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Thirdly, note, that though the Gospel thus
Be preach'd by grace to every one of us;
Yet 'tis not heavens intent to save
Every one of us, that heard it have;
But only such that with love receive it,
Or such alone, that do

Gal. 3. 22.

believe it.
This prov'd by that of Christs Commission
To his Apostles, when he made apparition
To them, and bid them in the world go teach,
And the Gospel to all creatures preach:
He that believeth and is baptized,
He shall be saved and dearly prized:
But who believeth nor, except he mend,
Tell him, already he is condemn'd.
Now none believes nor gains true saving faith,
But Gods

Acts 13. 48. οισευαν ο σοι ησαν τεταγμοι εις τω αιωνιον.

elect alone, the Scripture saith.

Doctrine.

If this be granted then to me,
As I am sure it needs must be,
That the Gospel-graces are for none
But for th'Elect, reserv'd; for them alone,
Then take, with you this observation,
That there is no contradiction
'Twixt the secret and revealed will
Of God, that can both save and kill,
And that the holy God equivocates
With none although he dedicates
His Gospel to all, to every Nation,
Though not effectually unto salvation,
As some object who are Arminius sons
Or else some mad, at least some frantick ones:
For none that understandeth well,
Will tax th'Holy One of Israel,
With what he will nor cannot do;
'Tis truth, God has his cannots too,
He cannot

Titus 1. 2.

lie, he cannot change, nor die;
He neither will nor can himself deny.
For how can he that is all

Hab. 1. 13.

purity
Approve, much lesse commit iniquity?
Wherefore (from hence) with me conclude,
He cannot mock, deceive, delude.

Object

But thus may some object, and this retort,
That th'Lord doth seriously exhort
Reprobates themselves to believe, repent,
Though 'twas nere his abs'lute intent
To work faith in their hearts, then so if that
They cannot have (I mean the reprobate)
Power of themselves for to believe,
God may be said, for to deceive;
Because he doth exhort them to
That (without him) they cannot do.

Answ.

To this I frame my answer thus,
If God, that knows each heart of us,
Should immediatly from heaven tell
The reprobates, they are for hell
Ordain'd, without rdemption,
Or that he would not cause contrition
In them, yet exhort particularly
Such, to resent effectually,
There were some shew of mockery
In God, who is fidelity.
But here 'tis otherwise, I dare
Presume and cannot but declare:
For though the Lord doth oft entreat
Unto repent the reprobate,
Who're cast off in his secret will;
He not deludes I speak it still;
Because the Lord doth not invite
Immediately th'reprobate to light,
I mean immediately from heaven,
But mediately, by Ministers, 'tis given
To preach the Gospel, so that when
They preach, they speak unto all men;
Because they cannot say,

Acts 1. 24.

this is rejected
Or this, my hearer is elected:
For what they know, 'tis but in part,
'Tis God alone that knows

Chron 6 30

the heart:
To ev'ry man the truth they shew,
As to th'elect, for ought they know.
Again, because the reprobate,
Whom the great God doth oft entreat,
Exhort, and tender Gospel-grace,
Knows not his own

Eccl. 9. 1. [HEBREW]

estate, or case,
Whether he is for heav'n or hell
Destin'd, ordain'd, they cannot tell,
Since he was nere made partaker
Of th'privy Counsel of his Maker;
But only what he doth reveal
Within his Word, which doth conceal,
Not determine or denominate
This or that man a reprobate;
So that, for any thing they know
Their life's a day of grace, and so
There is none that can truly say,
I'm a reprobate or cast-away;
'Cause to each self, there's possibility
And more there is a probability
Of b'ing sav'd since they cannot know
Whether they're rejected yea, or no.

Object.

Yet some object, the Lord well knows
What men he hath rejected, those
Cannot repent, because he hath
With-held from them his grace of faith;
Now God must needs equivocate,
Though unknown to each reprobate.

Answ.

I answer, that if they cannot discover
That God deludes them, how can any other
That prosecutes this strange objection charge,
The just, and righteous God, with couzenage?
What are they turned Gods? that they
Can thus unlock; disclose, display,
This hidden veiled mystery,
That none within the World espie;
Since

Rom. 11. 33.

that Gods wayes without all doubt
Are

Psal 77. 19. [HEBREW]

a ships way, past finding out?
Surel', if there be no reprobates,
Can say that God equivocates
With any, with them, while h'exhorted
Them to believe, and be converted,
And yet with-holds the grace, whereby
They should upon his Son relye;
Because th are cannot truly know,
Whether they reprobates or no:
Then surely he that doth maintain
This mysticall, or rather vain
Objection, must give ore for shame,
Thus basely the great God to blame,
Till of himself he's able to trace
The just God in fault, and in his own case
Only, and not on others thus to declaim
Before themselves in any wise complain
Of Gods dealing with them, who do not vent
A word (perchance) against unchang'd intent.
Now are not these unmatched rare
Priviledges, beyond compare?
Except saving knowledge, what doth excell?
To speak truly, I cannot tell,
Which as before, for ought they know
They may obtain, e're hence they go.
Now who can say the Lord doth hardly deal
With reprobates? I dare appeal
Unto themselves, who cannot but
Thus speak: Jehovah doth not shut
All his favours up, from the reprobate,
But this is true, that I relate.