The Fanning and Sifting of Samuel Oates, Treatise 1 · Objection 1 – Objection 4
Object. 1. As the call by the Word and Spirit depends upon the merit of Chriſts moſt ſufficient death, ſo the preſent wellbeing of the creature; for without that death of his, there had been no place for long-ſuffering and patience towards ſinners (which appeareth from the puniſhment of devils, &c.) but the preſent world had been (upon Adams ſin) turned into a hell, in an inſtant.
Anſ. To what bPag. 32, 33.hath been anſwered before, I adde,
1. The world was made by Christ, and for him, Col. 1. 16. and as 'tis kept and upheld, Heb. 1. 3. by him, ſo for him, and his glorious ends, viz. to raiſe up the humane nature, firſt, into perſonall union, by aſſumption of it into the unity of himſelf the ſecond perſon; and then, into myſticall union, by redemption of all their perſons from ſinne and wrath, whom God had choſen, and given him to redeem, Joh. 17. 2. Now that theſe may be redeemed, the Father and his work of Creation and Providence muſt go on; nor did ſin deſtroy the being of the creature; the elect muſt have time to be and breathe; And as Sodom ſhould have been ſpared for ten righteous mens ſakes, ſo for the elects ſake (as ſometimes evil daies are ſhortned) time is lengthened out; the Sunne, and all things in it's revolution, have natures courſe; the reprobate have their being, preſervation, allowance of earthly commons, &c.
2. What neceſſity of this worlds being turned into a hell, immediately upon the coming in of ſin? If Chriſt had not m… rited for all, &c? Or what neceſſity of Chriſts generall ſatisfaction, that the elect might have this world to live and breathe in? His ſole and ſingle ſatisfaction for the elect, will purchaſe time, and all other needfull creatures for them; and the world ſhall ſtand and continue for them; while God hath provided a hell in another place, for thoſe that Chriſt hath not ranſomed.
3. What if God, willing to ſhew his wrath, and the more to manifeſt his juſtice, after patience and bounty, endureth with much long-ſuffering, the veſſels of wrath, fitted for deſtruction, and a world of them never called to ſalvation, ſo much as by an outward call?
Obj. 2. But the Apoſtle takes away all ſcruple, and puts it quite out of doubt and queſtion; when as Rom. 2. 1. with 4. charging and accuſing the man endued only with the light of natures reliques, and of that moſt common mercy, he reaſoneth thus; Deſpiſeſt thou the riches of his goodneſſe, &c.
Anſw. 1. We have anſwer'd before, the Apoſtle in that place comes to deal with cPareus Willet Rolloc.Jews as well as Gentiles, which appears, in that he ſpeaks to man indefinitely dNon caret emphaſi quod expreſſit hominis nomen, ut hominem Deo comparet. Cal.compared with God, and cited to his Tribunall, whoever he be that judgeth, &c.
2. The Apoſtle is to be underſtood, not of all the Gentiles he had ſpoken of Chap. 1. but of the Gentiles (as the Jews) of the preſent age wherein he wrote; for ſo he directeth his charge to the man now living; therefore thou art inexcuſable, and as eNon dixit Apoſtolus foreign, i. e. deducebat, ſed foreign. habens videlicet ejus quo haec ſcribebat temporis rationē. Bez. Ann.Beza further noteth; he doth not ſay, it did lead, but it leadeth or doth lead, God hath other ends of his patience and goodneſſe before, but now that God ſuffered thee, ô Gentile, as well as Jew, to live to Goſpel-times, thou haſt ſuch a motive to repentance as all thy Anceſtours had not; and now that God hath ſpared thee, ô Jew, thou haſt a larger and ſtronger inducement, then thy predeceſſours, to come in to Chriſt, &c.
3. Men living in the Apoſtles times, had improvements for more then the moſt common light of the old Heathen; by the Apoſtles miniſtery every where, and by their writings; together with the ſacred Text of the old Teſtament diſperſed where the preaching of the Goſpel came; And the Jews had the advantage of former times, by the lightſome beams of wholſome Expoſitions of the writings of the Prophets, read and preached by the Apoſtles in their Synagogues; and this was a great part of the riches of Gods goodneſſe (I conceive) and patience, beyond the moſt common mercies afforded to the old Heathen, or to the Jew in the old Teſtament times; which did fPlus eſt foreign quam foreign; ducit, i.e. manu ducit. Pareus.lead theſe men (as you will lead a childe moſt weak and tender) to a change of their mindes and lives, if they would have followed their conduct.
4. As they had means of more light, ſo they are, certainly, men who did improve nature-light and Goſpel-light, better then others, whom the Apoſtle deals with; for all agree, he deals with thoſe more civilized and reſtrained; with ſuch as we call cloſe hypocrites, not groſſe diſſemblers, ſuch who were, as Calvin brands them, Sanctuli, little Saints in their own opinion, comparing themſelves with others; ſomewhat like the young man in the Goſpel, Mar. 10. 17, 21. thinks Beza. Such, no queſtion, who could ſee into the groſſenes of others open ſins, and did cenſure them; but applauded, and flattered themſelves, upon preſumption of the light they had above others; and of Gods patience extended more to them, then to others; quite perverting the end of all the coſt, beſtowed upon them, more then upon others which was to guide them to the Goſpel-grace and ſalvation. All this ſheweth, that men living under Goſpel-diſpenſations, are led by a divine providence to look after Goſpel-repentance; but it proves not that, for which Teſtardus alledgeth the Apoſtle, that the men of former ages, before the Goſpel came among the Gentiles had ſome call to Chriſt and grace, agreeable to the common call, which now men have by the Word and Spirit.
Obj. 3. What way ſoever God calleth, he calleth ſeriouſly, and deludeth no man.
Anſ. 1. This way of calling, and that to Chriſt by the creatures alone, without the Word, is not found to be a way of Gods calling men to Chriſt; every reall act of Gods goodneſſe and patience, is not ſimply and properly in Gods intention, a call to Chriſt; no more then Gods legall command, Doe this and live, is a direct call to life: God is reall in ſuch a command held out to Phariſees and ſelf-juſtifiers, and yet conſult with gThe. 164.Teſtardus, in his right judgement, and he will tell you, that God thereby doth not invite men to life, Per legem at que ex lege, by the Law, and out of the Laws earnings or labours.
2. God deludeth no man in the acts of his providence, or reciting of the legall command; but our Univerſaliſts delude many men, while they preach Chriſts death for all, and ſalvation but for ſome. The plain Countrey-man cannot tell how to underſtand that, and many other ſuch diſtinctions.
Obj 4. The acts of divine patience and providence, agree with the calling by Gods Word and Spirit, in the main end, which is the ſalvation of all that are called, and as a means to that end, God would have them all come to the knowledge of the truth, which truth ſpoken of, 1 Tim. 2. 4. Teſtardus hThe. 1…0.in this his reaſon compares with Rom. 1. 18. and 25. as if they were all one and the ſame veritas ſalutaris, or ſaving truth.
Anſ. 1. In the moſt generall call by the creatures, Teſtardus himſelf ſaith, Gods end and will for all mens ſalvation, is but aliquatenus, in ſome ſort or reſpect 'tis his will and end, in ſome reſpect it is not: but in what reſpect it is, and is not, he cannot make out, agreeable to Gods will of ſaving his elect. Salvation is but one, God is one, Semper ſibi conſtans, what his end is, he attaineth, and will never be put by his end.
2. Who ſeeth not the artifices of this Author, or rather his inartificiall jumbling and confounding of the truth, mention'd Rom. 1. 18, 25. with that in 1 Tim. 2. 4. The Apoſtle to the iRom. 1. 18. Veritatem rectè vocat Paulus quicquid lucis ad Dei notitiam in homine relictum eſt: non ut hac duce in Dei gratiam redeant (hoc enim eſt unius Chriſti opus, qui ſolus vera lux eſt, via & veritas) ſed ut ſuo ipſorum judicio ſceloris convincantur, tum in Deum, tum in hominet. Beza. Annot. in Rom. 1. 18.Romans meaning by truth there, the true notions and right apprehenſions of the Deity in ſome common way; and to Timothy mentioning (according to his meaning) ver. 5. not only the Doctrine of one God, but kNon agitur de generali cognitione, qu… eſt communis …oti hominum ge…eri ex re…um creatarum inspectione. Sed de cogaitione quâ Patrem & Chriſt … agnoſcentes, vitae aeternae ſu… participes. Faius in 1 Tim. 2. 4.of one Mediatour: Now though it is Gods end to bring men to ſalvation, by the knowledge of a Mediatour, yet it was never his end to ſave men by the knowledge of one God, and by that knowledge alone; nor can Teſtardus (without impudence) call it (take it alone without the knowledge of one Mediatour) a ſaving truth; our Saviour will teach him better language, This is life eternall to know thee to be the only true God, and Jeſus Chriſt whom thou hast ſent.
3. It being clear, that the Apoſtle to Timothy, meaneth, as he expreſſeth it, the only ſaving truth of the Goſpel, whereof Paul was a preacher, v. 7. in faith and verity; And yet this Gospel of Chriſt, not by Paul or others, preached to every ſingular man (for the calling by the Word, even by lThe 124.Teſtardus confeſſion, is but to many) it clearly followeth, that when he ſaith, God will have all men to be ſaved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth▪ He is not to be underſtood mCùm autem talis agnitio Dei non donetur omnibus, ſed tantum nonnullis; apparet non … verſaliter, ſed diſtributivè eſſe lo…um hunc intelligendum, nempe de illis qui electi ſ…t ad vitam aeternam. Faius in locum.univer ſaliter, ſed distributivè, not of the ſingulars of every rank of men, but of ſuch ranks and ſorts of men, where the Goſpel cometh, out of which God willeth his choſen, high and low, rich and poor to be ſaved, by the acknowledgement of that one God, reconciled by the ranſome of that one Mediatour, for all them.