lamentations protestations and professions lesse then an endevour by a meanes sufficient to save them Ob. This is to overthrow free grace Ans I doe not hold it lesse free because I hold it more full neither can I conceive how it can be thought the lesse free to any man because it is extended to every man unlesse his eye be evill because God is good I conceive this doth advance free grace upon the throne of its glory proclaiming discovering God gracious and mercifull to all the sons of men thereby to beget in them good thoughts of God and to cause them to comprehend and confide in his love Ob. This is to advance the creature and to give him occasion of boasting Ans This objection deceives many simple-hearted and well-meaning people because it hath a specious pretence of humility in advancing God and throwing down the creature though in truth it dishonoureth God and fills men with pride and vanity The Scribes and Pharisees would pay tithes of Mint Annise and Cummin and neglect Iudgment Mercy and Faith so many men boast and no more but boast of making themselves nothing whilest they overthrow the justice mercy and faith of God they strain at a gnat yea at a shadow and swallow a Camell for i deny the creature to have any thing but what he receives of God and boasting is proper for him that hath something which he hath not received 1 Cor. 4.7 Christ I say who is the object of faith is the gift of God and the gospel which is the meanes of faith is of God and what the creature is he is of God now seeing what the creature hath and is he thus receives of God there is no ground of boasting or of this objection Againe Luke 17.10 Christ tells his Disciples Hee that hath nothing but what he hath received and doth nothing but his duty hath no ground to boast of what he hath or of what he doth that when they had done all those things that were commanded them they should say they were unprofitable servants they had done that which was their duty to doe plainly intimating that no man hath ground to boast that doth nothing but his duty Ob. Though what I have I have of God yet seeing another man hath received as much as I which man beleeves not or doth not obey I may thanke my selfe that I beleeve or do obey Ans This conclusion seems very strange as though grace received were no grace if there were a possibility in the receiver to have rejected resisted or abused it when it was manifested or declared Again whence is it that it is so hard and difficult for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven Mark 10.23 for if God doth so worke in men both to will and to doe that they are altogether passive as men generally conceive then it was as easie for a rich man to receive and obey the gospel as a poor man for as David speaks of darknesse that it hideth not from God but that the night shineth as the day and that darknesse and light are both alike to him Psal 139.12 so may I say in this case that if it be that Almighty power which raised Christ from the dead which is exercised in a speciall manner towards every one that beleeves as is usually urged from Rom. 8.11 then riches and poverty are both alike to it and it is as easie for one to enter into the Kingdome of heaven as the other for without this speciall grace say they not the common and ordinary meanes which he affoords all men where the gospel is preached we may as well raise our selves from the dead as beleeve the gospel and with this speciall grace and almighty power we cannot but beleeve and yeeld obedience to the truth Now seeing that where God is the sole agent all things are alike easie to be performed what life remaines there in the words of Christ according to this doctrine but wee may see in the history that this young man came to Christ with strong desires and affections to attaine eternall life for he came running and kneeled downe to him and asked him saying good Master what shall I doe that I may inherite eternall life vers 17. Christ answereth him Doe not commit adultery doe not kill doe not steale doe not beare false witnesse honour thy father and mother vers 19. the young man replyes that he had observed all these from his youth vers 20. and the Scripture saith that Christ beholding him loved him and said unto him one thing thou lackest goo thy way sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come take up thy crosse and follow me vers 21. But the young man was sad at this saying and went away grieved for hee had great possessions vers 22. whereupon Christ tells his disciples that it was difficult thing for a rish man to enter into the King dome of God vers 23. the reason is because whosoever will be his disciple must forsake all and follow him Luk. 14.33 whosoever will partake of heavenly treasure must part with all his earthly Mark 10.21 as Peter and the rest of the Disciples had done vers 28. doubtlesse the young man would have parted with much for Christ but this word All spoiles all it being a very hard thing for him that hath much to forsake all Againe God forbids men to have respect of persons in judgement Prov. 24.23 Deut. 1.16.17.19 Levit. 19.15 and he declares in his word that hee will Iudge every man according to his workes Prov. 24.12 Job 34.11 Psal 62.12 Jer. 32.19 Rom. 2.6 Rev. 22.12 without respect of persons Col. 3.25 as Peter writes unto Believers in the 1 Pet. 1.17 and hee that will give righteousnesse judgment without respect of persons must consider every circumstance he must consider the meanes and opportunities to doe or not to doe aswell as the thing done or not done and accordingly Christ in the parable doth as much commend him that by two talents had got other two as hee that by five had got five because they were alike profitable according to the price that was put into their hands But if God give faith to one man and not to another and yet require faith of both alike at the day of Judgment if God open one mans eyes to see his eares to heare and over-power his heart to the obedience of his will and so leaves the other that he can neither see heare nor bee obedient and then require obedience from both alike at the day of Judgement how then doth God Judge without respect of persons he might then bee said to judge men according to his owne worke but not according to their workes as in Mat. 25.35 and in divers other places hee is said to doe The Saints are promised to walke with Christ in white for they are worthy Rev. 3.4 those that indure tribulations and
themselves and so their faith is stronger or weaker as they appeare to themselves better or worse men Must be pressed to repentance love and holinesse from the love and grace of God towards them as sinners they must not first beleeve because they are good but they must be good because they believe Paul the chiefe of sinners obtained mercy and so became a patterne of the large extent of the love of God that no man might exclude himselfe from his grace and mercy in Christ and Christ conversed with Publicans and Harlots therby to shew his desire of the good and Salvation of Sinners and to reprove the error of the Pharisees that thought that Christ should save and respect such onely as were Pharisaically holy and reformed whereas Christ tells them that he comming to save sinners the more sinfull men were the more proper it was for him to apply himselfe to recover reform and save them by his grace Secondly all men are called upon to believe that they may have life Acts 17.30 now God would not call upon all to believe if there was not a Christ crucisied for all to believe in Thirdly Unbelievers are threatned with eternall death and ruine for their unbelief Joh. 3.18.36 Matth. 10.14.15 2 Thes 1.8 9. now if Christ died not for all those for whom he did not die should rather be threatened with condemnation for believing then for unbeliefe yea certainly in whatsoever God condemnes them he would justifie them in this that they did not believe that Christ dyed for their sins for to have believed that if Christ did not dye for them had been to believe a lie then which nothing can bee no more contrary to the God of Truth Fourthly those men which perish are chargedwith neglect of salvation Heb. 2.3 and putting from them the word of eternall life Acts 13.46 and for not receiving the truth in the love thereof that they might be saved 2 Thessa 2.10 and for not comming to Christ that they may have life John 5.40 These and the like expressions are used concerning such as neglect and reject the Gopell by which it evidently appeares that there was life and salvation in the Gospell for them for they could not put that from them which was never there for them Christ would not blame them for not comming to him that they might have Life if there had been no life in him for them if they had come and there is life in him for none for whom hee did not die the receiving of no truth whatsoever would save them if Christ had not shed his blood for them seeing without blood there is no Remission therefore it is cleare that Christ hath given himselfe to the death for all and is become a compleat meanes of life to all Object Christ would not pray for the world much lesse would hee die for the same Joh. 17.9 For Answer to this Objection consider these two particulars First who they were that Christ prayed for Secondly what it was that Christ prayed for The persons for whom Christ prayed were those whom God had given him out of the world vers the 6. such as had received the word of God and did know and believe that he was sent of God ver the 8. such as the world did hate verse the 14. such as Christ sent out into the world vers the 18. whereby it appeares that the persons prayed for were such as did at that time be-believe and so were given to Christ for the World loved them aswell as others whil'st they were in unbeliefe and were of the World And it further appeares that it were the Disciples of Christ only which were there said to be given and prayed for if you consider the 12. Verse Those that thou hast given me have I kept and none of them is lost but the Son of Perdition compared with the 20. Vers where it is said Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve on me through their word Now Christ needs not to inlarge his prayer for those that should afterwards believe if they had beene included in the former words those which thou hast given me for that would have been a vaine repetition Secondly consider what Christ prayed for viz that they might be one and that they might bee kept from the evill of the World now Christ did not desire nor endeavour to make unity betweene believers and unbelievers but the contrary and there was no need of Christs prayer that Unbelievers though elect should be kept from the evill of the World for the World could not discern any thing in the Elect during their unbelief which should cause them to have an evill eye towards them and if by evill wee understand the corruption of the World then they were of those that made the times corrupt and so Christ would have prayed his Father to have delivered them out of the evill or wickednesse of the world rather then to keepe them from it and so the reason is evident by what hath been said why Christ excluded the unbelieving World out of his prayer seeing he tooke occasion from the enmity of the world against his people to make this prayer unto his Father which prayer was in no sense proper for the unbelieving World And moreover hee excepted the world in no other respect but as they were considered opposing their owne Salvation not that he would not have all to bee saved but that the World might not prevaile against his worke in hand the divulging of the Gospel which was to be done by his Disciples therefore is he so earnest for them that the evill of the world might not prevaile over them in their Ministery in his absence that thereby the world might know that he was sent of God vers 21. therefore their Salvation was more implyed in these words I pray not for the World then their condemnation Obj Many men were in Hell that very time that Christ did die and therefore it is a foolish thing to thinke that Christ dyed for them First I Answer that no man is yet in Hel neither shall any be there untill the Judgement for God doth not hang first and judge after and therefore wee see the Scriptures referreth the punishment of men untill the last day so Paul writes to the Thessalouians seeing saith he it is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you that are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and on them that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when hee shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to bee admired in all them that believe 2 Thess 1.6 7 8 9 10. vers so Matth. 25. when the
if so then there is a rationall ground for their faith in the Word of GOD or there is not if there bee then it is as well every mans ground as any mans and as possible for every man to believe as any man if there be not then they doe not believe for God himself cannot make a man believe without ground the things whereon they ground their peace and comfort and wherein they glory and rejoice as that God perswaded and overpowred their hearts to believe such a promise made this or that Scripture theirs spake to them in it gave them aboundance of comfort from it at such a time in such a place in such a manner after they had been so long in a despairing distracted condition in bondage under the Law are vaine For now though that Scripture or promise be made theirs as they conceive and they doe believe it as they say and comfort themselves in it that God loves them and that they shall certainly live yet can they give no ground or reason from their principles why that Scripture or Promise belongs to them much lesse that it should more belong to them then to others onely they say that God perswaded their hearts but if he perswaded them he perswaded their understandings and judgements by some evident and rationall demonstration or conclusion from the Scripture or promise so believed and if not then the things they speak of are but pleasing fancies and golden dreams Againe from this Doctrine of limiting the love of God to a few the love of the most religious men of our times is also limited to a few to love those that love them to do good to those that do good to them to salute their Brethren onely wheras Christ tells them plainly that there is nothing singular in it they doe no more then others then sinners then Publicans whereas if God indeed were the Patterne of their love their love would be universall like the love of God love is a debt due to all men and wee shall never be freed from that debt in this World Rom. 13.8 It appeares by the words of Christ Luk. 10.30 That every man we see in misery or in need of our helpe and relief is our Neighbour and wee must love our Neighbour as our selves in deed and in truth without dissimulation so that we ought to love all men the evill and unthankfull our enemies those that hate curse and persecute us and nothing can beget such a Spirit in us but the Spirit of this Doctrine of the free and universall love of God to us when we were enemies sinfull lost creatures evill and unthankfull As God by the discovery of his love and goodnesse to us did turn us from evill to good so should we endeavour to overcome the evill of men by good to prevaile with them by love for love is very powerfull whereas mens disposing and rejecting such as are not so good as they would have them or such as suit not with them in judgement and opinion makes them to be despised and hated yea many men despise Religion it self Seeing these things doe appeare in those which professe themselves to be most religious though indeed Religigion teacheth no such thing but the contrary as the Scriptures plainly manifest the substance of Religion is almost lost and there is little else then the shew or name of it remaining unlesse Religion bee a rigid A practice not suitable to the Gospel of grace and love but to policy and sensuality not comming from above but from beneath whether it tends and is therefore to be shund and abhord of all men blind and preposterous zeal in seeking dominion over the faith of our brethren and fellow-servants and by humane and positive lawes inhumanely Rev. 13.15 16 17. to compell their judgements and consciences to conformity to our dictates and determinations in matters of the worship of God We have much hearing much praying much talking amongst men but little love whereas all the means that God useth with us is to manifest his love to us that so we may love him and one another To do good and to shew mercy are services well pleasing to God better then all burnt Offrings and Sacrifices 1 Sam. 15.22 hearing praying and discoursing is no further beneficiall then it tends to edification in love yea it is abomination if love be wanting Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the father is this To visite the fatherlesse and the Widdowes in their affliction and to keepe our selves unspotted in the world and who so hath this worlds goods and seeth his brother hath need and shutteth up his bowells of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him all his Religion is vaine and to no purpose If any Object that this doctrine of Gods rich and abundant grace to all tends to loosenesse I Answer as formerly that the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men appearing teacheth us to deny all ungodlines and worldly lusts and to live righteously and godlily in this present world Tit. 2.11 12. But if any abuse this grace of God and turne that into wantonnesse which naturally leads to holinesse the Judgment of God is just against those that so doe now I desire you to consider what is here written in love and that the love of God may be shed abroad in our hearts that we may dwell in love walke in love and doe whatever wee doe in love shall bee the prayer and indeavour of him who while hee lives never ceaseth to remaine The Servant of all men in Love L. S. FJNJS