all as it is free for God to give grace to whom he will and so to bring them to salvation the purpose whereof is called Gods election so is it enough for God to deny grace to whom he will and thereby to expose them to condemnation the purpose whereof in God is that which wee call Reprobation which as Aquinas saith Includit voluntatem permittendi peccatum damnationem inferendi pro peccato Now of this generall impotency of doing good which cleaves unto all since the fall of Adam you take no notice at all though herein consists the very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of these controversies but carry your selfe throughout in such manner as if notwithstanding that shipwracke of grace which all humane soules made in Adam it were still as much in mans power to obey God as it was before or as much in mans power to rise by repentance now after he is fallen as it was in his power to stand in his integrity and in obedience unto God before he was fallen Put the case all were true that you deliver in the next place namely that God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost proceed in the way of admonition and exhortation to turne themselves to the Lord that iniquitie might not be their ruine yet this hinders not but that the decree of condemnation might be precedent to Gods decree of taking such a course and permitting them to resist it For upon a purpose to condemne them for such a sinne he might thereupon resolve to expose them to such a sinne And if God should first decree to permit such a sinne and then decree to condemne them for it the permission of this sinne being first in intention should by your owne rule be last in execution that is first men should be condemned for such a sin and afterwards they should be suffered to commit it Not that I maintaine any such order but onely to represent the weaknesse of your discourse approaching shrewdly to such a disorderly constitution of Gods decrees and nothing at all preventing the most harsh tenet that can be devised Againe this that here you deliver were it granted you yet doth it nothing hinder the corrupt masse in Adam to be the object of Gods decree of condemnation For albeit God the Father and God the Sonne faile not of performing all this you speak of yet if by reason of the generall impotency which is come on all they are nothing able to obey these motions of Gods spirit and withall God purposeth to deny them a further grace to make them to obey shall not this be sufficient to expose them to condemnation even for this sinne of resisting the motions of Gods spirit But now let us consider your discourse it selfe and what weight it carrieth which onely makes a shew of much but comes to nothing in the end First you please your selfe in devising distinct workes applyed to the distinct persons in the Trinitie without all ground in my judgement Wee commonly say Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisibilia Were not the Sonne and the Holy Ghost as active in the creation and are still in the workes of providence as the Father How Christ enlightned the world by his death is a mystery to me his doctrine I confesse did and much more the doctrine of his Apostles But in this ministerie of Christs servants were not the Father and the Holy Ghost as operative as the Sonne As for the knocking of the spirit at mens hearts you nothing distinguish it for ought I found hitherto from the ministerie of Christs servants in admonishing and exhorting which worke is yet the Fathers and the Sonnes aswell as the Spirits But whereas you say all this is done for this very end To turne them to the Lord that iniquitie might not be their destruction I pray you observe your owne words well all the operations you specifie are drawn from these two heads Instruction and Admonition to turn to the Lord and the end of all this you say is to turne to the Lord. Put these together that you may behold the sobrietie of this discourse God exhorts them to turne to the Lord to this end to turne them to the Lord As much as to say God exhorts them to turne to the Lord to this end that in case they obey his voice and turne to the Lord which is their part then God will performe his part also and turne them to the Lord. But what need I pray of Gods worke in turning them to the Lord after they have performed their part so well as to turne themselves to the Lord Againe if God hath a purpose to turne them to the Lord why doth he not Is it because they refuse to performe some act upon the performance whereof God would turne them to himself Now I would gladly know what act that is which God expects to be performed that so he might turne them to the Lord. I am verily perswaded your selfe are not willing to be put to designe this Is it the very act of turning to the Lord or lesse or more If the very act of turning to the Lord you fall upon a manifest absurditie before specified if lesse then turning to the Lord then 't is lesse than a good act and shall God reward that which is lesse then a good act with conversion unto him What is it to conferre grace according to the workes of nature if this be not Yet I would faine know what this act is Least of all will you say 't is more than turning to the Lord for that should suppose conversion unto the Lord already wrought and consequently no need that God should turne them to the Lord which supposeth that they were not before turned to the Lord at all The providing of severall helpfull meanes for the salvation of the world after the fall doth nothing hinder Gods reprobating of the world upon the fall unto eternall condemnation and perdition For if hee purpose to deny them grace to obey these meanes this shall bee sufficient to expose them to condemnation even for the despising of those meanes of grace which God purposeth to provide for them and accordingly the objection here proposed is sound And whereas you answere that these meanes doe aggravate their condemnation by accident onely to wit through their neglect and abuse of them I answere that this their neglect and abuse doth by necessary consequence follow upon Gods purpose to deny them effectuall grace for the using of those meanes aright like as upon Gods purpose to harden Pharaohs heart that hee should not let Israel goe it followed by necessary consequence that Pharaoh through the hardnesse of his heart would not let Israel goe But that Gods end is as you say the restoring of men to salvation and life as if God did will and purpose any such thing is utterly untrue and nothing proved by you hitherto but rather flatly contradictorie to that you have most an end delivered partly in
for us then Christ should be brought into the world as Ens per accidens for the heavens and the earth together with the fights of the one and herbes and trees of the other and bruit beasts were created for man and not man for them yet neither of them all were brought forth as Ens per accidens yet had they beene brought forth per accidens never-a-whit the more had they been Entia per accidens Entia per se may be brought forth per accidens to be Ens per accidens is one thing and to be brought forth per accidens is another thing It had been more tolerable to argue thus If Christ had been brought forth into the world only upon occasion of Adams fall then he had beene brought forth per accidens yet no truth had beene found in it for upon occasions wise-men doe work and proceed deliberately and with counsell not temerariously only man not forseeing the events of things doth many times upon emergent occasions which himselfe could not foresee alter his former counsels and cast himselfe upon new deliberations It is otherwise with God as who infallibly foreseeth all things and not only fore-seeth them but ordaineth they shall come to passe as well as he ordaineth causes and effects For not the things themselves are ordained by God but also the very order of them some to bee effects some causes some occasions And so the very fall of Adam was both fore-seen and fore-ordained by God to come to passe but how Not as good things which he ordaineth to come to passe ipso faciente himselfe working them but as all evill things which are ordained also to come to passe but Deo tantummodo permittente qua mala sunt God only permitting them as they are evill according to that of Austin Non aliquid fit nisi Omnipotens fieri velit vel sinando ut fiat vel ipse faciendo Enchirid. 95. And according to the 11. article of Ireland God did from all eternitie ordain whatsoever in time should come to passe That which is first in the intention of every agent is last in execution Now the glory of Christ is last in execution save onely the glory of the Father And therefore surely it was Gods first and chiefest intendment after the glorifying of himselfe to glorifie Christ before the consideration of glorifying us either in the first or second Adam Psal 2. 9 10 11. It is true in fulnes of time Christ was first humbled that he might be glorified but yet in Gods counsell wherein the end in order is first purpo ed before the meanes leading to that end the glorious advancement of Christ was first purposed before the presupposall of his humiliation which made way for it The Apostle describing the subordination of things one to another in the order wherein God hath set them the world to be for the Church and the Church for Christ and Christ for God he thereby gives us to understand God first intended his glory for which are all things and then Christs for whom the Church is and then the Church for which the world is and then the world last of all Here we have an argument and a place of scripture wherewith it is backt I will consider them severally 1. As for the argument that is grounded upon such a rule as I desire no better direction for the right ordering of Gods decrees which is the matter wee have in hand but in the prosecuting of the argument in hand upon this rule I find no soundnes no truth neither in the matter nor in the method For first though the rule be proposed only of two the first and last yet in the exemplification there is mention made of three as if the rule did not only extend to first and last but also to former and latter how many wayes soever they are in subordination that looke what subordination they have in execution the contrary subordination they should have in intention which will be found contrary to all reason As for example the last of the good of man is his glory but how Both of body and soule in the resurrection But before this there was a glory of the soule in departure from the body or a blessed condition of it accordingly as they are called the spirits of just men perfected Heb. 12. and they enjoy Christs presence 2 Cor. 5. Now shall we say that in Gods intention was the glory of body and soule jointly first and secondly the glory of the soule in departure from the body Come we to the state of grace there we have in execution first effectuall calling unto faith and repentance after this perseverance finall in both shall we therefore say God did first intend to give them perseverance in faith and repentance and then intend to give them faith and repentance Or that God did first intend to give them repentance secondly intend to permit them to sinne After this manner I confesse Piscator had sometimes ordered Gods decrees wherein upon due examination I have scarce found one member sound But see the issue of it upon latter thoughts he fell quite off from this order and embraced the contrary in every particular and so recompenced his extream rashnesse with extream loosnesse And no marveile for truth alone is stable as for error it is a slippery thing there is no stabilitie in it Secondly here is nothing but miserable confusion throughout First in the word glory for the glory of the Father is delivered in one sense our glory in another sense And as for the glory of Christ in what sense that is delivered is utterly uncertaine as whether in conformitie to the glory of the Father or in conformitie to our glory or in conformitie to both which will be so much the more equivocall by that which goes before it may seeme to be spoken in conformitie to the glory of God the Father as when it is often inculcated that all things were made for him by that which commeth after it may seeme to be spoken in conformitie to our glory as when it is said the glorious advancement of Christ was first purposed Againe the glory of God the Father is in very great varietie and therefore it behooved to be specified in what kind the glory of God herein specified is to be understood as I will shew in the first place when I come to oppose it particularly Secondly the glory of Christ is very ambiguous both in respect of his person as whether it be spoken of him in respect of his Godhead or of his manhood and it is nothing sitt these should be confounded as also in respect of the word glory it selfe for it is to be doubted as before I said whether it be spoken in conformitie to the glory of the Father or in conformitie to our glory And out of such a masse of confusion what satisfaction can be expected in any distinct and particular truth 3. I see no reason why
7. 23. And this price wherewith Christ hath bought that which hee hath bought is his blood Rev. 5. 9. 1 Pet. 1. 18. But blood is no sit price wherewith to buy Dominion His blood is propitiatory and satisfactory and so fit onely to buy poore soules and to save them from condemnation And accordingly the life that hee gave for many was given by the way of ransome Matth. 20. 24. So that persons thereby are ransomed rather then any generall dominion procured And is it sit to say that Christ by his blood obtained dominion over the wicked to damn them for their sins Rather the power which hee obtained was to give eternall life to them whom his Father had given him Job 17. 2. and that in despite of sin Againe is it fit to say that Christ by his blood bought dominion over brute and senselesse creatures Or that by his blood hee obtained dominion over Angels and Devils Whom Christ bought hee bought unto God Rev. 5. 9. And shall wee say that by his death hee bought unto God the dominion over Reprobates whether Men or Angels and over all other creatures Again whom hee bought hee bought from the earth Rev. 14. 8. And from men ver 4. Can this bee verifyed of Angels of light and of angels of darknesse and of reprobate men and of all Gods creatures Lastly whom hee bought by his blood hee redeemed from their vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. So hee did not redeem either reprobate men or reprobate angels and as for the Elect Angels they stood not in need of any such Redemption much lesse the brute creatures of God Yet even of some that were no better then Reprobates it is said that hee redeemed them 2 Pet. 2. 1. And hence Arminius inserres that the most wicked are redeemed by Christ and that in the same sense that Gods Elect are redeemed by Christ You say hee redeemed even the Reprobates but not in the same manner as hee redeemed the Elect but onely that hee bought the dominion of them But this seems a forced interpretation For whom hee hath bought they are his in speciall manner But to hee Christs is peculiar to Gods Elect 2 Cor. 3. ult And hence the Apostle inferreth Glorifie God in your bodies 1 Cor. 6. ult You will say In what sense doth the Apostle say of wicked men that the Lord redeemed them I answer it may bee said in the same sense wherein it is said of the gods of Damascus that they plagued Ahaz not that indeed they plagued him or had any power to plague him for An Idol is nothing saith Paul that is hath no power to doe good or evill but it was Ahaz his opinion that they plagued him and so hee sacrificed unto them Again their former profession was such that they were the redeemed of the Lord as well as any other So Piscator interpretech that place in Peter as spoken not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not as it were so indeed but in their opinion onely or in the common opinion of others The creature likewise shall bee restored by him Act. 3. For the Heavens must contain him till the time come that God hath appointed for the restoring of all things But that redemption is not yet neither hath hee purchased that redemption with his blood Wee deny not that all creatures are under the dominion of Christ but that they should bee translated into his dominion by way of purchase by his blood that seemes to mee a strange conceit Yet it sufficeth us that you confesse that Turks together with their Infants are not translated into the kingdome of Grace By Infants of Turks wee understand none other then such as dye in their Infancy and I wonder you should distinguish betwixt them Why you should reckon the condition of Infants deceasing out of the Church amongst the number of the secret things of the Lord I see no reason Are they not born children of wrath And if they continue so from the time of their conception unto their birth why not as well from the time of their birth to the time of their death dying in their Infancy And can wee doubt what is the condition of those who dye children of wrath doth not God say of the Sodomites that they suffer the vengeance of eternall fire and were there think you no Infants at all amongst them As for those who are commended to the blessing of Christ I make no question but that of such is the Kingdom of God For the Apostle teacheth us that if but one parent bee a beleever the children are holy but if neither are they are unclean But if they die in their uncleanenesse unwashed unsanctifyed what shall become of them You doe well in mine opinion to range little children under the covenant of their Parents that I like well but I like not so well the reason whereby you inforce it For the sins of the Father who is under one Covenant may bee visited upon their children unto the third and fourth generation who are under another covenant For the sins committed in the dayes of Manasses were in the captivity of Babylon visited upon the children in a fourth generation after and that upon as gracious children as were those that were represented by the basket of good figges Jer. 24. And the Covenant between Jonathan and David was only the preservative for keeping gracious Mephibosheth from having visited upon him the sins of his Grandfather Saul in slaying the Gibeonites Neither yet have wee cause to complain as the heathen doth Delicta majorum immeritus lues Romane For if I mistake not there is a great deale of difference between punishing the Son for the sin of the Father which hath no place at all in Gods providence excepting the case of punishing originall sin if so it hath place in that and visiting the sin of the Father upon the Son This being the punishment of the Father rather then of the Son And God being able to sanctifie any temporall affliction that falleth upon the son for the sin of his Father either while the Father liveth or after and to make it fall amongst the number of those things which work together for his good The Eighth and lost Doubt Question 8. HOw may it appeare that this makes not three Covenants The first of works requiring perfect obedience The second of grace promising Christ and all his graces even faith in him The third partly of grace providing a redemption and promising sufficient help partly as requiring both what wee can doe of our selves and Gods helpe proceeding with us accordingly Answer This frame of Doctrine is so farre from making three Covenants that the serious meditation of two Covenants was one of the principall reasons that first turned the stream of my thoughts into this covenant For when I saw that the Covenant of works did in justice reward according to works as well with life upon condition of obedience as