Vox Dei & hominis.: God's call from heaven ecchoed [sic] by mans answer from earth. Or a survey of effectual calling. In the [brace] explication of its nature. Distribution of it into its parts. Illustration of it by its properties. Confirmation of it by reasons. Application of it by uses. Being the substance of several sermons delivered to the people of Heveningham, in Suffolk. / By J. Votier, minister of the gospel.

CHAP. XII. XI. Objections answered.

IN the next place we shall endeavour to give answer to some few objections, and queries that may be made: Many questions might be started; such as savour of curiosity more than Christianity; of carnal wit than Spiritual wise∣dom; that have more bone than meat (the Lord redresse it, this age is too rife with them) which I shall wave; and speak onely to three, or four, which I judge convenient, and perti∣nent.

1. Obj. The first is, whether God be the sole [S. 1] Author of effectual calling.

Sol. God is the Sole Author, and we the subjects that are wrought upon: He the Agent, and we the Patients; our hearts are not in our own hands; we are dead, and cannot make our selves alive; we must e∣rect an Altar with this Inscription: To the God * 1.1

of grace: And set up a stone of remembrance, with this Motto, The Lord hath helped us: Grace can be of the off-spring of none but the Eternal Father: It is not in any, but by the gift and work of God; it is a Plant of Gods setting; so the Saints may truely say; Thou, O Lord, hast wrought all our works in us. Isai. 26. 12. His people are the natural and Spiri∣tual workmanship of his hands. And of this doth Paul informe his Corinthians, when he saith, And such were some of you, but ye are wa∣shed, but ye are Sanctified. 1 Cor. 6. 11. Ye did not sanctify your selves, but ye were san∣ctified; * 1.2 ye did not make your selves Saints, but ye were made Saints: and as it was with the people, so with the Preacher; he could give grace neither to them, nor himself; for their grace and his grace had both one Author, and were from God: The Lord was active; and he and they were passive; for so he spea∣keth of himself: But I obtained mercy. 1 Tim. 1. 13. The translation runs in the active, when the Greek word is of the passive voice; neither * 1.3 in Latine, nor English can one well expresse the original: It is as if one should say, I was had mercy upon: So then it is clear that we have neither hand, nor heart in the work of grace: But it must be set upon the account of God, as the sole efficient: Yet thus we must understand it; for we are not stockes, and stones in the work of conversion.

1. We being effectually called, can after∣wards work by the grace, which God hath wrought in us: If ye through the Spirit do mor∣tify

the deeds of the body, &c. Rom. 8. 13. Here is an Act of mortification of sin, but from the might of the Spirit; an Act of killing, but from enlivening grace; when principled, then the Soul is to do it's part; when animated, then it is to Act: When it hath it's treasure, then it must trade; when stocked with life, then it must stand out against it's lusts.

2. A Soul worketh in the very moment of * 1.4 conversion; as it was with Paul; Lord what wilt thou have me to do? Acts 9. 6. Paul was now infieri, in making; and loe the beatings of his Pulse: And so it was with good Lydia: Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended to the things which were spoken of Paul. Acts 16. 14. There we see her in making, the Lord o∣pened her heart; that was Gods work; and she Acteth: she attended, that is her work, by vertue of the former, Babes of grace Act in the very birth; and whilest the Lord is framing and fashioning them; they pant and breath; in their new moulding they melt and mourn; in Gods striving with them, they strive for him; in their making, they move: Yet we must be careful to understand this rightly: viz. thus.

1. In the order of nature Gods working is * 1.5 before the Soules; and the Soules working de∣pends upon it: that as the cause, this as the caused; that as the efficient, this as the effe∣cted; that as the spring, this as the stream; that as leader, this as led; that as the pa∣rent, this as the posterity; that as the root, this as the fruit.

2. What the Soul doth is not the cause, or

meanes of conversion: Conversion is without * 1.6 the spheare of our activity.

2. Ob. In the next place it may be queried, what the difference is between effectual voca∣tion and sanctification; how near they live [S. 2] each to other, or how far distant they are one * 1.7 from the other; whether neighbours, or stran∣gers; kindred, or aliens.

Sol. Effectual calling is meant of the first * 1.8 work of God upon the soul, in implanting grace there, and changing the whole man; and regeneration, and conversion are the same with it, as we have said before.

Sanctification is meant of the increase of that first work; and of holinesse in the life, and conversation. 1 Thessal. 4. 3. The first as the rising of the Sun, the latter as it's keeping it's course: The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the per∣fect day. Prov. 4. 18. The one as the infancy and youth, the other as the growth and age of grace; the one as the principle, the other as the practice; one as the morning, the other, as the noon of grace.

3. Ob. It may be queried in the next place [S. 3] which grace is first? Faith, or repentance; * 1.9 Faith before repentance, or repentance before faith; which of these two is the first born, and elder Child.

Sol. This question hath been much tossed * 1.10 up and down; and many saplesse contentions have been about it; without solid demonstra∣tion of the thing, and without spiritual edifi∣cation of the soul.

If were better for people to enquire, whe∣ther they find these graces in themselves, than which is first: the sincerity of them in reference to truth is more to be sought after, than the priority of them in reference to time: it were more profitable to question our participation, than their precedency, yet people had rather deal with Metaphysicks, than Morals; with no∣tional rather than necessary points: and love to rise to the clouds in their askings, when they cannot reach the top of a low-built answer: However I will in some measure satisfy this question.

1. We must know that all habits of grace are infused together; the habits are put in to the soul at one time, though some may put out themselves by actings before one another; A new heart will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you. Ezek. 36. 26, 27. Here is a change mentioned, which could not be with∣out the infusion of all saving graces together, * 1.11 and at once: They are like twins, they re∣ceive their being both together, though one be brought forth before another: This similitude following may make it a little plain; a man taketh several sorts of seeds, and sowes them in his Garden at one time, yet some come up, and shew themselves before others; some sooner, some latter: Our hearts are the Garden, the habits of grace, the seeds, all which by the hand of the spirit are sown at one time, though in actings some appear before others.

2. One things is said to be before another; two wayes:

1. First, in time; as that which is to day, is before that which is not till to morrow: and that which is this houre, is before that which is not till the next.

2. Secondly, in nature: As the shooting of a Gun with a Bullet, and the killing of any one thereby may be together in time at the same instant; yet the shooting is before the slaughter, in nature as the cause thereof.

These things I lay down as preparatives, now briefly to the purpose.

The habits of faith and repentance are plan∣ted, and set in the heart at one instant: there is no difference of time there.

2. Repentance from the tenour of the Law, * 1.12 goeth before justifying faith in time, and I think in nature too.

3. Gospel repentance followeth justifying faith in the act, and dependeth upon it.

4. Repentance, viz. Gospel, is usually first seen, because one cannot well perswade him∣self, that he is reconciled to God in Christ, till he perceive he hath parted with his sins: nor conclude he is pardoned, till he saith he is pu∣rified; nor that Christ and they be united, till their souls & sins be divided; nor that they have put on Christ, till they have put off their sins.

4. Ob. In the next place the question shall * 1.13 be, whether conversion, or effectual calling be [S. 4] by the Preaching of the Law, or Gospel.

Sol. Master Burges shall answer this query, * 1.14 and unty this knot. I shall give you the short notes of what he delivereth more largely.

1. The Law could not work to regenera∣tion,

were it not for the promises of the Gospel: the question is not whether conversion be vi le∣gis, by the power of the law; but whether it may be cum lege, with the preaching of the Law.

2.

Howsoever the Law may be blest to con∣version; yet the matter of it cannot be the ground of our justification and adoption.

3.

The Word of God, as it is read, or preached, worketh no further, than obje∣ctively to the conversion of a man, if consi∣dered in it self.

4.

Whatsoever good effects, or benefits are conveyed to the soul by the preaching of the Law, or the Gospel, its efficiently from Gods Spirit: Thus far, this worthy man.

It is unsafe to exclude the Law, though we * 1.15 conclude the Gospel is the chief. Between the hammer of the Law, and the cushion of the Gospel is a flinty heart, most like to be broken by the hand of the Spirit: we may suppose the Lord speaking in this case, as in Zech. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord: 4. Zech. 6. v. The Spirit is the supreme, & chief: Though they be different in their con∣stitution, yet they agree in one, as to the work of conversion: They are all good, though in several respects. We may well say, precious Law, more precious Gospel, most precious Spi∣rit: if the spirit did not move them, neither the upper, nor nether milstone would turn: as neither must be taken for pledge, for they cannot work alone: so joyntly, and together they cannot act without the spirits assistance: the Law sheweth the sore; the Gospel, the

salve: the one teacheth of sin, the other of a * 1.16 Saviour: the one sheweth the harming curse, the other the healing crosse: the one mans mi∣sery, the other Gods mercy: but it is the spi∣rit that setteth home these things, and openeth the eyes to see them, anointing them with spi∣ritual eye-salve: the Law may be a prepara∣tive, hut the Gospel is the power of God to sal∣vation: * 1.17 when the soul by the Law (set only the spirit, which is the master builder) is driven to fear, it is the more likely by the Gospel to be drawn to faith; and when it seeth it is lost in it self, it is thereby provoked to long for Christ: the Law treateth of transgres∣sion, condemneth our courses, revealeth wrath, thundreth threatnings: but the Gospel pro∣poundeth promises, breatheth benedictions, holdeth out happiness, sheweth salvation, whereby the spirit draws the heart to Christ.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Sam. 7. 12.
• * 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Bez. in loc.
• * 1.4

  Perk. Re∣vel. 3. 9.
• * 1.5

  Acti agi∣mus.
• * 1.6

  Nulla prae∣cedit in nobis prae∣paratio. August.
• * 1.7

  2. Ob.
• * 1.8

  Sol. Assem. Ad. Bax∣ter. Saints rest. pag. 140.
• * 1.9

  3. Ob.
• * 1.10

  Sol.
• * 1.11

  Simul & semel
• * 1.12

  Am. med. de vocat. Thes. 31, 32, 33, 34. Buc. lae. 30.
• * 1.13

  4. Ob.
• * 1.14

  Sol. Vindiciae legis. Lect. 20.
• * 1.15

  Am. de voc. cap. 26. Thes. 12. v.
• * 1.16

  Lex data est, it gra∣tia quaere∣retur.
• * 1.17

  Rom. 1. 16.