SERM. to others. Unto Christians indeed this great benefit (for the LXXII. reward, the encouragement, the support of their faith; and

Gal. v. 22.

45.

Matt. xvi. 17. John xvi. 12.

3.

for promoting their obedience, who are in a nearer capacity and more immediate tendency to salvation) is in a more plentiful measure, and a more conspicuous manner dispensed; but that, besides that dispensation, there have been other (not so plainly signified, or expressly promised, yet really imparted) communications of grace, in virtue of our Saviour's Eph. ii. 8. merits, there are (beside the main reason alleged, inferring it Luke xxiv. from our Lord's being the Saviour of all men) divers good inducements to believe. For even those Christians, to whom upon their faith the Holy Spirit is promised and bestowed, are by previous operations of God's grace (opening their 1 Cor. xii. minds, inclining their heart, and tempering their affections) induced to embrace Christianity, faith itself being a gift of God, and a fruit of the Holy Spirit. And before our Saviour's coming all good men have thereby been instructed and enabled to do well. And before any special revelation made, or any particular covenant enacted, (before the inclosure of a particular people or church, the confinement of God's extraordinary presence and providence to one place,) divine grace appears diffused over several nations, being watchful in guiding and moving men to good, and withdrawing them from evil; neither is there reason why such an appropriation of special graces and blessings (upon special reasons) unto some should be conceived to limit or contract God's general favour, or to withdraw his ordinary graces from Eph. ii. 4, others. God surely (who is ahong iv iku, rich in mercy; yea, hath ὑπερβάλλοντα πλ τον χάρος, excessive riches of grace) is not so poor or parsimonious, that being liberal to some should render him sparing toward others m; his

7.

1 Ex quo perspicuum fit natura omnibus inesse Dei notitiam, nec quemquam sine Christo nasci, et non habere semina in se sapientiæ, justitiæ, reliquarumque virtutum. Unde multi absque fide, et Evangelio Christi vel sapienter faciunt aliqua vel sancte, &c. Hier. in Galat. i.

m Secundum Scripturam credimus et piissime confitemur, quod nunquam universitati hominum divinæ providentia cura defuerit. Quem licet exceptum sibi populum specialibus ad pietatem direxerit institutis, nulli tamen nationi hominum bonitatis suæ dona subtraxit, &c. De Vocat. Gent. i. 5.

grace is not like the sea, which if it overflow upon one SERM. shore, must therefore retire from another; if it grow deep LXXII. in one place, must become shallower in another. Is the Mic. ii. 7.

lix. 1.

xxvi. 8.

Spirit of the Lord straitened? it is a question in Micah; and, Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? is Isa. 1. 2. another question in Isaiah: No; The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor his ear heavy, that it cannot hear; at any time, in any place; he is no less able, no less ready than he ever was, to afford help to his poor creatures, wherever it is needful or opportune. As there was of Gen. xx. 3. old an Abimelech among the Philistines, whom God by special warning, deterred from commission of sin; a divine Melchisedeck among the Canaanites; a discreet and honest Jethro in Midian; a very religious and virtuous Job in Ara- Exod. xviii. bia; who by complying with God's grace, did evidence the commmunication thereof in several nations; so it is not unreasonable to suppose the like cause now, although we cannot by like attestation certify concerning the particular effects thereof. We may at least discern and shew very conspicuous Kaiaur footsteps of divine grace, working in part, and producing no xai despicab.e fruits of moral virtue, (of justice and honesty, teni- día roùs ¿aperance and sobriety, benignity and bounty, courage and Clem. Alex. constancy in worthy enterprises, meekness, patience, modesty, prudence, and discretion, yea, of piety and devotion in some manner,) even among Pagans, which if we do not allow to have been in all respects so complete, as to instate the persons endued with them, or practisers of them, in God's favour, or to bring them to salvation n; yet those qualities and actions (in degree, or in matter at least, so good and so conformable to God's law) we can hardly deny to have been the gifts of God, and the effects of divine grace; they at least themselves acknowledged so much; for, Nulla

n Mortalem vitam honestare possunt, æternam conferre non possunt. Prosper in Collat. cap. 26.

(Prodesse ad salutem. Aug. Prosper, Fulgent, &c.)

Nemo vir magnus sine aliquo afflatu divino unquam fuit. Cic. de Nat. Dçorum ii. sub fin.

ἰδικαίω ποτὶ

ληνας.

SERM. sine Deo mens bona est, No mind is good without God, said LXXII. Seneca ; and, Θεία μοίρα φαίνεται παραγιγνομένη ἡ ἀρετὴ,

dis Tagayivera, Virtue appears to proceed from a divine dispensation to them who partake of it, said Socrates P; and, Αἳ ἂρισαι φύσεις, ἀμφισβητήσικοι ἐν μετρίῳ τῆς ἄκρας ἀρετῆς πρὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην μοχθηρίαν καθωρμισμέναι, δέονται ξυναγωνίζ Θεῖ καὶ ξυλλήπτορος τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ θάτερα τὰ κρείττω ἑοπῆς καὶ χειραγωγίας. The best natured souls being constituted in the middle between the highest virtue and extreme wickedness, do need God to be their succourer and assistant in the inclining and leading them to the better side; saith Max. Tyr. xxii. St. Austin himself, who seems the least favourable in his judgment concerning their actions and state, who calls their virtues but images and shadows of virtue (non veras, sed verisimiles) splendid sins; acknowledges those virtuous -Dei do- dispositions and deeds to be the gifts of God, to be laudana. Epist. ble, to procure some reward, to avail so far, that they, be

130. Aug.

cause of them, shall receive a more tolerable and mild treatment from divine justice; which things considered, such persons do at least, by virtue of grace imparted to them, a obtain some part of salvation, or an imperfect kind of salvation, which they owe to our Lord, and in regard whereto he may be called in a sort their Saviour.

But although the torrent of natural pravity hath prevailed so far, as that we cannot assign or nominate any (among those who have lived out of the pale) who certainly or probably have obtained salvation, yet doth it not follow thence, that a sufficient grace was wanting to them. The most universal practice contrary to the intents of grace doth not evince a defect of grace. For we see that the same cause hath in a manner universally overborne

• Sen. Ep. 73.

-Quæ secundum justitiæ regulam non solum vituperare non possumus, sed etiam merito recteque laudamus. Aug. de Spir. et Lit. cap. 27. P Plat. Menon, ad finem.

Tolerabilius puniuntur. Minus Fabricius quam Catilina punietur, &c. -non veras virtutes habendo, sed a veris virtutibus non plurimum deviando. Aug.

1 Pet. iii.

and defeated other means and methods designed and dispen- SERM. sed by God for the instruction and emendation of mankind. LXXII. God's Spirit did long strive with the inhabitants of the Gen. vi. 3. old world: yet no more than one family was bettered or 20. saved thereby. God by his good Spirit instructed the Israelites in the wilderness, as Nehemiah saith, yet no more Neh. ix. 20. than two persons did get into Canaan: that people afterward had afforded to them great advantages of knowledge and excitements to piety, (so that God intimates, that he could not have done more for them, in that regard, than he had done.) Yet, There is none that understandeth, or seek- Isa. v. 4. eth after God, was a complaint in the best times. The Pa

gans

Psal. xiv.

had the means of knowing God, as St. Paul affirm- Rom. i. 21. eth, yet generally they grew vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened; from which like cases and examples we may infer, that divine grace might be really imparted, although no effect correspondent to its main design were produced. Neither, because we cannot allege any evident instances of persons converted or saved by virtue of this grace, (this parcior occultiorque gratia, more sparing and secret grace, as the good writer de Vocatione Gentium calls it) are we forced to grant there were none such; but as in Israel when Elias said, the children. of Israel have forsaken God's covenant, thrown down his 1 Kings xix. 14, 18. altars, and slain his prophets with the sword; and I, I only am left; there were yet in Israel, living closely, seven thousand knees, who had not bowed to Baal: so among the generations of men, commonly overgrown with ignorance and impiety, there might, for all that we can know, be divers persons indiscernible to common view, who, by complying with the influences of God's grace, have obtained competently to know God, and to reverence him; sincerely to love goodness, and hate wickedness; with an honest heart, to observe the laws of reason and righteousness, in such a manner and degree which God might accept; so that the grace afforded might not only sufficere omnibus in testimonium, (suffice to convince all men,) but quibusdam in remedium, (to correct and cure some,) as that

9.

SERM. writer de Voc. Gent. speaks. The consideration of God's LXXII. nature and providence doth serve farther to persuade the Psal. cxlv. truth of this assertion. If God be rich in mercy and bounty toward all his creatures, as such, (and such he frequently asserts himself to be,) if he be all-present and all-provident, as he certainly is, how can we conceive him to stand as an unconcerned spectator of what men do, in affairs of this consequence? That he should be present beholding men to run precipitantly into desperate mischiefs and miscarriages, without offering to stay or obstruct them; struggling with their vices and follies, without affording them any relief or furtherance; assaulted by strong temptations, without yielding any support or succour; panting after rest and ease, without vouchsafing some guidance and assistance toward the obtaining them? How can he see men invincibly erring and inevitably sinning, without making good what the Psal. xxv. 8. Psalmist says of him: Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way; to withhold his grace in such cases, seemeth inconsistent with the kind and compassionate nature of God, especially such as now it stands, being reconciled to mankind, by the Mediator of God and men, Christ Jesus. He also, that is so bountiful and indulgent toward all men in regard to their bodies and temPsal. ciii. 4. poral state; who preserveth their life from destruction, who protecteth them continually from danger and mischief; who openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desires of every living thing; who satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness; who, as St. Paul Acts xiv. speaketh, filleth men's hearts with food and gladness; is it likely that he should altogether neglect their spiritual welfare, and leave their souls utterly destitute of all sustenance or comfort; that he should suffer them to lie fatally exposed to eternal death and ruin, without offering any means of redress or recovery? To conceive so of God, seemed very unreasonable even to a Pagan philosopher: Do you think, saith Max. Tyrius, that divination, poetry, and such like things, are by divine inspiration insinuated into men's souls, and that virtue (so much better, and so much rarer a thing)

cxlv. 16.

cvii. 9.

17.

Max. Tyr.

Diss. 22.