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LXXIII.

Luke ix. 5.

Our Lord charged his disciples, when by any they SERM. were repulsed or neglected in their preaching, to leave those persons and places, shaking off the dust Matt. x. 14. from their feet, in token of an utter (eis paprúpov én Acts xiii. auroùs) detestation and desertion of them: and ac-51. xviii. 6. cordingly we see them practising in their acts; when they perceived men perversely contradictious, or desperately senseless and stupid, so that they clamoured against the gospel, and thrust it from them, they abstained from further dealing with them, turning their endeavours otherwhere, toward persons of a more docile and ingenuous temper; thence more susceptive of faith and repentance: To you, Acts xiii. say Paul and Barnabas to the contradicting and re- 26. proachful Jews, it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken; but seeing you put it from you, (or thrust it away from you, άπwbeïσbe avτòv,) and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, we turn to the Gentiles. So when the Rev. ii. 5. church of Ephesus was grown cold in charity, and deficient in good works, God threatens to remove her candlestick; or to withdraw from her that light of truth, which shone with so little beneficial influence.

46. xxviii.

ἧς (φασί) τὸ

Chrys.

It seems evident that God for the like reasons may Kai ye ràs withhold the discovery of his truth, or forbear to in-g terpose his providence; so as to transmit light thi-John iii.19. ther, where men's deeds are so evil that they will love darkness rather than light; where their eyes are so dim and weak, that the light will but offend, and by the having it, hurt them; where they, by the having it declared to them, will only incur further mischief and misery; it would prove to them but on tavátov, a deadly scent, as the most 2 Cor.ii.16. comfortable perfumes are offensive sometimes and

SERM. noxious to distempered bodies. Wherefore as where LXXIII. the light doth shine most clearly, it is men's volun

xxxiii.

tary pravity, that by it many are not effectually brought to salvation; so it is men's voluntary depraving and corrupting themselves, (misusing their natural light, choaking the seeds of natural ingenuity, thwarting God's secret whispers and motions, complying with the suggestions of the wicked one,) so as to be rendered unmeet for the susception of God's heavenly truth and grace, which hinders God (who proceedeth ordinarily with men, in sweet and reasonable methods, not in way of impetuous violence and coaction) from dispensing them: Isa. lxvi. 3. we may say of such in the words of the prophet, Jer. v. 25. They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. Your iniquities Bas. in Ps. have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. Ty εavтou ἀγαθότητι πᾶσιν ὁ Κύριος ἐγγίζει μακρύνομεν δὲ ἑαυτοὺς μeïs dià τns áμaρrías, God doth by his goodness approach to all, but we set ourselves at distance by sin, saith St. Basil; and nou aνтопроaíρeтоs поvnрía, πονηρία, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἀποχὴ τῆς χάριτος, where there is self-chosen or affected wickedness, there is a withholding of 2 Cor. iv. 3. grace, saith another Father, (apud Cyrill. Hier.) The gospel, if it be hidden, it is, as St. Paul says, hidden év Tois anoλλvμévos, in viris perditis, among lost men, (that is, men desperately gone in wickedEis on ness, incorrigible, unreclaimable people,) in whom the God of this world (that is, as St. Chrysostom Chrys. in expounds it, not the Devil, but the good God himself) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, so that the light of the glorious gospel hath not shined to them, (as ou éτúpλwσev; how then

Εἰς

αὐγάσαι αὐτοῖς.

2 Cor. iv. 4.

2 Cor. vi. 2.

did God blind them? saith St. Chrysostom,) οὐκ SERM. ἐνεργήσας εἰς τοῦτο, ἄπαγε· not by any efficacy of his LXXIII. upon them toward that; fie on that; ἀλλ ̓ ἀφεὶς καὶ συγχωρήσας, but by permission and concession; for so the scripture is wont to speak; Ἐπειδὰν γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἠπίστησαν πρῶτοι, καὶ ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς κατεσκεύασαν τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὰ μυστήρια, καὶ αὐτὸς λοιπὸν εἴασεν· ἀλλὰ τί ἔδει ποιῆσαι; πρὸς βίαν ἕλκειν, καὶ ἐκκαλύπτειν μὴ βουλομένοις ἰδεῖν; ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἂν κατεφρόνησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἶδον. Seeing, saith he, they disbelieved first, and constituted themselves unworthy to see the mysteries, even God at last let them alone; for what should he have done? Should he have drawn them violently, and discovered it to them being unwilling to see? They would then have more despised it, and not have seen it. God is ever willing and ready to dis- Luke xix. pense his mercies and favours, but he is not wont to 44 do it extraordinarily, (or beside the course of his or- Rom. iii. x. dinary provision,) but in a proper and fit season, (in that καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος, acceptable time and day of salvation, when he seeth men capable of receiving them;) which season commonly dependeth upon man's will and choice, or the results of them. Ka-Clem. θόλου γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν τούς τε ἀξίους τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ μή· ὅθεν τὰ προσήκοντα ἑκάστοις δίδωσιν. Σωτὴρ γάρ ἐστιν· οὐχὶ τῶν μὲν, τῶν δ ̓ οὐ· πρὸς δὴ ὅσον ἐπιτηδειότητος ἕκαστος εἶχεν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διένειμεν εὐεργεσίαν· for saith Clemens Alex. in his 7th of the Stromata, where he clearly and fully affirms our present doctrine) Our Lord is not the Saviour of some and not of others: but, according as men are fitly disposed, he hath distributed his beneficence to all. St. Augustine himself somewhere Quæst. 68. speaketh no less; or rather more: Præcedit aliquid tom. iv. in peccatoribus, saith he, quo, quamvis nondum venit de

II.

Strom. vii.

Ρ. 105.

e Quæst.83.

part. i.

LXXIII.

SERM. sint justificati, digni efficiantur justificatione: et idem præcedit in aliis peccatoribus quo digni sint occultissi obtusione. But, mis meritis,

&c. Ibid.

6.

3. If all these considerations do not thoroughly satisfy us concerning the reason of God's proceedings in this case, we may consider that God's providence is inscrutable and impenetrable to us; that, Psal. xxxvi. according to the Psalmist, as God's mercy is in the heavens, and his faithfulness reacheth to the clouds; so his righteousness is like the great mountains, (too high for our reason to climb,) and his judgments, Toλλ äßuccos, a great abyss, too deep for our feeble understanding to fathom; that his ways are more subtile and spiritual than to be traced by our dim and gross sight. So upon contemplation of a like case, although, as it seems, hardly so obscure or unaccountable as this, the case concerning God's conditional rejection of that people, whom he in a special manner had so much and so long favoured, Rom. xi. St. Paul himself doth profess. That therefore although we cannot fully resolve the difficulty, we notwithstanding without distrust should adhere to those positive and plain declarations, whereby God representeth himself seriously designing and earnestly de2 Pet. iii. 9. siring, that all men should come to the knowledge of the truth; that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance; not doubting but his declared mind, and his secret providence, although we cannot thoroughly discern or explain their consistency, do yet really and fully conspire. But no further at this time.

33.

SERMON LXXIV.

THE DOCTRINE OF UNIVERSAL REDEMP-
TION ASSERTED AND EXPLAINED.

1 TIм. iv. 10.

-The living God; who is the Saviour of all men,
especially of those that believe.

LXXIV.

8. As our Saviour was such to all men by his doc- SERM. trine, or the general discovery of all saving truth; so may he be esteemed such in regard to his exemplary practice; whereby upon the open stage of the world, and in the common view of all that would attend unto him, he did represent a living pattern of all goodness; by imitating which, we may certainly attain salvation. He that will consider his practice shall find it admirably fitted for general instruction and imitation; calculated for all places and all sorts of people; suited to the complexions, to the capacities, to the degrees, to the callings of all men; so that every sort of men may from it draw profitable direction, may in it find a copy, even of his particular behaviour: for he was a great Prince, illustrious in birth, excellent in glory, and abounding in all wealth; yet was born in obscurity, lived without pomp, and seemed to possess nothing; so teaching men of high rank to be sober, mild, and humble; not to rest in, not to regard much, not to hug and cling to the accommodations and shows of worldly state; teaching

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