Divinity Knots Unloosed, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
CHAP. VII. Of Chriſt the Mediator.
27. Doubt. HOW could Chriſt be ſent by his Father, and yet be equall to him, ſeeing the Scripture ſaith, He is greater that ſends, then he which is ſent?
Reſol. Chriſt as God is equall to his Father, but as Mediator (in which capacity, he was ſent) an inferiour to himaPhil. 2, 6, 7..
28. Doubt. If Chriſt payd a full price to his Father for the redemption of mankind, how can the ſalvation of the Elect be attributed to the grace of God?
Reſol. Had it not been for the grace and mercy of God, Chriſt had not been beſtowed on usbJoh. 3.16 ; nor needed God to have given way that Chriſt ſhould be ſurety for us, though he had been moved to that end, although when God had accepted him as ſurety, and layd the whole debt upon him, till he was fully ſatisfied; he is bound in faithfulneſſe and juſtice it ſelfe to forgive us our ſinsc1 Joh. 1.9. A creditor needs not to take a Surety for a debt already due, unleſſe himſelfe pleaſe, and if he doe, it is a curteſie to the Debtor (for if he will he may lay him by it, till he pay or rot) yet if he doe accept of a Surety, and lay the debt upon him, and be accordingly payd and ſatisfied, he cannot require it again, but is bound in juſtice, Law, and conſcience to acquit the principall: In like manner, God without wrong to mankinde might have bound them over to eternall puniſhment in their owne perſons, without accepting any other to be bound for them; but having accepted of Chriſt to enter bond with them, and received the whole ſumme from him, acknowledging the receit thereof under his owne hand and ſeale, he cannot in righteouſneſſe charge it againe upon us.
29. Doubt. If Chriſt have fully ſatisfied his Fathers juſtice for the Elect, ſo that all (and onelyonly) they that are in Chriſt have their ſins pardoned, how can any man aske for giveneſſe of ſins? If they be in Chriſt it ſeems to be ſuperfluous, if not, ſinfull; for whatſoever one that is out of Chriſt doth is ſinfull.
Reſol. Whether men be in Chriſt or no, they ought to pray for pardon of ſindMat. 6.12 Luke 11.4. Acts 8.22. : for although thoſe which are in Chriſt be free from damnation, yet not from correction for their failingsc2 Sam. 12 14 Pſal. 89.30, 31, 32, 33, 34.. And therefore have cauſe to pray that God would neither hide his face from them, nor afflict them for it. And though a man be in the ſtate of nature, yet prayer being an Ordinance of God, and a duty incumbent to every onefPſal. 79.6 Jer. 10.25., in the uſe whereof God is pleaſed to let forth himſelfe and vouchſafe a diſcovery of Chriſt gActs 10.30., every one ſhould beware of ſleighting it; for although the prayer of a wicked perſon be ſinfull, and therefore may be thought unprofitable, ſo is their hearing of the Word without FaithhHeb. 4.3., and yet they muſt heare that they may have FaithiRom. 10.14, &c. : Yes its generally ſayd, whatſoever is not of Faith is ſinkRom. 14.23. ; and without Faith it is impoſſible to pleaſe GodlHeb. 11.6,, inſomuch that the plowing of the wicked is iniquitymPro. 23.4. And yet I doe not thinke any man holdeth that faithleſſe men are to forbeare every thing, and wicked men plowing. No more muſt naturall men forbeare praying, becauſe they cannot pray as they ought, but rather be more ſerious and frequent that God in his owne Ordinance may meet with them, and work upon their hearts effectually.
30. Doubt. I can eaſily grant that we may pray for aſſurance of pardon, but for the pardon it ſelfe we may not, becauſe every Elect perſon (and reprobates are excluded from pardon) hath all his ſinnes paſt, preſent, and to come, layd upon Chriſt: And therefore though be be in the height of his ſinnes, he ſtands in no more need of pardon then a Saint in Heaven: Hence it is, that ſome Goſpell-Preachers of theſe dayes expound [forgive us our debts or ſins] to ſignifie no more but [manifeſt to us that our fins are forgiven us] And when David begs pardon of ſinne, it was either becauſe he lived under an imperfect Covenant, wherein remiſſion was obtained ſucceſſively, as ſacrifice was offered; or elſe he was under a temptation, as in another caſe, when be charged GOD to have forgotten to be gracious nPſal. 77.7, &c.?
Reſol. Thoſe which make this objection doe ordinarily diſtinguiſh (in the pardon of ſin) betwixt Gods decree to forgive, and the manifeſtation hereof; but they leave out a third thing, without which the enumeration is imperfect, to wit the execution of this decree; from want whereof, all theſe miſtakes ariſe: For the actuall pardoning of ſin conſiſts neither in the decree nor manifeſtation of pardon, but it is a thing diſtinct from them both, following the one, and leading the other in the order of nature and time.
For when a Malefactor is condemned, and his Soveraigne purpoſeth in his heart to pardon him, this intention of his (ſuppoſe it be unalterable) is but a purpoſe to pardon, not to pardon formally; nor yet though the manifeſtation thereof be added, except it be in a judiciall way, for though it be never ſo well knowne that the King intends to forgive him, yet he is not forgiven till his pardon be ſealed, and confirmed according to Law: and then his aſſurance and ſelfe ſatisfaction ariſeth from the ſight or knowledge thereof. In like manner, though God hath choſen the Elect before the World was, that they ſhould receive in Chriſt the forgiveneſſe of ſins, and this his decree unalterable (and as to God before whom all things are preſent) they are already pardoned, in the ſame manner that Chriſt is called the Lambe ſlaine from the beginning of the World for the certainty and efficacy thereof, though he was actually put to death till the fulneſſe of time, yet (as to them) the pardon hath not actuall exiſtence, till God give them Faith in Chriſt, whereby they receive the actonement; but till they beleeve, they want not onelyonly the aſſurance of forgiveneſſe, but forgiveneſſe it ſelfe, for they are Children of wrath oJoh. 3.36 Eph. 2.3., and condemned perſons pJoh. 3.19. This conſidered, I cannot but greatly wonder, that any learned man ſhould without warrant of Scripture, and againſt the ſtreame of Commentators, expound [forgive] to ſignifie [declare forgiveneſſe] (a thing vaſtly different, though ſubordinate to it) upon one ſlender reaſon, not to be owned by ſuch a man. For what though a man ought to pray in Faith, and this Faith demonſtrates that our ſins are already pardoned; (which is the ſtrength of the reaſon brought) ſeeing I have proved beforeqDoubt. 30. anſwered., that a Beleever is not free from correction, though from condemnation be is. As for David I have beforerIn the Reſolution of the 25. Doubt. overthrowne the pretended difference between the Covenant of Crace under which he lived, and that whereunder we live: Nor can I think that he was under any temptation when he writ the 25. and 51. Pſalmes, in which he frequently beggeth pardon: I readily grant that ſome paſſages of the 77. Pſalme, were ſpoken in ſuch a temper, for himſelfe tells us ſoſVerſ. 10. : but that any thing in theſe PſalmetViz. 25. & 51. was ſo ſpoken, is impoſſible to be proved, either by themſelves or any other Scripture, which is a ſtrong argument to me that he was himſelfe, and did not perſonate a Beleever in his ſinfull doubtings, when he ſpoke thus; eſpecially conſidering that he ſeldome or never leaves any Errour on record without ſome daſh or brand to know it by: And therefore till ſome man ſhew me as good ground to prove him under a temptation when he asked forgiveneſſe, as when he ſayd, God had forſaken him; I ſee no reaſon why the places ſhould be parallel'd, and the one expounded by the other.
CHAP. VIII. Of Free-will.
31. Doubt. HOw can any be ſaid to have Free-will, whereas naturall men are taken captive by Satan at his will a2 Tim. 2.26., and thoſe which come to Chriſt are drawne by the Father bJoh. 6.44?
Reſol. The will of man may be depraved by corruption, or regulated by grace; but deſtroyed or violently forced by neither: One may be ſo powerfully perſwaded by reaſons and importunity that he cannot ſay nay, and yet not neceſſitated to yeild or deny, but acteth freely: So in the will of man, though corruption be ſo forcible and prevalent in its inſtigations in the unregenerate, that they cannot but will and act iniquity, yet is not the will violently hurried and dragged (like a Beare to the ſtake, as we ſay) but complyingly, as when a blind man is led by another; and when as grace acts the will, it doth not take it priſoner, or carry it headlong, but perſwades it; for when Chriſt draweth, his people become willingcPſal. 110.3., and run after himdCan. 1.4..
32. Doubt. Let mee underſtand you thorowly; Doe you meane that man ſince the fall hath Free will to good or evill, ſo that he wants no power, but will onelyonly, to beleeve and repent?
Reſol. By no meanes, no more then a mad, or poſſeſſed man can diſpoſe of his owne ſtrength for his owne good: For though I hold that the will of man is not loſt, nor abſolutely determined this way, or that, by any inevitable neceſſity in cauſes purely naturally, yet withall I aſſerted, that by the fall of man, the will is wholly depraved, and as long as corruption is the guide, it muſt needs act corruptly, and not otherwiſe. To make this plaine, conſider one of the Simile's I uſed concerning a blind man led by another: You know a blind man followeth his leader freely (that is, he is not haled or dragged away forcibly) which notwithſtanding I hope no man will ſay, that a blind man which relyeth wholly on the guidance of his leader, can goe whither he will, and eſcape all dangerous places of himſelfe, but according to his guide ſo is his going. So the will of man acts freely, but it ſeeth not by its owne eyes, but is guided by the underſtanding, which becauſe of corruption is a falſe guide to it; and therefore untill God by his ſpirit ſanctifie the underſtanding, to be a faithfull guide to the will, it muſt needs act perverſly, though freely.
33. Doubt. If a man in his naturall condition cannot doe good or evill as himſelfe willeth, why is he blamed for it, or exhorted to amend?
Reſol. If a man by his owne unthriftineſſe make away his eſtate, is he not ſtill ſuable for his debts, though unable to pay them? And when God gave us ability to doe his will, and we loſt it through our owne default, are we not ſtill debtors to his juſtice? May not he blame us for making oure ſelves uncapable? And whereas the Scripture calleth on us for amendment, it is to convince us of our wants and inſufficiencie, that we may the more ſeriouſly ſeek to him, that hath promiſed to eaſe and heale them. The Prophet bids us make our ſelves new heartseEzek. 18 31., and yet David deſires God to doe itfPſal. 51.10. : So then it muſt be our aime, but Gods actgRom. 9.16..