which is always fruitful in good works 2 Pet. 2. and Jude's Epistle The Apostle orders the Churches to cast such out 1 Cor. 5. 2 Tim. 3.5 And to declare to them as Peter did to a Professor Acts 8.20 21. That they have no part nor portion in this matter for their heart is not right in the sight of God though the Doctrine be right that they hypocritically profess But if our Brethren will not forbear their charge of Antinomianism we entreat them that they will give it in justly As 1. On them that say that the sanction of the Holy Law of God is repealed so that no man is now under it either to be condemned for breaking it or to be saved by keeping it which to us is rank Antinomianism and Arminianism both Yea that it doth not now require perfect holiness but indeed what can it require For it is no Law if its Sanction be repealed 2. On them let the charge lye that are ungodly under the name of Christianity And both they and we know where to find such true Antinomians in great abundance who yet are never called by that name And is it not somewhat strange that men who have so much zeal against an Antinomian principle have so much kindness for true Antinomians in practice 3. Let him be called by this ugly name that judgeth not the Holy Law and Word of God written in the Old and New Testament to be a perfect rule of life to all Believers and saith not that all such should study conformity thereunto Rom. 12.2 4. That encourageth himself in Sin and hardneth himself in Impenitence by the Doctrine of the Gospel No man that knows and believes the Gospel can do so What some hypocrites may do is nothing to us who disown all such persons and practices and own no principle that can really encourage the one or influence the other 5. That thinketh holiness is not necessary to all that would be saved We maintain not only that it is necessary to but that it is a great part of Salvation 6. Whoever thinks that when a Believer comes short in obeying God's Law he sins not and that he ought not to mourn because of it as provoking to God and hurtful to the new creation in him and that he needs not renew the exercise of Faith and Repentance for repeated washing and pardoning Lastly That say that a Sinner is actually justfied before he be united to Christ by faith It 's strange that such that are charged with this of all men do most press on Sinners to believe on Jesus Christ and urge the damnation threatned in the Gospel upon all Unbelievers That there is a decreed Justification from Eternity particular and fixed as to all the Elect and a Virtual Perfect Justification of all the Red emed in and by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ Isa 53 11. Rom. 4.25 Heb. 9.26 28. and 10.14 is not yet called in question by any amongst us and more is not craved but that a Sinner for his Actual Justification must lay hold on and plead this Redemption in Christ's blood by Faith But on the other hand we glory in any name of Reproach as the honourable reproach of Christ that is cast upon us for asserting the absolute boundless freedom of the Grace of God which excludes all merit and every thing like it The Absoluteness of the Covenant of Grace for the Covenant of Redemption was plainly and strictly a conditional one and the noblest of all conditions was in it the Son of God's taking on him man's nature and offering it in Sacrifice was the strict condition of all the Glory and Reward promised to Christ and his seed Isa 53.10 11. wherein all things are freely promised and that Faith that is required for sealing a mans Interest in the Covenant is promised in it and wrought by the Grace of it Ephes 2.8 That Faith at first is wrought by and acts upon a full and absolute offer of Christ and of all his fulness an Offer that hath no condition in it but that native one to all Offers acceptance and in the very act of this Acceptance the Accepter doth expresly disclaim all things in himself but Sinfulness and Misery That Faith in Jesus Christ doth justifie although by the way it is to be noted that it is never written in the Word that Faith justifieth actively but always passively that a man is justified by faith and that God justifieth men by and through faith yet admitting the phrase only as a meer instrument receiving that Imputed Righteousness of Christ for which we are justified and that this Faith in the Office of Justification is neither condition nor qualification nor our Gospel-Righteousness but in its very Act is a renouncing of all such pretences We proclaim the Market of Grace to be free Isai 55.1 2 3. It 's Christ's last offer and lowest Rev. 22 17. If there be any price or mony spoke of it is no price no money And where such are the terms and conditions if we be forced to call them so we must say that they look liker a renouncing than a boasting of any Qualifications or Conditions Surely the Terms of the Gospel-Bargain are God's free giving and our free taking and receiving We are not ashamed of teaching the ineffectualness of the Law and all the works of it to give Life either that of Justification or of Regeneration and Sanctification or of Eternal Life That the Law of God can only damn all sinners that it only rebukes and thereby irritates and increaseth sin and can never subdue it till Gospel Grace come with power upon the heart and then when the Law is written in the heart it is copyed out in the life That we call men to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in that case the first Adam brought them to and left them in in that case that the Law finds and leaves them in guilty filthy condemned out of which case they can only be delivered by Christ and by believing on him That we tell Sinners that Jesus Christ will surely welcome all that come to him and as he will not cast them out for their sinfulness in their Nature and by past Life so neither for their Misery in the want of such Qualifications and Graces that he only can give That we do hold forth the Propitiation in Christ's Blood as the only thing to be in the eye of a man that would believe on Christ unto justification of Life and that by this faith alone a sinner is justified and God is justified in doing so That God justifieth the Vngodly Rom. 4.5 neither by making him godly before he justifie him nor leaving him ungodly after he hath justified him But that the same Grace that justifies him doth immediately sanctifie him If for such Doctrine we be called Antinomians we are bold to say that there is some ignorance of or prejudice at the known Protestant Doctrine in the hearts of the
accounted the Tidings of Salvation by the slain Son of God an Old An iquated Story and unfit to be daily preached And what comes in the room thereof is not unknown nor is it worth the mentioning For all things that come in Christ's room and justle him out either of Hearts or Pulpits are alike abominable to a Christian How many Sermons may a man hear and read when printed yea and Books written about the way to Heaven wherein is hardly the Name of Jesus Christ And if he be named it is the Name of Christ as a Judg and Lawgiver rather than that of a Saviour And as little room hath Christ in many mens Prayers except it be in the conclusion When we cannot avoid the observing of those sad things let it be a sharp Spur to us to Preach Christ more to Pray more in his Name and to Live more to his Praise Let us not be deceived with that pretence That Christ may be Preached when he is not Named The Preaching of the Gospel is the Naming of Christ and so call'd Rom. 15.20 And Paul was to bear Christ's Name before the Gentiles and Kings and the Chrildren of Israel Acts 9.15 3. Let us Study hard and Pray much to know the truth and to cleave unto it It is an Old Observation Ante Pelagium securiùs loquebantur Patres Before Pelagius even the Fathers spoke more carelesly meaning well and fearing no Mistakes in their Hearers Now it is not so the more careful should we be in our Doctrine Let us search our own Consciences and see how we our selves are justified before God So Paul argued Gal. 2.15 16. And let us bring forth that Doctrine to our People that we find in our Bibles and have felt the power of upon our own hearts Let us not run into Extreams upon the Right or Left Hand through the heat of Contention but carefully keep the good Old way of the Protestant Doctrine wherein so many thousands of Saints and Martyrs of Jesus have lived holily and died happily who never heard of our New Schemes and Notions And for this end let us take and cleave to the Test of the Assemblies Confession of Faith and Catechisms More we own not our selves more we crave not of our Brethren and because we deal fairly and openly I shall set it down Verbatim Conf. Chap. 11. Of Justification Art 1. Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely Justifieth not by infusing Righteousness into them but by Pardoning their Sins and by accounting and accepting their Persons as Righteous not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for Christ's sake alone not by imputing Faith it self the Act of Believing or any other Evangelical Obedience as their Righteousness but by imputing the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his Righteousness by Faith which Faith they have not of themselves it is the Gift of God Art 2. Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his Righteousness is the alone Instrument of Justification yet is it not alone in the Person Justified but is ever Accompanied with all other saving Graces and is no dead Faith but worketh by Love Art 3. Christ by his Obedience and Death did fully discharge the Debt of all those that are thus Justified and did make a proper real and full satisfaction to his Fathers Justice in their behalf yet in as much as he was given by the Father for them and his Obedience and Satisfaction accepted in their Stead and both freely not for any thing in them Their Justification is only of Free Grace that both the exact Justice and rich Grace of God might be glorified in the Justification of Sinners Art 4. God did from all Eternity Decree to Justifie all the Elect and Christ did in the fulness of time Die for their Sins and Rise again for their Justification Nevertheless they are not Justified until the Holy Spirit doth in due time actually apply Christ unto them Art 5. God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are Justified And although they can never fall from the state of Justification yet they may by their sins fall under God's Fatherly displeasure and not have the light of his Countenance restor'd unto them until they humble themselves confess their sins beg pardon and renew their Faith and Repentance Art 6. The Justification of Believers under the Old Testament was in all these Respects one and the same with the Justification of Believers under the New Testament This is the whole Chapter exactly Larger Catechism Q. How doth Faith Justifie a sinner in the sight of God Ans Faith Justifieth a sinner in the sight of God not because of those other graces which do always accompany it or of good Works that are the Fruits of it nor as if the grace of Faith or any Act thereof were imputed to him for his Justification but only as it is an Instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his Righteousness Let these weighty words be but heartily assented to in their plain and Native Sense and we are one in this great point of Justification But can any considering Man think that the new Scheme of a real Change Repentance and Sincere Obedience as necessary to be found in a person that may Lawfully come to Christ for Justification of Faith's Justifying as it is the spring of sincere Obedience of a Man's being Justified by and upon his coming up to the Terms of the new Law of Grace a new word but of an old and ill meaning can any man think that this Scheme and the sound words of the Reverend Assembly do agree Surely if such a Scheme had been offered to that Grave Learned and Orthodox Synod it would have had a more severe Censure past upon it than I am willing to name Do not we find in our particular Dealings with Souls the same Principles I am now Opposing When we deal with the Carnal Secure Careless Sinners and they are a vast Multitude and ask them a Reason of that hope of Heaven they pretend to Is not this their common Answer I live inoffensively I keep God's Law as well as I can and wherein I fail I repent and beg God's Mercy for Christ's sake My Heart is sincere though my Knowledg and Attainments be short of others If we go on to inquire further what acquaintance they have with Jesus Christ what Applications their Souls have made to him what workings of Faith on him what use they have made of his Righteousness for Justification and his Spirit for Sanctification What they know of living by Faith in Jesus Christ We are Barbarians to them and in this sad state many Thousands in England live and die and Perish Eternally Yet so thick is the darkness of the Age that many of them live here and go hence with the Reputation of good Christans and some of them may have their Funeral Sermon and Praises Preached
doth not shew it self by Good Works without which no man is or can be Justified either in his own Conscience or before Men. But it doth not hence follow that we cannot be justified in the sight of God by Faith only as the Apostle Paul asserts the latter and the Apostle James the former in a good Agreement 2. There appears to be some difference or mis-understanding of one another about the true Notion and Nature of Justifying Faith Divines commonly distinguish betwixt the Direct Act of Faith and the Reflex Act. The Direct Act is properly Justifying and Saving Faith by which a lost sinner comes to Christ and relies upon him for Salvation The Reflex Act is the looking back of the Soul upon a former Act of Faith A Rational Creature can reflect upon his own Acts whether they be Acts of Reason Faith or Unbelief A Direct Act of saving Faith is that by which a lost Sinner goes out of himself to Christ for help relying upon him only for Salvation A Reflex Act ariseth from the sense that Faith gives of its own inward Act upon a serious Review the truth and sincerity of which is further cleared up to the Conscience by the Genuine Fruits of an unfeigned Faith appearing to all men in our good Lives and holy Conversation But for as plain as these things be yet we find we are frequently mistaken by others and we wonder at the Mistake for we dare not ascribe to some Learned and Good Men the Principles of Ignorance or Willfulness from whence mistakes in plain Cases usually proceed When we do press Sinners to come to Christ by a Direct Act of Faith consisting in an humble Reliance upon him for Mercy and Pardon They will understand us whether we will or not of a Reflex Act of Faith by which a Man knows and believes that his sins are pardoned and that Christ is his When they might easily know that we mean no such thing Mr. Walter Marshall in his excellent Book lately Published hath largely opened this and the true Controverly of this day though it be 8 or 9 Years since he died 3. We seem to differ about the Interest and Room and Place that Faith hath in Justification That we are justified by Faith in Jesus Christ is so plainly a New Testament-Truth that no Man pretending never so bately to the Christian Name denies it The Papists own it and the Socinians and Arminians and all own it But how different are their senses of it And indeed you cannot more speedily and certainly judge of the spirit of a Man than by his real inward sense of this phrase if you could reach it a Sinner is justified by Faith in Jesus Christ Some say that Faith in Jesus Christ justifies as it is a Work by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere as if it came in the room of perfect Obedience required by the Law Some that Faith justifies as it is informed and animated by Charity so the Papists who plainly Confound Justification and Sanctification Some say That Faith justifies as it is a fullfilling of the Condition of the New Covenant if thon believest thou shalt be saved Nay they will not hold there but they will have this Faith to Justifie as it hath a Principle and Fitness in it to dispose to sincere Obedience The plain Old Protestant Doctrine is That the place of Faith in Justification is only that of a Hand or Instrument receiving the Righteousness of Christ for which only we are justified So that though great Scholars do often confound themselves and others in their Disputations about Faith's justifying a Sinner every poor plain Believer hath the Marrow of this Mystery feeding his heart and he can readily tell you That to be justified by Faith is to be justified by Christ's Righteousness apprehended by Faith 4. We seem to misunderstand one another about the Two Adams and especially the latter See Rom. 5.12 to the end In that excellent Scripture a Comparison is instituted which if we did duly understand and agree in we should not readily differ in the Main things of the Gospel The Apostle there tells us That the First Adam stood in the Room of all his Natural Posterity He had their Stock in his hand While he stood they stood in him when he fell they fell with him by his Fall he derived Sin and Death to all them that spring from him by Natural Generation This is the sad side But he tells us in opposition thereto and in comparing therewith that Christ the Second Man is the New Head of the Redeemed World He stands in their Room his Obedience is theirs and he communicates to his Spiritual Off-spring the just contrary to what the first sinful Adam doth to his Natural Off-spring Righteousness instead of Guilt and Sin Life instead of Death Justification instead of Condemnation and Eternal Life instead of Hell deserved So that I think the 3 d 4 th and 5 th Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans for the Mystery of Justification and the 6 th 7 th and 8 th for the Mystery of Sanctification deserve our deep Study But what say others about Christ's being the Second Adam We find them unwilling to speak of it and when they do it is quite alien from the Scope of the Apostle in that Chapter Thus to us they seem to say That God as a Rector Ruler Governour hath resolved to save Men by Jesus Christ That the Rule of this Government is the Gospel as a new Law of Grace That Jesus Christ is set at the Head of this Rectoral Government That in that State he sits in Glory ready and able out of his Purchase and Merits to give Justification and Eternal Life to all that can bring good Evidence of their having complied with the Terms and Conditions of the Law of Grace Thus they antedate the Last Day and hold forth Christ as a Judge rather than a Saviour Luther was wont to warn people of this distinction frequently in his Comment on the Epistle to the Galatians And no other Headship to Christ do we find some willing to admit but what belongs to his Kingly Office As for his Suretiship and being the Second Adam and a publick person some treat it with Contempt I have heard that Dr. Tho. Goodwin was in his Youth an Arminian or at least inclining that way but was by the Lord's Grace brought off by Dr. Sibbs his clearing up to him this same Point of Christ's being the Head and Representative of all his People Now though we maintain stedfastly this Headship of Jesus Christ yet we say not That there is an actual partaking of his Fulness of Grace till we be in him by Faith though this Faith is also given us on Christ's behalf Phil. 1.29 and we believe through Grace Acts 18.27 And we know no Grace we can call nothing Grace we care for no Grace but what comes from this Head the Saviour of the Body But so much shall
serve to point forth the main things of difference and Mistakes Is it not a little provoking that some are so captious that no Minister can preach in the hearing of some of the Freedom of God's Grace of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness of sole and single believing on him for Righteousness and Eternal Life of the Impossibility of a Natural Man's doing any good Work before he be in Christ of the impossibility of the mixing of Man's Righteousness and Works with Christ's Righteousness in the business of Justification and several other Points but he is immediately called or suspected to be an Antinomian If we say that Faith in Jesus Christ is neither Work nor Condition nor Qualification in Justification but is a meer Instrument receiving as an empty Hand receiveth the freely given Alms the Righteousness of Christ and that in its very Act it is a renouncing of all things but the Gift of Grace the fire is kindled So that it is come to that as Mr. Christopher Fowler said That he that will not be Antichristian must be called an Antinomian Is there a Minister in London who did not preach some twenty some thirty years ago according to their standing that same Doctrine now by some called Antinomian Let not Dr. Crisp's Book be looked upon as the Standard of our Doctrine there are many good things in it and also many expressions in it that we generally dislike It 's true that Mr. Burgess and Mr. Rutherford wrote against Antinomianism and against some that were both Antinomians and Arminians And it is no less true that they wrote against the Arminians and did hate the New Scheme of Divinity so much now contended for and to which we owe all our present contentions I am persuaded that if these godly and sound Divines were on the present Stage they would be as ready to draw their Pens against two Books lately printed against Dr. Crisp as ever they were to write against the Doctor 's Book Truth is to be defended by Truth but Error is often and unhappily opposed by Error under Truth 's Name But what shall we do in this case What shall we do for peace with our Brethren Shall we lie still under their undeserved Reproaches and for keeping the peace silently suffer others to beat us unjustly If it were our own personal concern we should bear it If it were only their charging us with ignorance weakness and being unstudied Divines as they have used liberally to call all that have not learned and dare not believe their New Divinity we might easily pass it by or put it up But when we see the pure Gospel of Christ corrupted and an Arminian Gospel new vanmpt and obtruded on people to the certain peril of the souls of such as believe it and our Ministry reflected upon which should be dearer to us than our lives can we be silent As we have a charge from the Lord to deliver to our people what we have received from Him so as he calls and enables we are not to give place by subjection not for an hour to such as creep in not only to spy out but to destroy not so much the Gospel Liberty as the Gospel Salvation we have in Christ Jesus and to bring us back under the Yoke of Legal Bondage And indeed the case in that Epistle to the Galatians and ours have a great affinity Is it desired that we should forbear to make a free offer of God's Grace in Christ to the worst of Sinners This cannot be granted by us for this is the Gospel faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation and therefore worthy of all our preaching of it that Jesus Christ came into the world to save inners and the chief of them 1 Tim. 1.15 This was the Apostolick practice according to their Lord's command Mark 16.15 16. Luke 24.47 They began at Jerusalem where the Lord of Life was wickedly slain by them and yet Life in and through his Blood was offered to and accepted and obtained by many of them Every believers experience witnesseth to this That every one that believes on Jesus Christ acts that faith as the Chief of Sinners Every man that seeth himself rightly thinks so of himself and therein thinks not amiss God only knoweth who is truly the greatest Sinner and every humbled Sinner will think that he is the Man Shall we tell men that unless they be holy they must not believe on Jesus Christ That they must not venture on Christ for Salvation till they be qualified and fit to be received and welcomed by him This were to forbear preaching the Gospel at all or to forbid all men to believe on Christ For never was any sinner qualified for Christ He is well qualified for us 1 Cor. 1.30 but a sinner out of Christ hath no qualification for Christ but sin and misery Whence should he have any better but in and from Christ Nay suppose an impossibility that a man were qualified for Christ I boldly assert that such a man would not nor could ever believe on Christ For Faith is a lost helpless condemned sinner's casting himself on Christ for Salvation and the qualified man is no such person Shall we warn people that they should not believe on Christ too soon It is impossible that they should do it too soon Can a man obey the great Gospel Command too soon 1 John 3.23 or do the Great Work of God too soon John 6.28 29. A man may too soon think that he is in Christ and that is when it is not so indeed and this we frequently teach But this is but an idle Dream and not Faith A man may too soon fancy that he hath Faith but I hope he cannot act Faith too soon If any should say a man may be holy too soon how would that saying be reflected upon And yet it is certain that though no man can be too soon holy because he cannot too soon believe on Christ which is the only Spring of true Holiness yet he may and many do set about the study of that he counts holiness too soon that is before the Tree be changed Matth. 12.33 34 35. before he have the new heart Ezek. 36 26 27. and the Spirit of God dwelling in him which is only got by Faith in Christ Gal. 3.14 And therefore all this mans studying of Holiness is not only vain labour but acting of Sin And if this study and these endeavours be managed as commonly they are to obtain Justification before God they are the more wicked Works still And because this point is needful to be known I would give you some Testimonies for it Doctrine of the Church of England in her 39 Articles Art 13. Works done before the Grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God forasmuch as they spring not of Faith in Jesus Christ neither do they make men meet to receive Grace or as the School Authors say deserve Grace of Congruity Yea
improved to a severe height by some on purpose to shelter Arminianism in its growth and to advance it further amongst us which we pray and hope the Lord will prevent Yours N. N. POSTSCRIPT THis Paper presented to thee was in its first design intended as a private Letter to a particular Brother as the Title bears How it comes to be published I shall not trouble the World with an account of I think that Dr. Owen's Excellent Book of Justification and Mr. Marshal's Book of the Mystery of Sanctification by Faith in Jesus Christ are such Vindications and Confirmations of the Protestant Doctrine against which I fear no effectual Opposition Dr. Owen's Name is so savoury and famous his soundness in the Faith and ability in Learning for its defence so justly reputed that no sober man will attempt him Mr. Marshal was a holy retired Person and is only known to the most of us by his Book published lately The Book is a deep practical well-jointed Discourse and requires a more than ordinary attention in the reading of it with profit And if it be singly used I look upon it as one of the most useful Books the World hath seen for many years Its excellency is that it leads the serious Reader directly to Jesus Christ and cuts the sinews and overturns the foundation of the New Divinity by the same argument of Gospel-Holiness by which many attempt to overturn the Old And as it hath already the seal of high approbation by many judicious Ministers and Christians that have read it so I fear not but it will stand firm as a Rock against all Opposition and will prove good Seed and Food and Light and Life to many hereafter All my design in publishing this is plainly and briefly to give some Information to ordinary plain people who either want Time or Judgement to peruse large and learned Tractates about this point of Justification wherein every one is equally concerned The Theme of Justification hath suffered greatly by this That many have imployed their Heads and Pens who never had their Hearts and Consciences exercised about it And they must be frigid and dreaming speculations that all such are taken up with whose Consciences are not enlivened with their personal concern in it These things are undoubted 1. That as it is a point of highest concern to every man so it is to the whole-Doctrine of Christianity All the great Fundamentals of Christian Truth center in this of Justification The Trinity of persons in the Godhead The Incarnation of the only Begotten of the Father The Satisfaction paid to the Law and Justice of God for the sins of the World by his Obedience and Sacrifice of Himself in that flesh he assumed and the Divine Authority of the Scriptures which reveal all this Are all straight lines of Truth that center in this Doctrine of the Justification of a Sinner by the Imputation and Application of that Satisfaction No Justification without a Righteousness No Righteousness can be but what answers fully and perfectly the Holy Law of God No such Righteousness can be performed but by a Divine Person No benefit can accrue to a Sinner by it unless it be someway his and applied to him No application can be made of this but by Faith in Jesus Christ And as the connexion with and dependance of this Truth upon the other great Mysteries of Divine Truth is evident in the plain proposal of it So the same hath sadly been manifest in this that the forsaking of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith in Christ's Righteousness hath been the first step of Apostasie in many who have not stop'd till they revolted from Christianity it self Hence so many Arminians and their chief Leaders too turned Socinians from denying Justification by Christs Righteousness they proceeded to the denying of his Satisfaction from the denial of his proper Satisfaction they went on to the denying of the Divinity of his Person And that man's Charity is excessive that will allow to such Blasphemers of the Son of God the Name of Christians Let not then the Zeal of any for so fundamental a point of Truth as that is of the Justification of a Sinner by Faith in Christ be charged with folly It is good to be always zealously affected in a good thing and this is the best of things 2. It is undoubted That there is a Mystery in this Matter of Justification As it is God's act it is an act of Free-Grace and Deep Wisdom Herein Justice and Mercy kiss one another in saving the Sinner Here appears God Man with the Righteousness of God and this applied and imputed to sinful men Here mans Sin and Misery are the field in which the Riches of God's Grace in Christ are display'd Here the Sinner is made Righteous by the Righteousness of another and obtains Justification through this Righteousness though he pays and gives nothing for it God declares him righteous or justifies him freely and yet he is well paid for it by the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 25 26. It is an act of Justice and Mercy both when God justifies a Believer on Jesus Christ And must there not then be a great Mystery in it Is not every Believer daily admiring the depth of this way of God This Mystery is usually rather darkned than illustrated by Logical Terms used in the handling of it The only defence that good and learned men have for the use of them is and it hath great weight that the craft of Adversaries doth constrain them to use such Terms to find them out or hedge them in It 's certain that this Mystery is as plainly revealed in the Word as the Holy Ghost thought fit to do in teaching the Heirs of this Grace and it were well if men did contain themselves within these bounds 3. It is certain That this Doctrine of Justification proposed in the Word hath been very differently understood and expressed by men that profess that God's Word is the only Rule of their thoughts and words about the things of the Spirit of God It hath been and will be still a Stone of Stumbling as our Lord Jesus Christ himself was and is Rom. 9.32 33. 1 Pet. 2.7 8. 4. That whatever Variety and Differences there be in Men's Notions and Opinions and there is a great deal about Justification They are all certainly reducible to two one of which is every mans opinion And they are That the Justification of a sinner before God is either on the account of a Righteousness in and of our selves or on the account of a Righteousness in another even Jesus Christ who is Jehovah our Righteousness Law and Gospel Faith and Works Christs Righteousness and our own Grace and Debt do equally divide all in this matter Crafty Men may endeavour to bend and mix these things together in Justification but it is a vain attempt Is it not only most expresly rejected in the Gospel which peremptorily determines the
you Alas saith the poor Man My Heart is hard and I cannot repent aright yea I find my heart more hard and vile than when I was secure in sin If you speak to this man of qualifications for Christ he knows nothing of them if of sincere Obedience his answer is native and ready Obedience is the work of a living man and Sincerity is only in a renewed Soul sincere Obedience is therefore as impossible to a dead unrenewed sinner as perfect Obedience is Why should not the right answer be given Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved Tell him what Christ is what he hath done and suffered to obtain eternal Redemption for sinners and that according to the Will of God and his Father Give him a plain downright Narrative of the Gospel Salvation wrought out by the Son of God tell him the History and Mystery of the Gospel plainly it may be the Holy Ghost will work faith thereby as he did in those first fruits of the Gentiles Acts 10.44 If he ask what warrant he hath to believe on Jesus Christ Tell him that he hath utter indispensible Necessity for it for without believing on him he must perish eternally That he hath God's gracious Offer of Christ and all his Redemption with a promise that upon accepting the Offer by Faith Christ and Salvation with Him is his That he hath God's express commandment 1 John 3.23 to believe on Christ's Name and that he should make conscience of obeying it as well as any command in the Moral Law Tell him of Christs ability and good-will to save that no man was ever rejected by him that cast himself upon him that desperate cases are the glorious Triumphs of his Art of saving Tell him that there is no midst between Faith and Vnbelief that there is no excuse for neglecting the one and continuing in the the other That believing on the Lord Jesus for salvation is more pleasing to God that all obedience to his Law and that unbelief is the most provoking to God and the most damning to man of all sins Against the greatness of his sins the Curse of the Law and the severity of God as Judge there is no relief to be held forth to him but the free and boundless Grace of God in the Merit of Christ's Satisfaction by the sacrifice of himself If he should say What is it to believe on Jesus Christ As to this I find no such question in the Word but that all did some way understand the notion of it The Jews that did not believe on him John 6 28 29 30. the Chief Priests and Pharisees John 7 48 the blind Men John 9.35 When Christ asked him Believest thou on the Son of God He answered Who is he Lord that I may believe on him Immediately when Christ had told him ver 37. he saith not what is it to believe on him but Lord I believe and worshipped him and so both profess'd and acted Faith in him So the Father of the Lunatick Mark 9.23 24. The Eunuch Act 8.37 They all both Christ's Enemies and his Disciples knew that Faith in him was a believing that the Man Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God the Messiah and Saviour of the World so as to receive and look for Salvation in his Name Acts 4.12 This was the common Report published by Christ and his Apostles and Disciples and known by all that heard it If he yet ask What he is to believe you tell him that he is not called to believe that he is in Christ and that his Sins are pardoned and he a Justified Man but that he is to believe God's Record concerning Christ 1 John 5 10 11 12. And this Record is that God giveth that is offereth to us Eternal Life in his Son Jesus Christ And that all that with the heart believe this Report and rest their Souls on these glad Tidings shall be saved Rom. 10.9 10.11 And thus he is to believe that he may be justified Gal. 2.16 If he still say That this Believing is hard This is a good doubt but easily resolved It bespeaks a Man deeply humbled Any body may see his own Impotence to obey the Law of God fully but few find the Difficulty of believing For his Resolution ask him what it is he finds makes believing difficult to him Is it unwillingness to be justified and saved Is it unwillingness to be so saved by Jesus Christ to the praise of Gods Grace in him and to the voiding of all boasting in himself This he will surely deny Is it a Distrust of the Truth of the Gospel-Record This he dare not own Is it a Doubt of Christ's Ability or Good Will to save This is to contradict the Testimony of God in the Gospel Is it because he doubts of an Interest in Christ and his Redemption You tell him That believing on Christ makes up the Interest in him If he say that he cannot believe on Jesus Christ because of the difficulty of the acting this Faith and that a Divine Power is needful to draw it forth which he finds not You tell him that believing in Jesus Christ is no work but a resting on Jesus Christ And that this pretence is as unreasonable as that if a Man wearied with a Journey and who is not able to go one step further should argue I vm so tired that I am not able to lye down when indeed he can neither stand nor go The poor wearied sinner can never believe on Jesus Christ till he finds he can do nothing for himself and in his first believing doth always apply himself to Christ for Salvation as a man hopeless and helpless in himself And by such reasonings with him from the Gospel the Lord will as he hath often done convey faith and joy and peace by believing 3. This Doctrine of free Justification by Faith alone hath this Advantage That it suits all men's Spirits and Frame in their serious Approaches to God in Worship Men may think and talk boldly of inherent Righteousness and of its worth and value of good Works and Frames and Dispositions but when men present themselves before the Lord and have any discoveries of his Glory all things in themselves will disappear and be looked upon as nothing Zophar though the hottest Speaker of Job's Friends did yet speak rightly to him Job 11.4 5. For thou hast said My Doctrine is pure and I am clean in thine eyes But O that God would speak And so Job found it when God displaid his Glory to him and that only in the works of Creation and Providence Chap. 38 39. He then changed his note Job 40.4 5. and 42.2 6. So was it with Isaiah Chap 6.5 till pardoning Grace was imparted to him No man can stand before this Holy Lord God with any peace and Comfort unless he have God himself to stay upon His Grace and Mercy in Jesus Christ can only preserve a man from being consumed and the