CHAP. VI. Of the Difpenfation of the Covenant of HE Covenant of Grace being once made with Mankind, in the root of all Men Adam and Eve, it pleafed the fame Goodnefs of God that made it, to preferve, continue, and keep it afoot, (and fo he will do to the end of the World;) by Proclaiming it from time to time, by renewing it often, calling Men to the Knowledge and participation thereof, otherwife it would long fince have been forfaken, forgotten, extinct and utterly loft. This is that act of God which is termed the Heb. 3. 1: Heavenly Calling, wherein his divine Power giveth us 2. Pet.1. 3: all things that pertain to Life and Godliness, that is, wherein he doth execute his Predeftinated order of Means and Benefits, by the right ufe whereof Men are brought to that high end, Happiness: or by the neglect and abufe whereof they fail and come fhort of it, and fall into endless Mifery. Hence St. Paul fpeaking of the Saints, as he had joined those two together, whom he did foreknow, he Rom. 8. alfo did Predeftinate; fo he joineth thefe two toge- 29. ther, whom he did Predeftinate, them he also called, v. 30. by calling putting that into act, which he had feen and allowed in Predeftinating, in a fuccessful courfe bringing them to Glory. And St. Jude speaking of ungodly Men, faith, they were before of old written to Jude. v. 4. condemnation, being fuch as turn the Grace of God into Lafcivioufnefs, and deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Jefus Chrift; whence the Author to the Hebrews Heb. gives a good caveat, let us therefore fear left a promise I being 4. I. Acts. 20. 21. Acts. 2. 38. 39. being left us, of entering into his reft, any of us should Seem to come fort of it. This point having more Connexion with the Doctrine of Predeftination, hath more controve: fie: and therefore I muft of neceffity be more large in it, craving the patience of fome contrary minded, who in their writings ufe a certain cenforious, and magifterial feverity, which I rather pray God to forgive, than purpose to return upon them. Calling Defined and Diftributed. Calling is the Revelation and Proclamation of the Gospel, the Covenant of Grace, commanding Repentance towards God, and Faith towards the Lord Jesus Chrift, and promifing Forgiveness of Sins, and Life Everlasting to all that obey. It confifteth of two effential Parts, or two Divine Acts, requifite to make up one whole perfect Work of Calling; the outward Preaching of the Word fent by God, whereto belong the Sacraments, outward Bleffings and Corrections; and the inward Operation of the Holy Spirit accompanying the outward means. Calling hath been difpenfed by the Wisdom and good Pleasure of God diverfly, according to the diverfity of times; before Chrift's coming, under the old Teftament; fince Chrift's coming, under the new. This diverfity hath been feen in the manner of the outward means, in the measure of the inward Oo. perations of the Spirit, and in the effects fuitable to both. Under the old Teftament, the bounds were more narrow, the Word more obfcure, the Sacraments more myfterious, the Spirit more fparing, and the Obedience required more flender than under the New. From From Adam to the confufion of Tongues, while the whole Earth was of one Language, it doth not appear but that the Calling was univerfal, all Men being within the hearing of the preachers of Rightcoufnefs: after the divifion of Tongues, Men forfaking the religious Fathers, God permitted them to walk in their own ways, and renewed his Calling and Covenant with Abraham and his feed, and fo Pfal. 147. contracted the bounds of his Church, that is, of 19. the Called. Of the Gentiles before Chrift. Far be it from me, a lover of Truth, to maintain that the Gentiles without Chrift were under Grace, or had any Power to recover themselves out of the Kingdom of Satan. They were under wrath rather, and not under mercy, without God in the World, ftran- Eph. 2.12. gers from the Covenant of Promife; for as the Church excommunicateth unworthy Perfons, fo God excommunicateth unworthy Nations. And how foever the Covenant of Grace was made at firft with all Men, and Calling was univerfal to all the World; yet in the difpenfation of Calling for after times, it may be juft with God to exclude whole Nations out of communion in his Covenant, them and theirs for many Generations; either to punish their ingratitude and contempt of his Word, or to humble the Heart of Man, to teach Ages to come to cleave unto God, by the vanity of Ages paft left unto themselves; or for other caufes known to God, who judgeth them that are without the mystery of whofe unfearchable judgments we are to admire with the Apostle Paul, that one while the Gentiles fhould Rom. 11. be shut out, and the Jews admitted; and ano- 25. 33. the while, the Gentiles admitted, and the Jews v. 11, 12. excluded from the Mercy of God's gracious Calling. Now in the divifion and difperfion of Nations, why God did leave the reft, and called out Abraham and his feed to make Covenant with, no reafon can be given of merit, or demerit, more in Deut. 7.8. the one than the other, but it must be ascribed to & 19. 15. the Free-grace, and Pleafure of God alone, as it is Joh. 24. by Mofes, Joshua, and Nehemiah, and by St. Paul, who faith, that it is not of Works, but of him that Calleth. 2. 3. Neh. 9.7. Rom. 9.11. A&s. 30. 31. any Let them therefore fall for me, that defend other univerfal Grace, than within the Church, where the word of Grace is preached; where I maintain, that God calls not fome fecret ones only, but all that can hear, although but fome obey, and fome difobey the gracious Calling of God. Thus the feventh and ninth of the Lambeth affertions are true, fpeaking of all Men out of the Pale of the Church: but if they fpeak of Men within the Church, where the word of Grace foundeth, I must fulpend my affent. Of Calling under the new Teftament. Calling, under the new Teftament, hath for the outward Part, the Word and Sacraments more clearly revealing and exhibiting Chrift and his benefits; for the inward part, a more abundant measure of the Power of the Holy Ghoft, extendeth further to multitudes of Nations, hath greater fruit and fuccefs in Men's converfion, than under the old Teftament. This Calling, because it is of thofe Nations which were before excluded when the Jews were admit. ted, the Jews being now excluded, is not unfitly termed the Calling of the Gentiles, until it please God to call the Jews alfo. Here the fame depth of God's judgments is to be admired in the difpenfation of Calling, that was under the old Teftament; first, that God should now now withold from the Jews that inward illuminating Spirit, and foftning Grace, which he grants to the Gentiles called: fecondly, that even now he fhould withhold from many Nations the very Word and outward Calling, as the new difcovered Indians do fhew, being found as far from the Knowledge of Chrift, as ever the Heathen were, before the Apoftles preached to them. But we being under the Grace of God's calling, it behoveth us to look that it be not in vain unto us. CHAP. VII. Of the Concurrence of the Word, and Spirit, in Calling. E SOME another inward, of the Spirit joined with the word: the former, they fay, is ineffectual; the latter, effectual: the one common to the Reprobate; the other, fpecial and peculiar to the Elect: that, never obeyed with Truth of Heart; this, never difobeyed. This Doctrine is to be examined. I approve not fuch a distinction, but compound one calling of the Word and Spirit, as it were of a Body and Soul, fuppofing it to have in it felf Power to bring forth effect in all that are under it; and if it doth not fo, the cause not to arise from the Calling, but from the called that obey not. And to avoid miftakes in the apprehending this, we are to remember; 1. That it must not be thought that the Spirit goeth with the Word, to make the hearer perform that which he can do by natural ftrength, as to keep waking, and to be attentive; for the Spirit is given to help where Nature faileth, and what Men |
