CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

2. Though Christ in his prayer and death had special love and regard to some of mankind and not all, ¹yet there is no man that is damned can lay the blame any where but upon himself; That Rule is of perpetual Truth, O Israel thy destruction is of thy self, Hos. 13.9. And thus the Scripture doth every where make death and hell the wages of sin; Therefore if any would from this doctrine infer such Conclusions, That then a man is not to be found fault with; No blame is to be laid upon him but upon non-Election, or the particularity of Christs death; We abhor such consequences, and say with Paul to some who gathered poison out of that honey-doctrine he preached, God forbid; Let not then thy heart cavil profanely in this Point, for there is no eminent doctrine in Religion, but if a man let loose his carnal heart he may wrest wicked Conclusions from the best premises; The true cause and ground of every mans damnation, is because of Impenitency and hardness of heart in sin, with unbelief: Neither may we or can we conceive a man able to say thus, O Lord, I was ready and prepared to believe and repent, There was nothing of any good desires wanting in me, only the death of Christ that was too much restrained to others but not to me, and therefore not for my sin but merely for want of a latitude in Christs death I must perish; Such an Imagination as this is a mere Chimera; There never was or can be any person able to plead so, so that if you take this along with you, that no such absurdities and blasphemies follow from Christs special love in his death and Intercession you have taken away the Gorgons head that useth to make it so terrible.

2. Though Christ in his praier and death had special love and regard to some of mankinde and not all, ¹yet there is no man that is damned can lay the blame any where but upon himself; That Rule is of perpetual Truth, O Israel thy destruction is of thy self, Hos. 13.9. And thus the Scripture doth every where make death and hell the wages of sinne; Therefore if any would from this doctrine inferre such Conclusions, That then a man is not to be found fault with; No blame is to be laid upon him but upon non-Election, or the particularity of Christs death; We abhorre such consequences, and say with Paul to some who gathered poison out of that honey-doctrine he preached, God forbid; Let not then thy heart cavill prophanely in this Point, for there is no eminent doctrine in Religion, but if a man let loose his carnal heart he may wrest wicked Conclusions from the best premises; The true cause and ground of every mans damnation, is because of Impenitency and hardnesse of heart in sinne, with unbelief: Neither may we or can we conceive a man able to say thus, O Lord, I was ready and prepared to beleeve and repent, There was nothing of any good desires wanting in me, only the death of Christ that was too much restrained to others but not to me, and therefore not for my sinne but meerly for want of a latitude in Christs death I must perish; Such an Imagination as this is a meer Chimera; There never was or can be any person able to pleade so, so that if you take this along with you, that no such absurdities and blasphemies follow from Christs speciall love in his death and Intercession you have taken away the Gorgons head that useth to make it so terrible.