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<DATE>2014-05-13</DATE>
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<NAME>Anne Simpson</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="1">
<P><HI>A Guide to Knowledge:</HI> OR, AN INTRODUCTION Into the Fundamentals of RELIGION.</P>
<P>Wherein is &s;uccinctly handled, the Principal Methods taken up and proceeded in by GOD, from the Days of Eternity to the end of time, in order to effect the Eternal Salvation of Men.</P>
<Q>Buy the Truth and &s;ell it not, al|&s;o Wi&s;dom, In&s;truction, and Under&s;tanding,
<BIBL><HI>Prov. 23.23.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<LICENSE LANG="eng">
<P>Licens'd. <HI>Nov.</HI> 6. J. F</P>
</LICENSE>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for the Author, and &s;old by <HI>Tho. Fabian</HI> at the <HI>Bible</HI> in St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s <HI>Church Yard,</HI> the Corner Shop next <HI>Cheap&s;ide,</HI> 1689.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A TABLE <HI>of the Principal Heads.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>A Di&s;cour&s;e of the E&s;|&s;ence, Perfections, and Decrees of God,</HI> p. 1.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That God doth un|feignedly will the Eternal Salvation of every Mankind made apparent,</HI> p. 16.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>The Way and Method which God hath ordain|ed in order to effect the &s;ame, made plain and ea&s;ie,</HI> p. 21.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>A Di&s;cour&s;e of Per|&s;everance,</HI> p. 62.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>Epi&s;tle Dedicatory To the Reverend</HI> Mini&s;ters <HI>of the</HI> Go&s;|pel, <HI>Mr,</HI> John How, <HI>and Mr.</HI> Daniel Burge&s;s.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Reverend Sirs,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>RE&s;pecting the <HI>Product</HI> of this <HI>Pre&s;umption,</HI> as I am not capable of the <HI>Fore&s;ight,</HI> &s;o I am not concern'd at the Effect&punc; My hone&s;t and innocent Intendment (I tru&s;t) &s;hall compo&s;e my Mind to a &s;edate Tranquility, under all the Cen&s;ures that &s;hall be ca&s;t upon me. My De&s;ign in what I have written being to advance an univer&s;al good, was not Penn'd to plea&s;e the Ear, but to feed the Under&s;tanding, and commode the Soul. Wherefore, however unpoli&s;h'd it may appear to your more curious Eyes, yet my Cha|rity obligeth me to hope, that Defects of this Nature, will pa&s;|without Rebuke, under the Co|vert of your Candour and Inge|nuity. The Motive that indu|ed this Dedication, was the Ho|nourable E&s;teem I had of you as great Ma&s;ters of Rea&s;on and Re|ligion, and thence expected both
<PB REF="3">Favour and u&s;tice at your Hands, according to the Demerit of the Ca&s;e: as al&s;o to &s;ilence &s;ome, who otherwi&s;e might vent their Ignorance, and Envy at too Profu&s;e a Rate. Likewi&s;e I was not without hopes that hereby, my poor endeavours, might have the greater Succe&s;s in obtaining their de&s;igned End, <HI>(i. e. God's Glo|ry in Man's Salvation.)</HI> And I hope you will not be wanting to do what in you lies, to remove e|very Matterial Errour and Mi|&s;take which you apprehend in the&s;e Lines, or any other which with them may be pre&s;ented un|to your View. I conclude with my humble Reque&s;t, that this Poor Pilgrim, may be receiv'd into your Hou&s;es, and acco&s;ted with that Entertainment the Sacred <HI>Oracle</HI> directs you to give to every Stranger, how know you but it may prove an <HI>Angel</HI> of the <HI>Lord.</HI> The God of all Goodne&s;s, increa&s;e and perpetu|ate your Happine&s;s here, and Crown you with Immortal Joys hereafter. <HI>So Prays, &amp;c.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>To the READER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Chri&s;tian Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>THe Con&s;ideration of the inva|luable Worth and Ine&s;tima|ble Ble&s;&s;ing of</HI> Truth <HI>and</HI> Peace <HI>in the</HI> Purity <HI>and</HI> Perfection <HI>of it, as al&s;o the di&s;mal con&s;equences of</HI> Ig|norance <HI>and</HI> Error, <HI>hath conceived and brought to the</HI> Birth, <HI>the fol|lowing</HI> Lines, <HI>For with grief be|holding the many Divi&s;ions amid&s;t God's People, ari&s;ing from that</HI> Mi&s;t <HI>of</HI> Darkne&s;s <HI>which remaineth upon their Under&s;tandings and be|ing well a&s;&s;ured of the great Di&s;ho|nour that accrues to God thereby in ob&s;tructing the Peace and Pro&s;peri|ty of</HI> Zion, <HI>and the Conver&s;ion and Salvation of</HI> Sinners, <HI>I was moved in</HI> Duty <HI>to my</HI> Maker, <HI>and Com|pa&s;&s;ion to the</HI> Souls <HI>of</HI> Men. to Pen and Publi&s;h <HI>this</HI> Introduction <HI>in|to the</HI> Fundamentals <HI>of</HI> Religion; <HI>which being brief and plain, may have the ea&s;ier Acce&s;s into their hands and hearts: And had not &s;ome, and that Eminent for Parts and Learning, been very backward to &s;urvey and vindicate the Notions
<PB REF="4">they Profe&s;s and Teach, it's more than probable the&s;e</HI> lines, <HI>with &s;ome other now</HI> extant, <HI>had been like</HI> an untimely Birth, that had ne|ver &s;een the Light; <HI>But to hear Men,</HI> viz. <HI>The Profe&s;s'd</HI> Amba&s;&s;a|dors <HI>of Chri&s;t, publickly to Preach a Go&s;pel, which is,</HI> yea <HI>and</HI> nay <HI>unto the World;</HI> I <HI>thought it my Duty (in this Way) with all meek|ne&s;s to endeavour their In&s;truction, who thus oppo&s;ed them&s;elves. Some|times affirming,</HI> That in rela|tion, to the pre&s;ent, future, and eternal State and Condition of Men, whether for Vertue or Vice, for Happine&s;s or Mi&s;ery, for Heaven or Hell, every particu|lar individual Per&s;on that comes into the World was ab&s;olutely unconditionally and unalterably determined and decreed thereto by God before the Foundation of the World; <HI>and it may be in the &s;ame Sermon,</HI> tell the <HI>Auditors,</HI> That Vertue and Vice, Happi|ne&s;s and Mi&s;ery, Heaven and Hell, is in their own choice; and that upon the well or ill improvement
<PB REF="4">of their time, and means of Grace here, depends their Eternal Weal or Woe hereafter. Sometimes they'l repre&s;ent God and Chri&s;t, as unfeignedly de&s;iring, and really intending the Salvation of all Men; at other turns proclaim it a Damnable Doctrine to believe it; <HI>frequently you may hear them with great &s;eeming importunities exhort Sinners to repent,</HI> believe and obey the Go&s;pel, <HI>and yet im|mediately tell them,</HI> The&s;e Du|ties are as much out of their reach, <HI>or as impo&s;&s;ible to be perfor|med by them, as it is for a Dead Corps</HI> to &s;ee, hear, &s;peak and act; at the voice of the Living. <HI>Some|times they repre&s;ent Acts of Piety and Religion, as the main Work and Concern of Chri&s;tians;</HI> at other times they make as if the &s;ole con|cern thereof lay at Gods door, <HI>but never rightly inform either</HI> Sinner <HI>or</HI> Saint what God hath done on his part, and what Men may, can, yea mu&s;t do on their part, in or|der to plea&s;e God here, and en|joy him hereafter. <HI>Sometimes they</HI>
<PB REF="5">Preach Terror to Believers; as if that they be not careful and diligent, they might &s;o fall into Sin, as to mi&s;carry to all Eter|nity; at other turns &s;ow Pillows under their Elbows, and lull them a&s;leep in vain Security and Pre|&s;umption; <HI>as if,</HI> That every Soul that were once partaker of the lea&s;t Dram of Saving Grace, could never Sin it &s;elf out of God's Fa|vour or mi&s;carry as to its Eternal Concerns. <HI>Multitudes of In&s;tances might be given of Matters of this</HI> Nature, <HI>that daily fall from the Lips and Pens of Men, in re|&s;pect to the</HI> Truths <HI>and</HI> Duties <HI>of</HI> Religion, <HI>which makes their</HI> Mi|ni&s;try <HI>very un&s;avory, and unprofi|table to the skilful and well-in&s;tru|cted</HI> Hearer, <HI>and prove, very pre|judicial and de&s;tructive to the un|learned and un&s;table, which should teach every rational Under&s;tanding carefully to ob&s;erve our Saviour's</HI> Caveat, Take heed who and what ye hear, <HI>and to act like the Noble</HI> Bereans, &s;earching the <HI>Scripture</HI> to &s;ee whether the things they hear
<PB REF="5">be &s;o or no, and compare &s;piritu|al things with &s;piritual; try all things, hold fa&s;t to that which is good: <HI>And for your help herein, always ob&s;erve the&s;e Rules</HI> 1. <HI>Take up and clo&s;e in with that which up|on mo&s;t &s;trict examination appears mo&s;t plain and near to your Under|&s;tandings (&s;piritually enlightened) not that which is mo&s;t con&s;i&s;tant with your worldly Intere&s;t (Plea&s;ures, Profits, or Honours.) Always let the mo&s;t ob&s;cure and difficult</HI> Texts <HI>and</HI> Arguments <HI>yield to the mo&s;t plain and ea&s;ie.</HI> 2. <HI>Con&s;ider the nature, import, and tendancy of the</HI> Do|ctrines <HI>propo&s;ed, which tends mo&s;t to promote the Glory of God, and ad|vance Piety and Religion in the Hearts and Lives of Men, and the like; and let the&s;e be your</HI> Directors <HI>and</HI> Governors <HI>in your choice of</HI> Truth <HI>and</HI> Duties, <HI>relating to what|ever you</HI> believe <HI>or</HI> practice. 3. <HI>Make con&s;tant Application to God for the Guidance of his Spirit, and &s;ee it be by Faith</HI> in the Name of Je&s;us <HI>and you may be certain of the Ble&s;&s;ing of &s;ucce&s;s therein; I pre|tend
<PB REF="6">not to</HI> Infalibility, <HI>but out of a &s;en&s;iblene&s;s of my own natural adict|edne&s;s to Failures and Imperfections, make it my unfegned reque&s;t to God, That what of</HI> Truth <HI>is Published herein, may go forth and pro&s;per, and if there be ought of</HI> Error, <HI>it may be di&s;covered and detected; and if any thing shall appear of that nature, I hope I shall do that honour to my Maker, and show that e&s;teem to Truth and Duty as to make a publick acknowledgement of &s;o great a Ble&s;&s;ing. I conclude with my further humble &s;uit unto</HI> Jeho|vah, <HI>that</HI> Triune God, Father, Son <HI>and</HI> Holy Spirit, <HI>That he will exert tho&s;e</HI> Divine Perfections <HI>of his own</HI> E&s;&s;ence, <HI>which are mo&s;t proper in the</HI> Wheel <HI>of</HI> Providence, <HI>&s;o to Ble&s;s the&s;e my poor and worthle&s;s</HI> la|bours, <HI>as that they may become &s;ome ways in&s;trumental to promote his own Glory in the Salvation of Man|kind, that &s;o his creatures univer&s;al|ly may a&s;cribe unto him (what is mo&s;t worthily due) the</HI> Kingdom, Pow|er <HI>and</HI> Glory <HI>for ever and for ever.</HI> Amen.</P>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD><HI>A Guide to</HI> Knowledge, <HI>or an Introduction into the Funda|mentals of</HI> Religion.</HEAD>
<P N="1">(1) COncerning God, <HI>That he is.</HI> My de&s;ign being not to Treat with <HI>Athei&s;ts;</HI> I &s;hall only al|ledge this one Invincible Argument. Some Being was eternal, or &s;ome Being made it &s;elf. The later cannot be true, becau&s;e it im|plies a Contradiction; for it &s;uppo|&s;es a Thing to be, and not to be at the &s;ame In&s;tant. The former then being true, 'tis incon&s;i&s;tent with Rea&s;on to a&s;cribe Eternity to a ma&s;s of Corruption, rather than to an invi&s;ible, incomprehen&s;ible, and infinite Spirit. So that it being evi|dent that the World was created, by an Eternal E&s;&s;ence, the &s;ame Line of Rea&s;on &s;till leads us for|ward to believe, that that Being, who gave Being unto all things, and that of nothing, mu&s;t be infi|nite in all perfection. Upon which I a&s;&s;ume this <HI>Second</HI> Propo&s;ition: <HI>That God is the Perfection of all Excel|lency, and the Excellency of all Per|fection;
<PB N="2" REF="7">That God is all good, the high|e&s;t good, and nothing but what is &s;o.</HI> [To this agrees the Scripture <HI>Job</HI> 11.7. <HI>Deut.</HI> 32.5. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 92.15. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40, 28. <HI>Mark</HI> 10.18. 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.5.] And &s;uch as is his Nature and E&s;&s;ence, &s;uch are all the Revelations he hath made of him&s;elf, by his Word or Works, whe|ther of Creation, or Providence; &s;uch were all his Decrees and Purpo&s;es in Eternity, and &s;uch are all his Acts in Time. So that it may be truely &s;aid, What&s;oever is in God, or what&s;oever procedeth forth from God, is Infi|nitely Glorious and Excellent in the Highe&s;t Degree of Perfection. And con&s;equently there can be no error, no contrariety, no variablene&s;s or &s;haddow of Turning in him. <HI>Job</HI> 23.13. <HI>Deut.</HI> 32.39, 40. <HI>Jer.</HI> 17.10. <HI>James</HI> 1.15. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 99.1, 2, 3, 4. From whence I advance a <HI>Third</HI> Pro|po&s;ition, <HI>i. e.</HI> That all the Decrees and Purpo&s;es of God in Eternity, and all the Acts and Revelations of him|&s;elf in Time, are &s;o intirely One, that the Later are none other than a Tran&s;cript or Declaration of the Former. As the Gift of his Son in
<PB N="3" REF="7">time, declares his Decree to give him before time. So that this Notion right|ly taken in and pro&s;ecuted, by the fore|mentioned &s;treight Line of Rea&s;on (to the which the Scripture always adhere, and frequently commends. <HI>Prov.</HI> 26.16. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1.18. <HI>Acts</HI> 18.4. <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.1.2. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 3.2. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.15.) teacheth us to have recour&s;e to the Revelati|ons that God hath made of him&s;elf to us in his Word and Works; to un|der&s;tand his Purpo&s;es concerning us, before he made us. And &s;uch are the innumerable in&s;tances of his match|le&s;s Love and Bounty to all his Off|&s;pring (as thereby declared) that it is next a Kin to an Helli&s;h <HI>Phren|zie</HI> to imagine any &s;evere or cruel Purpo&s;es, or Decrees, concerning us, or any of us, before he made us whatever ob&s;cure or un&s;earchable Depths we may meet withal, in any of his proceedures towards us, yet we mu&s;t and ought con&s;tantly to believe, that all that proceeds from this Fountain of Goodne&s;s (which is all Light and no Darkne&s;s; all Love and no Hatred <HI>&amp;c.</HI>) mu&s;t
<PB N="4" REF="8">therefore be de&s;igned of him, for the real good and happine&s;s of his Creatures. And wherein any meet with any thing of a contrary. A&s;pect, yet may he with &s;afety &s;ay, whatever my Maker means, by this or that Providence, or in this or that Portion of his Word; I am &s;ure, (tho' I under&s;tand it not yet) it cannot intend me any infelicity, it comes from a boundle&s;s Ocean of Love, and cannot &s;avour of a|ny thing of a contrary Nature; &s;ee 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36.15. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 145.8, 9. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55.7, 8, 9. <HI>Lam.</HI> 3.32, 33. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.21, 22, 23, &amp; 33.11. <HI>Jo|nah</HI> 4, 2, 10, 11. <HI>Mat.</HI> 23.37. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.9. Following then our fore|mentioned Guides, in order to our Information touching God's Decrees concerning us before we were, we are lead to believe, that the Decrees of God come under a Two-fold con|&s;ideration: Such as are Ab&s;olute, Irre&s;i&s;tible, and without all Condi|tion; As his making the World, and Man therein, and his giving him Laws to walk by, <HI>&amp;c. Secondly</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="8">Such as are Ab&s;olute and Irre&s;i&s;ti|ble, on the con&s;iderations or con|ditions, by and in them propo&s;ed. As in ca&s;e Man &s;hould Sin, to give his Son to Die for his Sin, and to en|ter into a New Covenant of Grace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> So that the Decrees of God touching his fallen Creature Man, re&s;pecting his Eternal State, were on the Conditions propo&s;ed by him in the Go&s;pel; <HI>viz.</HI> That who&s;oever believeth, &s;hould be &s;aved; and who&s;oever would not, &s;hould be damned. So that the&s;e Decrees of God, were not of per&s;ons under a meer Per&s;onal Con&s;ideration, but con&s;idered &s;o and &s;o qualified; that is all &s;uch as &s;hould believe in Chri&s;t and hold fa&s;t the beginning of their Confidence &s;tedfa&s;t unto the End, they and only they were in the De|cree of Gods Election. Such who &s;hould live and die impenitent and unbelieving; they and only they were in his Decree of Reprobation, So that 'tis evident, men in this Life are capable of pa&s;&s;ing from under the State of Reprobation, in|to
<PB N="6" REF="9">a State of Election, and from under a State of Election into a State of Reprobation. <HI>Jer.</HI> 12.7, 8. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33.13. <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.20, 21, 22. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.27. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.3. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 19.1, 20. &amp; 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.11, 12, 13, 18. <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.12, 13. and 6.4, 5, 6. and 10.23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 38. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.10. <HI>Jude</HI> 12. <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.4, 5, 11, 16, 22, 23, 25, 26, and 3.2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 21. 'Tis the <HI>God|ly, God hath &s;et apart</HI> by his Eternal Decree for his Favourites, 'tis the Ungodly that are &s;et apart by Eter|nal Decree, for the Subjects of his Wrath; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 4, 3. <HI>Jude</HI> 4. So that men cea&s;ing from Sin, and turning to God, pa&s;s from under the De|cree of Reprobation, and men cea|&s;ing from Godline&s;s, and turning a|gain to Folly; pa&s;s from under God's Decree of Election: See 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.20, 21. 1 <HI>John</HI> 3.14. <HI>E|zek.</HI> 33.13, 14, 15. Thus Man is mutable in his Nature and Acts, but God is immutable. He loveth Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and ha|teth Iniquity (or Per&s;ons for
<PB N="7" REF="9">it; (where e're he finds it, <HI>Gen.</HI> 4.7. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 5, 4, 5. <HI>Acts</HI> 10.35. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.6, to 11. This Scripture and ratio|nal definition or Doctrine of Gods Decrees, is very helpful in o|pening and explaining the main Truths of the Go&s;pel; but the Noti|on that teacheth, that God in E|ternity, Ab&s;olutely, Irre&s;i&s;tibly, and Unconditionally decreed all things that are done in Heaven, Earth or Hell, from the beginning of time to the Days of Eternity; or that &s;uch a particular Number of Men on|ly, &s;hould believe and be &s;aved, and that the re&s;t &s;hould disbelieve and peri&s;h: darkens the whole Coun&s;el of God, and makes all Religion a meer Fable; not only implying one, but a legion of Contradictions: For it declares again&s;t, or oppo&s;eth the&s;e following Truths, <HI>i. e.</HI> Inno|cent Man's Power of &s;tanding. (Man having &s;inned) the need of a Saviour. The nece&s;&s;ity and utility of the Go&s;pel, or any of its Pre|cepts, Promi&s;es or Threatnings. That Man's Eternal Felicity or Mi|&s;ery
<PB N="8" REF="10">depends upon his well or ill im+provement of his Time and Ta|lents here: <HI>&amp;c.</HI> It's attended al&s;o with the&s;e evils, It &s;uppo&s;eth God to exalt the Devil and his Kingdom a|bove his own, in giving him the mo&s;t Subjects. It makes God the Author of Sin, it &s;uppo&s;eth him divided a|gain&s;t him&s;elf, by having a &s;ecret Will oppo&s;ite to his revealed. And &s;o &s;et his Precepts, Promi&s;es, and Threatnings, again&s;t his Decrees; making the one a Cover for the bet|ter Execution of the other. Impea|cheth God's Sincerity and Sove|raignty, as if he were afraid and a|&s;hamed of what he had done, and therefore would, if he could, per|&s;wade his Creatures into a good O|pinion of him, by deceitful illu|&s;ions. Seems as it were tran&s;port|ed with Care and Zeal for their Welfare, and makes u&s;e of the mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate and enamouring in|vitations, and all but like tho&s;e Men, who for Diverti&s;ement pre|tend Court&s;hip to them, whom they would abhor to marry. It o|pens
<PB N="9" REF="10">a Door to all Prophane&s;s and Abomination, and di&s;courages or cuts the Sinews of all Indu&s;try and Diligence, in the Ways of Virtue and Piety; For what &s;hould invite a Man to &s;trive for that, from which he knows, he is either Irrever&s;ibly &s;hut up, or el&s;e &s;o Infallibly &s;ure of, that no negligence of his can prevent it. It drives Men from God, leads them into, and leaves them in De&s;pair, de&s;troys the Nature of Rewards and Puni&s;hment, and con|&s;equently declares the la&s;t Judg|ment a meer Delu&s;ion. All which is ea&s;y for any thinking Per&s;on &s;ud|denly to di&s;cern. But there are Two <HI>Objections</HI> again&s;t this Notion of God's Decrees, which I would re|move: <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> How can the Infallibi|lity of God's fore knowledge be &s;al|ved, in ca&s;e Mens pre&s;ent Actions, and future State, depends upon the free-agency of Man's mutable Will? <HI>An|&s;wer,</HI> Very well, becau&s;e the Infallibi|lity of God's Knowledge, ari&s;eth not from the nece&s;&s;ity of the Actions of his Creature, but the Perfections of
<PB N="10" REF="11">his Nature; becau&s;e 'tis as vi&s;ible to God, that they will do them before they do them, as 'tis they have done them, when they are done. Men will do what they do do, tho' they might do otherwi&s;e; or tho' God's Knowledge were not exerci&s;ed about them: We grant a nece&s;&s;ity &s;uppo&s;ed, but not made by Infallible Know|ledge, but this ari&s;eth not from Knowledge it &s;elf, but from the Truth of a Propo&s;ition; As I mu&s;t hear a Man Swear, before I can in|fallibly know that he &s;weareth; now my Knowledge &s;uppo&s;eth, but lays no nece&s;&s;ity on this Per&s;on's Swearing. His Swearing was the Cau&s;e of my Knowledge, not my Knowledge of his Swearing; for he would have &s;worn, if I had not heard him: And as our Knowledge of what is done, hath no influence to nece&s;&s;itate the doing thereof, no more has the Knowledge of God, for what Knowledge is in Man? Fore|knowledge is in God, and infinitely more, to all Perfection. Be&s;ides, 'tis con&s;iderable, that tho' God knows
<PB N="11" REF="11">men will do &s;uch and &s;uch things, yet he likewi&s;e knows, that they may do otherwi&s;e. So that the doing or not doing of the Thing, grates not upon the perfection of his Know|ledge; but the ground of this mi|&s;take ('tis conceived) ari&s;eth, for want of a due di&s;tinction, between the Knowledge and Decrees of God. Knowledge is an Act of the Under|&s;tanding, Decree is an Act of Will; we may know, but mu&s;t not decree Evil; God mu&s;t know, but cannot decree it, Yea, nothing is more evi|dent, than that God decreed a many things which he fore-&s;aw would ne|ver be, or not be as he decreed them; (that is &s;peaking of the Later &s;ort of his Decrees) as he decreed a|gain&s;t all Sin: and therefore made a Law again&s;t it, and decreed that this Law &s;hould pre&s;erve in Life the Keepers of it; <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.10. See al|&s;o <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 24.5. <HI>Luke</HI> 7.30. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.14. So he fore-knew a many things, which he never decreed, as all the Sin and Mi&s;ery in the World. We grant he decreed the permi&s;&s;ion of the one,
<PB N="12" REF="12">and Fexecution of the other: but this was not the Antecedent, but Con|&s;equent Will or Decree of God; As a Father that wills the obedience and happine&s;s of his Child, yet likewi&s;e wills him Stripes, in ca&s;e he rebel. The 2<HI>d. Obj.</HI> is, <HI>That this Notion, dimini&s;heth the Grace of God, exalts the Creature, makes him his own Savi|our,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Reply;</HI> This is a mi&s;take, for, herein we do but &s;uppo&s;e God, to act according to the Perfections of his Nature, and Man according to the Capacities of his, as given him of God: And this will appear by what follows, The Glory of Gods Grace, con&s;i&s;ts in the Freene&s;s, Full|ne&s;s, and Efficacy thereof; as touch|ing which we hold, that what&s;oever God hath contrived and decreed to do, or doth do in Time, for his Creature Man, is alone from the un|&s;earchable Riches of his Free-Grace, not only without, but again&s;t the Merit of his Creatures. As to the fulne&s;s and effectualne&s;s of it, we believe, it is not only every way all-&s;ufficient to bring his Creature Man
<PB N="13" REF="12">to Happine&s;s: but that 'tis not con|fined within the &s;canty compa&s;s of an handfull of Men in compari&s;on, but (like the Sun in the Firmament) compa&s;&s;eth the whole Earth, and extendeth it &s;elf to every Creature. As to the Will of the Creature, we hold and teach, That it is not in the lea&s;t naturally inclined unto, or capable of, either to do, or think any thing that is good, and if left to it &s;elf, would be mo&s;t de&s;perately wick|ed, and &s;ervile unto Sin: So that what&s;oever good thing any Man doth, he doth it by the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of the free grace of God alone; 'tis he that works in us both to will and to do of his good plea&s;ure, and when ever any Soul is converted and turn'd to God, he hath not only Pow|er given him of God, but is mighti|ly a&s;&s;i&s;ted, or acted, by the concur|rence of Supernatural Grace, in the improvement of that Power in ef|fecting the &s;ame. And we believe that God gives a &s;ufficiency of this Power to all men, and yet &s;o that they may notwith&s;tanding, &s;o hide
<PB N="14" REF="13">this Talent in a Napkin, as to mi&s;|carry to all Eternity. Now where|in then is this any diminution to free grace, or exaltation of the Crea|ture; is it any other than what the Scripture every where declares: See <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 53.5, 6. <HI>John</HI> 1.29. &amp; 3.15, 16, 17, 18. <HI>&amp;</HI> 5.34.40. and 12.47. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.14, 15, 16, 17, 18. and 8.32. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.11. <HI>Heb.</HI> 7.25. and 1 <HI>John</HI> 5.11. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 45.11. <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.28. <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.21. <HI>John</HI> 1.16. <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.17. But the&s;e Errors rightly calculated, appear mo&s;t vi&s;ible in the <HI>Meridian</HI> of our Opponents Judgment, but the further di&s;covery thereof is decli|ned at pre&s;ent. There are, we grant, &s;everal Pa&s;&s;ages in Scripture, e&s;peci|ally in <HI>Paul</HI>'s Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Romans,</HI> as <HI>Peter</HI> ob&s;erveth, which &s;eeming to look another way for want of due Con&s;ideration, were and are by many wre&s;ted, either to their own, or o|thers de&s;truction: 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.15, 16. A &s;ad in&s;tance whereof we have up|on publick Record, of one <HI>Petrus Ilo|&s;uanus</HI> a School-Ma&s;ter in <HI>Hungary,</HI> who going to hang him&s;elf, gave
<PB N="15" REF="13">this di&s;mal Account of the Rea&s;ons that prompted him thereunto, by a Writing left in his Clo&s;et. (1.) <HI>That he was of</HI> Calvin<HI>'s Opinion, That men are not dealt withal according to their Works, good or Evil, but there are more hidden cau&s;es of mens Eter|nal Conditions.</HI> (2.) <HI>That he was of that woeful Company of Ab&s;olute Reprobates, and that therefore</HI> (tho' his Life had been none of the wor&s;t) <HI>he could not po&s;&s;ibly be &s;aved.</HI> (3.) <HI>That being unable to bear tho&s;e dread|ful Apprehen&s;ions of Wrath, with which he was affrighted, he hang'd him&s;elf;</HI> the&s;e being &s;ome of his la&s;t Words, <HI>I go to tho&s;e Infernal. Lakes, an Eternal Reproach to my Countrey, I commend you to God, who&s;e mercy is denied to me.</HI> See Gods Love to Mankind: <HI>p.</HI> 212. Wherefore again&s;t the&s;e Horrible Concep|tions concerning God, I &s;hall enveigh in the Words of that Learned, Author of that Book, called. The Recon|cileablene&s;s of God's Pre&s;cience of the &s;ins of men, with the Wi&s;dom and Sincerity of his Coun&s;els, and Exhortations to prevent them, <HI>Pag.</HI> 39. Saith he, <HI>The Notion of the Good|ne&s;s and Righteou&s;ne&s;s of God, methinks
<PB N="16" REF="14">&s;hould &s;lick &s;o clo&s;e to our minds, that it &s;hou<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> be infinitely dearer unto us, than all our Sen&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> and Powers; and that we &s;hould rath<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> have our Sight, Hearing, and motive Power<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> or what not be&s;ides, di&s;puted or even tor<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> away from us, than ever &s;uffer our &s;elves t<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> be di&s;puted into a Belief, that the Holy and good God</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;hould irre&s;i&s;tibly deter|mine the wills of men to, and puni&s;h the &s;ame thing;</HI> Say I) &s;hould irre&s;i&s;tibly decree the Eternal damnation of any of his Crea|tures, before they had a Being, or had done any good or evil. So that where|ever we meet with any Scripture or Argu|ment, that &s;eems to favour any &s;uch O|pinion, we &s;hould always &s;ay, if we can|not otherwi&s;e under&s;tand them, that for my part I acknowledge my Ignorance of the intent of them, but you &s;hall as &s;oon per&s;wade me to believe that there is no God, or that I am no Creature, as to be|lieve any &s;uch thing of that God whom I adore and &s;erve. Thus in the improve|ment of the&s;e Truths, we are as it were by the Hand lead to a right under&s;tand|ing of all the great Truths and Mi&s;teries of the Go&s;pel; Whereas, that other Nation of Gods Decrees, is as it were, at every turn Thwarting and Oppo&s;ing us in every Truth and Duty therein declared, I &s;hall add no more at pre&s;ent, but recom|mend the&s;e Lines and all, into who&s;e hands they may come, to the Guidance, and Ble&s;&s;ing of the Almighty God; to whom be Glory for ever and ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="14">
<HEAD>The <HI>Guide</HI> to <HI>Knowledge</HI> Continued.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And here I propo&s;e to do the&s;e <HI>Two</HI> things</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t</HI> Make it appear, <HI>That God doth unfeignedly will and de&s;ire the Eternal Felicity and Salvation of e|very Son and Daughter of Adam.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Make plain and ea&s;y, <HI>The Way and Method, which God hath ordained in order to effect the Eternal Felicity of the&s;e his Off-&s;pring.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>AND here I &s;hall proceed in this <HI>Building</HI> upon the fore|mentioned <HI>Foundation,</HI> to wit. <HI>The Infinite Perfections of that Being, up|on Whom all our Beings and Religi|on, or Well-Being doth depend;</HI> where|fore:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>God doth unfeignedly will the Eternal Felicity of every of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">his Off-&s;pring Man:</HI> Becau&s;e the Infinite Perfections of his Nature move, or oblige him thereunto. For they are
<PB N="2" REF="15">an Eternal Law unto him in all h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> proceedings. I &s;hall not enlarge o<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> all the Attributes of God, becau<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> of my de&s;ign'd Brevity, but com|mend that fore-mentioned Book cal|led God's Love to Mankind, to b<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> peru&s;ed on this Account. And brief|ly hint at the&s;e, <HI>(i. e.)</HI> The Wi&s;|dom, The Goodne&s;s, The Ju&s;tice, and the Truth of God. <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> The Wi&s;dom of God, moves him to will the Felicity of, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> No Wi&s;e <HI>Artificer,</HI> will be carele&s;s of any Noble and Excellent <HI>Piece,</HI> which his hands hath made, much le&s;s put it to Ba&s;e and Ignoble u&s;e. No <HI>Prudent Parent,</HI> but will con|cern him&s;elf for the Felicity of his <HI>Children,</HI> and can we conceive the Infinitely Wi&s;e God, can be uncon|cern'd for the Felicity of any of his <HI>Off &s;pring.</HI> Doth the Spirit of God, (<HI>Job</HI> 39.13, 14, 15, <HI>&amp;c.</HI>) reflect upon the Unnaturalne&s;s of the <HI>O&s;|trich,</HI> in being unconcern'd for her <HI>Young,</HI> as being de&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tute of Wi&s;|dom; and can we conceive, that the Infinitely Ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Pattern</HI> of all
<PB N="3" REF="15">true Wi&s;dom, &s;hould be more Un|natural to his <HI>Off-&s;pring? Second|ly,</HI> Con&s;ider his Goodne&s;s, and is not the Infinite Perfection there|of, &s;o abundantly demon&s;trated in the <HI>Book</HI> of God<HI>'s Word</HI> and <HI>Works,</HI> that it is Matter of A&s;toni&s;hment, any Soul &s;hould <HI>harbour</HI> any &s;evere Notions concerning him. Heaven is not fuller of <HI>Stars,</HI> nor the Earth of <HI>Creatures,</HI> than all the Di&s;pen|&s;ations of God to Men are, of <HI>Proofs,</HI> that he is Infinitely propens'd and inclin'd in Love and Goodne&s;s, to Pitty, Relieve, and Succour every one of them. Seriou&s;ly peru&s;e the&s;e Scriptures, <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.6. <HI>Exod.</HI> 34.6. <HI>Neh.</HI> 9.17. <HI>Job</HI> 37.23. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103.8. and 119.64. and 130.3, 4. and 136 at large, and 145.8, 9. <HI>Num.</HI> 14.17, 18. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 56.7, 8, 9. <HI>Jer.</HI> 9.24. <HI>Lam.</HI> 3.22, 23,32, 33. <HI>Micah</HI> 7.18. <HI>Jam.</HI> 2.13. and 3.17. We e&s;teem it an Indignity, to have any cruel <HI>Act</HI> a&s;cribed unto us, and &s;hall we offer to ca&s;t the like Indig|nity upon the Almighty? Is the narrow &s;canty Bowels of Man, more
<PB N="4" REF="16">exten&s;ive and free, than the Infinit<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Compa&s;&s;ions of God? And are ther<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> not many Men, who would offe<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> them&s;elves (if po&s;&s;ible) to a Thou+&s;and Deaths, could they thereby procure the Eternal Salvation of all their Fellow Creatures; <HI>Rom.</HI> 9.1, 2. And &s;hall we imagine, God de|lights to &s;ee the greate&s;t Part of his Creatures mi&s;erable, Yea, by un|avoidable Decree, determine them thereunto. This is to repre&s;ent Man more merciful than his Maker, which is far more ab&s;urd than to &s;ay, the lea&s;t glimmering Sun-beam, hath more of Light and Heat there|in, than the Sun it &s;elf. (3.) The Ju&s;tice of God moves on in the &s;ame <HI>Sphear,</HI> for that directs to an impar|tial and equal di&s;tribution, whether of Favours or Puni&s;hments, to all Ob|jects under one and the &s;ame Cir|cum&s;tances, that is not for depre&s;&s;ing the One, and exalting the Other; when both alike, are either Inn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">|cent or Criminal; and &s;uch are all Mankind, whether con&s;idered be|fore, or &s;ince the Fall; and to this
<PB N="5" REF="16">agrees the clear Te&s;timony of Scrip|ture; <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.23, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 19, 7. 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 14, 14. <HI>Acts</HI> 10.34, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.11. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 6.9. <HI>Col.</HI> 3.25. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.17. <HI>James</HI> 3.17. <HI>Fourth|ly,</HI> The Truth of God obligeth him hereunto, he hath in his Word po&s;&s;itively affirmed, That 'tis his Will all Men &s;hould be &s;aved, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2, 4. And that 'tis again&s;t his Will any &s;hould Peri&s;h, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.9. And God cannot deny him&s;elf, or fal&s;ify his Word, or &s;o much as &s;eem to be willing to that, which in Reallity he is not; and we have as much Rea&s;on to que&s;tion the Truth of every Word of God as that, that te&s;tifieth his unfeigned de&s;ire of all his Creatures Happine&s;s; becau&s;e no one Truth of God, is more fully (if &s;o fully) revealed in the Scriptures, and for the which we have not only the Word, but the Oath of the Living God. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33.11. Yea, he plainly te&s;tifieth him&s;elf really concern'd for the Infelicity and Mi&s;ery, which his Rebel Creatures, by their final Sin
<PB N="6" REF="17">and Impenitency, unavoidably bring upon them&s;elves. With what Pathetick and Bowel-like Expre&s;&s;i|ons, doth the Infinitely Gracious God, bewail their Lo&s;s and Ruine. From which nothing can be more e|vident, than that God did really de&s;ire the Eternal Felicity, even of tho&s;e very Per&s;ons, that are now Irrever&s;ibly &s;unk into the Pit of E|ternal Mi&s;ery. Worthy to be writ|ten in <HI>Letters</HI> of Gold, are the&s;e and &s;uch like <HI>Texts</HI> of Scriptures, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36.15, 16. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 81.12, 13. <HI>Ezek</HI> 33.11. <HI>Mat.</HI> 23.37, 38. <HI>Luke</HI> 19.41, 42.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> God hath given Infal|lible Te&s;timony, of his unfeigned de&s;ire of the Salvation of every of his Creatures, in that he hath gi|ven his Son to &s;hed his Precious blood for every one of them; As the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> argues <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.32. Now that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> Died for all Men Uni|ver&s;ally, is with the greate&s;t evi|dence imaginable, made manife&s;t in the Scripture. The Tongue of Men or Angels cannot po&s;&s;ibly declare any
<PB N="7" REF="17">Matter, with more Univer&s;al Ex|pre&s;&s;ions, than is made u&s;e of by the Spirit of God, to &s;et forth the extent of his Sons Death for the World. As <HI>Fir&s;t, By</HI> an <HI>Univer|&s;al</HI> Collective. <HI>He is the Saviour of all Men,</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.10. <HI>Secondly, By</HI> an <HI>Univer&s;al</HI> Di&s;tributive. <HI>He ta&s;ted Death for every Man, Heb.</HI> 2.9. <HI>Thirdly, By</HI> an <HI>Univer|&s;al</HI> Affirmative or Expre&s;s, and that in oppo&s;ition to a particular In|&s;tance. <HI>He is the Propitiation for our Sins, and not for our Sins only, but al&s;o for the Sins of the whole World;</HI> 1 <HI>John</HI> 2, 2. <HI>Fourthly, By</HI> an <HI>U|niver&s;al</HI> Negative. <HI>He is not willing that any &s;hould Peri&s;h.</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.9. <HI>Fifthly. By</HI> an <HI>Univer&s;al</HI> Command. <HI>He commands all Men, every where, to repent. Sixthly</HI> and <HI>La&s;tly. By Univer&s;al</HI> Promi&s;es and Threatnings. <HI>John</HI> 3.14, 15, 16, 17, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> So that who&s;oever denies this Truth, &s;peaks as much in Contradiction to the Word of God: as 'tis po&s;&s;i|ble for any Man to oppo&s;e any Truth withal. Univer&s;al Creati|on,
<PB N="8" REF="18">is not a&s;&s;erted to us in Scrip|ture, by &s;o great a Variety of Ex|pre&s;&s;ion, as is <HI>Univer&s;al</HI> Redempti|on; and upon the &s;ame Terms we disbelieve God in this, we may dis|believe him in every thing he &s;ays. I might further demon&s;trate this Truth, by a multitude of <HI>Argu|ments,</HI> but I &s;hall content my &s;elf, with the <HI>Four</HI> following, the <HI>Fir&s;t</HI> is. <HI>Adam</HI> &s;tanding the whole Worlds Repre&s;entative when he &s;inned, 'tis unrea&s;onable to &s;uppo&s;e, that he did not &s;o &s;tand, when he was re|deem'd. Were all Men in him when he fell, and were not all Men in him, when he was re&s;tor'd? Was not the <HI>Plai&s;ter</HI> as large as the <HI>Wound?</HI> If Rea&s;on will bear no &s;way herein, con&s;ult the Scripture, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.22. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. <HI>Secondly, Chri&s;t</HI> either Died for all, or his Death was a far greater Cur&s;e to the World, than it was a Ble&s;&s;ing; for had not <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> Died, our fir&s;t Parents had been immediately &s;ent to the Con|fines of Eternal Death, &amp; &s;o they had
<PB N="9" REF="18">had no Race to have &s;ucceeded them, and con&s;equently, not having had a Being could never have &s;inned; and &s;o never have &s;uffer'd Eternal Torments. But now by the Medi|ation of <HI>Je&s;us,</HI> the&s;e Criminals are not only pardon'd them&s;elves, but permitted to bring forth a Nume|rous <HI>Off-&s;pring,</HI> of which by our Op|ponents Doctrine, the far greater Part, it may be a Thou&s;and to One, are by the implacable Hatred of God, left Irrever&s;ibly to Sin and Suffer his In|&s;upportable Wrath to Eternal Ages. So that this Notion, doth with mo&s;t manife&s;t clearne&s;s, totally &s;ub|vert the Work of Redemption, and renders it the mo&s;t cruel of Un|dertakings, &s;o that we may &s;afely hence invert the Words of our Saviour, <HI>John</HI> 1.16. and read them thus, God &s;o hated the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that &s;o <HI>Millions</HI> of <HI>Millions</HI> of Poor Souls, (which never el&s;e had been) might be brought into Being, and &s;o nece&s;&s;itated to Sin and Peri&s;h, without a po&s;&s;ibility of E&s;cape. Too
<PB N="10" REF="19">black a Notion to be ca&s;t upon the Father of Lights; which yet leads me to the Third Argument, which is yet more (if po&s;&s;ible) convincing. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> mu&s;t Die for all Men <HI>Univer|&s;ally,</HI> or God mu&s;t Eternally con|demn and puni&s;h the greate&s;t Part of Men: for not believing a Lie. For nothing is more plainly revealed in Scripture, than the&s;e Two Truths: <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> That God requires all Men to believe in <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and that as their Saviour, or One Dying for their Sins; <HI>John</HI> 6.29. &amp; 8.24. &amp; 10.42. &amp; 16.9. <HI>&amp;c. Secondly,</HI> That this is the Ground of Man's Eternal Condemnation, becau&s;e he doth not, nor will believe in the only begotten Son of God. <HI>John</HI> 3.18.38. So that I &s;ee not which Way 'tis po&s;&s;ible to clear God from &s;uch a Dreadful A&s;per|&s;ion, as before Noted, but by ac|knowledging the Death of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> for all Men <HI>Univer&s;ally.</HI> The <HI>Fourth</HI> and <HI>La&s;t</HI> Argument, is from the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> and I hope it will prove Authentick, if the other fail;
<PB N="11" REF="19">and 'tis from 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.14. Where, the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> de&s;igning to &s;et forth the Nece&s;&s;ity all Men had of a Savi|our, by their being dead in Sins and Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, proves it by this <HI>To|pick</HI> or <HI>Medium,</HI> to wit, the <HI>Univer|&s;allity</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>'s Death for all men; for his Argument runs thus, If One Died for all, then were all Dead. Now &s;ure none will affirm the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> &s;o Unskilful or Deceitful a <HI>Logician,</HI> as to lay down a Fal&s;e and Imper|fect Premi&s;ee to build his Conclu&s;ion upon; for all (e're a whit) skill'd in Argument, know, that the <HI>Major</HI> Propo&s;ition mu&s;t always compre|hend and include the Conclu&s;ion, and no doubt the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> they were not &s;uch Fools; but they would have reply'd, had they not be|lieved the Truth of the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> Propo&s;ition, Ay Brother <HI>Paul,</HI> we grant if <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> had Died for all, they mu&s;t all have been Dead; but thou knowe&s;t, he did not Die for all, therefore <HI>what doth thy Argu|ing prove.</HI> But having been &s;ome|what large in the&s;e foregoing Parti|culars,
<PB N="12" REF="20">I &s;hall be con&s;trained; but to hint at the following things in Order to contain all I &s;hall &s;ay at pre&s;ent within my de&s;igned Confines.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> All the Commands God hath given forth to be ob&s;erved by all men, plainly be&s;peaks his unfeigned de&s;ire of their Salvation. For they declare, that God would have all his Creatures obey them, and why would he have them obey|ed, if not for their Sakes, and that for their good? For he hath no need of Man's Service: Seriou&s;ly peru&s;e the&s;e Scriptures, <HI>Deut.</HI> 5.29. and 6.17, 18.24, and 11.26. <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.14. <HI>Joh</HI> 22.2, 3.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> All the Promi&s;es and Threatnings publi&s;hed in Gods Word, declare this Truth; For, for what End are they there Recorded, but to excite men to Obedience, and de|ter men from Sin? See <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 1.1. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 128.1. <HI>Deut.</HI> 30.16, 17, 18, &amp; <HI>Prov.</HI> 8.34, 35, 36. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.8, 9. And if. God would not have any men to Sin, then he would not have any
<PB N="13" REF="20">men to &s;uffer; for Sin is the alone Cau&s;e of any Man's Infelicity; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 107.17. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.23.</P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> All the outward Acts of God's Providence in the World, whether of Mercies or Judgement, plainly Preach the &s;ame Doctrine. He draws and drives, by the&s;e Cords of his Love. See <HI>Job</HI> 7.17, 18, and 33.26, 27, 28, 29, 30. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 8.4. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 145.9.16. <HI>Acts</HI> 14.17. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.5. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.15, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sixthly,</HI> The Eternal Rewards and Puni&s;hments, which God will be|&s;tow and inflict at la&s;t on men; plainly declare they had a Time, and means of Grace afforded them, to mind the things or their Eter|nal Peace, and con&s;equently, that God did unfeignedly de&s;ire their Salvation. See 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 1.8. <HI>Jude</HI> 4 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.10, 11.</P>
<P N="7">7thly. The Commi&s;&s;ions that God hath given to the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, do likewi&s;e join Te&s;timony to this Truth, otherwi&s;e they are bound to tell Lies in the Name of God. See <HI>Ezek.</HI> 3.18, 19, 20, <HI>&amp;c.</HI>
<PB N="14" REF="21">and 33.6, 7, 8, 9, <HI>&amp;c. Mark</HI> 16.15. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.18, 19, 20.</P>
<P><HI>Eighthly</HI> and <HI>La&s;tly,</HI> The &s;tri|vings of the Spirit of God, upon the Hearts of every Creature, plainly be&s;peaks the unfeigned de&s;ire he hath of their Salvation, unle&s;s we can imagine God &s;olicitous, and active about that, which he hath no de&s;ire to accompli&s;h (which one would think) any Rational Crea|ture &s;hould dread to a&s;&s;ert. No, God never affords any means, in or|der to effect any End; but he always affords &s;ufficient to accompli&s;h the &s;ame. Con&s;ider the following Scrip|tures, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 24.7, 8. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 63.10. <HI>Acts</HI> 7.51. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.20, and <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.3. compared with 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.18, 19, 20. Thus having fini&s;hed my fir&s;t Head, I &s;hall proceed to what fol|lows. But I would fir&s;t remove an Objection, which is always rea|dy at hand to oppo&s;e this Truth withal. Say &s;ome, <HI>If God doth unfeignedly de&s;ire the Salvation of all Men, how comes it to pa&s;s all Men are not &s;aved.</HI></P>
<PB N="15" REF="21">
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> The <HI>An&s;wer</HI> is ea&s;ie and ready. <HI>Becau&s;e the impure Will</HI> of degenerated <HI>Man is oppo&s;ite to the Pure and Holy Will of God;</HI> &s;o that what the <HI>Will</HI> of God <HI>de&s;ireth,</HI> the <HI>Will</HI> of <HI>Man oppo&s;eth;</HI> and this is none other <HI>Doctrine</HI> then is plenti|fully <HI>revealed</HI> in the <HI>Scriptures;</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36.15, 16. <HI>Prov.</HI> 1.22, to 30. <HI>Jer.</HI> 15, 18, and 51.9. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 24.13. <HI>Mat.</HI> 27, 37, 38. <HI>John</HI> 5.40. But to help the <HI>meane&s;t</HI> Under|&s;tanding, <HI>God wills the Salvation of every of Mankind,</HI> but then it is <HI>on|ly</HI> in his <HI>own</HI> Way; or on the Terms of his <HI>own</HI> Propo&s;ing. And the <HI>In|finite Perfections of God's Nature, do</HI> (as it were) <HI>&s;et to him&s;elf Bounds, which he cannot pa&s;s.</HI> So that what God <HI>propo&s;eth</HI> concerning his <HI>Vine|yard. I&s;a.</HI> 5.3, 4. is truly appli|cable to the <HI>Vine-yard</HI> of the <HI>whole</HI> World, that is, <HI>what could have been done more for it, that he hath not done;</HI> the <HI>Meaning</HI> is not, that with the Re&s;pect to the <HI>Power</HI> of God, <HI>nothing more could have been done,</HI> but God<HI>'s Power</HI> being <HI>limited</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="22">by his <HI>Will,</HI> and his <HI>Will</HI> being guided by his <HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> and his <HI>Wi&s;|dom</HI> directing con&s;onant to all the <HI>Perfections</HI> of his <HI>Nature;</HI> it follows, that what is <HI>po&s;&s;ible</HI> to his <HI>Power,</HI> may be <HI>repugnant</HI> to his <HI>Wi&s;dom</HI> and <HI>Holine&s;s;</HI> and &s;o on that Con&s;idera|tion, <HI>cannot be done by him.</HI> The <HI>Almightine&s;s</HI> of his <HI>Power,</HI> is <HI>al|ways,</HI> and <HI>only</HI> put forth with <HI>Judge|ment; P&s;al.</HI> 99.4. So that (tho') re&s;pecting the <HI>Power</HI> of God <HI>distinct|ly</HI> or <HI>&s;eperately</HI> con&s;idered, he could have forc'd all his <HI>Creatures</HI> into an <HI>Univer&s;al</HI> Obedience to him, and given to them <HI>Eternal</HI> weights of <HI>Glo|ry,</HI> yet con&s;idered, as a God <HI>In|finite</HI> in <HI>Wi&s;dom, Holine&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. as well as <HI>Power,</HI> it may be truly af|firmed of him, <HI>That he could not &s;ave one Soul more than he hath done.</HI> And I <HI>Retort</HI> upon my <HI>Adver&s;aries,</HI> by this <HI>Interogation,</HI> is it not every whit as <HI>Rational</HI> to conclude, <HI>God cannot convert any more men than he doth, becau&s;e they are not converted,</HI> as 'tis to &s;ay, <HI>he was not willing to &s;ave any more than he doth, becau&s;e
<PB N="17" REF="22">they are not &s;aved?</HI> But as <HI>none</HI> will <HI>a&s;&s;ert</HI> the <HI>Former,</HI> but <HI>on</HI> the <HI>Fore|mentioned</HI> Con&s;ideration, &s;o <HI>in like manner.</HI> I <HI>a&s;&s;ent</HI> to the <HI>Later,</HI> upon a due <HI>Interpretation.</HI> For as hath been already hinted, tho' it was the <HI>Original</HI> and <HI>antecedent Will of God, that all men &s;hould be &s;aved,</HI> yet it was as <HI>really</HI> and <HI>truly</HI> his <HI>Secondary</HI> or <HI>Con&s;equent Will, that every Im|penitent, Unbelieving,</HI> and <HI>Unper|&s;wadeable Sinner &s;hould be damned.</HI> So that, tho' the <HI>Will</HI> of <HI>God</HI> was <HI>frustrated</HI> in the <HI>Former</HI> yet it was <HI>accompli&s;hed</HI> in the <HI>Later,</HI> and it was impo&s;&s;ible it could be &s;o in <HI>both:</HI> be&s;ides, God's main <HI>De&s;ign,</HI> to wit, his <HI>own</HI> Glory, is as <HI>truly</HI> effected, in the <HI>Sinner's Condemnation,</HI> as it would have been in his <HI>Ju&s;tification</HI> and <HI>Salvation.</HI> I might <HI>enlarge,</HI> but I ha&s;ten to the <HI>Second</HI> Head, wherein I hope yet further to e|vince the <HI>Truth,</HI> for which, I have been <HI>Pleading.</HI> I then advance to declare (according to the <HI>Guidance</HI> of <HI>Scripture</HI> Light) <HI>what are the Methods, which God hath ordained
<PB N="18" REF="23">to effect the Eternal Felicity of the&s;e his Off &s;pring by.</HI> And here I &s;hall divide them into <HI>Two</HI> Parts, Fir&s;t, <HI>Such as have a Peculiar and &s;ingular Re&s;pect unto God him&s;elf,</HI> (that is) <HI>what he hath done, and will do on his Part, in order to bring every Son</HI> and <HI>Daughter of Adam to Eternal Feli|city. And</HI> Secondly, <HI>What he hath Indi&s;pen&s;ibly ordained for Man to do</HI> (on his Part) <HI>in order to effect the &s;ame.</HI> And <HI>here,</HI> notwith&s;tanding the <HI>Copiou&s;ne&s;s</HI> of the <HI>Subject,</HI> I in|tend to confine my &s;elf <HI>(at lea&s;t for pre&s;ent)</HI> in the few following <HI>Pa|ges,</HI> not pretending to &s;peak all, that <HI>may</HI> or <HI>can be &s;aid</HI> thereon; but &s;o much, as I conceive (by the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing</HI> of <HI>God</HI>) may lead every <HI>Wil|ling</HI> and <HI>Rational Mind,</HI> &s;o far into the <HI>Knowledge</HI> of <HI>Gods</HI> Will and their <HI>Duty</HI> therein; as that no <HI>Soul</HI> mak|ing a due <HI>Improvement</HI> thereof, need ever <HI>mi&s;carry</HI> as to its Eternal <HI>Concerns.</HI></P>
<P>It may not be unnece&s;&s;ary, as to the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> of the&s;e, that we &s;hew, what <HI>God</HI> did for <HI>Man,</HI> at his <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Creation, in order to &s;ecure his <HI>E|ternal</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="23">Felicity. And here we find, <HI>God created him</HI> a <HI>Pure</HI> and <HI>Innocent</HI> Creature, <HI>inve&s;ted him with many Noble Endowments</HI> e&s;pecially, <HI>Know|ledge</HI> and <HI>Holine&s;s, Enters into a Co|venant</HI> of <HI>Life</HI> and <HI>Peace</HI> with him, and his <HI>Po&s;terity</HI> in him: <HI>And this Covenant comprehended the Law of the Ten Commandments, as a Rule, Boundary, and Conveyance of Life and Ble&s;&s;ing.</HI> For had <HI>Man</HI> ob|&s;erved the &s;ame, according to the <HI>Will</HI> of his <HI>Maker,</HI> and the <HI>Capaci|ties</HI> he was created with by him, he had never ta&s;ted the lea&s;t <HI>Infeli|city</HI> or <HI>Mi&s;ery;</HI> but have for ever enjoy'd &s;weet <HI>Fellow&s;hip</HI> and <HI>Com|munion</HI> with his <HI>Maker;</HI> but to the <HI>Eternal</HI> Reproach and Shame of <HI>him&s;elf</HI> and his <HI>Off-&s;pring,</HI> he &s;oon broke <HI>Covenant</HI> with <HI>God,</HI> and &s;o <HI>forfeited</HI> all his <HI>Ble&s;&s;ings,</HI> yea, procu|red to <HI>him&s;elf</HI> and all his <HI>Off-&s;pring</HI> Eternal <HI>Wrath</HI> and <HI>Mi&s;ery; Gen.</HI> 1.26. <HI>Col.</HI> 3.10. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.19. and 7, 10. <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.56. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.10, 12. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 75.3, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But this being a <HI>Doctrine</HI> general|ly
<PB N="20" REF="24">believ'd, and largely Treated on by many <HI>Worthies,</HI> I proceed.</P>
<P>This <HI>then</HI> being the <HI>Ca&s;e</HI> of our fir&s;t <HI>Parents,</HI> and is the <HI>Ca&s;e</HI> of every <HI>one</HI> of us by <HI>Nature; God</HI> in further <HI>Demon&s;tration</HI> of his real <HI>Delight</HI> in, and <HI>unfeigned</HI> de&s;ire after, the Eter|nal <HI>Felicity</HI> of every <HI>one</HI> of his <HI>Off|&s;pring Man;</HI> out of the <HI>Un&s;earch|able</HI> Trea&s;ures of his <HI>Grace,</HI> takes <HI>Pitty</HI> on <HI>them, Contrives, finds out,</HI> and <HI>accompli&s;heth</HI> a <HI>Way</HI> and <HI>Means,</HI> by which we are redeem'd, <HI>re&s;tored,</HI> and <HI>reinve&s;ted</HI> with the <HI>Enjoyments</HI> of his &s;pecial <HI>Favour</HI> and <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing;</HI> and by which we may be Eternally <HI>Happy, in the never cea&s;ing Enjoy|ments thereof.</HI> Now, what <HI>God</HI> hath done for all the <HI>Off-&s;pring</HI> of <HI>Adam</HI> on this <HI>Account,</HI> and what <HI>he</HI> requires to be done by <HI>them,</HI> in order to compleat the <HI>&s;ame,</HI> I &s;hall further <HI>proceed</HI> to &s;hew. And here Fir&s;t <HI>Negatively,</HI> what <HI>God</HI> doth not do? <HI>(in Oppo&s;ition to the Preten&s;ions or Fancies of &s;ome) Viz. God</HI> doth not act in any <HI>meer Arbitrary,</HI> or <HI>Irre&s;i&s;tible Way</HI> and <HI>Manner:</HI> So as
<PB N="21" REF="24">to make his <HI>Creature</HI> Happy, <HI>nolens volens,</HI> whether they will or no. See <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.3. 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 14, 15, 16. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 81.12. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 5.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 24.13. 2dly. Affirmatively, and here,</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, God</HI> hath contrived, or|dered, made plain and <HI>Publick,</HI> what&s;oever is <HI>Nece&s;&s;ary</HI> on this <HI>Ac|count.</HI> He hath not laid, nor left <HI>Man</HI> under any <HI>Care</HI> or <HI>Concern,</HI> to contrive and find out a <HI>Way</HI> to reco|ver and Relieve <HI>him&s;elf.</HI> He hath made it only the <HI>Concern</HI> of his <HI>Crea|ture,</HI> to walk in the Way <HI>pre&s;cribed</HI> and <HI>appointed</HI> for him. See 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 14.14. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.10. <HI>John</HI> 14.6.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> And more <HI>Particular|ly, God</HI> has provided a <HI>Ran&s;om,</HI> a <HI>Mediator</HI> or <HI>Peace-maker</HI> between <HI>God</HI> and <HI>Man;</HI> he hath given and &s;ent forth <HI>his only begotten Son</HI> into the <HI>World,</HI> to take upon him our <HI>Nature,</HI> and therein our <HI>Sin</HI> and <HI>Puni&s;hment,</HI> who likewi&s;e <HI>Freely, Fully,</HI> and <HI>Actually</HI> performed and <HI>Compleated</HI> the &s;ame: by bearing the heavy <HI>Wrath</HI> and <HI>Cur&s;e</HI> of <HI>God,</HI>
<PB N="22" REF="25">for <HI>us</HI> and in <HI>our</HI> &s;tead, and thereby <HI>Reconciling God</HI> and <HI>Man</HI> again to|gether. See <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.5. 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 14.14. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.13. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.22. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.14, 15, 16, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.19. 1 <HI>John</HI> 2, 2. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.5. <HI>Dan.</HI> 9.24. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 53.5, 6. <HI>John</HI> 1.29.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly, God</HI> hath propo&s;ed <HI>Faith</HI> in his <HI>Son,</HI> or the <HI>Promi&s;es</HI> of his <HI>Grace</HI> in and through <HI>him;</HI> as the <HI>One</HI> and only <HI>Duty,</HI> of every <HI>Per&s;on,</HI> that is arrived to the <HI>Years</HI> of <HI>Di&s;cretion,</HI> and have committed actual <HI>Sin</HI> again&s;t <HI>God,</HI> to be per|formed on <HI>Man</HI>'s Part, in order to his perfect <HI>Deliverance</HI> from <HI>Sin</HI> and <HI>Mi&s;ery,</HI> and procure him <HI>Ju&s;tifica|tion</HI> and <HI>Peace</HI> with <HI>God. Mark</HI> 16, 16. <HI>John</HI> 3.16. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.26. and 5.1. And thus <HI>Faith</HI> (which if unfeigned) comprehends all <HI>Chri|&s;tian</HI> Duties, as &s;incere <HI>Repentance, Mortification</HI> of <HI>Sin,</HI> and <HI>Sanctifica|tion</HI> or <HI>Newne&s;s</HI> of <HI>Life, Acts</HI> 5.9. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5, 6. <HI>By Faith we lay hold on Eternal Life, enter into a Real, Actu|al, and Solemn Covenant with God,</HI> become <HI>Betreathed</HI> and <HI>E&s;pou&s;ed,</HI> to
<PB N="23" REF="25"><HI>Father, Son</HI> and <HI>Spirit,</HI> in an E|verla&s;ting <HI>Covenant; John</HI> 1.12. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.26. But it may be here further <HI>Queried,</HI> how &s;hall fallen <HI>Man beget</HI> and <HI>compleat</HI> this <HI>Grace</HI> in his <HI>Soul,</HI> &s;eeing the <HI>Scripture</HI> tells us, <HI>Faith</HI> is the <HI>Gift</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> and no one can be|lieve but &s;uch, to whom it is given them of <HI>God, Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.8. <HI>John</HI> 15.5.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> 'Tis true, wherefore I grant the <HI>Solution</HI> of this <HI>Que&s;tion</HI> is of great Importance, and needs the <HI>Guidance</HI> and <HI>A&s;&s;i&s;tance</HI> of God<HI>'s Word</HI> and <HI>Spirit;</HI> the which I crave, and doubt not of its Aid herein, and in the <HI>Re&s;olution</HI> hereof, I in|tend to conclude. Wherefore, <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> I would premi&s;e, or lay down this <HI>Po&s;ition, Viz. That God doth really give true Faith unto all Men, that arrive to Years of Di&s;cretion.</HI> But here I mu&s;t explain my &s;elf, <HI>for my Meaning is,</HI> God gives it to every <HI>Man,</HI> in the <HI>U&s;e</HI> of <HI>Means</HI> on|ly. There is no One <HI>Soul</HI> under the whole <HI>Heavens,</HI> which is not by the <HI>Supernatural</HI> enlightenings of <HI>God</HI>'s Grace, lead unto &s;uch a Faith as
<PB N="24" REF="26">will plea&s;e God. To wit, a <HI>Be|lief that God is, and that he is the Rewarder of them that diligently &s;eek him; Heb.</HI> 11.6. <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.19, 20. and 2.15, 16, and 10.6, 7, 8.18. <HI>Acts</HI> 14.17. and 17.26, 27, 28. <HI>God is &s;aid to do that which is never done;</HI> for as much as he did all that was proper for him to do in order to effect it; <HI>Ezek.</HI> 24.13. God is never &s;aid to do any thing, where|in he him&s;elf is &s;ingly concern'd, and yet the <HI>Thing</HI> never done. 'Tis not meet God &s;hould lo&s;e the <HI>Glory</HI> of his <HI>Acts,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>Man</HI> falls &s;hort in his <HI>Duty. In like manner,</HI> 'tis not meet God &s;hould lo&s;e the Glo|ry of his Goodne&s;s, in giving Eter|nal Life to men, becau&s;e they will not accept of it. <HI>He may be truly &s;aid to give a Thing, that &s;incerely offers it, whether it be accepted or no.</HI> In this Sen&s;e, God gives Eternal Life to all men, and Faith as One nece&s;&s;ary <HI>Ingredient</HI> to bring men thereunto. This is plainly declared by the <HI>Apo&s;tle, Acts</HI> 17.30, 31. Where, <HI>all men every where
<PB N="25" REF="26">are commanded to repent</HI> (which in|cludes Faith) and a&s;&s;ures us, <HI>God hath given a&s;&s;urance</HI> (our Tran&s;la|tion reads it but more &s;ignificantly as the <HI>Margine</HI> or <HI>Original</HI> imports, hath offer'd or <HI>given Faith) unto all Men, by the Re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t from the Dead</HI> So <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hat now I pro|ceed to declare. <HI>What God hath done on his Part, to beget Faith in the Souls of every Son and Daughter of Man, and what he expects Man &s;hould do on his Part, in order to compleat the &s;ame.</HI> And to the Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>(1.) <HI>God of the Riches of his Grace, through the Mediation of Je&s;us, doth infu&s;e into the Soul of every Creature, a Power or Capacity of Believing,</HI> and this is apparent, (1.) Becau&s;e 'tis evident <HI>Man</HI> hath his <HI>Being</HI> of Grace given and continued to him; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 75.3. and 'tis Irrational to &s;uppo&s;e, that God hath not given to men <HI>Pow|ers</HI> and <HI>Capacities</HI> &s;uitable to their <HI>Being.</HI> (2.) The <HI>Scripture</HI> te&s;tifi|eth a compleat <HI>Renovation</HI> by <HI>Jo&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> of whatever <HI>Man</HI> lo&s;t in <HI>A|dam; Rom.</HI> 5.14, 15, 16, 17,
<PB N="26" REF="27">18. &amp; 8.3. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.14, 15. and con&s;equently a <HI>Power</HI> and <HI>Capacity</HI> of <HI>Believing.</HI> (3.) 'Tis te&s;tified con|cerning <HI>Chri&s;t, John</HI> 1.8. <HI>That he enlightens every one that cometh into the World. There is a Spirit in every Man, and the In&s;piration of Super|natural Grace giveth him Under&s;tan|ding, and with the Under&s;tanding or Heart Man believeth unto Salvati|on; Job</HI> 32.8. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.10. <HI>The Spirit of Man is the Candle of the Lord; Prov.</HI> 20.27. And can any think, God hath any u&s;ele&s;s Can|dles, &s;uch as he never lighteth, (4.) The many <HI>Commands, Promi&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Threatnings,</HI> which God hath given forth in his Word, <HI>requiring all men every where to believe,</HI> plain|ly demon&s;trate that men are &s;ome way or other <HI>(and I know of none but by Grace)</HI> in a Capacity of be|lieving. (5.) Several things are done by the <HI>Appointment</HI> of <HI>God, that &s;o all men might believe; John</HI> 1.7. &amp; 17.21. &amp; 30, 31. And he appoints nor approves of any fruit|le&s;s <HI>Labour.</HI> (6.) <HI>'Tis Sin in every
<PB N="27" REF="27">one not to believe; John</HI> 16.9. Which it could not be, were not every one in a Capacity of Believing; Faith (<HI>i. e. in</HI> a <HI>Me&s;ias</HI>) being not an <HI>Old,</HI> but <HI>New</HI> Covenant <HI>Duty.</HI> (7) Our <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed</HI> Saviour is &s;aid <HI>to marvel at the Faith of &s;ome, and Unbelief of others; Mat.</HI> 8.10. &amp; <HI>Mark</HI> 6.6. Which declares at lea&s;t, the Capa|city all men are put into to believe. (8) 'Tis &s;aid, <HI>Luke</HI> 8.12. That the Devil takes away the Word from &s;ome, lea&s;t they &s;hould believe, which plainly implies, the Devil was &s;en&s;ible they were in a Capacity of Believing. (9) Our <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed</HI> Saviour, who certainly never upbraided any Man without a <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI> yet is &s;aid to upbraid &s;ome men for their <HI>Im|penitence</HI> and <HI>Unbelief; Mat.</HI> 11.20. <HI>Mark</HI> 16.14. Which plainly inti|mateth men may have, yea, have by <HI>Grace, Power,</HI> and <HI>Capacity</HI> gi|ven them of God to repent and be|lieve, who notwith&s;tanding, yet continue <HI>Impenitent</HI> and <HI>Unbelieving.</HI> So that I refer my Reader for a Con|clu&s;ion of this Head, to the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI>
<PB N="28" REF="28">Words; <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.3, 4. and pa&s;s wherefore.</P>
<P>(2) <HI>God not only of his Grace, in|fu&s;eth into his Creatures a Power and Capacity of Believing, but propo&s;eth proper Objects to exerci&s;e Faith upon, or beget Faith in the Soul:</HI> As the Riches of his Grace, the Death of his Son, the faithfulne&s;s of his Word, Promi&s;e, Oath, <HI>&amp;c. John</HI> 3.14, 15, 16. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.17, 18, 19, 20, 21. <HI>Mark</HI> 16.16, <HI>&amp;c. Heb.</HI> 6.17, 18, 19.</P>
<P N="3">(3) <HI>God of his Grace, by his Word and Mini&s;ters, maketh u&s;e of mo&s;t Proper and Rational Arguments to convince the Under&s;tanding of every Rea&s;onable Soul, of the Nece&s;&s;ity and Equity of their Duty; I&s;a.</HI> 1.18. &amp; 5.4. <HI>Deut.</HI> 32.47. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 4.2, 4. <HI>Prov.</HI> 5.1, 2.7.11, 12, 13, <HI>&amp;c. John</HI> 12.35. 1 <HI>John</HI> 5.4, to 14. So that it may be truly &s;aid, 'tis the mo&s;t <HI>unrea&s;onable</HI> thing in the World, not to believe the <HI>Record God hath given of his Son,</HI> 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 3.2.</P>
<P N="4">(4) God of his <HI>Grace,</HI> by his <HI>Word</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> and con&s;tant,
<PB N="29" REF="28">and common <HI>Providences,</HI> makes u&s;e of the mo&s;t Powerful and Attra|cting <HI>Allectives,</HI> to allure and draw the Affections of every of his <HI>Crea|tures,</HI> that &s;o they may repent and believe the <HI>Go&s;pel; Deut.</HI> 5.29. &amp; 32.29. <HI>Mat.</HI> 23.37. <HI>Luke</HI> 19.41, 42. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55.1, 2. <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.17, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.4, 5. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.15. And when the Cords of his Love will not draw us, he u&s;eth Cords in Love to drive us. He &s;ends his Terrours to awaken us, and his Rod to heal us; <HI>Job</HI> 33.14, to 30. <HI>Prov.</HI> 29.15. <HI>Mi|cah</HI> 6.9. <HI>He &s;ends his Judgements into the Earth, that the Inhabitants thereof may learn Righteou&s;ne&s;s; I&s;a.</HI> 26.9. <HI>He puts a Price of Infinite value into his Creatures Hands; Prov.</HI> 17.16. <HI>He is unto them as they that take the Yoke from off the Jaws, and lays Meat unto them,</HI> yet notwith|&s;tanding, they mu&s;t eat or <HI>Peri&s;h. Thus he draws them with the Cords of a Man, and with the Bonds of Love; Ho&s;ea</HI> 11.3, 4, 5. <HI>And &s;eems pa&s;|&s;ionately concern'd when this his Grace is abu&s;ed; Micah</HI> 6.1, 2, 3. &amp;c.</P>
<PB N="30" REF="29">
<P N="5">(5) <HI>God of his Grace, &s;ends his Holy Spirit, to the Doors of his Crea|tures Hearts, and he comes not emp|ty Handed, or narrow Hearted. He cries, Open ye Everla&s;ting Doors, that the King of Glory may come in.</HI> He knocks at the Doors of the Hearts of Sinners, but he doth it not, as &s;ome will do at their Friends or Neigh|bours Doors; very &s;oftly on purpo&s;e they might not be heard, only that they might have excu&s;e to &s;ay, that they were there. No; he knocks in good Earne&s;t, and with Autho|rity, yea, he commands Entrance, C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ies out <HI>Fire, Fire,</HI> yea, tells them they &s;hall for ever burn in unquen|chable <HI>Fire,</HI> if they will not awake, and ari&s;e, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Promi&s;es them Eter|nal Rewards, if that they will but <HI>let him come in and Sup with them,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>John</HI> 16.9. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 24.7.9. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3, 20. Yea, he takes not a &s;peedy <HI>De|nial,</HI> is not as <HI>Proud</HI> as we are <HI>Coy;</HI> but waits, till his <HI>Locks</HI> are <HI>(as it were) Wet</HI> with the <HI>Dew</HI> of the <HI>Night.</HI> He waits long, on &s;ome, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 Years and more. Come|ing
<PB N="31" REF="29">and knocking again, and a|gain, Crying out with mo&s;t mel|ting Expre&s;&s;ions, <HI>How long, how long, how long, Ye Simple, will ye love Simplicity? Ye Scorners delight in your Scorning, and ye Fools hate Knowledge? Turn ye at my Reproof, and I will pour out my Spirit unto you, and make known my Words unto you;</HI> Prov. 1.22, 23. <HI>Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die? Ezek.</HI> 33.11. Now can any Soul be &s;o de&s;titute of Rea|&s;on and Grace, as to think all this is nothing but a <HI>Pack</HI> of <HI>Deceit</HI> and <HI>Fal&s;ehood.</HI> Imagine the Spirit of God thus Striving for Victory, but with no De&s;ign to conquer. Dare any re&s;ent the mo&s;t upright <HI>Being,</HI> compara|ble to the vile&s;t of <HI>Hyrocrites?</HI> Such <HI>who&s;e Words of their Mouths are &s;moo|ther than Butter, whil'&s;t War is in their Hearts; P&s;al.</HI> 55.21. <HI>Prov.</HI> 12.10. For &s;uch mu&s;t all the&s;e Deal|ings of God be with Men, if he de|&s;igns not their Salvation by them.</P>
<P N="6">(6) an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 chunk">a&s;tly, <HI>God of his Grace, in and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> your Lord Je&s;us, &s;tands always ready to lend his Helping Hand,
<PB N="32" REF="30">whenever the Soul of any Sinner &s;hall move one Step forward in the Way of Believing.</HI> We grant the Duties of Religion are great and Weighty, and require more Strength to man|nage, than Sinners either have of them&s;elves, or immediately have from God; <HI>but he who&s;e Eyes run to and fro, throughout the whole Earth,</HI> beholds the <HI>Motions</HI> and <HI>Inclinations</HI> of the <HI>Hearts</HI> of every <HI>Creature</HI> And no &s;ooner doth the Soul of any Pro|digal Sinner, come to its &s;elf, and entertain any &s;erious thought of Re|turning unto his Maker, but this Fa|ther of Mercy not only runs to meet him, but is at hand to Aid and En|courage him. Much like a Loving and Tender Parent, who may put his <HI>Child</HI> upon lifting an <HI>Hundred Pound Weight,</HI> which notwith&s;tand|ing, he knows it cannot do it of it &s;elf; yet the <HI>Child</HI> being willing to try its Strength, and &s;hew its Willingne&s;s to obey its Parent, the Father to encourage it, lends his Helping Hand, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> both lifting together, it is enable<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> to do that,
<PB N="33" REF="30">which otherwi&s;e it could not po&s;&s;ibly have done. <HI>'Tis ea&s;ier for a Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle, then for a Rich Man</HI> (yea, or a <HI>Poor Man,</HI> or indeed <HI>any Man,</HI> by his own Natural Skill, Will, or Pow|er) <HI>to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. But what is impo&s;&s;ible with Men, is po&s;&s;ible unto God; Mark</HI> 10.27. So that <HI>Rich</HI> and <HI>Poor</HI> may all enter in at <HI>Heavens</HI> Gate, if they will implore and improve the Divine Aids of Grace, which either they have, or may have at his Hands. God deals with his Creature Man, much like a Prudent Parent with his <HI>Bankrupt</HI> Son; who having &s;quan|dered away a large <HI>Stock,</HI> will yet try him again, but with a little <HI>Stock</HI> at <HI>fir&s;t;</HI> yet withal promi&s;es him, in ca&s;e he improves and manages that well, he &s;hall have more, and more, &s;till as his Occa&s;ions requires: bids him come to him (on tho&s;e Terms) as often as he plea&s;e, and he will not &s;end him empty away. In like manner, God hath dealt with his <HI>Bankrupt Off &s;pring Man,</HI> he re|&s;olves
<PB N="34" REF="31">to try him yet Once more, hath provided a <HI>Stock</HI> for him no ways inferiour, but much larger than what he had before; but he will not now put it all into his Crea|tures Hands at Once, he will have the keeping of it him&s;elf, and &s;ee or know of the laying of it out. He gives him a little at <HI>fir&s;t (yet &s;uffici|ent for his need)</HI> tells him, if he im|proves and manages that well, he &s;hall have more; but lets him know, he mu&s;t come to him for it; and tell him for what he wants it, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And &s;o doing <HI>(in the well in manage|ment thereof)</HI> he promi&s;es to give &s;upplies of Grace, in all things &s;uit|able to his Need. Is not then the Ca&s;e of <HI>Man</HI> by <HI>Grace,</HI> much bet|ter than it was by <HI>Nature?</HI> Is it not better to have &s;uch a <HI>Friend</HI> and <HI>Father,</HI> to go to at all times as our Need requires, than to have all our <HI>Stock</HI> in our own <HI>Hands.</HI> Yet &s;uch a <HI>Friend</HI> and <HI>Father,</HI> hath every <HI>Man</HI> and <HI>Woman</HI> in the World; but ei|ther they do not know it, or will not believe it, or knowing and be|lieving
<PB N="35" REF="31">it, will not practically im|prove this their Knowledge, to the <HI>Glory</HI> of their <HI>Maker,</HI> and their own <HI>Spiritual</HI> and <HI>Eternal</HI> Advantage. If any que&s;tion the Truth hereof, let them &s;earch the <HI>Scriptures,</HI> it is &s;o vi&s;ible throughout the whole of them, that he that runs may read it; yet I &s;hall cite a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ew of &s;uch as oc|cur to Mind; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 75.1.119. &amp; 151. &amp; 145.18. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55.6. <HI>Luke</HI> 15.17, 18, 19. <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.28. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10 6, 7, 8, 9. <HI>Mark</HI> 10.27, 28. <HI>Heb.</HI> 7.25. <HI>So that as God begins a good Work, in the Soul of every Creature</HI> (by the Communications of Divine Grace) he will carry on that Work (on his Part, and in his Way) <HI>unto the Day of Chri&s;t.</HI> God ever did, doth, and will give to every Man, a &s;ufficiency of <HI>Light</HI> and <HI>Grace</HI> to carry him to Happine&s;s, (in ca&s;e he improves it) and this Ir|re&s;i&s;tibly, whether he will or no; but he never will'd to carry on this Work of his Grace unto Perfection: but by the concurrence of the Will and Power (or putting forth of the
<PB N="36" REF="32">&s;ame into Act) of his Creature, &s;uitable to the Capacities, which they have of Free Grace, received in order thereunto. The <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Acts of God's Grace or Gifts of his Love to Fallen Men, are purely in a Way of Grace, without any Re&s;pect to any thing Lovely in the Creature, for his Son's &s;ake; but all the <HI>Af|ter Gifts</HI> of God are purely in a Way of Reward, to the well Improve|ment of his <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Gifts, and the well Managery of Succeeding Ones; yet mu&s;t we not e&s;teem this any other than a Reward of Grace, not a Re|ward of Debt. See <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.12, 13. <HI>Rom.</HI> 4.3, 4, 5. Thus having brief|ly fini&s;hed, what I conceive nece&s;&s;a|ry at pre&s;ent to &s;hew, what God on his Part doth do, and will do to beget and carry on a Saving Faith in the Hearts of every Creature, I now proceed briefly to declare what God hath ordained Man to do (on his Part) <HI>in order to &s;ecure his Eternal Happine&s;s:</HI> And notwith|&s;tanding the Duties are great and Weighty (as before noted) yet all
<PB N="37" REF="32">things con&s;idered, they are as no|thing, being Infinitely beneath the things which God hath done for us, to procure and &s;ecure the &s;aid Fe|licity. The <HI>Afflictions</HI> of this pre|&s;ent <HI>Life</HI> (the mo&s;t difficult part of our Duty to God) are in the <HI>Apo|&s;tle</HI>'s Judgment, <HI>not worthy to be com|pared to the Glory that is to be re|vealed?</HI> All that God requires of us, <HI>is but to make u&s;e of what he gives, and accept of what he offers.</HI> 'Tis but to believe what he &s;ays, and o|bey what he commands, and as he propo&s;eth nothing but Truth to be believed, &s;o he requireth nothing but what is for our <HI>Good, Profit, Ho|nour,</HI> and <HI>Plea&s;ure;</HI> to be obeyed. He is no hard Ma&s;ter, he is not mo|ro&s;e or difficult to be plea&s;ed; <HI>if their be fir&s;t a Willing Mind, he accept|eth according to what a Man hath, and exacteth not, what he hath not;</HI> he is not Cruel in his Laws, nor Niggardly in his Aids; <HI>if we be|lieve and obey him, we &s;hall &s;pend our Days in Plea&s;ures; Job</HI> 36.11. All the Sen&s;es and Faculties of our bo|dies
<PB N="38" REF="33">and Souls &s;hall be &s;weetly &s;ati&s;|fied, yea ravi&s;hed; with mo&s;t pro|per Objects for Delight and Plea&s;ure. Had God commanded us to live up|on nothing but <HI>Bread</HI> and <HI>Water:</HI> yea, to eat and drink always that which were mo&s;t <HI>di&s;ta&s;tful</HI> to our <HI>Appetites.</HI> Had he commanded us to cloath our &s;elves with Crowns of Thorns, and Garments of Thi&s;tles, to tread bare-foot upon Brambles, or Red Hot B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">rs of Iron; to lead a life of the mo&s;t exqui&s;ite mi&s;eries and Torments, that could be inflicted or endured in this World. We had been bound to obey him, and admired he would have rewarded a &s;hort Life of &s;uch Sorrows and Mi&s;eries (which we had Ju&s;tly merited) with never cea&s;ing Weights of Glory; but this is not our Ca&s;e, we are only requi|red to walk in Plea&s;ant and Peaceful Paths, <HI>with a&s;&s;urance that we &s;hall meet with no Harm nor want any thing that is good for us therein.</HI> That we &s;hall gain more by one Minutes true Service of God, than we can gain in a Thou&s;and Years, in the
<PB N="39" REF="33">Serving of our &s;elves in this World &s;eperate from the Service of God: Yea, tho' God &s;hould ble&s;s us with the Confluence of all Earthly Ble&s;|&s;ings, above the ordinary Method of his Providence all that time. Men little think what Enemies and Rob|bers they are to them&s;elves, whil&s;t they &s;ay unto God (tho' it be but in the Language of Practice) <HI>Depart from us, we de&s;ire not the Knowledge of thy Ways; for following after their pre&s;ent Profits, Honours or Plea&s;ures; the&s;e Lying Vanities, they for&s;ake their own Mercies. For if a Cup of Cold Water given to a Di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t</HI> (from a right Principle, and to a right End) &s;hall not lo&s;e its Reward, <HI>Viz.</HI> a Particular and Eternal Re|ward in Heaven for it; Oh how great! How Inconceiveably great, is the Lo&s;s which every Man &s;u&s;tains, whil&s;t he is not in the true Ser|vice of God. Surely it mu&s;t be the mo&s;t Incredible Madne&s;s, the fir&s;t born of Folly, to neglect our Duty and Intere&s;t here. Wherefore in hopes that &s;ome Soul or other, <HI>Will
<PB N="40" REF="34">mind what 'tis the Lord his God doth require of him,</HI> I proceed to inform him in the few following Particulars.</P>
<P N="1">(1) <HI>God doth Indi&s;pen&s;ibly require that we employ, or &s;et apart, a Por|tion of our time every Day to think of Heaven and Heavenly things. That &s;o we may acquaint our &s;elves with our &s;elves, and with our Maker, to Ex|amine, Ponder, Weigh, Con&s;ider and Determine, how Matters &s;tand, between God and us.</HI> Peru&s;e the&s;e Scriptures, <HI>Deut.</HI> 4.39, 40. &amp; 5.29. &amp; 8.5. &amp; 32.29. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12.24. <HI>Job</HI> 34.27. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 1.2. &amp; 10.4. &amp; 32.9. &amp; 50, 22. <HI>Prov.</HI> 6.6. <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 5.1. &amp; 7.13, 14. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1.3. &amp; 5.12. <HI>Jer.</HI> 8.6. <HI>Ezek</HI> 12.3. &amp; 18.14.28. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 7.2. <HI>Hag.</HI> 1.5.7. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.5. <HI>Phil.</HI> 4.8. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.13.15. No Duty more pre&s;&s;ed in Scripture. Con&s;ideration is the fir&s;t Step to any Worthy Enterpri&s;e; <HI>Luke</HI> 14.28. to 33. and it implies not a Slight, Superficial, or Tran&s;ient View of things in our Mind; but a Serious, Settled, Upright and Impartial Ex|amining, Trying, Judging, Sen|tencing
<PB N="41" REF="34">of them. <HI>It &s;ignifies laying of Matters clo&s;e to our Hearts, or our Hearts and Ways clo&s;e togethor; as it is Tran&s;lated, Eccle&s;.</HI> 7.2. It was by Inadvertency, or for want of due Con&s;ideration, in our fir&s;t Parents, that Sin and Mi&s;ery came into the World; and it mu&s;t be by the due Exerci&s;e of our thinking Fa|culty, if ever we come to be really re&s;tored to Life and Peace; <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.28. Wherefore it is nece&s;&s;ary, that we &s;et apart &s;ome time every Day (if be but a Quarter of an Hour) <HI>retiredly to conver&s;e about the Matters of our God and our Soul;</HI> and you need not want Matter for Con&s;idera|tion, God and the things of God and our Souls, are not only an Un|&s;earchable Deep, but &s;tored with Variety of Soul Charming, and Soul Satisfying Objects. Compare things and things together, ask your Souls the&s;e and &s;uch like Que&s;tions. <HI>Hath God given me my Being? And is it not meet that my Being be devoted un|to his Honour? Cannot I live or continue in Being One Moment without God?
<PB N="42" REF="35">Why then &s;hould I live One Moment but to God? Is all I have and Enjoy from God? And &s;hall not all I have and Enjoy, be employed for God?</HI> How Surpa&s;&s;ingly Vile and Incongruous to Common Rea&s;on, mu&s;t then that be, to employ God's Ble&s;&s;ings and Favours to his Di&s;honour. 'Tis as if a Friend &s;hould lend me his Sword to defend me from my Enemy, and I &s;hould Sheath it in his own Bowels. Mo&s;t Horrid Ingratitude! and yet &s;uch is the Ca&s;e of every Wilful and Ob&s;tinate Sinner. Every Sin is a Vertual Murder of God, for in eve|ry &s;uch Act by the Language of Pra|ctice we &s;ay. <HI>We would not have God to be becau&s;e he controuls us in our Will. Ask thy Soul then, is Sin a Rea&s;onable or Unrea&s;onable thing? Can I &s;erve a better Lord and Ma&s;ter than my Maker? Which had I better &s;erve God or the Devil?</HI> (I know of no Medium) <HI>Whether an Holy and Pi|ous, or a Debaucht and Wicked Life be the mo&s;t Amiable? To act like a Rational or a Bruit Creature mo&s;t be|coming? Whether is Heaven or Hell,
<PB N="43" REF="35">the be&s;t Habitation to take up with|al for an Eternal Abode?</HI> Surely any Rational Under&s;tanding need not be long re&s;olving the&s;e and &s;uch like Que&s;tions, where there is &s;o Va&s;t a Di&s;proportion. Having thus alarm'd thy Soul, and awak|ened it, proceed yet further to make Enquiry, <HI>How the Ca&s;e &s;tands with thy own Soul?</HI> Call it to an Account. <HI>Say, O my Soul, whence came&s;t thou? Who gave thee thy Being? Where and What ha&s;t thou been? What hast thou done? What ha&s;t thou received? What Returns hast thou made? What Improvements? What Lo&s;s, or what Gain? How hath thy Time, thy Health, thy Strength, thy Rea&s;on and Under&s;tanding, and all the Fa|culties and Powers, with which thou art entru&s;ted, been employed?</HI> Ca&s;t up thy Receipts, Debts, Payments, &s;ee if thou can&s;t tell what thou ha&s;t run upon the Score. Think how you will be able to an&s;wer your Judge at the great Tribunal, what will be his Final Sentence; and take with you the <HI>Holy Scriptures,</HI> that
<PB N="44" REF="36"><HI>Book</HI> of <HI>Life,</HI> by which you mu&s;t be Judged; remember what hath been told you, <HI>God is a God of all Per|fection,</HI> a God of Truth and Ju&s;tice, as well as Clemency and Goodne&s;s; wherefore, whatever he hath de|clared in his Word, he will fulfil to a Tittle. <HI>The Wicked &s;hall be turned into Hell, and all the Nations that forget God;</HI> P&s;al. 9.17. <HI>He'll pour out his Wrath upon the Heathen, and all the Families of the Earth, that call not on his Name;</HI> Jer. 10.25. And how men &s;hould do otherwi&s;e than forget God, and neglect to call upon his Name, who will not Seriou&s;ly take Matters into Con&s;i|deration, is undeterminable by Hu|mane Rea&s;on. Wherefore, take the&s;e things now into your Con&s;i|deration. 'Tis Infinitely better to to &s;ee and know thy Ca&s;e now, then to put it off till the Day of Judge|ment. 'Tis better to come to a Rec|koning now, then to let it alone till then. Now if thou ha&s;t run upon <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he Score more than thou art able to pay, more than thou art worth,
<PB N="45" REF="36">or all the World be&s;ide (as no doubt but thou ha&s;t) yet now thou may&s;t, by Sincere Repentance, and Faith in our <HI>Lord Je&s;us,</HI> &s;ue out and ob|tain a Pardon, but thou can&s;t not do it, when once thine Eyes are clo|&s;ed, and there is a Seperation made between thy Soul and Body; <HI>Ecle&s;.</HI> 9.10. Thus in due Examination and expo&s;tulation with thy own Soul. Thou wilt be (as it were) by hand lead, to fix upon &s;ome choice, come to &s;ome purpo&s;e and Re&s;olve. You may &s;ee what the Prodigal did, when he came to him&s;elf, that is, when he call'd home his Roving, Wandering thoughts, and falls upon a &s;erious Treaty with his own Heart, he &s;oon came to this Re|&s;olve. <HI>I will ari&s;e and go to my Fa|ther.</HI> I now am in Want and Penury, I there &s;hall be &s;upply'd, this al&s;o if rightly pro&s;ecuted, will induce and ingage thee to do the &s;ame, and con&s;equently puts thee upon falling in with that, which as a Second Step to the Security of thy Eternal Peace, I, by the Cuidance of Gods
<PB N="46" REF="37">Word, am lead to direct thee unto: Wherefore,</P>
<P N="2">(2) God expects, thou &s;eeing thy Mi&s;ery, wilt make Application to him, requires it at thy Hand. <HI>'Tis a &s;mall Favour is not worth the Ask|ing.</HI> He ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">h bidden you ask, and hath promis'd you &s;hall receceive. He hath provided Pardon of Sin, Ju&s;tification, Sanctification and E|ternal Life, and Glory for you; <HI>but he hath laid it all up in his Son.</HI> And except we go to him for the&s;e Invaluable Trea&s;ures, the&s;e be&s;t of ble&s;&s;ings, we &s;hall never have them, and &s;o &s;hall be never the better for them, but much the wor&s;e; becau&s;e they will be as &s;o many Weights to &s;ink the <HI>Soul</HI> down to the bottom of the bottom|le&s;s Pit. See and con&s;ider the&s;e <HI>Scriptures, I&s;a.</HI> 45.22. <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.27. <HI>John</HI> 3.14, 15, 16. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.23. &amp; 8.32. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.3. 1 <HI>John</HI> 5.11. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36, 37. <HI>John</HI> 5.40. &amp; 6.53. <HI>Luke</HI> 12.48. &amp; 10.15. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.4, 5. <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.3. but have a care you go not forth by your own <HI>Skill,</HI> or in your
<PB N="47" REF="37">own <HI>Strength.</HI> Many a <HI>Soul</HI> hath &s;pht it &s;elf upon this <HI>Rock,</HI> of &s;elf Exaltation. The <HI>Spirit</HI> or God by the I &s;almi&s;t, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 5.2.7. very Em|phatically &s;ets forth the Folly of &s;uch an One, wherefore when thy <HI>Soul</HI> is allarmed and warmed by the fore-mentioned Con&s;iderations, as no doubt but it will be, if thy Me|ditations have been &s;erious; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 39.3. &amp; 119.59, 60. <HI>then think not to overcome your Corruptions, to re&s;i&s;t your Temptations, to perform Religious Duties, by your own Skill, and Strength; or that Will, Skill, and Strength you have already receiv|ed from God;</HI> but take the Advice al|ready give<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, and frequently pre&s;s'd in the <HI>Scripture Go to God by Prayer, and Supplication, and go in the Name of Je&s;us. And for as much as you know not, what to pray for as you ought; Rom.</HI> 8.26. beg the A&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ance and I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ach|ings of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of God. If you will but ask it, God hath promi&s;|ed to give it; <HI>Luke</HI> 11.13. and what may not <HI>a Poor Soul</HI> do, that hath the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">uidance, and A&s;&s;i&s;tance
<PB N="48" REF="38">of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of God. Do&s;t thou want Wi&s;dom, that &s;earcheth the deep things of God, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.10. <HI>That leads into all Truth; John</HI> 16.13. and con&s;equently, out of all Er|rour. Do&s;t thou want an Heart to Duty the <HI>Spirit</HI> of God? (by the Word) <HI>Will create a new Heart, and renew a right Spirit within thee; Ezek.</HI> 36.25, 26, 27. Do&s;t thou want Power and Strength to over|come <HI>Sin?</HI> Vanqui&s;h <HI>Satan,</HI> run in the Way of Gods Commandments. This <HI>Spirit</HI> will &s;trengthen thee, <HI>with might in thy inward Man; Ephe&s;.</HI> 3.16. Wherefore go, I &s;ay to God, by <HI>Sincere and Earne&s;t Prayer,</HI> and go <HI>Humbly</HI> and <HI>Sen&s;ibly,</HI> from the True Apprehen&s;ions of thy own Wants and <HI>Mi&s;ery;</HI> and be &s;ure you ask in Faith, nothing wavering; <HI>for he is Faithful that hath promi&s;|ed,</HI> and in &s;o doing, he will not, he cannot deny you; <HI>James</HI> 1.5, 6. <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.23. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.20. 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.9. Yea, if thy Heart remains Un|believing, or thou art weak in the Faith; pray to God to give thee
<PB N="49" REF="38"><HI>to encrea&s;e thy Faith, to help thee a|gain&s;t Unbelief;</HI> and as nothing is too hard for God to do, &s;o in nothing is he unwilling to do thee good, his Power is not larger than his Good|ne&s;s, nor his Goodne&s;s than his Pow|er, as hath been already &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">wn; wherefore go with an Holy Boldne&s;s unto the Throne of Grace <HI>for Grace to help you in every time and Ca&s;e of your Need; Heb.</HI> 4.16. and in &s;o do|ing, he expects and requires, that you pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">eed to ob&s;erve and follow, what in the next Place is propo&s;ed unto you, <HI>as that which lies on your Part to do, in order to &s;ecure your E|ternal Happine&s;s,</HI> wherefore,</P>
<P N="3">(3) God hath ordained or ap|pointed as your Indi&s;pen&s;ible Duty, in order to &s;ecure your Eternal Peace and Happine&s;s, <HI>That you accept and receive from him, what you pray for, and what he offers and tenders to you, above and beyond your exp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ctations and de&s;ires; P&s;al.</HI> 81.8, 9, 10, 11, 12, &amp;c. <HI>Prov.</HI> 1.3.24, 25.30. &amp; 2.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> &amp; 4.13. &amp; 8.10.33. &amp; 19.19. <HI>John</HI> 1.12. <HI>James</HI>
<PB N="50" REF="39">1.21. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.4. Is it not mo&s;t apparently manife&s;t, that no Man peri&s;heth for lack of &s;ufficient &s;up|plies provided for him by his Maker, purcha&s;ed for him by his Redeemer,, offered unto him by the <HI>Holy Spirit</HI> his <HI>Sanctifier.</HI> Doth not the <HI>Spirit</HI> and the <HI>Bride,</HI> &s;ay come, yea, <HI>to whom&s;oever will, let him come and take of the Water of Life freely; Rev.</HI> 22.17. and can any Sober, Serious and Thinking Mind, harbour &s;uch a thought, as to imagine; that either Father, Son, or Spirit, doth make offers of more than they are a|ble or willing to give? Surely not. No, God in and by his Word, de|clares him&s;elf &s;o &s;olicitous to commu|cicate of the good things of Heaven, Spiritual and Eternal Life and Hap|pine&s;s, to his needy and mi&s;erable Creatures, that he &s;toops below the ordinary Sphear and Method of the mo&s;t Munificent and Bountiful of Mankind, in the Di&s;tribution of them; <HI>Prov.</HI> 9.1. to 6. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55.1, 2, 3. he acts as if the Commodities of Heaven were a Drug and Burthen
<PB N="51" REF="39">to him, as if the <HI>Bread</HI> and <HI>Water</HI> of <HI>Life,</HI> or the <HI>Banquets</HI> of <HI>Heaven,</HI> were like to be &s;poil'd for want of Gue&s;ts. But know ye, O ye Ob&s;ti|nate and Ungrateful Sinners, the&s;e are only mo&s;t merciful Conde&s;centi|ons in the God of Heaven, to &s;peak unto you in your own Dialect, that &s;o, if by any means, he may pre|vail upon you, to be Friends to your own Souls, and not &s;uffer them to peri&s;h Eternally, &s;eeing there is &s;uch Rich Provi&s;ion made by the <HI>King</HI> of <HI>Heaven</HI> for you. But if you will chu&s;e Death rather than Life; Eternal Mi&s;ery, before Eter|nal Happine&s;s, you &s;hall know one day to your never cea&s;ing Confu&s;ion and Lamentation, that the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ings</HI> of <HI>Heaven</HI> were no &s;uch incon&s;idera|ble things, as you e&s;teemed them to be. That God had no occa&s;ion to have been &s;o importune and &s;olicitous, to have put off the Commodities of Heaven to you. No, what&s;oever God doth do of this Kind, proceeds alone from the boundle&s;s compa&s;&s;ions of his own Nature; being infinitely incli|ned
<PB N="52" REF="40">and propens'd, to relieve his Needy <HI>Off-&s;pring.</HI> Wherefore, what God doth of this Kind, is only for his Creatures good, he hath no need of them; nor can they be any Advan|tage or Profit to him: No, no, He is &s;o infinitely happy in him&s;elf, that 'tis beyond the Capacities of all his Creatures, by all they can do for or again&s;t him, to add to, or dimi|ni&s;h ought from, his E&s;&s;ential Glo|ry; <HI>Job</HI> 22, 23. &amp; 35.6, 7, 8. Yea, &s;o choice is God of his Heaven|ly Trea&s;ures, that he will not im|prudently ca&s;t them away, or force them upon any Per&s;on (he is not for ca&s;ting Pearls to Swine) Men mu&s;t (as hath been already &s;hewn) return to their Maker, by the exer|ci&s;e of tho&s;e Noble Endowments and Faculties, which they have receiv'd of Grace; they mu&s;t con&s;ider, re|pent, return, and humbly implore their Heavenly Father to be merciful unto them, and pardon their Sins, and reconcile them unto him&s;elf, in his own Way, and on his own Terms; and having &s;o done, they mu&s;t not
<PB N="53" REF="40">think the work is over, No, they mu&s;t wait at the Gates or Po&s;ts of Wi&s;dom, to receive the <HI>Almes</HI> of <HI>Heaven.</HI> The Wind bloweth when and where it li&s;teth; <HI>John</HI> 3.8. and as eve|ry Mariner mu&s;t wait upon its motion (that &s;tands in need thereof) till it is fair for them, &s;o mu&s;t every Hea|ven-bound Soul, that would &s;afely arrive in the <HI>Spiritual Canaan,</HI> (that Heavenly Countrey) wait the &s;weet moveing Gales of the Spirit of God blowing upon it; and as no Man ever wanted a fair Wind, at one time or other, to carry him to his de|&s;ired Port, &s;o no Soul waiting on God, for the &s;upplies of his Grace, &s;hall ever want &s;ufficient for his Need, to carry him to Heaven; but as the Wind will carry no Man to his de|&s;igned Port, unle&s;s he be active, take the Opportunity, and &s;et up his Sails, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> &s;o no more will the <HI>Gales</HI> of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> carry men to the Heavenly Countrey, unle&s;s they fall in with the &s;ame, take the Opportunity whil'&s;t it la&s;teth, re|ceive and imbrace the &s;ame. Where|fore
<PB N="54" REF="41">be always in a Waiting Po|&s;ture, to hear what God &s;hall &s;ay, and receive what God &s;hall give, pray, and look after your prayers, pray, and watch unto Prayer; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 5.3. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 6.18. Pray not as if you cared not whether you were heard or not, nor be &s;o regardle&s;s of your prayers, as if you matter'd not whether they were an&s;wer'd or not. Do not, as (it is to be feared) too many do, pray for Sin-mortify|ing and Renewing Grace, but with (a &s;ecret re&s;erve, <HI>not yet Lord,</HI> as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> confe&s;&s;eth, he him&s;elf had u&s;ed to do, when Praying for the Gift of Continenoy) By which means, God is mocked, and the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing,</HI> when it comes is rejected. We pray to be delivered from all Iniquity, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and yet are &s;o in Love with our Sins, or &s;ome one Darling Corruption, that totally to depart there-from, we are not willing, we nouri&s;h and cheri&s;h the &s;ame in our <HI>Bo&s;om,</HI> and perpe|trate and pro&s;ecute the &s;ame in our Lives; the which repells or drives back the Spirit of God from the Soul.
<PB N="55" REF="41">For 'tis impo&s;&s;ible any beloved, al|lowed, cheri&s;hed, and repeat|ed Sin, and the Spirit of God, &s;hould dwell together in one and the &s;ame Soul; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 5.3. &amp; 68.18. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 59.2. <HI>Hab.</HI> 1.13. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.19. So that this leads me to the next, which is the <HI>Fourth</HI> and <HI>La&s;t</HI> Particular, which I &s;hall lay down, and all which I conceive is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary for me to do, in order to give full; plain, and &s;afe directions, as to what lies as an Indi&s;pen&s;ible Duty on e|very Son and Daughter of <HI>Adam,</HI> to do on their Part, in order to &s;e|cure their Eternal Happine&s;s, and the which lies within the compa&s;s of their Power to do (as they are re&s;to|red by Grace) and the which doing, they &s;hall infallibly obtain their de|&s;ired End. Wherefore, you mu&s;t not only enter into a Treaty with your own Souls, by &s;erious and timely Con&s;ideration; and by the influence thereof, with the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing</HI> of <HI>God</HI> thereon, humbly return unto your Maker by Sincere Application to him for what&s;oever he hath promi&s;|ed,
<PB N="56" REF="42">in the unfeigned <HI>Belief</HI> and re|al Expectation thereof; yea, not only wait for, and receive (hum|bly and thankfully) at the Hands of God, what&s;oever he of his Grace, through his Son, communicates to you; but</P>
<P N="4">(4) and <HI>La&s;tly,</HI> You mu&s;t re|&s;olve upon, and practically perform a Mortification of all your Corrup|tions, a Departure from every Ini|quity, and a living &s;oberly, righte|ou&s;ly, and Godlily in this pre&s;ent World, by an intire and compleat clo&s;ing in with, and actual improve|ment of all the Teaching, Convin|cing, Reproving, and A&s;&s;i&s;ting Op|erations of the Grace of God, by his Word and Spirit, or any other Method of his Providences. The&s;e Heavenly Vi&s;itants and Friends, you mu&s;t not only give them Entrance, but kind Entertainment; and that not as Tran&s;ient Gue&s;ts, only for a Night and away; but as the mo&s;t Affectionate Lovers, re&s;olve to live and die together, take their Coun|&s;el and Advice in all things, and
<PB N="57" REF="42">yield a ready and hearty con&s;ent to whatever they propo&s;e unto thee. 'Tis not &s;ufficient to have many Ta|lents, if we hide them in a <HI>Napkin;</HI> no, every one mu&s;t give an Account of him&s;elf to God, and if we are not good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God, which he here com|municates to us, we &s;hall be able to give but a very &s;ad account of our &s;elves to him, when all the &s;ecrets (as well as vi&s;ibles) of men &s;hall be judged according to the <HI>Go&s;pel;</HI> &s;eriou&s;ly peru&s;e the&s;e Scriptures, <HI>Mat.</HI> 25.14. to the End, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.7. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4.10. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.11, 12. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.6. to the End. The whole Body of the Scriptures is filled with Coun|&s;els, Exhortations, and Warnings of this Nature, wherefore peru&s;e them diligently, and let them be as your Intimate Companions and Coun&s;ellors at all times; they are the Trea&s;ury of all true and Heaven|ly Wi&s;dom, they are able by the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing</HI> of <HI>God</HI> upon them (and that none &s;hall want in the upright u&s;e of them) to make every <HI>Son</HI> and
<PB N="58" REF="43"><HI>Daughter</HI> of <HI>Mankind</HI> wi&s;e unto <HI>Sal|vation:</HI> they are an Ine&s;timable <HI>Jew|el</HI> &s;ent from <HI>Heaven,</HI> and as &s;uch to be prized and improved by every one, that either hath or can obtain them. They need no <HI>Encomiums</HI> to win our <HI>E&s;teem,</HI> the Sublime Plea&s;ure, <HI>Pro|fit</HI> and <HI>Honour,</HI> which they confer upon every &s;erious and diligent Per|u&s;er of them, do infinitely and be|yond all compare, declare the Ine&s;ti|mable Value of them; wherefore I &s;ay, make u&s;e of them as &s;uch, in the whole Cour&s;e of your Conver&s;a|tion, towards your God, your Neigh|bour, and your Self; and e&s;peci|ally for your help in all the fore-men|tioned Informations and Directions. Thus &s;incerely ob&s;erving and practi|cally performing the forementioned Directions, I dare be bold on Gods behalf, to give thee the Pledge of my own <HI>Soul</HI> for <HI>thine,</HI> that God will im|brace thee in the Arms of his mo&s;t tender Affection, and Entitle thee to, and Enrich thee with the be&s;t and highe&s;t <HI>Ble&s;&s;ings</HI> which God can give, or thy <HI>Soul</HI> receive; for when|ever
<PB N="59" REF="43">any <HI>Soul</HI> thus heartily con&s;ents to the Terms of the Covenant of Gods Grace, the Match is made, the Mar|riage Knot is ty'd; thou art then entred into an Everla&s;ting Covenant with thy Maker: with Father, Son, and Spirit. Thou art become his, and he thine. And this thy Friend, thy Father, thy Husband, will prove faithful unto thee, to thy Death. He that hath compleated this Work in thy Soul to this Degree, will car|ry it on until the Day of Chri&s;t. Thou may'&s;t be as &s;ure of Heaven and Happine&s;s, and Eternal Weights of Glory, as thou art that God is true. He to whom thou art thus u|nited, is both able and willing to de|fend thee, from all Injury and Harm. <HI>He that is on thy &s;ide, is greater, than all that are or can ri&s;e up a|gain&s;t thee.</HI> So that every &s;uch <HI>Soul,</HI> may Warrantably &s;ay, in the Lan|guage of the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Jehovah is my Shepherd, my Refuge and Strength; I know, I &s;hall want no good thing; P&s;al.</HI> 23.1, 2. <HI>I will not fear tho' I walk through the Valley of the
<PB N="60" REF="44">Shadow of Death: tho' the Earth be removed, and the Mountains carried into the mid&s;t of the Sea; P&s;al.</HI> 46.1, 2, 3. Yea, tho' all the Men on Earth, and all the Devils in Hell, &s;hould combine together, to de|&s;troy my <HI>Soul,</HI> or do me any hurt, yet will I not be terrified at them; I have the Word, yea Covenant Promi&s;e of an Almighty and all <HI>Faithful Being:</HI> One that never did, never will, nor yet ever can break Covenant with his People; Therefore thy main and only Care mu&s;t be to keep Covenant with him, to keep your &s;elves in the Love of God, to hold fa&s;t the beginning of your Con|fidence &s;teadfa&s;t unto the End; for Per&s;everance, or holding out to the End, in the Way of Piety and Reli|gion, is as ab&s;olutely and indi&s;pen&s;ibly nece&s;&s;ary to be performed on thy Part, in order to thy Salvation, or the E|ternal Security and Peace of thy Soul, as is any of the fore-mentioned Par|ticulars, Faith is not more nece&s;&s;a|ry to thy Ju&s;tification and Peace with God, than Per&s;everance or Continu|ance
<PB N="61" REF="44">and Growth therein, is unto thy Salvation. <HI>The Scriptures is full of Te&s;timonies in Proof hereof, I &s;hall cite a few of them,</HI> 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 28.9. <HI>John</HI> 8.31. &amp; 15.2. to 9. <HI>Acts</HI> 14.22. <HI>Col.</HI> 1.23. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.13. <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.14. &amp; 10.35, 36. &amp; 12, 13, 14, 15. And what is indi&s;pen&s;ibly nece&s;&s;ary unto Salvation, by the Vote of Gods Word, mu&s;t needs declare that a Final comeing &s;hort therein, will cau&s;e the Soul to mi&s;carry to all Eternity. 'Tis granted on all hands, that 'tis po&s;&s;ible for the Soul, after a real and true Conver&s;ion, or Turning to God, yet to fall into many great, grievous, and enormous Sins and &s;o to provoke God thereby, <HI>as total|ly to withdraw his Holy Spirit, and with-hold the Light of his Countenance from them;</HI> and that living and dy|ing in the &s;ame unrepented of, they mu&s;t inevitably peri&s;h. But 'tis que|&s;tioned by &s;ome, whether 'tis po&s;&s;i|ble, for any truely converted and renewed by Grace, &s;o to &s;in, <HI>as to provoke God totally to leave them to peri&s;h in their Sins, by final Impeni|tence
<PB N="62" REF="45">and Unbelief.</HI> Wherefore con|ceiving it a <HI>Matter</HI> of great <HI>Concern,</HI> in the Exerci&s;e of <HI>a Chri&s;tian Life,</HI> to be rightly in&s;tructed herein, I &s;hall pro&s;ecute my <HI>Conceptions</HI> already laid down, <HI>Part the</HI> 1&s;t. <HI>Page the</HI> 6th. <HI>of this Book, Viz. That 'tis po&s;&s;i|ble for a Per&s;on truly converted to God, by and of his Grace, &s;o to depart from him by Unbelief, and other provoking Sins, as to cau&s;e God totally, and fi|nally to give them up to the Capti|vity of Satan and their own Hearts Lu&s;t; and Eternally to peri&s;h in and for the &s;ame.</HI> Now before I enter up|on any further <HI>Proof (for &s;everal Scrip|tures have been cited already)</HI> I &s;hall endeavour to remove Two main <HI>Stumbling Blocks</HI> that lie in the Way, very much <HI>impeading</HI> or <HI>hindering</HI> many <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> from the <HI>Chearful Re|ception of</HI> and clo&s;ing in <HI>with</HI> this <HI>Truth</HI> of <HI>God.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t is, &s;ome a&s;&s;ert. <HI>That this Notion is a le&s;s Peace-ful, and more Uncomfortable Doctrine, than is that Doctrine that tells us, That 'tis impo&s;&s;ible for any Soul, once really u|nited,
<PB N="63" REF="45">to Chri&s;t by Faith, ever to &s;in it &s;elf out of Gods Favour, or by any means mi&s;carry, in re&s;pect to its Eter|nal Happine&s;s.</HI></P>
<P N="2">(2) They alledge, <HI>that this La|ter Opinion hath a Greater Tendancy to draw forth the Soul in Love to God and Admiration of his Goodne&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>than that we plead for.</HI> Now that the&s;e are only the <HI>Vain Imaginations</HI> of Man<HI>'s Mind,</HI> or <HI>Delu&s;ions</HI> of <HI>Satan</HI> to <HI>&s;hipwrack</HI> the <HI>Souls</HI> of <HI>Men,</HI> I &s;hall, I tru&s;t, <HI>plainly di&s;cover.</HI> wherefore to the fir&s;t,</P>
<P N="1">(1) Whatever Peace, or Com|fort, the <HI>Doctrine</HI> of the <HI>Impo&s;&s;ibility</HI> of the <HI>Saints final Mi&s;carrying by Sin,</HI> affordeth more than that for which I plead; it is <HI>only</HI> &s;uch <HI>a Comfort</HI> as men <HI>may have</HI> in the <HI>Way</HI> of <HI>Sin</HI> and <HI>Death,</HI> &s;uch a Peace as we find mentioned, <HI>Deut.</HI> 29.19. which is not true, <HI>being not the Peace of God; I&s;a.</HI> 48.22. for the &s;ame <HI>Notion,</HI> that comforts me, by telling me, <HI>that in the Way of Sin, I cannot to|tally, or finally mi&s;cary, will or may afford me the &s;ame Comfort, whil'&s;t
<PB N="64" REF="46">captivated, and en&s;laved, by Cor|ruption, and Temptation;</HI> as it doth, whil'&s;t I keep clo&s;e to God, in the <HI>Way</HI> of <HI>Faith,</HI> and <HI>Obedience;</HI> if not, what betterne&s;s, or what more <HI>Peace|ful</HI> and <HI>Comfortable Doctrine</HI> is it, than that we hold; for we believe, and teach, <HI>that in the Way of Righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> (i. e.) <HI>Faith, Hope, and Love;</HI> there is no <HI>po&s;&s;ibility</HI> of <HI>mi&s;carrying,</HI> and &s;o no di&s;comfort.</P>
<P N="2">(2) 'Tis mo&s;t apparent, <HI>that the Principal Cau&s;e of that Breach, that is made in the Peace of Gods Children, ari&s;eth, either by their being Inactive in &s;ome Grace, Remi&s;s in &s;ome Duty, or Indulgent to &s;ome Corruption;</HI> where|fore that <HI>Doctrine,</HI> that hath the Greate&s;t Tendency to reduce the <HI>Saints</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> to &s;uch a Cour&s;e of living <HI>in any kind,</HI> mu&s;t needs be the le&s;s <HI>Peaceful,</HI> and mo&s;t <HI>Uncomfortable Do|ctrine;</HI> and that &s;uch is the <HI>Genius</HI> of that <HI>Notion</HI> we oppo&s;e, is mo&s;t vi&s;i|ble to every Unprejudiced Mind.</P>
<P N="3">(3) Nothing is more evident, than that that Doctrine, not only leads to <HI>Sin</HI> and <HI>Apo&s;tacy,</HI> but like|wi&s;e
<PB N="65" REF="46">involves <HI>many a Poor Soul,</HI> in deep <HI>Di&s;tre&s;s</HI> and <HI>De&s;pair;</HI> for being overcome <HI>by Temptation,</HI> or grow|ing Cold and Life-le&s;s, in the <HI>Things</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> as the be&s;t of <HI>Gods Children</HI> are too prone unto. This <HI>Notion</HI> &s;e|cretly thus treats the <HI>Soul, Surely my Profe&s;&s;ion is nothing, I am none of the Elect, if I were, I &s;hould not live as I do, or as I have done;</HI> and &s;o tends to drive the <HI>Soul wholly from God, and his Ways, and hath cau&s;ed &s;ome to wi&s;h them&s;elves in Hell, that they might know the wor&s;t of their Mi&s;ery; and likewi&s;e provoked them to put an un|timely End unto their Days.</HI></P>
<P N="4">(4) Nothing is more evident than that there is few of the Pretenders to this Doctrine, that can in their mo&s;t &s;erious and retired thoughts, tell their own Souls, <HI>I am &s;o &s;ure of my E|lection, Vocation, and Adoption, that for my part, I never fear falling a|way;</HI> for if I do fall into <HI>Sin,</HI> yet I am &s;ure, I &s;hall not, I cannot <HI>mi&s;carry</HI> therein. Now if there be few, or none, that have arrived to this Confidence, what good can this
<PB N="66" REF="47">Doctrine do them? For certainly <HI>(if true, yet)</HI> it can do none <HI>any good,</HI> but &s;uch as can <HI>apply it unto them|&s;elves.</HI></P>
<P N="3">(3) We are not to judge of the truth of <HI>any Doctrine,</HI> by the Comforta|blene&s;s of it <HI>(e&s;pecially when it &s;peaks Comfort to Per&s;ons in a Way of Sin)</HI> but by the A&s;&s;urance we have of its Foundation in the Word of God. Sup|po&s;e One &s;hould come and Preach this Doctrine, <HI>That God will &s;ave all men without Exception. Sinners as well as Saints, and that the Saints do as truely and as highly plea&s;e God, in their Rebellion again&s;t him, as in the Way of their Duty.</HI> This Do|ctrine mu&s;t needs <HI>be very Plea&s;ing</HI> and <HI>Comfortable</HI> to our <HI>Corrupt Nature;</HI> but would <HI>any</HI> therefore imbrace it, <HI>Nay,</HI> I am per&s;waded, <HI>&s;hould God &s;end an Angel from Heaven, with &s;uch a Me&s;&s;age as this, to any true Child of God,</HI> I am come to tell thee, if thou plea&s;e&s;t God will now en|ter into &s;uch a Covenant with thee, that he will make &s;ure <HI>thy Eternal Salvation</HI> to thee, tho' thou live&s;t
<PB N="67" REF="47">in never &s;uch <HI>Rebellion</HI> and <HI>Di&s;obedi|ence</HI> again&s;t him; fulfil the <HI>De&s;ires</HI> of the <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> and of the <HI>Mind;</HI> grati|fie the <HI>Devil</HI> and his <HI>Temptations. I &s;ay, I am per&s;waded no Child of God</HI> would dare accept of &s;uch an Offer; but would rather <HI>&s;ay, No Lord:</HI> I de&s;ire not <HI>Heaven,</HI> but in the <HI>Way</HI> of <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>Holine&s;s,</HI> I de&s;ire not <HI>thy Love;</HI> but in the <HI>Way</HI> of <HI>Love</HI> and <HI>Obedience</HI> to thee. How then can we admire and e&s;pou&s;e &s;uch a Do|ctrine or Decree, which had we been at the making of, we would have rejected, as unbecoming the <HI>Perfecti|ons</HI> of <HI>Gods Nature,</HI> and as no ways &s;uitable to the <HI>New Nature</HI> he hath created in us by his <HI>Word and Spirit.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. It mu&s;t needs be di&s;honourable to <HI>God</HI> to go out of the <HI>way</HI> and <HI>me|thod</HI> of his <HI>own appointment,</HI> for any <HI>incouragement</HI> or <HI>con&s;olation,</HI> to heark|en to <HI>a Spirit</HI> of <HI>Errour</HI> and <HI>Delu|&s;ion,</HI> to encrea&s;e our <HI>Comforts,</HI> or &s;upply the <HI>Wants</HI> of our inward <HI>Man:</HI> Yet &s;uch I conceive the <HI>No|tion</HI> pleaded again&s;t, will be &s;uffici|ently demon&s;trated to be.</P>
<PB N="68" REF="48">
<P N="7">(7) The ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Angels</HI> continue the Favourites of God in a Way of Perfect Holine&s;s and Intire Obedi|ence, yet I &s;uppo&s;e none dare ima|gine, that their <HI>Condition</HI> is ever the le&s;s <HI>Comfortable,</HI> becau&s;e no <HI>Allow|ance</HI> is given them in the lea&s;t, to prevaricate from the <HI>Law</HI> of their <HI>Creator.</HI> Yea, are obliged to <HI>an Uniform, Con&s;tant,</HI> and <HI>Intire O|bedience,</HI> upon the <HI>Forfeiture</HI> of their <HI>Eternal Happine&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall now briefly take notice of the Second Con&s;ideration to wit, that the contrary <HI>Notion</HI> is &s;uppo&s;ed to have a greater <HI>Influence</HI> upon the <HI>Soul,</HI> to engage it to love God, and admire his <HI>Goodne&s;s,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Reply, (1) <HI>As hath been noted, God will e&s;teem that no Real Admi|ration of this Grace, which &s;uppo&s;eth him</HI> a Lover <HI>or</HI> Favourer <HI>of</HI> Sinners <HI>in their</HI> Sins; <HI>for indeed, it is an Ad|miring of that which is not; and &s;o Creating a Fal&s;e</HI> idea <HI>of</HI> God <HI>in our</HI> Under&s;tandings, <HI>which is</HI> Gro&s;s <HI>and</HI> Impious; <HI>for 'tis a changing the</HI> Glo|ry <HI>of the Incorruptible</HI> God, <HI>into</HI> an
<PB N="69" REF="48">Image <HI>made like to corruptible</HI> Man, <HI>which is not only highly di&s;honouring; but mightily provoking to the</HI> Eyes <HI>of his</HI> Glory. But,</P>
<P N="2">(2) This Doctrine is &s;o far from advancing the <HI>Glory</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> that it &s;uppo&s;eth him to act below that <HI>Prudence</HI> he hath imparted unto his <HI>Creature.</HI> For as no <HI>Rational Un|der&s;tanding,</HI> whether <HI>Parent</HI> or <HI>Friend;</HI> will promi&s;e <HI>Love</HI> or <HI>Favour</HI> to any <HI>Child</HI> or <HI>Per&s;on,</HI> let them behave them&s;elves as they will again&s;t them; &s;o no One con&s;iderate and enlightened <HI>Mind,</HI> would really com|mend &s;uch <HI>a Di&s;po&s;ition</HI> in any <HI>Per|&s;on,</HI> or love and admire them e're the better for it, Were it to be found in any <HI>Mortal.</HI></P>
<P N="3">(3) This <HI>Notion</HI> cannot have a greater influence upon the <HI>Soul,</HI> to draw forth its Love to God, than that we plead for; becau&s;e the Ar|gument of the former is not &s;o Strong and Powerful, as is that of the <HI>La|ter Notion;</HI> for every enlightened under&s;tanding doth readily appre|hend, that every <HI>Action</HI> and <HI>Thing,</HI> is
<PB N="70" REF="49"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;o much the more de&s;ireable and enforcing, by how much the greater good &s;hall appear to depend upon it. He that &s;hall per&s;wade me to love &s;erve, or depend upon &s;uch <HI>a Per&s;on</HI> or <HI>Friend;</HI> becau&s;e in &s;o doing I &s;hall find him <HI>a Loving</HI> and <HI>faithful Friend</HI> unto me, lays me under a greater <HI>Obligation</HI> thereunto, than he that &s;hall tell me that he will love me ne|verthele&s;s, whether I re&s;pect or love him, or not.</P>
<P N="4">(4) If &s;uch <HI>a Notion</HI> hath any &s;uch proper, convincing, and enga|ging <HI>Nature</HI> in it, as Powerfully to per&s;wade the <HI>Soul</HI> to love <HI>God. What Rea&s;on can be given, Why God hath not revealed this Truth to Sinners, as well as Saints; to men Carnal, as when renewed; or why do not Ministers Preach this Comfortable and Engaging Doctrine to them; e&s;pecially &s;eeing this Doctrine is more properly adapted to men in &s;uch a Condition, than to men, who&s;e minds are &s;anctisfied by the Blood of</HI> Je&s;us. This Doctrine as hath been already &s;hewed, hath no Reli&s;h or Savour to their Spiritual Palates.
<PB N="71" REF="49">Well, but &s;ome are affrighted at this Doctrine, to wit, the po&s;&s;ibili|ty of a true <HI>Believers</HI> falling away; becau&s;e of the &s;uppo&s;ed di&s;comfort that there is in it, by being in con|tinual danger of mi&s;carrying. I &s;hall therefore remove this Objection like|wi&s;e, by doing the&s;e <HI>Two things, Fir&s;t,</HI> Make it appear that that Do|ctrine, that &s;uppo&s;eth <HI>a po&s;&s;ibility</HI> of <HI>a Total</HI> and <HI>Final Peri&s;hing,</HI> is the mo&s;t &s;afe and &s;ure&s;t Doctrine. <HI>Se|condly,</HI> That no true <HI>Believer,</HI> is in any &s;uch <HI>po&s;&s;ibility</HI> of <HI>Falling;</HI> as that any need to di&s;turb his <HI>Spiritual Peace,</HI> and <HI>Comfort</HI> on that <HI>Account.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> The Doctrine that &s;uppo|&s;eth <HI>a Po&s;&s;ibility</HI> of <HI>Falling</HI> (as before-Noted) is the &s;afe&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> becau&s;e we all grant <HI>a Po&s;&s;ibility</HI> of our being un|der <HI>a Mistake</HI> in the <HI>Matters</HI> of our <HI>Faith;</HI> we do not pretend to <HI>Infal|libity.</HI> And One would think, no one &s;hould be over confident here|in, that &s;hall con&s;ider the many <HI>Warnings</HI> and <HI>Cautions</HI> God hath given in his Word, to pre&s;erve <HI>Men</HI> from <HI>Falling;</HI> and the many <HI>Exam|ples</HI>
<PB N="72" REF="50">we have in <HI>Scripture</HI> and Common Experience, of tho&s;e that have &s;o fallen. So then, &s;uppo&s;ing but <HI>a Po&s;&s;ibility</HI> of <HI>a Mi&s;take,</HI> in our <HI>Notion</HI> on this <HI>Account;</HI> that Doctrine mu&s;t needs be the &s;afe&s;t, which &s;uppo&s;eth <HI>a Believer</HI> may &s;o Sin as to fall, and peri&s;h; for no <HI>Rational Under&s;tand|ing</HI> can deny, but where there is <HI>a Real Danger,</HI> the <HI>Knowledge</HI> and <HI>Belief</HI> thereof, is more probable to prevent it, than <HI>a Total Ignorance</HI> of the &s;ame. He that &s;hall know, that in &s;uch <HI>a Way</HI> there is <HI>a Dangerous Pit,</HI> into which he may fall, if he take not good heed; certainly is in le&s;s danger of falling in thereunto, than he that doth not know, or will not believe, there is any &s;uch in the Way. 'Tis good to be &s;ure, <HI>is a Good Pro|verb,</HI> and therefore we add, <HI>fa&s;t bind and fa&s;t find.</HI> If we do but &s;u&s;|pect a Danger it produceth Care, whether it be real or no; and where there is but a bare po&s;&s;ibility of Dan|ger, 'tis good to be on the &s;afe&s;t &s;ide; &s;o that &s;uppo&s;e our Notion be
<PB N="73" REF="50">fal&s;e, <HI>viz.</HI> That a Child of God may &s;in it &s;elf out of God's Fa|vour, and &s;o peri&s;h eternally yet it can do us no harm in re|&s;pect to our eternal Condition, our mi&s;apprehen&s;ions of God cannot make any alteration in his De|cree. But on the other hand, if &s;o be, after that we have been once enlightened and have ta&s;ted of the Heavenly Gift, and been made Partakers of the Holy Spi|rit, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> if we &s;hall adventure in the way of Sin, on a belief that we cannot thereby mi&s;carry, in re&s;pect to the eternal concerns of our Souls, and &s;o go on, and add Sin to Sin, till our Iniquities provoke God to cut us off there|in, <HI>and he &s;wear in his Wrath, we &s;hall never enter into his Re&s;t.</HI> Our Opinion of a non-po&s;&s;ibility of Mi&s;carrying, will be of no &s;ervice or benefit to us at that day, when all the Earth &s;hall be Judged according to the Go&s;pel, but will admini&s;ter infinite and eternal Cau&s;e of Grief and Sor|row
<PB N="74" REF="51">to us, in that we hearken|ed to &s;uch a Delu&s;ion. And that too many Souls have been by this Device of Satan &s;o lull'd a&s;leep in Sin, as never to awake thence, till they have found them&s;elves irrevokably &s;unk in Eternal Mi&s;e|ry, is a Subject that de&s;erves ra|ther matter of Lamentation and Grief, than the lea&s;t He&s;itation or Doubt; but,</P>
<P N="2">2dly, Our Opinion is the &s;afe&s;t Doctrine on the Account of our pre&s;ent Spiritual Comfort and Peace, for all our differing mind|ed Brethren grant, Men may &s;in away their Comforts and E|widences for Heaven, cau&s;e God to hide his Face, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> wherefore then that Doctrine which is mo&s;t properly adapted to prevent a Believers falling into Sin, mu&s;t needs be the mo&s;t &s;afe and effe|ctual, to pre&s;erve the Soul in Spiritual Peace and Joy, and that our Doctrine of the dangerous Nature of Sin, is more proper|ly &s;o adapted; hath been before
<PB N="75" REF="51">&s;hewed; but further, Our Do|ctrine is no &s;uch frightful <HI>Levia|than</HI> (as &s;ome imagine) that it mu&s;t needs di&s;turb the Peace and Quiet of the Soul of any true Chri&s;tian: For,</P>
<P N="1">(1.) 'Tis certain there is a great deal of difference between a meer po&s;&s;ibility, and an emi|nent danger, a thing may po&s;&s;ibly be, which yet we are not invemi|nent danger of, nor do we live in continual dread and fear in our mind about. We may po&s;&s;ibly be drown'd, or come to &s;ome &s;udden Death, or by laying vio|lent hands on our &s;elves, deprive our &s;elves of Life, yet this admi|ni&s;ters no anxiety or trouble of mind to well regulated Under|&s;tandings; &s;o that tho' we hold a po&s;&s;ibility of <HI>&s;inning</HI> and <HI>fulling</HI> away, yet we likewi&s;e hold! we are in no <HI>eminent danger</HI> &s;o to do, we are guarded from any &s;ervile or &s;lavi&s;h Fears on this account, by the faithful Promi&s;e of an Almighty and Immutable God
<PB N="76" REF="52"><HI>a God that cannot lie:</HI> We know and may improve this knowledge, that we are as &s;ure and &s;afe for Heaven, as if we were there al|ready, in ca&s;e we do not wilfully run away from God, and chu&s;e our own De&s;truction, if we act but according to the Principles of that Divine Nature that is in|dwelling in us, we may in an holy Triumph and full A&s;&s;urance of Faith, &s;ing &s;uch a <HI>Requiem</HI> unto our Souls, as did the Apo|&s;tle. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.31. <HI>I am per&s;waded that neither Death nor Life, nor An|gels, nor Principalities, nor Pow|ers, nor things pre&s;ent, nor things to come nor heighth, nor depth nor any other Creature, &s;hall be able to &s;eparate us from the Love of God that is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> Yet not|with&s;tanding we ought with him to keep under our Body, and bring it into &s;ubjection, lea&s;t that by any means (tho' we have been never &s;o in&s;trumental to &s;ave o|thers) we our &s;elves &s;hould be|come ca&s;t-aways, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.27.
<PB N="77" REF="52">'Tis the mo&s;t unrea&s;onable thing in the World for a Child of God to live under perplexing Fears and Doubts, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 42.5.11. It argues we do not believe that God whom we own and &s;erve, to be as good as his word; if we did, and liv'd in the lively Exer|ci&s;e thereof, we might always <HI>with joy draw water out of this Well of Salvation.</HI> We might continually make our boa&s;t in God, and &s;ay, <HI>God is on our &s;ide, who can be again&s;t us;</HI> that is, who can harm us; <HI>He'll be a Sun to comfort us, and a &s;hield to de|fend us; He'll give us Grace here, and Glory, Immortality, and Eternal Life hereafter,</HI> I&s;a. 12.3. P&s;al. 84.8. Rom. 8.31. P&s;al. 84.11. <HI>Wherefore I'le not fear what Men or Devils can do again&s;t me.</HI> I might here en|large, but I forbear, where|fore,</P>
<P N="2">(2.) Our Doctrine of a po&s;&s;i|bility of falling from Grace, hath not any thing terrible or
<PB N="78" REF="53">frightful in it, unle&s;s the true Fear of God and care of our Souls be a terrible and frightful thing; which if it be &s;o, we may, and ought to Pray to be more and more po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;uch Fears and Terrors; for we can have no ground to be afraid of the Do|ctrine, unle&s;s we have a mind to be fearle&s;s of God, and carele&s;s of our Souls. He that &s;hall de|&s;ire long Life, and purely out of love to Life it &s;elf, would not e|&s;teem his Life ere the more burthen&s;ome, in ca&s;e God &s;hould grant him a Lea&s;e thereof for a Thou&s;and Years, and yet with this limitation, that he would not wilfully de&s;troy him&s;elf, by thru&s;ting a Sword into his own Bowels, leaping down &s;ome high Pinacle, or the like; but in ca&s;e he were de&s;irous not only of the Security of his Life, but ex|travagantly to &s;hew de&s;perate Tricks without fear or danger, as to leap into Fiery Furnaces, or Caldrons of boyling Lead; run
<PB N="79" REF="53">into the mouth of Lyons, or live without the u&s;e of Food, Sleep, or Rayment, then indeed ano|ther kind of grant or lea&s;e were nece&s;&s;ary for him. In like man|ner, he that &s;hall &s;ingly de&s;ire the Eternal Security and Life of his Soul, is &s;ufficiently confirmed therein, and guarded from all di&s;quieting Fears and Terrors, by &s;uch a conditional Promi&s;e made unto him by God, as that it &s;hall certainly be his Portion, provided he will not de&s;perately run upon the bo&s;&s;es of God's Buckler; will not leap down from the Pallace of Life, into the Chambers or Dungeon of Death, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But if he &s;hould moreover de&s;ire a liberty to let the Reins of his Fle&s;h loo&s;e, to fall in with Satan and the Chil|dren of his Kingdom, to fight under his <HI>Banner,</HI> again&s;t the <HI>God of Heaven,</HI> &amp;c. then in|deed &s;uch an ab&s;olute Decree for his Salvation, again&s;t all <HI>inter|vention and oppo&s;ition</HI> what&s;oever,
<PB N="80" REF="54">(as is by our <HI>Opponents</HI> fancied) were much better accommodated, yea ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary in his ca&s;e. But as no Child of God can po&s;&s;ibly de&s;ire any &s;uch grant from his Heavenly Fa|ther, &s;o 'tis as impo&s;&s;ible that God &s;hould make any &s;uch grant to any of his Children; for what God decreed to do, may be lawfully pray'd for at his hands; but,</P>
<P N="3">(3.) That Doctrine mu&s;t needs be mo&s;t frightful and di&s;|affecting, if weighed in the bal|lance of an unprejudic'd and thinking Mind, which &s;uppo&s;eth an impo&s;&s;ibility for per&s;ons to &s;in them&s;elves out of God's Fa|vour, becau&s;e it &s;ecretly gives liberty, if not enticeth the Soul unto &s;in; and Scripture, and Experience a&s;&s;ures, &s;in is the ori|ginal and fountain of all Mi&s;ery; nothing &s;o formidable or rightful as &s;in; yea nothing freally frightful or prejudicial, but as it becomes &s;o by means
<PB N="81" REF="54">thereof. Death which is the King of Terrors, yet hath <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">o|thing Terrible or Frightful in it, but what our Sins have made &s;o. Now the Notion which we plead for, is mo&s;t clearly and powerfully adapted, to the bridling of Cor|ruption, to the beating down our Bodies, to beget in the Soul an hatred to, and a continual War again&s;t all the remainders of Sin, and A&s;&s;aults of Tempta|tion, is vi&s;ible to every rational Mind. Are not &s;uch Cautions as the&s;e more likely to bani&s;h Sin out of the dominion of the Soul; <HI>Take heed, Brethren, le&s;t their be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief, in departing from the Living God, le&s;t ye be hardened by the Deceitfulne&s;s of Sin, le&s;t &s;in|ning wilfully after ye have received the knowledge of the Truth, there remain no more &s;acrtfice for &s;in, no|thing but a fearful looking for of Judgment, and fiery Indignation, that shall devour the Adver&s;aries;</HI> then &s;uch &s;mooth and bewitch|ing
<PB N="82" REF="55">Language as this, <HI>Chear up, Soul, art thou a Member of Chri&s;t, her is Comfort for thee, thou can<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t never &s;in thy &s;elf out of his Favour; He Loves thee as truly and fully, tho' thou commit never &s;o many and great Sins, as he would in ca&s;e thou lived&s;t the Life of the mo&s;t Vertuous and Pious Chri&s;tian.</HI> Which Do|ctrine is mo&s;t to be regarded, that which we find recorded in the Sa|cred Sriptures, which are the Di|ctates of Eternal Verity, or tho&s;e which only we hear from the Lips and Pens of fallible Mortals. God in his Word is not yea and nay.</P>
<P>Another Ob&s;truction to the Truth pleaded for; <HI>Is, a mi&s;under|&s;tanding of Scripture Promi&s;es, ta|king tho&s;e for ab&s;olute and uncondi|tional, which are not &s;o.</HI> For nothing being more frequent than for the Lord in his Word to make his Pro|mi&s;es ab&s;olute, and without any condition expre&s;t, when, yet a con|dition mu&s;t be implied; as for in|&s;tance, our Savior &s;aith, <HI>Mat.</HI> 10.32, 33. <HI>He that confe&s;&s;eth me before Men,
<PB N="83" REF="55">him will I confe&s;s before my Father which is in Heaven; and he that de|nieth me before Men, him will I de|ny before my Father which is in Heaven:</HI> now both Promi&s;e and Threaning are ab&s;olute, and with|out any expre&s;t <HI>condition;</HI> yet no|thing is more evident than that a <HI>condition</HI> mu&s;t be implied in them, <HI>(viz. their per&s;evering in either &s;tate unto the end)</HI> for <HI>Judas</HI> con|te&s;&s;ed Chri&s;t before Men, yet will not Chri&s;t confe&s;s him before his Father, becau&s;e he continued not to confe&s;s him to the Death. <HI>In like manner</HI> Peter <HI>denied Chri&s;t be|fore Men,</HI> yet will not Chri&s;t deny him before his Father in Heaven, becau&s;e he did not per&s;i&s;t or pre|&s;evere to the end in denying of him: So that whenever God makes promi&s;e of <HI>Eternal Life and Ble&s;&s;ings into Men, or threat|ens them with Eternal Death,</HI> we are always to unler&s;tand, God includes and intends therein, their continuance and per&s;everance in &s;uch &s;tate unto the Death; <HI>For it is the end always that Crowns the Action; 'tis as the Tree falleth that it lieth;</HI> 'tis not what we were,
<PB N="84" REF="56">but what we are when Judgment finds us. The <HI>Thief</HI> on the Cro&s;s remained a vile &s;inner, and &s;o a reprobate wretch until his dying hour; but leaving this World a Penitent, was immediately tran&s;mitted into <HI>Paradice,</HI> and became a precious Ve&s;&s;el of Election an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> Heir of Glory, <HI>Luk.</HI> 23.43. So likewi&s;e that &s;ervant of Chri&s;t, and thereby Heir of Glory, that after a long time &s;pent in the Vineyard of his Lord, &s;hall turn an evil one, and <HI>&s;ay in his heart, his Lord delayeth his coming, and begin to &s;mite his fellow-&s;ervants, and to eat and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">rink with the Drunken; the Lord of that &s;evant &s;hall come in a day when he looketh no for him, and &s;hall cut him a&s;under, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">point him his portion with the Hypocrites, there &s;hall be weeping and gna&s;hing of teth,</HI> Mat. 24.48, 49, &amp;c. &s;o that we are to under&s;tand all the Promi&s;es and Theatnings of God in Scripture, according to that plain and po&s;itive Light and Gude, which God hath given to us, <HI>When I &s;ay to the Righteous he &s;hall &s;urely live.</HI> That is as much as if God &s;houd &s;ay, Tho' I make my Promi&s;e never &s;o ab&s;olute expre&s;s, and without all condition, yet ye mu&s;t always under&s;tand a condition is intended, and to be under&s;tood in them, <HI>For if that Righteous Man turn from his Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and commit Iniqui|ty,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>all his Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall not be remembred; but for his Iniquity that he hath committed, he &s;hall die for it:</HI> &s;o
<PB N="85" REF="56">when God &s;ays to the Wicked, <HI>He &s;hall &s;urely die, yet if he turn from his Wicked|ne&s;s, and do that w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters"> is lawful and right, he &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ely live,</HI> &amp;c, Ezek. 33.18 to 20. Now that the Scripture &s;peaks here of &s;uch as are real Godly, and real Wick|ed; of Eternal Life, and Eternal Death, were not Men perver&s;e and wilfully blind; the whole <HI>Text</HI> and <HI>Context</HI> is &s;o plain, that it will admit of no ra|tional contradiction. Is not the Wicked plainly oppo&s;ed unto the Righteous? Will God &s;ay to any one, but one truly Righteous, with a well plea&s;ed Righteou&s;ne&s;s in the &s;ight of God, he &s;hall &s;urely live? This would contradict the whole drift and body of Scriptures, and would render God incon&s;i&s;tant with, and di|vided again&s;t him&s;elf, and that this mu&s;t intend eternal Life, is evident, becau&s;e 'tis of &s;uch a Life and Death he is here &s;peaking, as will appear if it be minded, that he &s;aith to the returning &s;inner, <HI>He &s;hall live, he &s;hall not die;</HI> the which mu&s;t re|&s;pect a &s;piritual and eternal Life and Death, becau&s;e no Man whether Righ|teous or Wicked, is exempted from a natural and temporal Life and Death; and this interpretation is fully evinc'd by the Prophet, <HI>Jer.</HI> 18.7, 8, 9, 10. to which I refer the Reader, and beg him yet further to con&s;ider, That the Promi&s;es of God are every whit as full
<PB N="86" REF="57">and expre&s;s to pre&s;erve his People from all &s;in, as they are to give them eter|nal Life, &s;ee <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> 11.74, 75. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.14. <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.6. <HI>T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">.</HI> 2.14. <HI>John.</HI> 3.6, 9. and 15.18. And yet notwith|&s;tanding many of God's Precious Chil|dren (Experience as well as Scripture te&s;tifies) have fallen into many gro&s;s and foul Iniquities, yet mu&s;t we not charge God either with their &s;ins, nor with breach of Promi&s;e, becau&s;e how|ever ab&s;olute his Promi&s;e was to them, yet a condition was implied in it, <HI>viz.</HI> their performing that part of their Duty, which was obligatory on them, in order thereunto. God performed; doth and will perform his part (as hath been &s;hewn already) not only in turn|ing them from &s;in to righteou&s;ne&s;s, but in keeping them in the way thereof unto the end; &s;o that none of their Foot-&s;teps &s;hall &s;lide, if they continue to live by Faith upon, and in the u&s;e of the means pre&s;cribed by him, in order thereunto. So that as Men, (or as a True Believer) may &s;in; that is, willingly and wickedly depart from God, notwith&s;tanding the Promi&s;e of God to the contrary; &s;o likewi&s;e they may peri&s;h in and by their &s;in, not|with&s;tanding all the a&s;&s;urances God hath made of giving Eternal Life unto them. In further proof of this Truth, I &s;hall urge a few Con&s;iderations, and &s;o conclude.</P>
<PB N="87" REF="57">
<P>Con. 1. <HI>Men may make Shipwrackf Faith, and a good Con&s;cience,</HI> 1 Tim. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> 19. <HI>have it overthrown,</HI> 2 Tim. 2.18</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Men enlightened by Grace, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;ter of the Heavenly Gift, and of the Word o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, and Powers of the World to come partakers of the Holy Spirit, clean e&s;cape<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> from the pollutions of the World, thro' the knowledge of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, being Sancti|fied by the Blood of the Covenant,</HI> &amp;c. (The highe&s;t and true&s;t Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">racter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> that are any where given of true. Be|lievers in Scripture.) The&s;e may <HI>fal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> away and &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">;</HI> to that degree, <HI>Tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> there is no renewing them again to R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">|pentance; nothing to be look'd for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">y them, but a fearful and fiery Indigna|on.</HI> Their <HI>latter end will be wor&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th them then their beginning,</HI> 2 Pet. 2.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">8, 19, 20. Heb. 6.4, 5, 6. and 10.26, 27, 28, 39.</P>
<P N="3">(3.) What&s;oever the Scripture &s;up|po&s;eth to be, may po&s;&s;ibly be Now 'tis plain, the Scripture &s;uppoeth a True Believer may fall away and pe|ri&s;h. (1.) Becau&s;e the Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of him&s;elf and to other True Believers, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.19. to 29. &s;aith, <HI>Yf, we &s;in wilfully,</HI> &amp;c. (2.) The Promi&s;e; and Threatnings which God hath made to, or concerning True Believers in ca&s;e they continue, or continue not un|to the end; plainly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;peaks a po&s;i|bility of their fall and ruin; for God &s;ets not up meer Nulities to afrig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">
<PB N="88" REF="58">or allure his Children with; &s;ee <HI>Mat.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">4.13. <HI>John</HI> 8.31. <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.21, 22, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">3. <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.38. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.11.</P>
<P N="4">(4.) The tenour and tendancy of <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">he contrary Notion (as hath been in part &s;hewed) <HI>viz.</HI> To rob God of his Glory in many, if not in mo&s;t of his Divine Attributes, as Wi&s;dom, Truth, Holine&s;s, Impartiality, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> as al&s;o to di&s;pirit and chfeeble men in the practick part of Godline&s;s, and encourage them in the way of &s;in and death; as al&s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">he clear tendancy, that the Doctrine we plead for, hath to advance all the <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">erfections of God's Nature in the <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">th and purity of them and real <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">dlikne&s;s in the Hearts and Lives of M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n; the&s;e do abundantly ju&s;tifie an confirm us in our Faith therein: For &s;uch is the property and tendancy of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">at Divine Principle of the Love of God, where it is &s;hed abroad in the heart of any Creature, that it e|e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;teens and pro&s;ecutes the Honour of God, and the promotion of Godline&s;s in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">earts and lives of Men, above all &s;ecular Intere&s;ts and Advantages whatever. Wherefore my unfeigned De&s;ire and Prayer unto God is, That this my poor Endeavours may be by his &s;pecial Ble&s;&s;ing made in &s;ome &s;ort in&s;trumental toward the accompli&s;h|ment of that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">cer-Day-Glory, where|in <HI>The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nowledge of God &s;hall cover the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word">, as the Waters cover the Sea.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="58">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
