fast his Integrity Job 13. 15. This is a Love more Noble and of an higher Extract than those are acquainted with who Conclude That upon their doing This and That which they suppose every Man hath power to do they shall be saved For such kinde of love is Mercenary He will not stirr Nor look towards the Vinyard until he have agreed for his penny which yet he is not Content with when he has it The Other goes in and falls to his Work and leaves to his Master to give him What is meet which also he leaves to his Master's Judgment Mat. 20. 2 7 and 10. and not his Own and truly he speeds ne'r the worse for his so doing But I would not be taken to intend a Contentation or Willingness to be destroyed This I hope is cleared afore under the first general Head 2 Do you Own God's Sovereign Commands without disputing Abraham did thus in the business of Isaac although he could not see how the Promise of God and the killing of his Son could stand together And so will Abraham's Children do They know that their Lord is a Great King hath absolute Dominion and giveth accompt of none of his Matters What He is pleas'd to Command their duty is to obey without asking a Reason Why Or how will these things Consist Such demands they know become not the lips of those who live upon Grace 3 Doth your love towards God hold the same Course that His love hath done towards you All that God hath done or will do for His Chosen it is the Product of Electing love Does all your Obedience Rise from Love And does this love of yours grow out of His Is His Electing love the Root of it Is all that you do towards God in a way of Gratitude and with Designe to Glorifie His Grace And when the Lord seems to go from you Do ye follow the harder after Him As He for a long time followed you waiting That He might be Gracious unto you This is truly a God-like Love The eminency whereof lies in this That He loved us when enemies to Him and loved us into a likeness to Himself Answerable whereto we shall love Him Job 13. 15. even whiles our fears may apprehend Him to be our enemy And through the power of His Love secretly working in our hearts go on to love Him until the Glory of the Lord be Risen upon us You could not thus love God 1 Joh. 2. 19. if He had not loved you first 4 Do you Rejoyce in the thoughts of Electing love What it is and Whence it came What it hath designed you for and will bring you unto at last Is it your delight to Converse with the Book of Life And do you Rejoyce more That your Names are written in Heaven than if Devils were Subject to you When your flesh and your heart fail you do you look to Electing Love as your Strength and Portion and Count it a Goodly heritage Do you aim at That which Electing Love hath defigned you for and because so Designed If by any Means you may attain to it And are you better Satisfied to be at the Good Pleasure of God than at your own And bless his Wisdom and Grace for undertaking the disposure of your Eternal Interest Such fruit could not be but from that Seed of God Let me add a few Tokens more of True love according to the Carriage of it among Men. 1. He that loves Another will delight in his presence and seek Occasions of Conversing with him 2. Being absent he thinks much upon him and gives welcome entertainment to whatever may be a Remembrance of him 3. He will seek the Well-pleasedness of him who is the object of his love 1 By presenting things lovely to him 2 By avoiding whatever may disgust him 3 By a wary preventing or speedy removing what might give the Other occasion to be jealous of his love to him 4. He will Candidly Interpret whatever might seem a declining of the Others love to him And not be satisfied until it be recover'd or better understood II. Inference If you be of this happy Remnant of Election Then look for ill usage from the World Esau you know hated Jacob because of the blessing and so will the World you so soon as it comes to be discern'd Think it not strange John 15. 18 19. but take it as an Appendix of Election As a part of That you were Chosen unto And as That by which partly you must be fitted for the main End Heb 2 10. Your Lord Himself was made perfect through Sufferings And Those Foreknown were Predestinated to be Conformed to their Head Rom. 8. 38. ch 6. 5 in Suffering as well as Glory III. Inference Having trusted Electing love for Eternal Salvation see you distrust it not for things of lesser Moment When the Lord Ordained you to life He Ordained also All those various occurrences Windings and Turnings you should be exercised with in your way thither And 't is sure He does nothing in vain There is need of all sorts of weather for the Earth's good All-Fair would destroy it Know it therefore of a Truth that all your Concerns were Fore-determin'd of God and that so well as all your Prudence and love to your selves could not Mend it Nor can all your Care and Solicitude alter any of them either as to Matter or Form No Not to change the colour of an hair Matth. 6. 25. Therefore Take no thought But whence is it That Believers who have trusted God for their Souls should yet make so difficult of Trusting Him for their Outward Man And so Comber themselves with unprofitable burden Earthly things are nearer our Senses and thence we are more sensible of the Comfort of them as also of their want They also seem more within our line and Compass and so we Reach more earnestly after them and are answerably troubled when we fall shoâ—t Whereas we should carry it for Temporals as we do or should do rather for our Souls and Spiritual portion That is look to our present Duty Be diligent in our place and Content with such things as we have Heb. 13. 5. Bearing our selves as becomes the Children of such a Father so Rich Wise Bountiful Tender and Faithful to us Who always gives the best supply and That in the best Proportion Manner and Time Have therefore your Faith exercised As about the Greatest so also about the Smallest and Commonest Matters Use Grace and have Grace It is want of Vse makes lame of your right hand and Much using renders more useful Faith is the head of your Spiritual senses And if That be Active the Rest cannot be idle Nor much at a loss Faith also is a plain Dealer It represents things as they are Shews them in their true Dimensâ—ons with their use and end See therefore that you never hold a Consultation unless Faith be present yea and President
and supernaturall there 's a great pronenesse in creatures to Revolt from it like a Rolling stone on the steep of a hill The Remains of old nature would torrent-like bear down all if Sovereign Power did not barr up the One and sustain the Other For a spark of Divine nature to live in the brest of a lapsed Creature is as great a miracle and as high an effect of Sovereign Power as all the Instances before enumerated and More Lastly The Sovereignty of God is most glorious and adorable in Ordaining His own son who was holy harmless undefiled and seperate from sinners and was also United to the Second Person to be the Mediator and to make His soul an offering for sin And then in His Eternal disposing of Mens everlasting condition To shew or not to shew Mercy unto Men equally dignified or rather Indignified in themselves To make of the same lump one Vessel to honour and another to dishonour is the highest act and demonstration of Sovereign power concerning Men Which thing when ever we hear of or think upon we should put our mouths in the dust Before I come to the Inferences I would add a Caution or two to prevent those sinister deductious which our deceitfull hearts may be apt to draw from this Sovereign Truth First Caution 1. See that you make not God the Author of sin by charging His sacred Decrees with Men's Miscarriages as if they were the Cause or Occasion of them which we are sure they are not nor can be any more than the Sun is the cause of darkness Be it alwaies remembred That the Lord's Rejecting of Men puts nothing of evil into them Nor necessitates the will It only leaves them to their own wayes which they freely choose yet Banking them in and stopping them up as He did the Fountains of the Great Deep lest they Deluge the World with sin Secondly Go not about to palliate Nor think to extenuate your sin by Arguments fetcht from those Decrees That sin of the Iews in Crucifying Christ was in no wise lessened because the Councel of God had determin'd the thing to be done For they perpetrated it with wicked hands Nor is any Man's Unbelief e'r the less culpable from God's Eternal disposement of Mens conditions For it is not upon that consideration that they stumble at the Word or turn the deaf ear to it or resist it but from their own natural blindness and enmity against it And so I come to the Inferences And First Infer 1. From the Scriptures so copiously holding it forth I infer That the Doctrine of God's Sovereignty is a very teaching Doctrine and full of instruction and consequently that it is both a Duty and much for our Profit to be well acquainted with it And great confidence I have That the farther ye go in an humble fiducial disquisition and contemplation of it the clearer will be the Reason thereof and the more usefulness will still appear to be in it Let Reason but keep its own place that is let it work by the Rules of Right Reason and nothing will be more consonant thereto than that the Most High should bear rule over all and Do according to his Will and that Men who are Atoms of Clay animated by his breath should own Him for their Sovereign Lord and accordingly submit to Him yea though so it were that our own personal welfare were not concerned in it It will be of singular Use and Moment to us in the whole of our lives Nothing like this will allay those carnal Reasonings which are so unreasonably prone to put in their Verdict of spiritual things which yet Carnal Reason hath no cognisance of and will indeed be silenced by nothing else The Apostle therefore in Rom. 9. ver 19 20 21. thinks them not worthy a further Reply whose captious Enquiries the Sovereignty of God will not satisfy A second Inscrence Infer 2. which naturally flowes from this Doctrine is that of the Psalmist Oh come let us Worship and bow down Ps 95. 6. and kneel before the Lord our Maker Let us give Him the glory of this great Attribute by a Real and Practical Owning that indispensible bond of obedience which it layes upon every Creature We are highly obliged by it both in point of subjection and in point of faith 1. In point of subjection to His Laws Ordinances Providences First For the Lawes of God and His Appointments These we are to attend Job 22. 3. 35. 7. observe obey I cannot say For the Lord hath need of them For neither can our Righteousness profit Him nor our wickedness impair Him He that is Wise is wise for himself but do it because the Lord hath commanded Ps 9. 1â— He is the Lord thy God and worship thou Him Pro. 45 11. This is that strong Reason by which He hath backed both Commands and Prohibitions Exod. 20. 2. I am the Lord thy God Thou shalt doe thus And thus thou shalt not doe I am the Lord This he sets in the front of All and with this He closeth the Râ—re and Guards them on every side Moses brings it in as a convincing Reason why we should love God with our whole heart and keep his Commandments namely because he is the Lord and He onely Deut. 6. 4. No One therefore may pretend to a right of giving Laws to Men or to an interest in their love and obedience save with respect to God and the authority they have from Him And though He is sometimes pleased and it is a great condescention in the great God by arguments taken from our own Good to draw us to obedience Do it for it is your life Deut. 32. 47. yet in our spirits That of His Sovereignty and Glory ought to have the preference To cast out Ishmael was a thing grievous to Abraham but being Commanded of God he debates it Not Nor delayes to do it Therefore hold on your way though never so great Obscurity be upon it at present Minde your duty in the midst of discouragements Do as Peter who though he had labour'd all night and caught Nothing yet Master At thy command I will let down the Net again 2 Be subject to His Ordinances If He please to Command the using such Meanes Lâ—ke 5. 5. as have no Natural virtue towards such an effect as in Moses stretching his hand over the Sea and smiteing the Rock with his Rod so Water in baptism Bread and Wine in the Lord's Supper Presume not to say What is there in these Godliness is a Mystery which onely faith can understand There is no Divine Institution but hath Meat in it that you know not of which if rightly used will speak for it self If He please to make Clay of Dust and spittle Contemn it not but submit to His Will and way and be thankfull for thy Cure Iudges 12 â— with Ch. 16. 1â— Sampsons hair was an Ordinance to him
when he will We litle think how much presumption and carnal security derive from this Root whereas Peculiar Redemption in the vigour and latitude of it viz. as procuring us a Right to Faith and Holiness with the Spirit of Christ to work them effectually in us is a far greater incouragement to apply our selves to Christ for them as a part of His purchase Phil. 1. 29. and that without which we cannot partake the other benefits of His death And I cannot but think that any Man in His right mind upon a due enquiry and thorow considering the Matter would rathet depend upon such a Redemption as redeems from all iniquity though the persons concern'd in that Redemption be but few than on that which is supposed to Redeem All universally upon condition of Faith and Repentance but does not Reedeem from impenitency and unbelief In That Redemption let my part be that saves from Sin That slayes the enmity That Reconciles to God effectually that makes an end of sin and brings-in everlasting Righteousness that does not onely bring iuto a Savable state conditionally but works also and maintains those Conditions and Qualifications that have Salvation at the End of them II. Since your propriety in Redemption is founded on your Interest in Electing love Infer 2. Give all diligence to make your Election sure Spare not for pains It 's fruit will be worth all the cost and labour you can bestow upon it If cleer in this point the whole body will be full of light And among other Evidences of Election Look over those specified afore under that head Then Make out your Interest in Redemption by walking worthy of Redeeming love which cannot be done but by being and doing fomething more than others Some singular thing it must be that must warrant your claim to that singular Priviledge Hold-forth therefore in your life the effects of your Union with Christ in His death As he gave Himself for you so give up your self to Him As He is for you so be you for Him for Him only and not for another 2 Cor. 8. 5. Hosea 3. 3. 1. Determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him Crucified Count all things else not worth your knowing for in truth all knowledge without this will come to Nothing Let all therefore be loss and dung for the excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord Phil. 3. 8. 2. Let nothing be so dear to you as not to part with it for God when 't is called for and rise early to do it This is love 2 Joh. 6. that we walk after His Commandments The Lord parted with His delight for you from Eternity There 's nothing more Reasonable Nothing more Natural to an heart rightly placed than that you should love and live to Him who died for you And whoever hath known the Grace of God and the love of Christ in truth cannot but so judge 3. Let not Christ be Divided Know Him for your Lord aswell as your Redeemer Take Orders from Him as your Captain General Receive your Law from His Mouth What ever He bids you do Do it Follow Him where ever He goes and Carry it so as becomes His Attendants The Armies in Heaven follow Him upon white Horses Rev 19. 14. and arrayed in white Be not your own Director in any thing Nor over-hasty Stir not up your Beloved until He please But Await His Counsel and Conduct as preferring His knowledge of times and Seasons with the manner and method of His Working and prescribing before your own 4. Let Nothing divide you from Christ Let Nothing but death yea let not death it self separate between you and Him Nothing you see could separate Him from you yea 1 Cor. 6. 20. had it not been for you and such as you are He had not dyed We are not our own we are bought with a price which is the highest engagement in every state and Duty whether living or dying Rom. 14. 8. to be the Lord's III. Christs giving Himself a Ransom for you Infer 3. warrants your largest expectation of Good things from Him What Sins too great to be pardoned or iniquities so stubborn as not to be subdued Heb. 9. 14 or Graces so precious as not to be obtained The Lord delights in nothing more than Mercy The only Bar was Sin which being dissolved by the bloud of Christ Grace and Glory run freely The making us Kings and Priests unto God yea One in the Father and Himself being the thing He dyed for Joh. 17. 21. no inferiour good thing can be withholden from us Faith and Holyness are great things indeed and highly to be valued yet let me say That even these and all other good things when layed to-together will be but a very little heap to that Grace which put us into Christ 1 Joh. 4 10. the honour and priviledge of Union with Him and the price He hath paid for our Ransom Herein is Love that God sent His Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins The Purchase is paid Releafes are Sealed and He in possession All things are ready It is now but His Giving forth the Revenue that lies by Him which also He delights to do IV. This Doctrine also prepares a Chief corner Stone for the Saints Perseverance They for whom Christ died died with Him and if dead with Him they shall live with Him Rom. 6. 8. Even the Righteousness of God is engaged to Save them and then He must either prevent Remove or Over-rule what ever would hinder that Salvation Therefore unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood Rev. 1. 5 6. be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen III That the purpose and end of Christ's death cannot be frustrate Or Those whom Christ dyed for cannot miss of the benefits accruing by His death All the Councels of God from eternity All His promises and Declarations holding forth those Councels and all His Dispensations in order to their accomplishment have a special relation to Christ as dying for His people and their actual Salvation thereby as the end thereof Now the End of a Thing is that for which the Thing it self is and but for which it had not been 't is that the Chief Agent principally proposeth and aimes at and if he be wise he will certainly use and appoint such Means and Order them in such manner that the thing designed shall not miscarry Men indeed may miss of their End They aim at This and That 's produced as in building the Tower of Babel But this is still from some imperfection in themselves Either the Thing it self is not feasible Or the way to it is imprudently contriv'd or the Means unduely applyed their minds alter or they are made to desist by a power above them c. But God only wise and Almighty it is not so with Him None of those things which impede the designs of Men
to reveal His purposes concerning this lower world as appears by many Scriptures They are His Chariots Ps 68. 17. His Reapers Mat. 13. 39 49. The Executioners of His Judgments 2. Sam. 24. 16 2 K. 19. 35. and Christs attendants at His coming Math. 25. 31 The Apostate Angels or wicked spirits though the testimony we have from them is not from love or good will yet is it as great an evidence of Gods Sovereiguty as any other in that being enemies to God proud and imperious they are yet over-awed and constrained to submit we find them subject to His rebukes Zech. 3. 2. And hence it was that the Devil answerd not again when that dreadful sentence was pronounced upon him for seduceing our first Parents we have him also presenting himself before the Lord to give account of his actions and touch Job Job 2. 1 6. or any thing he had he durst not without leave from God nor vary a jotâ— from the rule prescribed him In the Evangelists are many instances of Christs commanding them forth with authâ—rity yea a whole legion at once Luke 8. 30. 32 33. Nor could they so much as enter into the Swine without his leave Mark 5 12. And which is more they were subject to the Apostles who had but a delegated or second-hand power committed to them Luk 10. 17. Fifthly we have the Lord himself asserting His Sovereign Prerogative In how lofty a stile and with what Imperial authority doth He utter himself to Pharaoh And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up for to shew my power on thee Exod. 9. 1â— The Apostle quotes the place to prove that God may raise up men and appoint them to what use and service he will Rom. 9. 17. Who hath made the seeing or the blind have not I the Lord Exod. 4. 11. I kill and I make alive Deut. 32. 39. I will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Exod. 33. 19. I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God and who as I shall call and shall declare it and set it in order before me since I appointed the ancient people and the things that are coming and shall come Isa 44. 6 7. My Councel shall stand I will do all my pleasure ch 46. 10. ch 40. 12. to the end My word shall accomplish that which I please it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it Isa 55. 11. And if the Prophet be deceived I the Lord have deceived that Prophet and I will destroy him Ezek. 14. 9. A remarkable story to the same purpose we have in the 1 Kings 22. touching the lying spirit and the effectual Commission he had from God to perswade and also to prevail How should we tremble before God at the hearing of such a word But yet I do not reckon the last two as acts of pure Sovereignty but rather as punishing one sin by leaving to another Because that when they kneâ— God they glorified Him not as God Nor liked to retain Him in their knowledge God gave them over to a Reprobate minde Rom 1. 21 28. Notwithstanding which there is an impression of Sovereignty in that he deals not so with all who are alike obnoxious to it Sixthly Another Ensign is form'd of those several Acts and Institutes which cannot be derived at least so properly and immediately from any other Attribute as that of Sovereignty I shall instance a few viz. The putting of Man's everlasting condition upon his eating or Not-eating the fruit of such a Tree Gen. 2. 16 17. In not destroying Adam presently upon his disobedience And in the free promise of a Saviour unsought unto for it Gen. 3. 15. In protecting Cain when he had forfeited his life to Justice Gen. 4. 15. In Preserving Ham from the deluge though as wicked as those that perished ch 7. 13 16. In ordering the blessing to Jacob who sought it unduly and denying it to Esau who sought it diligently and to whom it belong'd of natural Right Gen 27. 19 34 38. In the sudden turning of Esau's heart to love Iacob whom he had inveterately hated and came with full purpose to destroy him yet in a trice his heart is melted he weeps on his Neck and offers himself and soldiers to be his Convoy Gen. 27. 4â— with chap. 32. 6. and ch 33. 4 12. In causing a fear to fall on the Amoriâ—es that they did not pursue Iacob when highly provoked by his Sons cruelty on the Men of Sechem Gen. 35. 5 In sending to Sihon a message of peace when He had determin'd to cut him off and to that end had hardened his spirit and made him obstinate Dâ—ut 2. 26 27 28 29 30. In causing those nations to destroy one another who came leagued to destroy His people 2 Chron. 20. 1 22 23 verses In destroying Esau's mount Irrepairably and for ever when as Israel whose land also was full of sin shall not be forsaken Obad. ver 9 16 18 21. and Mal 1 4. Especially considering that these were the several effects of His loving the One and hating the other and that before they had done either good or evil ver 2 3. and Rom. 9. 11 13. In sending Ezekiel to a rebellious house that would not hear and not sending him to them that would Math. 11 21. Acts 16. 6 7. Mark 4. 11 12. Luke 8 10. Ezek. 3. 6 7. ch 12. 2 and 3. In hiding the Mysteries of His kingdom from the wise and prudent and revealing them to Babes Math. 11. 25. And speaking in parables to the Multitude lest they should be converted In punishing sometimes for lesser trespasses and that sâ—verely and in his own whiles winking at those oâ— a greater magnitude in other men Moses is excluded Canaan for a hasty word though smartly provoked when Jonah's but mildly reproved for passionately expostulating Vzzah dies for but touching the Ark 1 Sam. 5. 1. 1 Chr. 13 9 10. when the Philistims bore it away in triumph Hezekiah but shews the Ambassâ—dours from Babylon his house and treasures 2 K. 20. 13 17. and for this his sons and all must go into captivity Not that any sin is little in it self or punished beyond the demerit of it but the Lord is pleased thus to doe partly to shew his displeasure against sin and that will not bear with it even in those that are dearest to Him but partly also if not chiefly in such like cases to set forth His Sovereign Greatness Job 33. 18. and the uncontroulableness of His matters The 73 Psalm is full to the same purpose That also of Job and the manner of God's dealings with him is much to be remark'd He had lived a very strict and holy life Not a Man like Job Job 1. 8. in all the earth the Lord himself seems to glory in him unto which all outward blessings were promised and freedom from such sufferings and when bereft of all Job
suffering under them c. The Sum of this kind of Duties we have in that Standing Uncontrollable Rule Of Doing to Others as we would they should do unto us On the Contrary there is Nothing forbidden but what tends to our hurt As if it were needful might be Demonstrated by Instances Innumerable To this also might be added the strict Injunctions that God hath laid upon the Subordinate Dispensers of His Law as namely To Judge the People with Just Judgment Deu. 16. 18 19. Deut 27. 19. Job 13. 10. Not to Wrest Judgment Nor respect persons yea He Curseth them that pervert Judgment And will surely Reprove them that accept persons Ch. 4 17. c. And shall Mortal Man be more just than God Will He under such penalties Command Men to do thus and not do so Himself Fifthly Arg. V. Another Beam of the Righteousness of God shines forth in His putting the Matter of our Duty into such a Way and Method as renders it most Facile and is mostly conducible to our Chief End As 1 To Remember our Creator in the days of our youth For the Work of Conversion and Turning to God must needs be much easier Then than when habituated in an evil course For Long impenitency besides the provocation it is to God estranges the Mind more from Him Makes the Spirit more Inflexible and harder to be wrought upon It Multiplies our Work and Substracts our strength For One accustomed in evil to learn to do well and for a Blackmoor to change his skin are things of a like possibility It 's a very Rare and Difficult thing for a Man to be born again when he is Old 2. To Watch against and suppress the first motions of sin and to avoid what ever might be an Occasion or have Tendency towards it Mal. 2 15. and in order thereto To take heed to our Spirit Pro. 4. 23. 1 Thes 5 22. Jud. v. 23. Job 31. 1. To keep the heart with all diligence To abstain from all appearance of evil to hate the garment spotted by the flesh and to make a Covenant with our eyes as Job did For the professed practise of some Saints is Directive to Others and Equivalent to a Command To keep an Enemy from Rising is much easier than to Quell him being up yea To Nip sin when 't is young is the ready way Not only to keep it low but to kill it as the continual plucking off Buds from a Tree or Plant destroys the Root 3. Ro. 14. 23. Not to do any thing the lawfulness whereof is dubious to us Which as it is a sin in it self so it tends to obscure to us the true sight of things and emboldens to farther attempts So also Not to Mind only the Lawfulness of things but their Expediency 1 Cor. 6. 12. The not-heeding of which proves often an occasion of sin to Others whereof we cannot be Guiltless So likewise 1 Thes 5 19. to Cherish all Motions to Good Not to quench the Spirit and to hearken or listen diligently what the Lord God will speak Exod. 15. 26. 1 K. 19. 12. Who oft times delivers His Mind with a Still and a small voice which doubly obligeth our Attention 4. In His pressing with so much weight and Necessity those great Duties of Faith Love Patience Self-denial c. 1 Faith which consists in Submitting to the Righteousness of God Taking hold of His strength and Following the conduct of His Wisdom And in order thereto shewing us our own sinfulness weakness and folly with the vanity of all Created Bottoms which have always failed at the greatest need and so drawing our hearts to lean on Himself In whom alone we have Righteousness and strength 2 Love This is a powerfull Active Candid and Obligeing Principle It bears all things Thinks no evil Takes all in good part Makes That both portable and pleasant which without Love would be both harsh and burdensom 3 Patience and Meekness of Spirit These mitigate the Dolour of any suffering Judges 8. 3. and often prevent or allay the storm that is rising A soft Answer turns away wrath Prov. 15. 1. It also breeds Experience 1. That any affliction may be born through Him that strengthens 2. That afflictions are all for our profit 3. That we could not well have been without them 4. It also gives to understand the Lords meaning in them which the Noise of tumultuating passions would drown to us And as a Means to work this Patience the Lord sets before us 1. That there is a Cause of every Chastening and that cause is from our selves and therefore no cause to Complain 2. That He afflicts not willingly Onely when there is Need and no more than Needs must 3. That He hath many Gracious Ends in afflicting 1 Pet. 16. As 1 To humble for sin committed as in Joseph's rough dealing with his Brethren 2 To Purge out Dross as in the case of Manasseh 2 Chr 33. 11 and 13. and the Whole Church Isa 27. 9. 3. To Prevent sins we should otherwise fall into 2 Cor. 12. 7. Thus He kept Paul from being Exalted above measure Jer. 45. 4 5. Ps 73. 25. 4 To Wean us from the World This He expected from Baruch And this effect it had upon Asaph 5 To Exerâ—ise our Graces As Abraham's great faith by his various temptations And Paul was much under Infirmities That he might Magnify the power of Christ 6 By lesser temptations and deliverance from them we are fitted for Greater and â—ur Faith strengthened both to bear and to get through them Which Greater had they come afore might have Overturned us 4. Self-denial This is a duty of neerest concernment to us since we have no such enemies as self-love and fleshly lusts to warr against our souls These things considered will shew that David's Conclusion is Right and Genvine Good and Vpright is the Lord therefore will He teach Sinners in the way Even Reason it self might tell us to be sure Sanctified Reason and experience will That thus to Command and Direct is To lead in the Right way and it highly Commends to us the Righteousness of God Sixthly Arg. VI. It is yet farther made out by His affixing Rewards and punishments to Good and Evil works respectively according to what is the proper Result and Natural product of them Gall. 6. 7. Whatsoever a Man sowes that shall he Reap 1 Cor. 15. Every Seed shall have its own body He will give to every One Isa 3. 10. 11. Jer. 32. 19. Pro. 3. 18. 1 Pet. 1. 9. according to His wayes and the fruit of his doings Holiness hath in it a Natnral Tendency to life and peace It is a Tree of life Grace and Glory grow from the same Root Salvation is the End of Faith the Flower that grows upon it Isa 32. 1â— The Work of Righteousness is Peace and the Effect thereof Qâ—ietness and Assurance for ever
make effectual for that End As is seen in His sending Paul to certain places where he must preach and not hold his peace Why because God had much People in that City i. e. Many of His Elect Ones were there who must be brought in by Paul's Ministry Bythinia and other places he is not suffered to go into though he would God had not yet any Work for him there Those that are to be taken the Lord will bring under the Means as He did that Shoal of Fishes under Peters Net Witness the Eunuch Joh 21. 6. Cornelius the Jailour and others And this Means whether Powerful or Simple in Men's esteem â—tis all one to God His word shall accomplish That He sends it for and the weaker the Means are the more is the Power of God magnified Act. 2. 9 10 11 41 47. See Acts 2. How by Illiterate Mens Ministry He took them by thousands and added to His Church daily such as should be saved So then the Ministry of the Gospel is in no wise made useless or disesteemable by the doctrine of Absolute Election but is rather Greatened thereby as being the Power of God to that Salvation He hath Chosen us to Of what great consequence to the World are the Richest Gifts of Wisedom Knowledg Vtterance c. if all thâ—se who are in any possibility of being saved by them may and shall as certainly be saved without them That the Richest gifts of Wisdom Knowledge Utterance are of no great consequence to the World is no Consequent of the Doctrine of Absolute Election For They are given for the Perfecting of the Saints and edifying the Body of Christ that is The Elect And all the diversities of Gifts Manifestations and Operations do concur to the same End Since it is the same God who Worketh all in all that is He appoints Men to Salvation These Gifts as a Means to prepare them for it and Makes them Effectual thereto But that those richest Gifts of Wisedom Knowledge and Utterance are of no great use or consequence to the World is a very 〈◊〉 Consequent of that Doctrine which tells the World that the Sun Moon and Stars do preach the Gospel sufficiently for Salvation Which if they do wherein indeed are those Richest Gifts to be esteemed And to what end is this waste Why should the best of Men suffer Stripes Imprisonments and Death for doing That which might be done by those above the reach of danger And withal 't is too well known and obvious That Men of greatest Knowledge Utterance and depth of Reason such as are stiled the Princes of this World They are not alwaies Nay very rarely the fastest Friends of Truth and Godlinâ—ss And those Few that are are not alwayes most successeful in their Work Eccles 9. 11. When as Some others meanly furnished in comparison 2 Cor. 10. 10. with Acts 17. 6. have Turned the World upside-down The Lord oft-times rejects the Wise and Prudent and reveals himself by Babes To take from men occasion of boasting and to make it appear that the Faith of His People doth not stand in the Wisdom of Men 1 Cor. 2. 5. but Power of God Vpon what account can Men be pressed to a frequent diligent conscientious attendance on the Ministry if Salvation and consequently Preparation and Meetness for Salvation shall as certainly be had by a broken careless superficial attendance in this kind On what account did the Lord so frequently admonish that People To keep the Law without turning aside To Circumcise their hearts and to be no more stiff-necked and this as the Condition of their obtaining Canaan if all their unworthyness could not deprive them of Canaan which the Author of this Objection elsewhere affirms it could not But further As Men are Creatures it is their duty to serve and honour God and in order thereto to wait upon Him in His Ordinances and that with all diligence although the business of their Salvation were not concerned in it but much more since it is if any thing of Self-Concern may enforce a Duty And truly the present sweetness that is in the wayes of God is Argument sufficient to induce our most serious attendance thereon But that Salvation or Meetness for Salvation may as certainly be had by a careless Attendance is far from the Doctrine of Absolute Election to Assert For it presseth it still as an important duty to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure But really Remisness in duty is the natural result of that Doctrine which teacheth That a Man possibly may lose all he hath run-for at the last step For who will strain and toil himself as they term it for an uncertainty And if there be any such who neglect their duty because if Elected they are sure to be saved they give but a sorry evidence of their state And they are commonly such as most eagerly oppose the Doctrine of Election and not of those who hold for it Such an Election as we contend against we judge to be most unworthy the most excellent Nature of God and to be at manifest defiance with His Wisdom Holiness Mercy Justice c. If the Election contended against be such as the Objectors Arguments are pointed at It is such as I suppose was never held by any And then 't is ill-spent time to set up Counterfeit Notions and make a great business of confuting them But it is Absolute Election without respect to Mens Works that is striven against And for this we say 1. Absolute Election is no way contrary to the wisdom of God but most consonant thereto For how can it stand with His Wisdom to determine the death of His Son for the Salvation of Men and leave it undetermin'd and consequently uncertain whether any one person shall have Salvation by it 2. It is so far from being at manifest defiance with the Mercy of God that it is most congruous and suitable to the very nature of it To shew Mercy is To open the heart to one in distress To love and do good to Enemies whom he might as justly have destroyed and was no way oblig'd to spare much less to advance them Nay perhaps they were deeplier involv'd in guilt than other Men even the Chief of sinners which is sure the highest illustration of Mercy and farr from a manifest defiance with it 3. It doth not oppose the Justice of God For to whom is He Debtor or can be All had a stock in Adam and having lost it by their own default God is not obliged to Restore it Therefore no Injustice to Repair One and not Another Doth it argue any Sovereign or high strain of Grace when Ten Thousand have equally offended to pardon oâ—e or two and implacably resolve to punish and torment all the Rest to the utmost extremity And this against all possible interveniency of Sorrow and Repentance for their fault It were very desirable that men whiles they suppose to
contend for the Grace of God would so order their words as becomes the gravity of such a Subject Eccles 5 1. And much more that they come not so near to a Down-right reproaching that Glorious Grace of which we cannot have apprehensions awfull enough The men who thus speak had need to try their spirits whether they be of God Since from the same premisses they draw Conclusions quite contrary to Those who we know spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost In Scripture account 't is no deâ—ogation to the Grace of God that He called Abraham alone leaving Millions besides to their perishing condition Nor can I believe that Moses understood it a Disparageing of God's love to Mankinde when he tells us That He chose that Nation alone for His own peculiars who yet were the Fewest of any People One of a City and two of a Family were less in proportion than One or Two of Ten Thousand yet no complaint upon it by those interessed in that Grace It 's the property of God's Children to admire that He loves any and especially themselves and not to find fault because He loves not All alike Who am I says David that thou hast brought me hitherto And Christ's Disciples Lord why wilt thou manifest thy self to us us Twelve and not to the World 'T is therefore the more strange to consider Why and how any that call themselves of the Brotherhood came so to espouse the quarrel of those without and that with such Eagerness as to strive and fall-out among themselves about the others Concerns But to Answer more directly 1. This Remnant is not so contemptibly to be spoken of Rev. 5. 11. They are Ten thousand times Ten thousand and thousands of Thousands And how small soever the number be if it were but One it were more by One than the whole Creation could deserve But I say How few soever the Number be no Man knowes but himself may be One of them unless by despising the Grace of God in Election he have proved it otherwise to himself 2. To pitch on a Few whiles in their blood and Enmity against God and Resolve even then to make them everlastingly happy and that against the Natural bent of their own will was a Grace much more high and Sovereign than to save them for their own better improvement of what they have in common with other Men For that would not be of Grace but of Debt Or if the Lord should bring Ten Thousand times that number into a Salvable condition as they speak but so as that very possibly Not one of them shall ever be saved it would not bring the Thousandth part of that Glory to His Grace as to Save a Few invincibly 3. If the Lord did foresee That but Few would believe and yet Resolv'd to save nâ—ne but such as should believe Then the Objection as to Fewness falls on the Objectors Doctrine as much as ours 4. As for Godly sorrow Faith and Repentance they are the Gift of God and proper to the Elect And so no Reason to suppose the interveniency of these in them that are left Or to fear an implacable Resolution to punish and tâ—rment Any in whom these Possibilities go forth into Act. Other allegations they have against the Doctrine of Election which will admit of as plain a Solution as those above But it being my purpose to collect what I should find in the Scriptures for it and not to controvert the Point I proceed no farther but go on to the Usefulness of the Doctrine Only by the way let me premise a Caution or two 1. Caution 1. Let no Man Tax God with Injustice or Partiality because He takes not All Or because Not Those of highest esteem among Men Do not the Princes of the World exercise Dominion over Men like themselves Or is there a Subject so mean but will think himself wrong'd if Question'd for disposing his own which yet is his own but as borrowed And shall vain Man presume to aâ—raign his Sovereign Lord Isa 45. 9. Woe to him that striveth with his Maker If you must be Medling let it be with pot-sheards of Earth like your selves 2. Caution 2. Let no Man disvalue this Doctrine of Election because it takes-in but a Remnant Why are they stiled The little flock but to heighten the Mercy and Priviledge of it in their Esteem Noah did not contemn the Grace of God to himself and his Sons because the World of Ungodly were excluded the Ark Nor the Remnant that escaped the Sword in Egypt Jer. 44. 28. did not reckon their own Deliverance e'r the less Mercy because the Rest of their Countrymen had not a Share in it Men do not use to slight their own Immunities for other's Not-being interessed in them But rather to value themselves the more upon it And now as a Means to Prevent or Remove the evil Surmises Caution'd against with those other sinister Deductions which carnal Reason may be apt to suggest Let us draw up a few of those Many and Worthy Improvements this Doctrine is capable of above and beyond that of the contrary tenour As also of those Laws of Duty which it layes upon us And here I would see first what fruit may be gather'd from the several branches of the Proposition and Then what from the Cross or whole of it promiscuously 1. Inference Since there is an Election of Men to Salvation Put you in for a part and interest in it Though their Number be but Small Cast-in your Lot and make One among them My meaning is That tho' never so few are the Objects of Election you will make it your business to prove your self of that Few If but Two in the whole World who knows but thou mayest be One of them It 's our Saviour's Argument They are but Few that go in at the strait gate Therefore strive The Ninevites had not that ground to believe God would accept them that you have for their Ruin was pronounced in peremptory words and no room expresly left for Repentance and yet they humbled themselves and turn'd from their evil wayes upon this only consideration Who can tell if God will turn away his fierce anger Jonah 3. 9 10. that we perish not It 's a happiness worth your Venturing for For 1 you can lose nothing by endeavouring 2 You can hardly have a more solid evidence of your being Elected than to have your heart taken with Electing love and casting your self upon it And 3 never did any perish who ventur'd on thâ—s Bottom II. Inference From the Doctrine of Election's Absoluteness is evidenced the exceeding Riches of the grace of God in that He hath not left this great Concern to humane contrivance but hath laid it more sure and safe than Men themselves would have done For 't is too evident by the Reasonings that are used to make Election Dependent and Conditional how it would have gon
if left to the wisdom of Men. But I shall not doubt to affirm That this Doctrine of Election's Absoluteness is much afore-hand with that which teacheth it to be Conditional both in point of Encouragement and otherwise And that as well Afore believing as Afterwards 1. Before a Man comes to believe supposing him to be Notionally instructed therein Before For being under conviction of the Greatness and Multitude of his Sins and finding the power of indwelling corruption so Insuperable Having also a sight of the Holiness of God It needs must prove a difficult Matter to believe that there is Mercy and Pardon for such a One as he Or that ever those domineering lusts should be made to submit But then considering 1. That Electing Love pitches on the Chief of Sinners 2. That it flowes not from nor is sounded upon any condition to be performed by Men And 3. That Election has in it All that conduceth to life and Godliness These things I say considered it cannot but have a farr greater influence on the Soul to cleave unto God and follow hard after Him than if his Election were suspended upon his Doing that which he finds in himself no power to pâ—rform For he sees by woful and yet through Grace happy Experience That as the Law is made weak through the weakness of the flesh so also setting aside the Absoluteness of Electing love all the meanes of Grace which are given in Common among Men would be wholly ineffectual to Salvation Which difficulties Electing love in the Absoluteness of it will Supersede and set him above them all 2. After a man comes to Believe this Doctrine of Absolute Election is of singular use and benefit to him both as tending to keep him on his feet and to raise him when he is down 1 It is a great Preservative in time of Temptation The Remembrance of that love which looked upon him when he was in his blood and said he should live and hath now also made good its Word to him must needs operate strongly with a gratious heart against what ever might be unworthy of such love Let the bait be never so aptly suited he will turn from it in a holy disdain as good Joseph did How can I do this Wickedness Gen 39. 9. and sin against God who hath dealt so bountifully with me 2 Nothing more tends to Recovery after a fall than the Consideration of the Freeness of God's Love at first and His Mighty Power in Quickening when altogether dead And that both these viz. This Love and this Power are engaged by an Absolute Covenant to bring every one that takes hold thereof unto Glory and therefore will receive him not only After upon his Return to his Duty but in the Midst of his backslidings He will come and heal him The Lord's way of dealing with Ephraim ver 17 18. ver 21 22. set down in the 57. of Isaiah is an instance pertinent to the case in hand And in the 44. Chap. He doth as it were Clench and fasten this Nail in a sure place Remember O Jacob I have formed thee Thou shalt not be forgotten of Me I have bloted out thy sins Therefore return unto Me And Jer. 3. 14. Return O backsliding Children for I am married unto you to wit by His Covenant of Election To this purpose also is the edge of Samuel's Argument applied in 1 Sam. 12. 20 22 Fear not ye have done all this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord As if he had said your wickedness indeed is great ye have highly provoked the Lord by your casting Him off yet be not discouraged as if the Lord would therefore cast off you For the Lord will not forsake His people But why Because it hath pleased the Lord to make you His people And in ver 24. he further backs it with the remembrance of the great things God had done for them aforetime Than which there is nothing of stronger tendency to a Soul's recovery III. From the Personality of Election and IV. From the Eternity of its Original I gather in general That since the Scriptures have so highly Renouned these two Circumstantial parts of Election Inference by so frequent a mentioning of them and that on occasions of the solemnest import We ought not to pass them by as things of indifferent notice But as being diversly Instructive Worthy to be kept and soberly contended for The Holy Ghost doth not use to inculcate matters of Ordinary observance or little import But as Noting to us some great importancy in them as taxing also our sloth and aptness to neglect them and to stir up our minds to make the more diligent search What and what manner of things they are and how to be improv'd In particular From the Personality of Election I Infer I. Inference That it ought to be minded as matter of the highest honour to the Parties concern'd The Lord illustrates Moses at no ordinary rate when He tells him I know thee by name and doubtless intended that Moses himself should so account of it and be highly sâ—tisfied therewith though deny'd in some other things he would fain have had Thuâ— also Paul signalizeth those eminent Saints who were his fellow-Labourers in the Gospel Phil. 4. 3. That their names were in the Book of Life And our Saviour propounds it to His Disciples as matter of highest Exultation That their names were written in Heaven That our poor insignificant names should be written in God's book and lâ—id up among His Treasures in Heaven when the Generality of Names even Names of Note are written in the Dust let it not seem a light matter to us Isa 56. 5. For this is that Everlasting Name which never shall be cut-off II. Inference The knowledge of this thing namely that God has thus taken Notice of our Names is a great Priviledge It enlarges the heart to higher expectations it gives boldness or freedom of speech towards God as if Nothing were too great for such a One to ask See how Moses grows upon it No sooner Exod. 33. 17. sayes God I know theeby name But Moses as rapt into the Second and fain would be in the Third Heaven presently replies I beseech thee shew me thy Glory III. Inference As it is matter of Honour and Priviledge So it will prove one of your best Titles to your Heavenly inheritance It will signifie something one day however by some too lightly esteemed Now when it shall be the great distinguishing character between you and the World Whoever he be that derives not his Genealogie from this Register Nehe. 7. 64. will be put from the Heavenly Priest-hood The New Jerusalem admits None Rev. 20 15. but whose Names are written in the Book of life yea every One that is not found written there Ch. 21 27. shall be cast into a lake of fire Therefore Give all diligence to make yâ—ur Election sure IV.
too Else All will be in disorder at once One Act of Faith shall sooner Remove the Mountain than all the Cattle on a Thousand hills Lastly Inference You that have closed with this Truth and having made diligent search do finde in your selves those Marks of God's Elect sit down and take the Comfort of it Let this Joy of the Lord be your strength Eat your bread and drink your wine or Water either with a Merry heart since God hath accepted you If David's heart was so taken with that love which chose him to be King afore the house of Saul how should our Souls be rapt into the third Heaven That We poor unworthy wretched We should be taken into that peculiar favour in which the generality of Men have nothing to do How should it affect our hearts Art thou of those who are Wise or Noble according to the flesh Be filled with an holy Amazement and exultation Rejoyce with trembling That the Great GOD to whom thou wast no more than others thy Consorts that are left and who commonly Chooses the base and foolish thereby to Magnifie His Grace should thus go out of His way to call in thee And hath also made His Call effectual to thee even then when thou wast inviron'd with a world of temptations to obstruct it And if thou be a Man of low degree poor weak foolish of no account among Men even as one that is Not and hath the Lord regarded thee in thy low estate and Magnified thee by setting His love upon thee Hath He taken thee from the dunghill to set thee among Princes even the Princes of the World to come This is that Exaltation which the poor should always Rejoyce in according to James 1. 9. Were you the head instead of being the tail Were the Necks of your enemies under your feet yea were the Devils themselves made subject to you It could not afford you the thousandth part of that Cause of Rejoycing as that your Names are written in Heaven Are other men prosperous in the world and free from trouble whiles you are reduc'd to a low estate and chastened every Morning Have perhaps but an handful of Meal and a little oyl in a Cruze c. yet think not your Portion Mean or hardly dealt out your good things are to come They are growing in the other World And at the time of harvest the Lord will send his Angels for you yea your Lord Himself will come and fetch you thither And you shall be for ever with Him In whose presence is fulness of joy and at whose Right hand are Rivers of pleasures for evermore And then you will Sing The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places At least say so Now. As Abraham dealt by his Concubines children so doth God by the Ishmaels of the world He gives them portions and sends them away But the Inheritance He reserves for His Isaacs To them He gives all that He hath yea even Himself And what can we have more OF REDEMPTION IN this Point we are equally concern'd with that of Election as the Great Comprehensive Means of bringing-about the Greatest End viz. the Glory of God in the Salvation of His Chosen That our Lord Jesus Christ hath a Body or Church to whom He is Head and Saviour is not supposed a Question But Who they are that do make-up this Body Whether the Whole of Mankind universally or Some particular Persons Whether He had in His death the same respect to All as to Some And whether Any of those he died for may miss of the benefits accruing by His death are questions of great Import and worthy a serious deliberation To Resolve which is the scope of the present Discourse The Substance whereof is in three Positions I. That the Body or Church of Christ consists of Elect Persons II. That for These it was that He laid down His life III. That the intent of His death cannot be frustrate For the I of These By this Body or Church of Christ I understand the Designed Subjects of his Spiritual Kingdom or Members of His Mystical Body to whom He was appointed by the Father to be Head and Saviour and They to stand related to Him as their Prophet Priest and King Which threefold office He bears peculiâ—rly towards the Elect The Church of the First-born and heirs of the World to come And of These doth His Body consist i. e. It is made-up of These exclusive to Others Their number is certain and intire and cannot be broken either by Addition or Diminution Of this the Tabernacle was a figure 1. In respect of its Symmetry or Proportion of parts which induced a singular beauty upon it Towards which Nothing could be added nor any thing abated 2. In that all the parts and Dimensions thereof were predetermined of God and not left in the least to humane Arbitrement or Contingency And these are expresly said to be Patterns of things in the Heavens Heb. 9. 23. ch 12. 23. that is Of the Heavenly Temple or Church of the First-born which are written There This Couclusion is drawn from sueh premises as these 1. In that our Lord and Saviour so manifestly shews Himself concern'd for the Elect as having some peculiar Interest and Propriety in them and charge of them With These his delights were from Everlasting Prov. 8. And as soon as they were actually in being He began His actual Converses with them and therein did even confine Himself to the Elect Seed With what unbelievable Patience and Goodness did He superintend the Church or Elect Nation Aâ—ts 7. 46 48. fourty years together in the Wilderness bearing them as on Eagles wings and tendring them as the Apple of His eye And when he dwelt upon Earth He went not beyond the bounds of the Holy Land where also all His delight was among the Saints Ps 16. 3. These He made his Consorts and Men of His Councel And when ye find Him with others it was for the Elect's sake that were among them How frequently and with what well-pleasedness doth He speak of These Professing His love to them and that according to the highest patern John 15. 9. As the Father bath loved Me so have I loved you And how great things He would do for them Not to the Halfing of His Kingdom Joh. 10. 15 16. ch 6. 40. but the laying down of His life for them Gathering them in Raising them up and giving them to sit with Him in His Throne Rev. 3. 21. But for the World He takes litle notice of them except with a kind of contempt and comination Let them alone Shake off the dust off your feet Joh. 7. 34. Give not that which is holy unto dogs c. Yea though they seek Him they shall not find Him Isa 65. 1. But for His Elect He is found of them even whiles they think not of Him The Instances of Matthew the Woman of Samaria the possessed
to Christ IV. Let every One that is of this Body Infer 4. be well apaid with his Lot Be glad and Rejoyce for ever in this your Portion James 1. 9. This is the Exaltation the brother of low degree should value himself by Whatever your Rank or condition may be in the World Rest contented with your place and be thankful for it Desire not your self to change it But strive to fill it up and be as useful in it as you can Look also for Troubles and think them not strange The Captain of your Salvation was made perfect through sufferings and the servant may not look to fare better than his Lord. Heb 3. 10. V. If Jesus Christ be your Head Infer 5. Be confident then of all Love Councel Care and Protection from Him Union with Him intitles to All He hath It is Natural to the head to love and to Cherish the Body and every Member of it To Contrive and Cast-about for its welfare and safety As a Man cherisheth his own flesh so doth Christ His Church Eph. 5. 29. What though be in thy self an uncomely Member 1 Cor. 12. 23. He will put the more Comeliness upon thee He will cloath thee and Feed thee and Physick thee He will give Grace and Glory and No good thing will He with-hold from thee Ps 84. vlt. For He being the First born Prince and Head of the family all the younger Brethen are to be Maintained upon His Inheritance VI. Rest also assured of safe Conduct to the Promised land Infer 6. Adversaries and difficulties you will certainly meet with Remaining Corruptions like the mix'd multitude will be tumultuating and tempting within The Amalelâ—ites and People of His wrâ—th will stand in your way without Or be falling on your Rear to Cut-off the weak and feeble And the Serpent will yet be Nibling and bruising your heel But higher than that he cannot touch your heart and your head are out of his Reach and therefore you are safe yea this Serpent himself shall be bruised under your feet shortly-Come will your Captain say to you Come Rom. 16. 20. set your feet on the Neck of this King of pride Iâ—sh 10. 24. Rev. 18 6. and do by him as he hath done by others and would have done also by you Give him double according to his works This is the time when ye shall Judge Angels Cor. 6. 3. And all under the Conduct of this your Head and Captain Who will Now present you to His Father even before the presence of His Glory Jude ver 24. with exceeding Joy II That Christ gave Himself a Ransom for the Elect Or. The Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ was peculiarly designed for Elect Persons The Most High who divided to the Nations their Inheritance He gave the Elect to Christ as His portion And though Satan through their ill husbandry in Adam hath got a temporary Mortgage upon them yet the Fee-simple or Right of Inheritance remains in Christ and therefore at the year of Jubilee that is in the time appointed by the Father they return to Him as the Right heir though not without both Conquest and full Price By Christ's giving Himself a Ransom I understand the whole of His humiliation What ever He Did or Suffered as Mâ—diatâ—r from His Incarnation to His Resurrection All which are Summarily express'd by the bloud of his cross as all the preciâ—us fruits of His death Eph. 1. 7. Coll. 1. 11. are by Forgiveness of Sins This was the price wherewith He bought them that should be Saved Election is the Original Patern according to which the line and compass of Redemption is to be measured The Sâ—n can do nothing but what He sees the Father do Joh. 5. 19. To make Redemption larger than Electing love is to Overlay the Foundation and what is so built will surely suffer loss It therefore behoves us to see That we seperate not what God hath conjoyn'd either by stretching or streightning the Bounds He hath set The Jews were opinion'd That the Promise of the Messiah belong'd only to Them exclusive to the Gentiles Others since would extend it to all the Sons of Men universally and alike Not considering the Reason why the Promise was made to the Woman's feed and not to Adam's But the Messiah Himself who best knew the End of His Coming and Line of the Promise exempteth none but extends it to all Nations indifferently Yet so Isa 53. 10. as that He Restrains it to the Elect among them These are called His Seed and the Travel of His Soul with respect to whom He should make His Soul an Offering for Sin These also He terms His Sheep and Himself the Good Shepheard as well He might Whose own the Sheep are and for whom He dy'd Joh. 10. 15 I lay down my life fâ—x the Sheep And that He might not be taken to in tend Those only of the Jewish Nation He presently adds And other Sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also must I bring And the Evangelist sayes in Chap. 11. That He should not die for that Nation only but for the Children of God which are scattered abroad This â—e expresses by Gathering together which was the effect of his death according to Ephes 2. 13. Where they are said to be made nigh by the blood of Christ and that He Reconciled both i. e. Jews and Gentiles or The Elect scattered among both unto God in one body by the Cross according to the Father's Compact made with Him and Recorded in Isa 49. 6. It also appears by Isa 53. that they were Sheep whose iniquities were laid upon Christ ver 6. And again ver 8 For the transgression of my People was He stricken Where note That we do not find any party of Men termed Sheep the People of God and His Children in distinction from Others but with respect to some peculiar Interest He hath in them above others And what that Interest may be excepting Election doth not appear to us For those other Sheep were not yet Called and therefore not yet Believers and Sheep on that accompt but as they were of Gods Elect. For though All Men were lost Christ was not sent but to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel that is Those Persons of the lost and perishing world whom God had chosen for His Peculiars as He did the House of Israel from among the Nations and who in that respect were a special type of the Spiritual Election And on this account the Promises of the New Covenant were made to the Church under such Names and Titles as were proper to that People as distinguished from other Nations In Isa 62. We find Holy and Redeemed applied to the same persons Whether it be meant of Elective Holiness or Actual it comes to One For both of them together with Redemption do refer to the same Subject For as Actual Sanctification is the Fruit and
and throughly examined before they pass Let the Drift of the Law and testimony determine the Question And that will tell you Those Doctrines are not to be held guiltless that cry-up that Excellent Creature Man with the Strength and capacity of natural Reason the sufficiency of Free-will-Grace and truly I know not what For they are not after the patern of wholsom words Making These the great hinge whereon the Design that glorious Design of Grace in Election The Mediation of Christ and the Holy Ghost's operations must all hang and Move yea be frustate too and come to nothing except the Reason of Man will dethrone it self and submit to That which it reckons foolishness Remember that Godliness is a Mystery which it could not be said to be if Reason could comprehend it With all your care and circumspection therefore avoyd fly-from that dangerous quick-sand which the Jews sunk into the perished Rom. 9. 31. 32. and how many in our days are in danger of it It hath slain its Thousands for others single Tens If you think to have faith or special Grace upon your Improvement of that which is Common you mistake your Mark you build on a wrong foundation and are yet under a Covenant of works Gal. 3. 10. Rom. 9. 31 32. under which no Man was ever Saved Nor shall be This was the Case with those who followed after the law of Righteousness and did not attain to it What was it that hindred They sought it as it were by the works of the law And yet the Gentiles who sought it not attainâ—d it Where Note by the way That those who do not at all seek after Righteousness and life are in as likely a Way to speed as those who seek it unduly that is by works of their own In vain is Salvation looked-for from the hills of Natural freedom Free-will-Grace Humane Improvements or what ever els is of highest esteem with Men None in such danger of being broke-off that is of losing That they profess and seem to have as Those who are high-minded who stand on their terms and will not yield without taking their baggage with them It was the very same with those Carnal Jews We have Abraham to our father Were never in bondage to any Man And Are We also blind If thy Carnal heart have been hankering that way and now brought-off Bless the Lord for it Remember the danger thou hast escap'd and come no more There And bear in thy heart as a frontlet between thine eyes that good word recorded in Jeremy Jer. 17. 5 6 7. which shews the danger of making Flesh thine Arm and the blessedness of Trusting onely in the LORD V. Infer V. If the Divine power be so absolutely Necessary Then be sure that you rest not on Mean is or Ministry though the best Use them as Means but stâ—ll have your eye toward that Power and Grace which alone can make them effectual Elisha smote the Waters with Elijah's Cloak 2 King 2. 14. Joh. 11. 43. but it was the God of Elijah that parted them hither and thither to make a way over Men Rolled the stone from Lazarus his grave but Christ was He who brought Lazarus forth Our duty is to mind our duty and to have our faith in God as the principal part of it For he it is who is both the Maker of our playster and the layer of it on Who also doth influence and Manage it for us from first to last VI. VI. If all that pertains to Salvation be given in Right of Election Then let every Soul that seeks for Spiritual Gifts and would be sure to speed apply himself to Electing love and let all your thankfulness for all that you have or hope for be referred to that love For That is the Rock out of which they are hewen the Fountain and spring from whence they proceed See the Bounty and Nobleness of it Electing love not onely provides your Home but sends you Wagons and Provision for the Way Regard not your Stuff what ever you have of your own be it good or be it bad For the good of all the land is yours Make mention of nothing that 's properly Thine Psal 25. 11. Rom. 7. Jer. 1. 6. Rom. 4. 21. except the Greatness of thy sins as David The power of Indwelling Corruption as Paul Thy Unability to Serve Him as Joshua and Jeremy that without Faith thou canst not please God Nor give Glory to Him That without Holiness thou canst not shew-forth His virtues nor answer the End for which He hath Chosen thee And finally that thou canst be Sanctified by that Will onely Heb. 10. 9 10. which Wills thy Sanctification When Moses would prevail for the Gracious presence of God with that People what does he plead for it Remember says he this Nation is Thy People And Wherein shall it be known Exo. 33. 13 16 Deut. 10. 15. that I and Thy People have found Grace in Thy sight Is it not in this That Thou goest with us Here you see he makes God's presence with them an Evidence of His having Chosen them And from His Choosing them he draws an Argument Why He should be with them Moses durst not say They are a People that keep thy Commands They are persons of a very honest ingenuous disposition as some speak A Tractable sort of Men that have complied with Thee and better Improved Thy Favors than their Neighbours have done Therefore Own them and Go with them No but Consider I pray Thee that they are Thy People Thou hast Chosen them above all people and therefore deal with them above the rate of Thy dealing with other Men. In like manner Having received any special Favour from God Sacrifice not to your better deservings but as Daniel who tho' a Man of great Wisdom yet sayes he This secret is not Revealed to me for any Wisdom that I have more than any living Dan. 2. 30. Thus also we find David deporting himself when Nathan brought him that gracious message from God how great things He would doe for him and for his House what does David put it upon Thou Lord God knowest thy servant i. e. Thou knowest that I have done nothing which might move Thee to this Munificent bounty 2 Sam. 7. 20 21. But for thy Word's sake and according to thine own heart Thou hast done all these Great things This is the voice of the Man after God's own heart Agen Suppose you have done any signal service for God Retire into self-abasement and Magnifie God that He was pleased to vouchsafe you that honour Thus also did David when setting his affection to the House of God he had gathered that huge incredible Mass of Treasure for the building of it He wonders not so much at his having gotten it tho' that might well be wondred at as that he had an heart so freely to Devote it to that Sacred use Who am I
also an important Argument for proof of this Doctrine The Lord's manner of dealing with His People of old and the Reason of it is an Instance above Contradiction The Promise of giving them Canaan was not more Absolute than the Promise of Salvation to Believers Nor was it less clog'd with Conditions Threatnings and Cautions which were afterwards added But the promise being once made absolute Gen. 15. 18. To thy seed will I give this land the Lord held Himself obliged in honour Chap. 12. 7. to make it good How often did He seem to be pouring out His wrath to destroy them First in Egypt Then in the Wilderness as appears by Ezek. 20. 8 13 21 22 and 40 verses And what was it that kept it off It was the Interest of God's Honour This put Him upon finding out Wayes to deliver them Ezek. 20. 14. I wrought sayes He for my Name 's sake The Lord did as it were labour and work to suppress His righteous fury incensed by their intolerable provocations His Name and honour were concern'd and that held His hands He had once made an absolute Promise which therefore must be made-good tho' they made themselves never so unworthy of it The like ye have in Isaiah 48 They had dealt very treacherously than which Nothing is more provoking But sayes the Lord For my Names sake will I deferr mine anger v. 9. And Agen v. 11. For mine Own sake even for mine Own sake will I do it For how should My Name be polluted The Lord will over-look a Thousand transgressions rather than expose His Name and honour to Reproach as once it was by a temporary suspension To Recover which and that His Name might be sanctified He will bring them home agen yea tho' it be in the eyes of Men a Thing impossible and they themselves doe think so likewise For Our hope is lost and we are cut off say they Ezek. 37. 11. and Lam. 3. 18. My hope is perished from the Lord. Whether at home or abroad they still caused His Name to be prophaned And for this His Holy Name He had pitty on them Ezek. 36. 20 21. For if He should have cast them off for ever It would have been said Either That He did not foresee how unworthy a people they would be Or He was not able to keep them in their own Land Or to bring them back agen Or els That He was Changeable in His Purposes and not true to His word c. some reflexion or other they would cast upon Him which He could not bear All which much more of like kinde is applicable to Belivers with respect to their Perseverance 4. Justice or Righteousness There can hardly be found a firmer support or more plenary consolation to Believers than That the Justice of God is engaged to save them For The Righteous Lord will doe no iniquity He would not Justify No Not His very Elect but in a way consistent with His Righteousness For which cause He set-forth Christ a Propitiation for sin Surely then having received the Attonement He will not expose His Justice to censure by leaving them in any wise obnoxious to comdemnation Salvation Now is their due Rom. â— 1 7. His Grace hath made it so By both giving and accepting such a price for it as engageth Righteousness it self to save them For Who shall eondemn ver 33. 2 Thes 1. 7 8. since 't is Christ that dy'd It is as Righteous a thing with God To give Rest to His People as tribulation to those that trouble them Paul therefore builds his expectation of the Crown upon this Attribute as well as any other Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness 2 Tim. 4. 8. which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day Yea this Righteousness of God secures to them Their holding out To finish their Course andto keep the Faith as well as the Reward when their work is done God is not unrighteous to forget His Peoples labour of love Much less Christ's This gave the Apostle to be perswaded better things of those he writes to than to be subject to Falling-away Heb. 6. 9 10. The blood of the Everlasting Covenant is engaged to make them perfect in every good work ch 13. 20 21. to doe His will Yea They shall bring forth fruit in their old age Ps 92. 14 15. and this To declare that the Lord is Vpright and no Vnrighteousness is in Him 5. The Faithfulness or Truth of God is also concern'd in the final Perseverance of Believers For having drawn them from all Created bottoms to a total Relyance on Himself He cannot but give them That they have trusted Him for The Lord will not be to His people as that broken staff Egypt was to the Jews to fail them at their greatest Need which is when they are lost driven away broken and sick and perhaps have no mind to Return as Ephraim who went on frowardly Then is the fit time for the Faithfulness of God to discover it self Isa 57. 17. 18. by seeking them out Ezek. 34. 16. Bringing them back Binding them up Healing and Comforting them To heal their backslidings as it shews the Freeness of God's love so His faithfulness The Lord will not behold iniquity in Jacob Numb 23. 21. i. e. He will not take notice of it so as to Recede from His Word For He could not but see their perversness and Murmurings for which He punished them severely and sometimes made as if He would disherite them but still He Remembred His Covenant and that Restrain'd it that He could not Cast them off The Lord had blessed and therefore Men should not Reverse it Neither themselves by their insufferable Contumacy nor Balaam by his Inchantments The Lord loveth Judgement Numb 23. 20. i. e. Truth and Faithfulness and therefore He forsaketh not His Saints Ps 37. 28. They are preserved for ever The Saints are in league with God Ps 50. 5. They have made a Covenant with Him by Sacrifice And it is a league of His own propounding by which He hath obliged Himself to protect them And tho' Men may break their Compacts the Holy One of Israel will not Numb 23. 19. He is not Man that He should lie Ps 16. 1. nor the son of man that he should Repent David having made God His Fortress Ps 31. 3 4. concludes from thence that the Name of God was engaged to lead and guide him Those Corinthians were as lyable to temptations as other Men who fell by them for they had strong Remainders of Corruption as appeares by both the Epistles and a subtil Adversary to observe and draw it out Besides They were highly gifted and so thought themselves above the Rank of ordinary Christians than which nothing could more expose them to danger But notwithstanding all these disadvantages they shall be kept The Faithfulness of God that
you all the service it can even the whole of what it was ordained-for But shall I say That Faith will then be dissolv'd and go-to-nothing I would rather express it as the Apostle doth the state of the saints that shall be found alive at Christ's coming 1 Thes 4. 17. They shall not die but they shall be changed Faith shall Then be turned into Sight and we shall have the Real presence Full possession and Perfect immixed fruition of that Blessedness we have believed and hoped-for 7. Gather hence Phil. 1. 23. both the Reason and Rationality of the Saints desires to be dissolv'd They knew that when this Earthly Tabernacle went-down 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. they had a better and more capacious building in Heaven They also found That spirits whiles dwelling in Flesh are too-much streightned and infirm either to bear the Glory they were made-for or to express an answerable thankfulness for it And for this they groned Not to be unclothed as weary of their present state but to be Clothed-upon with their House from Heaven 1 Joh. 3. 2. They were NOW the sons of God but what they should be and fain would be-at did not appear to them Nor could till the vail were Rent which hung as yet twixt them and the Holy of Holies Rom. 8. 23. 2 Cor. 1. 22. Eph. 1. 14. Rom. 8. 21. The first-fruits of the Spirit which were both an Earnest and Foretast of future Glory inspired them with servent desires of liberty that glorious liberty which belong'd to them as being the Sons of God They had by faith laid-hold on Eternal life This they had still in their eye and earnestly pursued And so intent they were upon it that they even forgot what was behind tho very Memorable in its time The Much they had attain'd they counted for Nothing to what was coming Nor reckon'd for any Cost to gain that inestimable Pearl viz. The prize of the high Calling of God in Christ Phil. 3. 14. This they knew was a thing too-big for Mortal senses tho as highly Refin'd and sublimated as capable of whiles Mortal and therfore long'd for that day when Immortality should be their clothing The love of God shed-abroad in their hearts had given such a Divine Tincture Rom. 5 5. Cant. 5. 4. and so Transform'd and Wid'ned their souls as nothing could satisfie but that Immense Deep from whence it came Coll. 3. 4. They knew That when Christ their life should appear they should see Him as He is Not under shadows as of old Nor in a state of humiliation as when upon earth nor as since under Memorials and Representtations but in His state of glory The sight of which would make them like himself till Then they could not say It is enough They knew that the very Quintessence of Heavenly beatitude consists in the vision of God and that Heaven it self with all that Innumerable company of Angels and spirits of just Men made perfect tho' a very glorious and desirable society would not satisfie Heaven-born Souls if their Lord Himself were not there in His Glory Hence those holy exclamations and out-cries Psal 73. 25. Psal 42. 2. Whom have I in Heaven but Thee and When shall I come and appear before God! Good Jacob would go and see his Beloved afore he died and These would die to go and see Theirs This is the second time that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence from the heirs of Salvation Math. 11. 12. They know it is theirs and that they were wrought for that self same thing 2 Cor. 5. 5. and being theirs they might lawfully take it by force 8. Infer VIII 2 Pet. 3. 12. And for a close of all ye have seen what Paul and others did Go you and do likewise Hasten to the day of God and wait for it as they that watch for the Morning 1. Affectionately as a thing greatly desirable especially after a dark and toilsom night 2. Patiently and with Quietness Not precipitating but as knowing it will come and that in the duest season 3. Attentively as not willing to loose the smallest sound of your Master's feet 4. With Diligence also and Preparedness that neither Oyl nor Lighting may be to-seek when the Cry is made Be always Ready and Then Grone Grone I say for that day of Glory when life and Immortality shall be brought to light in Perfection When your self with all the Elect of God meeting in that Great and General Assembly Heb. 12. 23. the Church of the first-born which are written in Heaven may be intirely vniversally and everlastingly taken-up in admiring Electing love which so gloriously and happily shall have wrought all our works for us and brought us to the ultimate End it designed us for which was To be ever with the Lord To see Him as He is and to experiment the sum of that great Petition in the 17. Joh. 17. 21. Iohn That they may be One in us And in your way thither Carry this assurance still afore you That the same hands which laid the Foundation will also lay the Top-stone and that with shoutings And you shall lift-up to Eternity Zach. 4. 7 9. Deut. 33. 29. that loud and joyfull acclamation Grace Grace unto it Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O People saved by the Lord the shield of thine help and the sword of thine Excellency 2 Sam. 22. 1 7. All thine enemies shall be found lyars unto thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places And which is more than Angels and Men can utter besides GOD shall be all in All 1 Cor. 15. 28. To proclaim which was the End of this work Amen FINIS