34.15 16. 1 King 11.2 Ezra 9.2 12. Nehem. 13.23 Judg. 3.6 7. Judg. 4.2 3. Except there be some middle between a cursed and a blessed seed a seed in the Church and in Covenant and the seed of the Serpent of Heathen without the Covenant 2. A middle between the Kingdom of darknesse of Satan and the Kingdom of God of his dear Son Contrair to Eph. 2.2 3 4. Acts 26.18 Col. 1.13 14. 1 Pet. 2.9 10. Eph. 5.8 which is unknown to Scripture Yea the Covenant is made to Christ and his seed Gal. 3.16 and the same blessings of Abraham comes on us Gentiles Gal. 3.13 14. But he and all his seed were blessed and in grace by the externall call of the Covenant Ezek. 16.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Deut. 7 7 8. Rom. 10.25 I will call them my people that were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved And this externall calling is of Grace and so Grace no merit as well as predestination to life is grace or for grace For whosoever are called not because Elect but because freely loved of such a God and without merit called Father and Son they are in a state of graceâ— But so are all within the Visible Church If any object by Christs comming all the Nations old and young are not become the Nations of the Lord and of his Christ but only true Believers even by our Doctrine Answ. They are become the Kingdoms of the Lord not only because they are truely converted but because they are the chosen of God in the Office-house of Christ and Christ reigns over them by the Scepter of his Word whom he is to convert And external Covenanting with God is of it self free Grace and a singular favour bestowed of God Psal. 147.19 20. Deut. 5.1 2. Mat. 21.42 43. Luke 14.16.21 2. It is free Grace that God will have hypocrites and real infidels to beget children to him that are internally in Covenant with him and fills up the number of the Elect by Reprobate Parents who are instrumentall to the in-coming in the world and into the Visible Church of many Heirs of Glory and in so doing there is a Church right communicated from Reprobate Parents to their Children that are Heirs of Glory 3. Externall Covenanting goes before internall Covenanting as the means before the end and the cause before the effect For faith comes by hearing of a sent Preacher Rom. 10.14 and the Preaching of the Gospel is a saving means of begeting a new heart and of a new spirit Hence 1. All must be first externally in Covenant before they can be internally and really in Covenant 2. God is a God simply to some and no more but a God to them in regard of outward Church priviledges as the Word Seals Protection Peace Hedge of Discipline his planting and watering by a Ministry But he is to speak so more then a God to others Hos. 2.19 I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse in judgement and in loving kindnesse and in mercy Now the Lord is joyned to back-sliding Israel in an externall marriage Covenant But Jer. 3.14 not in righteousnesse in loving kindnesse and mercy in reference to the rotten party In regard of which he saith v. 2. Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife neither am I her husband Zech. 8.7 Thus saith the Lord I will save my people from the East Countrey and from the West Countrey 8. And I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and they shall be my people and I will be their God in truth and in righteousnesse Then he is not to all a God in truth and righteousnesse fulfilling the first and substantiall promise of ingraving the Law in the heart not that he keeps not Covenant even to external confederatâ— to wit the conditionall Covenant for if they should beleeve they should be saved but he promised not a new heart and faith to them 3. Because he is a God externall to the Elect and that of free Grace therefore he is a God in truth and righteousnesse to ingrave his Law in their heart But externall confederation is not the adequate cause for then he should give a new heart to all with whom he externally Covenants but the adequate cause is confederation external tali modo out of his discriminating love and free grace he is a God to some 4. He is a God to his Elect that he may ingrave his Law in their heart and inward parts so that the promising to be a God tali modo is the cause and the ingraving of a new heart is the effect Jer. 31.33 Jer. 32.38 And they shall be my people and I will be their God That is the cause 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their children after them See the same order Ezech. 11.19 20. though the words ly not in that order there and here And Heb. 8.10.5 God is not then a God to any because they have a clean heart and the Law ingraven therein for then they should be in Covenant before they be in Covenant And so this is true because he is our God in truth and righteousnesse therefore we beleeve but this is not true because we beleeve therefore he is our God except we argue from the effect to the cause But to return Calvine on Matth 19.14 We hence gather that the grace of Christ is extended to Infant age for whole mankind had perished Beza Infants are also comprehended in the free Covenant Pareus its unlawfull to â—â—barre these from baptism and the Church whom Christ â—â—ds come to him c. Obj. But Christ commands not they be baptized Answ. Nor doth Christ in this place command the Parents to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Nor speak the Evangelists of any Parentall duty shall we from that conclude it was not Christs mind that the Parents take care of the fourth fifth Command Pareus saith it was neither time nor place Mat. 28.19 he bids baptize all 3. He who prayed for them blessed them laid his hands upon them invited them to bring Infants to him of all which Infants were as uncapable as of the use and ends of Baptism and of actuall confession of sin and of beleeving judged they ought be Baptized 4. It s never to be found where any are Baptized but the Head of the Family is Baptized And when we read that houses were Baptized 1 Cor. 1.16 Acts 16.33 There is no more ground to say Infants are not Baptized then to say when the Lord saith to Abraham Gen. 12.2 I will blesse thee and make thy name great And 22.17 in blessing I will blesse thee And when the Lord saith Isai. 19.25 blessed be Aegypt my people he should mean he would blesse Abraham
4.5 Matth. 12.36 37. they are everlastingly punished And if Christ have suffered on the Crosse for all the sinnes of the Reprobate how are they judged and condemned for these sins as the Scripture saith And what Scripture saith they are condemned for the guilt of only unbelief or that Pagans are condemned for Gospel-unbelief where as Sodom Gomorrah Mat. 10.15 the men of Niniveh Mat. 12.41 Tyrus and Sidon Mat. 11.21 and such as have sinned without the Law Rom. 2.12 13 14 15. are freed of Gospel-guiltinesse and condemned for sinnes against the Law and yet this same way saith that there is a Gospel-Covenant made with all even thousands of Pagans who never heard of a Gospel never ingadged themselves by any profession to take the Lord for their God in Christ yet Christ bare their sins on the Tree and made his blood applicable to them by a Gospel-Covenant if they shall beleeve Whence they must all break the Covenant of Grace of which many of them never heard and be condemned for no sins but the last act of Sodomy gluttony parricide for the Gospel threatteneth not death to any sin but to finall unbelief say they There are not any sinnes committed against the Gospel but they are also sinnes against the Law because God incarnate and Immanuel is God and leaves not off to be God consubstantiall with the Father because he assumes the nature of man Then as the first Command oblidgeth Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac when God shall reveal that Command and Moses and the people are by that first Command to believe their deliverance out of Egypt and so if the firâ—â— Command oblidge us to believe and obey all Commands and Promises and Threatnings of God revealed and to be revealed because the Lord is God then must Christ God Redeemer and Immanuel be beleeved by this Command and so finall unbelief and finall despising of Christ God Redeemer is as directly against the first Command and so not a sin only threatned and forbidden in the Gospel as simple unbelief and simple despising of Christ God Redeemer For the believing final believing and unbelief and unbelief continuing to the end differ in the accident of duration not in nature and essence As a Rose that grows for a moneth only and a Rose of the same nature that groweth and flourisheth for three moneths Otherwise Christ could not have pronounced Peter blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 16.17 in the present for believing in the present for he should not have been blessed to the end as Solon said of his blessed man And this cannot but subvert our faith crush the peace hope consolation of weak Believers to whom undoubtedly the promise of perseverance iâ—â—bsolutely made Jer. 31.31 35. Jer. 32.39 40. Isai. 54.10 Isai. 59.20 21. Joh. 4.14 Joh. 10.27 28. 2. If there be as formall a transgression of the fiâ—st Command in finall unbelief as in unbelief simply considered and in the other sins of Judas and other Apostates Why but as Christ bare in his body the sins of unbelief and satisfied for them he must so also bear the sins of finall rebellion and unbelief And shall we believe that Christ payed a satisfactory ransone of blood upon the crosse for the yesterdayes unbelief of Judas and not for the dayes unbelief If it be said No man can break the Gospel-Covenant for it is an everlasting Covenant Ans. It s an everlasting Covenant but yet all who sin against the commanding love and authority of our Immanuel especially they so professing to be his do truly break the Covenant but they so break it as it leaves not off to be the Covenant of life both to the breakers if they repent and beleeve and to others for so is the nature of this Covenant and so it is everlasting but the Covenant of Works if once broken ceases to be a Covenant of life for ever because the nature of it is to admit of no repentance at all Obj. Does not the Law command the sinner offending God to mourn and be humbled and confesse Ans. It doth But it injoines not repentance as a way of life with a promise of life to the repenter as the Law or as a Covenant of Works commands to its native and proper Covenanters obedience and every single act of obedience as a way to obtain the reward of a Law-life nor does the Law as a Covenant of Works command justifying faith and reliance upon God Redeemer or Immanuel but rather as the Law of Nature or as the Law of thankfulnesse to a Ransoning and Redeeming God the Law does this Though in a speciall Covenant way the Gospel command faith in Christ. Obj. But finall unbeleef as against God Redeemer and so considered is the only breach of the Covenant of Grace He that beleeves not is condemned as the man that rejects the only remedie of sin Ans. The only breach of the Covenant of Grace is too narrow to be the adequat cause of damnation for many Pagans who never heard of Christ and are under no Covenant but that of Works are condemned not for not beleeving in him of whom they never heard Rom. 10.14 nor for breach of the Covenant of Grace but for breach of the Covenant of Works 2. Unbelief may be called the nearest cause of damnation to such as 〈◊〉 within the Visible Church as the wilfull refusing of medicine which only and infallibly would heal the sick man of such a disease is the cause of his death but is the Morall cause For the disease it self is the Physicall cause or the materiall cause of the mans death And without doubt uncleannesse covetousnesse sorcerie lying idolatrie c. and many the like sinnes beside unbeleef are 1 Cor. 6.9 Eph. 5.5 6. Rev. 21.8 Rev. 22.15 Jud. 6.7 8. 2 Pet. 2.17.10 11 12 13 2 Thes. 2.9 10. 1 Pet. 4.3 4. 2 Pet. 2.2 3 4 5. the causes of the damnation of many visible professours where as this way saith Christ did satisfie upon the Crosse for all thâ—se sins and the damned of visible professours suffer in hell only for finall unbeleef And it seems unjust that both Christ and they should suffer satisfactory punishment for these same sins done against the Law And as strange that Châ—â—st should die for any and not die for their sinnes since the Scripture useth the word of dying for sinnes Rom. 4.25 delivered from our sinnes Christ is a pâ—opitiation for our sinnes and the same way not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world he died for sinners Heb. 2.17 that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people that is for the sinfull people or sinners Heb. 9.28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sinnes of many That is to bear the sins of the sinfull many that he died for Heb. 10.12 But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sin sat down on the right hand of God that is after
by accident in regard of the right to life and because God hath commanded persevering in faith life is given only in possession to such a faith as endures but we cannot say that the accidentall endurance and existence of faith for so many years doth save and justifie as the living so many years makes a Child an heir to a great estate for his being born the eldest son makes him his fathers heir CHAP. XXIV What faith is required in the Gospel THere is a legall faith a duty commanded the object of which is twofold 1. Truths relating to the mind revealed and to be revealed So Adam had a habit or habituall power to beleeve the Law and the Gospel upon supposition it should be revealed As a whole man beleeves skill in his Physitian to prevent diseases ere they come and to remove them when come It s folly to say Adam stood in need before he fell of a supernaturall power to beleeve Evangelick truths if he beleeved God to be true he had such a power as to beleeve all was true that God should reveal 2. Adam had a faith of dependencie to rely upon God in all possible evils feared 2. The promise of life is not made to Law-faith more then to Law-love or Law-fear or Law-desire more then to any other but the promise is made to Evangelick-faith that layes hold on CHRIST as our righteousnesse But for obeying the Commands Adam was to live Gal. 3.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in them by doing them Ezek. 20.11 As Lavater there is no absurditie if it be said men shall live that is merit by free paction life eternall but then saith Calvine if a man keep the Law he needs not the Grace of Christ. Obj. If faith be imputed as it layes hold on Christs Righteousnesse it must be the meritorious cause of Justification and by its inherent dignitie for there is nothing more essentiall to faith then to lay hold on Christs Righteousnesse Ans. If faith were imputed as righteousnesse according to the act of laying hold on Christ it were true but the act of faith is not imputed but that which faith layes hold on it being an instrument to wit the Righteousnesse of Christ it is not an act of beleeving saith a Jesuit And though they say the works Evangelick are from the habit of grace so was Adam a patient when God concreated his Image and habituall righteousnesse in him But Arminians and Jesuits do not say nor darre not that predeterminating Grace is from Christs merites therefore yet the sinner may more boast then Adam and say I have justified my self by the acts of free-will which is indifferent and from under all the bowing and determining or swaying of the Grace of Christ for the free-will should have so whether Christ had died or not died CHAP. XXV Q. WHether is Christs Righteousnesse imputed and made ours because we believe and apprehend it ours or do we believe because it is ours first before we believe Ans. There is a twofold imputation one legall another which for Doctrines cause we call application or reall though the legall imputation be also reall but not to us as the former the Lords act of laying the iniquity of us all upon Christ Isa. 53.6 and the Lords making him sin for us that is a sacrifice for sin 2 Cor. 5.21 evinces necessarily the truth of this the former imputation For 2 Cor. 5.21 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them If it be expounded of actuall reconciliation of persons it may say something for the other imputation but the other imputation is clear Rom. 4.3 Abraham beleeved God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse v. 7. Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered v. 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin v. 9. Faith that is that which faith beleeved as hope is put for the thing hoped for Col. 1.5 Rom. 8.24 was imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse though Gomarus give another exposition to wit that by faith or the act of beleeving we obtain this to be reputed righteous and it suits better with the Text. And as to the former imputation God could not in justice wound Christ for our transgressions nor bruise him for our iniquities nor could the Lord break him nor deliver him to the death for us all except God had both made him the sinner that is imputed and reckoned him the sinner in Law for intrinsecally and inherently he was not the sinner but holy harmlesse c. and laid our debts upon him Isa. 53.6 and except he had been willing to have been counted the sinner and had said thou hast given me a body here am I to do thy will Psal. 40.7 Heb. 10.6 7. this reckoning of Christ to be the sinner is not only in the eternall decree but also a laying of our iniquities upon him in time Isa. 53.6 or a dealing with him in Law in punishing him as the sinner And 2. by using the humane nature as an instrument of our Redemption on the Crosse. Antinomians take this imputing of our sins to Christ and reckoning Christ to be the sinner to be the justifying of the sinner which is a grosse mistake for so without beleeving all that Christ died for should be justified upon the Crosse. But the Scripture is so far from ascribing Justification to any but to a beleever that it saith Abrahams faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now the faith of multitudes for whom Christ died when he suffered on the Crosse is a very nothing Many are not born and a nothing or a non ens cannot be counted for righteousnesse It is to be observed that payment made by the surety absolveth the debter so as the Law except it be the generall Law of gratitude requireth no act of love of faith of service from the debter nor doth the Law of suretyship in its essence and nature require that the Creditor sub eo titulo should pay the homage of faith indeed when the Creditor is both the Creditor and the offended Party and also the supream Law-giver GOD he may require of the captives the obedience of faith So would justice which saith we should hurt none give to every man his own presse that the debter repay to the surety so far as he is able to make up his losses but to pay the obedience of faith as a part of the ransome due to offended Justice is no Gospel-Law nor any part thereof nor can it bea◠truth except we deny the reall satisfaction made by Christ which both Papists do weaken when they mix the merit of faith therewith and Socinians deny 4. The satisfaction performed upon the Crosse for sinners though it be for a certain particular number determined of God quoad numerum numerantem quoad numerum numeratum both as touching the number so many not all
then the second ADAM No more of this here It is a question the Threatning standing Gen. 2.17 how the active righteousnesse of Christ can be a cause meriting to us life and satisfying the Law when there is no suffering for the breach of the Law which expresly required death in the sinner Not to say that it seems too near to make Christs dying needlesse if his active holinesse do the businesse Nay we cannot so teach CHAP. II. Wherein stands our right to Christ and the satisfaction made for us by Christ 2. Faith is not the cause of our right 3. Christs incarnation and dying are not favours merited by Christ. 4. How Adams sin and Christs righteousnesse are ours OUr right to CHRIST must be considered more accurately then ordinarily it is Whether it floweth from 1. the merite of Christ Or 2. from the grace of predestination Or 3. faith in Christ. 1. Conclusion Grace is either objectivè out of us as the free love of God having mercy on whom he will Or subjectivè merited by Christ to us and bestowed upon us As touching our right to God as incarnate 2. As dying for us 3. As his satisfaction is made ours are of diverse considerations For if God out of free love sent his Son in the world Joh. 3.16 and if he out of free-grace that separateth the race of man from Angels took upon him the nature of man to wit of Abraham and not the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 Then sure by the merits of Christs death it cannot come that God came in the flesh to save sinners For the effect cannot but come from the cause but the cause flowes not from the effect nor is the effect to wit Christs Incarnation and his dying the cause of that love and free-grace of God which moved God to send his Son in the flesh but posterior unto and latter then that love for because he loved us he sent his Son in the flesh to die for us 2. This cannot then be true Christ by his dying for the Elect merited and deserved that God should be made Man for us for this should be true also by the blood of Christ and by the redemption that is in Christ God sent his Son in the flesh and the Son took on him our nature by the blood of the Covenant nor can this be true Christ merited by his death that he should die for us for so it should be true that Christ by his blood shed his blood for us Where as because he loved his Church freely he gave himself for her Eph. 5.15 Who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2.20 Hence 1. though grace be the cause of grace as because he of grace ordained us to glory therefore of grace he calls and because of free-grace he calls of free-grace he carries on his work and gives of grace perseverance and glory Yet there is a fountain-grace of election to glory which hath no cause nor merit not the merit of Christ for its cause but is the cause of causes and of Christs merits As one fire may produce another but the element of fire was not produced by another element of fire but by God in creation And one Vine Tree brings forth another but the first Vine Tree was created by the Lord only 2. Conclus Nor have we to speak acurately right to Christs satisfaction nor to his righteousnesse by faith 1. Because the Lords free-grace in laying our sins on Christ Isa. 53.6 and his making him sin for us 2 Cor. 5.21 does rather give the right to his satisfaction God would have Christ to stand for so many chosen of God upon the Crosse and for no other 1 Cor. 1.30 Ye are of him through Jesus Christ who is made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God to us wisedom and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Nor is there any act of faith interveening by which Christ became our surety and ransone-payer upon the Crosse and not the surety of others 2. It is ordinary to our Divines to say by faith we do apply Christ and his righteousnesse but if we speak properly application is possession and a putting on of Christ and his righteousnesse Now title or Law-right to an inheritance and possession of it are different natures and have different causes but faith gives not law-right to Christ and his righteousnesse not so much as instrumentally My receiving with my hand gold my eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ by faith Joh. 6.53 54 c. doth presuppone some right to that gold but no man can say that receiving of gold and eating of bread and putting on of garments gives a man right to gold bread or garments He that possâ—sseth an inheritance hath some right to the inheritance by birth buying purchase or gift the possession in its nature and causes may be unjust yet it is possession Nor can it be shown what causative influence even instrumentall faith hath in our Law-right to Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse except it were a meritorious cause of our right by way of instrument which can hardly be said 3. We may ask how Christ so died for the Reprobate as his death is a remedie applicable to them by the ordination of God so as they shall have life eternall if they believe For 1. there is either a jus and a Law-right to pardon and life eternall merited bâ— Christs death to the Reprobate or no such thing is merited If neither be procured by Christs merite the Patrons of this way shall say there is no serious offer made to them yea there is a jus a title to life eternall and remission which all the reprobate may challenge even a right to remission and life eternall so they beleeve Well then it is the same right conditional to life and pardon which is purchased to the Elect yea this must be purchased whether they believe or not Then there is no more in the kind of the Law-right to Redemption and life eternall and remission of sins purchased to Peter then to Judas or Cain And therefore hath Christ bestowed as much tender love in dying for the Reprobate as in dying for his friends And Christ saith there is no greater love then this Joh. 15.13 As for the efficacious intention of applying of Christs death to Peter when as God had no such intention of applying it to Judas that is an act of eternall predestination not a fruit of Christs death and as for the grace of beleeving it was purchased to all Reprobate and Elect only the Lord applyes not his death and bestowes not the grace of beleeving upon the Reprobate but for right to faith to remission to perseverance to life eternall this right must be purchased but faith it self is never bestowed upon them But there is a ransome of blood given for faith and purchased by CHRISTS merit But CHRIST is never called the Head of all men Elect and Reprobate but the Head of the Body
THE COVENANT OF LIFE OPENED Or A TREATISE of the COVENANT OF GRACE Containing something of And especially of The nature of the Covenant of Works The Soveraignty of GOD The extent of the death of CHRIST The nature properties of the Covenant of Grace The Covenant of Suretyship or Redemption between the LORD and the Son JESUS CHRIST Infants right to JESUS CHRIST and the Seal of Baptisme With some Practicall Questions and Observations By SAMUEL RUTHERFURD Professor of Divinitie in the University of S. Andrews ZECH. 6.12 And speak unto him saying Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts saying Behold the Man whose Name is the BRANCH and he shall grow out of his place and He shall build the Temple of the LORD 13. Even He shall build the Temple of the LORD and He shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon His Throne c. EDINBVRGH Printed by Andro Anderson for Robert Broun and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Sun ANNO 1655. CHRISTIAN READER MAny have written to the edifying of the Godly of this excellent Subject It s not much I can do in this but have added some thoughts to what is said intending a more Practicall way of the last Points in another Treatise to wit of the application of Covenant-Promises and of the influences of the Spirit under the Covenant of Grace of which especially of the latter of these two few have practically written And it is of much concernment to make ouâ— the Union of our Duty and the breathings of the LORD and what can be done under deadnesse to either fetch the wind or to be put in a spirituall condition that the soul â—ay ly fair for the receiving of the influences of GOD. I desire in this to speak for Truth not either for or against persons of whom I am silent concealing the names of any Contradicent judging Truth so much the more desirable when it may possibly be had with peace and as little blowing or stirring of the fire of contradiction as can be What is here said in a way of Disputing the Moderate Reader who is not taken with that way may passe by and read what is practicall The Author hath been lest Truth should suffer by him a little darkned as report bears with the name I know not what of a Protester as one who hath deserted the Government and Discipline of the Church of GOD in SCOTLAND But my humble thoughts are the same they were before though I can adde nothing to the Truth I look on these men the world so names Protesters Schismaticks Separatists as sinfull men who stand in need of a Saviour and as such as desire to fear GOD and love His Name and would gladly have our practise and walk come a little more near to the Rule of the Gospel and that our Land might mourn for all the abominations committed therein which I desire to be spoken without any reflection upon any of the Godly in the Land who in that point are of another Judgement It is my desire to the LORD that he would let us hear experienced by the reality of that Thus saith the LORD As the new wine is found in the cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a blessing is in it so will I do for my servants sake that I may not destroy them all The LORD JESUS be with your Spirit Yours in the Lord Jesus S. R. Contents of the I. PART CHAP. I. and II. THe four particulars of the Treatise pag. 1. Propositions touching ADAMS state p. 1 2. ADAM was predestinate to life eternall in Christ and how pag. 2. CHAP. III. What is the intent and sense of the threatning Gen. 2.17 and Gen. 3.20 Dust thou art c. p. 3 4 5. Threatnings of the Law reveal what the Law-giver may jure inflict by justice and Law deserving not what shall come to passe p. 4. Except it be both a threatning and a Prophesie p. 5. What is carnall security ibid. What Adam was to believe in that threatning p. 5 6. How the promises and the threatnings differ in this p. 7. How Law threatnings to the Elect are Evangelick p. 8. CHAP. IV. The Elect before Conversion bear no part of the Law-curse nor is the Law-curse devided between them and Christ. p. 10.11 Faith is too near to be made a cause of satisfaction for sin by all who hold that Christ gave a satisfactory ransome for all and every one of mankind p. 11. Accepting or not accepting satisfaction is before faith and so believing or not believing can be no ground of the sufficiencie of the price payed for the Reprobate or of the laying of the sins of all upon Christ. p. 11 12 13 God may accept the satisfaction of Christ without any condition required on our part p. 13. CHAP. V. God intended a Law-dispensation but for a time 2. Adam how he was ordained for a Law life 3. How predestinate to Glory how not 4. That the heathens have no more universall grace then Divels 5. No ground for such grace p. 13 14 15. CHAP. VI. It was condiscension in the Lord to enter in Covenant with man 2. Temptâ—tions in fearing we are not chosen discovered 3. Beings and not-beings are debtors to God 4. Self denyall required in sinlesse nature as in sinfull 5. Man considered three wayes How faith layes hold upon conditionall promises and temptations of unbelief thereabout p 16 17. Oâ— the Covenant of nature p. 18 19 20. CHAP. VII It s not written in the heart of man by nature that God should promise life Eternall to man upon condition of obedience 2. The debt of justice cannot ty God 3. God punisheth not sin by necessitie of nature 4. Nor defends he his own declarative Glory by necessitie of nature 5. Nothing can be given to God All sufficient 6. No meriting of the creature 7. We are to have humble thoughts of free-Grace 8. Low thoughts of our selves 9. Promises make no strict justice between the Lord and us p. 20 21. God falls in no sort from his naturall dominion though he impose not penal Laws upon the reasonable creature p. 25 26. God loves his essentiall Glory by necessity of nature but not his declarative Glory by any such necessity p. 28 29 30. In every Covenant there is some out goings of Grace p. 35. The passage 1 Chron. 29.11 12. cleared and why none can give to God p. 37 38. Our vain boasting of self my and such proud pronoumes p. 39 40. How excellent to obey p. 45. Sanctified reason is not soft p. 45 46. How near are wee to justification by Works and to be sick of love for proud I. p. 46 47. CHAP. VIII What place death hath in the Covenant 2. What Reprobates and the damned are to do p. 47 48. What Adam was to do in the intervall between the fall and the publishing of the Gospel p. 48. How the Lord is Adams God p. 49. What life is
acts of saving faith p. 16â— 162 James must speak of two sorts of faiths p. 162 163 The Arminian Argument to prove that James speaks of declared justification answered p. 165 166 How faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only justifies p· 170 171 The Socinian and Arminian faith and Papists formed faith includes new obedience and repentance p 172 173 Contrarâ— to the Scripture which differenceth between faith and new obedience p. 174 175 176 Right to life eternall and possession of life eternal differ in their nature and causes p. 176 177 The necâ—ssity of Works p. 177 178 Possâ—ssion of life and right to life differ p 178 179 180 And contrare objâ—ctions removed ib. CHAP. XX. Whether or not suffered Christ for any sin against the Gospel only suâ—h as finall unbeleef which is conceived to be the only sin against the Gospel That Christ died not for all without exception The unwarrantablenesse of that Doctrine how the Law commands justifying faith and repentance how not p. 181 182 c. Sins against the Gospel are also sins against the Law p. 188 189 CHAP XXI Whether the Lord Mediator as Mediator command the same good Works in the Covenant of Grace which are commanded in the CovenaÌ„t of Works p. 192 193 Christ layes one way Evangelick commands upon the Elect and another way upon the Reprobate p. 198 How the Reprobate are still under the Covenant of Works how not p. 192 CHAP. XXII No promise of perseverance to Adam p. 194.195 Nor any promise to him of influences of Grace p. 195 196 4. Classes of obediences considerably compared among themselves p. 196.197 198 Christs obedience most perfect most of his own p. 196 Most undue or least of debt coming from God man so most meritorious p. 197 Angels obedience 2. Of their own but not so as Christs of his own and so lesse meritorious p. 198 3. The obedience of Adam more of his own then that of Angels yet lesse obedience ibid. 4. Gospel-obedience hath least of the nature of obedience p. 198 199 CHAP. XXIII The Law of Works râ—quired not simplie doing but doing to the end p. â—00 208 CHAP. XXIV Whether faith as true or faith as continuing to the end be the condition of the Covenant of Grace p. 201 202. Faith which endures to the end but not quatenus as it indures to the end is the condition of the Covenant of Grace p. 201 202 Faith in the first lively acts saves and justifies p. 202 203 CHAP. XXV Whether is Christs righteousnesse imputed and made ours because we believe and apprehend it ours or do we believe because it is ours because we believe p. 206 207 Faith presupposeth three unions 1. Naturall 2. Legall 3. Federal and maketh a fourth p. 208 209 There be four or five sundry Adversaries against whom the holy Ghost in Scripture contends in the point of justification p. 210 211 The dominion of the Law p. 211.212 What is meant by the oldnesse of the letter p. 213 How we are freed therefrom ib. A threefold bondage of the Law ib. Of the dignitie of the Gospel above the Laâ— p. 213 214 CHAP. XXVI Of the perpetuity of the Covenant of Grace and the considerable differences between it and the Covenant of Works p. 214 215 216 217. How it continues with these that are asleep in the Lord Mat. 22. Exod. 3.6 p. 216 Of the graciousnesse thereof p. 216 217 CHAP. XXVII Of Law-fear and Gospel-fear p. 217 218. Of the Law-fear of falling away and the Gospel faith of persevering p. 218 219 Why feelings of sin seldome wants unbelief and should have the faith of a payed ransome p. 221 222 CHAP. XXVIII Christ died not to blot out all sense of sin but rather to quicken a godly sense thereof p. 221 222 223 Contents of the II. Part. CHAP. I. Christs roome in both Covenants p. 225 Of Christs active and passive obedience how they concur as one satisfaction p. 229 230 CHAP. II. WHerein stands our right to Christ and the satisfaction made for us by Christ 2. Faith is not the cause of our right 3. Christs incarnation and dying are not favours meâ—ited by Christ. 4. How Adams sinne and Christs righteousnesse are ours p. 230 238. CHAP. III. How Christ suffered for us in our room and place 2. He died not for all and every one 4. How many wayes Christ may be said to die in our stead 4. The Lords so dying for all makes not all saveable in Christ nor the Gospel preachable to all Nations 5. Christ died in the stead of the elect p. 236 237 238 239. Though we did not substitute him in our place p. 249 250 The differences between Chrâ—sts dying and the punishment due to the Elect p. 250 251 252 The legall oneness between Christ and us p. 251 To die 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for us is to die in our stead in all eminent languages p. 253 Christ died not for sins and in the stead of sins as he died for sinners p. 256 CHAP. IV. How we are in Christ dying and crucified in him 2. A twofold crucifying of us with Christ. 3. A discourse of mortification 4. The actings of the mortified 5. That we are to be mortified in our affections p. 257 258 259. Though we die personally yet we died in Christ legally p. 259 We are not to desire a Law-wakening p. 259 â—60 What mortification is p. 261 The influence of Christs death on mortification p. 262 Four sorts of actings in mortification p. 265 266 We must be mortified to all sort of created things p. 268 269 270.271 Forbidden desires p 270.271 CHAP. V. The Covenant of Suretyship or of Redemption between God and the Mediator Christ. 2. Christ is not a meer witnesse but the Author of the Covenant 3. The Socinian way of Wâ—rks cannot quiet the conscience 4. Christ is upon both sides of the Covenant 5. Justice mediates not 6. Reasons of the entrance of sin CHAP. VI. That there is a Covenant of Suretyship between JEHOVAH and the Son is proven by 11. Arguments p. 290 291 292. Christ calling to the Lord his God proves this 291.292 2 Christ is a Servant Messenger Shepherd not by nature but free compact and agreement p. 292 3. Ar. Christ offered his service freely p. 293 4. Arg. There is giving and taking between God and Christ. p. 293.294 5. Arg. Christ received the seals whither he needed seals or not p. 29â— 296 6 Christ with the Father dispensed with the Law p. 296 7. Ar. Rich promises that speak a Covenant made to Christ. p. â—96 8. Ar. The Prophesies of Christ and the promises of and to him p. 298 9. Ar. Ask of me Ps. 2. 10. Arg. The work and wages of Christ prove it p. 299 And O how low a wager and how high a designe p. 300 11. Arg. Christ is admitted by an oath and the use of it against Apostacie of Believers p. 300.301.302 CHAP. VII The
them is legall forasmuch as the Lord hath decreed to deny the grace by which they may or can fulfill the condition of the promise which is proper to the Law as it is peculiar to the Gospel that the Lord both gives the mercy promised and also the grace to fulfill the condition of the promise The threatnings to beleevers especially such as are legall if you beleevers fall away ye shall eternally perish are to beleevers though materially legall peremptorie and admit no exception yet they are formally and in the Lords intention directed to them upon an Evangelick intention nor do they say that the Lord intends and decrees that they shall eternally perish for he hath predestinate them to the contrary to wit to grace and glory Ephes. 1.4 Nor that he wills that they should beleeve either their eternall damnation or their finall and totall falling away which inevitably leads thereunto For they knowing that they are in Christ 2 Cor. 13.5 Rom. 8.16 17. and freed from condemnation Rom. 8.1 are to beleeve the contraire of the former to wit life eternall John 4.24 1 Thes. 5.9 John 3.16 and the contraire of the latter to wit the promise of perseverance made to them Jer. 32.39 40. Isa. 59.21 John 10.27 28. John 17.20 21. 1 Pet. 1.3 4 5. Mat. 16.16 17 19. Therefore these threatnings are not to be beleeved by the regenerate as certainly to come to passe in their persons but only as Law-motives to presse them to work out their salvation in fear and trembling and to cleave so much the closser to Christ as the condition of such as are under the Law is apprehended to be dreadfull But reprobats and unbeleevers are not to beleeve that God decrees and intends to them the thing promised and grace to perform the condition but only to beleeve their obligation to fiduciall relying upon and Gospel-faith in God revealed in the Mediator and that if they continue in a way of opposing Christ they not only deserve by Law which Law-deserving also beleevers are to apprehend to be broken but actually and quoad eventum shall eternally perish Believers are to believe the Decree of God to save them though they hear the threatnings for it s revealed But the Reprobate are to beleeve only the sense and Law-deserving and event of the threatning if they repent not but are to beleeve no decree to save them CHAP. IV. The Elect non-converted are not under Law-wrath 2. Faith is no cause of satisfaction 3. Christ can not have satisfied for the sins of the Reprobate WHether the Elect unconverted be under wrath is a doubt to many It is true they are servants of sin Rom. 6.17 Blind and under the power of Satan as Reprobats are Acts 26.18 By nature children of wrath even as others Eph. 2.3 Ans. Their sins committed before their Conversion are according to the Covenant of Works such as deserve everlasting condemnation and they are jure and in relation to that Covenant heirs of wrath as well as others 2. But we must distinguish between a state of election and everlasting though unseen love that they are under as touching their persons and a state of a sinfull way that they are born in and walk in as others do untill they be converted As to the former state it is true which is said Ier. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love See also Rom. 9.12 13. Eph. 1.4 so that God never hates their persons 3. The punishment of their sins and the wrath they are under is two wayes considered 1. Materially in the bulke and so they are under Law-stroaks and Law-wrath that is Law-punishment as others are Eph. 2.3 and so the other places are to be taken 2. The wrath is to be considered formally and so it is denyed that the punishment of the non-converted elect because of their sinfull way is any part of the Law-vengeance or curse which Christ did bear for their other sins committed by them after conversion 1. Because when Christ saith Iohn 5.4 The beleever hath passed from death as it is a curse and shall never come to judgement and condemnation he cannot mean that they have half passed from the curse and half not 2. Beleevers are delivered in Christ from the victory sting power of sin curse of the Law and every curse that is in affliction and from condemnation not in part only but in whole Else their triumph were but in part contrair to 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56. Hos. 13.14 Isa. 25.8 Nor should they be washen from all their sins and the spots thereof in his blood if they might wash themselves from any spot by bearing a part of the Law-curse in themselves contrair to Can. 4.7 Jer. 50.20 Joh. 1.28 1 Joh. 1.8 Rom. 8.1 3. What ever Christ was made for the redeemed ones that he was made fully for them in part and in whole for he is their perfect Saviour But Gal. 3.13 He is made a curse for us and able to save to the outmost all that come to him Heb. 7.25 Therefore the half or a part of satisfactory vengeance cannot be upon us and the other half on Christ for this is to make men and Martyrs joint satisfiers of justice with Christ by their own blood and sufferings to prevent the scaddings of purgatory For though we teach against Antinomians that the Godly are punished for sins according to Justice yet that is Evangelick not law-justice for they bear not one dram weight of satisfactory wrath and curse jointly with Christ Antinomians say that sin root and branch is taken away in Justification so that there is no sin nor punishment for sin in the justified man 4. The beleevers are blessed through Jesus Christ Gal 3.10 13. Psal. 32.1 2. Rom. 4.6 Psal. 2.12 Psal. 119.1 Their afflictions and death blessed precious in the eyes of the Lord not qualified with any Law-curse Job 5.17 Psal. 94.12 Mat. 5.6 Luk. 6.22 1 Pet. 1.6 1 Pet. 4.13 Psal. 21.3 4 5 6. Psal. 34.17 18 19. Rev. 14.13 Psal. 116.15 Psal. 72.14 Psal. 37.37 and they are asleep in Christ die in the Lord 1 Thes. 4.14 16. Nor can Antinomians and Socinians say this is under the New-Testament for dying Jacob saith Gen. 49.18 Lord I have waited for thy salvation Isa. 57.1 2. When the righteous man is taken away he shall enter into peace the Lord is the God of Abraham Isaak and Jacob when their bodies are rotten Exod. 3.6 Mat. 22.32 5. This comes too near the opinion of these who make faith a cause of satisfaction for sin as they must teach who hold that Christ payed a ransome on the crosse for the sins of all and every one For that which added maketh satisfaction to be counted and formally reckoned as satisfaction in order to the expiation of the mans sins so that by no justice he can suffer for them and which being removed maketh the payed satisfaction and ransome though never taken back again
by the payer no more a satisfaction for that man nor for Devils Is too near to the nature and to being a part of the satisfaction If one pay a summe that fully exhausts the debt of such a broken man upon condition the broken man say Amen to the paying thereof otherwise it shall be as not payed he must take up the summe again if the broken man refuse to say Amen to it for if he take it not up again but it be payed and fully satisfie for and exhaust the debt the mans debt is payed and the Creditor in justice cannot exact one farthing from the broken man Now nothing given to the Justice of God by way of satisfaction for the sins of unbeleevers was ever repeated or taken back again by Christ. Nay but say they the ransome was not payed at all for Judas but only upon condition that he beleeve but he never beleeved and therefore it was never payed for Judas Answ. This is that we say that Christ gave no reall ransome at all for the sins of Judas by way of satisfaction But they say that there is as well a ransome payed for all the sins of Iudas finall unbeleef excepted to free him in justice from eternall stroaks as for all the sins of Peter to free him only it is not accepted of by the Creditor because Judas by faith assented not unto the bargain But assenting or not assenting accepting or not accepting that are posterior to the payment are nothing up or down to the compleatnesse and perfection of the satisfaction made for the exhausting of Justice for Justice receives not two satisfactions or ransomes for Judas one upon the Crosse from Christ another in Hell from Iudas yea and it must follow that reall payment was made to Justice for all the sins of Iudas upon the Crosse and that he suffers for none of them in Hell but for only finall unbeleef which is no sin against the Covenant of Works and the Justice thereof but only and formally against the Covenant of Grace so that as yet satisfying of Divine Justice for sins must be halfed and parted between Christ and Iudas which the Scripture teaches not Also the Father either accepts the ransome of Christ because it is intrinsecally and of it self sufficiently satisfactory or because Iudas does beleeve it is so The latter cannot be said for beleeving adds nothing to the intrinsecall sufficiency of the satisfaction as not believing diminishes nothing from the sufficiency thereof Yea and so the Fathers formall reason of accepting of the satisfaction of Christ must be terminated upon our poor act of believing whereas the formal ground of the acceptation thereof is the intrinsecall excellency and worth of the Sacrifice being an offering of a sweet smelling savour to God Eph. 5.2 And because he offered the ransome of the blood of God-man of the Prince of life Act. 20.28 1 Cor. 2.8 and offered himself to God Eph. 5.25 26. Heb. 9.14 Mat. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 Rev. 1.5 nor is there any sufficiency in his death from the worth of beleeving And the reason why he accepts it for Peter not for another is the election of grace It is true the blood is a price refuseable but it is this way refuseable because the Lord might have followed a Law-way with Adam and all his sons and have denyed to give his Son a Ransome for us but it is not refuseable because of any insufficiency in the Ransome Now faith is to satisfaction as the approximation of and the laying on of dry fewell to the fire which is only a condition of burning but the fire is the formall cause of burning Yea if we speak properly faith is not so much as a condition without the which offended Justice is not satisfied nor is it a condition by any Scripture of the world without the which God laid not our iniquities on Christ for whether we beleeve or not God laid our iniquities upon him and made him sin for us Isa. 53.6 2 Cor. 5.21 Therefore by necessity of Justice he must accept that Ransome intrinsecally so sufficient which did restore more glory to God then the sins of all for whom Christ died took from him Nor is it imaginable to say that any act of obedience or beleeving can perfect the satisfaction of Christ and make it sufficient yea or causatively make it ours For God by no necessity of Justice but of his own free pleasure requireth faith as a condition of our actuall reconciliation for beside that he might have required any other act of obedience as love he might have accepted the Ransome without inquiring any act of obedience on our part as the Lord bestowed a calme Sea and deliverance from shipwrack upon the Idolatrous Sea-men upon the very act of casting Ionah in the Sea without the intervention of any saving faith on their part As a gracious Prince may send a pardon to free a condemned Malefactor from death and may command that it be valid in Law for him without the mans knowledge and far more without his acceptance thereof upon his knees especially since by a speciall paction between the Father and the Son he restored abundantly more Glory to God by suffering for all for whom he died then they took from God by their sins and that restitution was made to Justice without the interveening of any act of the creatures obedience But the truth is it is much to be doubted whether they who hold such a satisfaction to be given of God for the sins of all Elect and Reprobate but so as it shall not be valid in Law nor effectuall to quiet Justice but they must all suffer eternall vengeance and perform personall satisfaction in Hell to Justice except there interveen an act of obedience of the creature to make it effectuall do really and sincerely acknowledge against Socinians a reall satisfaction and compensation made to offended Justice by Christ For how is it reall and not rather scenicall and formall which may and should be null and in vain if the creature make it not reall by beleeving And especially if God out of his grace which is absolutely free work in us the condition of beleeving Can God give his Son as a Ransome for us upon condition that we beleeve if he himself absolutely work the condition in us They will not admit this CHAP. V. God intended a Law-dispensation but for a time 2. Adam how he was ordained for a Law-life 3. How predestinated to Glory in Christ how not 4. That the Heathens have no more Universall Grace then Devils 5. No ground for such grace IT is apparent that God intended not a Law-dispensation in Paradise to stand for ever For 1. nothing is spoken of Adam after the fall but of his procreating of children of the Patriarchs of Adams dying and of his actings before the fall the place of Paradice being scarce well known which sayes the Lord had a farther design to lay aside
the coals of that hellish furnace and kindle a fire before night 3. They being under the Law of Nature are to rely on infinite mercy able to save Their witty darknesse of unbeleef saith they beleeve but they hate mercy in the generall toward others as to themselves 2. For a doubting child of God because the light of evidence which to them in that case is dimme comes nearer to the naturall light of reason then to spirituall light therefore faith must be set on work to act as faith and faith acts most strongly when reason is weakest Naturall causes work more strongly under opposition the fire burns most vehemently in winter frost and the internall heat of the body is most mighty for concoction when the coldness of the air is most piercing without faith sees God most piercingly at midnight in Job when rottennesse and deadness speaks the contrair Job 19. I know surely so the word Exod. 8.1 Psal. 31.8 that my Redeemer lives Isa. 50.10 He that walks in darknesse and hath no light of evidence let him trust on the Name of the Lord and let him stay himself upon his God Rom. 4.19 20. 2. There is a peece of unseen wilfulnesse in unbeleef and two refusalls in it as we see in Thomas Joh. 20.25 as there is a masse of sanctified will required in sincere faith Rom. 10.9 10. Mark 9.24 and so resistance must be made to that blind impulsion of will in unbeleef by which we please our selves in doubling our doubting 3. Should the commanding of killing the Son Gen. 22.2 seem to contradict the whole Gospel of the promised Seed Gen. 15.4 yet knowing both to come from God Abraham did well to leave the supposed contradiction to be solved by God and beleeve both as we are to beleeve food in no food and in famine Q. Where was there a word that God was Adams God Ans. Not directly For 1. that Covenant was like Letters of the King raised to such a day and the date being expired the Letters cease to be in force 2. Adam was to winne and purchase as it were God to be his God by consumate obedience God never said that he would be Adams God by giving him influences to obey and to obey to the end all influences granted to Adam to will and to do were granted to him 1. By God Creator not by the grace of a Redeemer as in the Covenant of Grace to walk Ezek. 36.27 to love Deut. 30.6 to persevere Jer. 32.39 40. 2. These influences were free gifts but not promised 3. They seem to be ordinis naturalis naturall though they did bow and previously inclince the will but not so in the New Testament for the whole Covenant is called by the promise of the giving of a new heart Heb. 8.10 Isa. 54.9.13 Jer. 31.31 32 33. Ezek. 11.19 20. Hos. 2.18 19. And therefore better it is that God be Lord of my heart and it be his then that I be lord of it and my heart be mine own heart the lesse of our heart be upon our heart the more upon God the better Ah! we cannot skill to guide a heart 3. The threatning of death to Adam if he should sin Gen. 2.17 may infer a Covenant of life and that God should be Adams God if he should obey CHAP. IX What life is promised in the Covenant of Works 2. Whether all we especially the Reprobate by the fall lost all right to the creatures 3. How the Lord is our God Q. WHat is meaned by life promised in the Covenant of Works A. 1. Not a life in Christ and the fruit of the merit of blood as our life is in the New Covenant Joh. 10.11 Joh. 3.16 For Adam was not Mediator of reconciliation here he was a sort of publick Law-head in whom he was to stand or fall if any please to call him so a Mediator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it is a Law-life happily a communion in glory 2. But the life he lived and the creatures for his service seems not to belong to this life for the creatures were given to Adam he not working for them Yet I should not oppose if any say that earthly blessings were given to Adam as a reward of an actuall obedience as they are given to such as keep the Law Deut. 28. But sure our gain in Christ of such a life bought by so noble a Ransome as the Blood of God-man is not little It s rawnesse and greennesse of wit to value it so low as we do Children see not what a hireing and taking apple Heaven is Q. Whether or no did Adam and all the Reprobats in his loyns by sin losse right to the creatures A. There is a three-fold right 1. Naturall 2. Providentiall 3. Spirituall A naturall right may be conceived two wayes 1. Absolutely so creature and man not created can have no jus or claime to being or life the Creators free gift is our best Charter to life and being 2. This right may be conceived conditionally as if God create the Sun a power to give light is congruous and debita naturae Solis suteable to the nature of the Sun nor can the creature plead for this as debt but if the Lord give being to injoy this being can not be sin because there is no law and command to nothing to receive or not to receive being and life from the Creator And where there is no Law there is no transgression And therefore to have being and life cannot be in it self a sin 2. Providentiall right is but a continuating of life and being untill the same power that gave it shall remove it by way of punishment For God as Creator of his Soveraignty gives being and life and the comfortable use of the creatures but as a Judge ordinarily for sin he removes it though he I deny not out of his Soveraignty may and possibly doth annihilate the meat that the Angels in assumed bodies and which the Man Christ after the Resurrection did eat 3. The spirituall right is that new supernaturall Title which the Elect beleevers have in order to a supernaturall end and all these being made theirs to promove their salvation 1 Cor. 3.21 All things are yours Rev. 21.7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things by Covenant-right so he adds And I will be his God and he shall be my Son Psal. 37 10. A drink of cold water by this Charter is better then a Kings Crown and hath refreshed some more then all the choise wine the earth yeelds The love of the Giver is better then wine Cant. 1.2 and here the Charter is by many thousands more precious then the Land For nature common to all is over-gilded with free-Grace And the naturall life and being and the materiall heavens we shall injoy are blessed in another manner to the glorified then these they now injoy 1 Cor. 15.40 41 42 43 c. 2 Pet.
by doing whereas it is he and he alone that hath merited to us Grace and Glory and all title to Heaven Not to say that a Charter of life from such a noble Superiour as Christ by the purchase of blood and of such blood the blood of God Act. 20.28 is some better then to have eternall liveliehood and free-hold from our duty and lubrick best works which are polluted with sin and by which though we were Evangelically conscious to our selves of nothing yet should we not be therefore justified 1 Cor. 4.4 for the righteousnesse in which is Davids blessednesse before Christ and Abrahams before the Law and ours under the Gospel is in forgiving of iniquity covering of sin not imputing of sin Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. But in all the Scripture our sins are never said to be pardoned and not imputed to us by our own most Evangelick doing for we are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 not by the Redemption that is in us and are washen from our sins in his Blood Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Mat. 26.28 Rev. 1.5 and sufferings not by our Evangelick doings and if such a case could stand the Martyrs sure might well be justified by their own blood and since no pardoning washâ—ng Law-satisfying vertue can be in faith works or our Evangelick deservings they can not justifie us nor keep and occupy the Chair of Christ. And the fault were the lesse if our works were onely called the way to the kingdom not the cause of raigning but they are called perfect both in their nature and conforme to the rule and also in order to the end to justifie us before God and to save us And if so all in Christ may say we have no sin contrary to Scripture Jam. 3.2 1 King 8.46 Eccles. 7.20 Prov. 20.9 Jam. 2.10 Yea though he that is guilty in one offends in all yet in the sight of God all flesh shall be justified this way Psal. 143.2 Nor can it be said that such works are perfectly conform to the Gospel because the doers beleeving in the lowest degree fulfills the condition of the Gospel But where it is said that the Gospel commands only faith in the lowest degree Then the Centurions faith the faith of the woman of Canaan and the greatest faith shall not be required in the Law For the condition of the Covenant of Grace cannot say they be required in the Covenant of Works and it is not required in the Gospel under the pain of sinning against the Covenant of Grace and of damnation for then all who have not faith in the highest degree should be damned and violate and break the Covenant of Grace contrary to the whole Gospel which saith that these who have weak faith are justified and saved and so the greatest faith shall be will-worship and a work of supererogation And because this way saith that all and every one of mankind are under the Covenant of Grace then 1. there shall be none living under the Law 2. no Law but only to beleeve in CHRIST shall lay an obligation on any Jews Christians under pain of wrath And if James be to prove that we are justified by works and yet mean that both faith and works concur as causes though faith more principally how can Paul deny that we are justified by works If Peter and John jointly work a miracle and heal the creeple man suppose the influence of John in the miracle be more yet it is not to be denyed that Peter wrought the miracle Nor doth the Scripture say that we are more principally justified by faith and lesse principally justified by works but the places alledged for salvation by works if works have a causative influence specially Matth. 25. speaks more for the preheminence of works Nor doth the Scripture insinuate any thing of the first and second Justification or of growing in Justification in having our sins not imputed to us to our very day of death and the Question must be Rom. 4. whether Abraham was justified by works done before circumcision or not Rom. 4. when as faith was not reckoned to Abraham when he was in uncircumcision and the blessednesse of righteousnesse by faith cometh both upon circumcision and uncircumcision vers 9. and he had faith and righteousnesse and was in Christ and regenerated when he was justified Though some taught Justification by the works of the ceremoniall Law yet Paul Gal. 3.10 states the Question of works agreeable to the Morall Law that are absolutely perfect and must be done by Grace And Paul might justly in the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians have excepted himself David Abraham and all the regenerate for they are justified by giving almes to the poor Mat. 25. as was Rachab by receiving and lodging the spyes The English Divines say How could the Scripture conclude from Abrahams being justified by works whence he offered his Son Isaac unlesse by works here we understand a working faith the Apostle must mean the same by works vers 21. that he meaneth by faith 23. for he cannot say vers 23. the Scripture was fulfilled in Abrahams being justified in the work of offering his son v. 21. which saith Abraham beleeved God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Except it must be meant that the work of offering his son Isaac was counted to him for righteousnesse Now the letter of the Text expresly vers 23. saith that beleeving God was counted to Abraham for righteousnesse then the work of offering his Son must either be the beleeving declared by offering his son and faith working by that act of offering or if they be two sundry things he must then say this in effect Abraham was justified by the work of sacrificing vers 2â— causatively before God Ergo the Scripture is fulfilled vers 23. and Abraham is justified by beleeving causatively before God vers 23. which we cannot ascribe to the Apostle according to their minde who make faith and works the two collaterall and joint causes of Justification before God as if one would say Peter wrought the miracle Ergo the Scripture is fulfilled that Iohn wrought the miracle So Abraham was justified by works vers 21. Ergo Abraham was justified by faith 23. 2. The faith which Iames debarres from Justification must be the faith Iam. 2. by which Paul strongly proves Rom. 3. c. 4. we are justified without works If faith and works concurre as collaterall causes in our Justification before God as the Papists contend but the faith which James excludes from Justification is no faith at all But only 1. fair words to the hungry and naked and giving them supply for no necessity either of hunger or nakednesse and which cannot save and so is no faith and so can have no saving influence with works to justifie and save but such is the faith which James excludes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 14 v. 15. the
by the works of offering Isaac receiving the spies fighting the Lords battels suffering persecution of Saul For Iames if he say any thing for this cause that good works are the formall cause of our righteousnesse our merits and in the very place of the satisfaction of the blood shed by Christ we shall so be formall causes not of the declaratory act of justifying for that may be thought to be the Lord our Justifiers act yet of our own Justification and so should we fight and run for the Crowne of inherent righteousnesse of works as well as for the Crown of Life And what Scripture is there for that 3. A man shall be as just and sinlesse as he may say I have no sin I am just And in order to the Covenant of Grace which forbids no sin as some for this way do teach but finall unbeleef he no more needs forgivenesse of sins and the blood of sprinkling nor pardoning grace then the Elect Angels or Adam in the state of innocency and to that Prov. 20.9 as to that Eccles. 7.20 1 Ioh. 1. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin The man Evangelically justified can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sinne 4. Noâ— needs such a man pray forgive me my sins as I forgive c. for he is justified from all Law-sins who is inherently holy and Evangelically just And so the Gospel is a new Law which does not forbid all sins that the Law forbids and the man is not under sinne though he sinne against the love of Christ. According to that if ye love me keep my Commandements Joh. 14.15 so he once ere he die beleeve For the Law say the Authors forbids not unbeleef nor any Evangelick unthankfulness against the Law of a ransome-payer which yet I judge the Law of Nature and Nations condemnes The Covenant of Grace forbids no sin but finall unbeleef and the beleever can not be guilty of that except he fall away 5. And it may justly be asked whether the beleever Evangelically justified who needs no grace of pardon of Redemption from sin in order to the Covenant of Grace needs the grace of renovation to keep him to beleeve for he needs no pardon for the weaknesse of his finall beleeving for the smallest weak faith is a fulfilling of the Covenant of Grace To these adde if James mean by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith alone v. 24. by which he sayes we are not justified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no other then the dead faith ver 20. and the faith which cannot save the faith of fair words to the hungry and naked when the vain man gives him nothing necessary for his body 16. the faith without works 17. the faith that cannot be shown to men 18. such a faith as devils 19. and vain hypocrites boast of 20. then sure the conclusion is for us and agreeable to the scope of Iames v. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye see then a man is justified before men and to himself and so really declared before God justified and saved by works as the fruits of saving faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not by faith only which is dead and without works For 1. he cannot exclude saving and lively faith For that beleeving God is counted to Abraham for righteousnesse saith Iames ver 23. for then the conclusion should contradict the premisses and he should say Abraham was justified by sound and lively beleeving Ergo we are not justified by only sound and lively beleeving 2. The Adversaries Socinians and Arminians who by this Text say we are justified by works know no Gospel-faith by which we are justified but faith including essentially new obedience the crucifying of the old man the walking in the Spirit and repentance as else where I cite Therefore when Iames saith we are not justified by faith only he must mean a naked dead assent as in the former verses We are not justified and that is it which we say Iames denies not but sayes that Abraham beleeved Gen. 15. 6. It is only beleeving but lively and not dead not a naked assent which was counted to him for righteousnesse and Gen. 15. Rom. 4. he was thereby justified and therefore Paul and Iames are well reconciled And the faith here excluded must be a dead faith not a lively faith and a true faith as the body without the soul is a true body and hath the nature of a true body though it be no living body So say they the faith that Iames excludes is a true faith when as it is evident it is no more true faith then the faith of Devils and Hypocrites 3. It is false by the Papists way and Arminians also that we are not justified by faith only which is a true and generall assent to the Word of God for they teach that in the first Justification we are justified by faith only without works as Paul proves but in the second Justification when a man of just is made more just say they he is justified by works as saith Iames c. 2. Now by this they are forced to say Iames speaks not of the first Justification but of the second but beside that the Scripture knows not two Justifications Iames must deny that the unconverted hypocrites and Rahab the harlot were justified by only faith as Paul saith and it were most incongruous to teach unconverted ones who never knew the first Justification how they were not justified in the second Justification And if James be speaking of the nature and causes of the same Justification before God only with Paul and not of the effects thereof it were false that James saith with reverence to the holy Lord that we are not justified by faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without works for Paul sayes it and proves it strongly from the Scripture and never insinuates that we are justified in a second Justification by works And sure he should not have denyed all the Jews all the Gentiles all the world Rom. 3 9 19 29 30. David a man according to Gods heart and much in communion with God when he penned the 32. Psalm and Abraham a beleever and effectually called Gen. 12. and justified when he Gen. 15.6 beleeved the promise of the seed Rom. 4. to be justified by works in their second or their Evangelick Justification Yea when James saith we are not justified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only he must mean fidem solitariam a faith solitary which hath no works conveying it as man sees not with eyes that are solitary and plucked out of the heart and separated from hearing smelling and the senses though faith if true and properly so called as they say this is must justifie as the eye sees only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the eâ—re onely not the eye hears now this faith hath a causative influence in Justification as well as works if it be proper and true faith as they say
it is as the body without the spirit hath the nature of a body and so James had no more ground for him to say ye see then that we are not justified by faith only then to say ye see then that we are not justified by works only For works separated from faith are no lesse dead works cannot justifie 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3 4 5. Then faith separated from works really pulled from them as in an hypocrite is a true faith Obj. When James saith that a man is justified by works not by faith only he maketh faith and works concomitant in that procurement of Justification and in that kind of causality for he saith not as he is commonly interpreted not by faith which is alone but by faith only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ans. He is not more commonly nor soundly and truely interpreted he is not justified by faith which is alone fide solitariâ by dead faith For solâ fide justificamur Faith hath the only vertue of justifying as an instrument and so is the Adverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Solùm taken Matth. 5.47 If ye salute your brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only what do ye more then Publicans Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notes duties only naturall excluding these which only converts in a spirituall way can do Matth. 8 8. Only say the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it clearly saith that a mandat of Omnipotency only in CHRIST could heal the sick servant but yet that Omnipotency is not really separated from justice wisedom mercy Matth. 9.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If I only touch him I shall be whole But the act of touching was conjoined with the act of hearing Who hath touched me Yet the act of hearing had no causative influence in the drawing vertue out of Christ but only the act of touching did extract the vertue as Christ saith Luk. 8.50 Mar. 5.36 Fear not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only beleeve saith Christ to the Ruler can it be said but this excludes works as touching the apprehending of the power and mercy of Christ in raising the dead Damosel And yet that beleeving was not solitary but conjoined with love reverence submission 35. So Luk. 8.50 Mat. 21.19 And Act. 3.16 The faith that is by Christ hath given this creeple perfect soundnesse Heb. 11.30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell It were strange to say by Peter's and John's good works and holinesse the creeple man was made whole and by good works the walls of Jericho fell and yet there were good works love mercifulnesse courage in the Priests who compassed the walls of Iericho and in Peter and Iohn Adde to these that by good works we must more and more justifie and pardon our own sins and must more and more buy a right to the Tree of Life as they teach citing Rev. 22.14 and more merit ex pacto Euangelico life eternall and so our works and merites must be joint causes with the blood of Christ and the Martyrs blood and Christs blood must have paralel and collateral influence with Christs blood to buy right to the Tree of Life Yea and Paul already justified even in the progresse of that which is called his Evangelick Justification Phil. 3. would be in another condition 9. That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith And why should Arminians and Socinians deny it to be Pauls own For 1. it is inherent righteousnesse 2. It is not infused as Papists say but acquired as they teach 3. It came say they from Pauls own free-will indifferent to will or nill But how is the Scripture fulfilled in Abrahams beleeving Iam. 2.23 Ans. The Apostle spake often of faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and beleeving v. 14. twice v. 17. once v. 18. thrice v. 19. twice v. 20. once v. 22. twise that is nine times thereof Emphatically v. 23. by way of excellency the Scripture was then fulfilled Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beleeved and it was counted to him for righteousnesse as it s written Gen. â—5 6 before God and man and to his own conscience when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar That was reall visible and conspicuous believing and righteousnesse to deny himself so far for God For James is much for Religion made known to a mans self and to men and hath far other Adversaries in the other extremity then Paul had even the old Gnosticks who in opposition to the Jews and Pharisees laid aside the Law doing of the Law Jam. 1.22 23. all works c. 2.14 all conscience of bridling the tongue c. 13.1 2. of peaceable and mortified living c. 4. c. 5. and thought it godlinesse to hear the word in the Assemblies ch 2.1 2 3. without love to the Brethren and to keep in their head a room empty faith and professed fair and gave good words but no garments to the naked v. 14 15. And James had good cause to treat of a visible and declared faith but yet not meerly declared but which was reall and can save 14. and of justification such as that of Abraham and Rachab as was senâ—sible and reall and not in a bare profession For Iames speaks of a profiting and saving faith Iam. 2.14 What doth it profite c. Can faith save him Another devise is here alledged of a formed faith animated with charity and that justifies say Papists and an unformed faith void of charity and that say they doth not justifie And the same way but in other expressions Arminians and Socinians teach that to believe and do good works and to repent and walk in all the Commandements of Iesus Christ is to believe or compleat formed and Evangelick faith But we distinguish them as the Scripture It s true Rom. 4.9 faith is said to be imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse and so v. 3. v. 5. but it is not meant of the act or work of believing that was counted for Abrahams formall righteousnesse there should so no room be left to the satisfaction of Christ reckoned to be ours if all the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.3 1 Corin. 5.21 Phili. 3.9 should be turned over in an act of believing mixt with much doubting and in our sinfull obedience And the Socinians have more reason for them to say there is no necessity of any reall satisfaction of blood payed for us then the Arminians and Papists For if our righteousnesse and inherent obedience may be of grace esteemed formall righteousnesse before God by a free Evangelick paction and an act of Gods free-will the Lord might have esteemed the eating of an aple or any act of obedience our formall righteousnesse and so Christ dyed in vain to become our righteousnesse where an act of a sinfull man or a deed of the Law even the Law of faith is sufficient What needs the shedding of the blood of God
the Church Eph. 1.22 Col. 1.18 And whereas the Head hath merited faith to the Reprobate and that absolutely for a condition is not possible he should bestow it absolutely else there is no seriousnesse in the command of beleeving And since faith is no meritorious cause of right to remission and life eternall nor a cause in part or in whole of our compleat and actuall reconciliation it may well be said that they all are compleatly reconciled pardoned justified washen in Christs blood when nothing is wanting that compleats the nature of remission and justification for faith is only a condition applying not a cause buying nor satisfying for us and no cause giving in part or in whole any new right 3. Conclus Should we by faith have right to the promise of a new heart by beleeving we should have a new heart before we have a new heart for none can beleeve savingly any promise and so neither can he beleeve that promise that God shall give a new heart untill the habit of faith which is a speciall part of the new heart be infused For actuall faith must flow from habituall faith Therefore right to that promise must be absolutely purchased by the death of Christ to the elect before they beleeve Quest. How is it that not only penally but intrinsecally and formally we sinned in Adam and are inherenter sinners in him but we are righteous in Christ only imputativè and why should not Christ be named formally the sinner since he is made by imputation the sinner As Adams sin is ours by imputation and we formally and inherently are sinners in Adam Ans. How we sinned in Adam is a point of greater difficulty For this first sin the tottering and reeling of the specifick common nature in Adam is ours not because he is our father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by nature though that be a ground of the imputation also but because he is such a father by Covenant and Law the Law and Covenant of Works being laid in pawnd in his hand There be three parts of Originall sin A partaking of the first sin of Adam we all sinned in him Rom. 5.12 14 15. 2. The want of the Image of God called the Glory of God Rom. 3.23 3. Concupiscence and a bentnesse of nature to sin Rom. 7.7 14 17 18 23 24. As to the first Adams sin is ours really and truely not so much because it is ours as because it is imputed to be ours by God who so contrived the Law of Works as it should be made with Adam not as a single father but with Adam as a publick person representing all man and having our common nature as a father both by nature and Law which came from the meer free-will of God 1. Who might so have contrived the first Covenant of Works that sin should only have been Adams own sin not the sin of his posterity For by no necessity of nature which is antecedent to the free decree of God are all mankind legally in Adams loins though naturally they be 2. But children are as naturally in their nearest fathers loines as we are all in the loines of Adam and all men are equally of that same specifick nature with their nearest Parents as with their first Parents Yet the sins of the nearest Parents by no necessity are alwayes charged upon the children but now all have sinned in Adam Rom. 5.12 18. 3. Where a sin is inherently and personally there is no need of imputation which is a free Act of God had Christ been inherently and personally the sinner God needed not make him or impute our sins to him as Isai. 53.6 2 Cor. 5.21 and if we had been intrinsecally sinners in Adam his sin had been ours as intrinsecally as it was Adams and as Adam was not the first who sinned by imputation but personally and intrinsecally so neither should Adams sin have been our sin by imputation but intrinsecally and personally now the Scripture saith Rom. 5.19 By one mans disobedience many were made sinners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then they were not intrinsecally sinners before they were made that is before they were reputed sinners in Adam or before Adams sin was imputed to them as we are not intrinsecally righteous in Christ before we be justified and made or reputed righteous in Christ When therefore our Divines say wee are as guilty of eating the forbidden fruit as if our hands were there and our teeth and we did eat in him the speech cannot be taken physically personally for we were not then born but morally and legally but our nature was legally there But when the Elect does sin Christ is not said to have been in our loines legally but he was made sin he was punished so as if he had been the sinner though there was in Christ no formall guiltinesse no reatus culpae but reatus paenae But we are deprived of the Image of God and inclined to all sin not by imputation as the young Lion and the young Serpent have not the bloody and the stinging nature of the old Lion and the old Serpent by imputation but by naturall and intrinsecall inherencie Now our holie harmlesse and undefiled High Priest hath no sin in him by inherencie 3. A legall satisfaction and paying of a summe yea more then the debter was owing can never take away a morally inherent guiltinesse nor inherently justifie and make innocent the sinner and make him one who hath never borrowed the money and wasted it or one who hath never sinned in Adam and who hath never sinned in his own person Yea the Law of Works standing as it is most spiritual and holy It is 〈◊〉 impossible that he who hath once broken the Law though he be made inherently most holy and perfectly sanctified can be made righteous which requires there shall never be one the least sin committed and what is done cannot be undone 2. The suffering of another as of the Man Christ may well stand for what we should have suffered but cannot remove the inherent blot of sin and remove fundamental guiltinesse The paying a thousand Crowns for him who borrowed five hundreth Crowns and spent them on harlotry and drunkennesse may free the debter from being in Law lyable to pay the five hundreth Crowns but can never free him from being an unjust borrower and a profuse waster 3. The two Covenants of Works and of Grace standing its impossible that the active obedience of Christ can make us actively and inherently righteous or restore to us our lost innocency CHAP. III. How Christ suffered for us in our roome and place 2. He died not for all and every one 3. How many wayes Christ is said to die in our stead 4. The Lords so dying for all makes not all saveable nor the Gospel Preachable to all Nations 5. Christ died in the stead of the Elect. THe Lord Jesus hath a roome in each Covenant of Works and of Grace
as he is also the Author of this Covenant as God Exod. 3.6 It was he who said I am the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. 1 Cor. 10.9 Let us not tempt Christ as some of them tempted him and were destroyed of the Serpents And this is he who led them and brought them out of Aegypt Numb 21.6 7. whom they tempted in the wildernesse 5 6 7. And he ascribes to himself the Covenant Heb. 8.9 Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers c. And it is clear that the pardon of sin promised in the Covenant Jer. 31. Heb. 8. is never ascribed to the blood of Martyrs but every where to Christs blood Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Rom. 3.25 Rev. 1.5 1 Joh. 1.8 Heb. 9.14.14 15 22. Heb. 10.16 17 18. 2. That he is the Surety also of the Covenant is expresly said Heb. 7.22 and the Mediator thereof Heb. 8. Nor can it be said that the death of the Testator does properly give faith and authority to the Testament for the authority and justice of the just or unjust will of the Testator addeth unto or diminisheth from the authority of the Testament for the Testators will is the principal efficient cause of the Testament the death of the man is only a necessary condition by which the right of the Testator to these goods is transferred from him who now being dead needs them not in to friends to whom they are left in Legacie and so death is but an antecedent condition of the right to the goods 3. Christs dying to bear witnesse to his own Gospel is only the secondary end of his death in so far as secondarily remission of sins is made known to us after the principall end of his death to wit reconciliation remission pardon redemption and life is purchased to us by way of merit And sure the truth of pardon and redemption is hugely more confirmed and sealed by the whole company of the Martyrs and made known to the sons of men then by the death of one single man Maries Son Nor does the Scripture ever commend Christs love to us in sealing the Gospel with his blood as the only way to life or making this the most strong Argument to move us to beleeve in God and obey Christ because Christ died for sinners and rose again to make the Gospel true like and worthy to be beleeved as the Martyres do but love shined in this that in dying we have redemption and forgivenesse and life in his blood And since Godly and sound beleeving Martyrs died for this end especially to glorifie God and seal the truth Joh. 21.19 Rev. 2.13 Mat. 10.32 Luk. 12.8 Mar. 8.38 Luk. 9.26 2 Tim. 2.12 Rev. 12. â—1 we must have most properly forgivenesse of sins in the blood of Sâ—even and Antipas and the rest of the Martyres And miracles do aboundantly seal the truth of the Gospel And so doth the holinesse of profession Joh. 20.32 Mar. 16.20 Joh. 5.35 36. Matth. 5.16 but never are we redeemed justified saved by Christs and the Apostles miracles and holy life for any thing we read in Scripture but we have life by Christs blood as by a ransome a price to buy us Q. Hence 1. case May not the conscience be quiet by the way of Socinus which lays aside a ransome given to Justice Ans. The experience of the Godly man wakened in conscience saith to this when he is chastened with pain in his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain and the mans soul drawes â—ear to the gâ—ave and his life unto the destroyers and the man stands on need of an Interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his righteousnesse Job 33.19 20 21 22 23. Then God is gracious to him and saith deliver him from going down to the pit I have found him a ransome He is not quiet while God say my Prophet deliver him from hell and the pit which he so much fears for my offended Justice hath found a ransome in Christ and I am 〈◊〉 with him Yea and the conscience must be purged from 〈◊〉 works by his blood who offered himself without spot to God through the eternall Spirit Heb. 9.14 Yea and there is no remission of sins without sheding of blood v. 22. Not of Buls or Goats for the blood of beasts leaves still conscience of sin Heb. 10.1 2. Then it must be the blood of Christ v. 5.10 who was crucified and made a curse for us Gal. 3.10 such a curse as we must have eternally according to Divine Justice suffered Yea if works done by the exemplary grace of a Martyr such a holy man as Christ who was never wounded for our transgressions nor bruised for our iniquities then Christ died in vain and there was no ransome of blood given for our sins only God of free-will made an innocent man a curse and would have him crucified neither for his own sin nor for ours well then may good works without the blood of sinner or surety take away sin And the conscience sprinkled with good works may well calm a guilty conscience yea and according to the measure of good works is the measure of assurance of peace with God Now we see the most tender David Job Hezekiah Heman who walked most with God have not alway most assurance of peace and righteousnesse with God but most dreadfull doubtings of conscience according as by faith they apprehend the ransome of full satisfaction or were dazled and darkened in their apprehension yea sure without the ransome of blood of free-will all receive a dry and unbloody pardon by doing the Commandements of Jesus Christ. The Socinian faith which looks to an exemplary Martyr whom God of no justice but in vain and for no cause delivered to death but of meer free pleasure whereas there might be and is forgivenesse without shedding of blood contrair to Heb. 9.22 Rom. 3.24.25 c. even good works done in imitation of Christ. Q. 2. Another case is here Is Christ on our side of the Covenant and on the Lords side This would seem no satisfying of justice Ans. It is true the case would seem no quieting of conscience If 1. Christ-God were not the same offended God who out of soveraignty of free grace doth condescend to make a Covenant of grace and so is upon Gods side 2. If Christ were not a Person different from offended God as the Godhead is common to all the three so in a voluntary and admirable dispensation and Oeconomie the Kings Son a Person different from the Father taketh upon him our nature And 3. having mans nature which offended and so being fit therein to satisfie wrath and fit therein to merit to sanctifie the people with his own blood might well be upon our side and there 's no scenick no seeming but a most reall satisfaction here in that there is a most full and reall compensation made to offended justice and our faith laying hold on
end in all the Articles of the Covenant of Redemption so fear not JEHOVAH cannot break off the Treaty with his Son nor can Christ be left unsatisfied 6. The Lord promises help to Christ against his enemies Psal. 89.21 With him my hand shall be established mine arm also shall strengthen him There be many against Christ but he hath a divine furniture of strength Hence protection is promised to him in the discharge of his Office Isai. 49.2 In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me and made me a polished shâ—fâ— in his quiver hath he hid me The outlettings and manifestations of strength and furniture that is in the â—ead redoundâ— to a seasonable supplie of all his afflicted ones that they shall not be overwhelmed 7. Victory is promised to Christ over all his enemies The Lord will not leave his soul in grave Psal. â—6 10 Therefore saith the Lord speaking Covenant-wayes Isai. 53.12 will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death He shall triumph over principalities and powers Col. 2.15 Luk. 11.22 and shall make all his enemies his footstool and subdue them so that he shall fill the pits with the dead bodies Psal. 110.1 6. and plague all his enemies Gen. â—â— 3 Psal. 89 2â— I will beat down his foes before his face and plague them that hate him It supports not a little our faith that when we tremble before temptations from Satan and the mighty of the world the Lord hath written Covenanted to Christ all his and our enemies destruction Our turning away our eye from the Covenant is the cause why we succumb Christ under his sorest assault with hell and hels pursevants and officers devils and the felt anger of a forsaking God dowbles his grips on the Covenant my God my God Psal. 22.1 Mat. 27. O my Father Mat. 26. Psal. 89.26 He shall cry to me my Father my God A Covenant is as it were more then a promise being a solemn promise in condiscension of mercy So the Church Psal. 89.38 39. and Jer. 14.21 and the afflicted people Isa. 63.16 and Dan. â— 9.4 5 6. Ezra 9.6.10.15 Hezekiah in a day of rebuke Isa. 37.16 20. the slain Church Psal. 79.9 Psal. 80.1 flee to this shoar in their stormes and the Lord professes he will be broken intreated and holden by his Covenant Lev. 26.41 42. 8. There is a promise of glory of a Name above all names made to Christ for his sufferings Psal. 16.9 10 11. Isa. 53.12 Act. 5.31 and to such as suffer with him and overcome Luk. 22.29 30. Rev. 3.21 Rev. 2.10 As also he shall bear all the glory of his Fathers house Isa. 22. Zech. 7.13 9. The Lord promiseth forbearing mercy to the children of Christ if they sin he will correct them in measure and in a Fatherly way give them repentance but not remove the Covenant-mercy So hath the Lord Covenanted and articled in the writ with his Son a rod to children to difference them from bastards Heb. â—2 And â—e that hath hiâ— fire in Zion and his furnace in Jerusalem writes this up as a Covenant-mercy that he will not suffer them to perish with the world Hence the rods of the wicked stand booked in the Covenant of Works among the curses of the book of the Law Lev. â—6 Deut. 28.15 16 17 c. our rods are Covenanted mercies in the compact between the Lord and Christ and written in the Gospel-book of the Covenant of Grace 10. All the promises of the Gospel are first as it were promised to Christ the Gospel is put over in his hand Jesus is the Angel Rev. 10.1 châ—aâ—hed with a Cloud and a Rain-bow on his head v. 2. And hath in his hand a little book open the Testament and the book of all the promises to dispense them to such as the Father hath given to him to give his Spirit to his own to interceed and advocate for them to ratifie and seal them with his blood 11. There is promised to him an head-ship and power of judgment over man and Angels with an oath that to him all knees shall bow Rom. 14.11 Isa. 45.23 Phil. 2.10 and that he shall adde his seal to Gospel-hell and vengeance inflicted upon the despisers of the Gospel Luk. 19.14 Mat. 26.64 The threatnings against Gospel unbeleef are put in the hands of Christ not as Redeemer and Surety but as a refused Surety and King whom unbelievers will not have to raign over them 12. Adam brake the whole frame of heaven and earth and to the Second ADAM the whole broken and marred lump of the Creation is promised that he may be the repairer of the waste places Isa. 49.8 I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherite the desolat heritages Ps. 72.16 Under the raign of the Messiah There shal be an handfull of corn upon the top of the mountains the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon Jer. 31.12 Therefore shall they come and sing in the height of Zion and shall flow together for the goodnesse of the Lord Christ for wheat and for wine and for oyl and for the young of the flock and of the herd 1. The Lord made all things at the beginning very good Gen. 1.31 Heaven Earth Sun Moon Beasts Birds c. being all made servants to man were in a manner fellow-Covenanters in their kind with man in the Covenant of Works As a King covenants with a great Family his servants and dependers have the benefite of the Kings Covenant-peace all obeyed Adam without jarring but when Adam sinned war between the Lord and between the Master and the servants is denounced the earth is cursed for his sake Genes 3.17 18. and Lions and wild Beasts rise against him like loose borderers But in the Covenant of Grace Hos. 2.18 19 20. the beasts of the field the fowls of the heaven the Sun which shall not smite by day nor the Moon by night Ps. 121.6 are by the Surety of the Covenant brought in a new league yea the stones of the field Job 5.23 are compartners of the peace and Christ the King takes off the forefaultry upon all and looses the arrestment of vanity that by sin was laid upon the Creation which was made sick like a woman travelling in birth Rom. 8.20 21 22. Hence are they blessed in Christ to the Saints Deut. 28.4 5. Levit. 26.4 5 6. and the Angels come in under their Head Christ Col. 2.10 and serve the new restored heirs Heb. 1.13 for their Heads sake 2. God hath appointed Christ the Heir of all things and Heb. 1.2 hath given a Charter to Christ and put in bread garments houses and all to the Believer in Christ the first Heir his great evidence is 1 Cor. 3.21 All things are yours 3. He makes all things new Rev. 21.5
act of the free-will grace and infinit wisdome of GOD be added to make good the assumption How the promises are to be beleeved and how in them we are to beleeve both the equity and event of the promises if the condition be performed and how the difference must be made between them and the threatnings The promises as annunciated and as made The Gospel promises to the Reprobate are legal how The Law-threatnings to the Elect are Evangelick and how The elect non-converted how they are not under Law-wrath The Elect non-converted bear no part of the Law-curse but CHRIST bare all Remission of sins and life eternal under the Old Testament Faith is made a cause of satisfaction for sin by all who hold that CHRIST gave a satisfactorie ransome for all and every one Elect and Reprobate Conditionall payment made for the sins of Judas is no payment at all Accepting or not accepting assenting or not assenting to the payment are not causes of the sufficiency of the payment made to justice The formal reason why God accepts of CHRISTS satisfaction is the intrinsecal sufficiency of it and why he accepts it for Peter not for another is the free election of grace How the satisfaction of Christ is refuseable how not Faith a condition of applying the satisfaction only God may accept the satisfaction of Christ without any condition required on our part The conditionall decree of Adams living if he should doe the Law was not predestination to eternall glorie How Adam was chosen to glory in Christ how not The heathen have not universall Grace The high and deep Soveraignty of God is against universall Grace Gods Covenanting with us is a gracious condiscension The errors in temptations which wee create from surmises that we are not chosen to life eternall Better faith view God Christ as self Unbelief quarrels at God and but pretends self sinfulnesse How to beleeve conditionall promises Beings and not beings are debtors to the glory of God All not beings are under the positive decree of God Our pains and sufferings are debters to the glory of God There is more self-denyall in the lifeless and unreasonable creatures in their Covenant of nature theÌ„ in man A threefold consideration of man in reference to a Covenant The Covenant naturall the Covenant in its positives of diverse considerations God neither by necessity of nature either rewardeth obedience or punisheth 〈◊〉 A naturall conscience may and doth know that GOD doth good freely to his creature but it followeth not that God doth good to his creature for that by necessity of nature Communion with GOD in Glory is a reward not due by nature but by the free gift of GOD to the most perfect law-obedience Arminius in Colla. cum Francis Junio ad propos â—2 pag. 547. Anselmus de redemptione certe Domine quia me fecisti debeo amori tuo meipsum totum imo tantum debeo amori tuo plus quam me ipsum Quantum tu es major me pro quo dedisti teipsum cui promittis teipsum Anselm Monolog 40. quid enim summa bonitas retribuet amaâ—ti desideranti se nisi seipsum No merit can wone God for he is greater nor our work Bradward de causa Dei lib. 1. c. 39. p. 343 lit E. It is not just that God shuld reward Adams obedieÌ„ce with life before God made it just Man can never come from under an obligation to his Creator and Redeemer God falls in no sort from his natural dominion though he punish not sin by necessity of nature God should have a perfect dominion over maÌ„ though he had imposed no penall but only rewarding or remunerative lawes upon him The Lords dominion over man is without Scripture or reason restricted to penal Laws Si enim lex talis non seratur necessariò possibile esset ut vel Deus jure suo naturali Dominio in creaturas caderet sic non esset DEVS vel stabilito isto jure creaturam ci non esse subditam Quod implicat contradictionem nam intercisâ obedientiâ quod fieri potuit factum est dependentia moralis creaturae rationalis à Deo illa nullo modo continuari potest nisi per poenam 〈◊〉 Jam verâ— egressus necessarios constituentes non negamus Deum tamen eam libere exercere It s not feazable without a contradiction to say God punisheth sin by necessity of nature and yet in the way measure and time of punishing he is free Suarez in opusc de justit Dei Sect. 2. 〈◊〉 9. fig. 352. God loves defends by necessity of nature his essentiall but not his declarative glory God loves defends the glory of his pardoning mercy no less then the glory of his revenging justice and if he love the one by necessity of nature he must also love the other The place Isa. 42.18 I will not give my glory to another vindicated The Scripture speaks for the most part of the Lords declarative glory God by necessitie of nature should procure his declarative glory and so by that necessitie create the world redeem man if by that necessitie he should love and defend his declarative Glory God must by necessitie of nature hinder the existeÌ„ce of sin and by the same necessitie seek his legislative Glory if he love it as he loves himself by necessitie of nature God might never have intended his glory declarative because if so it had pleased him he might never have made the world If God punish sin by necessity of justice hee must punish Adam and all his sons in their persons by necessity of justice deny them a Saviour The necessitie of declaring the righteousnesse of God in either punishing the sinner Adam or the surety Christ makes not God to punish by necessity of nature The glory of God the manifestation of his glory to Angels and Men are much different Declared glory and fundamental glory are different Qualis enim amor iste esse potest quem in ea re qua nihil opus fuit DEVS ostendit The freedom of punishing sin is objected by Socinus as contrair to the necessitie of reall satisfaction Grace and the measure of it is to be humbly looked on Being life and self are undeserved favours It is mercy that GOD rewards our obedience An admirable soveraignty in the standing of Angels and in the fall of man Gifts and habits of saving grace cannot keep creatures on foot The humbling thoughts that God needs not men nor their service nor any creature shuld take us up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secret in us after actings of Grace No creature can give to God Reasons why none can give to GOD from that excellent passage of David 1 Chro. 29 1â— 12. What dominion the state or communitie hath over private men Such as refuse to give self for God shall be plucked out of their place The unity of such as boast of the proud pronouns my and self Created
'le heal him Prov. 6.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to delve to plow inde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that worketh either on iron of timber Why we are more ashamed of uncleannes and falshood theÌ„ of pride Characters of sinfull stoninesâ—e of heart against God Of the morall concurrence â—f the word to the act of infusion of a new heart Job 9.20 Pro 28.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To be made narrow to be pressed in body or minde to afflict to vex Gen. 32.7 straitening was on Iacob by a Metalepsis it is to frame by pressing or keeping straight as Potters frame a vessel Hence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jotsâ—r a potter Eze. 11.13 The 〈◊〉 and unreasonable imaginations of the heart and the atheism thereof A heart delighted with God is the work-house of CHRIST A whole and enteer heart Half a sincere faith is no faith A fixed heart D. Prâ—â—â—on Some new heart or new spirit is an old heart Cant. 3 3. Cant. 5.7 A wel keeped heart is a new heart New affections what they are The necessitie of Works by the Law of faith an old question in the Church Our mistakes of Works of Grace of VVord of God of the works of God It s grace to close with all sorts of commaÌ„ds Galaenus de usupartuum Alphonsus decimus rex Castellae Melius ordinatiusque singula conderentur Pamphlet printed an 1647. p. 31. Luther Gal. 5. In libello de votis Monasti Chemn Loc. Com. de bonis oper cap. 1. qu 3. pag. 21 22. Confess August Apol art 20. Docent nostri quod necesse sit bona opera facere non ut confidamus per ea gratiam merâ—ri sed propter voluntatem Deâ— lib. 6. Concor p. 666. Some necessarie distinctions touching the necessity of Evangelick works Faith thogh weak justifieth Bruised Reed pag. 107 108. The right faith gives to life it justifieth not as Law-obedience The fulfilling of the condition of the Covenant of grace cannoâ— justifie as the fulfilling of the condition of the Covenant of Works shuld have justified The right of redempâ—ion is not ours by Evangelick doing as the place Rev. 22.14 mistaken is exponed by some By Christ dying we obtaine right to life and to Christ not by works Via ad regnum non causa regnaâ—â—i There cannot be a perfection in our faith and Evangelick works in order to the Gospel more then to the Law to justifie us If faith works concur jointly as causes of our justification neither can James deny truely that we are justified by faith nor Paul that we are justified by works English Divines Annot. on Jam. 2. Believing and faith Jam. c. 2. v. 21 23. must be believing and working faith The faith which Jam. excludes from justification is not the faith that Paul speaks of Rom. 3. Gal. 3. but a bastard faith only See Cartwright see D. Fuilk against the Jesuites of Rhems Jam. 2. Stapleton de sola fide justificante l. 8. c. 9. haec autem fides siue charitate mortua est Jam. 2. seu ficta hypocritica 1 Tim. 1. quantum ad perfectae justitiae vitam veritatem non autem quantum ad sâ—ipsâ—m sibique propriam virtutem c. Lorin Commen in Jac. 2.26 Sicut enim corpus non fit comparatio cum homine mortuo 〈◊〉 cum corpore nam homo mortuus non potest proprie vocari homo sed corpus mortuum est propricâ—â—tâ—pus Quo etiam pacto fides siue operibus est vere fides litet mortua Nec saâ—is placet 〈◊〉 addit Cajâ—tan in Comment fidem sine operibus mortuam quoniam opera sunt concomitantia 〈◊〉 Estius Com non comparat Apostolus fidem mortuam cum homine mortuo sed â—um corpore mortâ—â— sicut ergo corpus mortuum est vere proprie corpus ita fides mortua vere proprie fides est Expressions of a lively faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Inniti herere recumbere est corporis 2 King 5.18 7.2 The Lord answered upon whose hand the King leaned Gen. 1â— 4 leane down under the tree 2 Chro. 14.11 〈◊〉 cryed to the Lord help us help us for we 〈◊〉 upon thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aspexit cum delectationes cum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est inniti recumbere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 silere tacere Ezek. 27.17 Ps 131.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Kal. 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 amore 〈…〉 bitumine â—njunctis Shimler in Lexico 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Firmiter initi unde sumitur pro securum esse â—o quod conâ—fidentiam sequatur securitas oppoâ—nitur dubitationi Est inaliquo spes omnes sic reâ—ponere ut secure quiesâ—at animus adversus omnia pericula res arduâ—s suscipere audeat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A summo ad imum deâ—olvit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Innixus conjunctus vicinus fuit confirmavit staâ—ilivit Saving faith noteth farre other lively acts then can be in the faith of hypocrites James speaks of reall justification before God but under the notion as declared and manifested to men to the conscience of the so justified Remonsteâ— Apol. c. 10· fol. 13 col 2. Jacobum de justificationis declaratione non loqui docent verbâ— ipsa Quis enim adeo vâ— cors est qui cum Apostolo contendere voluerit an homo declaretur justus ex fide fides enim quatenus fiducia est distincta ab operibus pietatis non est nisi in cordâ— homâ—â—is Theologia enim eorum non patitur credere hoc verum esse nam ne de operibus ipsis constare potest an sint bona opera non enim possunt esse bona nisi ex fide fiâ—â—t ex fide enim fieri non modo non potest alteri declarari sed ne illi ipsi id constare potest qui ea facit Quia reprobus illa eadem opera praestare potest Trelcatius senior de Justifica 1. Class Arg. 373. Paulus per quod homines credentes justificantur coram DEO docet Jâ—cobus quo modo justificari cognoscantur 2. Paulus fide verâ solum nos justificaris Jacobus quanam sit vera illa fides ab effectis probat 3. Paulus huic verae fidei tribuit justificationem sine operibus ut causis justificationis Jâ—cobus fidei fictae detrahit hanc vim contra veram probat ab effectis veris 4. Paulus negat bona opera praecedere justificandum Jacobus dicit ea justificatum sequi 5. Paulus à causis justificationis ad effecta discendit quibus detrahit coram Deo vim justificandi ut in solidum id tribuat Dei gratiae Christi merito Calvin Instituti li. 111. c. 17. n. 11. Iucidunt in duplicem Paragolismum Alterum in justificationis alterum in fidei vocabulo Tu credis inquit quod Deus est sane si nihil en istâ fide continetur nisi ut credatur Deum esse jam nihil mirum est si non justificet nec vero dum