faith in the kinde of it hath a true being and is of good use and benefit and it is best for them that have it to hold what they have and not think of losing it for a better for though it be not justifying faith nor a part of it nor yet a degree of it yet is it a step towards it according to Gods ordinarie way of proceeding in the conversion of sinners and as a stock whereupon is engrafted saving Faith when God is pleased to make that Christian a member of the Church invisible who was before but a member of the Church visible And as in the vision of the great tree that figured the estate of Nebuchadnezzar the stump of it was left in the ground because God intended to restore him So there is more hope of good intentions towards him who preserveth in himself found principles of Religion though he be unsanctified than another who goeth aside in the by-ways of unbelief or misbelief And secondly as for faith temporarie it is not so called because it never endures but for a time but because it is apt in the nature and constitution of it to abide but a while and then to fail For in two cases a temporarie beleever doth not fall away 1. When persecution doth not arise nor any temptation on either hand for then he may persevere in his faith during his life 2. When it pleaseth God to make use of this common Grace as preparatorie to saving Grace and to indue the temporarie beleever with true justifying faith which is his meer gift not produced by the utmost of natural and civil persections but bestowed onely upon the heirs of life In a visible constituted Church God bringeth men home to himself ordinarily by Degrees working in them first that which is natural and that which is moral and then that which is spiritual And they which quench the spirit even in the common gifts thereof forsake their own mercies and are no friends to their own salvation though you seem to advise all men that are not as they ought to be to turn Atheists or Pagans for so they must do if they lose all their faith Pag. 135. Such were the Galatians they ran well were the sons of God by faith Yet the Apostle saith so manie of them as were justified by the Law were fallen from Grace In that place the word Grace doth signifie the Doctrine of Grace as 1 Pet. 5.12 This is the true Grace of God wherein ye stand in other places also where Grace is opposed to the Law and it is as much as if he had said You that are justified by Law are fallen from the Gospel or Doctrine of Faith You are revolted from the Covenant of Grace to the Covenant of works I answer therefore first The defection of a particular Church from sound Doctrine to errour or unbelief is no good argument to prove the revolt of a particular beleever from the habit of saving Grace no not so much as of any one individual person from sound doctrine for an erroneous generation might rise up in the stead of these who held the truth to their dying day And secondly It doth not appear that those Galatians who stood in Grace did now fall from Grace They did run well and now they did intermit their course not forsaking the right way but halting or stumbling in the way and doubtless were recovered by the Apostles admonition as he was perswaded they would be ch 5. v. 10. I have confidence in you that you will be no otherwise minded than yon have been Neither doth he speak absolutely in the words you bring but rather conditionally as if he had said thus if ye be justified by the Law ye are fallen from Grace as he saith v. 2. if ye be circumcised So that from the Galatians there is no such abundant proof as you speak of The temporarie beleever is not said to have wanted truth of faith but root If they had no root then they had no truth of Faith but onely leaves of profession which Simon Magus had and many other who yet are said to beleeve But it is a heart of unbelief that causeth to depart from the living God Heb. 3.12 It was the last sort of hearers and they onely that did receive the word in an honest and good heart that is the difference of this fourth kinde of hearers from the other three and must therefore be in the fourth onely and without such a heart they might have some faith but they could never have a justifying faith of which onely the question is The foolish virgins had oyl in their lamps else how could their lamps have burned or gone out But they took not oyl in their vessels to supplie their lamps they treasured not up the word of God in their hearts A Parable is as an instrument of Musick it is unskilfulness to strike besides the strings Oyl in their lamps is the profession of Christiantie in outward works and words Oyl in their vessels is inward Grace or Faith whence outward professon is maintained and supplied There was a difference from the beginning between the foolish and the wise and between their lamps which were not alike provided for and thence it was that the one sort went out and the other continued burning That it was true oyl that was quite spent and burnt out as good as that which the other virgins had to feed their lamps withall is a consideration belonging not to the scope or intention of the Parable but to the frame or constitution of it But have you the confidence to maintain that they had truth of faith when yet you say The word of God was not in their hearts The house that fell had no good foundation because they did not do what they heard You might rather have said they did not what they heard because they had no good foundation Action is rather the superstructure than a ground-work But if they did not do what they heard then they had not true faith for true faith is always operative and attended with works otherwise it is but the counterfeit of faith What need of warning true beleevers to take heed of falling or of fearing offence taking if they were out of all danger of taking offence and falling the Apostles implie no such impossibilitie of their falling Exhortations to a mixt societie or congregation must be so delivered as to fit one sort of hearers as well as another and to be usefull to all In the Epistles that the Apostles wrote to the Churches in which were good and bad when they speak to the good they speak as if they were all such and when they direct their speech to the bad they often speak so as if they were all bad I desire you would remember this rule whensoever you fetch any argument of this kinde from the manner of the Apostles writing to any societie of Christians and if you had thought of it now you would
cause why he receives not benefit by Christs death but may it not be said withall that he receives not benefit by it because it is not given him to beleeve But I innovate from Scripture I wish you would once leave your wonted manner of making people think you keep your self more punctually to Scripturd than others do Let the words of Moses be considered Deut. 29.4 The Lord hath not given you ◠heart to perceive and eyes to see Though great signes and miracles were wrought before their eyes yet they perceived them not because God gave them not to perceive Let those words of our Saviour be considered giving the reason why his heavenly doctrine was revealed to some and not to others it was not onely because some gave better ear then others did but So it seemed good in thy sight Matth. 11.26 and those words of his Joh. 10.26 You beleeve not because you are not of my sheep as I said unto you Sheep that is say you elswhere meekened and made docible then look to the 16. verse Other sheep I have which are not of this fold the I must bring Were the Gentiles yet uncalled meekned and made docible already No. By sheep therefore are meant elect such as belonged to God by election without reference to any sheep-like disposition found in them before they were brought In Gods counsel they appertained to his flock according as the elect in Corinth are called his people Acts 18.10 I have much people in this citie not with reference to any frames or qualities they had before they were called And I pray marke those words as I said unto you but where was that said that we may the better gather the meaning of what is said here I will refer you who would be thought not to swerve the least from what you finde in Scriture to Joh. 8.47 and Joh. 6.36 Ye have seen me and beleeve not All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me To come is to beleeve and they come whom God doth give and none else and they whom God giveth were his Joh. 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me These be the causes you finde in Scripture no other frames and dispositions why one beleeveth and another not Sect. 3. You lay down considerations touching Gods giving Faith The sum is this He giveth Faith to all that hear the word as well to them that beleeve not as to theem that beleeve as he gave the Israelites Manna lying before them upon the ground they might take it if they would if they would not take it they might leave it Man 's not having doth not argue Gods not giving The sluggard cannot say God gave him not provision when he might have had it would he have laboured for it And where is now that malicious and standerous Adversary that dareth to accuse you as if you taught that Faith is not Gods gift God gave Faith to Judas but he would not take it as he giveth the slothfull man bread that starveth for want of it because he will not stretch forth his hand to labour He likewise gave Faith to Peter as he giveth to the diligent hand that maketh rich With you or in your doctrine To give is no more than to offer but in good common and ordinary sense That which is offered may be rejected but that which is not received cannot be said to be given And still you presuppose that man hath always spiritual life and can come when he is called and can take what is tendred to him and can eat what is set before him Whereas if you did not innovate from Scripture you might learn and teach others How Faith which is said to be Gods gift is the chief part of that spiritual life by which a Christian liveth and that very hand by which he receiveth and layeth hold of Gods promises and that appetite of the soul by which it longeth after the heavenly bread And untill this be obtained all that is said or done or propounded by way of Object to mans heart is no other than appositiones epularum circumpositae sepulchro as messes of meat set upon a grave or a banquet that is offered to an idol that can neither eat nor smell I am sure you innovate and invert the Apostles words who saith thus It is not of him that willeth but of God that sheweth mercy But you say to this effect That this man is saved and not another it is not of God that sheweth mercie for he sheweth mercie to all but it is of man that willeth and accepteth his mercie It is not of God that giveth but of man that taketh for God giveth to all that will take And when the Apostle Paul saith thus to Timothy if God peradventure will give them repentance his meaning must be but this If it pleaseth God to propound to their minds such reasons and arguments that would prevail with those that are disposed as they ought to be A thing which Timothy himself might do well enough But when he saith Sifortè if peadventure he intendeth some singular and rare matter and of great difficulty scarce to be hoped for not a common gift vouchsafed to all that hear and are outwardly called It is well said it is given to you to beleeve or suffer but it follows not that God either did not or would not have given the same to others in the serious listening to him in the means and Spirits concomitancie therewith given All that come are drawn it follows not all that are drawn come But who giveth the serious listening you speak of Who giveth eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to perceive Whatsoever your concessions be or how far soever you yeeld you take care not to endanger nor part with your beloved Principle though never so rotten It must be of man that willeth and of man that listeneth why one beleeveth and another not The Spirits concomitancy therewith given they should speak of this that hold any such thing needfull beside the word for producing faith but you draw so deep of the Socinian lees as to count them breeders of Fanaticks that hold it I deny not but there is a working of the spirit of God which causeth some degree of illumination and conviction in the hearts of the hearers ordinarily but not universally for some hear and understand not their hearts being like the high way the seed that is sowen the wicked one catcheth away and it taketh no manner of place at all and in the Acts of the Apostles some beleeved others doubted a third sort mocked But though there be ordinarily such a working of the spirit accompanying the word yet I utterly denie that this is always accompanied with that saving and quickning power or efficacie which causeth true faith and is sufficient to salvation for it were sufficient and universal if it were able to remove mans rebellious disposition and were granted to all then all men would be saved
be his friend still they that plead the causes of other men are adversaries one to another and yet out of the court agree well enough among themselves May not one Christian Prince wage war against another Prince and yet be in Christian Charitie he may And what do you call them that call you adversarie You call them the pretended orthodox which is a term more censorious by far and more supercilious then adversarie which hath no hurt in it I am your advarsarie and you are mine and no man thinketh amiss of us for this unless perhaps he mislike the cause why we are so And thus much shall serve for this hungrie cavil and also for this chapter CHAP. XXV Signes of Gods love IN the second section you explain your self and what your meaning is when you usually teach that we should not gather Gods love to us by faith obedience new frames and repentance namely we may gather by these that the benefits of Christs passion are applied to us for our spiritual life but we must not gather by them that the Remedie is provided for us This will I beleeve to have some truth or at least some reason in it when I shall beleeve that there was ever any Christian that did search into his own heart and seek there for good desires and good affections and inclinations to the intent he might thence conclude and know assuredly that Jesus Christ died for all men in the world or when you can shew me who he was that ever yet taught any Christian to do so You made profession in your fourth page above That you armed the children against the dangers and deceits of the pretended orthodox as Antidotes are to be given against the present reigning diseases Now their doctrine is that a Christian person from the fruits of sanctification in his thoughts words and works and especially from the frame and disposition position of his heart may gather the love of God and the benefits of Christs death for his glorification in heaven This was the reigning disease this was the Doctrine against which you framed your Antidote and not against this that we should take heed how we conclude from fruits of holiness that the Son of God offered a sacrifice for the sins of all the world or that he is the Saviour of all men especially of them that beleeve I cannot imagine you spake against that which never any man did or was taught to do but against that rather which all good Christians do practise except those that are commonly called Antinomians There is a seal of Gods spirit which is in this life set upon those that are his and by which he will own them at the last and is not set upon those that are none of his This difference you cannot endure should be made or spoken of He is a Pharisee that is not as other men are but if he gives thanks to God that he is better than others better than this Publican or suppose then this malefactour or this traytour which he seeth or heareth to be executed This this is the poison that needeth the Antidote this is Pharisaisme that must be cried down this is the spirit that must cast out this must be followed upon all opportunities and occasions I noted before how you plied this point in one of your funeral sermons and in another which you preached the year before upon Prov. 14.32 pag. 12. your words are But thou wouldest have some signe or token of the truth of this as concerning thee from him in something to be done by him to thy soul then doest thou as that adulterous generation Mat. 12.39 which Christ reprooveth seeking signes and tokens and if thou shouldest persist in that way thou maist be given up to delusion to believe a lie But when the Apostle in the second Epistle to the Corinthians and the last chapter biddeth them Examine themselves whether they be in the faith and prove their own selves did he bid them do that for which our Saviour reprooved the Scribes and Pharisees Thus you teach but they are deluded that believe you You cōplain Brief Disc pag. 21. That too many of the Teachers love to slumber and content themselves with Dreams in stead of searching out the Truth and giving it forth to the people Is this the truth you have searched for and found it out at last to impart to the people or what shall we call a sick mans dream I will suppose that most of your Auditors had sormerly learned and could then remember that part of the Church-Catechisme wherein they were taught to professe and rehearse after this manner I believe in God the Father who hath made me and all the world and in God the Son who hath redeemed me and all mankind and in God the holy Ghost who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God And I will suppose also that some good Christian well weighing these words with himself should not rest contented with the common love of God who created all things and hateth nothing that he hath made nor with that generall love of Christ whereby he redeemed all mankind but should endeavour further to finde that he is sanctified by the holy Ghost having heard that there is a seal of the Spirit and every seal is more than a signe but a signe it is having heard also of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. If now this person should be perswaded by you and your Sermon that if he goeth on in this way he is descended of that wicked and adulterous generation of the Scribes and Pharisees that tempted God and provoked our Saviour by calling for signes I cannot think you have done any good service for his soule but rather that he forsakes the right way and gives over the truth to be abused by you When we look for fruits of Faith this is not to enquire whether Christ died for us or not for he dyed for all but whether the holy Ghost hath sanctified us or not because he sanctifieth only the elect people of God and consequently whether we have Christs death applyed to us according to his speciall intention If you had perceived any of your people so fond as to apply that reproof Mat. 12.39 for confirmation of the doctrine you elsewhere teach By the place and office you are in and by your skill and learning in Logick and Languages you should have informed them that a Signe there signifies a Miracle or a Wonder above the sphere and force of nature as Isa 7. Ask thee a signe aske it in the depth or in the height above And Mark 16. The Apostles confirmed the word with signes following much less ought you to have put such a conceit into their heads as if when they examined their own hearts as the Apostle biddeth them they were as blame-worthy as some Atheist or Epicurean who after all the Demonstration which he daily seeth should demand some miracle some signe or proof extraordinary
to obtain life eternal by Jesus Christ our Redeemer In the fourth Section he that is loth to read over all your book may finde enough for a taste how to judge of your dealing I did say that the meaning of those words Ephes 1. He chose us in him was not that God chose Christ first and in choosing him chose us I proved it out of the words in the seventh verse and the like manner of speech there in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins I asked had Christ forgiveness first and we in him No. Now to have forgiveness is to be forgiven Mark 3.29 He that shall blaspheme against the holy Ghost hath never forgiveness Acts 10.43 Whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sins Redemption and forgiveness are here taken passively as they are taken actively so they may be said to be in Christ I might have said thus for so I meant Was Christ forgiven first and then we in him Was Christ redeemed first and we in him and then I had prevented that most absurd and impertinent vagarie of yours of partaking of a feast by coming into the house where it is with a great deal the like which when you wrote I wonder where your senses were wandring I call you back therefore if I may and I tell you We were forgiven and redeemed in Christ yet Christ was not forgiven and redeemed first So were we chosen in Christ and yet Christ was not chosen as we were chosen For the clearer understanding of this matter and of those words We were chosen in Christ it is needfull to distinguish The word Christ may be taken two ways First personally for the Son of God made man and suffering for us Secondly collectively as it signifies a mystical bodie whereof Christ is the Head a body congregated of Christ and all beleevers incorporate with him You take it in this latter sense as if we were chosen because we were united to him or after we were made one with him But I have shewed that it is to be taken in the former sense for the person of the Mediatour in whom that is by whom by whose bloud V. 7. we were ehosen to salvation or to be brought to life as he is taken not for a person but for a collective bodie so indeed not otherwise we may be said to be chosen into him but no way in him as you meâ—n You think If election of the Church do in nature or reason precede the choice of a Mediatour then we cannot be chosen in Christ because we are chosen before the confideration of him It is more irksome to speak to him that will not understand than to him that cannot Let me use a few words to your layman whosoever he was that had the good hap to espie this contradiction for this is likely to be that which you speak of in the twentieth chapter My friend you intend to build an house this is your end and purpose this you think of first next you think of hiring workmen and providing materials as means towards building the house and yet you cannot for the least moment of time think to build an house not having wherewithall without workmen and materials You intend to cross the haven this is your first purpose next you think of taking boat you think of one before the other and yet you think of them both together Likewise it is but one purpose desire or resolution of yours to make a voyage into France and to go a ship-board you intend these two both together yet in reason the first of these is first because you desire the other onely in order to that If neither you nor your friend can understand this you are more fit to meddle in other matters than in finding out contradictions Your Essay that names written in heaven should be the qualities of godly meek mercifull written ever in heaven but put upon men when they beleeve came out of Socinus's shop as I told you some where before though you have hammered it more then any other that I know of The names of beleevers are according to their frames and you quote Solomons Proverbs The wise in heart shall be called prudent I told you that qualities are not names Prudent is a qualitie so is righteous poor in spirit mercifull Here you answer somewhat nicely Prudence is the qualitie Prudent the name You shall not need to tell me of my new Logick I have enough left of my old to tell you that Prudence is a qualitie in the Abstract and Prudent is a qualitie no less in the Concrete so they are both qualities but neither of them any mans name But you as before you confounded qualities with names now confound Grammar with Logick as if those things which differ in the one must differ in the other also I can discern nothing further in this Chapter concerning which there is need of any notice to be taken or to be given I shall onely give you this my reason against this new Essay When we read that there are in heaven names written in a book it is borrowed from mens custome who are wont to set down in writing the names of certain persons in a book scrol or catalogue to the intent that their persons may be for sundry purposes the more certainly remembred in time to come So that though there be no book or writing with God yet is there somewhat like it and the thing it self is found among men But as for your kinde of book or writing a book full not of proper names but Adjectives or Qualities it is no where found that I can tell of neither know I where to look for it Therefore vnless you and yours can invent this you have invented nothing CHAP. XVII Jacob and Esau CHAP. XVIII Pharaoh I Dare trust any Reader with your xvii chapter throughout if his senses be but awake though they be not much exercised Onely I observe what encouragement you give him at the beginning while you explain your meaning of that in your Catechisme The Scripture says not that the Election of Jacob and the rejection of Esau were personal by personal evidently meaning as considered in their own persons without Christ for First you then explained your self in the very next answer thus Not personally but nationally therefore it is too bad tosay that you evidently meant any thing else than Nationally Secondly though something hath been said touching election personal and withall in Christ yet for Esau's rejection how that should be not personal but in Christ or not without him you should have helped your Reader in this who is not always of so quick invention as your self As for your xviii chapter I know nothing in it but may receive satisfaction either from what hath formerly been said or from what hereafter followeth CHAP. XIX Vessels of honour and dishonour Sect. 1. He saith I interpret a vessel of honour upon which any honour is conferred whereas I spake