Providences while they mean only Give us Free-will which I grant in some sense they have though I utterly dislike the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that some plead for and the Gospel and objective evidence which they have already and hold that God will do no more for any whereas God only disowns respecting of persons in Rectoral and Judicial Acts as punishing and rewarding as will appear upon view of those places but no where the doing that for the working the Condition in some which he doth not for others but owns the contrary I dread to affirm That a man in this sense makes himself to differ though man's sin and unwillingness and so destruction is plainly of himself yet not his willingness And though I may well excuse my self from intermedling in these Controversies yet I will in short give you an account of my thoughts concerning them Though I doubt some will say which I cannot much contradict that I had better have said nothing of this nature than speak so little All that I shall say of this Difficulty shall be in answer to this following Objection Object Is not the Condition it self of Justification and Salvation and the working the Condition it self the fruit and effect of Christ's Death Ans I shall endeavour to shew you how it is and how it is not in these Propositions 1. The death of Christ foreseen undertaken or undergone as a Propitiation Expiation Satisfaction was only for sin and so for pardon of sin that God might with safety to his Justice not execute the penalty but might shew kindness and favour to offenders notwithstanding the Threat and therefore as a Satisfaction with this kind of causality causeth no more and then it being agreed between the Father and Son that only Believers in the Scripture-sense should have the benefit of it for salvation We can only say setting aside the comfortable reprieval and the objective evidence and whatever other common helps and assistances of the Spirit there are which were necessary in order to trial He gave his Son and Christ himself that whosoever repented believed on him should not perish but have eternal life 2. This death and satisfaction and the benefit of them offered to sinners on these terms are as a moral cause in their own nature influential to work the Condition Faith and Repentance The death of Christ this promise being made with it is an object aptum natum a thing objectively naturally influential to work this effect and so being the cause of this cause of Faith it is the cause of the thing caused for there would have been no foundation of Religion and turning to God but for God's being made so far pacified as to accept sinners on these terms and make it known to men But this is nothing singular but common to all that enjoy the Gospel and it means no more but this It would have this effect if men did their duty and improved it a right 3. The working the Condition the making the Gospel actually efficacious for the working the Condition is to be ascribed to God's Decree and his execution thereof as most properly its effect and useth therefore to be ascribed to the Father rather than the Son Take this account of it A foundation being laid or foreseen as laid in the blood of Christ that God might with safety to his Honour and Justice return into favour with sinners and that he could as Rector and so would pardon repenting returning sinners and that this was all he could do as Rector with Honour and Justice he could descend no lower than to make this Law of Grace this act of Oblivion He that repenteth believeth returneth shall be saved and he must be true to his own Laws it would not stand with his Honour to pardon any but upon these terms Now these things and this Law being foreseen and also fore-seeing that all men would yet perish by refusing Christ rejecting Mercy through the wilful chosen wickedness of their own hearts notwithstanding the death of Christ for them and the objective evidence of the Gospel He doth this other act I am now speaking of as Dominus Lord Proprietary For as saving and justifying them that believe is actus justitiae the Law being considered The 17th Article of our 39 Articles of Religion can mean no less than what is here affirmed a Rectoral act so as Lord Proprietary he decreed resolved from eternity to and doth in time make and cause such particular men by setting home Truths in evidence and softning their hearts by his spirit in a way to us possibly much unknown and not fit to be insisted on here to believe repent return or accept Christ on his own terms whom otherwise he fore-saw would reject Christ even as others I look upon this Election which is ascribed to the Father as the foundation of the first difference of one differing from another For as being regenerate converted maketh a difference maketh men actually choice men executively elect men differing men the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour So this Decree to give such men grace to convert them is the foundation of this first difference as having the condition of the Promise maketh the first difference so the Decree to work it is the first foundation of it This is that the Apostle speaketh of as a depth to be admired that God should condemn men or decree to condemn men for their sin that reject Christ and Grace this he doth not wonder at he could and we can give sufficient reason for that neither doth he wonder that God should save or decree to save by Christ those that repent and believe and not others there is a congruity in the thing a Satisfaction being that he may do it with Honour But that when all would have rejected Christ and Mercy that he should harden some that is leave them to the hardness of their own hearts and soften others make some repent believe that would have refused grace this was his wonder and the thing unaccountable to the Apostle and so ir is to us Thâ—se are said to be drawn by the Father and given to Christ by the Father and this of drawing men to Christ making them to accept Christ is ascribed you see rather to the Father than the Son All that the Father giveth me shall come Joh. 6. 37. unto me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast off and I will raise him up at the last day He seemeth to refer to that giving mentioned Ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance that is I will make that Christ shall be their Lord actually like that Isa 55. and they subject to his Laws actually I will bring them to the obedience of Faith which God doth in giving Faith and Repentance in giving the first Grace in working in them the condition of the Covenant which is the fruit of Election for this giving cannot be
Christ never agreed for the salvation of final impenitent Unbelievers never satisfied for that though he did for impenitency and unbelief and rejection of Christ for a time provided they came in at last He obtained of God not to take every denial every rejection for an utter loss of all for then we had all perished but obtained that God would wait and be long-suffering to sinners and accept them to righteousness and life provided they come in before death They that have a mind to it notwithstanding Christ's bearing their sins may bear them themselves and many will do so even they that knowing the terms of Justification and Salvation by Christ do chuse rather his eternal wrath and displeasure than to accept him on the condition of his love and favour They agreed that they and they only shall have benefit by this Propitiatory death of Christ that shall in this life perform the conditions whereon it is offered and if they finally refuse it on these terms they shall have no benefit by it but the wrath of God shall abide on them yea and they shall perish with heavier perdition with soâ—â—r punishment because of their treading under foot the blood of the Covenant slighting of it as not worthy their acceptance upon the terms of it Which is this new Covenant this second Covenant made in the blood of Christ So that I may say Though immediately and antecedently to the consideration of fixing the terms and making this second Covenant Christ dyed as I told you before that God might be just though he should pardon sinners yet he dyed eventually and the new Covenant being considered that God might be just and the justifier of him that is of the faith of Jesus He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believed c. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Covenant that by means of death for the redemption of Transgressions they which are called that is Heb. 9. 15 effectually called converted might receive the promise of the eternal Inheritance Now it is necessary for your instruction herein that I make out to you these three things 1. What Justification is 2. What the Covenant 3. What the Condition First What Justification and to justifie â—s If you know what Condemnation is you may by it know what Justification is for contraries are mutually known by one another Now Condemnation is contrary to Justification Who shall lay any thing to Rom. 8. 33 the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth If there be a controversie between men Deu. 25. 1 and they come unto judgment that the Judges may judg them then they shall justifie the righteous and condemn the wicked Now there is a two fold Condemnation viz. by the Law and according to the Law that is by the Law and by the sentence of the Judg. A man that transgresseth a Law is immediately condemned by the Law Adam in the very moment he transgressed the Law was condemned in Law that is made guilty the death threatned was made due to him And again when an offender is proceeded against according to the Law and by the sentence of the Judg sentenced according to the Law then he is Sententially condemned First the Law condemns him and then the Judg according to the Law So there is a Justification in Law and a Justification by the Sentence of the Judg. And these two senses of the word can only challenge any kind of propriety one is called Sentential Justification by the sentence of the Judg pronouncing him righteous and one that ought to be acquitted according to the Law The other is called * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constitutive Rom. 5. 19 Justification or Justification in Law which is of one that hath right to be acquitted when accused When the Scripture speaketh of Justification by Christ by faith or to life it constantly useth it in one of these senses He that is a believer that hath performed the Gospel-condition is justified immediately ipso jure in Law-title by the Law of Grace he is constitutively justified by that Covenant or Gospel-grant He that believeth shall be saved hath right to not-perishing and a right to eternal life by this promise though he is not sententially justified till the day of Judgment The Lord grant he may find mercy at that day saith the Apostle By the Law of Grace or Promise immediately the sinner upon his believing hath right to impunity as to Hell and right to the Inheritance by Promise and at the last day shall be adjudged to it to the immediate possession of all those Immunities which were given by the Law of Grace or Promise Not the hearers but the doer of the Law shall be justified In the Gal. 5. 5. day when God shall judg the secrets of all men according to my Gospel We through the spirit do wait for the hope of righteousness by faith that is for justification by faith at the last day But this Sentential justification is to come Therefore whensoever the Scripture speaketh of justification in this life as for the most part it doth being justified by faith we have peace with God But you are sanctified you are justified it is to be understood of justification in Law-title and in this sense it is to be understood here We may say of a man whose case is good according to the Law that ought to be acquitted when it cometh to trial The Law justifieth him the Law acquits him he is justified already in Law and so are believers in this life There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit The justification here spoken of is expressed by another word in the Text viz. Remission of sins And the Scripture constantly useth Justification in the Gospel-way and pardon or remission of sins as equipollent terms and the Apostle proveth there is no justification now by works but by pardon of sins Rom. 4. 7 8. citing it out of the Psalms Blessed are they whose iniquities are pardoned and whose siâ—â— are covered Blessed is the man to whâ—â— the Lord doth not impute iniquity Observe the place and you will see he useth imputing righteousness without works and not imputing iniquity as the very same Again in the Text justified freely by his grace through the 〈…〉 pt 〈…〉 â—hat is in Christ is thâ—s 〈…〉 Scriptures Redemption through his Eph. 1. 7. blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace And redemption through his blood even Col. 1. 14. the remission of sins Be it known unto Acts 13. 38 39. you therefore brethren that through this Man is preached unto you the remission of sins and by him all that believe are justified from those things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses The blood of the Matt. 26.
uncharitable as to deny this of those Ancients Ecclesiastical History tells us of But however let it be granted that this cannot be as it is indeed certain it cannot be in ordinary cases for it would be ordinarily a wilful knowing refusal to submit to Christ's rule and dominion which indeed is perfectly inconsistent with performing the Gospel-condition yet this doth not oppose this hypothesis for it speaketh only on supposition If a man were a truly believing and sincerely obedient one who should thus refuse to comply with these beneficial commands he would be justified and saved And by the way you may observe that which may be very helpful to you for the understanding these and many other things viz. this the difference between that which is necessary as a condition of a promise and that which is not a condition but is necessary upon some other account you may say of any performance that is not a condition of a promise That if he perform it not he will yet have right so he do but perform the condition though he cannot perform the condition without performing this thing And consequently if any should deny sincere obedience to be a condition of justification he must say or he ignorantly contradicts himself That if a man should believe though he did resolve never to obey he must be justified and saved though it should be granted he cannot believe without obeying The Apostle here hath proved That Circumcision is so far from being meritorious as the Jews held that it was not so much as a condition necessary to justification And though it might be objected here by the Jews But why are not the believing-Gentiles then circumcised upon those other accounts Yet here is enough said for the present scope in proving justification may be had without it and this is answered by the Apostle in other places and also they might easily answer themselves knowing there was another seal instituted instead of it viz. Baptism called the circumcision of Christ Col. 2. 11. I am sensible that I have let my Pen run out of my designed short method thinking these words needful to be understood to rectifie many vulgar mistakes and to give light to these and other controversies If any dislike what is here spoken or do not understand me or think I contradict my self they may pass this over as being something alien and only read this following which is enough to my main design What pretence have any from this place to maintain That repentance or obedience are not necessary to justification or right to Heaven or that they are not included in the word Faith May we not say of Circumcision that it was as Baptism is a seal of remission of sins upon repentance and faith was it not a seal of this promise He that repenteth believeth and obeyeth walketh in the steps that Abraham walked in shall be saved Yet that you mistake not some words I have here used take notice That when I use these words such a kind of faith as Abraham ' s an operative faith I grant I speak vulgarly customarily and improperly and not naturally and strictly using the word Faith for that which is properly so called for I know that it is not of the essence of faith to be operative or not operative the effect is no part of the cause nor doth ingredi definitionem it is not the division generis in species suas but subjecti per adjuncta or causae per effectus So when we speak of operative knowledg we mean by it something more than knowledg yea something that is not knowledg but that knowledg produceth For all that is strictly and properly knowledg that is understood in this phrase operative knowledg may be in a wicked man If you shall object But not so clear a knowledg or faith Let that be as it will true or false the degree doth not alter the species So that if I would have spoken strictly and properly I should have said He that believeth and obeyeth with that kind of faith and obedience that Abraham did shall be justified This I could make plain but it is not my business here to prove but my design is only to answer thinking I have proved sufficiently already But to proceed with the words That he might be the father of all them that believe though * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non obstante praeputio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 huic simile 1 Pet. 3. 20. Octo animae servatae sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per medias aquas vel non obstantibus sorsan illud 1 Tim. 2. ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 servabitur non obstante puerperio nec absimile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 25. not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed to them also That he might be the Father c. These words seem to have reference to the words before the exegetical parenthesis viz. these and he received the sign of circumcision The meaning is his faith and then or and afterward he received the honour from God to have this sign first given to him to use himself for his comfort and to transmit to others viz. his posterity and those that should concorporate with them to seal this that whosoever should do as he did should be justified that he might be the father that is an eminent example or prime pattern of the justification of others for in this the Apostle seemeth in this place to lay the stress of his Fatherhood in his being a copy of the justification of others as appears by these words following viz. That righteousness might be imputed to them also whether circumcised or not If we shall go further and say There may be included this also That God's testification of his being justified on his believing and his having this honour to have this Ordinance first given to him to seal that whosoever walked in his steps should be justified and the great exemplariness of his faith that all these together are as a moral Cause objectively influential to make him a foecund causative exemplar to bege◠many children of his faith to cause them to walk in his steps that they may be justified as he was This is a truth but either is no part of his meaning or if it be also connoteth in the phrase as it is likely it is it seemeth not to be insisted on here by the Apostle as his chief meaning of his being a father but this only or chiefly his being a prime first pattern of the justification both of the Gentile and Jewish believers I think I could shew you great inconsistencies and inconveniencies in any other explication of this verse setting the present controversie aside And because I use to think I cannot speak very intelligibly in such things without an instance I will here give you one Suppose a great King should give to an offender that hath pleased him by some exploits a Livery to be worn by him and his Family in
and tends to the honour of your kindness Oh that I had hearkened to my Friend How have I hated instruction and would not incline mine ear to him that instructed me They in Hell if they would and could do as befits them or as Christ hath deserved from them would spend time as well in admiring the love of God and the Redeemer in this wonderful once offered and urged Kindness as in ruing that they lost it through their own chosen wilful madness Some go on such grounds in speaking of these things that holding to their way they must necessarily deny that sinners in Hell will ever rue and befool themselves for their loss of salvation by Christ But if any will hold so much power in man to receive Christ as that they will rue it as their madness and folly and sin to reject him and perish by so doing I can from that demonstrate as clearly as I can do any thing that this I now speak in this digression inevitably follows Let me but ask you this Was there no cause for Adam when faln from the benefit to thank God for making that promise Obey and Live when as God might have annihilated him notwithstanding his obedience had it not been for that promise And do you never thank God for it though God knew he would fall But to return As Christ's sufferings did not as an expiation or satisfaction but as a highly meritorious act deserve or obtain that God should give greater things to those that believe than Adam lost for the honour of the Redeemer and of this great work of Redemption so he did deserve that God should cause some to believe and so from eternity his death foreseen or undertaken was a cause a meritorious cause or motive why God would that is decreed to make some and so though more remotely such particular persons the Elect to accept offered mercy and Christ which they would otherwise as others have rejected Some call this the Covenant of Redemption but it is an immanent act and from eternity and an elicite act of the will and therefore is properly a Decree and belongeth to the Will of Purpose and not to his Legislative Will his Rectoral Will Methinks you may see hence how it cometh to pass that we sometimes read of Christ's dying for the world and in other places that he laid down his life for his sheep sometime tasted death for every man dyed for all sometime again gave himself for the Church in one place a Saviour of the Body in another a Saviour of the world He dyed for the Elect and World both so far that whosoever should believe on him should not perish but for the Elect as they which were much in his eye being those who certainly should believe and so be actually saved Though God and Christ did as one saith aequè intend this satisfaction a propitiation conditionally applicable to every one yet he did not ex aequo as fully intend it for to be actually applied to every man There is much of truth in that frequently cited passage of Ambrose Christus passus est pro omnibus pro nobis tamen specialiter passus est Like that a Saviour of all men especially of them that believe Will any dare to say Here is nothing of grace or kindness to the World Joh. 3. 16. He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life V. 17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved Cannot you see plainly here what is meant by the World and that his first coming was to save it though his second will be to take a severe account V. 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he believeth not Can you say a sick man dyed because he took not such a Medicine when if he had taken it it would not have cured him You cannot say the Devils continue to be condemned because they reject Christ because if they should accept him they would still perish for there was no satisfaction made for them And may not the same be said of them that perish if no satisfaction be made for them So John 12. 47. If any man hear my words and believe not surely you will say this is meant of a non-elect man I judg him not for I came not into the world to condemn the world but to save the world Which reason would have no shew of reason except Christ came to save that man except he be one of that World he came to save If Election and Redemption were of the same latitude and strictness you might as well say to sinners Repent for you are elected for you are foreknown in the Scripture-sense for you are given to Christ by the Father in that special sense as Repent for you are redeemed Christ dyed for you you are bought with a price therefore glorifie God with your bodies and spirits which are his But the Apostle would not venture to speak thus You are elected therefore repent glorifie God for he should have spoken what he knew not to to be true I will say no more but this here Whether is it a more likely way to lay a foundation for Religion in the World to encourage and draw mens hearts to repent return to tell them Christ hath dyed for you and hath obtained this of the Father for you That if you return you shall live notwithstanding all your former sins or to say Repent return for for any thing you know Christ hath dyed for you for any thing you know he hath obtained this from God That if you turn you shall live though it is ten to one he hath not or however we cannot tell whether he hath or no. And if he hath not then as this is true that if the Devils should repent and return they should yet perish because no Satisfaction was made for them so if you should repent and believe you should yet perish because no Satisfaction made for you Application FRom all that hath been spoken we may learn these things Vse 1. This informeth us That God could not in Justice without a Satisfaction pardon our sins I know such moral things consist not in a point I dare not therefore say He could not pardon the least offence without a Satisfaction or such a great Satisfaction It is enough to say He could not pardon such and so great sins as ours and the worlds upon repentance without Satisfaction Many men of renown of late days have in this too much symbolized with Socinus and have maintained that God could if he had so pleased have pardoned the world and received them on the Gospel-terms into favour without a Satisfaction and that the death of Christ was from the Will of God and not from his Justice and some of the Ancients have thus