Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
What to be done by Chriſtians, to avoid daſhing upon this Rock of Preſumption. The firſt means to poſſeſs our ſelves of the falſehood of thoſe Notious upon which theſe Preſumptions are bottomed. Three of them inſtanced in ſeveral Arguments, to prove That Gods Creation of us, Chriſts dying for all, And the Efficacy of Baptiſme, cannot be, without any thing more ſufficient grounds, for any upon which to hope for Pardon of Sins, or Eternal Life and Salvation.
1. THe firſt thing to be done, is for Chriſtians to poſſeſs themſelves of the falſhood of thoſe Notions, which are the foundations upon which their Preſumptuous Hopes are raiſed, and the Truths of God in oppoſition to them; and here ſuffer me to run over all the Notions, I before inſtanced in; and to ſhew you the egregious Vanity of them. I begin with the firſt of them, That God will damn none of the Sons and Daughters of Men which he hath made. This I perſwade my ſelf, is in the heart of a great many more than will ſpeak it out; let me therefore ſhew you the exceeding folly and vanity of it in ſome particulars:
1. In the firſt place, if I could ſay no more, yet this were ſufficient, That there is no ſuch Revelation of the Will of God, in any line of Scripture. Where hath God ſaid, any where in Scripture, The he will ſave all Men? Now the ſtrength of this lies here, That Eternal Life, being a Gift, a free Gift of God and Chriſts, that to which none is born, Rom. 6. 23. John 17. 2. given by Chriſt to thoſe whom the Father hath given him; not to all, but to thoſe whom the Father hath given him: it is the higheſt folly imaginable, for any to hope God will give it him, who is under no Circumſtances, ſuch as God hath ſaid, he will give this great Gift to thoſe that are under. You would think that Man mad, that ſhould nouriſh an hope that you would give him your Eſtate, when you never told him, or any one elſe, that you would give him a Groat; and why are you then ſo ſecure for your Souls, whoſe Intereſt is ſo infinitly more valuable? Why ſhould you think that God favoureth you, and will ſave you, when he never told you ſo, either implicitly or explicitly? Do you truſt to the Goodneſs and Graciouſneſs of the Divine Nature? Or to his Relation, to you, as you are Gods Creatures, he your Creator? You may as reaſonably think that all the Devils in Hell ſhould be ſaved Why ſhould not the Goodneſs of Gods Nature, as well extend to them, as you? They are your elder Brethren, the firſt of the Creation; more excellent Beings by Creation, than Man was: Where is your confidence then, becauſe God made you; if you can neither conclude it, from the Goodneſs of the Divine Nature, nor from your Relation to God, as he is your Creator, nor from any letter of his Revealed Will: Whence can you lay the ſtreſs of your Souls upon this, That God will ſave all.
2. Yet ſomething might be hoped from hence, with more Reaſon; If God had not expreſly Revealed his Will to the contrary. Surely you would think that Man, or Woman, much worſe than mad, that ſhould hope you would leave him, or her, your whole Eſtate, when you ſhall have ſaid, and ſworn, that you would not give him a Groat. There is no clearer piece of the Revealed Will of God in Scripture, than that ſome of the Sons and Daughters of Men ſhall periſh Eternally; Dan. 12. 2. Thoſe that ſleep in the duſt ſhall awake, ſome to Everlaſting Life, and ſome to Everlaſting Shame and Contempt. There ſhall be ſome to whom Chriſt will ſay, Depart from me, I know you not, you workers of Iniquity; Math. 7. 23, 24. Some to whom he will ſay, Depart from me you Curſed, into Everlaſting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, Matth. 25. 41. Some fooliſh Virgins againſt whom the Gates of Heaven will be ſhut; v. 10. Some againſt whom he will come in Flaming Fire to take Vengance, who ſhall be puniſhed with everlaſting Deſtruction; 2 Theſſ. 1. 9. Some that ſhall never enter into the Kingdom of God; 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. ſome that ſhall have their portion in the Lake, that burns with Fire and Brimſtone; Rev. 21. 8. Iſa. 27. 11. Yet certainly, God made theſe Perſons: He did not make them to damn them, but by their Impenitency and Unbelief, they damn themſelves. As he did not make them to damn them, ſo he did not make all with an Intention or Reſolution to ſave them; let them live how they pleaſed: Now for us to build up hopes upon a fooliſh Notion, expreſly contrary to the Revealed Will of God, is a moſt unqueſtionable Folly.
3. If God would ſave all thoſe that he hath made, To what purpoſe thinkeſt thou, hath he given out a Law to direct Mens Converſations; fortifying it with Promiſes not onelyonly of good things in this Life, but of another Life, and with threatnings not onelyonly of Miſery in this Life, but of Eternal Miſery in the Life to come, to thoſe that Preſumptuouſly violate it? The truth is, this is a principle that none can poſſibly entertain, unleſs he be turned Atheiſt, and believes no Scriptures, no Hell at all: For was Hell prepared for none thinkeſt thou? Settle thy ſelf therefore upon this, That God will moſt certainly turn into Hell, ſome, and thoſe not a few, of thoſe Men and Women which he hath made.
2. A Second falſe Notion that ſome preſume upon, is the Redemption purchaſed by Chriſt. Chriſt they ſay hath died for All, and by the term All, they underſtand every Man and Woman. Now to avoid this Rock, I ſhall offer theſe few things to a Chriſtians ſerious Conſideration:
1. That although it be true in the Scripture-phraſe and way of Speaking, that Chriſt died for All, and for the World; yet the Scripture no where ſaith, that Chriſt died for every Man: And the term All doth very ordinarily ſignifie Many, or All under ſuch and ſuch Circumſtances, of ſuch or ſuch a kind. It is ſaid, Matth. 3. 5. that Jeruſalem, and all Judea, and all the Region round about Jordan, went out to John, that is, very many, or ſome of all ſorts; for none can imagine that every Man, Woman, and Child, went out. There is but one Text that foundeth like a Proof that Chriſt died for every Man; it is that, Heb. 2. 9. where we tranſlate it; That he by the Grace of God ſhould taſte Death for every Man; but it muſt be reſtrained by the next verſe, where he ſpeaks of many Sons being brought to Glory, and therefore he, the Captain of their Salvation, was made perfect through Sufferings. And in the Greek there is no more than foreign, for every; the Subſtantive is either foreign, and then the ſenſe is, he taſted of every Death, or (which it may be is more probable) it muſt be ſupplied from the next verſe, for every Son who was to be brought unto Glory. But not to enter into that Diſcourſe, onelyonly to caution you from laying too great ſtreſs upon Particles in Scripture.
2. Conſider (what I before hinted) That none of thoſe who hold the utmoſt Extenſion of the Death of Chriſt, as to the Objects, ever ſaid, That all thoſe for whom Chriſt died ſhould be ſaved. Thoſe indeed who believe Chriſt died only for the Elect, aſſert this; but thoſe who hold Chriſt died equally for all, no more for Judas than for Peter; and thoſe that ſay Chriſt by his Death purchaſed a certainty of Salvation for ſome, and a poſſibility of Salvation for all, yet neither of them will ſay, That all ſhall be ſaved for whom Chriſt died; which hath made me often admire at Mens heats for theſe Opinions, which if they could prove to be true, have no more Significancy. Indeed they ſeem to be calculated for nothing, but the Aſſertion of a Power in the will of Man, to chuſe and do what God requireth, in order to Salvation, and ſo to be his own Saviour. Now if this be all that any underſtanding Man pretends to in his aſſerting that Chriſt died for all, how is it poſſible that any particular Soul can from his Belief of it, conclude he ſhall be ſaved?
3. Beſides, this Notion is preſſed with the ſame abſurdities, as that which I firſt mentioned; for he that believeth, That Chriſt died for all and every Man, and therefore for him, muſt needs hold Univerſal Salvation, though not upon the account of Creation, yet upon the account of Chriſts Redemption; and this is not onelyonly to hold, what God no where hath revealed in his Word, but that which is directly contrary to the Revelation of the Word; and that which is contrary to a multitude of Promiſes and Threatnings; and will make them to be meerly ſuperfluous and inſignificant. The concluſion is, That thou haſt no ground from any ſuch Notion (be it true or falſe) to conclude any ſuch thing, as that thou art actually reconciled to God, and ſhall be ſaved; nor did ever any judicious Perſon ſo conclude: but I fear thouſands of ignorant ordinary Perſons build their Hopes here, and my ſelf have by ſome been told ſo.
3. A third Notion upon which ſome may be tempted to preſume, is, The Vertue and Efficacy of Baptiſm. The Jews, you know, reſted much upon their Circumciſion; and I fear too many amongſt Chriſtians, reſt as much upon their Baptiſm, and their being in it Regenerated and Born again. To arm you againſt this Temptation, I ſhall, as to the other, offer you ſome few things to be conſidered.
1. None can be confident upon this account, but they muſt conſider Baptiſm, either as it is the Door into the Church. From thence it muſt follow, That all thoſe that are Members of the Church of God ſhall be ſaved. Or Secondly, As an Ordinance of God, with which God doth conſtantly concur, in waſhing away the guilt of Sin by Vertue of the Blood of Chriſt. I ſhall ſhortly ſhew you that which of theſe two ways ſoever Men look upon their Baptiſm, they can make no ſuch concluſion from it.
1. There is nothing in Scripture to juſtifie ſuch a Conceit, That all thoſe who are by Baptiſm admitted, into the Catholick viſible Church ſhall be ſaved; for I pray obſerve in this Notion of Baptiſm,
1. It doth no more than Circumciſion did under the Old Teſtament, to which it ſucceeded. Circumciſion was the Door into the Church of the Jews, as Baptiſm is the Door into the Goſpel Church. Now there is nothing clearer in all the Scripture, than that all thoſe that were Circumciſed were not ſaved. Judas was Circumciſed, yet a Devil, a Son of Perdition. The Scribes and Phariſes, Lawyers and Hypocrites, againſt whom our Saviour (in the Goſpel) denounced ſo many Woes, they were all Circumciſed. The Apoſtle expreſly tells us, that Circumciſion availeth nothing, nor yet Uncircumciſion, but a New Creature. That Circumciſion verily profiteth Perſons, if they keep the Law, but if they were Breakers of the Law; their Circumciſion is made Uncircumciſion; Rom. 2. 25. That he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that Circumciſion which is outward in the Fleſh; but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and Circumciſion is that of the Heart and the Spirit, and not in the Letter; whoſe Praiſe is of God, not of Men; v. 28. 29. What is more plain than that of our Saviour, Publicans and Harlots ſhall enter into the Kingdom of God, and the Children of the Kingdom ſhall be caſt out; Luke 13. 26, 27, 28. v. 25. he is ſpeaking to the Jews, who were all circumciſed, all Members of the onelyonly Church, God (at that day) had in the World; When once the Maſter of the Houſe is riſen up, and hath ſhut the Door, and you begin to ſtand without, and to knock at the Door, ſaying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, and he ſhall anſwer unto them, I know you not whence you are…: Then ſhall you begin to ſay, We have Eaten and Drank in thy Name, and thou haſt taught in our Streets. I hope all theſe were Sons of the Church, and no ordinary Members of it, but v. 27. He ſhall ſay I know you not whence you are, depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity; there ſhall be weeping and gnaſhing of Teeth; when you ſhall ſee Abraham and Iſaac; and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and you your ſelves thruſt out. And they ſhall come from the Eaſt, and the Weſt, and the North, and the South, and ſhall ſit down in the Kingdom of God. And behold there are laſt which ſhall be firſt, and firſt which ſhall be laſt. So as this alone is no ground of Hope or Confidence to any Soul.
2. This appeareth further from hence, That many Perſons be Baptized, and Members of Churches, in whom Faith and Repentance, which the Word of God every where makes neceſſary to Salvation, are moſt certainly wanting. Many Perſons are Members of the Church by Baptiſm, who yet are Drunkards, Whoremongers, Lyars, Unbelievers; ſuch as the Scripture hath expreſly ſaid ſhall have their Portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimſtone. Baptiſm therefore in this Notion affordeth not the leaſt ground of Confidence to any thinking and conſiderate Soul.
2. Suppoſe we take Baptiſm in the Second Notion, as it is an Ordinance of God, inſtituted for ſomething. It is true, the effect of Baptiſm, what it is, and how far it extendeth, hath been a great Queſtion amongſt Divines: Some aſcribing to it the Juſtification of the Soul, and the Remiſſion of Sins to all; but then they reſtrain it to Original Sin, and ſo it onelyonly (as I before ſaid) gives us Comfort as to Children dying in their Infancy; others maintain, The Regeneration of Elect Infants by Baptiſm. I ſhall freely tell you what I judge is all in this Cauſe.
The moſt of thoſe Baptized, in the time of the Apoſtles, were Perſons grown up, who had firſt made a viſible Profeſſion of their Repentance and Faith in Chriſt; to theſe Baptiſm was a Seal of the Forgiveneſs of Sins, and an Engagement to an Holy Converſation; as you read, Rom. 6. 4; &c. To Infants it is a Seal of the Covenant of Grace, as exhibited to Mankind. That in caſe they do Repent and Believe, their Sins ſhall be waſhed away with the Blood of Chriſt. To theſe it is an Ordinance of Admiſſion into the Church. To theſe it is an Engagement to be the Lords; an Avouchment of God for their God, and Chriſt for their Saviour. To theſe, if when they grow up, they ſhall Repent and Believe, it ſhall be as a Fountain of Living Water, ſpringing up in the Soul to Eternal Life; they ſhall (as the Apoſtle inſtructeth the Romans) Rom. 6. 4, 5, 6. fetch Arguments, obliging them to die unto Sin and to live unto God. Whether it hath any ſuch immediate Effect, as to all, to juſtifie them from the guilt of Original Sin, or to Regenerate them, that is, to make a change in their Heart, I ſhall not diſpute, but cannot prove it, nor do underſtand how poſſibly it ſhould have any further effect of this Nature, than Circumciſion had to the Jews: I am ſure the Holy Scripture makes Pardon of Sin and Juſtification, not the neceſſary or ordinary Effect of Baptiſm, but of Confeſſion of Sin, True Repentance, and forſaking of Sin, and True Believing in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Flatter not your ſelves therefore, if there be any Soul that liveth in any known courſe of Sin, that never confeſſed his Sins and forſook them, nor knew what godly Sorrow for Sin meant, nor what it was to receive the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and to believe in him; onelyonly knoweth he was Baptized, and he liveth in the Church, and is called a Chriſtian, and here he reſteth, not doubting, but being confident that he ſhall be ſaved. Let me tell him or her, he preſumeth, and truſts his Soul upon a Lie; and that which no weighed Divine, of any Perſwaſion, would ever ſay was a ſufficient bottom to reſt his Soul upon. None ever ſaid that Baptiſm waſhed away Sins paſt and to come; and thoſe that do aſcribe Juſtification to Baptiſm, make it ſuch a ſtate as may be loſt, and is loſt by a courſe of Actual Sinning.