Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
What ſeeming Good is the bait in this Temptation. To ſpeak the truth of it ſelf. Poſſibly the ſerving our Malice upon God. An Examination Whether the Doctrines of Election of Perſons, particularly Redemption and Special Grace, conduce to Deſpair? The contrary evinced.
THe greateſt difficulty is to reſolve with what Bait it is poſſible ſuch an Hook as this is, ſhould be baited; for whereas the Apoſtle telleth us (as I have formerly opened to you) That every one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own Luſt and inticed, it might juſtly poſe an ordinary Reaſon to imagine, what ſeeming Good ſhould entice a Soul to caſt away all hopes of Happineſs from the Mercy of God, all hopes of Eternal Life and Salvation. To conclude it ſhall go to Hell, and there is no hope for it to the contrary. Can there be ſo much as the leaſt umbrage and appearance of Good, that ſhould have preference to theſe hopes in a Soul, under the leaſt conduct of Reaſon? I… it true, for a Senſual Deſpair there may, for that is rooted in A…h…iſme and Unbelief of any ſuch thing, as the need of a Pardon for its Sins, or a future happy State, the obtaining of which the Senſual Man ſeeing limited to the hard Condition (as he thinks) of denying himſelf in all his Senſual Pleaſures, he may jocularly conclude, There is no hope for him (believing no reality in the pretended Objects for his hope) that he may the more ſecurely cry out with the Epicures, Let us eat and drink, for to morrrow we ſhall die; or like them, Jer. 2. 25. When God ſaid to them, With-hold thy Foot from being unſhod, and thy Throat from thirſt; ſaid, There is no hope, no, for I have loved Strangers, and after them I will go. But now for a Sorrowful Deſpair, for a Soul having this Grace and Hell in Proſpect, it may look for a great Riddle. What appearing Good ſhould be a Motive to him to conclude there is no Mercy in God for him, no poſſibility of Eternal Salvation.
1. What if we ſhould ſay, That the appearing Good, that enticeth him to theſe thoughts, is, To ſpeak the truth of himſelf, and not to flatter himſelf with idle and vain hopes, as he now thinks he hath done too long. You know we are naturally deſirous to know our own Fate or Fortunes, as we call them: What ſhall become of us or betide us in the latter end? And though we are willing enough ſometimes to flatter our ſelves, yet there is a time when we deſire the contrary.
2. Secondly, Is not the appearing Good in ſome a rooted Malice and Hatred againſt God, and the Satisfaction of that by deregating from his Goodneſs and Mercy? This is indeed of all the moſt dreadful Account that can be given: That Soul is in the Suburbs of Hell it ſelf, to whom it is a ſatisfaction, when it can do no more, to Blaſpheme and ſpeak Evil of God. I had rather aſſign the former, as the moſt ordinary appearance of Good, ſeducing the Soul into this Guilt. It now pleaſeth the Soul that thinks it hath deceived the World ſo long, by walking in a vain ſhew, to know and ſpeak the truth of it ſelf, as it thinketh in its Heart, through the Seduction of Sathan; but ſtill it muſt be enquired what the Devil can poſſibly ſuggeſt to a Soul to debauch it into ſuch a miſapprehenſion of God, and ſad Opinion of it ſelf.
Now there being nothing in Nature that can alienate God from the Soul, but Sin, the guilt of the Soul and its ſtate before God, by reaſon of Sin, muſt needs be that and that onelyonly, which the Devil can mount this great Gun upon; and this is that which Cain ſaith, Mine Iniquity is greater then it can be forgiven. But before I come to ſpeak of that, let me a little take notice of ſome other Propoſitions, which many grave Divines take to be moſt certain truths, and others think ſerve the Devil in great ſtead, in order to his inforcing this great Temptation. Let me digreſs a little, to judge whether indeed the guilt of thoſe Propoſitions be according to the cry by which they are accuſed. They are thoſe concerning the Doctrine of Predeſtination, Redemption, and the neceſſity of Special Grace, in order to Salvation. I intend not to argue the truth of the Propoſitions on either ſide (that were too large a Work) but onelyonly to conſider whether the Devil can uſe, what by ſome eminent Divines (as to them) is aſſerted, as advantages for this fiery Dart. I remember Scultetus in his Annals, tells us a Story of an honeſt ſtudious Young Man in Cambridge (whom 'tis believed the Papiſts made away) That he was found hang'd in his Study, with his Finger laid upon a Bible, opened before him, upon a Text uſually brought to confirm Predeſtination. But the Fiction obtained not that credit for which it was deviſed, to induce the World to believe, that his imbracing the Doctrine of Predeſtination put him upon that deſperate Practice. But to the Matter.
1. It is true many great and eminent Divines have thought, That God hath paſſed an Eternal Decree concerning the future ſtate of all Men and Women, chuſing ſome to Eternal Life, paſſing by others. Suppoſe we ſhould put it to the higheſt pitch, Determining others to Eternal Death. I intend not, as I ſaid before, to diſpute what is truth in this; certain it is, God from oll Eternity fore-knew the Eternal Iſſues of all, if ſome can conceive how God ſhould fore-know this without willing it, or be willing not to determine how he fore-knew it, and what that was or could be but the Will of God, which ſhould make a Futurity certain. And others cannot conceive any firſt cauſe but God, nor any way of Divine Fore-knowledge, but from his Will and Purpoſe. It is not my Buſineſs to intermingle my ſelf in their Quarrel, but ſuppoſe the one Opinion or the other, I would gladly underſtand what advantage the Devil can take from the one or the other, as to this Temptation. Some Divines indeed do ſay, That God ordained ſome to Eternal Life, out of his own good pleaſure, in and through Chriſt, without any conſideration of their Faith and good Works fore-ſeen, as moving him ſo to predeſtinate them; but with all he predeſtinated them to obtain this Eternal Salvation, in the Exerciſes of Faith and Holineſs, without which they were never to ſee the Lord. But do any Divines ſay, That God ordained any to Eternal Death, or paſſed over any in his Eternal Counſel, who ſhould be damned, otherwiſe then upon the juſt demerits of their preceding ſins? Yes, it may be (will ſome ignorant Perſons ſay) they that hold an abſolute Decree, hold Election of Perſons, and Reprobation of Perſons. They do indeed hold an Election of Perſons, in the ſenſe I before opened, that the foreſeen Faith and Holineſs of none moved God to ordain them to Life. They do alſo believe that God hath a Jus Abſolutum, a Soveraign Power over his Creatures, as the Potter over the Clay. But they ſay that God doth not in the Condemnation of any Sinner uſe this, but onelyonly uſeth a Jus Ordinatum, and proceedeth according to his Law. The Soul that ſinneth ſhall Die: Which now being ſuppoſed, I would gladly know what Argument Satan draws from hence to perſwade any to Deſpair? He can Suggeſt to the Soul, That it is a Reprobate; and cannot the Soul Anſwer, That it is more then the Devil knows: That there is no Soul but that which ſinneth ſhall Die; ſo that notwithſtanding all ſaid upon rhis Argument. The Guilt of Sin is all that remaineth to the Devil to object, to drive unto Deſpair.
It is true, that concerning the Extent of the Death of Chriſt, as to Perſons, there are various Opinions, ſome think he equally died f…r all (a ſad Doctrine which gives Judas as much comfort as Peter.) Others think he purchaſed a certainty of Salvation for the Elect, but a poſſibility for all. Others believe he died onelyonly for the Elect. But admitting the laſt to be true, which ſome think, to make Redemption conform to the Decree of Election, and not underſtand how Chriſt ſhould purchaſe an impoſſible poſſibility, which muſt be as to ſome, if there were any that were paſſed over in the Eternal Purpoſe, or any to whom God reſolved not to give thoſe effectual Aids of his ſpecial Grace, neceſſary in order to thoſe Exerciſes of Faith and Holineſs, by which Salvation muſt be obtained. But what Market can the Devil make of this? He can tell them they are not Elected, and ſo Chriſt died not f…r them. But the Soul can reply, He was a Lier from the Beginning, and none of Gods Privy Counſellors; and that its Non-election can onelyonly appear from its prodigious ſinnings, continued in to the end without Repentance and Faith in Chriſt. And the others telling them, Chriſt died for all, will not relieve them, for Judas notwithſtanding that, proved a Son of Perdition, and went to his own place, when he had hang'd himſelf.
It is alſo true, that many great Divines do think, none can be ſaved without the ſpecial Grace of God, working together with the Word in their Hearts, and effectually renewing, turning, changing, and ſanctifying; and that this is not in a Mans own Power but the work of God. What advantage now can the Devil make of this Doctrine, to perſw…e the Soul to caſt away all hopes of the Mercy of God through Chriſt, for the pardon of its Sins, and for the obtaining of Eternal Life and Salvation? He can ſuggeſt to the Soul, That God never beſtowed upon it this effectual Grace, nor ever will. If he doth not add the later, he ſaith nothing; for what Ground have I to caſt away all hope if yet there be hope, that although I have not yet repented and believed, yet God will give me his Grace (though at the Eleventh hour) that I ſhall repent, believe, and be ſaved. Now ſuppoſe him to ſuggeſt ſo, How ſhall he evidence this to me, but from the guilt of my ſin or my abiding in it? It is therefore, that whatever bluſter ſome Scicliſts make in the World, to load the Opinions of ſome great and eminent Divines, with Envy and Obloquy; yet in very deed, the Devil can urge Deſpair of the Pardon of Sin, and obtaining Eternal Life, with any colourable reaſon, upon no Soul but from Sin; nor indeed do we in our Experience find any thing elſe ſtick with Souls in an hour of Temptation. Now here he muſt either ſay, Thy Sins are ſo many they cannot be forgiven; or, Thou haſt ſinned ſo long a time that thou canſt not be forgiven; Thy hour is over, thy time is paſt; or, Thou haſt ſinned ſome particular ſins, which are of ſo hainous a nature, or ſo deep a dy, that God will never forgive them. What the Soul may anſwer to all theſe, we ſhall, God willing, by and by conſider.