Produced by Keith G. Richardson
Free _and_ Impartial
THOUGHTS,
ON THE
Sovereignty _of_ God,
THE
DOCTRINES
OF
Election, Reprobation,
AND
Original Sin:
Humbly Addressed
To all who Believe and Profess those
DOCTRINES.
The Second Edition, Corrected and Enlarged.
_LONDON:_
Printed for J. ROBINSON, at the _Golden-Lion_, in _Ludgate-Street._
M.DCC.XLV.
THE
PREFACE
_I Cannot find, upon the most impartial Retrospection of the
Argument, any Reason to alter my Sentiments concerning it; and as it
is a Matter of the greatest Importance, 'tis hoped that those who
maintain the Doctrines of_ Election, &_c. will afford it all the
Weight and Consideration it deserves. But, if there be any among
them, who will hear no Reason or Argument whatever, and are_ sure,
only because they are sure, _I Have_ little _or_ no Hopes _to
prevail with them, to give me a fair Hearing, or to think_ candidly
_and_ impartially _about it. But as there are among them, some, who
no doubt will allow the_ Possibility _of their being in an Error; to
all such I address my self, and beseech them, as much as possible to
lay aside Prejudice and Partiality; wisely considering, that many of
their Fore-fathers maintained some erroneous Doctrines, with as much
Zeal, and Integrity, as they their Descendants now do the Doctrines
of_ Election, &_c. and yet saw Occasion to renounce them
afterwards._
_There is Reason to fear, the just Liberty I have taken with the_
Doctrines of Election, &_c. may, by some, be deem'd Blasphemy
against_ God _himself; but I am far from intending any such thing.
These Doctrines (I think) on the contrary, are_ in them selves
_nothing better than_ blasphemous, _tho' the Intentions of some who
maintain them, be ever so devout and sincere: And if an Impeachment
of Doctrines, which, instead of preserving_ God's Moral Character,
_robs him of all that is dear and valuable, or that can render him
lovely and adorable to Man, be accounted_ Blasphemy, _the Ignorance
and Bigotry of those, who judge after that Manner, ought much to be
lamented. It is a melancholy Truth, that where Prejudice, in favour
of false Principles, has had early and frequent Access to the Mind,
it too often shuts the Ear against Reason and Truth; and 'tis very
hard to persuade such People to enter at all, and much less
impartially, into the Merits of an Argument advanced against them;
nor indeed is the Liberty of Thought on_ Religious Subjects, duly
inculcated _in Religious Assemblies: For, the_ Teachers of
Christianity, _tho' they are seldom averse to give us the Compliment
of a_ just Liberty of thinking for ourselves, _are but too apt_ to
set the Terrors of the Lord in array against Unbelievers; _tho'
perhaps_ their Dissent _may sometimes be only the_ innocent Effect,
_of the best Examination they are able to make. And if there be any
thing worthy of Notice, in what I have advanced, I hereby intreat
all, into whose Hands this Treatise may come, not to be terrified,
by any such popular Arts, from making a thorough Examination for
themselves; on the other hand, I am altogether as willing to set
right, in whatever I may have erred, or been mistaken._
_'Tis well known, the 17th Article of our own_ National Church,
_greatly favours the_ Doctrines _of_ Election _and_ Reprobation;
_and it is also generally believed, that the_ Better Part _of our
Clergy entirely disapprove these Doctrines, and would very readily
assist in expunging them out of their_ Creed; _which would render
their Consciences much easier, than now they are, or can be, under a
Subscription in a Sense so_ very qualified _and_ remote _from the_
natural Intent _and_ Meaning _of the_ Article.
_Experience makes it evident, that Education is able to retain Men
of the_ Brightest Understanding, _in the Belief of the_ Greatest
Absurdities. _But, that Men of Learning, Ingenuity and Experience,
who have lived perhaps to the Age of fifty, in the Disbelief of the_
Doctrines _of_ Election, &_c. should after that sincerely embrace
them, is to me Matter of great Astonishment; yet this I am inform'd
is really the Case, with regard to one of the most ingenious_
Divines, _our Metropolis has to boast of. One Reason may perhaps be
alledged, for such an unexpected Alteration of Sentiment_, viz.
_That tho' we disbelieve these Doctrines, because they are_ absurd,
_yet we hold at the same time, others_, equally repugnant _to
Reason, and to Common Sense; and certainly we may as reasonably_
embrace _the one as_ retain _the other. Besides, with what
reasonable Expectation of Success could such a Man as this sit down
to argue with_ another _of_ absurd Principles, _when_ he himself
_might be so easily abash'd and put to Silence, by an Appeal to_
other Principles, _of_ his own, _equally absurd and inexplicable.
The best way then, instead of embracing a_ fresh, _absurd, Principle
of Faith, is, to renounce the_ old. _I would not willingly Offend_
Any, _by a special Application to_ particular Societies _and_
Doctrines: _let but every Man make an honest Application to himself,
and the Articles of Faith he professes, and the Work of Reformation
will, I am persuaded, gain something thereby. And that, not only
these Doctrines, but every other absurd Principle of Faith, which
either Ignorance, or Design, may have introduced into the Christian
church, to the_ Dishonour _of_ God, _the_ Burthen _and_ Reproach _of
Human Nature, may be_ utterly exploded, _is the incessant Wish, and
earnest Desire, of_
The Author.
Free _and_ Impartial
THOUGHTS, &_c_.
_CHRISTIANITY_ having been instituted, by its great Author and
Publisher, for the Benefit and Advantage of Mankind, it is pity we
should so greatly differ, concerning what _Genuine Christianity_ is;
if the _Holy Bible_, as we generally agree, was designed to lead us
to the true Knowledge of God, and to be a standing and perpetual
Rule of _Faith_ and _Manners_ to Men, it must surely have been
greatly corrupted since the primitive Times of the Gospel, or the
_Explication_ of it designedly left to a more excellent and superior
Director: For the seeming Contradictions, and Multiplicity of
obscure Passages, wherewith it abounds, shew plainly it could never,
in its present Condition, be a Rule of Faith, &_c_. becoming an
all-wise and perfect Being, to give to rational Creatures. Every _good
Man, Society_, and _State_, study Perspicuity in all their _Rules,
Orders, and Statutes,_ dispensed to their _Families, Members,_ and
_Subjects:_ and can we suppose, that He, who is perfect in
Knowledge, would, in the Dispensation of his Laws, take less care of
the everlasting State of his immortal Creature _Man?_ Yet it is
plain, we differ in our Sentiments of Religion, and greatly too, for
want, as I sincerely hope, of the Knowledge of better Helps, to
direct our Inquiries, in Matters, the true Knowledge whereof, is of
so considerable Moment. Therefore,
I intend, in the Course of this Debate, to descant _freely_, on the
Doctrines of _Divine Sovereignty, Election, Reprobation_, and
_Original Sin;_ and also, on the Arguments which some ingenious
Gentlemen have used to support them. But I hope (with regard to the
_Authors_ I may possibly name) to be perfectly decent, and to treat
them with all becoming Respect and Deference, as I think Men of
Integrity, Learning and Abilities deserve; who, though in some
Points they may err, and hold Doctrines in their own Nature and
Tendency altogether subversive of Religion and Morality, do
nevertheless not perceive them to have these Tendencies, and are
therefore by _no Means_ chargeable with them. Yet, as touching the
_Doctrines_ themselves, I shall presume to speak freely, both in
regard to their Nature, and what appears to me to be their genuine
Fruits and Effects.
It is with me an establish'd Truth, that the mistaken Notion of some
_learned Men_, concerning the _Sovereignty_ of the _Deity_, has
given these Doctrines a more favourable Acceptance in the World,
than otherwise they would, or could, ever have met with; and
notwithstanding all the Pains and Arguments these Gentlemen have
bestowed, to reconcile their Doctrines to our common Sense of
_Right_ and _Wrong_, it is plain, that, at _bottom_, this is the
grand governing Principle. For, when their Attempts to reconcile
these Doctrines with common Sense and Equity fail, they have
immediate Recourse to God's _Sovereignty_, and even go so far, at
least in Effect, as to deny there is _any_ intrinsick Difference in
Things themselves, as shall be made appear from their most approved
Writers, whenever they are pleased to demand it: But as this
Principle of _Sovereignty_ is most certainly their strong Hold, I
shall therefore endeavour to go to the Depth of this Argument; and
shew, in the first Place, how greatly they misapprehend the Nature
of this _Attribute;_ and, in the second Place, granting it to be as
they say, I shall then shew the _precarious_ and _miserable_
Condition of all Mankind, not excepting the Elect themselves, under
the Government of such an arbitrary Being.
To begin with the first. That God is a _Sovereign_, we readily
allow: But it will not therefore follow, he is _morally capable_ of
doing any thing, in its _own Nature_, immoral or unjust. All
religious Debates are allowed to be best determinable by the divine
Attributes; and yet nothing is more common, than to single out, and
lay the greatest Stress on, that Attribute alone, which appears best
to suit our own particular Opinions: which, however innocent our
Intention may be, is, I think, in itself, a very erroneous and
unwarrantable Procedure; for as God is _all-wise_ and _good_, as
well as _almighty_ and _independent_, it is, in the Nature of
Things, impossible (and therefore we should never admit it possible)
he should be capable (in a moral Sense, I mean) of exerting any one
particular Attribute in _Opposition_ to, or _Diminution_ from,
another. A _Sovereign_ he is, nor can any Creature whatever dispute
his _unlimited_ and _uncontroulable_ Power over his _whole
Creation_. But Power alone, without Wisdom and Goodness to make a
right Use and Application of it, may be perfect _Frenzy_, and run
into the greatest Latitude of _Folly_ and _Tyranny_. It is, if I may
be allowed the Comparison, like a _Vessel_ that has lost its Helm,
continually exposed to the tossing of Winds and Waves. To talk,
therefore, of _mere Sovereign Pleasure_, without Regard to the
proper Reason or Fitness of Things, so far operating and bring in
the _Divine Mind_ (and which is nothing more than the Presence and
Operation of his own Wisdom) in order to prefer what, in its own
Nature, is _best_, and _fittest_ to be done, is excluding from the
Deity, those _more_ blessed and _valuable Perfections_ of _Wisdom_
and _Goodness_, and establishing in their room, and at their
Expence, mere Sovereign Power alone. _Physically speaking_ indeed,
we allow God can do Evil itself; but the moral Perfections of his
Nature, are to us an _infallible_ and _unshaken Security_, that he
_never will_ do it. _Man_ being an impotent and fallible Creature,
liable, not only to mistake the true Nature and importance of
Things, but when he does understand his Duty rightly, liable also,
thro' the Prevalence of _Habit_ and _Passion_, to be very backward
and defective in performing it, must necessarily be subject to such
Laws, as contain in them Rewards and Punishments, proper to
influence his _Hopes_ and his _Fears_.
But as God, on the contrary, is a Being of all possible and infinite
Perfections; an exact Knowledge of what we call _Right_ and _Wrong_,
_Just_ and _Unjust_, ever hath, and always will exit in the _Divine
Mind_, and be to him a perfect, constant, and invariable Rule of
Action, in relation to his Creatures. He that is _infinite_ in
Knowledge, cannot but know, at all Times, and under the most (to us)
difficult and perplex'd Circumstances of Things, what in its _own
Nature_ is _best_, and _fittest_ to be done; and, being void of all
Bias, Prejudice, and Passion, cannot but approve of what is _right_
and _best;_ and being likewise _Almighty_, no Power can possibly
interrupt, or prevent what he determined to accomplish: So that it
is _morally impossible_, that God should do an evil Thing, These
Truths are so deducible from each other, and in themselves so
evident, to all unbiassed and inquisitive Minds, that one would
wonder to find Men, of Learning and Integrity, give into the
contrary Sentiments; which, in Effect they do, who hold Doctrines
_naturally subversive_ of these fundamental Truths, as all certainly
do, who depart from the moral Good and Fitness of Things, and
resolve all into _mere sovereign Pleasure_ alone, _independent_ of
Wisdom and Goodness; which must ever be at hand to _cooperate_ with,
and govern the Exertion of, their favourite Attribute, _sovereign
Power_ itself; or, if they do not expressly affirm this, they do by
another Method the very same thing; and that is, by denying, in
Effect, the _intrinsick Difference_ of Good and Evil, which,
according to them, has no Foundation in the _Nature_ and Relations
of Things, but takes its Rise, only, from the mere Will and
Appointment of the _Deity_. But if all Things are in themselves
equally Good, where is the Use to _appoint_, or the Sense of talking
about it? Wisdom and Goodness must, according to this Notion, be
idle and unmeaning Sounds, without Sense or Service. But alas! the
natural Consequence of maintaining Tenets, so repugnant to common
Sense, is seldom less than running into and embracing other
Absurdities, in themselves equally great with what they are brought
to defend, And here, as some of these Gentlemen are exalted, and I
hope deservedly, to the Dignity of Teachers in the _Christian
Church_, they will, I hope, permit me to ask them a Question or two,
which I should, on almost any other Occasion, blush to ask any
rational Man, _viz_. If they do not perceive an intrinsic Beauty and
Excellence in Virtue, as opposed to Vice; independent of all
_positive_ or arbitrary Appointment, tho' of the _Deity_ itself; and
whether, besides the Commands of God, (which to be sure are of high
Importance, and ought ever to be urged with great Strength and
Energy) they do not also _press_ upon their Hearers, the Practice of
Virtue, and endeavour to recommend, and inforce it on the Mind, from
its _own_ native Charms? But to make this Matter, still, if
possible, more evident; let us suppose the present excellent Order
of Things inverted, and that God, of his own mere Pleasure, had
given Mankind quite contrary Laws, and commanded _Rebellion, Murder,
Ingratitude_, and all Manner of Intemperance and Debauchery, instead
of their _opposite virtues;_ would the same Fitness, Beauty, and
Propriety, appear to these Gentlemen, as there now does, in
_Virtue?_ If not, from whence the Difference arises, let them
answer.
As God is an infinite Mind or Spirit, perfectly acquainted, at every
Instant of Time, with whatever _hath been, is_, or _shall be;_ and
all Things _possible to be;_ 'tis evident, that all possible
Relations of Persons and Things are fully known to him; and that all
_moral_ and _divine_ Obligations, arising from the Relation we stand
in to God, and to each other, did, in their own Nature, _previous_
to actual Law or Commandment, exist; because the one was in Time,
and the other Eternal; one commenced only (at best) with the _Being_
and _Beginning_ of Creatures, the other was from all Eternity,
_co-existent_ with the _Divine Wisdom_ itself; and such an inseparable
Concomitant therewith, that, in regard to the _Divine Being_,
himself, it was absolutely impossible, but that, on his creating
such a Rank of Beings as we are, _moral_ and _religious_ Obligations
must have been _invariably_ and _unalterably_ the same; and if, as
these Men teach, God's having commanded the Practice of Virtue, be
its peculiar Sanction, and that _alone_ which distinguishes it from
Vice or Evil; then, by the same or as good an Argument, his
commanding Light in the Beginning, is all the Reason we have for
esteeming Light and Darkness different, (as they really are) the one
being the actual Pretence of a real Body, and the other a mere Name,
to signify its Absence; not that Vice is therefore a mere Name, to
signify the Absence of Virtue, for Comparisons seldom hold good in
_every_ minute Particular; but there is a Parity between the two
Cases, sufficient to justify my bringing in the one, as an
Illustration of the other. There is no Knowledge _more certain_,
than what Mankind commonly have of Good and Evil; and he who, in
order to serve any private Scheme of Religion, goes about to
depreciate this Knowledge, robs Mankind of all Truth and Certainty
whatever, and in the End subjects his own darling Schemes to the
same Uncertainty; for if we cannot judge of the Fitness, of plain
moral Truth and Duty, neither can we of any Scheme of Religion;
especially such as hang together more by Art and human Contrivance,
than by Reason or Revelation.
Being very desirous to get all the Information I could, concerning
the Matter in Debate; I have attentively read over Mr. _Cole's_
Treatise on the _Sovereignty_ of God. I know 'tis thought an
unanswerable Performance; and, so far as it regards general
Christianity, it is worth every Christian's serious Notice: But as
to the Doctrine it was wrote to support, it leaves it (in my
Judgment) no better than it found it; but is miserably weak, and
defective, as to any Thing that looks like sound Reason, or true
Argument; and amounts to no more than this _poor Assertion, That
because God is a Sovereign, he may do what he pleases:_ And, from
the Instances he brings from Scripture, 'tis plain, that Mr. _Cole_
himself pays as _little_ Regard to the intrinsick Worth and
Excellence of Things, as is done by many of his Brethren. The manner
in which he has been pleased to give us the Story of _Jacob_ and
_Esau_, proves the Truth of this Observation, I have no great
Inclination to spend Time in explaining _hard Passages_ of
Scripture, (tho' if any thing of that kind can be serviceable, or
deem'd excellent, 'tis Mr. _Taylor_ of _Norwich_ his Book on
_Original Sin_,) or to trespass on the Reader's Patience, by
throwing one Text of _hard_ and _uncertain_ Meaning against another;
for by this means the Controversy hath been needlessly prolonged.
Where the Scriptures are _plain_, _positive_ and _reasonable_, their
Authority ought to be conscientiously adhered to: But as this is not
always the Case, the _next_ Thing to knowing what is the _true
Meaning_ of any particular Text of Scripture is, to know what it
neither _does_ nor _can_ possibly mean; in which Case, the Divine
Attributes, and the Nature and Reason, or (if you please) Fitness of
Things, is the best Rule. We _cannot_, it is impossible we _should_,
understand the certain determinate Meaning of any Text of Scripture
_better_, if altogether _so well_, as we do _know_ certainly, that
God is _just_ and _good_, and _know_ also as clearly, what _Justice_
and _Goodness_ mean, when applied to the _Deity_, as we do, when we
apply them to _ourselves_. And this Rule, if duly observed, would be
abundantly sufficient, to set aside many Interpretations of
Scripture, too commonly admitted upon this and the like Occasions.
And, besides this never failing Argument (to all who attend duly to
its Force) it is worth while, just to remark, that though, as the
_Bible_ now stands, there are in it (as we must acknowledge) some
Passages, which (especially at first sight) seem to favour the
Doctrine of _Sovereignty_, &c. yet as it is possible, nay sometimes
easy, to give them _another interpretation_, and the general Scope
and Tenor of the Scripture being agreeable to such an Interpretation,
we have abundantly more Reason to _reject_, than to _admit_ of the
Sense, in which these Gentlemen are pleased to understand and
expound many Texts of the _Bible_, relating to this and other
affinitive Points.
I would not, as I observed before, presume to impose on the Reader's
Time and Patience, by entering unnecessarily into the scriptural
Part of the Argument; yet I must beg Leave, to make now and then an
Observation or two as I go along: And the first Thing that falls in
my way is, the Story of _Jacob_ and _Esau_, and the Account which
Mr. _Cole_ gives of it. He not only relates the Story, but assures
us, that _Jacob's_ obtaining the Blessing was of Divine Appointment,
and (what is more extraordinary) that the _Falsehood_ and _Fraud_ he
practised to accomplish it, was all of God's own immediate
Direction; and this he gives as an Instance of God's _Sovereignty_,
and proceeding contrary to the moral Fitness of Things, and the
Nature of those Laws he hath given to Man. That God intended _Jacob_
the _Blessing_, or preferred him to _Esau_, I readily grant; but
cannot admit it to be inferred from thence, that the Means, by which
it was, as we reckon, accomplished, were _Divine_ also: There is a
more natural or (at least) more justifiable way of accounting for
the whole Matter. According to the History, it seems plain, that
_Rebecca_ only, and not her Husband, was privy to this Designation
of the _Deity:_ she had upon Inquiry (when with Child) received such
an Assurance from the Lord; which might be the _first Cause_ of her
preferring _Jacob_ to _Esau_, and which in Time, 'tis probable, grew
up into a much greater Degree of _Partiality_ and _Fondness:_ All
this Time the good Old _Patriarch_, her Husband, seems to have been
entirely unacquainted with the Affair. And when the Time drew nigh,
in which, according (as some think) to Custom, he was about to
_bless_ his _eldest_ Son, _Rebecca_ then grew diffident of the
Accomplishment of the Promise made in _Jacob's_ Behalf, and applied
herself to the Means, which the Text tells us was used on that
Occasion. As to the Authority those Heads of Families had to _confer
Benefits_ on their Offspring, by way of _Blessing_, though I shall
not now much contend about it, yet give me Leave to make a few
Observations. It don't appear to me that _Isaac_, in giving his
Blessing, did so properly or so much bestow it on the _Person_ of
_Jacob_ present, as he did on the _Person_ of _Esau_ absent; because
it is the Intention which ought principally to be regarded, and
_Esau_ undoubtedly was intended. Again, this way of blessing, if
considered in itself as a mere Tradition, could be _no more_
efficacious, than what now prevails in some Parts of the _Christian
Church_. All true Authority of this kind (if any there be) must
result from _immediate Inspiration and Command;_ and whether _Isaac_
had these Qualifications, while _Jacob_ stood before him,
personating _Esau_, is a Matter of no small Doubt and Dispute. He
was ('tis evident) much surprised at the _Cheat_, put on him by his
_Wife_ and _Son_, and would doubtless very willingly have given
_Esau_ the Preference, according to his first Intention; but
something _supernatural_ seems now to have seized and satisfied him,
that _Jacob_ was the Person intended; for he cries out, "I have
blessed him, yea and he shall be blessed." And this latter
Assurance, and the Energy and Satisfaction wherewith the Words were
pronounced, I take _rather_ to have been the _true Blessing_ than
the _other_. For, as the Reason of _Jacob's_ Dissimulation was
intirely owing to his Mother's Diffidence and Impatience; so, there
is no Doubt to be made, but that the _Almighty_ himself would, had
she not interfered, have brought it about in a manner becoming his
_Holiness_, and not by _Falsehood_, _Deceit_, and _Dissimulation_.
_Religion_ can never be _more_ dishonoured, or the Despensations of
God to Mankind receive _greater_ Reproach, than when _Divine
Purposes_ are (under God's immediate Direction) said to be
accomplish'd by Methods in themselves _evil_ and _immoral_, and
altogether opposite to His Commands. Hath he forbid us Lying, under
the _Penalty_ of _Hell-Fire_, and shall he himself practise it, or
immediately influence another to do it, for the sake of bringing to
pass some Event, which he could as easily have accomplish'd, by
Methods purely righteous and honourable! And had _Jacob_ never been
prompted, or attempted to obtain the Blessing in the manner he did
attempt it, 'tis more than probable, that God, who removed _Isaac's_
Surprise, and caused him to break forth as he did, "I have blessed
him, yea and he shall be blessed," would never have permitted or
impowered _Isaac_, to have _blessed Esau_, in an _effectual_ manner
beyond his Brother: Or if a mere Pronouncing of Words, when uttered
as a Blessing from the Heads of Families, was in itself an
_irreversible Blessing_, and _Isaac_ had attempted to bestow it on
_Esau_, God no doubt would have stayed his Mouth by _Intimations
within;_ as he did, on another Occasion, the _Hand of Abraham_, by
an Angel without: Provided, I say, it be allowed, that a _formal
Blessing_, from the Mouth of _Isaac_, was necessary to confirm on
_Jacob_ those superior Privileges, which God had designed for him;
and that this Interpretation of the Text is more honourable, and
better becoming the Truth and Majesty of the _Divine Being_. I
appeal not to Reason only, but to Mr. _Cole_ himself: For whatever
Influence Prejudice, or Enthusiasm, may have on some Minds, there
are certain Seasons, wherein Truth will display itself to the Realm
and Understanding of Mankind, and extort, even from the Mouths of
those, who sometimes oppose her, the most ample Concessions in her
Favour. Take the following as an Instance--_Cole's Sovereignty of
God_, Page 41, 2d Edit. "To this also might be added the strict
Injunctions that God hath laid upon the subordinate Dispensers of
his Law; as namely, to judge the People with just Judgment, not to
wrest Judgment, nor respect Persons; yea, he curseth them that
pervert Judgment, and will surely reprove them that accept Persons;
and shall mortal Man be more just than God? will he, under such
Penalties, command Men to do thus, and not do so himself?"
The Argument is undoubtedly equally applicable to the Sin of
_Lying_, or indeed to any Sin whatever; and I appeal to every
unprejudiced Reader, if any Thing more to the Purpose could be
urged, against his own Account of the Affair between _Jacob_ and
_Esau_, or even against the Doctrine itself, which he writes his
Book to support: and this, in Conjunction with my foregoing
Arguments, may, I hope, be Answer sufficient for the Use they make
of _all other_ parallel Places of Scripture.
By this Concession 'tis plain, that Justice and Goodness in God are,
by this Author, considered the same as in us; how else were it
possible, to understand what the Laws of God truly mean? _Be you
perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect_, is a plain
Indication (taking in the Context) of the moral Perfections of the
Divine Nature, in Part apparent to us, as the Text observes, from
his admirable Bounty in the Creation; _He causeth his Sun to rise on
the Evil and on the Good, and sendeth his Rain on the Just and the
Unjust_. Though at other Times, when these Gentlemen are hard
pinched with the Iniquity and Injustice of their Doctrines, they
apply for Refuge to the _Sovereignty_ of God, and give strong
Intimations, that _Justice_ and _Goodness_, when applied to him, are
mere unmeaning Sounds, which at best signify, what mere Sovereignty
pleases to do, and that when applied to Man, they signify quite
another Thing. And this naturally leads me to the second Thing I
proposed to consider, _viz_. That allowing the Doctrine of
_Election_ to be, as they say, resolveable into God's Sovereignty;
that God is just such a Sovereign, as this Doctrine supposes, and
these Gentlemen take him to be; that they have his Word for their
own Election and Salvation; yet even then, there could be no manner
of Certainty as to Religion, no Dependance on the Promises and
Threatnings of the Gospel; and consequently, the supposed Elect must
_beat the Air_, and run at the same or as great Uncertainties, as
any other Persons whatever, under the Government of such an
arbitrary Being.
I have, to avoid Dispute, proposed this Argument more to the
Advantage of the Elect, than I was strictly obliged to do, by
allowing them to be absolutely certain, that God has told them, that
they are his Elect, and that he will give them eternal Life; which,
allowing the Doctrine of _Election_ to be true, is generally much
more than they can prove, either to themselves, or to others:
allowing, I say, the Doctrine of _Election_ to be clearly revealed
in Scripture, there will be this Difficulty behind, as to the
certain Marks of being of that Number. The Scripture must also as
clearly reveal the Marks, as it does the Doctrine, or we shall not
be able to apply with any Certainty to ourselves. Is believing the
Doctrine, &_c_. and thinking myself one of this happy Number, a Rule
sufficient to abide by? If so, no Man who has this Faith, concerning
the _Doctrine_ and _himself_, can ever depart from it. Yet, there
have been many Instances of Persons, zealous in that way, who saw
Occasion afterwards to renounce the Doctrine itself, and with it
that _imaginary_ and _ungrounded Conceit_ of their being, for no
Reason whatever, God's dear Children and Favourites, and embraced,
in its room, the Doctrines of _universal Grace_ and _Free-will;_ and
upon the best Reasons too, for as without the one, God cannot be
just, so without the other, Man, being no Agent, can be no Subject
of Rewards and Punishments. These very Men were before thought to be
elect, by their most spiritual and best judging Brethren, who
pronounced them chosen in _Christ_, and unshaken in the Faith; and
so indeed they judged concerning themselves: But the Grace of God
being once permitted freely to operate in the Mind, it soon expelled
that Ignorance, and Narrowness of Spirit, which (even in many well
meaning Persons) is the genuine Effect of such narrow Doctrines. If
having this Faith be no certain Mark, because a Man may depart from
it, what Proof have they? surely none: But allowing them an absolute
Certainty, as to themselves, that God hath told them, in Person,
that they are his Elect, it will (on their own darling Principle of
Sovereignty) amount to just nothing at all; because, as a Sovereign,
God may promise one thing, and intend, nay do another, or the
contrary; nor can they prove, or have they the least Assurance, he
will not thus deal with them, without recurring to other Principles,
which will hold equally strong against the Doctrines themselves--To
this Dilemma are these Gentlemen inevitably reduced; they must
either give up the Doctrines, or part with any Security of
Dependance on God himself, as to their own Happiness. It will be _in
vain_, here, to refer to the _Goodness of God_, though, on _my_
Principles, the Argument would be unanswerable; on _theirs_, it is
_stark naught_, and avails nothing. And pray observe the _double
Dealing_ this reduces them to; it is something like setting up _two
Gods_ instead of one, or, which is much the same, ascribing to the
_eternal, unchangeable Being_, an inconsistent and contrary Conduct.
Here is, _first_, a _mere_ arbitrary Being, that decrees, or
pretends to decree, by mere _Sovereign Pleasure_ only, the Salvation
of the _Elect;_ but, because such a Being may as well break his
Promise as keep it, here is _another_ to make _good_ the Promise,
who invariably acts according to the moral Fitness of Things: Or, if
you take it the other way, here is, 1_st_, A Promise made as a mere
_Sovereign_, undetermined by, and unregardful of, _all_ moral
Obligations; and, 2_dly_, The Performance of this Promise is
expected, from a Principle of Justice and Goodness; ever conformable
_to_ the moral Reason and Fitness of Things: And certainly, in
either Case, it leaves Things very precarious; nor can the Promises
of such a Being as this (I speak it with all possible Reverence to
the true God himself) be any thing near so valuable, or fit to be
depended on, as the Engagements of a good and worthy Man. And
whatever these Gentlemen, to put a more plausible Out-side on their
Doctrines, say, concerning the Freedom and Excellence of that State,
wherein our first Father _Adam_ was created, and the _Possibility_
of his having remained perfectly innocent, and the Blessings of
eternal Life, which would have been thence derived to all his
Posterity, it is plain to me, they generally believe no such thing;
but that, on the contrary, God absolutely _willed_ and _decreed_ the
_Fall of Adam_, Mr. _Cole_ himself, their great Advocate, is far
from supposing the Condition of _Adam_ to have been proper for
abiding long in Obedience to the Divine Command, or that, had he
stood, his Posterity would have thence become _impeccable_ and
_happy:_ on the contrary, he represents _Adam's_ Condition as a very
weak and imperfect State, by no mean suited to the Temptations,
which his Maker knew he would shortly be exposed to, and overcome
with; and all his Posterity, _had they been tried one by one,
would_, it seems, _have failed as he did_, Page 72. If all this does
not amount to something equal to a positive Assertion, that God
_willed_ the Fall of Adam, and in Consequence of it, the Guilt and
Desert of eternal Death, which is said to be thence derived, to
_all_ his prosperity, I do not know what is, or can be equal to it;
and indeed all this, and much more, may easily be resolved into the
Doctrine of God's _Sovereignty:_ and whoever thinks I have
misrepresented their Faith, need only consult their great apostle
Mr. _Calvin_. But let me further pursue my Argument, to prove, that
tho' a Man of this _Faith_ has God's _own Word_ for his Election and
Salvation, he cannot, on this Principle of _mere Sovereignty_,
reasonably or safely depend on it: My Reason, which is short and
plain, I have already given; because God, as a _Sovereign_, may do
just what he pleases, _keep_ his Promises, or _break_ them. There
can be no Possibility of evading this Argument, without coming back
to the Goodness of God; which is at once to set aside mere
_Sovereign_ Pleasure, and evidently recurring to the moral Fitness
of Things. As much as these Gentlemen are pleased to despise this
moral Fitness, and superstitiously exalt the mere Will of God in
Opposition thereto; and if the _Goodness_ of God proves, that he
_cannot_ break the Promise he has made to them of eternal Life; it
is at least as strong a Proof to me, that such a good Being _could
not_ possibly make me for eternal Misery, or, which is the very same
Thing, will or decree the Fall of _Adam_, and pass the Sentence of
eternal Death on all his Posterity; the far greatest Part of whom he
leaves, in this Condition, to perish everlastingly, and _miserable_
me among the rest!
A Due Survey of the two Cases, or Conditions, of the Elect and
Non-elect, may serve to set this Matter in a clear Light, God being in
himself antecedent to the Existence of all other Beings, infinitely
glorious and happy, could have no Occasion for Creatures to add to
his Blessedness; all that we call _evil_, such as Cruelty and
Injustice in Man, ever arises from such a _vicious_ and _imperfect_
State of Mind, as cannot, for that Reason, possibly belong to
_Deity_. As the Sources, therefore, whence these Evils arise, cannot
be in God; such a Conduct, as these Doctrines suppose, is also
equally impossible to proceed from God, whose _only Intent_ in
creating must be, to communicate Happiness to his Creatures:
Creation infers Providence, and to bring a sensible rational Being
into this World; and, instead of taking _due Care_ of its Safety and
Happiness, to _decree_ and render it eternally miserable, is in its
_own Nature_, much worse than making an absolute Promise of eternal
Life to any created being, and _disappointing that Being_ of its
Happiness, whether by annihilation, or by changing it to another
State, or Mode of Being, no more happy than the present mortal Life;
'tis only a Breach of Promise, which, in such a _Sovereign_, is a
mere trifle. We have _no natural_ Right to Immortality, _much_ less
to immortal Happiness; it is the mere Effect of Divine Bounty--But,
being created in a weak, dependent State, and surrounded with Wants
and Infirmities, we _have_ a _natural Right_ to the Care and
Protection of our Maker; and tho' we allow, no _formal Promise_ is
made on our Behalf, yet the _very act_ itself, of creating such
Beings, and the Condition we _are_ placed in, contains in it the
_Substance_ of a Promise; and we may be assured, God will have
proper Regard to such Beings. If God be gracious enough to _give_
eternal Life, to which we have not the _least_ natural Right, can he
possibly with-hold that which, from our Make and Dependance on him,
we have just Reason to expect? and how Much more impossible is it,
that he should make us for everlasting Misery! To make _one Man_ for
Damnation, is much worse, than promising eternal Life to another,
and breaking that Promise; he that does the former, cannot be
depended on in the latter. Methinks, the very Creation itself, and
bountiful Provision therein made, for the Accommodation and
Happiness of Man, might assure us, that (Man being made principally
for another World) a _proportionate Care_ will be taken of his more
important and everlasting Concerns. Which presents me with a fair
Opportunity, of exposing a Notion these Gentlemen hold, or a Method
they have, of interpreting such plain Texts of Scripture, as are
brought to prove God's general Care and Providence over his whole
Creation; in _particular_, where _David_ says, "The tender Mercies
of the Lord are over all his Works:" This, if you believe them,
relates only to this Life; so I think Mr. _Gill_ says. But what
then, Is no Inference thence to be made? If God be thus tender, to
provide Temporals, how _much more_ will he be kind to the Soul, and
provide for _that!_ 'Tis a natural and strong Way of arguing, and it
was our Saviour's own Method of arguing, as the most Plain and
Conclusive: "Wherefore if God so cloath the Grass of the Field,
&_c_. How much more shall he cloath you, &_c_." _Mat_. vi. 30. The
Argument rises in one Case, as much above the other, as _immortal
Life_ is preferable to the present _mortal State;_ and suppose any
of us should sympathise with a near Friend, under a _small Degree_
of Pain and Affliction, would not the same Spirit of Friendship and
Humanity have a _stronger Sympathy_, when Affliction becomes more
intense and severe? To be tender and pitiful in the least and lowest
Matters, and unregardful and cruel in important and everlasting
Concerns, is, with regard to the _Divine Being_, a moral
Impossibility; 'tis _beneath_ human Nature and Prudence, and the
Practice of a good Man; And yet these Doctrines teach this horrible
impiety concerning the great God himself.
To sum up this Argument: That Being who can make a sensible rational
Creature, on _Purpose_ for _Damnation_, instead of taking a
reasonable Care of it, which, from its Make and Dependance, it has a
Right to expect, as much as though a formal Promise were made, may,
with altogether as much (_nay more_) Justice, break its Promises of
eternal Life, _made_ to another Creature of the same Kind; its Claim
not being founded in Nature, but built on Promise. As the former
would be a more cruel and un-justifiable Proceeding than the latter,
he that is capable of doing the one, can have _no moral Perfections_
in his Nature sufficient to secure the _Elect_ against his doing the
other: and on this _wild_ and _boundless_ Principle of _Sovereignty_,
it is possible that, with regard to _Religion_, Things may be quite
_reversed_ hereafter; the _Elect_, as they are called, made _miserable_,
and the _Non-elect, happy_. I think we may challenge the whole World,
to shew on this mad Principle the contrary; and why, as well as any
thing else, such an Economy may not be resolved into _Sovereign
Pleasure_. If God to _Isaac_ conveyed such errant Falshoods, by the
Instrumentality of _Jacob's Mouth_, _Why not_ make the same _deceitful
Use_ of the _Bible_, or even of his own immediate Word, in regard to
the Elect? If God, as Mr. _Gill_ (I think) observes, has two Wills,
"One publick Will of Command, and another of Intention, which is
private;" Why, with regard to the _Elect_, may he not promise one thing,
and intend, nay resolve on another? One would think it impossible, for
any understanding Man to judge thus of his Creator, that it is possible
he should command one Thing under the _severest Penalties_, and at
the _same Time_ not only _will_ and _intend_, but irresistibly and
secretly work to accomplish just the contrary, and (what is amazing
beyond Belief) after all punish severely the Creatures concerned,
whom he actuates to bring his secret Purposes to pass: If there can
be such a thing as arbitrary Power and tyrannical Government, in the
very worst Sense of all, here it is. And here certainly is all the
_Phrensy_, _Folly_, and _Tyranny_, which, I told you in the
Beginning, the Government of such an arbitrary Being (as these
Gentlemen represent the Deity to be) must ever be liable to.