Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 59
CHAP. 59.
Uſe 1. Anſwering the Objections of the Arminians. And the Wantons of our Age.
NOW then briefly, Hence we have a Uſe of inſtruction, where we have an anſwer to the Objection both of the Arminians, & of our late Wantons; Arminians they make this Objection; when we preach (ſomtimes) that al men naturally are dead in ſins and treſpaſſes, and there is no free wil in man, but man is as void of Grace as the dead Carkaſs that lies in the grave is void of natural life; Now they ſay, If men be ſo dead in ſins, Why do you preach to them? Were it not a vain thing to go and preach in the Church-yard? Would they regard what you ſay? you preach that al are dead, and that there is no life at al in men to do any good, Why do you ſpeak to them? This point anſwers that Objection.
Though it is a truth that al men naturally are dead in ſins, and are before the Lord as a dead Carrion; there is no dead Carrion more loathſome in the eyes of us, than every natural Soul is in the Eyes of God: but yet we come and preach to them. Why? becauſe that in our preaching, it is God; God and Chriſt ſpeaks, though our voice have no power to raiſe from the dead: yet the voice of God hath power to raiſe from the dead. If Chriſt wil ſpeak to one that is dead, he ſhal come forth; as you know in the 11. of John. when Chriſt came to Lazarus, ſaith Chriſt, I ſay to thee Lazarus ariſe. It were a vain thing for any of us to go to the grave, and ſay, ariſe; but if Chriſt come he can raiſe them preſently: So we preach to a congregation that are mixt; ſome that have lain in the grave of ſin forty years perhaps together, yet when we ſpeak in the name of Chriſt, and Chriſt ſpeaks together with us, we may ſpeak to dead Souls: for together with the word that is ſpoken there doth go a power and a life, for it is the word of God (and not the word of man) that breaths forth life.
And again, it is an anſwer to the Objection of our late Wantons, they cry out againſt Miniſters calling to men for duties, and account them duty-mongers: Say they, What do you cal to men to do? you tel them that they muſt do thus, and thus, and they muſt perform duties, and humble themſelves. They think they have got a great Objection in this; that becauſe men have no power naturally: therefore it is a vain thing to cal upon them to perform duties
This anſwers them; We cal upon them, ſo as the voice of Chriſt; though they have no power themſelves, yet we cal upon them to ſet upon ſuch duties; we cal upon them to beleeve, and to repent. They ſay it is in vain to cal upon them to beleeve, and repent: But that way that God hath to work Faith, & Repentance in the heart of man; it is, to conveigh a power through his own voice in the miniſtry of his word; and therefore we ſpeak to them to beleeve & repent, as if they had power: becauſe we know that thoſe which belong unto Gods election, the Lord wil conveigh power to them through this word of his. It is not our voice, but it is the voice of God, and of Jeſus Chriſt. We would have you to carry this meditation along with you, at any time when we ſpeak unto you, and exhort you that you would come in, & repent, and beleeve; Carry this meditation with you, and then you ſhal underſtand us aright. We would not have you to think, that we conceive, you have power to beleeve, and repent becauſe we cal upon you: but this we expect; that, while we are ſpeaking to you that God & Chriſt wil ſpeak to your hearts: ſo that there wil be power conveighed through that word of ours, and though it be not conveighed this Sermon, yet it may be the next, or the next, and hoping in the end that wil give repentance unto life.