Power and Glory of God Or the Effects of the one from the Effects of the other or between the Salvation wrought by Christ in his Personal Sufferings Death and Resurrection for all men as Sinners and lost without difference and that Salvation he now worketh for and in men which is with difference more generally for and on all men and more especially for on and in those that believe and the Salvation that he will work in his appearing again which shall be onely upon those that believe or that are graciously so reputed and accepted of him and the like Amongst other things I have often thought the Right Distinguishing between the Doctrine or Truth-praedicable or to be Preached to the World and to be believed by them for bringing them to God and the purposes and dispensations of God respecting the said Truth and his operations in and with it might be of good use if well and rightly explicated For I apprehend that the most material differences between those commonly called Remonstrants Arminians or Vniversalists and those that stile themselves and one another the Contra Remonstrants and Orthodox do mainly spring from a want of duly distinguishing the said particulars and of right apprehensions about them and by consequence that the right distinguishing between them and right apprehensions of them would expedite and deliver either the one or the other or both of them from such mistakes as cause and maintain the said differences and tend much to an happy accommodation and agreement in the Truth It being a very usual thing with them to argue either the Truth and extent of Gods love to and Christs Death for men from their apprehensions of the said Dispensations Purposes and Operations in the said Distinction considerable and to measure the former by the latter or on the contrary to measure the latter by the former and argue them therefrom which though righter than the other yet ought not but with good advisement to be done Now though I cannot arrogate to my self the Title of a skilful Teacher being as Agur said of himself More brutish than man and one that hath not the understanding of the man Prov. 30.2 3. Yet according to the Talent given me of God and through his gracious helpfulness believing every word of God to be true I have here endeavoured to say something hereabout if but to give occasion to such as deserve that Title to take it into their consideration and unfold it better SECT 2. Of the Doctrine to be Preached to men its independency upon mens Knowledge and Faith of it its Vnity in it self and Truth for all men THe Doctrine to be preached to and to be received by men in the Truth of God or his Word which is but one in it self for all true in it self and so fit to be declared to and believed by all whether they do actually know it or not believe it or not It s Truth and fitness to be Preached to them and believed by them depend not upon the Preaching and Believing of it but is Praecedaneous to and in order of Nature and time before them For it is not therefore true because declared or false because not but therefore its fit to be declared and may as revealed and given forth be declared because its true as therefore also its meet to be believed when where and as declared and not therefore true or untrue because it is believed or rejected even as a thing is not therefore visible because it is seen but because its visible therefore it may be seen Indeed the benefit the Doctrine brings to men and good its apt to effect in the believing heart is not effected or met with where rejected yet it is a Doctrine worthy to be believed and apt to effect such good before it be known or believe or whether it be known and believed or not I say it hath an intrinsecal aptitude in it self to do good independently upon its being known or believed though it cannot actually produce those effects but by being known and believed Even as a good Plaister hath in it self an aptitude to heal whether it be applied or no although it cannot actually heal unless applyed It gets no vertue by its application but the Sore to which it 's applyed gets vertue from it to the healing it which if not applyed it could not have had from it This Doctrine also is but one in its substance to or for All not one to one and another to another but the same Truth of God and Object of Divine Faith which holds forth the ground of Mens believing and Object to be believed on is one and the same for All though this our Truth hath in it many particular branches and Contents and all of this one Truth hath not been revealed at once to All nor so much of it to one as to another nor to some at all yet the same is revealable in it self to all and true for All. Though this our Truth hath not been at all times so much revealed or in such form as in some as not so much nor in such form before Christs appearing in the Flesh Suffering for us and Ascention from us as since as to say It was not true then nor might be so affirmed That Jesus Christ was already born of a Virgin had dyed and rose again c. But that which is true now and truly declared as done was then true and might have been declared in the future That it should in due time be done whether it was so declared or not yea it was true then that it was accepted by Christ to do and suffer as in due time he hath and it was with God as virtually though not actually done SECT 3. Two Conclusions drawn from the foresaid Considerations touching the Heathen and persons dead and in Hell before Christs Passion FRom what hath been considered we may gather these Two Conclusions 1. From the Independency of the Truth or Doctrine of God upon mens Knowledge of it and Faith of it it follows That it is no valid or sound Consequence for men to argue because the Heathen had not or in some parts have not the things of Christ Published to them and so had or have not the Knowledg or Faith of them therefore they are not true for or concerning them as that God sent Christ into the World to be the Saviour of them and that Christ hath now Suffered and dyed for them c. Seeing the truth of these things depend not upon their knowing or believing them no more than that they were made Righteous in Adam and sinned and fell in him or that Christ is Lord over them and shall raise and Judge them which are no more declared to them and known and believed by them then the other no more than that God loves no Infants or that Christ Dyed for or is the Saviour of none of them that die in Infancy because they have not the Knowledge and Faith of
the Miracles wrought by him as they were confirmations of him and his Doctrine so they had also some significant intimation of the grace brought in by him As the spiritual healing enlivening and saving of men But this was the General and first end of all God's Miracles to demonstrate himself his Truth and People to Men touching which Miracles I note 1. That they were not at all times nor ordinarily wrought for then would they not have been taken for Miracles but upon some special times or upon special occasions As 1. When God brought Israel out of Aegypt to manifest himself to be the true God and Israel his People and to prepare them for his Law and evidence it to be his and so in his Call in them to be and setting them up for his Church with whom his Truth and Worship should be deposited that the residue of the Nations all about might know which was the true God and which his Church and 〈◊〉 where to seek and find him and hiâ— Truth Therefore he set his signes in Aegypt and in the Wilderness to get himself a glorious Name or an everlasting Name as Isaias says and to make his Name known in all the Earth as he said by Moses Isa 63.12 14. Exod. 9.16 We read of few Miracles before except we account the preservation of Noah in the Ark and the Destruction of Sodom for such and surely there might be less need then because of the long Lives of the Patriarks and first Fathers amongst men to hold forth the truth to them 2. In the time of the Apostacy of Israel to manifest to the halting People who was the true God and which his Worship and so to turn their hearts back again as in the times of Elias and Elisha 1 King 18.36 37. 2 King 2. and 3. and 4. and 5. and 6. and 7. c. 3. In the time of the Captivity Jonas 1. 2. 3. Dan. 3. 3. 6. Isa 38. 39. Job 20.31 and a little before in Jonah's time for making known himself and his people amongst the Heathen to prepare them to receive his Message and confirm his poor Captives that waited upon him and give them favour amongst their Enemies 4. At the coming of Christ in the Flesh and his Actual Preaching the Kingdom of God and accomplishing the things of our Salvation to make him manifest to be the Christ and that to be the truth that was Preached by Him and his Apostles in his Name Mat. 11.5 6. Heb. 2.3 4. 〈◊〉 In seting up or taking to himself from aâ—ong the Gentiles a people to be his church 〈◊〉 which the residue of men might resort to seek him Dent. 4. Act. 15.3 4 12 14 15 16 17. 2. That though God wrought many of his Miracles so as they were conspicuous to and amongst the Gentiles yet Israel were Witnesses of more of them then the Gentiles till after Christ's Ascention Israel had the preheminence too in this Dispensation 3. That it was not God's mind that people should look for Miracles to be the foundation and ground of their Faith but that they should believe and have their Faith grounded upon his Doctrine to which he bare Testimony by those Miracles and gifts of the holy Ghost as and when he pleased especially after he had by such Miracles evidenced the Truth and therefore he faulted it as an evil and unbelieving and adulterous frame of heart to be requiring signs after he had sufficiently evidenced Himself Psal 44.1.2 3. 77.11 12. Isa 63.7 8 9 c. Psal 78.3 4 5 6 7 105.5 6 7 8. Joh. 20.29 7.37 38. Rom. 4.17 18. Heb. 4.2 and his Truth to men as Matth. 16.1 2 3 4. Joh. 〈◊〉 .48 Directing them to the Wonders and Miracles formerly wrought by him and to acquiesce and rest in his Authority and Truth as Witnessed thereby and not to be doting upon new Signes to satisfie thâ— vanity of their Minde thence we finâ— David and other holy Men of God ofteâ— mentioning and looking back to 〈◊〉 Works and Wonders of old and Goâ— ordering men so to do they that believâ— because they see being not so happy noâ— their Faith usually so firm as they thâ— believe and see not but believe accordiâ— to what is spoken and as the Scripture saith 4. That God having given a full Testimony to his Truth and to the Revelation of his Truth in these Last Days by his Son and confirming it also by divers Signes Miracles and Gifts of the holy Ghost would have us henceforth acquiesce in them and not either look after more Miracles to perswade us to believe nor receive any because they may work them for he hath fore-warned us that he will suffer Antichrist to come with Power and Signes and lying Wonders yea to shew great Signes and Wonders to try whither we will and do heartily love his Son and the Truth Revealed to us by and concerning him that so such as love him not nor acquiesce in his Truth as already witnessed and confirmed might be deceived by him and go to destruction Matth. 24.22 23 24. 2 Thess 2.9 10 11 12. 5. That though the generality of these Miracles wrought of God were wrought by his servants and people yet he gave not to all his People either to have the sight of them or much less power to work them but onely to some few and in some Ages as he pleased So that in these additional Dispensations also both of Ordinances and Miracles God hath used his own liberty and there hath been both as to Persons Peoples and Ages great diversity But we have been large enough upon this Branch of the Distinction as to God's Dispensations Let us now proceed to his Operations in and upon Men in and with these his Dispensations CHAP. VIII Of Gods Operations and first of those of them that are in Mercy and Directly his SECT 1. That the Operations of God are many of them very secret and not to be known or discerned but by his Word concerning them and therefore to be soberly treated of GOds Operations in and with the Dispensations of his Truth and the means thereof are certainly very intricate secret and incomprehensible as to the manner of them and therefore also great sobriety is to be used in our assertions concerning them taking the word of Truth altogether for our guide therein yea it is better soberly hereabout to profess our weakness and ignorance than to be rash and presumptuous for though its evident by the Scriptures that God and his Spirit accompany the means he affords to men Gen. 6.3 whence that My spirit shall not always strive with man implying that during the day of his patience He is striving as it is also asserted in 1 Pet. 3.19 That Christ by his Spirit preached to the Spirits of men now in prison and in Prov. 9.3 That Wisdom cries with and as well as her maidens unto men to call them to
wrought in them Again 2. That in the ground and motive That it is God that worketh in you c. being used and laid down as the ground and motive to inforce the exhortation as rendring a reason why they ought to be so careful is as represented by the Apostle rather the means of making them obedient to the exhortation as also it was a means by way of motive to induce the Apostle so to exhort them then the exhortation any meanes by which God works what is asserted in the motive It is not God works in you to will and to do by my exhorting you or because or for he exhorts you by me to be Obedient But because it s he that works in you to will and to do therefore be ye Obedient and therefore I exhort you work out your Salvation with fear and trembling The exhortation might be a means to excite them to work out not a means of Gods working in them asserted in the motive wherewith he urgeth the exhortation the ground of the exhortation is true in it self and so asserted and laid down as a thing to be apprehended by them as true in it self not depending for its truth upon his exhortation as to be made true by it as it must do if the exhortation be the means of it but as giving ground for the exhortation and affording motive to obey it because of its absolute truth As the foundation of a house is firm before the superstructure be built upon it and neither depends upon that nor is laid by it but the superstructure is laid upon it and it is rather as a way or means to further the laying of the superstructure and not the laying of the superstructure a means of laying the Foundation 3. If Gods working in them the to will to do the thing exhorted was by the exhortation then not before the exhortation and so not till the Epistle came to them and so not in the time when Paul wrote it and so he wrote false in saying in the then present time It is God that worketh c. But if God did work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure before the Epistle came to them as is most unquestionable then this superadded exhortation was needless to them if his working in them was such as infallibly included in it their working out also seeing they did it all before and could not but do so so long as God continued his working Which was neither made longer nor shorter by the Epistle writing according to that sense espectly nor depended thereupon but was meerly of his good pleasure And if it should be his good pleasure to cease working in them without their provoking him to it as to it they could not by that interpretation provoke him then was it not possible that they should work out their Salvation much less upon the ground propounded by the Apostle the truth thereof then failing and without that asserted in the ground viz Gods working in them his exhortation would availe them nothing So that that interpretation renders the exhortation needless both in respect of God and in respect of them in respect of God for he wrought so before and of good pleasure And therefore also in respect of them seeing he working their working out so as to effect infallibly their whole operation they could not want any exciting thereunto 4. Yea if God so wrought in them by this Exhortation the working out their Salvation would not all the other Exhortations be needless seeing all that they exhort to are included herein Or how ever 5. Then must this and all other Exhortations be obeyed necessarily and no faultiness in believers for not working out their Salvation with fear and trembling unless that God first failing they were left in an incapacity of so doing which failing of his also consists not with that interpretation which is cross to the Scriptures as we have seen These and other like reasons might be urged against such a sense of the foresaid saying and against the objection of Gods so working by the exhortation let us see then how we are to understand it SECT 3. The aforesaid Scripture viz. Philip. 2.12 Briefly opened THe Apostle having after diverse exhortations as to let their Conversation be such as becomes the Gospel of Christ to be like minded or to mind the same thing to have the same love to be of one accord and of one mind to do nothing out of strife and vain glory but in lowliness of mind to esteem each other above themselves not to mind their own commodity but each to mind the good of others c. to provoke them thereunto the more propounded to them the example of Christ his self abasement for our sake and the great glory he had thereupon received of and with God afterward returns again to exhort them further even in the consideration of Christs sufferings for them and the great honour dignity that God had thereupon exalted him to making him Lord of all as they had always obeyed not only in his presence with them but now much more in his absence to work out or accomplish their Salvation with fear and trembling pressing that exhortation further with this reason or motive which seems to have special respect to their working out with fear and trembling For it is God that worketh or God is the inworker or effectual worker in you both of the to will and to do of good pleasure or of his good pleasure to which he adds do all things without murmuring and disputing c. So that those words For it is God c. are used as a motive and argument to inforce an exhortation given to believers who had already closed with the grace of God wherewith he had prevented them which grace of God may also be understood by their Salvation as sometimes it is called in Act. 28.28 and the word of it the word of Salvation Act. 13.26 Ephes 1.13 to be wrought out by them for that received and believed in their hearts was operative and was framing or working in their hearts to frame them in heart and Conversation unto God to which therefore he exhorts them to yield themselves to work in its working both to will and to do so working out and finishing what that effected and gave them power and motion to in its Operation and this with fear and trembling least they should by neglect or restraint of it grieve that good Spirit of Grace working by and in it or mix something of their own with it or work out their corruption with or instead of it And that upon this account because what the Salvation or grace of God is working in men it is God that works it who is greatly to be feared and reverenced and with fear and trembling to be obeyed and served And the phrase it is God that worketh in you to will or to be willing as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred 2 Cor.
general ordinary way or Medium in and with which the power of God is put forth and operates both for bringing in men to himself and keeping them with himself unto eternal life is the discovery or makiâ—â—own of his Name Power goodne◠〈◊〉 And this in the more clear mean◠〈◊〉 making known his Son distinctly 〈◊〉 love in him to mankind or to the wâ— and so to those souls that he works up◠〈◊〉 To which the Law convincing of sin 〈◊〉 â—ching the knowledg of it with all repâ—â—s and chastisements and judgments are but subordinate and superadded means to drive the Soul to take a more ready view of his foresaid Love Goodness Name c. And all the ordinances and commands of duties but either appointments of and injunctions to ways in which his Name and Son are to be sought and soon that being brought in to him he might justify us and be our righteousness or else to witness to and glorify his Name in word or conversation 1 John 4.19 Rom. 1.16 17. and 2.4 5. Psal 9 10. and 36.7 8 9. Rom. 10.17 and 15.9 10 11 12. John 3.3.5.14 15 16 17. and 1.12 13. Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. Philip 1.27 And therefore they that darken and render doubtfull to men the love pity and good will of God in Christ towards them and readiness to save them through him and put men to seek to find it out by their endeavours after works and frames serve not God therein nor do they profit men but are instruments rather in the hand of Sathan to hurt and hinder them Nor are such rightly begotten to or born of God who not believing but neglecting the name of God and his â—ve and good will in Christ to mankin◠〈◊〉 so towards themselves have their hâ—â—wards God begot and Sprung up and â—ed in them from the conceit and â—deration of any frames changes act◠〈◊〉 and endeavours of their own but are â—dren of the Bondwoman Acts 2 8. 〈◊〉 Rom. 9.8 Jam. 1.18 19. Gal. 4.22 23 24. c. Luke 18.10 11 12. Math. 23.13 Isa 28.12 13 14 15 16 17. and 29. 9 10 11 12 13. Psal 118.22 2 Cor. 4.4 1 Thes 2.16 with 2.4 5 6 7. Rom. 9.30 31. and 10.1 2 3. 12. That those who are begotten and born to God in and by the discoveries of himself his Name and goodness in Christ to mankind so as that through his love to them while sinners and ungodly their hearts are overcome to hope in him and love him and so to yield up themselves to him to be his and to live to him they are the Children of God and of the promise the called according to his purpose the Elect and fore known ones whom he hath praedestinated or fore-ordained in Christ and through him to be conformed to him and his image in sufferings and in glory And accordingly such he hath used to call forth to service and sufferings for him and in their faithfulness therein hath justifyed and approved them and afterwards glorifyed them and so he will yet do which may animate such lovers of him for his love to hold them fast by him in all their sufferings either from o◠〈◊〉 him as knowing they are ordained o◠〈◊〉 thereto for their conforming to him 〈◊〉 1.12 13. and 3.3.5.14 15 16. 〈◊〉 3.7 8.9.26 27 28 29. Rom. 9. 〈◊〉 8.28 29 30 31 32. c. 1 Thes 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.21 Isa 50.8.9 Jam. 5. 〈…〉 Heb. 11.39 40. and 12.1 2 〈◊〉 Thus for the positions SECT 3. Some brief hints of uses of the foregoing Treatise and first of the first branch thereof WHat we have hitherto say'd in this treatise may be diversly usefull And first that which we have noted â—bout the Gospel doctrine as to the faith hope obedience and terrours of it may serve Vse 1 1. First to inform us of and instruct us into 1. The great love mercy pity and good will of God to us and to all men both as men made by him and more abundantly as and notwithstanding fallen from him in Adam and so become in our selves miserable corrupt loathsom and the great grace of our Lord Jesus towards us in so abasing himself at the will and appointment of the Father for us the great price he hath set upon us and provision made for us for our Salvation and happiness In this was manifested the love of God to us that he sent his only begotten Son into the â—woâ— that we might live through him In 〈◊〉 do men waving this demonstration 〈◊〉 seek to know it some other way by â—ing into themselves and indeavour◠〈◊〉 to frame themselves to love him 〈◊〉 is love not that we loved him 〈◊〉 â—he loved us and sent his only begoâ— Son to be the propitiation for our sins 1 John 4.9 10. And ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that he being rich became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich 2 Cor. 8.9 So that therein also is discovered to us good ground given us in him of looking to and hoping in him and of loving of and living to him that hath done prepared and set before us so greaâ— things as the word of truth speaks of having not spared his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things Rom. 8.32 He dyed for all that they that live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that dyed for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5.15 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses to them we pray you in Christs stead therefore be ye reconciled unto God ver 19 20. See also Rom. 12.1 2. The wretchedness and misery of our condition by nature who needed such a remedy to be made and provided for us and so the odiousness of our sins both of that sin of Adam and of us all in him and the sinfulness thence contracted and much more yet of continuing in sin against him after and notwithstanding such mercy and kindness shewed us for our redemption and so also the deadness of us through sin both as to the sentence of the law pronouncing us dead and condemned men and the utter deadness of our selves in our powers to help and remedy our selves and one another yea such deadness as no creature power in our selves or in Heaven or Earth could raise us out of it which is clearly seen in the cross of Christ in that he dyed for us all to save and revive us The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then were all dead That we were all sentenced to death appears in this that he that came to succour us was fain to dye for us And that we were so wholly lost and dead in our selves as to our helping our selves from under that sentence is seen in this that such a one as Christ was fain to undertake it and perform the Redemption of us