The Door of Salvation Opened by the Key of Regeneration, Treatise · Answer 1
The firſt Objection anſwered; namely, Mans weakneſs and inability to turn unto God.
THou mayſt probably object againſt this Exhortation to minde Regeneration, That thou haſt no power to leave and loath ſin, to believe in, and ſubmit to Jeſus Chriſt; Therefore, why do I call upon thee ſo earneſtly? to what purpoſe do I bid thee make thee a new heart, and a new ſpirit, turn unto God, and embrace his onelyonly Son as thy Lord?
To this and the other ſubſequent objections, concerning Election, and thy ſinfulneſs in performing duties, I might anſwer onelyonly with the Apoſtle, Who art thou that replyeſt againſt God, Rom. 9.20. or with Eliphaz, Shall mortal man be more juſt then God? ſhall a man be more pure then his Maker? Job 4.17. But I will anſwer with Elihu, Suffer me a little, and I will ſhew thee, what I have to ſpeak on Gods behalf; I will fetch my knowledg from a far, and will aſcribe righteouſneſs to my maker. For truly my words ſhall not be falſe; He that is perfect in knowledge is with me. Job 36.2, 3, 4.
Firſt, I confeſſe, See more of mans Impotency p. 111. to 117.that thou art unable either to loath ſin or love God, by thine own ſtrength. The precepts of the word ſpeak mans duty, but Gods power; They teach us not what we can do, but what we ſhould do; becauſe a man ought to pay his debts, therefore it doth not follow that he is able to pay them. Divine commands are to convince men of their weakneſs, not to ſhew their ſtrength. I acknowledg that by nature thou art dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, and canſt neither ſee, nor hear, nor ſavour ſpiritual things, Eph. 2.1. Thou art without ſtrength, Rom. 5.6. not able to think a good thought, 2 Cor. 3.5. nor to ſpeak a good word, Mat. 12.34. nay, thou canſt do nothing that is acceptable to God, Joh. 15.3. or profitable to thy ſelf.
None can be aforehand with God. We cannot ſeek him, till we have found him; he will be ſought, that he may be found, and found that he may be ſought, ſaith Bernard.
Secondly, I anſwer that the cauſe of mans weakneſs is from himſelf, the fault is not in God. God made man upright, but he hath found out many inventions, Eccleſ. 7.29. What was there wanting on Gods part? He created man after his own image, in knowledg, righteouſneſs, and true holineſs, he gives him a law to direct him, a threatning to warn him, a promiſe to encourage him, ability and power to carry himſelf uprightly. Man hearkeneth to Satan, diſtruſteth God, deſpiſeth the Law, tryeth new inventions, whereby he undoeth himſelf; Is God to be blamed? Surely no. The fooliſhneſs of man perverteth his way, and then his heart fretteth againſt the Lord. Pro. 19.3.
If thou urgeſt the objection farther, That one man ſinned and the whole generation of men ſuffer; that thy weakneſs proceedeth not from thy fall, but Adams; I anſwer, That a child may as well complain that his Prince is unjuſt, becauſe he is born the Son of a Beggar, or a Traytour; indeed it is an unhappineſs to thee, that thou art ſo deſcended, but not unrighteouſneſs in God. If God gave thy father an earthly eſtate of a thouſand pound per annum, and he prove a prodigal, and leave thee not a thouſand farthings, wilt thou blame God? Is he to be charged for thy fathers riotouſneſs? truly thus it is in ſpirituals; God gave Adam a ſufficient ſtock, he waſted it by wilful diſobeying the command given him, and thereby leaves all his children poor and beggarly; is God now in the leaſt fault? Becauſe thou haſt loſt thy power of obeying? ſhould God therefore loſe his right of commanding? a ſervant that makes himſelf drunk, and thereby unable to do his Maſters work, is not therefore diſobliged from his ſervice. A prodigal debter though he hath ſpent his eſtate in drinking and dicing, may juſtly be called upon, and ſued for his debts.
But thou mayſt ſayſt ſay, thou didſt not conſent to truſt thy ſtock in Adams hands. I reply, Hath not a father power to oblige and bind his ſon? Adam was the father of all, and did bear without queſtion, an extraordinary natural affection to his children; His own intereſt was involved with theirs; he and they lived and died, ſtood and fell together; he had full power over his own will; Satan could not force him to ſin; his obedience for all was no leſs eaſie then for himſelf. There was nothing commanded him but what was equal and juſt, and what he was throughly enabled to do. If Adam had ſtood, thou hadſt ſhared in his gains, which had been unſpeakably great, therefore it is but righteous that thou ſhouldſt ſhare in his loſſes.
Beſides, Shepherds ſince o… convert edit. 5. p. 44.though thou didſt not make any particular choice of Adam, to ſtand or fall, for thee, yet God made choice of him for thee, who being goodneſs it ſelf, bears more good will to thee, then thou to thy ſelf; and being wiſdom it ſelf, made the wiſeſt choice, and took the wiſeſt courſe for the good of man. This way made moſt for mans ſafety and quiet. For if he had ſtood, all fear of loſing our happineſs had quite vaniſhed; whereas if ever man had been leſt to ſtand or fall for himſelf, a man would ever have been in fear of falling; And again, this was the ſureſt way to have all our eſtates preſerved; for Adam having the charge of the eſtates of all the men that ever ſhould be in the world, he was the more preſſed to look about him, left he ſhould be robbed, and undo ſo many thouſands; Adam was the head of mankind, and all mankind are members of that head; now if the head plot and act treaſon againſt the King, the whole body is found guilty, and the whoſe body muſt ſuffer. If theſe things ſatisfie not, God hath a day coming, wherein he will declare his own righteous proceedings, before Angels and men, Rom. 2.4.
Reader, take heed of darkening counſell by words, or thoughts, without knowledg; for we are ſure that the judgment of God is according to truth, Job 38.2. Rom. 2.2.
3. I anſwer, That thine impotency lyeth in thine obſtinacy. Thou pretendeſt that thou canſt not, but the truth is thou wilt not, Luke 19.41. John 5.40. Thou art reſolvedly evil, and then flieſt out againſt God himſelf, that thou canſt not do good, Eccleſ. 8.11. Jer. 44.16.
Thy diſeaſe is deadly and dangerous; the Phyſitian of ſouls offereth thee his help, and he is both willing and able to cure thee; now thou wilfully throweſt away his Phyſick, feedeſt on ſuch things which thou (canſt for bear and) knoweſt will increaſe thy diſeaſe, and then telleſt the world that thou art not able to cure thy ſelf. Is this honeſt or rational dealing?
If a naked man be offered cloathing, o… a man ready to ſtarve, food, and they throw it away from them, and flatly deny to accept of them, who is to blame if theſe periſh with nakedneſs and hunger?
Thou hadſt a poiſonous egg from thy father, but the Serpent that ſtings thee to death is from thy warming and hatching that egg in thine own breaſt; All the men on earth, and all the devils in hell could not damn thee, were it not for thy wilfulneſs in ſin: And canſt thou expect that Jeſus Chriſt ſhould ſave thee againſt thine own will? that he ſhould carry thee to heaven whether thou wilt or no? Believe it, a ſtate of ſin and wrath, is the matter of thine own choice. The door which ſhuts thee out of the fathers houſe, is bolted againſt thee by thine own hands.
Anſwer me this queſtion, or elſe never more make this objection; Art thou willing to turn from ſin, unto God? Art thou willing to take the ſon of God for thy Saviour and Lord? If thou art willing, I am ſure God is willing; he hath confirmd it with an oath. Ezek. 33.11. Jeſus Chriſt is willing that ſinners ſhould live, or he would not ſo willingly have died ſuch a death; he hath paid the price of thy ranſom, and offereth thee an happier eſtate then that of which Adam deprived thee. If thou art willing to accept of thy freedom thou mayſt have it. If any man will, let him drink of the water of life freely. Rev. 22. And if thou art not willing, why doſt thou complain.
Fourthly, I anſwer, the fault is clearly in thy ſelf, becauſe thou neglecteſt to do what thou haſt power to do; Thou haſt power, without any ſpecial grace, to perform duties, to hear the word, to pray in ſecret, and with thy family, to forbear thy wicked company, thy ſwearing, lying, drinking, ſcoffing at godlineſs, and yet doſt not mind thoſe duties conſtantly, nor forbear thoſe ſins; ſhall a ſervant (friend, be thine own judge) which is truſted with five pound to imploy for his Maſters honour, ſpend this in whoring and gaming, and then blame his maſter for not truſting him with thouſands? When man broke by his fall, there was ſome ſtock left in his hands (not enough to ſet him up again, but that) which might do him ſome good; now they ſpend this profuſely, they throw away thoſe checks of conſcience, which eſcaped the ruines of the fall; they corrupt themſelves in what they know, and wickedly refuſe to do what they can, and yet are ſo impudent as to flie in the face of the ever-bleſſed God, that he doth not give them power to do more.
Fifthly, thy weakneſs and impotency ſhould drive thee to Chriſt for ſtrength. Lex data ut gratia quaereretur; gra tia data ut lex impleretur. Aug. de Spi. et l. 1. cap. 19.Thy miſery by the firſt Adam ſhould cauſe thee to mind thy recovery by the ſecond Adam; The word of God diſcovereth to thee the neceſſity of regeneration, thine own inability to do it, that thou mightſt ply the throne of grace, flie to Jeſus Chriſt for help and ſuccour. A man that is lifting a peice of timber, and finds it too heavy for him, will call in help; thus the Law is a School-maſter to drive thee to Chriſt. When thou conſidereſt with thy ſelf, that thou muſt be regenerated, or damned in hell for ever, and that thou art altogether unable to renew and ſanctify thy ſelf, how diligent ſhould it make thee, in attendance on Jeſus Chriſt, for his Spirit and grace? How ſhouldſt thou wait on thy redeemer, in reading, hearing, praying, meditating, uſing all thoſe meanes, which he hath appointed for the converſion of thy ſoul?