CONDITION to be by them performed not absolutly procured for them thereby whereby they became to have a Right unto the GOOD THINGS by him Purchased to be in due time Possessed according to Gods Way Method and Appointment From a faithful adherence unto this Perswasion I see nothing as yet of the least Efficacy or force to disswade me and am bold to tell these concerned therein That their Conditional Satisfaction or their suspending the Fruits of the Death of Christ upon Conditions as though the Lord should give him to die for us upon Condition of such and such things is a vain Figment contrary to the Scriptures inconsistent in it self and destructive of the true value and vertue of the Death of Christ which by the Lords Assistance I shall be ready at any time to Demonstrate My Intention in the place Excepted against being cleered I shall now tender my Thoughts to these Two things 1 The distinct Consideration of the Acts of the Will of God before and after the Satisfaction of Christ as also before and after our Believing towards us as unto Justification 2 The distinct Estate of the Sinner upon that Consideration with what is the Right to the Fruits of the Death of Christ which the Elect of God have before Believing CAP. VI Of the Acts of Gods Will towards Sinners Antecedent and Consequent to the Satisfaction of Christ Of Grotius Judgment herein THE distinct Consideration of the Acts of Gods Will in reference to the Satisfaction of Christ and our believing according to the former Proposal is the First thing to be Considered Grotius who with many and in an especial manner with Mr Baxter is of very great account and that in Theologie distinguisheth as himself calls them with a School term 3 Moments or Instances of the Divine Will a 1 Before the Death of Christ either actually accomplished or in the purpose and fore-knowledge of God in this instant he saith God is Angry with the Sinner but so as that he is not averse from all Wayes of laying down his Anger b 2 Upon the Death of Christ or that being suppos'd wherein God not only Purposeth but also Promiseth to lay aside his Anger c 3 When a man by true Faith believeth in Christ and Christ according to the Tenure of the Covenant commendeth him to God here now God layes aside his Anger and receiveth man into Favour Thus far he Amongst all the attempts of distinguishing the Acts of Gods Will in reference unto Christ and Sinners what ever I considered I never found any more slight Atheological and discrepant from the Truth then this of Grotius d To measure the Almighty by the Standard of a man and to frame in the mind a mutable Idol instead of the Eternal Unchangeable God is a Thing that the fleshly Reasonings of dark understandings are prone unto Feigns the Lord in one Instant Angry afterwards promising to cease to be so then in another instant laying down his Anger and taking up a contrary affection and you seem to me to do no less What it may be esteemed in Law which was that Authors faculty I know not but suppose in Divinity that notwithstanding the manifold Attempts of some {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in most heads of Religion e the ascribing unto the most holy things alien and opposite unto his glorious nature is by common consent accounted no less then f blasphemy whither this be here don or no may easily appear I hope then without the offence of any I may be allowed to call those Dictates of Grotius to the Rule and Measure of Truth 1 Before the fore-sight of the Death of Christ saith he God is angry with Sinners but not wholly averse from all wayes of laying aside that Anger Answ. 1 That God should be conceived angry after the manner of men or with any such kind of Passion is grosse Anthropomorphisme as bad if not worse then the assigning of him a bodily shape g The Anger of God is a pure Act of his Will whereby he will effect and inflict the Effects of Anger Now what is before the fore-sight of the Death of Christ is certainly from Eternity Gods Anger must respect either the purpose of God or the Effects of it The latter it cannot be for they are undoubtedly all temporal It must be then his purpose from Eternity to inflict punishment that is the Effect of Anger This then is the First thing in the business of Redemption assigned by Grotius unto the Lord viz. He purposed from Eternity to inflict punishment on Sinners and on what sinners even those for whom he gives Christ to die and afterwards receives into favour as he expresseth himself Behold here a Mystery of Vorstian Theology God changing his eternal purposes h This Arminius at first could not down withal inferring from hence That the Will of God differ'd not from his Essence that every act thereof is 1 Most Simple 2 Infinite 3 Eternal 4 Immutable 5 Holy Reason it self would fain speak in this Cause but that the Scriptures do so abound many places are noted in the Margin Ja. 1. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 19. Ps. 33. 9 10 11. Acts. 15. 18. c. may be added A mutable god is of the dunghil 2 That the Death of Christ is not compriz'd in the first consideration of Gods Mind and act of his Will towards Sinners to be saved is assumed gratis 3 He is not saith he averse from all wayes of laying down this Anger This Schem Grotius placeth as is evident in God as the foundation and bottom of sending Christ for our Redemption This he immediatly subjoyns without the least intimation of any further inclination in God towards Sinners for whom he gives his Son But 1 This is a meer negation of inflicting Anger for the present or a suspension of that affection from working according to its Qualitie which how it can be ascribed to the pure and active i Will of God I know not Yea it is above disproved 2 Such a kind of Frame as it is injurious to God so to be held out as the fountain of his sending Christ to die for us is I am perswaded an Abhorrency to Christians And 3 Whether this Answer that which the Scripture holds out as the most intense distinguishing love Joh. 3. 16. Rom. 5. 8. Chap. 8. 32. 1 Joh. 4. 9 10. is easily discernable A natural velleity to the good of the Creature is the thing here couched but was never proved In the second Instance God saith he the Death of Christ being suppos'd not only determineth but also promiseth to lay aside his anger 1 What terms can be invented to hold out more expresly a Change and Alteration in the Unchangable God then these here used I know not 2 That the Will or Mind of God is altered from one respect towards us to another by the Consideration of the Death
spiritual Blessings soever are bestowed on any Soul I mean peculiarly distinguishing Mercies and Graces they are all bestowed and collated for Christs sake That is They are purchased by his Merit and procured by his Intercession thereupon That supernatural Graces cannot be traduced from any natural Faculty or attained by the utmost Endeavour of Nature howsoever affected with outward advantages I now take for granted These things I looked upon as the free-gifts of Love So the Scripture Joh. 15. 5. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Eph. 2. 8. 1 Cor. 4. 7. Eph. 2. 10. Mat. 11. 25 26. Act. 16. 14. c. Now the Dispensation of all these as it is through Christ so they are for Christ On whomsoever they are bestowed it is for Christs sake For Instance Peter and Judas are Unbeleevers Faith is given for Faith is given to Peter not to Judas Whence is this difference Presupposing Gods Sovereign discriminating Purpose the immediate procuring Cause of Faith for Peter is the Merit of Christ To us it is given on the behalf of Christ to beleeve on him Phil. 1. 20. We are blessed with all spiritual Blessings in him Eph. 1. 3. Whatsoever is in the Promise of the Covenant is certainly of his procurement for therefore he is the Surety Heb. 7. 22. And his Bloud the Ransome he paid is the Bloud of the Covevenant Mat. 26. 28. Whereby all the Promises thereof become in him Yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20. And whether Faith be of the Blessings of the Covenant and Conclude in the Promise thereof or no let the Scripture be Judge Jer. 31. 31 32. Ezek. 36. 26. Heb. 8. 9 10 11. Furthermore What we have through him we have so him All these things being made out on this Condition that he should make his Soul an Offering for sin Isa. 53. 10 3 That all the procurements of the Death of Christ in the behalf of his are to be made out by vertue of a Stipulation sub termino or in respect of their actual collation and bestowing they are to be made out in the season limited and appointed by the Will of the Father Of this before 4 No Blessing can be given us for Christs sake unless in Order of Nature CHRIST be first reckoned unto us Here I must do two things 1 Declare what I mean by reckoning Christ unto us And then 2 Prove the Assertion as laid down Gods reckoning Christ in our present sense is the imputing of Christ unto ungodly unbeleeving Sinners for whom he died so far as to account him theirs to bestow Faith and Grace upon them for his sake This then I say at the Accomplishment of the appointed time the Lord reckons and accounts and makes out his Son Christ to such and such Sinners and for his sake gives them Faith c. Exercising of Love actually in the bestowing of Grace upon any particular soul in a distinguishing manner for Christs sake doth suppose this accounting of Christ to be his and from thence he is so indeed which is the present Thesis and may be proved For 1 Why doth the Lord bestow Faith on Peter not on Judas Because Christ Dying for Peter and purchasing for him the Grace of the Covenant he had a Right unto it and God according to his Promise bestowed it With Judas it was not so But then Why doth the Lord bestow Faith on Peter at the 40th yeer of his Age and not before or after Because then the Term is expired which upon the Purchase was by the Counsel of Gods Will prefixed to the giving in the beginning of the thing Purchased unto him What then doth the Lord do when he thus bestoweth Faith on him For Christs sake his Death procuring the Gift not moving the Will of the Giver he creates Faith in him by the way and means snited to such a work Eph. 1. 18 19. Chap. 2. 1 c. If then this be done for Christs sake then is Christ made ours before we beleeve Else Why is Faith given him at this instant for Christs sake and not to another for whom also he died That it is done then is because the appointed time is come that it is done then for Christ is because Christ is first given to him I cannot conceive how any thing should be made out to me for Christ and Christ himself not be given to me he being made unto us of God Righteousness 1 Cor. 1. 30. 2 The Apostle holds out this very Method of the Dispensation of Grace Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his Son but delivered him up to Death for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things First Christ is given for us then to us then with him he having the preheminence in all things all things and this being also for him Phil. 1. 29. he is certainly in the Order of Nature given in the first place He being made ours we receive the Atonement by him Rom. 5. 11. How Christ is said to be received by Faith if he be ours before Beleeving is easily resolved Christ is ours before and after Beleeving in a different sense He who is made ours in an Act of Gods Love that for him we may have Faith may be found and made ours in a Promise of Reconciliation by Beleeving I offer also Whether Absolution from the guilt of sin and obligation unto death though not as terminated in the Conscience for compleat Iustification do not proceed our actual Beleeving For What is that Love of God which through Christ is effectual to bestow Faith upon the Unbeleeving And how can so great Love in the actual exercise of it producing the most distinguishing Mercies consist with any such Act of Gods Will as at the same instant should bind that Person under the Guilt of sin Perhaps also this may be the Iustification of the ungodly mentioned Rom. 4. Gods absolving a Sinner in Heaven by accounting Christ unto him and then bestowing him upon him and for his sake enduing him with Faith to beleeve That we should be blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ and yet Christ not ours in a peculiar manner before the bestowing of those blessings on us is somwhat strange Yea he must be our Christ before it is given to us for him to beleeve Why else is it not given to all others so to do I speak not of the supream distinguishing Cause Mat. 11. 25 26. but of the proximate procuring Cause which is the bloud of Christ Neither yet do I hence assert compleat Justification to be before beleeving Absolution in Heaven and Justification differ as part and whole Again Absolution may be considered either as a pure Act of the Will of God in it self or as it is received beleeved apprehended in and by the soul of the Guilty For Absolution in the first sense it is evident it must proceed beleeving as a discharge from the Effects of Anger naturally proceeds all Collation of any fruits of Love such as is
Faith Object But if God account Christ unto and bestow him upon a Sinner before Beleeving and upon that Account absolve him from the Obligation unto Death and Hell which for sin he lies under what wants this of compleat Justification Answ. Much every way 1 It wants that Act of pardoning Mercy on the part of God which is to be terminated and compleated in the Conscience of the Sinner this lies in the Promise 2 It wants the Hearts perswasion concerning the Truth and Goodness of the Promise and the Mercy held out in the Promise 3 It wants the Souls rolling it self upon Christ and receiving of Christ as the Author and Finisher of that Mercy an Al-sufficient Saviour to them that beleeve So that by Faith alone we obtain and receive the forgiveness of sin for notwithstanding any antecedent Act of God concerning us in and for Christ we do not actually receive a compleat Soul-freeing discharge until we beleeve And thus the Lord Christ hath the preheminence in all things He is the Author and finisher of our Faith This then is that which here we assign unto the Lord Upon the Accomplishment of the appointed Season for the making out the fruits of the Death of Christ unto them for whom he died he loves them freely sayes to them Live gives them his Son with and for him all things bringing forth the choicest Issue of his being reconciled in the bloud of Jesus whilest we are Enemies and totally alimated from him It will not be requisite at all as to our purpose in hand to make particular enquiry into the State and Condition of them towards whom such are the Actings of God as we before described What it is that gives them the first real alteration of Condition and distinguishment from others I have now no occasion to handle So far as Advantage hath been offered I have laboured to distinguish aright those things whose Confusion and mis-apprehension lies at the bottome of very many dangerous Mistakes How the forgoing Discourse may be accommodated and improved for the Removeal of those Mistakes I shall leave to the Consideration of others CAP. XIII The Removal of sundry Objections to some things formerly taught about the Death of Christ Vpon the Principles now delivered HAving fully declared not only what was my Intendment in the Expressions so exceedingly mistaken by Mr Baxter as hath in part already been made manifest and will instantly more fully appear I shall now take a view of what is Imposed on me as my Judgement and the Opposition made thereunto so far as may be needful for the cleering of the One and removing of the Other at least in what they may really concern what I did deliver in the Treatise impugned In Page 146 of his Apendix Mr Baxter endeavours to vindicate a Thesis of his from some Exceptions that he was by his friend pointed to unto which it seemed liable and Obnoxious The Thesis he layes down is That no man is actually and absolutly Justified upon the meer payment of the debt by Christ till they become beleevers Against this Article as he calls it he produceth some Objections of Maccovius censuring his Assertions to be senseless his Positions strange and abhored his Arguments weak and ineffectual with some other Expressions to the same purpose 1 I am now by the Providence of God in a Condition of Separation from my own small Library neither can I here attain the sight of Maccovius Disputations so that I shall not at all interpose my self in this Contest only I must needs say 1 I did not formerly account Maccovius to be so senseless and weak a Disputant as here he is represented to be 2 That for Mr Baxters Answer to that Argument where the Debt is paid there Discharge must follow by Asserting the Payment made by Christ to be refusable and the Interest of sinners in that Payment to be purely upon the performance of a Condition I have fully before in both parts of it Demonstrated to be weak and inconsistent with it self and Truth That the Interesting of Sinners in the Payment made by Christ at such and such a Season is from the Sovereignty of God and his free Engagement sub Termino for this End hath been also fully manifested But Secondly Mr Baxter Affirms That to these Arguments of Maccovius Mr Owen addes some in the place against Grotius whereunto he was referred To what End you will say doth Mr Owen adde these Arguments Why to prove that men are actually and absolutly Justified upon the meer Payment of the Debt by Christ before beleeving But Fidem tuam Is there any one Argument in my whole Book used to any such purpose Do I labour to prove that which I never Affirmed never thought never beleeved In what Sense I Affirmed that by the Death of Christ we are actually and ipso facto delivered from Death that is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} we have in due time the time appointed free and full Deliverance thereby without the Intervention of any Condition on our part not absolutly procured for us by his Death I have before declared How much this comes short of actual and absolute Justification I need not now mention I shall therefore only so far Consider the Answers given by Mr Baxter as they may seem to impair or entrench upon the main Truth I Assert and that in the Order by him laid down These saith he Mr Owen layeth down 1 By Death he delivereth us from Death Answ. Not immediatly nor absolutly nor by his Death alone but by that as a Price supposing other Causes on his part and Conditions on ours to concur before the actual Deliverance Reply 1 To what End I mention that place of the Apostle was before declared 2 By the Death of Christ we are immediatly delivered from Death with that Immediation which is proper to the Efficiency of Causes which produce their Effects by the way of Moral procurement that is certainly without the Intervention of any other Cause of the like kind And 3 Absolutly no Condition being interposed between the Cause and the Effect Christs Death and our total Deliverance but such as is part of our Deliverance and solely procured by that Death Though that Death of Christ be not considered as alone that is separated from his Obedience Resurrection and Intercession when the Work of Redemption is assigned to it in the Scripture 4 By the Death of Christ as a Price I suppose you understand his Purchase as well as his Payment his Merit as well as his Satisfaction or else this is a false Notion of the Death of CHRIST as the Cause of our Deliverance 5 All other Causes concurring on the Part of Christ for our Deliverance are 1 Either not of the same kind with his Death Or 2 Bottomed on his Death and flowing from thence so that summarily all may be resolved therinto 6 The Conditions on our Part in the Sense intended are often
of Christ is a low carnal Conception The Will of God is not moved by any thing without it self k Alterations are in the things altered not in the Will of God concerning them 3 To make this the whole Effect of the Death of Christ that God should determine and promise to lay aside his wrath is l no Scripture discovery either as to Name or Thing 4 The Purposes of God which are all Eternal and the Promises of God which are all made in time are very inconveniently ranged in the same Series 5 That by the Death of Christ Attonement is made everlasting Redemption purchased that God is Reconciled a Right unto Freedom obtained for those for whom he died shall be afterwards declared 6 If God doth only Purpose and Promise to lay aside his Anger upon the Death of Christ but doth it not until our actual believing then 1 our Faith is the proper procuring cause of Reconciliation the Death of Christ but a Requisite Antecedent which is not the Scripture Phrase Rom. 5. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 18. Eph. 2. 16. Col. 1. 20 21. Dan. 9. 24. Heb. 2. 17. Eph. 1. 7. Heb. 9. 12. 2 How comes the Sinner by Faith if it is the Gift of God It must be an Issue of Anger and Enmity for that Schem only is actually ascribed to him before our enjoyment of it Strange that God should be so far reconciled as to give us Faith that we may be reconciled to him that thereupon he may be reconciled to us 3 For the Third Instance of Gods receiving the sinner into love and favour upon his beleeving quite laying aside his anger I Answer To wave the Anthropomorphisme wherwith this Assertion is tainted as the former If by receiving into favour he intend absolute compleat pactional Justification being an Act of favour quitting the sinner from the guilt of sin charged by the Accusation of the Law terminated on the Conscience of a sinner I confess it in order of nature to follow our beleiving I might Consider further the Attempts of others for the right sttating of this business but it would draw me beyond my Intention His failings herein who is so often mentioned and so much used by him who gives occasion to this rescript I could not but remark What are my own Thoughts and Apprehensions of the whole I shall in the next place briefly impart Now to make way hereunto some things I must suppose which though some of them otherwhere controverted yet not at all in reference to the present business and they are these 1 That Christ died only for the Elect or God gave his Son to die only for those whom he chuseth to life and salvation for the praise of his glorious Grace This is granted by Mr Baxter where he affirms That Christ bare not punishment for them who must bear punishment themselves in eternal fire Thes. 33. p. 162. And again Christ died not for final Vnbelief Thes. 32. p. 159. therefore not for them who are finally Unbelievers as all non-Elected are and shall be For what Sinners he died he died for all their sins Rom. 5. 6 7 8. 2 Cor. 5. 21. 1 Joh. 1. 7. If any shall say That as he died not for the final Unbelief of others so not for the final Unbelief of the Elect and so not for final Unbelief at all I Answer First If by final Unbelief you mean that which is actually so Christ satisfied not for it His satisfaction cannot be extended to those things whose Existence is prevented by his Merit The Omission of this in the consideration of the Death Christ lies at the bottom of many mistakes Merit and Satisfaction are of equal Extent as to their Objects both also tend to the same End but in sundry respects Secondly If by final Vnbelief you understand that which would be so notwithstanding all means and remedies were it not for the Death of Christ so he did satisfie for it It's Existens being prevented by his Merit So then if Christ died not for final Unbelief he died not for the finally Unbeleeving Though the Satisfaction of his Death hath not paid for it the Merit of his Death would remove it Thirdly I Suppose That the Means as well as the Ends Grace as Glory are the Purchase and procurement of Jesus Christ See this proved in my Treatise of Redemption Lib. 3. Cap. 4. c. Fourthly That God is absolutely immutable unchangable in all his Attributes Neither doth his Will admit of any alteration This proved above Fifthly That the Will of God is not moved properly by any external Cause whatsoever unto any of its Acts whether imminent or transient For 1 m By a moving Cause we understand a Cause Morally Efficient and if any thing were so properly in respect of any Act of Gods Will then the Act which is the Will of God Acting must in some respect viz. As it is an Effect be less worthy and inferiour to the Cause for so is every Effect in respect of it's Cause And 2 Every Effect produced proceedeth from a Passive possibility unto the Effect which can no way be assigned unto God besides it must be temporarie for nothing that is Eternal can have dependance upon that whose Rise is in Time and such are all things external to the Will of God even the Merit of Christ himself 3 I cannot imagine how there can be any other Cause why God Willeth any thing then why he not Willeth or Willeth not other things which for any to Assign will be found Difficult Mat. 11. 25. Chap. 20. 15. So then when God Willeth one thing for another as our Salvation for the Death of Christ the one is the Cause of the other neither moveth the Will of God Hence Sixthly All Alterations are in the things concerning which the Acts of the Will of God are none in the Will of God its self These things being premised what was before proposed I shall now in order make out beginning with the Eternal Acts of the Will of God towards us antecedent to all or any Consideration of the DEATH of CHRIST CAP. VII In particular of the Will of God towards them for whom Christ died and their state and Condition as Considered Antecedanous to the Death of Christ and all Efficiency thereof FIRST then the Habitude of God towards man Antecedent to all fore-sight of the Death of Christ is an Act of Supream Soveraignty and Dominion appointing them by means suited to the manifestation of his Glorious Properties according to his Infinitely Wise and Free Disposal to Eternal Life and Salvation for the praise of his glorious Grace That this Salvation was never but one or of one kind consisting in the same kind of Happiness in reference unto Gods appointment needs not much proving To think that God appointed one kind of Condition for man if he had continued in Innocency and another upon his Recovery from the Fall is to think That