Of Fundamentals, Treatise · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. Of the irreſpective decrees of Election and Reprobation.
§. 1. THE ſame is diſcernible alſo, and need not more largely be declared in that doctrine of God's decrees of ſalvation, and damnation, which hath been taken up by ſome both of the Romiſh and Reformed Churches, affixing them to mens particular entities, abſolutely conſidered, without any reſpect to all qualifications and demeanours; Which, whatſoever elſe be believed of God or Chriſt, is (as farre as it is laid to heart, and permitted to have influence on carnal men's practiſe) a moſt viſible hindrance to the building of good life upon it.
§. 2.The Article of our Church. The Church of England having not ſo much as named (but purpoſely avoided the mention of any Decree of Reprobation, and for Election, or Predeſtination to life, having ſet it down in an admirable temper, in order to gratifying all, and not provoking any of the ſeveral perſwaſions, Art: 7. (as might more largely be made to appear, if it were here ſeaſonable) hath yet providently foreſeen the dangerous downfall that from this her doctrine (the affirming no more, nor no more particularly then ſhe doth) is to be expected to curious (as well as carnal) men, i. e. to thoſe that enter into farther ſpeculations herein, (which is the itch of curioſity) and content not themſelves with the ſimplicity of that doctrine, within which this Church hath contained her ſelf. And to prevent particularly all advantage, that might be taken from hence to the Doctrine of the irreſpective decrees, to which is inſeparably joyned the confining all the Promiſes to the Elect, The Article concludes with an earneſt expreſſion of care, and warning to the contrary, that we muſt receive God's promiſes in ſuch wiſe, as they are generally ſet forth to us in the holy ſcripture (as in our doing we are to follow that will of God, which we have expreſly declared to us in the word of God) which one paſſage excludes, and barres out that whole doctrine.
§. 3. As for the particularity of the dangers, The doctrine of irreſpective decrees.and hindrances of good life, that are directly conſequent to this doctrine, they are preſently diſcerned; For if that ſalvation, which Chriſt came to purchaſe for a few, and in like manner that dereliction or reprobation that irreverſibly involves the farre greater multitude, be not diſtributed according to the qualifications or performances of men, whether works, or love, or hope, or repentance, or the want of any, or all of theſe, but only by the abſolute irreſpective will of God, what rational argument can be produced in any time of temptation to any ſin, (which is the ſpecial ſeaſon for ſuch arguments to be offered to any) which may be of force to perſwade a reaſonable man, or Chriſtian profeſſor, to renounce that preſent pleaſure that comes in competition with duty?
§. 4. Either the promiſes of Chriſt, or the terrors of the Lord, or the authority of the commander, muſt be the Topick whence that argument is drawn, and all force, of any of theſe is utterly taken off by this doctrine.Takes off the force
§. 5. Promiſes can be of no force, 1. of Promiſes,unleſſe they be believed to be conditional promiſes, and unleſſe that duty, which is propoſed to be inforced by thoſe promiſes, be acknowledged to be part of that condition, upon performance of which thoſe promiſes do, and upon neglect of which, thoſe promiſes ſhall not belong to any, And the promiſes being but a tranſſcript of the will and decree of God, a revelation made by Chriſt of that myſterie, or ſecret, wrapt up before in God's eternal Counſels concerning us, ſuch as the decrees are ſuppoſed, ſuch muſt the promiſes be concluded to be, If the decrees be believed to be abſolute, the promiſes muſt be abſolute too, and conſequently not conditional, which was the one qualification neceſſarily required to render them of any force to work on any, to reſtrain, or invite any that were drawn, or ſollicited another way.
§. 6. For why ſhould a man perform an ungrateful duty, undertake a difficulty, hazard a danger or diminution, deny himſelf any pleaſurable enjoyment, upon a bare intuition of promiſes (which by being ſuch are repreſented with ſome diſadvantage, lie under a conſiderable prejudice, and are acknowledged and experimented to be of leſſe energie or force to allure or perſwade, then preſent poſſeſſions) when he is all the while convinced that all the promiſes, that he can poſſibly have any part in, belong to him abſolutely and irreſpectively, and ſhall no more be ſecured to him upon the performance, then upon the neglect, and omiſſion of that duty?
§. 7.2. of Terrors. In like manner the Terrors & menaces of ſcripture are of as little force; For if they fall upon mens perſons, and not upon their ſins (omiſſions or commiſſions) if they are but the recitations and deſcriptions of God's decreed wrath, and thoſe decrees and that wrath have no reſpect to the actual ſins of men, but are terminated either in the innocent creature, or the childe of lapſed Adam, i. e. either reſpect not ſin at all, or elſe none but Original ſin, (which is no part of the preſent deliberation, whether it ſhall be committed, and I guilty of it or no) then why ſhould terrors reſtrain me from any ſin, when there is any tender of preſent advantage to invite me to it?
§. 8. All my fear and trembling will regularly be terminated in the decree, on which all my miſerie depends, and not in the ſinne, which means me no ill, and conſequently the averſion and diſlike will naturally be faſtned on that ſevere law, that hath bound me in fatal chains of darkneſs, before ever I ſaw light, and if it proceed any farther, may be likely to aſcend blaſphemouſly unto, and againſt that Judge, that hath taken pleaſure to enact that law (and ſo that doctrine may very probably take off from our love of God) but 'tis not imaginable which way this ſhould produce in me any averſion or hatred againſt ſin, which by this doctrine is cleared from being my enemy, from involving me into any miſchief, deſigning the leaſt treachery againſt me.
3. of Commands.§. 9. And laſtly, for the authority of God's Commands which forbid ſin, and command obedience, it can be no greater with any man toward the undertaking of good life, then that man believes the weight to be, which God layes on the performance of them; And if God heed that no more, then they that eſpouſe the doctrine of irreſpective decrees, muſt conſequently be ſuppoſed to believe him to doe, if in his decreeing his eternal rewards of bliſſe or woe, he reſpect not our obedience or diſobedience, but diſtribute both by a rule quite diſtant from that which is founded in his commands, or revealed will, it will never be thought any neer concernment or intereſt of ours to regulate our actions according to thoſe commands, which have certainly much of ſtrictneſſe in them, much of contrariety to fleſh and blood, but nothing of influence either on our weal or woe, as long as this doctrine is deemed to have any truth in it.
§. 10. And ſo ſtill the virtue and force of every of theſe three, which are the common ſtanding inducements and engagements to obedience, is ſhrewdly allayed, if not wholly loſt by this means.
§. 11.Of Gratitude▪ And 'tis not the motive of gratitude (which is ſaid to be the only ſcore, on which the Elect perform their obedience) that can make any conſiderable difference in this matter, that can be ſufficient to perſwade him to abſtain from any tempting ſin, whom neither promiſes, nor terrors, nor precepts had been able to work upon.
§. 12. 1. Becauſe Gratitude being but a return of love in him that hath a quick ſenſe of God's loving him firſt, cannot have any propriety to the producing of that effect in any, till he hath arrived to that ſenſe, nor can it continue to doe it, when that ſenſe is loſt. And conſequently a great number of the ſuppoſed elect ſhall be uncapable of it, both they which are not yet come to this aſſurance, that they are of that number, and they that under any anguiſh of minde are returned to affrightments, or doubtings whether they have not been hypocrites, and ſo reprobates all this while; And as theſe two ſorts (according to their doctrine) comprehend a great and conſiderable number of the very elect, (of whom very few are arrived to that pitch of conſtant uninterrupted aſſurance of their election) ſo Gratitude, by being unuſeful to them that are not thus aſſured, muſt be acknowledged unuſeful to thoſe who have the greateſt want of it, and by being confined to the few, which have this aſſurance quick ▪ and undiſturbed within them, is concluded to have a very narrow and ſlender province to work on, a very ſmall number of a very ſmall number, a remnant of a remnant, being acknowledged to be unappliable, and ſo conſequently ineffectual to all others.
§. 13. 2dly, Becauſe one other doctrine there is, which conſtantly accompanies the doctrine of irreſpective decrees, which ſuperſedes all farther diſpute in this matter, the doctrine of the irreſiſtibility of grace, in working whatſoever it works, which if it be once acknowledged, there is nothing to be affixt to Gratitude (or to any thing elſe in me) which whatſoever it works at any time works by way of perſwaſion, not violence, and cannot be ſaid ſo much as to contribute to the working of that, which is ſuppoſed to be irreſiſtibly wrought by the Spirit of God.
§. 14. 3dly, If theſe two arguments, which are only ad homines, and conſider the Elect only in theſe mens notion of the word, had no kinde of force in them, yet ſtill this of Gratitude, which is the one pretended reſerve, muſt needs be impertinently pretended in this matter.
§. 15. Firſt, becauſe the good life to which the foundation was laid by the Apoſtles preaching, is not that of a few perſons, choſen out of the maſſe, but of all that receive the Chriſtian profeſſion, of which number there being a large proportion which (according to the tenure of this doctrine) muſt be ſuppoſed to be non-elect, there will not be that matter of thankſgiving to any of them, nor conſequently any account, upon which they can be perſwaded to make thoſe kinde returns to God, which the Elect were more probably ſuppoſed to have engagement to doe.
§. 16. And ſecondly, it being Chriſt's errand, and buſineſs into the world, to call not the righteous, or the juſtified, but the unreformed, or ſinners to repentance, to change them who need a change, and who, if they are by this doctrine ſuppoſeable to be already from all eternity elected, are not yet before their calling or converſion affirmed to be actually juſtified, or received into God's favour (any more then Saul was in the time of his journey to Damaſcus, when he breathed out threatnings and ſlaughters againſt the Church) the concluſion muſt be, that any ſuch unreformed ſinner will not be capable of being wrought on by any ſuch conſideration of gratitude, and ſo Chriſt, notwithſtanding this only reſerve, ſhall be wholly unſucceſsful in his aime toward thoſe, who were the principal deſigned perſons, to whom he came, and predeſtined the benefits of his coming.
§. 17. Thirdly, this of Gratitude being by thoſe that maintain this doctrine ſuppoſed to follow faith or aſſurance of their ſalvation, 'tis thereby acknowledged to have no force on thoſe who have not this faith, though they doe believe all the articles of their Creed, and ſo it can be no proper expedient to remove the hindrances which the beliefe of the irreſpective decrees hath been ſaid to interpoſe in the matter in hand▪ or to adapt good life to be ſuperſtructed on this (whatſoever it is imaginable to be on any other) Foundation.