Grace it cannot be shewed out of Gods Word That any promise runs thus If you be thus or thus prepared for Christ then he belongs unto you ye have performed the condition and the benefit conditioned is yours I do acknowledge that the formal object of an efficacious Call are Elect persons prepared by the Law being sick lost dead sinners to their own apprehensions to the end that sin may abound and grace abound and that to their sense and feeling Rom 5.20 But there ate no preparations wrought either by Law or Gospel which so qualifie the Soul as a man may conclude from thence That God cals with a purpose to save Mr. Culverwel in his Treatise of Faith much bewailes the cordition of such who build their Faith upon the change of their lives affirming That they can never have sound and stedfast Faith but an unconstant and staggering opinion at the best This grounding of Faith upon gracious qualifications before union is much oppugned by Mr. Coltan in his New Covenant and by Mr. Norton in his Orth. Evang. Surely this is a doctrine which hath too much affinity with that of the Jesuites and Arminians who imagine that God makes a promise that he will give super-natural Grace to men upon condition they will use well their common grace PROPOSITION II. That the first evidence of our Justification is not any work of Sanctification 1. All good works are to be done in Faith Heb. 11.4 Rom. 14.23 Heb. 11.8 We must as â—â—rsinus saith be perswaded that both our persons and our actions are accepted in and through Christ If this perswasion be the cause of good Works there must be a ground of this perswasion precedent to our Works Good Works are the effects of a former evidence therefore not our first evidences 2. All Moral Duties are comprehended under this general Precept of Love by which Faith works Gal. 5.6 as being either the elicite or imperate acts of Love but we cannot truly love God or our neighbor before we know and believe the love that God hath to us 1 Joh. 4.16 17 18 19 20 21. Who is righteous saith Bernard but he that requiteth the love of God with love again Which is never done except the Holy Ghost reveal unto a man by Faith Gods eternal purpose concerning his future Salvation Epist 107. If all our acts of evangelical love flow from the apprehension of Gods love to us they caÌ„not be procreant causes of this apprehension nor our first evidences 3. All that the Gospel requires of us is to believe and repent We cannot evangelically repent before we perceive in some measure that God is reconciled unto us in Christ Zach. 12.10 Ezek. 16.63 Wherefore it is not our repentance nor any work of Sanctification which is our first evidence A man cannot earnestly apply himself to Repentance unless he know himself to be of God Cato Inot 3.3.2 4. All Works of Sanctification are so many acts of gratitude which hath ever relation to some former known benefit and especially our Redemption through Christ 1 Cor. 6.20 This benefit must be known by some Argument precedent to our works Therefore Sanctification is not our first evidence ursinus makes Gratitude the third part of his Catechism and placeth it after mans misery and freedom through Christ 5. All good works must be done in the name of Christ our Mediator Col. 3.17 in obedience to God our Father Then are we to know Christ to be our Mediator and God our Father and so by consequence our justification by some Argument antecedaneous to our works 6. The appearing of Gods grace which brings Salvation and of the kindness and love of God our Saviour justifying of us by his grace is the cause of all our good works Tit. 2 3. If the appearing of Justification and Salvation to the eye of Faith be the cause of all our Sanctification then is not Sanctification our first evidence 7. All good works from the first to the last are to be done without a servil fear Luk. 1.74 This sear is never removed but by a precedent sight of our deliverance from our spiritual enemies wherefore our Redemption and Justification is made known unto us by some other means which goes in order before all works of Sanctification 8. To begin to evidence a good estate from works is opposite to the method prescribed by the Apostle Peter He did write to Christians who knew and believed their justification for believing they rejoyced in joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 He exhorts them to add unto their Faith Vertue c. 2. Pet. 1.5 This Faith was existent out of its causes not to be grounded upon works but only confirmed by them He doth not say Add unto your works faith of assurance but add unto your faith works Therefore this Faith of assurance is not founded upon sanctification as a first evidence 9. We have two distinct witnesses of our good estate which in order do precede our sanctification 1 Our inward call of the spirit 2 Our act of believing on the Son of God The spirits inward call accompanying the outward begets this act of Faith 1 Joh 5.10 1 Thess 1.5 This act of Faith brings forth works of Sanctification Gal. 5.6 Sanctification is in order the last of the three witnesses of a good estate as being the effect of the two former wherefore it is not our first evidence Hoc est initium salutis nostrae quod in nobis sentimus efficax interna vocatio Dei fides nostra assentiens Zanchie De Certâ salute Ecclesiae Mr. Calvin with other learned and godly Divines living in that age wherein the light of the Gospel did abundantly break forth defined justifying Faith not only by an act of the Will whereby we receive Christ and his benefits but also by an act of the Mind by which we are certainly perswaded of Gods love to us in Christ and he doth constantly deny sanctification to be our first evidence and in his Commentaries upon Peter and John calls Works after-proofs Faiths props Both he and Zanchie do acknowledge with all sound Divines and the whole Church that good works evidence but with this caution There must be a former evidence Mr. Calvin thus expresseth himself But forasmuch as of the fruits of Regeneration the Saints gather an Argument of the Holy Ghosts dwelling in them they do thereby not slenderly strengthen themselves to look for the help of God in their necessities when by experience they find him their Father in so great a matter And even this also they cannot do unless first they have conceived the goodness of God sealed with no other assuredness than that of the promise for if they begin to weigh it by good works nothing shall be more uncertain or more weak Inst 3.14.19 Zanchie doth declare his judgement in the same expressions Loco 11. De Justificatione Calvin upon this text 1 Joh. 3.19 And hereby we know that we are of
the truth and shall assure our hearts before him doth thus Comment Semper autem me minerimus non habere nos ex charitate notitiam quam dicit Apostolus quasi inde petenda sit salutis certitude certe non aliunde cognoscimus nos esse filios Dei nisi quia gratuitam suam Adoptionem cordibus nostris per spiritum suum obsignat Et nos certum ejus pignus in christo oblatum fide amplectimur This is the question here determined by Mr. Calvin How we come first to know that we are the Children of God and by the like reason justified He denies that it is by any argument taken from our love How then By the inward witness of the Spirit perswading us of our Adoption What use then are we to make of our love to the Brethren in point of evidencing It under props saith he and strengthens our perswasion These are his words Est igitur charitas accessio vel adminiculum inferius al sidei fulturam non fundamentum quo nititur Zanchie upon Ephes 5.1 draws this as an inference from that text Sciamus ergo pro fundamento christianae Pietatis teneamus hoc primum principium fidem i. certissimam perswasionem de remissione peccatorum ex solâ paterna clementia condonatorum causam esse omnium virtutum omnium bonorum operum omnisque verae obedientiae They who stand for the first evidencing of Works overthrow this fundamental principle The Answer which Mr. Cotton gives to this Question Whether some saving qualification may be a first evidence of Justification is thus set down by himself in terminis A man may have an Argument from thence yea I doubt not a firm and strong Argument but not a first evidence In his Answer to Mr. Baylie Object 1. Keeping Gods Commandments and love to the Brethren are brought in by the Apostle John as first evidences of Justification 1 John 2.3 3.14 Answ These and the like Scriptures strongly argue That works of Sanctification are cerrain evidences of a good estate which is a truth so clearly held forth in Gods Word as if it were written with a beam of the Sun But can it be concluded from hence That John and the Christians to whom he wrote amongst which they of the lowest rank did know the Father had received an unction from the holy One and knew all things had no former evidence of their justification Did they never hear the inward witness of the Spirit nor see their Falth by which they did receive this witness Did they conclude a good estate by reflecting upon their keeping Gods Commandments and love to the Brethren without any immediate discerning of their inward Call or their act or acts of believing as precedent in order to their works Whether was this keeping Gods Commandments and love to the Brethren the procreant cause of their knowing and believing the love of God to them or the contrary The Apostle puts it out of doubt 1 Joh. 4.16.20 We know and believe the love that God hath to us What effect doth this produce We love him because he first loved us It is our knowing and believing that God loved us first even from eternity that makes us love him This is then the Apostles meaning We who have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father we who are believers are confirmed in our Faith because it is operative and works causing us to keep Gods Commandments and this special Commandment of loving the Brethren What is the keeping of Gods Commandments but charity out of a pure heart and Faith unfeined 1 Tim. 1.5 Faith whereby we are truly perswaded of Gods mercy towards us in Christ is the mother of a good Conscience and charity What is love to the Brethren but an holy affection wrought in us by the Holy Ghost whereby upon the apprehension of Gods love to us in Christ we do from our very hearts wish well unto them and study to do them all the good we can 1 Joh. 4.16.19 20. Truly we should neither love God nor the Brethren nor his Commandments did he not first make known his love in Christ to us Mr. Calvin upon these words 1 Joh. 2.3 And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandments writes thus Notandus est hic orde quum dicit nos cognoscere quod noverimus Significat Dei obedientiam sic conjunct am esse scientiae ut tamen haes ordine fit prior â—cuti necesse est causam effectu suo esse priorem Object 2. An Effect argues the Cause as well as the Cause doth its Effect Why may we not begin with keeping Gods Commandments and love to the Brethren to evidence a good estate and make them our first evidences We can know by fruit that there is a tree upon which it did grow and by streams that there is a fountain from which they did flow though we never see the tree or the spring Answ The tree doth naturally bring forth its fruits and the fountain sends out its streams without any act of ours whether we see them or not But Justification which is a gracious act of God acquitting of us from our sins and accepting us as just for the righteousness sake of Christ received by Faith doth not cause us to bring forth works of Righteousness and true holiness by a meer Physical force but as apprehended by Faith which works by love Gal. 5.6 The perswasion that Mary Magdalene had of the pardon of her many sins made her love much Luk. 7.46 If a tree did not bring forth fruit nor a fountain send out water but by our looking on them as the instrumental cause surely we should see the tree as going before the fruit and the spring-head before the streams Good works are such effects as are caused by our apprehension of Gods mercy towards us in Christ Object 3. No man can limit God to what evidence he shall first bring into the Conscience of a justified estate Answ True yet can God limit himself He can do more by his absolute power than he doth by that which is actual If the Lord wil have all works of sanctification to be done in Faith out of love without a slavish fear as so many acts of gratitude for our Redemption through Christ they who deny sanctification to be the first evidence do not limit God but are limitted by God The Gospel is as immutable in the order as in the substance of its parts being an everlasting Gospel Rev. 14.6 Object 4. Many of Gods Children can evidence to themselves a good estate by their love to God his children and commandments who never were perswaded of Gods love to them by any argument taken either from the inward testimony of the holy Ghost or their act or acts of beleeving Answ This is asserted gratis but not proved How did those Children of God come unto Christ Surely they were taught of God and heard the spirits inward call He
represent me to the world the Lord himself would have Stigmatized me with a witness If should out of Gods judgment grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived my folly and madness would have been made manifest unto al men I should have been filthy and unjust stil the Lord who gave Jezabel a time to repent and she repented not cast her into a bed killed her children with death would discover my heresy and wickedness though I laboured never so cunningly to palliate the same and al the Churches should have known that God is he who searcheth the Reines and hearts Rev. 2.21.22.23 You have set upon me al the fearful works of reprobation God takes them off by his word and acts of providence Is not the witness of God alone more to be credited then the witness of you al Indeed Mr. Rutherford glories much in one of his witnesses whom he supposeth to be the Author of the short Story Let it then be taken for granted that Mr. Rutherford is my lawful judg yet he hath no witness so far as I know but the Author of the short story who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conceales his name against natures light and hath born notable false witness against me in that he did accuse me of seducing a man and leading of him into many wicked errors upon such a weak ground as I have shewed and his other witness is Mr. Thomas Weld both of them being parties in the cause Will he now condemne me upon this account before he heare what I can plead for my self Is this righteous judgment Admit there be more witnesses and Mr. Rutherford stand up as an other witness for so he is in this case it is not the multitude nor Godliness of the witnesses that makes their testimony true but the conformity which is between the testimony and the thing testifyed Is Mr. Rutherford certain that what he reports is true He knows very wel that mendacio annumeratur asseveratio rei incertae pro certa quamvis putamus esse veram Mr. Rutherford stands as it were upon the shoulders of the short Story-writers takes his bloody pen as he cals it into his hand draws blood of many sound men in judgment the deare Saints and servants of God whose blood in the sight of God is precious and what they report he reports and more too with much passion and in most reproachful language where I leave him to stand or fal with them To conclude this is the sum of my answer to Mr. Thomas Weld and Mr. S. Rutherford The true real cause of my sufferings in my Estate Liberty Name Ministry in my Self Wife Children Family under the name of heresy contempt of Authority and sedition was that doctrine contained in my first three propositions wherein I differed from some of my brethren about the grounds of a special faith and the order of evidencing a good estate It was of late attempted to bring me under new sufferings for delivering the same doctrine in a Sermon which I preached at Boston at the Court of Election and it was objected that I raked up the old matter This true cause is silenced by them both Certain of my brethren the Elders devised a cause against me as I have shewed and can prove differing from this in substance which they presented to the Court yet never brought it to publick view but makes use of it amongst themselves prejudicing the Court and their freinds against me This false fained cause is published by the short Story writers and Mr. Rutherford follows them I commit the further clearing up of these things unto the Lord who wil bring every work to judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil To God only wise be prayse through Jesus Christ for ever Amen A Postscript 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What credit is to be given to the wittness borne against me by Mr. Weld and Mr. Rutherford wil more evidently appeare by these opposite Testimonies which I do here annex Mr. Cotton in his answer to Mr. Baly Pag. 60. 61. Makes this report Neither the Church nor my selfe did ever look at Mr. Wheelwright either as an Antinomian or Familist Many of us knew that he had taken good pains against both and in that very place where he was wont to preach insomuch that one of his hearers who since joyned to Mr. Gortons society openly contested against his doctrine as false and Antichristian And when Mr. Wheelwright was put out of this Country though he be since restored ye if he had cleaved to the errors the companys fel into he would never have refused their earnest invitation and cal of him to Minister unto them They sent to him and urged him much to come to them to a far richer soyl and richer company then where he lived yet he constantly refused and upon that very ground because of the Corruption of their judgments Professing often while they pleaded for the Covenant of grace they tooke away the grace of the Covenant To The Honoured general Court now assembled at Boston the Petition of the Church and Town of Hampton 26. 2. 1654. Humbly Sheweth THat whereas our Reverend Pastor M. John Wheelwright doth deeply Suffer in his name as an heretical criminous person especially by two printed books the one written by Mr. Thomas Weld the other by Mr. Samuel Rutherford Which hath and wil have a sad influence upon his person Ministry Family Wife Children and posterity for ever and they seem to us cheifly to ground their charge upon this Honoured Courts proceedings against him who censured him to Banishment for Contempt of Authority and sedition and condemned him in a Court order for seducing many of the people of New-England into dangerous errors by his opinions and Revelations So that it was feared that they would make some sudden irruption against them of contrary judgment as they did in Germany Our humble request therefore unto this Honored Court is that they would be pleased to take into their consideration their several acts concerning him and if it appeare that he suffered further then cause required through any mistake that some course might be taken for the healing and reparation of his name Otherwise we do conceive that we are not long like to enjoy his ministry and presence amongst us whom to our best discerning we have ever found orthodox and sound in judgment upright and blameless in life and conversation Whose departure from us wil tend to our great detriment both to our inward and outward man if not destructive to our peace and welfare We leave our request in the hands of your worships for whose good guidance by Gods gracious presence we pray At a general Court held at Boston 24. August 1654. THis Court taking into consideration the good service and great use which Mr. John Wheelwright hath been and is of in the Towns of Hampton and adjacent places and the earnest endeavours which that Town hath used
that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Joh. 6.45 What made them follow Christ by Faith and holy Obedience It was this inward voyce of the spirit accompanying the outward word which they did hear and know Christs sheep hear his voyce and follow him for they know his voyce Joh. 10.3 4. That which made them believe on the Lord Jesus Christ was the inward witness of the spirit He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself 1 Joh. 5.10 Can it truly be said That these Children of God so sanctified as they can thereby discern their justification did never hear nor know the spirits inward call nor see their saith Can a man love God or his children who knows not in some degree his reconciliation A man in the state of nature hates God and his children and this enmity is never slain before peace be revealed Eph. 2.16 17. We cannot love the law of God except we know its rigour and curse to be taken from us through Christ We must be delivered from the law in respect of its rigid exaction and malediction and that to our apprehensions before we can serve in the newness of the Spirit Rom. 7.6 Suppose that Gods true children should say That sanctification is their first evidence God speaks no such thing in his Word to the which we must rather attend but the quite contrary as hath been proved neither can they rest in that way of evidencing who are truly gracious for the law of grace binds them first to be perswaded of remission of sins and then to serve God without fear from this perswasion and this law is written in their hearts If men under the law should glory in their penitency works of sanctification and strict walking as first evidences they may be convinced à priori because they want this cause hereof viz. The apprehension of Gods mercy towards them in Christ even as we cut off Enthusiasts Antinomians Familists Libertines who boast of their full assurance à posteriori by reason they have not the effects penitency works of sanctification and strict walking The middle way is the Gospel way to wit from the appearing of Gods grace to our own souls in particular to deny ungodliness and wordly lusts to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world PROPOSITION III. That an act of Faith which is grounded upon gracious Qualifications previous to Vnion and Works as first evidences is legal The Works upon which this seeming act of Faith is founded are not evangelical but legal which I thus demonstrate 1. After that the Commandment comes the spirit of bondage in the law we are said to be married to the law bring forth fruit unto the law and to serve in the oldness of the letter unril we be espoused unto Christ Rom. 7 Before Faith come in the free Promise we are kept under the law schooled and over-awed by the law Gal. 3.23 24. We are in bondage under the law til we receive the adoption of sons Gal. 4.3 4 5. Acts done by them as such who are married to the law in bondage under the law must needs be legal and of this nature are all supposed gracious qualifications before faith 2. Works made first evidences and that de jure though they go under the name of works of sanctifitation yet are they indeed works of the law because they do not proceed from principles evangelical but legal 1. They are not done in Faith whereby we are perswaded that our persons and our actions are accepted in and through Christ No our works must first be done and our perswasion must be the effect of these works We must see our works accepted before our persons 2. They are not done in Love for how can we love God before we know and believe the love that he hath to us 1 Joh. 14 16.19 Our apprehension of Gods love must only be an effect of our works and of some imaginal promise made to us in respect of these our works 3. They cannot be acts of Gratitude for our Redemption through Christ These works must be the first means whereby we come to know our Redemption and justification 4. They are all done out of Bondage and servile Fear This servile fear is never cast out but by a sure perswasion of Gods love to us 1 Joh. 4.18 And what is the cause of this fear but the spirit of bondage Rom. 8.15 Wherefore it doth necessarily follow That a conclusion which doth stay it self upon these legal media works done out of this fear is no conclusion of Faith but if we may so call it a conclusion of works being grounded upon works of the law Estius though a Popish writer speaks to this purpose upon Heb 8.10 Itaque fatemur tempore veieris Testamenti fuisse novi Testamenti filios Et contra tempore Novi Testamenti non paucos censeri filios Testamenti veteris videlicet eos omnes qui carualibus Judaeis similes timore poenae legem servant imo non servant Sed sibi servare videntur ut loquitur August lib. 3. conte 2. Epist Pel. Cap. 4. The Application which I made of this Doctrine was this for substance They who have no more Faith than is built upon gracious qualifications before union and works made first evidences are under a covenant of works and though they be never so much reformed yet wil they persecute them under the covenant of grace as did Paul before his conversion the Scribes Pharisees c. Wherefore if any shal profess themselves to be legal and raise up persecution against you for this truth contend earnestly for it in a way of patient suffering by the sword of the spirit the word of God The Doctrine contained in these three Propositions and this or the like general hupothetical application was the cause of my deep sufferings It seems that you Brother Weld with some others who prosecuted against me did build the Faith upon gracious qualifications precedent to union and works as first evidences I censure this Doctrine of yours to be legal as aforesaid and hereupon you are filled with indignation cast me out as the filth of the world and off-scouring of al things make me a spectacle to the world and to Angels and to men which you effect by these means About two months after the Preaching of my Sermon before ever I was dealt withal in a brotherly way I am sent for to the Court to answer for what I had delivered where I have the true cause of my sufferings suppressed and put out of sight and a feigned cause closely and secretly brought in Certain of my Brethren the Reverend Elders had a great hand in this mysterious business for whilst my cause was depending long before my banishment an Accusation was secretly drawn up against me in writing put into the Court thus inscribed The Grounds and Reasons of the Dissent of the Elders of the Churches from some things delivered by
a sense as the words seem to carry considered by themselves without any Relation to that which goes before or follows You dis-member wrest torture by putting upon the rack some broken Notes of an extemporary Sermon and make them speak what you think good against the Preacher and where they are altogether silent and speak not one word you put in words of your own which makes for your purpose Let such dealings pass for current what Sermon can be Preached by any Minister of the Gospel which ye may not arraign accuse condemne banish as guilty of Heresie contempt of Authority Sedition and what not No man can say with a good Conscience That I did at any time in publick or private in Old England or in New deny true Sanctification to be a good evidence I look at Works of Sanctification to be no dubious nor litigious evidence but demonstrative and infallible without which the imagined spirits witness is delusory and al supposed Faith is vain The Sanctification which I denyed to be any good evidence are certain effects of the spirit of bondage and works of the law and I taught That an act of Faith founded upon them is not saving and according to the Gospel but legal against them who never knew their inward call or hear and learn of the Father and so by Faith come unto Christ The inward witness of the Spirit in a simple promise of grace is not immediately and in it self discerned by them but by their legal Reformation going under the name of sanctification These are my apprehensions concerning our evidencing a good estate The immediate foundation of that act of Faith by which we are perswaded That Christ and his benefits is ours and by which we do receive him is the free simple absolute promise of grace applied by the spirit in our effectual call which is called throughout the Gospel by way of excellency the promise and therefore al Gods children are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the children of the promise Rom. 9 8. This Promise indeed is indefinite yet is it determined to every Elect person in his efficacious call The indefinite Promise with a commandment to believe and make it particular comes not in word only but also in Power and in the holy Ghost from whence he can thus conclude I am perswaded to believe by Christ not only outwardly in his words but inwardly by his Spirit in my heart that the promise and Christ promised belongs unto me therefore Christ with al his benefits is mine The medium of the particular Application of the general Promise is the inward witness of the spirit of Adoption who as Mr. Perkins saith in his Sermon entituled Christ the true and perfect gain beareth witness to our consciences of such things as God hath given us in particular and are only in general manner propunded in the Promise The Apostle Paul grounded his Faith upon this simple promise The indefinite runs thus Christ loved the world and gave himself for the world Christ came into the world to save sinners Paul applies it and makes it particular according to Christs command for thus he expresseth himself He loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2.20 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of which I am chief 1 Tim. 1.15 How came Paul to make this application Because he was perswaded thereunto not only outwardly in the word but inwardly by the spirit in his heart 1 Cor. 10.12 The Apostle John saith That he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself 1 Joh. 5.10 Believing on the Son of God is the effect the witness in himself the cause Mr. Calvin thus expounds it Non dicit Deum extra loqui sed unumquemque fidelem intus in seipso sentire fidei suae authorem If it be objected That our first act of Faith cannot be a perswasion that Christ is ours because he is not ours antecedently to our act of believing that seems to me easily to be answered Christ unites himself unto us by his Spirit in our effectual call infusing the seed of Faith and al other saving graces is in us novo modo operandi gives us a new heart and puts his spirit within us Ezek. 36.26 27. Christ is ours by a passive Reception antecedently in order to our act of believing Christ unites himself unto us by his spirit before we joyn our selves to him by an act of believing Phil. 3.12 Faith being thus founded upon the free simple promise of grace applied by the spirit of promise is confirmed divers wayes 1. First by works of Sanctification the immediate proper effects thereof For though the habit of Faith be not the cause of the habits of other Christian vertues yet is the act of faith the spirits instrument to produce al acts of sanctity as being apprehensive of Gods grace mercy love in Christ and other motives and perswasives to induce to good works receiving strength from Christ enabling us to perform them So that true faith works by love which love with other Christian vertues wherein we do resemble Christ to whom we are united are unto us a seal of that fellowship we have with him according to that of the Apostle In whom after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy spirit of Promise Ephes 1.13 The spirit in sealing of us imprints in some measure the very image of Christ upon us consisting in righteousness and true holiness being not only holy in his essence and nature but in regard of his gracious effects in us All these works of Sanctification are so many arguments of the truth of our Faith 1 John 2.3 3.14 They are distinguishing marks and put a manifest difference between the children of God and the children of the Devil 1 John 3.10 They who do not know God to be their God as wel by putting his law in their inward parts and writing it in their hearts as by forgving their iniquities were never truly taught of God Jer. 31.33 34. This is one end of the spirits giving that holy spirit that spirit of sanctification not only to work sanctification but to teach us to know it amongst other things which are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 This hath been practised by Job David Hezekiah Paul and the whole Church of the Elect believers and saints from time to time in al generations who after that they had built their Faith upon Christ revealed offered given in the free promise did under-prop confirm strengthen the same by works of sanctification 2. Secondly by the immediate testimony of the holy Ghost There is an inward testimony of the spirit common to al true Christians Rom 8.16 which I take to be an act of the spirit applying the Gospel with such power as we perceive it is the spirit who speaks and it be gets in us an affured Faith 1 Thess 1.5 This is immediate in and by the word of grace for of his own wil begat he us
confuted by Aquinas 22. c. q. 23.2 Far be it from me to deny the work of Regeneration or new qualities This was my meaning in these passages that we cannot act graciously from any inward principle of Grace further than we are acted upon by the Spirit of Christ in Union That the Commandments of the Law are never accompanied by the Spirit enabling us to perform them being severed from Christ and the Covenant of Grace or before faith come Surely I maintained none of these Points in the Synod which you make the Ground-work of Sedltion 3. Thirdly I am much condemned by you for obstinacy after conviction Of what was I convicted Was it of laying the Magistrates Elders and the most part of the Country under a covenant of works absolutely and that to the knowledg of the hearers out of Contempt of Authority to stir up Sedition Contempt of Authority and sedition is then made the circumstances principles of an act to wit the laying them under a covenant of works in that sort If that act be not proved contempt of Authority and Sedition vanish away having no subject to which they do adhere A man cannot be justly condemned for wilful murder unless it appear that he hath committed murder nor can I be justly condemned for laying men under a covenant of works in that manner out of Contempt of Authority to rayse up sedition except it can be made evident that I did lay them under that Covenant That is then to be enquired into proved by the Court that the Magistrates Elders and most of the Country were the men whom I described and affirmed to be under a Covenant of works otherwise contempt of Authority sedition falls to the ground having no foundation The Court proceeded against me as they said Ex officio which in case of publick infamy and manifest evidence of the fact is not only lawful but necessary and when I humbly requested of the Honoured Court that my accusers might come forth it was answered by them that my sermon was my accuser Then must my Sermon accuse me of that fact which they judged contemptuous and Seditious or else I am condemned without any accusation or accusers meerly from their wil and pleasure How wil they make it appeare that my Sermon was my accuser The Elders in their secret Accusation shewed them a way how to do it viz. by forcing my Sermon to speak thus That faith and repentance are no parts of the Gospel That Sanctification is no good evidence of a good estate That they who see in themselves any Sanctification and thence conclude a good estate shal never be saved That they who are not of this judgment are Antichristians enemys to Christ and under a covenant of works This is made the ground by Mr. Weld in the short story but the Court did not declare themselves to sentence me upon this proofe How then wil they make my sermon my accuser I know not how except it was thus To take a proposition out of my sermon And an assumption which the Elders brought in as hath been said and to conclude against me as though I had been author of them both was the false accusation or application c. of my Sermon Do you think in your Conscience that this was conviction and that I persist obstinate after conviction my circumstantial failing I have acknowledged I did not much inquire after an Apology which I heard was written in the Courts defence because I know very wel that the cause was uncapable of any just defence I knew that if al the men in the world should combine together they could not make a bad cause good no not the Lord himself the defect lieth not in God but in the thing Let a man twist ten thousand sins together he cannot cover sin with sin If your cause was so just and convincing why have you deserted the true cause and set up a new title prove the ground of the Courts sentence out of my sermon or else you say nothing 4. Fourthly You tel a story of a man whom as you say I led into these damnable errors and heresies 1. That the free promises are only for them under the Law 2. That al our assurance is by immediate revelation 3. That in the New Testament there are no signes 4. That Baptisme of water is of no use to them who are Baptized by the holy Ghost 5. That a man may be adopted and not justified 6. That every new creature is a dead lumpe and acts not at al. 7. That we have no inherent righteousness 8. That the commandments are a dead letter I do reject and abominate al these corrupt opinions as none of mine against which I do oppose these following positions as mine own judgment 1. That the free promises are no parts of the covenant of works but of Grace 2. That we do not only come to an assurance of a good estate by the immediate Testimony of the Holy-ghost but also by that which is mediate from faith repentance and works of sanctification 3. That in the New Testament the Lord gives to his confederates signes of their being in Covenant with him both inward and outward 4. That Christians who are inwardly and invisibly ingraffed into Christ stand in need of an outward visible baptizing into him and into one body 5. That justification and adoption are inseparable benefits flowing from our union with Christ 6. That every new creature acts from an inward formal principle of Spiritual life 7. That we are not only justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ received by faith but also have an inherent righteousness infused into us by the spirit of regeneration 8. The Commandements are the spirits instrument to quicken Gods elect The authors of the short story do not propound this to be credited barely upon their authority for than they might have deluded the reader who would beleeve it because of their report but this witness which they beare against me in such a matter of weight consists of this hypothetical proposition If M. Wheelwright tenderly contradicted this poor man being newly come to the profession of religion then must he needs learne those points of Mr. Wheelwright or draw them as necessary consequents from some of his Tenents The Consequent part of this proposition doth not follow from the Antecedent here is no good consequence And therefore this their Testimony must needs appeare to be palpably false to al such as have the use of reason How they should conscientiously ground such an accusation upon such an argument I cannot apprehend 5. Fiftly You much glory in my conceived ruine and cal your proceedings against me to banishment the Lords marvellous doings If by ruine you meane the ruine of my doctrine and cause there is no such matter that you have not touched it is a doctrine and cause of your own devising and setting up which you have ruined If by ruine you understand ruine in respect of