is only a causa sine qua non which is no Cause 2. Or that his Righteousness is not the sole meritorious or material Cause of our Pardon which in judicial acts are the same 3. Or that Christ's Sufferings are not immediately applied to our Pardon 4. Or that Pardon is by any act of ours as a joynt meritorious Cause with Christ each of which I hope the following Passages will clear me in P. 16. I affirm When we are pardoned the whole meritorious Cause of Pardon is the Atonement of Christ and what is required of Sinners is only a meetness to receive the Effects of it P. 39. I affirm That Justification and all other Benefits be the Fruits of Christ's Righteousness as the only meritorious Cause of them P. 40. We are for the sake of Christ's Righteousness delivered from the guilt of Sin and entituled to Life and accepted with God against all excluding Bars P. 41. Christ was he by whose Merits he forgives us but he never was forgiven we are forgiven and never had Merits of our own to forgive our selves And it 's enough that we were pardoned and adopted for his sake when we deserved endless Woe and are never capable of making the least atonement P. 43. Faith owns the Foundation of our Plea to be in Christ from whom are derived to us that Pardon and Right to Life which are the effects of his Righteousness for this we are justified for that Righteousness which is in Christ we are acquitted and adopted the efficient Merit is in him the Effect of the judicial Absolution for that Merit is in us The Righteousness is still in Christ for the sake whereof we are absolved or justified God hath for Christ's sake forgiven us but not for the sake of what is in ourselves c. and now being absolved or made righteous in a Law sence we have as much matter of glorying as absolved acquitted Sinners can have We are justified by his Righteousness that is for that we are forgiven and also entituled to Life which we had forfeited our selves but we are not made innocent nor so esteemed we are not accounted them who made the atonement we still take hold of Christ's Righteousness that by it we may be forgiven and this is our Blessedness and our Gospel-Righteousness which all such refuse who reject Redeeming Love from a Conceit of their own Merits or refuse the Terms of the Gospel which by the Promise do make us capable of being justified and saved for the Merits of Christ yet these still remain his Merits though thus beneficial to us in their Application as the procuring cause of all our Good P. 44. 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 the 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. P. 249. Pardon is not the Effect of those Graces but of the Promise in the Virtue of Christ's Blood or of his Blood applied for Forgiveness by the Promise Reader if thou regardest Truth dost not thou find Christ's Sufferings to be a real Cause of Pardon a sole meritorious or material Cause all other Causes of that kind excluded and these Sufferings and Christ's Righteousness immediately applied See p. 247. We are justified only by Christ's Merits as the sole procuring Cause or Righteousness for which we are justified V. Mr. C. p. 21. The use of Christ's Sufferings is to compound with God for Sinners upon the account of the Old Law and put a Bar upon his Proceedings according to that and procure another Law by the Righteousness whereof we are justified which Righteousness is our own inherent Righteousness and not Christs And p. 30. Faith doth not justifie us by applying Christ's Righteousness c. but by its own Vertue as being a Righteousness it self c. but Christ's Righteousness hath nothing to do here it 's our own Faith and Repentance is the Righteousness in conformity to the Rule of Promise and that 's Latin for the New Law So p. 15. We are not at all entituled to this Blessing by Christ but by our own Obedience you mean c. Repl. I am represented as if I thought 1. That Christ served only to excuse us from perfect Obedience but that our Pardon and Glory given by the Promise were not the immediate Effects of his Merits 2. That he merited only that we might merit by our Faith 3. That our Faith and Repentance are the meritorious Cause of our Pardon and Glory by the New Law and so that Gospel-Conditions are of the same use to our Justification as Works were under the Law that is to be the Righteousness for which we are justified and saved All which I disown and expresly declare 1. That Christ hath satisfied Justice and merited Pardon and Glory these have their Being only on his account and he hath a Right to give them 2. When the Sinner partakes of these Mercies he partakes of them as the fruits of his Death and for his sake 3. God in Christ as our Ruler hath declared a Way and Order how he will dispense these Benefits to us and enjoyns our compliance with that Order If we believe tho' Faith be his Gift he will forgive for Christ's sake otherwise he declares he will not 4. Gospel-Conditions have no other use to our Interest in these Benefits than a complyance with this stated Rule of the Distribution of Pardon and Glory which are merited by Christ and given only for his sake This is my plain meaning in all he hath objected against consult my words in the Epistle and what I have repeated in the last Head and these following in my Book Cap. 7. p. 39. I affirm That Christ by his Righteousness merited for all the Elect that they should in his time and way be certainly partakers of its Saving Effects and did not only purchase a conditional Grant of those Effects viz. that Proposition He that believeth shall be saved P. 1. I affirm The whole meritorious Cause and Price of Justification Adoption and Eternal Life were perfect when Christ finished the Work of Satisfaction Cap. 3 p. 16. I affirm That when we are pardoned the whole meritorious Cause of that Pardon is that atonement and what is required of Sinners is only a Meetness to receive the Effects of it Cap. 10. p. 84. I deny that preparatory Qualifications do merit True Grace and that Faith or Repentance do merit an Interest in Christ. I say their whole use depends on Christ's Ordination P. 45. we are reputed righteous for the sake of what Christ did and not for the merit of what we have done P. 61. I deny the performance of the Conditions of the Covenant to be
be justified by Faith which imports that Repentance is but a Disposing Condition and Faith the Receiving Condition Repentance without Faith is unavailable as Faith without Repentance is impossible Faith seems to compleat all and in a manner comprehend all Now Reader thou seest that all I say is That Faith alone receives Forgiveness by Christ or Christ for Forgiveness But that Repentance of Heart must be in that Soul who shall obtain Forgiveness see my Reasons Cap. 12. from p. 115 to 119. By the way note If it can be true as he saith p. 16. That I mean Works are necessary to Salvation as working Conditions when I exclude all Graces and Works as any Cause at all X. Mr. Ch. p. 29. What a sad case is a poor Sinner in if he make shift to scramble by his imperfect Conditions into Covenant He is like every day to be turned out again and when he hath done the best he can he must never believe that he shall go to Heaven till he lye a dying Repl. Here my Principles are represented as against the perseverance of the Elect Believer But I shall cite a few places and leave it to thy Judgment Cap. 7. p. 40. I affirm That Christ by his Righteousness merited and by his Spirit doth renew the Hearts of his Members and will in time so communicate of his Grace to them that they shall be perfectly holy even without Spot and Blemish And the Spots and Blemishes remaining in a godly man do consist with his justified state and shall not cast him out of God's Favour P. 138. Do not say the Elect Believer will not fall away I think the same yet is it the less true that even he shall perish if he fall away Nay doth not God by these Threats contribute to keep him from Apostacy And p. 173. I deny that a Principle of Life given at first conversion will finally fail to exert it self in due Humblings for repeated Enormities and in holy Resolves And p. 248. God sees no Sin in Believers so as to cast them out of a Justified state P. 66. The Gospel secures the Perseverance of Believers in that true Faith and the necessary effects and operations of it and thereby secures those Benefits as unforfeited Many more places might be produced as p. 37 c. XI Mr. C. p. 16. The great Quarrel you have with him is That he viz. Dr. Crisp makes it so much his business to vindicate the Honour of Free Grace and of the Lord Iesus in our whole Salvation P. 35. According to your own Principles it 's a question whether you have not put a Bar upon the Grace of God by making so daring and audacious an opposition to it as you have done in this Book Repl. This severe Charge is that I 1. oppose the Honour of Christ 2. I make an audacious opposition to the Grace of God even to a doubt whether I am guilty of the Sin against the Holy Ghost But I hope the places following will convince thee of his Mistake 1. I do not oppose the Honour of Christ though I would keep the Crown upon his Head See p. 55. Christ as a Priest hath merited all but as a King or Priest upon his Throne he dispenseth all And p. 209. We must teach that Christ hath purchased all Saving Benefits and that men must look to him as the Author of Salvation and Giver of that Grace whereby we obey the Terms of Life Cap. 22. p. 236. I am willing to own any thing that lays Man low and exalts Christ as the only Atonement the only Purchaser of all our Blessings the only Procurer of our Acceptance the Author and Finisher of all Grace Nothing can add to his satisfaction or fulness Pardon Peace Life all are the effects of his sole Merits we must do all in his Name act in his Strength daily live on him for all Supplies and look to him for Acceptance without whose Incense the best man and the best action were an Abomination What I contend for is his Government so wisely contrived to apply his Blessings to Men in a state of Trial. Reader look back to what is cited before 4 5 6 Heads and I am sure my Book is full of such Passages 2. I do not oppose the Free Grace of God See Cap. 23. p. 240 c. I have affirmed and would admit the fullest Expressions to testifie that in these is the Free Grace of God in Truth Of meer Grace he elected some certain Sinners to Life upon no moving foreseen Condition but yet to obtain it through Sanctification of the Spirit to Obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Of meer love to Sinners no way deserving it he gave his Son to dye for them who also undertook to bring all the Elect to Salvation in the way appointed between the Father and him He without any thing in Man to deserve it gave his Gospel and thereby offereth in the vertue of his Son's Blood Pardon and Eternal Life to every one that will repent and truly believe and no penitent persevering Believer shall miss of Life by a failure of this Promise He freely and of meer Grace bestows Faith and Repentance yea gives his Spirit to create these and any other good Work in worthless vile Sinners and though he will not forgive any that finally refuse to believe and repent nor save any ungodly apostate man yet Pardon and Life are his Free Gift and no Grace nor Duty merits them they being no more than the required Conditions or Means of our partaking of them as the Gifts of God through Christ and so he hereby honours his own Government and no way indulgeth the Boastings of Men. P. 244. This Grace I adore and own the best to merit nothing to forfeit all yea to deserve Hell by the Law of Works And I do renounce all that Saints have or do as any aâ—…onement for Sin or Purchasing-price of the least Salvation c. Very many other places I might add and have said nothing inconsistent herewith unless that I muâ—…t be arraigned because I think that since God hath published his Will that he will forgive all such and none but such as believe and repent and will damn all that remain unbelieving and impenitent that therefore He is not alike free to forgive the Unbeliever and Impenitent whilst they remain such and to condemn the penitent Believer when he is by Grace made such Tho' I declare He will make all the Elect to become penitent Believers and then forgive them XII Mr. C. Truly for your comparing Christ and Holiness in the matter of Iustification 't is perfect stuff P. 16. You mean as a working Condition whereby you put Works in the place of Christ and mean as your Oracle speaks c. p. 30. Repl. Here as well as in other places I am represented to compare Christ and Holiness in Justification yea to put Works as working Conditions in the place
of Christ. I have already instanced that I denied any Grace or Work to be any Cause at all 9th Head also that Christ's Righteousness is the sole meritorious Cause or Matter of our Justification which is imputed to us 4 5 6 Heads and that our Works follow Faith and Pardon and neither Faith nor Works are any Price Atonement or moving or procuring Cause 6 11 Heads and elsewhere yea and that we are to renounce a Thought of this Do I then oppose Christ or compare any Holiness with him I shall add Cap. 19. p. 198. I own we should esteem the sincere Holiness of a Believer's Heart and Actions to be Dung if compared with Christ as meritorious of Justification And p. 202. Who must not own that compared with Christ the best thing in us is vile yea compared with his Righteousness And p. 210. We must teach the best man to renounce all the Grace he hath and Good he doth as it being the least atonement for Sin or least purchase of Life or any addition of Merit to Christ or sharing in what is peculiar to him And Cap. 21. p. 225. I condemn any that preach that our best Obedience doth not deserve Wrath by the Law or that it doth not need Forgiveness or is any Supplement of Christ's Righteousness yea or to neglect to call men to renounce all in themselves as any atonement for Sin or cause of Pardon and that we must look to Christ as the only Propitiation Purchaser of all our Blessings and Cause of the acceptance of our Persons and Performances Reader I have given thee a few of those many places Having finish'd this first point propos'd I will appeal to thy Conscience whether I can with any shadow of Justice be charged with those Principles which this Brother fixeth upon me I hope he did not wilfully expose me in the face of such Evidence The words in my Preface lead not to the least suspicion yea are positive to the contrary and therefore how he saith this is my sence when I must not only equivocate but grosly contradict my self and that in places where I state the Question must encrease the Wonder Neither is there the least pretence except that I assert that though Pardon and Salvation are all Free Gifts and the Merits of Christ are imputed as the sole meritorious Cause of all yet God as our Ruler hath appointed a Method in the Gospel for the dispensing of them and doth confer them in that Method and ordains a Gospel-Ministry in a consistency therewith and in a subserviency thereto This Scheme any man may see in my very Preface and morethrough the whole Book 2. I shall attempt if possible to make my sence intelligible to the most vulgar Apprehension to this end I premise 1. God may be considered in his Dispensations towards fallen men as a meer Proprietor and Benefactor and not as Rector or Ruler and so men must be considered meerly as Creature-Objects of his Benefits and not at all as rational Subjects to be now governed and hereafter judged If you look at God thus absolutely conferring Benefits then the way is this He eternally elects to Glory a certain number of men whom he sore saw undone by Adam's Fall he appoints his Son to undertake their recovery as the sole covenanting Party with him in the Covenant of Redemption he was to satisfie Justice merit Glory and make them physically meet for it This is all true and sometimes prophetically declared thus and the event as to the Elect is as certain as if God dealt no otherwise with Man on this side Death But if this be the whole Method of GOD with Men as some account it how much of the Bible is unintelligible and vain how much is contradicted and a great part of God's manifold Wisdom obscured and denied which shines forth in his present Paternal Dominion as Redeemer 2. God may be considered as a Ruler Proprietor and Benefactor conjunctly We may look at him as communicating his Benefits in a way of Government and that in many things not exclusive of his absolute Propriety That this is his Method I have proved in my Book Cap. 8 13 20. and other Chapters and may hereafter more confirm it Herein God connects Benefits with Duties offers Pardon and Glory upon Terms deals with Men as Subjects whom he now governs and will hereafter judge without respect of Persons and to that end hath set down his Rules by which he now sentenceâ—…h by the Word and will at the great day do it by the Person of Christ all which suppose Christ's Merits and the Ability to obey and Benefits given for his sake alone It 's true he discovers his absolute Propriety in not giving the same Means or the same internal Grace to all which will no doubt fully appear to be equal He doth also discover himself peculiarly beneficent to his Elect for whom Christ merited all and infallibly brings about his purpose concerning them by making them obedient to the Conditions of whatever saving Benefits his Gospel promiseth upon Conditions But yet he dispenseth the promised Benefits as a just Rector or Ruler according to the Offers made to all Pursuant hereto our Ministry is appointed to propose Blessings to all in the same way and upon the same Terms and to assure all that upon those Terms and no other they shall obtain those Benefits for the sake of Christ. Can any think we dare make the same Offers to the Devils as to every man or to the Damned as we can to all men alive Dare we say to them after Death If you will now believe you shall yet be saved turn now and you shall yet live On the other hand dare we say to an Elect Unbeliever if we knew him Elect thou shalt be forgiven though thou dost not believe thy Unbelief is no Bar to thy Salvation by any Threatning of God declared against thee Is Sentence past on all men in Adam or on the Elect in Christ's Person that God deals with neither in a way of Government as in any state of Trial for Eternity There 's an end of that Preaching which God hath fitted and most blessed to the conversion of Souls if this be true Mr. Chancy's Father in Doct. of Iustific p. 117. Mind you your Duty God hath ordained the End with the Means and therefore though it were revealed to thee from Heaven that thou shalt certainly be saved yet I might truly say to thee except thou believe and repent thou shalt perish c. The Offer of Christ in the Gospel this shews what he would have us to do even to repent and believe Mr. Norton Orth. Evang. shews They might say to a Judas If thou believe thou shalt be saved and to a John If thou believe not thou shalt be damned p. 89 90. Having premised these things I shall familiarly deliver my real Thoughts as to what men ignorantly accuse me of and pitch upon Forgiveness of
whether Iustification Adoption and Glorification be Acts of God's Free Grace which I affirm but whether iâ—…â—…eased God to leave himself at liberty to justifie the Unbeliever while such and glorifie the Unbelieving and Wicked and also to damn the penitent godly Believer This Mr. C. affirms and I deny This is these mens Free Grace while they deny the Gospel-Rule and Law 8. It is not whether God hath as to us absolutely promised and coveâ—…nted with Christ that the Elect shall believe and all men believing be pardoned and so persevere in Faith and Holiness to Eternal Life which I affirm but whether there is a Covenant which require our true believing Consent to the Terms of it as â—… Conâ—…tion of Pardon and Glory and supposeth this true Consent in the actual 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…f thâ—…se Benefits This Mr. C. denies and I affirm 9. It is not whether â—…uth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only Grace by which we receive and rest on Christ and his Righteousness for Iustification and that it is Christ received by Faith doth justifie which is the Sence of Protestants when they say we are justified by Faith alone this I affirm but whether he that can truly believe to Iustification must be in part a convinced humbled penitent Sinner This I affirm and Mr. C. denies yea he saith that Pardon is rather the Condition of Faith nay Pardon is the Cause of Faith 10. It is not whether Sanctification taken strictly do follow Iustification this I affirm but whether Effectual Vocation make a real habitual change in the Soul and that this Vocation is in order of Nature before Iustification This Mr. C. and the Letter c. deny and I affirm with the Assembly 11. It is not whether our sincere Faith Love c. are imperfect and so can be no meriting Righteousness which I affirm but whether they are disobedienâ—… even in Gospel Account and so incapable of being the Conditions of any of its promised saving Benefits This Mr. C. affirms and I deny These are some of the Points wherein Mr. C. and I differ I fear I shall find him in all things of Dr. Crisp's opinion as I have assurance he is in his Definition of Faith May not I now expect that People that rail at me will impute to me only what I thus plainly state The Body of well-esteemed Authors are on my side there 's an end to our Ministry if these be not true most of the practical Books we have as Allen c. are all Lyes and tending to ruine Souls if Mr. C. judge aright Thou wilt find in this Book Testimonies cogent to my purpose and if it will serve Mr. C. to say I wrest them and men there upon believe him I cannot help it Such as I quoted in my first Book ' are truly quoted and serve fully to what I produce them for but to reconcile all men to themselves is not my Work and yet I think it no hard matter to evidence that none of my Authors speak against my Assertions Mr. C. saith I am against the Articles of the Church of England and the Assembly I am sure he 'l never prove it and I profess the contrary and am certain he is against all Confessions of Faith that we own as Orthodox How far other Ministers are concerned for the Kingdom of Christ the Safety of Souls the Rule of Iudgment the plain Gospel way of Salvation to Sinners the truth and scope of their Ministry Time will evidence But in the strength of Christ I 'll sustain the utmost Persecution at the Hands of these angry men and while God enableth me they shall not overturn the Gospel by their unscriptural Abuse of the blessed Names of the Righteousness of Christ and Free Grace the Gospel way of the application whereof and a subservient Ministry being the whole I contend for I have oft attempted to adjust these things before I engaged nay since the severe Treatment I have met with I sent to Mr. Ch. that I would meet him and shew how much he mistook my Principles or if he refused a meeting I would send him an account in Writing that he might not abuse himself and the World but he would accept of neither as if he could not write without the Question were mistated Yea at the request of the united Brethren I agreed to suspend this Book if he would do so with his but this he refused Now whatever be the Consequences of these Debates I am innocent and commit all to God in whose Cause I though sickly weak and unworthy am engaged There is a Mystery in it that the Explication of one Text should be pretended by some for a Reason against my whole Book and so countenance all Dr. Crisp's Errors which yet they profess to dislike and the Impartial see I oppose nothing but those Errors The Doctrine of Imputation being still by Mr. C. c. objected against me though I have not yet had opportunity to insist thereon I will state that case 1. It is not whether Christ was a publick person as a Mediator in his Undertakings and so transacted all for Sinners that they might be pardoned and saved by his undertaken Satisfaction and Merits this I affirm but whether we were so represented in Christ â—…s that we were in Law sence they that undertook to atone and merit This I deny 2. Nor whether Christ was a Surety for us in a Bond of his own to pay our Debt to the full and much more that we might in a due time and way be released this I affirm but whether we were joynt-parties in one and the same Bond with him and so we were actually acquitted when he made Satisfaction and therefore God could enjoyn no Terms of the application thereof to us for Iustification and Glory nor suspend the same upon those Terms This I deny 3. Nor whether Christ was made under the Law and that this was one Article of his part in the Covenant of Redemption viz. That he should in a way of proper Satisfaction bear the substance of the Penalty of the Law and yield perfect Obedience to all such of its Precepts as were competent to his Person and this to save thâ—… Elect this I affirm but whether Christ was joynt-Covenant-Party with all the Elect in Adam's Covenant so that they were legally esteemed to make satisfaction and yield perfect Obedience in his doing thereof This I deny 4. Nor whether Christ's Righteousness is imputed to Believers and so made theirs that it is applyed to them and pleadable by them as what was always designed and undertaken for their Salvation and is the sole meritorious Cause of their Pardon Acceptance and Glory and this as effectually as if they themselves had satisfied and merited and this Righteousness is reputed by God as that which now pleads for their Impunity Acceptance and Happiness as Members of Christ All this I affirm but whether it be imputed as our formal Righteousness and so we may truly plead that
Death made with Men doth not consist in that viz. That we are justified before God and saved by Faith as it apprehends the Merit of Christ but in this that the Demand of perfect legal Righteousness being abrogated God accounts Faith it self and the imperfect Obedience of Faith for or instead of the perfect Obedience of the Law and graciously judgeth this worthy of the Reward of Eternal Life Which they justly brand as the Socinian Notion Reader I declare against this Error and have affirmed that Faith alone receives Christ and his Merits 2. That it 's the Righteousness of Christ alone which is the Meritorious or Material Cause of Justification 3. That our Faith Repentance or Works are not a jot of the material or meritorious Righteousness by or for which we are Justified They say Christ died that we might be saved if we believe I say Christ died that the Elect should believe and believing have Life through his Name To any one that knows the five Points wherein the Arminian Controversie consists I have said enough fully to acquit me I am positive for absolute certain Election for Christ's not dying alike for all For the Elect he died to secure their actual Reconciliation for others his Death is sufficient and real Offers of Salvation are made to them on the Terms of the Gospel notwithstanding their being condemned by the Law Again I say Man is corrupt and without the Grace of God he cannot believe All the Elect shall be though without violence brought by efficacious Grace to believe and finally persevere All which I oft assert in my Book An Account of some of Mr. C's Principles which he hath set up in opposition to mine I shall begin with Three of them and consider them together Mr. C. p. 24. The Essence of the Gospel is altogether Promise and Free Gift P. 28. The Gospel hath no Law-Sanction of its own but it only establisheth the Sanction of the Law by way of Promise to all that are saved P. 33. The Gospel as such is no Law hath no Sanction c. Which and many more places I may contract into this as his First Principle That the Gospel is in no sence a Law nor includes in it as any part thereof either any Precept nor any Promise upon any Condition on our part nor any Threatning If thou doubt the word Precept should not be added know the words above fully assert it And p. 23. he tells us The Precept of Faith is a Precept of the Law of Nature Mr. C. affirms p. 34. Whatsoever befalls Sinners retaining their sinful state and rejecting Grace is from the Law and not from the Gospel To talk of a Gospel-Threat is a Cataâ—…hresis at best and nothing else can save it from being a Bull. His Second Principles is The Gospel hath no Threatnings When my Question answer'd by him p. 32. was this Doth God promiscuously dispense these viz. Forgiveness Adoption Glory or any other promised Benefit given upon God's Terms I say Doth God dispense these without any regard to our being Believers or no Or whether our Faith be true or no Mr. C. answers I would know whether if God distribute his Free Grace to poor wretched worthless Creatures according to his Election and distinguishing Mercy doth he do it blindly because he finds no Reason in them Whence I may call this His Third Principle That God forgives adopts and glorifies Sinners without any respect to their being true Believers or no and Election and distinguishing Mercy be the only Rule by which he forgives adopts and glorifies Sinners as well as gives the First Grace To put the better gloss upon his Principle he saith p. 13. Doth God dispense Faith blindly c A. The Question was not whether God gave Faith absolutely but whether he gave Forgiveness and Glory promiscuously Nay he knows I oft-times affirm the former And in p. 21. he reviles me for saying That there must be a Work of the Spirit for conformity to the Rule of the Promise in the person to be pardoned Yea this third Principle must follow and is but the same as That the Gospel is no Law or stated Rule of Forgiveness Adoption and Glory And he affirms that Faith is a Precept of the Law and denies that any Precept of the Law is a Rule of Happiness with a Sanction p. 22 23. Repl. Not to insist how in the first Point in what he saith of the Sanction he excludes Forgiveness of Sin altogether yea and as he words it may bind the penal Curse on us He opposeth in these three Principles what he calls my 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 15th Paradoxes but had he considered the 4th and 13th he had answered his few seeming Arguments and prevented his gross misrepresentation of my Principles There he might have seen that I assert 1. There is a Certainty that the Elect shall obey the Terms of the Gospel and be infallibly saved 2. That it is Christ's Righteousness which is the alone meritorious Cause of a Believer's Justification and Salvation and that our complyance with the Terms of the Gospel by the Grace of God is no more than our answering that Rule by which God bestows on us Justification and Salvation for the Satisfaction and Merits of Christ. He that cannot distinguish between the Righteousness for which we are saved and a complyance with that Rectoral Method wherein God doth save us for that Righteousness and the Interest arising from that method complied with had better sit still than meddle with these Disputes Reader tho' I did not once call the Gospel a Law in all my Book and only said in my Preface that the Apostle called it a Law of Faith with respect to what I had discoursed yet because the whole of Mr. C's Book runs on this I shall insist most on this Head 1. by explaining the word Law then 2. in what sence it is not a Law 3. shew in what sence it is a Law which I shall prove c. 4. answer his Objections 5. produce some Testimonies 1. As to the name or word Law It hath pleased God to call the way of his application of Grace to fallen Sinners by various names and by that variety to help our Apprehensions which one name would not so well contribute to It 's called a Law a Covenant a Testament a Promise a Word c. none of them exclude the others and are easily reduced to each other A Promise of God that sets down an Order in conferring Benefits wherein he enjoins any Duty on Mans part in that Order hath the nature of a Law yea tho' he engage to enable the Person to do that Duty We must also consider that God in some respects varies these Terms from their common use among men both his Dominion and his Grace abating their rigid Sence He calls it a Law but yet his Mercy resolves thereby to confer such Benefits as brings the Law
have God for their own God which with him the vilest if Elect have their Sins can do them no hurt at all and in that regard there is no cause of fear from any of their Sins that ever they have committed Beloved I conceive this may seem harsh to some Spirits especially to such as misconceive the drift at which I aim which is not to encourage any one unto Sin but to ease the Consciences of the distressed I desire you to resolve with your selves this one thing and I beseech you kick not against the Truth There is not one sin nor all the sins together of any one Believer that can possibly do that Believer any hurt real hurt I mean and therefore he ought not to be afraid of them I will make it appear And goes on for five Pages to prove it Now Reader can this one line make all the rest safe There is no more said by him it 's in a Doctrinal way stated and not in a use to wounded Consciences He oft says it elsewhere without so much as this and he saith this to avoid the Odium not to guide his Discourse and it 's no other than if a man were proving a quarter of an hour â—…o a whole company very apt to drink poysoned Wine if this Poyson be drank it will do no harm to them that drink it but yet should once say I prove this all this while but it 's for the sake of them that have drank the Poyson but not to encourage you to drink the Poyson yet be you all assured that when it 's drank it cannot harm you more than them C. It 's to evince the damning nature of sin is taken away A. But that 's a gross Error thô Pardon will prevent its effects Yet hear D. C's own words p. 511. No you will say no condemnation in Hell but yet as there is remainders of Sin in Gods own People so there will some Evil or other fall upon the commission of Sin Mark c. and in many words answers it Now sin is condemned to the Believer it can do no hurt at all to him for what hurt can that do which is carried into the Land of Forgetfulness and this he oft affirms was when Christ died Reader I 'll tell thee on what Principles Dr. Crisp affirms that Sin can do no hurt Take his words 1. God hath no more to lay to the charge of such a person Elect thô a Murtherer than he hath to lay to the charge of a Saint in Glory p. 364. and the Lord hath not one Sin to charge on an elect person from the first moment of conception to the last moment of Life 2. A man doth sin against God God reckons not his Sin to be his he reckons it to be Christs therefore he cannot reckon it his see p. 270. Except God will be offended where there is no Cause to be offended he will not be offended with a Believer because he doth not find the Sin of the Believer to be the Believer's own Sin but he finds it to be the Sin of Christ p. 15. Now Reader judge how vain Mr. C's Excuses be and how injurious his Censures What Mr. C. p. 15. pleads for Dr. Crisp's saying that Graces and Holiness cannot do us the least good is as vain and false viz. that he is only against setting them in the place of Christ for he reckons they are put in Christ's place thô they be affirmed but as Means or Conditions antecedently necessary by divine appointment to obtain any Blessings for the sake of Christs Merits His Principles are 1. That Faith is not so much as the Instrument by which we are united to Christ or justified p. 616. 2. That Christ brings us all good things when we are ungodly and so it 's in vain to do any thing to obtain these p. 41 42. yea that we had a full Title before we are born 3. He saith p. 45 46. It 's a received Conceit among many that our Obedience is the way to Heaven and thô it be not say they the cause of reigning yet it is via ad regnum the way to the Kingdom But all this Sanctification is not a jot the way of that justified person unto Heaven 4. Salvation is not the End of any good work we do 5. No Believer should have the least thought in his Heart of promoting or advancing himself or any end of his own by doing what he doth Consider these with many such and what good can Faith or Holiness do us See my Book c. 13 14. Read the Preface to Mr. Flavel's Blow at the Root which Mr. Mather subscribed Reader distinguish 1. between the Righteousness for which we are justified and the way of applying it to us 2. between a Law by which Christ's Merits are applied and that Obedience whereto is our meriting Righteousness 3. between the Precepts included in the Gospel taken in a large sence and what are its proper Conditions 4. Free Grace as it gives Faith and Pardon and as it 's a Liberty to condemn the Believer and justifie the Unbeliever 5. between the Promises of Grace and Promises to Grace 6. The Gospel as a means to quicken us and as a Charter of Benefits and thou wilt Answer Mr. C's Arguments FINIS The Reasons of my Sermon at P. H. above a year since Why I printed my Book about six months since Vulgar Objections against my Book answered The History thereof is worth the buying Mr. Parkhurst lately reprinted it Part of the Controversie between Mr. C. and me stated which appears fully in his Principles as in the following Book The Method Election asserted The Law not abrogated Christ's Righteousness the sole meritorious Cause or material Righteousness in Iustification and it is applied to Believers Gospel-Conditions not the Righteousness for which we are justified nor of the same nature as legal Works Gospel-Conditions no way meritorious of Iustification or Salvation nor other workingconditions but a meer conformity to the Gospel way of receiving the Gifts of Christ. A moral specifick difference between true Grace and meer moral Endowments The First Grace absolutely given Christs Righteousness is imputed Iustified by Faith before Works Gospel â—…ons no 〈◊〉 of Iustification Iustification by Faith alone as the 〈◊〉 Receiving Condition All Elect Believers shall persevere Christ not opposed but exâ—…ted Free Grace honour'd and not oppos'd Holiness not compared with Christ nor Works sâ—…t in 〈◊〉 place The 〈◊〉 of the Eleâ—… â—…f God be considered as meer Proprietor The state of fallen Men as GOD is considered a paternal Ruler A plain account of my Iudgment by Questions and Answers Popish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arminian Iustification as our Divines state it Mr. C's first Principle Mr. C's 2d Principle Mr. C's 3d Principle The word Law of Grace same as the Covenant How for a new Law and yet no new Gospel Heb. 11. 4 6. Gen. 4. 7 11. How the Gospel is not a Law How the Gospel is
a purchasing Price or meritorious of the Benefits promised on such Conditions This I deny for Christ alone paid the Price and it 's the Covenant-Promise gives an Interest in the Benefits to such as perform the Conditions Cap. 8. p. 53 54. When I had shewn how all Satisfaction c. were provided and adjusted in the Covenant of Redemption I declare that by the Covenant of Grace I mean the way that God hath ordained to apply to Sinners that Salvation which is prepared by Christ and which he will enable the Elect to comply with Same Pag. I affirm the Conditions do not merit the Blessings promised P. 55. I affirm it 's from God's Will in the Promise that they are made to be Conditions he connected the Benefit and the Duty though he chose Conditions that were fit yet their fitness would not have availed to our Interest in the Benefits unless he had promised they should so avail c. And the Covenant though conditional is a disposition of Grace There 's Grace in giving Ability to perform the Conditions as well as in bestowing the Benefits God's enjoyning one in order to the other makes not the Benefit to be less of Grace but it is a Display of God's Wisdom in conferring the Benefit suitably to the nature and state of Man in this Life c. P. 45. 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 answers the Gospel-rule of its Application P. 57. These Conditions make us capable of no Happiness but what Christ hath bought and prepared for us c. P. 58. The Use and Interest of Gospel-Conditions is not from the conformity of them to the preceptive part of the Law though in a degree there be that but from their conformity to the Rule of the Grace of the Promise the promise of Pardon through Christ being to the penitent Believers and no other Repentance and Faith become necessary and useful Conditions of this Pardon by the order of God in that gracious Promise but by the Covenant of Works the meer Work gave an Interest in the Reward as it was obedience to the Precept by a Sanction that had Goodness but no such Grace in it See p. 61 225. I deny that Faith c. are in the same place as Works were under the Law How many more places could I cite but I shall refer thee to what follows as to the point of Merit See p. 225 247. VI. Mr. C. p. 30 31. He looks whether or no we have fully performed the Conditions and upon finding them he judicially gives the Promise i. e. in away of Reward to the Works performed Whether they be perfect or imperfect it 's no matter the Reward is of Debt and not of Grace c. And what can this be but a declared Iudgment that he is de congruo deserving Pardon and I think ex condigno too before he is pardoned c. Repl. The scope of these and the like Passages is to render me one that thinks that Faith or other Graces did merit the pardon of our Sins which is contrary to my declared Judgment as may be seen in what I have above cited and in these following Passages Cap. 12. p 102 103. Tho Faith be no way a meritorious Cause of a Sinner's Justification c. Note 1. There is a Righteousness for which a man is justified that 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 Eternal Life 2. There is to be considered what the condition of the person is whom this Mercy is promised to he is one that hath this True Grace of Faith c. Christ's Righteousness shall not be imputed to this use unless we believe c. and this Faith being a conformity to the Rule of the Promise some call it a subordinate Righteousness not meaning any Righteousness for which a man is forgiven for it is Christ's Righteousness alone for which God justifies us But it 's our answering the Rule by which Christ applieth his Righteousness for our remission and a Right to Life and his Promise is the ground of our Title P. 104. I deny that Faith or any Grace be a jot of the meriting Righteousness for which we are justified I deny that Faith or any other Grace add anything to the value of Christ's Merits 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 P. 120. Neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works 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 c. but He appoints these as the Way and Means of a Believer's obtaining Salvation c. P. 125. I deny that any Holiness internal or external any Obedience work or Duty do at all merit the Promise or is the meritorious Cause or Righteousness for which any promised Mercy is bestowed And I own that all is of Gift tho' given in an order suitable to our condition as Subjects in a state of Trial. P. 137. Nothing of these merit Heaven but he that merited Heaven hath peremptorily appointed these to bring us thither P. 155. We ought to renounce every Thought of purchasing from God any Benefit for what we do P. 210. We must teach the best man to renounce all the Grace he hath and Good he performs as if being the least atonement for Sin or least purchase of Life or any addition of Merit to a Christ or sharing in what is peculiar to him P. 225. I condemn it as Legal to preach that our Faith Holiness or Good Works stand in the same place now as perfect Obedience did under the Law viz. to render the Reward to be of Debt or be the meritorious Righteousness for which we are justified P. 244. I do renounce all that Saints have or do as any atonement for Sin or purchasing Price of the least Benefit much less Salvation Judge Reader if I can say more to exclude all Opinion of Merit VII Mr. C. p. 31. you do here not a little insinuate what I know lies in your Breast That there is no specifick difference between Grace and meer moral Endowments And it appears so upon all your Hypotheses for you declare there ought to be such and such Qualifications to entitle a man to the Promise of Grace or Grace in the Promise before he hath the Promise The same p. 32. Repl. Here I am charged 1. as if I thought there were no specifick difference between Saving Grace and meer Moral
Endowments I suppose by Moral Endowments he 〈◊〉 such as the unconverted have to which I answer There is a moral specifick difference the one is Saving the other is not the one is from the effectual Work of the Spirit whereby the Soul is truly regenerated the other is not And this difference thou wilt see me own as far as I had occasion 2. I am charged as that I hold there must be Qualifications in a Sinner to entitle him to the first Grace or to the Promise of it But as there is not a tittle leading to either in the words he cites so I pray weigh the places under each Head 1. There is a specifick difference between Grace and meer moral Endowments P. 224. I condemn it as legal to press men to Faith and Repentance and other Duties as if to be performed in our strength without the Grace of Christ and influences of the Spirit P. 57. The Conditions of the Covenant of Grace are performed by the Grace of Christ freely given to Sinners Cap. 11. p. 90. Every man is without Christ till he be effectually called but when by this Call the Spirit of God enclineth and enableth him willingly to accept of Christ as a Head and Saviour a man becomes partaker of those Influences and Priviledges which are peculiar to the Members of the Lord Jesus Cap. 11. p. 92. I affirm that Christ's giving us the Spirit of Grace doth begin this Union and the Spirit given in order to Saving Operations produceth this Faith whereby the Union is consummated P. 83. I affirm There may be Knowledge Assent Humblings c. and yet a Soul fail of an interest in Christ for want of true Conversion 2. See how positive I am that there are no Qualifications to entitle a man to the First Grace or the Promise of it Tho' I wonder that he makes no difference between the Promise of Grace which is absolute and Promises to Grace which are conditional Cap. 10. p. 83. I affirm The worst Sinners are often the Objects of God's effectual Calling in order to an Interest in Christ. Cap. 8. p. 61. I affirm the First Grace is absolutely given though dispensed ordinarily in the due use of Means P. 66 The Gospel or Covenant tells us that there is a Promise of the First Grace made to Christ for the Elect and by vertue of that Promise the Elect do consent to the Covenant and this Gospel or Covenant is the Means whereby that Faith is wrought VIII Mr. C. It is this Doctrine viz. of Imputation that you are still bantering it 's that you have the greatest pick at Repl. Reader weigh my plain words Cap. 7. p. 37. The Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ is so imputed to true Believers as that for the sake thereof they are pardoned and accepted unto Life-eternal it being reckoned to them and pleadable by them for these uses as if they had personally done and suffer'd what Christ did as Mediator for them whereby they are deliver'd from the Curse and no other atonement nor meriting price of Saving Benefits can be demanded from them P. 39. I affirm That besides these Effects viz. all the saving Effects of Christ's Death being made ours the very Righteousness of Christ is imputed to true Believers as what was always undertaken and designed for their Salvation and is now effectual to their actual Pardon and acceptance to Life yea is pleadable by them as their Security and is as useful to their Happiness as if themselves had done and suffer'd what Christ did And a few lines before I affirm That Christ's Sufferings and Obedience were so in our stead that God cannot exact from us any other atonement for Sin or price of any Gospel-Blessings P. 43. Had not Christ suffer'd for us we could not be absolved for the sake of his Obedience and Sufferings The like may be seen p. â—…47 Reader I would inform thee that I can agree to any Expressions to note Christ a Representative Surety Head c. that are consistent with Pardon of Sin and our not being the persons in God's Account who suffer'd and obey'd But I think Forgiveness for the sake of what Christ did and suffer'd for us is what we must take comfort in and Christ suffer'd in the person of a Mediator IX Mr. C. p. 1. For the Doctrine of Iustification especially we are in a manner return'd to Aegypt that of Iustification by Works being brought into the room of Iustification by Faith Repl. Here and in many places I am arraigned as being for Justification by Works and not by Faith which must be to import 1. That I am for Works being joyned with Faith to our admission into a state of Justification 2. That Faith and other things do justifie us as the Righteousness for or by which we are justified As to the last review what is cited under the 3 4 5 6 misrepresented Principles and sure thou wilt see that it 's Christ's Righteousness and not ours which is that for and by which alone we are justified as the sole Merit The former then remaineth as a Charge as to which see if I do not positively assert that we are justified as soon as we truly believe Cap. 12. p. 104. I affirm that 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 Christ truly believed on doth justifie us and a Christ so believed on cannot but justifie us P. 247. We say we are upon repenting and believing put into a justified State before any other Workâ—… Reader I did to prevent this mistake preface that Chap. 13 of the Necessity of Holiness and Good Works with these words P. 120. Note that whatever is spoken in this Chapter of any Act of Grace except penitent Believing refers not to the forgiveness of Sin or the Sinner's admission into a justified state the Benefits I here treat of are the not forfeiture of Pardon the possession of Heaven and particular Blessings as encrease of Peace Joy Returns of Prayer c. So p. 113. Obj. The only Pretence for this Charge must be That I make Repentance necessary to Forgiveness Ans. But 1. I expresly deny Repentance to be any part of the Righteousness for which we are forgiven It 's no Merit c. this thou mayest see in a hundred places in my Book some are cited in the 4 5 6 Heads 2. I deny it to be any cause of Forgiveness I say in p. 119. I own my self to be among them who deny Repentance of any Grace in Mâ—…n to be a Cause of Forgiveness â—… I deny that Justification is equally ascribed to Repentance as to Faith c. See p. 113. I deny Justification to be equally ascribed to Faith and Repentance for we are said to
down to a Promise He calls it a Promise but his Dominion renders the Term enjoyned a Duty and so be raiseth up the Promise to a Law The word Covenant implies the certain performance on his part in the way he sets down and our restipulation to that way In the very word Testament as he notes the ratification of the Covenant by Christ's Death so it excludes not the appointed Condition of the Legatees to whom he makes a disposition of the Benefits So that the Word the Law of Grace or the Law of Faith is no other than the Covenant of Grace the Gospel-Promise of Salvation the Testament of Christ or the Word of the Gospel or the Gospel it self Whereas Mr. C. exposeth it as a New Gospel and New Law it 's the first Gospel GOD delivered to Men for he never promised to give Glory by Christ to any unbelieving impenitent person A new Law indeed it is as being a little younger than the Law of Innocency which condemns for the least Sin and gives Life to none but the Perfect by which Law no man but Christ was ever justified and by whose answering it for us we shall be justified in a Gospel-way But yet it is a Law older than Cain or Abel otherwise Abel's Sacrifice had been no more acceptable than Cain's which by Faith it was and which Faith in Christ must have been commanded as well as the Sacrifice though the brief account which Moses gives of above two thousand years doth not express it nor was it needful Yea God's Words to Cain imply it as Mr. Ball on Covenant p. 43. saith These are a Promise of the Covenant that took place after the Fall 2. I do not say the Gospel is a Law in the following sence 1. I do not say that the Gospel includes nothing besides this Law it gives us an account of the Covenant of Redemption and the absolute Promises There be many Prophecies the History of our Blessed Lord c. Doctrinal Truths Prophecies c. yet these may be called Adjuncts 2. Nor do I judge it a Law in that sence our Divines fix on the Socinians and Arminians viz. as if Acts of Obedience to this Law are the Righteousness for which we are justified or saved as Perfect Obedience was under the Law of Adam This I deny for we have no Righteousness for which we are justified or saved but Christ's and the Fruits of that are we blessed with upon complying with the Gospel Our Faith or inherent Righteousness c. are not the paying a Farthing of Debt to the Creditor but our submitting to that way by which we have Forgiveness of all the Debt and are Partakers of Glory both which God had in his Eye as to be purchased by Christ before he fixed on this way for our obtaining them 3. Nor do I take it in the Popish sence which the Socinians and Arminians espouse but true Protestants oppose viz. as if the moral Law were not perfect in its kind but that the spiritual extensive sence of the Precepts were new Precepts of our Lord and that the Old Testament did not include the Gospel-Precepts of Faith in Christ and Repentance for Pardon as well as the New though it did not discover the Objects and Motives c. so clearly 4. It is not a Law that supposeth a moral ability in Sinners to perform its Precepts that was necessary in God's Dealings with Men as his Creatures just come out of his Hand but not so when he deals with Man about his recovery when he had virtually sinned in Adam forfeited all yea had undone himself Whatever Mr. C. saith p. 23. I affirm if the Subject be rational or have natural Power If such Ability comes so with this Law that the Elect are made effectually able and others are wilfully faulty if they finally rebel it 's enough to justifie the Divine Order Will not and cannot are distinct things with Mr. Fenner in his Book of Wilful Impenitency Yea with D. Owens on Ps. 130. p. 248. 5. It is not a Law that extinguisheth the Law of Nature which hath its special Precepts and which in genere upon Gospel Revelation requires what the Gospel requires and condemns for Faults against the special Precepts of the Gospel tho' it condemns not so as to bar the Relief which the Gospel affords nor promiseth Life upon those Terms which the Gospel doth The Gospel in a large sence takes the Law as subservient to its gracious designs tho' Mr. C. weakly infers p. 24 25. that therefore the whole Precept is hereby made the Condition 6. Neither doth this Law require any thing of us as a Condition of Christ's coming into the World as a Redeemer it supposeth that nor yet any Condition of the first Grace to the Elect. This the Covenant of Redemption secures and it is assured to the Catholick Church by Promise 8. Nor is it a Law Obedience whereto renders any promised Blessing a Debt All is free tho' sure It 's free as to Man's Procurement or Price yet it is as sure by Promise as if it were a Debt but the Price was Christ's Obedience and Sufferings and all comes to us of Gift yet in that way which God appoints to give it 2. I mean by the Gospel being a Law that God in Christ our Redeemer doth by the Gospel expresly command Sinners to receive Christ with a true operative Faith and promiseth that tho' they are condemned by Adam's Law yet upon their so believing they shall be united to Christ and justified by his Righteousness and that persevering in Faith by sincere Holiness they shall be saved for his sake He also threatens that if any shall dye unbelieving impenitent ungodly Rejecters of his Grace they shall be bar'd from these Benefits and they shall perish without relief and have sorer Punishments than if these gracious Offers had not been made to them This is the Law of Faith I 'll add one Caution to this Account which is too needful Give me but the Assemblies Description of Faith Conf. cap. 14. and I desire to use no word as expressive of the Terms of the Gospel besides Faith but men now define Faith by such a small part of it as requires Caution for the sake of Souls 1. Here we have all the Essentials of a Law God is our Ruler and we his Subjects his Will is revealed in a way of Government here 's his Precept which binds us to Duty here 's a Promise made to such as do comply and here 's a Threatning denounced against such as finally rebel Preach the Gospel to every Creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved he that believeth not shall be damned 2. Yet this is a Law of Grace it 's made by our Redeemer for fallen Man all the Benefits of it are founded on Christ's Righteousness as the immediate cause of them Effectual Ability to perform the Duty is provided for all
and so deny the Deity of Christ even by Mr. C's Argument 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Article is wanting to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore it 's to be thus render'd The word was a God not the God a God by Office for that is a God but not by Essence which would be the God 5. The Context doth manifestly specifie this Law and not exclude every Law It 's true the Gospel argues à fortiori against Justification by the Law of Innocency yet he directly speaks of Moses's Law as any may see in reading the places Mr. C's Proof is taken from Gal. 3. 11. And doth not the Apostle v. 17. say The Law which was four hundred and thirty years after cannot disannul the Covenant c. Was it every Law that was given 430 years after Abram So from Rom. 3. 28. cap. 4. And is not the Apostle in the three Chapters express That that Law was the Jewish Law or at most the Law of Nature together with it But more of this last hereafter Reader Mr. C. seems fond of this Argument from the Article and thence oft repeats it but do thou but read one Book in the Greek Testament by his Rule viz. that where the Article is omitted from a word in negative Propositions there every Species is excluded yea bring it down to Names and where the Article is omitted then it is any Peter any Iohn who is there spoken of Obj. II. Mr. C. oft objects as p. 5. Works performed under a Law-Sanction are legal Works and do make the Covenant enjoyning them a Covenant of Works And a few lines before saith he The performance of Duty as Terms enforced by a Law-Sanction is a Covenant of Works so that such men are Preachers of a Law no matter what Law P. 21. The preceptive Will of God with the Sanction of Rewards promised upon the things required and Threats of Punishment upon the non-performance is alwaies a Law or Covenant of Works This runs through his Book and he oft saith The Gospel hath no Sanction and if we say so we make iâ—… a Covenant of Works P. 10. Christ is of no effect to him that is justified by a Law Repl. 1 He oft seems not to understand what a Sanction is for p. 24. he takes it to be meer Life and Death considered abstractedly but not as determining the way of giving of the one or inflicting of the other Whereas a Sanction consummates a Law and determineth what the Benefit or Penalty shall be and the certain Connexion between the Benefit and the Condition and between the Penalty and the want of that Condition c. Now will any except Mr. C. say That God hath not by the Gospel given Assurance that upon believing we shall be saved Have not we God's Word Oath and Seals for this 2. A Law-Sanction doth not exclude the greatest Mercy and Grace in conferring the Benefit It 's true that if the Condition be in it self meritorious then in that respect the Benefit is of Debt and was made a Condition in the Covenant because of its condignity if exactly proportionable or congruity if less valuable But God chuseth a Condition that hath â—…o merit either of Congruity or Condignity nay the Benefits are purchased by Christ qua good things in themselves and they be freely given tho' in this way Is it not a gracious Law though a Law that If fallen wretches will duly accept of my Son they shall have Life by him and this I command them to do 3. His Mistake seems to be in his Notion of Reward and in his upon and not upon performance of the Condition Gospel-Benefits are no Reward of Debt and yet they are given in a way of reward The Benefits are given not for our Faith yet upon believing not upon it as a meriting consideration yet upon it as that the presence whereof is made necessary by the Gospel this having required Faith and confined the Benefit to him that believes If a man says I 'll give you a thousand pounds if you will come to my House and fetch it is it not a free Gift though the poor man must come if he will have it And the Giver is yet bound by his Promise to give it if he come and not bound to give it if he refuse to come Do not say receiving Pardon is only naturally necessary and not as a Condition enjoyned for God might have applied Christ's Merits for Pardon though the Sinner consented not A Lunatick may be pardoned by a King and the Rich man might have sent the thousand pound to the Poor man's House whether he came for it or no but Christ resolved to shew his governing Authority in the displays of Grace and excite to Duty by Motives from Benefits though the Benefits shall be so given as that what we do shall be no cause or Merit of them 4. Hath the Gospel Covenant no Sanction What think you of Heb. 8. 6 He is the Mediator of a better Covenant which was established upon better Promises I hope he 'l grant this Covenant is the Covenant of Grace in a greater opposition to the first Covenant with Adam though more immediately opposed to the Jewish Covenant yet this second Covenant hath a Law-Sanction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sancitum est saith Beza It 's a greatest part of the new Name Mr. C. hath reproached the Gospel with here 's a Law a Law-Sanction which the new Covenant is consummated by Men skilled in the Socinian Controversies lay the stress of the Cause of Truth upon Arguments from Condemnation and Justification being God's Rectoral Acts but what a loss will they be at if God do not 〈◊〉 by a or any Law as Mr. C. saith p. 18. Where 's Dr. Owen's Law of Iustification Yea We must part with the Force of Rom. 5. 19. 5. But why must it needs become a Law or Covenant of Works meerly by a Sanction The great difference between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace lies in this What is the Righteousness for which we are saved Is it the Righteousness of Works or the Righteousness of Christ But it is not how we come to obtain Salvation by Christ's Righteousness Doth God make our Faith or Sincerity to be our Justifying Righteousness If he saith If thou truly believe I will justifie thee by Christ's Righteousness but if thou believe not thou shalt remain condemned something might be said tho' not enough if we were to believe by our own Strength but that is not so More might be said yea enough if our Faith and Sincerity were to be the Righteousness for which we are pardoned or entituled to Life but neither is it any thing like that nor doth the Gospel design it nor its Law-Sanction at all infer it It 's one thing to be justified for Faith as a Work or inherent Qualification though it be such a Qualification it 's another thing to
be justified by it as a meer Condition I abhor the former and will through God's Grace dye by the latter In the first sence it 's only that for which I am justified in the last sence it 's only that upon which by God's Ordination the Righteousness of Christ justifies me As a Work it would make me just as an immediate Cause of Title but as a Condition it removes the Obstacle which God's Gospel-Threatning hath laid in the way of my obtaining his Gift of Righteousness upon Christ's account Hath God appointed Faith by his Command to be a federal Instrument to receive Christ's Righteousness I say no more so that Men will own Men shall be denied it without that Instrument But then must the Gospel be a Law of Works By no means tho' Mr. C. p. 30 31 33. thinks that whatever Law requires an Act of ours in order to Benefits for the sake of Christ is a Law of Works because I suppose the Action is a Work Is not receiving Christ an Action Ay but it justifies not as receiving but it 's Christ received justifieth I say the same but yet I ask Will Christ justifie me if I do not receive him A Christ he is and a full Righteousness he hath before I receive him yet I was unjustified notwithstanding that Why was I unjustified by his Righteousness so long Was it not because I received it not till I received it Well then sure though that Action of Receiving doth not justifie me yet that Action is by God's fixed Law necessary to my being justified by Christ's Righteousness not as it is an Action but as it answers to the Rule of the Promise whereby God enacts he will for Christ's sake justifie him that believes 6. The Apostle doth expresly tell us that the Gospel-Law is not a Law of Works Rom. 3. 27. Where is Boasting then Is it excluded By what Law Nay but by the Law of Faith Here 's two Laws opposed and yet both are Laws and one no Law of Works neither We are threatned with an Answer P. 33. though I know as much as he is like to tell me yet I am sure I have the best Expositors for this sence and doubt not the defence of it Yea though he should argue it is but the Doctrine of Faith yet if God be a Ruler that commands that Faith in order to my obtaining saving Benefits I despise all that can be said against its being a Law But it may be he 'l admit a Solution of his Objection from Mr. Bulkley of New England The putting of a Condition doth not hinder or lessen the Free Grace of the Covenant so long as the Condition is Evangelical and not Legal And p. 328 329 330. he answers the Objection against the Gospel being a new Law and saith Tho' Christ be not a Law-giver to give a Law of Works to justifie our selves by it yet He is a Law-giver to give us a Law of Faith commanding us to believe c. p. 333 334. when it is said Do this and live Here the Promise of Life is legal because the Commandment of Doing is legal On the other side when it is said Believe and live here the Promise of Life is Evangelical because the Commandment of Believing is Evangelical but if we make the Commandment of Believing to be legal then the promise of Life upon Condition of believing must be legal also and then there is no difference left between these two Do and live and Believe and live which confounds Law and Gospel Heaven and Earth and makes the two Covenants all one See Mr. Ball The Covenant which was made of Free Love and calls for nothing at our hands but what comes from and shall be rewarded of meer Grace is a Covenant of Grace though it be conditional So the pardon of Sin is given of Grace and not for Works though the Pardon be granted to the Penitent and Faith on our part a lively unfeigned and working Faith be required to receive the Promise Obj. III. Mr. C. p. 2â—… Moreover all the preceptive Will of God then or afterward to be revealed was enjoyned to Man as his Duty to observe in the Law of Nature imprinted on his Heart As for Faith it was an eminent part of his Perfection and that which the Serpent first wounded him in by Temptation c. P. 22. I tell you the Gospel hath no Law-Sanction at all of its own but it only establisheth the Sanction of the Law by way of promise to all saved ones Christ is the end of the Law to them and as to those that are not saved the Law takes its course of them they came not under the efficacy of the Gospel at all Repl. The Argument of these words is that all the Precepts and Threats in the Gospel are part of the Law of Nature given to Adam and that Law of Adam is the only Law and therefore Faith in Christ which Sinners are called to is only the Voice of the Law of Works or Innocency and the whole Sanction of the Gospel is the Sanction of that Law and hence the Gospel must be no Law I might shew what a gross sence he gives of Christ being the end of the Law and that his words lead us to think that all Obligation except from Gratitude to Obedience lies on Christ only and not on the Elect that the Gospel hath no influence at all upon them that are not actually saved that the Gospel is only an absolute Promise or rather a Declaration of Election to the Elect and requires nothing at all from them as a term of any Benefit whatever and yet they are saved as Elect by the Law as immediately entituling them to Life without the interposal of the Gospel-Sanction that is the Gospel doth not only invest them in Pardon and a Right to Salvation by God's imputing Christ's Righteousness to them when Believers which was a perfect Obedience of his to the Law and a full Satisfaction to the Law-giver for them as their voluntary Surety Which I hold but that the Law immediately judgeth them to have obeyed it perfectly and also to have endured the Penalty in Christ he being their Proxy and Attorney This is the Method these men espouse whereby they destroy Christ's Sufferings as a proper Satisfaction exclude all Forgiveness as needless They debase Christ to an Attorney and exalt the Creatures as if they stood on the strictest Terms of Merit with God having legal Innocence of their own as having obeyed and atoned too Yea they had a Grant of all the Saving Effects of Christ's Death before they fell in Adam who was their Head even when Christ was their Head too for they were one legal Person wlth Christ alwaies as Elect and not when they become Believers And hence the Gospel doth require nothing of any elect persons to interest them in Christ or his Benefits But I pass by these and in opposition to the
Pardon c. p. 21. Repl. 1. Here and p. 28. he confounds a Promise of Grace and Promises made to Grace 2. He affirms that the whole of the Gospel-Covenant is but one Promise and this I suppose is the first Promise in the Sentence against the Serpent Hereby he blasts all the fuller Discoveries of it by the Prophets yea and Christ himself as if all the Conditional Proposals of Covenant-Benefits on Terms of Duty were Additions injuriously added to the first Promise 3. He wretchedly mistakes the nature of that first Promise as if it excluded all Terms of our Saving Interest in the Blessings of it Whereas it did imply them If you take the words as a Promise of Christ that he should in our nature overcome Satan then it belong'd to all Mankind to whom it 's promulgated even the rejecters of it Acts 13. 32 46. and as such gives no Interest in the Effects of it to any man If you take them as importing the Saving Benefits to the Seed of the Woman then there must be some change in them who are by Nature the Seed of the Serpent as well as the most wicked otherwise all the natural Seed of Eve have the same Saving Benefits which is thus evidenced When God renewed the Promise to Abraham and his Seed that Seed the Apostle tells you were Believers Rom. 4. 11 16 27. and as I have said before Faith must be then enjoyned for by Faith Abel's Sacrifice was more acceptable than Cain's and God's Words to Cain were the Redeemer's Language and the use of Sacrifices imports that God revealed more of his Will to them by way of Precept than is there recorded 4. And what can he mean by things distinct from the Promise If that Faith and Repentance are promised I had oft affirmed it If that as Acts in Man they are not distinct from the Promise it 's unfit to reflect on If that they may not be Terms of Pardon conjoyned therewith in one promissory Series it 's against the scope of the Bible and sure if that hinder not Pardon to be the cause of them it will not exclude them to be Terms of Pardon 5. But what strange Divinity is this 1. that Pardon is the Condition of Faith 2. Pardon is the cause of Faith How is Pardon and these at once as he affirms i. e. in order of Nature and yet Faith is the consequent yea effect of Pardon But to come to the point Is not this to burlesque the Scripture We believe that we may be justified Gal. 2. 16 That is we be justified that we may believe We are justified by Faith Rom. 5. 1. that is we are made Believers by Justification We repent for the remission of sins Luke 33. that is we have remission of Sins that we may repent One Reason at least should have been offered for these contradictions I suppose all that would be offered is that Christ cannot work Faith in us till we are pardoned which the whole Scripture is against and God hath provided for it by Divine ordination in that Christ's Merits are admitted effectual to the working and and accepting of this Grace before these Merits are applied for Forgiveness which is fully expressed in his own revealed Method whereby he commands and works Faith in order to Forgiveness Yea he will not I hope deny lest he spoil his Argument p. 28. that Union with Christ is before Pardon in order of Nature And is not that an Effect of Christ's Merits Yea the Gospel-offers Spirits operation of Faith c. are so 6. How long must I stay for an Answer if I ask what kind of Cause is Pardon It 's well if it be not hisprocatartick 7. Is not this a new and singular Gospel Consult the former Testimonies Need I mind thee that Dr. Owens saith p. 306. We require Evangelical Faith in order of Nature antecedently to our Iustification c R. Mr. Cl. p. 134. Norton c. say the same the Synod of Dort is oft positive Mr. Bulkley p. 321. gives nine Reasons to prove that Faith is an antecedent Condition of Iustification and saith the denyal of it is some of the new Light which the old Age of the Church hath brought forth Mr. Sheppard proves the same p. 221 to 240. Mr. C's Father saith Faithunites the Soul to Christ p. 144. It accepts of a whole Christ with a whole Heart p. 154. It 's a receiving Christ in all his Offices p. 132. Faith hath an influence into a Sinner's Justification p. 122. Faith is constituted and ordained of God in the Covenant of Grace as a necessary and indispensible means for attaining this end in adult persons p. 123. And he answers his Son's Objections as to Infants The Assembly affirm That Justification is a Benefit flowing from Vocation wherein Faith is wrought but of this hereafter It 's well if he call not all these Enemies to the Grace of God as p. 8. Mr. C. near a kin to this is his Banter on me p. 21. because I had said that Election was not formally our Pardon nor a legal grant of it but that by Divine Appointment there was to interpose between the decree of Pardon and the actual Pardon of the Elect a Gospel-Promise of this Pardon and a work of the Spirit on Men for a conformity to the Rule of that Promise He tells me I would have Christ to stand as a Medicin in the Apothecary's shop for some body or other when the Physician prescribes it Nay it 's not an absolute sick Patient neither it 's one the Apothecary hath in a manner cured before c. And before the person be pardoned he must be in a very sound and safe condition c. and there must be inherent Righteousness in the person to be pardoned c. Add this and much of this kind up and down in his Book to his fifth Principle viz. That Pardon is the cause of Faith c. and then we have his sixth Principle That we are pardoned before the Spirit do at all work any change upon the Soul in effectual Vocation or we are not called or converted in order of Nature before we are justified This is fully the sence of the Letter from the City p. 25 30 c. Repl. 1. A Legal Grant is a term out of Mr. C's Element or he would not confound it with a Decree and what he speaks of the Promise Tit. 1. will appear not to be eternal but before many Ages and not to exclude Gospel-Conditions in their use for our personal Interest in Pardon 2. Is there not a fulness in Christ for Sinners before they make use of it 3. All Sinners are ungodly in a Gospel sence when God comes to call them effectually in order to Pardon and they are ungodly in a legal sence when God doth pardon them or they would not need Pardon 4. Yet they are not unconvinced Unbelievers that are the Objects of God's pardoning
a Law 1 Iam. 4. 12. 2 1 Ioh. 3. 23 3 Mark 16. â—…5 16. Proved that the Gospel is a Law 1 1 Thess. 1. 5. 11. 2 Col. 2. 18. Heb. 11. 26. Mat. 6. 4. 3 Rev. 22. 14. Iohn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iohn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 2. 3. See my Book Cap. 20. Acts 2. 37 38. Acts 16. 30 31. Of the judgment-day * Ioh. 12. 48. Of Iust. p. 10. Rev. 20. 12. Mr. C's Obj. the Article is wanting A Sanction makes it a Covenant of Works A Law Sanction Every Sanction excludes not Grace The Gospel Sanction infers not merit The new Covenant hath a Sanction Of Iustif. 166 167. A Sanction doth not make the Gospel a Law of Works * Gal. of coming to Christ p. 170. Ball son Covenant p. 114. The Action of Faith is not excluded in Ro. 3. 27 28. How Faith justifies as a Condition tho' it be an Act. Paul affirms the Gospel to be a Law yet not a Law of Works Bulkley of Gospel Covenant p. 325. Ball of the Covenant p. 17. Mr. C. obj No Law but the Law of Innocency The Gospel is not the law of Adam The Gospel differs in its Precepts from Adam's Law Mr. Hooker Souls Effect Calling Bulkley of Gospel Covenant D. Goodwin in 2 vol. of the Creatures c. lib. 2. cap. 7. p. 5â—… to 63. The Law as in Innocency not the Gospel-law The Law as natural in fâ—…lnmen not the Gospel-law The general Law of Nature â—…inders not the Gospel to be a Law The Moral Law now the Gospel Wittichius Epist. ad Rom. Calvin on Psal. 19. 10. That the Law was the Gospel in David's sâ—…nce Ball Cov. â—…15 Ball on Cov. from 102 to 120. The sanction of the Gospel differs from Adams law The Promises differ D. Goodw. vol. 2. lib. 2. p. 46 c. D. Goodw. p. 45. ubi supra The Threatnings differ Other Differences Calvin and Wittichius see before Syned of Dort acta Synodi Willet Synopsis papismi Steph. de Brâ—…is in Rom. 3. 27. Hooker of N. England Bâ—…lkley ofâ—… Covenant Mr. Ball of the Covenset forth by Mr. Ash. Lawson Theopolitic Dr. Wallis of God's Sovâ—…raignty Dr. Owens on Ps. 130. Downam on Iustif. Sedgwick of the Covenant Dr. Jacomb on Rom. 8. Mr Charnock 2 â—…ol Turretin Instit. Theol. par 2. Mr. M. Mead Early Obedience Ames Bellarm Eâ—…er Tom. 4. lib. 6. cap. 7. Mant. most frequently See 2 Serm oâ—… Rom. 8. Assembly of Divinâ—…s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 D. Owens on Heb. c. 6. v. 9. On Ps. 130. Epist. before the Almost-Christian Gilaspie Ark of the Covenant Mr. Chancy of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the Cov. Acta 〈◊〉 par 1. p. 313. Assembly of Divines larger Catech Mr. Fox that wrote the Book of Martyrs 〈◊〉 Synod par 1. Act a Synod par 2. Dr. Owens on Heb. cap. 6. Dr. Owens on Ps. 130. Dr. Owens of the satisfaction of Christ. Dr. Manton on the Hebrews Charnock vol. 2. Dr. Jacomb on Rom. 8. Dr. Preston of new Cov. Bulkley on the Coven Mr. C. on Iustif. Rutherford Survey of Antinomianism par 2. Mr. Mead Early Obedience Mr. Obad. Sedgwick of the Cov. Beza Epist. 20. Calvin Harm in Mar. 4. 12. Vid. Instit. lib. 3. cap. 17. § 5. Mr. Clerkson of Saving-Grace Calvin is positive that the Gospel-Covenant is conditional but that condition is not the hard one of the Law lib. 2. cap. 5. § 12. Yea he only excludes meritorious conditions when he says it is absolute lib. 3. cap. 3. § 21 22. Of the Wedding Garment Mr. Fox de Christo justificantâ—… Mr. Gale of Christ's Coming Augustin expounds Phil. 3. 8. as I 〈◊〉 Mr. C's Fourth Principle No Covenant â—…fi Redemption distinct from the Covenant of Grace with Men. Rutherford Covenant opened Ark of the Coven Sedgwick of Coven Bulkley of Covenant Mr. Mead. The Author of the City 〈◊〉 Fifth Principle Pardon is the cause of Faith and not Faith the Condition of Pardon c. The first Promise considered Pardon not the causâ—… of conditional Faith Dr. Owens Treatise of Iustif. Clerkson Norton Acta Synod â—… par p. 279 c. Bulkley on the Coven Sheppard's Sound Believer Mr. C's Father of Iust. The Assemb Mr. C's 6th Principle no Conversion or effecteal Vocation bâ—…fore Pardon This the 〈◊〉 Letter affiâ—…ms which I 〈◊〉 regard here in opposition to his denying an habitual change bâ—…f Pardon The Object of Pardon is a Believer tho' ungodly by Adam's Law The first Grace doth not make us sound if abstracted from Christ and the Promise Effectual Vocation before Pardon in order of Nature Eph. 2. 5 6. 2 Cor. 4. 3 â—… John 1. 12. Ps. 110. 3. Eph. 1. 19. 2 Tim. 15. Testimonies that Vocation is before Iustification The Assembly To deny it is to joyn with the Arminians Synod of Dort Hooker Mr. C's Father of Iust. Norton Orth. Evan. Rutherfords Survey of Antin par 2 Mr. C's 7th Principle all sincere Graces and Actions are Sins if they be not perfect The Gospel promiseth Benefits upon 〈◊〉 Grace tho imperfect Sincere Graces not sins thô imperfect Vid my Book cap. 19 Every degree of Duty is not always the Condition of Benefits Sedgwick Jacomb Rutherford Ames Mr. C. of Iustificat Dr. O. on Heb. 6. Mr. C's 8th Principle Christ is King and his Laws bind under a Gospel-sanction Luke 19. 14 27. 1 Rom. 14. 9. 2 Heb. 5. 9. 3 Joh. 8. 51. 4 Joh. 14. 21. 5 Joh. 5. 24 25 26 27. Joh. 20. 31. Mr. C. p. 24. * Icanes against Hammond vide Charnock vol. 2. p. 687. 2. Thes. 1. 8. Mr. C's Challenge accepted Calv. Inst. lib. 3. cap. 24. sect 10 11. Mr. Baxter explained A Rule of Sin and Misery is a proper expression Turret Inst. Theol. par 2. p. 2. Altingius Expl. Catec par 2. p. 12. Mr. C. p. 14 15. A Vindication from the charge of abusing Dr. Crisp. He means sin can do no hurt Dr. C. intends no Graces or Works can do us any good