A Saint or a Brute, Part 1 · Section 4
4. COnſider alſo, that, this good part is offered you, and you have your choice, whether God or the world, whether heaven or earth ſhall be your portion.
It is not Purchaſing, or proper meriting, but chooſing the good part, that you are called to: It is not [Mary hath purchaſed or merited the better part] but [hath choſen the better part.]
Two things are here contained. 1. That it is not matter of Impoſsibility that you are called to; you are not excluded from the hopes of ſalvation, by any exceptions that God hath put in againſt you, in his promiſe, but it is conditionally made as well to you as to others.
2. And the condition is not any thing …reaſonable, but your own conſent. Chriſt and ſalvation are offered to your choice: If you will but prefer them before the trifles of the world, you may have them. The door of Grace is open to you as well as to others; if you will but enter you may live: you are not left in a remedileſs caſe, nor given over to deſperation: you cannot ſay, [Repenting and Believing will do us no good; we cannot have Chriſt though we were never ſo willing:] You cannot ſay, [We would fain have Chriſt and his Spirit to ſ…nctifie us, but we cannot: we are willing to be his Diſciples, but he is not willing to accept us, and to be our Saviour] you cannot ſay ſo, and ſay truly: you cannot ſay he is ſet to ſale to you, and that he expecteth ſuch a price as you are unable to give; for you are called to take him freely; and though this be ſometimes called buying, yet it is a buying without money and without price, Iſa. 55. 1; 2, 3, 4. And though you muſt ſell all you have for this unvaluable pearl, Matth. 13. 46. yet that is but a Metaphorical ſelling, a parting with your ſin and fleſhly pleaſure, as troubles and impediments that would keep you from ſalvation: As a ſick man ſells his diſeaſes for health; or at leaſt, as he hath health by forbearing ſome hurtful things that pleaſe him: Or as a priſoner purchaſeth the liberty that is freely given him, by conſenting to come forth and caſt off his fetters. Your hands are full of dirt, and God offers you gold, and you cannot receive it till you throw away the dirt. This is your Purchaſe: You give God nothing as a valuable price for his mercy, but you throw away the ſin that is inconſiſtent with your happineſs. Still I ſhall tell you, [you may have Chriſt if you will] pleaſures and profits are flattering you to your deſtruction, and God calls you from them, and offereth you his ſon and everlaſting life, and intreateth you to accept them. And here you have your choice. The offer is, whoſoever will, let him take of the water of life freely▪ Rev. 22. 17. And if you will but chuſe that happineſs that is offered you, and Chriſt the way to that happineſs, all the world cannot bereave you of your choice: It is brought to your hand and urged on you. You have now your choice, whether you will have Chriſt or the fleſh, grace or ſin, heaven or hell: As you chuſe, ſo you ſhall have: And if you miſs of life, it will be becauſe you did not chuſe it: Even becauſe you would not come to Chriſt that you might have life▪ John 5. 40. and would not have him to rule over you, Luke 19. 27. and would not have the Lord indeed for your God, P…m 81. 11. and did not chuſe the fear of the Lord, Prov. 1. 29. yea, when Chriſt would have gathered you, you would not be gathered, Matth. 23. 37. It is this turning away of the ſimple that doth ſlay them, becauſe they refuſe when Chriſt calls them, and regard not when he ſtretcheth forth his hand, but ſet at naught his counſel, and will have none of his reproof, Prov. 1. 24, 25, 32. See therefore that you refuſe not him that ſpeaketh; for if you turn away from him that ſpeaks from heaven, and neglect or make light of ſo great ſalvation, how do you think it poſsible you ſhould eſcape? Heb. 12. 25. & 2. 3. Mat. 22. 5.
But perhaps ſome of you will think to excuſe your ſelves for want of Free-will, and ſay, How is it in our choice when God muſt give us to will and to do? and we can do nothing of our ſelves? have we free-will or power to chuſe the better part? You muſt not ſet up the power or will of man too high.
Anſw. No: its you that would ſet up your wills too high, in making us believe that you are not wilfully ungodly and impenitent, but omit all the good and do all the evil that you do, becauſe you cannot help it. You cannot but know that he is the ſinner to be blamed and puniſhed, that Can and Will not, rather then he that would but cannot do good, and forbear the contrary. You know that it is wilfulneſs, and not unwilling impotency that the venome of malice and naughtineſs lyeth in; and therefore you are excuſing your wills, and laying all upon your Impotency, which is but to excuſe your faults. I would make you know the baſeneſs of your wills, and that it is long of your badneſs that you are like to be undone, if grace prevent it not by your through Converſion. I do not ſay that you have any power, but what you have from God; but I ſay you have the Natural and Legal Power, and more then Power, even a Grant and Offer of ſuch a mercy from God: You have humane faculties, and leave, and offers, and entreaties, and you may have Chriſt and life as he is offered if you will. When I ſay, It is in your choice, I do not ſay that you have the wit or the heart to make a right choice. No: if you had but ſo much wit and grace, I need not uſe all theſe words to you, to perſwade you to chuſe the better part. Your Wills are free from any force that God puts upon them to determine them to ſin; or from any force that Satan or any enemy you have, can uſe to determine them to ſin: All they can do is morally to entice you. God do… …ot make you ſin. If you chuſe …ur death, and forſake your own mercy, it is not God that determineth your Wills to make this choice. Yea, he commandeth, and perſwadeth, and urgeth you to make a better choice: And though Satan tempt you, he can do no more. You have ſo much power, that you may have Chriſt if you will: you cannot ſay, I am truly willing to have Chriſt and cannot. Thus much free-will undoubtedly you have.
But I muſt confeſs that your Wills are not free from the miſguiding… of a blinded mind, nor from the ſeduction of a ſenſual inclination; nor from a baſe and wicked diſpoſition of your own. This kind of free-will you ſhew us that you have not. But is your wickedneſs your excuſe? and is your wilfulneſs your innocency? What then can be culpable?
Sirs, I would not have you abuſe God, and befool your ſelves with names and words, ſaying, You have not power and free-will, as if you might thus excuſe your ſin: I have opened the matter in plain terms to you, that children may underſtand it, though learned men have endeavoured to obſcure it. God giveth you your choice, though your own wickedneſs do hinder you from chuſing aright. You have a price in your hands, but fools have not a heart to their own good, Prov. 17. 16. I know you want both wiſdom and a ſanctified will; and I know that your minds and wills are contrarily diſpoſed. You need not tell me that you are wilful and wicked, when there muſt be ſo many words ſpoken, and ſo many Books written, and ſo much mercy and patience of God, and ſo many afflictions from his hand, and all will not ſerve to make you chuſe the better part. But if you were willing, if you were truly willing, the principal part of the work were done: For if you are willing, Chriſt is willing; and if Chriſt be willing, and you be willing, what can hinder your ſalvation?
Having laid this ground-work from the plain Word of God, methinks I may with this advantage now plead the caſe, even with common Reaſon. One thing is needful; the Good part is that one; and this is tendred to you by the Lord: What is it then that you do make choice of? and what do you reſolve? May you have Chriſt, and Pardon, and Everlaſting life, and will you not have them? Shall it be ſaid of you another day, that you had your choice, whether you would have Chriſt and life, or ſin and death; and you choſe deſtruction and refuſed life? I beſeech the… Reader, whoſoever thou art that readeſt theſe lines, that tho…ouldſt a little turn thine ears to God, and withdraw thy ſelf from the deluſions of the fleſh and world, and uſe thy reaſon for thy everlaſting peace; and conſider with thy ſelf what a dreadful thing it will be, if thou be everlaſtingly ſhut out of the preſence of God, upon thy own choice? And if thou loſe thy part in Chriſt, and Pardon, and everlaſting Glory upon thy own choice: And if thou muſt lie in Hell fire, and Conſcience muſt tell thee there for ever▪ Thou haſt but the fruit of thine own choice: Heaven was ſet open to me as well as others. I had life, and time, and teaching, and perſwaſions as well as others; but I choſe the pleaſure of ſin for a ſeaſon, though I was told and aſſured that hell would follow, and now I have that which I made choice of; and taſte but the fruit of my own wilfulneſs! Will not ſuch gripes of conſcience be a helliſh torment of themſelves, and an intolerable vexation, if thou hadſt no more? Had you rather have ſin then Chriſt and Holineſs? Alas, I ſee by your lives you had! But had you rather have Hell then God and Glory? If not, then chuſe not the way to Hell. Why do you give God ſuch good words, and prefer your ſin when you have done, before him? Why do you ſpeak ſo well of Chriſt and Heaven, and yet refuſe them? Why do you ſpeak ſo ill of ſin and the world, and yet chuſe them to the loſs of your ſalvation? Surely if you were ſoundly perſwaded that Chriſt is better then the world, and holineſs then ſin, you would chuſe that which you ſay is the beſt: For that which men think indeed to be the beſt, and beſt for them, they will chuſe and ſeek after. And therefore, when you have ſaid all that you can in commendation of Grace and a holy life, no wiſe man will believe that you are heartily perſwaded of the Truth of what you ſay, as long as you run away from Chriſt, and follow the fleſh, and take that courſe that is contrary to your profeſſion. For that which you like beſt you will certainly chuſe and ſeek with the greateſt care and diligence. Now you have your choice; if you would have the better part, now chooſe it.