A Sovereign Salve, Section 1
SECT. I.
The places of Scripture.
PROV. 1. 24, &c. Becauſe I have called (ſaith God) and ye have refuſed, &c. They ſhall call upon me, but I will not anſwer.
HEB. 12. 17. When Eſau would have inherited the bleſſing, he was rejected, and found no place for repentance, though he ſought it carefully with teares.
MATH. 25. 11, 12. The fooliſh Virgins comming too late, when the dore was ſhut: eried, Lord Lord, open unto us, and yet could not be admitted.
LUK. 13. 24. Many will ſeeke to enter in, and ſhall not be able.
The Concluſion which tender Conſciences draw from theſe places of Scripture againſt themſelves, is this:
THat if this be ſo, then certainly God will never have mercy upon them; though either they themſelves, or others for them, ſhould pray, and call, and cry unto God for it never ſo earneſtly: For they now ſee, and their conſciences doe tell them (that having ſo often, and for ſo long a time rejected all Gods offers of grace made unto them in the Miniſtery of the Word, for their converſion) the time, and date of their converſion is paſt; and therefore it is now too late, and it will be but in vaine for them, or others in their behalfe, to ſeeke or ſue unto God for it, or for his mercy upon them, in caſe they ſhould now convert, & amend: For Gods Word is true, and that (in the fore-alledged places) doth aſſure them thereof.
The fore-alleaged places of Scripture, vindicated, and cleared.
AS for that place (a)See Maſter Scudders Chriſtians dayly Walk. pag 545in Prov. 1. 24. &c. if it be rightly underſtood, it maketh nothing for that, which is by the tender Conſcience from thence concluded. For by (refuſing) there he meaneth a conſtant, and obſtinate refuſing of Wiſdomes counſell, even untill ſuch time as God hath brought ſome heavy Judgment, or Miſery upon them. At which time perhaps they will then turne unto God, and call, and cry for mercy, pardon, and comfort: For ſo ſaith God, ver. 28. Then ſhall they call upon me. But by (calling) here is not meant an (b)See Rom. 10. 13.hearty praying, with godly ſorrow for Sinne, making requeſt for Pardon, and for Grace: but a crying, and howling rather, like thoſe in Hoſea (c)Hoſ. 7. 14.under the ſenſe of Gods Judgments, praying only to be (d)See the Geneva notes upon the place.eaſed of it, as (e)Exod. 8. 8. 29. & 9. 28.Pharaoh was wont to do. For at what time ſoever a true Penitent Sinner ſhall call and cry to God for mercy, God will hear his cry, and have mercy upon him: For the Lord (ſaith (f)Pſal. 145. 18.David) is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Againe, for the ſecond place in Heb. 12. 17. touching Eſau, his ſeeking of repentance with teares, it is as much miſtaken as the former: for it is not to be underſtood of Eſau his own repentance from his Prophaneſſe, but of his Father Iſaacks Repentance. He would have had his Father to repent of what he had done, and to change his minde, by revoking the Bleſſing which he had given to his Brother, and to beſtow it on him: but he could finde no ſuch Repentance in his Father, no not though he ſought it with teares, as appeares, Gen. 27. 34. & 38.
And as for the third place alleaged out of Mat. 25. 11, 12. touching the fooliſh Virgins being excluded out of the Bride-chamber for comming too late. We muſt know that this is a Parable, and Parables muſt not be urged beyond their generall ſcope. Now the generall ſcope of the Parable is this, to ſhew that formall Profeſſors of Chriſtianity, ſuch as have onelyonly …redge… *2 Tim. 3. 5.Forme of godlineſſe without the power of it, although they will not live the life of the Righteous, yet they could wiſh their †Numb. 23. 10end might be like theirs: and becauſe of their outward Profeſſion of Chriſts name in this Life, they ſecurely expect Eternall Life; but becauſe before their Death, they did not provide the Oyle of Truth and Holineſſe; therefore at the day of Judgment they ſhall be diſappointed of entring into Heaven, which in the time of their Life they did ſo much preſume of. So then, this Parable is not to be underſtood of what ſhall betide true Penitent Sinners in this Life; but of what ſhall betide Hypocriticall Profeſſours after this life at the day of Judgement, when the Gate of Mercy ſhall be ſhut, and all meanes which they ſhall then uſe to open it, ſhall be unavailable.
As for the fourth, and laſt place alleaged out of Luke 13. 24. that is as much miſtaken as any of the reſt, or rather more: For Chriſt ſaith, Not many ſhall ſtrive to enter, and ſhall not be able, but many ſhall ſeek to enter, and ſhall not be able: betwixt which, there is a great difference. For ſeeking imports onelyonly a bare profeſſing of Chriſt, comming to Church, hearing the Word, and receiving the Sacraments: for thus did the Men ſpoken of by our Saviour, who are ſaid not to be able to enter. But to ſtrive to enter, is to doe all theſe, and more too: to wit, to put all his endeavours thereunto, to withſtand all lets, and hindrances, that may oppoſe him, to take every advantage that may make the way the more paſſeable, and to make uſe of the time, and meanes that are offered, when the way is ſo opened: this is properly to ſtrive to enter. Now never did any thus ſtrive in ſeeking to enter (though it were but on the laſt day of their life) that was put backe backe, and not received: Witneſſe the penitent Theefe, Luk. 23. 40, 41. &c.
The Concluſion drawne from the formerly alledged places of Scripture, confuted.
HEre then is no reaſon, nor ground (you ſee) of drawing any ſuch fearfull Concluſion againſt your ſelves, as you imagine. I confeſſe it is moſt true, that *Joh. 12. 36.God would have us to walke, and worke, whilſt we have the light: And whilſt it is †Heb. 3. 13. 15.called to day, to returne unto him; to accept of grace offered, and not to harden our hearts againſt it. And (a)Luk. 19. 42, 43.our Saviour, for this cauſe, bewailed Jeruſalem, becauſe ſhe had let ſlip the day of her viſitation.
And therefore they that have let ſlip their firſt times, and offers of grace, have ſinned, and played the fooles egregiouſly, for which they have cauſe to be much humbled: But why they ſhould finally deſpaire, they have no cauſe at all. For as long as a man lives, and the meanes of ſalvation are not taken from him, nor he from thoſe meanes; but doth heare what God hath commanded him to doe, and what good things he ſtill offereth unto him in Chriſt. Nay, ſuppoſe the meanes were taken from him, or he detained from them, by ſickneſſe, impriſonment, or the like; ſo long as he yet lives, to call to remembrance what God hath commanded him to believe, and doe; and doth unfaignedly condemne himſelfe for refuſing grace heretofore, and would be now willing and deſirous to accept of it, the day of ſalvation is not yet paſt to that man, nor the date of Gods acceptance of him in Chriſt, as yet out; but he may, in the carefull and conſcionable uſe of the means appointed by God, find the comfort of both. And hereof we have a lively example in Manaſſes, for though the Lord ſpoke often unto him by his Prophets, and he would not regard, but ſtill refuſed all grace offered him, as appeares in 2 Chro. 33. 10. Yet at laſt (though but in his tribulation) calling heartily unto God for mercy, and humbling himſelfe greatly before him, he was heard of him, and received to mercy, verſ. 12, 13.