for which besides those Texts fore-mentioned see Prov. 2.1 2 3. 10.6.27 and strive to enter in at the strait gate One Copy whereof sent Mr. Richard Atkins is thus subscribed Sir For the sum and substance you have drawn a true draught of that which Master Goodwin did deliver Yours to command Rich. Alkins A second Copy commended to Mr. Laurence Steele is thus subscribed I finde nothing in substance differing from my Copy save only I finde not the two first Scriptures in this Sermon but I suppose I have them in that before L. Steele A third Copy commended to Mr. Iohn weeks is thuâ— subscribed Sir I have perused this and finde it in the main to agree with mine only it was delivered in more full expressions Yours John Weeks Which 3. Testimonies as also those two affixed to the ensuing Sermon are left with Michael Spark senior least any calumniate the truth in the Authors absence Errat Page 56. line 7. for Gospel reade grossest The first Letter to Master J. G. Much Honoured Sir WHether or no I possesse honourable and eminent thoughts of your self I shall refer you to those expressions which my Conscience commanded me to dictate to you before my going into the Army whereby you may judge and because the ground on which those expressions of mine to you ward was that of God which I saw in you I know no better way whereby to endeavour my retaining intirely my due esteeme of you then to desire That by and in you the ground thereof may continue firme and immovable which in mine eye seemes at present much to flag and stagger and that from some assertions which specially the last Sabboth being April 14. 1644. I received from you therefore to prevent the least besieging such an adversary whose heart lyes fair and open to me as I well know by experience from that utterly undeserved respect I have found from you I shall in the strength of this presumption adventure rudely upon the work intended Wherein I must necessarily content my self with signifying to you some particulars which to me seem evidently lyable to exception suspending the least taking notice of such things which possibly on due consideration may be found to require more exact scrutiny Whereof as touching what I shall at present mention I must satisfie my self to hint things in an indigested and disorderly manner having been prevented by the intervening of other unexpected occurrences therefore for most concisenesse therein though I count it my best course to have extracted the substance of all wherein I am unsatisfied first intirely by it self yet I may not attempt that but must onely name such particulars of that kinde Immediately before what I shall affirme in order touching each one respectively wherein not desiring to depend on mine own Judgement onely least I might have mistaken you I by conference finde some others do conceive you so to have delivered your self in those particulars as I my self conceive thereof You may therefore remember that the substance of your third motive to naturall men in reference to their accepting of Grace according to what you insisted upon 1 Cor. 1.3 was to this effect That if such will but ingage themselves and all within them according to their naturall power to seek for this Grace they shall not miscarry but stirring up themselves in good earnest to seek this Grace they shall surely finde it Which after your glancing at the Antinomians you prest more largely and that by backing this motive with two Texts John 6. v. 37. and Mat. 7. v. 7. Which Scriptures you alleadge to prove That if men improve their Naturall abilities to the utmost which is the strength of the motive in seeking Grace they shall finde it Concerning which Texts I cannot as yet see any such thing proved by them for the former whereof John 6.37 Whosoever comes c. This you understand indefinitely whosoever naturall man comes And in what manner must he come With or in the strength of his naturall abilities such a one Ile in no wise cast out which you acknowledge imports affirmatively I will accept which might be proved to import so much from John 5. v. 40. Where life is annexed to comming Now as touching this Text 't is true that whosoever being a naturall man shall through the full improvement of naturall powers so come to Christ as is here meant that is after a saving manner even with saving saith which kinde of comming can onely carry life as this here doth Such a one assuredly shall not be cast out by Christ no more then he which doth the Law perfectly shall yet dye for the Law will keep promise though none can claim ought thence namely That the man that doth them shall live in them but this is far from proving that a man by improving his naturalls shall come to Christ savingly by virtue thereof no more then a man may do the Laws works and live in them concerning which Paul peremptorily and rationally concludes in that Gal. 3.11 That no man can live by virtue of his performing that Covenant but there will be further occasion ministred by what follows whence to speak further in reference to this place quoted which was there but briefly touched for a proof of that which it seems not in the least to do The next alledged is Mat. 7. v. 7. and that for the same purpose to which must refer as above concerning which place 't is most cleer that that Text importing commands prest and promises annexed are laid down in most generall tearms therefore for the true understanding of the nature of our duty or our right manner of performance thereof we must consult with other Scriptures where 't is laid down more particularly and not understand the words in a strict literall sence That we must not understand it as barely exprest without limitation or qualification I prove from this that other Scriptures gain-say such a sence â—s that Jam. 4.3 Ye aske and receive not Why not not for want of asking they did aske yet 't was not given so then To all that aske it shall not be given men may so aske as that their asking shall never be given them the default wherein may be double from the end of their asking to satisfie lusts But is that all No another default is the want of a due qualification in the asking which is as necessary as Salvation it self and that is an asking in faith so Iam. 1.6 in the fifth verse he gives out a promise indefinitely If any of you of whom Naturall improvers No of you beleevers for that he supposed in the third verse the trying of your faith they had faith to try let such aske in faith acting that power of faith created by Gods Spirit in them but let him aske in faith let him not think it enough to aske in any fashâ—on but onely in faith which tearms but and faith exclude all othâ—r askings from receiving which is plainly
notwithstanding their most rationall improvements Except the Father draw him not except he draws or surely ingages the Father by improvements but there will be necessity of further inlargements on this from what follows we see here that insteed of being ingaged by promise by naturall improvements we have the contrary he saith not because you have imployed Naturalls therefore according to my promise I will sâ—cond it with grace but contrarily notwithstanding your utmost improvements Yet No man be he ever so accurate in naturall improvements can come except the Father draw him which to do no improvements can draw God You next alleadged another Scripture Luke 13.24 Strive to enter in but as touching this I finde no absolute promise of Grace annexed from Gods being ingaged by naturall improvements therefore not as yet seeing any thing considerable therein whereof to take notice shall step over to what appeares to be of greater moment Wherein though I conceive it sufficient to have deposed what I conceive against the proofs whereon you ground your fifth assertion yet I shall with great presumption on your patience and candid construction give my grounds for the contrary namely to prove that Naturall men dead c. have not such a power of Reason Judgement c. as whereby if they will accordingly put it forth they may do such things as whereunto God hath by promise annexed Grace which I conceive might be clearly made out from sundry Scriptures whereof to Name 2. or 3. One is Iohn 5. verse 39. Search the Scriptures concerning which though the first word be usually rendered as the Imperative Mood Search ye as a Command given to search yet for my part as yet with Submission to the judicious I finde not how it may be read with good sence any other way then as the Indicative Mood ye do search which I ground not onely on my own Judgement though I finde this that the Originall Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scrutamini may as properly be so rendered for as I remember 't is the Judgement of Doctor Homes as in his book Of new Heavens and new Earth I have seen though not since divers moneths by-gone and that it may most properly be thus rendred may as I conceive be most cleerly proved from the context the occasion of all Christs discourse from the 19. verse of that 5. chap. seemes chiefely to arise from what 's expressed in verse 18. where this is given as one reason why they sought to kill Christ because he had said God was his Father making himself equall with God c. Whereupon Christ all along forward in a most convincing manner proves the truth of that for which the Jews would needs have slain him to which purpose telling them God sent not Christ onely to bear witnesse of himselfe but sent his fore-runner John to bear witnesse which John ye sent to your selves verse 33. who accordingly bave witnesse of me and he was once a man in great credit with you therefore why might not his Testimony carry it Yea after he had named other grounds of testimony from his Works done and the Fathers own Testimony that sent him he adds yet a further ground of confirmation in this 39. verse even from their own practise as before in sending to know Johns judgement so here from their own diligent inquiry into the Scriptures ye do search even your selves do the scriptures namely the writings of the Prophets which alone were then written as of Moses particularly insisted on Again that they did search them is clear from what follows Moses shall accuse you verse 45. whose Accusation shall be a sufficient witnesse against them without Christs Why Because thâ—y perused his writings and so were rendred inexcuseable yea further cleer from the concluding clause of that 45. verse In whom viz. Moses ye trust or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom ye hope now had they not searched diligently and conformed to his writings they would not have built such hope thereon knowledge must precede confidence Which acception supposed to be most warrantable seemes considerable towards the proof of what 's affirmed Ye search which word imports exact and accurate scrutiny and no marvail for therefore ye search 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because in them ye think to have eternall life upon this very ground they searched and therefore with all their utmost care and diligence as conceiving to finde life in them which Paul himself that strict Pharisee searched so into as that he thought he had found life in them but yet was dead whiles so alive Rom. 7 8 9. and they are they that testifie of me those Scriptures which ye think to have life by from the letter of them testifie of me what it must have reference as I conceive to what they sought for namely eternall life they testifie then that what life ye think to have in them must be had in me they send you from themselves to the Messia pointed at by them as John sent such as he baptized with water to Christ to be baptized with the Holy Ghost Notwithstanding your searching ye will not come to me that ye might have life which proves that mens naturall improvements do not ingage God to give them saving faith without which through utmost improvements they could only look on the Scripture while pointing to a Messia but as a covenant of works and learned by all but to be selfe Justiciaries which sanctuary of justification by works we most obviously finde was the strongest one which the profoundest wisdome of the Jewes could erect Rom. 10.8 Object But it may be objected Christ in Verse 40. charges them with this Ye will not come to have life or in faith doth it not hence seem that they might have power to believe or to ingage God to to give faith which power they did not put forth as they might and that 's the reason why ye believe not Answ Whereto for answer for the former supposition that they might have power to believe that you absolutely conclude against For the latter which you avouch that they might so ingage themselves in improvements as to ingage God to give faith this must as yet be denied because here they did improve to their utmost their naturals in searching even as for life and yet God added not faith which is most undeniably proved in Chap. 6. from Verse 28 to 45. Wherein the whole discourse most inevitably demonstrates that they did as it were put all their naturall powers of reason judgement c. on the wrack as is before shewed by propounding questions rationall discussing them praying for c. But all this did not make Christ confesse I see you have done your utmost therefore I le perform mine engagements to give saving faith no he tearms their strongest reasonings but murmurings adding no promise thereunto and therefore not ingaged thereby so to do and consequently their not improving naturals is not the reason of Gods not giving faith which
just shall live by faith Where written In the New Testament No that was not written when he spake this Where then In the Gospell preached by Habbacuck chap. 2. ver 4. So this Paul affirms Rom. 10.11 The Scripture saith who beleeves on him even Iesus Christ shall not be ashamed namely notwithstanding all opposers even by vertue of his justification and where doth the Scripture say thus which is the sum of the Gospell even in Esay 28.11 As touching the Ephesians in what sence Paul was dead so were they We who were dead he makes his own and their condition joyntly one and that the Ephesians distinctly considered sate not in darknesse seemes hence in that he directed that Epistle To the Saints at Ephesus as being a place where men profest the Gospell and therefore lived under it But hence to proceede to the fifth particular next ensuing the former to this effect Men that are so dead in sins c. have a naturall life of reason Iudgement understanding conscience c. by vertue whereof men are able to weigh and ponder such wayes or means tendred to them yea such a power they have in them as whereby if they will put it forth and imploy it accordingly they may do such things as unto which God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation For which besides the places mentioned namely those already questioned Iohn 6.37 and Mat. 7.7 you further alleadged Prov. 2. verse 1 2 3. and Ioh. 6.27 Now in reference to this fifth assertion I cannot but as yet utterly deny naturall men to be able so to improve naturall power as to ingage God c. according to the affertion prescript For which end I shall first deny the same to be proved in the least by those other Texts alleadged For that in Prov. 2. verse 1.2 c. I yet see no reason at all why it should be understood as spoken to naturall men but good reason whence to conclude it spoken positively of beleevers My Son Whose son Wisedomes son or the son of Solomon inspired with the spirit of Wisdome or of him rather typisied by Salomon Jesus Christ the wisedome of the Father My Son or thou who art begotten again of Wisedome and my reason why he means not Naturall men I deduce out of the first chapter a great part whereof even from verse 8. to 20. is directed to beleavers in opposition to Naturall men termed sinners by which term such are most obviously pointed out in Scripture which I gather from verse 7. where having to the 7. verse set forth the excellent use of the book To know Wisdome c. in the 7. verse he declares to whom they shall become so excellent or on what terms men attain excellency by studdying this book exprest thus The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools c. So that the fundamentall qualification by virtue whereof men come to be proficients in the School of Spirituall wisdome is this That they have the fear of the Lord that 's the beginning of all saving knowledge the very first lesson first of all to be learned as fundamentall But shall not naturall men upon improving naturall abilities attain sound knowledge No all besides such as have the ground-work of all layd in them even the fear of the Lord are excluded so long from all spirituall and saving knowledge as in the terme ensuing But fools despise c. Who are those fools all without exception that have not this fear How is that proved Because that 's the very beginning of knowledge Therefore so long as they are not as yet Abâ—darians having not the beginning of knowledge they must needs be fools and that by fools is meant All that have not the Lords fear in them and therefore must be a note of exclusion to all that have not this fear seemes clear because all are comprehended in these two such as have feare and fools and no medium between According to which double position laid down in vers 7. shewing who they were that learned wisdome by these Proverbs and and who not He directs his Exhortation to him that could learn Wisdome namely who is possest with this fear and that most peculiarly by way of excluding it from all others My Son if sinnes verse 10. Again verse 15. My Son walk not thou in the way with them so that the holy Ghost that Spirit of Wisdome makes a mighty difference between him that is his Son as one begotten a new by him who hath Gods fear and all others not having it Object But cannot all others attain Spirituall knowledge as well as he by exact improving naturall abilities No for thereby they cannot purchase the ground-work The fear of the Lord. Answ But yet in the 22. and 23. verses she directs her voyce in generall to all in the strees simple ones scorners and fools hating knowledge c. That they would turn from their folly by Wisdomes reproofs may not such qualifie themselves by their naturall improvements that they may assuredly attain saving Wisedome or turn from their folly at Wisdomes reproofs No for in verse 23. having in the first part of it commanded Fools Turn ye at my reproof to prevent an Objection How shall we turn The holy Ghost declares how this work is wrought undertaking it himself Behold or take notice how this great overture is brought about even thus I le poure out my Spirit to you I le make known my words to you First pour out my Spirit whereby possessing you with the fear of the Lord and so will make known c. after laying first the foundation of all saving knowledge Object But how appeares it that their improving Naturalls did not render them capable by ingaging God c. even of saving knowledge Answ Even thus besides what 's before because those whom wisedome undertakes to give saving knowledge to were no otherwise qualified than the worst of them against whom he resolvedly protests never to give saving knowledge to Behold I le pour out my spirit to you to whom you who have improved your naturall abilities so as to ingage me No to whom then To you simple ones that love simplicity scorners delighting in scorning and to you fools hating knowledge by which we may judge whether they qualified themselves or ingaged God by Naturall improvements How is the work done then even by the Spirits over-powring of such that 's the onely ground of the difference between persons in themselves alike qualified and therefore no precedent improvement though ever so transcendent for the latter sort from whom the Spirit will for ever with hold the saving operation are exprest to have the selfe-same qualifications to hate knowledge c. Or if by Son you mean men improving their naturall abilities as that to them the promise is certainly made it shall be granted you that be he what he will Whosoever askes as is there required he shall have his desire granted but it
take away from him by far more then we give and then we give only in conceit and take away from him in reality for the like order here is to be observed by us in making distribution between Nature Gods Handmaid and creature and God himself We must give to Nature the things that are Natures as to God the things that are Gods and as in the other case so here 't is most true That when men think to be most bountifull to God and take away all from Nature and cast all on God men may here dash their foot and and take away from God while thinking to give him A man may so farre oppresse Nature for Gods cause till he leave not so much to Nature as to bear the charge of its own condemnation and then if men leave not to Nature sufficient to bring the guilt on it of its owne condemnation then it must necessarily reflect upon God But if we will consider two Arguments in generall we shall see that the assertion mentioned that if men do what is in their power c. they shall finde acceptation with God must be maintained Consider this reason if men must labour for the bread which endures to everlasting life which Christ is said to give them and he not give it then God of necessity must destroy men for not doing that which is altogether out of their power to do for as for actuall believing 't is a work so farre out of the power of the creature as that it requires Gods power Omnipotent to effect Now to say God should destroy his creature for want of such an action as cannot be done by any power inferiour to Gods own which is infinite this is so hard a saying and so contrary and rises up with that fiery contestation against what the Scripture delivers concerning the gratiousnesse of the covenant of God and mercy by Jesus Christ yea it so rises up against all reason all principles of common sense that there is no Oyle that will mollifie it no reason nor argument nor consideration that is able to make attonement for it or to reconcile it with any of these either with any expression in Scripture concerning the tenour of the grace of God towards the world nor otherwise with the principles of reason and common sense 't were as good reason to say that God destroyes the creature for not being God or for not making another Heaven and Earth like to these he hath made as to say he destroyeth them for not doing that which they have no more power to doe then they have to make themselves God or an Heaven and Earth Neither will it at all here availe to say that men had power in Adam while as yet in the state of Innocency then to believe in Jesus Christ this will not all ease the businesse as if God might in a way of justice equity and righteousnesse condemne men for not doing that which sometimes they had power to do namely in their first Parents though now they have not I answer 't will not at all ease the businesse First because 't is not a truth Secondly though it were yet it would not salve the sore First that men never had power in Adam to believe in Jesus Christ especially to justification may evidently appear by these reasons that which Adam and himself never had in the state of Innocency that certainly his posterity could never have but certaine 't is that Adam himselfe had never such power of believing in Christ in innocency neither therefore can his posterity be supposed to have such a power Now that he had no such power is evident hence because there was no necessity use or occasion of such a power as this to have been given to Adam in that state we all know and look on God as the most wise Agent that ever acted now 't is inconsistent with his wisdome and dispensation that he should create such an excellent power as this of believing is when there was no necessity nor use thereof That there was no occasion thereof is evident because during the time of innocency he was in a state of righteousnesse and justification on other tearms and in another way so that he had no necessity of a power to believe to justification because as Paul saith Gal. 2. If righteousnesse be by the law than Christ dyed in vaine so it had been in vain Adam being under a righteousnesse by the Law then for him to believe that Jesus Christ was dead or alive for his justification What 's the reason man had no wings put upon him in the time of innocency but only that he was well enough in that state for this is reason enough to prove that Adam had no such power of believing because well enough without even in a state of righteousnesse Secondly if Adam during his innocency had a power to believe either for his own or for any of his posterity their justification and salvation then he had a power also to foresee his fall because justification presupposes sinne because 't is from sinne and consequently a power to believe presupposeth a sight and a sense of sin but that he had no such principle in him vvhereby to foresee his fall in time of innocency is evident hence because had he had a power for to foresee his fall before he fell then he had a power or principle out of which he might have been made miserable before he sinned because it cannot be imagined but that the foresight of his sin and fall and posterity with him and the whole world that should come out of his loynes would have been a very tormenting consideration to him and therefore it being altogether against the righteousnesse of God that man should be miserable before he sinned hence 't is clear he had no power then to believe in Christ because not able to foresee his fall Thirdly if Adam in innocency had power to believe in Christ then had he a power to foresee the incarnation death and resurrection of Christ because none can have a power to believe in Christ savingly but on knowledge of these now if Adam had a power to belive c. It must be supposed he had such a knowledge of Christs Incarnation c. but that he had nor the least whispering of this great Mysterie concerning Christ during his innocency is evident as from other Scriptures so especially from that 2 Cor. 2.8 9. Now certainly if there were any of the deep things of God that were of the deepest mystery that of Christs Incarnation was the most deep of all things deep out of the sphear of the minds of Men and Angels therefore 't is certain Adam had no knowledge of this mysterie till after his fall But another Objection Object He had a power to believe in Christ had this mystery been revealed to him in his innocency though he had not such a power actually to put it forth yet had not he such