he that joyns together both Jews and Gentiles in one way infallible hope or foundation of eternal life or again he is become the head of the corner That is he is become the proper support and onely true foundation of the hope of all mens salvation as in the first of the Cor. chap. 3. ver 11. For other Foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Iesus Christ he is become the head of the corner And now see in the next verse further for my purpose the Apostle saies that this Christ is the sole and whole vertue means and matter of mans salvation or Redemption neither saies he is there salvation in any other that is means and help to life eternal lyes no where but in this Christ this crucified Saviour this corner stone set at nought of you Jews or Jewish builders neither is there salvation in any other Look yet a little further and we have yet more for our purpose in the reason the Apostle there brings for confirmation for sayes he there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Let me give ye the meaning of the word name here and then the place is an invincible fortification for my inference and need not capitulate with the Adversary about surrender The word Name as it refers to God or Christ in the Scriptures is oft taken for the powerful aid help and vertue that is in God or Christ to us and for us Thus t is used as attributed to God Psa the 44. ver 5. Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us That is through thy power aid assistance or vertue we shall tread them under Thus under favour it is taken in the words I have quoted for my purpose there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved That is there is no other thing nature essence vertue power matter means or help whereby wherefore or for which we must be saved See brethren every thing in the world but Christ shut out from being the matter means purchase or condition of or for our Redemption or salvation yea the perfectest obedience the deepest repentance the truest charity the devoutest prayers yea the strongest faith all these and any of these are shut out from being matter or means whereby we may be saved the reason is plain because they are none of them this Jesus Christ of Nazareth This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders which is become the head of the corner neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved I confess there are many arguments and allegations brought against this doctrine and my last inference by the Anti-christian party within the sound of the word yea and profession of the Gospel some plead for good works obedience alms-deeds charity and such like graces in man to share as causes or means in the work of our salvation as the Church of Rome others that faith and repentance become mainly if not solely the matter means or cause of our Redemption or salvation in that they are a condition exacted by God to be performed by us for life â—s Mr. Plater and the Arminian faction and the most of our present Divines watching over the flock of God if they be such in all England as here about us Tenents if duly poysed as now held that be fully opposite to the free grace of God in Christ contended for by the Apostle in Rom. the 11. ver 6. and in many places elsewhere yea and further they are Tenents if duely poysed baneful and destructive to that comfortable hope held forth to us in the Gospel of Christ Perhaps the Adversary to my position rather then to skirmage in the several particulars will desire to try the victory with me as the Philistines did with Israel in the first of Sam. chap. the 17. namely with their Goliah by the valued and reputed help and aid that is in the grace of faith as to life and Redemption My brethren for brevities sake I am content to do it as also because I know that the ruin of this will be the dispersing of all the other adverse arguments if this falls there is not one can stand And now I le meet this their Goliah faith as David did that of the Philistines even clad with its whole or best armour with its helmet graves of brass Objection I will produce the places attributing the most to faith as in respect to the present purpose in all the Scriptures and fullest against my doctrine and inference The places I bring for the Adversary are out of the Epistle to the Romans and the first is in the fourth Chapter ver 3. For what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness from hence ye will plead that the act of faith Abrahams believing the promises his resting upon Christ for salvation by or through whom the promise of eternal life was made I say ye will say that this Abrahams believing of God resting upon him for life eternal through Christ was partly if not wholly the means or cause of his now enjoying life eternal was the means or things for which or whereby at least in part he stood approved just and perfect in the sight of God as to Eternal life t is evident ye will say it was counted Abrahams righteousness and again in the 28. ver of the foregoing Chapter the Apostle saith we are justified by faith that is by the means of faith because of faith or for faith Look upon both Doctrine Inference and then consequently ye will say my doctrine and inference is false I have made the objection so strong as I can and that from the most opposite places in all the Scriptures I shall endeavour to give as full an answer I pray mark it well It is to be known that God may be said to account or reckon a thing to us for righteousness two several ways Answer properly or improperly in a proper sense or in an improper sense A thing may be said to be counted to us of God for righteousness properly if it be looked upon by God as that or part of that whereby of or for which we be free from the punishment due to us because of sin if it be that by which we stand just in the sight of God so right in the Court of heaven as that Divine Iustice hath not wherefore to condemn us In a word that is counted to us for righteousness in a proper sense which becomes the cover of our sins as in the Psalmists phrase or that takes and bears away our sins and blots them out as that God sees them not in us as to punish us for them remembers them not against us That may be said to be our righteousness properly that doth either partly or wholly so quallifie us as
for righteousness were pleasing to him in the forementioned proper sense that is as becoming like the pretious blood of Christ or with it the matter or means of our Redemption or freedom from the wrath of God due to us for our sins were this the sense of it then we must all back again to Popery attributing merit to our works ye a and destroy all the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles No they are pleasing in Gods sight or if ye will are accounted to us for righteousness in an improper sense as being acceptable to him as being his delight having here great reward being followed with all the bounty and kindness that God vouchsafes his beloved ones in this life with the abundance of blessings yea with spiritual with the comfortable hope and assurance of enjoying the future happiness purchased by Christ My brethren under favour if I should say that in this improper sense the Apostle meant Abrahams believing God to be counted to him for righteousness if I should say he meant there that it was the grace most pleasing and acceptable to God that it was the joy and delight of God I say if I should say thus I do not see how I should be injurious or detrimental to the purpose of Saint Paul whose main drift is in this Epistle and in most of the rest to take men off from resting upon legal performances in the least for Redemption and to set forth Christ the sole and all-sufficient salvation of man and so thereby to work in mans heart the grace of faith most eminently profitable and comfortable to him in this life and most transcendently pleasing to the father himself Sharpius in the forecited reconciliation glossing upon that of our Saviour Iohn the 6. ver 29. where he saith this is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent I say glossing upon those words and shewing in what respect faith may be there termed the work of God amongst other respect he saith it may be so called because t is the work that doth most especially please God and for that purpose he quotes the very place of Genesis quoted by Saint Paul which is in Gen. chap. the 15. ver 6. the words And he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness So that see Sharpius gives the same gloss in effect upon the Apostle that I did last namely that t is not our righteousness properly but improperly t is the grace the work that is most pleasing and acceptable to him And indeed this esteem and valuation I do from my heart believe that the Lord makes of this grace of faith in us as is apparent First because t is faith that makes every work a man performs acceptable with God so Hebrews chap. the 11. ver 4. By faith Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain if a work ariseth from any other principle then faith the cause of love which constrains us to obedience t is not possible for that work to get the least acceptance with God So Hebrews the 11. ver 6. Without faith it is impossible to please him So then seeing t is faith and that grace onely that makes our works pleasing unto God it must evidently follow that t is that that is most pleasing to him and holds the preheminency in his esteem Propter quod unumquodque tale illud magis tale Secondly this high valuation of faith by God is probable to me upon this consideration that Gods and Christs temporal blessings vonchsafed to men have been gained by nothing so much as by faith nay by a faith far inferiour to the faith in hand the faith of Christ I mean that faith which hath but given a man to rest and wait upon God and Christ as able to bring about the temporall blessings desired by them or promised them of God If we peruse the Scriptures we shall find that this kinde of faith never returned empty or unsatisfied by either God or Christ it ever sped as did the faith of the two blind men in Matthew chap. the 9. ver 30. who believing that Christ was able to cure them had their desire even their eyes opened See what watchful experence in David had found as to this purpose Psalm the 18. ver 30. He is a buckler to all those that trust in him Faith and trust in Gods power never wants defence so pleasing to God is this inferiour kinde of faith seeing then this faith is so pleasing to God I cannot but see the other faith that which gives a man to rest upon God and Christ for salvation to be of most high esteem with him for mark it duely prizeth and valueth the blood of Christ it infinitely declares the honour and glory of God and Christ it speaks them infinitely and incomprehensively loving good just powerful merciful the attributes of Gods delight and honour so that though I denyed Abrahams faith to be counted to him for Righteousness in a proper sense yet improperly it might be termed his righteousness and that first in this respect as being the work the grace that is most pleasing unto God and making us acceptable to him in our obedience Thus much dear brethren I dare speak for faith and attribute to it further as to the present distinction and consideration of Gods counting Abrahams saith his righteousness or our faith ours no man ought to go not a right principled Christian indued with the fear of God but would tremble to value faith above this to value it mans righteousness in a proper sense But then again Secondly faith may be counted our righteousness may be said to be that which justifies us or by which we are justified in an improper sense and that in respect or out of consideration to its instrumental efficiency in the comfortable application of Christ and all his benefits to a soul in this life giving the soul here sure hope of a real possession of unspeakable glory in the world to come because of Christ In this respect we are said to be justified by faith without the deeds of the Law our faith and not our legal performances being the instrument or means whereby the spirit of God conveys the righteousness of Christ to our apprehensions and the hope of salvation therefore Out of this respect in a Metaphorical or metonimical expression we see in the Scriptures things often transferred or carried to what they do not properly belong in this respect we finde the doctrine concerning Christ stiled the word of life Phil. the 2. chap. ver 16. and the Gospel of our salvation Eph. the 1. ver 13. the word of life that is as I think not the word that worketh or causeth our eternal life but the word that manifesteth and discovereth to us where that our life lyes and by whom t is wrought effected and accomplished And so the Gospel of our salvation not the Gospel that worketh or bringeth about our salvation but that manifesteth to
us that our salvation and eternal life is purchased and brought about for us by Christ by his blood This my gloss on these words seems to me right and good thus expounded they being so consentaneous to other Scriptures as first that of Isaials speaking of the Ministers of the Gospel and quoted by Paul Romans the 10. chap. ver 15. How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tydings of good things He doth not say that bringeth good things save but by way of tydings by way of intelligence or as Isaiah from whence the Apostle hath it chap. the 52. v. 7. that publisheth these good things which he there calls peace one while salvation by and by now ye know that to publish is but to proclaim or make known abroad by way of voice or writing things past before as do the Ministers of the Gospel A most notable one we have for this purpose in the end of my last text the second Epistle to Timothy chap. the 1. ver 10. where the Apostle saith that Christ hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel He doth not say that the spirit hath brought life by the Gospel as if it had done that for us by the word of the Gospel was not done or accomplished for us before no he says he hath brought it to light that is he hath made it apparent and visible before us that was not so before Take the sum of this last in a word the doctrine concerning Christ is called the word of life the Gospel of salvation yea but life and salvation is transmitted to the word and Gospel but in a figurative speech but improperly that is as being manifested and made known to us by that word and Gospel that they are accomplished and wrought for us by the undertakings and performances of the Son of God not that they are thereby verily and really procured for us so in like manner our faith is said to justifie us or we are said to be justified thereby thus figuratively or improperly as being the means whereby tht spirit of God gives us sight assurance or hope of our future enjoyment of eternal life through Christ So then in a word to shew how far we are gone in the answer to the objection Abrahams believing God was counted to him for righteousness but not in a proper sense as being like the pretious blood of Christ for which we are redeemed from death but in an improper sense and that two several ways first in respect to Gods being highly pleased with that grace and with us for it And secondly in respect to its instrumental efficiency in the comfortable application of Christ and all his benefits to a disconsolated soul in this life And this being taken to be the extent of Gods counting Abrahams faith to him for righteousness or of our being justified by faith my doctrine and inference stand firm and unshaken and its this There is nothing in all the world but Christ but Christ crucified but Christs sufferings agonies and travels of his soul that was or is the matter means or price to God for our Redemption and salvation that was or is the condition of the Father with the Son for our eternal life Well but brethren as we are not to handle the word of God deceitfully so neither the glosses or opinions of men upon it I le therefore put the matter home Ye will say perhaps that Abrahams faith was counted to him for righteousness and we are justified by faith though not in the fore-mentioned proper sense yet in an improper sense though in another respect then I have yet mentioned and that is in respect to its instrumental efficiency in the real application of Christs righteousness to us as the cover of all our sins from the sight of God till which time ye will say as the holy spirit of God hath brought Christ to us and applied him to us by faith we are not looked upon by the father as just in his sight or before him not as justified by Christ not pardoned by the father not absolved by him from our sins not beloved of God for Christs sake in this respect ye will say our faith is counted our righteousness and we are justified by faith as being the instrumental means or cause whereby the Spirit of God covers and hides the polluted soul from the sight of God by the pure garments of Christs righteousness whereby it brings a sinner into the love and favour of God who was out of it till then and in his hatred In refelling and confuting the objection as last pressed and urged I suppose the Adversary will no more take the field with the former forces I confess I must now grapple with their faith as David with Goliah of the Philistines I cannot go against it begirt with any former armour composed by either preceding or contemporary fellow-labourers in the word of Christ I find nothing in all their works fits me for the combate I confess I find many like the second Son in our Saviours parable who to his father bidding him go labour said I go Sir but went not I meet with many laying down Gods Love Election Free grace Justification so absolute as if they would deny Faith any instrumental efficiency or any conditional means as to the procuring of our future glory but weigh their future progress there is no such matter so becoming false to their principles and to the trust reposed in them by God I therefore descend to the battel as David did namely with my staff in my hand the word of God and some smooth stones I mean reasons gathered out of the brook or clear fountain of Gods word Now that faith is no instrumental efficient cause of a real application of Christ as the cover of all our sins from the sight of God as that whereby the holy Spirit brings a sinner into the love and favour of God who was out of it and in the hatred of God til that grace of faith came into his soul t is evident first from Scriptures which affirm us justified and in the love of God before the income of faith into the heart Secondly because if it be so granted to faith as before mentioned comfortable and plain plaâ—es of the Scripture are destroyed yea and Gods own nature and being as described in the Scriptures is also destroyed I le to the work according to this platform and for the better success herein let me admonish ye that love in God as Dumouling saith is not an affection passion or desire in God for God cannot be touched by passions as being impassible and not subject to affections but as God is said then to be angry or to hate when he will punish or destroy so love in God is a certain and sure will of doing good to the creature whence it cometh to pass that he may rightly be said to be loved of God to whom he hath given or
hath decreed to give more and better good things so that see love in God is to give or to will and decree to give good things so then his premised I declare first from the Scriptures that t is evident That faith is no instrumental efficient cause of a real application of Christ as the cover of our sins from the sight of God as that whereby the holy spirit brings a sinner into the love and favour of God who was out of it till faith came into his heart and this I prove first from that of Ieremiah chap. the 31. ver 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love love in God as before declared is nothing else but will purpose or decree in God of doing good or giving good things so that then the sense of the words is this first God did will purpose or decree good to them he there spake the good things there promised were it temporal deliverance as some or eternal Redemption as others what ever good thing it was yet God did will and decree it them with an everlasting will and decree The word Everlasting must be a little cleared and then the place is most full for our purpose A thing is said to be everlasting especially three severall wayes First when a thing is to continue a long time though not for ever as Leviticus the 16. ver the 34. this shall be an everlasting statute Secondly when it shall never have end though it had beginning as the future glory of the elect and the misery of the reprobate as Mat. 25. ver 46. Thirdly a thing is said to be everlasting when without beginning or ending as God To be King everlasting In this last acception and respect Wilson saith that the purpose and pleasure of God to save the elect them that shall possess eternal glory through Christ is said to be eternal or everlasting which will be evident if ye consult with Eph. the 3. ver 11. or with my last text in the second Epistle to Tim. chap. the 1. ver 9. and indeed we may justly say that both love and hatred in God that is his purpose will or intendment of mans evil as also of his good and that of both sorts either temporal or eternal are everlasting or eternal especially as being without beginning in God For t is impossible yea inconsistent with the nature of God as described in the Scriptures that any purpose will or intendment in God of either evil or good to us should take beginning in God in time and not be coeternal with his being So that the meaning there is this God declared love there to Israel being nothing else but his will or purpose that they should be redeemed through Christ from death to glory I say the meaning is this that God willed or decreed to them he there spake the good and happiness of their Redemption with an everlasting will or decree that is with a will or purpose coeternal with the being of God not adventitious or coming to him in time which thing being granted t is not possible for faith to have any hand as an instrumentall cause of Gods spirit so to apply Christ to us as that then our pollution should become hid from God which were before open to him should then bring us into the love of God who before were in his hatred the reason is because to make faith an instrumental cause of Gods favour or will to save is to make the cause infinitely coming after its effect in time what greater absurdity ever heard of Again that faith is no instrumental efficient cause of applying Christ as the cover of our sins from the sight of God c. as before t is evident from that of Ezekiel chap. the 16. ver 6. 8. if ye look upon the contents of the five first verses of this chapter ye shall see that in the opinion of the Translators of the bible appointed to the work as I presume by King Iames under the similitude of a wretched Infant was shewed the natural state of Jerusalem that is as I presume under favour how spiritually polluted they the elect were in themselves and in respect to their own personal and natural condition now at the 6. and 8. verses the Prophet shews what they were then in respect to Gods will and fight through the satisfaction of Christ even whilest in that natural condition before spiritualized or indued with faith and that was pronounced just through Christ the sentence of eternal life was then gone forth for them from the mouth of Gods decree verse 6. when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live c. Again God looked upon them as in Christ and redeemed by Christ whilest in their natural condition before the faith of Christ was in their hearts for ver 8. it was the time of love of Gods loving them in his Son and therefore also impossible if this place be rightly expounded that faith should be any instrumentall cause of applying Christ to a soul as the cover of its sins from the sight of God as being that whereby the spirit brings a sinner into the favour of God who was in his hatred till then the reason is the former because to make faith an instrumental cause of Gods favour or will to save is to make the cause infinitely coming after its effect in time and so fully opposite to Ezekiel I le alleadge but one place more for this purpose and I have done and it is that of Saint Paul Rom. the 4. chap. ver 5. But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted to him for righteousness Hence I may infer two things the latter comes home to the present purpose the first is Gods acceptance and approbation of our faith his delight or pleasure that we should rest alone upon him and his Christ for our salvation so accounting our eternal redemption to be of grace or favour not of due or debt because of any thing done or performed or to be done or to be performed by us his faith sales the Apostle is counted for righteousness cast your eyes once again upon the words but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly Me thinks from these words the spirit of God doth whisper as it were the time of Christs real satisfaction to the father for the elect and of the fathers acceptance of Christ in their stead that is the time when Christ is imputed and counted our righteousness and we beheld and looked upon by the father as interested in Christ to be benefited by Christ absolved from our sins because of Christ and that time of all this is a time before the income of grace yea of the grace of faith into our souls The Apostle saith plainly enough that he justifieth the ungodly that believeth on him that is on the father that justifieth that is
that pronounceth not onely guiltless but also perfectly just through Christ It follows That justifieth the ungodly The ungodly the word ungodly here must be restrained to the number of the elect or ransomed through Christ whose falvation was covenanted for from all eternity with the father by the Son upon the price of his blood and abasement to be undergone in the fulness of time at the time appointed by the father and promised by the Son to be performed at the time appointed Now these elected or ordained of the father to eternal life through the Son are in the Scriptures one whle and in one respect termed ungodly another while and in another respect stiled Saints and termed godly these elect are stiled ungodly children of wrath and enemies to God whilest in their natural condition of blindness ignorance and disobedience before illumination new-birth or regeneration by the Spirit of God before they be wrought to the faith of Christ or the faith of Christ be brought to them But now these elected ones after regeneration after faith be conveyed into their hearts they have their name changed by God they are termed Saints they are called godly and righteous So that now see the elect of God the redeemed through Christ do stand just before God through Christ are pronounced perfectly just through Christ by the word of the fathers will or decree even whilest in their naturall condition before they be indued with faith though the elect hear it not till then t is so The father Justifies the ungodly therefore we are not Justified by faith t is not counted our righteousness as being the instrumental efficient cause of a real application of Christ as the cover of our sins from the sight of God because Justified before even whilest ungodly before indued with faith Secondly faith is not cannot be in this wise as last mentioned instrumental because that granted many places of the Scripture are destroyed for brevities sake I le alleadge but one t is that of Isaiah chap. the 40. ver 1 2. if ye weigh the place well ye shall see that the Ministers command or commission is to proclaim the pardon of the elects sins upon the bare consideration of Christs pangs and sufferings in their stead Cry unto her that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received at the Lords hand double for all her sins See now brethren Isaiah and my self are in the same error in the Judgement of the Adversary Isaiah tells ye and bids all the Ministers of Christ tell their people as I have told you that the bare pangs and sufferings of Chist are the adequate and full means and cause of the absolution and pardon of our sins by the father the Prophet bids us proclaim peace and pardon to Jerusalem to the elect to this person and to the other to whomsoever we preach barely upon the Sons eternal covenant to dye in the fulness of time for us and the fathers acceptance thereof in our stead So that see Christ is an elected soul is every believer in the eye and purpose of the father by imputation before the holy Ghosts comfortable application of that Christ by faith Cry unto her that her iniquity is pardoned for that she hath received at the Lords hand double for all her sins See now a plain destruction of the direction to the Ministers by Isaiah upon the adversaries opinion Had the spirits of these times been living in the Prophets dayes to hear his last recited doctrine they would have stiled him an Antifidian and termed his words a doctrine of Devils They would have told him no man is acquitted or pardoned of his sins because of Christs satisfaction in the eye or by the will of God till the soul hath actually owned Christ as his Saviour by faith that no man is just or Justified through Christ in the sight of the father till he be actually believing on the Son I do most willingly receive faith to be a most blessed signal means but dare not receive it as an instrumental cause whereby the spirit of God doth bring a soul into the favour of God who was out of it till then and secondly for this reason because it alters and destroys the meaning of many comfortable places of Scripture this plainly of Isaiah containing the Ministers commission Thirdly and Lastly faith cannot be instrumentall to the application of Christ as the cover of our sins from the sight of God as that whereby the spirit brings a sinner into the favour and love of God who was out of it till that grace came into his soul applying Christ comfortably to the heart because that this being granted the very nature and being of God as described in the Scriptures is consequently destroyed and denyed There be many places in the Scripture tending to the description of our God I shall insist upon the places describing him especially as to the present purpose and that in Exodus 3. ver 14 is very considerable as to the present when Moses would be instructed by God with his name to answer the Israelites enquiring it God sets forth his name by his nature thou shalt say I am hath sent me unto you God in his first answer to Moses in the beginning of the verse where he saies I am that I am God holds forth his absolute independing and eternal subsistency and being I am that I am that is of my self not taking my being from the power pleasure or help of any pre-existing cause or thing this speaks the eternity of his being Now in these words of God I am hath sent me unto you God sets forth the manner or nature of the being of things in him of their being in his love will or purpose and consequently as to our capacity in his sight and knowledge as I may say they do set forth the nature of love will decree knowledge sight and other attributes of God This name shews that his love of any man his will and purpose to have any thing come about or to pass his sight and knowledge of all future events and things to happen in time as to us were all eternally present with God not taking beginning or being in him in his sight or knowledge in time God loves not the man to day that is doth not will purpose or decree to him to day that good thing be it either some temporal happiness yea or future life eternal that he did not purpose will or decree to him from all eternity he doth not see or behold a man to day Justified through Christ that he did not behold so before the foundation of the world was laid I am saith God that is as if God should have said I am now at this time what I was from all eternity in respect to will decree sight knowledge power c. Again I am now at this present what I shall be to all succeding times to eternity in respect to will decree sight knowledge power for all