Rom. in principio what should I add more witnesses here are enough to shew the unanimous consent of Greek and Latine Church in this doctrine of Justification by Faith without works so it is not of our Invention And they are consenting with the Prophets and Apostles in this Doctrine so it may not be of your rejection For you know who hath said If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luk. 16. 31. That is to say in this present case they will not be perswaded though one that hath passed under the Judgement of God should come from the dead to tell them That he had not been acquitted for his own but for his Saviours righteousness I was the more desirous to insist the longer upon the Fathers because some late Protestants to make their own writings the more acceptable have not stuck to say That the Fathers did write either defectively or obscurely of this point whereas if they had written with a pen of Iron or of a diamond they could not have written more Fully and with a Sun-beam they could not have written more clearly And because some Papists on the other side to make their Tenent the more passible have not stuck to say that the Fathers writ all fully and clearly for Justification by works Let any unprejudicate man judge from these few quotations whether all their fulness and plainness be not to enlarge and explain this very doctrine of St. Paul which you have blamed in me Therefore being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 1. Whereby he attributes not only our Justification from the guilt of sin but also our peace for the deliverance from the terrour of that guilt only to Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ But because men of the contrary opinion do pretend to be wholly for the Church it shall not suffice me to have shewed what the Catholick Church did believe and profess in the daies of St. Ambrose St. Augustin and St. Chrysostom but what the present Roman Church doth believe and profess at this very day for that still teaching all her Communicants to pray on this wise Effunde super nos misericordiam tuam ut dimittas quae conscientia metuit adjicias quod oratio non praesumit per dominum nostrum Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy forgiveing us those things whereof our Conscience is afraid and giving unto us that that our Prayers dare not presume to ask through Jesus Christ our Lord 12. Sunday after Trinity doth plainly shew and declare That forgiveness of sins and quietation of our Consciences are among those blessings which our prayers dare not presume to ask and much less may hope to attain by any of our own but only by our Saviours righteousness and what is Justification but the forgiveness of sins and what is the immediate effect of it but the quietation of our Consciences God hath made Remission of sins an Article of our Faith not a duty of our life and his Church accounteth them Infidels who do not believe it But if we can purchase it by our own works t is rather to be merited or to be deserved then believed Let us then change the daily Hymne of the Church and say When we had overcome the wickednesse of life we did open the Kingdom of Heaven to our selves that were workers not when Thou hadst overcome the sharpnesse of death Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers The Church owns the opening of Heaven to Christs death not denying true believers to be workers but denying Heaven to be opened by their works And shall we say that Heaven is opened by our Saviours merits but entred by our own 15. But see first if by saying so we do not only forsake Christs Church but also destroy it For none can shut the gates of Hell but He that hath opened the gate of Heaven The same righteousness shuts Them for they are many and wide and opens This for it is but one and very narrow If mans righteousnesse can do so let not Hierusalem be any longer called by this name The Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 16. But if she be no longer so called How will she be Gods Church for withoubt dout the gates of Hell will easily be able to prevail against Her righteousness though not against Her Saviours Therefore the Church that Hell shall not prevail against must be founded on the Rock of Christs righteousnesse not on the Sand of mans righteousness for then God may soon come to have no Church because the Church may soon come to have no righteousness surely it can have no such righteousness as either to vanquish Hell or to challenge Heaven no such righteousnesse as not for ever to say most justly what now she saith si iniquitates observaveris Domine Domine quis sustinebit If thou Lord wilâ—… be exâ—…ream to mark what is done amisse O Lord who may abide it That man would be very desperate who should answer this question and say I may abide it and consequently that Divinity must needs be very dangerous which must put him upon such an answer for his Justification This is for Christians to have a worse opinion of Christ then had the Jews for even Rabbi David upon these words of Jeremy The Lord our Righteousnesse gives us this glosse Israel shall call the Messias by this name The Lord our righteousnesse because in his daies the Justice of God shall be firmly established for ever acknowledging that a Justice which is to be established in us for ever is not to be obtained may not be expected by and from our selves but by and from the Messias by and from him who is here called The Lord our righteousnesse 16. Yet your Bellarmine lib. 2. de Just. useth no less then ten Arguments to prove that the imputation of Christs righteousness in our justification is little other then a fiction or a vain and empty opinion Justificationem non consistere in Imputatione justitiae Christi He saith positively That Justificatoin doth not consist in the imputation of Christs righteousnesse Sure St. Paul taught him not to say so for he plainly rejecteth his own inherent righteousnesse and cleaved only to the imputed righteousnesse of Christ when he desired to be justified Phil. 3. 9. That I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith He desired not to be found in his Own but in his Saviours righteousnesse when he was to pass under Gods sentence and he could not be found in that unless it might be imputed to Him for being Anothers it could not be inherent in Him Therefore if your Cardinals contradistinctions stand for good in your account Vera mundities non Imputativa arg 9. non verè sed
in doing or in suffering because there is no proportion betwixt an infinite Justice and a finite satisfaction This considered may I not be as gross an Ebionite or Cherinthian by saying there is a necessity of penal satisfaction as if I say there is a necessity of legal observations for the expiation of sin do not both alike diminish and disparage the efficacy of Christs death Or may I think that the Church of Christ by using the power of the Keyes in retaining sins intends to retain where Christ remits to wiâ—… in the true Penitent to the undervaluing of Christs merit in purchasing remission of sins and Gods free grace and mercy in granting it and Gods holy Spirit in testifying it Therefore I must let the satisfaction enjoyned by the Church die with the Penitent and not be required of him after death unless I will suppose the Church both able and willing to bind where Christ hath loosed For if Christ loose not the sinner here I do not find upon what grounds to believe That he will loose him hereafter So that we see if satisfaction is to be made by the sinner All must go to Purgatory and for ought we can prove tarry there eternally And so Purgatory will in truth be Hell If satisfaction hath been made by Christ then none at all can justly go thither And so Purgatory will in truth be Nothing certain it is no other satisfaction was given for all the offences of the good Thief though he were not a Penitent till the hour of his death and with what colour of Truth can any Divine teach that God will not take this satisfaction and this alone for all other Penitents And yet this in Bellarmines acount is one of the two supporters of Purgatory the other is Venial sins which may also be shaken in good time In a word The Place the Time the Quality of Torment the manner of tormenting the Tormentor and the cause or end for which souls are said to be tormented in Purgatory are all uncertain and how can the torment it self be taken for a certainty For it is not any mans confidence can make that certain which is invested with so many intrinsecal doubts and ambiguities nor any mans arguments can make that credible which is not certain But besides the uncertainty wâ—… meet with in this temporary Tormentâ—… which will not suffer us to believe it wâ—… find it casts an uncertainty upon that eternal Torment which we confess our selveâ—… bound to believe For as you rightly sayâ—… Nothing is more certain amongst Christiaâ—… then what is de fide of Divine Faith So crave leave to inferr from that sayinâ—… Nothing is to be affirmed de fide of diviâ—… faith among Christians which is not ceâ—…tain unless we will labour to overthroâ—… the Certainty of the Christian faith Fâ—… to require men to believe an uncertaiâ—… equally with a certainty is to invite theâ—… to disbelieve a certainty since it is not possible they should have one and the same Divine Faith for uncertainties and for certainties And therefore to teach men to believe Purgatory which is uncertain is the ready way to make them not believe Hell which is most certain Nor is it to be wondered That Bellarmines certainties concerning this doctrine should be so much enfeebled by his own uncertainties concerning the same no more then it is to be wondered that the certainty of our Christian saith should depend not upon the wit of man but upon the word of God 7. For this doctrine of Purgatory is so far from being taught in the Word of God that if you should ask those Disciples who have been most and best instructed in the Word Have ye received the doctrine of Purgatory since ye believed They must answer you We have not so much as heard whether there be any Purgatory and yet the same men will plainly tell you They have heard there is an holy Ghost and have received him though your over-bold Peltanus would perswade the world That Purgatory is as expresly taught in the holy Scriptures as the Unity of God and yet that is a little more expresly taught then the Deity of the Holy Ghost though blessed be God the Scripture is very express in both these Doctrines But in the whole Book of God there is neither in words nor in sense neither explicitly nor implicitly any such thing as your Purgatory which we cannot say concerning any Article of the Christian Faith That the thing we are bound to believe is not so much as really or virtually named in all the Holy Bible For an sit is as truly a precognition in the object of faith as in the subject of any question by that Rule of the Apostle if reason will not serve How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher Rom. 10. 14. We cannot believe what we have heard we cannot hear any supernatural truth unless God preach it and if he hath been the Preacher we may find the doctrine in his written Word which the most zealous defenders of this your doctrine durst not assert in former times For a very eminent Schoolman of our own Couâ—…rey Iohannis Bachâ—…nus lib. 4. dist 45. quâ—…unica answers all the Texts that were in his daies commonly alledged out of the Bible to prove Purgatory which were then but three though since they have swelled into a far greater number The first Text was that of 2 Mac. 12. To which his answer is Libri Macchabaeorum non sunt de Canone Bibliae ut dicit Hieronymus The Books of the Macchabees are not of the Canon of the Bible as saith Saint Hierom Nor doth your Cardinals new subtilty invalidate this answer Dico librum Maccha non esse Canonicum apud Judaeos sed apud Christianos esse I say the Books of the Macchabees were not Canonical among the Jews but they are among the Christians For the Christian Church had the Canon of the Old Testament from the Church of the Jews who not daring to make themselves a Canon took that which God gave them and therefore left out the Macchabees because they were not in the Ark that is to say not in that Canon which God had given them Nor hath God given the Christian Church power and authority to make that or any other Book Canonical which himself hath not made so for the Text is plain which saith To them were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. Which words only shew a Trust of keeping not a power of making the Oracles of God either in Jew or Christian. The second Text then alledged to prove Purgatory was that of 1 Cor. 3. To which his answer is That the Apostle there speaketh of that fire which shall burn the world at the day of Judgement therefore that place will not prove such a a purging by fire as the Doctors suppose before the day of Judgement Benè probatur Purgatio ista conflagrationis in
shall we say He more willeth our punishment then our salvation 16. But if any will hereafter thus abuse the Word of God let him know he must likewise abuse the Prayers of his Church that so the sight of the one may bring him to the greater detestation of the other Wherefore let him say Domine non secundum peccata nostra facias nobis 1. non secundum mortalia sed facias nobis secundum venialia peccata O Lord deal not with us after our sins that is deal not with us after our mortal sins but deal with us after our venial sins Neque secundum iniquitates nostras retribuas nobis 1. non in inferno sed in Purgatorio Neither reward us after our iniquites That is reward us not after our iniquities in Hell by eternal torments but reward as after our iniquities in Purgatory by temporal punishment And if he think these too direful deprecations for his Hope let him think those other too direful interpretations for his Faith which would make repentance so take away his mortal as to leave behind his venial sins or would so take out Hell as to leâ—… in Purgatory for his bounden satisfaction For our parts we will do Gods Woâ—… and Gods Church more right then to fiâ—… such Doctrines upon his Word or such Prayers upon his Church And since thâ—… thoughts of our hearts are reputeâ—… among our venial sins we will say Thaâ—… both God and his Church have taught uâ—… how to get those thoughts purged froâ—… our souls whiles we live and not expectâ—… their purgation after our death even by heartily praying in this manner Cleansâ—… the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiratioâ—… of thy holy Spirit not by the operation of an imaginary or unholy fire which if it come not from Hell is but imaginary if it come from Hell is but unholy that wâ—… may perfectly love thee and worthily magnâ—…fie thy holy name This we can pray in faith for our heavenly Father will give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11. 13. And that holy Spirit will purifie our heart by faith Acts 15. 8 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide purgans corda eorum Purging their hearts by Faith This is aâ—… the Purging of sin mentioned in the Scriptures even a Purgatory by Faith not by Fire And this is all the soul needs for if we may by vertue of this Purging Spirit or Purifying Faith either in our life or at our death perfectly love God we may doubtless after our death presently enjoy him since then as our faith is to be turned into Vision and our hope into Comprehension so our Charity is to be turned into Fruition our love of Christ into the enjoyment of him we cannot enjoy him where he is not but where he is that is not in a place far from Heaven if at least it be a place at all but in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for us 17. And we had rather trust to his intercession to keep us from Purgatory then to others intercessions to deliver us from it For we are sure their intercessions are nothing worth but by vertue of his intercession and we are not sure that he doth intercede for souls in Purgatory for we cannot believe that he doth pray to God that a fire we know not whence should purge those souls which himself that came down from heaven could not purge For whatsoever fond Christians may fancy yet sure Christ himself will not so undervalue his own most precious blood and his own most holy Spirit as to pray that fire may cleanse those souls which his Spirit and blood have not cleansed And were it possible that such prayers could be made for souls in Purgatory as Christ would please to intercede withal yet since it cannot be known how long it is fit for souls to be in Purgatory no living man can use such prayers in faith of Christs intercession to go along with him to the throne of Grace But as he may pray for them without Christs intercession if they be there so he must pray for them without it when they shall be gone from thence For God hath not let us men on earth know the time of their deliverance no more then he hath taught us the belief of their captivity And now by this time I hope you understand what is my aim in making this answer though you say you did not in making that objection and will not perswade men hereafter to go to Purgatory that you may pray for them when it is so undenyable a Truth that if they be there they can have no benefit by your Prayers CAP. IV. Of the second Commandment and against Images 1. PApists not to be called Catholicks but false Catholicks saith their own Cassander 2. Confession and Absolution in the Church of Rome both faulty 3. The Church of England not defective in the practice of Penance neither for Confession nor for Contrition 4. The Church of Rome defective in her Confessional Interrogatories and consequently in her Penance for the sins against the second Commandement 5. No Catholick Divinity either in making the second no Commandment or in making no sin of Ignorance against it for All the Decalogue is as necessary to salvation as all the Creed 6. An errour in fact against a Commandement in the Decalogue infers an errour in faith against its corresponding Article in the Creed 7. Saint Augustine made bold with the place and order but not with the power or substance of the second Commandement He writ much against Images especially those of the blessed Trinity which you now maintain and worship to the great danger of making the scoffers of this age Antitrinitarians as by denying or concealing the second Commandement you have made them Antinomians 8. All Catholick Divines after Saint Augustine have not reckoned the first and second Commandements but as One indeed very few or none at all till Peter Lombard and might not so reckon them because it is against essential and accidential Catholicism 9. Good Church-men did neither joyn the first and second Commandements together as did the School nor divide the Tenth into two Commandements the absurdities of that division 10. T is easie for Christians well instructed in the first to sin out of ignorance against the second Commandement 11. Christ is not to be worshipped by A Picture because he is the true God 12. The Religious worshipping of Saints and Angels gross Idolatry For all the elicite Acts of Religion belong only to God who alone is the object of the first as Neighbour is the object of the second Table And t is against the order of Justice to confound the offices of God and Neighbour and consequentlâ—… the greatest breach of Christian Communion which is founded upon Justice 13. The Honour of Religion due by the first Table is unproportionable to any creature and cannot be given to any but against true Faith Hope and Charity
our Justification CAP. VII Of Christs New Testament or Covenant 1. DIvines are not to make new works much less new Divinity 2. Testament and Covenant though commonly used for the same thing may have their several considerations 3. The Latin Interpreter highly magnified whiles Beza is unworthily taxed yet He also promiscuously useth these two words though both are more delighted with the word Testament then Covenant 4. The Catholick Church prefereth Testament above Covenant in the Title of the holy Bible and the Sept. never use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Covenant but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Testament as it were by special providence because that word pointeth at the death of Christ and Gods free Grace and mercy towards mankind more then the word Covenant 5. No Christian may oppose or diminish Gods free Grace in Christ. 6. Ill quarreling with words which have Custom Conscience and Truth to justifie the use of them 7. No assertion concerning the new Covenant ought to be Authentical which is ambiguous because that is to put Salvation upon unknown if not upon impossible conditions 8. A definition of the New Covenant ought not to be such as may fit the Old Covenant 9. The Old and New Covenant put far asunder by God and not to be joyned together by man God will judge the world not by the Old but by the New Covenant 10. The Law as a Rule of Righteousnesse reinforced in the Gospel but as a Covenant of Life abolished by it 11. The Jews under the Law expected to be saved by the Gospel and whiles they covenanted obedience did hope for Salvation by Faith and Repentance 12. The Covenant of works pressed upon the Jews to make them more thirst after the Covenant of Grace 13. Christ the Mediator of a better Testament then Moses because the Covenant of Grace hath better promises and better conditions then the Covenant of works How these came to be called Two Covenants and how they differ one from the other not only in the administration but also in the expression 14. St. Paul disputes against the Law not materially in it self as the Rule of righteousnesse for so it is the end of the Gospel but formally in its use to the Jew as a Covenant of life for so it stood in opposition against the Gospel And thus far we may proceed without being Antinomians and must that we confound not the New with the Old Testament 15. The vast difference betwixt the Old and the New Testament as betwixt Agar and Sarah 16. The condition of the New Testament is not to be placed in Doing but in Believing For Doing as a condition of Life belongs to Moses his Covenant not to Christs Testament if it be taken properly that is for our Personal and not for our Virtual doing 17. The true definition of the New Testament admits obedience into its constitution but only Faith into its condition 18. The obligation of the New Testament not lessened by taking Faith for its condition and what Faith is required to fulfil the condition of the New Testament The seventh Exception IBidem sect 5. pag. 244. Having said Christ is called the Mediator of the New Testament Hebr. 9. 15. not the Mediator of the New Covenant as in other places you say also a little after I am afraid of the Covenant and flye to the Testament in the precedent Chapter Verse 6. your Old reads Mediator of a better Testament and in the margent Or Covenant your New reads better Covenant and in the margent or Testament This better is called ver 8 13. by your New The New Covenant by your Old The New Testament In the Original The same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in all these places which properly signifies Testament yet in all these places Mr. Beza constantly translates faederis Covenant Nay you your self are not afraid of the Covenant but fly to it For in your ejaculation 20. using St. Pauls words Heb. 12. you say I am desirous to come unto Mount Sion and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant yet even there in the margent is or Testament And Mr. Beza contrary to his custome translates Testamenti Hence it appears that your own Translators use these two words indifferently to signifie but one and the same thing as meer synonyma insomuch as Mr. Beza above in the frontispiece writes novum faedus and a little beneath Novum Testamentum I cannot see then what comfort you can have out of those words Heb 9. 15. more then out of the rest For in very deed Christs New Testament is no other then a new conditional Covenant with us by which we are bound cooperating with his Grace to do very many things our selves docentes eos servare omnia quaecunque mandavi vobis Matth. 28. 20. for the obtaining of the promised inheritance wherein if we faile we shal never attain thereto For as your self say excellently well A covenant doth wholly depend upon mutual conditions which if either party fail the Covenant is broken and made of none effect The Answer 1. T Is unwarantable in Divines to make new work but t is unsufferable if not unpardonable in them to make new Divinity They make new work when they raise needless contentions and strifes about words They make new Divinity when they contend for those Things which God hath not taught or against those Things which God hath taught in his most holy Word This last and worst Age of the world hath been guilty of both and this your last exception may justly seem to come under the suspicion of the same Guilt For the first part of it makes new work by raising a needlesse contention about words Testament and Covenant which in common Scripture use are meer Synonyma signifying the same Thing And the latter part of it would faine make new Dâ—…vinity contending for such a new Covenant as is not whiles it labours to set up the Old instead of the New Covenant 2. But what though Testament and Covenant are promiscuously taken in their common use and have one and the same signification yet I hope in some peculiar respects they may have distinct notions and so come under several considerations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pâ—…esbyter and Bishop are promiscuously used in the New Testament will you therefore turn Presbyteâ—…ian and deny the distinct Office and Function of Episcopacy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are promiscuously used in the Monuments of the Church this being in the first Ephesin Council the inscription of Neâ—…orius his Epistle to Cyril Patriarch of Alexandria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Copie of the Epistle of Nestorius to Pope Cyril for Patriach will you therefore turn Protestant and deny the Supreme Jurisdiction now arrogantly challenged and as insolently exercised in the Papacy I hope though you cannot gainsay the promiscuous and common use yet you will still maintain the distinct and peculiar considerations of
may justly be who seem to make it all one with the Old yet I ought not to be afraid of Jesus the only Author Preserver and Redeemer of my life the only joy and blessing and comfort of my death You say I am not afraid of the Covenant I know I am not afraid of Jesus nor do I say I am desirous to come to Mount Sinai where the Covenant properly so called was repeated but to Mount Sion where the Testament properly so called is really fulfilled and the inheritance conveyed thereby is actually possessed And the words that I quoted import no lesse I am desirous to come to Jesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant For the reason of my desire is because He is the Mediatour of the New Covenant the Covenant of Grace not of the Old Covenant the Covenant of Justice or of works for Moses was the Mediatour of that at least as it was renewed on Mount Sinai but of the New Covenant the Covenant of Grace whereof Jesus was the Maker to put Mercy in it and is the Mediatour to put me into that Mercy Thus you see it is a threefold Cord twisted with Custome Conscience and Truth as with three twists which labours to pull down this your Objection the Custome of speech the Comfort of conscience and the Truth of the Gospel all three concurring together to make me say I am desirous to come to Jesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant and seeing this I suppose you will no longer seek to maintain such an Objection for 't is not ingenuous to stand against Custome not Religious to stand against Conscience not Honest to stand against Truth 7. And thus much in answer to the Verbal part of your exception whereby you have made me some new Work I now come to the real part of it whereby you seem very willing to make some new Divinity for if it be not True it must be called New by that infallible Rule Id verum quod primum That is Trust which is Oldest as coming immediately from the Ancient of dayes or from the first Truth For in very deed say you Christs New Testament is no other than a new conditional Covenant with us by which we are bound cooperating with his Grace to do very many things our selves for the obtaining of the promised inheritance wherein if we fail we shall never attain thereto which seems to me a very strange Assertion for so you have vented it and yet a more strange definition for so you seem to intend it The Assertion is strange because it is Authentical and yet withal Ambiguous such as may be much admired but little approved For he that will speak positively ought not to speak doubtfully as you are positive in denouncing the irrecoverable losse of Heaven but doubtful in declaring by what means we may prevent that losse you speak with authority enough to terrifie us but not with perspicuity enough to instruct us You say plainly We are bound to do very many things for the obtaining of the promised inheritance wherein if we fail we shall never attain thereto But you say not one word concerning any of those things wherein we are bound not to faile So you put our Salvation upon unknown conditions which is the way to fill our souls with perplexity instead of piety and since what is not known cannot be done you may also put our Salvation upon impossible conditions which is the way to turne our perplexity into desperation our desperation into damnation 8. And I think this is enough to prove it a strange Assertion for it doth not explaine but rather obscure the thing defined as agreeing more with the Old than with the New Covenant For put Moses his Old Testament instead of Christs New Testament and you shall not need change any one particle of the whole definition but it will all agree with the one as well as with the other and so it may go after this manner For in very deed Moses his Old Testament is no other than an old conditional Covenant with us by which we are bound cooperating with Gods Grace to do very many things our selves for the obtaining of the promised inheritance wherein if we fail we shall never attain thereto So that you have given us a Definition that will fit the Old Covenant as well as the New and therefore truly fit neither since it cannot fit both which must needs be a very strange definition confounding that Covenant it should explaine for which cause it is Unlogical very strange to reason and making that one Covenant which God hath made two Covenants for which cause it is Untheological very strange to Religion For he which hath said Those things which God hath joyned together let not man put asunder Mat. 19. 6. hath thereby said according to the rule of Contraries Those things which God hath put a sunder let not man joyne together And God hath put the Old and the New Covenant as farre asunder as he hath put Heaven and Hell as he hath put Salvation and Damnation For by the Old Covenant Do this and live all mankind after the Fall must have perished there 's the Damnation But by the new Covenant Believe and thou shalt live none that lay hold on Christ and keep with him and stick to him shall perish there 's the salvation For S. Paul hath told us expressely that God will judge the World not by the Law which will condemn the most innocent and the most righteous since the losse of our first innocen'cy and righteousness but by the Gospel which will condemn only the unrepenting and unbelieving sinner In the day that God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Rom. 2. 16. never any yet though he had a most innocent hand had so innocent an heart that he durst say his secret thoughts were innocent wherefore he must needs be condemned in the Judgement if God should Judge him according to the Law and not according to the Gospel Nor yet will the Gospel acquit him if he be not innocent any more than the Law will acquit him because it hath the same precepts of innocency with the Moral Law according to which precepts the last Judgement will be given and pronounced only it will accept of his innocency by Faith and Repentance whereas the Law will accept only of his innocency by perfect Obedience The Judgement is not like to be the lesse righteous for being according to the Gospel but the more merciful because though Jesus Christ in Judging us will proceed according to the Rule of the Law which is the same with the Rule of the Gospel yet he will not proceed according to the Covenant of the Law Do this and live but according to the Covenant of the Gospel Believe and thou shalt be saved 10. For the Moral Law is to be considered as a Rule of Righteousness Do this and as a Covenant of Life Do this and live as