if God love us our sins cannot hinder it, if he love us not our holiness cannot alter him, therefore all Religion is but in vain. To which I answer, This Argument runs upon two or three hypotheses which are untrue: The Author supposes first, that God's purpose or decretive love is, what it is not, the rule of our acting; next, that there is in God what indeed there is not, some purpose or decree to bar some Men, though never so holy, out of Heaven. And Thirdly, That there is not, what in truth there is, a complacential love in God towards all holy Persons whoever ⟨p. 581⟩they be. Now, these things are not so, we say, that God commands all in the Church to Repent and Believe, that God hath made a general promise of Salvation to all that do so; and withal that God hath a complacential love towards all holy persons whoever they be: And these things considered, surely Religion cannot be in vain or to no purpose. As for the Philosophical nicety or verity rather, if God be, as he is, a God and the supreme Donor of all; in reason, all Creatures as Creatures must depend on him the Creator, and as Receivers must depend on him the Donor: And hence it is evident, that all the grace and goodness in the Creature, because a Creature, must depend on him its Maker; And because a gift must depend on him the Donor thereof. Man, though but a petty Benefactor, is free in his gifts, or else they would not be gifts; how much more must God the supreme Donor be so? It is true, when Men are good, God, such is the sanctity of his Nature, doth take pleasure in them; but to dispense grace or goodness to the Creature is his Royal prerogative, he doth it according to the sovereign unaccountable pleasure of his will; he was under no ⟨p. 582⟩Natural necessity to give a Christ, or a Gospel, or a dram of Faith or holiness, to any one fallen Man in the World, what he gives, he gives as he pleases out of mere Free grace. It is true too, when Men are good, God, such is his gracious promise, will greatly reward them; but it is he only who makes us good, and so meet for the inheritance in light; our goodness is of Grace, and our reward is Grace upon Grace, remunerating Grace upon sanctifying; In a word, the love of Gods Complacence respects goodness in the Creature, but the love of Benevolence causes it, and that freely in a way of unaccountable Sovereignty;
if God love us our sins cannot hinder it, if he love us not our holyness cannot alter him, therefore all Religion is but in vain. To which I answer, This Argument runs upon two or three hypotheses which are untrue: The Author supposes first, that God's purpose or decretive love is, what it is not, the rule of our acting; next, that there is in God what indeed there is not, some purpose or decree to bar some Men, though never so holy, out of Heaven. And Thirdly, That there is not, what in truth there is, a complacential love in God towards all holy Persons whoever ⟨p. 581⟩they be. Now, these things are not so, we say, that God commands all in the Church to Repent and Believe, that God hath made a general promise of Salvation to all that do so; and withal that God hath a complacential love towards all holy persons whoever they be: And these things considered, surely Religion cannot be in vain or to no purpose. As for the Philosophical nicety or verity rather, if God be, as he is, a God and the supream Donor of all; in reason, all Creatures as Creatures must depend on him the Creator, and as Receivers must depend on him the Donor: And hence it is evident, that all the grace and goodness in the Creature, because a Creature, must depend on him its Maker; And because a gift must depend on him the Donor thereof. Man, though but a petty Benefactor, is free in his gifts, or else they would not be gifts; how much more must God the supream Donor be so? It is true, when Men are good, God, such is the sanctity of his Nature, doth take pleasure in them; but to dispense grace or goodness to the Creature is his Royal prerogative, he doth it according to the soveraign unaccountable pleasure of his will; he was under no ⟨p. 582⟩Natural necessity to give a Christ, or a Gospel, or a dram of Faith or holyness, to any one fallen Man in the World, what he gives, he gives as he pleases out of meer Free grace. It is true too, when Men are good, God, such is his gracious promise, will greatly reward them; but it is he only who makes us good, and so meet for the inheritance in light; our goodness is of Grace, and our reward is Grace upon Grace, remunerating Grace upon sanctifying; In a word, the love of Gods Complacence respects goodness in the Creature, but the love of Benevolence causes it, and that freely in a way of unaccountable Soveraignty;
