The riches of Gods love unto the vessells of mercy, consistent with his absolute hatred or reprobation of the vessells of wrath, or, An answer unto a book entituled, Gods love unto mankind ... in two bookes, the first being a refutation of the said booke, as it was presented in manuscript by Mr Hord unto Sir Nath. Rich., the second being an examination of certain passages inserted into M. Hords discourse (formerly answered) by an author that conceales his name, but was supposed to be Mr Mason ... / by ... William Twisse ... ; whereunto are annexed two tractates of the same author in answer unto D.H. ... ; together with a vindication of D. Twisse from the exceptions of Mr John Goodwin in his Redemption redeemed, by Henry Jeanes ...

SECT. I.

Thirdly, it is contrary to the nature and end of Gods giftes conferred upon, men which gifts are of two sorts:

1. Gifts of nature, our creation, sustentation; preservation; together with health, strength, beauty, wisdome; &c.

2. Gifts of grace, which have a more immediate relation to everlasting life, and are means either, 1. Of purchasing salvation, viz. the coming of Christ into the world to be made a sacrifice for sinne; or. 2. Of applying the salvation purchased, namely, the Ministry of the Word and Sacra∣ments, the long suffering of God, the illumination of mens understandings, the plantation of many excellent vertues in their hearts, and many more of the like sort.

What the true use and end of these gifts of nature and grace is, the Scripture doth plainly and particularly shew us. First, for the gifts of nature, we find that they are bestowed on all that have them, for the encouraging and enabling of them to serve God, and save their soules: for, Act. 14. 16, 17. the Apostle saith, that God (even in these times wherein he permitted the Gentiles to walke in their own wayes, and with-held from them the light of his holy word,) did give unto the people of the world, raine from Heaven, and fruitfull seasons, filling their harts with food and gladnes, by these not leaving him selfe without witnesse: which implyes that he gave them these good things, make himselfe known unto them, and so that he might draw them to glorify him, according to their knowledge of him, Acts. 17. 26. The Apostle saith directly, that men are therefore made and placed in this world, and appointed to their severall times and dwellings; that they may seeke God and finde him, that is, that they may serve him and save themselves; for what is it to seeke God but to serve him? And what is it to finde God, but to enjoy his face and favour here and in Heaven? Caelum quippe & terra & mare, omnis{que} creatura quae videri & intelligi potest, ad hanc praeci∣pue * 1.1 disposita est humani generis utilitatem; & natura rationalis de contemplatione tot specierum, & de experimentis tot bonorum, de perceptione tot munerum, ad cultum & dilectionem sui imbueretur authoris, implen∣tis omnia spiritu Dei, in quo vivimus, movemur, & sumus. They are the words of Prosper: therefore is every creature made and ordained, especially, that mankind which is indued with knowledge and ability to discourse, might by the sight of soe many goodly sorts of creatures, and the rast of so many blessings, be drawne to the love and service of his and their maker. And a little after, in the same Chap. he saith, Quod ergo in Israel per constitutionem legis, et prophetica eloquia gerebatur, hoc in universis nationibus totius creaturae testimonia et bonitatis Dei miracula semper egerunt: looke of what use the law and Prophets were to the Israelites; of the same use were the gifts of creation and providence to the Gentiles. God intended not to doe to the Gentiles (as the Manichees say he dealt with the Iewes) to feed them and fat them up with more outward blessings, as so many hoggs and swines with husks and acornes, but to draw them up by these to an exspectation of better things, and a carefull endea∣vour to please God, that soe they might obtaine them. The end of all creatures and of all created gifts bestowed upon man is subordinate to the end of man; mans end is to glorify God on Earth and to enjoy perpetuall society with him in Heaven. And their end is to encourage and direct man to at∣chieve that high and noble end which his Creator hath appointed him.

TWISSE Consideration.

HEre we have a roaving discourse: I must pick out of it what I can, to draw it up to some sense of argument: the ground of all the pith and substance of it, is two places in the Acts, and two passages out of Prosper. The first out of Acts 14. 16, 17. God in times past suffered all the Gentiles to walke in their own waies; neverthelesse he left not himselfe without witnesse, in that he did good, and gave us raine from hea∣ven, and fruitfull seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladnesse. Now as for the first verse of

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these, he is content to say nothing at all thereof; neither to deliver what those wayes were, nor in what sense God is said to suffer them to walke therein: which yet may easily be cleared, by comparing it with what is delivered, Acts 17. 30. Where the times preceding the Gospell, are called times of ignorance. The times of this ignorance, and this agreeth with the comparative difference made between Jewes and Gentiles, Psal. 147. 19. He sheweth his words unto Iacob, his statutes and judgements unto Israell. v. 20. He hath not dealt so with any Nation: and as for his judgements, they have not known them. So that by the wayes of the Gentiles, I understand the wayes of Ignorance; and these are no other than the wayes of darknesse, and can bring forth no better fruit, than the works of darknesse; according to that of the Apostle, Ephes. 5. 8. Ye were darknesse but now are light in the Lord, walke therefore as children of the light. And againe, the night is * 1.2 passed, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast away the workes of darknesse, and put upon us the armour of light. And as for Gods suffering of them to walke in those wayes, that is expressed in another ph••ase, Acts 17. 30. thus, And the times of this igno∣rance God winked at; and the meaning thereof appeares by the Antithesis, in the adver∣sative following, thus, But now he admonisheth every man every where to repent. Thus for∣merly he dealt with the Jewes, giving them a law, and sending Prophets from time to time, to call them to obedience, to repentance: but such were not his gracious pro∣ceedings with the Gentiles. But give we him leave to follow his own advantage. God left not himselfe without witnesse, in sending raine and fruitfull seasons. So it was in most places, I know none but Egypt excepted, and that is to be excepted; not only by evidence of Phylosophicall inquisition after the cause thereof, in that questi∣on, Utrum Aegyptus sit impluviata? but by evidence out of Gods word. Deut. 11. 10, 11, 12. The land whether thou goest to possesse, is not as the Land of Aegypt, from whence ye came, * 1.3 where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot as a garden of hearbs; but the land whither ye goe to possesse it, is a land of mountaines and vallies, and drinketh water of the raine of heaven. This Land doth the Lord your God care for; the eyes of the Lord thy God are upon it, from the begin∣ing of the yeare to the end of the yeare. Yet had they fruitfull seasons by the inundation of Nilus; but this was not so apt to dispose them, to take notice of a divine providence, as the common course of fructifying the Land by raine. But yet the whole world in the frame thereof, was sufficient evidence of the Eternall power and Godhead. Rom. 1. 20. and Psal. 19. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy worke. And albeit Aristotle, the greatest of Philosophers, maintained the eternity thereof without beginning; yet he confesseth ingeniously in his Book De coelo, that all that went before him maintained mundum genitum esse; neither was his discourse of power to raze out that naturall instinct hereof, which seems to be graven in the hearts of men, and was the chiefe ground of that universall acknowledgment of a divine power supreame. Now as God made himself known by his works so I nothing doubt but herewithall it was their duty to know him, and according to their knowledge to serve him and glorifie him, in acknowledgment of his glorious nature, so farre as they took notice of it; But as for a rule whereby they should worship him, I know none that God had given them, or that they could gather from contemplation of the crea∣tures. And surely the knowledge of God, as a Creator only, is nothing sufficient to salvation; but the knowledge of him as a redeemer: And therefore seeing the World by wisdome knew not God in the wisdome of God, it pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to save them that believe. 1 Cor. 1. 21. And the Gentiles are set forth unto us in Scripture, as such who knew not God. 1 Thes 4. 5. 2 Thes. 1. 8. And had they means sufficient without, and ability sufficient within to know him? How could it be that none of them should know him? Was it because they would not? How absurd a conceit is this to every one that understands, and considers common Principles of Philosophy, namely, that the things that are subject to our free-will, are contingentia aequaliter, as soon falling out one way as the other? And it is well known not only what paines they have ta∣ken, but also with what strange successe, in searching after the nature of the first mover, as appears by Aristotle in the 12^th of his Metaphysicks. Yet did not he attain (for ought ever I could find) to the acknowledgement of his free agency, in the ma∣king of the world, and in the government thereof. Yet were they inexcusable (and thus farre their knowledge brought them. Rom. 1. 20.) in changing the glory of the incor∣ruptible * 1.4 God, to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of fourefooted beasts, and of creeping things. The other place is Acts 17. 26. That he takes to be more full for his purpose; there the Apostle speaking in an University, and which had been mise∣rably

corrupted with the Atheisticall doctrine of Aristotle, concerning an eternity of the World, and Gods working necessarily, not freely, tending to the quenching of that light of naturall instinct, which is more or lesse found in all, as touching the Divine providence; yet the Apostle even amongst such makes bold to suppose the creation of the World by God; and that therefore he is Lord of Heaven and Earth; and also obtrudeth upon their naturall consciences, that God it is who giveth life, and breath, and all things; and that he of one bloud (whom we know to be Adam) made all mankind, to dwell on all the face of the Earth; that he hath assigned the seasons (of the yeare, and what are they but Spring, Summer, Autumne, Winter, depending upon the motions of the heaven above) and the bounds of their habitations, what is that but the severall habitable parts of the earth, for the habitation of all creatures, in whose Nostrills is the breath of life; not that every man, or Nation, hath his place of habitation appoynted by God, (though this also be true, but nothing agreeable to Arminian Divinity, which like an East wind, blasts the providence of God throughout) this the Apostle doth not obtrude upon them; but the former generalls only; and all this God hath done 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that they should seeke the Lord; now this may be understood two waies, either de facto, God did intend that this indeed should be done by them; or ex officio, that it should be their duty: of this distinction this Author takes no notice, but hand over head, takes it in the first sense, as it were in spight both of the Apostle, saying, Who hath resisted his will? And of the Psalmist, professing that what he willeth he hath done, both in Heaven and Earth. But indeed this is mans duty to endeavour to know him that made him: to this purpose he hath indued him with an understanding heart; The spirit of man being as the lampe of God which searcheth all inwardnesse; But as for the words following, if happily they might * 1.5 seeke after him and find him; though he be not farre from every one of us; so that though he be not farre from every one of us, in as much as in him we live and move, and have our being, and though they should seeke after him, yet upon an if, the Apostle plainly puts the finding of him. For albeit Durand professeth, that by the very light of nature we may attaine to the knowledge of God, touching these things that belong to the unity of his nature; yet who ever amongst the Gentiles attained hereunto, after all their search? God hath set the World in mans heart, saith Solomon, yet can he not find out the worke that he hath wrought from the beginning to the end: we are yet to seeke in the * 1.6 knowledge of the creature, how much more in the knowledge of the Creator? Yet what shall all such knowledge profit a man, if he be ignorant in the knowledge of him as a redeemer?

I come to Prosper l. 2. De vocatione Gentium cap. 4. God hath so disposed of the World, as that the reasonable creature, by the contemplation of Gods workes, and tast of so many blessings, imbuerctur, he doth not say might be drawne, but imbueretur, might be indued, to wit, with the knowledge of God in such sort, as to move him ad cultum & dilectionem Dei. And all here mentioned both as touching the knowledge of God, and touching the service and love of him; is but as the object of mans duty, signifying what ought to be done by him, not as the object of Gods decree, as whereby he determined what should be done indeed by him. For had he determined this, who could have resisted him? Shall we say that voluntatis omnipotentis effectus impeditur a voluntate creaturae, as Austin * 1.7 expresseth the absurdity hereof? As for that which followeth, not in the same Chap∣ter, as this Author writes, (whether out of his own reading or mistaking anothers dictates I know not) but in the chapter following, to wit, c. 2. the former place being indeed c. 1. according to my book, not cap. 4. As this Author quotes it. And it is a truth considered in generall, for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to seeke the Lord, God did move both Jewes and Gentiles; the Jewes by his word over & above his workes; but the Gentiles only by his workes. But the manner of the revelation made to the one and to the o∣ther, was farre different, as the same Author expresseth cap. 3. Aliter eos juvit quos ad cognoscendum se caeli & terrae testimoniis conveniebat, aliter illos, quibus non solum elementorum fa∣mulatu sed etiam doctrina legis Prophetarum, oraculis, miraculorum signis, & Angelorum coopera∣tionibus consulebat, &c. God (he saith) intended not to feed the Gentiles with outward and more common blessings, but to draw them up by these to an expectation of better things, and a carefull en∣deavour to please God that they might obtain them. But what blessings had the Gen∣tiles more than common blessings; doth he particulate any? And as for the expecta∣tion of better things, than the things of this world, whereunto he pretends God doth draw them hereby; what oracle hath he for this? Prosper in the Book wherein

he insists hath nothing at all of any possibility of knowledge of God unto salvation, arriveable unto by the meere contemplation of the creature; neither have I found a∣ny such Oracle throughout the Nation of the Arminians. Nay he professeth plain∣ly, that that knowledge of God, which is attaineable by the contemplation of the creature is not sufficient, unlesse he enjoy the true light, to discusse the darknesse of mans heart. De vocatione Gent. l. 2. cap. 6. his words are these. Tam acerbo natura humana vulnere sauciata est, ut ad cognitionem Dei neminem contemplatio spontanea plenè valeat erudire, nisi obumbrationem cordis vera lux discusserit. And the Apostle more than once professeth of the Gentiles, that they were without hope; And the tast of the powers of the world * 1.8 to come, seemes to be, by the Apostle, ascribed to the word of God as the cause of it. Heb. 6. Yet 'tis true, the Heathen had odde notions of a condition after death, (as many as believed the immortality of the soule) but where I pray, was it upwards in heaven, or downewards rather under the earth, as Styx, Phlegeton? and the Campi Elisii? yet Cicero looks upwards I confesse in his Tusculans questions, but yet he goes no farther than the starres; and this was their expectation of better things; though Adrian an Emperour and a Schollar too, bemoans himselfe, that he knew not what should become of his poore soule, Animula vagula blandula, Hospes co∣mes{que} corporis; Quae tu abibis in loca, nec ut soles dabis jocos, horridula, rigida, nudula. But this Author most confidently supposeth, that these better things are manifest by the crea∣tures; by the contemplation whereof, he might attaine to the knowledge of them: and then I doubt not, but he might entertaine a hope to attaine them; provided he carefully endeavoured to please God, (which this Author conceaves to have been very possible) and therewithall knew what that was, by doing whereof, he might be sure to please God: And all this he obtrudes upon his Reader, by a most disso∣lute course, without one crumme of reason for it. In like sort, he discourseth very confidently of the end of man, without distinction of any relation hereof; as if the end of man were equally known as well by light of nature, as by revelation of Gods word. Solomon telleth us, That God made all things for himselfe, even the wicked against the day of evill. Was this known to the Gentiles by the light of nature? Not one of all the * 1.9 Philosophers of old acknowledged the Worlds creation out of nothing; and who ever manifested any such faith among them, as of enjoying a perpetuall society with God in heaven? But it may be they all erred in interpreting the book of na∣ture aright, and understanding the language thereof concerning this poynt of faith. This Author may doe well to cleare the World of this errour, and that out of the book of the creatures, and then proceed to interpret unto us therehence, a generall resurrection also. And if he could find Christ there too, togeather with the Incarnation of the Sonne of God, and his death and passion, resurrection and ascension, and sitting at the right hand of God to make request for us, and our justification by faith in him, togeather with regenerati∣on also, and the generall judgement; then no doubt though the Gospell should con∣tinue * 1.10 to be a scandall to the Jewes, yet surely through the incomprehensible benefit of his comfortable atchievements, it should continue no longer to be foolishnesse un∣to the Gentiles; only our faith should then cease, and be turned into sight, before we are brought to the seeing of the face of God. And yet I see no great need of Christ, if it be in the power of an Heathen man to know what it is to please God, and to have an heart to please him; For certainly as many as know what it is to please God, and have an heart to please him, God will never hurt them, much lesse damne them to hell. Yet the Apostle telleth us, that they that are in the flesh cannot please God: * 1.11 but whether this Author thinks Heathens, to be amongst the number of them that are in the flesh, I know not. But I little wonder, when an Arminian spirit of gid∣dinesse hath possessed him, if he proceed to the confounding not only of the Law with the Gospell, but heathenisme also (such as might be) with Christianity. But suppose a man might attaine to as much knowledge, by the meere contemplation of the book of nature, as we doe obtain by the Revelation of Gods word, yet we that conceive the knowledge of Gods word to be no impediment to the absolutenesse of reproba∣tion, must needs find our selves as much as nothing streightned herein, by this Authors roaving discourse, as touching the generall providence of God in his works: as long as that of the Apostle (he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardneth) shall stand * 1.12 and be received for the word of God; we shall never want ground for maintaining the absolutenesse both of election by the one, and by just proportion, of Reprobation also

by the other. For so long as God doth absolutely, and according to the meere plea∣sure of his will, decree to have mercy upon some, by giving them faith and repen∣tance, for the curing of their infidelity and hardnesse of heart, this is very sufficient to maintain the absolutenesse of election unto grace, and if God doth absolutely, and according to the meere pleasure of his will decree, to harden others, by denying them the grace of faith and repentance, so to leave their naturall infidelity and hardnesse of heart uncured, this shall be as sufficient to maintaine the absolutenesse of Reprobati∣on from grace. As for election unto salvation, though the decree thereof can admit no cause, yet we say that God by this decree, doth not decree to bestow salvation on any man of ripe yeares, but by way of reward of faith, repentance, and good workes: as for the decree of Reprobation from glory, and to damnation; though the decree hath no cause, yet we say that God by this decree, doth not decree to inflict damna∣tion on any, but for sinne unrepented of: only I confesse, that as touching the inter∣pretation of those words of Saint Paul, (He hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will * 1.13 he hardneth) I doe not know how it may be charmed by good witts, least it may seem repugnant to some reason gathered by contemplation of the creatures; for some af∣fect, such a course in these daies, namely to temper Gods word according to the light of naturall reason; whereas in the simplicity of institution wherein I have been brought up, I have been taught that the light of naturall reason ought rather to be regulated by the word of God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Prosper de vo∣cat. gent. l. 2. c. 4. p. 428.
• * 1.2

  Rom. 13. 12.
• * 1.3

  Deut. 11. 10, 11, 12.
• * 1.4

  Rom. 1. 23.
• * 1.5

  Prov. 20. 27.
• * 1.6

  Eccles. 3. 11.
• * 1.7

  Enchirid. cap. 96.
• * 1.8

  Ephes. 2. 12. 1 Thes. 4. 13.
• * 1.9

  Prov. 16. 4.
• * 1.10

  1 Cor. 1. 32.
• * 1.11

  Rom. 8. 8.
• * 1.12

  Rom. 9. 18.
• * 1.13

  Rom. 9. 18.