what is cast into it And thus some though but a (a) Viz Pet. A. S. Jose 〈◊〉 I de theol spec lib. 3. cap 4 Hurtad metaph disp 12 sect 4. few give this as the only reason why Angels do not know the secrets of the heart viz. because the Lord will not concur with any creature for knowing the thoughts and secrets of its fellow-creature till the party himself consent that such or such a one should know and be made privy to his thoughts and that then the Lord only concurreth to the knowing of so much and by such only as the party concerned willeth and consenteth should be imparted and made known And thus angel-speech must import no more ex parte loquentis but a willing and consenting that others whether one or moe should know such and such a thought or desire and purpose of his heart I know none who of purpose hath disputed against this modern opinion concerning the speech of Angels only I find in M. Becan speaking to (b) M. Becan disputing against Scotus his assertion who thinketh that there may be species intelligibiles in the understanding without cognition vid. Bec. theo schol part 1. tract 3. cap. 1. quaest 10. another purpose two reasons that may be urged against it 1. it s miraculous for the Lord to deny his general and ordinary help and concurrence to the creature when it requireth it and is ready to work if not thus impeded and hindred 2. But if God would concur an Angel might thus search the heart and know what is in man which is Gods incommunicable property Ans 1. What is ordinary and constant ought not to be called miraculous especially when a publick good requireth it as here the good of man his preservation from Sathan that roaring Lyon that there may be some society amongst spirits c. Thus the earth and the water make one globe for the commodity of living creatures which is contrary to the natural inclination of these elements the waters naturally propending to be above and cover the earth but no such contrariety to any natural inclination can be alledged to be in the present case 2. To imagine an equal constant and uniform concurrence to be due to free and morall agents and that at all times and occasions is contrary to reason and experience and to the limitation Jam. 4.15 If the Lord will should the creature say we shall do thâ—s or that That debt and obligation which Jesuits and Arminians will have the Lord to ly under so that he must concur with second causes as they shall require and alwayes answer their beck and nodd is a most intolerable limitation of the most high and lofty one to the will and appointment of the poor weak ignorant foolish (c) Orthedoxi theologi nihilominus cum Thoma fatentur Deum quocies cum causis secundis concurrit non nisi congruenter naturis genio dispositioni ipsarum operari vid doctiss Twist de sci med lib 3. pag 434. Ubi optime expli cat quo modo Deus pro suo beneplacito possit immutare voluntatem homini lib. 1. pag. 170. concedit in Deo â—sse decretum quoddam generale de ciendis creaturis suis ad suos motus congruenter naturis ipsarum creature 3. I would ask whether it be not granted on all hands that one Angel cannot know the thoughts of another without his consent but that consent doth not add any light or strength to the intellective faculty of the other whereby he becometh more able to know what formerly he could not and therefore all must needs here acknowledge some special dispensation of providence whether it should be called miraculous or not we will not further enquire neither doth it concern us more then others As to the second the question is not whether an Angel might be so assisted as that he might search the heart which our famous Countrey-man Jo. (d) Nihil est in mente operatio scil quaecunque intellectus vel voluntatis vel quaecunque proprietas vel conditio realiâ— husus vel â—stius quin totum ita pateat angelo praeseuti non impedito sicut animae apparet albedo prasens per sensus Illud ergo dictum solus Deus novit abscondita cordium verum est universaliter ex propria persectione ita quod impossibile sit per aliquid impediens sibi lateat 〈◊〉 at Angeli muitos tales motus non noverunt propter defectum debitae presentiae mali angeli multa talia etiam praesentia non noverunt Deo impediente c. Scot. in 4. sent dist 45. quaest 4. sect ad 2. dico pag. mihi 472. Scotus long since taught with some limitations and in a qualified sense and know the thoughts but whether or not the Lord doth allow to him such a measure of light and assistance and doth remove all impediments so that he doth actually know and may at his pleasure search the heart of his fellow-creature And all here agree in denying that it is so neither will it follow from Sathans immediat influence which we affirm to have place only them when the Lord is pleased to remove the vail and permit him to look in And yet in the former case and supposiâ—g that there were no covering spread over the heart yet the understanding of Angels whether good or bad being of a limited and finite capacity could not 1. comprehend all the thoughts nor throughly and perfectly search the heart far less 2. the hearts of all men especally 3. when they do not advert and look in and 4. if the distance be too great and 5. when they are not viz. either before they arise in the heart or after that they are past O! but the infinit eye of God doth perfectly and independently search the heart he doth not need the assistance of any nor can any thing escape his knowledge so that he must know 1 all the thoughts 2. of all men 3. at whatsoever distance and 4. a fare off while they have no being and after they are past and before they have a being or did arise in the heart or could fall under the view of any creature and thus before we could know our own thoughts Ps 139.2 The Lord from all eternity did appoint and foresee what thoughts and purposes should be in the hearts of men and angells unto all eternity And so much concerning Sathans knowing and searching As to the other branch of the difficulty propounded at the beginning viz. concerning his power over the heart We Ans Albeit Sathan when the Lord permitteth him hath an immediate accesse to our most secret chamber and cabin and thus may cast his fiery darts not only towards but also up and down the house yet he cannot set it on fire though he may parly with the will and suggest his temptations yet he cannot (e) Latrare potest sollicitare potest mordere omnino non potest nisi volentem non
knoweth when that word Isa 11.9 shall be made good The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea c. If all nations may embrace and professe the Gospel and many Divines from several prophesies of the Scripture labour to prove that thus it shall be and none can deny that it may be then I would ask why we may not pray for this blessing unto them that all the earth may hear the joyfull sound and welcome the glad tidings of salvation and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2.24 25 26. and from that Text we may further argue thus That which we should propose as our end in teaching exhorting c. may be a fit object of our petitions but the recovery of sinners is the end of the ministry of exhortation doctrine c. and therefore we may and ought pray that our Ministry may have this blessed effect The distinction of finis operis and finis operantis hath not place here for the work and worker must here have one and the same end whatever be the high and holy design of the first and soveraign agent You will say we are not Apostles upon whom the (l) 2 Cor. 11.28 care of all the Churches and of all mankind should lye Ans 1. What the Apostles might pray for that every Minister yea every member of Christ may pray for albeit all have not a ministerial care yet all should have a fraternal and brotherly care for all and every one 2. A Minister as some judicious Divines of late specially Mr. (m) Mr. Hudson vind of the ess and unity c. ch 6. sect 5. pag. 137. c. O! if that point were more seriously pondered by the Ministers of Christ how that thus in some respect and by vertue of their office the care of all the Churches lyeth upon them how affectionatly would they desire and with what fervency would they pray for their welfare to whom they could not preach c. Hudson have asserted and maintained against Independents by vertue of Christs institution and by his ordination to the office of the Ministry is made a Minister of and receiveth that office habitually and in actu primo in relation to the whole visible Church so that he may and ought exercise that function in relation to any part as the good of the whole doth require and as he hath a particular and orderly call So that his fixing to this or that particular congregation albeit it tye him to a constant and ordinary exercise of his office amongst that people yet it doth not limit the office it self which by his potestative mission according to Christs institution he hath received in relation to the Catholick Church indefinitly and universally And thus he may exercise not only his gifts but also his pastoral office and preach the Gospel in any place indefinitly whereever he meeteth with a call and should universally pray for all to whatsoever particular place he be fixed as to the exercise of the more speciall parts of his Ministry And albeit prayer be a common and general duty lying upon the people as well as the Pastors yet it is a pastoral duty and that not the least and as a Minister of Christ he prayeth not only for his particular flock but also for the whole Church But 3. The ground alledged by those who differ from us in this particular doth as well militat against a Pastors praying for his own congregation if there be any ignorant or scandalous persons there as against his praying for all members of the visible Church yea and for all mortals for who is the man that hath ground to hope that all his flock shall be saved But it is replyed by (n) Dr. Ames loc cit Mr. Gee treat of prayer pag. 109. some Divines Though God be (o) Luk. 6.35 kind to the evil and unthankfull and (p) Mat. 5.45 maketh his Sun to rise on good and bad and thus we may pray for common mercies to all yet God will not bestow special and spiritual mercies to all and therefore we may not pray for their conversion and salvation Ans 1. The decree of God his purpose either to give or not to give is not as hath been shown our rule 2. That Conscience must be too scrupulous to say no more because of that reverence we ow to them with whom we have now to do which dare not wish and desire which dare not pray and say Lord let all the world taste of thy goodness let them glorifie thy name and obtain (q) Ex pâ—rte boni quod amico optamus omnes homines aeque diligimus ex charitate quia omnibus optamus bonum idem in genere sc beatitudinem aeternam Thom. 2.2 quaest 26. art 6. ad 1. salvation through Christ let all the earth be filled with the saving knowledge of God let them kiss the Son that they perish not in his anger let them turn from their evil wayes and follow that which is good c. 3. It may be questioned whether to pray for common mercies for those for whom we may not pray for grace to use them aright be not to pray for a snare to them since common mercies to graceless souls are but as so many (r) Prov. 25 22. coals of fire heaped upon their head to aggravate their guiltiness and increase their misery 4. These whom we are obliged to acknowledge for our neighbours yea and brethren them we should love and by all means procure their good especially their spiritual and eternal good in which the glory of God is so nearly concerned and therefore since prayer is a principal mean which we may use for the good of all whom we can no otherwise profit we must not leave that mean un-essayed but all men on earth are (Å¿) Proximus aliquo modo est omnis homo cui aliqua ratione possiâ—mus commodare Ames Caâ— consc lib. 5. cap. 7. honor extendi debet ad omnem proximum i. e. ad omnem hominem Sciagraph â—at Chr. Domin 39. vid. Thom. 2.2 quaest 25.26 neighbours and every one according to his ability and as opportunity doth offer should perform the duties that flow from such a relation Luk 10.27.33.36 c. All men are brethren and of one blood Act 17.26 Mal. 2.10 Gen. 19.7 Ah! should we love our neighbours as our selves and may we not pray for them when we pray for our selves and shall Conscience and Religion be pretended as a Plea for (t) Nam si ab uno homine quem Deus finxit omnes sumus oriundi certe consanguinei sumus summum inter se hominum vinculum est humanitas quod qui diruperit is nefarius parricida existimandus Quod si ab uno Deo inspirati omnes animati sumus quid aliud quam fratres sumus c.
in but only advanced some steps in the way if such fall back there are small hopes of their recovery and this their back-sliding is a mark and character of their reprobation and rejection for saith the Lord they draw back unto perdition ver 39. O! how dangerous is it to make but some few steps forward and then return and to choak some as it were half-purposes and resolutions and half-convictions and humiliations Felix once p trembled but he quenched that motion and we hear no more of that work on him Agrippa was once almost q perswaded to be a Christian but he followed not his look and what was the event And are there not many a trembling Felix and half-converted Agrippa's among you how often have you quenched and resisted the holy Ghost the Lord hath many a time knocked at your door and hath yet come nearer you and cryed in your ears and pulled you as it were by the arms to awaken you and you have as it were through your sleep spoken some few words in answer to his call and have started to your feet as if ye had purposed to rise and follow him but alas ye soon wearied and notwithstanding this seeming beginning ye quickly drew back and while the Lord with-drew a little waiting as it were till you should put on your cloaths ye have returned to your old couch again and laid your head on the cod and you are how more deeply plunged in your rest and sleep more softly then in former time and were it not a just thing with the Lord to trouble you no more and to say unto you sleep on and take your rest yet a little r sleep a little slumber and folding of the hands to sleep There is a time of awaking coming after which secure sinners will sleep no more then weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth hereafter there will be no ease nor mitigation of their torment unto all eternity 7. There is little hope of proud obstinat stubborn and presumptuous sinners who have hardned their hearts against the fear of the Lord and by boldness in sinning have come to a cursed liberty to sin against knowledge and conscience without check or challenge such impudent wretches are often in Scripture called workers of iniquity they having made it their trade to do wickedly with both hands earnestly and to drink in sin greedily as the Ox doth water and the Word of truth holds such out as men devoted to destruction Iob 31.3 Psa 5.5 Psa 37 1 2. Psa 92.7.9 Psa 94.20 Prov. 10.29 Prov. 21.15 c. And in the day of accounts the sentence will be this depart from me all ye workers of iniquity Luk 13.27 8. Hereticks both speculative and practical are in a most dangerous condition 1. Speculative such as maintain and spread poysonable doctrine for the subverting of those who hear and converse with them are held forth in the Scriptures with a black mark on their fore-head that we may beware of them and may abominat their way Tit. 3.10 11. 2 Thes 2.10 11. where first such are said to be s subverted or quite over-turned and fallen without hope of recovery Secondly they are to be reputed as self-condemned and having a judge within themselves who hath given out sentence against them Thirdly such must not be tolerated but if they continue obstinate and who among them will ever turn after the first and second admonition should be rejected and excommunicated Fourthly we have the reason why the Lord suffers such thus to fall and why he gives them up to such errours not because they are pious learned and ingenuous men as their followers would make us believe and under which mask deceivers usually do cover their wates and by this pretence often prevail with simple ignorant people but because he purposeth to destroy them and never shew mercy upon them And its observable that this is not only said of Antichrist that great impostor and deceiver and of his emissaries those famous seducers and deceivers of the greatest part of the world where the name of Christ is professed but of all these who being seduced receive and embrace damnable errours from whatsoever hand and because they received not the love of the truth while it shined before their eyes therefore did the Lord send them strong delusions and suffered them to believe a lye that they all might be damned 2 Thes 2.10.11 12. And thus the Apostle 2 Pet. 2.1 tells us that as hereticks and false teachers bring upon themselves swift destruction So their way and doctrine their errours and heresies are damnable of their own nature and therefore to all not only bringing damnation to the first hands to the merchants and sellers but also to the buyers and possessors and to all who welcom and embrace them With what indignation then should we hear some plead that hereticks should be tolerated and get liberty to spread their poysonable doctrine as being a simple innocent matter an errour only in the mind while the life and conscience may be pure and holy But though 1. we deny not that truth may go under the notion of errour as in the Roman Church where orthodox professors are accounted hereticks and 2. though we do not think every errour to be inconsistent with true holiness yet 3. it seemeth strange to call a man a holy heretick or that any should have the face to plead that such should be suffered to ensnare and deceive and so ruine and destroy the souls of simple people for though they embrace damnable errours under the notion of truth and new light yet that will not excuse them but by so doing they bring to themselves swift destruction their judgment lingreth not and their damnation slumbreth not they have believed and received a lye that they might be damned But you will say who among us are guilty of this sin Ans We have reason to praise God for with-holding the temptation but no reason to boast of our own strength and stedfastness for had not the Lord preserved (t) Mal. 2.7 knowledge and truth in our teachers lips how easily might seducers have prevailed with many of us Ships that want ballast must be tossed to and fro with every wind such as have no more but a name and profession no change in the heart no grace nor ballast within nor the anchor of hope to keep them from reeling may easily be subverted with the least blast of a temptation and yet there may be a morall pagan and and selfish stedfastness in a way and course in which a man is once engaged without any knowledge or fear of God nay that may also flow from a damnable indifferency and neutrality because too many (u) Act. 18.17 Gallio-like care for none of those things that concern the glory of God they will not be at the pains to try and examine what is right or wrong in points of religion but will live and dye in the religion of their