And tells us P. 612. Our first coming to Christ is as a Coach is said to come to Town when it is but drawn to Town I shall make no further Remark on this than tell thee the Doctor distinguisheth not between what we are abstracted from the Spirit 's Influence and what we are by the Spirit 's Influence VVe are passive in effectual Vocation as that is God's Act on us but even then no Violence is offered to the VVill for the Mind dictates what it chooseth freely Under this healing VVork and that passiveness is not our coming to Christ but by the Effect of God's Act on the Mind and VVill we consent to the Call and that is our first coming and thereby we receive Christ and not before He is not forced on us but accepted from a Light that commends and a VVill that desires him VVhereas we come not a step whiles we do refuse and reject him Though I wonder why he speaks of any first coming against our VVills when his Principle is that we are united to Christ at latest in the Moment of Conception in the VVomb CHAP. XII Of Justification by Faith with a Digression about Repentance TRUTH I Have spoken of Justifying Righteousness chap. 7. Though Faith be no way a Meritorious Cause of a Sinner's Justification yet God hath promised to Justifie all such as truly Believe and requires Faith as an indispensible Qualification in all whom he will Justifie for Christ's Merits declaring That Unbelief shall not only hinder Mens knowing that they are Justified but that it is a bar to any Person 's being Justified while he continues an Unbeliever Reader Note 1. There is a Righteousness for which a Man is Justified This is only Christ's Righteousness This is the Foundation of the Promise and the Merit of the Blessing promised Nothing can add to it or mingle with it it 's sufficient and alone sufficient to satisfie Justice atone for Guilt and merit Acceptance and Life 2. There 's to be considered what the Condition of the Person is whom this Mercy is promised to He is one that hath this Grace of true Faith and exerts it into Act. This Grace is also required and commanded as indispensibly necessary to the Participation of Forgiveness Christ's Righteousness shall not be imputed to this use unless we believe And nothing shall hinder our Title to this Benefit if we do believe in Christ for the Promise is inviolable And this Faith being a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise some call it a Subordinate Righteousness not meaning any Righteousness for which Sin is forgiven for it 's Christ's Righteousness alone for which God Justifies us but it 's our answering that Rule by which Christ applieth his Righteousness for our Remission and a Right to Life and his Promise is the Ground of our Title Having premised these things for Explication of the Truth I proceed ERROUR The whole use of Faith in Justification is only to manifest that we were Justified before and Faith is no way necessary to bring a Sinner into a Justified State nor at all useful to that End Proved that this is the Dr's Opinion The Doctor p. 85. puts this Objection Is not Believing required to the Justification of the Ungodly Answ. An ungodly Person after he is Justified doth Believe But you will say It is an Act of Christ by Faith Ans. Then Christ doth not Justifie alone c. Nay I say more Christ doth Justifie a Person before he Believes c. He cannot believe that which is not and if he be not Justified before he Believes it he believeth that which is false but he is first Justified before he Believes then he believes that he is Justified The Doctor then asks But what doth Faith serve for He answers It serves for the Manifestation of that Justification which Christ put upon a Person by himself alone P. 86. We do not Believe that we may be Justified but because we are Justified P. 578. God doth add never a tittle of Pardon it self more to him that is a Believer than to that Person not yet converted to the Faith c. P. 597. I say Faith as it takes hold of Christ's Righteousness it doth not bring this Righteousness of Christ to the Soul but doth only declare the Presence of that Righteousness that was there even before Faith was He in that Page denies Faith to be so much as an Instrumental Cause of Justification In very many places he declares We are not Virtually but Actually Justified before Faith If thou ask when he thinks the Elect are Justified The Doctor tells us It 's from Eternity at Christ's death and the latest time is before we are born See p. 101 255 361 362 616 c. See more ch 1 2 3 11. Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not Whether Faith or any Grace be a jot of the meriting Righteousness for which we are Justified 2. Nor Whether Faith or any Grace add any thing to the Value of Christ's Merits These I deny yea I add That if Christ's Righteousness could be applied for Pardon to the vilest Sinner before he Believes it would Justifie him but God hath declared it shall not be applied to Unbelievers 3. Nor Whether we are Justified the same moment as we truly Believe in Christ and the Blessing is not suspended for any time longer This I affirm because God Justifies us by the Promise as his Instrument and this Promise declares that he will Justifie him that Believes It 's a Christ truly Believed in doth Justifie us and a Christ so Believed on cannot but Justifie us 4. Nor Whether an elect Person once Justified shall by Christ's care be kept in a Justified state 5. Nor Whether God hath decreed That the Elect shall certainly Believe and so be Justified 6. Nor Whether True Faith be an Infallible Sign of Justification These four last I do affirm Wherein the Real Difference is 1. Whether we are Justified before we Believe This the Doctor affirms and I deny 2. Whether the Use of Faith in Justification be only to manifest our Justification which we personally had before This the Doctor affirms and I deny and add That Faith Justifies us by receiving Christ and therein answers the Ordination of God who hath promised to Justifie the Believer by the Application of Christ's Righteousness in this gracious Effect of it upon the guilty Soul The Truth Confirmed What I have said chap. 1. Of the State of the Elect and chap. 11. Of the Necessity of Faith to Union with Christ and chap. 3 4 10. render Enlargement needless Yet I shall add 1. We are Justified by Faith is the common Language of the Holy Ghost Rom. 5. 1. Gal. 2. 16 c. What is it to be Justified by Faith if we are Justified before Faith It contributes to our being Justified or words express nothing in a case of the highest moment Rom. 3 20. God justifieth the Circumcision by Faith and the
as increase of Peace returns of Prayer Joy c. Truth Though neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works do make any Atonement for Sin or are in the least the meritorious Righteousness whereby Salvation is caused or for which this or any Blessing becomes due to us as of Debt yet as the Spirit of Christ freely worketh all Holiness in the Soul and enableth us to sincere Obedience and good Works so the Lord Jesus hath of Grace and for his own Merits promised to bring to Heaven such as are partakers of true Holiness perform this sincere Obedience and do these good Works perseveringly and appoints these as the Way and Means of a Believer's obtaining Salvation and several other Blessings requiring these as indispensible Duties and Qualifications of all such whom he will so save and bless and excluding all that want or neglect them or live under the Power of what 's contrary thereto viz. Prophaneness Rebellion and utter Unfruitfulness Errour Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation nor is Sanctification a jot the way of any Person to Heaven nor can the Graces or Duties of Believers no nor Faith it self do them the least Good or prevent the least Evil nor are they of any Use to their Peace or Comfort yea though Christ be explicitely owned and they be done in the Strength of the Spirit of God And a Believer ought not to think he is more pleasing to God by any Grace he acteth or Good he doth nor may Men expect any Good to a Nation by the Humiliation earnest Prayer or Reformation of a People Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion P. 41 42. The Doctor tells us Seeing all things are setled by Christ for us of free Gift all we do is for Christ himself I say that we do we do for Christ not for our selves If we do it for our selves we do but labour in vain if a Man will run a hundred Miles for Money if that Money be proffered to him before he step out of his House at his Door his Journey is in vain seeing he might have had it before he stept out of Door c. Christ comes and brings Justification loving Kindness and Salvation he lays them down presents them delivers them to the Heart when we are ungodly he enters into Covenant that we should become his What needs then all this Travel for Life and Salvation seeing it is here already But seeing we get nothing by it c. Obj. But sure the Doctor intends only That nothing we do can merit but not that they are not required as the requisite Means and VVay to obtain these Blessings A. The Doctor satisfies us he intends the last as well as the first P. 45. 46. I will note one thing before I go on to make clear this thing It is a received Conceit among many Persons that our Obedience is the Way to Heaven and though it be not say they the Cause of our Reign yet it is the Way to the Kingdom c. This he disapproves saying I must tell you all this Sanctification of Life is not a jot the Way of that justified Person unto Heaven c. The Truth is since Redemption is managed by Christ the Lord hath pointed out other Ends and Purposes for our Obedience than Salvation Salvation is not the end of any good Work we do P. 151 152. he puts this Objection We had as good sit still He that works all day and gets nothing more than he had in the Morning he had as good sit still and do nothing He answers Let me tell you the Prevention of Evil if there be reality of Evil in it and the obtaining of Good if there be reality of Good Peace of Conscience Joy in the Holy Ghost Pardon of Sin the Infallibility of Miscarriage the Light of God's Countenance All these I say which you aim at are abundantly provided for you and established firmly on you by the mere Grace of God in Christ before you do perform any thing whatsoever To what purpose do Men propose Ends to themselves which Ends are accomplished before their Proposition And to what purpose then do we propose to our selves the gaining of that to our selves in our Labour and Industry that is already become ours before we do a jot c. Must they now labour to gain these things as if it were referred to their well or evil Walking that as they shall walk so they shall speed c. The Lord doth nothing in his People upon Conditions in his People c. The Lord intends not that by our Obedience we shall gain something which in case of our Failing we shall miscarry of c. That they are to do they are not to do with any Eye to their own Advantage that being already perfectly compleated to their Hands before they do any thing but simply with an Eye to glorifie God and to serve their Generation and therein to serve the Lord c. When you do yield Obedience to God you go to Prayer and fall to Fasting to Weeping and Mourning and Self-denial Keeping the Sabbath Dealing righteously c. What is it you aim at in all this that God may do you good that God may be gracious that God may speak Peace to your Spirits then it follows that Life is that in your Eye that puts you on that which you do c. This is the Righteousness of the Law P. 13. Let Subduing of Sin alone for Peace P. 73. While you labour to get by Duties you provoke God as much as in you lies Obj. But though Holiness or Obedience do not profit us as to saving Good may they not bring us some Good or other Ans. The Doctor tells us No P. 150. I must tell you there is not any Duty you perform when you have attained the highest Pitch that hath any Prevalency and Availableness to produce to bring forth any though the least Good to your selves I say it again there is nothing you can do from whence you ought to expect any Gain to your selves by doing it The Doctor speaks the same as to the Uselessness of Reformation to a Kingdom P. 235 236. But if a Soul get under full sail filled with a stiff Gale of the Spirit when Floods of Meltings flow from it if they can cry mightily and be somewhat exact in observing practical righteous Means to mourn and pray lustily being helpt by the Spirit therein then such Exercises will do Wonders hereby Persons shall get Pardon settle Spiritual Civil and Natural Healings with National such Courses some will think will turn away Gods Wrath c. But he tells us in that Page though these be done by Persons being in Christ though thus assisted by Christ's Spirit though Christ be explicitely owned as the Author of such Assistance the Righteousness so assisted hath no efficacy at all to obtain any thing of the Lord c. So P. 425 426 124 125 24. His common Phrase is
Our Spirits witness in the light of the Spirit as 1 Cor. 9. 1. My Conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost 5. A Testimony of the Spirit giving an Evidence of Pardon without any Evidence of Grace is not according to the Word of Grace for the Word of Grace never declareth any Sinners are pardoned but believing penitent Sinners It is not as mere Sinners the Word pardoneth for it flatly condemneth and leaves Guilt on all impenitent Unbelievers as I have proved chap. 8. 12. Therefore if there should be a Voice a true Voice of God carrying it 's own Evidence saying Thy Sins are forgiven it doth at the same time and by the same Voice witness to the truth of our Grace because he forgives no other according to the Word of the Gospel And if the Spirit should say to an impenitent Soul Thou art pardoned while such it is no Promise in the Gospel nor according to it but a new Promise and not to be tried by the VVord and the Writers thereof having had more of the Spirit than any now can pretend to it 's dangerous to rest on that Voice which will not bear the Tryal by the VVord c. 6. To have the ordinary way of Assurance to be as it 's stated by the opposite Errour hath very dangerous Consequences Most Saints must quit their Hopes and Assurance for they never had this Voice though they have greater stamps of the Spirit than any I ever knew pretend to this It makes all Examination useless and vain It overturneth one of the great Uses God hath assigned to the work of his Grace on the Heart It makes Assurance impossible without this miraculous Voice which can hardly carry its Evidence to a Soul that hath no Grace at all It 's a way too far Enthusiastick to be allowed in so stated a Case It gives the Devil a great advantage against Sinners to live in Sin and against honest People if once they find cause to question this Voice Yea it sets up the Spirit against it self if any can boast of Assurance by this Voice when their State is justly challengeable by the Gospel as wanting all sight of Gospel-Marks TESTIMONIES The Assembly in Confes. ch 18. a. 2. say It 's an Infallible Assurance of Faith founded upon the Divine Truth of the Promises of Salvation the inward Evidences of those Graces unto which these Promises are made the Testimony of the Spirit of Adoption witnessing with our Spirits that we are the Children of God And a. 3. they tell us A Believer being enabled by the Spirit may without extraordinary Revelation in the right use of ordinary Means attain thereunto And therefore it is the Duty of every one to give all diligence to make his Calling and Election sure that thereby his heart may be enlarged in Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost c. as say the Cong Elders chap. 18. a. 3. See a. 4. Both shew how Assurance may be revived from the Graces in the Heart The Synod of New-England oft confute the contrary Errour which it seems was one that sadly troubled them Errour 44. No createâ— Work can be a manifest Sign of God's Love Errour 47. The Seal of the Spirit is limited only to the immediate witness of the Spirit nor doth ever witness to any Work of Grace or Conclusion by a Syllogism Errour 67. A Man cannot evidence his Justification by his Sanctification but he must needs build upon his Sanctification and trust to it Errour 72. It 's a Soul-damning Errour to make Sanctification an Evidence of Justification Errour 77. Sanctification is so far from evidencing a good State thâ—â— it darkens it rather and a Man may more clearly see Christ when he seeth no Sanctification than when he doth The darker my Sanctification is the brighter is my Justification The Synod shew at large how each of these are contrary to the Scriptures And one 〈◊〉 the evil Speeches they confute p. 19. I may know I am Christ's Not because I do crucifâ—â— the Lusts of the Flesh but believe in Christ that crucified my Lusts for me See Errour 63 69. The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake Because the Spirit of God is a Comforter therefore he cannot comfort us by helping us to see the VVork of his Grace in order to Joy in his Blessings Because the Spirit was to convince the World of Christ's Righteousness as what alone could procure Life therefore he tells Men that they have an Interest in it without shewing them any change on their Hearts Because he was to take of Christ's Fulness and shew it to his Disciples therefore he immediately speaks peace to the hearts of such as are or at least appear his resolved Enemies Because by the Spirit of Adoption we cry Abba Father therefore we need not find any love to God to know that we are his Children Because the Spirit witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God therefore he witnesseth alone without so much as revealing to our Spirits that we have the temper of Children Whereas there are many great Effects of the Spirit manifest on the Souls of them to whom the Apostle speaks Rom. 8. 11 12 14 15 16. And the design of the place is more to express our Dignity and free Access to God under a Gospel-state than mere Assurance of Forgiveness Because a Natural Man cannot perceive the Riches of the Promise and the Spirit enableth a Spiritual Man by his Teachings to perceive the nature of them therefore by an immediate Voice he discovers to the Natural Man his Propriety in them even while he is and appears Natural Because there is Imperfection in the Graces of a Saint therefore he cannot see the Sincerity of them by the help of the Spirit without an immediate Voice CHAP. XVI Of God's seeing Sin in Believers and their Guilt by it c. TRUTH THe Sins of Believers have the Loathsomness of Sin adhering to them which God seeth and accounteth the Committers guilty thereby And they ought to charge themselves therewith so as to stir up themselves to Repentance and renew their Actings of Faith on Christ for Forgiveness Nevertheless they ought not thereby to fear their being out of a Justified State further than their Falls give them just cause of suspecting that Sin hath dominion over them and that their first believing on Christ was not sincere ERROUR God seeth no Sin in Believers though he see the Fact neither doth he charge them with any Sin nor ought they to charge themselves with any Sin nor be at all sad for them nor confess repent or do any thing as a Means of their Pardon no nor in order to assuring themselves of Pardon even when they commit Murther Adultery or the grossest VVickedness Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion Reader Note That the Doctor speaks most of this concerning a Person as Elect though he uses the word Believer sometimes because he alone knows that he is Elect by
State 2 Pet. 3. 17. Seeing you know these things beware lest you also being led away with the Errour of the Wicked fall from your own Stedfastness He will most safely walk in Love and maintain Assurance that is in awe as his Sins grow strong and his Graces decline I might shew that all God's Threats are despised if without this Fear yea his being our future Judge is slighted his wise Methods of Government are dis-regarded and one great help to our Salvation lost by opposing this Fear Fear him that can cast Soul and Body into Hell is Christ's Charge Luke 12. 5. And if thou do that which is Evil be afraid Rom. 13. 4. And if we must fear the Magistrate as the Minister of God's VVrath here much more eternal VVrath if we sin our selves into such Symptoms as the Gospel declares a Danger of eternal Damnation by for though the Gospel doth not say as the Law that all Sinners shall be damned yet it saith that all impenitent Sinners shall be damned And this we are bound to preach and not gratifie the Devil to the Ruine of Souls But they are in danger who are above this kind of Preaching and Security Libertinism and Stops to the Conversion of Sinners will prevail as this Preaching grows unfashionable Nay let me hear a Man of this Opinion preach a few Sermons and I 'll demonstrate he 'll give the Lie to his own Principle by urging Fear by some Arguments from Danger or he 'll expose himself to the Contempt of all when-ever he disswades from Sin TESTIMONIES I have recited so much belonging to this Head Chap. 1 8 11 12 13 16 17 19 20. that I need only add to the last Chapter New-England Synod condemns as Errour 32. After the Revelation of the Spirit neither Devil nor Sin can make the Soul to doubt Errour 48. Condional Promises are legal Errour 52. It 's legal to say we act in the Strength of Christ. Errour 56. A Man is not effectually converted till he hath full Assurance Errour 57. To take delight in the holy Service of God is to go a whoring from God Errour 59. A Man may not be exhorted to any Duty because he hath no power to do it Errour 70. Frequency or length of holy Duties or Trouble of Conscience for the Neglect thereof are all Signs of one under a Covenant of VVorks Errour 68. Faith justifies an Unbeliever that is that Faith that is in Christ justifieth me that have no Faith in my self Errour 76. The Devil and Nature may be the cause of a gracious Work All these that Synod confutes as also that Speech if Christ will let me sin let him look to it upon his Honour be it With these Notions so exclusive of Fear and Care were they pester'd Doctor Owen Of Justif. P. 52. assures us he had written very much of the Nature and Use of Threatnings under the Gospel and the Fear that ought to be ingenerated by them in the Hearts of Men. The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake Because the Law of Works made Life to be of Debt for perfect doing therefore it s legal to call Men to do what Christ commands in order to any Benefit which he promiseth by the Grace of the New Covenant to bestow on such as shall so obey him Because it 's legal to denounce Wrath as unavoidable therefore it 's legal to denounce VVrath that it may be avoided Because God is not angry with his People for Sin when he hath forgiven them it upon Repentance therefore they should not be called to fear his Anger as a disswasive from Sin or Motive to Repentance when they have sinned Because we cannot say the Elect shall at last be damned being that God will bring them to Faith and Repentance that they may be saved therefore it 's legal to tell them they shall be damned unless they believe and repent though Christ oft tells them so Because the Believer is not in a state of Wrath therefore it 's Legal to warn him against Apostacy from the Terrour of that VVrath which Apostacy would bring him under And Note Reader That all awful Expressions against Apostacy are especially directed to true Believers Because we should not destroy the Hope or Joy of an humble watchful Christian therefore it 's legal to allarm and awaken the drowsie careless backsliding Christian. CHAP. XXII Of the Exalting of Christs I Do observe that the Pretence for these Opinions is That they exalt Christ and Free Grace Under this shadow Antinomianism set up in Germany This was the great Cry in England above fifty years since The Synod of New-England expose this as one of the Speeches of them whom they call Autinomian Here is a great stir about Graces and looking to Hearts but give me Christ I seek not for Graces but for Christ I seek not for Promises but for Christ I seek not for Sanctification but for Christ Tell not me of Mediation and Duties but tell me of Christ. P. 19. Dr. Crisp very often bears upon this Point as if all he said were to advance Christ and Grace I shall therefore enquire Whether the Opinions of Dr. Crisp or the Truths I have stated do most exalt Christ and Free Grace It were enough to say That I have proved his Opinions to be Errours and what I have laid down to be Truths Then Christ is more exalted by these Truths He needs no Lyes to advance his Praise and knew how to provide the best for his own Glory by what he hath revealed But for farther Evidence I shall insert 1. How Christ is said to be exalted according to the Gospel It is not what we fancy will Exalt him but what he declares conducive to his Praise that he will accept for Glory He that will not allow Men to worship him in a way they think most devout but binds them to his own Rule to exceed which is Superstitious will less venture his Glory to our ignorant Methods whereby we are apt to diminish his real Glory when we conceit he is exalted It 's an Honour becoming his Person and Offices which is his Honour and not what seems dazling to our blind Affections His Divine Glory cannot be added to but only declared It 's only the Glory of Christ as Mediator that I shall speak of As to this Christ is exalted when every Knee bows to him Phil. 1. 11. VVhen made a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sin Act. 2. 23. VVhen his Kingdom is enlarged Ifa 49. 4 5 6. VVhen his People are filled with the fruits of Rightcousness Phil. 1. 11. VVhen their Grace is perfected 2 Thes. 1. 11 12. VVhen they suffer and act vigorously for him Phil. 1. 20. VVhen we own his Priestly and Kingly Office relying on the first as that whereby Satisfaction is made and all the Blessings for Sinners purchased yielding to the Kingly Office as that whereby he applieth the Effects of his Merits Zech. 6. 13. VVhen
Intercessors as Christ and in the same Sence viz. in the Virtue of Merits made personally ours We have a Righteousness in us which is able to save the World and capable of being imputed to their Justification VVe need no Forgiveness but are saved by the Covenant of VVorks as claiming Life by its Sanction immediately which is inconsistent with all Remission yea or Imputation of Christ's Righteousness which did no way consist in Forgiveness but in a full Satisfaction This would denominate us Saviours from the Moment we were justified if not before VVhereas we still need Pardon and continue justified by the Efficacy of the Righteousness of another and must look to Christ as the only Subject of it all our Days Our justified State is a Continuance of the blessed Effects of he Righteousness of Christ from first to last That Cause is still productive of Supplies as our Guilt returns or Necessities and Capacities renew or grow but our Redemption is ever in Christ Rom. 3. 24. 3. That we are as Righteous as Christ is not a proper or safe Speech It 's true indeed our Pardon and Acceptance is firm and lasting and will no more fail us than the Righteousness of Christ will fail it being the meritorious Cause and Security thereof and the Benefits can abate to none who answer the Gospel-Rule of it's Application But yet we are not as Righteous as Christ We are not so as to Sanctification he being perfectly Holy we being imperfectly so though really Holy And it 's to be noted That Believers are said to be Righteous in the common sence of the Scripture on the account of Sanctification 1 Joh. 3. 7. He that doth righteousness is righteous And to suppose the Elect to be as sanctified as Christ even while they wallow in the mire is a strange Position But suppose the Phrase refers to Justification yet it is not proper For 1. Christ is denominated Righteous on the account of what he personally did and suffered He derived not Righteousness from another but possessed it as Originally his own He is eminently the Righteous 1 Joh. 2. 1. whereas we are reputed righteous for the sake of what Christ did and not for the merit of what we have done Is it not unagreeable to hear a redeemed Sinner say I am as worthy as he that paid the Ransom Or a pardoned Worm say I am as righteous as he who merited my Pardon 2. Christ was so Righteous as to merit the Forgiveness of all his Seed He is so Righteous as to make many Righteous or safe from the Threat and entituled to the Reward according to the Gospel-Rule But we cannot justifie one other Person by our being righteous We are not righteous enough to save a Brother Psal. 49. 7. 4. Though Christ be perfectly holy yet his Holiness is not so imputed to us as that We are therefore perfectly holy This is evident For 1. Holiness refers to Sanctification and not to Justification 2. Holiness is a Conformity to the Precept as describing what is Sin and Duty But it refers not to the Sanction which determines the Reward and Punishment and so to be Holy and to be Righteous are distinct Conceptions Having premised these it follows 3. That to be Perfect in Holiness while we are in our own Persons Imperfect is impossible ungrounded and absurd 1. It 's Impossible being a Contradiction To be perfectly Holy and not perfectly Holy at the same time are inconsistent If any doubt whether they are imperfect in Holiness they are little acquainted with the Law or with themselves 2. It 's Ungrounded I know that it will be objected That it 's so by Imputation But the Gospel knows no Imputation of this kind we may as well infer That we are Omnipotent and Omniscient because Christ is so I understand that the Promise gives to the imperfectly holy Impunity and Right to Life on the account of Christ's Merits But where hath God said he will esteem the Imperfect to be Perfect as to what he declares them imperfect in Or hath God ever said we are thus perfect He may deal with a sincere Christian who is called Perfect in comparison of others as if he were perfect having provided for his Justice and Honour in doing thus by the Satisfaction of Christ But he cannot account him perfectly Holy The very Union in Marriage doth not transfer habitual Qualifications from Husband to Wife Is a foolish Wife perfectly wise because her Husband is so No though she receives Benefit by his Wisdom 3. It 's Absurd Our restored Holiness is through the Operations of the Spirit and not by Transfusion If the very Holiness of Christ's Person be in us it is his Increated Holiness or Created If his Increated then we are Gods and not Men for there is nothing Increated but God If the Created Holiness of Christ's Humane Nature be in us it must depart from him or cease to be in him as far as it 's derived to us for the same individual Quality cannot be in two Subjects at once though the same for Kind may be If we are as Holy as Christ what hinders us to be entituled to the same degrees of Glory and Honour as he And all this being founded on the Change of Person between Christ and us we may well say we are Christ's even every elect Person severally And if our perfect Holiness should be surmised from the Union between Christ and Believers that indeed would not be a change of Person but the making Christ and us one Natural Person And then on the same grounds as we can say we are as holy as Christ is we may say we are as much Gods as Christ as Wise as Christ as entituled to Worship as Christ we do all that Christ doth in Heaven or Earth and he doth all as we Sinners do we give what he gives and he receives what we receive Distinction of Persons is gone Christ and we do nothing and are nothing as distinct Persons A thousand such things are unavoidable Consequences 4. Can this be reconciled to the scope of the Scriptures wherein Believers are called to grow up in Christ Eph. 4. 15. To perfect Holiness 2 Cor. 5. 1. Grow in Grace The defect of Holiness is bewailed by all the Saints Wretched man that I am saith the Apostle Rom. 7. 24. I press forward c. Phil 3. 12 14. that is Oh that I were as holy as Christ designed to make me and as I shall be at the Resurrection And the want and weakness of Holiness is oft reproved by God even in his own Children 5. The Fifth Head to be proved is That Believers are not as to Holiness without Spot Blemish c. Experience may convince of this But I pass it by as having occasion to speak to it in Chap. 16. Testimonies The Assemlies Large Catec puts this Question What is the Communion in Grace which the Members of the Invisible Church have with Christ They Answer In