sinners to hardnesse of heart although they be the children of a father beloved of God and also if Daniel Noah and Job should intreat for them as Moses did saying have mercy on these people and remember their fathers viz. Abraham Isaac and Jacob yet they should deliver but their own souls for he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy that is on the penitent as afore said for he will by no means clear the guilty but such as sin will be blot out of his book and so I passe to the next verse which saith Vers 19. Thou wilt say then unto me why doth he yet finde fault for who hath resisted his will Annot. In this verse we may clearly see the Apostle raiseth an octjection the which he answereth in the following verses the objection lyes in these words why doth he yet finde fault for who hath resisted his will As if the Apostle should have said peradventure you house of Israel may say to the Lord for what cause dost thou finde fault with us who of us have resisted thy will why wilt thou or for what cause wilt thou reject us But the Apostles answer to them in order to clear God in his justice saith Vers 20. Nay but O man who art thou that replyest against God shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Annot. In this verse the Apostle doth as it were preface to the answer of the objection but his full answer lyeth in the following verse but in this verse he reasons on this wise as if he should have said dost thou ask why God finds fault with thee and punishes thee who it is that hath resisted his will as though thou was clear and innocent and knew not why God had made thee a dishonourable vessel and therefore saith the Apostle who art thou or how canst reply against God and say why hast thou made me thus a dishonourable vessel for saith he God did before appoint that although he did intend to make you an honourable people that if you did harden your selves against your Maker and sin against him that then he would make you another vessel as pleas'd him best which without doubt would be a dishonourable one of this the Lord hath before preached to you by the Prophet Jeremy when he made him go down to the Potters house see the work upon the wheel and the clay marred in the Potters hands Jer. 18 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. and him making of it another vessel as seemed good to the Potter at which time the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying As the Clay is in the Potters hands so are ye O house of Israel in my hands therefore in what instant I speak of a Nation or Kingdom to build and to plant if they do evill in my sight I will repent of the good that I said I would benefit them withall and therefore saith the Apostle do you ask why he doth finde fault with you and make you thus a dishonourable vessell hath he not power so to do and that according to true justice you being made in the hands of his mercy by your disobedâ—ence as the clay was in the Potters hand and he made it another vessel as seemed him good and cannot God do so with yon and yet be just and thus the Apostle answereth the objection in the next verse saying Vers 21. Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour Annot. In this verse the Apostle answereth the objection as if he should have said O house of Israel take notice of this as the Potter had power over his clay that is when it was marred in his hand otherwise to dispose of it although at the first he did intend to make it an honourable vessell yet afterwards he had power and wisdome otherwise to dispose of it that is to say to convert that which was stubborn and brittle to a dishonourable vessel and that which was flexible and yielding to an honourable vessell and this is Gods power and priviledge over you even you O ye house of Israel you being marred in Gods hand he may disappoint you of that glory which he did intend to bestow upon you as you were a Nation whom once the Lord loved and called his peculiar people and yet might have mercy upon a small remnant of that lump or Nation who did believe and were humble yielding and penitent before the Lord. And thus the Apostle clears up Gods Justice and thus I passe to the next verse because those things that might be offered as objections to some particulars in this verse I have already answered in my precedent discourse in this Treatise and also the necessity of my present occasion causeth me to study brevity Vers 22. What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known indured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction Annot. In this verse we may understand the Apostle sheweth that God had been just if he had destroyed the Nation of the Jews long before for their rebellion but for these two causes God did suffer long The first is because he would make his power and wrath appear the more severe toward that rebellious people for our admonition and forewarning unto us And secondly that he might make known his mercy in a more larger manner and measure on that part of the house of Israel who did believe and fear before the Lord that they might say it was of his mercy that we were not consumed Obj. But if it be objected and said that the Text saith The vessels of wrath are fitted to destrustion Answ To which I answer and say That as the receiving and cherishing of the gracious motions of Gods Spirit it sits us or prepares us for glory even so the receiving of the motions of sin and cherishing of it fits us for destruction and thus one part of Israel was fitted for destruction by their receiving sin and Satan so as to be guided thereby and secondly so was the other part or remnant fitted or prepared for glory thorough the receiving the motions of the Spirit of Christ and being guided thereby the which as it sits for glory so at last it brings us to glory and so I passe to the next verse which is as followeth Vers 23. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had before prepared unto glory Annot. I having opened this verse before I shall passe it briefly saying that there is no soul that ever shall enjoy glory but such as are fitted for it in this life and that by the Lord. And secondly I say that such as perish have been strived with by the Spirit of God that thereby they might have been fit for glory but they would have none of his counsell for they desired not
we shall stand before the Tribunal of the Lord Jesus Christ Esa 55.6 7. we shall assuredly know to our everlasting woe and misery if we look not to it in time that our condemnation is not because the Lord never gave us means of grace and ability to make use of it but because we have not made use of what means of grace and ability that God hath bestowed on us and thereby our mouthes shall be stopped The Lord wil not condemn men because they have wanted ability to do what he commanded them to do but because they have not improved their ability that God hath given them and we become guilty before God Therefore Christian Reader be carefull to seek the Lord while he may be found call upon God while he is near lit the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous man his thoughts and turn unto the Lord before the decree passe and he will have mercy on you and to our God for he is abundant in pardon but if your refuse and rebell ye shall be destroyed the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it And having shewed when the soul is hardened that is after it suffereth not grace to take place in it and the cause why it is thus hardened because it will not entertain the motions of Gods Spirit as you may see Iâ—b 21 13. Cant. 5.2 3. Rev. 3.20 I come now to take notice of the reason why such as do not or cannot believe the Gospell have it preached unto them and that is say you because they may believe without excuse Answ I do understand your minde in it which is that although God in his secret will never intendeth to save Israel or any that are lost but say you he calleth them or offereth means to them that there by they might be without excuse at the last day it s a very pretty assertion as though a man should appoint his servant to labour in his Viâ—yard God doth not command men to do that which he hath not given them power to do and then punisheth them for not doing of it and yet locks him out and never means that he should come there and yet at night beats his servant because he did not as he bad him and yet his servant must be left without excuse such a kind of modell is your discourse concerning God and the Creature that is God commandeth men to labour in his Vinyard and saith if they will not he will punish them and yet never means they shall come there but hath appointed them for damnation before they were born and yet he would hare the creatures think themselves in a fault because they do not do that which God never gave them ability to do nor never meant they should do so that upon your account God commands men upon pain of damnation to do that which they are altogether unable to do and also what he never meant they should do But happily you may say Object That God doth command men to do that which he never meaneth they should do for he commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac for a burnt offering and yet never meant he should slay him Answ This is not to your purpose and first because the Lord did declare it was but to try Abraham the case is not ours in this our contreversie for if it were said that God did command men to repent and believe onely to try them as it was said he did bid Abraham offer his Son up to try him then there were some colour for what you say but one is a publick command to all men generally and indefinitely Gen. 22.1 and the other a particular command to one person and that to try him as saith the Spirit of God in the Scriptures I might say more to this Objection but it reacheth not our case for as we say although a generall includeth or comprehendeth particulars The thing representing is sometimes called by the name of the thing represented yet every particular doth not include a general Therefore this instance not worth speaking to and yet I may say that in Cods account he was really offered up in a burnt offering for God gave some what in his room to be a sacrifice when he saw Abrahams willingnesse to obey his voyce and it might be as well called Isaac as the Bread and Wine is called Christs Body and blood because God sometimes calls the thing that representeth by the name of the thing represented but the Lamb did represent Isaac sacrificed and so might bear the name there is several instances that might be further to the answer of this but as I studdy brevity so it s not worth my paines and therefore I pass to the next thing which is You say That all though God would have all men to be saved the which you conclude is but all sorts and so pass only with a small glance to it I answer and say that you are as much mistaken in that as in the rest of what you have said and therefore I shall briefly prove that it is every person that God would have saved The Argument is If God would not have his Ministers preach a lye in his Name to any man and yet must preach Remission of sins and Gods love to all men thorow Christ then God would have every man to be saved God would not have his Ministers preach a lye to any man yet he would have them preach love and remission of sins to all men But God would not have his Ministers preach a Lye to no man and yet must preach Remission of sins and Gods love to every man thorow Christ Ergo God would have every man to be saved To prove this Argument first that he would have his Ministers preach truth and not a lye I suppose none will deny and secondly it is plain that the Gospel must be preached to every Creature namely the Creature Man and I also am perswaded that no man will deny the Gospel to be Remission of sins and Gods love in Christ to wit God reconciled to sinners not imputing their sins now if God did not intend to save all men then in commanding the Gospel to be preached to every man commandeth a lye to be preached to the greatest part of men the which were blasphemy to say if God would have all saved that Christ dyed for and Christ dyed for every man then God would have every man to be saved But God would have all saved that Christ dyed for and Christ dyed for every man Ergo God would have every man to be saved and that God would have all that Christ dyed for to be saved you will not deny and that Christ dyed for every man I prove these two wayes First by a plain Text without controversie which saith that he by the grace of God tasted death for every Man and Woman Secondly I shall urge this argument If Christ dyed for such is are saved and such as perish then
and say that the Scripture faith There are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to THIS Condemnation ungodly men turning the grace of God into lasciviousness the which thing is true that God before or of old did appoint ungodly men even such as abuse his Grace and turn it into lasciviousness to be condemned but God did not appoint men of old to be ungodly neither did appoint any men to condemnation but for ungodliness and this is the meaning of this Text. We may also observe that Jude speaks a prophecy of Enoch the 7 from Adam who did prophecy of the great Wickedness of the last and great Antichrist and the manner of his destruction compared with the words of Peter chap. 3.7 and the Prophet Ezekiel with many other Scriptures the which at present I shall not speak of in particular that is even as God did bring a remarkable judgement viz. the Flood on ungodly men in the old World so the Heavens that now are reserved for fire as a remarkable judgement to destroy the Wicked who then shall creep in unawares as aforesaid which is to be understood by the word THIS condemnation or THIS kind of Judgement as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will bear it Obj. And again 1 Pet. 2 7. so me will Object and say that some are appointed to be disobedient from the words of Peter ch 2 7 8. which faith The stone that the builders disalowed is become the head of the corner a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to them which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed Answer If the Text were truly calculated from the Original as it is here read yet we must not understand that God doth appoint men to be disobedient and especially before they be born although God sometimes give men up to hardness of heart for their wickedness but if God did appoint the Jews to be disobedient to Christ they did well in being disobedient to him because to do what God hath appointed men to do is to do well and no disobedience for disobedience is to leave undone what God hath appointed and not to do it God will not condemn men for doing of that which he appoints them to do neither can God appoint men to do evill therefore God appoints not men to be disobedient but you possibly may say Is there any evil done in the City saith the Lord and I have not done it Amos 3.6 To which I answer and say that is not the evil of sin that the Lord saith he hath done out the evill of punishment for sin because punishment is frequently in Scripture called evill as the seventy years captivity was called a fore evil out of the North and the like And again peradventure some will object and say that the Lord hath made all things for himself yea even the wicked for the day of evil Prov. 16.4 To which I answer and say that God neither made evill man or evil day but when he had created and made all things so it was very good for as saith the Wise man God made man upright Eccles 7.29 but he hath found many inventions to make himself evil so then man was made upright and very good 〈◊〉 66 3 4. Prov. 1.22 25 26. Isai 1 16. and the day also was good but man making himself evill made also the day of judgement which is a good day to the Righteous become an evil day to them although the day in it self be a good day in the which the people of God shall rejoyce Obj. But it may be further objected and said that God is said to chuse mens delusions and to laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh insomuch that although they make many prayers he will not hear them To these and such-like Scriptures I answer and say Answ that it is just with God so to do when they slight his counsel and chuse their own wayes and say to him depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes when he saith stand and enquire in the way the good old way vâ—z the Law of Moses and walk therein but they said we will not walk therein but we will walk after the imagination of our hearts Prov. 1.24 Isa 65.12 ch 66.4 Ier. 7.13 Ezek. 8.17 18. Iob. 27 8 9. Isa 1.15 Ier. 11 11 ch 14 12 Mich. 3.4 I say it is just with God to chuse such mens delusion that is to give them up to the wiles of the Devil to be led captive by him at his will and then when misery falls on them and they cry unto the Lord he may justly reject them and laugh at their calamity that as he called and they would not hear him so they should call to him he not hear them and yet his mercy will plainly appear to be over all his works And for this cause God raised up Pharaoh to make his Name and power known thoroughout all the earth that all the world might know that all such as refused to hear and obey the Lord should be destroyed and that without remedy and so I shall pasle from the objections to the next verse which is Vers 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth Annot. This verse is but a repetition of the fifteenth verse which saith For he said unto Moses I will have mercy in whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion the which verse I have explained or opened at large shewing the occasion of the Lords discourse to Moses and also who it is that God will have mercy and compassion on and therefore shall passe this briefly and say that the Apostle in this verse reasons on this wise as if he should have said although it be so that you O house of Israel be all branches from one and the same stock and root yet by reason of your being degenerate plants and not being fruitfull the Lord may cut you off and yet notwithstanding may spare part of the branches although of the same stock or root they being fruitfull and may cut off and reject you that are unbelieving and unfruitfull and this is the sum and scope of the Apostles discourse in this whole Chapter as if he should say you house of Israel think it no strange thing that God should save some of you and reject other some and yet you being children of one father according to the flesh viz. Abraham for God looks upon no such thing for if you were of a nearer relation to him than of being Abrahams seed even as a signet on his right hand yet if you sin he will reject you for all that near relation for he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth that is he will have mercy on humble penitent repenting souls and he will give up stubborn
confusion of thy face therefore depart depart make hast to flee from out of her all ye that would save your souls alive in the great day of wrath for the Lord will be a sw ft witnesse against her and all that be found in her shall be partakers of her plagues so then England or the Church of England properly so called is tryed and found to be converted or turned from nothing because all sorts of sins are found in both her people and Priests that they have an historical knowledge of Christ and the Scriptures will not be denyed but that they are Christians by having the Christian faith wrought in their souls they may be ashamed to affirm but I might easily shew how these came to a verbal knowledge of the Gospel if we consider that Rome was once a true Church and also to this day do own Christ to be the Son of God and that he ought to be worshipped although they bring in their own traditions with part of the Gospel in Christs worship and hence by reason of Schism in the Church of Rome in and since Luthers time England somewhat differs from Rome and yet is from Rome as a Schismatick as you confessed saying You were in Rome or came through it And hence you have an historical knowledge of Christ and the Gospel by reason that the Apostle once planted the Gospel in Rome from whence you came And again whereas you say that Such Teachers as I was not then in being In answer to it I say be it known unto you I do not think my self worthy to loose their shoâ—e latchets as in reference to gifts which did at first plant the Gospel and make disciples in Nations yet they were my brethren and fellow labourers and that very Gospel Which they preached I do preach and contend for the truth thereof And whereas you say It is well if I were not born too soon I answer that I know full well that if you had the power my condition might be worse as in reference to the flesh than an untimely birth But thanks be given to our good God that hath not given us into the hands of the Wicked whose tender mercy is cruelty And thus I have examined your Book and answered it although I do acknowledge my time and â—nk and paper might have been to more profit if your Book had been fuller of weighty arguments but they being but trifles as for the greatest part of them hath caused me to tâ—â—fle away some time in speaking to that wilâ—h indeed hath not been worth an answer lest you should have said in your heart it is unanswerable Finally I cannot say and speak truely as from my conscience that your Book is like the fruit that groweth near the Asphaltite Lake which hath a lovely colour and yet without substance for I do assore you that to my best descerning there is neither lovely colour or substance contained in it but that I may not be judge in mine own cause I shall leave the Reader to judge what is said and so at present shall cease as to this and shall adde a brief word as touching Christs Kingdome to come or his Reign upon earth together with the glorious estate of Israels Return and the first dominions given to the daughters of Zion and this for the Curteous Readers sake that it may be as the clouds of the latter rain unto thee which may chear up thy heart and comfort thee in thy pilgrimage towards thy heavenly Canaan whereby thou mayest be alwayes waiting for Christ in his wayes that he at that day may cause thee to sit down and eat and drink at his Table in his Kingdome where thou shalt for ever remain in his presence and have fulnesse of joy and at his right hand have pleasures for evermore The cettainty of the Seed of Iacobs return to their own Land and the glorious Reign of Christ in Ierusalem discovered and proved THat the Jews shall return and enjoy their own Land and possesse the holy Mountain Jerusalem and the LORD JESVS to be their KING and have his THRONE there I have already briefly hinted at in my precedent discourse but because it is a very large subject I thought good further to enlarge my self upon it partly because of a rumour that was amongst some men as to â—hing my former Book as though I did deny what I had Written as touching Christs personal Râ—ign in Jerusalem and partly because that possibly I may make use of some Scriptures in this place that may be fastned upon the affections of some that may read it the which at yet they have not so well and duely weighed my method in this place shall not be to give you the exposition of Scripture but shal compare Scripture With Scripture and thereby shall leave them to give their own meaning and interpretation and this is Gods way to compare spirituals with spirituals although it be not unlawfull to give interpretations to or to paraphrase upon some text of Scripture But I pass this too and come to the matter and that is The Seed of Jacob viz. the Jeâ—s shall return to their own Land and possesse the glorious hâ—ly Mountain Jerusalem For Zach 8.7 8. Thus faith the Lord of hosts behold I will save my people from the East Countrey and from the West Countrey and I wil bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem Ver. 13. And it shall come to passe that as ye were a curse amongst the Heathen Isa 43.5 O house of Judah and house of Israel so will I save you and ye shall be a blessing fear not for I am with thee Ver. 6. and will bring thy Seed from the East and gather thee from the West and I will say to the North give up and to the South keep not back bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth Psal 69 35 and 36. For God will save Zion and build the Cities of Judah that they may dwell there and have it in possession The seed also of his servants shall inherit it and they that love his Name shall dwell therein for thy Maker is thy huâ—band the Lord of Host is his Name and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel the God of the whole earth shall 〈◊〉 be called for the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth when thou waâ—â— refused saith thy God for a small moment have I forsaken thee but with everlasting mercy will I gather thee in a little wrath have I had my face from thee for a 〈◊〉 but with ever lasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeener for this is as the waters of 〈◊〉 unto me 〈…〉 9. for aâ—l I have scorn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth so have I sworn that would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee
Church To which I answer and say that your word federately your matter intimated in it are far ferched consequences that the holiness spoken of in 1 Corinths 7. will not admit any to Baptisme the which if it would then the unbelieving Wife or Husband which is as holy as the Child ought to be Baptized and how far that is from truth I shall leave the Reader to judge but that the Text doth say that the unbeleever is Holy read it and you shall see to difference in the word Sanctification and Holiness in that place for Tindal readeth it thus Eâ—uxor infidelis sanctificata est inviso alioqui câ—rte liberi vestri improbri essent nunc autâ—m sanctisunt So that the word may be red the unbeleeving woman is Holy or hallowed to or by the man as well as sanctified but the holiness mentioned in 1 Cor. 7. is no other but a matrimonial holiness as I also have proved in my precedent treatise and so I pass and leave you to read your answer there Again you say God owned those children presented to him in Circumcision Ezek. 16.20 21. and called them his children To which I answer and say if you were demanded how you could prove that those children were Circumcised you would be much troubled to prove it for surely their Parents were not so careful to give heed to Gods Commands the which if they had they would not have offered their children to Molech which was fobidden and theresore Circumcised they were not doubtless and if they were prove it Exod. 22.39 Exod. 13.2 Nehem. 10.35 36 37. But you will say how cometh it to pass that God calleth them his children The answer is those that were offered up in the fire was the first born and the Lord before had commanded for himself all the first born and they are said to be Holy to the Lord and hence he calleth them his children yet take notice that I do not deny but God did own such as was offered to him in Circumcision but it doth not follow therefore that he will own such offered up in Baptism for he had commanded children to be Circumcised at eight dayes old and therefore good reason that he should own them but he never commanded children of eight dayes old to be Baptised and therefore it is a vaine conceit to think that God will own that which he never appointed Again you say That the premise under the Gospel is to Beleevers and their children by vertue of the Parents Faith Act. 2.39 Answer The Text doth not say that the promise under the Gospel is to beleevers and their children upon their Parents Faith surely your eyes be very dim or your understanding very shallow in looking on that place see the Text Act. 2.39 Repent and be Baptised every one of you and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit is to you and your Children in their non-age are not heirs to the Holy Spirit and heaven by vertue of their Fathers Faith as you fondly conceit children and to all that are afar of even to so many as the Lord our God shall call Now I pray see doth this Text say that the Gospel promise belongeth to children of Beleevers upon their Parents Faith the text hath not such a consequence in it the meaning of the Text is briefly thus the Jews were pricked at the heart for Crucifying of Christ and desiring his blood to be on them their children the Apostle knowing that all sins should be forgiven unless that against the Holy Ghost saith to them not when they were beleevers but before they did beleeve Repent but as if they should say there is no hope of mercy if we should repent yet there is saith Peter for God hath promised to pour out af his Spirit in the last dayes upon all flesh and also on your children even on your sons and daughters and therefore your condition is not so bad as by you supposed nor your childrens but they shall receive the Spirit even so many of them as God shall call your wicked practice in Crucifying Christ hath not so far deprived you or them from mercy but if you or they obey the voice of Gods call he will give you or they after you the Holy Spirit therefore repent every one of you here is ground enough for you to repent and to be Baptised and gladly to walk in Christs wayes That promise Act 2.39 was the promise of the Holy Spirit and it was made to all upon condition of obedience and Faith and declared to those poor wounded Souls that they might have ground to repent and beleeve the Gospel and thus you see the Text saith the promise was to them before they did beleeve that they might have ground to beleeve and obey the Gospel and therefore this maketh not for beleeves seed being under a Gospel promise for these did not beleeve when the Apostle saith the promise is unto you but if the promise of the Spirit be made to all children upon their Parents Faith then every beleevers child most consequently have the Holy Spirit or otherwise God not so good as his promise but the promise in Acts the second is a general promise of the giving forth of the Holy Spirit to all flesh Jews and Gentilis Fathers and Children even so many as are the called ones of God but in my former Treatise I have shewed the reason why the Apostle maketh mention of their children in this Text and so refer you to that further to peruse and pass to the next thing the which is A chaâ—ge of evil on us in denying the children of Beleevers Church Priviledge To which I answer that in that particular your selves do lie under evill in denying children Church priviledges namely that priviledge of the Lords Supper the which of right belongeth to every member of Christs Church for they that were or are to be Baptised or to continue in the Doctrine of Christ in breaking of bread and prayer and Baptism is not properly a Church priviledge but that which is to be done without the Church and those priviledges that are properly accounted Church priviledges you do deprive children of and also when you write again resolve this question whether the Lords Supper of right do not belong to all that are Baptised unless they are cast out forsin and if so then clear your selves if you can of depriving children of Church priviledges but you may see this also is discoursed and answered in my former Treatise entituled Dagons Down-fall And so I come to the Examination of that cited place Mat. 28.29 Go disciple all Nations or make disciples all Nations and Baptize them to which you would have me read Iohn 4 1 2 3. the which is equivolent with the words in Mat. 28. the which is read thus When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had beard that Iesus made and
the knowledge of his wayes and so I passe to the next verse which is Vers 24. Even us whom he hath called nâ—t of the Jews onely but also of the Gentiles Annot. In this verse we learn who it is that God fits for glory and they are the called ones even us whom he hath called saith the Apostle not onely of the Jews but also of the Gentiles Now the question will be whether God call all or but some and if God call all then who they are that we may conclude to be the true called ones and that according to his purpose and first I shall shew that God calls all men as well those that perish as those that are saved And secondly I shall shew who may be accounted the true called ones according to Gods purpose and this I shall make plain as the Lord shall assist me And first to the first To shew that God calls all men under one administration or another and that this may appear to be truth I shall prove that God calls such as reject him and so perish for the sâ—me as saith the Scriptures ' Pro. 1.21 Iob 21 13. Jer. 18.12 13. Isa 3.10 Mat. 22 3 4 5 6. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would have none of my reproof saying depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies for there is no hope but we will walk after our own devices and we will do every one according to the imagination of our evil hearts behold saith the Lord therefore I also I will chuse their delusion so as that they may eat the fruit of their own doings From whence we may see although very much more might be said that God calls such as do not obey his voyce and therefore perish for the same And secondly having shewed that God calls such as do perish and therefore consequently all for it is his will to have all men every where to repent Rom. 8.27 28 29. I come to the second thing which is to shew who they are that are accounted the true called ones of God even such as are the called according to his purpose the which are such as do obey the voyce of God in his call because when God calls men Such as obey Gods voyce when he calls hem and do what God purposed they should do are the called according to his purpose because they do what he purposed they should do his purpose is that they should hear and obey him because he never calls men to do that upon penalty of the losse of their souls but what he purposed they should do So then if Gods purpose be that men should do what he calls them for to do then such as do hear and obey in doing what God calls them for to do are the called according to Gods purpose for God did purpose when he called them that they should hear and obey him Therefore they in hearing and obeying do answer Gods purpose that is do what God purposed they should do and such as so do are the called according to his purpose according to the words of the Apostle Paul to the Romans which saith even us whom he hath called not out of the Jews onely but also out of the Gentiles and such vessels God hath power according to the attribute of his Justice and Mercy to make vessels unto honour and the other even such as reject him to dishonour and this is Gods way and power to separate the precious from the vile although they consist of one and the same family and this is the meaning of the Text that saith hath not the Petter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel to honor viz. such as hear obey the word of hâ—scal and the other to dishonour Jer. 12.7 Isa 65 12 13 14 15. Gal. 3.26 namely such as refuse to hear and obey the call of God but chuse their owne waie and thus having unfoulded the meaning of the 24. verse with its dependance I passe to the next which is Vers 25 As he saith also in Hosea I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved Annot. This verse is a repetition of I prophecy of the call and choyce of the Gentiles through saith as if the Apostle should have said ye house of Israel think it not strange that the Gentiles should be heirs of the grace of life neither murmure at them for God hath shown and that by his Prophet Hosea that they were to be a loved people as will appear from the next verse which is as followeth Vers 26. And it shall come to passe that in the place where it was said unto them ye are not my people there shall they be called the children of the living God Annot. From whence we may see that the whole scope of the Apostles discourse in this Chapter is to prove that although the Jews were the elder people according to the denomination of God in reference to the Gentiles which was the younger or Prodigal son and for a time without God in the world yet God had an appointed time to call them through his grace in the Gospel unto sonship and also to cast off the Jews for their rebellion the which were accounted the elder Brother which alwaies did abide in their Fathers house the which will appear more plainly in the next verse which is thus read Vers 27. Isaiah also cryeth concerning Israel though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand on the sea a Remnant of them shall be saved Annot. From this verse we may learn that God is righteous in all his waies and will by no means clear the guilty although his mercies are extended to thousands that love him and keep his Commandements but if they forsake him although they be the dearly beloved of his soul he will give them into the hands of their enemies and call his servants by another name Hence it came to passe that God cast off the rebellious sons of the house of â—srael and chose the humble amongst them together with the penitent believing Gentiles and calls them by another name viz. the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus and this was Gods determination that in Isaac the seed should be called And thus in his wisdom and power he made some of the seed of Abraham vessels to honour even such as were obedient to the voice of his cal through Christ others of the seed of Abraham he made vessels to dishonour even such as did reject his call and say we will not come * Mat. 22.3 but we will walk every one in the imagination of our hearts and were stubborn before the Lord so then as the Potter had power to chuse out of his lump of clay that which was flexble and yielding to be