Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	faith_n	heart_n	unfeigned_a	1,237	5	10.9662	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97232	Chonoyterion he Sion. The refinement of Zion: or, The old orthodox Protestant doctrine justified, and defended against several exceptions of the Antinomians, methodically digested into questions, wherein many weighty and important cases of conscience are handled, concerning the nature of faith and repentance, or conversion to God: of his eternal love, and beholding of sin in his dearest children: of justification from eternity, of of [sic] preparations to the acceptance of Christ, of prayer for pardon of sin, and turning to God: of the gospel covenant, aud [sic] tenders of salvation, on the termes of faith and repentance. For the establishment of the scrupulous, conviction of the erroneous, and consolation of distressed consciences. By Anthony Warton, minister of the word at Breamore in Hampshire.	Warton, Anthony.	1657 (1657)	Wing W987; Thomason E914_2; ESTC R207476	171,315	250

time I deny this consequence for from hence it followeth only that Faith goeth before our justification in order of nature or in reason but not in time because a man is justified at the same instant that he layeth hold on Christ believeth in him But he denieth that Faith goeth before our justification in any respect at all his reason is because Faith is a part of our sanctification but there is no sanctification but it is after justification which indeed and in nature is before it The first of these Propositions I do willingly grant that Faith is a part of sanctification but whereas he assumeth that there is nosanctification but it is after justification I cannot assent unto him in this For many worthy Divines do hold that sanctification is before justification their judgment therefore I might oppose unto the learned Chamiers others that hold the contrary For the clearing of this matter I do distinguish of sanctification and say that it is either habitual and so God doth sanctifie us by infusing holinesse into us or actual and so we do sanctifie our selves by renouncing the works of sin and living holily Of both these Moses speaketh when he saith Sanctifie your selves and be ye holy for I am the Lord your God and ye shall keep my Statutes and do them Lev. 20.7.8 for I am the Lord which sanctifie you When the Lord saith here Sanctifie your selves and be ye holy this must be understood of actual sanctification that is of holiness that is to be actually performed by us But whereas the Lord useth this as a reason to stir us up hereunto for I am the Lord which sanctifie you this is spoken of habitual sanctification For how doth the Lord sanctifie us but by infusing the habit or the internal grace of holinesse into us whereby we are inabled to perform the several acts of holinesse or to live holily the effectual excitation of Gods blessed Spirit herewith concurring But because these words of the Lord which I have alledged though they speak of a twofold sanctification are taken in another sense by very learned Divines than this that I have given for confirmation therefore of habitual sanctification I do alledge those words of St. Paul 1 Thess 5.23 where he prayeth that God would sanctify them wholly or throughly And those 1 Cor. 1.30 where he saith That Christ is made unto us sanctification See also 1 Pet. 1.2 Now of actual sanctification St. Paul speaketh when he saith This is the will of God even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour not in the lust of concupiscence even as the Gentiles which know not God Hereof also speaketh St. Peter in that precept of his Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts In these and in other places the Scripture speaketh of Sanctification both habitual wrought in us by God himself and of sanctification acted and wrought by us through the assistance of Gods Spirit exciting us unto holinesse Whereas then this most learned Divine saith That there is no sanctification but it is after justification this is true if it be understood of actual sanctication For we are first justified by Faith and then this Faith inflameth our hearts with the love of God and stirreth us up to glorifie him and to serve him in holiness and righteousness according to all his commandements Thus the several works of holiness and righteousness do proceed from Faith Etiamsi non elicitivè imperativè tamen though not elicitly yet imperatively Faith stirreth us up unto them For as St. Paul saith The end of the commandement is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience 1 Tim. 1.5 and Faith unfeigned It is true therefore that Faith and therefore justification which is thereby laid hold of and obtained is before actual sanctification For as this learned man saith well fides vera est fons et scaturigo omnium bonorum operum in fidelibus De sola fide justificante Lib. 22. cap. 12. True Faith is the fountain and source of all good works in the faithful But I cannot say that there is no sanctification but it is after justification for habitual Faith is a part of habitual anctification Now the infused habits of grace such as Faith is are before their acts If therefore it can be proved that adulti or such as are of capacity and understanding are not justified without or before actual Faith then it will inevitably follow that there is some sanctification that is not after justification Yea beside what hath been said already to prove that we are actually justified by Faith and not without it methinketh Chamierus himself doth as good as grant it when he saith Verum est proptereà nos factos in Christo justitiam Dei quòd Christo nos simus incorporati per fidem It is true that we are therefore made the righteousnesse of God in Christ because we are incorporated into him by Faith We are not then justified before Faith or before we do believe in Christ Again this most excellent Divine saith In adultis fatemur remissionem peccatorum ab inhaerente justitiâ nunquam sepaerari We confess that remission of sins is never separated from inherent righteousness in those that are grown in years But say I many of the Elect after they have the use of reason and understanding being well grown in years do yet live in sin for some time and do not serve God in righteousness until he by his grace doth afterward convert them According therefore to his own Doctrine it followeth that justification from sin at least in adultis in those that are grown in years doth not go before Faith But saith he Faith justifieth relativè as it hath for its proper peculiar object the mercy of God on which it relieth Whence as I conceive he would have it inferred That seeing the mercy of God is eternal therefore our justification is so also and therefore before Faith Now hereunto I answer that though Christs righteousnesse be materialiter the proper object of our justification or that which is imputed to us for our justification Yet I will not deny bur that Gods mercy considered as the internal cause moving God to justify us may thus be said to be the proper and peculiar object on which our Faith relyeth for justification But it doth not follow hereupon that we were justified ab aeterno from everlasting because Gods mercy is the cause of our justification no more than that we are sanctified and glorified eternally because our sanctification and glorification are wholly of Gods mercy Quest 7. Whether any previous dispositions preparations or qualifications be required of men in the Gospel that they may be partakers of salvation by Christ SECT I. The Preparations that go before our Regeneration and Conversion THose that take upon them to be the only Preachers of

the brazen Serpent though never so weakly was through Gods Ordnance as perfectly cured as he that saw and beheld it most clearly and most evidently so Faith in the least degree through Gods Ordinance is as effectual to interest us in Christ and to make us partakers of salvation by him as the strongest Faith that is Thus I have shewed the cause or the reason why a weak Faith can give us an interest in Christ and the salvation which he hath purchased for us although it cannot so firmly assure us hereof But whereas he holdeth That Faith when it is increased and grown stronger by an addition of more degrees than it had at the first doth only give us a greater manifestation and assurance of salvation by Christ but no interest in him I cannot assent unto him in this for the interest which we have in Christ and his merits at the first by believing in him is continued by perseverance in the same Faith and therefore John 1.12 Eph. 3.17 as we are said to receive Christ by Faith so he is said to dwell that is to remain and make his abode in our hearts by Faith Consonantly whereunto the Apostle telleth us Heb. 3.14 that We are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end And on the contrary he saith Heb. 10.38 If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Thus Faith not only in the first act or beginning of it but in the continuance also and greatest height or strength thereof doth interest us in Christ and as the Apostle saith maketh us partakers of him as well as it doth evidence unto us and assure us hereof Here therefore I would know whether it be not a manifest contradiction to say as Mr. S. doth Christ is ours without Faith but we cannot partake of him as ours but by believing Thirdly he objecteth also and saith If Christ should be ours by Faith in this sense that is actually then when Faith ceaseth shall we cease to be justified Whereunto I answer That no such thing followeth hereupon but the contrary For upon our Faith and Repentance our sins are pardoned and forgiven us not for a time but for ever Ezek. 18.22 They shall never therefore be mentioned unto us that is imputed and laid to our charge any more no not when Faith ceaseth Neither needeth this to seem strange to Mr. S. or any other that Faith which is but temporal should obtain an eternal pardon for a salve which by its own inherent vertue doth in a few days heal a wound needeth afterwards to be used no more much less will there be any need of Faith in Christ or of repentance for the continuance of the remission of our sins and of our justification in the world to come seeing by Christs Promise and by his Ordinance which hath more force in it then the most Soveraign or precious balm or salve upon our repentance and Faith in Christ we are for ever acquitted and absolved from all our sins Whereas then Mr. S. in his next words demandeth and asketh Shall Faith begin our interest here and not be able to continue it hereafter John 3.46 I answer him No it shall not For he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life His Faith indeed shall cease with this corruptible life of his 2 Cor. 13. but he himself shall be raised up by the power of Christ and not dye any more forever John 11.26 Fourthly Mr S. proceedeth and asketh Can a sinner be too soul for a Saviour and too wounded for a Physitian to heal and too filthy for a fountain opened to wash To all which several demands of his I will answer severally First Whereas he asketh whether a sinner can be too foul for a Saviour I answer No if he will carefully and conscionably practise and observe the means of salvation which he doth prescribe him which are Repentance Faith and new Obedience For as the Apostle telleth us Christ being in his passion made perfect he became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 On the contrary therefore whosoever he is that doth not obey Christ but doth wilfully contemn or carelesly neglect the means of his salvation as many do it is in vain for him to look for salvation by Christ for as St. Augustine saith elegantly De verbis Apostoli Ser. 15. Qui fecit te sine te non te justificat sine te He that made thee without thee doth not justifie thee without thee His next demand is Can a sinner be too much wounded for a Physician to heal Surely no. Not for Christ our heavenly Physician but then he must take his Physick and observe such a Dyet as he prescribeth him that is he must receive Christ and his merits by Faith and live orderly according to his Gospel that is as St. Paul setteth it down He must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly Tit. 2.12 and righteously and godlily in this present world On the contrary therefore as long as infidelity or incredulity possesseth his heart and lyeth putrifying and rotting in his carnal lusts it is in vain for him to think or to perswade himself that he is healed by Christ Lastly Whereas he asketh Can a sinner be too filthy for a fountain opened to wash Surely no not for that fountain of which Zachary speaketh That is opened to the house of David Zac. 31 12. and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleaness But did he ever hear that a fountain though never so limpid and clear did cleanse any unlesse they did wash themselves with the water of it And even in like manner shall none be purifyed and cleansed from their spiritual filthyness and uncleanness until they do by Faith-sprinkle their souls with the bloud of Christ For as we have heard St. Peter tell us Christ purifieth the hearts of sinn●rs by Faith As long therefore as Faith with the inseperable effects thereof are wanting it is in vain for any to imagine that he is purified from his sins Fifthly He that offereth Christ saith M. S. offers all the conditions in him both of Faith and Repentance for Christ is exalted to give repentance unto Israel Acts 5.31 Gal. 2.21 And Faith is called The Faith of the Son of God Here first of all it is to be observed that he acknowledgeth Faith Repentance to be conditions required of us in the Gospel that we may be saved by Christ which elsewhere he denyeth Secondly he saith That God in offering Christ doth offer these conditions in him Which words of his may receive a double construction or understanding First that Repentance and Faith are not in our power but that Christ hath merited these graces for us and that he doth work them in us by his spirit when the Gospel is preached This the places of

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE REFINEMENT OF ZION OR The old Orthodox Protestant Doctrine justified and defended against several Exceptions of the Antinomians methodically digested into Questions wherein many weighty and important cases of conscience are handled Concerning the nature of Faith and Repentance or Conversion to God of his eternal Love and beholding of sin in his dearest children of Justification from eternity of of Preparations to the acceptance of Christ of Prayer for pardon of sin and turning to God of the Gospel Covenant and tenders of Salvation on the termes of Faith and Repentance For the establishment of the scrupulous conviction of the erroneous and consolation of distressed Consciences By Anthony Warton Minister of the word at Breamore in Hampshire Mal. 3.2 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. LXXII Jer. 6.16 Thus saith the Lord stand ye in the wayes and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls LONDON Printed by John Streater and are to be sold by the Book-sellers of London 1657. To the Christian Reader Grace mercy and peace be multiplyed through the Knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ GOod Christian Reader I am one who through decrepit old age and other impotency and disability of body have of late years kept almost and altogether at home and therefore have not heard of any of our late illuminated Preachers only I have been told that they do in their Sermons much censure that way of preaching which the Protestant Ministers both in England and in other Countries have hitherto used D. his Doctrin of Joh. Baptist. 2. A Conference with a dying man 3. Gods Reconciliaetion to man and mans reconcil to God S. Of Free-Grace Tit. 1.9 telling their hearers that we are Legal teachers and not Evangelical But otherwise what the particulars were that they did finde fault with in our Doctrine I understood not until ●f late a friend of mine did put into my hands and sent me for a few weeks three small Treatises of an Antinomian and requested me to make some animadversions on them because he taught divers things which seemed strange unto him After this I met with sundry Authors of the same strain who also censured and condemned the Doctrine commonly taught by Protestant Preachers Now because it is the duty of every Minister of the Gospel not only to teach the truth but to convince those that contradict and gainsay it lest the people of Christ should be led into errour I have adventured therefore to publish this small Treatise wherein I hope I have by Gods gracious assistance detected and laid open not all indeed but many of the most subtile and deceitful fallacies of these men especially of Mr. D. as by my friend I was requested and have confirmed the truth which he and they oppugne God of his goodnesse so settle and establish all throughout this Land in the truth of his Gospel that we may not be separated and divided one from another but with one mind and one mouth glorifie God and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ So prayeth Thine unfained friend and well-willer in the truth Anthony Warton A Catalogue of the Questions Quest 1. WHether Christ be made ours by Faith And whether we do put him on by Faith Or rather whether he be not to be set forth freely in the preaching of the Gospel without any conditions pag. 1 Quest 2. Whether a man when he is converted from infidelity to Faith do change his estate before God pag. 26 Quest 3. Whether God may be said to love us eternally before we do repent and believe in Christ even while we do live in sin And whether God do love his children as much while they lie in sin as when they rise out of it by repentance and live holily pag. 29 Quest 4. What is meant by our reconciliation to God pag. 38 Quest 5. Whether the doctrine of reconciliation as Mr. D. hath propounded it be a better means of comfort to distressed Consciences then our Protestant Doctrine is pag. 43 Quest 6. Whether all the Elect be justified ab aeterno from ale eternity before they do believe in Christ and consequently whether the Scripture when it saith we are justified by Faith meaneth that Faith justifieth us only in tribunali conscientiae nostrae in our own consciences as a learned man speaketh or declaratively as saith Mr. D. Or whether it doth not justifie us instrumentaliter et correlativè as the learned Protestants de commonly teach that is as an instrument or means whereby we are made partakers of Christs righteousnesse to our justification before God pag. 45 Quest 7. Whether any previous dispositions preparations or qualifications be required of men in the Gospel that they may be partakers of salvation by Christ pag. 72 Quest 8. Whether we are made the sons of God by Faith in Christ or but declared so to be pag. 114 Quest 9. Whether a man is to pray for the pardon of his sins after he is regenerated and doth believe and repent pag. 1 Quest 10. Whether it be hainous and hateful impiety for the Churches and children of God to fast and pray that God would turn away his anger and indignation from them when they lye under his judgements or at other times when their consciences are terrified and troubled with their sins And whether God may be said to be pacified and appeased by our fasting and prayers or hy any such things pag 12 Quest 11. Whether God do correct his children for their slns p. 22 Quest 12 Whether a man may be assured of salvation by his love to the brethren and by other effects and fruits of sanctification Or whether he can be assured of salvation no way else but only by Faith in Christ pag. 33 Quest 13. Whether the Gospel may properly be said to be a Covenant as that of the Law was pag. 30 Quest 14. Whether those Ministers that do offer remission of sins and salvation by Christ not to all absolutely but upon condition that they do repent and believe in Christ be legal Teachers And whether by their doctrine they do make the Gospel a Covenant of works as the Lawis p. 77 Quest 15. Whether the Orthodox Protestant Ministers who teach men to believe in Christ and to repent that they may obtain remission of sins and salvation by Christ or those who offer Christ and remission of sins to all without requiring any thing of them either Faith or Repentance or new obedience do preach Christ the more truly and more to the edification and consolation of their hearers pag. 84 At the end of this Treatise these places of holy Scripture are expounded and vindicated from the false glosses which Mr. D. setteth upon them Matth. 6.14 If you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your heavenly Father forgive you

Secondly Grace is taken by a Metonymie for a supernatural gift of grace Eph. 4.7 2 Cor. 6.1 as in these places following Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ c. We beseech you that ye receive not the Grace of God in vain Under this latter signification of Grace are comprehended both Christ himself John 4.10 for he calleth himself the gift of God and all the several Acts also or parts of our salvation which he hath merited for us and worketh in us or bestoweth upon us as our justification adoption sanctification preservation in the state of Grace redemption from hell and eternal glorification and salvation in Heaven Now judge whether those can be enemies to Grace or whether they are justly charged not to preach free Grace who do thus ascribe our whole salvation to the Grace of God It is true indeed we do teach men to repent and believe in Christ that they may be saved by him but withal we do teach them that Faith and Repentance are Graces of God or dona ex gratiâ gifts of his Grace and that they cannot practise nor perform them viribus liberi arbitrii sui by their own free will or by any power of their own but must seek and sue unto God for them in the use of such means as he hath prescribed For God doth not force his graces upon us nor doth not work upon us as on stocks or stones but seeing he hath made us reasonable creatures he therefore speaketh unto us by his word and perswadeth and inableth us by his Spirit to do those things which he requirerh of us Thus he dealeth with us as with men but yet so that still our salvation is wholly of his grace both the beginning middle and the end thereof For though it bee we that do repent and believe and obey and not God yet we do all this not of our selves but by his grace Thus do we alwaies and in all things magnifie and extol the grace of God acknowledging it to be the only cause of our whole salvation by Christ Yet all this that I have said Objection Mr. S. thinketh to overthrow by saying That all sorts even Papists and Arminians do thus acknowledge grace in general as we do But who seeth not that we do more then so Answer For whereas they do divide the salvation of a sinner between mans Free-will and Gods free grace yea do terminate his conversion ultimately and leave it in the power of his own Free-will we ascribe it only to grace Quest 2. Whether a man when he is converted from Infidelity to Fayth do change his estate before God Reconcil of God to man pag. 32 MAster D. saith that a mans believing doth not change his estate before God Whereupon that I may passe my censure this I say that if before God he meaneth only according to that he is in Gods eternal predestination this may be admitted for so he is a believer that is decreed to be a believer from all eternity But if his meaning be that his estate before he believed and after his conversion is the same before God that is in Gods account or in reality and truth as well as in outward appearance in which sense Zachary and Elizabeth are said both to be righteous before God this may not be granted For upon Zacheus his conversion our Saviour spake unto him and said Luke 1. This day is salvation come unto this house He was not in the state of salvation therefore before Now the same is to be said of all other converts and true believers whereof is to be seen in the Ephesians Eph. 2.1 2. of whom St. Paul saith You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in times past ye walked and afterwards he speaketh unto them and saith Ye were sometimes darkness Eph. 4.8 but are now light in the Lord. Now I would know whether he doth not change his estate that passeth from death to life which our Saviour our in express words affirmeth of the believer John 5.24 and from darkness to light As manifest a change of their estate do those words of the Apostle import and imply when he saith unto them Remember that ye being in times passed Gentiles in the flesh that at that time ye were without Christ Eph. 2.11 12 13. being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ Can any thing be spoken more plainly to shew what a great difference there was between their former estate and condition whilest they remained in infidelity and their present since they were converted to the Faith of Christ To be without Christ and without God and to be nigh unto God and unto Christ that is to be the children of God and members of Christ must needs argue a great change in a mans spiritual estate Those words also of St Paul Col. 1.13 do evince as manifest a change of our spiritual estate when he saith That God the Father hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son For how is it possible there should be any such translation if our state remained unalterable and still the same It is false therefore that Mr. D. teacheth to wit Reconcil of God to man pag. 27.28 That our Faith only giveth us evidence and assurance of our salvation which we had before but that we are not to believe and to serve God that we may obtain salvation non per modum meriti not by way of merit I mean not so but that we may obtain by Faith both right unto and possession or fruition of that salvation in Heaven which Christ hath purchased for us In this he contradicteth the Scripture for St Peter calleth the salvation of our souls the end of our Faith Now I would know 1 Pet. 1.9 whether a man doth undertake or do any thing nisi ex intuitu et cum intentione finis but for some end or other which he propounds unto himself When we do therefore believe in Christ and Repent us of our sins past we do it with this intention and for this end That we may be partakers of eternal salvation in Heaven through Christ Whereupon when the Jaylor demanded of Paul Silas Sirs What must I do to be saved Acts 16.31 They said Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved thou and thine house He findeth fault with this question Reconcil of God to man pag. 34. If the Jaylor had asked this question of Mr. D. he in cho●er scorn would have answered him What thou ignorant and impious man dost thou ask me what thou must do to be saved as if Christ had not throughly wrought and

teachers have revolted and departed and therefore in this perticular are but half Protestants if so much His words are these Colleg. theol 2. de faed Dei part 2. There were three conditions of the covenant of grace without which there could have been no peace between God and Man The first was That some one should be a purchaser or procurer of this peace that is a Mediator who upon a way agreed upon should make peace between God and man That way was that he should proceed or come forth from God unto mankind not only as an herald or as a Messenger between them for he could not come forth from men declaring Gods will concerning peace but that he should both pacifie Gods wrath by the dignity of his person merit and intercession and that he should also by his divine efficacy confer upon men grace righteousness and life eternal by him obtained for them The former of these was necessary in regard of Gods justice and truth the latter in regard of mens imbecility The second condition was That God for the intercession satisfaction and merit of the Mediator should receive sinners into his grace or favour of enemies should make them his friends and Sons and blesse them with eternal joy and happiness with himself The third condition was that men should acknowledge this comprehensive grace of God towards them receive by faith the benefits purchased by the Mediator offered and given in the Gospel and be thankful unto God in all holy obedience Let every one that readeth these things see and consider whether it be Protestant Doctrine to teach that there are on our part no conditions at all in the covenant of grace but that all the conditions thereof belong unto Christ as Mr. S. will have it SECT VIII That the promising or passing over of a thing not absolutely but upon a condition doth not infer merit in him that performeth the condition but is onely a bar to the injoying of the thing promised whilest the condition is not performed But against this that hath been said Object it is further thus objected If God should exact or require any thing by way of condition of us then our salvation should not be of grace but of merit But no such thing followeth hereupon Sol. for we are bound to serve and to obey God both by right of Creation and of Redemption Now what may not God require of us that which is his own yea and upon condition also of our Faith and Repentance if we will be partakers of the reward which he freely promiseth unto our obedience Methinks this should not be denyed especially seeing it is for our good that God doth offer salvation unto us upon such conditions for hereby we are stirred up to use the means of our salvation the more carefully and diligently that so we may be both for the present assured and hereafter pertakers of the thing promised to our endless comfort Again God in his Gospel requireth no other conditions of us but what we in duty are bound to perform now what can we be said to merit any thing by doing of our duty I trow not for our Saviour teacheth us when we have done all that is required of us yet to say that we are unprofitable Servants we have but done that which in duty we were bound to do Luk. 17.10 Moreover God hath elected and chosen us to the means as well as to the end for by the meanes we come to the end And hereupon it is that the end that is eternal salvation is not promised absolutely but upon condition of the means that lead unto it that is of Faith and Repentance which God of his grace worketh in us and we by the grace of God are to perform because we are elected unto them as well as to the end it self which is our eternal salvation by Christ Now that which we thus obtain by the free election of God and for the merit of Christ and not by any power of our own but by the work of his grace it would be too much pride in us to think that we do any way merit it by this that hath been said it appeareth that the thing which is made over unto us upon a condition non transit in meritum doth not become meritorious upon our performance of that condition unless it be res indebita a thing to be done by us whereunto we are not bound and unless also there be some proportion and equality between it and the reward otherwise a condition is only a barre to the receiving and injoying of the thing promised until it be fulfilled or if the condition be not fulfilled at all by us or in the time appointed and set down then we loose the thing promised and deprive our selves of it A Gentleman as I heard some few years since from a Servant of his did promise to give unto the Vicar in an impropriate Rectory that belonged unto him 40 l. per annum if he would receive it as his free gift and testifie this under his hand Now I demand whether this requiring of him to receive it as a free gift did turn it into a merit Doubtless it did not for unless the Vicar would under his hand acknowledge that he received it as a free gift he was to forfeit it and to lose it as indeed he did not because he did think that he should have merited some thing if he had fulfilled this condition but out of pertinacy and stomack because his predecessor had more or out of the pride of his heart contemning this gift as too small and mean for a man of that worth which he took himself to be Now the same is to be said concerning eternal life which God offereth unto us upon condition of our faith and repentance for the exacting of this condition doth neither make eternal life to be any whit the lesse the free gift of God nor doth it any whit diminish or destroy our bond of thankfulness to God for this his unspeakable and unconceivable blessing and benefit SECT IX Although Salvation is not promised to any but upon condition of Faith and Repentance yet the Lord hath absolutely promised to his Elect Grace to perform both these YEt notwithstanding Because I would not willingly conceal any part of the truth I do freely grant that the promises of the Lord are in some sort absolute that is in respect of the grace promised by God unto his people whereby they may be inabled to keep his Covenant and his Commandements or in respect of his spirit which he hath promised them With Dr. Field therefore and other learned Protestants I say that the promises of the Gospel are absolute in respect of the means but conditional in regard of the end Their meaning is that salvation which is the end of our hope is no where offered us but upon condition of our Faith and Repentance Where these therefore are wanting there can be no hope

the clearing of what hath been said I will briefly answer an Objection or two that I have lately met with First There are those that reason thus The faith which Christ requireth in the Gospel that we may be saved by him must needs include more in it then trust and confidence in his blood for such faith or confidence is an affection of the sensitive part or faculty of the Soul therefore no sure note of salvation Hereunto I answer That affections are not only in the sensitive appetite but also in the will for wherefore else is it that the will is said to be appetitus rationalis si nil appetat And is not love an affection of the soul yet every one is commanded to love the Lord his God with all his heart with all his soul with all his strength and with all his mind Deut. 6.5 Luk. 20.27 that is with the superior as well as the inferior faculties of the soul The other Objection which I have met with is this Christ justifieth us as our King absolving and acquitting us from the sentence of condemnation which we by our sins had deserved and not only as our Priest by his blood which he shed for us when he offered up himself as a sacrifice of sweet smelling savour unto his Father Unto this I answer That Christ justifieth us per modum meriti by way of merit as our great high Priest offering up himself as a propitiatory sacrifice unto his Father for us But he justifieth us as our King and our supreme judge by absolving us from our sins and pronouncing us righteous for the merit of his blood and obedience whereby he became obedient unto his Father unto death even the death of the Crosse and so fulfilled the Law for us Whereas then St. Paul saith and we also with him that we are justified freely through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood the meaning hereof is that we do rely on Christs death and passion as the only meanes whereby Gods wrath is appeased and our salvation purchased But all this nothing hindereth but we may and do willingly grant and hold as an undoubted truth that we must receive Christ not only as our Priest to be reconciled unto God by him but as well also as our Prophet to be taught the will of God by him and as our King to raign over us if we would be saved by him and live for ever SECT VI. More Objections answe●ed and some Cases of Conscience resolved THese things I have thus discussed the more largely that men may not deceive themselves with a false faith which can never bring any true comfort to their souls but in the end will plunge them into perdition everlasting Now there remains nothing but that I answer such other Objections and resolve such doubts as are raised against this Doctrine whereas then we do teach the Children of God to reason thus for their comfort Whosoever repenteth and believeth in Christ his sins are pardoned by God and he shall undoubtedly be saved but I do thus repent and believe therefore my sins are pardoned and I shall through Gods mercy be eternally saved Object Against this it is first objected that our repentance and our obedience are imperfect This Objection proveth onely that we cannot be justified by our repentance and by our obedience but not that we cannot by them as by signes and tokens be assured of our justification and salvation many wayes defective there is no comfort therefore to be taken in them for such impure works as these cannot stand in Gods sight Nothing can please him but that which is pure and perfect Answ It is true indeed I confess that if God should examine our repentance and our obedience in strictness of justice it is not possible that he should accept of them but his mercy is such towards us through Christ that for his sake he pardons the imperfections of our actions while we do that which is commanded us in sincerity 1 Chron. 29.17 Psal 32.2 and not in hypocrisie For as David saith The Lord loveth uprightness And therefore in another place he pronounceth him blessed In whose spirit there is no guile 2. Again Christ washeth away the impurity that adhereth to our actions in his blood For so we read that the Saints of God have washed not only themselves but their robes Rev. 7.14 that is their works of righteousne●s and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And hereupon it is that St. Peter incourageth us to offer up our spiritual sacrifices of prayer and prayses and new obedience 1 Pet. 2.5 and telleth us that they are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 3. And lastly It cannot but be also a great comfort unto us that whereas the Law condemneth us for every transgression and disobedience of ours yet the Lord of his rich mercy in Jesus Christ is pleased to accept of our service when we do not lie still in our sins after we are fallen but do rise again by repentance and endeavour to obey him according to all his Commandements If any man were bound upon a great penalty to go to any place or other without stumbling or falling if he do but once trip and stumble in his journey he incurs that penalty and even so in like manner because the Law requireth universal obedience of us and curseth us if we break but any one Commandement thereof therefore if we should commit but one sin in all our life there were no hope of salvation by the Law but a fearful expectation of judgement and wrath everlasting But now seeing Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law and although he commandeth us to walk before him in all the wayes of his Commandements is yet pleased to pardon our falls if we do not lye still and welter and wallow in the puddle of our sins as many do but rise again by repentance O what a comfort may this be unto us For even as a little Child that is weak and begins to go may truly be said to walk to such or such a place although he taketh many a fall if he do not lie still but rise again presently and never cease going until he come thither so although as St. James saith Jam. 3.2 we do in many things offend all that is take many falls while we are in our journey towards Heaven yet if we do not lie still in any sin but rise up again speedily by repentance and proceed in our obedience to Gods Commandements we may truly be said to walk in the way of righteousness and shall in the end come to Heaven through the mercy of God in Christ Jesus But it may here be said Object There are many good souls that labour and strive constantly and continually to repent believe and yet they are so troubled with doubts and feares which do