decreed that I shall live any longer I shall whether I eat and drink or not and if he have not decreed that I shall live it is not eating or drinking that will keep me alive What would you say to such a man but this That God decreeth no man to live but by the ordinary means of living and therefore ordinarily if you will give over eaâ—ing and drinking it is certain that you will give over living and that God hath made no Decree to save you alive whether you eat and drink or not So if a man should have a journey to go on life or death What would you think of that man that will say If God have decreed that I shall come to my journeys end I shall do it whether I go or not and if he have not decreed it I shall never come thither though I travel never so hard This is true but if you hence infer that therefore it is as good sit still as go you will shew your own folly and not pâ—ocure an excuse for your neglect Why even so it is in our present case if you will say if God have elected me I shall be saved and if he have not I shall not whatsoever I do and therefore I may spare my pains it is no wiser than to give over eating and drinking because God hath decreed how long you shall live or to give over travelling because God hath decreed whether you shall come to your journies end will you be thus mad about the matters of your Trades and Callings in the World why do not all the Weavers in this Town thâ—n give over their Trades and say If God have decreed that I shall live well and be rich I shall be so whether I labour or not and if he have not my labour will not serve Why do you not give over plowing and sowing and say If God have decreed that I shall have a Crop I shall have one whether I plow and sow or not and if he have not I shall not whatsoever I do If you will needs be Fools let it be about these worldly things which you may better spare Try your own opinion awhile and give over eating and drinking and working but do not befool your selves about thâ— One Thing Necessary and play nâ—t the mad men about the flames of hell and do not in such jest threw away your salvation it were an hundred times a wiser course for a man to set his house on fire and say If God have decreed the saving of it the fire shall not burn it if he have not it will perish whatsoever I do I tell you again God hath not ordinarily decreed the end without the means and if you will neglect the means of salvation it is a certain mark that God hath not decreed you to salvation But you shall find that he hath left you no excuse because he hath no thus predesstiâ—aâ—ed you Treatise of Conversion pag. 292 293. Securus Sir I perceive this Discourse hath much inflam'd you you melt so much upon it and I believe you are pleased with it as a piece of Rheâ—orick that you hold convincing and irrefragable But for my part I must tell you seriously I never heard a more confident piece of impertinency in my whole life To reflect a little upon your last passage in the first place you say God hath not ordinarily decreed the end without the means What is this to the purpose yes for then as you go on If you neglect the means of salvatiâ—r it is a certain mark that God hath not decreed you to salvation And who can help it 't is your own doctrine out of the Synod and the Divines thereof lately mentioned that whom he was pleased to decree unto salvation he absolutely decreed to it at least he absolutely decreed to make the means of salvation irresistibly effectual unto them * Dei enim praedestinant is Decretum non in hanc formam concipitur Ego Petrum si contigerâ—t eum credere perseve rare eligam ad vitam aeternam Sed poti ùs hoc modo Ego eligo Petrum ad vitam aeternam quam ut infallibilitèr consequatur Egoâ—ci dabo fidem perseverantem Theol. Mag. Brit. Sentent De primo Artic. In Explicat Orth. Thes 4. Inter Acta Synod Par. 2. pag. 5. See the Ministers of Embden D. Gratiae Meriti Christi Unâ—vs sal Qâ—aest 7. ibid. pag. 121. ut supra for the rest of mankind poor wretches they are pass'd by and left in the common state of misery under the conduct of the Decree of Reprobation to be fitted for the Triumphs of Divine Justice at the great Assize and Day of Doom Well therefore may they play the mad men if they list about the flames of hell but 't is no more in their power to escape them than it is for them in jest to throw away salvation whereof they never had so much as a possibility As God decreed them to another end so doubtless by your Doctrine to other means for he hath not ordinarily decreed the end without the means you say and â—f you neglect this means you shallfind that he hath left you without excuse you say because he hath not thus predestinated you I pray of whom speak you this of the Elect Are they left without excuse Or can they neglect the means of salvation Then they may perish for all their predestination Or do you speak it of the Non-elect Are they predestinated thus Either to the end or to the means of salvation How came they to fall then from that end and how comes this means to be ineffectual to them But if God hath predestinated them neither to the one not to the other how shall they find that he hath left them no excuse because he hath not thus predestinated them But you demand why men do not try their opinion about their bodies states and secular affairs as well as about their souls Then you say they would soon perceive the folly and madâ—e â—s of it Shall I give you a Reason I think I need not you know the power of â—elf-love and interest and the advantage that sensual objects have to insinuate themselves through the neighbourhood of their abode and the sutableness of their pleasures to flesh and blood But in relation to eternal life self is to be denied and interest to be laid aside and lust to be mortified and pleasure to be abandoned many and great difficulties there are to be contested against and all this for an inheritance invisible at a great distance for a reversion laid up for us in another World You see Sir the state of the soul comes upon many disadvantages to engage a mans affections and endeavours after the use of means for her salvation in comparison of the body If Mr. Baxter this be not sufficient you may find perhaps better satisfaction in that Sermon of making light of Christ pag. 15 16. But the plain
duty that it seems to be a sinful distrust to be solicitous about it We ought not to distrust Gods power for the accomplishment of salvation in the Elect for that is Almighty nor his Will for that is immutable To doubt of either is to sin against his Omnipotence or Immutability If Christ passeth his word for Peters security in walking upon the surface of the water as weak as the foundation is his Faith is weaker and too blame if he fears sinking When the means is absolutely determined and the application and working of it absolutely undertaken for by Almighty God his Revelation that it is so gives us a Quietus est about it In that Battel where the watch-word is The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon there that Exhortation is no less needful then seasonable Be not dismayed Judg. 7. 18 20. fight for the Lord fighteth for you We must in this case blow our Trumpets of Rams Horns and break our empty Deut. 20. 3. Pitchers and advance our lights if God promiseth victory but upon condition only we must dutifully address our selves to the performance of that condition though to our apprehension it contributes little or nothing to the event or blessing promised But where God absolutely intends and promises a victory there the word is Ye need not fight in this Battel Fear not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew to you 2 Chron. 20. 17 Exod. 14. 13 14 the Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace And they that should lay hold upon the Sword and Speâ—r and stand upon their own Guard and postures of defence in this case deserve as sharp a reprehension as that our Saviour gave to his Disciples not trusting his Divine presence as sufficient to bridle and curb Matth. 8. 26. chap. 14. 31. that tempest Why are ye fearful or doubtful O ye of little faith Diotrephes That Gods promise of the end doth not acquit us of the use of the means we may see in the example of King Hezekiah he was sick unto death but upon his devotions his prayers and tears God was pleased to send his Prophet to him with a joyful message of his Restitution Behold I will add unto thy dayes fifteen years Isa 38. 5. And yet to shew they should not rely upon Gods intent and promise for the end without the use of the means the Prophet commanded Let them take a lump of figs and lay it for a plaister upon the Bile and he shall recover And the example of the Apostles Voyage is very Ibid. ver 2â— memorable Acts 27. wherein being in extream danger by Reason of the Tempest the Angel of God at last appears to Paul saying Fear not God hath given thee all them that sail with thee ver 24. yet to shew the use of means was necessary for obtaining the end the safety here promised the same Paul when he saw the Ship-men about to flee out of the Ship said to the Centurion and to the Souldiers Except these abide in the Ship ye cannot be saved ver 30 31. Securus In these examples 't is evident by the very letter of the Text that as well the several ends intended as the promises about them were suspended upon several conditions and those conditions not absolutely undertaken as are those for the salvation of the Elect to be perform'd by God himself but prescribed and left to the care of those concerned in them and had not that playster of figs been applied by those about him Hezekiah had not recovered and had not the Cenâ—uâ—ion and Souldiers kept the Sea-men in the Ship they had suffered Ship-wrack But if the Lord had absolutely decreed the recovery of Hezekiah by such a playster and had absolutely promised too that he would infallibly apply it himself the Prophet had been at least impertinent in prescribing the appâ—iâ—ation to be made by others that attended on him In like manner had the Lord absolutely decreed the safety of all the passengers in the Ship upon condition of the Marâ—ners presence and labour in it and had absolutely promised to make good the condition also that is insuperably to cause those Mariners to abide and labour therein which is the very case in the matter of salvation Paul's jealousie of the Sea-mens departure out of the Vessel had been Verba Pauli Acts 27. 31. Manifeste continent comminationem hypotheticam quae irrefragabiliter arguit Revelationem ei factam non continuisse decretum aut promissionem absolutam sed conditionatam Aut falsa fuit comminatio Pauli si promissio Paulo facta absoluta erat cam absolutam esse intellexerat Aut si vera fuit Pauli comminatio promissio Paulo facta non fuit absoluta sed conditionata Episcop culpable and his motion to the Centurion and Souldiers impertinent nay his advice and acting herein had been so far from prudence and a duâ—y that it had argued in him a piece of infidelity a distrust of Gods power and faithfulness that Naaman may be cleansâ—d he is injoyned to wash seven times in the waters of Jordan but had God absolutely promised to cut a Channel to bring those waters into his Bed-chamber he had at least been improvident to take so long a Journey when he might have had the same benefit of cure in his own Lodgings Let me offer you but one example to illustrate the case touching Gods absolute promise it was Gods special command Exod. 34. 23 24. Thrice in the year shall all your men-children appear before the Lord But how shall their Land be secured in the mean time when all the fighting men are drawn away God makes an absolute promise to defend it For saith he I will cast out the Nations before thee and enlarge thy Borders neither shall any man desire thy Land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year Be not afraid to leave your Cities and your Houses without watch or defence to come to my Temple to serve me for I will defend you from all assaults * Annor Diodati Sure in this case it had been a piece of distrust and infidelity in them to have provided guards against any invasion of the enemy Diotrephes Sir I pray give me leave to open my mind freely to you for I am almost at my Ne plus ultra and ready to take my leave of you Why do you not consider what madness it would be to argue about mens bodies as you do about their souls It is as true that God hath decreed how many years and dayes you shall live as that he hath decreed whether you shall be Mr. Baxter's Treatise of Conversion p. 292 293. saved and I will refer it to your own Reason what you would think of the wit of that man that would give over eating and drinking and say God hath decreed how long I shall live and if he have
the Judgment of those great Divines and so from Gods special Favour and Providence as all other paternal castigations are yet the Apostle saith in the place alledged by you * Ver. 11. That no chastning for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous and therefore you ought to be grieved and to mourn upon this account Praesumptuosus The Apostle in those words tells you how chastisement is usually resented according to the judgment of the flesh Ex carnis judicio nulla castigatio videtur esse materia gaudii sed tristitiae tantum as Mr. D. Dicson doth expound it and as the most Learned and Reverend Dr. Hammond paraphraseth the words 't is true indeed that there is in all affliction that which is ungrateeul to flâ—sh and blood But such as have made a further progress in Christianity and are advanced to a higher state of spirituality they can glory in Tribulations * Rom. 5. 3. and if the Apostles being beaten * Acts 5. 40 41. could reâ—oyce that they were counted worthy to suffer shame in that kind for Christs Name much more may they rejoyce and glory in those other paternal castigations their sweet sins which are altogether agreeable to their sensual appetites Diotrephes The Apostle saith That without holiness no man shall see the Lord Hebr. 12. 14. Praesumptuosus Is not the Apostles injunction for following peace with all men as strict as for following holiness Do you think this duty necessary to salvation too But to praetermit that I hope Gods paternal castigations are not such enemies to holiness but they may very well be reconciled and dwell together 2. Dr. Twiss * Ubi supra p 20 See also what iâ— cited out of hiâ— above in the Margin ibid. p 116 tells us That the very Children of God have savage lusts and wild affections in tâ—em he takes the observation from Davids prayer Psal 51. 10. the curing and mastering whereof is no lâ—ss work then was the work of Creation or ma king of the World He saith also that after their effectual Calling They have cause sometimes to expostulat with God for hardning their hearts against his fâ—ar Whatever you alledged before out of this Dr. as del vered in his passion you see his judgment in cool blood nay Mr. Baxter * Of Right â—â— Sacram. Disp 3 pag. 326 32â— delivers it as the opinion of most of our Divines That a man that is unsanctified must be a greater sinner than Solomon was 3. Our Right and Title to the Kingdom of Heaven and consequently to the Vision of God is not derived from any actions of our own or placed in them or built upon them Inter Acta Syn. Nat. Dord pag. 194. par 2. Theol. M. Brit. Judic de Artic. quinto but it is placed in a free adoption and in our conjunction with Christ And therefore our right unto the Kingdom is not taken away unless that be taken away wherein it is founded If sons then heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 17. Manente ergo adoptione in Christum insitione extra viam regni aberrare potest fidelis at jure regni haereditario excidere non potest Therefore the faithful his adoption and engrafting into Christ remaining may wander out of the way of the Kingdom but he cannot loose or fall from his hereditary right to it * Thus the Brittish Divines at Dort This is that which supported the death-bed faith of his late Highness O. C * A Collection of several passages concerning his late H. O. C. in the time of his sickness pag. 6. who speaking then of the Covenant is reported to say Whatsoever sins thou hast dost or shalt commit if thou lay held upon free-grace you are safe but if you put your self under a Covenant of Works you bring your self under the Law and so under the Curse then you are gone For holiness therefore to appear before the presence of God in Deus providebit God will take care to put it upon us The Elect with that blessed Apostle desire to be found in Christ not having in their own inherent righteousness * Renouncing all Righteousness in my self by the works of the Law and having only confidence in that which is by Faith Non in meorum operum iâ— haerente justitia sed in illa Christi imputata quae à Deo gratis datur Dicson ad Phil. 3. 9. but that which is imputed through the faith of Christ the righeeousness which is of God by faith Phil. 3. 9. Diotrephes I am of that opinion that the dominion of any one sin is inconsistent with saving grace and justification Mr. Baxter's Account of persever pag. 40. Praesumptuosus Though your Authour be a singular man yet I will not say that that 's but one Doctors opinion but I am sure St. Paul found it otherwise by experience at least if our ablest Calvinists do rightly interpret him for he saith Rom. 7. 14. I am carnal sold under sin that is as Deodati * Ad locum expounds it altogether subjected as a slave bought for a certain price of money and he alledgeth to this purpose 1 Kings 21. 20. where it is said of Ahab Thou hast sold thy self to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord. To whom agreeth Mr. D. Dicson upon the place Cogor meipsum carnalem agnoscere I am constrained to acknowledge my self carnal and as a slave sold that I might be subject to sin out of whose Fetters I cannot free my self but am often carried whether I would not This is acknowledged to be the Apostles condition who doubtless was in the state of grace and justification If by the dominion of sin you mean something else then I demand 2. When may we conclude that sin hath dominion over a man David you know after he had been wounded with the beauty of Bathsheba he sent Messengers to court and woo her for his entertainment when she was brought he lay with her after that he sent for her husband from the Leaguer to cloak his shame but because he could not tempt him by shewes of pity and other fair means to go in to her he made him drunk that in that distemper he might serve the ends of his lust upon him and because this device would not take neither he conspired his death and sent an express Order to Joab to take a special care to murder him though many gallant men were exposed to the slaughter to bear him company Notwithstanding all this our Divines do conclude That sin had not dominion over David at that time his state of justification was not dissolved or interrupted and his 2 Sam. 11. 15 17. Act. Syn. Nat. Dort p. 194. par 2. adoption remained immoveable for such as are once regenerated sin can never have dominion over them to their condemnation they are not under the Law where sin hath dominion to that effect but under grace *
deep setled apprehensions of his gracious merciful lovely nature which indeed is the first work of true Religion and the very Master Radical Act of true Grace and the chief maintaiâ—er of spiritual life and motion 2. All these temptations are yet more effectually dispelled by considering this merciful Divine Nature dwelling in flesh becoming man by condescending to the assumption of our humane nature and so come near us and assuming the office of being the Mediatour the Redeemer the Saviour of the World 3. All our doubts and fears that proceed from our former sins have all a present rememdy in the fulness and sufficiency of Christs satisfaction even for all the World so that no sin is so great but it is fully satisfied for c. 4. All our doubts and fears that arise from an apprehension of Gods unwillingness to shew us mercy and to give us Christ and life in him arise from the misapprehension of Christs unwillingness to be ours or at least from the uncertainty of his willingness these have all a sufficient remedy in the general extent and tenour of the New Covenant From which principles our Divines do infer 1. A possibility of your salvation Ib pag. 43. 2. Nay though you were yet graceless you have now this comfort that your salvation is probable as well as possible you are very fair for it The terms be not hard in themselves on which it is tendred for Christs yoke yoke is easie his burden light and his commands are not grievous 3. Yea this exceeding comfort there is even for them that are graceless that their salvation is conditionally certain and the condition is but their own willingness But all this gives Desola us no satisfaction As to the greatest part of Mankind he finds in God a general unwillingness of their salvation for as if he were a cruel destroyer according to the Synod of Dort he cast them off without any vincible fault of theirs for the sin of Adam and out of an immutable hatred against them he decreed to with-hold from them all grace sufficient unto Faith and Repentance and hence it follows that Christ procured no such grace for them and consequently that his merit is insufficient * Distinctio qua Christus dicitur mortuus sufficienter non efficaciter pro omnibus vana est nom illud aut notat vice aut bono omnium mori sed nec hoc nec illud Ergo nullo modâ— c. Maccovius in Thâ—ol polem cap. 14. Qust 15. mihi pag. 98. And therefore if pardon and salvation be tendred to them it cannot be done seriously and in earnest but in mockery and delusion Hereupon he concludes that pardon and salvation being offer'd only upon such condiâ—ions as are impossible the obtaining them is so far from being certain that it is neither probable nor possible Lastly I have conjured him not to think of Gods mercifulness Mr. Baxter ib. pag. 18. with distinguishing extenuating thoughts nor to limit it by the bounds of our frail understandings for the Heavens are not so far above the Earth as his thoughts and wayes are above ours I bid him still-remember that he must have no low thoughts of Gods goodness but apprehend it as bearing proportion with his power As it is blasphemy to limit his power so it is to limit his goodness I advised him to consider that even under the terrible Law when God proclaims to Moses Ibid. pag. 17. his own Name and therein his Nature Exod. 34. 6 7. the first and greatest part is The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin And he hath sworn that he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinne but rather that he return and live For this he finds an evasion too out of Dr. Twiss where in Answer to the Text now alledged he replies thus As for that of swearing by himself that he wiâ— not for so the Translatour Vbi supra pag. 52 53. of Tilenus had rendred it the death of a sinner there is no such Text at all saith he the most Authentical Translation of our own Church reads it I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner And as Piscator observes A man may will that wherein he takes no pleasure like as a sick man takes no pleasure in a bitter Potion yet he is willing to take it to recover his health So is a man willing to lose a Limb though he takes no pleasure in it to save his life And then again as the words lie they are directly contrary to Christian reason for doth not God inflict death on thousands and doth not the Scripture testifie That God works all things according to the counsel of his will Ephes 1. 11. And albeit he takes no pleasure in the death of the sinner yet the Scripture is as express in acknowledging that God delights in the execution of judgment as well as in the execution of mercy I am the Lord which sheweth mercy judgment and righteousness in the Earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord Jer. 9. 24. Having proceeded thus far I saw so little probability of success that I resolved to have him treated with the best advantage I could and therefore I have call'd in your assistance that the Authority of your Office may add some weight and force to such Arguments as you shall think sit to produce for his Restitution And now Sir that you are acquainted as well with the Disease as with the Patient I beseech you to bestow a charitable visit upon him Diotrephes I will bear you company to his Chamber Samaritanus I am as good as my word you see my Desolatus my friendship is so fast and so unfeigned it will not suffer me to be long from you But here is another worthy friend of yours Mr. Diotrephes come to visit you I hope his Company and Conference will administer a great deal of satisfaction and comfort to you to his Charity therefore I commend you for a while Diotrephes Being inform'd that you lay under some pressures upon your spirit I took this opportunity to shew my readiness to do you the best office of kind ess I am able and now my prayer is That the God of hope would fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. Desolatus Sir you are very kindly welcome and I heartily thank you for your presence and your prayers though I have too much Reason to conclude that I shall reap no fruit or benefit by them Diotrephes Do not draw such uncomfortable Conclusions against your self I cannot think you have any premises from which such a Conclusion doth necessarily follow You know what the Psalmist saith of Almighty God He healeth the broken in heart and giveth medicine to heal their sickness and he lifteth up them that