An End of Doctrinal Controversies, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Of the State of Heathens and others, that have not the Gospel.
§. 1. THE opening of the several Laws or Covenants of God before, hath taken up most that is necessary to be said about this point: The question, Whether any but Christians are saved, is agitated on both sides by so much the sharper Censures, by how much the nearer it seemeth to concern the Fundamentals of Religion.
§. 2. On one side some say, That nothing is more fundamental than God's Nature, and Government, and Beneficence, and the Attributes which belong to him in respect to each: And they say, That for God to be the Ruler and Benefactor of the World, and to be alsoExod. 34. 5, 6, 7. Heb. 11. 6. gracious and merciful and Love it self, and a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him, are our Fundamentals; which are not consistent with this, That all the World since Adam, except a few Believers or Jews and Christians, that were born from Adam, under as absolute a necessity of being remedilesly damned, as of dying.
§. 3. Here they use first to consider of the number, viz. 1. That it is not past the sixth part of the World that are called Christians. 2. That the far greatest part of these (perhaps twenty to one) have not competent means to understand what that Christianity is which giveth them their name, and which, as to the name, they profess. The Circassians, Mengrelians, and other Georgians, the Armenians, the Muscovites, the Cossacks, the most of the Greeks and Abassines, yea, and Papists, besides the Copties, Syrians, Nestorians, Iacob…tes, Maronites, Christians of St. Thomus, &c. and too many Protestants are bred up in so great ignorance, that multitudes of them never are sufficiently taught to understand the Essentials of the Christian Religion which they (nominally) profess; and therefore are really much in the case of common Heathens.
§. 4. 2. They consider their impossibility of being saved: For it is not only morally (by Vice) but naturally impossible to believe that which was never heard, read or understood: So that their Damnation seemeth unavoidable, especially to such as live in the vast Countries of America, and much of Africa and Asia, that are quite out of the reach of any Instructions for the Christian Faith.
§. 5. 3. And lastly, they consider the goodness and mercifulness of God, declared in his Word, and in his great and manifold mercies to all the World, and that he would have a righteous man to be merciful even to his Beast, much more to the Bodies of Men, and most of all to their Souls, and that our Rule and Motive is, Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful.
§. 6. And they think that the contrary-minded, by over-doing, are the greatest Hinderers of the Christian Faith, and Promoters of Infidelity, while they make it seem so contrary to God's own Attributes, and to humane Interest, and to be a Doctrine not of glad but of saddest tydings to Mankind, viz. That none shall be saved that hear not the Gospel, when it is few comparatively that ever heard it or can hear it.
§. 7. On the other side it is thought a dangerous undermining of Christianity, to say that it is not absolutely necessary to Salvation, Act. 13. 48. Mark. 16. 16. Joh. 3. 36. Joh. 14. 6. Ro. 10. 10. &c. Mat. 11. 27. Luk. 10. 22. Mat. 16. 17. Rom. 1. 16, 17. 1 Cor. 2. 10, &c. 2 Cor. 4. 3. Rom. 8. 1, 9, 13. Luk. 19. 10.and that any besides Christians may be saved: And it seemeth to them to be contrary to Christ's words, that He that believeth not, shall be damned; and that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh to the Father, but by him. And how shall they call on him on whom they have not believed, &c.? No man knoweth the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him, &c. And it seemeth to confound the Church and the World, to say, That any are saved out of the Church.
§. 8. In this great Controversie, that which must satisfie us, is to agree in so much as is certain, and to leave that which is uncertain and unknown, undetermined: For we shall know it never the more for a confident pretending that we know it, when we do not.
§. 9. And here the first thing to be enquired after, is, What Law of God the World that heareth not of Christ, is now under, as the Rule of Duty and of Judgment. And then, 2. to enquire, Whether they so keep that Law, as to be saved by it? We can say nothing to the second, without the first.
§. 10. And we have here nothing to doubt of, but, 1. Whether they are under any Law or none? 2. If any, Whether it be the Law of Innocency as made to Adam, or the Law of Grace? 3. And if the Law of Grace, whether of the first or second Edition? It must be one of these.
§. 11. And, 1st. It is certain, That they are under a Law (and not only under a Physical Government, as a Ship at Sea, or Brutes are): For else God were not their Ruler, and they his Subjects, so much as by Right and Obligation; and then they were bound to no Duty, nor in hope of any Reward, nor in Danger of any Punishment for Disobedience: For where there is no Law, there is no Transgression.
§. 12. It is certain, That they are not under the Rule of the Covenant of Innocency made to Adam, or the Law of Innocency, as containing the Precept, premiant and penal parts, which is the same with the Covenant as offered. This I proved before: (Though I was long ignorant how far that Covenant was repealed, till Mr. Lawson's Papers (which I laboured to confute) did begin to enlighten me.) God now saith to no man [I give thee life on condition thou be personally innocent, and perfectly obedient:] Nor doth he say [I command thee to be perfectly innocent, sinless, and obedient, that thou ma…st live:] For no man is a Subject capable of such a Command or Promise, being already a Sinner.
§. 13. If any should think that they are under the bare preceptive part of the Law of Innocency, with the penal part, without any Promise, or premiant part, or hope of life, this is certainly a mistake.
Because, 1. God hath no such Law, nor never had, which hath no Promise, or premiant part; and is not in a Covenant-form, what he doth by the Devils, belongeth not to our Question; but as to Men, they must be under a Covenant of Works, or of Grace. And it were a hard Conceit to think, that the far greatest part of Mankind had never any means to use for their Salvation, nor any thing to do for it, but were under a meer Sentence of Despair and Damnation, as the Devils are, without any offer of Help or Hope; and consequently that none of them all are guilty of refusing any such Mercy, or neglecting any such Means and Duty.
2. The very nature of Law and Government tell us, That if God command any Duty, it is that the Subject may be the better for it; and he never saith to any [obey me perfectly, and thou shalt be never the better for it.]
§. 14. Besides, the very Precept is not in force in that sence as it stood in the Law of Innocency; for so it bound only innocent Man to keep his Innocency: But God saith not, Keep that which thou hast lost.
§. 15. Obj. God is not bound to change his Law, if man sin.
Ans. I answered this before, That God is not the Changer: But the Law will not continue to be a Law, but by continuing to signifie God's governing Will: And it cannot so signifie his governing Will, when there is no Subject to be a capable terminus: So that it ceased, cessante capacitate subditi, vel cessante termino. To say, That the Law still signifieth what God would have had man do while he was capable, is true; but that saith no more but that [It was once a Law, and now is none:] For so it may do by the dead, yea, were they annihilated, even tell others what God would have had them do, but this is not a ruling Act; but Lex transit in sententiam. And to say, That at least the Law bindeth a Sinner to perfect Obedience for the time to come, is to say, That it binds not as the Law of Innocency, but as some other Law, of which we are enquiring.
§. 16. And it is a clear Truth (before proved) That God brought all Mankind in Adam under a Law and Covenant of Grace, founded in the Promise of the Victory of the Woman's Seed: And his dealing with all men ever since, doth fully confirm it. And this Law made to Mankind in Adam and Noah, was never repealed to the World, but perfected by a perfecter Edition to those that have the Gospel. Therefore we have two Questions here to consider. 1. What Law the World was under before Christ's Incarnation: And, 2. whether Christ repealed it to them?
§. 17. 1st. And it is proved, That on God's part the said Law of Grace continued: And man's Disobedience could not here nullifie the Law, as it did that of Innocency: Because it was a Law that allowed Repentance till the time of Death: So that when they sinned never so much, they were still obliged by it to repent, that they might be saved. Their Rebellion deprived them of the Benefit, but did not end the Law, nor rendered them uncapable of its Obligation. God made Adam, and after him the Heads of Families his Priests: He had then publick Worship natural, and instituted sacrificing, and the distinction of clean and unclean Beasts, Sabbath and Marriage, as well as calling on the Name of the Lord, are expressed: As the Covenant to Noah was the same with that to Adam, with some small Addition, so no doubt were the Precepts of Noah. As the Canaani…es sacrificed, so their marrying in the prohibited Degrees, is called one of their Abominations: It's very probable, that not only the Decalogue in sence; but also all, or most of the particular Mosaical Precepts, which are but the Instances, Explications, and Applications of those Generals, were given before the Flood; and some more, which even the Nations Traditions kept some remembrance of, though not named particularly in the Text.
§. 18. And it was not God's Covenant of Peculiarity with Abraham and the Iews, that ended it to the rest of the World (as I before proved.)
§. 19. So that though there be difficulty in opening the Terms of the Law of Grace, as it stood to all Mankind besides the Iews, there is no difficulty to prove, that it did indeed so continue.
§. 20. And that Christ hath not repealed or nullified that Law of Grace to the World that never have the Gospel, which they were under before his coming, is evident. 1. Because he came for the Benefit, and not the Destruction of the World, to make their Condition better, and not worse: But had he nullified that Law of Grace to all the World, and given them no better in its stead, save to a few, he had come directly by himself to take away their Mercies, and make them miserable. For it is certain, that though the Apostles Commission was to preach the Gospel to all Nations, and every Creature, yet it is comparatively but a small part of the World that ever heard it, or had the means to know and believe in Christ. And all the rest were under a Law of Grace before, and therefore are so still. 2. And … Christ repealed that Law, by which Act did he do it? Not by making a better Edition, for that could not have any such Effect to them that never did, or could know of that Edition: And there is no other Repeal to be found in Scripture. 3. And if the Law of Grace be nullified to all the World that hear not the Gospel, are they since under any Law of God, or none; if none, they are either no Men or damned Men; for they are no governed Subjects: If they are under any, what is it? The Law of Innocency I have proved it is not: And the GOSPEL (or second Edition of the Law of Grace) it is not: For that cannot oblige where it never is promulgate: It being a supernatural Revelation, can extend to none to whom it is not (directly or indirectly) sent: Therefore it is evident, that Christ leaveth such under that Law which he found them under.
§. 21. What this Law to the World containeth, having before opened, Chap. 12. §. 3. I shall not repeat it, but only here add, 1. It is certain, that though this Law make perfect Obedience for the future to be a Duty (to them and us) yet not to be the Condition of Salvation; but that it doth hereto accept sincerity. 2. That it maketh not the particular Articles of our present Creed about Christ's person, Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection, heavenly Intercession in our Nature, necessary to their Salvation: For before Christ's Coming, no Jewish Believers could believe, That this Iesus, in his demonstrable Person, is the Christ, but that Christ should come: And after he had long taught them, and pronounced them blessed, the Disciples knew not that he must die, rise, ascend, interced… in Heaven, come again, &c. 3. It is certain, that all that the Prophets had any way foretold of Christ to the Iews, was not of absolute necessity to SalvationLuke 24. to the Iews themselves to be understood, much less to the World that never heard it: For Christ proved out of the Prophets, That he was to die, and rise, and so to be glorified; when yet the Apostles had not understood it till that time. And the Jewish Believers had very dark (if not erroneous) Notions of the person of the Messiah to come. And to believe that he should be of Abraham's S…ed, as it was part of Abraham's Covenant of Peculiarity, so it seemeth to be necessary only to such as were under, or knew that Covenant, and not to all.
§. 22. And it is certain, that when the Messiah was come, they were not bound to believe that he was yet to come (though they knew not of his coming) because it was then an Untruth.
§. 23. The proclaimed Name of God, Exod. 24. with Psal. 19. Prov. 1. Act. 10. and 14. and 17. Rom. 1. and 2. Heb. 6. 11. do seem to be the Expositions of the true Sence and Tenour of that Law of Grace, Gen. 3. 15. which the World before Christ's coming, was under, and yet is, where the Gospel cannot be had.
§. 24. The Texts that say, He that believeth not shall be damned, plainly refer to such as hear the Word to be believed, and speak of the Unbelief of what is revealed, and not of what is unrevealed.
§. 25. Rom. 10. saith no more, but that no man can believe in Christ without the Revelation of him by preaching or declaring; and that no man that heareth, can be saved without believing in him, nor no man saved at all without that Faith, which the Law that he is under, maketh necessary to Salvation. But if all were damned that believed not that this Iesus is personally the Christ, all before his Incarnation must be damned: But if not all before, then the same thing was never made necessary after to all that could not possibly hear of it.
§. 26. The same I say of Ioh. 14. 6. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. 1. No man is reconciled to God, and pardoned, and hath right to life (in all Ages of the World) but for the sake of the meritorious Sacrifice and Righteousness of Christ, as promised, Gen. 3. 1. before, and performed after: But this was the part of God and our Redeemer, which he promised in his part of the Covenant, and performed: For God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself, not imputing to them their sins, (so far forgiving them, as to make an Act of Grace and Pardon, which he committed to his Ministers to proclaim,) 2 Cor. 5. 19. But, 2. on mans part it is not the knowledge and belief of this Iesus incarnate personally, that was made necessary to all before his coming, and therefore not to all after. No man ever came to the Father, but by the Son's Merit and Spirit; nor without a consenting Belief and Affiance in God's redeeming or recovering, pardoning, saving Mercy, and true Repentance, and a sanctified Soul, which is in love with God and goodness: And whatever was absolutely necessary in the terms of the first Edition of the Covenant of Grace, even to all the World before Christ's Incarnation. But Christ never meant, that no man before his Incarnation (or since, that heard not of him) did come to the Father without believing that which the Apostles themselves long believed not, after they followed Christ.
§. 27. The rest of the World were not bound to know so much of the Messiah as the Iews, as having not the same Revelation.
§. 28. 1. Having proved that it is a Law of Grace that all the World is to be ruled and judged by, it remaineth to be enquired, Whether any of them that have not the Gospel, do keep the Conditions of this Law, and so are justified by it, and saved?
To which I answer, 1. That being a matter of fact, it is not of so great Importance for us to be certain of it, as some imagine: And who can be certain of the Affirmative, unless the Scripture affirm it; when if we knew all the World, one man cannot be certain of anothers Sincerity? And much less can any be certain of the Negative, without Scripture Negation, seeing no man can know every man in the World, and every Heart.
§. 29. 2. But it is exceeding probable, at least, That God would never govern many hundred parts of the World (compared to the Iews) before Christ's Incarnation, and five sixth parts since his Incarnation, by a Law of Grace, which yet no person should ever have effectual Grace to keep as far as was necessary to his Salvation. Every Law of God is a Means, and appointeth the Subjects the use of much Means for their own Salvation: These means they are bound to use, and shall be condemned, if they use them not; and that none should ever use them savingly, is an Assertion so unlikely, that he that hath the boldness to affirm it, should bring certain Proof of it, which the Scripture; I think, doth not afford him.
§. 30. But what numbers do perform the Condition and are saved, no mortal man can tell: But in general we know, that God usually worketh in Congruity to his appointed means, and consequently that far fewer are saved where less means is vouchsafed, than among Christians who have herein the unvaluable pre-eminence above others.
§. 31. For as the Jews had both the common Covenant of Grace, and also the Covenant of Peculiarity, setting them above all others; so the Christian Church hath both the common Covenant of Grace, and by the second edition of it a Covenant of Peculiarity; both sealed by Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as the Jews Covenant was by Circumcision and the Passover: Yea, our Covenant. Privileges set us above the World, incomparably higher than the J…ws were.
§. 32. Yet should we take warning by the example of the Jews Pride, who were so confident that none were saved or beloved but themselves, that they despised the rest of the World, and provoked God to cut them off, and call the Gentiles into higher privileges: So some Christians so trust to their Gospel-Peculiarities, (as the Jews did to their Law) that they despise all the World besides themselves, and can easilier believe that God will damn a thousand millions that never heard the Gospel than one of them, who have no more real Holiness, than many of those whom they despise. But it is our Duty to be thankful both for our excellent Peculiarities, and also for the commoner Mercies unto others.
And I wish the impartial Reader to study, Mal. 1. 10, 11. whether even this be not the sence, [Nor will I accept an Offering at your hand, for from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place Incense offered to my name, and a pure Offering: For my name is great among the Heathen, saith the Lord of hosts; but ye have polluted it.] Our Translators have, as Expositors, thrice (at the least) added the future Tense [shall be]. But all the old Translations, Syriack, Calde… Paraph. Greek, Latin, &c. put it in the present Tense [is great, is offered.] I do but desire the Reader to study it. It's strange, that all the ancient Churches should misunderstand it. It seems more probable by the Context that the Hebrew Text understood the present Tense (none being expressed.)
§. 33. If we might imitate our Father Abraham (who yet saw Christ's day and rejoiced) we should suppose the number of the saved through the world, to be very considerable: For as I said elsewhere, though God had told him, that Sodom was so much worse than the rest of the World, that God would destroy it, yet Abraham thought there might be fifty righteous persons there. It's like he thought not worse of the rest of the World.
§. 34. Obj. You seem to make the rest of the World happier than the Iews; for they had a Law that would justifie them, and so had not the Iews.
Ans. The second assertion is false: The Jews were under the Law of Grace, which Paul calleth the Promise, and might be justified by it, and had greater helps to know and keep it than the rest of the World had. But when they foolishly separated their Mosaical Law from the Promise or common Law of Grace, Paul tells them, by the Deeds of that Law no flesh could be justified.
§. 35. Obj. Do you not thus confound the World and the Church?
Ans. No: I ask you, Did he confound them before Christ's Incarnation, who thought that more than the Jews were saved? Certainly no: No more do I now.
§. 36. The word [Church] is sometime taken so properly and strictly, as to signifie only those that are under the Covenant of Peculiarity: And so the Jews before Christ's Birth, and Christians since, make up the Church, (and some few perhaps before the Iews Covenant.) But sometimes it is taken more largely, for the Kingdom of God: For all that are in a state of Salvation, under the several editions of the Law of Grace. And so Iob and his Friends, and Melchizedeck and many others, before, and all now that love God and Holiness sincerely, are of the Church. Accordingly by the [World] is meant, either, 1. All Men as under the Redeemer's Law of Grace, antecedently to their Consent; and so all the World belong to God's Kingdom, as subditi obligati. 2. Rebels that refuse Consent: And so they are of the Kingdom by obligation, but condemnable for Rebellion: And these are the [World] in the worst sence. 3. Consenting Subjects under the Common Law of Grace, who yet were not Iews, nor are not in the Covenant of Peculiarity: And such are in a state of Salvation, though not in the Church of the peculiar (as the Subjects of Melchizedeck, Sem, &c.) and so are both in the Church and in the World, in several sences.
§. 37. Having delivered that in this great Question which seemeth to me agreeable to God's Word, I advise those that use to assault such things with reproach, which they find reproached by their Party, to remember, that God is Love, and Christ is the Saviour of the World, and the Pharisaical Appropriators of Mercy and Salvation, do seldom know what spirit they are of.