contend for the Grace of God would so order their words as becomes the gravity of such a Subject Eccles 5 1. And much more that they come not so near to a Down-right reproaching that Glorious Grace of which we cannot have apprehensions awfull enough The men who thus speak had need to try their spirits whether they be of God Since from the same premisses they draw Conclusions quite contrary to Those who we know spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost In Scripture account 't is no deâ—ogation to the Grace of God that He called Abraham alone leaving Millions besides to their perishing condition Nor can I believe that Moses understood it a Disparageing of God's love to Mankinde when he tells us That He chose that Nation alone for His own peculiars who yet were the Fewest of any People One of a City and two of a Family were less in proportion than One or Two of Ten Thousand yet no complaint upon it by those interessed in that Grace It 's the property of God's Children to admire that He loves any and especially themselves and not to find fault because He loves not All alike Who am I says David that thou hast brought me hitherto And Christ's Disciples Lord why wilt thou manifest thy self to us us Twelve and not to the World 'T is therefore the more strange to consider Why and how any that call themselves of the Brotherhood came so to espouse the quarrel of those without and that with such Eagerness as to strive and fall-out among themselves about the others Concerns But to Answer more directly 1. This Remnant is not so contemptibly to be spoken of Rev. 5. 11. They are Ten thousand times Ten thousand and thousands of Thousands And how small soever the number be if it were but One it were more by One than the whole Creation could deserve But I say How few soever the Number be no Man knowes but himself may be One of them unless by despising the Grace of God in Election he have proved it otherwise to himself 2. To pitch on a Few whiles in their blood and Enmity against God and Resolve even then to make them everlastingly happy and that against the Natural bent of their own will was a Grace much more high and Sovereign than to save them for their own better improvement of what they have in common with other Men For that would not be of Grace but of Debt Or if the Lord should bring Ten Thousand times that number into a Salvable condition as they speak but so as that very possibly Not one of them shall ever be saved it would not bring the Thousandth part of that Glory to His Grace as to Save a Few invincibly 3. If the Lord did foresee That but Few would believe and yet Resolv'd to save nâ—ne but such as should believe Then the Objection as to Fewness falls on the Objectors Doctrine as much as ours 4. As for Godly sorrow Faith and Repentance they are the Gift of God and proper to the Elect And so no Reason to suppose the interveniency of these in them that are left Or to fear an implacable Resolution to punish and tâ—rment Any in whom these Possibilities go forth into Act. Other allegations they have against the Doctrine of Election which will admit of as plain a Solution as those above But it being my purpose to collect what I should find in the Scriptures for it and not to controvert the Point I proceed no farther but go on to the Usefulness of the Doctrine Only by the way let me premise a Caution or two 1. Caution 1. Let no Man Tax God with Injustice or Partiality because He takes not All Or because Not Those of highest esteem among Men Do not the Princes of the World exercise Dominion over Men like themselves Or is there a Subject so mean but will think himself wrong'd if Question'd for disposing his own which yet is his own but as borrowed And shall vain Man presume to aâ—raign his Sovereign Lord Isa 45. 9. Woe to him that striveth with his Maker If you must be Medling let it be with pot-sheards of Earth like your selves 2. Caution 2. Let no Man disvalue this Doctrine of Election because it takes-in but a Remnant Why are they stiled The little flock but to heighten the Mercy and Priviledge of it in their Esteem Noah did not contemn the Grace of God to himself and his Sons because the World of Ungodly were excluded the Ark Nor the Remnant that escaped the Sword in Egypt Jer. 44. 28. did not reckon their own Deliverance e'r the less Mercy because the Rest of their Countrymen had not a Share in it Men do not use to slight their own Immunities for other's Not-being interessed in them But rather to value themselves the more upon it And now as a Means to Prevent or Remove the evil Surmises Caution'd against with those other sinister Deductions which carnal Reason may be apt to suggest Let us draw up a few of those Many and Worthy Improvements this Doctrine is capable of above and beyond that of the contrary tenour As also of those Laws of Duty which it layes upon us And here I would see first what fruit may be gather'd from the several branches of the Proposition and Then what from the Cross or whole of it promiscuously 1. Inference Since there is an Election of Men to Salvation Put you in for a part and interest in it Though their Number be but Small Cast-in your Lot and make One among them My meaning is That tho' never so few are the Objects of Election you will make it your business to prove your self of that Few If but Two in the whole World who knows but thou mayest be One of them It 's our Saviour's Argument They are but Few that go in at the strait gate Therefore strive The Ninevites had not that ground to believe God would accept them that you have for their Ruin was pronounced in peremptory words and no room expresly left for Repentance and yet they humbled themselves and turn'd from their evil wayes upon this only consideration Who can tell if God will turn away his fierce anger Jonah 3. 9 10. that we perish not It 's a happiness worth your Venturing for For 1 you can lose nothing by endeavouring 2 You can hardly have a more solid evidence of your being Elected than to have your heart taken with Electing love and casting your self upon it And 3 never did any perish who ventur'd on thâ—s Bottom II. Inference From the Doctrine of Election's Absoluteness is evidenced the exceeding Riches of the grace of God in that He hath not left this great Concern to humane contrivance but hath laid it more sure and safe than Men themselves would have done For 't is too evident by the Reasonings that are used to make Election Dependent and Conditional how it would have gon
when he will We litle think how much presumption and carnal security derive from this Root whereas Peculiar Redemption in the vigour and latitude of it viz. as procuring us a Right to Faith and Holiness with the Spirit of Christ to work them effectually in us is a far greater incouragement to apply our selves to Christ for them as a part of His purchase Phil. 1. 29. and that without which we cannot partake the other benefits of His death And I cannot but think that any Man in His right mind upon a due enquiry and thorow considering the Matter would rathet depend upon such a Redemption as redeems from all iniquity though the persons concern'd in that Redemption be but few than on that which is supposed to Redeem All universally upon condition of Faith and Repentance but does not Reedeem from impenitency and unbelief In That Redemption let my part be that saves from Sin That slayes the enmity That Reconciles to God effectually that makes an end of sin and brings-in everlasting Righteousness that does not onely bring iuto a Savable state conditionally but works also and maintains those Conditions and Qualifications that have Salvation at the End of them II. Since your propriety in Redemption is founded on your Interest in Electing love Infer 2. Give all diligence to make your Election sure Spare not for pains It 's fruit will be worth all the cost and labour you can bestow upon it If cleer in this point the whole body will be full of light And among other Evidences of Election Look over those specified afore under that head Then Make out your Interest in Redemption by walking worthy of Redeeming love which cannot be done but by being and doing fomething more than others Some singular thing it must be that must warrant your claim to that singular Priviledge Hold-forth therefore in your life the effects of your Union with Christ in His death As he gave Himself for you so give up your self to Him As He is for you so be you for Him for Him only and not for another 2 Cor. 8. 5. Hosea 3. 3. 1. Determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him Crucified Count all things else not worth your knowing for in truth all knowledge without this will come to Nothing Let all therefore be loss and dung for the excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord Phil. 3. 8. 2. Let nothing be so dear to you as not to part with it for God when 't is called for and rise early to do it This is love 2 Joh. 6. that we walk after His Commandments The Lord parted with His delight for you from Eternity There 's nothing more Reasonable Nothing more Natural to an heart rightly placed than that you should love and live to Him who died for you And whoever hath known the Grace of God and the love of Christ in truth cannot but so judge 3. Let not Christ be Divided Know Him for your Lord aswell as your Redeemer Take Orders from Him as your Captain General Receive your Law from His Mouth What ever He bids you do Do it Follow Him where ever He goes and Carry it so as becomes His Attendants The Armies in Heaven follow Him upon white Horses Rev 19. 14. and arrayed in white Be not your own Director in any thing Nor over-hasty Stir not up your Beloved until He please But Await His Counsel and Conduct as preferring His knowledge of times and Seasons with the manner and method of His Working and prescribing before your own 4. Let Nothing divide you from Christ Let Nothing but death yea let not death it self separate between you and Him Nothing you see could separate Him from you yea 1 Cor. 6. 20. had it not been for you and such as you are He had not dyed We are not our own we are bought with a price which is the highest engagement in every state and Duty whether living or dying Rom. 14. 8. to be the Lord's III. Christs giving Himself a Ransom for you Infer 3. warrants your largest expectation of Good things from Him What Sins too great to be pardoned or iniquities so stubborn as not to be subdued Heb. 9. 14 or Graces so precious as not to be obtained The Lord delights in nothing more than Mercy The only Bar was Sin which being dissolved by the bloud of Christ Grace and Glory run freely The making us Kings and Priests unto God yea One in the Father and Himself being the thing He dyed for Joh. 17. 21. no inferiour good thing can be withholden from us Faith and Holyness are great things indeed and highly to be valued yet let me say That even these and all other good things when layed to-together will be but a very little heap to that Grace which put us into Christ 1 Joh. 4 10. the honour and priviledge of Union with Him and the price He hath paid for our Ransom Herein is Love that God sent His Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins The Purchase is paid Releafes are Sealed and He in possession All things are ready It is now but His Giving forth the Revenue that lies by Him which also He delights to do IV. This Doctrine also prepares a Chief corner Stone for the Saints Perseverance They for whom Christ died died with Him and if dead with Him they shall live with Him Rom. 6. 8. Even the Righteousness of God is engaged to Save them and then He must either prevent Remove or Over-rule what ever would hinder that Salvation Therefore unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood Rev. 1. 5 6. be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen III That the purpose and end of Christ's death cannot be frustrate Or Those whom Christ dyed for cannot miss of the benefits accruing by His death All the Councels of God from eternity All His promises and Declarations holding forth those Councels and all His Dispensations in order to their accomplishment have a special relation to Christ as dying for His people and their actual Salvation thereby as the end thereof Now the End of a Thing is that for which the Thing it self is and but for which it had not been 't is that the Chief Agent principally proposeth and aimes at and if he be wise he will certainly use and appoint such Means and Order them in such manner that the thing designed shall not miscarry Men indeed may miss of their End They aim at This and That 's produced as in building the Tower of Babel But this is still from some imperfection in themselves Either the Thing it self is not feasible Or the way to it is imprudently contriv'd or the Means unduely applyed their minds alter or they are made to desist by a power above them c. But God only wise and Almighty it is not so with Him None of those things which impede the designs of Men
henceforth the fear of wrath but the sense of Christ's love in delivering from wrath that both Curbs the unregenerate part and carries to higher acts of obedience than fear is capable of Altho' at times all sorts of Motives may be needful to keep them going 2 Cor. 5. 14. And the Lord for exercise of their Graces and other holy ends may let the dearest of His Children long conflict with their Fears Under which He yet supports them and brings them forth like Gold at last See Ethan's complaint and the Close he makes in the 89 Psam See also that excellent Treatise A Child of light c. But as touching this Fear in the sense objected which supposeth it the best Curb to Sin and promoter of Perseverance it ought to be rejected How far it may influence a Man that is wholly Unregenerate as a Curb to His lusts is not the Question here But if Saul and Judas ran headlong to hell with this bit in their mouths then is not this sharpest bit the most Effectual Curb That which weakens and tends indeed to destroy the Root of Sin must needs be more effectual as to the main end than That which onely Restrains some puttings-of-it-forth Acts 15. 9. But God purifies the heart by Faith 1 Joh. 3. 3. And Every one that hath this hope purifieth himself as He is pure There is no such virtue given to Fear but on the Contrary The spirit of Fear is put in opposition to the Spirit of Power of Faith and of a sound mind 2 Tim. 1. 7. But what ever influence this fear may have upon persons unregenerate they are not deprived of it by the Doctrine of Perseverance for This concerns onely Believers The Objection lyes further open to divers Exceptions As 1. Because it puts an indignity on the Wisdom and Grace of God as if He had taken from Believers some expedient help to Perseverance by his giving them Absolute Promises whereas we should rather suspect our own understandings and Renounce those opinions which Necessitate such unnatural Inferences to support them For do but separate the Promises from their Absoluteness and their strength is gon Rom. 8. 2. They would prove as the law Weak through the weakness of the flesh The Lord knowes that Beleivers have both the difficultest work and deepest sense of their own insufficiency and that nothing more weakens their hands than doubtings and fears And for this cause hath made His Promises absolute Thus we find He Armed Joshua to the battel There shall not any Man be able to stand before thee Josh 1. 5. all the dayes of thy life I will not leave thee nor forsake thee And hence he draws him an Argument to be strong and of a Good Courage ver 6. In like manner Samuel when the People were greatly preplexed because of God's displeasure against them To confirm them in their duty he Comforts them against their Fears Fear not sayes he ye have done all this wickedness yet Turn not aside from following the Lord And what 's the strong Reason by which he fixes them For the Lord will not forsake His People The Objectors and Samuel were not both of a Mind Paul likewise Exhorting Believers to that great duty of keeping-down Sin Rom. 6. 12. that it might not Reign Because the sharpness and heat of the Conflict might otherwise make them Recoyl He gives them as an high Cordial Assurance of Victory tells them in plain and express terms That Sin shall not have Dominion over them ver 14. Here they are at variance with Paul Nor do they better Accord with Peter and John The One directs us To give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. And this as a principal means to keep us from falling And the Other makes it the Scope and End of his whole Epistle That Believers may know they have Eternal life 1 Joh. 5. 13. and that they might goon in Believing Which kind of Arguments had been very unduly applyed if Giving them assurance touching the Event had not been a strengthening of them in their Duty and much more if it would have proved an Iudulgence to the Unregenerate part 2. Let Fear be considered in its Ordinary and natural effects and 't will easily appear That Nothing is less pleasing to God or more unapt for the Service of Perseverance As a Man's principle is such will be his obedience Slavish observance is the best that slavish fear can produce which is no way acceptable to an Ingenuous Spirit God loves a Cheerfull Giver not Samaritan-Worship for fear of Lyons Such service wil also be weak and wavering for Nothing so unsettles the Mind as Fear It enervates the Soul and takes away its Strength 1 Sam. 25. 37 Nobal's heart dyed within him for fear of David Matt. 28. 25. and the Soldiers who kept the Sepulchre were as dead Men for fear The obedience therefore which comes from thence can be but a dead obedience The Effect cannot rise higher then the Cause Pharaoh let Israel go because of the plagues Exod. 14. 5. which being a litle removed Isa 33. 14. he Repents his obedience and chides himself for it And those hypocrites though Fearfulness surprized them Remained hypocrites still This Fear also will consist with the greatest impieties Those very Samaritans who thus feared the Lord 2 King 17. 41. did also worship their graven Images 3. Fear puts upon using unlawful Means Gen. 26. 7. 1 Sam. 21. 13. Gal. 2. 12 13. Hos 7. 11. 1 Sam. 28. 7. Isaac to deny his wife David to feign himself mad Peter and other holy Men to dissemble It sends men to Egypt for help as it did the Jews yea to hell as it did Saul Therefore both Satan and wicked Men are still endeavouring to put God's people in fear Neh. 6. 14 19. Zach. 2. 2. as they would Nehemiah whereby his work had ceased And Satan stood at Joshua's right hand to resist him that is to accuse him and so to put him in fear because of his filthy garments Thereby to discourage him in the work of his office 4. Let Fear be compar'd with its Contrary viz. Faith This removes the Mountain whiles fear fixes it yea makes it to be where indeed is no such thing Fear made the unbelieving spies to bring up an evil Report of the good land and to fancy impossibilities of obtaining it Faith made Caleb and Joshua Magnanimous Num. 13. 30. Let us go up at once say they and possess it ch 14. 9. For we are well able to overcome it yea they shall be bread for us These two who feared no Miscarriage under an absolute Promise were Carried-in All that doubted Mat. 14. 29 3â— were shut out Peter whiles confident walked on the Waves when he began to doubt he began to sink Josh 23. 10. It was Faith made those Worthies valiant in
Peradventure they will save us a live So do ye although ye have but a May be we shall be hid Zeph 2. 3. Minde your Duty and leave the issue to God Believe above hope and against hope Follow God in the dark as your father Abraham did Not knowing whether He would lead him Thus to do is To give Glory to God Therefore Fear the Lord and Obey the voice of His Servant even then when ye are in Darkness and have noe light Namely of His special Favour and love to you in perticular And though never so great discouragements are afore you from the Guilt of sins Committed the power of Indwelling Corruption and your present Aversness to Beleiveing and hear withall That Faith is the Great Commandment let your heart answer Is it my Duty my Duty to believe Nay then I must Remember His Greatness His absolute Dominion The â—ncontrollableness of His Matters That He hath concluded All in unbelief That He might have mercy upon All Rom. 11. 32. that is That the Salvation of Those who shall be saved might appear to be of Mercy and be so acknowledged To him therefore Commit your Cause and Commit it to Him as your Sovereign Lord and so leave it with Him And see that you take it not out of His hand again by your doubting the issue of it And know that then is your Soul nearest to Peace and settle ment when brought to this Submission Be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits Heb 12. 9. and live But let not the Word be misconstrued I do not mean by Submission That you should be satisfied under a denial of Mercy on the accompt of God's Absolute Dominion I cannot think That a Necessary term or qualification in your â—reating with God for Salvation For 1. I do not find That God requires such a Submission as the Condition of obtaining Mercy Nor that He hath made any Promise to give such a Submission in order to that end Nor any Instance in scripture of Mens having or indeavouring such a frame of spirit in that business Nor yet That Men are any where tax'd for-Not attâ—ning to it They are blamed indeed and that worthily For not submitting to the Righteousness of God that is For not Renouncing their own and flying to That of Christ And this blame-worthiness you cannot escape if finding your self lost and undone you will not presently run to Christ without first finding in your self Something that may seem to commend you to him 2. Such a Submission seems Repugnant to God's revealed Will For if this be the Will of God even our sanctification That we should believe in His Son and love Him with our whole heart Then it cannot be his Will That we should be willing to Remain in an unsanctified estate in unbelief and enmity against Him which are the inseperable Conjux of Willingness to be Seperated from God 3. Because the promise of Ease and Rest is made to the Weary and Laden coming to Christ Not to a Contentedness to be divided from him And the promise of Satisfaction is to your bungring and thirsting after Righteousness Not to the Câ—ssation of your desire without the Thing which onely can satisfie 4. Because To be satisfied without obtaining Mercy is to be satisfied with an utter incapacity to Glorify the Grace of God and to enjoy Communion with Him which are the principal End and Duty of Men. 5. It is Crosse to the Genius and Concreated Principle of the Reasonable Creature which is to seek its own happiness In any thing short of which it ought not to acquiesce 6. Such a submission cannot be Requisite in Preparatory work because That would suppose the highest pitch of Grace attain'd if yet it be a Grace and attainable before you beleive and consequently That it is not a Grace out of Christ's fullness for ye are supposed to have it before ye go to Him And therefore when I say ye must submit without Capitulating or making terms my meaning is ye are not to Treat upon terms of your own Making Nor propound any thing to God but What Sovereign Mercy propounds to you as the Way and Means of obtaining your Great End And great Reason ye have for this Submission for herein lies your Interest Those being in truth the onely Terms by which a lost and sinfull Creature can be rendred salvable or capable of being saved as may further appear in the Sequel of this discourse I think with humble Submission That if any Point of time may be supposed before the Decree It was Then that Absolute Dominion borâ— sway But ever since Election came in It is Grace that Reignes Not That Sovereignty is Ceased but Transferr'd Before it was in Power but Now in Grace In Grace as touching the Elect and in Justice as touching the Rest Grace is the Attribute God delights to honour And all the Other are if I may so speak Subjects of This Even Christ Himself was made a Servant to perform the pleasure of His Grace So then That you are to Submit unto is the good pleasure of God's will as held forth in the Covenant of Grace undertaking for and perfectly able to save you and as having His Sovereign Power engaged to make it good Which seems the scope of that passage in Moses his prayer for the people Numb 14 17 18 19. when they had highly provoked God Let the power of my Lord be Great according as Thou â—ast spoken c. It was to pardon and still Own them for His people And to this agree all those Scriptures which hold forth the Power of God as the ground of Faith as that by which He is Able to pardon sin Isa 27. 5. To subdue miquity and to hold your Souls in life you are therefore directed If ye will have peace with God to take hold of His strength Which cannot be meant of Contentedneâ—sâ— in having that strength put forth to destroy but as being perfectly Able and engaged by His Covenant to Save you As to the time When He will manifest His love to you As also touching the manner and measure of His dispensing it the good pleasure of God's Will is expressly and with all quietness of spirit to be Submitted unto But as to the Thing it self You ought not to be said Nay but as he who had power with God and prevail'd Hos 12. 14. Gen. 32. 26. He wept and made supplication but still resolv'd I will not let thee 〈◊〉 except thou bless me 2. As for the other nearest Concernment touching your Children deal in like manner for them by submitting them to the same Mercy It is true That next to your own personal salvation there cannot be a greater evidence of God's love to you than to Choose your Children after you Nor any thing more desireable to you Therefore Command them Gen. 18. 19. and Instruct them to keep the way of the Lord That He may bring on them the
does He does it Freely without respect to Mens desert Nay their Vndesert rather is an expedient Consideration in this Act of Grace By Works I understand All that Self-Righteousness Goodness Conformity to the Law Or what ever else is performable by Men. These viz Grace and Works he proves as inconsistent as Contraries can be and that the least Mixture would vary the kind If but a sâ—ruple of Works be taken in Grace is no more Grace For to him that worketh is the Reward not reckoned of Grace but of Debt Rom. 4. 4. Grace and Faith are well agreed These both have the same scope and end But Rom. 4. 4. Grace and Works have always Clash'd The setting up of the One is the deposing of the other Either the Ark must Out or Dagon down One Temple cannot hold them both Rom. 3. 28. To the same effect is the drift of that discourse in Gal. 5. It appears from Acts 15. 1. That some there were who taught a Necessity of Circumcision as without which they could not be saved Pretty willing they were to admit of Christ so they might joyn Circumcision with Him and keeping the Law of Moses But this dangerous daubing with things unmixable our holy Apostle could not brook both as reflecting on the honour of his Master and undermining their onely Foundation And therefore to keep them from or bring them off that perillous Quick-sand he tells them expresly These two cannot stand together in that matter For if they be Circumcised they are Debtors to the whole Law and Christ is become of none effect to them because they are fallen from Grace It is as if he had said If you take in any part though never so little of Legal Observances as Necessary to your being Justified ye forfeit the whole benefit of Gospel-Grace The Grace of Christ is sufficient for you He is a Saviour Compleat in Himself and if you look though but a squint at any thing else it is a Renouncing of Him He will be Saviour altogether or not at all And therefore he tells them again and that with a kind of vehemency Gall. 5. 2. That if they be Circumcised Christ shall profit them Nothing And as a Man may not put in his Claim for Justification on accompt of his Works so neither of his Faith as if That were Mâ—terially or Influentially Causal of Justification For Faith it self as it is the Believers Act comes under the Notion of a Work Let us therefore Consider What part it is that Faith holds in this Matter least whiles we cast out Works as not standing with Grace we make a Work of Faith It is Faith's Office to make the Soul live wholly on Another and to Renounce Self ability as much as Self desert To apprehend that Righteousness by which Grace Justifies Not onely to be Justified thereby upon your Believing but to work in you even that Faith by which you apprehend it Isa 45. 24. answerable to that of the Prophet In the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength He that will be Saved must come as an ungodly Person to be justified freely by the Grace of God He must reckon himself an Vngodly Man to the very instant of his Justification True it is The Just shall live by Faith but 't is also true That it is not their own Faith or act of believing that they live by though not without it Which also seems the Apostle's meaning where he sayes The life which I now live I live by the Faith of the Son of God Where note That as Faith is the life of a Believer so Christ is the life of his Faith I live saith he yet not I but Christ liveth in Me Christ was his life and he lived on Christ by virtue of Christ's living in him Notwithstanding all which it is evidently true and must constantly be affirm'd That Grace and Works will still be together in the way of Salvation the one doth not extinguish or exclude the other Only not as Collegues or Joint-Causers thereof But rather as a Workman and his Tooles which himself first makes and then workes with them By Grace ye are saved through Faith Eph. 2. 8. and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Even this believing or Acting faculty is a Creature of Grace's raising up and therefore in the Throne 't is meet that Grace should be above it Works therefore how good soever are not the Cause of Salvation and if so then not the cause of Election for This indeed is the Cause of them both And Works if right and truly Good will alwayes be ready to own their Original and to keep in their own place Where also they will be most considerable and do the best service III. Arg. 3. That the good pleasure of God's Will gives Rise and Foundation to Election is further argued from Men's Incapacity to afford any ground or Motive to God for such a Gift Adam stood not so long as to beget a Son in his first Image It is sâ—en by his first-born Cain what all his natural Sâ—ed would naturally be And though there be some that do Magnifie Man and presume to speak of him at another rate yet evident it is by Scripture-light and experience of those Renewed That Man fallen is poâ—r blind Naked and at enmity with all that is truly good and that he is never more Remote and farr off from God than whiles in high thoughts of himselfe Glorying in his own Understanding Strength Worthyness Freedom of Will Improvement of Common Grace and the like For These make him proud and presumptuous and to have slight thoughts of that special and peculiar Grace by which he must if ever be Renewed and Saved But the Lord Himself who best knows him reports the matter quite otherwise and we know that His witness is true viz. That all the imaginations of their heart are onely evil continually Gen. 6 5. That their inward part is very wickedness Ps 53. 1. That every Man is brutish in his knowledge Jer 10 14 ver 8 21. Altogether brutish and foolish yea even their Pastours that is the very best and most intelligent amongst them Ch 4. 22. Eccles. 91 3. They are wise to do evil but to do good have no understanding And their hearts are full of madness And it was not thus only with the Gentile Nations who were left to walk in their own way but even with the Jews Isa 5. 4. who had all the means of becoming better that could be devised Excepting that of special Electing Grace which took-in but a Remnant They were called Jews Rested in the Law Made their boast of God Knew His Will Approved the things that were excellent Were confident that they were a Guide of the blind and a light to them that were in darkness Instructors of the foolish Teachers of Babes And yet all this while and in the midst of all these high attainments did not
make effectual for that End As is seen in His sending Paul to certain places where he must preach and not hold his peace Why because God had much People in that City i. e. Many of His Elect Ones were there who must be brought in by Paul's Ministry Bythinia and other places he is not suffered to go into though he would God had not yet any Work for him there Those that are to be taken the Lord will bring under the Means as He did that Shoal of Fishes under Peters Net Witness the Eunuch Joh 21. 6. Cornelius the Jailour and others And this Means whether Powerful or Simple in Men's esteem â—tis all one to God His word shall accomplish That He sends it for and the weaker the Means are the more is the Power of God magnified Act. 2. 9 10 11 41 47. See Acts 2. How by Illiterate Mens Ministry He took them by thousands and added to His Church daily such as should be saved So then the Ministry of the Gospel is in no wise made useless or disesteemable by the doctrine of Absolute Election but is rather Greatened thereby as being the Power of God to that Salvation He hath Chosen us to Of what great consequence to the World are the Richest Gifts of Wisedom Knowledg Vtterance c. if all thâ—se who are in any possibility of being saved by them may and shall as certainly be saved without them That the Richest gifts of Wisdom Knowledge Utterance are of no great consequence to the World is no Consequent of the Doctrine of Absolute Election For They are given for the Perfecting of the Saints and edifying the Body of Christ that is The Elect And all the diversities of Gifts Manifestations and Operations do concur to the same End Since it is the same God who Worketh all in all that is He appoints Men to Salvation These Gifts as a Means to prepare them for it and Makes them Effectual thereto But that those richest Gifts of Wisedom Knowledge and Utterance are of no great use or consequence to the World is a very 〈◊〉 Consequent of that Doctrine which tells the World that the Sun Moon and Stars do preach the Gospel sufficiently for Salvation Which if they do wherein indeed are those Richest Gifts to be esteemed And to what end is this waste Why should the best of Men suffer Stripes Imprisonments and Death for doing That which might be done by those above the reach of danger And withal 't is too well known and obvious That Men of greatest Knowledge Utterance and depth of Reason such as are stiled the Princes of this World They are not alwaies Nay very rarely the fastest Friends of Truth and Godlinâ—ss And those Few that are are not alwayes most successeful in their Work Eccles 9. 11. When as Some others meanly furnished in comparison 2 Cor. 10. 10. with Acts 17. 6. have Turned the World upside-down The Lord oft-times rejects the Wise and Prudent and reveals himself by Babes To take from men occasion of boasting and to make it appear that the Faith of His People doth not stand in the Wisdom of Men 1 Cor. 2. 5. but Power of God Vpon what account can Men be pressed to a frequent diligent conscientious attendance on the Ministry if Salvation and consequently Preparation and Meetness for Salvation shall as certainly be had by a broken careless superficial attendance in this kind On what account did the Lord so frequently admonish that People To keep the Law without turning aside To Circumcise their hearts and to be no more stiff-necked and this as the Condition of their obtaining Canaan if all their unworthyness could not deprive them of Canaan which the Author of this Objection elsewhere affirms it could not But further As Men are Creatures it is their duty to serve and honour God and in order thereto to wait upon Him in His Ordinances and that with all diligence although the business of their Salvation were not concerned in it but much more since it is if any thing of Self-Concern may enforce a Duty And truly the present sweetness that is in the wayes of God is Argument sufficient to induce our most serious attendance thereon But that Salvation or Meetness for Salvation may as certainly be had by a careless Attendance is far from the Doctrine of Absolute Election to Assert For it presseth it still as an important duty to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure But really Remisness in duty is the natural result of that Doctrine which teacheth That a Man possibly may lose all he hath run-for at the last step For who will strain and toil himself as they term it for an uncertainty And if there be any such who neglect their duty because if Elected they are sure to be saved they give but a sorry evidence of their state And they are commonly such as most eagerly oppose the Doctrine of Election and not of those who hold for it Such an Election as we contend against we judge to be most unworthy the most excellent Nature of God and to be at manifest defiance with His Wisdom Holiness Mercy Justice c. If the Election contended against be such as the Objectors Arguments are pointed at It is such as I suppose was never held by any And then 't is ill-spent time to set up Counterfeit Notions and make a great business of confuting them But it is Absolute Election without respect to Mens Works that is striven against And for this we say 1. Absolute Election is no way contrary to the wisdom of God but most consonant thereto For how can it stand with His Wisdom to determine the death of His Son for the Salvation of Men and leave it undetermin'd and consequently uncertain whether any one person shall have Salvation by it 2. It is so far from being at manifest defiance with the Mercy of God that it is most congruous and suitable to the very nature of it To shew Mercy is To open the heart to one in distress To love and do good to Enemies whom he might as justly have destroyed and was no way oblig'd to spare much less to advance them Nay perhaps they were deeplier involv'd in guilt than other Men even the Chief of sinners which is sure the highest illustration of Mercy and farr from a manifest defiance with it 3. It doth not oppose the Justice of God For to whom is He Debtor or can be All had a stock in Adam and having lost it by their own default God is not obliged to Restore it Therefore no Injustice to Repair One and not Another Doth it argue any Sovereign or high strain of Grace when Ten Thousand have equally offended to pardon oâ—e or two and implacably resolve to punish and torment all the Rest to the utmost extremity And this against all possible interveniency of Sorrow and Repentance for their fault It were very desirable that men whiles they suppose to
might be made the Righteousness of God in Him and so God might be Just in Justifying of them Faith in this matter holds the place of an Evidence or Seal of that Righteousness which belong'd to us as being in Christ before we believed and is given us on the account of our Interest therein Phil. 1. 29. that we might apprehend it and enjoy the Benefits of it Which is surely a far better Ground to build our Justification upon than our weak and imperfect faith which stands in need daily of the Righteousness of God for its own support Therefore V. Inference Make it a main part of your Care and business To get into Christ and to abide in Him VI. The founding of Election upon Grace Affords Vs divers useful instructions As I. Inference To fall down and Adore the Great GOD for this unspeakable discovery of His love to Men. It is one of the Richest Mercies that He would not betrust us in our own keeping That Another and He One that had not the least need of us should be more provident for us than we would have been for our selves That our Chiefest Interest should have the highest security That it should be founded upon Grace the Attribute which Our Great King most delights to honour And that He should do it as it were against our wills For so it is in as much as to graft our happiness on the Will of Another is contrary to Nature Of all Bottoms we should not have pitcht it there and yet in truth no other ground would hold us His Name may well be called Wonderful Psal 118. 23. It is not after the manner of Men This is the Lords doings and let it be Marvellous in ovr eyes II. Inference It shews what Reason we have to discard and Casheir for ever that Groundless and blindfold opinion which layes the stress of Salvation on a thing of Nought For what else is the Will of a frail and Mutable Man To forsake a living fountain and Rest on a Cistern a broken Cistern What folly is it To cast our Eagles wings and trust to a foot out of Joint who would do it that is not void of understanding Surely Job was aware of it when he professeth He would not value a life that depended on his own Righteousness Job 9. 15 with 21. The Grace of God is little beholden to that Doctrine which would give the Glory of it to a graceless thing And as little have the Souls of men to thank it for It feeds them with dreams and fancies Isa 8. 21. which when they awake will leave them hardly bestead and hungry Therefore sit not down under the shadow of that Gâ—urd It hath a worm at the Root And they will not be held guiltless nor kept from the Scorching Sun whoever they be that shelter themselves in the Covert of it It 's a spark of Men's own kindling wherewith though compassed round they 'l lie down in sorrow Isa 50. 11. Therefore let those who disrellish this Doctrine because it founds not Salvation upon Self look well to their standing and shift from it in time III. Inference Fall in practically with the Doctrine of Election as founded upon Grace As it was Grace which gave you your Elect being So let it be your Spirit and utmost endeavour to improve this your being to the praise of that Grace 1. Give it the sole honour of Election's Original Suffer not Free-will Grace or any thing else pretend to a share in the parentage of it Let not your faith whether foreseen or perfected be reckoned the ground-work or Motive of your Election Rom. 11. 18. It is a branch of it and the branch you know cannot bear the Root Even Faith it self must not yea if it be right it will not gather where it hath not strewed Own nothing therefore that may detract from the honour that is due to Sovereign Grace 2. Bear your self upon this Grace against all your wealâ—ness and unworthyness Let not these discourage you but rathâ—r plead them as occasions by which Grace will be manifested and shew it self to be What it is Thus did David Pardon my Sin Ps 25. 11. for it is great And Moses when all that peoples obedience could not furnish him with an Argument for God's continuing His presence with them what 's his Plea They are an honest ingenuâ—us people Tractable to thy Commands plyant to thy will They are worthy for whom Thou shouldst do this For tâ—ey love thy Company and have buâ—lt Thee a Tabernacle No there is none of this Stuff in it But Exod. 34. 9. Isa 48. 4. let my Lord I pray thee go with us For it is a stiff-necked people their Neck is an iron sinew and their Brow brass Therefore go Thou with us to better us to soften us and to pardon us And by this shall the freeness of thy Grace appear to us For How else shall it be known that I and this people have found Grace in thy Sight Exod 33. 16. But yet withall 1 Look that you make not a light Matter of your Sins or of your Sinfulness you cannot think bad enough of your self or of them nor be too much humbled Onely be not cast down 2 Use the Means that Grace hath appointed Watch and be Sober Watch unto Prayer Put on the whole Armour of God and keep it close about you Your Sword and your Shield be sure you forget not But still let your eyes be towards the hand of Grace through Christ for Councel Strength Agency and every good thing And depend on it for conserving and actuating the Grace it hath wrought in you as Plants do on their Roots The Spouse after Married to Christ Cant. 1. 4. prays to be Drawn to Him 3 What-ever befalls you Remember the Good Pleasure of God is in it Levit. 10. 3. Hold your peace as Aaron did or if you will speak 1 Sam. 3. 19. let your speech be seasoned with Salt It is the Lord let Him do as seemeth Him good Other useful Instructions from the Doctrine of Election in General and Together I. Inference It being a Doctrine of so great Importance be not indifferent about it Put your self on the tryal touching your interest in it and bring forth your evidences for it Observe what are the properties of Elected Ones and see if they stand on your side 1 As touching the Great business of Salvation Do you submit to Mercy without Indenting and making terms with God Have you laid your self at his feet with Peradventure He will save me alive And if He say I have no pleasure in thee Lo here I am and here I will lye If I must perish I will perish here I cannot die in a better place or posture Thus did Job when the Lord seemed to set Himself against him as resolv'd to destroy him yet still he resolv'd to Trust in Him and to hold
free in Giving and Applying the Means to bring-about the End it hath chosen us to For if the Effect of the Means should depend upon somthing to be done by Men which Grace is not the Doer of then works would put-in for a share in the glory of Mens salvation and so the Grace of God would be dethron'd and be as if it were not Grace is no more Grace as is argued in Rom. 11. 6. III. III. Spiritual blessings must be given freely and of pure Grace because the Natural Man cannot perform any such Act as might be Motive for such a gift Things materially good they may doe as Cain in offering the first fruits but not acceptable because not done in the due manner that is in Faith the want of which makes Incense it self an abomination Isa 1. 13 14. If without Faith it be impossible to please God then it must be impossible to doe ought asore you believe that may move God to give you Faith Salvation is promised to Faith Remission of sins to Repentance The blessed vision to Purity of heart But we find not these Graces promised to any Act or Qualification inferiour to 2 Tim. 1. 9. Tit. 3. 5. or precedeing the Graces themselves Our holy Calling and the washing of Regeneration we are not entit'led-to by works of our own IV. IV. If any of the Requisites to Salvation should be given upon conditions Reason would it should be That which in worth and virtue containeth all the Rest and without which the Rest had never been or been of none effect And that is Our Lord Jesus Christ of whom it is said That all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily Coll. 2 9. Joh. 1. 16. Rom. 5 8. and that Out of His Fullness all Grace is received The giving of whom was the most superlative commendation of God's love to Men and is therefore termed That Gift of God Ioh. 4. 10. And as touching the Free and Vnconditionate giving of Christ we have an authentic Record in Gen. 3. 15. It shall bruise thy head Which words doe contain an Absolute free Promise to send the Son of God in the Nature of Man to be a Redeemer And we evidently know That His actual coming and performance thereof was not suspended upon any good thing to be done by Men How could it when after the Fall they did not nor could doe any thing but what might turn His heart against them For evidence hereof We need not go out of the Context Doe but observe the First Adam's Carriage and the Manner of it just afore the Promise was made First They believe the Serpent rather than God Then they break the Commandment of life when they had neither need nor occasion so to do This done and finding themselves lost they do not so much as seek after God for help but rather to hide themselves from Him so farr from confessing themselves faulty that they charge God foolishly and shift the blame of their miscarriage upon Him The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the Tree And the Serpent which also is a Creature of thy Making he beguiled me c. Here 's nothing in their deportment that looks like the Motive of such a Promise But tho they Run from God He will not so part with them yea He follows them finds them out and for a door of hope freely pronounceth this gracious Promise of sending One to destroy this old serpent the Devil and consequently the Serpentine Nature that had now instill'd and Mingled it self with theirs It is the first promulgation of the Gospel and speaks with as much absoluteness as words can express It Shall bruise thy head This I shall stand the more upon because it is the First that was made in Time and That out of which all following Promises are educed The intent of this Promise was Adam's Recovery and Comfort who doubtless at this time was in a very disconsolate Condition as lying under a fresh sense of the happiness he had lost and the wofull estate he was now plunged into And therefore 't was necessary if Adam shall have Comfort by it that the terms thereof be altogether free and Absolute For suppose them to be Conditional as namely If Adam shall now repent and Convert himself If he shall better improve a second stock or rather the cankered Remnant of that he had at first My Son Then shall come into this lower World to still that Enemy and Avenger His life shall go for thy life I will be friends with thee and restore thee to thy first Estate All this and more of this kind had yielded but little comfort or hope to a guilty and defiled Conscience who found himself not onely naked and wholly bereft of his Primitive Righteousness but at enmity with his Creatour and a bondslave to Satan For such Reasonings as these would have broke-in like a floud to bear-down and stifle all hopes of future success viz. If when I was in so blessed a state and endued with power to keep it upon so slight a temptation I yeilded and fell How should I Rise now I am down and my strength is gon If when I had freedom of Will and stood upright so easily I warp'd into crooked paths How can I hope to Return and do better now my Will is perverted and bent to a contrary course If whilst I had eyes in my head and saw things with cleerness I yet lost my way and wandred How should I think to recover it being now both sadly bewildred and my eyes put-out How should I bring a clean thing out of an unclean who kept not my heart clean when it was so How should I gain more with fewer talents who ran my self out of all when I had abundantly more Grapes will not grow upon Thorns nor Figgs on Thistles Nay were my Primitive'state restored agen on the former terms I could not expect to keep it having this wofull experience of so causless and dreadfull an Apostacy c. It was therefore importantly necessary that this first Promise made upon so great and solemn an occasion and bearing in it all the hopes and comforts of God's People to Eternity should be thorowly free and absolute and not depend in the least upon any good thing to be done by Men as a condition of it And if Christ be given freely there 's good ground of arguing thence the free-giving of lesser things as doth the Apostle in Rom. 8 He that spared not His Son how shall He not with Him freely give us all things Math. 6. 25. Is not the life more than meat Is not Christ more than Faith and all Grace Has God given us the flesh of His Son which is Meat indeed and will He not restore our withered hand to receive it It cannot be especially considering That this may be done with a Word and without This the Other would be lost and as water