</HI> and, <HI>of our beliving the Go&s;pel;</HI> and, <HI>of our being ju&s;tified;</HI> and <HI>of knowing the love of God;</HI> and, <HI>of our loving Chri&s;t;</HI> and, <HI>of our keeping the commands of Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>To all which I an&s;wer, In a &s;en&s;e it may be granted, that there is a ne|ce&s;&s;ity of the&s;e things that he mentions; but not a nece&s;&s;ity of them all, as Cau&s;es of our Salvation, (as hath been alrea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;ufficiently declared.) It is &s;ufficient for us to &s;ay, That the love of God to &s;inners, is the cau&s;e of &s;ending of Chri&s;t to die for us, and to ri&s;e for us, and to &s;end the Go|&s;pel to us, and to make it effectuael by his Spirit working Faith in us, (for he is &s;aid to be <HI>the Author and Fini&s;her of our Faith</HI>) to make us love and obey him; and la&s;t of all, to put us into the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the glory that is provided for us.</P>
<P>Now I confe&s;s that there is a nece&s;&s;ity by vertue of a decree of God, (and no otherwi&s;e) that the&s;e &s;everal things &s;hould follow one another in their proper order. As fir&s;t, God having decreed the Salvation of &s;ome of the Sons and Daughters of fallen <HI>Adam,</HI> and having de|creed that this Salvation &s;hould be procured by the death of Chri&s;t, and that men appointed to Salvation &s;hould accept of the Te&s;timony that God hath given concerning his Son, and that believers &s;hould love and obey the commands of Chri&s;t; and that after all this, they &s;hould be received into glory: it cannot be but that all things mu&s;t &s;ucceed thus; for God worketh all things after the coun&s;el of his own will. But now to conclude any of the&s;e things which are the products of God's eter|nal decrees (except it be the death of Chri&s;t) to be the cau&s;es of our Salvation, doth &s;eem to be directly contrary to the current of Scri|pture.</P>
<P>Now when <HI>H. H.</HI> is upon his la&s;t nece&s;&s;ity, namely, Of obedience to the commands of Chri&s;t is a cau&s;e of Salvation; he brings divers Scriptures, &s;ome whereof have been &s;poken to already, and none of
<PB N="48" REF="28"> them do prove that which he would infer from them; and therefore becau&s;e I would endeavour to avoid tediou&s;ne&s;s, I will forbear menti|oning of them. The de&s;ign of the Spirit of God in tho&s;e Scriptures, is to &s;hew who &s;hall be &s;aved, and who &s;hall not be &s;aved; and what God works in the hearts of men before he &s;aves them; and that where God doth not work tho&s;e works, Salvation is not to be expected: but his de&s;ign is not to &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">w that any of tho&s;e works that are performed by the creature (of what nature &s;oever they are) are the cau&s;e of his Sal|vation.</P>
<P>The Truth now being thus far cleared, I hope I need &s;ay nothing to that &s;ad conclu&s;ion of his, That there is as great a nece&s;&s;ity of our keeping the Commandments and Ordinances of Chri&s;t, as there was of God's &s;ending his Son to die for us, and as there was of Chri&s;t's dying for our &s;ins, and ri&s;ing again for our ju&s;tification. I &s;ay, I hope I need &s;ay no|thing to this: for any <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ntelligent Reader may ea&s;ily &s;ee, that he puts the &s;ame weight upon man's obedience, as upon Chri&s;t's &s;atisfaction; nay, as much upon man's obedience, as upon the love of God: and this is in plain terms to make man his own Saviour.</P>
<P>But the next thing that he doth, is to apply what he hath laid down, and that by way of reproof to three &s;orts of people: and the fir&s;t &s;ort that he reproves, are they who are ignorant, and know not Chri&s;t nor his commands, what they are; and are content with their ignorance, and think to make that a cloak for their &s;ins.</P>
<P>Now I confe&s;s &s;uch men are to be reproved, that think ignorance, which is a wound that man hath brought upon him by &s;in, &s;hould excu&s;e him from &s;in. But are there no more ignorant ones in the world, but &s;uch as the&s;e? I fear there are a great many in the&s;e dayes of light, that are ignorant of the my&s;tery of the Go&s;pel, though they pretend very much to the letter of Scripture, and would have it thought, that they are fit to be made u&s;e of, as eyes for poor blinde Creatures. For &s;uch, I &s;hall de&s;ire that the Lord would open their eyes, that they may be able to &s;ee the Truth as it is in Je&s;us, and to di&s;cern between things that differ.</P>
<P>But methinks it is &s;trange, that he &s;hould mention per&s;ons that do not know Chri&s;t nor his commands what they are. Sure now he &s;eems to have forgot tho&s;e Talents of wi&s;dom and under&s;tanding given to di&s;|obedient ones. If all men have received a Talent of wi&s;dom and under|&s;tanding from God in reference to &s;piritual things (as he would have us believe) what hinders, but that all men, upon the receiving of this Ta|lent,
<PB N="49" REF="28"> &s;hould know Chri&s;t and his commands? But it is no wonder, when a man is out of the way of Truth, if he be &s;ometimes fain to en|deavour to help him&s;elf by affirming the &s;ame thing in one place, and denying it in another, when it will not &s;erve his purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>But the &s;econd &s;ort of people that he doth reprove, are tho&s;e which are carele&s;s, and when they know God, and Chri&s;t, and his Command|ments, will not do them; but pre&s;ume upon mercy and &s;alvation with|out obeying Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Now I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, &s;uch as the&s;e de&s;erve to be reproved too, tho&s;e that do in any mea&s;ure know the will of God, and yet not act accord|ing to what they know; as now, when a man knows that &s;alvation is onely upon account of the Free-grace of God in Chri&s;t, and yet will not come to Chri&s;t, nor will not depend upon that grace alone, but will adde their own works as cau&s;es of Salvation.</P>
<P>And truely the&s;e are not onely carele&s;s and wilful, but they are Igno|rant too; as may be &s;een by what the Apo&s;tle &s;aith in <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.3. concer|ning the boa&s;ting <HI>Jews: For they being Ignorant of Gods righteou&s;|ne&s;s, and going about to e&s;tabli&s;h their own righteou&s;ne&s;s, have not &s;ubmitted them&s;elves to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God.</HI> Here is a mixture of Ignorance and wilfulne&s;s, and I feare this doth too much abound in men in the&s;e days.</P>
<P>But I would faine know what the per&s;ons are which he means, that know God and Chri&s;t, and the commands of Chri&s;t, and will not do them. If he means unbelievers, he hath told us already <HI>that God re|quires nothing of them;</HI> if he means believers, I &s;hall plead for them thus: Though I mu&s;t confe&s;s many believers, nay all believers are com|paratively di&s;obedient, becau&s;e it cannot be denyed but they come &s;hort of their duty in many things; yet they cannot be &s;aid ab&s;olutely to be di&s;obedient, for they have obeyed the great command of the Go&s;pel, in that they do believe in Chri&s;t; and in their mea&s;ure they are obedient to other commands of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Now I perceive the&s;e are the per&s;ons whom he doth reprove, namely the people of God, who do indeed know Chri&s;t and believe in him and know the commands of Chri&s;t, and act according to them; but dare not fetch any comfort or incouragement as to their Salvation, from any thing that is done by them. Of the&s;e I judge it is, that he &s;aith that they pre&s;ume upon mercy and Salvation without obeying Chri&s;t; and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nk to be &s;aved by faith onely, without doing the will and work of God in their generation. Truely if any &s;hould plead for faith, and in the mean
<PB N="50" REF="29"> while &s;hut out works, &s;o as not to let them be in their own place, it is by no means allowable. But I fear <HI>Henry Haggar</HI>'s de&s;ign is to deba&s;e the &s;elf-denying acting of Faith upon the Free-grace of God, and to exalt works above their proper place. And that he may do &s;o, he doth make a &s;eparation between Faith and Works, as if Faith might po&s;&s;ibly be in a man, and yet good Works be altogether ab&s;ent. And therefore he doth &s;eem to bring <HI>James</HI> to prove what he &s;aith: but be|cau&s;e he cannot make <HI>James</HI> &s;peak what he would have him, he en|deavours to make us believe that he &s;peaks that which he doth not. And truely it may to any indifferent Judge appear, that he hath a bad cau&s;e, by his bringing &s;o many fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es, (I mean, Scriptures wrong ren|dered) to prove what he would have men believe.</P>
<P>That of <HI>James,</HI> is in <HI>James</HI> 2.14.17 20, 21, 22. Fir&s;t, we &s;hall take notice of what a &s;trange alteration he hath made of the words in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 14. he renders it thus: <HI>What doth it profit if they have faith and not works? can faith &s;ave them?</HI> whereas the words of the Scripture are, <HI>What doth it profit, my brethren though a man &s;ay he hath faith, and have not works? can faith &s;ave him?</HI></P>
<P>Now it &s;eems it would not &s;erve his turn, to &s;ay, Though a man &s;ay he hath faith; and therefore he &s;aith, If they have faith and not works; whereas there is a va&s;t difference. For though it may ea&s;ily be granted that many men may &s;ay, They have Faith, when they have neither Works, nor Faith; yet it cannot be granted, that a man may have Faith and not have works too. <HI>James</HI> can indeed &s;uppo&s;e an imaginary Faith, (that which a man may perhaps call Faith, and &s;o &s;ay he hath Faith) without Works, and that he after calls a dead Faith, that is, no Faith, no more Faith, then a dead man is a man, which more pro|perly is called a carka&s;s, then a man: But <HI>James</HI> doth not &s;peak of a living Faith, a real Faith without Works; for &s;uch a Faith will be operative, and &s;o declare by the working of it, that it is of the right &s;tamp, as a man by acting declares him&s;elf a man.</P>
<P>But that which &s;eems to be &s;omewhat for him, is, <HI>James</HI> his asking this Que&s;tion, <HI>Can Faith &s;ave him?</HI> But truely, there is no great matter in it (as to his purpo&s;e) if it be rightly con&s;idered. For, though who&s;oever believeth &s;hall certainly be &s;aved; and as Chri&s;t &s;aid to &s;ome in <HI>John</HI> 5.9. <HI>This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath &s;ent;</HI> yet it cannot be imagined, that that which a man may be ready to call Faith, (if it be alone without Works) is Faith, or will &s;tand him in any &s;tead: for that Faith, that is of the right &s;tamp, doth
<PB N="51" REF="29"> work by love, according to that, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.6. <HI>For in Chri&s;t Je&s;us neither circumci&s;ion availeth any thing, nor uncircumci&s;ion, but faith which worketh by love.</HI> So that (for the more cleer under&s;tanding of this Truth) we may draw this conclu&s;ion, That Faith alone (as an in&s;trument) doth ju&s;tifie; but not that Faith which is alone, for that is a dead Faith, no Faith at all: and this is certain, who&s;oever are ju&s;ti|fied, are &s;anctified in &s;ome mea&s;ure likewi&s;e, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.11. <HI>And &s;uch were &s;ome of you; but you are wa&s;hed, but you are &s;anctified, but you are ju&s;tified, in the Name of the Lord Je&s;us, and by the Spi|rit of our God.</HI></P>
<P>But <HI>James</HI> makes an Objection, and an&s;wers it him&s;elf; and the Ob|jection is this, in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 21. <HI>Was not Abraham our Father ju&s;tified by works, when he had offered up his &s;on I&s;aac?</HI></P>
<P>Now the An&s;wer that <HI>James</HI> makes to this Objection, is in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 23. <HI>And the Scripture was fulfilled which &s;aith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteou&s;ne&s;s: and he was cal|led the Friend of God.</HI> So that <HI>James</HI> doth here intimate to us, that it was <HI>Abraham</HI>'s believing that was imputed to him for righteou&s;ne&s;s, and that it was his work that did give him the title of a Friend of God. So that the meaning of it farther may be this, <HI>Abraham</HI> (as a &s;inner) was ju&s;tified by the Free-grace of God, in a way of believing; but <HI>Abraham</HI> (as a Believer) was ju&s;tified by his works, and particularly that work of offering up his Son. <HI>Abraham</HI> was ju&s;tified by Faith, and <HI>Abraham</HI>'s Faith was ju&s;tified by Works.</P>
<P>I come now to <HI>Henry Haggar</HI>'s third reproof, or to his reproof to the third &s;ort of people, and that is, <HI>They, who after they have known the Truth, and walked therein, do yet fall from it.</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;hall briefly &s;peak &s;omething to the&s;e three things:</P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, That a man may have knowledge, and &s;omething like Faith, and yet not have that which the Scripture calls the Faith of Gods Elect; nay, he may have that which the Scripture &s;ometimes calls Faith, that which <HI>James</HI> calls a dead Faith; and yet not have a living, lively, active Faith.</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly, A man may fall away from the highe&s;t attainments that are below this precious Faith, this Faith of God's Elect.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, That a man cannot, nor &s;hall not fall away from that which is the Faith of God's Elect; but if he have that, he &s;hall certainly be &s;aved.</P>
<PB N="52" REF="30">
<P>Fir&s;t, that men may have knowledge, and &s;omething like Faith, and that that in Scripture is &s;ometimes called Faith, and yet not be real Believers; &s;o as to encourage them&s;elves, or conclude them&s;elves to be in a &s;aving &s;tate. Now &s;uch as the&s;e they were that <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaks of, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. from <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. to the end of the Chapter: They did &s;eem to be Believers they were among Believers, as may be &s;een, if we compare the fir&s;t <HI>ver.</HI> of the fir&s;t Chapter, and the fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t <HI>ver.</HI> of the &s;econd Chap|ter together. They had the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour, by hearing the Go&s;pel preached to them; and they did e&s;cape the pollutions of the world; they left off their former practi&s;es, and joyned with the people of God, and yet were not right Believers; and that may appear by what <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith of them: He &s;aith, <HI>They are unju&s;t;</HI> therefore they were not ju&s;tified ones, and &s;o by con&s;equence not Believers. He &s;aith, <HI>They were men that walked after the fle&s;h;</HI> and therefore had not the Spirit of God in them, nor could not be judged to be Believers; for the Apo&s;tle tells us who they be that are Believers and are in Chri&s;t, <HI>viz. They that walk not after the fle&s;h but after the &s;pirit:</HI> Again, <HI>Peter</HI> compares them to bruit Bea&s;ts. But the main thing that I minde, is, that he &s;aith, <HI>They are wells without water empty ve&s;&s;els;</HI> which is, as if he had &s;aid, No<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">with&s;tanding their knowledge and profe&s;&s;ion, they have no inward work of the Spirit, they have not drunk of the water that Chri&s;t gives: if they had, it &s;hould have been in them a well of water &s;pringing up unto everla&s;ting life; but the&s;e are wells without water wells that never had any living water in them.</P>
<P>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ides this, we may finde &s;uch mentioned by the Apo&s;tle in <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.4, 5. <HI>That were enlightned by the preaching of the Go&s;pel&punc; and had ta&s;ted of the heavenly gift,</HI> (though they had not taken any of it down; as a man may <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;te wine, and yet drink none, and &s;o receive no nouri&s;hment the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">eby; and a man may ta&s;te poy&s;on, and yet not &s;wallow it, nor be hurt by it: &s;o the&s;e men had a ta&s;te in the notion, of &s;piritual and heavenly things, but that was all) <HI>and they were made par|takers of the holy Gho&s;t:</HI> God was &s;o bountiful to them, as to give extraordinary g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ts of the Spirit to them, and yet they were not right Believers; an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> that appears, in that they did afterwards oppo&s;e Chri&s;t, as we &s;ee in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>Again, t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;ame Ap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;tle &s;peaks of the &s;ame &s;ort of people in <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.29. &s;uch as did &s;eem to be S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ints; for they were among them in the Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ch of Chr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t, and yet it is &s;aid of them, That <HI>they counted the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing, and that they did de&s;pite to
<PB N="53" REF="30"> the &s;pirit of grace:</HI> they were men of &s;uch a temper, as did &s;corn to be beholden to the Free-grace of God to &s;ave them.</P>
<P>Obj. <HI>But &s;ure tho&s;e cannot be judged to be other then believers, for it is &s;aid, They were &s;anctified by the blood of the Covenant.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To which I an&s;wer, the Scripture doth &s;ometimes call things not as they are, but as they &s;eem to be; as <HI>James</HI> calls that faith, which indeed is no faith, being without life; and men in Scripture are called Saints and believers upon account of their profe&s;&s;ion: now the&s;e men did profe&s;s them&s;elves (at lea&s;t for a while) to be believers, and to be &s;anctified ones, and they were taken by others to be &s;uch, and &s;o the Apo&s;tle calls them Sanctified ones too. But further, they were really Sanctified as to the out-&s;ide: for (as we have declared) they had <HI>e&s;ca|ped the Pollutions of the world;</HI> and &s;o were like the <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> clean on the out&s;ide, though foul within; as doth appear clearly, in that their inward pollution did afterward break forth and &s;tain their outward profe&s;&s;ion; the Poy&s;on that lay clo&s;e within, at length did break forth.</P>
<P>Many more in&s;tances might be given of per&s;ons &s;eeming to be be|lievers, and yet are not.</P>
<P>But I &s;care there are many in the&s;e days that do very &s;adly confirm this truth. I &s;hall therefore de&s;ire that men would look into their own hearts, and &s;ee what God hath wrought there: &s;eeing it is po&s;&s;ible to deceive others, let all take heed that they do not deceive them&s;elves with a bare profe&s;&s;ion and no more. Let Churches therefore take care who they receive in, and look narrowly to them when they are among&s;t them; and let every Member of a Church of Chri&s;t, and every high Notioni&s;t (that looks upon the Churches of Chri&s;t as below him) look to him&s;elf, le&s;t his great profe&s;&s;ion prove no more but a bare profe&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>I come now the &s;econd thing that I propounded to &s;peak to, and that is, That a man may fall from the highe&s;t attainments that are below the faith of Gods elect: though a man have never &s;o large a profe&s;&s;ion, if he hath no more, he is very like to fall from that in time: if a man be but like a Chri&s;tian, it is no great wonder to &s;ee that paint in time wear off. And this doth clearly appear,. by tho&s;e &s;everal in&s;tances that have been mentioned: they made a profe&s;&s;ion, and a very eminent one too; yet being it was but a profe&s;&s;ion in time they left that too, So it was with <HI>Ju|das;</HI> he did for a while hide his covetou&s;ne&s;s &amp; wickedne&s;s under a cloak of profe&s;&s;ion, but at la&s;t it broke out, and he was di&s;covered to be what he was. Thus it was with tho&s;e that <HI>John</HI> &s;peaks of, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.19. <HI>They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out,
<PB N="54" REF="31"> that it might be made manife&s;t that they were not all of us.</HI> Where <HI>John</HI> doth not onely tell us of a profe&s;&s;ion, and a falling from that pro|fe&s;&s;ion; but likewi&s;e tells us of the ground of it, namely, that it might appear that they were not real believers. While hypocrites are in the Church among believers, it may be a hard thing to di&s;cover them; bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> when they leave their profe&s;&s;ion, then they di&s;cover them&s;elves. Such they are likewi&s;e of whom Chri&s;t &s;peaks, <HI>Luke</HI> 9.62. who <HI>having put their hand to the Plough, look back.</HI> And Chri&s;t &s;peaks of &s;uch likewi&s;e in <HI>John</HI> 15.2. <HI>Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.</HI> The meaning whereof is this: Who&s;oever doth profe&s;s him&s;elf to be a believer, and &s;o is in Chri&s;t by profe&s;&s;ion, if he hath not real faith, and &s;o be a living branch in Chri&s;t really, Chri&s;t ta|keth away, that is, he will not &s;uffer it alway to appear to be a believer, a branch in Chri&s;t. So that it is not onely po&s;&s;ible that &s;uch &s;hould fall away from their profe&s;&s;ion, but it is certain they &s;hall fall from it in time: Fruitle&s;s trees, though they may have very faire leaves for a time, yet they &s;hall &s;hed them. The my&s;tery of this is manife&s;ted (though in a &s;eeming darke expre&s;&s;ion,) in <HI>Luke</HI> 19.26. compared with <HI>Luke</HI> 8.18. where in one place Chri&s;t tells us, that <HI>from him that hath not, &s;hall be taken away that which he hath;</HI> and in the other place, he tells us, <HI>from him &s;hall be taken away even that which he &s;eemeth to have.</HI> I confe&s;s the expre&s;&s;ions &s;eem to be &s;omthing dark; yet if they be well con&s;idered, they give great light into the thing in hand. For fir&s;t, you have Chri&s;t clearly pointing out to us &s;ome that &s;eem to be believers and are not: and then he tells us in the next place, what will become of them; and that in the&s;e two expre&s;&s;ions: Fir&s;t, <HI>from him &s;hall be taken away that which he hath:</HI> but what is that? I conceive that is a real enjoyment of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>But if he hath not a real enjoyment of Chri&s;t, how can it be taken from him?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To which I an&s;wer, It is as proper to &s;peake of taking away that which he hath not, as to &s;peake of enjoying that which he hath not: &s;o that the meaning of it &s;eems to be this; God doth at length di&s;cover, that a man may clearly &s;ee, that he is without Chri&s;t; and &s;o the enjoy|ment is taken away from him, when it is di&s;covered not at all to be his. Ju&s;t as an Inheritance may be &s;aid to be taken away from a man, when it is cleared by law that the right of enjoyment doth not belong to him, though it were never actually in his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. But if we con&s;ider what Chri&s;t &s;aith in <HI>Luke</HI> 8.18. it is yet clearer: there the man &s;eems to
<PB N="55" REF="31"> have &s;omething, &s;ome counterfeit evidences for an e&s;tate, a &s;eeming en|joyment of Chri&s;t. But, &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>from him &s;hall be taken away that which he &s;eemeth to have;</HI> that is, as he doth but &s;eeme to have an intere&s;t in Chri&s;t, and hath not; &s;o he &s;hall not always &s;eem to have that which he now doth but &s;eeme to have: counterfeit &s;tones &s;hall not always keepe their lu&s;tre.</P>
<P>Hence we may clearly &s;ee, that a profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, without a real enjoyment of him, is but a fading thing; it is of no certain continuance: therefore let none content them&s;elves with it. But &s;ad it is to con&s;ider, that there are many (as we may ju&s;tly feare) even among&s;t us now, as were in the Church of <HI>Sardis, Rev.</HI> 3.1. that <HI>have a name to live, but are dead:</HI> But let not any &s;uch content them&s;elves with &s;uch a name; for as they are now without life, &s;o their name to live (if there be no more) will not long continue.</P>
<P>And then again we may &s;ee from hence, that God hath a &s;pecial re|&s;erve of comfort for his people; it may be they are troubled at pre&s;ent in regard of &s;ome that make a profe&s;&s;ion of Godline&s;s, and they have a Jealou&s;ie of them, and know not what to conclude. Well, if it be &s;o with you, wait upon God, <HI>judge nothing before the time.</HI> Here is your comfort; if they be hypocrites, it is very like God will di&s;cover them in time; and then when you &s;ee them lay a&s;ide their profe&s;&s;ion, or fall from their &s;eeming Godline&s;s, then you know what to judge of them. And if we &s;hould &s;ee thou&s;ands fall off from profe&s;&s;ion, we need not be troubled; they are not Stars, they are but Comets; and that appears by their cea&s;ing to &s;hine: true Stars &s;hall both keepe their place and lu&s;tre. And that leads me to the con&s;ideration of the third thing pro|pounded; And that is, that a man cannot, nor &s;hall not fall from that which is the faith of Gods elect, but &s;hall certainly be &s;aved.</P>
<P>Now the fir&s;t Scripture that I &s;hall mention for the proofe of this, is that in <HI>John</HI> 3.36. <HI>He that believeth on the Son, hath everla&s;ting life.</HI> Now thus I argue: If every believer hath life, and the life that he hath be everla&s;ting; then none that do believe can mi&s;s of the ever|la&s;tingne&s;s of that life which is everla&s;ting in its nature.</P>
<P>Again, that place is very con&s;iderable in <HI>John</HI> 11.26. <HI>Who&s;oever liveth and believeth in me, &s;hall never die.</HI> Now if this be not the meaning of it, that who&s;oever at any time doth believe in Chri&s;t, &s;hall certainly be &s;ecured from eternal death; I do not know what comfort it could be to <HI>Martha,</HI> or to any other believer, to believe that promi&s;e. For though I be a believer now, and &s;o be in a &s;tate of Salvation; if I cannot by a word from God a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf of continuing in that State,
<PB N="56" REF="32"> I can have no comfort, at lea&s;t, till the very la&s;t Ga&s;pe: but &s;ure it was the de&s;ign of Chri&s;t to incourage <HI>Martha</HI> and all other believers by this word of promi&s;e, el&s;e he would not have asked her, <HI>Believe&s;t thou this?</HI></P>
<P>Another Scripture worth the noting, is <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.38. <HI>Now the ju&s;t &s;hall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my Soul &s;hall have no plea&s;ure in him.</HI> Where the Apo&s;tle writing to a Church con|&s;i&s;ting of vi&s;ible Saints, that is, men and women profe&s;&s;ing Chri&s;t; and knowing (according to what hath been mentioned from this Epi&s;tle al|ready) that there were real believers, and &s;eeming believers; and knowing withal, that &s;eeming believers were very like to appear at la&s;t, and to di&s;cover them&s;elves by their Apo&s;tatizing from their profe&s;&s;ion; he in|deavours to give every one their portion, and to believers thus he doth &s;peak; <HI>The ju&s;t &s;hall live by faith,</HI> or, <HI>the ju&s;t by faith &s;hall live:</HI> as if he &s;hould &s;ay, You that are true believers, need not fear but that you &s;hall continue in that State of life wherein you are; but for you that are onely profe&s;&s;ors at be&s;t, and do Apo&s;tatize from your profe&s;&s;ion, I tell you, you are ve&s;&s;els wherein is no plea&s;ure; the Lords Soul hates you he can take no delight in you.</P>
<P>Be&s;ide this, con&s;ider that in <HI>John</HI> 6.5, 8. <HI>He that eateth of this bread, &s;hall live</HI> for ever: by <HI>eating the bread</HI> is under&s;tood believ|ing in Chri&s;t. Now he doth not &s;ay, He that eateth this bread is alive while he is eating; that were needle&s;s, (for who doth not know that eating is a clear demon&s;tration of life, and that dead men cannot eat?) but he &s;aith, <HI>He that eateth of this bread &s;hall live for ever;</HI> more then which, cannot be &s;aid for the incouragement of poor believers.</P>
<P>But yet there &s;eems to be rather more in that <HI>John</HI> 14.19. where Chri&s;t &s;peaking to his di&s;ciples, &s;aith, <HI>Becau&s;e I live, you &s;hall live al&s;o:</HI> as if he &s;hould &s;ay, Your life depends upon me; and as &s;ure as I live, &s;o &s;ure &s;hall you be of life: you &s;hall never die, till I cea&s;e to live.</P>
<P>But yet more particularly, for the proof of the thing in hand, namely, that Believers cannot nor &s;hall not mi&s;carry, &s;o as to mi&s;s of Salvation; I &s;hall argue thus:</P>
<P>If he that doth believe in Chri&s;t, may yet mi&s;s of Salvation, the cau&s;e mu&s;t be either in him&s;elf, in his enemies, or in God, or el&s;e in Chri&s;t as Mediator: but there is nothing in him&s;elf, in any of the enemies of his Salvation, or in God, or in Chri&s;t, to hinder him of Salvation: there|fore he &s;hall not be hindred.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;ay, There is nothing in him&s;elf can hinder him; for if we
<PB N="57" REF="32"> &s;hould &s;uppo&s;e any thing in him&s;elf, it mu&s;t be weakne&s;s or wilful|ne&s;s; but neither of the&s;e can hinder him: therefore nothing in him&s;elf can do it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;ay, Weakne&s;s cannot do it; for if any weakne&s;s could, it would be weakne&s;s of Faith; for by Faith we &s;tand, and we &s;hall be &s;ure to keep our &s;tanding, as long as Faith hath a being in us: and that Faith &s;hall continue, we may &s;ee by what Chri&s;t &s;aith to <HI>Peter,</HI> (taking in likewi&s;e the re&s;t of his Di&s;ciples) <HI>Simon, Simon, Satan hath de&s;ired to have you, that he may &s;ift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not,</HI> Luke 22.31, 32. As if he &s;hould &s;ay. If thy Faith fail, thou art undone; But I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not; and I know that God heareth me alwayes; and therefore thou mai&s;t be &s;ure that thy Faith &s;hall never fail. But if this &s;hould be looked upon, as that that doth onely concern <HI>Peter,</HI> (though there be no ground for it) I &s;hall add further, the experience of all the people of God in Scripture, that though &s;ome of them have been in fainting fits, (as <HI>David,</HI> when he &s;aid, <HI>I &s;hall one day peri&s;h;</HI> and <HI>Jo|nah,</HI> who was ready to conclude that he was ca&s;t out of God's &s;ight; and <HI>A&s;aph,</HI> who (as may be &s;een by &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions in &s;ome of the P&s;alms penned by him) was almo&s;t quite hopele&s;s) yet none of the&s;e died in their fainting fits; the &s;eed of God abiding in them.</P>
<P>But again, as weakne&s;s cannot be the cau&s;e of mi&s;carrying eternally; &s;o neither can wilfulne&s;s in a Saint be a cau&s;e. And here I would not be mi&s;taken in either of the&s;e two things:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I would not that any &s;hould think that I deny that a Saint can fall into any act of &s;in; for to &s;ay &s;o, were to &s;peak both again&s;t the Scri|pture and Experience. Nor</P>
<P>Secondly, Would I be thought to encourage Saints to &s;in, when I &s;ay their wilfulne&s;s &s;hall not hinder them of Salvation: and I hope no Saint will make &s;o bad a con&s;truction of &s;o comfortable a Truth, &s;o as to turn the grace of God into wantonne&s;s, and to &s;in, becau&s;e grace abounds. For a Saint &s;hould be &s;o hedged in with the con&s;ideration of the Free-love of God to him, that he &s;hould not dare to &s;in; e&s;pecially, con|&s;idering, that if he doth make bold with &s;in, he may lo&s;e his &s;en&s;ible communion with Chri&s;t, (at lea&s;t, in a great mea&s;ure) though he cannot lo&s;e his union. And he may be broug<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> into &s;uch a condition as <HI>Da|vid</HI> was brought into, to complain of broken bones, and of the want of the joyes of God's Salvation.</P>
<P>But that which I aim at, is to prove, that God will not &s;uffer his peo|ple
<PB N="58" REF="33"> whom he hath made willing in the day of his power, to become &s;o wilful, as by their wilfulne&s;s to depart quite from God and Salvation, <HI>Jer.</HI> 32.40. where God promi&s;eth them with whom he makes his Covenant, that he will put his fear into them, that they &s;hall not depart from him: and be&s;ides this, in the Covenant God doth as well engage him&s;elf for his people, as for him&s;elf: <HI>I will be your God,</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>and you &s;hall be my people;</HI> that is, I will take order, that you &s;hall walk as my people ought to walk: therefore they &s;hall not be &s;o wilful as to turn quite from God.</P>
<P>But I proceed to &s;hew that nothing in God can hinder Believers of Salvation.</P>
<P N="1">1. There is no want of power in God, for he is Almighty, and there|fore there is no work too hard for him, and he doth put forth his power that way; for <HI>Peter</HI> tells us, <HI>We are kept by the power of God through faith to &s;alvation,</HI> 1 Pet. 1.5. Now if Almighty power hath the keeping of Believers, &s;ure they &s;hall not mi&s;carry; but mu&s;t needs have that verified upon them in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 125.1. <HI>They that tru&s;t in the Lord &s;hall be as mount Sion, which cannot be removed but abideth for ever.</HI></P>
<P>Again, in the next place, There is no want of love in God; for his love is everla&s;ting; and &s;ure everla&s;ting love, (when &s;et upon any creature) will not &s;uffer that creature to be everla&s;tingly mi&s;er|able.</P>
<P>But be&s;ide this love of God, there is a Covenant that God hath made with his people, and every Believer is one of that people that God hath taken into Covenant with him&s;elf, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. <HI>ult. If you be Chri&s;t's, then you are Abraham's &s;eed, and heirs according to promi&s;e:</HI> if you be Believers, you are in Covenant with God, and the inheritance of Sons belongs to you. Now it cannot be imagined that the unchangeable God &s;hould change &s;o as to take men in a &s;tate of &s;on|&s;hip and heir&s;hip; and afterward di&s;-inherit them e&s;pecially when as God &s;aith him&s;elf, <HI>Mal.</HI> 3.6. <HI>I am the Lord, I change not; therefore you &s;ons of Jacob are not con&s;umed.</HI></P>
<P>Again, If we con&s;ider that act of God in ju&s;tifying men, it will ap|pear, that God will not, nay, (being it is &s;o contrary to the nature of God to lye and repent) Go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> cannot, condemn a man whom he hath ju&s;tified; and therefore it is that the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.1. &s;aith, <HI>There is no condemnation to them that are in Chri&s;t:</HI> and in the &s;ame Chapter, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 33. he &s;aith, <HI>Who &s;hall lay any thing to the charge of
<PB N="59" REF="33"> God's elect? it is God that ju&s;tifieth.</HI> Hence <HI>I</HI> conclude, that there can be nothing charged upon a Soul, much le&s;s can that Soul be con|demned, and &s;o peri&s;h everla&s;tingly, when God hath once ju&s;tified him and acquitted him from &s;in. Now; that every Believer in the World is ju&s;tified, appears, in that Faith is the In&s;trument whereby the righte|ou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t is apprehended for Ju&s;tification, and Faith and Ju&s;ti|fication cannot be &s;eparated, according to that in <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.11. <HI>Being ju&s;tified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>One thing more I &s;hall &s;ay as to this particular, <HI>viz.</HI> That God cannot hinder the Salvation of Believers; and that is this, If he &s;hould, he would make void his own Decree of election: but God cannot do that, for he hath &s;aid, <HI>His coun&s;el &s;hall &s;tand:</HI> nay, more then that, he &s;hould then make void his own de&s;ign in &s;ending Chri&s;t into the World; for God &s;ent his Son into the World for this end, that they that believe &s;hould be &s;aved.</P>
<P>But in the third place, I &s;hall declare further, That all the enemies of the &s;alvatio~ of the people of God &s;hall not hinder: the devil &s;hall not hinder; for his head is broke by the death of Chri&s;t, that now his power as to the overcoming of believers is nothing at all: it is true, he can trouble believers, (if God permit him &s;o to do) but he cannot de&s;troy them; nay, God hath not only by the death of Chri&s;t taken away the power of Satan, but he hath put the Devil under the power of Believers, and therefore it is that we have that promi&s;e, <HI>James</HI> 4.7. <HI>Re&s;i&s;t the Devil, and he &s;hall flie.</HI> Again, As the Devil is an enemy, &s;o the World is an enemy; but it can do nothing to hinder the Salvation of Believers, for it is a con|quered enemy: <HI>Be of good cheer,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t to his believing Di&s;ciples, <HI>I have overcome the world.</HI> But that which may be looked upon as mo&s;t to be feared, is corruption within; tho&s;e lu&s;ts that <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaks of that war again&s;t the Soul: but the&s;e &s;hall not hinder neither. For Chri&s;t came as to &s;ubdue Satan, &s;o likewi&s;e to de&s;troy the works of Sa|tan; and we have a promi&s;e, <HI>That &s;in &s;hall not reign in us when un|der grace,</HI> that is, when we are Believers, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.14.</P>
<P>But that which I &s;hall further add, is, that all powers combined toge|ther are too weak to hinder the Salvation of any poor Believer; and for that <HI>I</HI> would de&s;ire that what Chri&s;t &s;peaks in <HI>Joh.</HI> 10.28, 29, 30. where Chri&s;t &s;peaking of his Sheep, that is, Believers, &s;aith thus: <HI>And I give unto them eternal life, and they &s;hall never peri&s;h, neither &s;hall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me,
<PB N="60" REF="34"> is greater all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I, and my Father are one;</HI> &s;o that Je&s;us Chri&s;t doth here de|clare, that all the power that he hath, and all the power that the Father hath, is engaged again&s;t any oppo&s;ition that comes in to hinder the Sal|vation of the Sheep of Chri&s;t: &s;o that now every Believer may triumph over all enemies, and encourage him&s;elf again&s;t all hinderances, as the Apo&s;tle doth in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.38, 39. <HI>For I am per&s;waded, that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pre&s;ent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any o|ther creature &s;hall be able to &s;eparate us from the love of God which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us our Lord.</HI></P>
<P>But there is yet one thing more to be added, and that is, That Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is Mediator between God and Believers, will not hinder them of their Salvation: for fir&s;t, he doth not want power; all power is given to him, and he made a full &s;atisfaction for them, that &s;o they might not onely believe, but be &s;aved. Hence it is that Chri&s;t is &s;aid in <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.2. to be both the Author and Fini&s;her of our Faith. And then again, Chri&s;t doth not want love; and that appears by what he was willing to &s;uffer for Believers: And &s;ure, if his love did carry him out to die for them at fir&s;t, it will carry him out to improve his death for their benefit at la&s;t: Chri&s;t hath not changed his minde; as it was his intent to own them at fir&s;t when they came to him, &s;o is he not willing now to reject them: <HI>John</HI> 6.37. <HI>All that the Father giveth me, &s;hall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out.</HI> I cannot leave this Scripture without &s;peaking a little to it: Fir&s;t, you have the Father giving. Secondly, Chri&s;t receiving. Thirdly, his retaining them, and entertaining them, when he hath received them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;ay, here is the Father giving, and that by decree; God having cho&s;en them in Chri&s;t, he delivers them up to the care of Chri&s;t, that he &s;hould &s;ave them.</P>
<P>Secondly, You have Chri&s;t receiving them: and truely, it could be no otherwi&s;e, Chri&s;t being &s;o full both of love and obedience to his Fa|ther, and &s;o loving to tho&s;e that his Father gives him, and &s;o much in love with the work and bu&s;ine&s;s that he came into the World about, in reference to them, for who&s;e &s;ake, as he &s;aith, he did &s;anctifie him&s;elf; he could not, I &s;ay, but receive them. But here is a promi&s;e, that the&s;e per&s;ons thus given to Chri&s;t, whom he is &s;o willing to receive, &s;hall come to Chri&s;t: which doth clearly prove believing to be the fruit of election.
<PB N="61" REF="34"> <HI>All that the Father giveth me,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>&s;hall come to me:</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, As the Father hath before the foundation of the world cho&s;en them to be &s;aved by me; &s;o in time he will draw them to me, that they may be made partaker of that Salvation which I have to be|&s;tow upon them, according to that that is hi&s;torically laid down in <HI>Acts</HI> 13.48. <HI>As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.</HI></P>
<P>But that that &s;erves for the pre&s;ent purpo&s;e, is, that which is la&s;t in the Ver&s;e, <HI>viz.</HI> The entertainment that Chri&s;t gives to tho&s;e that are thus received by him: he will not part with them; he will not &s;hut them out of doors: <HI>Him</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>that cometh to me, I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out.</HI> It is a very full negation in the <HI>Greek,</HI> by a double negative; which is, as if Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;ay, There is nothing more again&s;t my minde and re&s;olution, then to reject or ca&s;t out any one that comes to me believing in me; I will be &s;ure to keep &s;afe all that the Father gives into my hand: and this Chri&s;t doth, to fulfil the will of his Father, which was, that he &s;hould bring every one to Salvation that he gave him. Now, that this was the will of the Father, appears by what we have in <HI>John</HI> 6.39. <HI>And this is the Father's will that &s;ent me, that of all which he hath given me, I &s;hould lo&s;e nothing.</HI> And then in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 40. <HI>This is the will of him that &s;ent me, that every one that &s;eeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everla&s;ting life.</HI></P>
<P>Object. But is it not &s;aid, in <HI>John</HI> 17.12. that though <HI>Judas the Son of perdition</HI> was <HI>given</HI> to Chri&s;t, yet he was <HI>lo&s;t?</HI> Whence it ap|pears, that a man may be given to Chri&s;t, and yet be lo&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;ay, Fir&s;t, this giving is another manner of giving, then the other that I mentioned before. <HI>Judas</HI> in|deed was given to Chri&s;t to be one of his Family, one of the twelve; and that mu&s;t needs be, becau&s;e the Scripture had foretold that it &s;hould be one that did eat bread with Chri&s;t that &s;hould betray him: but <HI>Judas</HI> was not given to Chri&s;t that he &s;hould &s;ave him; and that appears, in that he is here called <HI>the Son of perditon.</HI> But yet further, I &s;hall &s;ay this, that Chri&s;t makes the exception of <HI>Judas</HI> him&s;elf; and we ought to make no more exceptions then Chri&s;t makes. For we know none that in any &s;en&s;e are &s;aid to be given to Chri&s;t, (<HI>Judas</HI> onely excepted) but &s;hall be &s;aved by Chri&s;t: and this exception is not contrary to the Scri|pture, but that the Scripture might be fulfilled.</P>
<P><HI>Obj.</HI> But yet &s;ome may be ready to &s;ay, It &s;eems according to Scrip|ture, that Salvation is not given to men as believers, but as continuers in
<PB N="62" REF="35"> believing and in obedience. Now if a man, though he be a believer now, yet if he cea&s;e to be a believer, he mu&s;t needs mi&s;s of Salvation.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t, that a man that is a belieaver at any time, &s;hould cea&s;e to be a believer, cannot be granted; nay, the contrary hath been already clearly proved. And then in the next place, (as to tho&s;e Scriptures that promi&s;e Salvation upon continuance in beliveing and obedience,) they do by that manife&s;t the difference between true faith and fal&s;e: true faith continues, but fal&s;e faith at length di&s;covers it &s;elf to be indeed nothing at all, and &s;o leaves a man at la&s;t. And for that end, that the truth of this may appear, I &s;hall con&s;ider one or two of tho&s;e Scriptures.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t place I &s;hall take notice of, is that <HI>Matth.</HI> 10.22. <HI>But he that endureth to the end, &s;hall be &s;aved:</HI> another is <HI>Matth.</HI> 24.13. <HI>But he that &s;hall endure to the end, the &s;ame &s;hall be &s;aved.</HI> In both which Scriptures, Je&s;us Chri&s;t doth &s;peake of great &s;ufferings; and we know that great &s;ufferings are great tryals. Now if faith be not of the right &s;tamp, it will be di&s;covered at &s;uch a time; and though the man hath, it may be, made a faire &s;hew for a time, yet at length he falls from his profe&s;&s;ion, rather then ingage in &s;uffering for Chri&s;t: but they that have that precious faith which is wrought in the heart by the Spirit of God, that man &s;hall hold out to the end, and &s;hall be &s;aved.</P>
<P>Another Scripture is that in <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.6. <HI>Who&s;e hou&s;e are we, if we hold fa&s;t the confidence, and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end.</HI> From which Scripture cannot be gathered that any that are the hou&s;e of Chri&s;t, and that have the Spirit of Chri&s;t dwelling in them, &s;hall not hold fa&s;t the confidence to the end; but rather the contrary, that they, and they onely, do hold their confidence firm to the end: So that none of the&s;e places (being rightly under&s;tood) do in the lea&s;t in|fringe, but rather abundantly confirm the truth in hand; namely, that the true believer &s;hall not fall from that &s;tate he is in, nor mi&s;s of Sal|vation at la&s;t: &s;pecially if you con&s;ider what promi&s;es of per&s;everance believers have from God, and what incouragements they have in Scri|pture to believe that they &s;hall not mi&s;s of their de&s;ired happine&s;s. <HI>John</HI> 13.11. <HI>Having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them to the end,</HI> Now it will clearly follow, that if the love of Chri&s;t continue, the happine&s;s of Saints continues too. And &s;o likewi&s;e we have a notable encouragement for Saints, in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.8. <HI>Who &s;hall al&s;o confirm you to the end, that you may be blamele&s;s in the day of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> And &s;o likewi&s;e the Apo&s;tle writing to the <HI>Philip|pians,</HI> incourageth them, and that with a great deal of confidence, that
<PB N="63" REF="35"> they hold out, <HI>Philip.</HI> 1.6. <HI>Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it untill the day of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Object. But it may be &s;ome may &s;ay, If it be &s;o that God will keep Saints from falling, and that he that is a believer now, &s;hall continue &s;o; what need tho&s;e exhortations to per&s;everance? as that in 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.13. <HI>Wherefore gird up the Loines of your minds, be &s;ober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the Reve|lation of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> And that in <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.10. <HI>Be thou faithful un|to death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life:</HI> from whence it &s;eems, that the Crown of life is given upon Faithfulne&s;s to death. And then again, it &s;eems by what we have in <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.11. that a man may, notwith&s;tanding his Faithfulne&s;s, (if he do not hold fa&s;t) lo&s;e his Crown.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To which Scriptures I &s;hall give a brief an&s;wer particularly. Fir&s;t, that in <HI>Peter</HI> doth onely &s;et forth what is the duty of believers; and that is, to continue believing. And that in <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.10. doth de|clare the per&s;ons who they are that &s;hall have the Crown of life, and that is they that are kept by the power of God through faith to Salvati|on, and by the &s;ame power are kept faithful even unto death. And then for that in <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.11. <HI>Let no man take thy Crown;</HI> I do not con|ceive that by <HI>Crown</HI> there is meant the Crown of life, but a crown that they have in this life. Now the crown of a Saint is activity and zeale for God; and this Church of <HI>Philadelphia</HI> was very Famous for that; there is none of the other &s;ix Churches that were &s;o blamele&s;s as this. Now, &s;aith Chri&s;t, Take heed you do not grow cold and cowardly; if you do, you lo&s;e your crown, your renown among the Churches.</P>
<P>But if you would have me give you a General an&s;wer to all the&s;e Scri|ptures, or any other that have &s;uch exhortations in them; I &s;hall tell you the rea&s;on of them. God doth exhort Saints to continue in their Faithfulne&s;s, not to &s;hew that they may po&s;&s;ibly cea&s;e to be what they are, &amp; &s;o mi&s;s of Salvation; nor to &s;hew that they do continue faithful by their own power: But this is the means that he who is the author and fi|ni&s;her of the faith of his people doth u&s;e, to make them continue in the &s;tate wherein they are. For as Chri&s;t makes men believe, by &s;etting home the command of the Go&s;pel upon their hearts; &s;o he cau&s;eth them to continue in believing, by &s;uch Go&s;pel-exhortations as the&s;e are. And thus I hope the truth of believers continuance in believing, and at la&s;t receiving the end of their Faith, the Salvation of their Souls, is &s;uffici|ently cleared.</P>
<PB N="64" REF="36">
<P>Object. <HI>But if any &s;hould &s;ay, This is a Doctrine that tends to the making of believers carele&s;s;</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To this I an&s;wer, fir&s;t, Let men be careful of ca&s;ting an a&s;|per&s;ion upon any truth of God. It it apparent, it is a truth, and it hath had &s;ufficient confirmation from Scripture; and it is not &s;afe to &s;ay that the Scripture leads men to carele&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>But again, I judge that it doth rather incourage Saints to make u&s;e of all the &s;trength they have, and to act their graces to the uttermo&s;t, knowing them&s;elves to be in a &s;ure &s;tate, that they &s;hall not mi&s;s of Sal|vation. And truely I do not know with what comfort a Saint could do any thing, if he were always in doubt and fear of lo&s;ing that which at pre&s;ent he hath: he cannot &s;urely perform that duty of his, to re|joyce in hope of the Glory that &s;hall be revealed, if there a po&s;&s;ibility for him to lo&s;e his intere&s;t in that Glory.</P>
<P>Thus far I have proceeded in the Doctrine of per&s;everance, in op|po&s;ition to that opinion of falling away from grace, which <HI>H. H.</HI> doth give &s;ome hints at in divers places of his Book, and particularly in that u&s;e of reproofe to per&s;ons that fall from real Spiritual injoyments (as he apprehends) though indeed it be but falling from profe&s;&s;ion; and that may appear, not onely by what I have laid down already more at large, but al&s;o by what he concludes that u&s;e of reproofe with, out of 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.22. <HI>The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the &s;ow that was wa&s;hed, to her wallowing in the mire.</HI> Now truely I can|not but wonder that he &s;hould judge this to intend falling away from grace; for it is very apparent, the&s;e per&s;ons here &s;poken of by <HI>Peter,</HI> never had grace, though they had gifts. For let us but minde what <HI>Peter</HI> calls them; they are <HI>Dogs</HI> &s;till, and they were <HI>Dogs</HI> before, even when they were in their be&s;t condition. <HI>The dog,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>is turned to his ow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> vomit again.</HI> It is true, he had upon &s;ome account vomited up &s;ome of the mo&s;t filthy lu&s;ts, they would not dige&s;t with him, they would not &s;erve for his particular purpo&s;e at that time; for it is like he aimed at credit with the people of God, or &s;ome outward advantage by them; and now the&s;e lu&s;ts are in the way, and up they mu&s;t: but he doth not vomit up his dogged nature, he is a dog &s;till; nay, the fawning nature of a dog is more vi&s;ible at that time, then before, but that he hath got a little credit for the pre&s;ent, and &s;o is not &s;u&s;pected. But times turne, and the &s;treame of advantages runs another way; and now he licks up his vomit again, and betakes him&s;elf to his old way of lu&s;ts; and they are as natural to him as ever. And then again, <HI>Peter</HI> calls
<PB N="65" REF="36"> &s;uch apo&s;tates by no better name then wa&s;hed Swine: <HI>The &s;ow that was wa&s;hed, turns to her wallowing in the mire.</HI> If you wa&s;h a &s;ow never &s;o clean, &s;he is a &s;ow &s;till, and &s;he will wallow when &s;he hath an opportunity: So it is with the&s;e men; though they are outwardly wa|&s;hed, yet there was never a change of nature; they are of the &s;ame di&s;po&s;ition as ever they were: and though they have for &s;ome outward advantages refrained wallowing, yet &s;till keeping the wallowing nature, they naturally return to their wallowing imployment again. So that the&s;e men that <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaks of, are not in a capacity of falling from a &s;tate of Salvation; for they were never in it.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> goes on, and takes occa&s;ion to an&s;wer two Objections concerning per&s;ons that live without the means of grace: and he goes about to prove that which will ea&s;ily be granted, <HI>That all men know enough to leave them without excu&s;e:</HI> and upon this he concludes that the di&s;pute is at an end. But he mu&s;t know, that the di&s;pute will not be &s;o &s;oon ended, without he will yeeld to truth; and then it will be ended: for it is truth that we plead for. But I think there is yet a better way to end the controver&s;ie; and that is, to con&s;ider what the Scripture &s;aith as to per&s;ons that are &s;aved, and to per&s;ons that peri&s;h. Let him but &s;uffer the Scripture to be Umpire between us, and there may be quickly an end of the controver&s;ie. And truly I judge that that Scripture in <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 13.9. may very well do the bu&s;ine&s;s for us: <HI>O I&s;|rael, thou ha&s;t de&s;troyed thy &s;elf, but in me is thy help.</HI> Which is as if he had &s;aid, Whoever they are that peri&s;h may blame them&s;elves; but they that are &s;aved, have cau&s;e to ble&s;s God: God may ju&s;tly con|demn man for &s;inning wilfully again&s;t light, though their light be not &s;ufficient to lead them to Salvation. <HI>The wages of &s;in is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord.</HI></P>
<P>But I have done with what <HI>H. H.</HI> &s;aith as to Prede&s;tination and Election; and &s;hall now give &s;ome an&s;wer to what he &s;aith concerning Univer&s;al redemption.</P>
<P>And the Que&s;tion that he &s;tates, is, <HI>Whether Chri&s;t dyed for all, or but for &s;ome?</HI></P>
<P>Now if it were my work (without con&s;idering any further what he &s;aith) to give an an&s;wer to this que&s;tion; I mu&s;t propound a que&s;tion to him; and that is, What he means by Chri&s;t dying for all, or for &s;ome; becau&s;e the que&s;tion is &s;omething ambiguous, in&s;omuch that I may both grant and deny that Chri&s;t dyed for all men. Fir&s;t, I may in a &s;en&s;e grant that Chri&s;t dyed for all; for &s;ure their being is pre&s;erved,
<PB N="66" REF="37"> and they do all enjoy all tho&s;e outward enjoyments that they have, by Chri&s;t; the world is by him e&s;tabli&s;hed: nay, the very unrea&s;onable creatures have a benefit purcha&s;ed for them, and they &s;hall in time enjoy it, and that by Chri&s;t, as we may &s;ee in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.19, 20, 21, 22.</P>
<P>But if the que&s;tion be concerning Salvation, whether Chri&s;t dyed to &s;ave all (which appears to be his meaning) I mu&s;t deny that Chri&s;t did thus die for all.</P>
<P>But though he &s;tates his Que&s;tion, yet he doth for the pre&s;ent give no direct An&s;wer; but tells us, <HI>He &s;hall an&s;wer by the Scriptures, &s;hewing,</HI> 1. <HI>The te&s;timony of all the Prophets.</HI> 2. <HI>Of the An|gel of God.</HI> 3. <HI>Of Chri&s;t him&s;elf.</HI> 4. <HI>Of the holy Apo&s;tles of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Christ.</HI> To which I &s;ay thus much: I confe&s;s it is the be&s;t way to an&s;wer Que&s;tions and to re&s;olve doubts by Scripture. And truely if he doth clear the bu&s;ine&s;s in hand, and prove by Scripture, that Chri&s;t died for this end, that every particular man &s;hould be &s;aved by him it is our duty to believe it: but if he doth but &s;ay he will or doth prove it, I mu&s;t account that but a &s;orry An&s;wer. But however, I &s;hall con&s;ider tho&s;e Scriptures that he brings; and the fir&s;t thing that he would have us believe, is, that all the Prophets give in a te&s;timony to this that he now affirms; and the fir&s;t Prophet that he mentions is <HI>I&s;aiah, I&s;ai.</HI> 53.4, 5, 6. <HI>Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our &s;orrows: yet we did e&s;teem him &s;tricken, &s;mitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, he was brui&s;ed for our iniquities, and the cha&s;ti&s;ement of our peace was upon him: and with his &s;tripes we are healed. All we like &s;heep have gone a&s;tray: we have every one turned to his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.</HI> Now I de|&s;ire a little to look into this Scripture, and &s;ee whether there be any &s;uch thing in it as he would have us believe.</P>
<P>The Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> in this Chapter doth per&s;onate Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf, as you may &s;ee in <HI>Iohn</HI> 12.38. where the words of the fir&s;t Ver&s;e of this Chapter are made u&s;e of by Chri&s;t him&s;elf, and applied to the unbelieving <HI>Iews.</HI> And the Prophet doth not onely per&s;onate Chri&s;t, but others likewi&s;e, whom Chri&s;t did, as it were, joyne in commi&s;&s;ion with him&s;elf in preaching the Go&s;pel: and that which the Prophet, and Chri&s;t, and other Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel &s;ay, is, <HI>Who hath believed our report? who gives entertainment to the Go&s;pel, and the report that we give concerning &s;alvation alone</HI> by <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> But when as he &s;aith, <HI>Who hath believed our report, and to whom <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> the
<PB N="67" REF="37"> arm of the Lord revealed?</HI> the meaning is not, that none believe; but that onely they believe to whom the Lord revealeth his arm, and makes known what he can do: all do not believe, nay, few believe, in compari|&s;on of tho&s;e that remain in unbelief. Now it is apparent, that the Prophet in tho&s;e three Ver&s;es laid down by <HI>H. H.</HI> doth not intend all tho&s;e un|believers, I mean, tho&s;e that continued in unbelief; nay, he intended none of them: but he intends tho&s;e to whom the arm of the Lord was revealed.</P>
<P>And that there are two &s;orts people intended in this Chapter by the Prophet, &s;ome remaining in unbelief, and &s;ome at length (by the power of God) believing in Chri&s;t, appears by what the Prophet &s;aith in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 3. of that Chapter: <HI>He is de&s;pi&s;ed and rejected of men, a man of &s;or|rows, and acquainted with griefs:</HI> there is one &s;ort of men, and they are &s;aid to be &s;uch as reject Chri&s;t. But then there is another &s;ort of per&s;ons mentioned in the later part of the Ver&s;e: <HI>and we hid as it were our faces from him,</HI> (mark it well) <HI>he was rejected by men, and we e&s;teemed him not.</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, We to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed, we that have made this report of Chri&s;t, we that have both preached &amp; embraced Chri&s;t, &amp; pre&s;&s;ed others to embrace him too, we have not e&s;teemed him as we ought, and we have as it were hid our faces from him; we were almo&s;t afraid &amp; a&s;hamed to own Chri&s;t, (which was apparent in <HI>Nicodemus</HI> his coming to Je&s;us by night, and in <HI>Peter</HI>'s denying of him.) Nay further, he goeth on in making his di&s;tinction; <HI>He was de&s;pi&s;ed</HI> (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>and we e&s;temed him not;</HI> that is, we that (upon the con&s;ideration of tho&s;e things that follow) had more cau&s;e to e&s;teem of him then others had, yet we have not e&s;teemed of him as we ought. Which complaint may very well be taken up by all the peo|ple of God; for before conver&s;ion, they did e&s;teem as lightly of Chri&s;t as other men do; and when they have received good from Chri&s;t, they come far &s;hort in their e&s;teem of him. And now it being con&s;idered from whom tho&s;e words proceed, or who are the per&s;ons intended in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 4, 5, 6. of the Chapter, there will be no difficulty in the under&s;tanding the words; &s;pecially if we do but &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, that (as Chri&s;t doth apply what is &s;aid here as to the rejecting of Chri&s;t, to the unbelieving <HI>Iews</HI> in that <HI>Ioh.</HI> 12.38.) &s;o the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> in 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.24, 25. doth appropriate what is contained in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 5, 6. of this 53 of <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> to the elect: Who his own &s;elf bare our &s;ins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to &s;ins, &s;hould live unto righteou&s;ne&s;s, by who&s;e &s;tripes ye were healed; for ye were as &s;heep going a&s;tray, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<PB N="68" REF="38">
<P>But if this will not &s;atisfie, we &s;hall finde enough in the Prophet's own words for the clearing of the Truth; for fir&s;t, the Prophet &s;peaks of &s;uch as have obtained peace and healing from Chri&s;t; <HI>The cha&s;ti&s;e|ment of our peace was upon him, and with his &s;tripes we are healed.</HI> Now if all have peace, which was a Legacy particularly bequeathed by Chri&s;t to his Di&s;ciples, and if all be healed of all their &s;piritual di&s;ea&s;es, then <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> means all: but neither of the&s;e can be granted; for Ju&s;ti|fication and Peace go together, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.1. <HI>Being ju&s;tified by faith, we have peace with God.</HI> And the cure of di&s;ea&s;es, and the pardon of &s;in go together, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103.3. <HI>Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy di&s;ea&s;es.</HI> But who will &s;ay, That all are ju&s;tified? Who will &s;ay, That all have all their iniquities forgiven?</P>
<P>But further, if we look into the la&s;t Ver&s;e of the Chapter, the Pro|phet tells us, That it was the &s;ins of <HI>many</HI> that Chri&s;t did bear; &s;o that it was not the &s;ins of all men in the world: and if you look back into <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 8. there he tells us, That it was for the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of Gods people that he was &s;tricken. So that now it is apparent that <HI>H. H.</HI> doth charge <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> fal&s;ly, when he tells us, That <HI>I&s;aiah &s;heweth plainly that the iniquities of all tho&s;e that went a&s;tray were laid upon Chri&s;t.</HI> He doth (I confe&s;s) &s;hew, that all they who&s;e iniquities were laid upon Chri&s;t, did go a&s;tray: but not, that all that went a&s;tray, had their ini|quities laid upon Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> goeth on; and, that he may make his work &s;hort, he goes about to bring in a Relation of the joynt Te&s;timony of all the Pro|phets at once, and that out of <HI>Acts</HI> 10.43. <HI>To him give all the Pro|phets witne&s;s, that through his Name who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hall receive remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins.</HI></P>
<P>Now to this I an&s;wer: This Truth of remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins to all Believers, is &s;o clear both from what the Prophets, and Apo&s;tles, and Chri&s;t him&s;elf &s;peaks, that it need not be brought into que&s;tion. But I de&s;ire that it may be &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered, whether the mentioning of this Scripture be a proof, and that from all the Prophets, of Chri&s;t his dying to &s;ave all. Here is not a word particularly expre&s;&s;ed concerning the death of Chri&s;t, I confe&s;s here is mention made of the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, which is an emi|nent effect of the death of Chri&s;t; but that is not applied to all, but onely to Believers.</P>
<P>But in the next place he brings the te&s;timony of <HI>Iohn</HI> the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.7. and tells us, that it, is the te&s;timony of that great Prophet <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t.</HI> I wonder he &s;hould be &s;o much mi&s;taken; I confe&s;s
<PB N="69" REF="38"> <HI>Iohn</HI> doth there &s;peak concerning <HI>Iohn</HI> the Bapti&s;t; but they are the words of <HI>Iohn</HI> who wrote the Go&s;pel, (as may appear, if we read the 6 and 7 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> together,) <HI>There was a man &s;ent from God who&s;e name was John; the &s;ame came for a witne&s;s, to bear wit|ne&s;s of the light, that all men through him might believe.</HI> Now the meaning of it &s;eems clearly to be this: <HI>Iohn</HI> tells us, that <HI>Iohn Bap|ti&s;t</HI> being &s;ent of God to bear witne&s;s to Chri&s;t, did bear witne&s;s, that all men, or to the end that all men through him might believe. This was that that <HI>Iohn</HI> in his preaching did aim at, that all men where he came preaching might believe. And this is the de&s;ire of others that are &s;ent by Chri&s;t to preach the Go&s;pel, that (if it were the will of God) all that hear may believe, according to that &s;aying of <HI>Paul</HI> to <HI>Agrippa,</HI> Acts 26.29. <HI>I would to God, that not onely thou, but all that hear me this day, were both almo&s;t and altogether &s;uch as I am, except the&s;e bonds.</HI> Thus <HI>Iohn</HI> tells us it was with <HI>Iohn</HI> the Bapti&s;t. But this doth not prove that all did believe that <HI>Iohn</HI> preached to; or, if they had all believed, it doth not follow, that all other men believe; for he did preach but to few, in compari&s;on of man-kinde: &s;o that this proves nothing as to the death of Chri&s;t for all, &s;pecially &s;eeing there is not a word &s;poken of the death of Chri&s;t in this place.</P>
<P>But though <HI>H. H.</HI> did mi&s;take in his la&s;t te&s;timony, declaring it to be the te&s;timony of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> when it was not; yet he doth after|ward tell us what te&s;timony <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith that <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> did give of Chri&s;t, and that is in <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.29. <HI>Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the &s;in of the world.</HI> Now I de&s;ire that we may con|&s;ider whether this Scripture doth prove that Chri&s;t died for all. And if we do take notice what <HI>John</HI> &s;peaks, it is onely, That Chri&s;t was <HI>the Lamb of God that takes away the &s;in of the world.</HI> Now he doth not &s;ay, That he took away the &s;in of every one of the men and women in the world. Nay, I believe that <HI>H. H.</HI> him&s;elf doth not believe, that Chri&s;t hath taken away the &s;ins of every man; for then every man &s;hould be &s;aved.</P>
<P>But I come now to con&s;ider the Angels te&s;timony that he &s;peaks of, and that is in <HI>Luke</HI> 2.10, 11. <HI>I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which &s;hall be to all people: for unto you is born in the city of Da|vid a Saviour, which is Chri&s;t the Lord.</HI> Now when the Angel &s;aith, I bring you glad tidings of great joy; and tells them, that it was to all people as well as to them, he means, that this glad tidings was not on|ly to the <HI>Jews,</HI> but to the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> all Nations as well as the <HI>Jews;</HI> and this was made good when the Go&s;pel was preached, fir&s;t to the <HI>Jews,</HI>
<PB N="70" REF="39"> and afterward (by commi&s;&s;ion from Chri&s;t) to all Nations, as we may &s;ee by that in <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.19.</P>
<P>But I proceed now to the con&s;ideration of the te&s;timony that <HI>H. H.</HI> brings from Chri&s;t him&s;elf, and that is <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.14 15, 16, 17. <HI>As Mo&s;es lifted up the &s;erpent in the wilderne&s;s, even &s;o mu&s;t the Son of man be lifted up, that who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life. For God &s;o loved the world, that he &s;ent his onely begotten Son, that who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hould not pe|ri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life. For God &s;ent not his Son to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be &s;aved.</HI> Now <HI>H. H.</HI>'s Conclu&s;ion from hence is this: <HI>Thus</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>we &s;ee the words of Chri&s;t agree with the words of the Prophets; therefore it mu&s;t needs be owned for a Truth, That Chri&s;t died for all.</HI></P>
<P>But I believe if the Scripture be well weighed, there will no &s;uch thing (but rather the contrary) be proved from thence; and fir&s;t, I &s;hall con&s;ider what is in the 14 and 15 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> concerning the Serpent in the Wilderne&s;s, and Chri&s;t; and there we may &s;ee, that Chri&s;t doth declare that there was a very great re&s;emblance between the Serpent in the Wil|derne&s;s, and Chri&s;t: he &s;hews, that that was the Type, and he him&s;elf the Antitype. Now that we may &s;ee what is in the Antitype, it is good to con&s;ider what was in the Type. We know that the Children of <HI>I&s;|rael</HI> were &s;tung with fiery Serpents while they were in the Wilderne&s;s, and God commanded that there &s;hould be a bra&s;en Serpent made and &s;et upon a pole, that they that were &s;tung might be cured by looking upon it. Now it is worth the noting, that this bra&s;en Serpent was not &s;et up for all the people, but for tho&s;e that were &s;tung; nor for all that were &s;tung, if any of them would not look up to it: but for tho&s;e that did look up to it. Now thus it is with Chri&s;t the Antitype to this bra|&s;en Serpent,; he is lifted up upon the Cro&s;s, &s;o that he died; and he was exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour: but it was onely to tho&s;e that look to him, and believe on him; and &s;o Chri&s;t &s;aith plainly, <HI>So mu&s;t the Son of man be lifted up, that who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI> So that I judge there need be no plainer nor fuller Scripture to prove that Chri&s;t did not die for all men, (&s;o as to &s;ave them) then this. And &s;o likewi&s;e what we have in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 16. <HI>He gave his Son, that who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI> Now when Chri&s;t tells us, That onely they that believe &s;hall be &s;aved, and that God intended no more in giving his Son; who dare &s;ay, It was the Father's end, and Chri&s;ts end, that all men &s;hould be &s;aved by his death? But that in <HI>v.</HI> 17.
<PB N="71" REF="39"> I believe <HI>H. H.</HI> thinks there is &s;ome weight in, <HI>viz.</HI> That <HI>God &s;ent not his &s;on to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be &s;aved.</HI> But truely, to me there &s;eems to be nothing in it, as to his purpo&s;e: it is ea&s;ily granted that God &s;ent not his Son for this end; it was not his main bu&s;ine&s;s of coming into the world, to condemn the world; the world was in a &s;tate of condemnation before; but that the world through him might be &s;aved. Chri&s;t came to be a Saviour to the world, that is, to per&s;ons of all Nations and conditions in the world, or to that world that he was to be the head of, as <HI>Adam</HI> was the head of all man-kinde. Now that the word World in this <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 17. is to be taken in no larger &s;en&s;e then this, <HI>viz.</HI> Believers in the World, appears thus: Chri&s;t in this <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 17. &s;peaks of &s;uch a World, as he was &s;ent to &s;ave. And in this <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 16. we &s;ee that Salvation belongs onely to Believers. He was &s;ent, <HI>That they that believe in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI></P>
<P>Now I hope it doth appear, by this te&s;timony from the mouth of Chri&s;t, that what <HI>H. H.</HI> as to the death of Chri&s;t for all men, doth af|firm, is fal&s;e.</P>
<P>But I come now to con&s;ider, what te&s;timonies he brings from the A|po&s;tles. And the fir&s;t te&s;timony is of <HI>Paul,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.14, 15. <HI>The love of Chri&s;t con&s;traineth us, becau&s;e we thus judge, that if Chri&s;t died for all, then were all once dead: and that he died for all, that they which live &s;hould not henceforth live unto them&s;elves, but to him that died for them and ro&s;e again.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing that I would take notice of, from this Scripture, is, who it was written to; and we &s;hall finde that it was to a Church of Chri&s;t, who were to be judged according to their profe&s;&s;ion to be Believers; and thus con&s;idering them, <HI>viz.</HI> as Believers, He doth acquaint them with the&s;e three things: 1. That Chri&s;t died for them all; and that was a &s;weet word of encouragement. 2. He tells them what their condi|tion was before; namely, they were all dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es. 3. He doth acquaint them with the end of Chri&s;t in dying for them; and that was, that they having received life from Chri&s;t, &s;hould live to Chri&s;t; that they which live, &s;hould not henceforth live unto them|&s;elves, but to him that died and ro&s;e again. And that which further we may gather, is this, That they for whom Chri&s;t died, are alive; and, that it is his de&s;ign, that they &s;hould all live to him: but all men do not live to Chri&s;t; Therefore it cannot be judged to be the Apo&s;tle's meaning, that Chri&s;t died for every particular man.</P>
<PB N="72" REF="40">
<P>The next Scripture that he mentioneth, is, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.5, 6. <HI>For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the Man Chri&s;t Je&s;us; who gave him&s;elf a ran&s;ome for all, to be te&s;tified in due time.</HI></P>
<P>Now for the an&s;wering of this Scripture, it is worth our noting, That in the beginning of this Chapter the Apo&s;tle doth exhort, That <HI>Sup|plications, prayers, interce&s;&s;ions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,</HI> that is, for all &s;orts of men as we may &s;ee afterward: He doth particularize one &s;ort <HI>v.</HI> 2. <HI>For Kings, and for all that are in authori|ty:</HI> and the Apo&s;tle tells us, <HI>That this is good and acceptable in the &s;ight of God our Saviour.</HI> Now the Argument that he makes u&s;e of, is, fir&s;t, that God will have all men to be &s;aved, and come to the know|ledge of the Truth, that is, that God doth by the Go&s;pel call upon all &s;orts of men to accept of Salvation, and doth in reference thereunto call them to the knowledge of the Truth. Where note, That the <HI>[all]</HI> that God will have &s;aved, is no more then the <HI>[all]</HI> who come to the knowledge of the Truth; and that is not every particular man: for be&s;ides what the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>H. H.</HI> tells us of &s;ome that are ignorant; and we finde it to be a real Truth. But this is certain, &s;ome of all &s;orts come to the knowledge of the Truth, and are &s;aved; and it is for the&s;e, that Chri&s;t is a Mediator; and it is for the&s;e, that he gave him&s;elf a ran&s;ome. <HI>Whereunto I am ordained a Teacher of the Gentiles,</HI> &s;aith the A|po&s;tle in the next Ver&s;e. As if he &s;hould &s;ay, It is not <HI>Jews</HI> onely, but <HI>Gentiles</HI> al&s;o, to whom Chri&s;t is a Mediator, and for whom Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf a ran&s;ome; and therefore I am &s;ent to preach to the <HI>Gentiles.</HI></P>
<P>But if this interpretation will not be taken, but that he will needs un|der&s;tand every individual man; I &s;ay, If Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf a ran&s;ome for all men, then all men mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be &s;aved: for it cannot be thought, that the righteous God will accept of a ran&s;ome for any one, and yet damn him afterwards. It is good then to con&s;ider what other Scriptures &s;peak concerning this bu&s;ine&s;s, that &s;o, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, the Truth may more plainly appear; for the Scripture (if rightly under&s;tood) doth not contradict it &s;elf. Now in <HI>Mat.</HI> 20.28. Chri&s;t &s;aith thus: <HI>Even as the Son of man came not to be mini&s;tred unto, but to mini&s;ter, &amp; to give his life a ran&s;ome for many.</HI> Here it is worth the noting, Chri&s;t &s;aith not, That he gave his life a ran&s;ome for <HI>[all,]</HI> but for <HI>[many.]</HI> And &s;o in <HI>Mat.</HI> 26.28. <HI>For this is my blood of the New Te&s;tament, which is &s;hed for many for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins.
<PB N="73" REF="40"> Many</HI> have remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins (but not <HI>all</HI>) by the &s;hedding of the blood of Chri&s;t. Now I hope we may not judge <HI>Paul</HI> to be &s;o unfaithful, (&s;eeing he is &s;o thankful to Chri&s;t in the 12 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> of the 1 chapter of this Epi&s;tle to <HI>Timothy;</HI> for that he counted him faithful) as to have it in his heart to affirm concerning the death of Chri&s;t, that which Chri&s;t would not affirm him&s;elf. So that (though <HI>H. H.</HI> thinks that he hath got &s;ome great matter by this Scripture; and therefore &s;aith, <HI>If we may under&s;tand the Scripture, as it is written, that there is one God and one Mediator; &s;o al&s;o we may under&s;tand from the &s;ame Scri|pture, that the &s;ame Mediator gave him&s;elf in due time a ran&s;ome for all</HI>) yet I &s;ay there is no &s;uch thing to be drawn from this Scripture; but rather, that Chri&s;t did in due time give him&s;elf a ran&s;ome for all tho&s;e, and none but tho&s;e, to whom he is a Mediator; and he is a Medi|ator to none but tho&s;e for whom he doth perform the full Office of Me|diator&s;hip, that is, bringing of them into the full po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of glory, which he by giving him&s;elf a ran&s;ome did procure for them. Now this is not the portion of all men; for there &s;hall be Goats on Chri&s;t's left hand, to whom he &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>Depart ye cur&s;ed;</HI> as well as Sheep on his right hand, to whom he &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed of my Father.</HI> Sure then Chri&s;t is not a Mediator to tho&s;e cur&s;ed ones.</P>
<P>But I proceed to the next Scripture that he mentioneth, and that is 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.15. <HI>This is a Faithful &s;aying, and worthy of all accep|tation, that Chri&s;t Je&s;us came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners, of whom I am chiefe.</HI> But what doth he conclude from the Scripture? <HI>If,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>He came to &s;ave the chiefe of &s;inners, then &s;ure he left none without a Saviour and means of Salvation.</HI></P>
<P>But what makes &s;o much in the conclu&s;ion, that is not in the pre|mi&s;es? how comes <HI>means of Salvation</HI> in? if he can fa&s;ten an uni|ver&s;al conclu&s;ion upon the text quoted, it mu&s;t be this, That Chri&s;t came to &s;ave all &s;inners. But it may be he though that would be &s;omething too gro&s;s, and therefore he brings in the means of Salvation by head and &s;houlders; whereas the Apo&s;tle doth not &s;peake a word of it.</P>
<P>The next Scripture mentioned, is <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.11. <HI>For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men.</HI> But <HI>H. H.</HI> will have it tran&s;lated thus: <HI>The grace of God that bringeth Sal|vation to all men, hath appeared.</HI> Now if it &s;hould be &s;o tran&s;lated, it will not helpe him at all, if we con&s;ider the Apo&s;tles &s;cope: He had been minding of per&s;ons of their duty in particular relations; and now he tells them of the appearing of the grace of God in the Go&s;pel, or the
<PB N="74" REF="41"> Go&s;pel of grace, and tells them that this Go&s;pel brings tidings of Sal|vation, and therefore that they &s;hould act in their relations according to the Rules of the Go&s;pel. Now this cannot be denyed, but that the Gopel of Grace, where-ever it comes, brings tidings of Salvation by Je|&s;us Chri&s;t with it; nay more then that, it is a means of bringing real Salvation to per&s;ons in all relations and conditions, old and young, Male and Female, Ma&s;ters and Servants; as the Apo&s;tle mentions in this <HI>chap.</HI> But we cannot conclude that all men, of all &s;orts, are &s;aved by the Go&s;pel; and that appears, not onely by other Scriptures, but e|ven by the Re&s;trictions that the Apo&s;tle him&s;elf makes in this <HI>Chapter:</HI> Fir&s;t, in the 12 <HI>ver&s;e: Teaching us, that denying ungodline&s;s and worldly lu&s;ts, we &s;hould live Soberly, righteou&s;ly, and Godly, in this pre&s;ent world.</HI> From whence I mu&s;t conclude one of the&s;e two things; either fir&s;t, that we are to under&s;tand by <HI>the grace of God bringing Salvation,</HI> the Doctrine of the Go&s;pel bringing tidings of Salvation; and that, becau&s;e in this 12 <HI>ver&s;e</HI> other teachings of the Go&s;pel (in reference to practice) are laid down: and in this &s;ence we can ea&s;ily grant that the Go&s;pel brings Salvation to all men, <HI>viz.</HI> that all men where the Go&s;pel comes, have the tidings of Salvation &s;ounded in their eares. Or el&s;e, Secondly, if he will needs under&s;tand bringing Salvation really to men; then by <HI>all men</HI> we mu&s;t under&s;tand all tho&s;e whom the Go&s;pel doth teach to deny ungodline&s;s, and worldly lu&s;ts; and that is that peculiar redeemed people of God that are mentioned in the 14. <HI>ver&s;e: Who gave him&s;elf for us, that he might redeemn us from all iniquity, and purifie unto him&s;elf a peculiar people, zeal|ous of good works.</HI></P>
<P>The next Scripture mentioned, is <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.9. <HI>That he by the Grace of God &s;hould ta&s;te death for every man.</HI> Now if by <HI>ta&s;ting death for every man</HI> he doth under&s;tand that every man hath outward benefit by the death of Chri&s;t, there hath been &s;omthing &s;poken to that alrea|dy; and I &s;hall not at all oppo&s;e him in that. But if by <HI>ta&s;ting death for every man,</HI> he doth intend that every individuall man hath an eternal benefit by the death of Chr&s;t; or that Chri&s;t had any &s;uch end propounded to him&s;elf when he laid down his life, I mu&s;t deny; and mu&s;t likewi&s;e deny that the Apo&s;tle in this place intends any &s;uch thing. Now if you would know whom the Apo&s;tle means, you may &s;ee in the 10 <HI>ver&s;e: For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many &s;ons to Glory, to make the Captain of their &s;alvation perfect through &s;ufferings.</HI></P>
<PB N="75" REF="41">
<P>By <HI>all</HI> then we under&s;tand <HI>many;</HI> and by <HI>many</HI> we under&s;tand <HI>&s;ons;</HI> and they are onely Sons, which are by Chri&s;t brought to Glory; and Chri&s;t is a Captain of Salvation only to them. And then the&s;e <HI>many</HI> are &s;aid in the 11 <HI>ver&s;e</HI> to be &s;anctified ones, and to be Chri&s;ts brethren: and this (according to the Apo&s;tles words) is all the <HI>all</HI> for whom Chri&s;t dyed, when he &s;aith, <HI>he ta&s;ted death for every man;</HI> without we will make the Apo&s;tles words quarrel one with another.</P>
<P>The next Scripture mentioned, is 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.2. <HI>He is the propiti|ation for our &s;ins; and not for ours onely, but al&s;o for the &s;ins of the whole world:</HI> and then he brings in that in 1 <HI>John</HI> 4.14. <HI>We have &s;een and do te&s;tifie, that Father &s;ent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.</HI> Now for the an&s;wering of the&s;e Scriptures, in the fir&s;t place, it is worth the con&s;idering, that the word <HI>World</HI> is divers ways taken in Scripture; yea, and divers ways taken by <HI>John</HI> him&s;elf; &amp; that in this Epi&s;tle, and in the Go&s;pel written by him. Sometime the word <HI>world</HI> is taken in the mo&s;t common and general &s;ence, as when God is &s;aid to create the world, wherein we are to under&s;tand the Heaven, Earth, and Sea, and all things contained in them: Sometimes by <HI>world</HI> is under|&s;tood the world containing, and principally the earth; and thus believers are &s;aid to be <HI>in the world, John</HI> 17.11. <HI>And now I am no more in the world, but the&s;e are in the world,</HI> &amp;c. Sometimes it is taken for the world contained, and &s;o we are to under&s;tand by <HI>world,</HI> all men and women in the world, <HI>Act.</HI> 17.31. <HI>He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteou&s;ne&s;s, by that man whom he hath ordained,</HI> &amp;c. Sometimes we are to under&s;tand a great many, but not all in the world, <HI>John</HI> 12.19. <HI>The Phari&s;ees therefore &s;aid among them&s;elves, Perceive ye how ye prevaile nothing? be|hold, the world is gone after him.</HI> Sometimes by <HI>world</HI> we may un|der&s;tand mo&s;t of the men and women in the world, and yet not all nei|ther: it is &s;aid in <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.7. that <HI>Noah prepared an ark for the &s;aving of his hou&s;e, by the which he condemned the world:</HI> and <HI>Pe|ter</HI> &s;peaking concerning the &s;ame thing, &s;aith, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.5. that <HI>God &s;pared not the old world;</HI> and yet there were &s;ome &s;pared, for there were eight per&s;ons in the ark. Again, &s;ometimes by <HI>world</HI> is under|&s;tood the wicked in the world, Satans world; and &s;o we have it in 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5.19. <HI>And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lyeth in wickedne&s;s;</HI> where you have <HI>the whole world,</HI> and yet mention made of &s;ome others who are of God: and this is the <HI>world</HI> that is &s;aid to hate Chri&s;t and his Di&s;ciples, <HI>John</HI> 15.18. and
<PB N="76" REF="42"> his is the <HI>world</HI> that Chri&s;t prays not for, <HI>John</HI> 17.9. and this is the <HI>world</HI> that mu&s;t be condemned, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.32. and of this <HI>world</HI> it is &s;aid that Satan is the <HI>Prince</HI> of, <HI>Joh.</HI> 14.30. <HI>The Prince of this world cometh.</HI> Again, by <HI>world</HI> &s;ometimes you are to under&s;tand belie|vers, Chri&s;t his world; and this world it is that is &s;poken of in <HI>John</HI> 6.33. <HI>Giveth life to the world:</HI> and of this <HI>world</HI> Chri&s;t &s;peaks, when he &s;aith, He <HI>came to &s;ave the world, John</HI> 12.47. and of this <HI>world</HI> it is that the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.19. <HI>God was in Chri&s;t reconciling the world to him&s;elf:</HI> and in divers other places, we have this <HI>believing world,</HI> this <HI>living world,</HI> this <HI>&s;aved world,</HI> this <HI>reconciled world,</HI> &s;poken of. But the la&s;t acceptation of the word <HI>world,</HI> that I &s;hall name at pre&s;ent, is the world in a way of di&s;tinction from the <HI>Jewes,</HI> people of other Nations that were called in a way of di|&s;tinction from the <HI>Jewes, The world:</HI> and that is very clear in <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.12. where the Apo&s;tle doth fir&s;t call the Gentiles (di&s;tingui&s;hed from the <HI>Jewes) the world;</HI> but al&s;o explains his meaning afterward, in the <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> that &s;o he might not be mi&s;taken: <HI>Now if the fall of them</HI> (that is, the <HI>Jews) Be the Riches of the world; and the di|mini&s;hing of them, the riches of the</HI> Gentiles; <HI>how much more their fulne&s;s?</HI> and then again in the 15. ver&s;e, <HI>For if the ca&s;ting away of them be the reconciling of the world,</HI> &amp;c. Now in this &s;ence it is, that the <HI>world</HI> is taken by <HI>John,</HI> where he &s;aith, Chri&s;t is a <HI>Propitiati|on for our &s;ins; and not for ours onely, but for the &s;ins of the whole world:</HI> which is as if he &s;hould &s;ay, Not onely for the &s;ins of us be|lieving <HI>Jews,</HI> but for the &s;ins of <HI>Gentiles</HI> too, for the &s;ins of believers of all Nations.</P>
<P>Now whenas the word <HI>world</HI> hath &s;o many various acceptations in Scripture, and is not always taken in Scripture for <HI>all men</HI> without exception; I wonder why <HI>H. H.</HI> would binde us to take it &s;o univer|&s;ally, when we have a re&s;triction of the word (as to the &s;ame thing) in many other Scriptures? Now (as to this particular) let any rational man judge (if the world be <HI>condemned,</HI> and the world <HI>&s;aved</HI> and both the&s;e plainly affirmed in Scripture) whether the word be to be under|&s;tood in the &s;ame &s;en&s;e in both expre&s;&s;ions; without he will &s;ay, the &s;ame per&s;ons are both condemned and &s;aved too. For my own part, I do not know but any man upon this ground may as well affirm that no men are &s;aved by Chri&s;t, becau&s;e the world is &s;aid to be condemned, and Chri&s;t prays not for the world; as to &s;ay all men are &s;aved, becau&s;e Chri&s;t is &s;aid to be a propitiation for the &s;ins of the whole world, and
<PB N="77" REF="42"> that the Father &s;ent the Son to be the Saviour of the world: and there is as much ground from Scripture for one conclu&s;ion, as for the other.</P>
<P>Now I cannot but take notice of the great flouri&s;h that <HI>H. H.</HI> makes of making up a harmony of Scripture in reference to the thing that he would (but cannot) prove: and among the re&s;t, <HI>That all the A|po&s;tles agree together in one, that Chri&s;t died for all mankinde:</HI> and yet (be&s;ides the&s;e of <HI>John</HI>) he brings none but out of the Epi&s;tles of <HI>Paul:</HI> and truely the con&s;ideration of tho&s;e expre&s;&s;ions in <HI>Paul</HI>'s Epi&s;tles men|tioned by <HI>H. H.</HI> which are dark to him, and to divers others, doth put me in minde of what <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith of <HI>Paul</HI>'s writings, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.15, 16. <HI>And account that the long &s;uffering of the Lord is Salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul al&s;o, according to the wi&s;dom given to him, hath written unto you: As al&s;o in all his Epi&s;tles, &s;peaking in them of the&s;e things; in which are &s;ome things hard to be under|&s;tood, which they that are unlearned and un&s;table wre&s;t, as they do al&s;o the other Scriptures, unto their own de&s;truction.</HI> The Scrip|ture is plain; I leave it to con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>And I &s;hall now come to take a little notice of the word <HI>all,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>H. H.</HI> &s;aith that <HI>the common objections that oppo&s;e his Opinion of Chri&s;t his dying for all, are rai&s;ed again&s;t the word</HI> all men, <HI>and the word</HI> every man, <HI>the word</HI> world, <HI>and the word</HI> whole world: <HI>and the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions</HI> (he &s;aith) <HI>are under&s;tood by us concerning all the elect, and the world of elect,</HI> &amp;c. Now, I &s;ay, having made it ap|pear, that there is &s;ufficient ground of exception again&s;t his acceptation of the word <HI>world,</HI> I &s;hall in the next place con&s;ider whether he be not as much mi&s;taken in the word <HI>all;</HI> and &s;ee whether we may not have ground from Scripture to take it another &s;ence then he will take it.</P>
<P>I do confe&s;s that the word <HI>all,</HI> is &s;ometimes taken for all univer&s;ally, without any exception; but it is not taken &s;o always, nor in all places of Scripture where it is mentioned.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, &s;ometimes by <HI>all</HI> is under&s;tood many, and yet not all univer&s;ally, <HI>Matth.</HI> 3.5, 6. <HI>Then went out to him Jeru&s;alem and all Judea, and all the Region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confe&s;&s;ing their &s;ins.</HI> And yet it is &s;aid in <HI>Luke</HI> 7.30. that the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> and Lawyers rejected the coun&s;el of God again&s;t them&s;elves, being not Baptized of him. Now thus I argue: If the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> and Lawyers were not baptized, then every individual man in <HI>Judea</HI> was not baptized by <HI>John.</HI></P>
<PB N="78" REF="43">
<P>But that which is mo&s;t for my purpo&s;e at pre&s;ent, is, that the word <HI>all,</HI> as it is u&s;ed with exception, &s;o it is u&s;ed with re&s;triction to per&s;ons &amp; things &s;poken of, either in that place where the word is u&s;ed, or in &s;ome other place that &s;peaks of the &s;ame bu&s;ine&s;s. And I put this in, becau&s;e though the re&s;triction be not (in every place where the word is u&s;ed) plainly ex|pre&s;&s;ed; yet if we will acknowledge the Scripture to be harmonious, and univer&s;ally true, we cannot but acknowledge, that where-ever we finde a re&s;triction of the word, it is as &s;ufficient as if we found it in the very place where the word is expre&s;&s;ed. I &s;hall now therefore come to mention &s;ome Scriptures that are &s;o plain, that <HI>he that runs may read,</HI> and under&s;tand too, that there is a re&s;triction of the word <HI>all;</HI> yea, that it is frequent in Scripture: <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 145.14. <HI>The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and rai&s;eth up all tho&s;e that be bowed down.</HI> Now this &s;eems to be as univer&s;al an expre&s;&s;ion as any in the Scripture; but that it is not without it's re&s;triction, you may &s;ee in the 20. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> of the very &s;ame <HI>P&s;alm: The Lord pre&s;erveth all them that love him, but the wick|ed will he de&s;troy.</HI> So that though before, the P&s;almi&s;t had &s;aid that the Lord upholdeth all that fall, he will have you under&s;tand it concer|ning tho&s;e that love him, tho&s;e that are his people. And le&s;t any &s;hould yet think that the P&s;almi&s;ts meaning was ab&s;olutely univer&s;al, and that is was tho&s;e that love him, and others too, that were &s;upported by God; the P&s;almi&s;t adds in the clo&s;e of the 20 <HI>ver&s;e, But the wicked will he de&s;troy.</HI></P>
<P>Another Scripture which I &s;hall take notice of, is, <HI>Iohn</HI> 10.8. where Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>All that ever came before me, are thiefs and robbers.</HI> Now it is not to be imagined, that Chri&s;t intends that all that were born and that came into the world before him, were Thiefs and Rob|bers; but that all that ever pretended to be a doore for the &s;heepe to enter in at, or a way to bring them to Chri&s;t; all that ever pretended to be the chiefe &s;hepherd of the &s;heepe before Chri&s;t him&s;elf came, were Thiefes and Robbers.</P>
<P>And &s;o we may take notice of the &s;ame kinde of expre&s;&s;ion in <HI>Gen.</HI> 9.5. <HI>At the hand of every mans brother will I require the life of man.</HI> Now it cannot be imagined that it is the intent of God, that if a man be murthered, his brothers life mu&s;t needs go for his; but the meaning of it is, God will have blood for blood, life for life, though a mans own brother be the murtherer: but it cannot be thought that every mans brother mu&s;t dye for his brother, though another murder him.</P>
<PB N="79" REF="43">
<P>Now as the word <HI>all</HI> and <HI>every</HI> is re&s;trained in the&s;e particular places in reference to the&s;e particular things mentioned, &s;o it is to be re&s;trained where it is made u&s;e of in reference to the death of Chri&s;t for men; as in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.32. <HI>He that &s;pared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how &s;hall he not with him freely give us all things?</HI> Now that this <HI>all</HI> is to be re&s;trained to believers, to tho&s;e that &s;hall be &s;aved, appears, if you con&s;ider the drift of the Apo&s;tle in the whole <HI>Chap.</HI> and particularly what is in this <HI>ver&s;e;</HI> for they are here expre&s;&s;ed to be &s;uch as have or may have a&s;&s;urance of receiving all things from God; and in the clo&s;e of the chapter it appears, that they are &s;uch as &s;hall never be &s;eparated from the love of God in Chri&s;t; and therefore they are believers. And &s;o the Apo&s;tle makes u&s;e of &s;uch an <HI>all</HI> in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.18. <HI>We all with open face beholding as in a gla&s;s the Glory of the Lord, are changed.</HI> Now will any man imagine that all mankinde, e|very &s;on of <HI>Adam,</HI> doth thus behold the Glory of the Lord, and are thus changed? no &s;urely, I think there is not any man will affirm it.</P>
<P>But there is much (if rightly under&s;tood) for the clearing of thing in hand, in <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.18.19. <HI>Therefore as by the offence of one, judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even &s;o by righteou&s;ne&s;s of one, the free gift came upon all men, to ju&s;tification of life: for as hy one mans di&s;obedience, many were made &s;inners; &s;o by the obedi|ence of one, many be made righteous.</HI> The main controver&s;ie is, how we &s;hall under&s;tand <HI>all</HI> in the 18 <HI>ver&s;e;</HI> but the controver&s;ie is pretty well ended in the 19 <HI>v.</HI> there the Apo&s;tle &s;aith <HI>many.</HI> But there is re&s;triction enough in the 18 <HI>ver&s;e: So by the righteou&s;ne&s;s of one, the free gift came upon all, to ju&s;tification of life:</HI> So that the <HI>all</HI> here, is but all ju&s;tified ones, all believers; and that you may &s;ee more clearly in the 19 <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> where the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Many are made righteous;</HI> which is as if he had &s;aid. Many are ju&s;tified.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>But is not here a plain parallel between</HI> Adam <HI>and</HI> Chri&s;t? <HI>and all &s;inned in</HI> Adam, <HI>therefore all are re&s;tored by Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Now for an&s;wer to this, I confe&s;s there is a parallel between <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and they con&s;idered as two publicke per&s;ons, be|tween whom all mankinde is &s;hared. <HI>Adam</HI> is a head of &s;ome, and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is a head of &s;ome. I confe&s;s, all men were originally in <HI>Adam;</HI> &amp; we are all &s;inners (as con&s;idered in him) as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>We are all by nature children of wrath even as others.</HI> But God did (accord|ing to his foreknowledge) by decree, in election; and afterwards actu|ally
<PB N="80" REF="44"> by the death of Chri&s;t, tran&s;plant &s;ome of <HI>Adams</HI> po&s;terity into a new &s;tocke, into Chri&s;t; and now all that remain in <HI>Adam,</HI> are con|demned; &amp; all that are implanted into Chri&s;t, are ju&s;tified. So that both the&s;e <HI>Alls</HI> in the 18 <HI>ver&s;e</HI> of that <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. are clearly re&s;trained: here is <HI>Adam</HI>'s all, and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>'s all: <HI>Adam</HI>'s All (I mean, all that remain in <HI>Adam</HI>) are condemned, as we have it in <HI>Ioh.</HI> 3.36. <HI>The wrath of God abides on them;</HI> But Chri&s;t's <HI>all</HI> (I mean tho&s;e that are tran&s;planted into him as a head, are ju&s;tified and &s;aved. So that I know not why we &s;hould &s;ay that all univer&s;ally are &s;aved, any more then we can &s;ay all univer&s;ally are condemned.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not now be any further trouble&s;ome in reckoning up any more Scriptures, wherein this word <HI>[all]</HI> is re&s;trained: But I &s;hall now lay down this general Rule, That where-ever this word is u&s;ed in Scri|pture, referring unto the death of Chri&s;t for the Sons of Men, or Re|demption, or Ju&s;tification, or Life, or the Love of God, or the like; there it is to be re&s;trained, though there be no note of re&s;triction expre&s;|&s;ed in the very place; and that upon this account, becau&s;e el&s;e there will not be a harmony of Scripture. And the&s;e Scriptures may &s;erve to help us in the bu&s;ine&s;s, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.2. <HI>Chri&s;t hath loved us, and given him&s;elf for us.</HI> But who are the&s;e? let us look back into <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 1. and we &s;hall finde, that it was they that were God's dear Children. <HI>John</HI> 10.15. <HI>I lay down my life for the &s;heep.</HI> Now I would fain know (if Chri&s;t's Sheep his Di&s;ciples, Believers, which is all one, had no more intere&s;t in the death of Chri&s;t then other men) why Chri&s;t &s;hould encourage his Di&s;ciples, in telling them particularly, that he did lay down his life for them? And then one Scripture more I would de|&s;ire to note, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.25. where Chri&s;t is &s;aid to give him&s;elf for the <HI>Church.</HI> Now if Chri&s;t did die and give him&s;elf as much for others as for his Church, then Chri&s;t doth not perform that Office of a Husband to the Church, as he would have men perform the Office of a Husband to their Wives, and that is, to love them with a peculiar love.</P>
<P>Now <HI>H. H.</HI> goeth about to an&s;wer all that can be objected at once, thus: <HI>That Chri&s;t died for the elect</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>I freely gant, becau&s;e he died for all men, every man, and the whole world: but that he died for the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">lect, as they were elect, or becau&s;e they were elect, I utterly deny.</HI> Thus far he.</P>
<P>Now to this I need not &s;ay much, onely I &s;hall retort upon him&s;elf thus: I have already proved by Scripture, that Chri&s;t died for the elect, as elect, as per&s;ons given to him by the Father, that he &s;hould take care
<PB N="81" REF="44"> of them, and lay down his life for them; and therefore Chri&s;t did not (in his &s;en&s;e) die for all, for every man, for the whole world.</P>
<P>But again, he con&s;idering what may be objected again&s;t what he af|firms concerning the death of Chri&s;t for the whole world, frames an Argument, thus:
<Q><P>If the Scripture nowhere &s;peaks of a world of Believers and elect per&s;ons, then we have no ground to believe that Chri&s;t died for a world of believers and elect per&s;ons.</P>
<P>But the Scripture nowhere &s;peaks of &s;uch a world:</P>
<P>Therefore we have no ground to believe that Chri&s;t died for &s;uch a world.</P></Q></P>
<P><HI>Nay, further</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>the Scripture is &s;o far from calling believers and elect per&s;ons a world, that they are oppo&s;ed again&s;t the world.</HI></P>
<P>This is his Argument; and I would now an&s;wer it, but that I have done it already, and have clearly manife&s;ted from Scripture, that it is no other then a world of Believers that Chri&s;t died for; and have &s;hewed, that it is no more ab&s;urdity to call Believers a World, then to call wicked men a World, though one be oppo&s;ite to the other.</P>
<P>But he goes on, and tell us, That if it &s;hould be granted that Chri&s;t died for a world of elect, it would de&s;troy our own Principle, which is, That none of the elect can peri&s;h.</P>
<P>But now though I have clearly proved this already to be a Truth, that no elect man can peri&s;h, nor any that is in a &s;tate of Salvation, fall from it; yet I &s;hall take notice of a Scripture that he objecteth again&s;t us; and that is, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.11. <HI>And &s;o &s;hall thy weak brother peri&s;h, for whom Chri&s;t died.</HI> But &s;aith <HI>H. H. If Chri&s;t died for none but the world of the elect, then &s;ome of the elect may peri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;hall in the fir&s;t place &s;ay, That this being a &s;ingle Scripture, and relating to a particular ca&s;e, and having &s;ome ambiguity in the term, is to be referred for interpretation to tho&s;e many Scriptures that &s;peak plainly of the per&s;ons for whom Chri&s;t died, and the &s;tability of their &s;tate, that they &s;hall never peri&s;h, but have ever|la&s;ting life; and, that none &s;hall take them out of Chri&s;t's hand; and the like: we are not to bring many clear te&s;timonies from Scripture to judge of them, by comparing them with one or a few ob&s;cure ones; but rather the contrary.</P>
<P>This being premi&s;ed, I &s;hall come to an&s;wer this Scripture: The A|po&s;tle in this Chapter doth exhort the <HI>Corinthians</HI> to make good u&s;e of
<PB N="82" REF="45"> their Liberty in eating or not eating meats offered to Idols; and he doth wi&s;h them to take heed of offending any weak Brother: as if he &s;hould &s;ay, Though you have knowledge, yet others may be more dark in their under&s;tanding, and yet they may by your example be drawn to do that that you do, though it be again&s;t their con&s;ciences: <HI>And &s;o</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>through thy knowledge, &s;hall thy weak bro|ther peri&s;h for whom Chri&s;t died.</HI> Which the Apo&s;tle (according to my apprehen&s;ion) doth &s;peak to aggravate the &s;in of tho&s;e, who (being &s;trong) abu&s;e their Liberty; rather then &s;et out the mi&s;ery of weak ones: and &s;o it is, as if the Apo&s;tle had &s;aid, If thou do&s;t thus draw thy weak Brother into a &s;nare, thou do&s;t what in thee lieth to cau&s;e him to peri&s;h. But if the &s;peech of the Apo&s;tle be referred unto the weak Brother, then we may con&s;ider him as a Brother onely in profe&s;&s;ion, being a Member of the Church, and &s;o in charity judged to be one that Chri&s;t died for: and &s;uch a one may peri&s;h finally; he may fall from his profe&s;&s;ion, and &s;o be di&s;covered to be nothing, (as I have already declared) and this falling away, may be fir&s;t occa&s;ioned by his being thus in&s;nared to &s;in again&s;t con&s;cience: for one &s;in again&s;t light, doth make way for many &s;ins; and when a man doth once begin to fall, (if he be not built upon a &s;ure foundation) none knows how low he may fall. But if we con|&s;ider this that is called a weak Brother, as one that is a real Believer, for whom Chri&s;t died that he might live, then by peri&s;hing we mu&s;t not under&s;tand an eternal peri&s;hing: but I &s;hall render it thus: So &s;hall thy weak Brother be lo&s;t, that is, he &s;hall be at a lo&s;s in his judgement, not knowing what to do; his judgement being again&s;t that that his &s;trong brother doth, and yet he knows not how to avoid doing of it, when he &s;eeth another that is &s;tronger then him&s;elf do it. The word that is tran&s;lated <HI>[peri&s;h.]</HI> is &s;ometimes taken in a more moderate &s;en&s;e then for an ab&s;olute everla&s;ting peri&s;hing <HI>Luk.</HI> 15.6. <HI>I have found my &s;heep which was lo&s;t.</HI> Now it is apparent that this &s;heep was not peri&s;hed; if it had, there would have been no cau&s;e of joy; and yet the &s;ame word is u&s;ed there, as is in that place of the Apo&s;tle; and &s;o there is the &s;ame word (though otherwi&s;e tran&s;lated) in <HI>John</HI> 18.14. where <HI>Caiaphas</HI> &s;aid, <HI>That it was expedient that one man &s;hould die for the people.</HI> Now it was not expedient that that one man &s;hould peri&s;h; for then all others &s;hould peri&s;h too. Now if the word that is here tran&s;lated <HI>peri&s;h,</HI> be &s;ometimes in Scripture taken in a more moderate &s;en&s;e; and if to take it in the mo&s;t har&s;h &s;en&s;e, namely, for eternal peri&s;hing, be contrary to many plain Scriptures; then we mu&s;t bring this Scripture to them, rather
<PB N="83" REF="45"> then them to this; and conclude, (according to the whole current of Scripture) that no man for whom Chri&s;t died and gave his &s;oul a ran|&s;ome, &s;hall or can peri&s;h eternally.</P>
<P>Object. But it may be it will be objected, That this Scripture in the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> is not alone; for the Apo&s;tle in <HI>Rom.</HI> 14.15. &s;aith, <HI>De|&s;troy not him thy with meat, for whom Chri&s;t died.</HI> So that it ap|pears a man may be de&s;troyed, though Chri&s;t died for him.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> But for an&s;wer to this, I &s;hall &s;ay thus much: I am per|&s;waded, that the Apo&s;tle had no &s;uch intent, as to conclude, That any man for whom Chri&s;t died might be de&s;troyed: for he doth in his E|pi&s;tles decare him&s;elf again&s;t any &s;uch Opinion. I confe&s;s, if we un|der&s;tand by <HI>[de&s;troying]</HI> killing the man, there may be &s;ome Truth in the expre&s;&s;ion, as it is tran&s;lated; for a man may by grief be brought to the grave; and <HI>Paul</HI>'s eating, or anothers eating of meat, contrary to the judgement of a weak Brother, might occa&s;ion a great deal of grief. But it is not to be imagined that <HI>Paul</HI> means eternal de&s;truction from the pre&s;ence of the Lord, and that for the&s;e Rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e there are &s;o many Scriptures again&s;t this interpretation: but enough of that.</P>
<P>Secondly, Becau&s;e I do not finde anywhere in Scripture, that the word that is here tran&s;lated <HI>[de&s;troy]</HI> is anywhere el&s;e &s;o taken; and being nowhere el&s;e in Scripture &s;o taken, we may very well (that there may appear to be a harmony in Scripture) refu&s;e to take it &s;o here.</P>
<P>But thirdly, I finde the &s;ame word in Scripture u&s;ed in a different, yea, in a contrary &s;en&s;e to <HI>[de&s;troying,]</HI> namely, for <HI>[forgiving]</HI> Luk. 6.37. <HI>Judge not, and ye &s;hall not be judged; condemn not, and ye &s;hall not be condemned; forgive, and ye &s;hall be forgiven.</HI> Where the &s;ame word is tran&s;lated <HI>[forgive,]</HI> as is in this <HI>Rom.</HI> 14. tran&s;lated <HI>[de&s;troy.]</HI></P>
<P>But fourthly, I finde that it is u&s;ed in Scripture in a &s;en&s;e that will bet|ter &s;uit with the Apo&s;tles purpo&s;e, then the &s;en&s;e wherein it is taken in our Engli&s;h Tran&s;lations; as for in&s;tance, &s;ometimes it is taken for loo&s;ening or &s;etting at liberty, <HI>Luke</HI> 13.12. where Chri&s;t u&s;eth the &s;ame word in reference to the cure of the woman: <HI>Thou art loo&s;ed,</HI> or &s;et at freedom <HI>from thine infirmity.</HI> Now I de&s;ire it may be minded; the woman was not de&s;troyed, but cured. And truely, if we take the word (as it is u&s;ed by the Apo&s;tle) in the &s;ame &s;en&s;e, it may not be ami&s;s: Do not loo&s;en, or &s;et thy Brother free from that tenderne&s;s of con&s;cience that is in him at pre&s;ent, by thy u&s;ing thy liberty before him that is too
<PB N="84" REF="46"> weak to know di&s;tinctly what may be done, and what may not be done.</P>
<P>But methinks there is another &s;en&s;e, (and yet not ab&s;olutely another, but &s;omething agreeing with this) that will well &s;uite with the Apo&s;tle's meaning, and that is, as the word is u&s;ed, <HI>Mat.</HI> 1.19. concerning <HI>Jo|&s;eph</HI> and <HI>Mary: Then Jo&s;eph her husband being a ju&s;t man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her a|way privily.</HI> Now it is not to be under&s;tood, that <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> was minded to de&s;troy her privily; no, he was minded to &s;end or put her away pri|vately. And this &s;en&s;e &s;uits well with the Scripture in hand; Do not put, or &s;end away thy Brother, or alienate thy Brother from thee, for whom Chri&s;t died.</P>
<P>And now I hope that it doth appear &s;ufficiently, that neither that Scri|pture, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.11. nor any other Scripture which &s;eems to be of the &s;ame &s;ignification, doth in the lea&s;t prove, that any one for whom Chri&s;t died, (with an intent to &s;ave him) can or &s;hall peri&s;h eter|nally.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> tells us, That <HI>he &s;hall &s;hew us by the Scriptures, what world Chri&s;t died for.</HI> And thereupon he mentions divers Scriptures, which (being they have been &s;ufficiently &s;poken to already, I &s;hall for|bear to name. But that which he gathers from them, is, <HI>That Chri&s;t died for the world of ungodly, for the world of &s;inners, for the world of enemies, yea, for the world of unju&s;t; and la&s;tly, for the world that</HI> John <HI>&s;peaks of,</HI> 1 John 5.19. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedne&s;s.</P>
<P>Now to give him a brief an&s;wer to the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions, I &s;hall very readily grant, as he him&s;elf &s;aith in our behalf in his next Objection, That <HI>tho&s;e that &s;hall be &s;aved were once &s;inners as well as others:</HI> But if he &s;peaks of a world of &s;inners and ungodly ones, that live &s;o, and die &s;o, and that never come to be Saints, (which is the thing he &s;hould prove, or el&s;e he had as good be &s;ilent) I mu&s;t deny, (and the Scripture will abundantly bear me out in it) that Chri&s;t died to &s;ave and any &s;uch. And therefore I cannot but wonder, that he &s;hould (&s;o contrary to Scripture) affirm, that that world &s;poken of by <HI>Iohn,</HI> when he &s;aith, <HI>The whole world lieth in wickedne&s;s,</HI> is to be under&s;tood of per&s;ons that Chri&s;t died for, &s;eeing <HI>Iohn</HI> makes an ab&s;olute di&s;tinction between tho&s;e that are of God, tho&s;e that were God's people, (and Chri&s;t died for none but tho&s;e that were God's, the Father gave them to him) and that wicked world that lieth and liveth in wickedne&s;s.</P>
<PB N="85" REF="46">
<P>Object. But <HI>H. H.</HI> hath another &s;hift yet, (though it will not &s;tand him in much &s;tead) and that is, <HI>That Chri&s;t died not for the elect, as they were elect in Chri&s;t:</HI> and he tells us, That <HI>to affirm that Chri&s;t died for the elect, or believers, as they were, and becau&s;e they were elect and believers, is ab&s;olute non&s;ence.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t, I an&s;wer, If Chri&s;t died for any, it mu&s;t be as they were elected; and as they were elected in Chri&s;t (though this election as hath been &s;hewed, were before either Saints, or Chri&s;t, as actual Mediator, had a being:) for Chri&s;t's coming to die, was to fulfil a Decree, and to do the will of the Father; and therefore he &s;aith, <HI>Loe, I come to do thy will, O God.</HI> Now if you would know what is the will of the Father, it is very plain, <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.39. That of all which the Father gave Chri&s;t, he &s;hould lo&s;e nothing. And then again in the very next <HI>ver&s;. And this is the will of him that &s;ent me, that every one that &s;eeth the Son, and believeth in him, may have everla&s;ting life.</HI> Now minde it, Chri&s;t being an e|lect Saviour from eternity, and &s;ome of man-kinde being cho&s;en in him, to be &s;aved by him; from hence it is, that Chri&s;t hath his Warrant for his laying down his Life for them. Tho&s;e that in time come to be Believers, were God's own from eternity, as they were cho&s;en in Chri&s;t; and the&s;e being by Decree given to Chri&s;t, they become his, according to that in <HI>John</HI> 17.10. <HI>And all mine are thine, and thine are mine,</HI> &amp;c. and upon this account it is, that Chri&s;t, when come actually to perform the Office of a Mediator, knowing what per&s;ons were cho&s;en in him from eternity to be &s;aved, layes down his Life freely for them.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, (whereas <HI>H. H.</HI> &s;aith, <HI>That to affirm that Chri&s;t died for elect and believers, as they were, and becau&s;e they were e|lect and believers, is ab&s;olute non&s;ence;</HI> I an&s;wer, here he doth not deal fairly, to put election and believing together; nay, to put believing before election, as he &s;eems to do in &s;ome of his An&s;wers following: for this is to father his own Opinion upon us, (which we abhor;) namely, That men are cho&s;en when they are, and becau&s;e they are Be|lievers.</P>
<P>But to give a clear An&s;wer to the Objection of non&s;ence; this I have already proved, that Chri&s;t did die for elect, as elect, and as cho&s;en in him; and tho&s;e thus cho&s;en in Chri&s;t, do all of them in time become Believers by Chri&s;t; for he is, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.2. <HI>The Author and Fini&s;her of our faith.</HI> But I do not &s;ay, That Chri&s;t dieth for them as Believers, and becau&s;e they are Believers: but this I affirm, (and have al|ready made it appear by Scripture) that Chri&s;t died for them as &s;inners
<PB N="86" REF="47"> that were before the foundation of the world cho&s;en in Chri&s;t, that he &s;hould die for them, and by his Spirit work Faith in them, and at la&s;t, bring them to glory.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> thinks it &s;eems to put &s;ome foul ab&s;urdity upon us, thus: <HI>They</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>which hold that God intended to &s;end his Son to die onely for the world of Believers, mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity hold that there was a world of Believers before God intended to &s;end his Son to die; and they were the cau&s;e of God's &s;ending his Son.</HI></P>
<P>Now I need &s;ay nothing to this, having explained my &s;elf &s;ufficiently as to that already, that God's purpo&s;e was to &s;end his Son to die for &s;ome of the po&s;terity of <HI>Adam,</HI> that &s;hould be born &s;inners, and live &s;inners; but afterwards by the operation of the Spirit of God, &s;hould become Believers, and &s;o be &s;aved by the death of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I &s;hall therefore only retort this upon him&s;elf, and leave the re&s;t of his ab&s;urd conclu&s;ions of the &s;ame nature, without &s;aying any thing to them. And his Argument may be retorted upon him thus: They which hold that God intended to &s;end his Son onely to die for the world of &s;inners, mu&s;t as nece&s;&s;arily hold, that there was a world of &s;inners before God intended to &s;end his Son. Now either it mu&s;t be concluded, that it was an ab&s;urd thing for him, without any ground to endeavour to fa&s;ten an ab&s;urdity upon us; or el&s;e, if it be an ab&s;urdity, it falls as much upon his Opinion as on ours.</P>
<P>But he goes on to end the controver&s;ie, (as he &s;aith) and for that end commits &s;everal things to con&s;ideration<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, and that from what the Scri|pture &s;aith. And becau&s;e the Con&s;iderations have received a full an&s;wer already, I &s;hall pa&s;s them over very briefly.</P>
<P>He tells us, That <HI>the Scripture &s;aith Chri&s;t came to &s;eek and to &s;ave that which was lo&s;t;</HI> and, <HI>that he came to call not the righte|ous, but &s;inners to repentance;</HI> and, <HI>that in due time Chri&s;t died for the ungodly;</HI> and <HI>that he died for the unju&s;t;</HI> and, <HI>that he came to preach deliverance to the captives;</HI> and <HI>to give &s;ight to the blinde;</HI> and, <HI>to quicken them that are dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins. But</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>the elect, as they bear the name of elect, are not &s;o. There|fore</HI> he concludes, <HI>Chri&s;t died not for the elect, as they were elect: for that had been to quicken them that were alive before, to make them neer to God that were neer before.</HI></P>
<P>To all which con&s;iderations, I &s;hall very briefly an&s;wer, thus: Fir&s;t, That Chri&s;t died for tho&s;e that were lo&s;t, and for ungodly ones, and un|ju&s;t ones&punc; <HI>&amp;c.</HI> is true: but that Chri&s;t died for <HI>all</HI> &s;uch, hath been &s;uf|ficiently proved to be fal&s;e.</P>
<PB N="87" REF="47">
<P>Secondly, I do affirm, (whatever <HI>H. H.</HI> or all the men in the world &s;ay to the contrary) that the elect (notwith&s;tanding their election) are &s;inners, ungodly ones, in a lo&s;t &s;tate, captives, blinde, dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es; and continue &s;o, till Faith be wrought in them by the Spi|rit of the Lord Je&s;us, according to the eternal purpo&s;e of God in electing of them. And though I confe&s;s they are not &s;uch when their election is di&s;covered by the work of Faith in them; yet it doth not in the lea&s;t infringe the Truth in hand, <HI>viz.</HI> That Chri&s;t died for the elect, as they were elect.</P>
<P>I conceive <HI>H. H.</HI>'s great mi&s;take lieth here; he cannot di&s;tingui&s;h between election and vocation: when they are called, they are not unrighteous, they are not dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es; but they were &s;o, notwithanding their election, till they were effectually called by the power of God in the Go&s;pel: and this is clear by what the Apo&s;tle writes to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians;</HI> he tells them in the begining of the fir&s;t Chapter, that they were cho&s;en in Chri&s;t before the foundation of the world; and yet in the &s;econd Chapter he tells them, That before Chri&s;t quickned them, they were dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es. And then the &s;ame Apo|&s;tle writing to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> who were elect per&s;ons, as well as the <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. after he hath reckoned up many &s;orts of foul &s;inners, doth in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 11. add, <HI>And &s;uch were &s;ome of you: but you are wa&s;hed, but you are &s;anctified, but you are ju&s;tified in the name of the Lord Je&s;us, and by the Spirit of our God.</HI> Now minde it, he doth not &s;ay, that their election was the immediate cau&s;e of the change in them, (though it cannot be denied to be the foundation of all) but that that makes the difference, is, their wa&s;hing, their ju&s;tification, and their &s;anctification by the Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> judging, that he hath &s;ufficiently di&s;covered our contra|dictions, tells us, That <HI>he &s;hall prove by undeniable Rea&s;ons, that it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be a Truth, that Chri&s;t died for all men.</HI></P>
<P>And truely, before I begin with his Rea&s;ons, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay thus much: If the Rea&s;ons on his &s;ide hath no more &s;trength, then the di&s;co|veries of the Contradictions (as he calls them) on our &s;ide, have clear|ne&s;s, he had as good have &s;pared his labour, and not mentioned them at all. But let us &s;ee what they are.</P>
<P>His fir&s;t Rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e</HI> (if we may take his word) <HI>all the Pro|phets, the Angel of God, the Lord him&s;elf, and his holy Apo&s;tles do te&s;tifie it with one con&s;ent.</HI></P>
<PB N="88" REF="48">
<P>I have an&s;wered this already, and therefore &s;hall let it pa&s;s.</P>
<P>His &s;econd Rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>there is not one Scripture from the beginning of</HI> Gene&s;is <HI>to the end of the</HI> Revelation, <HI>that doth deny it, either negatively, in &s;aying that he did not die for all; nor yet affirmatively, in &s;aying he did die but for &s;ome.</HI></P>
<P>For an&s;wer to this, I &s;ay, <HI>H. H.</HI> is too bold with God, in that he doth take upon him to limit the holy One of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that he mu&s;t expre&s;s him&s;elf in &s;uch terms as he would have him, or el&s;e he will not be|lieve.</P>
<P>Secondly, I affirm that the Scripture doth &s;peake as fully as it need &s;peake in this ca&s;e, and that from <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> to the <HI>Revelation.</HI> Fir&s;t, the Covenant that God made with <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> and their po&s;terity; which Covenant was &s;ealed by Circumci&s;ion, and the blood of Bulls and Goats; was made with a &s;eparated people, a cho|&s;en people; <HI>you onely</HI> (&s;aith God) <HI>have I known of all the Nations of the earth:</HI> hence may be concluded, that that Covenant that was &s;ealed by the death of Chri&s;t, and the blood of that covenant, was not for all the men and women in the world, but for a &s;eparated people. But if this be too dark, I &s;hall come to Scriptures plain enough. Fir&s;t, it is &s;aid, Chri&s;t <HI>laid down his life for his &s;heep,</HI> that is, for tho&s;e that in time &s;ucce&s;&s;ively become the &s;heepe of Chri&s;t, <HI>Joh.</HI> 10.15.</P>
<P>But in the next place, that parallel of the Serpent in the wilderne&s;s, and Chri&s;t, is very clear: <HI>As the &s;erpent was lifted up in the wilder|ne&s;s, &s;o mu&s;t the &s;on of man be lifted up;</HI> but for what end? As the Serpent was lifted up, that all that were &s;tung, and looked up to it, might be healed; &s;o Chri&s;t was lifted up, that who&s;oever believeth in him might not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life. Be&s;ides this, it is &s;aid in 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.18. <HI>Chri&s;t hath once &s;uffered for &s;ins, the ju&s;t for the unju&s;t, that he might bring us to God:</HI> whence I conclude, that Chri&s;t &s;uffered onely for the &s;ins of tho&s;e whom he brings to God: A|gain, <HI>John Bapti&s;t</HI> looking upon Chri&s;t as that <HI>Lamb &s;lain from the foundation of the world</HI> for the &s;ons men, &s;aith, <HI>John</HI> 1.29. <HI>Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the &s;ins of the world.</HI> Now thus I argue: If Chri&s;t were a Lambe &s;lain for that end, to take away &s;in from tho&s;e for whom he was &s;lain, then he was not &s;lain for tho&s;e who&s;e &s;ins he never taketh away. To which I may adde that in <HI>Rev.</HI> 1.5. where you have mention made of the fruit of the death of Chri&s;t, thus; <HI>&V;nto him that loved us, and wa&s;hed us from our &s;ins in his own blood.</HI> Whence I conclude, that whom Chri&s;t loved, he
<PB N="89" REF="48"> died for; and whom he died for, he wa&s;hed from &s;in. Now it cannot be imagined that Chri&s;t loved tho&s;e that he will condemn, or that ever Chri&s;t wa&s;hed tho&s;e that live and dye in their defilement: and there|fore I &s;ay, <HI>Tho&s;e things that God hath put together, let no man &s;e|parate.</HI></P>
<P>Again, there is much in that prophe&s;ie of <HI>Caiaphas</HI> concerning the per&s;ons that Chri&s;t was to dye for, <HI>Iohn</HI> 11.51, 52. <HI>That Chri&s;t &s;hould die for that Nation</HI> (that is, for &s;ome in the nation) and <HI>that he &s;hould gather together in one the children of God that were &s;cattered abroad:</HI> So that it is apparent, that it is the children of God, believers &s;cattered about in all Nations, that Chri&s;t dyed for. Again, there is a every plain place di&s;covering who they are that Chri&s;t dyed for, in <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.15. <HI>And for this cau&s;e he is the mediator of the new Te&s;tament, that by means of death for the redemption of the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions that were under the fir&s;t Te&s;tament, they which are called might receive the promi&s;e of eternal inheritance:</HI> there are none &s;aid to have any benefit by the death of Chri&s;t, but they that are called. I might name many more Scriptures, but I &s;hall at pre&s;ent onely name one double te&s;timony; that in <HI>Matth.</HI> 28. and that in <HI>Mark</HI> 16. where you may take notice, that when Chri&s;t was ri&s;en from the dead, and had a de&s;igne now to have the benefit of his death declared in the world (for what is the Go&s;pel el&s;e, but a preaching of Chri&s;t crucified?) he onely commands his di&s;ciples to declare this as the fruit of his death, that <HI>he that believeth &s;hall be &s;aved, and he that believeth not &s;hall be damned:</HI> and therefore he doth not bid them acquaint any others with the duties that the death of Chri&s;t ingageth them to, but onely his di&s;ciples: <HI>Make di&s;ciples in all nations, Bap|tizing them, teaching them to ob&s;erve what&s;oever I have com|manded you.</HI> So that I judge the Scripture is &s;o clear, that neither <HI>H. H.</HI> nor any other need ask us for any more proofe of the thing in hand, namely, that Chri&s;t dyed for &s;ome, to &s;ave &s;ome, not all the &s;ons of <HI>Adam.</HI></P>
<P>His third rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e as Chri&s;t died for every man,</HI> Heb. 2, 9. <HI>So he commanded the Go&s;pel to be preached to every creature, Mark</HI> 16.15, 16.</P>
<P>For an&s;wer to this, I need &s;ay no more, but di&s;cover the deceitful dealing that is in him, and hath been all along in his Book di&s;covered: he quotes <HI>Mark</HI> 16.15, 16. but the 16 being not for his purpo&s;e, he can let that pa&s;s without mentioning the words at all: for indeed
<PB N="90" REF="49"> (as I have clearly &s;hewed in my an&s;wer to his &s;econd rea&s;on) this is &s;ufficient to prove that Chri&s;t dyed onely for believers, in that he will have his di&s;ciples preach that Salvation is onely for them: <HI>He that be|lieveth &s;hall be &s;aved, and he that believeth not, &s;hall be damned.</HI></P>
<P>His fourth rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e God calleth all men everywhere to repentance</HI> (as he &s;aith) and he quotes <HI>Act.</HI> 17.30. and reads it thus: <HI>At the time of this ignorance God winked; but now he calleth all men everywhere to repentance.</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, in the fir&s;t place I cannot but take notice, that he follows his old trade of perverting Scripture &s;till, to make it &s;peake what he would have it &s;peak. The words of the Scripture are: <HI>And the times of this Ignorance God winked at; but now he com|mandeth all men everywhere to repent</HI> It &s;eems the Scripture would not &s;erve his turn, if he had taken it as it is; and therefore he alters it, and &s;aith, <HI>But now he calleth all men everywhere to repentance:</HI> which, according to Scripture-expre&s;&s;ion, is as if he &s;hould &s;ay, Now he works repentance in all men everywhere; which I confe&s;s (if it were true) might be a good and a full proof that Chri&s;t dyed for all; for tho&s;e whom by his call he brings to repentance, are the per&s;ons that he dy|ed for. But the Scripture &s;aith no more, but, <HI>Now he commandeth all men everywhere to repent.</HI> I confe&s;s this Go&s;pel-command is an outward call; but the Scripture tells us, that <HI>many are called, but few cho&s;en:</HI> &s;o that this rea&s;on of his (the Scripture being rightly taken) falls to the ground.</P>
<P>His fifth rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e tho&s;e that are damned, are damned be|cau&s;e they believe not in Chri&s;t the onely begotten &s;on of God:</HI> Joh 3.18. <HI>He that believeth not, is condemned already, becau&s;e he believeth not in the name of the onely begotten &s;on of God: which,</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>could not be, except Chri&s;t had dyed for them.</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I de&s;ire that we may con&s;ider, what &s;ins a|gain&s;t the law do contribute, and what unbeliefe doth contribute to|ward the condemnation of a man. The Apo&s;tle tells us, that <HI>the wages of &s;in is death, Rom.</HI> 6. la&s;t, and the Scripture tells us likewi&s;e, that <HI>all unrighteou&s;ne&s;s is &s;in.</HI> And the Apo&s;tle having been dehor|ting the <HI>Ephe&s;ians</HI> from many foule &s;ins again&s;t the letter of the Law, tells them. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.6. <HI>Becau&s;e of the&s;e things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of di&s;obedience.</HI> And the Apo&s;tle hath an expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>&s;hutting up,</HI> which he applies to unbelief: &s;o that as the &s;ins again&s;t the Law bring a man into a &s;tate of condemnation, and that de|&s;ervedly;
<PB N="91" REF="49"> &s;o unbelief doth &s;hut him up in that &s;tate, according to that in <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.36. <HI>He that believeth not the &s;on, &s;hall not &s;ee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.</HI> Mark it; it is not &s;aid, The wrath of God cometh on him, no, it was on before; but, it <HI>abi|deth on him.</HI> As he was a breaker of the law, he was in a &s;tate of con|demnation; and now he hears the Go&s;pel preached (that he that be|lieves in Chri&s;t, and receives and imbraceth the te&s;timony that God hath given of his Son, and doth depend upon the Free-grace of God in Chri&s;t, &s;hall be &s;aved) but he will not accept of Salvation upon the&s;e terms: this man doth de&s;erve double condemnation; not onely as a breaker of the law, but as an oppo&s;er of that offer of grace which is made to &s;in|ners in the Go&s;pel. Now whereas it will be asked, How can he be|lieve, if he hath not a power &s;o to do. Now for an&s;wer to that, I &s;ay, (as I have already hinted) his condemnation is, becau&s;e he will not, not be|cau&s;e he cannot believe. Now though <HI>H. H.</HI> tells us that <HI>Go&s;pel-con|demnation could not come upon a man except Chri&s;t dyed for him;</HI> I &s;ay, If Chri&s;t had dyed for him, he &s;hould not have been condemned at all; for he is <HI>the Author of eternal Salvation</HI> by his death; and unto tho&s;e for whom he dyed, he is <HI>the Author and fini&s;her of their faith;</HI> and <HI>there is no condemnation to them that are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI></P>
<P>His &s;ixth rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>tho&s;e that are damned might have been &s;aved,</HI> 2 The&s;. 2.10, 11. <HI>They received not the love of the truth that they might be &s;aved; therefore God &s;hall &s;end them &s;trong delu&s;ions to believe a lye, that they all might be damned.</HI> Thus he renders the Apo&s;tles words, though with &s;ome variation; and leaves out &s;ome words following, which might have holpen to clear the truth in the 12 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> and that is, <HI>Who believed not the truth, but had plea&s;ure in unrighteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;ay, The&s;e men might have been &s;aved, if they had believed; nay if they had believed, they &s;hould have been &s;aved. But they continuing in their unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, their &s;ins again&s;t the law, and wilfully oppo&s;ing the Go&s;pel; God gives them up to &s;in &amp; unbelief, according to that <HI>Ioh.</HI> 12.39, 40. <HI>Therefore they could not believe, becau&s;e that I&s;aias &s;aid again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they &s;hould not &s;ee with their eyes, nor under&s;tand with their heart, and be converted, and I &s;hould heal them.</HI> So that there can be no more &s;aid of the&s;e, then may be &s;aid of all; They might have been &s;aved if they had believed, but without the
<PB N="92" REF="50"> power of God they could not believe. And this may be &s;aid more of the&s;e then of &s;ome others, <HI>viz.</HI> that God had given them up to &s;in.</P>
<P>His &s;eventh rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e &s;ome deny the Lord that bought them,</HI> 2 Pet. 2.1.</P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;ay, Chri&s;t hath in a &s;en&s;e bought all men, yea, and the very Devil too; that is, Chri&s;t hath purcha&s;ed an Authority over all things, and therefore it is that Chri&s;t &s;aith after his Re&s;urrection, <HI>All power is given to me in heaven and in earth:</HI> yea, and the De|vils them&s;elves were in a &s;en&s;e &s;ubject to Chri&s;t before his death; but afterward he had a full power over them, and he can binde and lo&s;e Sa|tan when he plea&s;e: and therefore though the &s;trong man (that is, the de|vil) keeps po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the &s;oul till Chri&s;t comes; when he comes, he binds him: and all this Chri&s;t got by his death. And as for men, <HI>viz.</HI> Chri&s;t his purcha&s;ing an Authority over them by his death; I &s;hall lay down one plain Scripture, <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.4.9. <HI>For to this end Chri&s;t both dyed and ro&s;e, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.</HI> And thus I confe&s;s all men were bought by Chri&s;t: and hence it comes to pa&s;s, that all men &s;hall be at the la&s;t judged by Chri&s;t. But this I think will not helpe him at all.</P>
<P>His eighth rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e they that follow after lying vanities, for&s;ake their own mercy,</HI> Jonah 2.8. <HI>but what mercy</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>can they for&s;ake, for whom Chri&s;t died not?</HI></P>
<P>Now to this I an&s;wer, They for whom Chri&s;t dyed, &s;hall not for&s;ake their own mercy: for God hath promi&s;ed to <HI>put his feare into their hearts, that they &s;hall not depart from him.</HI> Again, I &s;ay, properly men cannot for&s;ake that which they have not in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. But this is an expre&s;&s;ion &s;utable to that where Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>He that hath not, from him &s;hall he taken even that which he hath,</HI> or <HI>which he &s;eemeth to have:</HI> &s;o the&s;e men &s;eemed to have mercy neere them; it was &s;o neere, that it &s;eemed to be their own: but &s;eeing they turn their backs upon God, while they imbrace lying vanities with both hands, they are &s;aid to for&s;ake their own mercies. And this an&s;wer, I conceive, may &s;erve very well, to his ninth rea&s;on, that &s;ome men may and do neglect their own Salvation.</P>
<P>His tenth Rea&s;on is, <HI>Becau&s;e we are commanded to pray for all men, and to give thanks for all men: but to what end &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">uld we or how can we in faith pray for all men, if Chri&s;t did not die for all men?</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;ay, We are to pray for all &s;orts of men, but not for every particular man; for tho&s;e that &s;in again&s;t the Holy
<PB N="93" REF="50"> Gho&s;t, we are not to pray for. And when we do pray for &s;piritual en|joyments for any, we are to do it with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to the will of God, (as Chri&s;t prayed, <HI>If it be thy will, let this Cup pa&s;s from me;</HI>) and then we may pray in Faith, and we &s;hall have our Petitions granted; for the will of God &s;hall be done.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> comes in the next place (as he &s;aith) <HI>to &s;hew the dread|ful ab&s;urdities which follow their judgements which believe that Chri&s;t died for none, but the elect.</HI> And though he makes a great many of them, they may be reduced to a &s;maller number, he onely vary|ing his expre&s;&s;ions, but &s;peaking to the &s;ame purpo&s;e in divers of them. But the ab&s;urdities are: <HI>If</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>Chri&s;t died not for all, then de&s;pair is no &s;in;</HI> and, <HI>it would be a &s;in for &s;ome men to believe that Chri&s;t died for them;</HI> and, <HI>they that are damned, are not damned becau&s;e of unbelief;</HI> and, <HI>Satan doth no evil in per&s;wading men that Chri&s;t died not for them;</HI> and, <HI>the devil deceiveth none;</HI> and, <HI>it is a vertue in &s;ome men to be unbelievers.</HI></P>
<P>Now the&s;e are &s;ome of the things that he calls ab&s;urdities; and truly I judge that it is very ab&s;urd in him to mention &s;uch things: for I mu&s;t needs conclude, that the ground of it is, becau&s;e he is ignorant what Faith is. I perceive he judgeth this to be Faith, and the onely Faith, To believe that Chri&s;t died for all. And indeed, (though afterwards he mentions &s;ome other ab&s;urdities, which do reflect upon the Mini&s;ters of the Nation, baptizing <HI>all, and giving the Sacrament (as they call it) to all, and taking Tythes of all;</HI> which I have nothing to &s;ay for, but &s;hould rejoyce if the Lord would open their eyes, that they might &s;ee their mi&s;takes in the&s;e things; yet I &s;ay, I do not know, but the &s;ame thing that is fir&s;t mentioned as a fault of the Mini&s;ters of the Nation, may reflect upon <HI>H. H.</HI> him&s;elf; for (according to his Principle) I do not know what &s;hould hinder, but that upon this ground he may baptize the wor&s;t in the Nation; for they are very ready to believe, that Chri&s;t died for all: and truely, (though I would not plead for &s;in in any) yet I cannot but won|der, that he &s;hould ca&s;t ab&s;urdities upon others, that do &s;o naturally recoyle upon him&s;elf. But I &s;ay, it doth appear, that he is ignorant of the nature of true Faith, which in Scripture is called, looking to Chri&s;t, and tru&s;ting in Chri&s;t, and leaning upon Chri&s;t, and coming to Chri&s;t, and eating and drinking Chri&s;t's fle&s;h and blood; and divers other ex|pre&s;&s;ions of the like nature, which do denote a particular act of the Soul toward Chri&s;t: and this Faith is wrought in men by the mighty power of God drawing men, who naturally are unwilling to come
<PB N="94" REF="51"> to come to Chri&s;t, <HI>John</HI> 6.44. <HI>No man can come to me, except the Father draw him.</HI> And though this be not a drawing again&s;t the will of men, or &s;aving of men whether they will or no, (as &s;ome do very vainly object) yet it is &s;uch a work, as doth require the might of God's power to be put forth; it is &s;uch a power as was put forth in rai&s;ing Chri&s;t from the dead, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.19, 20. Now the nature of this Faith (according to Scripture) doth not con&s;i&s;t in a bare a&s;&s;ent to the Truth of the Scripture; (much le&s;s in believing that which is contrary to Scri|pture) for the devils believe and tremble: but in a &s;elf-denying depen|dency upon the freene&s;s and all-&s;ufficiency of the Grace of God in Chri&s;t to &s;ave: and he that doth thus believe, &s;hall not be confounded; but &s;hall certainly be &s;aved. And it is this Faith, that the corruption in the hearts of men doth oppo&s;e, and it this Faith that the devil doth oppo&s;e, and deceives men by keeping them from thus depending upon Chri&s;t; and that by the&s;e two wayes, either by contenting them with believing onely that Chri&s;t died to &s;ave all; or el&s;e by telling them another lye, that the Free-grace of God in Chri&s;t is not &s;ufficient to &s;ave them. So that it is a &s;in (and there is a great &s;light in Satan to per&s;wade men) thus to de&s;pair, as if God were not able to &s;ave, or as if God were not faith|ful, who hath &s;aid, He that believeth &s;hall be &s;aved.</P>
<P>Another of his ab&s;urdities is, <HI>If Chri&s;t died not for all men&punc; then it is no here&s;ie to teach &s;ome men to deny that Chri&s;t bought them,</HI> 2 Pet. 2.21, 22.</P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;ay, fir&s;t, there is no &s;uch thing in the Scri|pture, as denying that the Lord bought them; but, <HI>denying the Lord that bought them.</HI> Now in what &s;en&s;e men may be &s;aid to be bought by Chri&s;t, I have &s;hewed already: and to deny the Lord that bought them, is to renounce Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and not to acknowledge him to be a Saviour. Now to teach men thus to deny Chri&s;t, mu&s;t needs be a &s;in; for it is directly contrary to the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Another ab&s;urdity is this, <HI>If Chri&s;t died not for all men, then the Apo&s;tles and tho&s;e which do preach the Go&s;pel, preach lyes to mo&s;t men.</HI></P>
<P>Now to this I &s;ay, I cannot but wonder at the ignorance and boldne&s;s of <HI>H. H.</HI> in this; fir&s;t, his boldne&s;s, in that he dare &s;peak this con|cerning the Apo&s;tles: but mo&s;t of all, at his ignorance, that he &s;hould be &s;o little acquainted with the Go&s;pel. True it is, the Go&s;pel was com|manded to be preached to every Creature: but who dare &s;ay, that Chri&s;t commanded any man to preach that Chri&s;t died for all men? no, the Go|&s;pel
<PB N="95" REF="51"> that is to be preached doth clearly prove the contrary; for it is not, that all men &s;hall be &s;aved by Chri&s;t; but, <HI>he that believeth and is bap|tized, &s;hall be &s;aved; and he that believeth not, &s;hall be damned.</HI></P>
<P>His next ab&s;urdity I have an&s;wered already, concerning God's calling all men everywhere to repentance; and &s;hewed that there is no &s;uch Scri|pture.</P>
<P>His la&s;t is, <HI>If Chri&s;t died not for all, why then doth the Lord &s;ay,</HI> 2 Pet. 3.9. <HI>that he is not willing that any &s;hould peri&s;h, but that all &s;hould come to repentance?</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I &s;ay, there is a two-fold will of God men|tioned in Scripture; fir&s;t, there is the &s;ecret will of God, or God's pur|po&s;e in him&s;elf; and this will we have nothing to do to look into, till it be di&s;covered by God's acting according thereunto: Secret things, be|long to the Lord our God; but things revealed, to us. And of this will of God I mu&s;t &s;ay thus much, That it is not the will of God that all men &s;hould be &s;aved; for then, all &s;hould certainly be &s;aved: for God's coun&s;el mu&s;t &s;tand, and he will do all his plea&s;ure. But then there is the revealed will of God, the will of command; and this is to all men where the Go&s;pel comes, to believe and repent, that they may be &s;aved: and when men do oppo&s;e this command, they do de&s;ervedly peri&s;h. And who dares be &s;o bold as to que&s;tion God, why he doth not work Faith and Repentance in them, &s;eeing God is bound to no Creature?</P>
<P>But he comes in the next place to ask the que&s;tion, <HI>Why all men are not &s;aved, if Chri&s;t died for all.</HI> And he an&s;wers thus: <HI>Becau&s;e God called, and they refu&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Now for an&s;wer to this, I do in the fir&s;t place grant that that is the cau&s;e of the damnation of men: But in the next place, this <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t &s;ay too, That if Chri&s;t had died for them, they &s;hould have been &s;aved; for cer|tain it is, that who&s;oever Chri&s;t died for with a purpo&s;e to &s;ave them, mu&s;t either be &s;aved according to his intent, or el&s;e Chri&s;t lo&s;eth his end in dying; which would be wickedne&s;s to affirm.</P>
<P>He comes in the next place to rai&s;e an Objection, That <HI>&s;ome may &s;ay, that he holds Free-will.</HI> And he an&s;wers, That <HI>he holds nothing but what the Scripture &s;aith.</HI> But whether we may believe him, or no, let any man that con&s;iders what <HI>I</HI> have laid down all along in my An&s;wer to his Book judge.</P>
<P>But he asks, <HI>What &s;hould hinder, but a man may be &s;aved, if he be willing?</HI></P>
<P>Now to this <HI>I</HI> an&s;wer, All men are not willing to accept of the te&s;ti|mony
<PB N="96" REF="52"> that God hath given of his Son; all men are not willing, in a &s;elf-denying maner, to ca&s;t them&s;elves upon the free-Grace of God in Chri&s;t; and who&s;oever is willing, is made willing by God; and who&s;oever is made willing by God, doth believe; and he that believeth &s;hall be &s;aved. But let <HI>H. H.</HI> &s;ay what he will, <HI>It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that &s;heweth mercy:</HI> no running, no im|provement of natural &s;trength, or of any talent that a man hath in com|mon with mankinde, can &s;tand him in &s;tead: for this is for a man to be &s;aved by his own works.</P>
<P>But <HI>I</HI> wonder what the&s;e men aim at in their great contention con|cerning the death of Chri&s;t for all: if they would have us believe, that all are &s;aved, why do they not &s;ay &s;o in plain terms? if they do not believe that all are &s;aved, why do they tell us (in &s;uch a &s;en&s;e as they lay it down) that Chri&s;t is a propitiation for the &s;ins of the whole world, and that Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf a ran&s;ome for all, and that God &s;ent his Son to be the Saviour of the world, and the like? for the&s;e Scriptures (as he applieth them) do &s;eem to import an univer&s;al Salvation; and <HI>I</HI> believe many poor &s;ouls are drawn away to believe as much, <HI>viz.</HI> That God is &s;o merciful, &amp; Chri&s;t &s;o loving, that all men &s;hall be &s;aved, and none peri&s;h.</P>
<P>Now <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, If this be not his meaning, that all men &s;hall be &s;aved, he doth delude men, in holding forth the&s;e Scriptures in &s;uch a &s;en&s;e: and if this be his meaning, that all &s;hall be &s;aved, <HI>I</HI> would know why he affirms, that &s;ome men may fall away and peri&s;h? But if he tells us, that he doth not intend that all are &s;aved by the death of Chri&s;t, but that all have the means of Salvation by the death of Chri&s;t; <HI>I</HI> &s;hall grant, that all where the Go&s;pel comes, do enjoy it by vertue of the death of Chri&s;t; but it is not made effectual, (as hath been already declared) but by the operation of the Spirit of Chri&s;t. And yet when men do ob&s;tinately reject that Salvation held forth to &s;inners in the Go&s;pel, they do de&s;ervedly peri&s;h, becau&s;e they wilfully oppo&s;e that Go&s;pel-command of believing in Chri&s;t crucified, as the onely means of &s;aving &s;inners.</P>
<P>But <HI>H. H.</HI> and tho&s;e that are of his judgement, would have men be|lieve that they hold forth the love of God and the death of Chri&s;t more fully then we do: but let any man judge whether it be &s;o or no, whenas they hold, that notwith&s;tanding the love of God &amp; the death of Chri&s;t, yet tho&s;e that have an intere&s;t in that death may yet peri&s;h; nay, though they be now in a &s;tate of &s;alvatio~ by vertue of the death of Chri&s;t yet they may fall from that &s;tate. If this be to exalt the love of God and to honor the death of Chri&s;t, I know not what is to di&s;honour it; for that which
<PB N="97" REF="52"> doth &s;et forth the death of Chri&s;t indeed, according to the worth and excellency of it, is, that tho&s;e who have an intere&s;t in it, &s;hall never de|part from Chri&s;t, nor be plucked out of his hand, nor rejected by him, but &s;hall have an everla&s;ting Salvation.</P>
<P>Now therefore, that none may be di&s;couraged by any thing that hath been laid down by me concerning election, and concerning the peculia|rity of the love of God, and concerning the death of Chri&s;t onely for &s;ome; I &s;ay, Fir&s;t, That the Go&s;pel in the publication of it doth not &s;hut out any particular man or woman in the world, For, <HI>it is a faithful &s;aying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chri&s;t Je&s;us came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners; yea, the chief of &s;inners:</HI> and there is no par|ticular man or woman in the world hath any warrant from Scripture to &s;ay he is not the man that Chri&s;t died for; &amp; therefore he may with com|fort attend upon the means of Grace, and wait at the po&s;ts of wi&s;dom's gates; and though he cannot &s;tep into the pool him&s;elf, that &s;o he may be healed; yet he may wait for Chri&s;t, by his own power to work Faith in him, and to &s;ave him. The voice of Chri&s;t in the Go&s;pel, is <HI>Fear,</HI> not onely <HI>Believe;</HI> and, <HI>all things are po&s;&s;ible to him that believeth,</HI> and the like: and why now &s;hould any poor &s;oul di&s;courage him&s;elf, and &s;ay, Chri&s;t died not for me, and, There is no Salvation for me? This is from corruption within, and from Satan's temptations; God &s;aith, <HI>He that believeth &s;hall be &s;aved;</HI> and, <HI>look unto me, and be ye &s;aved;</HI> and, <HI>he that tru&s;teth in the Lord &s;hall be as Mount Sion, that can never be removed.</HI> But if you &s;ay, You cannot believe, nor you cannot tru&s;t Chri&s;t; I &s;ay, for your encouragement, There is &s;ome hope that God hath begun a good work in you, in that you are &s;en&s;ible of the greatne&s;s of the work of believing; &amp; if God hath begun a good work in you he will perform it; or if he hath not begun it, yet you have no great cau&s;e to mi&s;tru&s;t, con&s;idering what Chri&s;t &s;aith, in <HI>John</HI> 5.25. That <HI>the time &s;hall come, yea, now is, when the dead &s;hall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear &s;hall live.</HI> God can (though men them&s;elves can do nothing; nay, though he that preacheth the Go&s;pel is not able to reach the heart, yet I &s;ay, God is able in an in&s;tant to) make men live, that came in a dead &s;tate to hear the Go&s;pel preached; though they were rebellious, he can make them willing in the day of his power; though they were blinde, he can anoint their eyes with eye-&s;alve, and make them &s;ee. And for that we may take notice of what the A|po&s;tle &s;aith of the <HI>Ephe&s;ians</HI> in <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.4, 5. <HI>But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we
<PB N="98" REF="53"> were dead in &s;ins, hath quickened us together with Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>It might be judged a very &s;trange thing, That Chri&s;t &s;hould go to the Grave, and call the body of <HI>Lazarus</HI> to come out: Alas! what could a livele&s;s carca&s;e do? it could not hear Chri&s;t &s;peak, nor it could not &s;tir hand nor foot: but it is &s;ufficient, Chri&s;t gives <HI>Lazarus</HI> a powerful call&punc; and <HI>Lazarus</HI> cometh forth. The power of God is &s;uf|ficient to mak dry bones &s;tand up as an Army; and therefore there is no cau&s;e for any poor Creature to be di&s;couraged in regard of &s;in, as if his &s;in were too great for the Free-grace of God to pardon, (con&s;idering how great &s;inners have been &s;aved, as <HI>Mary Magdalen,</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> and many of tho&s;e who put Chri&s;t to death) nor there is no rea&s;on that any &s;hould be di&s;couraged in regard of their own weakne&s;s, or the &s;eeming weakne&s;s of the means; but rather that they &s;hould be en|couraged in the power of God, for whom nothing is too hard: Who as he was able to make the Walls of <HI>Jericho</HI> fall down by the &s;ounding of Rams-horns, &s;o is able by the fooli&s;hne&s;s of preaching (as many men judge it) to &s;ave men. <HI>We have this trea&s;ure</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>in earthen</HI> (or in &s;hell) <HI>ve&s;&s;els, that the excellency of the power may be of God, not of us.</HI></P>
<P>What I &s;peak, I &s;peak according to the experience of all that do be|lieve; they know that naturally they were weak, unable to do any thing in reference to their own &s;alvation, and that they were wilful too, and were ready to take any other cour&s;e, then in a &s;elf-denying way to ca&s;t them&s;elves upon the Free-grace of God for Salvation. Oh! they found it the harde&s;t matter in the World, to be per&s;waded to tru&s;t Chri&s;t with their Souls. But when it plea&s;ed God to put forth his power to draw them to Chri&s;t, then in that day of God's power, they became a willing people.</P>
<P>I de&s;ire therefore that men would not take the word of any man what|ever; but &s;earch the Scriptures: and when they finde that the Scripture &s;aith, That it is God that works the will and the deed even of his own good plea&s;ure; let him now look into his heart, to &s;ee whether God hath made him willing. And I am confident, That there is no expe|rienced Saint in the world, but (if he minde his own experience) may be able to confute <HI>Henry Haggar,</HI> or any man (though never &s;o &s;ubtil) that &s;aith there is a power in all men to believe if they will. I &s;hall therefore now leave it to Saints experience.</P>
<P>But if what hath been &s;poken concerning Election be a trouble to any, this I &s;hall &s;ay, That the con&s;ideration of that, doth not belong to men
<PB N="99" REF="53"> and women in their natural condition. I confe&s;s the devil doth &s;omtimes make u&s;e of truths to trouble men, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">elling them that if they be elected, they &s;hall be &s;aved; but if they be not elected, there is no hope for them.</P>
<P>Now I &s;ay, This is a truth, but it is a thing which God hath kept within his own bre&s;t, and it doth not at pre&s;ent at all concern them; but that which doth concern them, is, to believe in Chri&s;t, to accept of the te&s;ti|mony that God gave concerning his Son, That <HI>he that believes in him &s;hall not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI> It is indeed a great trouble to a man, to be &s;tudying and mu&s;ing concerning that that is quite out of his reach, as the knowledge of Election is to a man while he is in a natu|ral condition; but it is a very comfortable Doctrine to a man, when he doth believe in Chri&s;t: for the certainty of his &s;alvation is built upon it, and a man may conclude by the work upon him, in enabling him to be|lieve the te&s;timony that God hath given concerning his Son, and to ca&s;t him&s;elf upon the Free-grace of God in Chri&s;t for &s;alvation, that he was cho&s;en to believe and to be &s;aved. Now when a man believes, he can with comfort look back to behold the eternal coun&s;el of God concerning him, which he knew not before; and he can now look comfortably forward, and conclude, that eternal life and glory is his portion; he may now look up, and &s;ee Chri&s;t at the right hand of the Father making interce&s;|&s;ion for him; and he can expect that Chri&s;t &s;hould in time put him into the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that happine&s;s and joy, and tho&s;e Rivers of plea&s;ure at the right hand of God for evermore, which Je&s;us Chri&s;t by his death hath purcha&s;ed for him. So that though the Doctrine of Election be a trouble&s;ome, di&s;quieting, needle&s;s Doctrine to &s;inners, while &s;inners, in a &s;tate of nature; yet it is that which is a ground of very great comfort to Saints. And therefore it is that the Apo&s;tle in his Epi&s;tles doth lay it as a foundation of firm con&s;olation to the Churches to whom he writes.</P>
<P>But I confe&s;s there is no great cau&s;e to wonder that <HI>H. H.</HI> denys E|lection, whenas he holds that men may peri&s;h notwith&s;tanding they were once believers; for the a&s;&s;urance that men have of &s;alvation, comes by the eying of their election, upon the knowledge of their calling. But having &s;aid enough to this, I &s;hall add no more, but leave what hath been &s;aid to the ble&s;&s;ing of him, who is onely able to make men wi&s;e to &s;alvation; and to the con&s;ideration of all tho&s;e who experimentally know a &s;aving work of God upon their own hearts.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<PB REF="54">
<HEAD>The Po&s;t&s;cript to the READER.</HEAD>
<P>I Have taken notice of the faults e&s;caped, and have here endeavoured to help thee in &s;ome of them, e&s;pecially tho&s;e where the &s;en&s;e is mo&s;t wronged. If therefore thou art at any time at a lo&s;s in reading the book, turn thy eye here, and thou mai&s;t meet with &s;ome help.</P>
<P>Page 2. line 18. for <HI>to,</HI> read <HI>he.</HI> p. 3. l. 34. <HI>when before God, as man,</HI> r. <HI>before God, when, as man.</HI> p. 4. l. 29. <HI>on,</HI> r. <HI>or.</HI> p. 9. l. 23. <HI>know,</HI> r. <HI>now.</HI> p. 11. l. 12. <HI>af|fims,</HI> r. <HI>affirms.</HI> p. 27. l. 23. <HI>that,</HI> r. <HI>then.</HI> p. 30. l. 35. <HI>expre&s;&s;ion,</HI> r. <HI>expre&s;&s;ions.</HI> p. 37. l. 18. <HI>their,</HI> r <HI>the.</HI> p. 39. l. 10. <HI>as,</HI> r. <HI>as to.</HI> p. 40. l. 18. <HI>and,</HI> r. <HI>he.</HI> p. 47. l. 37. <HI>is,</HI> r. <HI>as.</HI> p. 62. l. 1. leave out <HI>if.</HI> p. 75. l. 11. <HI>Father,</HI> r. <HI>the Father.</HI> p. 76. l. 1. <HI>his,</HI> r. <HI>this.</HI> p. 76. l. 3. adde <HI>it.</HI> p. 76. l. 16. leave out <HI>al&s;o.</HI> p. 77. l. 28. adde <HI>in.</HI> p. 80. l. 33. <HI>gant,</HI> r. <HI>grant.</HI> p. 83. l. 6. <HI>thy with,</HI> r. <HI>with thy.</HI> l. 11. <HI>decare,</HI> r. <HI>declare.</HI> p. 84. l. 32. leave out <HI>and.</HI></P>
<P>There are &s;ome other faults, which I hope will not hinder thee in reading; and therefore I have not mentioned them here. I &s;hall there|fore once more take my leave of thee, leaving thee to read, and de&s;iring the Lord to teach thee to profit thereby.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<PB REF="54">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
