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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47193	The universall free grace of the Gospell asserted, or, The light of the glorious Gospell of Jesus Christ, shining forth universally, and enlightning every man that coms [sic] into the world, and therby giving unto every man, a day of visitation wherin it is possible for him to be saved, which is glad tydings unto all people, being witnessed and testifyed unto, by us the people called in derision Quakers : and in opposition to all denyers of it, of one sort and another proved by many infallible arguments, in the evidence and demonstration of the spirit of truth, according to Scripture testimonies and sound reason : with the objections of any seeming weight against it, answered it, answered / by George Keith.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.; Furly, Benjamin, 1636-1714.	1671 (1671)	Wing K228; ESTC R13258	128,214	140

THE Universall free grace of the Gospell asserted OR THE LIGHT Of the Glorious Gospell of JESUS CHRIST Shining forth universally and enlightning every Man that coms into the World and therby giving unto every Man a day of visitation wherin it is possible for him to be saved Which is glad tydings unto all People BEING Witnessed and Testifyed unto by us the People called in derision Quakers And in opposition to all Denyers of it of one sort and another proved by many infallible arguments in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit of Truth according to Scripture Testimonies and sound Reason With the objections of any seeming weight against it answered BY GEORGE KEITH Printed in the Year 1671. THE PREFACE THER be two maine and principall things held forth by us which are as it wer the two hinges and fundamentall principles upon which all other things relating either to Doctrins or Practises affirmed by us doe hang and depend The first is that ther is no saving knowledge of God or the things of his Kingdome attainable but by the Immediate revelation of Iesus Christ who is the Image Word and Light of the invisible God in which alone he can be manifest unto the Salvation of men The second is that this Image Word and Light which is Jesus Christ the Son of the Fathers love doth shine forth in some measure universally and enlighten every man that coms into the World and therby giveth unto him a day of visitation wherin it is possible for him to be saved Both which 〈◊〉 they are indeed in the truth are generally denyed but affirmed by us which two not withstanding I may truly say as they are indeed known and witnessed in the truth ar the cheife and principall veins and arteries which convey the very Blood Life and Spirit of the Christian Religion into the true members of that body wherof Jesus Christ is the head And the Lord hath made me plainly to see why the whole body of every Sect professing the Christian Religion up and downe the world is so leane barren dead and emptie of that Life and Spirit which becoms the true Church to have and which the true Church had in the Primitive times even becaus of their ignorance of and opposition unto these two blessed testimonies of truth and I may boldly say it never any society of people did flourish or ever shall or can with excellent induements of either piety or knowledge which denyeth these two testimonies of truth seing they are the very principall means and Ordinances of God which hee hath appointed as through conduits to convey both Pi●…y and knowledge and all other hevenly gifts and blessings unto men and seeing these are denyed the blessed effect which would follow upon the using of them cannot but be much wanting as where there is an obstruction or stop in the principall veins arteries and nervs of the naturall body that body cannot flourish but must needs be a very sick Paralitick diseased body and near unto death And for this cause it is that the whole body of Christendom so called is in a most lam●…table condition and death reigns in it and a thick cloud of darknes fills it and very few there be who know by sensible experience the life kernell and substance of the Christian Religion among all the many professions in it and that small remnant who doe know any thing thereof it is very weakly and faintly and their sight of the things of God is but like the poor blind mans halfe sight after Christ had a little cured him who saw men walking as trees the Reason of all this has beene the ignorance of and opposition unto these two testimonies aforsaid for the ignorance of the true manner of receiving either Piety or pious and Godly wisedome which is by way of immediat Revelation from the Father by Jesus Christ through the holy Spirit this hath hindred and stopped the growth and encrease of holines and piety and the Wisedome and knowledge there unto appertaining as to the Intension i. e. measur or degree of it in the particular which otherwise by this time might have been like the waters of the Sanctuary at a great height and againe the ignorance of that other blessed testimony of truth concerning the universality of the Light word Grace and spirit of God towards and upon all in a day of visitation for the saving and endueing them with holines and holy knowlegd and wisedom hath been a most mischeivous hindrance and lett unto the Extension or spreading of tru piety and knowledg abroad among people in the world The ignorance of the One I say hath hindred the Intension of it and the ignorance of the other its Extension as may be manifest to any who will consider these things wer it but with halfe an eye For what can tend so much to the universall gathering of all the nations Kingdoms languages and kinreds of the earth as to hold forth this universall principle unto them all the Light which lighteth all and every one of them and to informe them that therby and therthrough salvation is attainable by every one and peace reconciliation with God in their beleife of the light and obedience therunto And what can more hinder this universall gathering then that particular narrow straitning limiting principle of men of a pettish narrow heart and spirit who say that salvation never was is nor shall be possible unto the most part of men That God by an eternall decree hath wholly passed them by and left them in darknes without any light to shine in their darknes that can possibly at any time lead them out of it Doth not this discourage people and rather lay a block in the way of their Faith then to point ordirect them unto a pillar and ground of it Yea doth not this Doctrine that other being added to it viz. that immediate Revelation is ceased lay a much more probable foundation for any mans unbeleif and distrust in the Lords mercy and willingnes to save him then for his faith therupon For when any man comes with a call unto them to beleiv that they may be saved and therwithall tells them that God hath left most men without providing them any power by which it is possible for them to beleiv may not all begin to doubt or question with more ground then to beleive whether they be the persons that are thus passed by of the Lord yea or nay When the Lord said but to his disciples one of you shall betray me they wer exceeding sorrowfull all of them and began 〈◊〉 Question Master is it I. How much more then occasion have they to be sorrowfull and to question the very mercy of God for their salvation if it be told them that this mercy is denyed not only to a few but most of men and to many under the visible profession of the Christian Religion And for asmuch as they say immediate Revelation is ceased this shuts

is the Word of faith in men answers to the things of Faith and therfor the true Ministers of the Gospell offer Faith unto all men there being in all men some measure of illumination by which they are capable to receiv it Now Iohn saith further hee was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not by the World it is manifest hee understandeth Men for that hee maks it a culpable thing that hee being in the World yet the World did not know him and so it cannot be understood of the outward frame of Heaven and Earth which are not in a capacity to know him Therefor according to Iohn hee was in men who knew him not and so in them who did not beleive in him nor receive him He came to his owne and his owne received him not viz. Those who wer his owne 1. by the Right of Creation 2. by the Right of Donation all men yea and all things wer delivered unto him of his Father and they to wit all men wer given him that hee might enlighten them as hee is given unto them for the same and so distributeth unto them their severall Talents that they might putt them to usury and at his coming to Iudgement might give an account of them Now here some reply That by these words in the 10. 11. vers is understood his coming outwardly in the land of Iudea but I answer as hee came there and was a light in the outward which shined gloriously and yet they did neither know him nor receive him so hee did come in the inward in some measure both then unto them and to all others yea and from the beginning forasmuch as hee hath ever beene the light of the world enlightning every man that coms into it therefore Iohn bears testimony unto him not only in what hee was at present but in what hee had been from the beginning both what hee then was and what hee was to be afterwards So by his being in the world and coming unto his owne cannot be simply understood his coming in the outward excluding his inward coming And b●…sides his coming IN THE OUTWARD excluding his inward coming could not so enlighten them that they might beleev But hee came enlightening them so that they might beleve Therfore his coming outwardly is not simply nor principally here understood For to his outward coming the following verses doe rather relate Morover John bare testimony of him saying The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Iesus Christ by which it is evident that Iohn is here preaching Christ as an universall Light unto all not according to a naturall illumination but according to that which is saving and spirituall Grace and Truth saith he cometh by Iesus Christ. And of his fulnes said hee have we all received Grace for Grace Now what ALL is this only the Saints and Beleevers No for if Saints and Beleevers only received Grace from Christ then no Unbeleevers could ever become Saints and also no Saints ever were Unbeleivers which is false For now when Grace first cometh unto men from Christ out of his fulnes it findeth them Unbeleevers and it is given them while they are such to the end that they may be converted from their unbeleef So then Unbeleevers receive Grace that they may beleeve and Beleevers receive it that they may beleeve more and more yet now some yea many and most Unbeleevers suffer not this Grace which they have received to have its operation in them which would change them and make them Beleevers but like the slothfull Servant hide their Masters mony in the earth in a napkin therefore it doth not encrease nor bring forth the fruits of Grace which it doth in them who yeeld submitt unto its operation But some may say if they had received Grace they had received him and so they should have become the Sons of God according to vers 12. I answer the Word receive hath divers significations 1. If a thing be put in such a place it is said to be received as if Seed be sowne in barren earth So the slothfull Servant which hid his Masters mony in the earth is said to have received it Math 25. 24. But 2. a thing is said to be received when it is suffered to have its due operation in that wher it is put and if not it is said to be rejected so the Earth may be said not to receive the Seed which though sowne in it yet it suffers it not to spring up and the Body which receivs good Physick into it yet resisting the operation thereof it may be said not to receive it but reject it And thus many words in Scripture have divers significations which in one is true in another false and so all men of his fulnes received Grace but some recei●…e it no otherwise then the barren Earth or Womb receivs the Seed or as the slothfull Servant his Talent and so it proves their condemnation even as the body which receiving good Physick resisting it and working against it is killed thereby Others receive it so as to yeeld to its operation and so they are as the good Ground which receiving the good Seed bringeth forth fruit some 30 some 60 and some 100 fold Argument 2. From Ioh. 3. vers 16. 17. c. to 22. compared with Ioh. 8. 12. IN these words Joh. 3. from v. 16. to 22. Our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ doth from his owne mouth bear a large and plaine Testimony unto this Truth God said he so loved the world that hee gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Wherby hee doth shew forth the cause of mans perishing and misery to be from mans owne selfe and not from the Lord for the Lord so loved men that hee sent his Son to save them but men did not beleeve in him whom the Father had sent Now that this love of God is universall towards all men and that the Son is come into all to be a Saviour unto them is manifest in that hee saith God so loved the World that whosoever beleeved in him should not perish But here also they have sought out an evasion to darken and corrupt this clear Testimony by the World say they hee means not all men but only the Elect. In opposition to which I say 1. It s but a meer allegation without any ground for they can shew us no place in all the Scripture wher only the Elect are called the World Indeed evill men and unbelievers are oft called the World and sometyms all men are called the World but no wher the Elect alone But 2. supposing the World wer sometyms understood to be only the Elect yet it cannot be so understood here for that it would render these words of our blessed Lord void of sence and nonsensicall which were blasphemous to think For according to that acceptation the words would

Dignity is falne and falling and shall fall before the Iudgment of the spirit of God in every heart and conscience in every Nation Kindred and Tongue that submiteth to the Judgment of God This is it of which David in the spirit prophesyed Psalms 9. 97. and 98. saying The Lord hath prepared his Throne for Iudgment shall judge the world in Righteousnes and minister Iudgment to the people in righteousnes He cometh behold he cometh to judge the earth the world he shall judge with righteousnes and the people with truth and equity This is the everlasting Gospell which the Angell whom Iohn saw fly through the midst of heaven had to preach to them that dwell on the earth even to every Nation Kindred and Tongue saying with aloud voice Feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his Iudgment is come Which is now fullfilled and fullfilling and therfore is Babylon falne and falling in Nations Kindreds and Tongues even so oh Lord let her and hir Merchants fall never more to rise Amen Deuteronomy 30. 14. But the Word is nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayst do it These words are to be understood of the Word of Faith which is Christ as Paul doth expound and apply it both to the Jew and Gentile Rom. 10. as is above shewed Now these words that thou mayst do it are very observable as holding forth an ability or Power given them in the Word as it is received by faith wherby they may do whatever it commands and consequently that it is sufficient unto salvation see Argum. 6. where this place is at large opened Deuteronomy 32. vers 43. compared with Rom. 15. vers 10. c. Rejoice O yee Nations or Gentiles with his People c. and why should the Nations rejoice with his people even becaus they had the same mercy of God as to what was the maine and substantiall thing bestowed upon them Paul in his Epistle to the Romans cap. 15. vers 10. takes notice of these words of Moses and makes use of them to shew that the Gentiles were not so cast off of God but that they had the same mercy as had the Iewes in relation unto the chiefe and substantiall thing as he expresly saith vers 9. Let the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy and this hee confirmeth out of the Psalmes Moses and Isaiah out of the Psalmes hee bringeth these Testimonies first Psal. 18. 49. For this cause I will confesse to thee among the Gentiles but in the Gentiles it is in the Hebrew and Greek and sing unto thy name so that the Lord was among and in the Gentiles and had a Name in and among them which was a Name of mercy The second Testimony is from Psal. 117. O praise the Lord all yee Nations praise him al yee people for his mercifull kindnes is great towards us and the truth of the Lord endureth forever praise yee the Lord. Now what us is this to whom his mercifull kindnes is great even the Nations and Gentiles that all of them no lesse then to the Jewes who are also in this Psalme called to praise the Lord becaus of the mercy bestowed upon them and becaus of the truth which endureth forever And that the Mercy in these places aformentioned is Christ himselfe without which nothing is a mercy is plaine both from the intent and scope of the Apostles words who is speaking of Christ and also from the other citation out of Isaiah 11. 10. There shall be a root of Iesse which shall stand for an ensigne of the people and hee that shall rise to reigne over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust which Scriptures as they hold forth the more abundant manifestation of Christ unto the Gentiles after his coming in the flesh so doe they point unto some manifestation of him in and among the Gentiles in all ages sufficient unto salvation for that Moses in his day and David in his required the Nations even all of them to glorifie God with the Iewes for his mercy the Riches of the glory of this mistery in the Gentiles which is Christ as is above declared Iob. 24. 13. They are of those that rebell against the light they know not the wayes thereof nor abide in the pathes thereof This Job spake of the wicked and oppressors Now what light is this that they rebelled against but the light of Gods holy Spirit Which witnessed against their evill deeds For that it was not the light of mans owne corrupt nature is manifest becaus it s said they know not the wayes thereof wheras the wayes of the naturall light or understanding they did know for wicked men can digg deep in that naturall light and find out the pathes thereof but the pathes of this Divine and Supernaturall light they cannot find out Job 28. vers 12. compared with vers 28. But wher shall wisdome be found and wher is the place of understanding This is answered First Negatively The depth saith it is not in me and the sea saith it is not with me c. Secondly Positively And unto Man he said behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding That is to say that which enclineth the heart to fear the Lord and to depart from evil is Wisdom and Understanding Now what Man is this to whom God hath so said was it only unto Iob surely none will say it Or was it only unto the Iews nor can this with Truth be said For Iob neither lived among the Jews nor was he of the Jewish Nation Was it then only unto some particulars of the Gentiles Neither can this be said for there is no place of Scripture that calls only a few Gentiles by that large indefinite Name Man By Man then we must understand Mankind as comprehending every Individual and particular man in the World as it is most usually taken in the Scripture Parralel to this place is Micah 6. 8. He hath shewed unto thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and love mercy and walk humbly with thy God This is more then the Light of Nature can shew Psalm 2. 12. Kiss the Son least he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wroth is kindled but a little c. This is a most sweet and joyful call unto the Gentiles no less then to the Iews even to these who were combining against the Lord and his anointed or Christ. Now that they are bid to kiss the Son doth plainly import that the Son was held forth and given unto them of the Father in true love that they might kiss him i. e. that they might enjoy him which doth again inferre that there was such a manifestation of the Son let forth into them which was sufficient unto salvation elce how could they be required to kiss him if he were not offered and made manifest

run thus God so loved the Elect that whosoever of them Elect beleevs should not perish which is void of sence forasmuch as none of the Elect but must beleeve and yet the Particle whosoever distributeth those who are understood here by the World into Beleevers and Unbeleevers shewing that God so loved all that hee gave an opportunity unto them to be saved by beleeving and if they did not beleeve their perishing was not for want of the Love of God towards them but because they did not beleev in him whom God had sent 3. In that he sayes God sent not his Son into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saved And yet many are condemned it is manifest that even these who are condemned had an opportunity once to be saved and so the Love of God reached once towards them or elce it might be said God sent his Son even mainly and principally to them for their condemnation Againe in that hee sayes This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and man loved darknes rather then the light These two things are plainly held forth 1. that whoever are condemned it is for loving the darknes rather then the light 2. That the light is come and hath appeared unto them all who are condemned for how can any be condemned for not loving that which never came nor appeared unto them Againe it is plaine that every evill Door hath had the light appearing unto him becaus hee is said to hate it Now hee could not hate that which never appeared nor was manifest and that is the light which reproveth his evill deeds Moreover it is also evident that the light did come unto them in a way wherin they could have been saved becaus their condemnation was that they did not beleeve in his Name but loved the darknes rather But they could not be condemned for not beleeving in that which coms not in a saving way Againe If every one who beleeveth not is condemned for unbelief then they have had a Law commanding them to beleev for wher no Law is there is no transgression which Law could be no other then the Law according to the Grace of spirituall and saving Illumination and not according to a meer Naturall enlightning for no light of a mans owne nature can ever give him a Law to beleeve And farther This Illumination can shew if a mans work be wrought in God therefor it is spirituall and sufficient to salvation Againe Iohn 8. 12. He hears a Testimony to the same Truth I am said hee the light of the World he that followes me shall not walk in darknes but shall have the light of life Now that he is the light of the world lighting it according to a spirituall and saving Illumination is hence manifest and not according to that which is but naturall onely for hee alone that followes him as hee doth spiritually and savingly enlighten hath the Light of Life or is saved And as to their evasion that by the World is meant only the Elect that which is aforsaid doth refute it and besides Christ said to the Jewes many of whom did perish and so were Reprobats While yee have the light beleev in it that yee may be the children thereof But that I may overturne the foundation of this evasion I say none are the Elect of God but in relation unto beleeving in the light and loving thereof and none are Reprobate but in Relation unto their unbelief hating and rejecting it for the Lord never reprobated or rejected any but who rejected the Gift of his Love offered unto them so that whoever are elected they are elected according to the foreknowledge of God who did foreknow or foresee that they would beleev and embrace the offer of his love which is Iesus Christ and whoever are Reprobated are Reprobated according to the foreknowledge of God who did foreknow or foresee that they would reject the offer and not believe yet I doe not say that either the Faith of the one or the unbelief of the other was the cause of Gods Eternall decree which hath no cause without himself but this I say men beleeving are the Object of Election and men disbeleiving and rejecting Iesus Christ are the Object of Reprobation not the moving but the terminating so that their unbelief is not the cause of Gods Decree but the cause of their Condemnation and destruction which is decreed And so in Scripture this gift of the Fathers love the Lord Iesus Christ is said to be disallowed or rejected of men Now they could not have rejected him if hee had not come a light unto them and been truly offered for none can reject that which is not offered And if hee was offered hee could be offered under no lesse Terms then making salvation possible to them for the offer of the Lord doth proceed from a true and reall willingnes to give that which is offered who-ever dare say the contrary doe charge the Lord with hypocrisy and dissimulation which is blasphemous but if the Lord hath a true and reall willingnes to give his Son unto all who reject him Then it was possible for them at sometime to have received him for the Lord willeth nothing that is Impossible and it is below that infinite Goodnes and Nobility of the Lord to offer unto poor men that which it is Impossible for them to receive as now it were below all Ingeunity and Humanity in us to offer Alms unto a poor man in such a way as hee could not receive it as if he were bound in fetters and we should stand at a distance and hold it forth unto him but so as hee could not reach it Argument 3. From Rom. 1. v. 18 19 20 21 c compared with Col. 1. 23. THe Apostle Paul whose Ministry was mostly unto the Gentils and therfore is called the Apostle of the Gentils doth in this Epistle hold forth many things concerning the Gentiles both as touching the Priviledges which they had received from the Lord and also the use that they made of them some improved them to advantage but others and that for the most part did misimprove them for which the Lord was provoked against them to give them up to a Reprobate mind And this hee doeth according to the Wisdome given him of God to make way for the more abundant Reception and spreading of the Faith among the Nations which becaus of the want of these outward Priviledges that the Iewes had wer looked upon by the Jewes as out-casts and rejected of God to whom the preaching of the Doctrine of Salvation did not belong which was even the error of Peter and his brethren generally till the Lord convinced him thereof by a vision from Heaven Acts 10. Now in this Epistle among divers other things of importance hee declareth these two things 1. That though the Iewes had Priviledges in the outward above the Gentils as the Law and

forth some remote Glimpses and flashes as it were but giveth not it selfe to be enjoyed by the soule that is not turned from iniquity and the love thereof unto Righteousnes purity and holines for without these No man can see the Lord in the sweet and comfortable manifestations of himselfe And Lastly these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be understood of men themselvs which very word the Apostle useth to signifie men Eph. 2. 10. And may be applied both to the Saints and to others who are but under convincement and judgement and those preparatory works which goe before a through-conversion who are the workmanship of God in whom or by whom or to whom the Invisible things of God are clearly seene and understood And thus however these words be translated I have shewne that no proof can be gathered from them that the manifestation here mentioned is only that of naturall Illumination I have found my heart drawn forth the more largely upon this place for that it is much misunderstood and wrested by the corrupt glosses of men Argument 4. From Romans 2. Chapter THe same Apostle in this 2. Chapter proceeds yet more fully to hold forth the Priviledges of the Gentiles which they had of God and that they were not so left of him but whoever among them did that which was good a Reward of glory honour and peace was provided for them of the Lord no lesse then for the Iewes and who ever did that which was evill a punishment also was ordained unto the one no lesse then unto the other Tribulation and anguish upon every soule that doeth evill of the Iew first and also of the Gentile but Glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Iew first and also to the Gentile for there is no respect of persons with God vers 9. 10. 11. Then hee comes to answer a weighty objection which might be propounded against what hee said as thus How can the Gentiles be either rewarded or punished seing they have had no Law given them for all reward is in relation unto obedience of the Law of God and all punishment is in relation unto the disobedience thereof To this the Apostle answers that they had the Law inwardly though not as the Iewes had it in an outward administration and according to this Law they should be judged and accused or excused according to their evill or well doing vers 12. 13. 14. 15. Now let it be considered that the Apostle in both these Chapters is speaking of the Gentiles who were under no outward administration either of Law or Gospell as appears by his answers that hee givs unto the Objections aforsaid wherin hee grants that they had not the outward administration of the Lawes and oracles of God but affirms they had that inwardly made manifest in them which God had shewed unto them wherby they were condemned who did evill and justified who did well Now say our Adversaries the Law here mentioned which the Apostle grants that the Gentiles had was but only the Law and light of a mans owne nature and not any principle of light or life that was of a spirituall and saving nature To which I answer The contrary is very demonstrable from the Apostles words as may appear from these following Reasons 1. There was such a Principle in them whereby they did the things contained in the Law Therefore it was a principle of the very saving light and life of Iesus Christ which is that Divine nature mentioned 2. Pet. 1. 4. for by a mans owne nature hee cannot doe the things contained in the Law becaus it is corrupted in the fall and is that evill tree which cannot bring forth good fruit till it be renewed and healed by the vertue of this Divine nature and principle 2. It is evident that this inward principle was the very principle of the Gospell in them in that Paul sayth that God will render to every man according to his deeds in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ according to my Gospell i. e. the gospell which hee preached Now if the Gentiles shall be judged according to the Gospell then the gospell behoved in some measure to be manifest unto them for no man shall be judged according to that which is not made manifest it being a most certaine Maxime a law not promulgate doth not oblige and the Law which doth not oblige doth not condemne the transgressors therof and the law that doth not condemn the transgressors thereof can not be a Law according to which they shall be judged But say they By a mans owne nature and the light and power therof though corrupt and degenerat hee may doe somthings required in the Law which are good materially though hee cannot doe them well nor so as to be justified in the doing of them or to receive the reward of eternall life To which I answer But these Gentiles did the things contain●…d in the Law so that they were excused yea and justified and did receive the reward of Glory Honour and Peace in so doing for said the Apostle even concerning these same Gentiles Glory Honour and Peace to every man that worketh good to the Iew first and also to the Gentile which importeth that some of these Gentiles did work good and also received Glory c. as the Reward therof Now see how abundantly the Apostle clears this matter not the hearers of the Law said he but the doers of the Law are justified vers 13. and vers 14. The Gentiles were doers of the Law forasmuch as they did the things contained in the Law and therefor it followes that they are justified And againe vers 15. hee sayeth they were excused in their minds who did that which was good as they were accused who did evill yea hee proceeds so farre to ho●…d forth the Iustification of some of these Gentiles that hee plainly affirmes though they were not Iewes outwardly and outwardly circumcised yet they keeping or as it is in the greek fulfilling the Law their uncircumcision is counted for circumcision and they were Iewes inwardly having the circumcision in the heart and spirit though not in the letter and so had praise of God though not of men By all which it is plaine that the nature here spoken of cannot be mans owne nature which is corrupt but that Divine nature aforsaid wherof such of the Gentiles who were obedient to the Truth inwardly made manifest were partakers and so were justified through faith though they were the uncircumcision as the circumcision was justified by faith also And herein was that great errour of Pelagius that hee affirmed the Gentiles were justified by their owne Nature without the Grace of Christ judging the Nature here mentioned to be mans owne Nature wheras it was that Divine Nature aforsaid that is the very Grace or Gift of Christ. But that the Gentiles could not be justified by their doing the things contained in the

that hee appeared in them when unbeleevers and turned them therefrom to beleeve in himself but many resist the operation of Christ in them and so remaine in unbeleef Argument 8. From a Collation of divers Scriptures in the OldTestament so called answering to those above cited out of the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles holding forth the self-same thing as Deuteronomy 4. 29. 30. Amos 4. 13. Provs 1. 21. 22. 23. Genes 6. 3. Deut. 30. 14. 32. 43. Job 24. 13. 28. 12. Psal. 2. 12. 98. 2. 117. Prov. 8. 1. 9. 1. Isai. 49. 6. Deuter. 4. 29. 30. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God thou shalt find him if thou seek him in all thy heart and in all thy soule And if thou turn to the Lord thy God and hearken in his voice THE words being thus truly rendered as they are word for word in the Hebrew do most plainly hold forth that God is in the wicked and unbeleevers that have forgot him days without number as the Prophet saith concerning Israel Apostate of whom Moses spake these words who had forgotten God and his Covenant made graven images and likenesses worshipping the works of mens hands and serving other Gods for which God was provoked to scatter them among the Heathen Yet to this people thus Apostatized from and punished by God scattered from God in the heathenish imaginations of their hearts doth Moses say If they shall from hence even from hence seek the Lord aright where he is to be found that is in their whole heart and in their whole soule and turn to him which presupposeth his being there to be turned to and hearken in his voyce which necessarily argues his in-speaking to be hearkned to they shall surely find him Is it not hence evident that the Reason why so many that have sought God affectionatly and zealously without in their self-Righteous acts performances Applications of promises c. have not found him is because they have not sought him where he is even within as Augustine the great Antient Father of the Church so called lamenteth his mispent time and paines in so seeking saying I sought thee o God and sound thee not because I sought thee without and thou wert within I was abroad from thee and thou wert within me yea more inwardly within me then my most inward parts Thus may many a one say now and smite upon their heart and turn to the Lord and seek him in their whole heart and in their whole soule Had the Translators been but more inwardly minded and knowne the manifestation of the spirit of God in their inward parts to have given them a sence of the mind of the spirit in the words of Scripture how might they have been instrumentall to have directed peoples minds where they were to wayt for seek and turn to God as well as to inform them that they must seek him but they spake or translated according to the misty understanding they had and so have by their defective translations cast a vaile of thick darknes upon the Scriptures in many places as may in due time God assisting be shewn at large where of some instances may be given at the end of this Treatise The day is now dawned and the light broken forth and the vayle of thick darkness that hath been over the Tabernacle of God is rent and rending and he hath discovered his habitation where he will be found and his Temple where he will be worshipped and honoured to be even in the hearts and soules of men and women where he hath been lost and how But by their minds being extroverted and averted from him and converted to perishing objects that perish with the using by which the Lord hath been forgotten even days without number and is become a stranger in the earth to men and Women and they estranged from the life of God although they live move have their being in it Even in Christ the Word and Power and Wisdome of God which Proverb 1. 20. 21. 22. 23. Lifteth up her voice in the streets and crieth in the chief places of concourse in the openings of the gates of the City which is the heart of man where the throng and press of thoughts pass to and fro saying How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and scorners delight in scorning and fooles hate knowledge What more plain from hence then that Christ who is the eternall Word and Wisdome of the Father lifteth up his voice unto all men even to the simple ones that love simplicity to the Scorners that delight in scorning to fooles that hate knowledge and worse cannot be found unbeleevers unbeleevers with a witnesse and wherefore doth she this to what purpose what doth she intend by and in this her visitation and cry unto them onely to boast her self against them onely in scorne to upbraid them onely tauntingly to triumph over them onely to harden them that she might destroy them onely to aggravate their sins that she might increase their damnation Nay Nay surely Nay for wisedome as a certain writer saith is a holy spirit living cleare undesiled plain not subject to hurt loving the thing that is good ' ready TO DOE GOOD AND KIND TO MAN preventing them that desire her in making her self first knowne unto them that so they may seek her for unless she prevents all mankind first and cals unto them and makes her self first known unto them they cannot desire nor seeke her but when she lifteth up her voice if they hearken and then they may they shall have no great travell saith this Author for they shall find her sitting at their DOORES to think upon her saith he is perfection of wisedome for she goeth about seeking such as are worthy of her sheweth her self favourably unto them IN THE WAYES and meeteth them IN EVERY THOUGHT Lo here is a description of wisdome of THE DOORES of THE GATES of THE WAYS the STREETS in which she lifteth up her voice and to what end with what good purpose intent and meaning towards man this is consonant to the testimony which Solomon himself gives of her in her calling upon and crying out to these simple scornefull fooles to wit that they may turn turn to what to her at her reproofs and to what purpose that they may grow wise through the out-powrings of the spirit of wisedome upon them For lo this is her counsell to them having reproved them for their folly and expostulated with them about it Turne you at my reproofe and this is her promise if they do Behold I will powre out my spirit the spirit of wisdome upon you And did she give them this Counsell and not heartily and unfainedly desire that they might receive it and did she promise this and not truly and really intend and resolve to perform it what did she onely mock onely dissemble onely pretend a great deale of good will and intend a great

light and life sufficient unto salvation Which saving mercy of the Lord visits every man till he hath wholly filled up the cup of his iniquity against it and then he is left to himself A threefold instance of this thing the Scripture gives us first of the Amorites Idolaters that possessed the Land of Canaan in Abrahams time The iniquity of the Amorites saith the Lord to him is not yet full How not yet full because the mercy of the Lord continued yet to visit them and they had not yet wholly outsinned the time of the mercifull visitation of God given them The second is that of the Jews over whom Luc. 13. 34. Christ lamented saying O Ierusalem Ierusalem c. O that thou hadst known in this THY DAT the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thy eyes And again how faine would I have gatherd thee as an hen gathereth her chickens but thou wouldst not therefore thy house is left unto thee desolate The third instance is that of the people of the old World of whom the Lord said my Spirit shall not alway strive in man for that he is also flesh c. All which do plainly imply a day of visitation unto them that perish and consequently that salvation was possible unto them through the appearance of God in that day Argument 3. From that universall duty that is upon every man to believe and call upon the Name of the Lord. THat it is the duty of every man that comes into the World to beleeve in and call upon the Name of the Lord is evident from Scripture Powre out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee and upon the kingdomes that have not called upon thy Name Jer. 10. 25. And why so doubtless because they ought to have known him and called upon his Name For punishment implies and is the wages of sin Now if not to know and call upon the name of the Lord were their sin then to know and call upon him was their duty Again these words who have not known thee import saving faith and knowledge Viz. who have not known thee in a believing way Again Prayer true prayer and faith are inseperable companions joyned together by God So that if the Lord hath required the heathen and Kingdomes of the world to call upon his name then he hath required them to beleeve as it is plain from these words how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Rom. 10. 14. Psal. 62. 7 8. 65. 2. And if he hath required of them to beleeve then Christ the name of God the object of faith the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath been in some measure manifested and held forth unto them as the Apostle again answers to that objection Isayah 45. 22. have they not all heard yes No doubt their sound went out through all the Earth and their words unto the end of the world Rom. 10. 18. Psal. 19. 3. In all which places faith and prayer are conjoyned And remarkable it is that God is said to be Psal. 65. 2 5. the hope and confidence of all the ends of the earth unto whom all flesh come because he heareth prayer He is the ground of their hope and confidence and in him they ought and may confide as the God of their salvation This is further shewed by that inward Testimony in the heart of every man which sheweth him that there is a God or supreame Being for the same that sheweth man the existence of God sheweth him that he is to confide and trust in him to worship and call upon his Name to love feare and obey him c. Of which Paul spake saying to the Athenians That God made all nations of one blood that they should seek him c. Act. 17. 27. And hereunto he giveth them even all Nations atwofold ground of encouragement First because God is not far from every one of them that is to say because he is nigh unto them Very nigh yea so nigh that in him they live and move and have their being Secondly because they are his of-spring and children and he their father which holds forth most sweet and comfortable things unto the children of men Viz that the Lord doth regard them in so neare a relation notwithstanding their degeneration And thus much is clearly held forth by our blessed Lord and saviour in the Parable of the Prodigal son whose father still reckoned him as his son saying this my son was dead and is now alive was lost and is now found So that all men in a naturall condition while the day of Gods mercifull visitation remains towards them in some sence are the children of God that is to say his dead and lost children whom he visits to quicken and find them And this is for the seeds sake there is a seed of God in them of which it is possible for them to become the children of God as it springeth up in them to leaven and change them into the image of God And so in the naturall unconverted state they are his children not actualy but potentially that is they are in a capacity to become his children through that divine seed which is in them Therefore God is nigh unto them and lookes upon them in so neare a relation And this is the foundation or moving cause why all men should trust in the Lord worship and call upon him wherefore the nighness mentioned by the Apostle must needs signify a nighness of the Lord unto all men in mercy as a father unto his children he sees them dead and lost and the bowells of his tender love yearns towards them so that he comes nigh unto them in the tender love and mercy of a father to quicken and find them But to the falne Angels he stands in no such near relation It is I say the nighness of the Lord even in his saving mercy and in a saving way to all men that is the ground and foundation by the Schoolmen called Objectum formale the formall object why they should beleeve and call upon him For the act always praesupposes its formall object So that if the Lord requires all men to beleeve in and come unto him as children unto a father and seek from him that which is good for them in that relation then certainly he doth hold forth himself unto them in such a way as its possible for them to beleeve in and find him For it is as unreasonable a thing to require a man to beleev in that which is not held forth as an object of faith as to bid a man hear and yet speak nothing or look upon this or that thing when there is no such thing to be seen or presented to his sight or to bid a man smell tast or feel when nothing is exhibited to be smelt tasted or felt And so if the Lord ought to be beleeved in by all and that as a God of mercy as nigh

unto them and how could he be offered unto the Gentiles to kiss him if it were impossible for them so to do this were contrary to that righteousness and sincerity that is in God so that in these Words is plainly held forth a day or time of visitation wherein it was possible for them to be saved and escape the wrath of God Kiss the Son least he be angry and ye perish from the way Psalm 50. 1. The mighty God or the God of Gods even the Lord hath spoken and called the Earth from the rising of the Sun unto the going down thereof This is an universal call unto all Nations Psalm 98. 2. The Lord hath made known his salvation his righteousness hath he openly shewed or revealed in the sight of the Heathens Now what was this but the Gospel in which as said Paul the Righteousness of God is revealed c. And Christ in Scriptureis called the salvation of God which was in some measure made known or manifest in them though not as to the outward Name yet the power light and life thereby signified was made manifest in them Proverb 8. 1. Doth not Wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice vers 4. Unto you O men I call and my voice is to the Sons of men verse 5. O ye simple understand Wisdom and ye fools for to these she also calleth none excepted be ye of an understanding heart verse 6. Hear give Ear or hearken there in the heart for I will speak of excellent things And verse 31. She tells us she rejoiceth in the habitable part of Gods earth yea that her delights are with the Sons of men Who of all the Creatures alone are created capable of her inhabitation cohabitation fellowship and Communion in the Spirit And therefore unto them alone she speaketh on this wise Verse 32. Hearken unto me O ye Children for blessed are they that keep my ways Verse 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates waiting at the ports of my doors Why so what shall he reap thereby doth thy appearance Wisdom in and unto the Sons of Men even to fools and simple ones tend to their blessedness to bring them to a blessed State Yes Verse 25. for who so findeth me findeth life life indeed life eternal and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me that doth not love and receive me but rejecteth my instruction wrongeth his own Soul all they that hate me which none can be said to do to whom she hath never appeared seeking their love love death What can be spoken more plain to the holding forth a day of visitation for good not watching only for evil as some Apostles of darkness speak to the Sons of men indefinitly Tantamount to this is Proverb 9. 1. 4. Wisdom hath builded her house she hath hewen out her seven pillars She crieth who so is simple let him turn in hither turn in whither to whom to what let him turn in saith wisdom hither to me who am within cry within call within lift up my voice within Therefore to the simple she saith let him turn in hither and as for him that wanteth understanding she saith to him c. What! doth wisdom appear speak to visit such Yes she doth if we may believe her Who is then this man that wanteth understanding is he a Saint or a Sinner a believer or unbeliever a Regenerate or unregenerate one I think none will be so sottish as to say that the Saints the Believers the Regenerate are these fooles that are void of understanding It necessarily follows then that they are the unconverted the unbelievers the unregenerate and consequently that to such while such Wisdom appears and speaks and what saith she to them why Verse 5. Come eat of my bread and drink of the wine which I have mingled Verse 6. forsake the foolish and live and go in the way of understanding For thee then though a foole though void of understanding without the knowledge of God and so without God and without Christ in the World for thee even for thee I say Wisdom taketh care for thee even for thee she hath prepared bread and mingled wine and to thee she saith come eat of my bread the bread of life and drink of the wine which I have mingled Behold the Visitation the loving the kind visitation and tender of wisdom to those that know her not that heed her that regard her not that believe not in her But who or what is this Wisdom here spoken of is it not some common gift some natural thing that 's common to all elect and Reprobates only Common restrayning but not saving grace which convinceth and condemns but converts not nor hath power so to do No no this Wisdom of which the holy Scripture here treats is the highest wisdom the wisdom of the most high even Christ Iesus the wisdom of God the Son and wisdom of the Father whom he hath given to be a light to the Gentiles and his Salvation to the ends of the Earth who calleth and cryeth unto all directing and pointing all men to turn in to with in themselves that they may hear his voice live Whose Ministers then are all those that would perswade the greatest part of mankind that Christ appears not to them intends nothing for them but doth all that he doth with them in them towards them only to augment their Damnation Surely these are not the maydens that wisdom nor Ministers that Christ hath sent forth though they pretend to come in his Name but are the right ministers of Antichrist The same truth is again confirmed Isaiah 42. 6. I the Lord have called thee in righteousnes will hold thine hand and will keep thee give thee for a Covenant of the people for a Light to the Gentiles c. The like place follows Isaiah 49. 6. It is a Light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Iacob to restore the preserved of Israël I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou may be my salvation to the end of the earth Many other places might be produced to shew the same thing but these are testimony sufficient that not onely the Apostles but Moses and the Prophets declared of this universal dispensation of Light given unto all men for salvation Argument 10. From a Collation of divers Parables given forth by Christ clearly pointing at the same thing Matth. 13. From Verse 3. To the 24. Here is the Parable of the sower expressed at large the interpretation of it given by Christ himself holding forth that it was one and the same seed that was sown in all the foure grounds though onely One ground brought forth the fruit WHich foure grounds do signify and represent all men in whom the seed which is called the Word of God hath been sown even that Word before mentioned the very seed of Regeneration for