And tells us P. 612. Our first coming to Christ is as a Coach is said to come to Town when it is but drawn to Town I shall make no further Remark on this than tell thee the Doctor distinguisheth not between what we are abstracted from the Spirit 's Influence and what we are by the Spirit 's Influence VVe are passive in effectual Vocation as that is God's Act on us but even then no Violence is offered to the VVill for the Mind dictates what it chooseth freely Under this healing VVork and that passiveness is not our coming to Christ but by the Effect of God's Act on the Mind and VVill we consent to the Call and that is our first coming and thereby we receive Christ and not before He is not forced on us but accepted from a Light that commends and a VVill that desires him VVhereas we come not a step whiles we do refuse and reject him Though I wonder why he speaks of any first coming against our VVills when his Principle is that we are united to Christ at latest in the Moment of Conception in the VVomb CHAP. XII Of Justification by Faith with a Digression about Repentance TRUTH I Have spoken of Justifying Righteousness chap. 7. Though Faith be no way a Meritorious Cause of a Sinner's Justification yet God hath promised to Justifie all such as truly Believe and requires Faith as an indispensible Qualification in all whom he will Justifie for Christ's Merits declaring That Unbelief shall not only hinder Mens knowing that they are Justified but that it is a bar to any Person 's being Justified while he continues an Unbeliever Reader Note 1. There is a Righteousness for which a Man is Justified This is only Christ's Righteousness This is the Foundation of the Promise and the Merit of the Blessing promised Nothing can add to it or mingle with it it 's sufficient and alone sufficient to satisfie Justice atone for Guilt and merit Acceptance and Life 2. There 's to be considered what the Condition of the Person is whom this Mercy is promised to He is one that hath this Grace of true Faith and exerts it into Act. This Grace is also required and commanded as indispensibly necessary to the Participation of Forgiveness Christ's Righteousness shall not be imputed to this use unless we believe And nothing shall hinder our Title to this Benefit if we do believe in Christ for the Promise is inviolable And this Faith being a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise some call it a Subordinate Righteousness not meaning any Righteousness for which Sin is forgiven for it 's Christ's Righteousness alone for which God Justifies us but it 's our answering that Rule by which Christ applieth his Righteousness for our Remission and a Right to Life and his Promise is the Ground of our Title Having premised these things for Explication of the Truth I proceed ERROUR The whole use of Faith in Justification is only to manifest that we were Justified before and Faith is no way necessary to bring a Sinner into a Justified State nor at all useful to that End Proved that this is the Dr's Opinion The Doctor p. 85. puts this Objection Is not Believing required to the Justification of the Ungodly Answ. An ungodly Person after he is Justified doth Believe But you will say It is an Act of Christ by Faith Ans. Then Christ doth not Justifie alone c. Nay I say more Christ doth Justifie a Person before he Believes c. He cannot believe that which is not and if he be not Justified before he Believes it he believeth that which is false but he is first Justified before he Believes then he believes that he is Justified The Doctor then asks But what doth Faith serve for He answers It serves for the Manifestation of that Justification which Christ put upon a Person by himself alone P. 86. We do not Believe that we may be Justified but because we are Justified P. 578. God doth add never a tittle of Pardon it self more to him that is a Believer than to that Person not yet converted to the Faith c. P. 597. I say Faith as it takes hold of Christ's Righteousness it doth not bring this Righteousness of Christ to the Soul but doth only declare the Presence of that Righteousness that was there even before Faith was He in that Page denies Faith to be so much as an Instrumental Cause of Justification In very many places he declares We are not Virtually but Actually Justified before Faith If thou ask when he thinks the Elect are Justified The Doctor tells us It 's from Eternity at Christ's death and the latest time is before we are born See p. 101 255 361 362 616 c. See more ch 1 2 3 11. Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not Whether Faith or any Grace be a jot of the meriting Righteousness for which we are Justified 2. Nor Whether Faith or any Grace add any thing to the Value of Christ's Merits These I deny yea I add That if Christ's Righteousness could be applied for Pardon to the vilest Sinner before he Believes it would Justifie him but God hath declared it shall not be applied to Unbelievers 3. Nor Whether we are Justified the same moment as we truly Believe in Christ and the Blessing is not suspended for any time longer This I affirm because God Justifies us by the Promise as his Instrument and this Promise declares that he will Justifie him that Believes It 's a Christ truly Believed in doth Justifie us and a Christ so Believed on cannot but Justifie us 4. Nor Whether an elect Person once Justified shall by Christ's care be kept in a Justified state 5. Nor Whether God hath decreed That the Elect shall certainly Believe and so be Justified 6. Nor Whether True Faith be an Infallible Sign of Justification These four last I do affirm Wherein the Real Difference is 1. Whether we are Justified before we Believe This the Doctor affirms and I deny 2. Whether the Use of Faith in Justification be only to manifest our Justification which we personally had before This the Doctor affirms and I deny and add That Faith Justifies us by receiving Christ and therein answers the Ordination of God who hath promised to Justifie the Believer by the Application of Christ's Righteousness in this gracious Effect of it upon the guilty Soul The Truth Confirmed What I have said chap. 1. Of the State of the Elect and chap. 11. Of the Necessity of Faith to Union with Christ and chap. 3 4 10. render Enlargement needless Yet I shall add 1. We are Justified by Faith is the common Language of the Holy Ghost Rom. 5. 1. Gal. 2. 16 c. What is it to be Justified by Faith if we are Justified before Faith It contributes to our being Justified or words express nothing in a case of the highest moment Rom. 3 20. God justifieth the Circumcision by Faith and the
Union with Christ as if we were One Natural Person with him His Difinition of the New Creature as if it stood only in our New Relation to Christ. P. 90. The strange difference he makes between the way of Salvation before Christ's time and since P. 254 255 256 258. Their Sins were pardoned on Condition of Doing not given for all Sins at once much Dust left and they were subject to Lashes for Sin but now the Covenant is contrary in all these respects How contrary to the Sense of the Assembly and Elders at the Savoy ch 11. a. 6. The Justification of Believers under the Old Testament was in all these respects one and the same with the Justification of Believers under the New Testament He forgets that most of his Proofs be fetch'd from the Old Testament as Ezek. 16 c. Jacob loved in the Womb c. and seems not to distinguish the Covenant of Grace and that of Peculiarity But these with other Errours I pass by THE APPENDIX I Shall here repeat what I delivered in Pinners-Hall-Lecture which some Persons seemed greatly to resent and I leave it to any impartial Man to judge from what I have described as Dr. Crisp's Opinion whether I charged Men of his Persuasion with Falshood After I had fully acquitted Men of my Judgment from Pelagianism Socinianism and Arminianism which the Antinomians accuse us of I added with these Men It 's not enough that we hold That we were from Eternity elected to Grace and Glory unless we add That we were actually United to Christ and Justified from Eternity and in the Womb. It 's not enough that we say Christ did in the Covenant of Redemption undertake to save the Elect in his appointed way and time unless we add That there is no other Covenant for the Application of Christ's Benefits wherein God requires Faith and Repentance as the indispensible Means of our Pardon It is not enough that we own That Christ absolutely Redeemed the Elect so as to purchase Saving Graces as well as Benefits to be infallibly theirs unless we add That all others are in state of Devils as having no real Offers of Life on Gospel-Terms nor is their Salvation possible if they will repent and believe It will not please them that we affirm The Punishment of our Sins yea the Guilt of them as an Obligation to Punishment were laid upon Christ our Sponsor unless we add That our Sins themselves in their blot and filthiness were also transacted on Christ. It is not enough that we own That the Righteousness of Christ avails us as much as if it were personally our own yea was always intended for us and is so imputed to us as to be the Foundation of and Security for our Pardon and Right to Life and no Atonement for Sin or purchasing Price of Life can be demanded from us unless we also add That God esteemed us to have done and suffered what Christ did and suffered It sufficeth not that we say That we are Justified only by Christ's Merits as the sole procuring Cause or Righteousness for which we are Justified unless we deny That Faith and Repentance are the indispensibly required Conditions or Qualifications of those Persons to whom the Merits of Christ are applied for Justification It will not serve that we assert That Justifying Faith must be a Reliance on Christ as Priest and sole Atonement unless we deny That Faith must be also a fiducial Acceptance of a whole Saviour i. e. of Christ as Prophet Priest and King It 's not enough that we say We are upon Repenting and Believing put into a Justified state hefore any other Work unless we add That our Obedience to particular Precepts do not benefit us and that God doth not judicially approve of our sincere Actings as according to the Rule of the Gospel-Promises of those Benefits It is not enough that we say The absolute Promises are made to Christ for the be nefit of the Elect and pleadable by him unless we deny That the Gospel is an authoritative Command on Men to Believe and that under the Gospel-Sanction of Life and Death So that he that believes stall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned It will not please that we say That Christ purchased all Grace for us and by his Spirit worketh all Grace in us unless we add That he Believed Repented and did all for us so as we have nothing to do in order to Salvation It 's not sufficient that we own The Grace by which we do any Duty is from Christ and the Good promised to any Duty is for the sake of Christ unless we deny the ordained Connexion betwixt that Duty and that Benefit They say We set up Man's Righteousness if we tell Men that they must be holy and do good and take comfort therein as an Evidence of Grace and of their Title to Christ and as answering the Rule of the Gospel-Promises though we assert They must be Members of Christ and accepted through him or they cannot partake of any Saving Benefits thereby It is not right that we say God sees no Sin in Believers so as to cast them out of Covenant nor out of a Justified-state for it unless we add That God sees no Sin at all in them as theirs when they most offend It 's not enough that we affirm That Sin committed shall not eventually damn a Believer because he shall by the Spirit be brought to Repentance unless we add God is never angry with Believers for Sin nor ever corrects them as guilty of it With these we are Legal Preachers if we urge Faith and Repentance in order to Pardon though we declare that Faith and Repentance are the Gifts of Christ and Pardon is not the Effect of these Graces but of the Promise in the virtue of Christ's Blood or of his Blood applied for Forgiveness by the Promise We are Legal Preachers if we perswade to Holiness as the way of Salvation by the Ordination of Christ though we affirm that it is no way out of Christ nor but with a respect to Christ for whom it is accepted as what answers the Rule of the Gospel-Promise How are we decried as Legal if we urge Threatnings though as Motives to close with Christ and to walk in him Which being used to this end and the threatned Evil being avoidable on Gospel-Terms and pressed on fallen Man for his recovery they are Gospel and not Legal Threatnings It 's not enough That we assert and press Assurance unless we affirm That Justifying Faith is nothing but Assurance It 's not enough we say That we need the Spirit to discover to us our inherent Grace and to assist Conscience in it's Sentence That Grace is inherent unless we add That we must not try our State and conclude of it by Gospel-Marks of Sanctification but depend on an inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are forgiven which we must believe if it agree but to the general Word viz. Christ came to save Sinners and believing this is all that Saving Faith the Gospel speaks of Herein I have in part described the state of the Case between them and us It 's true there are some small Differences among the Orthodox in Wording some of these things But shall we hereby give Advantage to such Errours as overturn the Gospel and Dominion of Christ under the abused Pretext of Exalting Christ and Free Grace Bear with this which for the sake of Christ and dying Religion I have ventur'd to declare not for the Irritation of any but the Edification of all especially some mistaken well-meaning People Conscience binds me not to palliate though I fore-see Reproach from some who would do well to remember the Caution the Spirit of God thought needful to such as boasted of a Faith without Works and still it appears too pertinent If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this man's rereligion is vain Jam. 2. 26. SOME General Heads THE Elect are Children of Wrath till effectually called Page 4 The filth of Sin not transacted on Christ p. 10 The Act of laying Sins on Christ is not the discharge of the Elect p. 17 Mens Sins their own and not Christ's Sins p. 25 Our Sins laid on Christ before he was nailed to the Cross p. 29 Christ not abhorred by the Father p. 33 No change of Person between Christ and the Elect p. 41 Christ's Mediatorial Righteousness not subjectively in us and how imputed p. 42 Believers not as Holy as Christ p. 46 The Covenant of Grace explained and what a Condition is p. 53 57. The Covenant of Grace Conditional p. 63 Faith not a Perswasion that my Sins are pardoned c. p. 75 Prevailing Enmity a Hindrance to our present Interest in Christ p. 85 The Elect not united to Christ without Faith p. 93 What Union with Christ is p. 100 Justification not before Faith p. 105 Repentance necessary to Pardon p. 114 Sinners have much to do to be saved p. 129 The Gospel hath Threats and Promises p. 133 Holiness and Good Works necessary to Salvation p. 139 They are profitable and God pleased c p. 142 143 144 Our own Good should be intended p. 155 Assurance by Gospel-Marks and not by an inward Voice p. 165 God Chargeth Sin on Men and they should repent for repeated Pardon p. 175 Sin may hurt Believers p. 184 God afflicts for Sin p. 192 Sincere Holiness not Dung p. 199 102 Christ doth not repent c. for us p. 211 Conditional Proposals of Benefit on terms of Duty Gospel-Preaching p. 213 To excite Fear in sense of Danger not Legal Preaching p. 228 Christ more Exalted by the former Truths than by Dr. Crisp's Opinions p. 235 The Free Grace of God not honoured by Doctor Crisp though more Freeness be asserted by him than by these Truths p. 239 Part of a Sermon at Pinner's-Hall Anno 1691. The Edition of Dr. Crisp's Works I refer to is the last Anno 1690. FINIS
sinful and vain and no Saving Benefit is dispenced to any of us by this Rule 2. The Gospel includes the Moral Preceptive part of the first Law with some additional Precepts which suppose our Apostate state as Faith in an atoneing Saviour and Repentance for Sin These could not be enjoyned as Duties on innocent Man by a Rule of Happiness and Misery nor could they be necessary to his Right to Life because they would suppose him a Sinner The Gospel is taken in a large sence when I say it includes all the Moral Precepts but yet the Gospel doth so and they are the Commands of Christ as Redeemer to whom all Judgment is committed as well as the Law of the Creator 3. The Gospel hath another Sanction to the Preceptive part of the Law than the Covenant of Works had Though nothing be abated in the Rule of Sin and Duty yet Blessings are promised to lower degrees of Duty and a continuance in a state of Deuth with a barr to the Blessing are not threatned against every degree of Sin as the Covenant of Works did Can any doubt this to be the Grace of the Gospel-Promise Doth it promise Life to all Men however vile and impenitent they be Or doth it threaten Damnation or a Continuance of it on any true penitent believing godly Man because he is imperfect This Change of the Sanction supposeth the Death of Christ and his honouring the Law by his perfect Obedience wherein God hath provided for his own Glory while he promiseth Life by Forgiveness to imperfect Man and yet he insists on some degree of Obedience to which of his mere Grace he enableth us This the Covenant of Redemption secures to the Elect tho' the Grant therein is pleadable only by Christ as the stipulating Party for us and our personal Claim depends on the Gospel-Covenant whereof Christ is Mediator 4. This Gospel-Sanction determines as certain a Rule of Happiness and Misery as the Law of Works did though it be not the same For while it promiseth Pardon to all believing repenting Sinners and declares a barr to pardon to the impenitent Rejecters of Christ and Gospel-Grace it fixeth true Repentance and Faith unfeigned to be the Terms of Pardon So when it promiseth Heaven to the sincerely holy persevering Believer it fixeth sincere Holiness and perseverance in Faith as the Terms of possessing Heaven Hence the Use of Faith Holiness c. to these Benefits is not from their Conformity to the Precept but their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise Our applying Christ's Righteousness and relying on it would no more Justifie us than our sincere Holiness would Save us were it not for this Gospel-Promise That God will Justifie for Christ's sake all such as believe 5. Hence by Gospel-Grace there is a great difference between perfect Faith and utter Unbelief between sincere Holiness and formal Profaneness or Wickedness True Love to God and prevailing Enmity imperfect spiritual Duties and rebellious Neglects c. By the Law of Works nothing was Holiness but what was perfectly so c. But read the Bible if thou doubtest whether there is not a true Faith Holiness Love c. which be short of Perfection 6. God in the dispensing of Gospel-promised Blessings doth judicially determine a Conformity to this Rule of the Promise When he forgives he judicially declareth a Man hath true Faith when he admits into Heaven he judicially declares a Man sincerely Holy and Persevering As upon a view of his Guests he cast out him that had not on the Wedding-Garment viz. True-uniting Faith so he judicially determined That they who were not cast out but admitted to share in the Marriage Feast viz. made Partakers of Union with Christ and the Benefits thereof had True Faith and not a mere Profession As by keeping out the foolish Virgins for not having Oyl in their Lamps viz. the Spirit of Grace and persevering Holiness so by admitting the wise Virgins he judicially declared they had a Spirit of Grace and persevering Holiness Can any think that Forgiving Adopting Glorifying or the conveyance of every other promised Benefit given on God's Terms are not judicial Acts of God as Rector If so doth he dispence these blindly and promiseuously without any regard to our being Believers c. or no Or whether our Faith be true or no Any one would blush to affirm it With respect to what 's above declared the Gospel is called a Law of Faith a Law of Liberty c. and it especially insists on that sincerity of Grace and Holiness which the Rule of the Promise makes necessary in its Description of the Person whom it makes Partaker of its included Benefit And the main of our Ministry consisteth in pressing Men to answer the Rule of the Gospel-Promises and disswading Men from those things which the Gospel threatens shall hinder their Interest in all or any of its Benefits with an Aggravation of their Misery if they be final Rejecters of its Grace We call Men to be reconeiled to God upon which we know God will be at peace with them These things will help thy Conceptions still remembring that the Merits of Christ are the cause of this Gospel-Ordination His Righteousness imputed is the cause for which we are justified and saved when we do answer the Gospel-Rule And I exclude not this Righteousness when I affirm That the Righteousness of God Phil. 3. 9. principally intends the Gospel-Holiness of a Person justified by Christ's Righteousness both which by Faith in Christ all his Members shall be perfect in The Grace of God is hereby stated as free as is consistent with his Government and Judicial Rectoral Distribution of Rewards and Punishments and none need the Riches of Grace more than I. Reader Note That in this Book I still speak of the Adult and not Infants When I say The Difference is not I state my own Concessions and mean not that the Doctor is in all these of my mind Thou must expect to take up my full sence by a view of several Chapters and not only one because sundry Chapters referr to the same Points more or less And forget not That though the Doctor oft in his Book speaks to Men as Believers yet every thing is true of the Elect viz. They have as much a Title to all Saving Blessings only they do not know it This was his Judgment I have carefully avoided any Reflexion on Reverend Dr. Crisp whom I believe a holy Man and abstained exposing many things according to the Advantage offered if by any means this Book may become useful to such as most need it That the Father of Lights would lead us into all Truth and Love is the Prayer of thy Servant in the Gospel London May 4. 1692. D. Williams ERRATA PAge 3. Line 7. add 365. p. 5. l. 8. for ew r. we p. 8. l. 15. for 289. r. 274. p. 10. l. 17. r. Propogation p. 28. l. 4 for Chaist r. Christ p. 38.
it was when his Body was in the Grave Luk. 23. 43. Alas how can any bear to think that as the Doctor affirms he never saw God's Face all that while Where was he Yea What tormenting Agitations of Soul must he be under even after Death in the unseen State The Papists indeed tell us he was in Hell but they assign Purposes more becoming Christ's being there than the Doctor 's Position imports It was the height of Hell for Christ to be banished from God's Face and be under his very Wrath and Abhorrence all that time and his Mind tormented with the Filth of sin made his He never would have been a Saviour on Terms so inconsistent with his Person But the whole Notion is contrary to Scripture for under the greatest Abatements of Comfort he owns God's Presence and Relation My God My God Matth. 27. 46. and just upon his loud Cry he said Father into thy Hands I commit my Spirit and having said thus he gave up the Ghost Luk. 22. 46. Was there a Separation or Abhorrence when he thus addresseth himself to God as his God and his Father Did he never come near God all that while when God received his Spirit or rejected his Prayer which God never did reject Joh. 11. 42. Me thou hearest always See Ps. 69. 13 14 15 17 18. Ps. 22. 18 19 20 24. Heb. 5. 7. He was heard in that he feared which refers to this time Testimonies The Opinion I oppose is such that I will only instance the Words of Doctor Owen of Justif. P. 286. There was no reason why God should hate Christ for his taking on him our Debt and the Payment of it And suppose a Person out of an heroick Generosity of Mind an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for another so as to answer for him with his Life Would the most cruel Tyrant under Heaven that should take away his Life in that case hate him And then the Doctor shews here and P. 287. the Word Hate signifies either an Aversion or Detestation of Mind or only a Will of Punishment In the first Sence saith he there was no ground why God should hate Christ on the Imputation of Guilt unto him sin inherent renders the Soul polluted abominable and the only Object of Divine Aversation But Christ was undefiled c. The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake The Doctor doth not distinguish between the Affects of VVrath and the Effects of VVrath Because God forsook Christ as to the usual Degrees of Comfort he thinks Christ was separated from God Because he that is formally a sinner is odious to God therefore he thinks Christ was odious to God who had on him the Punishment of sin with the Guilt or Obligation to bear this Punishment by his own Consent neither of which have any thing of the Loathsomeness of sin I know not why he thinks Christ came not near God from the time of his Death to his Resurrection unless because of his Conceit that the Loathsomeness of sin being on him God could not bear the sight of him till he had sweat it out a Reason too horrid for me to say more to and indeed inconsistent with the Notion of a Mediator for the sins of others CHAP. VII Of the Change of Person between Christ and the Elect and their being as Righteous as he Truth 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 suffered what Christ did as Mediator for them whereby they are delivered from the Curse and no other Atonement nor meriting Price of saving Benefits can be demanded from them Nevertheless this Mediatorial Righteousness is not subjectively in them nor is there a Change of Person betwixt them and Christ neither are they as righteous as he but there remain Spots and Blemishes in them untill Christ by his Spirit perfect that Holiness begun in all true Believers which he will effect before he bring them to Heaven Errour Every Believer or elect Person is as righteous as Christ and there is a perfect Change of Person and Condition betwixt Christ and the Elect he was what we are and we are what he was viz. perfectly holy and without Spot or Blemish Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion P. 270 271. The Doctor saith Mark it well Christ himself is not so compleatly righteous but we are as righteous as he nor we so compleatly sinful but Christ became being made sin as compleatly sinful as we Nay more we are the same Righteousness for we are made the Righteousness of God that very Sinfulness that we were Christ is made that very Sinfulness before God So that here is a direct Change Christ takes our Person and Condition and stands in our stead we take Christ's Person and Condition and stand in his stead What the Lord beheld Christ that he beholds the Members of Christ to be c. So that if you reckon well you must always reckon your selves in anothers Person and that other in your Person And P. 180. God gives his Son Christ c. God gives the Person of Christ to Men as much as to say God gives Christ to stand in the room of Men and Men stand in the room of Christ. So that in giving Christ God is pleased as it were to make a Change and all the Loveliness the Person of Christ hath that is put upon us and we are as lovely with him even as the Son himself And P. 158. Here is a Person in Blood in a loathsome Condition but for all this as loathsome as the Person is in himself and in his own Nature yet here is Perfection of Beauty c. On the account of this he saith P. 428. We appear before God perfect in Holiness And P. 419 420. Christ draws up and exhales that Impurity which Men live in c. and when Men are without Spot and all fair God falls in Love with them c. The Church hath no Blemish at all no Imperfection See more of this in Chap. Of Union Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether the mediatioral Righteousness of Christ habitual active and Passive be a Righteousness sufficient to and designed for the Salvation of the Elect. 2. Nor whether our Justification and all other Benefits when we are made Partakers of them be the Fruits of this Righteousness as the only meritorious Cause of them 3. Nor whether Christ's Sufferings and Obedience were so in our Stead that God cannot exact from us any other Atonement for Sin or meriting Price of any Gospel-blessings 4. Nor whether 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 5. Nor whether besides these Effects 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 suffered what Christ did 6. Nor whether 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 as that they shall be perfectly holy even without Spot and Blemish 7. Nor whether the Spots and Blemishes remaining in a godly Man do consist with his justified State and shall not cast him out of God's Favours All these I do affirm The real Difference The Difference lies in these Points 1. Whether there be a Change of Person between Christ and the Elect yea or betwixt Christ and Believers This the Doctor affirms and I deny 2. Whether the Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ be subjectively in us This the Doctor affirms and I deny though as it is in Christ I grant it is imputed to the saving Advantages of all his Seed as much as if it were in themselves 3. Whether we are as righteous as Christ is a proper or safe Speech This the Doctor affirms and I deny though I yield that we are for the Sake of his Righteousness delivered from the Guilt of Sin and entitled to Life yea accepted with God against all excluding Bars 4. Whether because Christ is perfectly holy can we be said to be perfect in Holiness upon the Account of any Imputation of his Holiness to us or are we so esteemed by God This the Doctor affirms and I deny 5. Whether the Elect Believer before he is perfectly holy is wholly without Spot Filth and Blemish This the Doctor affirms and I deny though I grant that for the Sake of Christ these Spots Blemishes and Filth shall not subject them to the Curse and VVrath of God nor forfeit saving Benefits The Truth Confirmed My designed Brevity prevents Enlargement on so many Points and therefore I shall only glance at each 1. There is not a Change of Person betwixt Christ and the Elect For Christ was the Saviour and never ceased to be so VVe are the Saved and not the Saviours Christ was still the Redeemer and never the Redeemed we are the Redeemed and never the Redeemers Christ was he who by his own Merits forgives us but never was forgiven we are forgiven and never had Merits of our own to forgive our selves or others Eph. 5. 25 26 27. It 's prophane Arrogance for us to pretend to his Prerogatives and it 's Blasphemy to debase him among their Number who were Enemies without Strength and Sinners for whom he was the dying Sacrifice Rom. 5. 6 8 10. It 's enough that he reserving the Peculiars of a Redeemer should agree to suffer for our Sins it 's enough that we are pardoned and adopted for his Sake when we deserved endless VVoe and are never capable of making the least Atonement 2. The Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ is not subjectively in us I do not speak now of our inherent Righteousness of which he is not only the Pattern but also is the Cause and VVorker Phil. 3. 9. The Discourse is only of that Righteousness which belongs to the Person of Christ on the Account of his fulfilling the Law of his Mediation and his Title to the Rewards promised to him as Mediator for fulfilling that Law which he did to every Iota This Righteousness is accounted to be for us and to deliver all the Elect was the end of all his Undertakings Nevertheless it is not subjectively in us because 1. It is inconsistent with the Nature of Gospel-Imputation To impute to one what is suffered by another is to esteem the one undertaken for in the Sufferings of the other and to deal with him as if himself had suffered the same things yea and had never deserved to suffer but it is not to judge that he did in his own Person suffer for that were false and a Derogation to the Honour of him who endured the Sufferings especially if he freely suffered in another's Room and for his Advantage as our Lord did Heb. 9. 15. Gal. 1. 4. Much less is Imputation an Infusion of Christ's Righteousness into us or a Putting it subjectively in us 2. The Soul in all Actings of Faith on Christ's Righteousness ought to look at this Righteousness as in Christ and not in himself who believeth 2 Pet. 1. 1. 1 Joh. 2. 12. VVould it not be strange Language to say I trust for new Pardon or Comfort to the Righteousness that was once in Christ but is now in me in me is the meritorious Cause of my Pardon In me is the Fountain to which I must look for VVashing and Healing not as it is in Christ to whom I am united but as it inheres in me as the immediate Subject of it But the Gospel directs to look to him and be saved Isa. 45. 22. 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 our selves Eph. 4. 32. Had not he obeyed and suffered for us we could not have been absolved for the Sake of his Obedience and Sufferings And now being absolved or made righteous in a Law Sence we have as much Matter of glorying in him as absolved acquitted Sinners can have VVe are justified by his Righteousness that is for that we are forgiven and also entitled 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 VVe still take hold of or acknowledge and approve with Reliance on and Submission to the Terms of its Application of Christ's Righteousness that we by it may be forgiven and this is our Blessedness Rom. 4. 7. 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 3. If the Mediatorial Righteousness be subjectively in us we must grant all those Absurdities which the Enemies of Gospel-Imputation object and the Orthodox deny If it be in us then we may be as truly
We must not work for Life but from Life Obj. But we may suppose the Doctor saith this only of external Duties but not of the Actings of Grace Answ. No I could shew you how he saith the same of all Graces but it 's enough to instance in that of Faith P. 326. That is the proper Work that God hath given to Believing not to effect any thing to the Good of a Man but only to be the Witness of that Good to the Spirit of a Man and so give light to that which was hidden before Obj. But is not God pleased with us the more for Grace c. A. The Doctor informs us P. 429. If you have more Ability than others in doing let it not come into your Thoughts as an Inducement to think better of your selves as if you were more accepted of God or pleasing in his Sight Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether God hath decreed that the Elect shall be holy and obedient and so partake of saving Blessings 2. Nor whether every VVork will fail to save a Christless Unbeliever 3. Nor whether Christ hath paid the Price of Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Blessings 4. Nor whether the essential Blessings of the Gospel become the Inheritance of a Believer as soon as he is united to Christ. 5. Nor whether it 's from the Influence of the Spirit that we are Holy Obedient and enabled to every good VVork 6. Nor whether it is for the Sake of Christ's Merits and Incense and of Free-Grace that any Grace of Duty of ours is rewarded or becomes the Means of any Benefit Each of these I do affirm 7. Nor whether an Holiness internal or external any Obedience VVork or Duty do at all merit the Promise or is the meritorious Cause or Righteousness for which any promised Mercy is bestowed This I deny and own that all is of Gift though given in an Order suitable to our Condition as Subjects in a State of Trial. 8. Nor whether the Law be a Rule of Duty This the Doctor affirms as I also do though he denies any Threatning or Promise to back God's Law as to the Elect. 9. Nor whether the Elect ought to be Holy and will be Holy This the Doctor owns but he placeth it wholly on the Decree and Christ's Care denying that God hath required it as indispensibly necessary to our inheriting any Blessing promised to the Elect and judgeth Christ hath done all for us and injoyneth nothing on us to do in order to any good thing 10. Nor whether a penitent Believer shall be saved if he die before he hath time for further Obedience This I affirm The Real Difference 1. VVhether Faith and Repentance be indispensibly required of us that we may be justified for the Sake of Christ's Righteousness This I affirm and the Doctor denies Of which I have treated Chap. 12. 2. VVhether Holiness and sincere Obedience and Perseverance are the way to Heaven and are required of the Elect as the Conditions of their obtaining Salvation or is Heaven promised to them if they persevere in Holiness and sincere Obedience and the Loss of Heaven threatned in case they continue wicked and disobedient or after Grace turn Apostates This the Doctor denies and I affirm 3. VVhether the good Works of a Believer are rewardable of Grace for Christ's Sake This I affirm and the Doctor denies 4. Whether by the Gospel as a Rule of Judgment whoever is unholy utterly disobedient and altogether wilfully neglective of good Works shall be condemned This I affirm and the Doctor denies 5. Whether God hath promised several Blessings distinct from mere eternal Life to the Exercise of several Graces and Performance of sundry Duties as more Grace to the Improvement of less gracious Returns to fervent Prayer Peace of Conscience to a lively Frame and exact walking his Presence to a conscientious Attendance on Ordinances diverting threatned Judgments on Repentance and Reformation filling the Hungry with good things c. This the Doctor denies and I affirm 6. Whether upon the Acting of such Graces and upright Performing such Duties a Christian may not in the Virtue of such Promises expect such Blessings and fear the Neglect thereof as a Bar thereto This the Doctor denies and I affirm Yet allowing that God may sometimes exert his Soveraignty in giving some Blessings to a Believer not answering these Rules and a while suspend them from the disposed Soul to try his Patience or if the Blessing be of a lower Nature he may exchange it into a greater But yet this I affirm is the stated Rule of our Expectations and Fears and the ordinary Method of God's Dealings with Men. 7. Whether God is not more pleased with a Man in the Exercise of Grace and Holiness than when he neglects them and doth the contrary This I affirm and the Doctor denies The Truth confirmed The Points are too many to admit Enlargement and most of them carry that Evidence that the whole Scope of the Bible must be forgotten when they are denied Can two or three wrested Texts overturn the constant Language of the Scriptures And is it not strange that all Religion and the Humane Nature it self in a State of Trial should be so fully struck at from a gross Conceit that the infinite God cannot foresee and purpose Events unless it must null his Government over reasonable Subjects and prevent his Distribution of Rewards and Punishments by a stated Rule What a Reflexion is it on the Divine Wisdom and the glorious Platform of the Redeemer's Work and Kingdom that he cannot purchase Benefits for Sinners unless he forbear to use them as Motives to Obedience Yea The whole of his serious Pleadings with Men must be a Mockery rather than he must be allowed to bestow his Blessings in a rectoral way He shall merit nothing as a Priest if he dispense it as a King nor be estemed to enable Sinners to act if he appoint them any thing to do in order to a Reward Having occasion to mention some Words which I would prevent thy Mistake of know that by Holiness I mean the inward Renovation and Devotedness of the Soul to God with the Expression thereof in holy Actings By Good Works I mean all the inward Actings of Grace in a sincere Conformity to the Will of God as our loving God our fearing God trusting in Christ godly Purposes and Resolves c. These are good Works called internal There be also external good Works as Praying Hearing exact Walking Alms-deeds and any other Act of Obedience directed by the Word proceeding from Faith and a renewed Principle and intended to glorifie God and save our Souls By Doing the same Actings are intended and so loving God is Doing yea Believing in Christ is Doing it is an Action on our Part even when it accepts of Christ though it is by Divine Ordination made the effectual Means of Receiving or partaking of a promised Christ. Having premised these things I