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A65814
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A discourse upon I Peter IV., VIII wherein the power and efficacy of charity as it is a means to procure the pardon of sin is explained and vindicated / by John Whitefoot.
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Whitefoote, John, 1610-1699.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing W1862; ESTC R26478
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56,458
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143
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healed Which seems to be the sence of another Phrase often used by our Saviour in like cases to them that came to him for the healing of their Diseases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 9.22 Thy faith hath saved thee i. e. hath made thee whole as 't is there rendred in our English Translation agreeable to the following words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the woman was made whole from that hour Not that I suppose this to be all the Benefit that he ever intended to any Person to whom he uttered those words thy sins are forgiven thee amongst whom it is more than probable there were some whose Faith did qualifie them for a better remission of their sin But it is not evident that every one of those Persons that were cured of their bodily Diseases by him were endued with such an unfeigned Faith as did render them capable of an absolute Remission of all their sins as to another Life For to think as some Divines have said that our Blessed Saviour never cured the body of any Patient but he cured their souls also seems to be but an improbable opinion But supposing this Remission of sin as relating only to Temporal Punishments in this Life to be granted as a Reward of an Insincere Charity the Question may be moved whether the like Charity or any works thereof may not be available also to some degree of Remission or covering of sin in the Life to come at the last Judgement To this Question I shall not presume to answer dogmatically as not remembring at present any particular Testimony of Scripture whereby that Question may be determined either in the Negative or Affirmative notwithstanding my Opinion inclines to the Affirmative viz. that although such an infincere Charity can avail nothing towards a total Remission at the last Judgement or the Salvation of the Person whereof no man can be capable whithout an unfeigned Repentance and such a true Faith as works by sincere Love to God and his Neighbour yet that even such Good Works as do indeed proceed from Charity and are not done hypocritically for self Interest Worldly ends or carnal Motives only may abate the Degrees of the future Punishment in another Life My reason for this Opinion is grounded upon that Fundamental Principle of all Religion That all men shall fare in the life to come 2 Cor. 5.10 according to the things done by them in this Life whether they be good or whether they be bad Which Rule is understood not only of the respective states of Salvation and Damnation but also of the degrees of Reward and Punishment in that state As for the state of Punishment no question hath been or can be made concerning the difference of its degrees expressly declared in Scripture signifying that it shall be more tolerable for some Mat. 10.15 chap. 11.22 Luke 12.47 48. than for others in that day wherein some shall be beaten with many stripes and some with fewer And the Question that is made about the degrees of Glory is but a novel one none of the Ancients that I know of and very few Modern Divines have embraced the Opinion that asserts the equality of that state The Catholick Doctrine founded upon Scripture supposes as much disparity of degrees of Glory and Happiness in Heaven as of Punishment in Hell and that the respective measures of each condition will be allotted and assigned according to such proportion of Good and Evil as upon an exact and infallible Evidence before an Impartial Judge shall be found in the Persons to be judged with Relation to the bodily Life past So is that Judgement described by St John Rev. 20.12 And I saw the dead both small and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another Book was opened which is the Book of Life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books according to their Works And that among all sorts of Good Works those of Charity to our Brethren will then have a special Confideration is sufficiently intimated by the words of our Saviour in his own Description of the last Judgement Mat. 25.31 to the end of the Chapter I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me c A Text which I shall have occasion to speak more largely of afterward in the Confirmation of this Doctrine And as by this Declaration of our Saviour himself who is to be Judge at that day it is evident that Works of Charity proceeding from an unfeigned Faith will then be specially considered as a qualification for the General Reward so that the Degrees and Measures of that Reward will be proportion'd to the Measures of Charity seems no less evident by the words of the Apostle speaking also of the same sort of works 2. Cor. 9.6 He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully And in the words of our Saviour in the forementioned Text it is likewise added as a Reason of the Sentence of Condemnation to be denounced against them on the left hand verse 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meit I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink c. Signifying that one just cause of that just Sentence will be the neglect of this great Duty of Charity whence it will follow upon a reasonable account that look how much that sin of neglect or omission shall be found to be abated by any thing done by the Person to be judged and condemned for that fault so much will be abated of the Punishment And though some Works of Charity bearing no proportion to the ability of him that doth them may be reckon'd as none in the Sense of our Saviours words and in reference to a mans discharge from the Substance of the Sentence yet it cannot be said that he that hath done some Works of Charity is altogether so guilty of the omission of that Duty as he that hath done none And consequently cannot be equally liable upon that account to the same degrees of Punishment And therefore his Charity how defective soever it was will save him from some degrees of Punishment in that state Besides all the validity it had to exempt him from Punishments and to procure any Temporal Reward in this Life What other Consideration may be had by the Judge at that day of Works of Charity done by any Person that then shall be found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reprobate and so fall into condemnation towards any counterpoise of his other sins or of the abatement of the degrees of their Punishment I cannot tell But this is certain that what ever can be equitably plended for the abatement of Punishment will be considered by that Judge who is infinitely Wise and Just knowing
as to constitute and make up the Truth and Validity thereof and thereby to declare the Efficacy thereof the Question is really yielded And these things must be acknowledged to have a concurrent Efficacy to the forementioned Effect which is all that is contended for But if by the verification of Faith no more be meant then a bare manifestation of the truth of it by the Signs and Fruits of it that is the same thing with the former allegation concerning the necessity or usefulness of these things for the Assurance of a mans Justification or Salvation But whether this be the true intent or only meaning of the Promises and Exhortations made to these Practices I appeal to the Judgment of any Unprejudiced Reader that shall review and consider the express Terms and Forms of Words used in them When we pray for the Forgiveness of our sins must this be the only Meaning â—r not that God will be pleased to forgive us upon any consideration of our Prayers but that he will give us an Assurance that he hath forgiven us I appeal to the Conscience of any of them that make this Allegation to serve an Hypothesis which they have unwarily espoused whether this hath been or is their own Sense in their Prayers for the Pardon of their sin Which is no other then if a Criminal petitioning a King for his Pardon should thereby intend not to obtain it but only to be assured that it was granted When our Saviour promiseth that if we will forgive Men their Trespasses our Heavenly Father will also forgive us our Trespasses is that his only Meaning that our Forgiving others shall be to us a sign and evidence that we are forgiven but no Means to obtain that Forgiveness When we are exhorted to Repentance for the Remission of our sins which was the common Doctrine of the Prophets of John Baptist our Blessed Saour and his Apostles and particularly of St. Peter in answer to the Question of the Jews what they should do to be saved Acts 2.30 was this their Meaning not to teach Men to repent to that end that they might be saved and their sins be forgiven them but that they might be assured that their sins were forgiven them I desire any Indifferent Reader that is not pertinaciously bent to maintain a Prejudice against all Appearance of Reason to apply this Meaning to the Promises Exhortations and Assertions of Scripture which have been before alledged to this Purpose and then to judge whether all or any of them be to be interpreted to this Sence And if they be I demand why the same promises of Justification Salvation c. made to the act of Faith may not or should not admit of the same Interpretation as some of the Antinomians have contended viz. that Faith it self contributes nothing at all to any of these Effects or Benefits that are thereunto promised or is any Means or Condition of obtaining them but only a sign or means to assure us of our Interest in them Lastly I demand whether any thing possible to be done by us doth serve to qualifie us for the Reception of those Benefits by the Grace of God or be of any Validity or moral Efficacy towards the Obtainment of these Ends If not then Faith can be of no more Efficacy to this purpose then Charity But if any Act or Condition that is possible to be performed by us be any ways effectual or available to these Ends why may not Charity especially as a fruit and effect of Faith be conceived to have a concurrent Efficacy with Faith or subordinate to it agreeable to the many promises of the same Benefits made to Charity and Good Works as well as to Faith And seeing that it is and must be ever acknowledged that it is only of the free Grace of God that Faith is accepted as any condition qualification or means of obtaining these Benefits Seeing also that Charity in the proper nature of it is the most Excellent and most Divine Vertue most conformable to the nature of God himself and therefore said to be the greatest of the three Christian Graces 1 Cor. 13.13 Is it not very reasonable to believe that such a quality most Divine expressing both the Nature and Image of God and being also the Effect of his own free Grace should be accepted as part of that disposition in us that qualifies us for his Favour and Reconciliation merited only by the Expiatory Sacrifice and Obedience of his Son always acknowledged by our Faith in him renouncing all confidence in any thing that we can do as acceptable upon any other account then of his Meritorious Meciation Other reasons are given by Modern Divines of the Protestant Party concerning the necessity of Charity and Good Works exclusive of this we contend for alledging that these things are necessary necessitate praecepti non medii i. e. necessary parts of our Duty in obedience to the Law or Will of God not necessary means of Salvation or obtaining the Benefit of remission of our sins necessary to be practised in order to the pleasing of God the Glorifying and Honouring of his Name to express our Thankfulness to him for all his Benefits especially for his Free Grace of Redemption and Justification procured by the merits of Christ As also necessary to adorn our Holy Profession the Honour of Christ and his Gospel to give Good Example and avoid Scandal c. All which are without Exception to be acknowledged for just Reasons of our Duty But do fignifie nothing to the Question in hand in as much as they do not severally or jointly make any reasonable account either of the promises of Pardon Eternal Life and Salvation to the performances of these Duties or of the Exhortations to the practice of them urged by such Promises These Reasons are indeed just Motives to the Duties of Piety and Charity and urged as such in other Texts of Scripture But of a different sort and nature from those which are propounded in the Promises and Exhortations alledged by us These Reasons with others of like import exclusive of that which is urged by us alledged as the only account of the necessity of Good Works do utterly destroy and make void the validity of the Motives in the forementioned Promises And here with as little disparagement as may be to the Author I think it lawfull for me to mention the great dissatisfaction not to say Scandal which I long since took from the common outlandish Catechism set forth first by Zachary Vrsin and afterward by David Paraeus Anno D. 1623. who intitles the third part of his Book wherein he undertakes to give an account of the necessity of Good Works and all the practical part of Christian Religion de Gratitudine of Gratitude or Thankfulness to God for our Deliverance from the misery of the Natural State and our Liberty recovered by Christ which are the titles of his two former parts This General Title and Account of