Pardoning Grace is the root of all their Obedience as Infidelity is the Root of all others Disobedience Faith purifying their Hearts Acts 15. 9. Faith whereby they believe not only the Promises of God the Grace and Mercy bound up in them but the Precepts of God also Psal. 119. 66. the Obedience and Duty bound up in them that these Precepts are Holy Just and Good and that Duty and Service they require reasonable Duty and Service Reasonable for God to enjoyn and Reasonable for them to perform 2. Love of Christ upon consideration of what he hath done and suffer'd to procure this Pardon for them which will make his whole Law a Law of Love to them and their Observance of it sweet and easie for them And if the Woman in the Gospel Luke 7. 47 loved Christ the more the more Sins he forgave her the Virtual Pardon of Believers Sins to come being more than the Formal Pardon only of Sins past will make them Love more and consequently Sin less and obey more 3. Child-like Fear of Fatherly Chastisements will impress and preserve more effectual Dread of Sin upon the Hearts of Believers than Slavish Fear of Judiciary Punishments will do upon the Minds of Unbelievers Whereof much might be said here if enough had not been said before Ans. 5 As Formal Pardon of Sins past doth not less but more affect with Godly Sorrow for such Sins past So doth Virtual Pardon of Sins to come not engage to less but more of Godly Watchfulness against Sins for the time to come This Doctrine will Destroy Prayer for Pardon of Sin leaving neither Need of nor Room for it in Believers But this Second Objection hath been sufficiently answered in the Third Head of this Discourse where 't is made clearly to appear that this Doctrine is so far from being Destructive of that 't is Instructive in and about Prayer for Pardon FINIS THE Righteousness of God through Faith upon all without Difference who do beleive In 2 Sermons on Rom. 3. 22. By Nathaniel Mather Preacher of the Gospel 1694. The Conquests and Triumphs of Grace being a brief Narrative of the Success which the Gospel hath had among the Indians in New-England By Matthew Mayhew 1695. Batteries upon the Kingdom of the Devil By Mr. Cotton Mather Authour of the late Memorable Providences relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions and of early Piety Exemplified All Printed for Nath. Hiller at the Princes-Arms in Leaden-Hall-street overgainst St. Mary-Axe 1695. Drawn from 1. Imputation of Believers Sins to Christ before eommitted by them 2. Imputation of Christs Satisfaction to Believers before wrought by Him Arg. 3. Imputation of Christs Satisfaction as wrought for Believers Arg. 4. Proportion twixt Sin foregoing and following Justification as to any need of many particular Legal Pardons Arg. 5. Impossibility of Christ's Legal Satisfaction being often applyed Arg. 5. Proportion between the Guilt and Power of Sin Arg. 7. Believers Exemption from the Curse of the Law Arg. 8. Believers Freedom from the Sentence of the Law according to the Curse Arg. 9. Law Relation betwixt Principal Surety Arg. 10. Proportion betwixt the Commination and Command of the Law incumbent upon Believers Arg. 11. Proportion betwixt Satisfaction and Merit of Christ imputed to Believers Arg. 12. Proportionable Power of Christ's Satisfaction imputed against future and past Sins Arg. 13. Proportion 'twixt Habits Acts of Sin in Deriving Guilt Arg. 14. Proportion betwixt Guilt and Punishment of Sin Arg. 15. Impossibility of being under two contrary Sentences of God together Arg. 16. Different State of Pardon of Elect persons Sins to come before and after Faith Obj. 1. Obj. 2. Answ.
Actual Formal Guilt or Dissolution of its Actual Obligation to Legal Punishment those out of Christ are to pray for Acts 8. 22 23. And that both Formal of all their Sins past and Virtual of all their Sins to come There being as well Promise upon their Faith of never coming into Condemnation again Joh. 5 24. as of being freed from Condemnation at present Joh. 3. 18. And even such their Prayer may prevail as Prayer though not as their Prayer as Gods Ordinance though not as their Performance though not as a Part of Duty in persons out of Christ yet as a Means of Grace in the hand of Christ. Otherwise Simon Peter would never have given it in direction to Simon Magus when in the Bond of Iniquity a perfect Scriptural Definition of the Guilt of Sin This Legal Pardon it self whether Formal of Sins past or Virtual of Sins to come Those in Christ are not to pray for as that which is yet to be or indeed now can be a-new granted to them There being no possibility of the Dissolution of an Obligation where is none of the Obligation it self so to be Dissolved But they are to praise God through Christ for it as that which is already upon their first believing and thereby Being in Christ fully granted to them beyond all Need of Repetition because beyond all Possibility of Intercision Especially when it is not more their Duty in Prayer to take to themselves the due Shame as of the Remainders of the filth and power of Sin still in their Natures so of the Gospel-Guilt of Sin still on their Persons then to give to God the due Glory of his Grace as in the initial purging of the filth of Sin out of and subduing the power of Sin in their Natures so in the perfect Removal of the Legal Guilt of Sin from off their Persons which seems to have been the Apostle's very frame and carriage Rom. 7. 24 25. and 8. 1. Gods continuance indeed or non-Revocation of such his gracious pardon even till his pronouncing the Final Sentence of it at the General Judgment together with their own continual further renewed Sense and Assurance of such its both Grant and Continuance those in Christ are to pray for There being Need of Precept for and Promise to Prayer for these latter none at all for those former either Formal or Virtual Pardon to be Repeated Gospel-Pardon of Sin or Dissolution of their Gospel-Obligation for Gospel-Sin to Gospel-punishment i. e. Fatherly Chastisement Those in Christ are to pray for as of that Guilt or Penal Obligation which can alone in that State be incumbent on them and on them alone This not Absolutely but Conditionally And that not only upon Condition of Faith the only Condition of Legal Pardon or only Faith and Repentance together the joynt ordinary but not only Condition of Gospel-pardon But upon such Conditions also if and so far as it may be consistent with Gods Glory their own and others good so far forth and no further it may be pardon'd i. e. That their Heavenly Father would no further Chasten them his Children for their Sins then may be conducing to the afore-mentioned Ends And so far sorth as they have daily Need of their own to seek the Precept of Christ for seeking and the Promise of Christ for receiving Gospel-Pardon So also the Spirit of Christ so to seek that they may receive it that is not only with such Child like fear of Chastening Threatned by an offended Father but also with such godly Sense of and Sorrow for their Offences themselves and such Humble Gospel-Confidence upon the Conditions specify'd of promised Pardon from a Gracious though Offended Father as those out of Christ do not cannot seek Legal-Pardon withal Even as we see Pardon not with less Earnestness but with much other manner of Affections and Assurance begg'd by a Child from a Father than by a Prisoner from a Judge IV. Arguments proving Directly the Main and by just Consequence the Whole of all this The Legal Guilt of Believers Sins to come is in the same Capacity of being Dis-imputed and pardoned to them as it was of being Imputed to and discharged by Christ. All the Legal Guilt of all the Sins to come of all Believers after Christ was Legally Imputed to and discharged by Christ. Ergo c. And if the Legal Guilt of both Sins and Persons not yet in being might be Legally Imputed to and discharg'd by Christ much more may the Legal Guilt of Sins not yet in being be Legally Remitted to Persons already Being and being Believers Virtually and in such Persons though not Formally and in such Sins themselves The Legal Guilt of their Sins may at least as well be Virtually disimputed to Believers before committed by them as the Satisfaction of Christ Formally Imputed to Believers before wrought by Him This before wrought by Him was Formally Imputed to all Believers before Christ. Ergo c. Reason of the Major For if the Acts of Moral Causes may be Morally put forth before such Causes are themselves Actually in Being as it was in that Case of Christs Satisfaction not then wrought when putting forth its Moral Act in its Formal Imputation to the Formal Pardon of the Legal-Guilt of Sins past to Believers before Christ much more may such Moral Impediments be laid in before such Causes are in Being as shall effectually hinder the putting forth of such their Acts when such Causes come Actually to be as it is in this Case of Christs Satisfaction now wrought Formally Imputed to the Virtual Pardon of Believers Sins to come effectually hindering the putting forth of their Moral Act the deriving of any Legal Guilt upon such Persons when such Sins are come Or with any who conceive the Satisfaction of Christ not yet Formally wrought by Him could not be Formally but only Virtually imputed to Believers before Christ Incarnate Let the Argument run thus That which but Virtually Imputed was efficacious to the Formal Pardon of the Legal Guilt of their Sins past who believed in Christ yet to come cannot being Formally Imputed be inefficacious to the Virtual Pardon of the Legal Guilt of their Sins to come who believe in Christ already come But the Satisfaction of Christ c. Ergo c. And then let the Reason in the Form of Argument before used be accordingly applyed The Sins of Believers are so Remitted to them as the Satisfaction of Christ for their Sins was Wrought by Him and Imputed to them That was not Wrought by Him and Imputed to them some parts of it for some and other parts for other their Sins But all of it together for all their Sins Ergo c. For though the Sufferings of Christ were many his Satisfaction was but One made up of all his Sufferings And as his Sufferings however severally and successively undergone by Him are yet all together in their Legal Satisfaction at once Imputed to Believers
him to Heaven and Glory upon the Righteousness of Christ And a Sentence of Condemnation adjudging him to Death and Hell for his own Sins But so should a Believer be could any Legal Guilt Redound upon his Person from his Sins The Reason of the Major in the 8th Argument having its full force here also An Elect Persons Sins to come are in a better posture and state of Pardon to him in his own Person upon his Believing than they were in the Person of Christ only before his Believing They before his Believing were Fundamentally pardoned Ergo upon his believing pardon'd Actually Actually-Virtually though not Formally Otherwise something might be Legally laid to the Charge of God's Elect contrary to that of the Apostle Rom. 8. 33. Where the Word Elect is to be understood consequenter as they call it of Elect Believing Ones The main strength of all that any otherwise minded may have where-against mainly to oppose themselves lyeth here All Obligation to Punishment is from the Threatning as all to Obedience from the Precept a Threatning whose own power of Penal Legal Obligation is Dissolved can no more give power of Penal Legal Obligation to Sins to come then it can to Sins past So that in Conclusion These cannot be Formally pardoned where those are not pardoned Virtually The Opposite Opinion Unavoidably exposeth Justification to Infinite Intercision For if any the Greatest Sin of a Justified Person bring him under Actual Obligation to Legal Punishment every even the least Sin must do so too And the Answer by Distinguishing the Act and State of Justification that the Act of Justification is Subject to much but the State to no Intercision will be found altogether incompetent if we consider 1. That the Act of Justification if we 'l speak properly being God's and the State ours The Act cannot be rescinded where the State of Justification remains intire Because God alway exactly judgeth of things accordingly as they are in themselves 2. That the State of Justification cannot remain intire where the Act is rescinded Because things are alwayes exactly in themselves accordingly as God judgeth of them Insomuch that whereas the Truth of things is the Measure and Rule of our Judgment Gods Judgment is the Rule and Measure of the Truth of things 3. That God's Act of Justification as well Conserveth as Createth our State of Justification And therefore so strict and necessary is the Dependance of our Justified State upon his Justifying Act that the One cannot be more or less either Intire or Rescinded then the Other 4. That this Answer provides not any Salvo against the Mischief of such Intercision as well if not as much by our less as greater Sins Less Sins indeed do not waste the Conscience destroy its Peace and Dead the Sense of Justification wherein the main of that Peace lyeth as Greater Sins do But if the Greatest Sins of a Believer Rescind his Justification as they cannot but do if they bring him under Legal Guilt or Obligation to Legal Punishment his Least Sins must do it no less than they Which either as to State or but Act of Justification one would think no man should be forward to assert Plainly destroyeth much of the Essential Difference not only between Chastisement and Punishment properly so called But even between the two Estates in and out of Christ and the two very Covenants themselves of Works and of Grace Preserve but these two States under these two Covenants both in their due Distinctions and the following Notion must in its full Strength and Evidence irresistibly prevail to the Final Decision of this Controversie Such as is the Law a Person is under such is his Transgression of the Precept of that Law such the Guilt according to the Threatning of that Law redounding upon the Person from that Transgression Such the Punishment that Guilt bindeth over to And such the Pardon of that both Guilt and Punishment If the Law or Covenant of Works the Transgression Guilt Punishment Pardon all Legal If the Law of Faith or Covenant of Grace The Law made up into Gospel in the Hand of a Mediator for the Law of Nature or Moral Law is one and the same under both these distinct Covenants The Transgression Guilt Punishment Pardon all accordingly Evangelical Two only considerable Objections I apprehend may be made against this Doctrine This Doctrine throws open a wide gap to all Loosness and Licentiousness of Life as throwing down the greatest Mound and Bar against Sin Fear of contracting Legal Guilt or Obligation to Legal Punishment Ans. 1 This seems to be an Objection of meer Carnal Men who according to the meer carnal corrupt complexion and agreeable Inclination of their own Hearts thinking with themselves what perverse use they should make of such Pardoning Grace were they the Subjects of it make an Estimate of others who are indeed so by themselves judging they also cannot but do the like But Ans. 2 To whose Persons the Legal Guilt of Sin is thus Pardon'd in their Natures the Reigning Power of Sin is so Dethron'd and broken down as thenceforward they can only be Guilty of Sins of Child-like Infirmity as to which God stands in Christ engaged upon their Gospel-Repentance to walk with them in a Covenant of Fatherly Pardoning Grace and Mercy Insomuch that whereas Rom. 6. 12. the Percept makes it their Duty that Sin should not reign in their mortal bodies the Promise ver 14. makes it their Priviledge that sin should not have Dominion over them because not under the Law but under Grace And in ver 15. the Apostle urging this very Objection puts it off as he doth else-where also with the greatest abhorrence of a God forbid Ans. 3 Those who pass under this Relative change of the State and Condition of their Persons from a State of Sin to a State Grace perfectly Justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus i. e. by the Satisfaction and Merit of Christ imputed to them pass also at the same time under an Absolute Change of the meerly carnal sinful Complexion and Disposition of their Natures to some Degree of a Spritual Frame and Temper Sanctified by the Spirit of their God 1 Cor. 6. 11. put into them in Habitual Sanctification and as to Actual Sanctification by his Actual Influences Rom. 8. 14. Acting and Leading them as Children of God in all the good wayes of God their Father So that from the Later of those Changes they have their Principle and Power and from the Former their Argument and Engagement not to walk after the Flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8. 1. Their Dis-obligation to Legal Punishment their Obligation to Gospel-Obedience and that a powerful Constraining Obligation also 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Ans. 4 Among and above other Habits and Principles of Grace Gospel-Faith Child-like Love and Fear have an especial Influence upon and Sway in the Souls of such changed ones to this Purpose 1. Faith that instates in such