impossible and therefore in that we are commanded and bound to do it it is clear that it is possible and may be made sure Secondly Because it is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to work this particular assurance in the hearts of those that are effectually called that they are in the state of grace and shall be brought to glory 1 Cor. 2.12 We have received not the spirit of this world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God 1 John 5.10 He that believeth he hath a witnesse in himselfe a witnesse to his own soul that he doth believe Eph. 1.13 14. There the Spirit is called a Seal you are sealed by the Spirit of Promise and verse 14. It is called the earnest of our inheritance Now a seal and earnest is to give more assurance to a Promise and here the Spirit of God is given to Believers as a Seal and earnest-Penny that as they have the first fruits in grace they shall have their harvest in glory 1 John 4.13 Hereby we know we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us his Spirit It is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to assure our hearts in this particular Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witnes with our spirits that we are the children of God Thirdly Particular servants of God in Scripture that have been partakers of this mercy they have had this firm assurance of their effectual calling I shall instance in three First in Paul and the Scripture tells us of him that he had a clear evidence of his effectual calling Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me who loved me and gave himself for me There he had a particular assurance that Christ loved him and gave himself for him So 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and I am perswaded also that what I have committed to him he will keep till the last day So 2 Tim. 4.8 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is a Crown laid up for me Nay not onely Paul but Job also Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth and I shall stand up before him at the last day he knew Jesus Christ was his Redeemer And so David also saith Thou art my God and I will praise thee Psal 118.28 and Psal 23.6 Surely the goodnesse and merey of God shall follow me all the dayes of my life So that put these together God commands it it is the spirits office to work assurance in the heart and particular servants of God have had this assurance therefore why may it not be obtained But if you say these were not ordinary servants of God these were servants of a higher rank and form but may ordinary weak Christians know this also Yes Therefore Fourthly Not only particular Saints have had this but the people of God in General they have declared in Scripture that they have injoyed this particular assurance of their effectual Calling and safety of their condition by Christ Instance in a few Isa 63.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father They made no doubt of it they were so perswaded they feared it not Isa 45.24 Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength Surely a word of confidence they were assured they had righteousnesse for their justification in Christ Jesus So 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that if our earthly Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God eternal in the heavens They knew that when they died they should see God in heaven not only Paul but other godly Christians with him So Heb. 10.34 You know in your selves that God hath provided for you a better and more induring substance They were assured within themselves that when they should die or lose their estates here God had provided for them a more enduring substance So 1 John 3.19 Hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before God So verse 14. We know we are translated from death to life c. So that what can be more clearly proved then this that this assurance is to be attained in this life because God commands it it is the spirits office to work it particular Christians have had it and the people of God in general they have enjoyed and profest this Temper Vse Is it so then that assurance is attainable in this life Then how much to blame are our adversaries the Papists who hold their followers in suspense that they must live without the assurance of their own estate that their soules must hang in feares and doubts all their dayes that the most they can have is only a conjecture oh into what a gulph of discomforts do they plunge them Beloved the Lord in the Book of Deuteronomy chap. 29. did pronounce it as a curse that their lives should hang in suspense it 's a greater curse that mens souls should hang in suspense that men shall not know whether they shall be saved or damned it 's a hell on this side hell and therefore they are much to be blamed that hold their followers in hand with a peradventure they shall be saved peradventure not when the Scripture is so clear in this thing Secondly Let not the thoughts either of the impossibility or the difficulty of attaining this assurance discourage you from looking after it It is not impossible though it is difficult indeed and the difficulty should be so farre from discouraging you that it should quicken your endeavours to make your calling and election sure Thirdly Seeing assurance is attainable in this life inquire into the cause why you who are effectually called have not attained this assurance before now And this puts me upon handling of the second case of conscience seeing this assurance is attainable Therefore Answ Secondly what is the reason that many Christians who are called effectually by Jesus Christ do live in many doubts and feares about their effectual calling Doubt In answer to this I shall lay down these three particulars that the doubts that do arise in Christians about their calling they flow from this threefold fountain Either first from some seeming defect they apprehend in the manner of their calling Or Secondly some seeming defect they apprehend to be in the meanes of their calling Or else Thirdly some seeming defects they apprehend in the effects of their calling and these three grounds are the rise from whence many Christians effectually called do doubt of their call and are not assured of it First It doth arise from some seeming defect they apprehend to be in the manner of their calling They say I am not called in such a manner as I see others are As thus Think they I see other men when they are converted that their humiliations are great I see that they have horror of conscience that they are wrought upon by the terrors of the law
working much upon them to the changing of their lives altering their course and new moulding of them into an external profession that yet notwithstanding all this never had saving grace wrought upon their hearts which is effectual calling Many are called but few are chosen saith Christ Matth. 20.16 And this is a dreadful Conclusion to all you that are professors that have not a saving work upon your hearts to you that flock unto the ministry of the word yet are not called thereby 2. That they who are called outwardly by the preaching of the word to a profession of Christ and yet not called inwardly by the spirit they shall endure greater damnation and greater torments in hell then those that never heard a word of Jesus Christ Matth. 8 12. Many shall come saith Christ from the East and from the West and shal sit down with Abraham Isaak and Jacob in the Kingdome of Heaven and what then but the children of the Kingdome shall be cast out into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth Now who are meant here by the children of the kingdome not those that have heaven prepared for them but the professing Jewes who are called the children of the kingdome because they enjoyed a greater and clearer and fuller measure of the things of God which shewed them the way to the kingdome of heaven then other men did And when Christ cals them the children of the kingdome he cals the heathen the children of the world Now many of the children of the kingdome shall be cast into utter darknesse If there be any more dismal place then other it shall be for the children of the kingdome those that have been as it were nursed up under Gods elbow by ordinances the children of the kingdome they shall have a more dismal portion and dismal room in hell then other men shall have that never enjoyed the ordinances of Jesus Christ And O what a sad word is this to you that live where ordinances do most abound that you may be called the children of the kingdome and yet you to be thrust into utter darknesse 3. That there are many men who are only called outwardly into a bare profession that do harbour and nourish presumptuous perswasions in their own hearts that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ when they never had any saving work of grace upon their hearts This I spake of some weeks agoe from John 8.41 The Jewes had strong perswasions they had Abraham for their father and when Christ beats them off from that they went higher and said we have God to our father and yet verse 44. Christ tels them they were of their Father the Divell And Beloved you may also be deceived in harbouring strong perswasions that you are called effectually when you are only call'd outwardly 4. That they that are conceited in the opinion of their own goodnesse without seeing their want and necessitie of Jesus Christ are of all sorts of people in the world most unlikely to be effectually called by Jesus Christ This I urge from Matt. 9.13 I came not saith Christ to call the righteous c. Mark who are they that is Christ came not to call the Pharisees who were righteous in their own eyes and who had a selfe conceitednesse that things went well with them and saw no need of a Mediator and Intercessor and Redeemer I came not to call the righteous Jesus Christ excludes that sort of men from being called by him men that are self opinionated and have a conceit of their own goodness without any want of Jesus Christ Wherefore all you that think you have a strong faith towards God ever since you were born that think you live honestly among your neighbours pay every man his due and therefore see no need of Christ all your daies the Lord shew you mercie you are more unlikly to be called then any men in the world Matth. 21.31 There is a parable of a man that had two sons hee bid both work in the vineyard one son said he would not work he was obstinate the other son said he would work but did not and so was worse then his word Now these two sons they are the emblem of two sorts of men within the pale of the Church some are profane and obstinate men and they answer as the first son and say they wil not work the second are professing men men that make a good profession but do not answer their profession in their practice Now marke Whether of these twain will the father accept and they said unto him the first the most obstinate that said he would not go but went Verily saith Christ so I say unto you Publicans and Harlots shall go into heaven before you Mark how Christ applies the parable from their own mouths you that are Pharisees that are righteous and honest in your own eyes I wil sooner call whores and harlots and the worst of men then I wil call you Publicans and Harlots Publicans they were the worst sort of men that were they were sitting at the receipt of custome their calling exposing them to a great deal of extortion and briberie yet these men should go to heaven before others that made a glorious profession of Jesus Christ Again 5. A fifth sad Conclusion is this That when others are effectually called before your faces and yet you remain uncalled this should greatly aggravate your sin and condemnation when I say you shall see others that live haply in the same house with you that hear in the same congregation that sit in the same seat with you when you shall hear these effectually called and you remain uncalled this shall greatly increase your sin damnation Mat. 21.32 John came to you in the way of righteousnesse and you beleeved him not that is they were not called by his Ministry what then but the Publicans and Harlots believed what then and you when you had seen it repented not afterwards that you might believe Mark how Christ argues he urges that those men that heard the same Sermons that the other men did heare they were converted saith he you see whores and harlots converted alluding to Mary Magdalen and others you see these and yet you repent not and yet you beleeve not now you see one then another and yet when you see this you repent not that you might beleeve Beloved This is a sad conclusion to you that shall see others converted when you that haply lie in the same bed sit at the same board and hear the same Sermons in the same Congregation yet they shall be converted and called and you not this will greatly increase your sin and condemnation 6. That whoever God intends effectually to call it is Gods ordinary way to call them by the Ministry of his word 2 Thes 2.13 14. It s said there that they were called through the Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth to obtain eternall glory by
it If you grieve the Spirit of God God will grieve you and your spirits shall be grieved that you shall not keep the joyes of the Lord in your brest in the assurance of his love and favour to you You read Esa 63.10 They grieved his Spirit so he was turned to be their enemy and fought against them Beloved though God may be your friend yet he will frown upon you as an enemy and seem to fight against you too in case you grieve his Spirit if thou grieve Gods Spirit God will grieve thine and when thy spirit is grieved thou must needs lose thy comforts Sixthly Take heed of the sinne of hypocrisie false grace will breed a false joy A false heart must needs have false comforts You will never keep true comforts if you have an unsound heart The upright in heart they shall shout upon their beds for joy they shall do it but hypocrites shall not Take heed therefore of this evill and you are in a way to preserve your assurance 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren Give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THE Doctrine I am yet upon is this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the managing of which I came to an use of direction to those who are assured of their effectual calling and to them I gave three directions First That you would rightly manage your assurance Secondly Carefully preserve your assurance Thirdly Daily improve your assurance the last of which I have yet to handle And touching this third direction daily to improve your assurance I shall give you but three heads which if you make use of you may every day improve your assurance and bring it from a little to a great measure As First In case you would do this improve your graces The more you increase in grace the more you will grow in comfort Grace and comfort they are two Twinnes that the more one growes the better the other thrives Hence you read that in the saluation of every Epistle the Apostle puts both together Grace mercy and peace be multiplied to you in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 1.3 There the Apostle makes the multiplying of grace to be the multiplying of peace The more you multiply and grow in grace the more you will increase peace inward peace of conscience they are both joyned together You have a passage 2 Peter 1.5 11. compared together Adde to your Faith vertue c. The Apostle there urgeth our diligence to adde grace to grace that is to live in the improvement of grace And what will follow verse 11. If you doe these things you shall never fall for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord Jesus Christ You shall not onely go to heaven but you shall have an abundant entrance ministred before you come there you shall have abundance of assurance and inward peace before you come there And here to give you a more particular direction there are these foure graces chiefly you are to improve First Improve the grace of humility Esa 57.15 the Lord doth promise there to revive the spirit of the humble It is a particular promise to that grace that God will revive you and give you a new life if you have it And reviving there is not meant of the first life of grace but of a life of comfort They had grace before but God would give them a life of comfort he will restore your consolation to you in case you are a humble people Hence it is James 4.6 The Lord gives grace to the humble Yea he gives more grace The Lord gives more grace to the humble person then to any man in the world Now the more grace you have the more comfort you must needs have Humility is a foundation of more grace therefore needs must be a foundation of more comfort That building whose foundation is laid lowest is of all the most beautiful and comely Fabrick above ground So those Christians that lay a foundation low in humility they are likely to rear up a most beautiful Building in way of comfort Secondly Improve the grace of faith in believing and that is the way to increase comfort 1 Peter 1.8 Whom though you have not seen yet believing you rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Though they did never see Christ yet believing in Christ and improving their faith they had not only an ordinary measure of comfort but they had more comfort in their hearts then they could utter with their Tongue They rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory So Rom. 15.13 The God of peace fill you with all joy and peace in Believing that you may abound in hope through the holy Ghost Believing makes you full of all joy and makes you abound in it The more you are in Believing the more you will be in assurance Thirdly Improve the grace of love to Jesus Christ John 14.23 If any man love me my Father shall love him and we will come in unto him and make our abode with him That is If you improve in your love to Jesus Christ God the Father and God the Son will make their dwelling in your hearts Now he must needs be a comfortable Christian that hath so good a guest as God the Father and Jesus Christ to come in and make their abode with him As you know to your bosome-friend whom you love and you know loves you you will communicate all your secrets Thus will God the Father if hee knowes you are his bosome-friends and seeth you love him he will communicate all his comforts to you you shall never want comforts if you increase in love to Jesus Christ Fourthly Improve the grace of godly sorrow you will never finde sweeter musick in comfort then when you are laid down in teares As the sound of the Trumpet is never more pleasant then when they are upon the water so when God seeth you flow with the water of repentance and godly sorrow then you are likely to hear the most melodious harmony in the apprehension of Gods love Psal 126. They that sowe in tears shall reap in joy You shall not onely have a dram but a handfull of joy as Reapers they cut down handfuls of corne at once And as you know in seed though you sowe but one grain of corne there may a dozen eares come from that one seed so if you sowe but a little godly sorrow a grain of godly sorrow may be a root to a great deal of spiritual joy Secondly If you would improve your assurance preserve a clear conscience both towards God and man A good conscience is a continual feast Prov. 15.15 Assurance I may say of it as a Father speaks of the Holy Ghost Res delicata est Spiritus Dei and the comforts thereof The Spirit of God is a
T. Cross Sculpsit A TREATISE OF EFFECTUAL CALLING AND Election In XVI SERMONS On 2 PET. 1.10 WHEREIN A Christian may discern whether yet he be effectually Called and Elected And what course he ought to take that he may attain the Assurance thereof Preached by that faithful Servant of CHRIST Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE late MINISTER of Lawrence Jury LONDON LONDON Printed for John Rothwell and are to be sold by John Clark entering into Mercâ—rs Chappel at the lower end of Cheapside 1653. TO THE Reader Good Reader IT 's a true saying that the Assurance of an eternal life is the life 〈…〉 temporal life The Apostle◠〈…〉 that if in this life only we 〈…〉 in Christ we were of all men most â—â—â—â—rable None being exposed to so many troubles and tribulations in this life aâ— the best Christian And what could sustain and beare us up under them all but the certain hope and expectation of a better Resurrection This makes Christians glory in tribulation despise all the glory of the world run as swiftly in wayes of duty as the charets of Amminadab in a word to enjoy a Heaven upon earth They therefore are the greatest enemies of a Christians comfort that teach a doctrine of doubting that a Christian must alwayes hang in suspense about his eternal state and can never arrive to any certainty whether he shall be saved or no. But as this assurance is excellent so is it hard to come by Difficilia quae pulchra 'T is not to be obtained without a great deal of labour and diligence 'T is usually the fruit of much prayer and care and humiliation and long-waiting those that come by it so easily and get it so soon have great cause to suspect that their assurance is not of the right kinde Carnal security and presumption is easily attained but Christian assurance not without great difficulty 'T is therefore much to be lamented that there is so little diligence used for obtaining the assurance of our effectual Calling and eternal Election which is of such great concernment to every Christian What care do men take what diligence do they give to make sure their lands and goods and worldly estates They cannot be at rest till they have secured these But upon what uncertainties do they venture the salvation of their precious and immortal souls They run the most desparate hazards of their eternal salvation never consider whether they are in the way to heaven or hell until they drop irrecoverably into the bottomlesse pit Oh what a strange madnesse possesseth the mindes of men that they should look no more to their own safety that they think it wisedome to secure every thing except their own soules What evil have they deserved of you that you should neglect them so much The designe of this Treatise is to awaken men from their security and to stirre them up to give all diligence to make their Calling and Election sure It was handled by the Author as a just Consectary from the doctrine of the Glory of Heaven and the Torments of Hell which Treatise is already published as appears in the Introduction to this discourse That seeing there is such glory prepared for the Elect and such torments for the reprobate it concerns every Christian to give all diligence to make sure to himself that he shall attain the one and escape the other So that these three Treatises have dependance upon each other and together make up one compleat Systeme In this last thou wilt finde many practical cases handled of great soul-concernment both for the comfort of such as are sincere and the discovery of those that are unsound If thou shalt reap any profit by the perusal hereof let God have the praise and let them have thy prayers who are Ready to spend and be spent for the good of thy soul EDMUND CALAMY SIME ON ASHE JEREMIAH WHITAKER WILLIAM TAYLOR ALLEN GEERE OF THE ASSURANCE OF OUR VOCATION AND ELECTION SERMON I. 2 PETER 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure TO give you an account why I pitch'd upon these words it is briefly thus Having spent seventeen Sermons in treating of the Glory of Heaven for the Elect and of the Torments of Hell for the Reprobate I deem'd it most meet to shut up those two Doctrines in the prosecution of this Subject of the Assurance of our Election and Vocation that so if this Doctrine be well improved you may have establishment in your own hearts that you are freed from the torments of the Damned and may be confident you shall be stated into the Glory of Heaven which God hath provided for all his Saints And to the end you might have assurance that you shall be freed from the one and shall enjoy the other you must make it your work according to the words of my Text to make your Calling and Election sure Make but that sure and you are sure of Heaven This is the reason why I pitch'd upon this Subject And it is my care in preaching the Word not to chuse those Texts that are most for my ease in study but for your profit in hearing that so one Subject might back another and one Subject might strengthen another and being put together might more serve for your edification and knowledg I shall not stand long in Prefacing All that I have to do in the managing of these words are these three things 1. To shew you the scope and dependance of the words 2. The sense and meaning 3. To draw out those practical Observations which naturally flow from them And then apply the Observations deduced For the scope and dependance of these words you may discern it lies thus Peter who is called an Apostle of the Circumcision that is an Apostle whose work and Office it was to preach to the Circumcised Jewes as it was Paul's Office to preach to the uncircumcised Gentiles he writ this Epistle to the dispersed Jewes that were scattered throughout the world through Pontus Asia Cappadocia Galatia and Bythinia Whence observe Gods people are a scattered people And to them he writes that though they were persons living in different places yet they had the same faith Simon Peter a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith So that you see the Spirit of God where it works in men though they live in different places yet they shall all believe the same Truth and all receive the same Faith Though different in Language yet but one God and one Faith The Spirit of God wrought the same Faith among those scattered Christians And the Apostle writing to these Jewes he begins his Epistle first by way of Salutation ver 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you 2. He writes by way of Consolation ver 4. telling them that they are Partakers of the Divine Nature that they are call'd to Glory and shall enjoy all the Promises of the Gospel These are
upon the mass of mankind in the world and saith if any man say he hath sinned and it did not profit him that is if he look upon sin as an evil and that he never did get good by it then saith God I will deliver his soul from hel and bring him to heaven Object Yea but you wil say May be sometimes God may do thus to affright men and trouble men in mind make them see their sins but is this Gods usual work Answ Yes it is ver 29. Lo these things worketh God oftentimes with men Mark it is not a seldom work but it is Gods work often he will make you see your sins see them to be fruitless and see them to be unprofitable Lo these things God worketh oftentimes with men Hence you read John 16.8 When the Spirit shall come mark his Office he shall convince the world of sin The first act of the Spirit in converting a soul and calling him is to convince him of sin And I Remember Piscator thinks this accomplished in Acts. 2.37 When they saw their sin in crucifying of Jesus Christ this is the first work of the spirit of God in your Calling he will convince you of sin Now O Beloved to how many do I speak this day with whom God hath never taken this Method since they were born into the world How many are there that have been told of their drunkenness and told of their lusts and of their deceits and of their licentious living from day to day and yet to this day they never saw sin to be exceeding sinfull they never were convinced of sin to purpose If they did indeed see their sin 1â— it was but a transient sight soon come and soon gone or else 2. it was but a general sight to say we are all sinners or 3. If they did see their sin it was but a confused sight no way distinct or 4. If they did see sin it was an unhumbling sight the sight of sin did never humble them in Gods sight I intreat you Beloved do not laie hold or have hopes of being effectually call'd if God hath not shewn you the hainous and aggravated nature of your sins There is a speech Job 36.9 10. He first shews to men their works and their transgressions that they have exceeded and then he opens their ears to discipline and commands them to return from evil Mark then the Lord doth it when he makes them see their transgressions that they have exceeded Now Have you seen that you have exceeded in your Passions and in your Pride have you seen sin to be exceeding sinful this is Gods first work and happie are you that are brought into Christs School that Christ doth take this Method withall 2. After God hath put a light into the soul to make you see the sin fulnesse of sin then 2. God fastens these thoughts on the soul to make you sensible of the great misery that your sins have brought you into to cry out with Paul Rom. 7.24 Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death There Paul cryes out of his wretchednesse and misery by reason of that body of death the sinfulnesse of his nature which he confesses did as much trouble him as if a dead body should be tyed to his living body alluding to the custome of the Romans in punishing notorious Malefactors which he takes to be a most grievous punishment Why Beloved have you ever seen this did you ever see that misery that sin brought upon you that sin did devest you of righteousnesse did rob you of your God banish you from his presence intitle you to hell and make you objects of his wrath Now were you sensible of this misery this is Gods method to make you see your misery by reason of sin 3. God puts the soul into a kind of spirituall astonishment that the poor sinner doth not know where to goe what course to take which way to turn how he may get pardon for his sin and recoverie from his miserie This you find mentioned as Gods method Acts 2.37 upon 3000 at once Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved They were even in a maze the word wrought upon them and they saw Jesus Christ crucified to be their sin and now they crie out in great astonishment Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved When God effectually calls a man he will leave him a little to himself that he knows not which way in the world to turn him Now when I speak of spiritual Astonishment mistake me not for First I press not such a measure of Humiliation nor such a measure of trouble of mind how great it must be Nor Secondly do I press the duration of it how long it must be that you must be so long and so long Nor Thirdly doe I press an absolute necessitie of this as if a man could not be call'd without it Indeed we read of Lydia that her heart was opened and she never troubled nor astonisht and God sometimes works thus in an extraordinarie way but I press this that ordinarily its Gods Method in some measure or other at some time or other to put his people into such a plunge that they shall not know which way in the world to turne themselves And so were those 3000 Acts 2. They could not tell what they should do to be saved And here further if you ask me With whom doth God most of all take this course to put them into such spirituall amazement to put them into horror and terror about their everlasting estate I Answer first Those that have liv'd in a course of profaneness before Conversion let them look to it if thou hast been a knottie and stout-hearted sinner against God God must give thee many a blow before he can hammer thee to his own will You that have been guiltie of Drunkenness and guiltie of Adultery or guiltie of Sabbath-breaking in a gross and licencious way that have made this world a stage to act wickednesse upon look to it boast not of your Calling if God hath not brought you in this way you have ground to suspect you are not yet call'd They that before Conversion were loose in their lives if they find not this spirituall amazement it is not likely they are call'd And therefore I verily suspect your Call that can jump out of a course of Profanenesse into a course of Profession that can jump from a course of Malignitie to delight to hear Sermons and love Ministers You that have been opposers of godliness if you do not shew an eminent work in your Conversion I greatly suspect whether you are converted or no because it is Gods usuall Method if men have been men of gross lives before calling to bring them to great astonishment when they are called 2. You that have often withstood and still withstand Gods call that Sermon after Sermon and invitation after invitation would not gain upon
light of his knowledge 2. You are called from a course of sin to a course of holinesse Before your calling you were the Divels Drudges and did his work at will the Divel in Pauls language to Timothy had you Captive at his pleasure but when God cals you he takes you from under the dominion and raign of sin and brings you into a course of holiness 1 Thes 4.7 You are called not unto uncleanness but unto holiness 2 Pet. 1.3 He hath called us to glory and vertue Before calling thou wert the receptacle or common shore of all filth and uncleannesse when called thou art swept with the besome of Sanctification yea beautified and adorned as a pleasant palace for thy God to delight in And this should cause you much to magnifie grace that you are brought from being the Divels drudges to be Gods freemen from being the Divels slaves to be Gods servants from being the Divels taskeman to pay thee thy wages in hell to be Gods workman for which he wil give thee thy reward in heaven 3. God cals thee from bondage to libertie In the time that thou art uncalled thou art in bondage 2 Pet. 2.19 they are the servants of Corruption c. in bondage to thy lusts and bondage to thy Passion and a slave to the world thou art in bondage under the Law under the cause and rigour and condemnation of it but now Jesus Christ if he have called thee he hath called thee to libertie Gal. 5.13 You are called to libertie only use not libertie as a Cloak to wickedness Before calling 2 Tim. 2.25 you are in Sathans snares but after calling you are set at libertie you are freed from the guilt and freed from the bondage of your sinne 4. You are called from a condition of estrangednesse into an intimate familiaritie fellowship with Jesus Christ Before calling you are Strangers from the life of grace Ephes 4.18 You are without God in the world strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel Ephes 2.12 But when God calls you he cals you from the condition of a stranger and brings you into friendship and fellowship with Jesus Christ 1 Corin. 1.9 God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son You who were without Christ before calling being called you enjoy neer familiaritie with his Son 5. You are called from Sathan unto God Acts 26.18 He hath sent forth his word among you to bring you from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan to God Sathan who was thy lord and was thy master and ruler thou art now from under his clutches and brought under the dominion and subjection of thy God 6. When God effectually calls thee thou art brought from a state of enmitie against God to a state of amitie and reconciliation towards him and Jesus Christ and all the things of God Col. 3.15 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts for to this ye are called and be yee thankeful God hath called you to peace he hath not called you to wrath Before Calling God and thy soul were the most inveterate enemies in all the world After Calling God and thou are of enemies become the greatest friends You are called to peace therefore be thankful 7. You are called from a state of shame to a state of glory Before you are called you are vile and shameful creatures in Gods sight when God cals you he cals you into a condition of glory 1 Pet. 5.10 Who hath called us to his eternal glory and 1 Thes 2.12 Since thou wast precious in my sight and I have loved thee thou becamest honourable Isa 43. 1 Pet. 2.6 To you that believe Christ is precious or as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is an honour to you Jesus Christ when once you are called to a believing state he is not onely precious to you and prized of you but he is an honour to you This then you are to consider that uncalled you are in a shamefull condition no badg of honour lies upon you but when once you are called by Christ he becomes an honour to you 8. And lastly which shall be accomplished in the end you shall be called from earth to heaven and from the grave to glory this shall be your call after death Now put all these Eight together To be called from ignorance to knowledg from sin to grace from bondage to liberty from estrangement to fellowship with Jesus Christ from a state of enmitie to a state of amitie and reconciliation with God and man from shame to glorie and from earth to heaven and should not this mightily highten your joy and greaten your praises in magnifying the grace of God in your hearts Secondly Again The consideration of this As From what and To what so For what you are called should greaten your praises Now for what are you called You are called meerly according to the purpose of his owne grace neither foreseen works nor good education nor grace in you none of all these were motives in Gods brest to call you And hence you may see it was nothing in you because there were many things in us might move God not to call us We have often withstood his call we have often strangled the motions of his Spirit in our hearts we have often carried gain saying hearts to the wooings of the Ministers of Christ So that it is nothing in us but meerly his own grace that conquers our unholinesse and conquers our unwillingnesse and overcomes that stoutnesse of heart that is in us meerly the grace and goodnesse of Jesus Christ Now summ up all these together and revolve them in your hearts and you will see what great cause you have to live in magnifying of Jesus Christ SERMON IV. 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure IN the prosecution of these words the Doctrine I drew from the first particular dutie injoyned was this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the handling of which I have gone over several particulars I now come to laie down some Propositions or Conclusions about Effectuall calling and I shall name twenty in all First Ten sad Conclusions to all those men who are not effectually called Secondly Ten consolatorie Conclusions to all those men that are effectually called by Jesus Christ and mixing Conclusions procuring terror to the wicked with such as procure comfort to the godly one tempered with the other may do good to both I begin with the first 1. The first sad Conclusion I shal lay down is this That there are many men in the world that are called outwardly by the word unto a profession of Christ that are not called effectually by the spirit to a possession of Christ My meaning is this There are many men have the word of God
more temptations against effectuall calling then poor men do Rich men thinke should I be called to be a Professor I may lose my riches endanger my estate and eclipse my honour and these are great temptations to rich men to hinder their calling Therefore you read Mark 10.22 of the young man that when Christ called him it is said he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions and would not follow Christ who had not a house wherein to put his head Many men for fear of losing their estates they lie under this sore temptation to hinder them from being called And then also for their honour men may think they shall eclipse their honor should they profess a course of Religion Gal. 2.2 I preacht publikely among the ordinarie sort saith Paul but I preach privately to men of reputation lâ—st I should run in vair As much as if he should say men of qualitie and of repute they would not own Christ publickly they were affraid they should lose their honour and credit therfore Paul was enforc'd to indulge them so far as to preach privately to them hence Nicodemus a great man came to Jesus by night 9. If you are only externally called to a profession of Christ and not called internally to a possession of him at one time or other before you die God will discover the hypocrifie of your hearts and the unsoundness of your Call There are many men who now are called a man cannot discern whether they be effectually called or no but in likelihood before you die you will discover somewhat or other that may give just ground of suspicion you are not savingly called either by falling into some error in Judgment or running into some scandalous sin or the like Lastly If God hath not or intends not effectually to call thee thou maiest take this for an undeniable truth God neither intends to justifie thee nor to save thee whom he cals them he justifies and none else and whom he justifies them he glorifies and none else So that Justification and Glorification depends upon calling Rom. 8.30 And thus I have done with these ten sad Conclusions I shall now change my discourse and turn my speech to a second sort of men and to them I shall lay down ten consolatory Conclusions for the comfort of you that are the called of Jesus Christ And here before I lay these down I shall first shew you what need there is that Ministers should preach comfortably to you that are effectually called Because first after you are called effectually you are more exposed to meet with persecutions from men Secondly Temptations from the Divel Thirdly The stronger strugling of Corruptions from within then ever you were before therefore you had need of comfort 1. I say After calling you are more exposed to meet with persecutions from men then ever you were before Heb. 10.32 33. Call to remembrance the former daies in which after you were illuminated you endured a sore fight of affliction partly by being reproached and made a gazing stock c. They endured nothing before but after they were inlightned they endured a great fight of Affliction had not you therefore need of comfort 2. After Calling you are more exposed to temptations from the Divel then ever you were before The Divel when he finds all things at peace he lets men alone but when he finds a man coming out of his clutches to be called then Satan troubles and assaults him 1 Pet. 5.8 10. Your Adversarie the Divel goes about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour These were they that the God of grace had called to eternall glory Yet these were they that the Divel rageth so against Had not you therfore need of comfort because you are exposed to more Temptations from the Divel And 3ly You are to meet with more strong and vigorous workings of inward Corruptions in your own hearts as Paul before his calling was not troubled with his Corruptions sinne never troubled him the powerful and vigorous workings of his lusts never wearied him but when the command came then sin revived When the power of the word came with Authoritie upon his Conscience then he saw sinne to revive and get strength upon him Beloved I would appeal to any of you whom God hath called to grace and glory whether before you were called you ever found sinne so strong as after and ever found the workings of your inward corruptions so violent as after and therefore upon these three grounds you have need that comfort should be preached unto you I now passe to the Conclusions which I shall lay down for the comfort of all them that are effectually called 1. That Jesus Christ doth effectually call a poor sinner before that sinner doth look after Jesus Christ Should God intail heaven upon this condition that you that had been first in the transgression should be first in seeking reconciliation we should never have the difference ended betwixt God and us but behold here is mercy and here is a ground of Comfort that though we are the first in the transgression Christ is the first in suâ—ng out Reconciliation Jesus Christ dâ—th effectually call poor sinners before they either call or look after Jesus Christ at all Isa 65.1 I am sought of them that asked not for me I am found of them that sought me not I said Behold me Behold me to a Nation that was not called by my name Here you see Jesus Christ goeth out first to call thee before thou goest out to call him And O what comfort is this Christ doth not stay till thou look after a Christ but Christ casts an eye upon thee before thou look after him We read of Matthew the Publican that while he was looking after his money at the receipt of custome at that time Jesus Christ was looking after his soul We read of the Disciples of Christ whilst they were mending their nets and looking after their fish Jesus Christ takes this occasion with the Hook of the Gospel to catch them We read of Paul that whilst he was breathing out persecution against the Church of God and raging with malice against the Saints of God at that time he was even called to be a Saint So that this is very comfortable God doth first look after a sinner in his effectual calling before a sinner looks out after Christ God doth first look after thee inlightning thee by a Sermon and seizing upon thy conscience by a command before thou look after him 2. That Jesus Christ hath effectually called thee when he hath left many thousands in the world of better parts and better dispositions more naturall good and less evill in them then thou hast in thy self and yet he hath rejected them and called thee Jesus Christ hath many times rejected a patient heathen when he hath called thee who art of a passionate and rigid disposition Jesus Christ hath left many a curious wit and pregnant Scholar and many
called by God to a state of blessednesse but he was left to stand by his own strength but you are not so You are not only called by Christ but you are kept by Christ that you shall not fall from grace being once called to it Jude ver 1. Jude the servant of Christ to them that are sanctified by God the Father preserved in Christ and called Here then is your comfort that you are not called by Christ and left to your selves but you are preserv'd by Christ and called and kept in a state of grace till you shall come to glory So 1 Thes 5.24 Faithfull is he that called you who also will doe it that is bring you to that glorie which you are called unto 9. When Christ hath an intent to call a poor sinner neither their Poverty nor their impiety shal hinder the cal of Jesus Christ Not your Povertie God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of a kingdome Jam. 2. Not your impiety poor Christians think Oh I am so vile and so sinful and profane that I fear Christ will not cal me Why this shall not hinder Mary Magdalen a Harlot possessed with seven Divels yet called Manasseh a blood-sucker that made the streets of Jerusalem run down with blood yet called Paul a persecuter a blasphemer a man mad with rage against the Church of God yet he obtained mercy and why that he might be an example to them that after should be called So that here is your comfort when Jesus Christ hath an intent to call you neither your Poverty nor your Impietie shall withstand his call nor turn the thoughts of his mercy from you 10. That though no man can prie into the decrees of God about election and reprobation yet if you can make good your effectual vocation you may be sure of your election and of your glorification Though no man I say can enter into the bosome of God to know his secret decrees yet if you can find upon good Scripture grounds that you are effectually called you may be sure you are eternally elected shall hereafter live in glorie Rō 8.28 Whom he predestinates them he cals whom he cals them he justifles and whom he justifies them he will glorifie And therefore comfort your hearts in these consolatorie Conclusions about effectuall calling SERMON V. 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THe Doctrine I am yet upon in the prosecution of these words is this That Christians should put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the managing of which I laid down the last Lords day twenty Propositions ten in relation to wicked men not called and ten conclusions for the comfort of them that are effectually called by Jesus Christ I am now to proceed in the dispatch of six cases of conscience which I shall handle about effectual calling Three of which concern men not effectually called and three touching Believers who are called by Christ to grace here and to hopes of glory in the world to come The three first cases touching wicked men are these First Whether a wicked man be able to resist his own call Secondly What temptations doth the Devil suggest to keep a wicked man from entertaining and embracing the call of Jesus Christ Thirdly What delusions doth the Devil use to deceive Hypocrites to make them presumptuously believe that they are effectually called when they are not There are three cases more touching godly men As First Whether may a man that is effectually called be any way assured that he is so Secondly If a man may be assured then what is the reason many a godly man is not assured of his effectual calling And then Thirdly How may he come to get the assurance of his effectual calling I begin with the first about wicked men that are not called and the case is this First Whether may a wicked man a man as yet not called be able to resist and keep off his own cal And that you may understand the answer hereto I must lay down this distinction That there is a twofold calling of Christ A Significative calling and an operative calling First a Significative calling which is such a calling whereby Christ in the Ministry of the word signifies and declares what he would have men to do Now this kind of call wicked men may resist this call I say and this revealed will of God in declaring what graces he would have men act and what sins he would have men forbear Therefore we read Acts 7.5 You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in heart and eares you have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost meaning the Preaching of the word by the Ministry of his Apostles So Prov. 1.24 I have called and ye have refused c. But then Secondly There is an Operative calling and that is such a call whereby God doth not onely signifie to a man what he must do but with the signification of his will gives a man a power to do what he calls him to do accompanying the word with his Spirit making the heart stoop and yeeld to Jesus Christ Now this cal no man can resist Grace is irresistable and this effectual calling by the operation of the Spirit a man cannot resist All the gain-sayings of the heart and all the stoutnesse of the will it must stoop and must be brought under subjection to Jesus Christ John 6.37 All that the Father hath given me saith Christ shall come unto me They shal not be able to withstand Jesus Christ but they shal come in unto him So Isa 55.10 As the rain comes down and the snow from Heaven and returns not thither again but waters the earth to make it bring forth so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth it shall not return in vain but shall accomplish that which I intended and it shall prosper in the thing wherto I sent it As all the world cannot hinder the rain from coming down on the earth no more can any man in the world if God hath an intent to convert and call him hinder the benefit of the word from redounding upon his soul Now the answering of this case thus briefly will admit of a double Use Vse 1 First an Use of Condemnation to wicked men that have often resisted the significative call of Jesus Christ When Christ hath signified this is my will I would have you leave these courses and I would have you walk in these wayes Christ signifies his will in the Ministry of the Gospel yet let Christ signifie what he will you will do what you list this is for thy great condemnation Vse 2 Secondly The answering of this Query is for consolation to elect men who are not yet converted Dost thou belong to Gods Election Why before thou art converted thou hast a stubborn wil thou hast
Ark to shew that God did never intend as if Noah's making an Ark should any way hinder his walking with God or carrying on the work of his soul Though you have callings to follow and Families to provide for yet God did never intend your outward calling should justle out your inward and effectual calling Secondly Consider you that make this Plea whether you do not imbezel away much time from your outward calling which you do not imploy in the concernments of your souls but in the works of sin and Satan There is many a man that can plead he hath no leasure to pray nor no leasure to hear a Sermon he must follow his calling yet this man can follow a Whore and follow a Tavern and these men can spend a whole day upon recreation and yet can spare no time find no leasure to hearken to Jesus Christ This now should be a great conviction to you that pretend you must follow your calling that you can neglect your calling to follow your sensual and vain courses and yet can spare no time to make your souls happy Thirdly You that plead your outward calling in the world to be an excuse why you cannot hearken to your effectual calling by Jesus Christ consider this that this plea hath damned many a soul before you and will damn you also if you look not to it This hath been an ancient plea Luke 14.18 19 20. When Christ called a company of men there to come to him what excuse have they Saith one I have bought a yoke of Oxen and I must prove them I have bought a Farm saith another and I must manage that I have marryed a wife and therefore cannot come saith a third All these were lawful callings and yet these callings kept them from heaven and kept them from Jesus Christ You read Acts 24.25 When Paul did startle Felix's conscience by a powerful Sermon of judgment to come Felix's heart trembled but mark now how did Felix put off the power of the word Why Now saith he I am not at leasure but go thy wayes and in convenient time I will send for thee to speak of this matter As if he should say I am now to go about some other business about the affairs of my Kingdome and cannot have leasure to hear thee now and so by some outward imployment he justled the power of the word from his heart and had not convenient time to imbrace Jesus Christ Fourthly Consider this That this plea of yours in making your callings an excuse to neglect your effectual calling it is the onely way to provoke God to curse and blast all your outward callings to you and to ingage him to curse all you put your hands unto Hagg. 1.6 9. Because they neglected Gods Worship and Gods Ordinances Therefore saith God you shall have much but it shall come to nothing and what you get you shall put into a bag with holes You shall lose all you get and all you sow and all you labour for because you would not look after Gods Worship So Micah 6.13 14. I will make thee sick in smiting thee and desolate because of thy sins Thou shalt eat and not be satisfied thou shalt sow and not reap thou shalt tread Olives and not anoint thy self with oyl and make sweet wine but shalt not drink it For the statutes of Omri are kept and all the manners of the house of Ahab and you walk in their counsels As much as if the Lord should say You will not hearken to my Statutes and to my Counsels but Omri's statutes and Ahab's counsel you will hearken to Therefore now you shall eat and not be satisfied sow and not reap that is God will curse what you have and what you do because you will not hearken to Gods call and counsel So Deut. 28.38 to 46. Thou shalt carry much seed into the field and gather but little the Locusts shall consume it there 's one curse And shalt plant Vineyards but shalt not drink the wine nor gather the grapes the worm shall eat them another curse Thou shalt have Olive-trees throughout all thy coasts but shalt not anoint thy self with Oyl for thy Olives shall fall there 's a third curse Thou shalt beget sons and daughters but shalt not enjoy them all the trees and fruit of the land shall be consumed Now what 's the reason of all this that God should thus blast their callings and their comforts to them verse 45. Yea all these curses shall come upon thee and pursue thee and overtake thee because thou hearkenedst no to the voyce of thy God to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee Here is the reason they would not hearken to God nor obey God and therefore God would blast their comforts to them Now then Beloved think of this you that make your callings a plea why you cannot hearken to the call of Christ this plea is a great provocation to engage God to blast and to curse your very callings to you Fifthly Take this consideration that God will the more bless you in your callings and prosper you in the work of your hands the more consciencious you are in hearkning to the call and invitation of Jesus Christ And the reason is because Godliness hath not onely a promise of the life to come but of this life also 1 Tim. 4.8 And Mal. 3.10 11 12. Bring ye all the tythes into the Store-house that there may be meat in my house that is saith God Use all means and take all care that there may be meat in my house that Ordinances may be on foot that my worship may be maintained and what then And if you will take care of his Ordinances God bids you prove him and try him if he will not take care of you ver 11. Mark the words Let there be meat in my house and prove me now saith the Lord if I will not open the windows of heaven and poure forth a blessing upon you and there shall not be room enough to receive it A strange blessing that if men will take care to have meat in Gods house and have a care of Gods ordinances God would open the very windows of heaven and make the earth so fruitful they should not have room to receive Gods blessings And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and all nations shall call you blessed and call you a delightsome land Here now you see if you will take care of Gods ordinances and imbrace his call God will bless your outward calling the more and give you in a more abundant increase if you imbrace the call of Jesus Christ 6. You that urge your outward callings as a reason why you cannot hearken to the call of Christ take this for answer that if truth were known it is not the urgencie of your callings but the obstinacie of your wils and the sluggishnesse of your spirits is the cause you do not give entertainment to the
though they wanted these poor outward comforts they did not want Christs comfort and Christs graces and therefore when they had neither purse scrip nor shoos they wanted nothing Why O Beloved if you were of the temper of these gracious Disciples you would say so too that if you can find a grounded and real interest in Christ though you want many of the Comforts of this world you will say you want nothing Wanted yee any thing and they said Nothing 5. You that make povertie and persecution a plea Consider this that the poor are ordinarily the most people that Jesus Christ doth cal to imbrace his Gospel The poor receive the Gospel saith Christ and blessed are you that are not offended at it Not many wise not many noble are called but the poor things of the world hath God chosen 1 Cor. 1.26 And in James God hath chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith Do not therefore Beloved make this a plea to keep off from Christ because ordinarily they are the people Christ pitcheth most love upon and doth delight to make them rich in grace who are poor in goods 6. Consider That if upon this ground you refuse the call of Iesus Christ you are exposed to more Povertie and to worse persecution then ever you could be exposed to in the entertaining of Christ In the following of Christ you are only exposed to an outward povertie but in neglecting the cal of Christ you are exposed to be poor in faith and to be such a beggar as not to be endowed with one dram of grace and then you are beggars indeed As we say he is a poor man that God hates he that hath not Christ and hath not the treasures of heaven in him he is exposed to worse povertie a thousand times then he can be for embraceing the cal of Iesus Christ Rev. 3.17 Yea and he is exposed to worse persecution also that for fear of persecution neglects Iesus Christ Psal 83.5 The Lord will persecute them saith David with furie and wrath speaking of wicked men All persecution from man reaches but to the body but this from God reacheth to the soul 7. And then lastly This should not hinder you from following Iesus Christ considering that though you should be poor and should be persecuted yet heaven wil make you amends for al Heb. 11.35 Heavē wil make amends for poverty when you are indowed with all the riches of Christ and Heaven wil make amends for persecution when there the weary shal be at rest and there the troubled shal be at ease And thus much be spoken of the third suggestion of the Devil that if you entertain the cal of Jesus Christ you shal be exposed to much poverty and persecution here in the world SERMON VI. 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THe Doctrine I am yet upon is this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the prosecution of which I have resolved one case of conscience and am yet upon the second case namely what suggestions the Devil doth use to keep men off from imbracing the call of Jesus Christ I have laid down and answered three already 4. Now there is one suggestion more when the Devil sees neither of these wil take place then he comes in with a fourth to disswade men from imbracing the call of Christ and that is this Why saith the Devil if you will entertain the call of Christ you will abridge your selves of all the joy and comfort of your lives you will never have merry daies while you live upon earth You see men that pretend to be converted and do hear Sermons what lumpish and melancholy men they are not so jocund and jolly as others are that walk not so precisely if you follow Christ and his Gospel this wil casheer all your merry daies and this wil put you into a sad temper all your jovial daies are gone Therefore to take off this aspersion that the wais of Christ are sad and melancholy waies which hath been an aspersion that from age to age generation to generation hath been as a Gin the Devil hath used to keep men from Christianity And I remember it is one of the great Engines Antichrist useth to support and uphold his Kingdome The Papists to deter men from Christianity and the Protestant Religion they would hold their Disciples in hand with this that the spirit of a Calvinist is a sad and lumpish spirit and therefore they would disswade all Nations from turning to their Religion and this the Priests were to tel in all the Churches of Rome how sad and melancholy they were that turned to the Calvinists Religion and this did mightily stay the people from imbracing the truth And this aspersion hath passed from hand to hand and is many times prevalent upon the spirits of men that are of the true Religion that they must not be too forward in the practice of Religion fearing lest this should work melancholy and sad thoughts in them Now to take off this I shal onely urge four or five heads briefly First Whereas you say they are melancholy and sad that are called by Christ to a profession of his waies I would answer thus That they of all people in the world have most cause of mirth and gladnes and they are the most truly joyful people in the world That they have most cause of rejoycing is apparent When the Disciples came triumphing that they could cast out Devils heal the diseased and work Miracles O but saith Christ Rejoyce not in this but rejoyce that your names are written in the book of Life Luke 10.20 As much as if Christ should say All the indowments and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit they are no such grounds of joy if you had them all but here is your joy and cause of rejoycing that your names are written in the book of Life that you are in Christ and your souls shal be saved And so Paul tels us Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alwaies again I say rejoyce The Apostle would not speak it to them with a single command but doubles his expression to shew that they that are people that have their sins pardoned that have their souls reconciled that have a Title to glory whose names are written in the book of Life these of all men in the world have most cause of joy and gladness And they have not onely most cause but they do most truly rejoyce and have more real joy in their hearts in one day then the wicked can have all their lives 1 Pet. 1.8 They rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory What joy you have in the world the tongue is able to speak of it but the tongue is not able to speak of that inward joy that godly men have in their hearts
when they are not the devil Iulls them asleep he lets them alone and never troubles them Luke 11.21 When the strong man possesseth the house the goods are at peace That is when the devil of hell hath whole possession of the soul of a man he is no whit tempted his thoughts are at quiet When the devil sees a man build upon a sandy and corrupt foundation he will never shake that by a Temtation lest you should by shaking be a wakened to look after a better and more induring substance When the devil sees you Iull'd asleep in a golden dream of presumption he will never awaken you by Temptation but Iâ—ts you sleep on because he knowes that sleep will be a sleep to death As a man lying asleep on a steep rock dreams merrily of Crowns and Kingdoms but suddenly starting for joy breake his neck and tumbles into the bottom of the Sea so is it with a man that harbours ungrounded perswasions of his good estate That which a carnal man makes his evidence that he is in a good condition is an undoubted demonstration he is in a bad You shall have a wicked man when he hears a godly man to be troubled in minde and wounded in spirit he will tell you he thanks God he was never troubled since he was born the devil never disturbed him and he hath had a strong faith ever since he can remember Alas Beloved this is a sad signe thou makest this a sign of thy comfort whereas indeed it is a demonstration of thy want of a sound assurance for were thy assurance good the Devil would never let thee alone but would still be labouring to make thee cast away thy confidence but being bad he would have thee nourish it still We say those Oxen that are fed in greenest pastures they are nearest the slaughter when the poor lean Oxe that hath the yoke and whip every day and is at daily labour is long liv'd and in a better condition Those men that the devill lets alone and never tempts that are as fatted oxen never come under the whip and yoke and never are troubled it is an argument they are near the slaughter and under a great deal of danger of their souls but those that are under the yoke that are often tempted and the pricks of Sathan lie upon them this is an Argument their comforts are right and their evidence good because so assaulted and opposed by the devil Thirdly true assurance is more or lesse in a mans spirit by how much more or lesse that man keeps in communion with God If a man doth remâ—t in his converse with God and grow carelesse and formal and a stranger to God he shall grow a stranger to himselfe in the end and to his comforts also but if a man keep close to God and keep close to duties can retire and recollect himself to converse with God in a more solemn and serious manner is preparedly and fruitfully exercised in Ordinances can poure out his soul into Gods bosome that man is in the way to have his comforts raised up Whereas now for men that have false comforts and perswasions whether they are much or little with God all is one to them their comforts are at the same stand still Come to a man that hath false comforts and at all times he is alike peremptory he is in the same perswasion he was 3.4.7 yeares ago Ask him any week in the yeer any day in the week any hour in the day and he will tell you he hath the same comforts and the same evidences still he had a strong faith in God and he hath it still he had strong hopes to be saved and so he hath still he is still peremptory in his comforts though he never so much alter in communion with his God this is an argument thy perswasions are salse because a Christians communion and converse with God doth feed his comforts Now as the body by how the much more or lesse it is fed by so much the more it is weakened or strengthened so it is with your comforts so much as they are cherished by your walking with God so much they grow weak or strong Now let a wicked man grow never so vile and never so sinful it interrupts not his peace he hath hopes and assurance still and he will trust in God still though he sin ever this is an argument his comforts are unsound You have a lively picture of this Mic. 3.11 The heads of the people judge forreward the Priests teach for hire and the Prophets divine for mony and yet they will lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us That is though they have these sins among them and did walk thus and thus yet they would hope in God to be saved for all this Why Beloved thou wilt find God to fail thee though he never faild an assured Christian yet he will fail that man that leanes upon him when he belongs not to him When thou dost intermit walking with God and dost lanch forth into a gulph and sea of lusts and yet canst still say thou art the same in thy comforts and the same in thy perswasions it is an argument all thy comforts are but false and thy evidence unsound Fourthly Reall assurance of your estate it doth bear up the soul under the greatest outward sorrow and sufferings that it can meet with in this world Heb. 10.34 They suffered joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and more induring substance What made them so to rejoyce to see their houses plundered before them their estates taken from them but this they knew in their own selves and had assurance in their own hearts that Christ was theirs and heaven was theirs and this made them suffer joyfully the spoiling of their goods So Psal 119.50 This is my comfort in affliction that thy word doth quicken me That is this beares up my heart when I am afflicted that I have a Word to build upon that I have assurance I have interest in a Promise to build upon this quickens and bears me up under my sorrowes So Psal 119.81 My spirit had fainted within me onely that I hoped in thy Word That is I had hope and confidence built upon thy Word and that kept me from feares and fainting and discouragement under my affliction The sense of the pardon of their sin shall take away the sense of any outward suffering So Esa 33.24 The inhabitant shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Beloved Assurance will lift up and bear up the heart under all sorrows Assurance in a Christian is like oile Now poure oile into a sea or ocean of water and the oile will never be kept under but still be uppermost so this oile of comfort and this oile of assurance it will bear thee up on the top though thou shouldst be cast
that have sometime enjoyed this assurance but now have lost or eclipsed the comfortable feeling of their assurance Into these two heads I shall branch my discourse Vse And first the exhortation or counsel I am to give is to them that are assured of their effectual calling that have done the work the Apostle here injoynes them that have made sure their vocation and by unquestionable evidence can say so And these I would advise to three particular duties First you should be directed rightly to use your assurance Secondly Carefully to preserve your assurance Thirdly Daily to improve your assurance This is the threefold task that lies upon you that enjoy this rich jewel of assurance First You are to take care that you rightly use and manage your assurance A thing hardly gotten if it be not well managed a man may enjoy it in a way of losse to himselfe To use assurance well is the great Art of a Christian And here that I might speak distinctly to this direction I shall lay down eight particulars as concomitants or gracious qualifications which must accompany you in a condition of assurance As First You must use and manage your assurance with humility in case you use it well Assured Christians must be humble Christians The more high you are in comforts the more low you should be in Spirit You know the fullest eares of corn hang down their head lowest when light and flashy darnel that hath nothing of worth in it lifts up its head on high Assured Christians they are like your full and ripe eares of corn the more full they are of this fruit of the Spirit assurance the more low do they and should they hang down their heads It is your empty barrels make a noise when your full vessels though you strike them will not sound It is those Christians that are most empty of faith and most empty of assurance that make most noise and are most proud of their gifts and graces when your assured Christians they are like vessels full of the best liquor that makethe least noise The fuller God hath fil'd you with this comfort the more you should shine forth in humility As Paul when he saith Christ loved him and gave himselfe for him when he was most full of comforts he was most fill'd with humility and said I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Secondly You must manage your assurance with a high valuation of the comforts of God in you A man that hath received a benefit if he do not value it it is a provocation to the man that gave it either to repent of his gift or take it away David when he had assurance mark how he values it Psal 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better then life He valued the comforts of his God and the shining of Gods countenance better then life And Psal 4.6 Lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me and that shall more glad me then when my corn and wine and oile increaseth David would more value the comforts of Gods Spirit then any other comfort in the world Assured Christians that use assurance rightly they must put a high valuation and worth upon it And the reason is Because you will not then easily part with your assurance for a base and beggerly lust and for a fruitlesse sinne if once you know the value and worth of it Thirdly Your assurance must make you to live with a weaned heart from the comforts of this world 2 Cor. 4. the last verse compared with Chapt. 5.1 The Apostle tels you We doe not look after the things that are seen that are temporal What made the Apostle not to look after worldly things he gives the reason For when this house of ours is dissolved we have a dwelling with God eternal in the heavens As if he should say That 's the reason we do not look after the world as worldly men do for we know that when we leave this world we have a heaven to go to The assurance of the Blessednes of their future being did make them undervalue the world as a thing not worthy the glance of the eye Persons that have assurance can say as Philip said to Christ John 14.8 Shew us saith Philip the Father and it sufficeth us Thus saith a gracious heart O sweet Jesus shew us but thy favour assure but my soule that thy Father is a reconciled Father to me in thy selfe that he is my Father as well as thy Father Shew me but the Father and it sufficeth me though I have little or nothing in the world this shall suffice me Gracious hearts that live in the enjoyment of assurance they ought to live with a weaned heart from the comforts of this world Men that have tasted hony or some other sweet morsel they do distaste all other things though of themselves very pleasant So men that have tasted of this hony of Gods love and the sweetnesse of this grace of assurance it will make them distaste and disrelish all the things of this world though of themselves pleasant good If a man look on the Sun it dazles his eyes that he cannot discern colours about him so he that beholds the light of Gods countenance will not look upon the things here below I may allude to that place Luke 5.39 No man saith Christ having drunk old wine straight way desireth new for he saith The old is better His meaning is this No man that hath had a taste of Jesus Christ hath had communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ and lain under the Ministery of Jesus Christ no man that hath drunk of this old wine will say new is better to have other comforts and other pleasures is better no man will say this saith Christ And so he compares his Ministery and his doctrine and the comfort Gods people have thereby to old wine Beloved so I say men that have drunk draughts of this wine of consolation and men that are setâ—edly assured and have had a taste that the Lord is gracious no man will now say that the world is better and the comforts below better No the assurance of Gods love should wean a mans heart from all the comforts of the world As old Jacob said when he saw his sonne Joseph in his old age after he had made many a prayer and shed many a tear O Joseph my sonne is yet alive I have enough As was the carriage of Jacob to Joseph the same should be the carriage of a Christian towards Christ If he can say My Joseph my Jesus is alive in my heart I having him have enough this comfort should ravish his spirit Paul when he was rapt up into the third heaven was so transported that he knew not whether he was in the body or no so are the people of God ravished with heavenly consolations that they minde not these earthly things Cui incipit dulcescere Christus ei necesse est am â—â—escere mundum It
run to the worst of men that are in the world And this should be great comfort to you though you have been drunkards and though you have been Sabbath breakers and adulterers and though you have been profane yet if you can but now close in with Jesus Christ and looke after heaven if you can but now mourn over your condition and repent of your former failings and come in to Jesus Christ Election hath runne unto men as bad as you and though you may be now men profane in your lives yet you may be objects of Gods election SERMON XIV 2 PETER 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THe last Doctrine I drew from these words was this That Christians should put forth a great deale of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are eternally elected by God to life and glory In the prosecution of which I have gone over some queries There are four difficulties or queries I am further to insist upon in treating of this point As namely First whether this election be universall or no Secondly whether a man that is once elected by God to salvation may come to be damned yea or no Thirdly whether God in electing a man to life and glory doth it out of any foresight of faith or any other grace he sees in man And fourthly whether this doctrine of election that God in his own counsell hath determined who shall be damned and who saved doth not take men off from any endeavours after their own salvation to make them desperate and neglect the use of means that they shall say if I shall be damned I shall be damned and if saved I shall be saved let me live as I list whether this doctrine will favour this desperate conclusion yea or no First whether election be universall or no This is that the Arminians and Papists doe mightily drive at And here they lay down this conclusion which they make unquestionable That there is such a thing as a certain universall election of God without limitation or restraint of persons whereby God did determine to save all mankind by Christ who were fallen in Adam This opinion was first drawn from Origen who held that all creatures should be saved and the Papists and Arminians mincing the matter to make it a little more plausible then he did they say that God in his purpose did intend to save all mankind by Jesus Christ but man falling away and walking contrary to their principles the defect lies in them that they are not saved and this Divines call universall redemption Now against this I shall lay down severall Scriptures and then take off the objections that seems to strengthen this opinion First for Scriptures In the Epistle of Jude vers 3. you read of some that were ordained of old to condemnation Therefore sure all could not be saved 1 Thes 5.9 Some men are appointed to wrath but we to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ Therefore all men could not be within the purpose of Gods first intention to save Matth. 22.14 Many are called but few are chosen So Rom. 11.7 The Jewes did not obtaine what they sought for but the elect obtained it and the rest were hardned 2 Tim. 2.20 There are vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour The Scripture makes it a discriminating act in God that some he chose to life and others from eternity in his councell he chose to wrath and condemnation And these Scriptures will fully overthrow this opinion And indeed the very word chusing confutes it which intimates a taking of some with an overlooking of others But now let us view a little the Arguments or Scriptures they abuse to strengthen this unsound opinion of theirs One is 1 Cor. 15.22 As in Adant all died even so in Christ shall all be made alive Now say they Every man did die in Adam every mothers child by Adams fall became subject to death even so in Christ shall every man be made alive the Lord did intend that every man should have benefit by Jesus Christ Now to take off this I shall answer it in shewing you the true intent and scope of this Scripture This universall phrase of making alive hath not reference to the saving of the soule but to the resurrection of the body And so the sence is this That as in Adam by vertue of his sinne every man came to die a naturall death So in Christ shall all be made alive that is so by Christs power shall every man rise from the dead And if you aske how I make that appeare to be the intendment of the Text. I answer the words themselves will make it plaine Vers 11. It is said By man came death by man also came the resurrection from the dead that is as by that man Adam came death so by that man Christ shall come the resurrection from the dead for as in Adam all died c. so that here you see this is brought in as a proofe of the 21. verse Intimating that this being made alive hath no reference to the life of the soule but onely to the Resurrection of the body that as Adam by his sinne brought death to all men so Christ by his power shall raise all men from the dead every man in his own order However should this be granted that this making alive should have reference to the life of the soul it would beare no more but this that all that are damned are damned as in Adams loynes and all that are saved shall be saved as in the loynes of Jesus Christ And so make nothing at all to prove this which they call universall election Another Scripture undeniable they think is Rom. 11.32 where it is said God hath concluded all men under unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all Now say they If God did doe an act to make men see their unbeliefe and did intend by this action to have mercy upon all then God in his counsell intended to save all Now to this that he might have mercy upon all I answer This phrase all is not to be taken in an unlimited sence as if he would have mercy upon all mankind but it is to be taken in a restrained sence that God shut up all men in unbeliefe that is God made all believers see their own misery that he might have mercy on all them that believe And if you ask how I prove this to be the meaning of the Text I answer The Scripture makes it cleare Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all men under sinne The very words fore-quoted But what 's the limitation Shall all men be saved No. For mark the next words The Scripture hath concluded all men under sinne that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ should be given to them that believe Now though Paul doth not say thus to the Romans yet the words being the same the Restriction holds good in both
Gods decree be changeable Gods essence and nature were so also election being nothing else but God himselfe chusing for every thing in God is God And this the Scripture tels us is farre from him for there is no variablenesse or shadow of change in God Jam. 1.17 Isa 46.10 Mal. 3.6 Secondly if the elect could perish then Jesus Christ should be very unfaithfull to his father because God the father hath given this charge to Christ that whomsoever he elected Christ should preserve them safe to bring them to heaven Now should not this be accomplished Christ would be unfaithfull to his father John 6.39 This is the fathers will which hath sent me into the world that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing but that I should raise them up at the last day This is the will of God to save many by Christ Now should not this be made good Christ must needs be unfaithfull to the Commission of his father Thirdly should this be true then Pauls golden chaine should be broken Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them he calls whom he calls them he justifies whom he justifies them he glorifies Now should this chain break that whom he elects them he calls whom he calls them he justifies and there cease as the Papists hold and men be after damned then the great and many links would be lost that whom he justifies them he glorifies and so bring an absurdity upon the Scripture thereby Now to answer some texts of Scripture they abuse which at first view you would think very plausible to maintain that a man may be an elect man and brought into Christ yet afterward damned The first is John 6.70 Have not I chosen twelve and one of them is a divell Now say they there were twelve chosen or elected and one of them is a divel did perish intimating that men may be elected yet perish for all this To which I answer That there is a double electing First a chusing to some peculiar Office Secondly there is an electing to grace life and glory Now when Christ saith Have not I chosen you twelve it is meant of his chusing of them to an Office to the place of an Apostle to be his disciples Now it is true that man may be chosen to some peculiar office in the Church of God and yet be a perishing and damned man but this phrase hath no relation to the decree of God from eternity onely to a temporall electing of twelve men to a temporall Office to the Office of an Apostle Another Scripture they abuse is Exod. 32.32 it was Moses prayer If thou wilt not saith Moses to God forgive their sinnes then blot my name out of the book of life Now say they the book of life is Gods election and here Moses prayed that God would blot his name out of the book of life Intimating say they a man may be elected and written in that book and yet afterward blotted out and perish To which I answer That this prayer of Moses is onely a wish or supposition as Pauls was when he wisht he were accursed from Christ for his kindred in the flesh Now a man may suppose mountaines of Gold and suppose things that never were nor ever shall be in being bare suppositions put nothing in being so here that Moses makes a supposition in a patheticall prayer this doth no way argue as if his name could be blotted out of the book of life Secondly Rivet he expounds it thus that there is a double book of life The book of life being sometimes taken for the eternall counsell and decree of God as Phil. 4.3 sometimes for the speciall providence of God over men in preserving them among the living So we read Psal 139. In thy book saith David were all my members written meaning not in the book of Gods decree but onely in the book of his providence that all the members of Davids body they were all under the providence of God that none could hurt him And so Rivet with others think that by the book of life here is meant that God would blot out Moses from the book of his speciall protection and let him die as other men rather then this evil should come upon the people of Israel q. d. Destroy my name from among men and doe not protect me any longer Againe they object that in Psal 69.28 It is said Let them be blotted out of the book of life Now say they That is Gods election and to be blotted out implies that a man may be elected and yet perish To this I answer as formerly that the book of life in that place hath no reference to the decree of Gods election but onely to his book of providence that God would not protect wicked men as he doth his own people in a way of providence And other phrases in Scripture will somewhat favour this interpretation As Ezek. 13.9 They shall not be written in the writings of the house of Israel What 's that i.e. let them not any more be thought Israelites nor numbred among the people And Ainsworth I remember compares Psal 69.19 with this place in Ezek. 13.9 and he makes the sence to be one and the same that to be blotted out of the book of life is nothing else then to be out of Gods protection to be blotted out of the catalogue of the living and have ones life in danger to be brought to death And this wish David wished for those wicked men But then they object further from Revel 22.19 If any man shall take away from the words of this book God shall take away his part in the book of life Here say they by book of life is unquestionably meant Gods decree and the Scripture saith they that take any thing from this booke God will blot him out of the book of life and will undoubtedly damne him To which I answer I confesse in this place the book of life is taken for Gods decree and that a man may be said to be blotted out of this book and yet this no way follow that a man elected may be damned And here let me give you Austins words upon the place which is a very cleare and satisfactory answer That a man may be said to be blotted out of the book of life in two regards First it is equivalent to this phrase that his name shall never be written in the book of life And you have often such phrases in Scripture As it is said in Matthew He that doth evill himselfe and teacheth men so to doe he shall be least in the Kingdome of Heaven Intimating not as if he should come to heaven but that he should not come there at all To be least there is never to be there So here To be blotted out is equivalent to this that they were never in Secondly a mans name may be said to be blotted out of the book of life not as if it were there in deed and in
unto we are elected to eternall glory but our works are finite imperfect no more then our duty yea not done by our own strength but by the power of Gods grace and therefore cannot be that which moveth God to elect us Sixthly because God doth not chuse men to life for the sake of Jesus Christ therefore much lesse for their works sake It is true and mistake me not I confesse and so all Divines that are confesse this that God saves a man for Christs sake but God elects not a man for Christs sake but meerly for his own good pleasures sake God in chusing a man to life hath no reference to Christ as if Christ were the motive Christ was predestinated himselfe therefore could not be the cause of our predestination 1 Pet. 1.20 We are chosen in him its true Eph. 1.4 as the common person God elected Christ first in order and all believers in him but it is not for Christs sake but according to his own will As suppose a Kingdome to be newly set up a King is chosen and his successors to follow after why then all the succeeding Kings are chosen in him that was first elected so are we chosen in Christ God doth chuse a man as freely as if Christ did never die and yet God saves none but for Christs saxe and this makes election on Gods part most free God doth not consider Christ nor the good works we have but t is onely his own good will engages him to save some and neglect others And thus much for proving this point There are some objections now that lie in the way which must be removed God say they doth elect men upon the foresight of their good works and they alledge foure Scriptures to prove this James 2.2 Hath not God chosen the poore of this world to be rich in faith now say they their laying out their estates for good uses and so becomming poore that is the reason why God chuseth them and neglects richer men To which I answer That poore here is onely spoken of Dins elegit sideles us siâ—t non quia jam â—rant Aug. l. de praedest as the quality of the persons that are chosen not as the cause wherefore they are chosen And this answer Mr. Perkins gives that poverty is not the cause why but the description of the persons that are chosen that Gods decree of election doth commonly runne among the poorer sort of men the more to advance his own grace that man shall not say election is intailed upon works for if poverty should be the cause of their election then all that are poore should be elected which is false Again further they object 2 Thes 2.13 God from the beginning hath chosen us to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and beliefe of the truth Now say they sanctification and faith is made as the channel through which election must run and therefore that is the cause or motive why God did elect them To this we answer That it is true God elects men through sanctification and faith as the end God aimes at in elect persons not as the motive for which he elects them And this answer Rivet gives All elect men shall be sanctified and all elect men shall believe though it is not for this sanctification and beliefe that they are elected It is not for grace but unto grace they are chosen This distinction the Scripture gives 1 Pet. 1.2 Ye are elect according to the foreknowl dge of God through sanctification unto obedience Not for as the motive but to as the end Again Titus 1.1 it is called the faith of Gods elect Now say they it is called so because God elects them foreseeing their faith To which we answer That faith is here called the faith of Gods elect not as if God foreseeing faith did elect men but because all elect men shall believe because faith is a peculiar priviledge belonging onely to elect men therefore it is called their faith And then lastly one Scripture more they alledge 2 Tim. 2.20 If any man shall purge himself from sin he shall be a vessell of honour Now here say they purging that is sanctification and good works it is made a condition of election of being a vessell of honour God makes this condition if he forsee a man will purge himselfe and will live holily that man shall be elected shall be a vessell of honour To which we give this answer That purging and sanctification is here laid down not as the cause but as the signe of their election not as the cause why men are vessels of honour but the signe or evidence that they are so If you are purged you shall be vessels of honour that is if you are sanctified it is a sign to you that you are elected SERMON XV. 2 PETER 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THe last Conclusion or Doctrine drawn from these words was this That Christians should put forth a great deale of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are eternally elected by God to life and glory In the prosecution of which I have dispatched severall queries I am now to proceed further in the dispatch of what yet remaines to be spoken concerning this subject A fourth query followes Q. Fourthly Whether the decree of election or Gods purpose to save a company of men being from eternity and being immutable whether doth not this give way to man to be secure and carelesse in the use of the means of grace that they take no care to get grace and to get heaven while they are in the world This is a very usefull point to insist upon seeing the Arminians charge us with this that if we hold election without respect to Gods foresight of workes in men then this layes open a gap for men to live as they list that they shall say If God hath determined they shall be saved they shall be saved if that they shall be damned they shall be damned whether they are holy or profane if God hath elected them to life they shall be saved let them live as they list Thus the Arminians plead This therefore is the query whether this doctrine of election doth administer any ground for such a cavill as this to be in the minds of men To answer which I shall first lay down this generall Conclusion That the decree or the purpose of God about the election of man to life and salvation doth no way administer any just ground to men to make them live as they list and to make them neglect the means of grace and salvation In the clearing of which I shall lay down three particulars to satisfie you about this matter As First that Gods decree about Civill and Temporall matters doth no way give encouragement to men to neglect the use of means and live carelesse of the accomplishment of his decree and therefore not so in
spirituall As now for instance God hath determined from all eternity how long every one of us shall live in the world our daies are numbred in his counsell Now though God hath determined how long we shall live this no way gives us encouragement to say therefore I will never put on a rag of cloathes to cover me in Winter and I will never put a morsell of meat in my mouth for God hath determined how long I shall live and therefore whether I eate or no till then I shall not die Again God hath determined from all eternity touching every one of us whether we shall be poore or rich in this world and therefore to draw this conclusion that it is no matter whether I be industrious in following my calling and looking after my trade or whether I spend my estate in rioting and drunkennesse God hath determined whether I shall be rich or poore if he hath decreed I shall be poore I shall be poore or that I shall be rich I shall be rich let me live as I please this reasoning is very fond and foolish in Temporall things therefore much more in Spirituall God hath determined from all eternity whether thou shalt be saved or damned and the decree of God cannot be changed but now to draw hence that it is no matter how I live whether in waies of holinesse or in waies of sinne this is an abusive collection from Gods decree Because as Dr. Preston saith if a man doth not use those means that may evidence to his soule that he is elected it is an argument he is not elected If thou say if God hath determined it he will save me whether I am holy or prophane and therefore I will never heare Sermon never pray in my family never use holy duties Saith Preston if thou neglect these means it is an argument thou art not elected because as God hath elected thee to the end he hath also ordained thee to use the means I have read a story of an Italian who lying upon his death-bed sent for a Physician the most exquisite and exact Artist in all Italy and this man held this opinion I am now speaking of that seeing Gods decrees were unalterable a man might live as he list and yet be saved that let a man be as holy as he could be if God had decreed his damnation he should be damned and let a man be never so wicked if God have decreed his salvation hee should be saved and that the decree of God tooke off the use of all means that a man need not use any meanes but onely trust in God The Physician being a man acquainted in the mysteries of Religion after he had asked him the state of his body and where the disease lay the party desiring him to prescribe some phisick the Phisician gave him this answer saith he God hath determined how long you shall live therefore if I give you physick if God hath determined you shall die you shall die for all that and if he hath decreed you shall live though I give you no physick yet you shall live And this answer saith the Historian took such place with the Italian that it converted him in this very principle and he became a man very diligent in following the means of grace upon this very saying And indeed a just grounded speech it is This therefore is my first answer that if such reasonings as these in temporall things are unreasonable they are much more in spirituall Secondly to you that make this plea I would say this That at that very same instant wherein God did decree or determine to bring any man to life at that very instant God did decree likewise that that man should be holy before hee died he shall use all sanctified and holy means conducible to his salvation Rom. 8.29 Whom he did predestinate them he did predestinate to be conformable to the Image of his sonne God the Father in that very decree wherein he did ordain man to life did ordaine that those men elected should live conformable to Jesus Christ Ephes 1.4 He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world was laid that we should be holy and blamelesse before him in love God did decree that our lives should be holy he ordaines holinesse as the means as well as heaven as the end So Ephes 2.10 God hath created us in Christ Jesus unto good works which he hath before ordained that we should walke in them 2 Thes 2.13 God before the world was at that very instant wherein he ordained and chose men to life did also ordaine that men should live a holy and blamelesse life here upon earth Now then for men to make this objection that seeing God hath decreed men to life therefore men may live as they list is absurd for if men doe live as they list it is an argument God did not decree them to life because God in decreeing men to life and salvation did decree they should walk in a course of sanctification and holy living in this world Thirdly suppose this should be taken for granted that God had decreed to damne thee or me that God in his purpose had appointed he would not save us yet God as a Creator deserves thy service God as Creator may lay claime to thy duties Though God should condemne us yet he making us deserves obedience and deserves duties of thankfulnesse from us And therefore under this notion onely though no other consideration be looked after this should engage you to righteous living and this should engage you in a way of duties though he never save you Adam though he never should come to heaven being in innocency yet being made and created by God was engaged to live a holy life And so it is with every man alive as we are creatures and have a being from God and the comforts of this life from God all this doth oblige us to a course of obedience and righteous living toward God though he should throw us into hell when we have done And thus much for resolving the fourth Query that the decree of God touching mans election to life doth no way give encouragement to men to live as they list upon the forementioned grounds I now passe to the fifth Query Fifthly what temptations doth the divell suggest into the minds of godly men to make them doubt within themselves that they are not elected by God when indeed they are to make them thinke they are reprobate silver when they are vessels of honour meet for their Masters use Happily I may speak to some whose spirits are perplexed in this case And the answer hereunto I shall reduce to three heads and as I lay them down labour to take them off that they may be no just ground or reason to make you doubt of your election First the divell tempts a godly man with this that sure you cannot be elected Because that before your calling you were so exceeding
sinfull and profane in your lives so exceedingly profane vile wicked livers that certainly the divel will say such as you could not fall within the compasse of Gods purpose to save Secondly the divell will tell you that certainly you cannot be elected to life because that after your calling into Jesus Christ you have fallen so fouly into capitall and scandalous crimes and sinnes And thirdly because that God doth continually pursue his people with outward and great afflictions thence the divell will gather you are not the chosen and beloved of God These three grand temptations he doth many times fasten upon many tender consciences meerly to create a world of doubts and perplexities in the chosen vessels of mercy I begin with the first First the divell tempts you that sure you are not elected because your lives were so exceedingly profane and you were such abominable ill livers before you tooke upon you the profession of Jesus Christ this the divell layes before many a poore soule to stumble at To satisfie you in this therefore I shall lay down four particulars by way of answer First Many of the servants of God before their calling have been very lewd wicked notorious profane livers and yet have been within the compasse of Gods election to life and glory Cast your eyes upon Paul and there you shall finde what he was before his call He tels you himselfe I was a blusphemer a horrible sinne I was a persecuter I was injurious to God Church I haled men to prison for professing the name of Jesus These are great sinnes Nay further saith he I was exceeding mad against the Church of God A man enraged with malice against the people of God Now what could be morvile then these And yet you shall finde this man a chosen vessell of mercy Nay you shall finde God to strengthen the confidence of men upon their election puts a scandalous liver and election together to make men see that a scandalous life before conversion is no prejudice to a mans election Acts 9.13 14. And Ananias said Lord we have heard of this man by many speaking of Paul how much evill he hath done to thy Saints at Hierusalem We have heard by many what an evill man this is and that he hath authority from the chiefe Pâ—iests to binde all that call upon thy Name and that this man did doe it did execute his commission here was a wicked liver but now mark what the Lord saith Goe thy way for he is a chosen vessell to me Here you see Ananias laies his offence and his wickednesse before him and yet Goe thy way saith God Goe thy way for he is a chosen vessell to me The like instances we have in Manasseth and Mary Magdalen This therefore is my first answer that many of the servants of God have been men of very ill and notorious lives before conversion and yet they have been within the compasse of Gods election to salvation Secondly though men have been notoriously wicked in their lives before calling yet if this notorious wickednesse doth lay an engagement upon them to make them labour to be more eminent in grace after calling this is rather a signe of election then reprobation It is observable in Paul he was a notorious wicked man before his call but now this exceeding wickednesse of his before his call did engage him to labour to exceed all others in goodnesse after he was converted and the more evill he was before the more holy he labours to be after As he laboured before to hale men to prison for professing Jesus Christ he is now as zealous to draw men to Jesus Christ after his call he was very industrious to doe evill before his call and this made him after his call as he saith himselfe I was in labours more abundant then they all And so Mary Magdalen who before her calling was a vile woman one that was a common harlot a woman out of whom Jesus Christ cast seven divels and yet this woman after her calling she laboured to be more eminent in godly sorrow then any woman before or since she washed Christs feet with her teares and wiped them with the haires of her head The like of which you do not read of any woman in Scripture And this was a very good signe when your notoriousnesse in waies of sinne before calling shall lay such an engagement upon you to become more eminent in grace after calling this is a very good encouragement or evidence that you are within the compasse of Gods election and therefore you have no cause to be discouraged Suppose before the word laid hold upon your conscience you were guilty of filthy sinnes not fit to be named in the congregation if you will the more honour God and praise God now and walk more humbly and labour to excell each other in grace now as you did in sinne in times past This is a great signe that you are in the company of Gods Elect ones Thirdly you that have been scandalous in your lives before calling for your comfort know that God in his eternall counsell doth commonly make the profane and wicked and the worst of men the objects of his election rather then civill honest men rather then men that are of an honest and civill and morall conversation here in this world And the Lord doth it upon this ground the more to magnifie the freenesse and the riches of his own grace in electing men to life For should God onely chuse moderate and civill honest men in the world men would be apt to think it is that mans morality and that mans civility that was the motive which provoked God to elect them and therefore God to overthrow these thoughts he lets election runne rather unto men that have been notoriously grosse and sinfull in their lives then other men Manasseh a notorious bloudy man yet falls within the compasse of Gods election when many a civill man is left out Mary a common harlot yet chosen when many a modest chaste woman was cast into hell Matth. 21.31 32. There Christ urgeth a parable of two men One that said he would go and follow Christ but did not and the other said he would not goe but did now which of these twaine did the will of Christ and they said the first And Jesus said unto them Verily I say unto you that publicans and harlots shall goe into heaven before you But you will say was this common this was onely one single time therefore mark the next words For John came to you in the way of righteousnesse and you believed not but the publicans and harlots believed in Christ John came preaching and you would not believe you Pharisees strict morall men that did not flie out into such scandals as other men did you would not believe saith Christ but Publicans men that were most addicted to extortion and unconscionable gaine they imbraced Jesus Christ when morall men would not This therefore should be
another comfort for you that many times election runnes rather to the profaner sort of men then to men that are civill and righteous dealing men here in the world and this God doth to magnifie the riches of his own grace Fourthly that it is no matter what you were before your calling so you are a repentant and holy people after your former miscarriages shall no way prejudice your future blessednesse 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. Neither Fornicator nor Idolater nor Adulterer nor envious nor thiefe nor covetous nor reviler shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven and such were some of you c. Here you see a Catalogue of vile evils heaped together and such were some of you but now you are washed now you are sanctified c. So that no matter what you were before conversion though guilty of great sinnes so you are now a reformed people now a sanctified people Titus 3.3 We our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures and living in malice and envie c. You were so but after the kindnesse and love of God appeared to you after they were called and converted they were not so So that these foure particulars will clearly take off this objection that no matter what you were before conversion if you are now a repentant people and bewaile your evils and reform your waies your former ill led life will be no hindrance at all to your election Indeed this I must needs say that you that have been most notorious in sinne God expects this at your hands that you be most eminent in grace most deep in humiliation most eminent in godly sorrow though your former evills doe no way prejudice your election Secondly if the divell cannot fasten this upon you he will come upon you with this assault viz. your frequent falling into scandalous and foule and grosse enormities after you took upon you a profession of Jesus Christ And this the divell will lay close happily sinne before conversion was not so great but now since you have followed Sermons and since you have professed Jesus Christ since that time you have fallen foulely into grosse and scandalous sinnes and surely this is inconsistent with grace and cannot befall persons within the compasse of Gods election And I confesse this is both sad and hazardous yet I shall lay down three things to uphold thee that yet for all this thou maist be within the compasse of Gods election As First that divers persons who were within the compasse of Gods election have fallen foulely into grosse sinnes after their call Lot after he was called fell to be incestuous and fell to drunkennesse David after he was called fell into Adultery Peter after he was called fell to a deniall of Jesus Christ Yea you read of Solomon 1 Kings 11.9 That his heart was turned from the Lord after the Lord had revealed himselfe unto him twice After God had revealed himselfe to Solomon and converted him after that time he did evill against his God Nay you read further Nehem. 13.26 27. That Solomons wives turned away his heart from the Lord though he was the beloved of his God Though he were beloved by God and were elected by him yet his wives turned away his heart from the Lord. The like phrase you have Numb 14.22 After all these great works I have done amongst them and the miracles I have shewn them in Aegypt and in the Wildernesse they have provoked me saith the Lord these ten times After they were the Lords by covenant and after they were a delivered people after this they provoked him many a time by sinning against him and yet divers of them were elect vessels of mercy So that I say many of Gods servants after their calling are fallen foulely into scandalous sinnes and yet have been within the compasse of Gods election Secondly if you falling into grosse and scandalous sinnes have not these foure sinfull ingredients your falling into sinne after calling may be consistent with election First if you fall not into sinne voluntarily Secondly if you fall not into the same sinne frequently Thirdly if you fall not into sinne with complacency And fourthly if you lie not under your fall impenitently If these ingredients be mixed with your sinning after your call they are inconsistent with election First if you fall into sinne voluntarily that you rush into sinne as a horse into the battell Secondly if you fall into the same sinne frequently then it is hazardous and dangerous It is true Peter denied Christ but it was but in one fit of a temptation David fell into Adultery but it was never but once Lot was guilty of drunkennesse but onely in one fit For the servants of God though they fall yet they fall not frequently into the same sinne if grosse and scandalous Thirdly if you fall into sinne with complacency that you take pleasure in the evils you fall into if you doe as Job saith wallow sinne under your tongue counting it sweet and delightsome to you And lastly if all this be joyned with impenitency that you have not a heart to repent of the evils you fal into the Lord have mercy upon you for certainly if you fall into sinne with these ingredients you are not within the compasse of Gods mercy to save But now though you doe fall into sinne if it be not voluntary but through the force of temptation if it be not with complacency but a dislike of the sins you fall into and as soon as you doe fall and see your sinnes you repent and rise again though you doe fall in this way it will be no prejudice to your election Thirdly falling into sinne after calling and profession made of Jesus Christ may be consistent with election in these foure cases First if the sinnes you fall into be clearly discerned Secondly if they are sensibly bewailed Thirdly if they are strongly resisted and lastly if they are daily laboured and prayed against Though you doe fall into sinne yet in these cases sinne will not be damning to you or be an impediment to your election And thus I have done with the second case of conscience Onely let me urge this one thing before I leave it for I would not have you make this doctrine a doctrine of liberty but I would have you lay this to heart that if any of you doe fall foulely after conversion believe it God will make you smart for this though not in hell yet you shall have a hell in your conscience you shall have the very pregustations of hell a wounded conscience and God will expect deep humiliation and great repentance if you sinne after profession made of Jesus Christ It may have that influence upon you as upon David who cried out I have no quietnesse in my bones by reason of my sinne God will give you no rest night nor day by reason of sinne if you runne into it after profession made of Jesus Christ Thirdly men doe doubt
not God lest us a small remnant we had been like Sodome yea like unto Gomorrha Had not God left a handfull of his elect and godly men amongst them all the rest had been destroyed So Esa 65.8 And the Lord said destroy not the people for a blessing is among them That is my people is among them and my elect is among them therefore destroy them not God did not destroy the Nation of the Jewes because God had his own people mixed among them So Job 22.30 And this conclusion administers matter of thankfulnesse to all men upon earth to make you blesse God that he keepes his people alive among you for it is for the elects sake you have all the outward blessings and mercies you doe enjoy Tenthly and lastly take in this conclusion That this world shall continue no longer then till the number of Gods elect be accomplished when God hath accomplished and brought in to Christ the number of his elect the world shall not stand one minute longer after this worke is done God doth but uphold the world till the full number of Jewes and Gentiles be come in If the number were filled Jesus Christ would surrender up the Kingdome to his Father The Heavens should gather together like a scrowle and the Elements should melt with fervent heat and this world should come to a dissolution It is the elect in the world that keep up the world that it doth not fall about our eares And thus having spent these 16 Sermons touching mans Effectuall calling and eternall Election I have now brought all unto a conclusion And I earnestly intreat you let it be your work to put forth your diligence to make this sure to your own soules that you are effectually called and that you are eternally elected to obtaine life and salvation by Jesus Christ FINIS The Table A. WE must give diligence to gain Assurance of our calling p. 23. and why p. 24. seq Whether Assurance of our Calling be attainable in this life p. 105. seq Two extreams about this p. 206 Hindrances to be removed in getting Assurance of our Calling p. 125. seq Means to be used for getting Assurance p. 129. seq At what times God fils his people with most Assurance p. 136 seq Difference between Assurance and groundlesse presumption p. 141 seq Directions to such as have Assurance p. 153 How to use Assurance p. 154. seq How to preserve our Assurance p. 162. seq what must be done ibid. what avoyded p. 164. seq How to improve Assurance p. 167. seq How to recover Assurance when t is lost p. 171. seq What sins chiefly forfeit our Assurance p. 173 Comforts to those that want Assurance p. 193 We should use diligence to get Assurance of Election p. 200 whether it be attainable in this life p. 201. seq Objections against it answered p. 202 Not to be gotten by ascending into Gods decree but descending into our own hearts p. 208 Afflictions no argument that we are not elected p. 245. seq C A Twofold Calling externall and internall p. 4 Why Calling set before Election p. 5 Vse diligence to get assurance of our Calling p. 23. see assurance What effectuall Calling is p. 23 24 Signes of effectuall Calling p. 27. to 43 Gods method in Calling a sinner p. 27. seq Mistakes about it ibid. Who are most terrified in their Calling p. 32 We should resemble him that calls us p. 44 Not blemish our high Calling ibid. How great a mercy our effectuall Calling is p. 45. seq Ten sad Conclusions to those that are not effectually Called p. 49. seq Many cal'd to profession who are not cal'd to possession of Christ ibid. To be called outwardly and not inwardly brings heavier condemnation ibid. Many presume they are called when they are not p. 50 Self-conceited persons most unlikely to be called ibid. That others are called and we not much aggrivates our sinne p. 51 The Word preached the ordinary moans of calling a sad Word to whom p. 52 Those that have long enjoyd the Word and are not yet called are never like to be p. 53 Poore and mean persons most commonly the objects of Gods Call and why p. 54 55 257 Consolations to the godly and what need they have of it p. 56 57 Christ cals us before we look after him p. 57 When he leaves our betters p. 58 Most sensible of our own vilenesse and need of Christ most likely to be called p. 59 An elect person may live long in sinne before he be called p. 59 258 A man may be called and yet not know it p. 60 yea though he knows not how nor when ibid. Those that are once cal'd shall neuer fall away p. 61 Nothing shall hinder our calling when Christ hath a minde to call us p. 62 65 Cases concerning effectuall calling p. 63 Wheâ—her a man can resist his own call p. 64 A twofold call significative and operative ibid. What temptations Satan suggests to hinder a call p. 66 Young men should not neglect the call of Christ p. 66. seq Our worldly callings should not cause us to neglect our effectuall calling by Christ p 71. seq The poverty of Christians hinders many from embracing Christs call p. 75 Antidote against this p. 76. seq Feare to be deprived of all comsort and mirth p. 80 This hindrance removed p. 81. seq By what delusions men are perswaded to think they are called when they are not p. 84 Hearing the Word with delight not alwaies a signe of effectuall calling p. 84. seq Nor all love to the godly p. 88. seq Nor every change of life and conversation p. 91. seq Nor to be reproached by wicked men p. 95 96 Why those that are effectually called doe sometimes doubt of their calling p. 109 want of great terrours and deep humiliations no ground to question our calling p. 110. seq Nor that we were not called by preaching the Word p. 113 Weaknesse in knowledge may stand with sound calling p. 122 What defects of obedience may stand with effectuall calling p. 124 Covenant of grance helpfull to assurance many waies p. 134 Calling to profession no sure evidence of Election p. 252 Christ not the cause of Election p. 156 D. SEverall Doctrines raised p. 6 Great diligence to be used in all matters of soul-concernment p. 8. and why p. 9. seq Cautions about thy diligence p. 16. seq In what our diligence is to be imployed p. 22 23 Delusions about our Calling p. 84 and Election p. 248. seq Papists doctrine of doubting uncomfortable p. 108 Vpon what grounds Christians doubt of their Calling p. 109 Difference between true assurance and vaine presumption p. 141 seq E. WHat Election is and how we can make that sure p. 5 Gracious Examples may be a means of conversion p. 114 The nature of Election p.