Devil and the Wrath to come No Incouragement to Holiness like this like the Perswasion and Belief of this because this carrieth in it the greatest expression of Love that we are Capable of Hearing or Believing and there is nothing that worketh on us so Powerfully as Love And herein is Love not that we Loved God but that he Loved us and gave his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins He then that by Faith can see that the Body of his Sin did hang upon the Cross bâ— the Body of Christ and that can see by that action Death and Sin the Devil and Hell destroyed for him 't is he that will say Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me Bless his Holy Name c. Psa. 103. 1 2 3 4. Secondly Moreover the Knowledge of this giveth a man to understand this Mistery That Christ and himself are united in one For Faith saith If our Old man was Crucified with Christ then were we also Reckoned in him when he hanged on the Cross I am Crucified with Christ All the Elect did Mystically hang upon the Cross in Christ. We then are Dead to the Law and Sin First by the Body of Christ Rom. 7. 4. Now he that is Dead is free from Sin now if we be dead with Christ we Believe that we shall live with him knowing that Christ being raised from the Dead Dyeth no more Death hath no more Dominion over him for in that he dyed he dyed unto Sin once but in that he liveth he liveth unto God Likewise reckon your selves also dead unto Sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This also Peter doth lively Discourse of Forasmuch then saith he as Christ hath suffered for us in the Flesh Arm your selves likewise with the same mind for he that hath suffered in the Flesh hath ceased from Sin 1 Pet. 4. 1 2. By which Words he Insinuateth the Mystical Union that is between Christ the Head and the Elect his Body Arguing from the Suffering of a Part there should be a Sympathy in the whole If Christ then suffered for us we were even our Sins Bodies and Souls reckoned in him when he so suffered Wherefore by his sufferings the Wrath of God for us is appeased the Curse is taken from us For as Adam by his acts of Rebellion made all that were in him Guilty of his Wickedness so Christ by his acts and doings of Goodness and Justice made all that were reckoned in him good and Just also But as Adam's Transgression did First and immediately Reside with and remain in the Person of Adam onely and the Imputation of that Transgression to them that sprang from him so the Goodness and Justice that was accomplished by the Second Adam First and Immediately Resideth in him and is made over to his also by the Imputation of God But again As they that were in Adam stood not onely guilty of Sin by Imputation but Polluted by the Filth that Possessed him at his fall So the Children of the Second Adam do not onely though first stand Just by Vertue of the Imputation of the Personal acts of Justice and Goodness done by Christ but they also receive of that inward quality the Grace and Holiness that was in him at the Day of his rising from the Dead Thus therefore come we to be Holy by the Death and Blood of the Lord This also is the Contents of those other Scriptures which abusively you Cite to Justifie your Assertion to wit That the great Errand of Christ in coming into the World was to put us again into Possession of the Holiness which we had lost And that onely Designed the Establishing such a Holiness as is Sealed Originally in our Natures and Originally Dictates of the Humane Nature The rest of the Chapter being spoken to already I pass it and Proceed to the next Your Eighth Chapter tell us That it is onely the Promoting of the Design of making Men Holy that is Aimed at by the Apostles Insisting on the Doctrines of Christ's Resurrection Assention and coming again to Judgement Though this should be granted as indeed it ought not yet there is not one Sillable in all their Doctrines that tendeth in the least to drive Men back to the Possession of the Holiness we had lost which is still the thing Asserted by you and that for the Proof of which you make this noise and adoe Neither did Christ at all Design the Promoting of Holiness by such Principles as you have Asserted in your Book neither doth the Holy Spirit of God either help us in or excite us to our Duty Simply from such Natural Principles But the Apostles in these Doctrines you mention had far other Glorious Designs such as were truly Gospel and tended to strengthen our Faith yet farther As First For the Resurrection of Christ They Urge that as an Undeniable Argument of his doing away Sin by his Sacrificing and Death He was delivered for our Offences because he put himself into the Room and State of the Wicked as undertaking their Deliverance from Death and the Everlasting Wrath of God Now putting himself into their Condition he bears their Sin and dyes their Death but how shall we know that by undertaking this Work he did accomplish the thing he intended The answer is He was raised again for our Justification Rom. 4. 25. even to make it manifest that by the Offering of himself he had Purged our Sins from before the Face of God For in that he was raised again and that by him for the appeasing of whose Wrath he was delivered up to Death it is evident that the Work for us was by him effectually done For God raised him up again And hence it is that Paul calls the Resurrection of Christ the sure Mercies of David Act. 13. And as concerning that he raised him up from the Dead now no more to return to Corruption he saith on this wise I will give thee the sure Mercies of David For Christ having Conquered and overcome Death Sin the Devil and the Curse by himself as 't is manifest he did by his rising from the Dead what now remains for him for whom he did this but Mercy and Goodness for ever Wherefore the Resurrection of Christ is that which Sealeth the truth of our being delivered from the Wrath by his Blood Secondly As to his Ascention they urge and make use of that for divers weighty Reasons also 1. As a farther Testimony yet of the Sufficiency of his Righteousness to Justifie Sinners withal For if he that undertaketh the Work is yet entertained by him whose Wrath he was to appease thereby What is it but that he hath so compleated that Work Wherefore he saith that the Holy Ghost shall Convince the world that he hath a sufficient righteousness and that because he went to the Father John 16. And they saw him no more because he went he Ascended up to the Father was there
thus being set free from Sin we become the Servants of God and have our fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting Life Rom. 6. 20. Your description of a Child of Abraham you meaning in a new Testament sence is quite beside the truth Forâ—albeit the Sons of Abraham will live Holy Lives become obedient to the substantial Laws yet it is not their subjection to Morrals but Faith in Jesus that giveth them the Denomination of Children of Abraham Know ye therefore that they that are of Faith are the Children of faithful Abraham They that are of Faith the same are the Children of Abraham Yea they that are of Faith are blessed with faithful Abraham In Pag. 284. You say That there is not one Duty more affectionately recommended to us in the Gospel then is Alms-giving Answ. Yes That there is and that which more immediately respecteth our Justification with God then Ten Thousand such Commandements and that is Faith in Christ. Alms-Deeds is also a blessed Command yet but one of the Second Table such as must flow from Faith going before Faith I mean that layeth hold on Christ's Righteousness if it be accepted of God For before the Heart be good the Action must be naught now the Heart is good by Faith because Faith by applying Christ's Righteousness makes over whole Christ to the Soul of whose fulness it receiveth and Grace for Grace John 1. 16. Many things in this last Chapter are worthy Reprehension but because you tell us in the last two Pages thereof is the Sum of all that need to be said I will immediately apply my self to what is there contained You say Pag. 296. It is not possible we should not have the design of Christianity accomplished in us and therefore that we should be destitute of the power of it if we make our Saviours most excellent life the Pattern of our Lives By our Saviours Life as by a Parenthesis you also express you mean as your self hath in short Described it Chap. 5. viz. The greatest Freedom Affability Courtesie Candor Ingenuity Gentleness Meekness Humility Contempt of the World Contentation Charity Tenderness Compassion Patience Submission to the Divine Will Love of God Devoutest temper of mind towards him mighty Confidence and trust in God c. Answ. Our Saviours Life in not onely these but all other Duties that respected Morrals was not Principally or First to be imitated by us but that the Law even in the preceptive part thereof might be fully and perfectly fulfilled for us 〈◊〉 Christ is the 〈◊〉 of the Law for Righteousness the end not onely of the Ceremonial Law but the ten Commandments too For if the word Righteousness respecteth in special them Jesus increased in favour with God This respecteth him as made under the Law and his pleasing of God in that Capacity So also doth that In him I am well pleased Now I say as Jesus stood in this Capacity he dealt with â—lse Law in it is greatest force and severity as it immediately came from God without the advantage of a Mediator and stood by his perfect complying with and fulfilling every Title thereof Besides as Jesus Christ had thus to do with the Law he did it in order to his finishing transgression and putting an end to Sin and so consequently as Mediator and Undertaker for the World For his perfect complying withal and fulfilling every Title of the Law respected nothing his own private person that he for himself might be Righteous thereby for in himself he was eternally Just and Holy even as the Father but it respected us even us For US he was made under the Law that we by his fulfilling the Law might by him be Redeemed from under the Law and also receive the Adoption of SONS For we having sinned â—â—nd transgressed the Law and the Justice of God yet requiring obedience thereto and the Law being too weak through our Flesh to do it God therefore sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh who himself for us did first of all Walk in the Law and then for Sin suffered also in his Flesh the Sentence and Curse pronounced against us by the Law For it was nothing less necessary when the Son of God became undertaker for the Sin of the World that he should walk in obedience to the whole of the Precepts of the Law to deliver us from the Judgement of the Law I say it was no less necessary he should so do then that he should bear our Curse and Death For it would have been impossible for him to have overcome the last if he had not been Spotless touching the first For therefore it was impossible he should be holden of Death because he did nothing worthy of Death no not in the Judgement of the Law to which he immediately stood Now as Christ Jesus stood thus to and walked in the Law it is Blasphemy for any to presume to imitate him because thus to do is to turn Mediator and Vndertaker for the Sin of the World Besides whoso doth attempt it undertakes an impossibility for no Man can stand by the Morral Law as it immediately comes from the Divine Majesty he having Sinned first even before he goeth about to fulfil it And in this sence is that to be understood as many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse held accursed because they have sinned first accursed in their performances because of imperfection and therefore assuredly accursed at last because they come short of the Righteousness thereof 1. Christ Jesus did never set himself forth for an example that we by imitating his steps in Morrals should obtain Justification with God from the Curse of that Law For this would be to overthrow and utterly abolish the Work which himself came into the World to accomplish which was not to be our example that we by treading his steps might have Remission of Sins but that through the Faith of him through Faith in his Blood we might be reconciled to God 2. Besides thus to imitate Christ is to make of him a Saviour not by Sacrifice but by example Nay to speak the whole this would be to make his Mediatorship wholly to center rather in prescribing of Rules and exacting obedience to Morrals then in giving himself aransome for Men. Yea I will add to imitate Christ as you have prescribed may be done by him that yet may be ignorant of the excellency of his Person and the chief end of his being made Flesh For in all these things which you have discoursed in that fifth Chapter of him you have onely spoken of that something of which is apprehended by the light of Nature Yea Nature it self will teach that men should trust in God which is the most excellent Particular that there you mention Wherefore our Lord Jesus himself foreseeing that in Men there will be a proudness to contentent themselves with that Confidence he intimateth that it would be in
before we know it But say you the Actual removing of our Guilt is not the necessary and immediate Result of his Death Pag. 91. Answ. Yea but it is from before the Face of God and from the Judgement and Curse of the Law For before God the Guilt is taken away by the Death and Blood of his Son immediately for all them that shall be saved else how can it be said we are Justified by his Blood He hath made Peace by his Blood He loved us and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood and that we are Reconciled to God by the Death of his Son which can by no means be If notwithstanding his Death and Blood Sin in the Guilt and Consequently the Curse that is due thereto should yet remain in the sight of God But what saith the Apostle God was in Christ Reconciling the World to himself not Imputing their Trespasses unto them Those that are but Reconciling are not yet Reconciled I mean as Paul not yet come aright over in their own Souls by Faith Yet to these he imputeth not their Trespasses Wherefore because they have none or because he forgiveth them as they Believe and Work Neither of both but because he hat First made his Son to be Sin for them and lay'd all the Guilt and Curse of their Sin upon him that they might be made the Righteousness of God in him Therefore even because by him their Sin and Curse is taken off from before the Law of God therefore God for the sake of Christ seeketh for and beseecheth the Sinner to be Reconciled That is to believe in and imbrace his Majesty No say you The Actual Removing of Guilt is not the necessary and immediate Result of his Death but Suspended vntil such time as the forementioned Conditions by the help of his Grace are performed by us Answ. 1. Then may a Man have the Grace of God within him Yea the Grace and Mercy of the New-Covenant viz. Faith and the like that yet remaineth under the Curse of the Law and so hath yet his Sins untaken away from before the Face of God For where the Curse is onely suspended it may stand there Notwithstanding in Force against the Soul Now let the Soul stand accursed and his Duties must stand accursed For First the Person and then the Offering must be accepted of God God accepted not the Works of Cain because he had not accepted his Person But having first accepted Abel's Person he therefore did accept his Offering And here it is said that Abel Offered by Faith He belived that his Person was accepted of God for the sake of the promised Messias and therefore believed also that his Offering should be accepted 2. Faith As it respecteth Justification in the sight of God must know nothing to rest upon but the Mercy of God through Christ's Blood But if the Curse be not taken away Mercy also hangeth in Suspence yea lyeth as drowned and hid in the bottom of the Sea This Doctrine then of yours overthroweth Faith and rusheth the Soul into the Works of the Law the Moral Law and so quite Involveth it in the fear of the Wrath of God maketh the Soul forget Christ taketh from it the Object of Faith and if a Miracle of Mercy prevent not the Soul must dye in everlasting Desperation But say you it is Suspended till such time as the forementioned Conditions by the help of his Grace be performed by us Pag. 92. Answ. Had you said the Manifestation of it is kept from us it might with some Allowance have been Admitted But yet the Revelation of it in the Word which in some Sence may be called a Manifestation thereof is first Discovered to us by the Word Yea is seen by us and also believed as a truth Recorded before the Injoyment thereof be with comfort in our own Souls But you Proceed and say Therefore was the Death of Christ Designed to Procure our Justification from all Sins past that we might by this means be Provoked to become New Creatures Answ. That the Death of Christ is a mighty Argument to perswade with the Believer to Devote himself to God in Christ in all things as becometh one that hath received Grace and Redemption by his Blood is True But that it is in Our Power as is here Insinuated to become New Creatures is as Vntrue The New Creâ—â—ure is of God yea Immediately of God Man being as Uncapable to make himself A-new as a Child to Beget himself Neither is our Conformity to the Revealed Will of God any thing else if it be Right then the Fruit and Effect of that All things are already or before become New in the Christian Man But to return After all the Flourish you have made about the Death of Christ even as he is an Expiatory and Propitiatory Sacrifice In Conclusion you Terminate the Business far short of which it was intended of God For you almost make the Effects thereof but a bare Suspension of present Justice and Death for Sin or that which hath delivered us at present from a Necessity of dying that we might live unto God That is according as you have Stated it That we might from Principles of Humanity and Reason act towards the First Principles of Morals c. till we put our selves into a Capacity of Personal and Actual Pardon Answ. The Sum of your Doctrine therefore is That Christ by his Death onely holds the Point of the Sword of Justice Not that he Received it into his own Soul That he Suspends the Curse from us Not that himself was made a Curse for us that the Guilt might be Remitted by our Vertues Not that Sin was made to be our Sin But Paul and the New Testament giveth us Account far otherwise viz. That Christ was made our Sin our Curse and Death that we by him not by the Principle of pure Humanity or our Obedience to your first Principles of Morals c. should be set free from the Law of Sin and Death If any Object that Christ hath designed the Purifying our Hearts and Natures I Answer But he hath not designed to Promote or to Perfect that righteousness that is Founded on and Floweth from the Purity of our Humane Nature for then he must design the setting up Mans righteousness that which is of the Law and then he must design also the setting up of that which is directly in opposition both also to the Righteousness that of God is designed to Justifie us and that by which we are inwardly made Holy As I have shewed before You have therefore Sir in all that you have yet Asserted shewed no other Wisdom then a Heathen or of one that is short even of a Novice in the Gospel In the next place I might Trace you Chapter by Chapter and at large Refute not only the whole design of your Book by a particular Replication to them but also sundry and damnable Errors
you Mentioned the First though but once your Babel had tumbled about your Ears For if in the Holy Jesus did dwell the Word One of the Three in Heaven or if the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was Truly Essentially and Naturally God then must the Principle from whence his Works did Proceed be better then the Principle from whence Proceeded the Goodness in Adam otherwise Adam must be God and Man Also you do or may know that the self same act may be done from several Principles And again that it is the Principle from whence the act is done and not the bare doing of the act that makes it better or worse Accepted or not in the Eyes either of God or Men. Now then to shew you the Main or Chief Design of the Life and Conversation of the Lord Jesus First It was not to shew us what an Excellent Holiness we once had in Adam But that thereby God the Eternal Majesty according to his Promise might be seen by and dwell with Mortal Men For the Godhead being altogether in it's own Nature Invisible and yet desirous to be seen by and dwell with the Children of Men therefore was the Son who is the self same Substance with the Father closed with or Tabernacled in our Flesh that in that Flesh the Nature and Glory of the Godhead might be seen by and dwell with us The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory What Glory The Glory as of the onely Begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth Again The Life that is the Life of God in the Works and Conversation of Christ was Manifest and we have seen it and bear Witness and shew unto you that Eternal Life which was with the Father and was Manifested unto us And hence he is called the Image of the Invisible God or he by whom the Invisible God is most perfectly presented to the Sons of Men. Did I say before that the God of Glory is desirous to be seen of us Even so also have the Pure in Heart a desire that it should be so Lord say they shew us the Father and it suffiseth us And therefore the promise is for their comfort that they shall see God But how then must they see him Why in the Person and by the Life and Works of Jesus When Philip under a mistake thought of seeing God some other way then in and by this Lord Jesus Christ What is the Answer Have I been so long time with you saith Christ and hast thou not known me Philip He that hath seen me hath seen the Father and how sayest thou then shew us the Father Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me The Words that I speak unto you I speak not of my self but the Father that dwelleth in me he doth the Works Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me or else Believe me for the very Works sake See here that both the Words and Works of the Lord Jesus were not to shew you and so to call you back to the Holiness that we had lost but to give us Visions of the Perfections that are in the Father He hath given us the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ. And hence it is that the Apostle in that brief Collection of the wonderful Mystery of Godliness placeth this in the Front thereof God was Manifested in the Flesh Was Manifested viz. In and by the Person of Christ when in the Flesh he lived among us Manifest I say for this as one Reason that the Pure in heart who long after nothing more might see him I beseech thee said Moses shew me thy Glory And will God indeed dwell with Men on the Earth faith Solomon Now to fullfil the desires of them that fear him hath he shewed himself in Flesh unto them which Discovery Principally is made by the Words and Works of Christ. But Secondly Christ by his Words and Works of Righteousness in the days of his Flesh neither shewed us which was nor called us back to the Possession of the Holiness that we had lost but did Perfect in and by himself the Law for us that we had Broken Man being Involved in Sin and Misery by reason of Transgression Committed against the Law or Ministration of Death and being utterly unable to Recover himself there-from the Son of God himself Assumeth the Flesh of Man and for Sin Condemned Sin in that Flesh. And that First by walking through the Power of his Eternal Spirit in the highest Perfection to every point of the whole Law in it's most Exact and full Requirements which was to be done not onely without Commixing Sin in his doing but by one that was perfectly without the least being of it in his Nature yea by one that now was God-Man because it was God whose Law was broken and whose Justice was offended For were it now possible to give a Man Possession of that Holiness that he hath lost in Adam that Holiness could neither in the Principle nor Act deliver from the Sin by him before Committed This is Evident by many Reasons First because it is not a Righteousness able to answer the Demands of the Law for Sin that requiring not onely a perfect abiding in the thing Commanded but a satisfaction by death for the Transgression Committed against the Law The Wages of Sin is Death Wherefore he that would undertake the Salvation of the World must be one who can do both these things One that can perfectly do the Demands of the Law in Thought Word and Deed without the least Commixture of the least Sinful thought in the whole Course of his Life He must be also able to give by Death even by the Death that hath the Curse of God in it a compleat satisfaction to the Law for the breach thereof Now this could none but Christ accomplish none else having Power to do it I have Power said he to lay down my Life and I have Power to take it again And this Commandment have I Received of my Father This Work then must be done not by another Earthly Adam but by the Lord from Heaven by one that can Abollish Sin Destroy the Devil Kill Death and Rule as Lord in Heaven and Earth Now the Words and Works of the Lord Jesus declared him to be such a one He was first without Sin then he did no Sin neither could either the Devil the whole World or the Law find any Deceit in his mouth But by being under the Law and walking in the Law by that Spirit which was the Lord God of the Law he not onely did always the things that pleased the Father but by that means in mans Flesh he did perfectly accomplish and fullfil that Law which all Flesh stood Condemned by It is a Foolish and an Heathenish thing nay worse to think that the Son of God
the Son of God if I do not the Works of my Father believe me not but if I do though you believe not me believe the Works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him John 10. 37 38. But what is it to believe that he is Messias or Christ Even to believe that this Man Jesus was ordained and appointed of God and that before all Worlds to be the Saviour of Men by accomplishing in himself an Everlasting Righteousness for them and by bearing their Sins in his Body on the Tree that it was he that was to Reconcile us to God by the Body of his Flesh when he hanged on the Cross. This is the Doctrine that at the beginning Christ Preached to that Learned Ignorant Nicodemus As Moses said he lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not Perish but have Everlasting Life The Serpent was lifted up upon a Pole Christ was hanged on a Tree the Serpent was lifted up for Murmurers Christ was hanged up for Sinners the Serpent was lifted up for them that were bitten with Fiery Serpents the fruits of their wicked Murmuring Christ was hanged up for them that are bitten with Guilt the rage of the Devil and the fear of Death and Wrath the Serpent was hanged up to be looked on Christ was hanged up that we might believe in him that we might have Faith in his Blood They that looked upon the Serpent of Brass lived They that believe in Christ shall be saved and shall never perish Was the Serpent then lifted up for them that were good and Godly No but for the Sinners So God commended his Love to us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ dyed for us But what if they that were Stung could not because of the swelling of their face look up to the Brazen Serpent then without remedy they dye So he that believeth not in Christ shall be Damned But might they not be healed by humbling themselves one would think that better then to live by looking up onely No onely looking up did it when death swallowed up them that looked not This then is the Doctrine Christ came into the World to save Sinners according to the Proclamation of Paul Be it known unto you therefore Men and Brethren that through this Man is Preached unto you the forgiveness of Sins and by him all that believe are Justified from all things from which they could not be Justified by the Law of Moses The forgiveness of Sins But what is meant by forgiveness Forgiveness doth strictly respect the Debt or Punishment that by Sin we have brought upon our selves But how are we by this Man forgiven this Because by his Blood he hath answered the Justice of the Law so made amends to an offended Majesty Besides this Man's Righteousness is made over to him that looks up to him for Life Yea that man is made the Righteousness of God in him This is the Doctrine that the Miracles were wrought to confirm and that both by Christ and his Apostles and not that Holiness and Righteousness that is the fruit of a feigned Purity of our Nature Take two or three Instances for all The Jews came round about him and said unto him How long dost thou make us to doubt If thou be the Christ tell us plainly Jesus answered them I told you and you believed not the Works that I do in my Fathers name they bear witness of me but ye believe not because ye are not of my Sheep John 10. 24 25 26. By this Scripture the Lord Jesus testifies what was the end of his Words and wondrous Works viz. That men might know that he was the Christ that he was sent of God to be the Saviour of the World and that these Miracles required of them first of all that they accept of him by believing a thing little set by by our Author for in Pag. 299. he preferâ—eth his doing Righteousness far before it and above ALL things else his words are Verbatim thus Let us exercise our selves unto Real and Substantial Godliness such as he hath Described in the first part of his Book viz. That which is the Dictares of his Humane Nature c. and in keeping our Consciences vsid of Offence both towards God and towards Men and in studying the Gospel to enable us not to Discourse or onely to BELIEVE but also and above ALL things to DOWELL But Believing though not with this man yet by Christ and his wondrous Miracles is expected first and above ALL things from men and to do well in the best Sence though his Sence is the worst is that which by the Gospel is to come after Secondly Go into all the World and Preach the Gospel unto every Creature He that Believeth and is Baptized shall be saved and he that Believeth not shall be Damned And these signs shall follow them that Believe In my Name shall they cast out Devils they shall speak with New Tongues they shall take up Serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them c. Mark 16. 16 17 18. Mark you here it is Believing Believing It is I say Believing that is here required by Christ. Believing what The Gospel even good Tydings to Sinners by Jesus Christ good Tydings of Good glad Tydings of good things Mark how the Apostle hath it the glad Tydings is that through Jesus is Preached the forgiveness of Sins and by him all that BELIEVE are Justified from ALL things from which they could not be Justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13. 33 39. These Signs shall follow them that Believe Mark Signs before and Signs after and all to Exite to and Confirm the weight of Believing And they went forth and Preached every where the Lord working with them and Confirming the Word with Signs following Amen Mark 16. 20. Thirdly Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard least at any time we should let them slip For if the Word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every Transgression and Disobedience received a just Recompence of Reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was Confirmed to us by them that heard him God also bearing them Witness with Signs and Wonders and with divers Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will Heb. 2. 1 2 3 4. Here we are Excited to the Faith of the Lord Jesus under these Words so great Salvation As if he had said Give earnest heed the most earnest heed to the Doctrine of the Lord Jesus because it is SO great Salvation What this Salvation is he tells us it is that which was Preached by the Lord himself That God so loved the World that he gave his onely Begotten Son that whosoever Believed in
Precious Faith with all the Elect and that which is most Holy but those Acts of it which Respect our Justification with God from the Curse of the Law that is due for Sin are such as respect not any good Work done by us but the Righteousness that Resideth in the Person of Christ and is made ours by the imputation of Grace This Faith I say accounteth him in whom it is now a Sinner and without Works yea if he have any that in his own eyes are such this Faith rejects them and throweth them away for it seeth a Righteousness in the Person of Christ sufficient even such as is verily the Righteousness of God Now to him that worketh not but believeth Works and Faith are put here in oppposition Faith being considered as Justifying in the sight of God from the Curse The Reason is because the Righteousness by which the Soul must thus stand Justified is a Righteousness of God's appointing not of his Prescribing us a Righteousness that Intirely is Included in the Person of Christ. The Apostle also when he speaks of God's saving the Election which hangeth upon the same Hinge as this of Justification doth to wit on the Grace of God he opposeth it to Works and that not to this or that sort onely but even to Work in the Nature of Work Rom. 11. If it be of Grace then it is no more of Works otherwise Grace is no more Grace but if it be of Works then it is no more of Grace otherwise Work is no more Work By this Text I say the Apostle doth so throughly Distinguish between Grace and Works as that which so ever standeth in the Case the other must be Annihilated If it be by Grace then must Works be no more then it is no more of Works but if it be of Works then is Grace no more then it is no more of Grace But this notwithstanding you urge farther That Faith Justifieth as it includes a sincere Resolution c. Answ. Although as I have said before the Faith which is the Justifying Faith is that of the Holiest Nature yet in the Act by which it layeth hold of Justifying Righteousness it respects it simply as a Righteousness offered by Grace or given unto the Person that by Faith layeth hold thereon as he stands yet ungodly and a Sinner Faith Justifieth not seperate from the Righteousness of Christ as it is a Grace in us nor as it subjecteth the Soul to the obedience of the Morral Law but as it receiveth a Righteousness offered to that Sinner that as such will lay hold on and accept thereof Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners by being their Redemption and Righteousness himself But you add The Faith that Intaileth the Sinner to SO High a Priviledge as that of Justification must needs be such as complyeth with all the purposes of Christ's coming into the World c. Answ. By this supposition Faith Justifieth not by receiving of the Righteousness that Christ by himself accomplished for Sinners but by falling in with all good Works which because they cannot be known much less done by the Soul at first his Faith being then as to the perfection of knowledge of Duties weak he standeth still before God unjustified and so must stand until he doth comply with all those purposes of Christ's coming into the World But yet again you recall your self and distinguish one purpose from the rest as a grand one Pag. 222. And that is to receive Christ as Lord as well as a Saviour Answ. 1. Although the Soul that in truth receiveth Christ receiveth him wholly and intirely as Christ and not as chopt and pul'd in Pieces Yet I distinguish between the act of Faith which layeth hold of Christ for my Justification from the Curse before God and the consequences of that act which are to engage me to newness of Life And indeed as it is impossible for a Man to be a new Man before he be Justified in the sight of God so it is also as impossible but that when Faith hath once layed hold on Christ for Life it should also follow Christ by Love But 2. Christ may be received at first as Lord and that in our Justification and yet not at all be considered as a Law-giver for so he is not the Object of Faith for our Justification with God but a requirer of Obedience to Laws and Statutes of them that already are Justified by the Faith that receiveth him as Righteousness But Christ is as well a Lord for us as to or over us and it highly concerneth the Soul when it believeth in or trusteth to the Righteousness of Christ for Justification with God to see that this Righteousness Lords it over Death and Sin and the Devil and Hell for us The Name wherewith he shall be called is The Lord our Righteousness Our Righteousness then is Lord and Conquerour over all and we more then Conqerours through this Lord that loved us The Author to the Hebrews calls him King of Righteousness because by his Righteousness he ruleth as Lord and King and can reign and Lord it at all times over all those that seek to seperate us from the presence and Glory of God Now how you will brook this Doctrine I know not I am sure he stands in need thereof that is Lorded over by the Curse of the Law the guilt of Sin the Rage of the Devil and the fear of the Death and Hell He I say would be glad to know that in Christ there is a Righteousness that Lords it or that Christ as he is Righteousness is Lord. Wherefore Reader when thou shalt Read or Hear that Jesus Christ is Lord if thou art at the same time under guilt of Sin and fear of Hell then do thou Remember that Christ is Lord more ways then one he is Lord as he is Righteousness he is Lord as he is Imputative Righteousness he is the Lord OVR Righteousness Of the same import is that also he is a Prince and a Saviour he is a Prince as he is a Saviour because the Righteousness by which he saveth beareth Rule in Heaven and Earth And hence we Read again that even when he was in the Combat with our Sins the Devils the Curse and Death upon the Cross he even in that place made a shew of them openly and triumphed over them Now in these things he is Lord for us and the Captain of our Salvation as also in that he hath Led Captivity Captive all which places with many more being Testimonies to us of the sufficiency of that Righteousness which saveth us from the Justice of the Law and Wrath of God But you respect not this his manner of Lording but will have him be a Saviour as he giveth Laws especially those you call Indispensible and Eternal the Morral Law You would have him a Saviour as he bringeth us back to the Holiness we had lost But this is none
Doctrine being in it self of quite another Nature then the Doctrine of Faith and also as such a Covenant by it self it requireth the mind by vertue of it's Commands to stand to THAT and to rest in THAT For of necessity the heart and mind of a Man can go no farther then it seeth and hath learnt but by this Morral Doctrine the heart and mind is bound and limited to it self by the power of the Dictate to obedience and the promise of obtaining the Blessing when the preceptive part of it is fulfilled Hence Paul tells us that though that Ministration that was Written and Ingraven in Stones which in Nature is the same with this is glorious yet these imperfections attended the Man that was in it 1. He was but within the bounds of the Ministration of Death 2. In this estate he was blind and could not see how to be delivered therefrom The vail is over their hâ—art so that they could not heretofore neither can they now see to the end of that which was commanded neither to the perfection of the command nor their own insufficiency to do it nor to thâ— Death and Curse of God that attended him that in every thing continued not in that was Written in the Book of the Law to do them 3. Every Lecture or Reading of this Old Law is as a fresh Hood-winking of it's Disciples and a doubling of the hindrance of their coming to Christ for life But their minds were blinded for until this day the same Vail remaineth untaken away in reading of the Old Testament which Vail is done away in Christ But even unto this day when Moses is read the Vail is over their Hearts 2 Cor. 3. 6 to 15. And let the Reader note that all these things attend the Doctrine of Morrals the Ceremonies being in themselves more apt to instruct Men in the Knowledge of Christ they being by God's Ordaination Figures Shadows Representations and Emblems of him but the Morrals are not so neither as Written in our Natures nor as Written and Engraven in Stones Wherefore your so highly commended obedient temper of mind you intending thereby an hearty complyance before Faith with Morrals for Righteousness is so far off from being an excellent temper and a necessary qualification to help a Man to a firm belief and right understanding of the Gospel that it is the most ready way of all ways in the World to keep a man perpetually blind and ignorant thereof Wherefore the Apostle saith that the Vail the Ignorance cannot be taken away but when the Heart shall turn to the Lord that is from the Doctrine of Morrals as a Law and Covenant in our Natures or as it was Written and Ingraven in Stones to Christ for mercy to pardon our transgressions against it and for imputative Righteousness to Justifie us from it While Moses is Read the Vail is over the Heart that is while Men with their minds stand bending also to do it But mark when it the Heart shall turn to the Lord or to the Word of the Gospel which is the Revelation of him then the Vail shall be taken away And hence it will not be amiss if again we consider how the Holy Ghost compareth or setteth one against another these two Administrations The Law he calls the Letter even the Law of Morrals that Law that was Written and Engraven in Stones The other Ministration he calls the Ministration of the Spirit even that which Christ offered to the World upon believing Again he denyeth himself to be a Minister of the Law of Morrals He hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament noâ— of the Letter or Law but of the Spirit or Gospel The reason is for the Letter or Law can do nothing but kill Curse or Condemn but the Spirt or the Gospel giveth life Farther in comparing he calls the Law the Ministration of Death or that which layeth Death at the Doors of all Flesh but the Gospel the Ministration of Righteousness because by this Ministry there is a Revelation of that Righteousness that is fulfilled by the Person of Christ and to be imputed for Righteousness to them that believe that they might be delivered from the Ministration of death How then hath the Ministration of God no Glory Yes forasmuch as it is a Revelation of the Justice of God against Sin But yet again it 's Glory is turned into no Glory when it is compared with that which excelleth For if the Ministration of Death Written and Graven in the Stones was glorious so that the Children of Israel coulâ— not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the Glory of his countenancâ— which Glory was to be done away how shall not the Ministratioâ— of the Spirit be rather Glorious For if the Ministration of Condemnation be Glory much more doth the Ministration of Righteousness exceed in Glory For even that which was made Glorious hath no Glory in this respect by reason of the Glory that excelleth 2 Cor. 3. 9 10. So then your obedient temper of mind forasmuch as it respecteth the Law of Morrals and that too before Faith or a right understanding of the Gospel is nothing else but an obedience to the Law a living to Death and the Ministration of Condemnation and is a perswading the World that to be obedient to that Ministration that is not the Ministration of the Gospel but holdeth it's Disciples in blindness and ignorance in which it is impossible Christ should be revealed is an excellent yea a necessary qualification to prepare Men for a firm belief and a right understanding of the Gospel of Christ which yet even blindeth and holdeth all blind that are the followers of that Ministration I come now to your Proof which indeed is no Proof of this Antigospel Assertion but Texts abused and wrestled out of their place to serve to underprop your erronious Doctrine The First is If any Man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self John 7. 17. P. 268. Answ. This Scripture respecteth not at all the Morral Law or obedience to the Dictates of Humane Nature as an acceptable qualification precedent to Faith or that for the sake of which God will give Men Faith in and a right understanding of the Gospel but is it self an immediate exhortation to believing with a promise of what shall follow as who shall say The Father hath sent me into the World to be Salvation to it through Faith in my Blood My Fathers will therefore is that Men believe in me and if any will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine he shall feel the power thereof by the peace and comfort that will presently possess the Soul and by the holy effects that follow That this is the true exposition of this place will be verified if you consider that to do the will of God in a New Testament sence is to be taken under a double