trembling Phil. 2.12 He then will work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure ver 13. Must we be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 holding fast our confidence firm to the end Heb. 3.6 being faithful unto death Rev. 2.10 and not drawing back lest his soul should have no pleasure in us Heb. 10.38 He therefore hath promised that he will establish us 2 Thes 3.3 and make us fruitful Joh. 15.2 and perfect his own good work in us untill the day of the Lord Jesus Phil. 1.6 and keep us by his power 1 Pet. 1. that we may not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 10.28 From first to last you see we are indebted to Divine Grace for what we do All our works if good are begun and carried on and perfâ—cted by the assistance of the Sacred Spirit And therefore when we have done all we cannot plead desert or merit from any of our actions but still are bound to make Paul's humble acknowledgment 1 Cor. 15.10 By the grace of God I am that I am And not I that laboured so abundantly but the grace of God that was with me Not I that repented and believed and became obedient and holy and fruitful in every good word and work continuing stedfast and unmoveable to the end Not I that did this by vertue of my own natural abilities no but by the aid and assistance of Divine Grace not by might nor by power from nature and reason but by the spirit of the Lord. And in this sense I suppose we are to understand that saying of some Divines that God stands engaged for both parts of the Covenant Engaged first by promise to justifie and save sinners if they repent and believe c. and next also to give repentance and faith by assisting them thereunto that they may be justified and have eternal life And so it may be no contradiction to say that the same thing may be both a benefit and a condition of the same Covenant As he that in the same Indentures wherein he binds his Tenant to repairs may also promise to furnish him with Brick and Morter and other materials for the work Thus faith and repentance are here commanded in the Covenant of Grace and so they become conditions on our own part to be performed But withal strength and assistance is promised enabling us to repent and believe and so they become benefits on Gods part to be given and on ours to be received But still it is to be remembred that Gods promise doth not null our duty nor his assistance supersede our endeavours but necessarily suppose and more strongly enforce them For as we can do nothing without God so he will do nothing for us without our selves 'T is he saith the Apostle that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure in the place before mentioned Phil. 2.13 What then Must we therefore sit still and do nothing Only take our ease and stretch our selves upon beds of Ivory and dream our selves into Abrahams Bosom No we must therefore so the Apostle in the same place argues work about our own Salvation with fear and trembling As 't is still the Tenants duty to repair the ruines of his house though his Landlord hath and indeed therefore the rather because he hath been so kind as to promise sufficient supplies for the building Thus much I thought necessary to add upon this argument that I might vindicate the conditionality of the Covenant from such exceptions as have been made against it and evidence the amicable agreement there is betwixt this doctrine and that of free Grace and sufficiency of Christs righteousness and satisfaction And would Men but be perswaded to lay aside their prejudices and to weigh things in an even ballance Would they as now instructed rightly state their notions of Christs righteousness and free Grace according to the rules and measures of the Gospel and not by the imaginary and unwarrantable sentiments of the carnal and uncatechised world Would they duly distinguish betwixt the causes and conditions of their Salvation which are vastly different and ought not therefore to be confounded that Jesus Christ may still be owned as the sole cause and Author of it and faith and repentance c. only as the necessary means without which it cannot be had Would they observe the order in which the several conditions of the Covenant are to be applied first faith and repentance for the obtaining of pardon and then holiness and obedience for the compleating and continuing our right to eternal life according to the order in which they are dispenced to sinners Would they also duly inform themselves in the nature of true happiness and what a near alliance holiness and obedience have to it that formally consisting in our likeness and conformity to God and these being that whereby we become actually like and conformable to him Would they in the last place to all add the assistance that God by his holy Spirit affords us for the performance of all these duties he requires of us Nothing being done in our own but all by his strength and agency Would Men I say thus distinctly weigh and consider things before they pass sentence upon the Doctrine herein delivered their objections against it would I am confident soon be answered and their scruples removed and their judgments convinced that there is nothing said that doth in the least either contradict or prejudice the Doctrine of Gospel free Grace or derogate from the sufficiency of Christs righteousness Nothing that doth as some have said speak the language of Bellarmine or Socinus or any way favour the opinions of any other who are justly censured as enemies to the Grace of God in Christ Jesus It is true the Church of Rome pretends much to good works and cries them up as the Ephesians sometimes did their great Goddess Diana and muchwhat upon the same design But alas what are those works they so zealously contend for A little bodily exercise and superstitious will-worship Masses and Dirges and Pilgrimages and Ave-Marys and abstinences and whippings and the like But for that which the Apostle calls the power of godliness and life of God that is little preached and less practised by them And yet these works as inconsiderable as they are they call by the name of satisfactions and make them both the matter of their justification before God and the meritorious cause of their own Salvation For according to their Doctors we are justified by works confession charity giving of alms c. as well as by faith in Jesus Christ and may be saved yea and by I know not what redundancy of desert in our good works help to save others too by our own merits The improvement say they of our own natural abilities deserves Grace ex congruâ— and the improvement of Grace so gained merits glory ex condigno This in short is the
the disproportion is much greater Bâ—twixt a mite and millions a small fee and a Kingdom though the difference be very large and wide yet there is still some proportion betwixt them they are both finite and so agree in the same common notion and predicament of beings but here the different terms are so far distant as not to admit of any comparison There the difference lies only betwixt finite and finite but here betwixt finite and infinite Oâ—r obedience that is only finite but our reward infinite that is temporal but this eternal We serve God only for a moment but we are made happy for ever Now betwixt finite and infinite temporal and eternal there can be no proportion And where there is no proportion betwixt the work and the reward there can be no desert For whatever we receive either it must be an act of Justice or an act of bounty that gave it to us If an act of Justice there the only rule and standard is proportion That every Man may have as we say in our English Proverb a peny-worth for a peny wages agreeable to his work This is the true and proper notion of Justice But in acts of bounty there the rule and measure of acting is only the good will and pleasure of the Agent and not the worth or merit of the person that receiveth Since therefore the giving of eternal life to sinners upon terms of Faith and Obedience cannot possibly for the reasons already given be deemed a meer act of Justice it necessarily follows that 't is still an act of free Grace and bounty To make this yet more plain take this familiar instance He that sets a poor Man to work and at night pays him his ordinary wages he is just you will say but not bountiful and therefore upon this account there is no great thanks owing to him since the poor Mans sweat and labour was judged by common estimation to deserve it But he that imploies an indigent person for some few moments in his service and then gives him a thousand pound for his reward this man is to be accounted not meerly just but liberal and therefore notwithstanding some moments or hours service were required of him yet you would call it an act of free Grace and bounty and not of justice since so small a sâ—rvice could never deserve so rich a reward there being so little proportion betwixt them And surely then if we do but duly consider how much the disproportion is yet greater betwixt our obedience for a moment and infinite happiness to all eternity we cannot but acknowledge that notwithstanding all that 't is possible for any creature to do yet it can be no less than an act of free Grace and bounty in God to give us these eternal recompâ—nces Upon all these accounts then you see 't is evident that if the notions of free Grace and sufficiency of Christs satisfaction be rightly stated according to the Gospel there is nothing affirmed in any of the foregoing propositions that is either inconsistent with or really prejudicial unto either Not to the sufficiency of Christs satisfaction since notwithstanding all that hath been said it remains sufficent and effectual to all those ends for which it was by infinite wisdom designed and intended Nor to the free Grace of God in Christ since notwithstanding all our performances 't is undoubtedly free because undeserved But secondly 2. That we may further evidence the truth of this proposition we must here distinguish betwixt causes and conditions which if duly weighed will be found to be of very different considerations A cause is that by whose proper vertue and influence the thing is produced but a condition that without whose presence or concurrence the principal cause cannot well obtain its end or produce its effect as to some determinate actions Thus to make it plain by some familiar instances the Sun 't is the original cause and fountain of light but the opening of the windows that is the condition or medium by which the Sun transmits its light into the house And fire is the proper cause of heat but the air notwithstanding a necessary requisite without which it cannot burn Or to instance in moral concerns which are more direct to the thing in hand He that sells and makes over his estate to another upon the tender and receipt of a considerable sum of moneys here the money or valuable consideration given is the true and proper cause why this man parts with his estate and setles it upon another person But he now that makes over an estate suppose of some thousands by the year to some poor Man with this proviso only that he pay quarterly some small fee a Rose perhaps or a pepper-corn by way of acknowledgment of his bounty or else that he have no right to the revenues and profits of it Here the payment of this acknowledgment being consequent upon the grant and no way answerable to its just value is not the cause but the condition only of this gift The condition it 's true must be accepted and performed by this poor Man that he may be admitted to and continued in the quiet possession of this estate but still for all this the Donors free love and bounty is to be acknowledged the sole cause why this rich revenue and inheritance was setled upon him And can it then be any derogation to the free Grace of God or merits of Jesus Christ in bestowing eternal life upon heirs of wrath to allow faith and obedience to have the place of a medium or condition in that Covenant by which this life is made over to them Notwithstanding this Jesus Christ may be and is the only cause of our Salvation Heb. 5.9 'T is by vertue of his satisfaction and merits that we are acquit from the condemnations of the old Law and admiâ—ted to be heirs of Glory Thâ—se were the valuable consideration and purâ—hase money if I may so term them 1 Pet. 1.18 19. upon which the Father makes a new grant and conveighance of an inheritance incorrupâ—â—ble and undefiled and that fades not away to the degenerate Sons of Adam Yâ—a but so still as that repentance and faith c. are to be acknowledged the conditions the small fee and homage upon the rendering of which the possession of this inheritance is put into their hands and secured to them and this we may do without fear of offering the least injury or prejudice either to the perfection of Christs righteousness or the freeness of divine Grace It 's true indeed to admit of these or any thing else but Jesus Christ to be the meritorious and procuring cause of Mans Salvation that is not only a little to eclipse but totally to extinguish the Glory of free Grace and plainly to deny the sufficiency of Christs satisfaction But to make them only mediums and conditions without which they will not be effectual to save us this may be very well consistent with
in God and Jesus Christ expresly commanded in Scripture And is not that properly to be called obedience which falls under an express command no less than any other duty in Christianity And if faith be obedience is not obedience then and faith all one This is that invincible argument that is brought to prove faith and obedience to be one which Scripture you see before makes two By this way of reasoning repentance and love to our neighbour and sobriety and godliness c. are all the same and not to be distinguished All duties but one duty and all graces but one grace All is faith all believing because all commanded Nay our very engaging and Covenanting to obey God in all things is also enjoined and yet shall there be no difference betwixt obedience and promising to obey betwixt a bond and present payment betwixt entering into Covenant and performing Covenants 'T is one thing for a Wife to promise as usually they do when married to love and honour and obey her Husband and another thing actually to love and honour and obey him One thing for a rebellious Subject to submit himself to the mercy of his Prince and engage himself by oath to be Loyal and another thing for him to live in all due subjection to his Laws and Government And in this mainly lies the difference betwixt faith and obedience That is our entering into Covenant with God and this our performance of Covenant That our taking Christ for our Husband and this our loving and honouring and obeying of him as we then engaged That our submitting our selves to the clemency and goodness of God and this our living in a due observance of all the righteous Laws and Statutes of his Kingdom And thus indeed faith it is the first entrance upon or beginning of obedience as a point is the beginning of a line or unity of number which yet no one takes to be the same but different things and accordingly calls them by different names And indeed who knows not if they may be allowed to know any thing that differ from these mens sentiments that things which agree in their general notions may yet be vastly different as to their particular and specifick natures Diamonds and flints agree in this that they are both stones And Stars and clods of earth in this that they are both natural bodies And men and beasts in this that they are both animals both living creatures And yet who will say that a Diamond is a Flint or a Star a clod of Earth or Man a Beast Are these therefore the same because they agree as faith and obedience in their common notions and is there no difference betwixt them Nay since that wherein they differ is more considerable than that wherein they agree therefore in naming things we take little or no notice of their general agreement but denominate them according to their specifick differences We do not call Men animals but reasonable creatures Nor Diamonds stones but Dianonds Nor Stars bodies but Stars And for the same reason we do not call believing obedience but faith And as things are most properly denominated from their particular not general natures so also are all effects and operations belonging to them ever ascribed to them under the same notion Thus discourse and reason is appropriate to Man not as he is an animal but as he is a reasonable creature And splendor and value to Diamonds not as they are stones but Diamonds and influence to the Stars not as they are natural bodies but as they are Stars And therefore we properly say that the Star shines and not the body and the Diamond sparkles and not the stone and Man discourses not the living creature And why may we not without canting by the same rules of undoubted reason ascribe justification to faith not as it is obedience which is its general nature wherein it agrees with repentance and justice and love to our neighbour c. but as it is properly a believing in or acceptance of Jesus Christ which is its specifick difference wherein it is distinguished from all other duties And why may we not say that fides quà fides faith as faith that is as it is an act receiving Christ and not as it is an act of obedience justifies As well as say that homo quà homo man as man speaks and reasons and not as he is an animal Where 's any thing of jargon or non-sense or mystical divinity in all this unless all that must now be called so that speaks not in plain English the language of Crellius and Socinus A Father suppose commands his Son to receive a sum of money for the payment of his debt that he may be discharged from the suits and arrests that are against him What is that now that properly pays the debt and discharges the Son Is it his act of receiving the money though commanded or the money that is received His receiving it indeed is necessary as a means and his duty as commanded but 't is the money only and not his receiving for which he is discharged So here our faith 't is necessary and 't is commanded but yet 't is not that but the satisfaction of Jâ—sus Christ for and upon the account of which we are justified That 's the money by which our debt is paid and we are discharged but faith is our actual receiving of it without which it could not have been ours In a word that is the cause and this the condition of a sinners justification before God But though faith obedience are not as hath been shewn so much the same but that they may be distinguished and differently considered in the business of justification neither are they so strangely different as some Men have imagined Since all our obedience is nothing else but the actual making good of our engagement and resolution in our first believing By faith we take Christ as offered in all his offices as Prophet Priest and King and by obedience we demean our selves towards him as those that have so taken him We hear him in all things whatsoever he saith unto us and make his word the rule and standard of our belief and practice as he is our Prophet And we go to God by him and seek for pardon and acceptance with God upon his account as he is our Priest And we fear and reverence him and live in a due submission to his Laws and discipline as heiâ— our King By that we marry our selves to Christ and by this we love and honour and obey him as our Husband By that as was said before we receive him and by this we walk in him as we have received him So that all our obedience 't is vertually though not actually included in our first solemn act of believing as all conclusions are in their principles and all our performances of Covenant in our voluntary subscribing and sealing to it and therefore 't is impossible that these two however
Doctrine of Rome in this particular And as to same others who also plead for the necessity of holiness and righteousness though they in great measure reject the Popish works and wholly disclaim any merit by them and possibly acknowledge Christs satisfaction though since they speak some of them so darkly and undervaluingly of it that may be questioned Yet the efficacious influences of the Sacred Spirit for their assistance in the performance of those acts of righteousness they plead for are not so much acknowledged by them the creature being thought sufficiently instructed with power from nature and reason to repent and believe and obey c. according to the pleasure of his own will And though they seem much to advance the Soveraignty of God over the creature whilst they ascribe to God nine hundred ninety and nine degrees of power and but one of an hundred only to Man yet in conclusion the matter comes to this that this one single degree of power in the creature may and doth at pleasure baffle and defeat and put to flight and triumph over those 999. which are in God i. e. The creatures weakness is stronger than Gods power In short if the question be asked them who made thee to differ The answer will be Ego meipsum But is there any thing said in this whole discourse that lays any foundation for these opinions or that doth so much as add one stone to the building Are our own works any where affirmed to be either the matter of our justification or the meritorious cause of eternal life Or that our duties are performed by our own natural strength without the effectual assistance of the Spirit of God Where is nature and reason advanced above Grace or our own righteousness set up to justle Christ from his Throne and rob him of his Crown Is it not more than once affirmed and proved that holiness and obedience are not the causes but conditions only of our Salvation And that 't is impossible for any creature much less one that is degenerate to merit any thing at the hands of God And that we are justified not by works not by our holiness and obedience which follow justification as the payment of the rent doth sealing to the Indentures but by faith in Jesus Christ receiving him in all his offices And that the several duties of the Covenant are performed not by the sole power of nature but by strength received from the Spirit of God and by the daily supplies of his Grace So that we are doubly indebted to God first to his command to obey that and then to his Grace for enabling us to obey And will â—ny one that is not profoundly ignorant call â—his by the name of Popery and Pelagianism or have so much confidence as to â—ensure and condemn it as a Doctrine inâ—onsistent with the Grace of the Gospel and â—hat righteousness that is by Christ Is not â—his in Judes language to speak evil of â—hose things which they know not And â—o proclaim themselves unskilled in the words â—f righteousness and that Doctrine which is â—ccording to Godliness But suppose the agreement betwixt faith â—nd works Christs righteousness and our â—wn free Grace and the necessity of obediâ—nce in the business of Salvation could not â—fficiently be evidenced to our present reaâ—on must they therefore be exploded as abâ—â—rdities and untruths and things absoluteâ—â— irreconcileable We must then throw aâ—ay not only some of the greatest mysteries 〈◊〉 our Religion but many of the most eviâ—â—nt phenomena and appearances in Philosophy The influences of the Load-stone the ebbing and flowing of the Sea c. musâ— be rejected as fables and our senses no morâ— be credited in what they see since the manner how these things are done is not yet sufficiently understood and explained Thingâ— themselves we know are evident but the modes and manners of things are almost every where latent and unaccountable Thaâ— therefore which we have to do in all matterâ— of Divine faith and practice is only this duly to inform and satisfy our selves whaâ— God hath certainly revealed and made knowâ— to us as his mind and will concerning 〈◊〉 which being done and our minds being satisfied that God hath said it and that 〈◊〉 is the plain meaning of his words we arâ— then without any further debate to believe and do according to his word though possibly at present we cannot so well discoveâ— that mutual accord and agreement whicâ— there is betwixt those several truths revealeâ— by him The positive and plain conclusion of Scripture are humbly to be believed thougâ— they cannot be reconciled by us For this suppose will easily be granted by all as unquestionable That the will of God if wâ— certainly know it to be his will is the uâ—doubted rule and standard both of faith anâ— practice We must believe what 't is certaiâ— he hath revealed And we must do whaâ— 't is certain he hath commanded For the will of God is not to be disputed but obeyed And doth not the Apostle expresly tell us that this is the will of God even our sanctification 2 Thes 4.3 He that hath said he will blot out our transgressions for his own sake and remember â—ur sins no more Isa 43.25 he hath also â—â—id thâ—t we must repent and be converted â—hat our sins may be blotted out when the days of â—efreshing shall come from the presence of the â—ord Acts 3.19 He that hath said that â—e are justified freely by his grace through the â—edemption that is in Christ Rom. 3.24 he â—ath also said we are justified by faith ver â—8 and that we must believe that we may â—e justified Gal. 2.16 He that saith we â—â—e made the righteousness of God in Christ â—ho was made sin for us 2 Cor. 5.21 he also â—â—ith that except our righteousness speaking â—ere expresly of moral and personal righteâ—usness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes â—nd Pharisees we shall in no case enter into the â—ingdom of God Matth. 5.20 And he that â—ith we are saved by grace and not of our â—â—â—ves Eph. 2.8 and according to his mercy â—â—d not by works of righteousness which we â—â—ve done Tit. 3.5 he also saith that we â—ust work out our own salvation with fear and â—â—mbling Phil. 2.12 and that without hoâ—â—ess we shall not be saved Heb. 12.14 Is not all this plain and easy to him that will but understand God hath said it 'T is his will exprest in terms that we must repent and believe and be righteous and work about our own Salvation and follow after holiness that we may not perish but have everlasting life Who then shall shall dare to argue and dispute against it At least here is no ground you see for any humble and sober mind that is but sincerely willing to be governed by the Divine will so to do but rather seriously to apply himself to the performance of these duties that God hath so expresly injoined and made necessary to our Salvation The great reason therefore why men profess themselves so much offended with this Doctrine 't is not because it is or because they in truth believe it to be an enemy to the Cross and Grace of Christ but rather because it is an enemy to their lusts and passions and presumptuous neglects of God An enemy to their present ease and pleasure and worldly satisfactions the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eye and the pride of life An enemy to their false and carnal hopes and empty professions of Christianity Therefore it is that they thus condemn this Doctrine because otherwise they cannot justifie their own faith and practice that are so manifestly condemned by it They must have a cheap Religion Faith without works pardon without the trouble of repentance an Heaven without holiness and a free Grace to save them without obedience or else they are miserable and undone to eternity But be not deceived saith the Apostle God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall be also reap For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting Gal. 6.7 8. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8.13 For God will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile for there is no respect of persons with God Rom. 2.6 7 8 9 10 11. Be ye therefore steadfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 FINIS
to whom all the promises of the Covenant did belong and consequently that the rest of the Nations whom they termed Gentiles could have no lot or portion in this matter but were eternally excluded from all hopes of acceptance with God otherwise than by becoming Proselytes to the Religion of the Jews These were the two great things in debate betwixt the Apostle and the Jewish Rabbies viz. upon what account a sinner might be justified and saved and who were the persons whether Jews or Gentiles or both to whom the Promises of the New Covenant did belong To the first the Apostle makes this reply Gal. 2.16 that a man is not justified by the works of the Lw but by the Faith of Jesus Christ which he makes good to them by several Arguments which I must not now insist upon and particularly from the example of Abraham in whom they so much boasted He himself was justified by faith and not by works Gal. 3.6 And as to the second he proves to them First That they were not therefore to repute themselves the blessed Seed of Abraham and Heirs of the Promise because they were naturally descended from him and so had Abraham to their Father Rom. 9.7 The Seed of Abraham it was multiplex not one but divers one by Ishmael and another by Sarah Now if they were the Children of the Promise quà filii as they were the natural Sons of Abraham then Ishmael as well as Isaac and Esau as well as Jacob should have inherited the Blessing Yea but the Promise was not made to Seeds as of many but to one Seed only which he in this second place proves to be only such whether Jew or Gentile that should as Abraham did believe in Jesus Christ and do the works of Abraham Such as elsewhere 't is exprest that were Jews inwardly and whose circumcision was that of the heart and in the Spirit and not in the letter Rom 2.28 29. Such as were born of the Spirit and not of the Flesh Gal. 4.29 Such as are not only of Israel but Israelites indeed Rom. 9.6 Such as walked in the steps of the Faith of Abraham Rom. 4.12 These he tells them were truly and only to be reputed the Children of Abraham Gal. 3.7 and Heirs of the Promise Gal. 3.29 and the Seed of Abraham in the beginning of the same Verse and the Seed to whom the promise was made ver 19. of the same Chapter and therefore Children of the promise Gal. 4.28 Yea though they were Gentiles and of the most vile and despicable amongst the Gentiles Scythians and Barbarians yet upon believing they were to be owned for the Children and of the blessed Seed of Abraham Gal. 3.26 for there is no difference saith the Apostle to the Romans chap. 2.22 and 10.12 And if no difference no distinction and so still but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one Seed And consequently all the Blessings and Priviledges of the Covenant made with Abraham did equally belong to them with the Jews And 't is observable how much the Apostle both here and elsewhere labours in this argument v. 8. of this Chapter The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preached before the Gospel to Abraham saying In thee shall all Nations be blessed And ver 9. So then they which be of Faith are blessed with faithful Abraham And ver 13 14. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law c. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ And Rom. 3.29 30. Is he the God of the Jews only Is he not also of the Gentiles yes of the Gentiles also seeing it is one God which shall justifie the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through Faith which he prosecutes more at large chap. 4. ver 9 10 11 12 13.16 17. Thus you see how much the Apostle labours as his great design to demonstrate to the Jews that the Gentiles were included in the Promise made to Abraham and were to be blessed in and with him Yea but upon what account Why because they also were Children of the promise Gal. 4.28 and that Seed to whom the Promise was made Rom. 4.13.16 But how come they to be of his Seed being not of the stock of Israel Why by being of the Faith of Abraham Rom. 4.12.16 that is by believing in Jesus Christ Gal. 3.26 And from hence 't is clearly to be inferred that the Jews had no cause either to boast of their being the Children and Seed of Abraham unless with him they did believe or to exclude the Gentiles from being so if they did believe since 't was not Birth or Nation but Faith that entitled them to be his Seed Thus the Argument runs clear and is convictive But if by Seed here we understand Christ personal and not Christ mystical that is Believers in Christ his argument is neither proper nor conclusive at least not so evident and sutable to the Apostles main intendment in the words 2. This sense of the word is most agreeable to that account which we have here and elsewhere given of this Covenant made with Abraham The great thing promised in this Covenant was the giving of a Messiah in whom all the Nations of the World should be blessed Luke 1 68 69 c. And that by Faith in him their iniquities should be forgiven Rom. 4.7 8. and they justified Gal. 3.8 and freed from the curse ver 13. and receive the Spirit ver 14. and be admitted to the inheritance ver 18. and have righteousness and life ver 21. All which is said to be confirmed of God in Christ ver 17. of the same Chapter Now all these priviledges which are but so many branches of the Covenant they are here made expresly not to Christ but to Believers as the Seed of Abraham Nor can they any way possibly be applicable to Christ himself For he is the person here promised and therefore not the person to whom the promise is made The Father did not Covenant with Christ to give him Christ that 's a Position so absurd that the Reason of man can never give entertainment to it but to give him to Believers they are without doubt the parties to whom God engageth to give the Messiah And 't is as evident also that the several Blessings of the Covenant before mentioned were promised to them and not to him For had he any sins to be forgiven or was he to be freed from the Curse of the Law who therefore came into the World that he might bear the Curse for us or did he stand in need of an inheritance righteousness and life Since therefore the several particulars of this Covenant with Abraham are made over to him and to his Seed and since by his Seed in this place cannot be meant Christ the blessing therein promised being not compatible to him but to Believers it necessarily follows that by Christ in the Text we are to understand not Christ
the ends for which it is intended For since it hath only the place of a means as was said if you give it all that sufficiency and honour that is of right due and belonging to it when I assert it sufficient to its designed end though I deny it to be sufficent to many other purposes for which it never was appointed As he that saith â—he mortgage given for his security is well able to discharge the debt for which 't is engaged acknowledgeth all that is proper to be said of it Nor would it be thought any disparagement this being granted neither to the owner or to the security given to say that 't is not sufficient to pay such other debts and bonds for the payment of which it never was nor ever was intended that it should be obliged And so much by way of answer to the first objection But secondly 2. As the method of Gods saving sinners by Covenant in the sense before expressed it no diminution or prejudice to the all-sufficiency of Christs satisfaction and righteousness duely explained and understood so neither is it as pretended any way destructive or opposite to the doctrine of free Grace rightly stated according to the rules of the Gospel There is indeed a Free Grace which some Men vainly fancy to themselves to which I confess this doctrine is diametrically opposite but not to that which we have recommended to us in and warranted by the Scriptures But that this may be the more clearly evidenced and made good these five things must here be done 1. We must in the first place rightly state the notion of Free Grace 2. We must duely distinguish betwixt causes and conditions 3. We must take notice of that order in which the blessings of the Covenant are dispensed and in what order the Conditions of it are to be applied for the obtaining of them 4. We must inquire into and inform our selves aright concerning the nature of Salvation and happiness and see how the duties of Christianity stand related to it 5. And lastly we must not forget by whose strength and assistance all our duties are performed 1. We must here rightly state the notion and limits of Free Grace For herein lies the great errour of the World and that from which also arise those many dangerous mistakes that are concerning it They have wild and strange and unbounded conceptions and ideas of Gods Free Grace in their minds and therefore no wonder that they give us so bad a Comment of it in their lives and conversations For God to accept of their good wishes and desires as they call them though their lives are still wicked and unreformed And to pardon Sinners that have worn out all their dayes in carnal delights and pleasures and manifest rebellion against God only upon their crying out in the last moment of their lives Lord have mercy on them and receive their Souls And to be so pitiful and compassionate to his Creatures as not to damn or destroy them because he hath made them And to give them Heaven and Happiness for the sake of Christ though they never truly believed in him or seriously minded Heaven all their dayes or regarded to please God and live in obedience to his Law And bestow eternal recompenses upon them Kingdoms and Crowns of Glory though they have sate still all their time and never worked in the vineyard or fought in the battle or run in the race that was set before them This is that which generally Men call by the name of the Free Grace of God and by which they hope to be saved as well as others as well as the best as they commonly speak But is this indeed the Grace of God That which he assumes to himself as his Glory and which he hath revealed to us in the Gospel as the foundation of our Faith To pardon and save such I confess even the most impenitent and unbelieving and impure Sinners in the world the very Heirs of wrath and Sons of perdition this I grant would be Grace and free Grace too Yea but where have we any warrant or encouragement from the word to believe that there is any such Grace in God or Jesus Christ whereby such sinners shall be saved And yet might those be owned for the legitimate and true born notions of free Grace which the wild imaginations of Men may at â—leasure create to themselves it were easy to give a more large and extensive description of it To proclaim liberty to the captives now in Hell that are weeping and wailing and blaspheming God because of their torments And the opening of the prison to the Devil and his Angels that are bound in chains reserved for the blackness of darkness for ever And to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord to all the inhabitants of the earth that they all might be saved Jews and Turks and Pagans that none might perish tell me would not this be Grace and free too with an emphasis Yea but all Grace you see that we may fâ—ncy is not saving Grace Nor all that neither the Grace of God which we fondly imagine to be in God I have said all this to shew how much the generality of the world are mistaken in their conceptions of free Grace and what necessity there is to come to some stated and limited notions concerning it which must undoubtedly be such as may be worthy of God and suitable to the nature of a reasonable Creature Such as may be consistent with the infinite wisdom of God and holiness of his nature and truth and veracity of his word Such as may uphold the credit of his Laws and Government in the world and retain the Creature in his due subjection to and dâ—pendance upon his Maker Such also as may be agreeable to his Sons great design in dying and suffering for Mâ—n which was to mend and reform the world and to make Men holy and righteous and conformable to God and not to encourage them to sin and wickedness by their hopes of mercy and impunity These boundaries and limitations must necessarily be supposed to all the dispensations of Gods free Grace to the Creature since for God to act otherwise which is not to be imagined would be both dishonourable to himself and contradictory to the undertaking of his Son in redeeming the world Where by the way wee see how greatly they are mistaken who ascribe this free Grace to God under a pretence of giving the more honour to him when in truth nothing can be said more unworthy of him Suppose the Magistrate should set forth a Proclamation wherein he declares it to be his Royal pleasure that all that have been guilty of any crime whatsoever Murderers and Traytors and Rebells the worst and vilest of malefactors should without distinction be pardoned and set at liberty though they never humbled themselves to him or reformed their lives or promised allegeance to his person and Government but still persisted in their