The Common Principles of the Christian Religion, Sermon 16
Rom. 9. 22. and Eph. 1. 11.
WE are now upon a high subject; high indeed; for an eminent Apostle, much more above our reach, the very consideration of Gods infinite wisdome might alone suffice to restrain our unlimited thoughts, and serve to sober our minds with the challenge of our own ignorance and darknesse, yet the vain and wicked mind of man will needs quarrell with God, & enter the lists of disputation with him, about his righteousnesse and wisdome in the Counsel of Election and Reprobation: But who art thou, O man, that replyest against God, or desputes,? ver. 20. This is a thing not to be disputed, but believed; and if ye will believe no more than ye can comprehend by sense or reason, then ye give his Majesty no more credit than to weak mortall man: Whatever secret thoughts do rise up in thy heart when thou hearest of Gods fore-ordaining men to Eternall life, without previous fore-sight or consideration of their doings, & preparing men to eternall wrath, for the praises of his Justice, without previous consideration of their deservings, & passing a definitive sentence upon the end of all men, before they do either good or evil: When ever any secret …urmises rise in thy heart against this learn to answer this, enter not the lists of disputation with corrupt reason, but put in this bridle of the fear of Gods greatnesse, and the conscience of thy own basenesse, & labour to restrain thy undaunted & wild mind by it: Ponder that well, who thou art who disputes, who God is, against whom thou disputes, & if thou have spoken once, thou wilt speak no more, what thou art who is as clay formed out of nothing, what he is who is the former, and hath not the Potter power over the clay? Consider but how great wickednes it is, so much as to question him, or ask an account of his matters, after you have found his will to be the cause of all things, then to enquire further into a cause of his wil which is alone the self-rule of righteousnesse, it is to seek something above his will, and to reduce his Majesty into the order of Creatures, it is almost abominable usurpation and sacriledge, for both it robes him of his royall prerogative, and instates the base foot-stoole in his Throne: But know, that certainly God will overcome when he is judged, Psa. 51. 6. If thou judge him he will condemn thee, if thou opug… his absolute and holy Decrees, he will hold thee fast bound by them to thy condemnation, he needeth no other defence, but to call out thy own conscience against thee, & bind thee over to destruction, therefore, as on saith well, Let the rashnesse of men be restrained from seeking that which is not, lest peradventure they find that which is. Seek not a reason of his purposes, lest peradventure thou find thy own death and damnation infolded in them.
Paul mentions two Objections of carnal & fleshly wisdome against this Doctrine of Election and reprobation, which indeed contain the sum of all that is vented and invented even to this day, to defile the spotlesse truth of God, all the whisperings of men tend to one of these two, either to justifie themselves, or to accuse God of unrighteousnesse; And shal any do it and be guiltlesse? I confesse, some oppose this Doctrine not so much out of an intention of accusing God, as out of a preposterous & ignorant zeal for God; even as Iobs friends did speak much for God. nay but it was not wel spoken, they did but speak wickedly for him: some speeak much to the defence of his righteousnesse and holynesse, and under pretence of that plea make it inconsistent with these; to fore-ordain to life or death without the fore-sight of their carriage; But shall they speak wickedly for God, or will he accept their person? He who looks into the secrets of their heart knows the rise and bottome of such defences and appologies for his Holinesse; to be partly self-love, partly narrow and limited thoughts of him, drawing him down to the determination of his own greatest enemy, carnall reason. Since men will ascribe him no righteousnesse, but such a one of their own shaping, conformed to their own modell; do they not indeed rob Him of His Holinesse and Righteousnesse?
I find two or three Objections which it may be reduced to this Head. First, it seems unrighteousnesse with God, to predestinate men to eternal death with out their own evil deserving, or any fore-thought of it; that before any man had a being God should have been in his Counsel, fitting so many to destruction: Is it not a strange mocking of the creatures, to punish them for that sin and corruption unto which by his eternal Counsel they were fore-ordained? This is even that which Paul objects to himself, is there unrighteousnesse with God? Is it not unrighteousness to hate Esau before he deserves it? Is he not unrighteous to adjudge him to death before he do evill? vers. 14. Let Paul answer for us, God forbid: VVhy, there needs no more answer, but all thoughs or words which may in the least reflect upon his holinesse are abomination; though we could not tell how it is righteous and holy with him to do it, yet this wee must hold, that it is. It is his own property to comprehend the reason of his Counsels; it is our duty to believe what he reveals of them, without further enquiry; he tells us that this it is, clearly in this Chapter; this far then we must believe: he tells us not how it is, then further we should not desire to learn; God in keeping silence of that may put us to silence, & make us conceive, that there is a depth to be admired, not sounded. Yet he goeth a little further, and indeed as high as can be to Gods will, he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth▪ now further he cannot go, for there is nothing above this; we may descend from this, but we cannot ascend, or rise above it. But is this any answer to the Argument? A Sophister could presse it further, and take advantage from that very ground; What, is not this to establish a meer tyranny in the Lord, that he doth all things of meer will and pleasure, distributes rewards & punishments without previous consideration of mens carriage? But here we must stand, and go no further than the Scriptures walks with us; what ever reasons or causes may be assigned, yet certainly, we must at length come up thither, All things are, because he so willed; and why he willed we should not ask a reason, because his will is supream reason, and the very self-rule of all Righteousness: Therefore if once we know his will, we should presently conclude that it is most righteous and holy. If that evasion of the fore-knowledge of mens sins and impenitency had been found …id, certainly Paul would have answered so, & not …ve had his refuge to the absolute will and pleasure …f God, which seems to perplex it more; but he knew well that there could nothing of that kind, whether good or evill, either actually be without his wil, or be to come without the determination of the same will, and so could not be foreseen without the Counsel of his will upon it: and therefore it had been but a poor shi… to have refuge to that starting hole of fore-knowledge, out of which he must presently flee to the will & pleasure of God, & so he betakes him straight way to that he must hold at, and opposes that will to mans doings. It is not of him that willeth, &c. If he had meant only that Iacob and Esau had actuallie done neither good nor evill, he needed not return to the sanctuary of Gods will, for still it might be said, it is of him …hat runs and wills, and not of Gods will as the first Original, because their good and evill foreseen did move him to such love and hatred. It is all alike of works of men, whether these works be present or to come. Therefore I would advise every one of you, what ever ye conceive of his Judgement or Mercy, if he have shewed mercy to you, O then rest not in thy self, but arise and ascend till thou come to the height of his eternal free purpose, and if thou conceive thy sin & misery and judgement, thou may go up also to his holy counsels for the glory of his Name, & silence thy self with them, but it shal be most expedient for thee in the thought of thy miseries to return alwaies within, and to search the corruption of thy nature, which may alone make thee hatefull enough to God. …f thou search thy own conscience, it will stop thy mouth, & make thee guilty before God. Let not the …hought of his eternal counsels diminish the convi…tion of thy guilt, or the hatred of thy self, for sin and …orruption, but dwel more constantly upon this, because thou art called and commanded so to do. On… thing remaines fixed: though he hath fore-orda… men to death▪ yet none shal be damned till his co… science be …orced to say that he is worthy of it a thousand times.
There is another whispering and suggestion of the wicked hearts of men against the Predestination of God, which insinuates that God is an accepter of Persons, & so accuses him of partiall and unrighteous dealing, because he deals not equally with all men: do ye not say this within your selves, …f he find all guilty Why does he not punish all? Why does he spare some? And if he look upon all men in his first and Primitive thought of them, as neither doing good nor evil, Why does he not have mercy on all? But is thy eye evill because he is good? May he not do with his own as he pleases? Because he is mercifull to some souls, shal men be displeased, & do well to be angry? Or because he of his own free grace extends it, shall he be bound by a Rule to do so with all? Is not he both just and merciful, and is it not meet that both be shewed forth: If he punish thee; thou canst not complain, for thou deserves it, If he shew mercy, why should any quarrel, for it is free & undeserved grace; by saving some he shewes his grace, by destroying others, he shews what all deserve. God is so far from being an accepter of persons according to their qualifications & conditions, that he finds nothing in any creature to cast the ballance of his choice; if he did choose men for their works sake, or outward priviledges▪ & … others for the want of the…e, then it might be charged on him; but he rather goes over all these, nay, he finds none of these: in his first view of men, he beholds them all alike, and nothing to determine his mind to one more nor another, so that his choice proceedeth wholly from within his own breast; I will have mercy on whom I will▪ But then thirdly, our hearts object against the righteousnesse of God, that this fatall chain of Predestination overturns all exhortations & perswasions to godlinesse, all care & diligence in well-doing: For thus do many profane souls conceive; If he be in one mind, and who can turn him? Then, What need I pray, since he hath already determined what shal be, and what shal become of me? his purpose will take effect whether I pray, or pray not; my prayer will not make him change his mind, and if it be in his mind he will do it; If he have appointed to save, saved we shal be, live as we list; if he hath appointed us to death, die we must, live as we can. Therefore men, in this desperate estate, throw themselves head-long into all manner of iniquity, and that with quietnesse & peace. Thus do many souls perish upon the stumbling stone laid in Sion, and wrest the Truths and Counsels of God to their own destruction, even quite contrary to their true intent & meaning; Paul (Eph. 1. 4.) speaks another language, He hath chosen us in him that we should be holy and without blame. His eternall Counsell of life is so far from loosing the reins to mens lusts, that it is the only certain foundation of holinesse; It is the very spring and fountain from whence our sanctification flowes, by an infallible course. This chain of God counsels concerning us, hath also linked together the end and the means, glory & grace, happinesse and holinesse, that there is no destroying of them. Without holiness it is impossible to see God, so that those who expect the one without any desire of, & endeavour after the other, they are upon a vain attempt to loose the links of this eternal chain, Rom. 8. It is the only eternall choosing love of God; which separated so many souls from the common misery of men, it is that only which in time doth appear, & rise, as it were, from under ground, in the streams of fruits of sanctification, and if the ordinance of life stand, so shal the ordinance of fruits, Ioh. 15. 16. Eph. 2. 9. If he have appointed thee to life, it is certain he has also ordained the… to fruits, and chosen thee to be holy, so that what ever soul casts by the study of this, there is too grosse a brand of pe…dition upon its fore-head; it is true, all is already determined with him, & he is incapable of any change, or shadow of …urning; nothing then wants, but he is in one mind about it, and thy prayer cannot turn him: Yet a godly soul will pray with more confidence, because it knows that as he hath determined upon all its wants and receipts, so he hath appointed this to be the very way of obtaining what it wants, this is the way of familiarity and grace, he takes with his own, to make them call, and he performes his purpose in answer to their cry. But suppose there were nothing to be expected by prayer; yet I say, that is not the thing thou shouldest look to, but what is required of thee by thy duty, to do that simply out of regard to his …, though thou should never profit by it, this is true obedience to serve him for his own pleasure, though we had no expectation of advantage by it, certainly he doth not require thy supplications for this end to move him, and incline his affections toward thee, but rather as a testimony of thy homage & subjection to him, therefore though they cannot make him of another mind than he is, or hasten performance before his purposed time, so that in reality they have no influence upon him, yet in praying, & praying diligently, thou declares thy obligation to him and respect to his Majesty, which is all thou hast to look to, and to commit the event solely to his good pleasure.
The 2. Objection Paul mentions, tends to justifie men, Why then doth ye yet find fault, who hath resisted his will? Since by his will he hath chained us with an inevitable necessi…y to sin, what can we do▪ Men cannot wrestle with him; why then doth he condemn & accuse them? But who art thou, O man, that disputes against God? as if Paul had said, thou art a man and so I am, why then looks thou for an answer from me, let us rather both consider whom we speak of, whom thou accusest, and whom I defend, it is God, what art thou then to charge him, or what am I …o to clear Him? Beleeving ignorance is better than presumptuous knowledge, especially in these forbidden secrets, in which it is more concerning to be ignorant which faith and admiration, than to know with presumption, disputes thou, O man, I will wonder, reply thou; I will believe, doth it become thee, the clay to speak so to the former, Why hast thou made me thus? Let the consideration of the absolute right and dominion of God over us, more than any creature hath over another, yea, or over themselves, let that restrain us and keep us within bounds. He may do with us what he pleaseth, for his own honour and praise, but it is his will that we should leave all the blame to our selves, and rather behold the evident cause of our destruction in our sin, which is nearer us, than to search into a secret and incomprehensible cause in Gods Counsel.