make use of Texts and Sayings in the Old Testament in a different Sence from that which did belong to them there As in Mat. 2.15 and 23. 2 Cor. 8.15 and elsewhere frequently And this Answer I take to be sufficient for this first Objection against our Interpretation of St. Peters words 2. Objection But another main Objection and that which is most like to be insisted upon against this Interpretation is that it seems to favour the Popish Doctrines of Merit Satisfaction and Justification by Works and to be repugnant to the Evangelical Doctrine of the most full perfect and sufficient Expiation and Satisfaction for the sins of the whole World made only by the Sacrifice of Christs death and applied only by Faith The covering and pardon of sin is the Effect of Gods grace granted only upon the consideration of Christs death upon condition of a true Faith in him wrought by the Spirit of God through the hearing of the Gospel Answer To this Objection I answer 1. That although some Papists interpreting this Text as I do may be found to alledge it among other Texts for the confirmation of some of the Doctrines mentioned in the Objection yet neither is this Sense vouched by all Interpreters of their Profession nor can any of those Doctrines be further evinced or confirmed from this Text so understood then it may be from other Texts before alledged for the Confirmation of the Doctrine against which the Objection is made Nor is the free grace of God or the sufficiency of that Expiation or Satisfaction which was made by the death of Christ any more abated by this Doctrine than it is by that which all the forementioned Texts import 2. The words Merit and Satisfaction are known to have been familiarly used in reference to Good Works by the most ancient of the Latin Fathers and particularly by St. Cyprian one of the most Primitive in a Catholick Orthodox Sense Both the words are Innocent in the Sense of the Fathers though they have been perverted by the Schoolmen And Justification by Works is certainly as true in St. James's Sence as 't is false in St. Pauls The late Controversies that have been concerning these Points do not so much respect the words as the extravagant Sense that hath been put upon them by the Schoolmen who have intangled and corrupted a great part of Christian Doctrine by their misinterpreting the Fathers determining the simplicity of their Popular Expressions by their own Capricious and Litigious Conceits into such Dogmatical Sense as was never thought of by the Antients But in the particular Controversies about Merit Satisfaction and Justification by Works there hath been so much of Logomachy or word-bate as might in my opinion be fairly compromised or accorded by Judicious Arbitratours whose minds were free from all prejudice but that against Contention and Division and were more zealous for Unity and Concord than for disputable and opinionative Truth But for to undertake that task in this place would not be reasonable That all Pardon of sin is founded upon the Expiation or Propitiation made by the Bloud of Christ and granted or obtained only by the Free Grace of God is not denied by any Sect or Party of Christians that I know of Although some Differences have been about the Conditions of this Grant For to say that this Grace is granted without any Condition or Qualification of the Receiver is in my Judgment to deny a great part of the Scriptures as well of the New Testament as of the Old destructive as well of the New Covenant as of the Old no more Antinomian than Anti-evangelical Doubtless it is of Free Grace that God will pardon a sinner upon any Condition Nor is it possible for us to do any thing sufficient to make Satisfaction for our sins or to merit the Forgiveness of them in rigor of Justice because all that is in our Power to do is no more then our Duty if God requires it And all that we do is much less And as the duty of Well doing in the utmost Extent is a just Debt of Thankfulness at least if not of Preceptive Obligation to Almighty God to whom we owe our selves and all that we have or can do So the Punishment we are liable to for neglecting our Duty or acting contrary thereunto in our Evil doings is another Debt by our Saviours account signified to us in that Form of Prayer which he hath taught us to use Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors Mat. 6.12 But it is altogether unreasonable one Debt can be discharged by the Payment of another especially when the Payment falls so much short of the old Debt as it doth in any thing we do Besides that upon a due account Charity it self and every Good Work that can be done by us doth increase our debt to God because it cannot be done without his Grace Nevertheless God of his Free Grace hath promised the Remission of sin upon certain Conditions declared in his Word amongst which this of Charity is one that by a common Synechdoche of a Part for the Whole includes all the rest And whereas in the New Testament Faith in Christ is more commonly propounded as the Condition of Justification importing the Remission of sin it is to be considered that this Faith is so far from excluding Charity that it is expressly said to include it by St. Paul himself the supposed Author of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith without Works Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be to be understood in a Passive sense as most commonly it is elsewhere in Scripture and in other Books and as it is here rendred by the Syriack Translator and so meaning that Faith is actuated perfected and made effectual by Love or in the Active sense as our English Translation gives it signifying the Efficacy Energy or Operation of Faith only The Meaning of the Apostle by the Addition of these Words can be no other then to limit and distinguish the nature of that Faith which is available to Justification from an hypocritical dead and ineffectual Faith which is altogether invalid availing nothing at all to the Effect of Justification The Active sense of the Word as well as the Passive serving to declare the true Nature and Notion of a Justifying Faith to be Energetical and Practical i. e. producing such effects of the Will as are agreeable to the entire Object of it that is to the Authority of Christ his Doctrine and Precepts as well as such as respect only the Effect of Redemption or Expiation of sin by his Death And such is the necessity of this Charity by the Doctrine of the same Apostle that he elsewhere saith Though I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13.3
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
signifie that Happiness which is promised to him that hath mercy on the poor to consist in the non-imputation covering or remission of his sins But a more indubitable Testimony out of the same Book to confirm this Doctrine is in Chap. 16.6 by mercy and truth iniquity is purged The vulgar Latin reads redimitur is redeemed Junius and Tremellius expiatur is expiateâ— agreeable to the proper signification of the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 placavit expiavit so the meaning of the words is that by the practice of these Vertues the Pardon of sin is impetrated or obtained And one would think this Exposition of the wise mans words should be past all doubt But because the admission of it imports an irrefragable confirmation of the Doctrine which we labour to defend some Interpreters out of meer prejudice against that Doctrine have found out another meaning of the words affording no manner of favour to this conclusion Namely that the Mercy and Truth spoken of in this Text are to be referred to God only and not at all to Men making the Sence to be that iniquity is purged by the Mercy and Truth of God without any respect to those Vertues as practised by Men. But whether this Interpretation be not forced to comply with the opinion of them that advance it or to be preferred before the other which is so obvious and plain must be left to the judgement of the Impartial and Ingenuous Reader because I am not willing to trouble him with a tedious confutation of it Another Text to this purpose is that of Daniel 4.27 Wherefore O King let my counsel be acceptable unto thee and break off thy sins by righteousness or by Alms Vulg. Latin Septuagint Munster Syriack Arabick de Dieu c. as the word is there rendred by many learned Translators and as the same word is often used in the Old Testament and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the Poor if it may be a lengthening to thy tranquillity or a healing of thine error as it is in the Margent where to let pass the contest about the Translation of the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether it ought to be as we have it according to other Protestant Translations break off or as it is in the Septuagint vulgar Latin Syriack Arabick and very many other Translators redeem thine iniquity it is evident that the Prophets counsel to the King was given to the end that he might obtain some remission of his sin and avoid the extremity of the threatning declared in the foregoing verses And the matter of that counsel consisting in the practice of Charity it is likewise evident that in the judgement of the Prophet such Charity is a thing available to that end otherwise his counsel was vain and unprofitable The like counsel is given by the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 1.16 17 18. verses to the people of Judah after a severe remonstrance of Gods displeasure threatning their Destruction and rejecting their hypocritical services He tells them what they should do to escape that Punishment of their sin and gain a full remission thereof Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgement relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be us wooll If these words uttered by the Prophet in the name of the Lord do not confirm that Sense of the Apostle which we contest for I know not what words will do it He that is not abundantly satisfied with the Evidence of these Texts of the New and Old Testament may see more to the same purpose Psal 41.1 Isai â—8 from the 7 tâ— verse to the 12th Ezek. 18.7 Mic. 6.8 Luke 19.8 9. And when he hath considered these Canonical Texts he may cast his eye upon two or three Apocryphals Tob. 4.7 8 9 10 11. and Chap. 12.9 For Alms doth deliver from death and shall purge away all sin Ecclesiasticus 3.30 Water will quench a flaming fire and Alms maketh an Atonement for sin The authority of these Texts doth not so much test upon the particular Authors as upon the general Sense of the Jewish Church which they are justly presumed to deliver especially while their Doctrine is found so agreeable to the Canonical Scriptures which were the Rule of their Faith To transcribe all the Texts which are to be found in the Bible to this purpose and make such particular Remarks upon them as we have done upon those few which we have cited before would swell the Discourse and be a Work of Supererogation by which we cannot hope to merit so much of the Reader as perhaps we may do by sparing his pains and our own CHAP IV. HAving now sufficiently as we think confirmed the General Doctrine founded upon this Text of St. Peter we are to proceed according to our promise to the answering some Objections which have been or may be made against this Sence of the words And I shall begin with that which seems to be most considerable I. Objection Namely that these words of the Apostle are quoted or borrowed from a Proverb of Solomons Prov. 10.12 Hatred stirreth up strife but love covereth all sins Where by the Antithesis of the two parts of the Sentence it is past all doubt that the sins to be covered by love must be the sins of others and not of the Charitable Person Answer To this may be answered 1. That it is no way evident that the Apostle did intend any quotation of that Proverb there being no such intimation thereof in this Text as is usual in other quotations out of the Old Testament by those words as it is written or the like used by this same Apostle in this Epistle Chap. 1.16 Because it is written be ye Holy as I am Holy And as it is evident that he doth not quote the whole Proverb whiles he leaves out the first part Hatred stirreth up strife so that he doth not cite the second part verbatim is plain by comparing the Texts Whereof one saith love covereth all sins the other only a multitude of sins But in the Septuagint which is generally followed in quotations out of the Old Testament in the New a far greater difference is found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So it is in the Septuagint not agreeing so much as in one word with St. Peters supposed quotation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Hebrew Text indeed is something more agreeable to St. Peters words But then 2ly Suppose that the Apostle did allude unto the words of that Proverb as is not improbable it doth not therefore follow that he intended the same Sence it being very usual with our Saviour himself and the Evangelists and Apostles by way of accommodation to