The Way to Heaven Discovered, Religious treatise · Stumbling block 6 – Stumbling block 8
VI.
Object. Well, the poor ſoule having gotten over the forementioned ſtumbling blocks begins to clear up, and immediately Satan throwes in another ſtumbling block; and indevours to perſwade the ſoule that the day of mercy is paſt; ſaying to the ſoule in theſe or the like words, Thy glaſſe is out, thy ſun is ſet, the door of mercy is ſhut, the golden ſcepter is taken in, as thou mayeſt ſee by theſe enſuing Scriptures, there is no hope o… thee; Prov. 1. 24. Becauſe I have called, and ye have refuſed, ye 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 tears Mat. 25, 12. The fooliſh Virgins coming too late, when the door was ſhut, cryed, Lord, Lord, open unto us, and yet could not be admitted. Luke 13. 24. Many ſhall ſeek to enter in, and ſhall not be able; from hence many a poor drooping ſoul being under temptation, do conclude, that the time and date of their converſion is paſt.
Anſw. It is true, Repentance is a worke that muſt be timely done, or men be utterly undone; for God would have us to walke and worke, whilſt we have the light, Joh. 12. 36. And whilſt it is called to day to r…turne unto him, and to accept of grace offered, and not to harden our hearts againſt it, Heb. 13 13, 15. And our Saviour b…wayleth Jeruſalem, becauſe ſhe had let ſl…p the day of her viſitation: therefore all thoſe that have let ſlip the firſt tender of grace have cauſe to …epent of it, but no cauſe to deſpaire; for if God make them now willing and deſirous to accept of mercy; then the day of ſalvation is not yet paſt to that man or woman; nor the date of Gods acceptance of him in Chriſt as yet out, but he or ſhe may in the carefull and conſcionable uſe of meanes appointed by God, finde comfort: And hereof we have a lively example of Manaſses, for though the Lord ſpake often unto him by his Prophets, he would not regard, but ſtill refuſed all grace offered unto him, as appears in 2 Chron. 33 10. yet at laſt though but in his tribulation he called unto God for mercy, and humbled himſelfe before him; he was heard of him, and received to mercy, ver. 12. 13.
And for that place in Prov. 1. 24. Becauſe I have called and ye refuſed, they ſhall call upon me, but I will not anſwer; by calling here is not meant an hearty praying with godly ſorrow for ſin, but a crying and howling rather, like thoſe in Hoſ. 7. 14. under the ſenſe of Gods judgements, deſiring only to be eaſed of it, as Pharaoh was wont to do; but for all this, God is mighty to all that call upon him in truth, Pſal. 145. 18. and by refuſing here is meant, a conſtant and obſtinate refuſing of wiſdoms counſell, untill ſuch time as God hath brought upon them ſome fearfull judgements.
Again, for that place in Heb. 12. 17. touching Eſau his ſeeking of repentance with tears, it is as much miſtaken as the ormer; for it is not to be underſtood of Eſau his own repentance from his profaneneſſe, but of his Father Iſaacs repentance; he would have his Father repent of what he had done, and to change his mind, 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 though he ſought it with tears, as appeareth, Gen. 27. 34, 38.
And as for the other place, Mat. 25. 11, 12. touching the fooliſh Virgins, being excluded out of the bride-chamb…r for coming too late; we are to conſider that this is a parable, and parables muſt not be urged beyond their generall ſcope: now the generall ſcope of this parable is this, that formall profeſſors, viz. ſuch as have only a fo… of godlineſſe without the power of it, although they will not live the life of the righteous, yet they could wiſh with Balaam, that their end might be like theirs; but foraſmuch as they have not provided the oyl of truth and righteouſneſſe, and holineſſe, therefore at the day of judgement they ſhall be diſappointed of entring into heaven: ſo that this parable is not to be underſtood of what ſhall betide poore penitent ſinners, but of what ſhall betide hypocriticall profeſſors at the day of Judgment, when the gate of mercy ſhall be ſhut.
And for that place Luke 13. 24. Many ſhall ſtrive to enter in, and ſhall not be able; that is as much miſtaken as any of the reſt, or rather more, for Chriſt ſaith not, many ſhall ſtrive to enter in 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 only a bare profeſſing of Chriſt, but to ſtrive is to put all his indevours thereunto, to withſtand all lets and hinderances that may oppoſe him, to take every advantage that may make the way more paſſable, and to make uſe of the time and meanes that is offered; when the way is ſo opened, this is properly to ſtrive to enter. Now never did any thus ſtrive as we read of in Scripture, though it were but at the laſt day of their lives, but they received mercy: witneſſe the penitent Theef, Luke 23. 40, 41.
VII.
Well ſaith the poor ſoul, I am fully ſatisfyed in all the forementioned particulars, which were as ſo many mountaines, or at leaſt ſo many ſtumbling blocks in my way. But behold here is another unmoveable mountain in my way, that I fear I ſhall never get over. And in briefe that is this, I feare I am not elected to ſalvation, and I finde in Scripture, that none ſhall beleeve and be ſaved, but thoſe only that he hath choſen or elected, predeſtinated and ordained, Eph. 1. 4. & Act. 13. 48. & Rom. 8. 29.
Anſw. Thou art not to enquire after, or once to queſtion thy election, till thou doeſt firſt beleeve; and ſo the Apoſtle teacheth, Rom. 10. 6, 7. Say not in thy heart, Who ſhall aſcend into heaven? that is, to bring Chriſt down from above: or, Who ſhall deſcend into the deep? that is, to bring up Chriſt again from the dead; looke neither upon election nor predeſtination, but looke upon the invitation that is laid before thee, and preached unto thee, Iſa. 55. 1. Ho! every one that thirſteth come, and he that hath no money come, without money and without price. Revel. 22. 17. The Spirit of the Bride ſay, Come; and let him that heareth, Come; and let him that is athirſt, come, and whoſoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely: there are in each of theſe texts three whatſoevers. I ſay again, there are three whatſoevers.
1. What perſon ſoever he be, viz. Jew, Gentile, Barbarian, Scythian, Bond, or Free, or whether an unconverted ſinner, or a backſlider, Act. 10. 35. & Joel 2. 32.
2. What ſinner ſoever he be, either for number or nature, Iſa. 1. 18. & 1 Joh. 1. 7, 9. Act. 13. 39.
3. What time ſoever he doth come he ſhall finde mercy, Luke 23. 43. Now election and reprobation are not as many imagine, the cauſes of ſalvation and damnation; for Chriſt is the proper and meritorious cauſe of ſalvation, and ſin the proper and meritorious cauſe of damnation. Election and reprobation, they are but preſident and peculiar acts or decrees; and the cauſes of ſalvation and damnation, they come in between the decrees and the execution thereof. The Woman of Canaan had as great cauſe to queſtion her election, as any other vile ſinner; for Chriſt tels her, that he was ſent but only to the loſt ſheep of Iſrael, and ſhe was an Heathen, a Canaanite and ſo tels her, It is not meet to take the childrens bread, and give it to dogges, Mat. 15. 24. 26, &c. Now when there be temptations about election and predeſtination thrown in upon thee, the beſt way for the preſent is, to lay that diſpute by, as this woman did, and to run to mercy, and ſay as ſhe did, Lord helpe me. Election was never laid down as the ground of faith, nor as the ground of repentance; but rather as a ſeal, or undenyable confirmation of our relation unto, and intereſt in Chriſt, and the promiſes: for a Chriſtian muſt be well grown in grace, before he can be well aſſured that he was elected before the world, and ſince called out of the world; although theſe things be ſure enough in its ſelfe by Gods decree and immatability, 2 Tim. 2. 19. Mal. 3. 6. Joh. 6. 40. Rom. 11. 29.
VIII.
Well ſaith the fainting, miſgiving ſoul, you have holpe me over this ſtumbling block touching my election, I ſee I have no juſt ground to queſtion that no more; no nor yet ſo much as that woman of Canaan had, Mat. 15. 24, 26. ſo that I am gotten over that ſtumbling block, and have for a few weeks had a little peace and comfort, and me thought my ſoule began ſteadily to reſt upon the mercy of God through the merits of Chriſt; and whiles I was thus ſolacing my ſelfe, behold another ſtumbling block was caſt in my way, viz. That I am not one of Gods children, neither doe I belong to him, becauſe I have fearfull thoughts ſuggeſted unto me, as to blaſpheme God, his Word, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and to make away my ſelfe, or to kill ſome other body.
Anſw. This temptation is no other, then what is common to man; nay, the beſt of men have had their ſhare in theſe and the like things: ſee Heb. 4. 15. the Lord Jeſus Chriſt himſelfe was not free from temptations, for the text ſaith, We have not a high prieſt, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without ſinne, Mat. 4. 6, 9. Job had the ſame temptations upon him, Job 7. 15. So that my ſoul chooſeth ſtrangling and death rather the… life. Now ſtrangling was one of thoſe puniſhments uſed amongſt the Jewes, for the puniſhment of Capitall offenders, ſuch as ſtruck Father or Mother, or that propheſied in the name of an Idoll, and ſuch as committed folly with a Prieſts daughter, &c. and when the Romans overcame the Jewes, they brought in Crucifying in ſtead of it. In a word, there is no ground for any man or woman to thinke they are not Gods children, nor belong to him, becauſe he permitteth the Devill thus to tempt and trouble them: 2 Cor. 12. 7. Paul had the meſſenger of Satan to buſſet him. Luke 22. 31. Satan doth ſift the beſt as well as the leaſt Chriſtians, I ſay he doth ſift them as wheat. James 1. 12. Bleſsed is the Man that endureth temptation, for when he is tryed he ſhall receive the crown of life. And that the Lords own beloved ones have been in all ages thus troubled with inward and outward temptations, it will yet further appear if you read theſe inſuing Scriptures, 1 Cor. 10. 13. & Gen. 3. 15. Rom. 16. 20. Revel. 2. 10. Eph. 6. 12. Revel. 12. 17. Luke 4. 13. & Iſa. 50. 10. Pſal. 88. throughout. Pſal. 6. 3. Prov. 3. 11, 12. & Heb. 12. 6, 7, 8. Revel. 3. 19. The deareſt Saints and ſervants of God may be buffeted and ſifted with ſuch ſad temptations and horrid thoughts againſt God the Father, Sonne or holy Ghoſt, blaſphemous thoughts ariſing in our hearts, yet not conſented to by us, but rather abhorred, theſe are the Devils ſinnes, not our ſinnes, they be our ſorrowes, afflictions, and miſeries, but not our ſinnes: an upright heart is no more guilty of them, then Benjamin of Joſephs cup, put into his ſack: fearfull thoughts not conſented to by us, are not our ſins, but the Devils, and Satan muſt anſwer for that himſelf.