An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

Christ was manifested to a Thief, and not to a Socrates or Plato; Impenitent Corazin and Bethsaida had a visible Deity before them in Christs Miracles, when poor Tyre and Sidon, much nearer to Repentance, had it not, Matth. 11.21. Here the reason cannot be in the Creature, unless we will say with Pelagius: Gratiam dari secundum merita, That Grace is given according to works. But to come to the Church, there God gives Faith and Repentance to one Man, not to another; and is the reason in the Creature? Faith and Repentance ⟨p. 579⟩are the very first Graces in Men, & therefore cannot be given to them for any precedent Grace in them, or indeed for any reason at all in them; unless, which is very odd, we presume them to be given to them for the goodness of their Nature: The Scripture clearly resolves it into the Sovereign will of God, He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, Rom. 9.18. He begets us of his own will, Ja. 1.18. He begets us according to his abundant mercy, 1 Pet. 1.3. He worketh to will & to do of his good pleasure, Ph. 2.13. Neither is it possible to be otherwise; his love of Benevolence, is the Fountain and great Origen of all the goodness in the Creature; and how or which way shall the goodness of the Creature be the cause or reason of that love? All the goodness in the Creature is but a donative of Divine love; and if so, then the Divine love was antecedent to that goodness in the Creature. Now these things being clearly so in Scripture and reason, I suppose there is little reason, and less Religion, to say, That God loves for no reason, or without reason; that that Man is a Fool who loves at this rate that it is a reproach among Men so to Act; with such other stuff, which I pray God to forgive unto the Speaker. ⟨p. 580⟩If there be reason for any thing in the World, there is for this: That God the supreme Donor, should do what he would with his own: That Man, the poor Receiver, should not expostulate with God, or think to call him to an account for any of his matters: That the regenerating Spirit should be at liberty and breath where it lists: That all Gods gifts should be free, and of his good pleasure, there being in the Creature nothing that is good, but what is a mere gift only. But, saith the Author, This undermines the foundations of Religion, if God love for no reason, whether we obey him or disobey him, it is all one;