between him and those who do not love to say that Faith is an Instrumental Cause is more verbal than real for he doth not say that Faith is the Instrumental cause of our Justification that indeed had been to ascribe too much unto Faith but the Instrumental cause receiving Christ and his Righteousness upon which follows Justification now we all acknowledge Faith to be of an apprehensive receptive nature and that it is the Instrumental means whereby we apprehend and receive Christ and his Righteousness that we may be Justified and our using that Instrumental means as the Lord hath appointed is the receptive condition to which the Promise of Justification is made Here then seems to be a meer difference in words when we mean the same thing Lastly for sincere Obedience he holds it to be in some sense a cause of obtaining Eternal Life which is more than we have ascribed to it in calling it a Condition for a Condition as such hath no causal Influence Ibid. lib. 2. cap. 1. pag. 199. His own Words in the said Book are these Our Obedience indeed is not the principal or meritorious cause of Eternal Life For we receive the right of this life and the life also it self from the Grace and Gift of God for the sake of Christ apprehended by faith Rom 6.23 The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. But yet it is a cause some way administring helping and moving forward towards the possession of this life whereof we had the right before for which reason it is called the way in which we walk to Heaven Eph. 2.10 And it promotes our life both of its own nature because it is some degree of life it self still tending to perfection and also by vertue of God's Promise who hath promised Eternal Life to those who walk in his Commandments Gal. 6.8 He that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting For though all our Obedience while we live here is imperfect and contaminated with some mixture of sin Gal. 5.17 The flesh lusts against the spirit yet through Christ it is so acceptable unto God that it is crowned with a most great reward The Promises therefore made to the Obedience of the Faithful are not Legal but Evangelical although by some they are said to be of a mixt nature In all this Ames ascribes as much to sincere Obedience and makes it as necessary to Salvation as we do If we say it is a Condition he sayes it is in some sort a Cause of obtaining the poffession of Eternal Salvation And sure to be so a Cause is as much at least as to be a Condition Next let us see what Dr. Twiss faith to these things Indeed he is so clearly on our side that if the Authour of the Letter had been acquainted with his Writings he would have been wiser than to have mentioned his Name in this Cause For thus he writes We say that pardon of sin and salvation of Souls are Benefits purchased by the death of Christ to be enjoyed by Men but how Answer to a Booke called The Synod of Dort and Arles reduced to practice pag. 16. not absolutely but conditionally to wit in case and onely in case they believe For like as God doth not confer these on any of ripe years unless they believe so Christ hath not merited that they should be conferred on any but such as believe and accordingly profess that Christ dyed for all that is to obtain pardon of sin and salvation of Soul for all but how not absolutely whether they believe or no but onely conditionally to wit provided they do believe in Christ Again Men are called upon to believe and promised Ibid. pag. 28. that upon their Faith they shall obtain the Grace of Remission of sins and Salvation and these Graces may be said to be offered unto all upon Condition of faith Again As touching the Benefits of pardon of sin Ibid. page 152. and Salvation procured by Christs death we say that Christ died to procure these for all and every one but how not absolutely for then all and every one should be saved but conditionally to wit upon Condition of faith so that if all and every one should believe in Christ all and every one should be saved Again It is untrue that we must have a sufficient assurance Ibid. pag. 154. that Christ died to procure pardon of sin and salvation of soul absolutely for him whom we go about to comfort it is enough that Christ died to procure these Benefits for him conditionally to wit in case he believe and repent and of this we have a most sufficient assurance Again We say not here that any thing becomes true Ibid. pag. 163. by the Faith of him that believes it but onely this that the benefit which is procured for all and every one upon a Condition becomes his and peculiarly his alone who performeth the Condition Again Now Eternal Life we know Ibid. pag. 171. is ordained by God to be the portion of Men not whether they believe or not whether they persevere in Faith Holiness and Repentance or no but onely of such as believe repent and are studious of good Works for it is ordained to be bestowed on Men by way of reward of their Faith Repentance and good Works Again The Promises assured by Baptism Ibid. pag. 189. according to the Rule of God's Word I find to be of two sorts Some are of Benefits procured unto us by Christ which are to be conferred on us conditionally they of this first sort are Justification and Salvation for Abraham received Circumcision as a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith Circumcision therefore was an assurance of Justification to be had by Faith if such were Circumcision to the Jews we have good reason to conceive that such is Baptism unto us Christians for as that was unto them so this is the Sacrament of Regeneration unto us And good reason the Sacraments which are Seals of the Covenant should assure that unto us which the word of the Covenant doth make Promise of Now the word of the Covenant of Grace doth promise unto us both Remission of sin and Salvation upon Faith in Christ This by our Doctrine we promise unto all and assure unto all as well as they do by theirs If all and every one should believe we nothing doubt but they should be justified and saved On the other side if not one of ripe years should believe I presume our Adversaries will confess that not one of them should be saved Again Justification and Salvation is promised in the Word Ibid. pag. 190. and assured in the Sacraments upon performance of a Condition on Mans part Now the Condition of Justification and Salvation we all acknowledge to be Faith Thus Dr. Twiss frequently in the foresaid Book And that this was his setled Judgment will appear by what he wrote afterwards in the Year
than this For we freely acknowledge that any person or party who find themselves unjustly suspected of and charged with horrid crimes whereof they know themselves not to be guilty may and ought to clear themselves the best way they can and if they cannot do it by Word they may very honestly do it by Writing provided that in clearing themselves they do not falsely accuse others and so fall into the same fault which they blame others for which if they do assuredly they take wrong measures for all considering Men will be apt to suspect them more than ever of Libertinism when they plainly see that they run themselves into Libertine practices in order to clear themselves of Libertine principles But after all he hath said of his Party their being falsely accused of Antinomianism and that they could no longer be silent Let. pag. 10. but must speak and write in their own defence and in defence of the Gospel we are at a loss to know who they are that so accused them We can find no such thing in Mr. Williams Book nay we find that in it which clears the chief of them of the charge of Antinomianism At the beginning of the Digression Concerning the necessity of Repentance to forgiveness of Sin pag. 113. these are Mr. Williams Words My business in this Digression is with Men of more Orthodox Principles to wit than the Antinomians There is one whom we know as well as any Man in the World to whom Mr. Williams said before his Book was all printed off This is said with respect to Mr. Cole him I mean and here I endeavour to state and make up the difference between him and Dr. Bates Hereupon that Minister looked into the Digression and read some part of it which he liked so well as thinking it might be very useful both to consirm Truth and also to maintain Peace and Love among Brethren that it was to him one motive amongst others which induced him to subscribe unto the stating of the truths and errours in Mr. Williams Book This we know to be true we know it as certainly as any other thing in the World and we mention it to show that we did not suspect that Party as our Authour hath been pleased to distinguish them much less did we accuse them of real Antinomianism So far were we from it that we were heartily glad to find that our Reverend Brother had expresly owned them to be Men of more Orthodox Principles than the Antinomians against whom and no other that Book was written How comes it then to be so often asserted or insinuated throughout the Letter that we falsely accuse them See p. 26. and charge them with Antinomianism and put them upon a necessary self-defence We think we are wronged in this matter and must think so till we see better proof than the bare word of this Authour Or if any of us had really been so unjust and uncharitable as to accuse their whole Party of Antinomianism did that warrant this Brother falsely to Recriminate as he hath done and to charge us especially our younger Brethren with Arminianism and Pelagianism Where did he learn such Morals Sure we are not in the School of Christ For Christ hath taught us all not to render evil for evil This we say upon supposition that some of us had sometime or other done him wrong in this matter which is unknown to us But if there was no such provocation given then this Authour was the more to blame to fancy or feign that we had accused his Party of Antinomianism that from thence he might take an occasion to accuse us of Arminianism and Pelagianism As for what any of us have at any time spoken or written against the Antinomian Tenents in Dr. Crisps or such Books we thought it did not at all concern them as being Men of more Orthodox Principles Tho' we could not be ignorant that there was some little difference of Judgment between some of them and us in some things yet we did not think nor say that that difference amounted to Antinomianism on their side nor could we have ever thought till the Letter informed us they would have said that it amounted to Arminianism and Pelagianism on our side But now we find we are mistaken for they have made us know that they had not so good an opinion of us as we had of them Yet we had rather be mistaken in this than in the other that is we had rather they should without cause think us to be Arminians and Pelagians than that ever we should have just cause to conclude any of them to be indeed Antinomians They tell the World by the Authour of the Letter that they have been suspected And we are afraid the late Writings of some of them will increase the suspicion But what ever suspicious Thoughts may be thereby raised in the minds of many we will endeavour to hinder such Thoughts from setling in our own Minds and still have the best opinion we can of our Brethren till we see further what the issue will be We do not then now account that Party to be really Antinomian whatever Mens Thoughts may be of some particular persons amongst them and we hope and wish we may never have cause so to do The Authour of the Letter in their name hath most solemnly protested that they are not Antinomians and we do believe it not so much because he says it as because we have other evidence to ground our belief upon For we have known very worthy Men of those who were formerly called Congregational that have been as much against Antinomian errours as we our selves are Such there are at this day and such we doubt not there will be when we are dead and gathered to our Fathers If then by his Party our Authour mean the Reverend Brethren of that Perswasion aforesaid we neither did nor do suspect them as such But for all that we are sorry that some who have made themselves of a Party should have also made themselves to be suspected at least of favouring Antinomianism This is the case of the Authour of the Letter who raised such a suspicion in the minds of some that truly loved him by recommending Dr. Crisps Book as Mr. Williams says in his late Preface and we know it to be true and by lending it to one without giving the least caution against any of the errours in it His own Conscience knows this to be true And this might very probably raise a suspicion of him in particular And we think lie was concerned to have cleared himself and expected that in his Letter he would have done it by disowning some of the Doctrinal errours in the said Booke But we are disappointed for there we do not find that he hath so clearly disowned any of the Doctrinal errours in that Book as that the People who want judgment as his expression is can discern that he hath done it This we shall
endeavour to make out from several passages in the Letter it self As 1. In Page 10. All that he saith against that Book is this There are many Expressions in it that we generally dislike Now this he might safely say and yet not disown any but in his heart believe every Doctrinal point in it There are many precious Truths ill expressed by some very Orthodox Divines and in such a case we may well say that we dislike the way of expression tho' we dearly love the Truth so expressed We find that the Reverend and pious Mr. Rutherford in a Fast Sermon preached before the House of Commons in the Year 1643. on Dan. 6.26 saith Page 32. That the Antinomian is the Golden white Devil a Spirit of Hell cloathed with all Heaven and the Notions of Free Grace It seems the Devil of Antinomianism did not appear white enough to our Authour in Dr. Crisps Book but what if he had appeared in a better and whiter Dress what if the Antinomianism had been better expressed how would the Authour of the Letter have liked it then Truly for any thing he hath here said to the contrary he might have liked it well enough It is true in the end of that Paragraph he says That Error is often and unhappily opposed by Error under Truths name And we confess he may possibly apply one part of that passage unto Dr. Crisps Book and we would hope that he thereby meant that indeed there are Errours in Dr. Crisps Book but withal we must say that such an acknowledgment of Errour to be in that Book is too obscure to be discerned by the ordinary people that want judgment and for whose use he saith he wrote his Book and that because it is a general expression which is true enough in it self without respect to Dr. Crisps Book and whether it be applied thereunto or not 2. In Page 26. he sayes We justly complain that in their opposing of true Antinomian Errours and particularly the alledged Tenents of Dr. Crisp they hint that there is a Party of c. Now pray mark how warily he expresseth himself and how tender he seems to be of the credit of that Book He doth not say true Antinomian Errors and particularly the Tenents of Dr. Crisp for then indeed he had plainly confessed that there are true Antinomian Errours in the Book but he only saith the alledged Tenents of that Doctor by which Word Alledged he may make some People believe that he never meant there were any true Antinomian Errours in that Drs. Book but that true Antinomian Errours are alledged out of it by Mr. Williams and others and that very wrongfully as Mr. Chancey pretends 3. In Page 24. he says It is not yet called in question by any but that there is a decreed Justification from Eternity Here may be another Juggle for these words there is a decreed Justification from Eternity are capable of the Antinomian sense nay more they are not fairly capable of any other sense to understand them properly For a decreed Justification is not the Decree it self but the object or effect of the Decree The Decree it self is from Eternity but the object and effect of the Decree is in time as Dr. Twiss tells us and even common sense and reason may assure us of it For the Decree being from Eternity and the object and effect of the Decree being after the Decree it cannot be from Eternity too and if it be not from Eternity it must be in time And yet the Letter saith that a decreed Justification though it be the object or effect of the Decree is from Eternity which is the very Errour of the Antinomians who ignorantly confound the object and effect of the Decree with the Decree it self We are sure the Words of the Letter bear this sense yet we will not positively affirm that he meant them in this sense because we would hope though he hath said expresly that there is a decreed Justification from Eternity that yet he onely meant and would have said that there is a Decree of Justification from Eternity If any now should object on his behalf and say the that foresaid words not only may but must be understood of the Eternity of the Decree it self and cannot be understood of the Eternity of the decreed Justification which is the effect of the Decree because of the distinction which follows of a virtual and actual Justification We can easily answer that if we our selves were true Antinomians and durst so far dissemble as sometimes to seem not to be Antinomians we could make the opinion of Justifications actual existence from Eternity consist well enough with the distinction of vertual and actual Justification mentioned in the Letter For we would understand it with respect to manifestation Thus 1. Justification which actually existed from Eternity was virtually manifested in and by the Death and Resurrection of Christ 2. It is actually manifested and is actual in manifestation when we lay hold on and plead Redemption in Christs Blood by Faith And thus by a different use of Words a Man void of the fear of God might juggle and at different times and upon different occasions might please two contrary Parties and make them both believe that he were of their Judgment We do not say that our Authour doth so only we wish that he had not expressed himself so ambiguously but that with more plainness and simplicity he had declared himself against those Antinomian Errours Thus he had effectually removed all grounds of suspecting him any more whereas as he hath carried the matter in general doubtful expressions it may be to avoid the displeasure of some of his good Friends instead of fully clearing himself he hath left ground to suspect him still that if he be not a real Antinomian he is at least a Favourer of them and one that would keep up his Interest amongst them and therefore in speaking of Dr. Crisps Book all that he sayes is that he likes not his way of expressing himself and that there are true Antinomian Errours alledged out of it but not that there are any really in it as also he grants to the Antinomians that there is a decreed Justification from Eternity which is as much as they desire for decreed Justification is distinct from and is the object and effect of the Decree And so if Justification as it is the object and effect of the Decree be from Eternity then the Antinomians and he are agreed in that matter and both of them hold that not onely the Decree of Justification as of all other things is from Eternity but that Justification it self is from Eternity We do not see how Men of their Principles can gather any other sence from his Words But whether he used such Words on purpose to make them conceive good hopes of him we shall neither affirm nor deny but leave it to his own Conscience And as the Antinomians may hope well of him so will
Grace is a new Word of an old and ill meaning but that either he himself was much pleased with the Jingle or else which we rather think he intended to please some of his Consorts and to make them remember the thing for the sake of the little wit he had shewed in expressing it And if that was his intended end it is pity he should fail of obtaining it and that People should not remember it for ever for that reason which will for ever hold true that there was little wit in it But you will say How doth that appear Why very plainly thus There is little Wit and less Grace in boldly asserting a notorious Falsehood in matter of Fact in the Face of a learned Age. But this the Author of the Letter hath done in asserting that new Law of Grace is a new Word of an old but ill meaning To prove this it being matter of Fact there needs no more but to shew from the Testimony of credible Witnesses who lived many Hundred Years agoe that the Words are not new but were used in the Christian Church in a good sense and meaning long before we were born Without doubt we might bring Multitudes of Witnesses from among the Antient Writers of the Church to prove this matter of Fact if it were needful but we shall content our selves with a few whereof some are such as our Authour cannot in reason except against because he himself hath suborned them to bear witness and that false witness too for him against us We have shewed already that the Apostle Paul expresly calls it the law of faith Rom. 3.27 And says that it is of faith that it might be by grace Rom. 4.16 And that is as much as if he had said both together in one place that it is the Law of Grace We will pass the Testimony of Ignatius though in his Epistle to the Magnesians he expresly mentions the Law of Christ because it is disputed that his Epistles even those of best credit have been much interpolated and corrupted And our cause needs not the Testimony of suspected Witnesses Therefore after Blessed Paul Paris Edit An. 1636. p. 228. we begin with Justin the Martyr as our first Witness That blessed Martyr in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew writes thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But now for I have read O Trypho that there shall be a latter or after-law and a Testament or Govenant of the greatest or most excellent Authority of all which Testament or Covenant now all men must keep whosoever they be that would obtain possession of the inheritance of God For the Law that was given in Horeb is now old and concerns you Jews only but this after law concerns all men absolutely and universally And when one Law is set against another Law the latter disanuls the former Again in the same Page Justin saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. by the workes or gracious effects and the power which follows or accompanies it All may understand Pag. 231. Pag. 251. that this is the New Law Afterwards he calls Christ the New Law giver And he sayes Ye Jews deceive your selves by equivocal Words or Speeches for where the Law of the Lord is said to be faultless ye expound it not of that Law which was to come after but of the Law given by Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God lowdly saying that he would make a new Law and a new Covenant Thus did Justin assert a new Law above fifteen hundred Years agoe for he wrote his Apology for the Christians and Christian Religion to Antoninus Pâ—â— the Emperour in the Year 150 and about the Year 163 he sealed the Truth of the Gospel with his Blood Our next Witness is Cyprian Operum Cypriani Tomo 1. Eâ—ist 11 ma. Edit Pamel Anno 1617. who also sealed the Truth with his Blood about the middle of the Third Century that is above Fourteen Hundred Years agoe This Holy Martyr in his 11th Epistle to the Martyrs and Confessors several times calls it Evangelii Lex The Law of the Gospel Again In the first of his Three Books of Testimonies against the Jews to Quirinus His 10th Chapter is Quod Lex nova dari haberet that a new Law was to be given Ibid. Tom. 2. pag. 201.202 which he proves by these Testimonies of Holy Scripture Mic. 4.2 Isa 2.3 Matth. 17.5 His 11th Chapter is Quod dispositio alia Testamentum novum dari haberet that another administration and a new Testament or Covenant was to be given which he proves from Jer. 31.31 32 33 34. His 13th Chapter is Quod jugum vetus evacuaretur jugum novum daretur that the old yoke should be made null and void and that a new yoke should be given which he proves from Psal 2.1 2 3. Matth. 11.28 29 30 c. These Passages cited out of Cyprian's Works manifestly shew that as he expresly called the Gospel a Law and a new Law so he held it to be a Law of Grace For he says that though it be a new yoke laid upon us yet it is a light yoke and an easie burden After Cyprian his Countrey-man Augustin that famous Light of the Christian Church in Africa shall appear to give in his Testimony to the foresaid matter of Fact Thus then he writes in the 18th Chapter of his Book concerning Grace and Free-will Haec praecepta charitatis inaniter darentur hominibus Lib. de Grat. Lib. Arbit cap. 18. non habentibus liberum arbitrium Sed quia per legem dantur veterem novam c. These Commandements of Love saith Augustin would be given in vain to Men if they had not free will But because they are given both by the old and new Law although the Grace is come in the new which was promised in the old but the Law without Grace is a killing Letter whereas in or with Grace it is a quickening spirit whence is in men the love of God and our Neighbour but from God himself This passage out of Augustin we have faithfully transcribed and truly translated Now it is well known that Augustin lived and dyed above Twelve Hundred Years agoe and he saith expresly that the Law of Christ which we are under is the New Law and he proves this new Law to be a Law of Grace So that New Law of Grace is so far from being a new Word of an old but ill meaning that it is a considerable time above 1200 hundred Years agoe since the Learned and Holy Augustin used the Word in a very good sence and meaning Again the same Father in his Book to Marcellinus de Spiritu Litera Cap. 14. saith De Spiritu Lit. cap. 14. The Letter of the Law forbidding Sin doth not justifie any Man but rather kills him by increasing Concupiscence and accumulating Iniquity through prevarication Nisi liberet Gratia per legem fidei quae est in Christo Jesu
him occasion to speak there of God's Law according to which he glorifies or damns men eternally and not of the Gospel-law according to which he either justifies or not justifies Men. But 2. We say that the Doctor 's Judgment was the same as to both to wit as to Justification as well as to Glorification and that 1. Because in his Answer to the foresaid Arminian Book called The Synod of Dort and Arles reduced to Practice Pag. 16. these are his express Words We say that Pardon of Sin and Salvation of Souls are benefits purchased by the death of Christ to be enjoyed by men but how not absolutely but conditionally to wit in case and onely in case they believe And Pag. 28. Men are called upon to believe and promised that upon their Faith they shall obtain the grace of remission of sins and Salvation and these graces may be said to be offered unto all upon condition of Faith And Pag. 189. The Promises assured by Baptism according to the Rule of Gods word I find to be of two sorts Some are of benefits procured unto us by Christ which are to be conferred on us conditionally they of this first sort are Justification and Salvation And Pag. 190. Justification and Salvation is promised in the Word and assured in the Sacraments upon performance of a condition on mans part Now the condition of Justification and Salvation we all acknowledge to be Faith And in his other Book against Hoard Some Benefits saith the Doctor are bestowed upon man only conditionally though for Christs sake and they are the pardon of sin and salvation of the Soul Twiss against Hoard p. 154. and these God doth conferr onely upon the condition of Faith and Repentance All these are the Doctor 's own express Words by which it plainly appears that his Judgment was the same with respect both to Justification and Glorification and that he held that God dispenseth to us both these benefits for Christs sake according to a Law 2. We say that the Doctor 's Judgment was the same as to both because there is the like reason for both and the Doctor 's own Argument holds for the Law of Justification as strongly as for the Law of Glorification since God hath as much constituted and ordained that all penitent Believers and none of ripe years but penitent Believers shall be justified as that all penitent persevering Believers and no others shall be glorified As it is written John 3.18 He that believeth on Christ the Son of God is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already Acts 3.19 26.18 because he hath not believed in the name of the onely begotten Son of God Luke 13.3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 2.38 Repent and be Baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Acts 10.43 To him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 13.39 By him all that believe are justified c. Rom. 3.25 God hath set him forth to be a propitation through faith in his Blood Rom. 4.24 It shall be imputed to us if we believe These Testimonies of Holy Writ do as certainly and evidently shew that God proceeds according to a stated Rule and standing Law of his own making in Justifying or not Justifying Men as any other Testimonies do shew that he proceeds according to a stated Rule and standing Law in Glorifying or not Glorifying Men. 3. We Answer that our wise Accuser in the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th Pages of his Letter seems plainly to be as much against God's proceeding according to a Law in Glorifying Men or not Glorifying them at death as he is against God's proceeding according to a Law in Justifying them or not Justifying them before death Otherwise we would fain know what he means by saying that the Doctrine of Conditions Qualifications and Rectoral Government and the distribution of Rewards and Punishments according to the new Law of Grace will make but an uneasie Bed to a dying Man's Conscience and will leave him in a very bad condition at present and in dread of worse when he is feeling in his last Agonies that the wages of sin is death if he cannot by faith add the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We profess we cannot see what our Authour should design by this passage but to reflect upon us as Subverters of the true Grounds of Christian Comfort and as driving People to despair by our Doctrine of God's being a Governour and Judge who distributes eternal Rewards and Punishments unto Men See Rev. 11.18 who live in the visible Church according to the Rule of the Evangelical Law and as he finds them to be qualified through Grace or not qualified to have performed the Condition or not to have performed the Condition to have complyed with the terms of the Evangelical Law or not to have complyed with them We say we cannot see what other design he should have therein but thus to reflect upon us And if this was really his design then he denies that God proceeds according to a Law as well in Glorifying or not glorifying as in Justifying or not Justifying Men And therein he opposes Dr. Twiss and all our other Divines that he knevv of as well as us And further upon that Principle that there is no such stated Rule and known standing Law according to vvhich God hath assured us that he vvill either give eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord or inflict eternal death We chalenge our Authour to shevv us hovv in an ordinary vvay vvithout a Miracle the dying disconsolate Man can be assured by Faith that God for Christs sake will give eternal life to him in particular and not inflict upon him eternal death for his Sins For if God have not revealed in his vvritten Word to Men that through Christ he vvill give eternal life unto all penitent Believers and consequently to that dying Man in particular if he be really a true penitent Believer We say if God hath not revealed this in his vvritten Word but kept it secret vvithin himself as a thing vvhich he vvill give arbitrarily as he pleaseth without regard to any stated Rule or knovvn Lavv hovv is it possible for the poor dying Man vvithout an immediate extraordinary Revelation to knovv but that eternal death vvhich he knovvs he hath deserved and not eternal life vvhich he cannot possibly deserve shall be his everlasting portion What depends upon the meer arbitrary will and pleasure of God can never be knovvn by Man unless God reveal it either by his vvritten Word alone or by his Word and Spirit conjunct or by his Spirit immediately vvithout the Word But the poor disconsolate Man can have no hopes that God will reveal it to him by his Written Word alone or by his Written Word and
declare to the World what our Faith is in this matter And First We do not hold that there is any Antecedent Condition of the Covenant of Grace Our meaning is plainly this That there is nothing required to be necessarily performed by us as a Condition before the Lord will make us Partakers of any Grace even of the first Grace of the Covenant For we believe that the first Grace is given Absolutely and the Lords giving of it is not suspended on our performing of some antecedent Condition by our meer natural Strength This indeed would be Pelagianism or rather Semi-Pelagianism condemned by the Ancient Church and we condemn it as much as the Ancients did We hold that there are Absolute Promises Promises of Regenerating Grace of the New Heart the Heart of Flesh of special Grace through which the Elect believe and repent This is the Grace whereby we performe the Conditions required of us in the Covenant and therefore it must be promised and given Antecedently to our performing those Conditions forasmuch as it is the cause of the performance of those Conditions and the cause must always be in order of nature and causality before the Effect There hath been and is some difference of Opinion amongst Orthodox Ministers about the Person or Persons to whom God hath made those absolute Promises Some think they are made only to Christ for the Church according to these Scriptures Isai 49.6 compared with Acts 13.47 48. and Isai 53.11 Psal 22.30 and 110.3 Others think they are made through Christ only to the Catholick Church that God for Christ's sake would shew special Mercy unto his Select People in all Ages and add them to the Church Mystical by saving Illumination Regeneration and Conversion And so that God through Christ hath promised unto the Catholick Church that she should be a fruitful Mother that should still bring forth Children unto God which should continue the Succession unto the end of the World as in Isa 54.1 Sing O barren c. ver 5. For thy maker is thy husband c. See also ver 8 10. and then consider the Promise ver 13. That all her children should be taught of the Lord. And compare that place with Gal. 4.26 27 28 29. We humbly conceive that the Absolute Promises of the first saving Grace are not made immediately to Individual Persons but to the Body of the Church to the Mother in behalf of her Children Such are the Promises recorded Isa 44.3 4 5. Isa 59.21 Ezek. 36.22 compared with ver 26 27. and with Heb. 8.10 These and all absolute Promises of the first saving Grace seem not to be made immediately unto nor to be immediately pleadable in Faith by any Individual Persons before their first Conversion but to be made unto the house of Israel as the Text expresseth it that is unto the true Church which is the Mystical Living Body of Christ in behalf of all the Children which she as a Spiritual Mother is to bring forth unto God Or 3ly To Reconcile these two Opinions and to reduce them into one it may be some judge it best to say that the aforesaid absolute Promises are made both to Christ and his Church as one Mystical Body consisting of Head and Members which is to be filled up from time to time by adding New Members to it and that continual addition of new Members is made by the fulfilling of the foresaid absolute Promises and for this may be alledged Gal. 3.16 and this way we oppose not Thus it is confessed that there is some difference of Opinion about the Persons to whom the Absolute Promises of the first Saving Grace are made and we cannot help it for it is not in our power to make all good Men to be of one mind in lesser matters and we think we are bound in Conscience to bear with one another in love notwithstanding such little differences But we thank God that we are all agreed that the Promises of the first Grace are Absolute so as to exclude the necessity of our performing any Antecedent Condition to make us capable of that first Grace And we desire it may be well remembred That we say those Promises are absolute so as to exclude any antecedent Condition but not so as to exclude the use of Gods appointed means for the obtaining of that promised Grace We plainly distinguish between an Antecedent Condition which is always and in all cases necessary to obtain the promised Grace and the use of God's means appointed for the obtaining of the promised Grace which use of means is indeed ordinarily necessary unto Men so that they have no ground to expect that ever God should give them the aforesaid Grace without their attending upon him in the use of those means yet is not the use of them so absolutely necessary as that Grace at no time and in no case can be had without them For though God hath tyed us to the means he hath not tyed himself to them by any Law or Constitution so that he can never give the first Saving Grace to any without the use of them We know God hath been found of them that sought him not so he was found of Paul and others and so he may be again in these latter days if he please God may give Faith and Repentance to a man absolutely in what way he pleaseth he may do it in the use of means or out of the use of means which is his ordinary way because he hath not made the use of means the Condition upon the performance of which he hath declared that he will always give it and never in any case without the performance of it Thus indeed it is in the matter of Justification and Glorification It is not consistent with the Truth of God's Word and Perfection of his Nature to justifie or glorifie an Impenitent Unbeliever remaining such because he hath declared that he will not and it is not consistent with his own Honour that he should do it but upon the performance of the Duty and Condition of Faith and Repentance But in the matter of Regeneration and giving Faith and Repentance in the use of means God hath not so tyed up himself by any Declaration of his Will that we know of but that he hath left himself at free Liberty as a Gracious Lord and Merciful Benefactor to give the Grace of Regeneration Faith and Repentance when and how he pleaseth ordinarily in the use of means and extraordinarily without the Antecedent use of Means This we learn of Doctor Twisse who as he affirms frequently that the first Grace and particularly the new Heart Faith and Repentance are promised and given absolutely and not upon the performance of any Antecedent Condition so he positively asserts that the said new Heart Faith and Repentance are usually given in the use of Means and not otherwise ordinarily You shall have it in his own words Thus then he writes in his Answer to the
per impossibile that a Christian have a sincere Faith separated from sincere Obedience if nothing but a sincere Act of Faith be required of him as indispensably necessary to Salvation he is safe and runs no hazard of loosing Eternal Salvation though he lead a wicked life as aforesaid But this is false and absurd therefore that principle from whence this follows is false and absurd also that is it is false and absurd that nothing but an Act of Faith is required as indispensably necessary to Salvation And not only Logick allows us to argue thus sometimes from a supposed impossibility John 8.55 but even our blessed Saviour who is truth it self hath done it before us If I should say quoth our Saviour I know not the Father I should be a lyer like unto you but I know him c. In like manner S. Paul argues ab impossibili saying Though we or an angel from heaven Gal. 1.8 preach another Gospel to you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed 3. We Answer That when it is said that sincere Faith cannot be without sincere Obedience the meaning is that sincere Faith is of an Obediential Nature and is of it self apt to put us upon the several Acts of sincere Obedience and will certainly do it if it be rightly used and put forth into strong vigorous Acts if the Spirit of the Lord concur with it if it be not hindred by the flesh and by the prevalency of tentations But the meaning is not that sincere Faith always actually and infallibly produceth the imperat acts of sincere Obedience as necessarily as the Sun produces light and as the Fire produceth Heat For the Principle of sincere Faith doth not so necessarily produce its own formal elicit Acts much less doth it so necessarily produce the Acts of other gracious Principles and Habits whose Acts are not the formal elicit but the imperat Acts of Faith And it is but too well known by sad experience that the Principle of sincere Faith or even the languid weak Act of that Principle doth not necessarily and infallibly alwayes produce all those Acts of sincere Obedience to the Lord which are necessary towards the obtaining of Eternal Life and Glory For had not David and Solomon a Principle of sincere Faith and who can say and prove that they had not then some weak languid Acts of Faith And yet that Faith in them for some considerable time was separated from that sincere Repentance and Obedience which is required as indispensably necessary to the obtaining possession of Eternal Life and Glory This is too evident to be denyed And surely what hath been is possible to be though we heartily wish that it may never actually be any more and that none of God's People may ever fall so foully nor lye so long in Sin as David and Solomon did But we think our Authour or any for him will find it a hard Task to prove that sincere Faith both as to the Habit and some weak Act cannot be for some time actually separated from such imperat Acts of Repentance and sincere Obedience as are indispensably necessary to the obtaining possession of Eternal Life and Glory in Heaven and further he may find it a Task no less hard to determine precisely how long time they may be actually separated but not one Minute longer If he think that he can do either or both of these we do intrent him to do it for in truth it will be a kindness to us who do really find the difficulty so great that we are not able to master it without help 4. We Answer That though it were well proved that sincere Faith can in no case be separated for one Minute from the imperate Acts of that sincere Repentance and Obedience which is indispensably necessary to the obtaining possession of Eternal Life and Glory in Heaven yet it doth by no means follow that Faith onely and not sincere Obedience distinct from Faith is required of us as indispensably necessary to the obtaining possession of Eternal Life and Glory in Heaven for Faith and Obedience may both be required and we have already proved by plain Scripture that they are both required as indispensably necessary to the obtaining of Eternal Life and Glory and without our having both as the Lord hath required we cannot be out of danger of coming short of Eternal Life and Glory The clear evidence of this Truth hath made our ablest and most Judicious Divines acknowledge that upon supposition that the Saints fallen into gross sins against Knowledge and Conscience like those of David and Solomon should dye in them before they had through Grace returned unto their Obedience to the Lord renewed both their Faith and their Repentance and got both the Guilt and Filth of those Sins washed and purged away by the most pretious Blood and holy Spirit of Christ they would be damned and lost for ever This Mr. Rutherford in his Examen Arminianismi p. 620. acknowledges to be a Truth in these Words Nisi renati in atrecia peccata lapsi resipiscerent in aeternum ipsis pereundum esset juxta comminationes Evangelicas Vnless the Regenerate after they have fallen into atrocious sins did repent they must perish everlastingly according to the threatnings of the Gospel Of this Perswasion were our excellent Divines in the Synod of Dort so was Mr. Perkins Bishop Abbot Downham Mr. Burgess Pareus Turretin c. as shall be shewed hereafter by the express Words of most of them This same Truth hath also been acknowledged and maintained by the French Divines who Answered that pestilent Book of the Jansenians called the Renversement and corruption of the Morals of Jesus Christ by the Errors of the Calvinists in the point of Justification Jurieu and others in answer to that most virulent Book go upon our Principle aforesaid and thereby vindicate the Reformed Churches from the blasphemous Reproaches which the Jansenians cast upon us all upon pretence that we all hold the abominable Opinion aforesaid that we are safe as to our Eternal state if we have but a true Faith though we live in the love and practice of all manner of Villanies except Unbelief 5. One great Reason we do not say the onely but one great Reason on our part why a sincere Faith is of its own Nature obediential that is it inclines to obedience and is of it self naturally apt to produce in us sincere Obedience and will not fail to do it if it be rightly used and be not hindred It is this a sincere Faith firmly assents to the Truth of the foresaid Commands Promises and Threatnings of the Gospel whereby we have proved that sincere Obedience is by the Lord made indispensably necessary unto and the condition of obtaining Eternal Salvation and from the infallible Truth of God's Word it assures us that there is no obtaining of Eternal Salvation unless we be sincerely obedient unto the Lord that if
be pardoned and saved for the sake of Christ who shed his most precious Blood for the remission of sins 3. The very same Words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are used in this same sense by Origen in his Third Book against Celsus Cambridge Edition pag. 154. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God grants the Grace of Repentance i. e. the Gracious Blessing and Priviledge which is obtained by Repentance to wit pardon of sin This is and must be the sense of Origen's Words there and they can have no other For Origen affirms there in opposition to the Calumny of Celsus as shall be shewed by and by that Men must first be truly penitent they must be inwardly changed and converted from Evil to Good before God be merciful to them so as to pardon their sins And when they are so wrought upon as to be really changed converted and become truly penitent then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God grants them the Grace of Repentance that is the pardon of their sins which is the gracious Benefit annexed to Repentance and promised to all upon Condition that they truly repent To put another sense on Origen's Words would be to make Non-sense of them and to make him say That if Men be first truly penitent God will afterwards give them Grace whereby they may be or are made truly penitent Origen was not such a filly Man as to write thus foolishly for the Christian Religion against a learned and malitious Heathen 4. Clement and Origen's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grace of Repentance is the same thing with Tertullian's Fructus Paenitentiae Fruit of Repentance but Tertullian's Fruit of Repentance is pardon of sin for so he writes Lib. de Pudicitiâ Cap. 10. Ita cessatio delicti radiae est veniae ut venia sit paenitentiae fructus Ceasing from sin is so the root of pardon that pardon is the fruit of repentance 5. And Lastly the Words-which immediately follow in Clement shew this to be his meaning for he adds Let us take a diligent view of all Generations and learn that in every Generation the Lord hath given place of Repentance to such as were willing to turn unto him Noah preached Repentance and they that obeyed were saved Jonah preached Destruction to the Ninivites but they repenting them of their sins appeased God by their humble Supplications and were preserved These Words plainly shew that by saying that through the Blood of Christ shed for our Salvation God hath offered the Grace of Repentance to the whole World Clement meant that God hath admitted all Men to Repentance as the way and means to obtain Pardon and hath promised and according to his Promise doth give them Pardon for Christ's sake upon their Repentance But it may be some will Object that yet the same Clement in the same First Epistle to the Corinthians saith pag. 67. They the Holy Men before and under the Law were all Glorified and made Great not by themselves or by their own Works or by the just Actions which they did but by his Will So we Christians then being called in Christ Jesus by his Will are not justified by our selves nor by our own wisdome or knowledge or piety or by the works which we have done in holiness of heart but by Faith whereby the Almighty God hath Justified all Men from the beginning of the World to whom he Glory for ever and ever Amen We Answer that this makes nothing against us for we have believed we do and through Grace will always believe that God Justisies us by Faith and not by any Works distinct from Faith in the sense before explained that is that God of his own Gracious Will and Pleasure hath ordained Faith to be the only receptive applicative Condition Means or federal moral Instrument of Justification upon our performing of which Condition or using of which Means and Instrument God doth freely justifie us for the sake of Christ's satissactory meritorious Righteousness onely We do indeed with Clement and with the Holy Prophets and Apostles believe that sincere Repentance is pre-required as a dispositive Condition to our obtaining of Justification yet we do not say any more than they did that we are Justified by Repentance but together with them we say that we are Justified by Faith only because God hath appointed Faith onely to that Office of being the receptive Condition and inward applicative Means of Justifiaation through Christ's Blood Clemeut's saying that God Justifies us by Faith and not by Works must undoubtedly be understood in this sense as appears by what we have quoted and shall now further quote out of him Pag. 102. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Let us speedily remove this evil from among us and let us fall down before the Lord humbly beseeching him with Tears that being become favourable he would be reconciled unto us By this Passage we see that Clement held as we do that repenting of mourning for and turning from our known sins and humble earnest Prayer to God through Christ is a means indispensably necessary to be used by us before we can have ground to hope that God will have mercy on us in pardoning our sins And as he held Faith and Repentance together to be indispensably necessary to the obtaining of Justification and pardon of sin so he held sincere Obedience in a course of holy living to be indispensably necessary to the obtaining of Glorification and Eternal Salvation For thus he writes pag. 61 62. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Since therefore all things are both seen and heard by him let us fear him and forsake all foul desires of evil Actions that so we may be protected by his Mercy from those Judgments which are to come For whither can any one of us flee from his powerful Hand And what World will entertain any of them who fall off from him or turn Renegado's Let us come unto him therefore in the holiness of our Souls lifting up unto him pure and undefiled hands loving this our gentle and merciful Father who hath made us unto himself the portion of his election And pag. 73. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Let us therefore earnestly strive to be sound in the number of them that wait on him that so we may be made Partakers of those Gifts which are promised But Beloved how shall this be done If our Thoughts be stedfastly fixed upon God by Faith if we enquire after those things which are well-pleasing and acceptable unto him if we do those things which are agreeable to his pure and irreproveable will and follow the way of Truth Casting away from us all injustice and iniquity covetousness contentions malignities and deceits whisperings and backbitings hatred of God pride and boasting vain-glory and ambition for they that do these things are abominable unto God and not onely the Doers thereof but they also which consent thereunto For the Scripture saith c. As in Psalm 50. which Clement quotes from v. 16.
have everlasting Life And Art 6. he sayes that Faith embraces and appropriates to ones self Christ and all that is in him for since be is offered us to be possessed by us with this condition if we believe in him one of the two thâ—n must necessarily be to wit either that all is not in Christ which is necessary to our Salvation Or if all be in him then he possesseth all things who possesseth Christ by Faith And in his short Confession Art 10. Itaque meritò concludere possumus in uno Jesu Christo contra omnia mala quae conscièntias nostras terrere possunt praesentissima remedia reperiri Sed addenda est conditio si ista remedia nobis applicemus Therefore we may justly conclude that in one Jesus Christ there are found soveraign infallible remedies against all the evils that can terrifie our Consciences But this condition must be added if we apply those remedies to our selves We see Beza put it into his Confession of Faith as an Article of his Belief that the Gospel Covenant hath a Condition and is conditional The same Authour in his little Book of Questions and Answers the First Part to the Question You say then that Good Works are necessary to Salvation he Answers that if Faith be necessary to Salvation then Good Works are likewise necessary to it non tamen ut salatis causam yet not as the cause of Salvation for we are justified and therefore live onely by Faith in Christ but as something that is necessarily joined with Faith as Paul saith they are the Children of God who are led by the Spirit of God Rom. 8.14 And John that he is righteous who doth righteousness 1 John 4.7 So that it plainly appears they are contentious Men who condemn the necessity of Good Works as a false Doctrine Thus Beza And we do no more say that Good Works are necessary as the cause of Salvation than he doth nor do we any more than he say that Good Works without Faith are the necessary Condition of obtaining Salvation On the contrary we say that Faith is the Spring of all our good Motions and runs through them all and that it is Good Works done from a Principle of Faith and Love which are the necessary Condition of obtaining Salvation Lastly To the Question What then if Faith be first given to a Man at the point of Death For this seems to have been the case of the penitent Thief who was crucified with Christ What good Works can such a Man do Beza Answers Yea the Faith of that Thief in a most short time was unspeakably energetical or effectual and operative for he reproved the other Thief for his blasphemies and wickedness he abhorred his own Crimes with a firm and most wonderful Faith he acknowledged Christ to be an Eternal King and prayed unto him as a Saviour under the very ignominy and shame of the Cross when all his own Disciples were silent and spoke not one word for him he did also openly rebuke the Jews for their Cruelty and impious Expressions But so it is that Confession of sin Prayer to God the Father through Christ and thanksgiving are the most excellent Works of the First Table which in no Man can be wholly separated from Faith And although some may be so prevented by Death as not to have power to shew forth any works of the Second Table yet in such a Man Faith is not therefore to be esteemed idle and unfruitful because it hath Love conjoined though not in Energie and Act yet in Power and Principle Thus far Beza To which we agree as we said before In such extraordinary cases God requires no more of Men as absolutely necessary to their Salvation than they have time and strength to perform but accepts the will for the deed through Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 8.12 Our next Witness is Mr. Fox the Authour of the Book of Martyrs The World hath been told already in the defence of Gospel-Truth pag. 35. that holy Mr. Fox in his Latine Book of Christ freely Justifying maintains that Faith is the proper receptive applicative Condition of Justification and that Repentance is the dispositive Condition it is that which prepares us for receiving Justification But some who read that Discourse of his in the Book of Martyrs which our Authour directs them unto may possibly object that in the second Volume of the Book of Martyrs pag. 192. he saith The Promise of Life and Salvation is offered unto us freely without any Condition We Answer It is true he doth say so but he means that it is without any Meritorious Legal Condition and all such Conditions we reject as much as he did or any Man can do as appears by what we have said at large in giving account of our Judgment concerning the Conditionality of the Covenant That this was Mr. Fox's true meaning appears from his own Words in the same Page a few Lines after The Voice of the Gospel saith he differeth from the Voice of the Law in this that it hath no Condition adjoined of our meriting but only respecteth the Merits of Christ the Son of God If our Authour will not admit of this explication of Fox's Words that he only rejected all Meritorious and Legal Conditions but will needs have it that he absolutely rejects all Conditions of the Covenant of Grace both Legal and Evangelical then we must say that he hath little respect to the Memory and Credit of Mr. Fox since he makes him most shamefully to contradict himself And was he fit then to write a Book of Martyrs or to be himself a Witness for the Truth against the Papists Can he be justly admitted to bear witness against others who by self-contradiction is a false Witness against himself Truly we should be loath so to expose that good Man to the scorn of the Papists and therefore we positively affirm that he doth not contradict himself at all because the Conditions are of different kinds which he denies and affirms He denies that there are any properly meritorious legal Conditions of the new Covenant and so do we He affirms that there is a proper Evangelical Condition to wit Faith and constant Confession They are his own Words in his Latine Book aforesaid And we join with him in affirming the same And now we do further make it known to the People that Mr. Fox in the said Book concerning Christ freely Justifying doth grant that after we are freely justified by Faith in Christ sincere Obedience to Christ's Commandments is necessary to retain or not to lose our Justification These are his own Words Quod autem dici solet per obedientiam retineri justificationis gratiam Page 369 370. ut hoc concedatur aliquo modo non tamen hinc c. As for that which useth to be said that the Grace of Justification is retained by Obedience though that be granted in some sense yet it doth not follow from hence that Justification
1634. in Answer to Mr. Hoards Book called Gods Love to Mankind which Answer was Printed after his Death by Mr. Jeanes a very Learned and Zealous Calvinist in the Year 1653. at Oxford The Ministers of the New Testament Twiss against Hoard pag. 194 195. are called Ministers not of the Letter but of the Spirit that is not of the Law the Ministry whereof is not the Ministry of the Spirit but yet this is rightly to be understood to wit of the Spirit of Adoption for undoubtedly even the Ministry of the Law is the Ministry of the Spirit also but of the Spirit of Bondage to hold Men under fear It is called the Ministry of Condemnation and the Reason hereof I conceive to be because God doth not concur with the Ministry of the Law by the Holy Spirit to work any Man to the performance of the Condition of the Law which is exact and perfect Obedience But thus he doth concur with the Ministry of the Gospel namely by his Spirit to work Men to the performance of the Condition thereof which is Faith in Christ and true Repentance therefore the Letter to wit of the Law is called a killing Letter but the Gospel is joined with a quickening Spirit and therefore Piscator conceives that the Gospel in this place is called by the Name of the Spirit So then the Gospel giveth Life by the Spirit which accompanieth the Ministry thereof c. And in the same Book he saith Some Benefits are bestowed upon Man only conditionally though for Christs sake and they are the pardon of sin and salvation of the Soul Page 154. and these God doth confer only upon the Condition of Faith and Repentance Now I am ready to profess and that I suppose as out of the Mouth of all our Divines that every one who hears the Gospel without distinction between Elect and Reprobate is bound to believe that Christ died for him so far as to procure both the pardon of his sins and the Salvation of his Soul in case he believe and repent But there are other Benefits which Christ by his Obedience hath merited for us namely the Benefit of Faith and Repentance for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1.19 And he hath blessed us with all Spiritual Blessings in Christ that is for Christs sake Eph. 1.3 And God works in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Heb. 13.21 And therefore seeing nothing is more pleasing in Gods sight on our part then Faith and Repentance even these also I should think God works in us through Jesus Christ And the Apostle prays in the behalf of the Ephesians Eph. 6.23 for Peace and Faith and Love from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that is us â—â—interpret it from God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as an efficient Cause and from the Lord Jesus Christ God and Man as a meritorious Cause thereof Now I demand whether this Authour can say truely that it is the constant Opinion of our Divines that all who hear the Gospel whether Elect or Reprobate are bound to believe that Christ died to procure them Faith and Repentance Nay doth any Arminian at this Day believe this or can he name 〈◊〉 Aâ—minian that doth avouch this Again Glory and Salvation God doth not will that it shall be the Portion of any one of ripe Years absolutely but conditionally to wit if he repent and believe And in case all 〈◊〉 page 174. and every one of the World should believe and repent all and every one how notorious Sinners soever they be found shall be saved such is the sufficiency of Christ's Merits I say this is true not of them onely who are invited to the Wedding Mat 22. Nor of them onely to whom St. Peter speaketh Acts 3.26 Or of them onely of whom our Saviour speaketh Mat. 23.37 But of all and every â—ne throughout the World And it is as true that none of them shall be saved if they dye in Inâ—idelity and Impenitency This God himself signifieth to be his will by his Promise Acts 2.38 39. on the one part and on both parts Mark 16.16 And as God signifieth this to be his will so indeed it is his will according to our Doctrine and there is no colour of Imposture or Simulation in all this In like sort as touching the Grace of pardon of sin this also God offers unto all that hear the Gospel but how not absolutely but conditionally in case they believe and Repent and it is God's will that every one who believeth shall have his sin pardoned none that I know either thinketh or teacheth otherwise whether he falleth out either to be Elect or Reprobate though how to distinguish Men according unto this difference 〈◊〉 know not I leave that unto God Now like as we say God doth signifie his meaning to 〈◊〉 that as many as believe and repent shall have their sins pardoned and their Souls saved So if it can be proved that there is no such meaning in God then in my poor Judgment it cannot be avoided but that God must be found halting in his Offers But for my part I acknowledge such a meaning in God neither have I to this Hour found any one of our Divines either by Word or Writing to have denyed this to be the meaning of God Again Whereas he Hoard fashioneth our Doctrine so as if we said that God hath decreed at no hand to save them to whom he promiseth Salvation upon Condition of Faith this is a notorious untruth Ibid. pag. 177. and such as implieth manifest contradiction For to say he hath resolved at no hand to save them is as much as to say that he hath resolved to save them on no Condition But if he hath promised to save them in case they believe undoubtedly he hath resolved to save them upon Condition of Faith Onely God's Resolution to save them is not held in suspence considering that from Everlasting he well knew who would believe and who would not c. Again It is true Baptism is ordained that those which do receive it may have the Remission of their sins but not absolutely but conditionally to wit in case they Believe and Repent as appears both in that place Acts 2.38 Ibid. pag. 201. and Rom. 4.11 and Baptism as a Seal doth assure hereof onely in case they Believe and Repent and therefore none of Ripe Years were admitted unto Baptism until they made Profession of their Faith and as for Infants they were also antiently said to be Baptized in Fide Parentum By all these Passages quoted Word for Word out of Dr. Twiss it is as clear as the Light at Noon-day that he held the Covenant of Grace to be Conditional and particularly that the Promise of Justification and Pardon of Sin is Conditional and that Faith and Repentance not Faith alone nor Repentance alone but Faith and Repentance together are
of Christian Questions and Answers To the Question how we can be truly said to have all gifts from Christ received by Faith since if Christ be apprehended or received by Faith Bez. lib. quaest Resp p. 1. 149. 49. pag. edit 1587. then Faith it self must go before that apprehension or reception He Answers If thou consider the order of causes I confess that the principle or beginning of Faith and that also true Faith goes before the apprehension of Christ and therefore that it is not given to them who are already ingrafted but who are to be ingrafted By this passage we see likewise that Beza never thought that all saving Grace flows into us from Christ already united to us But that before Union he gives us saving Grace by his Spirit whereby we may be united to him Christ by his Spirit first apprehends and takes hold of us and sits us for and brings us into actual Union with himself and this Grace is in the order of causes before the Union on our part and so is before our Justification If our Author had understood and considered all this that we have quoted out of Beza he would never have thought it impossible that we can have any true Grace any Holy Disposition or Qualification before we be in Christ and justified by Faith in him For it is plain that we have the Grace from Christ whereby we come to be in Christ and Christ to be in us And if it were not so it would be impossible for us ever to be actually in Christ at all or to be justified by Faith in him Our Third Witness is Mr. Fox in his Book De Christo gratis justificante Although saith he it be an undoubted Truth That Faith in Christ the most high Son of God page 307. alone without works hath the Vertue and Power of justifying as appears from the most clear words of Paul and the Examples of Saints but yet it doth not put forth this its justifying Vertue and Power upon all praeterquà m in eos quos idoneos solùm invenit suscipiendae Divinae gratiae but only upon those whom it finds fitted or qualified for receiving the Divine Grace or Favour of Justification And that is the humble and Penitent as he shews in the following Section Where towards the end of it in page 310 he says Praeparat quiâ—tem poenitentia inateriam ad suscipiendam Justificationem c. Repentance indeed prepares the matter for the receiving the Grace of Justification That is it prepares the Soul for receiving Justification not as an inherent form in the Popish Sense but as a rich Priviledge and Favour bestowed upon those who are disposed and qualified for it by Repentance And that it is not only a Legal but an Evangelical Repentance which he speaks of is evident from what he saith at large in that Section and especially from the Testimonies of Scripture which he brings to prove it Such as Psal 34.18 Isa 57.15 Our Fourth Witness is Rollok whom we made use of before and to whom Bodius his Scholar in his Commentary on the Ephes p. 1081 gives this Testimony That he was a Man quo nemo nostra aetate Christum Jesum vel penitiùs imbiberat vel aliorum animis efficacius instillabat Then whom none in our Age either had drunk in Christ Jesus more deeply or thoroughly into his own heart or more Powerfully conveyed him into the hearts and Souls of others This Holy and Orthodox Minister of Christ in his Book of Effectual Calling saith page 3 4. That in effectual Calling considered as it is internal Duplex est Dei Gratia sive operatio in cordibus nostris c. There is a two-fold Grace of God or operation in our hearts The first Grace is whilst God by his Holy Spirit creates a new and heavenly light in the mind before involved in darkness which neither saw nor could see the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.14 In the Will wholly perverted and turned away from God he creates a rectitude and lastly a new Sanctity in all the Affections Out of this Creation there exists or ariseth that which is called the new Creature that which is called the new Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Ephes 4.24 The second Grace or the second Operation of the Spirit is the act of Faith it self or an action proceeding from the new Creature page 5. the action of the enlightned mind in knowing God in Christ the action of the sanctified Will in embracing or apprehending God in Christ Here the principal Agent is the Spirit of God himself the secondary Agent is the Humane Soul it self or rather the new Man and the new Creature it self in the Soul and its faculties In this second Grace which is the action or work of Faith we are not now meerly passive page 6. but being acted by the Holy Spirit we act being excited to believe we believe In one word with the Holy Spirit operating we cooperate and are workers together with the Holy Spirit Now he cap. 34. p. 258. tells us afterwards in the same Book that all this and more than this even the Holy Change that is wrought in the Soul by a true Evangelical Repentance is before Justification For saith he Repentance belongs to the place concerning Effectual Calling Repentance goes before Justification as Faith and Hope go before it From all which we observe that in the judgment of Rollock there is a real change made in the Soul before it be justified and that it is prepared for Justification by God's working in it an Holy Principle or disposition whereby it is inclined and enabled to produce the act of Faith whereby it receives Christ that for his sake and through his Righteousness it may be justified We might bring Dr. Ames and Dr. Twiss for our Fifth and Sixth Witnesses for they are of the same Opinion with Rollock as to this matter save that Rollock took the Word Regeneration to signifie the same thing with Sanctification which comes after Effectual Calling and Justification whereas they took Effectual Calling and Regeneration to be two words which signifie the same thing to wit the first saving change which is wrought in the Soul when a new Seminal Principle of Spiritual Life is put into it and it is brought off from Sin and the World unto Christ and unto God through Christ that it may be justified by Faith in his Blood This appears to have been their Judgment by what we have already quoted out of them upon the former head Let but any that can read in Ames his Marrow of Divinity the Twenty Sixth Chapter of the first Book concerning Vocation as likewise the Tenth Chapter of his Reply to Grevinchovius concerning the Nature of Faith where he proves That God by his Spirit puts a Seminal permanent Principle of Grace into the Soul at its first Conversion and that before any act of saving
that Pelagian Opinion for he was himself Erroneous in the Point of Justification and held that we are justified before God by inherent Holiness and in this very place endeavours to prove against Pelagius that Grace is before Remission of Sin because Sin is a Privation which is no otherwise remitted than by the Habit of Grace its coming in and driving Sin out of the Soul just as Death is expelled or driven away by Life Blindness by Sight Darkness by Light Ignorance by Knowledge Thus he Confuted Pelagius's Error in the Point of Justification And now let all Protestants Judge whether Pelagius was not well Confuted and whether England was not greatly blessed with such a Confuter of Pelagius in the Point of Justification We are Confident our Authour was wholly Ignorant of the Principles of Bradwardin otherwise he would have been wiser than to have quoted him against us in this Controversie But it is his way to talk Confidently of what he doth not understand Yet our God is infinitely Wise and brings Light out of his Darkness for by this we come to understand by the Testimony of Bradwardin who we Hope may be believed in a matter of Fact that it was a piece of Pelagianism to hold that we are justified and our Sins pardoned before there be a real change made in us and Holy Dispositions or Qualifications wrought in our Souls by Christs Holy Spirit And if any Body should Question the Truth of Bradwardins Testimony concerning Pelagius's Opinion about Justification we can prove the same matter of Fact by the Testimony of a better Witness and that is the famous Augustine who was Contemporary with Pelagius and wrote against his Opinions at their first appearance in the World The other Secret which we have to tell our Authour is that it is a Popish Opinion to assert that there is no Gracious Principle infused no Holy Disposition or Qualification wrought in us by Gods Spirit before the Remission of our Sins Of this Opinion was Jacobus Almainus a Doctor of the Sorbon who lived in the 15th Century a little before the Reformation as appears by what he writes in his Book of Morality Lib. Moral Tract de charitate Ista rationalis est vera quia Deus acceptat aliquem ad vitam aeternam dat illi Charitatem non è diverso nam ista est falsa quia dat Charitatem acceptat ad vitam aeternam ergo prius naturâ acceptat ad vitam aeternam quam det Charitatem infusam This way of reasoning is true because God accepts a man unto Eternal Life therefore he gives him Love or infuses into him a Principle of Grace but not on the contrary for this is false that because God gives him Love or infuses into him a Principle of Grace therefore he accepts him unto Eternal Life and therefore God doth first in Order of Nature accept a man unto Eternal Life before he give him infused Charity Thus Almain whereupon we observe that he held Justification taken in the Protestant Sense to be before any real Holy change be made in the Soul by infused Grace in Regeneration and Effectual Calling For 1. By Acceptance unto Eternal Life he meant that we call by the Name of Justification 2. By Gods giving infused Love he meant that which we call Regeneration and Effectual Calling or the Holy change that is thereby begun in the Soul But so it is that he held Acceptance unto Eternal Life to be before the Gift of infused Love or infused Grace which they call by the Name of Love therefore he held Justification to be in Order before Effectual Calling or any Holy Principle put into or change wrought in the Soul thereby And the Popish Bishops of Walemburgh are yet more clearly for this for thus they write Walemb de justificat cap. 11. Num. 9. Remission of Sins taken for the not imputing of them in Order of Nature goes before inherent Justice That is in their way of speaking before the Infusion of any Principle of Grace and Holiness and this they prove by the Worde of the seventh Chapter of the Sixth Session of the Councel of Trent whereunto they adde that Remission of Sins is not the same thing with inherent Justice because that according to Bellarmine Vasquez and many other School Divines our Sins may be absolutely pardoned and remitted by the meer Non-imputation of them without the Infusion of Inward and. Inherent Justice or Holiness and consequently the Remission of Sins or Justification as the Protestants speak and Inward Inherent Justite which according to them is Sanctification begun may be separated and may be given unto us the one without the other These are the very Words truly Translated of Monsieur Le Fevre a Doctor of the Sorbon in a Book written against the Famous Monsieur Arnauld in the Year 1685. The Case was this Monsieur Arnauld in his Renversement de la Morale had laboured hard to prove that such Calvinists as our Author Replique a Monsieur Arnauld pour la Defence du livre des motises invincibles p. 61 62. had so corrupted our Christian Morals by their Errours about Justification that they are the vilest of Hereticks and can never be good Catholicks this was the Judgment of the Ring-leader of the Jansenists whom our Authour commends P. 21. of his Letter that such Protestants as he is are damned Hereticks by Reason of their Errors in the matter of Justification but on the contrary Monsieur Le Fevre undertakes to prove by Invincible Arguments that such Calvinists as our Authour may be good Roman Catholicks notwithstanding all that Monsieur Arnauld hath written to prove them Hereticks for tho' they hold that men may be pardoned and justified before there be any real change made in them or any holy permanent Principle of Grace Disposition or Qualificatien wrought in their Souls by the Holy Spirit yet they may be good Catholicks for all that because Almain and the Bishops of Walemburgh were of the same Opinion concerning Justification and tho' Bellarmine and Vasquez do not think that de facto Justification is after that manner yet they confess it is possible it may be so and the Council of Trent is not against but rather for its being so de facto And these were all good Roman Catholicks Therefore such a Calvinist as eur Author may likewise be a good Roman Catholick for in this matter he agrees with the Doctrine of the Roman Church This to us seems to have been the design of that Learned and Politick Sorbonist to shew that such Opinions about Justification as this is should not hinder a Reconciliation with the Church of Rome since she holds the same Doctrine her self Whether Le Fevre do right to his own Church or not in fastening that Opinion upon her concerns not us to inquire after but we think he has sufficiently proved that it is a Popish Opinion that is an Opinion that hath been long in the
Scripture We Answer by denying the Consequence of the first Proposition as false for it doth not follow that we should warn People not to believe on Christ too soon And we have nothing Offered to prove that such an absurdity follows from our Doctrine but this mans bare Word which we have found to be so often false in matter of Fact that we can give no credit to it in other things And he is so unhappy here and elsewhere throughout his Letter that he makes his own Tongue or Pen to fall upon himself for he confesses that it is no good Argument that if People cannot be truly Holy before the Tree be changed Matth. 12.33 34 35. and before they have a new Heart Ezek. 36.26 27. as he grants they cannot then Ministers should warn People not to be Holy too soon For to give them any such warning he grants to be absur'd Let him then consider Let. p. 11 12. whether the same or the like Answer he can give to this Argument which would prove that Ministers should warn People not to be Holy too soon may not be given to the other silly Argument whereby he would prove that upon our Principle Ministers should warn People not to believe on Christ too soon for it is as certainly true that People cannot actually believe on Christ with a saving justifying Faith before the Tree be changed and the Heart be in part renewed as it is that they cannot be truely Holy before the Tree be changed and the Heart be renewed When we are to deal with Unbelievers our Lord hath given us other Work to do than to warn them not to believe too soon and let our Author try when he pleases he will find enough to do to convince them that their present Indisposition and disability to believe doth not free them from the Obligation which the Lord by his Word hath laid upon them to believe and to direct them unto the right means in the use whereof they may obtain from the Lord both the necessary Disposition unto Faith and also the Principle and Act of Faith it self Our Author we perceive has been at this Work and before we have done with him we shall see what a rare Specimen of his skill this way he hath given the World Fourthly But he farther Objects We hold forth that God justifieth the Ungodly Pag. 25. Rom. 4.5 Neither by making him Godly before he justifie him nor leaving him Ungodly after be hath justified him but that the same Grace that justifies him doth immediately sanctifie him We Answer this is the Text that our Antinomians much insist upon and think it sufficient to make all Men Antinomians And we are glad to find that it hath not that full effect upon him for tho he be one with them with respect to any Holy change in Order before Justification and denies it as they do yet he separates himself from them with respect to what follows after Justification and saith that we are sanctified immediately after Justification and so he joins himself to us now there may be good worldly Policy in this to hold with both sides as much as he can But if he do not agree with himself what ground can others have to trust him that ever he will heartily agree with them and that he doth not agree with himself we think is apparent from what he writes Pag. 16. A Man saith he is to believe that he may be justified Gal. 2.16 Again Pag. 32. No Words or Warnings repeated nor plainest Instructions can beat into Mens Heads and Hearts that the first coming to Christ by Faith or Believing on him is not a Believing we shall be saved by him but a Believing on him that we may be saved by him And again Pag. 7. The direct Act is properly justifying saving Faith by which the lost Sinner comes to Christ and relies upon him for Salvation Yet when we do press Sinners to come to Christ by a direct Act of Faith consisting in an humble reliance on 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 These three Passages show clearly that he holds saving Faith to be both before Justification and before Assurance of Justification We confess that we do very well understand this to be the meaning of these Words now quoted ouâ— of his Letter for we think they are not capable of any other sense but though we understand the Words of the Letter yet we do not understand the Author of them and we much doubt whether he understands himself and that because he immediately adds Page 7. that Mr. Marshal in his excellent Book lately Published hath largely opened this and the true Controversie of this Day And Pag. 35. Marshals Book saith he is a deep practical well jointed Discourse and if it be singly used I look upon it as one of the most useful Books the World hath seen for many Years 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 Who that reads this can doubt but that our Author has read Marshaâ—s Book and that he approves it and believes every thing at least that is material in it and yet there is one thing very material in it and it is one of the main joints in it That justifying Faith is a Believing that we are now justified and shall be Eternally saved and that the Assurance of this that we are now justified and shall be saved is essential to the direct Act of Faith This Marshal with all his might strives to prove and it seems he hath done it to the Conviction of our Author who believes that that Opinion can never be disproved again Yea he seems so Confident of the Truth of Marshals Opinion that he spares not to reflect on the Westminster Assembly of Divines for denying it as they do in their Confession of Faith Chap. 18. Art 3. In these Words This infallible Assurance doth not so belong to the Essence of Faith but that a true Believer may mait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it Thus the Assombly But doth he reflect on them for this why if he doth not let him tell us what he means by these following Words Was not the Holiness of the first Protestants eminent and shining Let. p. 22. and yet they generally put Assurance in the Definition of their Faith We cannot say that Gospel Holiness has prospered much by the Correction or Mitigation of that harsh-like Definition If these Words of his whatever might be his Intention do not reflect upon the Assembly we do not understand plain English and moreover we cannot but think also that they imply his owning of Marshals
way of Preparation for Christ but they may and ought immediately to receive him into their Hearts by Faith and Confidently trust him with their Souls and Bodies with their whole Person to be saved by him in the way agreed upon between God and Him and may be firmly and fully perswaded that if they do so through Grace they cannot possibly miscarry under the hand of such a Saviour and Physitian of Souls Thus we Preach and we know none can have just cause to say that this is a new Gospel and we hope none will any more say so We are sure this used not to be accounted a new Gospel heretofore in England nor is it so accounted at Geneva * Turret Instit Theolog. Elenct part 2. Loc 15. quest 5. p. 592. for Turretin lately taught there That in the Spiritual Generation no less than in the natural the Soul of Man attains unto the Spiritual Birth by many precedent Operations and God who will effect that Work in man not by violent raptures and Enthusiastical Motions but in a way agreeable to our Nature and who doth not in one Moment but successively and by degrees carry it on uses various Dispositions whereby man may be prepared by little and little to receive saving Grace at least he does so in the ordinary way of Calling So that there are various Acts previous to Conversion and as it were degrees or steps towards the thing it self before Man be brought unto the State of Regeneration And they are either External which may be done by a Man or are in his Power such as to go unto the Church to hear the Word and the like or they are Internal which are excited by Grace even in the Hearts of the unconverted such as the Reception and Apprehension of the Word Preached Knowledge of the Divine Will some Sense of Sin Fear of Punishment and some kind of Desire of Deliverance Thus Turretin in a Book Printed at Geneva in the Year 1688. By all which Testimonies we have made it plainly appear That our Opinion concernnig the Preparations and Dispositions which ordinarily go before Regeneration and saving Conversion is neither new nor singular but that what we Believe and Preach as to this matter we have learned and received from the most eminent Pastors of the Reformed Churches whereof many have lived and died in the true Faith before many of us were born And this may suffice as enough and indeed too much for the Confutation of our Authors third Error against the Purity of our Christian Faith CHAP. III. Of his Ridiculous Way of Converting an Vnbeliever AND first we acknowledge to our Authors Praise that he made a good beginning and from the 17th line of the 15th page to the beginning of the 16th he Discourses well enough and shews how indispensibly necessary it is that a Sinner believe on Christ and what warrant he hath from the Command as also what encouragement from the Conditional Promise of God in the Gospel to believe on Christ for Justification and Salvation But we cannot say that as he made a good beginning so he continues till he have made a good end for he gives several miserable Answers to the Questions which he makes the Unbeliever to put unto the Minister who is perswading him to believe in Christ First He makes the Unbeliever to ask the Minister What it is to believe on Jesus Christ Whereunto he Answers That be finds no such Question in the Word of God but that all both Believers and Unbelievers the Disciples and the Enemies of Christ did some way understand the Notion of it And this he endeavours to prove because it was commonly reported by Christ and his Apostles That Faith in Christ is a believing that the Man Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Son of God the Messiah and Saviour of the World so as to receive and look for Salvation in his Name and this common report was known by all that heard it This is no satisfactory Answer for the Unbeliever may easily reply 1st That though in the Scriptures there be no such Question in so many express formal Words yet there is sufficient ground in and from the Scripture for a Man to ask such a Question because the Scripture speaks of several sorts of Faith of an Historical Temporary and miraculous Faith and of a saving justifying Faith Of a Faith that is common to unconverted Wicked Men and Devils and of a Faith that is proper and peculiar to Gods Elect. These Faiths are of different natures and therefore one of them must have something that another hath not and each of them must have that whereby they are constituted in themselves and distinguished from one another And this being â—o that the man be not deceived to his ruin he hath great reason to put the foresaid Question and should be commended for asking if he do it seriously What it is to believe on Christ To believe in him so as he ought to do so as may be to Gods Glory and his own Spiritual and Eternal Good 2. He may reply that if there were no ground for such a Question why did the Westminster Assembly put that same Question in the Shorter Catechism which they composed for the use of Children Had they no warrant from Scripture for putting such a Question Or doth the Scripture only warrant Ministers to put Questions to the People but not warrant the people to put Questions to the Ministers Again he may say that if there were no ground for putting such a question Cap. 14. Art 1 2. why did the same Assembly in their Confession of Faith give such a large Description of Faith was it not that they and all who own their Confession might be readily furnished with an Answer to such a question which they knew was expedient to be asked since there are several sorts of Faith in Christ and so much Hypocritical counterfeit Faith in the World and in the Church and necessary to be wisely and judiciously answered that people may understand what kind of Faith it is that they are chiefly to seek after and get and if they have it that they may know it to their comfort and may bless God for it and give him the glory of it 3dly The Unbeliever may reply That it doth not follow that because Christ and his Apostles commonly reported that Faith is a believing that Jesus is the Son of God the Messias and Saviour of the World so as to receive and look for Salvation in his Name Therefore the thing Reported was known by all that heard the report and they did all some way understand the notion of it For we read in Luke 18. v. 31 32 33. That Christ told his own Apostles as plainly as any thing can be expressed in words that he would go up to Jerusalem and that there he should be most cruelly and shamefully put to death and rise again the third day And yet in the very next verse
foresaid Book called The Synod of Dort and Arles reduced to Practice page 195 196. As God did ordain us to everlasting Life by way of Reward of our Faith Repentance and good works so likewise he did â—rdain us to the obtaining of Faith Repentance and good Works to be wrought in us partly by the Ministry of his Word therein speaking unto us and partly by our Prayers seeking unto him to bless his word unto us and fulfil the good pleasure of his Goodness towards us and the work of Faith in Power For God doth expect that we should seek unto him by Prayer for this as we read Ezek. 36.37 Thus saith the Lord I will yet for this be sought of the House of Israel to perform it unto them Neither do we maintain that God doth ordain any Man of Ripe Years unto Eternal Lise in any moment of Nature before he ordains him to Faith Repentance and Good Works and that to be wrought in him by the Ministry of the Word with Gods Blessing thereupon according to the Prayers in common both of the Pastor and the People By this passage we see that though Dr. Twisse denies that Gods giving us Grace to Convert Believe and Repent doth depend upon any proper Condition to be antecedently performed by us before we can ever in any case receive that Grace yet he confesses and maintains that ordinarily Gods giving that first special Saving Grace depends upon the use of his appointed means and that it is Gods Will it should so depend And truly if it were not so Ministers should give over Preaching and Praying and People give over hearing them and joyning in Prayer with them in order to Conversion for it would all serve to no end or purpose but would be a taking of Gods Name in vain Thus it may appear to all that we do not believe nor teach that there is any Condition required to be necessarily performed by us antecedently to our partaking of the first Grace promised in the Covenant so that if we performe that Condition we shall infallibly have that first Grace and if we perform it not we shall infallibly not have it at all 2. From hence it follows that in consistence with our foresaid Principle we cannot hold and we solemnly declare that we do not hold that there is any Natural Condition of the Covenant of Grace for we know assuredly that there is no such Promise in the Covenant of Grace as this Facienti quod in se est viribus naturae dabit Deus primam gratiam God will give the first supernatural Grace to every Man who doth what he can by his Natural Powers It was the Opinion of the Semipelagians that we believe in Christ by our own Natural Strength without Supernatural Grace and upon Condition that we do so God promiseth to give and accordingly he gives us the first internal Supernatural Grace Augustin himself was once of this Opinion as he confesseth lib. de praedestin Sanctorum cap. 3. where he tells us that he was convinced of his Error by that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.7 What hast thou that thou hast not received and if thou hast received it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it We bless God for that by his Grace he hath preserved us from that Semipelagian Errour and we declare our abhorrence of it And therefore it must needs be a great wickedness in the Authour of the Letter to bely us as he hath done in charging us not only with Semipelagianism but even with Pelagianism it self which are Errours that our Souls abhor as God who searcheth the Hearts of all Men knoweth and to whom we appeal yet praying him again not to enter into Judgment with that Brother for the wrong he hath done us but rather to give him Repentance and then to pardon him 3. From hence also it follows that we neither do hold nor can hold that there is any meritorious condition of the Covenant of Grace For we do firmly and unanimously believe that Christ by his Elood hath purchased for us and by his Spirit freely gives unto us the Grace whereby we performe the Condition of the Covenant the Grace whereby we sincerely believe repent and obey the Gospel Now we are perswaded that it is utterly impossible for any Man to merit of God the benefits of Justification and Glorification by performing the Condition of Faith Repentance and Evangelical Obedience because we are infinitely beholding to God in Christ for giving us freely the Grace whereby we performe the Condition and without which we could never performe it We know very well that the Papists argue the quite contrary way that our Faith Repentance and Obedience are properly meritorious because they are the effects of God's Grace in us but this we know also to be a very ridiculous way of arguing because the Argument really proves that they are not and that they cannot be properly meritorious because they are the Effects of God's Free Grace God by giving us the Grace whereby we Believe Repent and Obey the Gospel properly merits of us our most humble and hearty thanks for thereby causing us to Believe Repent and Obey and therefore our so believing repenting and obeying cannot properly merit any thing of God But we need not insist on this it being so evident in it self and confessed by all Protestants that it is impossible for a meer Creature and that a sinful Creature too properly to merit and deserve any thing from God but Death and Damnation And this being so we do assert as much as our Authour doth page 24. or can possibly do such an absolute freedom of the Grace of God as excludeth all merit But what our Authour means by excluding not only merit it self but every thing like merit we do not well understand As for the merit of a sinful Creature we know it to be a chimera that it neither hath nor can have a real being that it is impossible and implies a contradiction Now what it is that is like a chimera we leave to our profound Authour to determine But if by every thing that is like merit he means every false conceit of merit that is or may be in the foolish Imaginations of erroneous men we understand him and agree with him for we do as much as he exclude out of our own imaginations all false conceits of merit and if we could we would exclude them out of the imaginations of all other Men that so we and all other Men might ascribe unto God through Christ the Glory of all the good we do and of all the good we receive or hope to receive If our Authour by every thing that is like merit mean any other thing we are to seek what it may be and truly we cannot well imagine what it is he excludes under the notion of its being like merit unless it be Repentance in order to pardon of sin and Prayer for pardon of sin and if that