Answer to Granthams Book, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Of the Lords Drawing and Ʋniting of the Elect to Chriſt, in effectual calling.
1. VVHen Arminians have made great flouriſhes of Gods having the ſame love of good will to all Adams Poſterity, they are exceedingly grated with this Objection that follows.
If God have the ſame love of good will to all the Children of Adam, why are but ſome ſaved, and not all, why doth not God convert all?
1. Some of them are ready to ſay, that God cannot Convert them, they are ſo ſtubborn and rebellious, though he deſires to do it; but this is down-right Blaſphemy, to ſay that God cannot convert thoſe whom he purpoſeth, intendeth and deſireth to Convert, he that made the Heart, can change the Heart, can turn it as the Rivers of Water, which way ſoever he pleaſeth, with the greateſt facility, eaſilier then we can ſtir a finger.
I heard above forty years ſince, an Arminian Preach, Mr. H.D. a Man of as great Learning and Ability, as moſt of that way in England, this Man was inveighing againſt Election and ſpecial Grace, at laſt he came to anſwer an Objection to this purpoſe: You will ſay, Is not this a meer beating of the Air, a meer flouriſh of words, to tell you that God hath ſuch a Love to all Adams Poſterity, that he would have them all ſaved, and yet they are not ſaved, ſuppoſe (ſaith he) that a Mother ſhould ſay, that ſhe had a great Love for her Child, and ſhe ſees this ſimple Child running into a fire, that would burn it to Death, and the Mother could prevent it, and pull the Child back, but ſhe ſuffers it to go on and Periſh, who will ſay that ſuch a Mother had ſuch a true and tender Love to the Child? So ſaid this Preacher, If God have ſuch great and tender Love to all Adams Poſterity, and ſees them through their folly, inadvertency and corruption of their Hearts, running into Hell-fire, and he could ſtop them, and ſave them, and doth not, where is his Love and Deſire to ſave them?
Though I cannot remember the very words, yet it was to this purpoſe that he brought in an Objection, he urged it very ſtrongly, I think over-ruled by God, to confute himſelf, I wondred how he would anſwer the Objection, his Anſwer was this, what (ſaith he) if I ſay God cannot, that is, that God could not Convert them, and ſo left it: To ſuch Abſurdities and Blaſphemies doth Arminianiſm lead.
2. Others of them ſay, that God indeed can change the Rebellious Will of Man, but they alledge two things.
1. They ſay it is Diſhonourable to God, to go any further for the Converſion of a Sinner, than to ſet before him Arguments, Threatnings and Promiſes, and urge theſe Arguments by inward Convictions; but they ſay, it is not for the Honour of God to put forth ſuch irreſiſtible power, as ſhall infallibly change and turn the Heart to God.
I anſwer, that God hath promiſed to ſome, abſolutely promiſed to the Elect, that which Divines call the firſt Grace, Jer. 31. Heb. 8. I will put my fear in their Hearts, I will write my Law in their Hearts, Ezek. 36.26, 27. A new Heart alſo will I give you, a new Spirit I will put within you, and I will take away the Heart of Stone (that is, take away the ſtubbornneſs and rebellion of your Wills and Affections) and I will give you a Heart of Fleſh, that is, I will give you a penitent, ſoft, plyable Will towards me and my Precepts; this God of his infinite Grace, hath promiſed to his Elect, without which, not one Man or Woman in the World had ever been Converted and Saved; and dare any ſay, that 'tis Diſhonourable to God, to ſhew this Grace and Favour? Is it come to this, that where God hath a gracious Reſpect to a perſon, that though the perſon be ignorant, fooliſh and deſperate, that it ſhould be Diſhonourable to the Phyſician of Heaven, to cure the Man of his Spiritual Phrenſy, and bring him to a right mind? Surely this is ſo far from being Diſhonourable to God, that the Elect, and Ranſomed People ſhall Adore him, and praiſe him for ever, for this great, free and undeſerved Grace to them.
2. They ſay, it is Diſhonourable to the Will of Man, yea, impoſſible for the Will of Man to be forced, therefore they ſay, that all that God doth towards the Converſion of any, is by Moral ſwaſion, and urging Arguments to this great Queen, the Will of Man, but ſhe her ſelf muſt not be touched.
I anſwer, if God did not touch, yea, by an Omnipotent ſweetneſs change and turn the Will of Man to himſelf, there had never been any one Converted in this World: God works upon the Will in Converſion, to make it of unwilling willing, and to make it as willing to turn to God, as ever it was unwilling, before God touched and changed the Will.
Indeed this Author ſaith, you preſent Chriſt not ſerious, becauſe he will not ſave Men whether they will or no, page 22. I ſay this is a very ignorant Speech, and ſhews the Author to be little acquainted with the Scripture, or the corruption of his own Heart; for though Men when they hear of Hell and Damnation, would be ſaved from Miſery, yet there is not any one that would be ſaved in the way that God hath appointed, until God by his immediate Hand, do ſecretly touch and change his Will, i. e. that though all would be ſaved from Hell under the Notion of a State of Miſery, yet till God give ſpecial grace, a new Heart, put a new bent upon the Will and Affections, there is no Man would be ſaved in Gods way, in the Goſpel way; that is,
1. To be made ſo poor in Spirit, as to be taken off from all ſtanding upon Terms with God, but acknowledge his Soveraignty, and his Righteouſneſs, that he might take Vengeance upon us for ever.
2. To acknowledge that we have not the leaſt Worthineſs and Righteouſneſs, but to creep under the Robe of Chriſts Righteouſneſs.
3. To be willing to part with Sins, that are as dear to corrupt Nature, as Right Hands, and Right Eyes, to be willing to take up the Croſs, and follow Chriſt, to be willing to walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord, ſo far as he ſhall pleaſe to make known his mind to us.
Ay, it were well if in ſtead of this blustering about theſe things, that all of us did examine whether we our ſelves have been ſo graciouſly wrought upon by the Spirit of God, as that we are willing to be ſaved in Gods way, in the Goſpel way.
Alaſs, Men are of this Opinion, and the other, and like the Phariſees, are induſtrious to make Proſelytes to their Opinions, and yet know nothing of the new Birth, of the work of Grace upon their own Souls: Therefore let us all be much in ſelf Examination, and proving what work of Faith in Chriſt, what work of Repentance for Sin, what love to God and to his people and ways, is begun in us by the Holy Spirit, that ſo we may not think our ſelves ſomething, when we are nothing, deceiving our own Hearts.
2. Arminians turn the Covenant of Grace, into a Covenant of works; they quite miſtake, the reaſon why God doth work Faith and Sanctification in thoſe whom he bringeth to Eternal Life, it is not to be the Righteouſneſs in which they are to ſtand Righteous before God for their Juſtification at Gods Bar, for we are juſtified freely by his Grace, through the Redemption that is in Jeſus Chriſt, whom God hath ſet forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his Blood, Rom. 3.24, 25. So that the Righteouſneſs by which we ſtand Righteous at Gods Bar, is a Righteouſneſs imputed to us; neither Faith as in act or work, nor our Sanctification and good works, are our Righteouſneſs in the Covenant of Grace, as Obedience to the Law, was to be our Righteouſneſs to juſtifie under the Covenant of works; but Faith is wrought …n thoſe that are ſaved, as a paſſive inſtrument whereby they receive and embrace Chriſt …o be the Lord their Righteouſneſs, and ſo are t…ught to know and adore the way whereby they are ſaved, and Sanctification is wrought is to ſe that are ſaved, that they may have the firſt fruits of Holineſs here, that they may in ſome meaſure walk with God, and glorifie God he…e, and be preparing for perfect Holineſs and …ommunion with God in Heaven. But this lie at the bottom of Arminianiſm, that there is Merit, the Popiſh Merit of Condignity, or h…w ever of congruity in our Holineſs and good Works, and upon Diſcourſe with a Miniſter … great Note in the Arminian way, I found him to be as unſound in the Doctrine of Juſtification, as any Popiſh writer I had ever met with.
3. Arminians make Converſion an eaſy …ork, a ſmall matter, tis true, tis eaſie to God… work in any, eaſier than for us to ſpeak a wo…; but in it ſelf, it is a great work, and impoſſ…le for any to believe and Repent, except Go… give them a new Heart, and infuſe this habit and principle of Grace into them. Indeed they ſay, that the Lord doth require eaſie Terms, upon which Men may have Eternal Life, but they don't know what they ſay; for us that are univerſally blinded and corrupted by the fall of Adam, for us to go out if our ſelves to Chriſt, for us to mourn for Sin, is it's an offence to God, for us to deſire and endeavour after Ʋniverſal Holineſs, is ten thouſand times harder work than for Adam to have coninued obedient to the Law, for which he had a Cncreated Principle, a Habit of Holineſs infuſed …nto him by Creation, only it was mutable, and left to the Managing of his own free Will.
1. B…t let it be obſerved, that the way of Salvati…n by Chriſt ſeems to be Fooliſhneſs to a Natura… Man, that we ſhould look to be ſaved b… one that dyed himſelf, Paul ſaith, this is to them that Periſh Fooliſhneſs, it is a great work of God upon our underſtandings to enlighte… us, and convince us, that this way of Salvaon is the only way, and that it is a glorious …ay, that the manifold Wiſdom of God, the exeeding Riches of his Grace, and his Revenging Juſtice againſt Sin, will ſhine to Eterny in this way of ſaving Sinners by a Crucied Chriſt.
2. …et it be obſerved, that when a Sinner is covinced and humbled indeed, and ſees what Majeſty he hath offended by his Sins, it is no eaſie thing to ſet his hope in Chriſt, who… he never ſaw; but that the Holy Ghoſt doth ecretly and inwardly reveal him to the Soul as the only and all-ſufficient Mediator, and unites the Heart to him, to truſt and rely upon him for Salvation.
3. It is no eaſie thing for one that hath ſuch a corrupt Nature, and hath delighted in Sin, to be willing that Chriſt ſhould Reign over him, to deſire that Chriſt would put down all the Rule and Authority of Sin, that he might be for Chriſt, and not for another.
When Chriſt ſaith, his Yoak is eaſy, and when the Apoſtle ſaith, his Commandments are not grievous, the meaning is not, that Chriſts Yoak is eaſy to the Fleſh, and corrupt Nature, but eaſy and ſweet, when God gives a principle of grace, a new Heart and Spirit, ſo far as we are renewed, and are led by the Spirit, ſo far Chriſts Yoak is eaſie, and his ways pleaſant to our Souls.
The truth is many take up opinions and wrangle, and diſpute, but 'tis to be feared, that few have experience of a Saving work of Converſion upon their Souls, they do not ſeem to have a Spiritual Savour in their Diſcourſes, but of theſe things God will Judge.