nor the other Philad I believe God hath a Secret Will and a Revealed Will a Will that neither Men nor Angels know If it be God's absolute Will that the greatest part should be damn'd it is then the duty of the greatest part of Men to go industriously to Hell and be damn'd and to do good would be a Vice to labour to attain Heaven a Sin because it crosseth the secret Will of God and if it be God's Revealed Will that all should repent and his Secret Will that very few shall it follows from thence that it is his Will that his Will should not be done and that when a Reprobate saith Thy Will be done he rather curseth himself than prays for a Blessing And since you affirm that God hath a Secret and a Revealed Will I would have you careful that you do not interpret his Revealed Will by what you conjecture of his Secret One his Secret Will being a thing that cannot be known but rather guess at his Secret Will by his Revealed one and so judg of his Eternal Decree by what we find in his Word concerning his Promises and Threatnings which are the Copies of his Decrees It is very ill done of you to say God hath a double Will the Revealed Will being not only diverse but opposit to his Secret One God ordaining Sin with the one whilst he forbids it with the other and not always willing in secret what he reveals himself will do So that by what you say you had as good tell us God doth not mean as he speaks and so make him a hypocritical Dissembler This is a very high Affront put upon the Divine Goodness and your Testimony is not at all to be credited unless you have the Witness of God for you 1 Joh. 5. For whosoever delivers any thing for a Divine Truth if it be contrary to what is revealed to us in the Scriptures of Truth it ought to be rejected as Diabolical Suggestions all things of this nature must be warranted by the Word Let our Hearts be never so strongly inclined to believe it yea let Persons pretend never so much to the Spirit and to receive new Light yet if it be contrary to the Spirit of God speaking in the Scriptures 't is no better than a delusion of the Devil therefore to the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8. 20. John 16. 13 14 15. 1 John 4. 6. Now seeing by this your Speech you make the pure and holy God who hateth and detesteth yea forbids and punisheth Hypocrisy and Dissimulation in Man 1 Pet. 1. 15. Psal 51. 6. 1 John 3. 18. insincere and a great dissembler in his Word professing one thing and intending another which Imputation consists not with his Honour Justice and Mercy which is always one with his Will and his Will always the same and not two opposite Wills I therefore challenge a proof for what you say or I shall record your words as blasphemous Philet I cannot prove it in those positive terms but if you look 1 Sam. 2. 30. it may give us some grounds to think so I said indeed that thy House should walk before me for ever but far be it from me c. Here you see the Lord said one thing and decreed another and so Jonah 3. 4. where Jonah in positive words asserts it to be the revealed Will of God Yet 40 days and Niniveh shall be destroyed yet it was the secret Purpose Decree or Will of God that it should not Yea and so far as the Prophet could conceive and he had already manifested his Counsel he purposed to overthrow the City but yet the Lord had indeed determined to preserve it Philad I called for a proof that God hath a Secret Will and a Revealed Will contradictory to each other relating to one and the same Persons and Things and instead of that you bring two Texts that make nothing to the purpose that of Jonah concerning Niniveh sheweth that God's Will whereof one part revealed and preached by Jonah was that Niniveh should be destroyed within 40 days if the Inhabitants thereof repented not but remained in an obdurate and impenitent State and the other part of God's Will which was kept secret and concealed was this that it should not be destroyed if it did repent within that time so that that part of God's Will that was revealed and the other part kept secret and concealed was one and the same and tho delivered in positive words yet there was a Condition implied in them tho not expressed That Niniveh was not destroyed at that set time which the Lord threatned they should plainly shews that his Purposes and Threatnings were conditional Upon supposition of their Impenitence he threatned to destroy them but when they repented he promised to preserve them this you know by what Jonah did when he withdrew to see what God would do with the City and by what the King and People did they understood the whole Will of God concerning them tho but part thereof was vocally revealed therefore I heartily advise you to detest that vile School-distinction of a Secret and Revealed Will in God opposite one to the other so that by his Revealed Will he would have none to perish but professes his unfeigned desire after the Salvation of those that perish and seems to be burdened in himself and lament over those that stubbornly run in destructive courses as Deut. 5. 29. Psal 81. 13 14. Isa 48. 7. 65. 2. Jer. 44. 4 5. Mat. 23. 37. and yet by his Secret Will he hath no desire after their Salvation Nay he 's so far from willing or desiring their Salvation that he hath grounded and settled Intentions to destroy them for ever By his Revealed Will he would have all Men to repent and believe in his Son and by his Secret Will the contrary Now if there be any Secret Will in God whereby he willeth the destruction of any at the same time that he willeth the Salvation of all these two Wills must needs contradict one another and of two contrarys if one be good the other is bad and so in God's Secret and Revealed Will if one be good the other is bad But surely if God injoyns Repentance Faith and Obedience unto all Men with Promises upon their complying with his Will they shall be saved as Mark 16. 16. Acts 3. 19. John 20. 21. then he doth not will with a Secret Will the condemnation of any for 't is clear that his Revealed Will runs that he would have all men every where to repent c. and certainly his Revealed Will must needs be one with his Secret Will or else we shall represent the great God of Truth as false as Man for if God's Word which is his Revealed Will be no Interpretation of his mind and meaning then it is not true for that speech that is no signification of the Mind is a lie God's love to Mankind page 96. this is properly lying saith
who seek Salvation by the free Grace of God through Faith in Christ shall have it Rom. 9. 33 c. So that this Text proves not what you bring it for neither can you fairly understand it of such a Love or Hatred as to prove either Persons or Parties are saved or damned much less doth it prove that God hates any personally considered as they are Sinners in Adam c. Very well saith Dr. Homes p. 8. God cast off none till they cast off him 2 Chron. 36. 16. Prov. 29. 1. And in the New Testament only for the Sin of refusing Christ all along is Damnation pronounced God doth not actually cast them off beyond all Remedy till they actually cast off him and so cast them off not for original Sin but actual Sins and that not too for every actual Sin but for those that cast off the Remedy namely the Word of Christ and Christ the Word Philet That God choseth some and leaveth others in the Fall I prove from the very Word Elect or Election which is a separation or singling out some in a way of Mercy or Choice from a Number and whether these Scriptures do not prove this Election to be personal without any respect unto Faith 2 Tim. 2. 19. Phil. 4. 3. John 10. 3. Act. 19. 15. Rom. 11. 5 7. Rev. 7. 4. Rom. 9. 11. Mark 13. 20. Eph. 1. 4. 1 Pet. 1. 20. Tit. 2. 14 c. Philad But you know that the Word Election doth not always suppose Rejection but preferring one thing above another and it is frequent in Scripture to call both things and Persons of great Value of special Worth and Excellency in their kind Elect or Chosen 1 Sam. 26. 2. Isa 22. 7. In this sense the Messiah was termed by the Jews the Elect or Chosen of God Luke 23. 35. and called a Corner-Stone elect and precious 1 Pet. 2. 4. and Paul an elect or chosen Vessel And Dr. Hammond tells us The Greek Words used in Rev. 17. 14. viz. Chosen and Faithful are joined together as words of the same import Mod. I hope Philadelphus you will not dare to limit the Lord suppose God hath Elected some to Life and Salvation from Eternity or from the Fall Is not God's Mercy his own May he not do with it as he pleaseth What if God will give to one that comes into the Vineyard at the eleventh hour nay give to one gratis for doing nothing as much as he will to me for working according to my Covenant what wrong doth he do to me Why should my Eye be evil because God is bountiful or I repine that another obtains Mercy Philad I am none of those that pretend to keep the Keys of God's Secrets I dare not say God never did nor ever will chuse any personally considered But can it justly be concluded from God's predestianting some personally consider'd to Eternal Life that therefore all the rest were decreed absolutely to Condemnation without any respect to their Disobedience any more than when a King without any Condition premised pardons some that are guilty of the same Offence with others that he thereby implys that all the rest to whom he offers Pardon upon such conditions as they were able to perform should be Executed without Mercy Neither do I see any grounds from these Scriptures that we must needs understand Persons under a personal consideration without respect to Faith in Christ or any other Qualification to be the object of Electing Love and as such shall infallibly enjoy Eternal Salvation I know no Scripture that saith so nor can any Man be said to be chosen before the Foundation of the World or from the Fall any otherwise than in the Decree of God which is brought forth in time when they come actually to believe in Christ for God calleth things that are not as if they were Rom. 4. 7. and it is a usual thing in Scripture to speak of things to be done in time as if already done as Rom. 8. 30. where the Apostle speaks as if they were already glorified yet not actually glorified nor any otherwise than in the Purpose or Decree of God and so 2 Tim. 1. 19. Tit. 3. 5. they are said to be saved who were not at that time actually saved so in Ephes 1. 4. they are said to be chosen in him before the Foundation of the World though not chosen till they came to believe in Christ for as Christ was called a Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World Rev. 13. 8. though not slain till he took Flesh upon him which was some thousands of Years after even so Persons are said to be Elected from the Foundation of the World though not chosen till they be in Christ and when Persons have once obtained a Being in Christ by Faith they may truly be said to be Chosen by virtue of that Decree of Election which was in God before the Foundation of the World whereby he decreed to chuse all those to Salvation who should repent of their Sins believe in his Son and be obedient to his Will and when they come into this State God may be said to chuse them before the Foundation of the World by virtue of the Decree that was in him So that whatsoever Elective Love God hath or might have for any of the degenerate Sons of Adam more than for others Yet this is a thing that wholly lies hid in the secret Counsel of God and wholly unknown to us but this the Scripture reveals for a truth That whomsoever God predestinates them he calls before they are either justified or glorified Rom. 8. 30. and so 2 Thess 2. 13. through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth c. Now if the Saints are chosen to Salvation through c. and were called to it by the Gospel then they were not chosen actually before they had believed the Truth or before they heard the Gospel And to make this more plain you know Paul was a chosen Vessel or a most choice Instrument a Vessel for the Lord's use Acts 9. 15. yet he tells us that he was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and Injurious 1 Tim. 1. 13. and writing to his Son Titus ch 3. 3. speaking of himself saith We our selves were sometimes foolish disobedient deceiving serving divers Lusts and Pleasures living in Malice and Envy bateful and hating one another Now shall we say that Paul during his unbelief and impenitence was in a justified State an adopted Child of God Surely no. Philet Well how and when came Paul to be an adopted Child of God Philad How why first God humbles him brings him to the foot of Christ calls him by his Grace Gal. 1. 15. to which Call he was obedient Acts 26. 19. and was regenerated and born again by the Washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Ghost by which he was led to believe and obey the Gospel Acts 24. 14 15 16. and to live intirely to him
gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity for his heart was not right in the sight of God And saith Duveil upon this place Many that are not of a right heart in the sight of God may oftentimes excel in the Gift of the Spirit for neither did the perverseness and Hypocrisy of Judas the Traitor hinder him to excel in the Gifts of the Spirit neither had the Gifts of the Spirit been so corrupted 1 Cor. 14. if their hearts had been sincere Luke 8. 13. These are they which for a time believe and in time of temptation fall a way But we are fallen into an Age that the practick part of Christianity is almost destroy'd by the speculative part As if the truth of our Faith did not stand with a course of holiness and strict walking with God And as Dr. Burnet saith in his Preface to the Life of God in the Soul of Man That in more antient times those that wrote Apologies for the Christian Religion did appeal to the Lives of the Christians to prove their Doctrine holy but alas when we write Apologies we must appeal from the Life to the Rule and Precepts of Faith which ought not to be Philet But it hath wrought Reformation of Life in me Philad Hyprocrites have been famous for moral virtues yea many that you will not own for Christians in many things excel you at this day Remember the Scribes and Pharisees read 2 Pet. 2. 20 21 22. where you may see that some that shall not escape the damnation of Hell may notwithstanding escape the pollutions of the World and that through the knowledg of the Son of God Philet But I see such Excellencies in Christ that I have longings of Heart after more intimate acquaintance with him Philad Strong desires may Hypocrites have after Christ and Heavenly things John 6. 34. Mat. 25. 8. Numb 23. 10. Philet But the Lord hath given me through the Spirit a foretast of Heaven it self in the first-Fruits of it Philad May not this be found in Apostates also Heb. 6. 4 5 6 So tho I do not charge you to be a Hypocrite to pretend to what you do not injoy yet this I say since every saving Grace in the true Christian hath its counterfeit in others this will not be sufficient to prove Christ died for you but must find better grounds for it than such marks which are as proper for Hypocrites as true Believers you may indeed have an opinion that Christ died for you but where are your grounds seeing the certain knowledg whom Christ died for must not be built upon any good which we may suppose in us but upon the Word of the Lord so till it be proved beyond all Objection that Christ died for you and hath not decreed to leave you in the Fall c. all comfortable assurance of your Eternal State will be cut off if ever you should fall under the dread and horror of it and methinks could I be got to believe that Christ died but for a few and no Man could prove Christ died for him but by such Marks as you talk of I am so conscious to the failings and deceitfulness of my own heart that I should despair of Mercy but here 's my support that God would have all Men to be saved hath redeemed all calleth all to Repentance and believing in him with gracious promises of Life and Salvation and now seeing God loveth all Men and desireth their eternal good therefore mine as well as others if I by true Faith apply that through the assistance of the Spirit to my self which is offered in general to all And how doth the certain knowledg of this tend to beget honourable thoughts of God and fill our Hearts with precious indearedness to Christ yea soften our Hearts when we sin against such Mercy and Grace yea make us look upon him whom we have pierced Zach. 12. Yea and if at any time poor Souls come to be bowed down under the weight of Sin and knows not how to be delivered from their fears and dangers but are ready with the Church Lam. 3. 18. to sit down and say My hope is perished from the Lord Now at such a time as this when the Love of God in Jesus Christ is set home upon the Heart O what work will this make upon such a one O the dear Love that this begets in a sincere Soul for Christ and O methinks what a comfort is it to Gospel-Ministers that in their declarations of the Gospel they can offer it to all and labour with Souls to bring them over to the Lord But how faint and cooly must other Ministers be in tendering of Christ to Sinners or how can your Ministers tender Christ to their hearers or be earnest with them to imbrace Christ or believe in him when they do not know whether Christ died for one of them So notwithstanding all you have said to prove your Title for Heaven and to be one of those that Christ died for yet since you place Salvation upon the absolute Decree of God and that Decree is kept secret to you you cannot say of your self you are one of those that Christ died for and that you shall go to Heaven because you at present believe no more than you can say of any wicked Man in the World that he is one of those that God hath left in the Fall without a Saviour since he that is now wicked may be called and saved such were some of you 1 Cor. 6. and you may make shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience fall from your first Love and so miss Heaven Philet I see you are for falling away from Grace Philad No I am not I am against falling away Philet Yea but you hold that a true Believer a Child of God and in a state of Grace may so far fall away as to miss Heaven you are not able to prove by any Example in the Scripture where any true Believer hath fallen from Grace Philad Suppose I cannot prove by any Example in Scripture that any true Believer hath fallen doth it therefore follow that no true Believer can possibly fall suppose no true Believers ever yet fell away yet 't is possible they may Philet How prove you that Philad From 2 Pet. 2. 20. If those that have clean escaped the pollution of the World and that thro the knowledg c. may fall away then other Believers may Philet That is not the description of a true Believer Philad How any one can escape the Pollutions of the World c. and yet not be a Believer I know not Philet 'T is meant of gross Pollutions of the World and so a Man may be free from the gross pollutions of this World in the midst of inward Impurities and Hypocrisies they were free from the gross acts of Sin so that they did not come into the view of the World Philad That is as much as to say their escaping was not
The Love of God To all Mankind In the Glorious Work of their Redemption by Jesus Christ Asserted and Vindicated With a plain and sober Discussion of those Controversies which are the constant Concomitants of it viz. Election and Reprobation God's Foreknowledg his Nature Attributes and Decrees the sufficiency of Means vouchsafed to all Men to believe the use of the Law to Believers under the Gospel Also concerning Original Sin Free-Will and falling from Grace All fitted to the meanest Capacity in a way of Dialogue By ZACHARY STANTON LONDON Printed and sold by M. Fabian at Mercers Chappel in Cheapside 1700. TO THE READER Courteous and Impartial Reader I Should not have troubled thee with any Preface were it not to comply with the desire of some Friends and the Mode of the Times This Treatise which I have adventured to expose to publick view and censure of all I desire thee to take notice is much of it a Collection gathered from the Words and Writings of Persons concerned in this Controversy methodized and reduced to Form and Order as my slender Knowledg and Leisure gave me leave for the benefit of all well-disposed People that have a desire to look into the things controverted in this Point and either could not reach the Price or procure those large Volumes wherein this Subject is largely handled by Men of piercing Judgments and known Abilities here they may see the Substance of all the Controversy compendiously in a little room and with that plainness and brevity that the meanest Capacity may reach it as well with their Vnderstanding as their Purses I know that those who live at ease and have none to disturb the Peace of their Church and the Prosperity of the Gospel by sowing Tares in the Lord's Field may think it strange in this Day wherein there should be rather a healing of Breaches and a closing up the old Wounds than a heightning and increasing of them to see any appear in print upon this Subject nor have I done this as if I could be a Means to bring any new Matter which by former Worthys had not been said before but for the settling and establishment of those to whom I belong some of them looking that way that so Satan might not beguile them to draw them from the simplicity and purity of that Doctrine revealed in the Word of God and that I might prevent others from falling into error through the studious Labours of many of corrupt Judgments who to our great sorrow we have found care not how they stumble the weak or what Divisions they make in the House of God so they can but proselite a Party to carry on their uncouth Notions and preposterous Opinions and whose heady Zeal hath brought this forth Tho at first it was written for the Information of a few private Friends yet without any design for the Press and hath been kept from it this two or three years till of late this Opinion hath held up its head in our Parts which tho it hath formerly and of late been often encountered by the Sword of the Spirit yet like the Monster Hydra having one Head chop'd off two grew again So this Error seems to spread and grow faster than of late and tho they have left off openly to assert tho owned in private many of those frightful Sayings and horrible Blasphemies found in many Authors which are enough to make a godly Man's heart to bleed yet now they with open face maintain and by secret ways labour to undermine the Divine Foundation and by crying up Grace and the unconditionality of the Gospel-Covenant and descrying all Inducements to Dutys and Obedience as legal Preaching with the terrible noise of Free-willers Arminians Popery many well-meaning Christians by such subtile Wiles and secret Insinuations are wounded and deceived through the cunning pretence of some that pretend to a more than ordinary pitch of Holiness and Purity who to carry on their Design labour to work upon the Affections and to gain upon the Hearts of thâ—se that are ready to entertain as Gospel any Errors because of the affection to the Person that broach'd them and when once the Judgment is distempered by Affection all things are carried according to the pleasure of it The vilest Deformitys if they are Affection's Darlings shall be accounted comely Ornaments Let God and Man say what they will 't is all in vain when their Vnderstanding is captivated and lull'd asleep by their Dalilah then Judgment and right Reason must truckle and those dark and mysterious Sayings in the Scripture must be made to speak according as they fancy while wholesome Truths are distastful and will not go down by reason of some Prejudice conceived against the Author And therefore I am not without a foresight that both my Person and this my good Meaning will be made the Butt at which will be shot all those sharp Arrows that Wit Pride and Envy can invent But I am content to receive a Scratch that others may scape a Wound and to be accounted as the Filth and Off-scouring of all things that those who are intangled in Errors might learn the Truth and therefore if I be reproached for it notwithstanding all the care taken I am content to suffer Reproach for the Cause of Christ and do count it a very small thing to be judged of Man's Judgment And Reader I do assure thee in the words of a Christian that it is neither Profit nor Credit nor Thanks that I expect for my pains but rather the contrary I by experience find Persons are too apt to be offended with Truth and Plainness yea many mens Spirits are so exasperated against such as hold forth the Grace of God to all which is the Subject of this Book that if it were in their power they would convince us we were in the wrong by Fire and Faggot so distastful are either the Sayings or Writings of those that would take their Diana that is their Opinion from them and when they cannot ward off the down-right stroke of Truth they will then set themselves to censure slight and revile those that speak for Truth But great is Truth and it will prevail in spight of the Sharp Tongues or Iron Teeth of those that oppose it And now Reader if thou beest a Reprobatarian I do not know what cause thou hast to dislike me or this Book if thou wilt be true to thy Principles that God from all Eternity freely and unchangeably ordain'd whatsoever comes to pass and that God hath precisely decreed what Good and Evil shall be done that all things happen not only by God's Prescience but by his express Order and positive Decree and that Man doth that which is not lawful for him to do by the just impulse of God If this be so then surely all that I have done in this case is but the necessary Issue of the Divine Decrees having done nothing but what was not only natural but necessary being over-born by
Men Psal 139. Let us then here learn to become Fools that we may be wise and leave prying into those things which are beyond our human Reason to conceive and let us keep close to God's revealed Will which is our Duty for the want of this hath filled Professors Heads with Fancies and so they have been smiting one another and weakning the Hands of each others in the Lords Work while Piety Virtue the Love and Fear of God the true Spiritual Substance of all Religion is too too much neglected So that what if God did foreknow all the wicked Actions of Men before they came to pass yet might not God as well foreknow that if they had but improved those Means which he through his Grace had afforded them they might not have come to pass for the fore-knowledg in God of what Men will do doth not imply any absolute necessity of their doing of it neither have they any less Power to refrain doing of it because of God's fore-knowing that they will do it Whilst it remained saith Peter to Ananias touching his Possession was it not thy own i.e. wert thou not at full liberty to have kept it for thy own private use and when it was sold was it not in thy Power viz. whether thou wouldst part with thy Money or not Doubtless God foreknew what Ananias would do yet this did not take away the Liberty or Freedom of his Will to dispose of it as he pleased otherwise God's Foreknowledg should necessitate him to sell the Possession and to keep back part of the Mony and lie against the Holy Ghost by saying there was all when there was not this Act must be looked upon not the Act of Ananias but of God himself for whatsoever a Man is necessitated to do by an unresistable Power out of himself is the Act of the Necessitator not his As the Apostle saith Rom. 7. 20. If I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but Sin that dwells in me I would not have you admit into your thoughts that God is any ways Author of the wicked Actions of Men or that he decrees any thing that is an Infringement to his Justice or his Mercy in the least Mar. I am against those that hold that God works Sin by an operative Decree as Mr. Perkins in his Commentary upon Heb. 11. 40. who saith that under the large extent of God's Decree we must include the sinful Actions of Men for God doth not barely foresee them but decrees the being of them and so wills them after a sort tho not to be done by himself yet by others And so upon Jude ver 4. that nothing comes to pass without the Decree of God no not the wicked Actions of Men which God not only foreseeth but decreeth Now it is true which you have said if God should be operative in the working of Sin then he would be the Author of Sin yet that all Sin comes to pass by the permissive decree of God is a thing I hope you will not deny Phil. I see you can play fast and loose with your Opinion sometimes you say that God did from Eternity freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass and when by this Doctrine you find that Man is laid under a necessity of sinning and consequently God becomes the Author of all the wicked Actions of Men then you would help your self by saying Though Man sin not by the operative decree of God yet he doth by the permissive decree This is no more indeed than what we find and hear in the Sermons of all those of your way when they preach on this Subject the Doctrinal part of their Sermons countenance one thing and the Applicatory part that which is contrary unto it labouring to beget such a Faith in their Auditors as would destroy the Faith of their Doctrine What wooing and beseeching doth your Ministers make for Sinners to close with Christ to repent believe and obey the Lord and not to withstand the Day of Grace when yet notwithstanding all this they believe there is no Grace nor Mercy but for very few before them and that their strongest Endeavours to repent c. effect just nothing but the over-ruling Decree of God doth all and so they pull down with one hand what they build up with the other And the Truth is this Doctrine of God's eternal decreeing the greatest part of Adam's Offspring to Sin and Damnation includes in it so many Absurdities horrible Blasphemies undermining the very Foundation of all Religion and Piety that my Hopes are that it will shortly fall with the unsupportable weight of its own Evil. Yea were it not for so many Volumes written to uphold it I should hope it would appear so wicked that all good Christians e're long would be ashamed to own it and God's Love to all would be exalted in the Hearts Tongues and Writings of all Men. One thing I perceive is the cause why this Doctrine doth so flourish and lift up its Head in this Day is an over-much confiding in Persons of whose Learning and Piety they have had a high Opinion This draws many ignorant tho well-meaning Hearers to be zealous in what they teach be it right or wrong and to follow Persons reputed Godly and Learned more than the pure unerring Word of God Alas all good and pious Men have Errors and Fits of Distempers thro human Frailty and we ought not to take their Words upon trust but upon trial and in those things that appertain to Salvation bring them to the Law and Testimony and to suspect that for Truth where the Word of God administers much more Ground to doubt and question than believe as this Doctrine of personal and respective Reprobation doth But a word to the permissive Decree of God If by the permissive Decree of God you mean that God permitting or suffering such or such a thing to be done or come to pass supposeth a necessity of the coming of it to pass This I deny for if it be true that a Sparrow falls not to the Ground without his Permission yet hath not he decreed eternally that it shall be at such or such a time or in any cruel way as it often falls out directly contrary to his Will Deut. 22. 6. and though it be a Truth God hath decreed to suffer Sin otherwise there could be none yet it is also a great Truth that this permissive Decree of God is no cause of Sin God doth permit one Man to take away the Life of another but it doth not follow that therefore he did appoint or ordain them to such wicked Actions No Decree of God that is purely and barely permissive either induceth or supposeth any necessity of the coming to pass what is so decreed no more than a Capital Law necessitates to Murder Permission supposeth a Possibility of sinning or not sinning in the Party permitted From whence I conclude there is no damning to Misery
believe is an Error presently they are ready to say I cannot see it because God hath purposely blinded my Eyes and am such a one as is cast out of the Love and Favour of God and when this is once settled in their Hearts how can I expect Love from them unless I can believe they can be better to me than they represent God to be to the greatest part of Mankind Mar. I see that which is uppermost will out you still are of the same mind you was you hold fast your Error and will not let it go Philad Truly I am much of Rawlin the Martyr's Mind when the Bishop after he had read Mass ask'd him if he would revoke his Opinion answered my Lord Rawlin you left me and Rawlin you find me and by God's Grace Rawlin I will continue and tho I may seem to you to err yet I have considered every Particular and it seemeth so pleasing an Error if it be one and so comfortable a Doctrine to poor Mankind and doth so much exalt the Justice and Mercy of God that I think I shall never be of a contrary Mind Yea and if for any thing in the World I could suffer the Loss of all that 's dear to me methinks it should be to witness to this great Truth Mar. I know that natural Reason seems to stand on your side but you must know and allow Faith to be above Reason and God may have and questionless hath Ways and Actions which are known only to himself past finding out by Man neither doth he give an Account or Reason of any of his Matters Job 33. 13. You must have a care of searching into God's Decrees they are not to be fathomed by Man's weak and shallow Capacities what Eye looks upon the Sun doth not by that dazle So while Men would by the Eye of Reason see a Cause in God's secret Will they stumble and fall Pray ye what Reason can be given concerning the Mystery of the Trinity or that the second Person should take our Flesh upon him and be conceived of a Virgin or that the same Bodies after dissolved to Dust should be restored to a Spiritual Immortal and Incorruptible State These things are the object of Faith and are above our Reason to comprehend or define yet are we to believe these things to be Truth because revealed to us by God in his Word So tho it be beyond the Reason of Man to define how God whose Ways are all equal and just should from Eternity predestinate the greatest part of Adam's Offspring to Everlasting Misery or freely and unchangeably ordain the coming to pass of every thing in the World and yet he himself neither guilty of Cruelty or the Author of Sin yet we ought to believe it is so when declared to us by the Word of the Lord. Mod. These are great Mysteries which we ought not to pry into Secret things belong unto God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our Children Deut. 29. 29. Philad This is true but surely Moderatus This wretched Opinion of God's positive Reprobation doth not carry the Nature of Divine Mysteries along with it It is not accompanied with so great Awe and Majesty as that it should be only obeyed and no way disputed For God himself denies it to be any Decree of his Ezek. 3. 11. And as Calvin saith We should not be ashamed to be ignorant of some of the Nature of Divine Predestination Yet as Eusebius saith 'T is an Argument of great Sloth and Idleness not to seek unto that whereof we may justly make inquiry Hockins on God's Decrees Page 126 190. Now I do not pretend to draw the Curtain to look into the wonderful and astonishing Mystery of the Holy and Blessed Trinity or of the Incarnation of the Son of God God manifest in the Flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. which is so great a Mystery that infirm Man with all the strongest Faculties of his Soul cannot reach unto I also freely grant that whatsoever God hath revealed in his Word must needs be a Truth and meet and worthy to be believed of us all But where do you find that God hath revealed in his Word that he hath appointed the greatest part of the World to Everlasting Misery and tho there may be many things above Reason quite out of the Apprehension of it yet not altogether against Reason How is it contrary to Reason that God the first Being of all things being Infinite should have a manner of subsisting far different from all created and finite Beings Neither is it contrary to Reason that God should be able to make a Virgin to conceive in a way beyond the Course of Nature or ordinary Providence for the accomplishing of so great and glorious a Work as the saving poor lost and undone Mankind Neither ought it to be look'd upon no not in the Eye of Reason as a thing incredible that God should raise the Dead Act. 16. 8. Is it not every way as easy for God to restore a Body dissolved to Dust and give a Perfection and Glory to it as to restore a dry Hand to Life and Activity in the Body or cause Aaron's dry Staff to blossom and bare Almonds Can Man burn a Tree into Ashes and change it into shining Glass And cannot God cause that Dust that was once Flesh to become Flesh again and to restore it to a Spiritual Immortal and Incorruptible State But to let this pass are these Friends of yours to whom you say you have imparted the Substance of our Discourse c. of your Mind Mod. There is some Difference for what I hold you have heard But Philetus looks upon Mankind as lying in the Fall under the Guilt of Adam's Sin so that God looking upon Man as fallen did decree the greatest Number of Men to Eternal Misery for the Declaration of his Justice without affording them a Saviour which is the only Way and Means of their Recovery or without sufficient Grace for the avoiding of Sin Philad Truly I see little difference between you you both place the Sin and Damnation of the greatest part of Mankind upon the alone absolute Will and Pleasure of God you looking upon it from Eternity he as lying in the Fall But surely God never left any Man in that State whereunto Adam brought him but as I have said hath graciously provided means whereby both Sin and Misery might be prevented or removed if timely embraced seeing Christ hath abolished that Wrath and Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gospel and God hath so far reconciled all Sinners to himself that thro the Sacrifice and for the sake of that Lamb of God that takes away the Sins of the World he is graciously pleased to be reconciled to them and to open a Door of Hope for all the Sons of Adam And tho it is a great Truth that Adam in breaking the Law of his God brought not
Esau being the Elder of Right the Blessing did belong to him but he undervaluing of it sold it to his Brother So that now the Blessing as well as the Birth-Right was his Brothers and so after Isaac had blessed Jacob Esau could by no Means cause his Father to repent or reverse his Blessing tho he sought it carefully with Tears Heb. 12. 17. but said Gen. 27. 33. I have blessed him and he shall be blessed he could not recal it again Yet this Rejection as to his being the Person from whom the Messiah should come or with respect to temporal Blessings gives no one Ground to aver that he was reprobated in respect to the Salvation of his Soul or these Words might be spoken with regard to what they would do in time God certainly knew what Esau would do in time and might thereby shew what would in time be done unto him or rather with respect to the Works of the Flesh and the Spirit Esau being a Type of the one and Jacob of the other so the Works of the Spirit are pleasing to God and always beloved of him and so the Works of the Flesh are abominable to him so that these two may be but two Types as Sarah is said to be of the Gospel and Hagar of the Law and Isaac and Ishmael Types of the two Covenants Gal. 4. 21 to 31. Besides it is very plain that it is not Jacob and Esau personally to be understood in this Text but two distinct Nations or People which should proceed from them as may be seen if you read Gen. 25. 23. Rebekah being with Child and finding a strange strugling in her Womb went to inquire of the Lord and received this Answer Two Nations are in thy Womb and two manner of People shall be separated from thy Bowels and the Elder shall serve the Younger and the one People shall be stronger than the other People You see the Lord did not tell this good and godly Mother that one of those she went with should be damned to all Eternity but speaks of them as two Heads of two Nations for we do not find these Words the Elder shall serve the Younger ever fulfilled in Jacob and Esau personally Where do you find that Esau was subser vient to Jacob but rather the contrary Jacob calling Esau Lord so that this Text speaks not of single Persons but of Nations and so the Love and Hatred there spoken of is National as you may see by comparing this Verse with Obadiah and Psal 44. 4. where the Edomites are called Esau and the Jews Jacob and the cause why the Lord hated the Posterity of Esau was for their Wickedness and Enmity against the Israelites the Seed of Jacob Verse 1 to 12. and so Malachi 1. 2 3 4. I loved Jacob and hated Esau and laid his Mountains waste but this could not be before Esau was born or had any Mountains to lay waste so that it cannot be here understood a personal Hatred for 't is plain that what is here said is upon a national Account Now for the better understanding this Rom. 9. we must take notice what was the main thing the Apostle was carrying on Now the main thing that he was upon was not to maintain absolute and personal Election and Reprobation this was not the way to convince the Jews of their Sin in rejecting and crucifying the Lord of Life and Glory and their slighting the Gospel for this would have been the way to establish them in their Error of being the only elect People in the World because Abraham's Seed to whom the Promise was at first made and therefore their State safe enough tho they did not believe in Christ And saith Mr. Loveday p. 224. It is known for a Truth that there was no People under Heaven more cordially principled in personal Election than they they took all but themselves to be reprobated and forbad the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles that they might be saved 1 Thess 2. 16. The Jews the Elder Brother could not bear to see the kindness shewed by the Father to the Prodigal Luke 15. Nay Peter himself greatly questioned his Lawfulness of going to preach to the Gentiles till convinced of it by a Vision from Heaven Act. 10. And when Peter came to Jerusalem they contended with him about his going and conversing with the Gentiles Act. 11. 1 2. Yea and for some time after the death of Stephen many preached the Word of God to none but the Jews only It appears that notwithstanding Christ had given a Commission to preach the Gospel to the whole World yet they were ignorant of the calling of the Gentiles to partake of Mercy through Christ Now if the Jews had understood that personal Election and Reprobation had been the thing Paul was about to prove they would never have quarrelled with him about it for they believed that if any People in the World was beloved of God it must needs be themselves for they above all other were chosen to be a peculiar People and beloved for their Father's sake and unto them pertained the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenant Rom. 9. 12. but this was not the Point but the great Controversy between Paul and the Jewish Rabbies was about the Terms of Justification whether by the Law or by Faith or upon what account a Sinner might be justified and saved and who was the Person to whom the Blessing belonged Now the Apostles Business is to assert and maintain Justification and Salvation to come in by Christ alone without the Works of the Law and that there was an absolute Necessity of believing in Jesus Christ where God hath afforded the Means both by the Jews as well as Gentiles which will appear if you look Chap. 3. 4. and Chap. 10. 30. and in Gal. 2. 10. he shews that a Man is not justified by the Works of the Law but by Faith And this he proves from the Example of Abraham who was not justified himself by Works but by Faith and tho the Jews boasted much of their being Abraham's Seed yet he tells them Abraham's Seed was many one by Hagar another by Sarah Now if the Promise was made to Abraham's natural Seed then Ishmael as well as Isaac and Esau as well as Jacob had inherited the Promise but the Promise was not made to Seeds as of many but to a Seed which Seed was those that believe and walk in the steps of Abraham Rom. 4. 12. These whether Jews or Gentiles were truly and only to be the reputed Children of Abraham Gal. 3. 7. and Heirs of the Promise Verse 29. so that it is neither Birth nor Works was perferred by God nor any thing should be challenged by Birth or Works but only through Faith in Christ and so the Elder serve the Younger that is the Jews the Elder which seek Salvation by the Works of the Law or according to the Flesh shall not have it but the Gentiles the Younger
to come are taken away by Christ Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect c. and so Rom. 4. 23. Isa 35. 8. The Lord hath laid upon him the Iniquity of us all and 1 Pet. 2. 24. himself bore our Sins on his Body c. and what I said I will say that tho the Elect may sin as well as others yet their God in Christ will never un-son them nor yet touching their Justification and eternal Salvation will he love them ever a whit the less yea tho they commit never so many and great Sins For this is a certain Truth that as no Good in them or done by them did move him to elect and justify them and to give them eternal Life so no Evil in them or done by them can move him to take that away when once given Philad This is like that which is in the Mouth of some Be in Christ and sin if thou canst what pity is it that Men pretending to Wisdom and Sobriety and Professors of Godliness should fall into such Raptures as are next to Madness What a bundle of Errors are here wrapt up together and that under Scripture-guize but surely you do not read the Scripture in that Spirit in which it was wrote or else you might see notwithstanding the Apostle's triumphing that till Persons repent of their Sins and turn to God they stand charged with many things as I have told you from Eph. 2. and from Paul who was before his Conversion a Persecutor a Blasphemer and confess'd himself the chief of Sinners yea before the Apostle comes to this Triumphing he was long exercised with Frights Terrors within and Frightnings without and tells the Corinthians 1 Cor. 2. 3. that his Preaching among them was in great fear and trembling so that we must Fight before we Triumph and Mourn before the Lord Comfort us And how clearly doth 1 Pet. 2. 24. shew that the proper intention of Redemption is Dominion eternal Redemption is an eternal Obligation to Service Ye are bought with a price ye are not your own your Bodies and Spirits are the Lord's 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. Rom. 14. 9. You may see that one end of Christ's being a Redeemer was that he might be a Sovereign Lord over his Purchase yea this is one great end of the Lord 's entering into Covenant with his People promising to do great things for them Ezek. 11. 19 20. I say the end of all is that they might serve him Hockins on God's Decree p. 93. Can we entertain so ignoble a belief that the eternal Son of God should suffer for any less end than to advance our Human Nature to the greatest height of Piety and Purity of Life and to raise our Souls to the most refined and sublimate goodness What did Christ take our Nature upon him and become Surety for us and pay such an infinite price for us that we might spend more freely and daringly on the Stock of our Surety's Satiffaction Ah! Who can with-hold their Eyes from Tears to think that any should make use of Mercy to damn them For many had not been guilty of so many Sins nor persisted in them without Repentance had it not been for their false hope in Christ not considering Christ came to redeem from all Iniquity as well as from all Wrath. Philet But Christ dying for the Elect hath thereby fulfilled all Righteousness satisfied Divine Justice and purchased Heaven for them Philad And what then Philet Why then there 's no doubt but they shall be saved for in the very moment of Election they were pardoned of all Sins past present and to come Philad What as if now nothing could endanger their Souls they have enough for Heaven Pray what should hinder them from bidding all Sin welcom Why may they not kill whore c. and commit all Abomination and if impleaded for it bring in this as an Evidence that they were in the very moment of Election pardoned of all Sins past present and to come they have a Gracious God that will forgive them and a Surety who hath paid for all Philet I perceive what you are driving at You hold that Faith and Obedience in us to be the cause of God's Electing or Chusing us to Life and Salvation Doth not the Scripture prove that Election is not according to foreseen Faith not because Men do or will believe but because they should believe Rom. 9. 11. 1 Pet. 1. 2 3 4. 2 Tim. 1. 9. Tit. 1. 1. Now if Faith and Obedience be the cause of God's loving us then here is Merit this eclipses the Glory of God's free Love and renders Salvation of Debt and not of Grace Mar. This is down-right Popery nay I affirm that Faith and Repentance are no more a means to go to Heaven by than prophane Cursing and Swearing Philad That Faith in Christ and Obedience to the Lord is a cause without which God chuseth none to Life and Salvation is a Truth unless you can prove that God hath designed his Son to die to save such as will neither repent of their Sins believe nor obey him but live and die in open Rebellion against God and do despight to the Spirit of Grace and trample under foot the Blood of the Son of God c. but that it is the cause for which God chuseth any I disown as well as you For the Love of God the Father to the Sons of Men as they were Sinners and Enemies to him was the essential cause of our Salvation John 3. 16. Rom. 5. 6 8 10. 1 Pet. 3. 18. and Jesus Christ the meritorious and procuring cause of Man's Salvation and should we admit of any thing else but Christ to be the matter of our Justification or the meritorious Cause of Eternal Life this would be injurious to the Perfection of Christ's Righteousness and overthrow the freeness of Divine Grace and Love But you and all Men ought rightly to divide and distinguish between the Cause and Condition of our Salvation that Christ may be owned as the Cause and Author of it and Faith and Obedience as the way and means to attain to it for as God Almighty hath prepared a Heaven for Men so he hath appointed the way and means to fit and prepare them for it as Christ is the Way so if I should say that Faith and Obedience is a way to come to enjoy it I might say it was advancing Nature above Grace or setting up our own Righteousness in the room of Christ's Righteousness and so robbing him of his Honour or asserting Merits surely Eternal Happiness hereafter hath some dependance upon Holiness here Mod. I like this well and do believe that God that hath appointed the end hath also appointed the means as in the Case of Paul Acts 27. 22. though God had promised to save Paul and all that were in the Ship yet they were to use the means otherwise they could not be safe I would have
4. Neither must we think that Men stumbling at Christ and being disobedient to the Word to which they were appointed to learn their Duty is the Result of fatal Necessity But prethee Philetus tell me whether you be of Moderatus's mind that Christ died so far for all that the Gospel which is glad tidings should be preached to all and whether the Lord by the preaching of the Gospel doth not call all Men to Faith and Repentance promising Salvation to all that do believe Philet I know Faith and Repentance are required of all and God by the Gospel invites all Men to believe in him promising Salvation to all that do so believe yet only those will believe for whom Christ died to purchase these things for them and to purchase their Salvation Ye believe not because you are not of my Sheep John 10. 26. Philad That is I suppose you mean because they were not elected and because Christ did not die for them to purchase a Power to believe and therefore they could not believe because God had decreed their unbelief this is plainly to charge all the unbelief of Men upon the Lord but saith Christ They believe not because they were not of his Sheep And who those are he tells you in the next verse They are such as hearing his Voice follow him Such fallacious reasoning strikes at the Root of the Gospel of Grace and free Love of God and frees the Devil and wicked Men from bringing destruction on themselves for by such Doctrine God Almighty is the sole cause of all the incredulity in the World and tho he offers and invites all Men to partake of Grace yet he doth it not really and in good earnest and while your Ministers call upon Persons to believe and seem to wonder that they do not believe and yet hold that God hath decreed they shall never believe their Sermons are mere dissimulations and nonsense What would they bind Men to believe that which is untrue and charge them to take and receive Christ as tendred to them in the Gospel and to believe there is remission of Sins in Christ's Blood for them when he never shed it for them and so to lay hold upon that which they had no kind of interest in This not only makes your Ministers false Witnesses to offer Salvation to those whose Damnation is absolutely determined but also makes God a mere deluder of miserable Man whom he calleth by the preaching of the Gospel to partake of Salvation by his Son and yet fully before intended their ruin Is not this as much as in you lyeth to make God a lier as 1 Joh. 5. 10. for they that believe not God make him a lier because they believe not the Record God gave of his Son and what is that namely That whosoever believe on him should not perish but have Everlasting Life not that any Man can possibly make God a Lier no let God be True and all Men Liers but Men by their not believing on Christ do represent God as untrue in his Word because they reject that as a Fable which hath been spoken by the Lord himself for a Truth and those that preach the glad-tidings of Grace and Peace to all Men and every Creature sin in preaching in that they preach Lies to most Men yea and require Men to believe Lies May we not easily see that all your Exhortations Chidings your whining and seemingly bemoaning the state of poor Sinners is but a dissembling Art Mar. O what pangs are faithful Ministers in lest poor Souls should perish Philad Yea true Gospel-Ministers may but what Pangs your Ministers are in that hold Reprobation without respect to actual Sins part of their Creed I know not is commiseration in you a Virtue and is not all Good originally in God and can I take your Ministers to be filled with more compassion than the God of Love or to be better than they represent God to be For do they not hold that notwithstanding all the passionate wishes of the Lord his Exhortations and Perswasions Reprovings Expostulations mourning over the perishing state of poor Sinners yea tho he useth Promises to allure them and Threatnings to deter them and calls all Men by the Gospel to believe on his Son that they may live through him and swears that he wills not their Death yet hath he by an eternal and uncontrolable Decree shut up the greatest part of those to whom these Tenders are made under Sin and Misery that they shall never repent and be saved Christ never died intentionally nor really to save them they have thereby no more interest in him than the fallen Angels and therefore there is no more reason why the Gospel should be preached to the one more than the other whereby it must needs follow that many Men by the Gospel are bound in Conscience to believe that which is untrue and by your Ministers pressed and charged to receive that which they have nothing to do with by this you make the Lord guilty of the deepest dissimulation in his Promises and tenders of Grace to all And pray what are your Ministers but false Witnesses if they promise Salvation for all Men when they believe there is no Salvation for far the greatest part of Men whom Christ never purchased by his Blood If they exhort Sinners to turn from their Sins to the Lord and promise them that if they do so they shall live and tell all Men that God would not have one of them die in their Sins but rather turn and live is not this according to your Notion Lying And do not they promise and undertake more in the behalf of God than God himself is willing to perform What a bustle do your Ministers keep and to what purpose unless to get Money seeing the most powerful Ministers and Sermons cannot in the least alter the Intention of the Lord about the Salvation or Damnation of one Soul Man's final and eternal State being fixed in Heaven And thus do you give the Truth of God the lie and highly impeach the glorious Gospel and make your Ministers teach nothing but absurdities nay more than this it overthrows not only his Goodness and Mercy but also his Justice that Men before they partake of the Breath of Life or are any ways guilty of actual Sins should be so rigidly condemned to perpetual Misery yea appointed to receive the Wages of Sin before they committed any this is inconsistent with common Justice and Equity amongst Men and Shall not the Judg of all the World do right said good Abraham to God Gen. 18. 25. And saith Job shall mortal Man be more just than God and so our Apostle Is there unrighteousness with God how then shall God judg the World Doth it not wrong the pure Justice of God to hold that he will judg and condemn Men for ever to lie under his Wrath for doing that which he himself decreed them to do or that God Almighty should behold
that our Ministers preach the general Love of God as much as you do Philad I know it they are forced so to do or to preach themselves out of doors very few being so true to their Opinion as one I lately heard of that after he had been exhorting his Hearers a great while to Dutys at last told them That he did not know whether Christ died for one Soul amongst them And I believe very few ever heard any of your way that have managed any Theme but are necessitated to assert and own it otherwise such their Discourse would be as inconsistent in it self as it is far from Truth tho many in their Sermons speak much in their Exhortations to Holiness and when they take a Text of Scripture from thence labour to prove their Notions a Truth while they raise their Doctrin and give Reasons they seemingly go on fairly till they come to the Applicatory part where they knock all to pieces Mar. 'T is true many or most are to blame upon that account I have plainly told them of that my self that in private they have been one with me but in publick quite other Men as much for the general Point as you are Philad Tho they are professed Enemies to general Redemption yet it is of that use and necessity that they are forc'd to argue many things upon that account neither can they be without the service of it in the carrying on many of their Affairs yea and many times dissemble it 't is so odious in most Christians Eyes If we look within the Confines of our own Nation very few of the Church of England but own and believe Christ died for all yea I am informed that there are hardly six of your Opinion in both Universities The Quakers generally not one that I hear of but look upon it unworthy the belief of a Christian Not to mention any others you your selves are greatly divided about it and the most zealous of those that hold it dare not preach what they believe to the People lest instead of People which you say are as passive in Conversion as the Stones in the Walls they should have none but Stones to preach to Mar. Surely if Christ died for all with an intent to save all then all would be â—…ved and how comes it to pass that any miss it Universal Redemption must needs procure universal Salvation Christ's Blood must needs effect that for which it was shed Philad That Persons miss Salvation is not for want of a Jesus nor for want of the free tenders of Grace nor for want of an Advocate none can charge their eternal ruin upon the Lord Hosea 13. 9. but 't is their not believing on the only begotten Son of God their rejecting Light and loving Darkness taking pleasure in Unrighteousness and because they refuse to come at Christ's Call and will not open when he knocks nor take his Counsel nor mind those things that make for their Everlasting Peace but abuse the Lord's patience waiting upon and striving with them and so come at last to perish through their own vile stubborn and wilful Obstinacy Prov. 1. 24 to 32. 2 Pet. 2. 1 2. 2 Thess 2. 10 11 12. God doth not necessitate any to be wicked neither doth he withdraw Grace necessary unless first abused 1 Chron. 28. 9. The Lord is with you while you are with him c. 2 Chron. 24. 20. There is no let in God that all Men may believe and be saved Nay what could God have done more for Man that he hath not done Isa 5. 4. that is what God in his Wisdom thought meet to do and which was most agreeable to those Properties and Principles of Reason and Understanding placed in Man For 1. God hath placed in Man an inward Witness to wit Conscience which if it be hearkned unto will convince of Sin and lead to Duty And not only so but hath discovered by his Word to Men the damning Nature of Sin and hath plainly forewarned Persons that if they will go on in a way of Sin and Disobedience they are like to suffer the Vengeance of Eternal Fire hereby to deter them from Evil. And hath also made many most gracious Promises to those that are faithful and obedient to him of infinite Glory incomprehensible Rewards with the injoyment of the infinite good and gracious God himself in Heaven to Eternity And that Man might escape Eternal Wrath and obtain Life and Glory God that foresaw Man's Fall did from the beginning purpose to provide a way to make Man happy and therefore in infinite Wisdom and tender Mercy contrived the saving lost Man by sending into the World and delivering up unto Death his only Son that so all the Enmity that was between God and poor sinful Man might be renewed and Man through him might have peace with God Ephes 2. 14 15. Rom. 5. 1. And also the Lord stands engaged by Promise to justisy and save Sinners if they believe in his Son and hath promised the assistance of his Infinite Spirit to all those that by true Faith and Love seek it of him Luke 11. whereby Persons may be able to repent and believe and able to oppose Sin and advance forward in the Path of Righteousness and persevere therein to the end Now what could God do more than this So that if any perish their destruction is of themselves Jonah 4. Dr. Holms upon John 6. 37. pag. 17. speaking of God's freely pardoning Sinners and of the Bridegroom and Bride the Church and the Spirit all calling to Sinners to come Rev. 22. 17. saith Therefore why O ye Sons of Men stand you still in a damnable mistaken doubting condition so as not to come to Christ Why will you die you need not perish unless you will perish no Reason in Christ's Will but in your own Will You never improved the least Gift to go forward towards Christ but he prospered it more What would you have more than a Christ suffering a Christ offering a Christ intreating that you may come And in pag. 18. having repeated the same words saith You have a Christ that hath suffered for you a God that hath sent him to you a God that invites you to him and if you come to him you shall not be disappointed the Text saith He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out All which so fully and freely declares the Mind of God and Christ to poor Sinners that nothing can be said against it as Isa 5. 4. Hosea 6. 4. Now O Sinner look about thee God acquits himself therefore the fault must lie upon thee if thou dost not improve what thou hast tho God's Will doth not depend upon Man's Will yet God will be tied to his own Ingagement and do what he hath said Philet Come forbear any farther discourse on this Point we all hold that Man's destruction is of himself there is no damning to misery without relation to sin Philad Well we will wholly
real they had but seemingly escaped the pollutions of the World they were at best but Hypocrites how then could the latter end of such be worse than their beginning Nay what if they had put off their guise of Religion wherewith they deceive the World and appeared like themselves in their swinish nature could that make their end worse than before seeing Hypocrites are like to meet with the greatest condemnation Mat. 24. 51. But how those can be said to be Hypocrites that have clean escaped the Pollution of the World thro the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I cannot see unless Hypocrisy be no Pollution and if it be then were they no Hypocrites or else they had not clean escaped the pollution of the World nor from them that live in Error ver 18. which he affirms But we must hasten to put an end to this days Discourse Now consider Heb. 6. 6. where the Author speaks of the impossibility of renewing some by repentance in case they fall away which plainly supposeth there is or may be such a thing incident to Man and it is very evident from this Scripture that the Author admonisheth those whom he judged true and sound Believers for he here speaketh not of ordinary and common but of special and excellent Grace and yet these are under a possibility of falling away for ever for doth not the Author give them to understand that notwithstanding they were most eminent Saints and Believers yet through carelesness and carnal Security they might make Shipwrack of their Souls and perish Philet What are these Characters applicable to none but true Believers Philad If there be any Persons under Heaven that may be judged true Believers they are such as these mentioned and if you can shew me any that had all these Gifts and yet were destitute of true Grace Philet I cannot give you a particular Instance of all these meeting together in one Person that was not a Believer But can you prove that these Qualifications are applicable to none but true Believers Philad If they be applicable to any others give me an Instance where for I know of none from whence we have cause to believe that true Believers may possibly apostatize so far as to be under an impossibility of being renewed again by Repentance and so perish Again in 1 Cor. 9. 27. you may see that Holy Paul after his Conversion to Christ took great care and pains to beat down his Body c. which was needless in him if he were under no possibility of falling Again that true Believers are under a possibility of falling appears a truth because the Lord by his Holy Spirit in his Prophets and Apostles doth by many Exhortations Promises and Threatnings labour to prevent apostatizing in them and to cause them to persevere But if your Doctrine be true that there is an utter impossibility of a final falling away what savour of Wisdom or Sense is there in admonishing Persons against that which there is no possibility of ever coming to pass but that God will by an irresistible hand of Grace and Power preserve them in a state of Grace and Favour how desperately careless or wicked soever they shall be yea tho they fall into ten thousand abominable Sins yet they shall be brought to repentance before they die doth not this make all Exhortations Threatnings and Promises unnecessary For if Men be assured they shall never perish pray tell me why they should labour to prevent their perishing Moderat But you must understand that the Means and the End are coupled together and that God that hath appointed the End hath appointed the Means to attain the End and God makes use of our own Endeavours as the Means to attain Heaven and prevent our Apostacy as in the case of Noah tho he was assured and that from God himself that he should not perish by the Water yet he was to make the Ark here you see that tho he knew God would save him yet he used the means or else he knew he should not be saved he did not say to himself God hath bound himself by Covenant to save me now if I make not the Ark his Word is his Word and he will stand to it tho I be false yet he will be true tho I do not as I should yet he will do as he hath promised and therefore I 'll spare my labour but you see Noah is of another mind he will not sever God's Word from the Means he judged that if he made not the Ark he was to look for no deliverance this was his Divinity So in Hezekiah's Case tho God had promised to add fifteen years to his Life yet he was to use the means God had appointed to sustain Life as Meat Drink Rest c. yea tho the Lord had absolutely promised that he would add fifteen years to his Life yet there was to be a Plaister of Figs applied to his Sore in order to his recovery So likewise in that of Paul Acts 27. 22. compared with 31. tho the Lord had promised there should be no loss of any Man's Life yet afterwards Paul said to the Centurion and the Souldiers Except these to wit the Mariners by whose skill the Ship should be brought nearer to Land for their safety abide in the Ship ye cannot be safe So tho Christ had assured his Disciples that they should never perish and none should pluck them out of his Father's Hands yet he bid them watch and pray lest they fall into temptation Philad I perceive you look upon these Promises tho absolutely express'd yet conditionally intended so that none of all these should perish provided they should obey wholesom Advice and use all Means that in them lay for their preservation now do you believe this is true in Spirituals Moderat Yea doubtless Philad I say so too and dare be bold to assure from the Word and Promise of that God that cannot lie that not one true Believer shall ever perish who faithfully uses the means God hath prescribed in order to his standing And if Philetus be of this mind we shall soon agree What say you Philetus Philet I believe as God hath required his Children to use the means of Perseverance so he hath decreed they shall all of them use it accordingly and that he will so overpower them by his Spirit that it shall be beyond all possibility of miscarrying Philad Pray produce such a Decree if you can Philet In Jer 31. 33 to 37. you have an absolute Promise of Perseverance made by the Lord to the Church of God Philad You cannot prove by this Text that none can fall away this Promise was made to the dispersed Nation of the Jews whom the Lord in his anger had driven into all Countrys and therefore had a respect as well to the Unbelievers as true Believers amongst them Compare Ezek. 11. 17 18. where is a Promise of the same import yet in vers 21.