Mr Cottons Clearing Doubts Concerning Predestination, Interpretation 1 · Question 2
The ſecond DOUBT.
WHere have wee, in Scripture, ground for this, That the Lords firſt and primary intention, in his decree of Predeſtination, was to ſet forth Grace and Juſtice? That the declaration of his juſtice was intended, is not doubted, but by the Apoſtle it ſeemeth, his primary aime was the declaration of the ſoveraignty, freedom, and dominion of God over the creature, in that hee purpoſeth grace and power.
The Apoſtle throughout his whole diſcourſe of Predeſtination, Anſw.doth no where oppoſe grace and power; for God ſheweth as much power, freedome, and dominion over the creature, in his grace toward the elect, as in his justice toward the world: The Apoſtle ſets forth the like power and ſoveraign will of God, as well in ſhewing mercy on whom hee will, as hardening whom hee pleaſeth. Doe not think hee oppoſeth Gods power and ſoveraignty over Pharaoh, to his grace and love unto Jacob: for the power hee there ſpeaks of, is not ſoveraignty, but ability, might, and power, ſhewing it ſelfe forth in the hardening and overthrow of Pharaoh; in Moſes called the power of his wrath. Power naturall is one thing, power civill, which wee call ſoveraignty, another: the firſt is, ability to doe a thing; the ſecond is, liberty to doe what naturally hee can doe, without ſinne. Undoubtedly, the power of God ſhewed in Pharaoh, was in his overthrow, and anſwerable to the power of Gods wrath.
I like well that the power of God ſhewed in Pharaoh, is extended alſo to the hardening of his heart; onelyonly, this is not ſo congruouſly Examin.applied to the power of Gods wrath, for as much as wrath hath alwayes reference to ſomething in man, as the cauſe of it; ſo hath not hardening: in that of Paul, Rom. 9. 18. Hee hardeneth whom hee will, like as, hee hath mercy on whom hee will. But withall, I confeſſe, hardening in this place ſeems to conſiſt onelyonly in denying of mercy: But Pharaohs hardening was much more; for, undoubtedly, mercy was no more ſhewed him when his heart rele…ted to the letting of Iſrael goe, then when hee detained them. So likewiſe, when God hardened him to follow after them, to bring them back, this was more than a bare denying of mercy, even a ſecret impulſion of him to take ſuch courſes as ſhould precipitate him unto deſtruction: and this may well be accounted a fruit of the power of Gods wrath; and accordingly I am verily perſwaded, that Gods power or ſoveraignty over Pharaoh, are not oppoſed to his grace and love to Jacob: OnelyOnly, freedome, in my judgement, doth not ſo well conſent with the execution of juſtice, whether juſtice be taken in rewarding or puniſhing. Neither doe wee ever read of Gods rewarding or puniſhing whom hee will; freedome and ſoveraignty is ſeen only in giving or denying good, according to common account: Albeit, there is a further freedom and ſoveraignty of God, over his creatures, in doing evill unto them; as in annihilating the moſt righteous, which Arminius acknowledgeth, and in expoſing his holy Son to ſuffer ſtrange pains and ſorrowes, for other mens ſinnes, when hee had none of his owne. Not to ſpeak of the ſoveraignty wherewith God hath indued man over his fellowes, though inferiour creatures.
That God in his decree of Predeſtination did ſhew forth the declaration Anſw.of his ſoveraignty, freedome, and dominion over the creatures, I eaſily grant; yet that it was his primary aime, rather then the declaration of his juſtice and grace, I cannot beleeve, without better proofe.
My opinion is, That all the variety of Gods glory, to bee manifeſted in the creature, was intended at once; and if they that are Examin.otherwiſe minded come to a particular expreſſion of what glory was intended firſt, and what next, and ſo in order, I am perſwaded the incongruity of that order will ſoon appear.
It is granted on all hands, that God firſt aimed at the declaration of his owne glory: Now, wherein doth God delight principally Anſw.for to manifeſt his glory? God himſelfe declared it to Moſes, who deſired him to ſhew him his glory; The Lord, ſaith hee, mercifull, and gracious, and that will by no meanes cleare the guilty, viſiting iniquity: Exod. 34. 6, 7.Where God declareth, and proclaimeth his chiefe glory to ſtand partly of attributes, and the work of grace in the one hand and of juſtice in the other; for God in like ſort declareth wherein hee delighteth chiefly to glorifie himſelfe, viz. in the exerciſe of loving kindneſſe, and righteouſneſſe, and judgement, Jer. 9. 24.
I ſhould think whatſoever is in God is equally glorious, even his ſtrength as well as his mercy, wherewith the Lord begins, in Examin.the *Exod. 34 6.place alledged, though here pretermitted: Neither doth it follow, that becauſe theſe only are here mentioned therefore the glory of God doth principally conſiſt in theſe. And beſides, there is the glory of his ſoveraignty expreſſed, even then when the promiſe of this revelation (here mentioned) was made to Moſes; to wit, in ſhewing mercy, and having compaſſion on whom hee will. I beſeech thee, ſhew mee thy glory: And hee anſwered, I will make Exod. 31. 28, 29.all my good goe before thee, and I will proclaime the Name of the Lord before thee; for I will ſhew mercy to whom I will ſhew mercy, and I will have compaſſion on whom I will have compaſſion. And this is it the Apoſtle doth moſt inſiſt upon, Rom. 9. yet I make no queſtion but foreign, the various wiſdome of God, is as glorious as any of the reſt; and this appeareth in the incarnation of the Sonne of God, and in the complete execution of his office, as in nothing more. But, I conceive, that glory of God repreſented to Moſes, Exod. 34. 6, 7. was expreſſed to a ſpeciall end unto his people, namely, to compoſe them to a greater reverence of his Majeſty; which reverence is a quality conſiſting of a mixture of love and feare, a morall geſture. Not to ſpeak how the execution of mercy and juſtice are competent unto the creatue, nor to mention that wherein Vaſquez and Suarez concutre, otherwiſe much different, about their conceptions of Gods juſtice, namely, that there is no juſtice in God toward the creature which is not grounded upon the determination of his will; and ſo, undoubtedly, is the execution of his mercy alſo; onelyonly with this difference, God hath revealed unto us rules, according to which hee will proceed in the execution of his juſtice; no ſuch rules hath hee revealed to us, or preſcribed to himſelfe, according to which he wil proceed in the execution of his mercy.
It is well obſerved by others, that thoſe vertues which grace the Will, are more honourable than thoſe which grace the Underſtanding, Anſw.or other parts: It is a greater honour to a Prince to be gratious and juſt, then to bee wiſe and powerfull; power and wiſedome may bee found in a vitious Prince, not grace and juſtice: If then grace and juſtice doe more ſet forth the glory of their ſoveraignty, ſurely God (who aimeth at his higheſt glory) in the higheſt and firſt place, he aimed chiefly at the manifeſtation of his grace and juſtice, above the manifeſtation of his power and dominion.
1. Firſt concerning the inſtance it ſelfe, I anſwer 1. It is not to be expected, I confeſſe, that vertue ſhould be found in a vitious Examin.perſon; but yet Princes commonly make more accompt of their abſoluteneſſe, then of their vertue. 2. And the moſt capitall crime againſt them, conſiſts rather in the derogation to their power, then to their vertue. 3. And vertue is common to all; and if all were as they ought to be, what glory were it to a King to be vertuous? 2. But as for the accomodation of it, though all were granted, yet it concludes nothing. To be vertuous is honourable to a man, becauſe he is indifferent to execute his power, in the way of vice, as well as in the way of vertue: But there is no ſuch indifferency found in God. Gods gratious diſpoſition tyes him to doe good to none, but to whom he will. Had he never made the world, nor purpoſed to produce any creature, he had beene notwithſtanding the ſame he now is; yea the very execution of juſtice in God, doth preſuppoſe the determination of his owne will: whereupon it is that Bradwardine diſtinguiſheth betweene meritum aptitudinale, & meritum actuale. Aptitudinale meritū is the merit of ſuch good, as God can beſtow in the way of reward, if he will; or ſuch evill as God can inflict in the way of puniſhment, if he will. Actuale meritum is the merit of ſuch good or evill, as God hath determined to beſtow, or inflict; Anſwerable hereunto Gerſon profeſſeth, that when a ſinne is committed, it is meerely at the pleaſure of God to inflict what puniſhment he will. And withall he profeſſeth, that God doth actually remunerate every good worke ultra condignum, and puniſh every evill worke citra condignum; all which I hold to be Orthodox, and ſound. And let me intreat and prevaile with you, in this, that you will not thinke any thing in the nature of God to be leſſe glorious then another, howſoever, to our apprehenſion, ſome attributes, may ſeem more glorious then others.
Conſider what you finde laſt in the execution of Gods decree, and from thence gather, what was firſt in his intention. Now at Anſw.the laſt judgement, as likewiſe in the courſe of his providence in this world, God doth chiefly manifeſt the glory of his grace to the elect, and the glory of his juſtice upon the world. When God in his wayes towards the elect, bleſſeth them with all ſpirituall bleſſings in Chriſt, what doth he rather aime at, then the praiſe of the glory of his grace? When God deſtroyeth the wicked in their flouriſhing eſtate, and cauſeth the righteous to flouriſh, in their weake and decayed age; what doth be rather aime at, then to ſhew that the Lord is upright, and there is noe unrighteouſneſſe with him? When Chriſt ſhall come to judgement at the laſt day, what will he rather ſhew forth, then the righteous judgement of God upon the world of the ungodly, and the admirable glory of his grace to the Saints? Since then, all the wayes of God doe finally worke to this iſſue, the ſetting forth of his grace, and juſtice; ſurely we are ſo to conceive it, as his primary aime and intent to be, to glorifie rather his grace and juſtice, then his power and ſoveraignty.
1. That God doth manifeſt the glory of his grace to the elect, and the glory of his juſtice upon the world, both in this life, and Examin.at the day of judgement, I grant; But that he doth chiefly manifeſt this, is not proved: ſave only there is a propenſion in the phraſe, to ſignifie as much, as properly, and then it is true indeed. His grace properly on the one, his juſtice properly on the other; whereas the glory of his power, and ſoveraignty, and wiſdome, is promiſeuouſly ſhewed on both, yet there is not taken ſo diſtinct a conſideration of juſtice, as ſeems fit: For whereas juſtice is as well remunerative, as vindicative; as this hath place only on the wicked, ſo the other on the good; I meane thoſe, that departed the world after they came to yeares of diſcretion: yet conſider, I pray you, what thinke you of them that periſh in no other ſinne but originall, derived unto them by the fall of Adam, which Adam we beleeve to be ſaved? In the condemnation of theſe what glory of God doth appeare more, either of his juſtice, or of his ſoveraignty?
2. But be it granted, that theſe glories doe appeare chiefly at ſuch times; yet if other glories doe appeare alſo in the ſame laſt execution, how will you deduce herehence, that only thoſe glories you mention were firſt in intention? Will it not rather follow, that ſeeing other glories, as well as theſe, did appeare in execution though not chiefly, therefore other glories, as well as theſe, were firſt in intention, though not chiefly?
3. When God bleſſeth his elect, with all ſpirituall bleſſings in Chriſt, we need not ſay, he aimes rather at ſomewhat elſe then the praiſe of the glory of his grace: when out of meere grace he made his glorious ſelfe known unto us, he made not only his grace known unto us, but all his attributes more or leſſe, which to our underſtanding are equally glorious in themſelves, though we take more comfort in the ſpeculation of his grace; which yet is more wonderfull, when we conſider his ſoveraignty over us his creatures, and that it was indifferent to him to make us veſſells of wrath, as well as veſſells of mercy: and in this very conſideration, the very damnation of reprobates ſhall improve our glorious joyes in the apprehenſion of Gods free love to us at the day of judgement, according to that of the Apoſtle, Rom. 9. 22. You are to looke to it, how you make your Tenent good, who maintaine that God doth rather aime at the one, then at the other.
4. As for the wicked, the righteouſneſſe of Gods judgement upon them, we can in ſome meaſure conceive at this preſent: But as for the power of God in executing ſuch judgements, maintaining the creature, in the ſuffering of eternall ſorrows, wee are not able to conceive, and therefore the glory hereof is farre more admirable then the other. So likewiſe, what ſhall be the fruits of the grace of God towards us at that day and after, neither eye hath ſeene, nor eare hath heard, &c. nor that glory contained in ſeeing the face of God. If God ſhould but reveale unto us the wiſdome whereby he hath managed his providence towards us before he called us, and ſince the calling of us, immediatly by himſelfe, mediatly by the miniſtry of good Angels, contending with, and croſſing the counſells and practiſes of wicked Angels; what a body of glory would appeare unto us, and how ſhould we be raviſhed with the contemplation of it? How much more with the contemplation of his providence thoroughout, both in managing the whole courſe of nature, and the whole courſe of grace?