puft up with their fleshly mind as Col. 2. 18 19. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed unto us and to our Children for ever that we may do all the words of this Law Deut. 29. 29. It is a very sinful and dangerous thing for us to be peeping into things that God hath kept secret We may remember how severely God dealt with Fifty thousand threescore and ten men of Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Lord 1 Sam. 6. 19 20. And that is written for our Admonition to the intent our hearts might not be haughty nor our eyes lofty And that we should not exercise our selves in great Matters or in things too wonderful for us 1 Cor. 10. 6-11 with Psal 131. Who hath ascended up into Heaven or descended Prov. 30. 4. The Angel shewed his dislike of Manoah's Question when he asked him What is thy Name And said unto him Why askest thou thus after my Name seeing it is Secret or Wonderful Judg. 13. 18. And our Saviour reproves his Apostles for their curiosity in demanding of him Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom unto Israel It is not for you saith he to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power Acts 1. 6 7. And if it be Reprovable to enquire into or after Secret Things much more Condemnable is it to presume to know and declare what Gods Secret Will is And more still to give out that it is contrary to his Revealed as may be after shewn As with respect to Secret and Wonderful things it is good and safe for us to say as sometimes David doth when he is speaking of the Omniscience and Prescience of God Such knowledge is too wonderful or secret for me it is high I cannot attain unto it As if he should say It is such as is impossible for me to comprehend such as mine Understanding cannot reach unto Psal 39. 1-6 2. Time was when that which is now Revealed and made known to us was Secret and hidden also It was hid in God as Isa 48. 6. Ephes 3. 9. And if his Revealed Will be contrary to his Secret Time was when he had two Secret Wills one inconsistent with or contrary to the other One having no Pleasure in the Death of the wicked and the other having Pleasure in the Death of the greatest part of Mankind And how unworthily and wickedly do they herein speak of of God yea as it were say There are two Gods Whereas the Lord our God is one Lord Deut. 6. 4 5. Or that he is divided from himself or one Secret Will divided from the other Whereas he is One Gal. 3. 20. Or in one Mind and Will and who can turn him Job 23. 13. He is Jehovah he changeth not Mal. 3. 6. Do not err my beloved brethren every good giving and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning Jam. 1. 16-18 And our Lord Jesus is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13. 7 8. 3. This wicked Distinction of the Will or Wills of God makes him guilty of Dissimulation and Hypocrisie which are most hateful and abominable to him in others and without all doubt he is most clear thereof himself for it makes him to speak one thing and mean another And though his Lips drop as the Honey-comb and his Mouth be smoother than Oyl yet war is in his heart toward the most of men toward whom he professeth so much love as Psal 55. 21. Burning Lips such as speak kindly and pretend fervent love And a wicked heart which is full of hatred are like a Potsheard covered with silver-dross he that hateth dissembleth with his lips and layeth up deceit within him when he maketh his voice gracious believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart whose hatred is covered by deceit his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole Congregation Prov. 26. 23-26 And God forbid that we should suppose that He who hath pleasure in uprightness 1 Chron. 29. 17. And who is the most upright Isa 26. 7. should be guilty of that which is so hateful and abominable to him in others Our Lord Jesus who is the Brightness of his Fathers Glory and the Express Character of his Person in seeing whom we see the Father also Though he hated all Iniquity yet most severely enveighed against and denounced Woes upon those who were guilty of Dissimulation and Hypocrisie Matth. 23. And therefore without controversie this is most hateful unto the Divine Majesty and so hateful that an Hypocrite shall not come before him Job 13. 16. And for such so remaining the Blackness of Darkness as it were is reserved Mat. 24. 51. But now if God were guilty hereof which is most abominable to conceive then we might also be safely guilty thereof for we are exhorted to be followers of God as dear children Eph. 5. 1. And our Saviour instructs and commands his Disciples to be Children of their father which is in Heaven in loving their enemies Not to have a mouth full of Love and an heart full of Hatred towards them But sincerely and cordially to love them adding presently Be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect And then presently cautions them that they should not be or do as the Hypocrites But in all their love and expressions of kindness towards their Enemies and others should be hearty and have their Conversation in the world and one toward another in simplicity and in the sincerity of God Mat. 5. 44-48 and Chap. 6. 1 2. c. with 2 Cor. 1. 12. Oh take we heed we attribute not Lying or Dissimulation to him who though he can do all things which are Acts of Power or Potency for he is the Almighty yet cannot possibly Lye or be guilty of Hypocrisie for that is an Act of Infirmity and Impotency Heb. 6. 18. The four living Creatures thus give Glory to God saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty To assure us that he is holily Almighty and Almightily holy And such an One he was and is to come even from Everlasting to Everlasting Rev. 4. 8 9. 4. This ungodly Distinction is justly chargeable with Non-sence for while some speak of Gods Revealed Will what do they mean thereby but that it is the Revelation of his Will which is more hidden or the manifesting or making known of his Will which is secret Now how can that be rationally called his Revealed Will or the Revelation of his Will which is disagreeing with and contrary to his Secret Will But indeed as evil men who have not the faith of Christ are unreasonable and absurd As the Apostle gives us to understand 2 Thes 3. 3. So are also all those corrupt Notions and Distinctions which consent not to wholsom words the words of our Lord Jesus
And he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence you are c. Luke 13. 24-29 Mat. 25. 10-13 But now I say while God is waiting that he may be gracious unto sinners he hath no pleasure none at all in their eternal Ruine and Perdition Isa 30. 8-18 And so surely to him that is joyned to all the living there is hope Eccl. 9. 4. The very end of Christ in so loving all men as to die for them was That they which live who are still continued in the land of and joyned to all the living might no longer live unto themselves but unto him who died for them and rose again 2. Cor. 5. 14 15. Yea though Sinners and ungodly Ones have long persisted in their folly and disobedience yet while he is long-suffering it is a Day of Salvation 2 Pet. 3. 9-15 And unto such Wisdom utters her Voice saying How long ye simple Ones will ye love simplicity and the Scorners delight in their scorning and Fools hate knowledge Turn ye at my reproof c. Prov. 1. 21 22 23. Isa 50. 1 2. Even as our Lord Jesus speaks and saith If any man here my words and believe not I judge him not To wit now he doth not judge him as that is opposed to saving he doth not say he will never judge him for he will hereafter judge all and yield Vengeance unto all that know not God and obey not his Gospel who will be punished with everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power as 2 Thes 1 7 8 9. Acts 10. 40 41. But now during the Day of Gods Grace and Patience he saith I judge him not John 12. 47-49 Hence the Wisdom of God thus speaks unto men and unto the Sons of Adam Indefinitely considered and saith They that seek me early to wit while it is called to Day shall find me And thus exhorts them Now therefore to wit in the opportune season hearken unto me for blessed are they that observe my ways Prov. 8. 1-4 5. 17. 32 33. And thus also we have given some Answer unto this Enquiry and have shewn how long or during what time the Lord God hath no Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked That is to say While he is exercising long-suffering towards them and they are joyned unto all the living And thus we have spoken unto the Explication or explaining of those four things we propounded to Enquire into which we desire may be duly minded and diligently considered And shall now proceed on unto the next considerable to wit 2. We come nextly to give some further Evidence and Proof of the Truth of what the Lord God here so solemnly swears to namely That he hath no pleasure in the Death of the wicked Though indeed his Word and Oath here given us are such Immutable Things and Infallible Proofs as may sufficiently assure us of the Verity of what is so Affirmed and Confirmed But we have not onely this Scripture speaking such gracious Words but others also much-what to the same purpose Thus it is said Have I any pleasure at all either Revealed or Secret in the Death of the wicked saith the Lord God Indeed this is propounded by way of Question or Interrogation But as is usually observed is a vehement Denial of that questioned about And to put all out of doubt he who propounds the Question and best and onely perfectly knows his own Will and Pleasure gives Answer hereto in the same Chapter and saith positively I have no pleasure in the Death of him that dieth saith the Lord God c. Ezek. 18. 23. with verse 32. And we have the two famous Apostles the Apostle of the Uncircumcision and the Apostle of the Circumcision speaking after the same rate The former saith thus God our Saviour will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth 1 Tim. 2. 3 4. The latter thus The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance 2 Pet. 3. 9. And these Scriptures considered together more confirm the truth of this Doctrine And this three-fold Cord is not quickly broken But I shall desire to add some other Proofs and Evidences to Assure us of the Truth hereof Namely 1. It appears Evidently That God hath no pleasure in the Death of the wicked nor of any sinful Creature of Mankind while it is called to Day in that according to his Promise he hath actually raised up a Saviour even Jesus This Purpose and Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the secular times but is now manifested by the appearing of our Saviour c. 2 Tim. 1. 9 10. When the fulness of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law Gal. 4 4 5. Which was an high Act Evidence and Expression of the Love of God towards the Sons of Men As our Saviour saith So God loved the World to wit of Mankind that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting life For God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World but that the World thorow him might be saved John 3. 16. 7. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the World to save sinners Indefinitely considered 1 Tim. 1. 15. In this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God sent his onely begotten Son into the world that we might live thorow him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son the Propitiation for our sins he sent the Son the Saviour of the World 1 John 4. 8 9 10-14 And Jesus Christ by the will of God his Father came into the World not to destroy mens Souls but to save them Luk. 9 55 56. To which end He in the Greatness of his Love died for all even for all of Mankind that were dead 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. And God crowned him with glory and honour that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man Heb. 2. 9. And he rose again for their justification Rom. 4. 15. and Ch. 3. 23 24. and Ch. 5. 6-8 12. 18. Now herein is clearly and undoubtedly evidenced That God hath no pleasure in the Death of any of Mankind while it is called to Day In that he hath devised such a Device and done what he devised that his Banished might not be expelled from him as 2 Sam. 14. 14. When Christ was born into the World one Angel saith unto the Shepherds Behold I bring you glad-tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you Men and not unto the Angels Heb. 2. 9. 16. is born this day a Saviour c. And the multitude of the heavenly host praised God and said Glory to God
wrath tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile for there is no respect of persons with God Rom. 2. 1-4 5-11 There will be no good reason or just cause to blame the Almighty as if he were the Author of their endless misery And if any shall so do He will be justified in his sayings and overcome when he is judged Rom. 3. 3 4. And all â—â—at are incensed against him shall be ashamed when they shall appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ for then they shall know and confess That he had no Pleasure during the Day of his Grace in their Perdition but willed that they should be saved And therefore thus called unto All Look unto me all the ends of the earth and be ye saved for I am a just God and a Saviour and there is none besides me Isa 45. 21 22 23 24. And specially such as continue wicked amongst Gods Professed People will be inexcusable in that day and will be even speechless Matth. 22. 12 13 14. They will not have to plead for themselves That Christ never died for them for he gave his flesh for the life of the world John 6. 51. Died for all even for All of Mankind that were dead and rose again for their justification To the end they might have lived unto him who so dearly bought them 2 Cor. 5. 14 25. They will have no just cause to say That there was no saving Grace vouchsafed to them that they might have been saved from their wickedness For this is very false as afterwards also we may shew more fully And as is intimated in this Oath for without question he that so solemnly swears that he hath now no Pleasure in their Destruction will not be wanting in giving such Grace to them as whereby they may escape that place of Torment The grace of God that bringeth salvation or is saving unto all men hath appeared Tit. 2. 11 12. Or if they should think to excuse themselves or extenuate their wickedness with saying God had reprobated them or past them by before they were born And by vertue hereof they were left under a necessity of perishing and must in conclusion be unavoidably miserable Hereby they will nothing advantage themselves for they do but make lyes their refuge and under falshood seek to hide themselves And when God lays Judgment to the Line and Righteousness to the Plummet the hail will sweep away their refuge of lies and the waters will over-flow their hiding place As Isa 28. 15-17 For there is no such dreadful and dismal Decree of Reprobation of any of Mankind in a Personal Consideration as some earnestly and zealously contend for as appears plainly and evidently in what we have said before Nor is the Lord now willing that any should perish as he hath both said and sworn and given his Son to be a Witness of the truth hereof And therefore this will be the Worm that will gnaw upon them for ever That God so loved them when fallen as to give his onely begotten Son to be their Saviour that thorow him they might be saved That Christ by the free Love and Charity of God and by his own Grace tasted Death for them and rose again for their Justification and ascended up on high and led Captivity Captive and received gifts in the Man even for the Rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them That when they came to years of understanding God made known the love of the truth to them to the end they might have been saved and assisted them in order thereunto with his Grace and strove with them by his Spirit to convince them of and convert them from their sins and vanities to serve the living and true God That yet notwithstanding all this they rewarded him evil for good and hatred for his love That they trampled under foot the precious blood of Christ the blood of the Covenant And resisted and offered despight unto the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10. 29. And despised all the riches of Gods goodness and forbearance and long-suffering vouchsafed to them Rom. 2. 4-6 Oh! this I say being reflected on will fill them with desperate Grief and Vexation of Spirit That when it was Gods will they should be saved they would not so be That when Christ would have gathered them as an Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings they would not be gathered Then they will blame themselves onely and even say How have we hated instruction and our heart despised reproof we have not obeyed the voice of our teachers nor inclined our ears to them that instructed us Prov. 5. 7-13 Wisdom 5. 2-8 Then they will be ashamed and cry for sorrow of heart and howl for vexation of spirit That when God called them they did not answer That when he spake they did not hear but did evil before his eyes and chose that wherein he delighted not when they might have chosen the things that pleased him And which would have been eternally profitable to themselves for if they had been wise they should have been wise for themselves But having been Scorners they alone must bear it Isa 65. 11-15 Prov. 9. 12. Had their Ruine and eternal Perdition been unavoidable it would be more tolerable And there would have been no good Reason for them to have blamed themselves But when they shall consider they wilfully sinned and brought upon themselves eternal Destruction when God was not willing they should perish and sware As he lives he had no pleasure therein Oh! this will aggravate their misery how can their hearts endure the thoughts hereof Or how can their hands be strong Ezek. 22. 13 14. And yet thus it must needs be I mean Man's Perdition will be and appear to be wholly of himself And none shall be Damned hereafter but such as might have been saved and yet did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. And this is evident from what the Lord God here swears to namely That he hath no pleasure in the Death of the wicked Object But against what hath been even now said some may object and say It evidently appears that some Persons were personally elected to salvation before they were born yea before the foundation of the World Eph. 1. 4. And therefore also it necessarily follows that some were then also personally reprobated and must needs perish hereafter Answ To this Objection I shall more briefly give Answer because I have elsewhere largely considered it and shewed some mens great mistake concerning it And therefore I shall here onely say 1. If it should be granted that the Apostle speaks there directly of some mens being elected to Salvation before the Dejection or foundation of the World Yet it appears evidently that they were not chosen thereto in a personal consideration but as considered in Christ and so as Believers in him for the
of all is Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for ye neither go in your selves nor suffer them that are entering to go in Matth 23. 13. Oh! take we heed of divers and strange Doctrines and Teachers otherwise they will make us vain for they speak a Vision of their own hearts not out of the mouth of the Lord Heb. 13. 7 8 9. Jer. 23. 16. 2. As also they are not of God nor like unto him who practically err from the way of truth such as profess to know God and yet in works deny him being abominable and disobedient Tit. 1. 16. And so they are not of God who unduly or sinfully use or abuse their liberty in indifferent things to the scandalizing and offending others for thereby they cause their weak Brother to perish for whom Christ died Rom. 14. 15. 1 Cor. 8 9-13 As also such as believe the Gospel and Doctrine of Christ and yet hold the truth in unrighteousness and believe in vain and receive not the love of the truth to be saved thereby from the pollutions of the World but walk in crooked ways and paths Such give occasion to the Adversary to speak reproachfully of the Doctrine according to Godliness and hinder men from receiving it or from giving hearty and unfeigned obedience to it They lay a stumbling-block in the way of others and scandalize them And wo to the World because of offences But wo will be to that man especially by whom the offence cometh Rom. 2. 17-24 Tit. 2. 10-12 14. Matth. 18. 7. hence the Apostle Peter thus exhorts and beseeches the Believers who had received the Gospel and did stand in the true Grace of God Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the Soul To wit against their own Souls and against the Souls of others amongst whom they lived 1 Pet. 2. 9-11 12. And the Apostle Paul signifies that if the Believers did not without murmuring and disputings do what God was working in them both to will and to do of good pleasure they would not be harmless but would be injurious unto and do harm and hurt to the Souls of others also Phil. 2. 13-15 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump 1 Cor. 5. 6 7. And bad Examples have an evil Influence upon and are very destructive unto many It is very good and requisite therefore for those who have received the form of sound words to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them Eph. 5. 11 12-14 To come out from amongst evil Workers and be separate and touch no unclean thing For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness And what communion hath light with darkness 2 Cor. 6. 14-17 How unsuitablâ— to their Principles do they act and how unlike to God are they who while they profess to believe God is not willing that any should perish yet strengthen the hands of evil Doers that none doth return unto God! Hereby they even destroy damn and cause to perish such whom they profess to believe God would not have to perish And their Iniquity appears to be a greater than theirs who therein oppose the Doctrine of Christ inasmuch as they by their evil walkings strengthen them in their Oppositions of his Doctrine and give them occasion to call it a Doctrine of loosness and licentiousness And in that they sin more against the knowledge of their Masters Will which they know to be a good One towards All men and such an one as whereby he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked And he that knows his Masters Will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes As our Saviour saith Luke 12. 47 48. To be sure neither vain Talkers nor vain Walkers are of God but of the evil One yea and the vain Walkers speak with their Feet what the vain Talkers do with their Tongues namely That God hath Pleasure in the Death of thâ— Wicked But they are of God who have received and do retain the Doctrine of Christ and so the Lord Jesus therein 2 John 9. And walk in him as they have received him And so endeavour the Good and Salvation of all both in Word and Deed as much as they can who give none offence to Jew or Gentile or to the Church of God but please all men in all things for their good Rom. 15. 1 2 3. not seeking their own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved They are herein Followers of Christ and of his holy Apostles 1 Cor. 10. 31 32 33 and Chap. 11. 1. Who let their light so shine before men that they may see their good works and glorifie their Father which is in Heaven Matth. 5. 13 14-16 1 Pet. 2. 11 12. And whose hearts desire and Prayer to God for others is that they may be saved Yea who heartily pray for and desire and endeavour as they have opportunity the Good of All even of such also as are injurious to them According to what our Saviour saith to his Disciples I say unto you saith he love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despightfully use you and persecute you That you may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven for he maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust and is kind to the unthankful and to the evil Matth. 5. 44 45-48 with Luke 6. 27 28-35 36. Jesus Christ was the Son of the Father in truth and love 2 John 3. And he knew as we have said before That God had no Will that any sinful Creature of Mankind should perish And he therefore came not to destroy mens Souls but to save them Luke 9. 55 56. He came to save the World John 12. 47. And spake unto his Enenemies that they might be saved And he made intercession for transgressors who rewarded him evil for good and hatred for his love John 5. 34. Luke 23. 33 34. Psal 109. 2 3. Matth. 23. 37. And those who are like-minded after his example they are certainly of God even such as endeavour to save others from their sins and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God And to that end also make supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks for all men And lift up holy hands unto God for them without wrath and doubtings As believing God our Saviour will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth 1 Tim. 2. 1-4-6-8 Acts 26. 28 29. And who have their conversation as becometh the Gospel of Christ And so have it honest in the midst of them amongst whom they live He that doth good is of God Phil. 2. 12-15 16. 3 John 11. Yea and that forbear to do what