Defense of the Synod of Dort, Chapter 2 · Defense 7 – Adversary 8
DEFENCE.
BElike then, if God shew that mercy to one in calling him to his grace in Christ, which hee doth not to another, it is partiality with them: from which, to free him they take this pains, as if the Lord stood in need of their patronage; wheras in truth, they but forge lies for God, as Iobs friends did, and talk deceitfully for him. Let us consider of their proofs, admitting of such as hauehave in them either apparant truth, or probability, and reproving the rest as there is cause.
And first they erre, in saying, that the generation of Adam and Eve took notice of Christ, as they took notice of their sin▪ seeing the notice of sin; specially of that which is more grosse, is naturall, and the effect of the law of nature written in all mensRom. 2. 14. 15. hearts; whereas the notice of Christ, is by supernaturall revelation.
The like vain presumption, and apparant falsifying, is in the words following, that all the sonns of Noah could doe no lesse, but take knowledg of Christ, to convey it by tradition to all their generations. If it be meant, that indeed they did so. How many 1000 thousands are there at this day, which never so much as heard of Christ, at least, as God and man; and Redeemer of mankind by his death?
For this their presumption of the ages before Christs coming in the flesh, they bring not any shew of reason, or testimony, divine or human. OnelyOnly they alledg the sacrifices of the Gentiles, which (say they) they either had from their ancestors, in their generations; or as being moved by a troubled conscience, which must be quieted by sacrifice. And these sacrifices, they tell us, were remembrances of Christ, and kinds of acknowledgings of him; though in the end, they account them no better then remembrances of a false Christ in stead of him.
As their opinion is not unprobable, touching the generall beginnings of the Gentiles sacrifices; so considering them in their particulars, their own words will judge them guilty of grosse errour in instancing them, as they doe. The question is, of Gods offering of the means of salvation to all, even to the very Heathens before Christs coming in the flesh: Their proofe for the affirmatiue, is, the sacrifices which the Gentiles had; which yet they grant to hauehave been remembrances, and acknowledgments of a false Christ. And are remembrances of a false Christ means of salvation? Is there any other name under heaven by which men are saved, then by the name of (the trueAct. 4. 10. 12 1 Cor. 15. 2. 3. 4. Christ) Iesus the Son of God, crucified by the Iews, and raised again by God from the dead? If the remembrances of a false Christ be means of salvation, then is salvation had by a false Christ. The Apostle maketh the sacrifices of the Gentiles, means of fellowship with devils; these men make them means1 Cor. 10. 20. 21. 22. of fellowship with God: The Apostle teacheth, that they cannot stand with the remembrances of Christs body and bloud, the cup of the Lord, and the Lords Table; these men make them the same in effect, and remembrances of Christ. The Apostle means of provoking the Lord to anger, and so of condemnation; they, means of pacifying God, and of saving men. Else where, these men in their hote zeal, will hauehave all, Mystery of Iniqui. p. 91even the most zealous Ministers in the Church of England, preach and pray, and doe all other things by none other spirit, but the spirit of the man of sin, and that all the effects of their so preaching and praying is, but the false enlightning and heat of a Deu. 32. 1… 1 Cor. 10 20false spirit. And yet here, in their hote charity towards the heathen, they will hauehave their sacrifices, in which they offer to Psalm. 106. 35. …7. Pausaniasin Ach. i…is▪ M…crob. 1. Saturn, &c. & ali….devils, and not to God; yea, those in which they sacrificed their sonns and daughters unto them, and that as histories mention by the devils speciall direction in his Oracles; these they will hauehave means of salvation, by which God cals his guests to the marriage of his Sonne, and as a good Phisit on, offers to heal the fick of sin. Thus t…ansforming God into the devill; the true Christ into a false, the Gospell into heynous Idolatry; and the means of salvation into the high way, and most effectual cause of utter p…d…tion.
To conclud… this point. If in Religion, that which is false be none, (which elsewhere they make the ground of their rebaptizing) how had or hauehave the Heathens any means of salvation, which hauehave only the means of knowing, and acknowledging a false Christ?
For the time since Christs coming in the flesh, their first p…oofPag. 53. is Luk. 3. 6, All flesh shall see the salvation of our God: But I demand, of what sight of Christ Iohn here speaketh? Not of bodily, without doubt; neither availed it them, if he did. Of spirituall then. But so to see, is to enjoy, as Ioh. 3. 35, Psal. 69. 49, & 99. 15, 1 Ioh. 3. 6. Neither doth the bare offering suffice to giuegive sight of Christ and of salvation by him, except there be withall an opening of their eyes to whom he is offered, so as they discern, and acknowledge him and his salvation, in the means so offering him, to wit, the Gospell. But to let passe them that never heard of Christ, how many are there that understand not the Gospell preached to them; yea,Mat. 13. 13 14. 19. 1 Cor. 1. 23 to whom it is meer foolishnes? And how doe these see the salvation of God in Christ? The meaning then of the words is, that the Gentiles indefinitely, as well as the Iews, and in greater number then they, should beleev in Christ to salvation. By all Nations is meant, as we hauehave formerly shewed, not every particular Nation without exception, much lesse every particular person, but commonly the Gentiles with the Iews. The Sun and Moon teaching God, was as well before, as since Christ, but never taught Christ the Mediator, but onelyonly God the Creator, and governour of the world. Neither is the Gospell, which is not known but by supernaturall revelation of the spirit, so common as the Law, which is naturall and writtenEph. 3. 5. by creation in the heart of every man. Neither should it be a fault, if God offered not Christ to all, as they most absurdly insinuate.Pag. 53. He ows not the offering of him to any, more then the giving of him for any. All is of mercy, and therfore no fault, but justice onelyonly where no such offer is.
Where they affirm afterwards, and truely, that some to whom Pag. 54.Christ is offered, put him away quite, as Iews, and Turks. I demand, how then they keep and practise any remembrances of him, or make any acknowledging of him, which even now they affirmed every man in the world to doe? Or if the fathers put him quite away, how can the children hauehave, or make any remembrance, or acknowledgment of him, having no new offer of him? Can that which is quite put away be still continued?
That Christ might hauehave been manifested to every particular person whatsoever, to wit, if God had so pleased; is true: but both besides the question, which is not, what God might hauehave done, or doth, but what hee hath done, or doth; and also against themselvs; for to say, God might hauehave done a thing, is to insinuate that he hath not done it.
In adding, that if the means of salvation hauehave not been offered Pag. 55.to every particular soule of reason, and understanding, the Scriptures are not true, they are like themselvs; but the Scriptures are true, and their glosse upon them false. God is true, and all men lyars; even such as tell a lye for God, as they doe, whom God will reproov therefore.
The two last kinds of their proofs are strange, and either brought by them in cunning, to deceiv the undiscerning Reader; with the truth in it selfe, but nothing to the ma…n purpose, yea plain against it; or in weaknesse and want of judgment in themselvs to discern what makes for them and what against them. Let us consider the particulars.
They professe and promise proof, that Christ hath been offered Pag. 54.in mercy to every particular man (to whom the Law, either written in mens hearts, or in tables of stone hath come) for reconciliation: But in steed hereof (as Balaam blessed when he meant to curse) they both affirm and prov the plain contrary, and that God hath not vouchsafed this mercy to many, but in just judgment hath kept it from them. Sundry true grounds they here lay down, and prove; to which we willingly assent: as first, that God by creating the heaven and earth, and by their teachings, sends men to seek out the worke-master. This we grant;Rom. 1. and that the Heathens should by this light (not of Christ to salvation, of which our question is, but) of Gods power and Act. 17. 27▪Godhead, hauehave gr…ped after God, and the further revelation of h…s will: as he that lying in a dungeon, sees some little glimpse of light, and groaps aft…r it, by the wall, hoping to come in time to some dore or window. A second is, that the terrours of conscience accusing them for sin, should hauehave caused them to seek after God with earnestnesse, for reconciliation. And to this, we assent also. A third is, that it is not Gods fault, but their own, that they are ignorant of the means of reconciliation and salvation. And of this also we are perswaded, as they, so far as there is a fault. But now what did those Heathens in this case? They became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were full of darkenesse, so as they turned the glory of the incorruptible God to Idols: satisfying themselvs in their own inventions: And this also, as consonant to the Scriptures, we willingly admit of? And what then? God for this (say they) delivered them up to a reprobate minde, that they never knew more: for, what should he that is not faithfull in a little, be trusted with more? Luk. 16. 10, and gaue them up to their own hearts lusts, and so they became past feeling. And to consent with them herein also, the Scriptures leade us very directly. But what now follows of all this for conclusion? Namely, that all Nations, Citties, houses, &c. that is, every Pag. 57.particular man, and woman, hath had the mercy of God in the offer of Christ affoarded them; that all were bidden to the marriage. Nay, the plain contrary; and that all were not bidden: but that many in stead of this mercy to be bidden, were in justice left to themselvs, and given up to their own vain imaginations; the Lord suffering all the Nations to walk in their own waies, asAct. 14. 16. the Apostle saith, and refusing (as themselvs confesse) to trust them with much, which had not been faithfull in a little, so as they never knew more. And whereas they cunningly shuffle in, now and then, that men might hauehave had Christ given unto them, or offered them, and that Christ might hauehave been manifested to every one if they had would (how congruously to the Scriptures they speak therein we now dispute not) is not onelyonly besides the matter in controversie; which is, what was, and is, and not what might hauehave been done; but to their own prejudice, feeing that which onelyonly might hauehave been, is not, specially that bar being put by mens own default, which effectually hinders the being of it, as in this case.
Having thus shewed that these men either fight busily with their own shadows, in proving at large things never called into question by us; or may easily hauehave their weapons turned upon themselvs, in the main matter: I will even now proceed, after that I hauehave briefly observed some particular mistakings by them. And first, they both add to the Text, and err in applying that which is written, Rom. 11. 32. The Scripture is, God hath concluded them all in unbeliefe, that he might hauehave merciemercy upon all, they add, of their own, every person: whereas the Apostle neither speaks of every person; but onelyonly of the Gentiles indefinitely at one time, and of the Iews at another, which he there opposeth the one to the other: neither speaks he of the offering of grace and mercy onelyonly, as they deem; but of the actuall conferring of it upon all, of whom there he speaks, who beleeved and obtained mercy; the other remaining in unbeleef. And this, both the drift and words of the place expresly manifest, v. 30. 31. 32. Neither doth that other place alledged, Tit. 2. 11, speak of all, and every particular person, but of persons of all sorts, servants as well as masters, or any others. The Apostle v. 9, & 10, provokes beleeving servants to obedience to their masters; rend…ing this reason of encouragement, v. 11, for the grace of God which bringeth salvation unto all, hath appeared, as if he should say, that even they, though poor bond-slaves, if they continued in faith, and faithfull obedience, should hauehave their part in the salvation of God, as well as any others. Secondly, as I will not simply deny, that God punished the Heathens other sins with the want of preaching Christ unto them; so is it certain, that greater sinners, and deeplyer drowned both in idolatry, and other lusts, none in the world were, then the Corinthians, Athenians, Ephesians, and others to whom Christ was preached, and faith thereby given to many unto salvation. The Lord tels the Prophet, that though the house of Israel, to whom he was sent, would not Ezech. 3. 6.hear, yet if he had sent him to the Heathens, surely they would hauehave heard him: So the Lord Iesus upbraids the cities of Chorah, Mat. 11. 2… 21. 23.Bethsaida, and Capernaum, where he both preached, and wrought most of his mighty works, that they were deeper in the contempt of God, and further from all disposition to use aright the means of salvation, then the Heathenish Cities of Tyre and S…don, yea, of Sodom it selfe: unto whom yet he vouchsafed not the means of repentance, and revelation of grace, which he did to the former. By which, it doth appear, that the Lord doth not observ the order prescribed unto him by these men, for the dispensing of his favours this way, in trusting them with most, who are of their faithfull in a little; (that is, wholly faithlesse indeed;) but as the wind blows where it lists, soIoh. 3▪ doth he by the sweet gusts of his Gospell, and spirit, according Mat. 11. 25 Eph. 1. 3. 4. 5.to the good pleasure of his own will, (and not according to the good pleasure of mens will, in their use of naturall light and conscience) dispense supernaturall grace, both for means, and efficacy. Lastly, as they here contradict their mainPag. 57. ground of universall calling, in supposing some Nation to hauehave no means of knowing Christ: so I would learn of them, how the Gentiles (wholly voyd of faith) could rightly examine all things, touching the offence of God, an accusing conscience, and the satisfying of Gods justice, as they would hauehave them: or in so doing, could promise to themselvs the revelation of Christ by one means or other, as they liberally undertake for them? They tell us, He that seeks shall find, Math. 7. But we answer them, that Christ there speaks not of a seeking by blind, and unbeleeving Gentiles, but by his faithfull Disciples.Mat. 5. 1. 2.
Now, albeit the eternall and unchangeable election of God doe not manifest it selfe, in time, in the bare outward calling of the so elected, common to many others with them; but as the same hath joyned with it the effectuall work of true faith and repentance in the heart, peculiar to them alone: Yet seeing these adversaries labour upon presumption of an universall grace offered to all in the preaching of the Gospell, to establish an uniuersall election of all, (that is, in truth, to overthrow all election) I will here annex, to the things formerly laid down, two or three plain testimonies for th… further conviction. The first …s from the Psalm: He shewed his word Psal. 147. 19. 20.unto Iacob, his statutes and his judgements unto Israel: He hath not dealt so with any Nation, and as for judgements, they hauehave not known them. The Heathens therfore (if we will giuegive credit to the word of God had not the knowledg of Gods word, & so not of the Gospel, which is most hidden, as being of supernatural revelation onelyonly. Of the same Gentiles the Apostle testifieth, that God in times past suffered them all to walk in their own wayes: that is, did not manifest Christ unto them for faith inAct. 14. 16 1…. his bloud, and repentance through him, but onelyonly his power and God-head, giving them rain from heaven, and other bodilyRom. 1. blessings to witnesse the same. With this accords that elswhere: The times of this ignorance (which had been amongstAct. 1…. 3… the Gentiles before Christ) God regarded not, or winked at: but now commandeth all men every where (as well Gentiles as Iewes) to repent. The Apostle opposeth the time now, in which he preached, to the former times: and shews that God now, and not in times past, called all to repentance by the preaching of the word. To conclude, the same Apostle expresly teacheth, that there is no salvation but by beleeving in the Rom. 10. 14. 15.name of the Lord Iesus, by the preaching of the word and Gospell, by preachers sent of God, for that end. But now for any to say, that every particular person in the world hath had, or hath the word of the Gospell preached unto him by a preacher sent of God for that purpose, were an assertion of him whose impudencie better deserved a club, then any grounds that possibly he could lay, a refutation; considering both the infallible experience of all ages, and testimony of scripture to the contrary,Rom. 15. 20. 21. and that there were places even in the latter end of the last Apostles time, where Christ had not been named, nor spoken of.
Next follows to be examined their exposition upon Rom.Pag. 57. 58 9, in the introduction whereunto▪ they mingle truth with errour. They deal craftily in bearing the Reader in hand, that the disputation of Paul herein is hard, and the matter darkly handled, that so they may turn the thoughts of the Reader from it; or at least dim them with prejudice against that plain and evident truth of Gods free election, and reprobation joyned therewith; Both which things he sets down most clearly (though the reason of the Lords different dealing towards them, that are in themselves alike, he makes unsearchable, and determines in the free purpose of his will) if men did not trouble the pure and cleare water of Gods sanctuary with the foul feet of their corrupt glosse. They also erre in makeing this one of the places in Pauls Epistles, of which the Apostle Peter speaketh, 2. Pet. 3. 16. Peter doth not say, neither wil the Greek text beare it, that there are things hard in Pauls Epistles; but that in those matters in his Epistles (to wit, about the day of the Lords comming, and the dissolution of the heavens and elements, and the new heavens and new earth promised) were things hard to understand, &c. Their perverting of the Scriptures, (which they lay to the charge of others) both in the Epistles of Peter and Paul, and every where else, wee hauehave formerly disclosed. Neither do we affirm, as they here charge us, that God reprobates either the greatest number, or any, as they understand, and elsewhere expound themselves, that is, predestinates them to condemnation without any condition. Hee predestinatesPag. 90. none to condemnation; or which is all one purpose, to condemne none, but for sin freely by them to be practised, as the fore-going cond…tion, and onelyonly deserving cause of condemnation. Neither say we (as they slander us) that God denieth means of salvation to men, because he would hauehave them perish; but as the Apostle reacheth, that he hardens (by that and other his holy dispensations) whom he will, that he might shew his wrath, and make his power known upon the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.Rom. 9. …8. 22.
ADVERSARIES.
LEt us now come to their exposition. The scope (say th…y) as of the whole Epistle, so of this chapter, is, that not the Law, but the Gospell is the power of God to salvation: and that we are not justified by the workes of the Law, but by faith, even that faith which Abraham had.