Justification of a believing sinner But though I agree not with him in the Reason of the Name let him make the best of it Now says he this Righteousness consists in a sincere and universal obedience to the Commands of God That 's Magisterially dictated however But where may we find this Righteousness It 's contained says he in the Terms of the Gospel We are as wise as we were before Why then we are posted over to Rom. 1. 17. The Righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith Evident it is hence That the Gospel reveals that Righteousness by which we are justified and as evident that the Righteousness of God and of Faith are the same thing under divers Considerations but that the Righteousness of God consists in an universal obedience to Commands or that these are the Terms of Iustification it speaks not one syllable only it speaks aloud that our Author had a very loving Inclination it should be so Then we are turned over to Matth. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness What then Why It is called the Righteousness of God It is called What is called without all peradventure the Righteousness of God is called the Righteousness of God not only there but where-ever else we meet with the Expression But what are we the nearer Why this is the same with the Righteousness of his Kingdom But what Kingdom and upon what account and in what place is the Righteousness of God called the Righteousness of the Kingdom But go on Now the Kingdom of God signifies the state of the Gospel Well proceed And the Righteousness of God or of his Kingdom signifies that that Righteousness which the Gospel prescribes which is contained in the Sermons and Parables of Christ Ergo c. Quod erat Demonstrandum Round-about our Coal-fire And now who can be so hard-hearted as not to allow our Author rarely qualified to Reform the Religion of Christendom What man would not be content to be argued out of his Seven Senses with such potent Demonstration 2. We must observe farther if at least it be farther that this Righteousness of God which he commands and rewards â—…is the Righteousness of Faith or Righteousness by the Faith of Christ. We have heard so The Gospel commands us to believe in Christ for Justification for he is our Righteousness This will not undo us yet But Faith is often taken objectively for the Gospel of Christ. Faith is sometimes so used but that Faith in Christ is so used we wait for evidence He produces it from Acts 24. 24. Felix sent for Paul and heard him concerning the Faith of Christ that is concerning Righteousness Temperance and the Iudgment to come But here our Author is taken napping 1. He corrupts both the Original and the Translation unless he has other Bibles than are come to our hands for neither the Greek nor the English say He heard him concerning the Faith of Christ which words are more liable to a perverse insinuation but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning that Faith which is in or upon Christ. 2. He prevaricates with his Reader most palpably in making those words concerning Righteousness Temperance and Iudgment to come to be an Exegesis of the foregoing words The Faith that is in Christ Whereas the Apostle argued with Felix about the Nature of these things wherein he knew he was Defective to awaken his secure and sleepy Conscience to consider what need he had by Faith to fly to Christ for a better Righteousness than his own The Apostle took the true Method of Gods Spirit to insist upon Righteousness to convince him of his Injustice Bribery upon Temperance or Continence to convince him of his Adultery and upon Iudgment to come to alarum him with the righteous Judgment of God that so being terrified by the Law he might more gladly entertain the Doctrine of Faith in Christ for Righteousness wherein he might stand before God which otherwise his proud unhumbled heart would never have brook'd and submitted to 3. His Next step is towards the deciding the Controversie about the way of Abraham ' s being justified before God And a great and weighty Question it is for Abraham being called The Father of the Faithful it might seem strange that the Father should be justified one way and his Children another when Believers are therefore and only therefore his Children because they walk in the steps of his Faith Rom. 4. 12. And seeing as our Author Confesses he was set forth as a Patern of our Iustification It were to be admired If the Exemplar and the Copy the Archetype and Ectype were of Divers kinds It will be of good use therefore to enquire What way Abraham was justified Though the best way to resolve it is to enquire What way Believers under the Gospel are justified Now the Apostle is very punctual herein Rom. 4. 11. Abraham received the sign of Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that believe though they be not circumcised that Righteousness might be imputed to them also Look what way Abraham was justified the same way are all true Believers justified for he is Father of the faithful and they his Children only because they tread in the steps of the same Faith but Abraham was justified by Faith by the Righteousness of Faith and in a way of Imputation whatever these Expressions signifie therefore Believers under the Gospel are justified by Faith by the Righteousness of Faith and in a way of Imputation Again Gal. 3. 6. Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for Righteousness v. 7. Know ye therefore that they which are of Faith are the Children of faithful Abraham Where the Apostle demonstrates that the sameness of a Christians Faith with Abrahams is as able to denominate him one of Abraham's Children as if he came out of his loyns Ver. 9. So then they which are of Faith are blessed with faithful Abraham If they have the same Faith with Abraham they shall have the same Blessing with Abraham for says he v. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us that the Blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Iesus Christ. All the advantage the Gentiles receive by Christ and they need no more to make them perfectly and eternally blessed is that Abraham's Blessing may come upon them But if we have not Abraham's Faith we must never expect a part in Abraham's Blessing Nay says the Apostle v. 8. Abraham had the same Gospel preach'd to him that we have The Scripture foreseeing that is the Spirit of Christ which gave forth the Scripture that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preached before the Gospel to Abraham Now the preaching of the Gospel is the Spirits Engine for the begetting a true saving and lively Faith If then Abraham had the same
both be reconciled to God and what did the removal of Ceremonies contribute to that end But says he This New-Covenant belongs to all Mankind to Gentiles as well as Iews there 's now no distinction of Persons no Man is ever the more or less accepâ—…able to God because he is a Iew or a Greek very true I wonder when ever it was otherwise Our Author could have Answered himself from p. 27. Those particular favours that God bestowed on Israel were not owing to any partial fondness and respect to that People but the design of all was to encourage the whole World to Worship the God of Israel And that the Jews were not accepted for their Ceremonial Services we may easily believe if we can but believe what he tells us Pag. 269. The Law of Moses 〈◊〉 them up in a ritual and external Religion taught them to Worship God in the Letter by Circumcision Sacrifices and an external Conformity to the Letter of the Law but the Gospel aloue teaches us to worship God with the Spirit to offer a reasonable Service to him And if he can but assure me that the Gentiles were never the less accepted of God because they were Gentiles I dare give him my Warrant that the Iews were never the more accepted of God for their Judaism according to those Measures which our Author has given of their Religion which it seems was mere Pageantry 2. Concerning Redemption he acquaints us what it signifies both to Iews and Gentiles 1. As to the Iews They says he are said to be redeemed from the Curse of the Law by the accursed Death of Christ upon the Cross Gal. 3. 13. Because the Death of Christ put an end to that legal Dispensation and sealed a New and better Covenant between God and Man It 's well he could find any thing small enough to be the proper and immediate effect of the Death of Christ but who shall reconcile the Apostle and our Author The Apostle says Christ redeemed them by being made a Curse for them Our Author says No he only put an end to that Legal Dispensation The Apostle says they were redeemed by a price paid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He brought them out with a price which he expresses in words at length 1 Cor. 6. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye are bought with a price No says he Christ's Death put an end to that legal Dispensation The Apostle says they were redeemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from under the Curse No says he 't was only a freedom from the legal Dispensation Two suppositions he makes use of to give a Colour to his matters 1. Sect. That the Iews were under no other Curse but that of the Ceremonial Law Now 1. He should have been sure that the Ceremonial Law was a Curse It 's a wonder to me what grievous sins the Iews above all the World should commit that God should put them under such a Curse as should need the Death of Christ to redeem them from it especially what great Crimes had Abraham been guilty of that God should thus Curse and plague him with Circumcision which yet the Scripture calls the Seal of the Righteous Faith Rom. 4. 11. 2. It would be considered whether ever God gave a Law to any People in the World besides them that in its own Nature was a Curse Our Author once told us p. 196. That it pleased God to Institute a great many Ceremonies in the Iewish Worship to awe their Childish minds into a greater Veneration of the Divine Majesty And truly better so than worse better be frighted into Obedience than not at all Obedient But that ever God designed it for a Curse is past my apprehension 3. The Ceremonial Law in it's constitution end and design was a great Blessing there they had Pardon of sin Atonement Reconciliation exhibited and sealed to them Lev. 17 11. 2 Chron. 29. And all this could be no curse but to those who loved their sins better than the pardon of them and to such every Blessing of God would eventually prove a Curse 4. It will appear they were under a greater curse than what arose from the burden someness or their violation of the Ceremonial Law viz. That Condemnation which came upon all Men by the Fall of Adam Rom. 5. 12 13 14. 17 18 19. Such a Curse as was Common not only â—…o Iew and Gentile but to every individual under both capacities Rom. 3. 9. We have proved both Iews and Gentiles that they are all under sin ver 19. That every mouth may be stopped and all the World become guilty before God ver 23. For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God And therefore all had need of free justification by Grace through the Redemption that is in Iesus Christ ver 24. 5. The Jews were under a curse upon the Account of their violation of the Moral Law and their not duly attending to the true ends of the Ceremonial Law but if the violation of a Law would make it become a curse then the Moral Law was become a curse too and then they had need of a Redeemer from the one as well as the other though both were blessings in themselves The Ceremonial Law in particular had this great blessing in it That as it discovered to them the demerit and Wages of sin in the slaying of the Sacrifices so it discovered a remedy two in the Sacrifices slain for them which directed them to look through them beyond them and above them to him who was the Lamb of God slain from the Foundation of the World All this was no curse 2. Sect. He supposes that the Text Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us relates onely to the Iews Whereas the Apostle adds to obviate that Cavil That the Blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles Christ is made a curse for them upon whom the Blessing of Abraham came by his Death but the Blessing of Abraham came upon the Gentiles by his Death therefore Christ is made a Curse for the Gentiles And that the Law from the curse whereof both Jews and Gentiles were Redeemed by Christs being made a Curse for them is the Moral Law I have endeavoured to evince in the last Section but whether to our Authors content or no I know not One thing more he supposes that Christs Sealing a New Covenant is Redemption But there must go more than the sealing of such a Covenant as he has described There must be the payment of a Price to Iustice or there can be no Redemption To Redeem is properly to buy back again that which was forfeited and such were Sinners Their Persons forfeited to Iustice their Mercies escheated into the hands of the Law Now comes a Redeemer and gives himself to God as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Counter-price a valuable Consideration to Answer the demands of Justice and the claims of the Law and
Father of the faithful if Abraham's Faith and theirs differ toto Genere Those things that differ in their special Nature may yet agree in their common Nature but those things that are of divers kinds wherein shall they agree But all this is but a scandal thrown upon the Apostle who proves from Abraham's way of being justified the way of Christians being justified Rom. 4. As Abraham was justified without Works so are we Vers. 2. As Abraham had a Righteâ—…sness imputed to him even so have we Vers. 11. That Righteousness might be imputed to them also As Abraham's Righteousness was a Righteousness of Faith even so is ours Vers. 11. A Seal of the Righteousness of Faith As Abraham was justified by free Grace so are we V. 5. To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly Thus was his Righteousness the patern of ours his Faith the patern of ours And is it not a strange Copy that differs in kind from its Idaea That 's a huge way off from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if you should propound a House for your patern and draw a Horse to sample it Once more look into Gal. 3. 8. The Scripture fore-seeing that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preach'd before the Gospel to Abraham Now if Abraham had not our Faith what needed he to have our Gospel The end of preaching the Gospel is to beget Faith and it was an equivocal Generation if it begat a Faith of one kind in Abraham another in Christians What needed this circumspect Caution of Providence that Abraham should have the glad tidings of the Gospel preach'd to him which made him rejoyce and be glad if a Faith of a lower size would serve his turn for Justification Again vers 13. That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Iesus Christ. If we have his blessing surely he had our Faith Or could Abraham get the blessing without Christ but Christians no other way but in Christ But thus has our Author vindicated the Apostles Reasonings as if he had secretly design'd as he openly professes of the Wriings of others to expose them to contempt It may be now seasonable to examine his Definition of a Gospel-Faith viz. Such a stedfast belief of all those Revelations which Christ hath made to the World as governs our lives and actions If this be to define put but a company of Letters in a bag shuffle them well together then shake them out and they will tumble into as good a Definition as this comes to But thus did Atoms by dancing in Infinite and Eternal Spaces justle one another so long till at last they produced this beautiful Fabrick of Heaven and Earth I except against it 1. Because the whole Priestly Office of Christ is excluded by it Propitiation Atonement Expiation of sin are shut quite out of all consideration and the Death and Sufferings of Christ of no regard unless perhaps they may come in by way of Motive to believe his Doctrine as a Prophet And if this be his Faith I must profess I would not venture my Salvation in his Church for the hopes of all the good or fear of all the evil this World can either flatter or affright me with however I beg Grace from God that I may not He that has but half a Christ had as good have no Christ and he that takes him not wholly into the Definition of his Faith may as safely leave him wholly out As half a heart in God's account is no heart so half a Saviour in Faith's esteem is no Saviour 2. I except against it because it may be found in Hypocrites They may so far believe the Revelations of Christ as to govern their lives and actions and yet their hearts never be purified by that Faith 3. It pretends to define Faith and yet gives us no Genus of it Faith is such a Belief as governs our lives and actions that is Faith is Faith that governs our lives and actions But the Question is What is that Faith that will so govern our lives and actions For it describes not any direct influence of Faith upon our Iustification but our obedience And whereas he pretends to assign some differences that may distinguish it from all other Faith true or false yet in plain terms they do nothing less 1. It 's a belief of those Revelations Christ has made to the World Now unless he can prove that those Revelations which Christ has made to the World are essentially distinct from those which God before made to the World their being revealed by Christ makes no essential difference For Christ came in his Fathers name under the New-Testament and the Spirit came in Christs name under the Old-Testament All Christ's Revelations in order to the governing our lives and actions may be reduced either to Precepts or Promises Now though some have been tampering at it I cannot find that Christ revealed either a new Moral Law or added any thing to the old Self-denial Taking up the Cross Praying for our Persecutors c. were Old-Testament duties though not met with in New-Testament phrase As a Rule of obedience Christ medled not with it all he did was to vindicate it from the corrupt Glosses the Scribes and Pharisees had put upon it As to Promises Christ has revealed no other Heaven no other Glory no other Salvation only he has cleared up these given us more light into them poured out more Grace that we might live more in fellowship with God and hopes of Glory But this and much more will make no essential difference in the Revelation 2. It 's such a Belief as governs our lives and actions But such a Belief was Enoch's Abel's Noah's Abraham s their 's govern'd their lives and actions too and somewhat more their Hearts and Consciences This therefore will make no essential difference 4. I except against it that it mentions not God as the proper Object of Faith For though Christ who is God be in the Definition yet not as God there 's nothing supposes him to be so no employment that necessarily requires it should be so assigned to him only he is allowed Revelation-work which a meer man instructed with God's Commission might have done And now once again he will reassume his Argument If by the Righteousness of Faith you understand the Righteousness of Christ apprehended by Faith and imputed to us you utterly destroy the Apostle's Argument for our Iustification by Faith for Abraham and all the good men of old were not justified by such a Faith as this is They never heard of Christ's Righteousness imputed to us c. Now how does it follow that because Abraham was justified by such noble and generous Acts of Faith therefore we shall be justified by Christ's Righteousness imputed But whoever overthrows the Apostle's Argument I have some things that will overthrow and utterly overthrow our Author's 1. That he begs and most shamefully begs the
Question which I think we must be forced to grant him at last to be rid of him without any respect to his Argument For thus we shut our hands sometimes of those importunate Mendicants whose strongest Logick and most prevailing Oratory is Clamour and Obstinacy He has hardned himself to say that Abraham was justified without any respect to the Righteousness of Christ that he was justified by noble and generous Acts of Faith and then concludes That therefore so are we And all this to save the credit of the Apostle's Argument But I should rather go the other way Believers under the Gospel are not justified without respect to the Righteousness of Christ therefore neither was Abraham and let that save the credit of the Apostle's Argument As he cannot prove that Abraham was accepted of God without any consideration of Satisfaction made to him by a Redeemer and therefore ought not to infer that we are accepted of God without such Consideration so we can prove that Believers under the Gospel are accepted of God upon Consideration had of the Satisfaction made to him by a Redeemer and therefore may infer that Abraham was accepted upon the same Consideration 2. His Argument will recoil upon the Engineer For if by the Righteousness of Faith you understand a Righteousness of our own obedience you utterly destroy the Apostle's Argument for our Justification by Faith for how does it follow that because Abraham was justified by Faith without Works that therefore Believers under the Gospel are justified by Works Again If there be no reasoning from Faith of one kind to Faith of another and that the Apostle understood himself better than to argue at this weak rate for which we have our Author's broad-Broad-Seal p. 257. And if the faith of Abraham and our faith in Christ be of different kinds and do constitute two distinct sorts of Faith for which also we have his Word and Warrant p. 252. then let every Reader try the issue whether our Author have not utterly destroyed the Apostle's Argument for our Iustification by faith in Christ from Abraham's being justified by Faith seeing he supposes him to argue from one kind of Faith to another For at this weak rate he makes him argue If Abraham were justified by faith without Christ then Believers under the Gospel are justified by faith in Christ. All that I can conclude from this Discourse of our Authors is That he has owned the Apostle an old grudge and has now found a convenient time to pay him home He promises us now he will bring his Discourse to a head Which I am right sorry for hoping he had been at the foot of it And yet I am glad it shall be reduced to a head for hitherto it has been like the Hydra when one head was lopt off another or two more sprung up in the room of it But I mistake him He will bring it to a head it has been hitherto like an obstinate inveterate Oedema that scorns ordinary Applications but now we shall see his Chirurgick faculty he will bring the undigested Matter to a Head and then I doubt it will issue out in purulent offensive stuff But the head of it is this The difference between the faith of Abraham and the Faith of Christians is this Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for Righteousness and we believe in Christ and that 's counted to us for Righteousness which is a difference without a distinction and so he has made neither head nor foot of it For Abraham believed God but it was by the preaching of the Gospel to him Gal. 3. 8. The Gospel Doctrine that was preach'd was this In thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed That Seed was Iesus Christ ver 16. To thy Seed which is Christ. So that it 's as plain as we can desire it and more plain than the Enemies of the Christian Religion would have it That Abraham was justified through Faith in Christ and if Abraham believed in God through Christ it 's certain that Christians do so also 1 Pet. 1. 21. Who through him do believe in God Abraham ' s belief in God was not exclusive of Christ our believing in Christ is not exclusive of our believing in God The Objects mediate and ultimate are the same and then the Faith is so if we may take our Author's word for it which for his own Confutation we may venture to do and then where 's the difference And thus the Reader has all the head and foot I can make of this tedious long-winded Argument Having thus happily dispatch'd the difference between Abraham's faith and the faith of Christians he promises to give us the difference between two or three other things or between something and nothing for to acknowledg my ignorance I cannot tell what I turn'd to the Errata and there we are bid to read Nonsense I was in good hopes that had been it but the difference of the pages soon undeceived me I shall therefore give the Reader it as cheap as I had it in his own words and that 's good both for Buyer and Seller And the same difference there is between the Righteousness of Faith in a general Notion as it is applied to Noah Abraham and these Worthies of old and the Righteousness of Gâ—…d by the Faith of Iesus Christ Rom. 3. 22. and that Righteousness which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness of God by Faith Phil. 3. 9. Now I have guest and guest and almost tired my self with guessing what those things should be betwen which he pretends the difference One while it seems to be Between the Righteousness of Faith in a general Notion as it is applied to Noah Abraham and those Worthies of old on the one party and the Righteousness of God by the Faith of Iesus Christ c. on the other party Another while it seems to be Between the Righteousness of Faith in the general Notion on one side and the Righteousness of God by the Faith of Iesus Christ on the second and the Righteousness which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness of God by Faith on the third and so the difference will be tripartite Whatever the business is I shall not trouble my self about it Of two Righteousnesses I have heard the one of Faith the other of Works according to the two Covenants from thence denominated which do irreconcileably differ and are as far asunder as the two Poles which can never meet Of two Righteousnesses of Faith I have not heard till of late and a happy invention it was for them whose faith or unbelief would not stoop to Gospel-Revelations But that we may not let our time run waste I shall a little consider one of his Scriptures and wait with patience till he shall consider the other That which I fix upon is Rom. 3. 20 21 22. Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight for
vouchsafed them but not the Foundation of their Religion under any Notion When God gave the Law upon Mount Sinai He Prefaces it with this strong Inducement I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the House of Bondage Thou shalt have no other Gods before me May we now upon our Authors Warrant say That Gods delivering them out of Egypt was the Foundation of their Religion in Worshipping the true God and none besides Him or rather that it was an Additional Enforcement to command Obedience to that Law which yet Antecedent to such particular Obligation approved its Authority to their Consciences But that these Deliverances and Providences were no Foundation for the Mosaick Religion I shall endeavour to prove 1. In that God himself declares that he had laid another Foundation Isa. 28. 16. Behold I lay in Zion a sure Foundation And this is not constitutive of what was New but declarative of what was Old not only a Prophesie of what he would do but a clearer Discovery of what he had done that he might lead them into stronger Expectations of that Messiah which from time to time was promised would come and in fulness of Time should come and this Foundation God laid in Zion Which though it may express the Gospel-Church yet surely must not exclude the Iewish to which the Name Primarily appertains 2. In that God had actually laid another Foundation from the Foundation of the World for sinners to Build their Hopes upon in their addresses to God Thus was Christ the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World Apoc. 13. 8. Slain particularly in the Sacrifices which commencing with the New Covenant ran a Line parallel with the Old World to the one great Sacrifice of Christ our High Priest upon the Cross. In that first Promise then made to our first Parents and afterwards Amplified to Abraham was the Foundation of all acceptable Religion and Worship Gen. 12. 2 3. God promises to Abraham In thee shall all the Families of the Earth be blessed which promise that it contained Christ the Apostle assures us Gal. 3. 8â—… The Scripture fore-seeing that God would justifie tâ—… Heathen through Faith Preacht before the Gospâ—… to Abraham In thee shall all the Nations of tâ—… Earth be blessed ver 16. Now to Abraham aâ—… his Seed were the Promises made he saith not tâ—… Seeds as of many but as of one and to thy Seeâ—… which is Christ. Now unless we will find out â—… Quintum Evangelium that has nothing of Chriâ—… in it Abraham had Christ for he had the Gospâ—… Preacht to him and I do not understand what Gospâ—… signifies without Christ. Our Author I me sure of all the Men under Heaven has Reason to alloâ—… it for he would have Christ signifie Gospel anâ—… therefore cannot blame us who would have Gospâ—… to include Christ because we are loth his Persoâ—… should be quite shut out of it And again Thâ—… Promises were made to Abraham And is it not strange that Promises should be made to him and he not understand one word of them What waâ—… the Foundation of Abraham's was the Foundation of the Iewish Religion Nothing at all in their Service or Worship could plead for Acceptation bâ—… as it came under the Influence of those Types which were of no value in themselves but upon the Account of Christ. In Levit. 6. 1 2 3 4. If â—… Soul sin and commit a Trespass against the Lord c. I cannot but give the Reader a Breviate of some Remarkables in this Scripture 1. That the Sins here mention'd were not ceremonial Pollutions legal Defilements but such Wickednesses as were discoverable by the Light and condemned by the Law of Nature Lying Cozening False-swearing Unfaithfulness in Trust c. 2. That these sins did bring a proper Guilt upon the Conscience as being committed against the Lord and therefore the Sinner was guilty before God that is Obnoxious and liable to his Displeasure and bound over in conscience to answer it at Gods Tribunal ver 1. If a Soul sin and commit a Trespass against the Lord ver 4. Then it shall be because he hath sinned and is guilty 3. That for that part of his Fact which was Injurious to his Neighbour that which he violently took away or the thing he hath deceitfully gotten or that which was delivered him to keep or the lost thing which he found he was to restore the principal in Specie and to add a fifth part more because of the Damnum emergens 4. That notwithstanding he had thus compounded with man he must bring his Trespass-offering to the Lord a Ram without blemish ver 6. 5. The Priest was to receive the Trespass-offering at his hand and offer it up to the Lord. 6. The design of this Offering was Attonement procuring Favour from God 7. Here 's a Promise of the full Pardon of sin annexed unto this Sacrifice ver 7. It shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in Trespassing therein Now upon the whole Matter we observe here was Pardon of sin annext to a Sacrifice and yet their Reasons could tell them as Paul has told us Heb. 10. 4. It 's not possible that the blood of Bulls and Goats should take away sin And I think we may venture to say the same of the blood of Rams too How shall these then be Reconciled I know no other way but by owning the Respect which they bore to the Lord Iesus Christ who was from the Foundation of and all along the World the only Lamb slain of value for these ends in Gods Account Thirdly The Christian Religion is founded on the Incarnation Death and Resurrection of the Son of God Our Author had founded his own and the Christian Religion on the Sacrifice and Intercession of Christ p. 15. But perhaps fearing or finding the Foundation too narrow has here widened it at the bottome and taken in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. But I hope now the Storm will blow over and the Indignation conceived against those Persons who Love Honour and admire Christs Person a little Slake for if their Religion the Acceptation of their Persons and Services be built upon Him as Sacrificed for them on the Cross and Interceding for them on the Throne they do judge it their duty to love him against the World Nay what will you say if our Author himself should become a Convert his own Hope and that 's his All he says is Built on the Sacrifice and Intercession of Christ And can you imagine but he should Admire and Adore his Person And then may there not arise a danger that he should set up a Religion of Christs Person However that goes This I know it was Christs blessed Person that endured the Shock and abode the Storm of that Displeasure which was due to our sin and no Reason can be assigned why a Person should endure all the Sorrow and not have
his Mediation or to Trust in his Blood but you must â—…o Nomine doe it in Contradiction to the Terms of the Covenant sealed therewith or which is all one it 's impossible but that things subordinate should be opposite The blood of Christ and the Covenant of Christ are perfectly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Person of the Mediator and his Mediatory work cannot be conceived but they involve the thoughts in a thousand Contradictions Positio unius est Remotio Alterius Nay soft sayes he I onely mean in case they understand any more by these things than expecting to be saved according to the Terms of the Gospel-Covenant I do not think they doe And as our Author gave his word for those that are suspected to make Christs Person useless if my word would go as far as his I would readily engage it for them who are suspected to make his Laws useless And so once again all is Husht and still and the fearfull skirmish that was towards is at present stinted Pulveris exigui jactû Let me therefore in the Close give our Author one wholsome Caution That he would not be too rash and peremptory in drawing or wracking Conclusions from other mens Expressions Some will think he has mistaken in his own and may with more ease in others Principles and the Conclusions from thence A Ladder of Deductions and Inferences forty Rounds long is not easily master'd A Sorites or Climax may quickly impose upon us we are never sooner cheated than in a Chain of many links the smallest interruption may secrâ—…tly and insensibly discompose the whole series and concatenation of Dependencies wherein we fancy an infallible Connexion I would not anticipate 〈◊〉 Hericano ill weather comes unsent for and is alwayes too soon and unwelcome when it comes the latest let us therefore keep our selves well whilest we are well Thus smoothly we conclude and say Here ends your Worships Chapter for the Day CHAP. III. Section 1. Of the Knowledge of Christ. THis Section allures the Eye of the Reader with the specious Frontispiece of the knowledge of Christ but proves a mere MockBeggar-Hall and Fools Expectation like a Fair Porch to no House or a great Mountain without a Mouse just like the Guilded Titles of Apothecaries Boxes which pretend to Lodge the rich Drugs of Pontus and both the Indies but are Inhabited often by the Poysonous Spider and Hung with Cobweb-Tapistry Spun out of her own Bowels and Woven with her curious Fingers Or like those gawdy Signs which Encounter us upon the Road whose promising Motto first Invites the Traveller with Hopes of Horse-meat and Mans-meat and then Baffles his hopes with Entertainment that would sterve a Dog To see our Author heaving for a far-fetcht Blow you would verily think he Design'd to Knock the Business stone-dead for ever whilst he does but Imitate the Black-smith that would needs Use the great Sledge Hammer to Kill a Flie on his Childs Fore-head and very Discreetly dasht out the poor Infants Brains Leave we him therefore to the Satisfaction of his own private Thoughts a while and let ours give the Readers Patience a small Exercise The Happiness of Man consists in the Knowing and Enjoying the True God blessed for ever and therefore He who is never wanting to his own Glory nor to His Creatures Happiness in such ways as best Comply with His own Unsearchable Wisdom first Created Man and then gave him an Understanding to Know a Heart to Love and Enjoy His Creator Admirably proportioning his Faculties to his Employment and as he made it his Work and Wages to Love and Serve he furnisht him with a Soul qualifi'd to Love and Serve his God But when Man had sinned and thereby lost his Fitness for that blessed Service it pleas'd God to enter into a New and better Covenant with him Establisht upon that Promise Gen. 3. 15. The Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents Head God would not suffer Satan to rejoyce too much in his success and glory in his greater hopes that he should sweep the World before him and draw the rational Creation into the same Ruine into which he found himself Irrecoverably Plunged The Father had Divided to the Redeemer a Portion with the Great and Promised He should Divide the Spoyl with the strong and Wrest out of his hands that Advantage he had gotten over Man by sin and the Curse inseparably annext to it In the Faith of this Promise had guilty Man encouragement to Return to God and not sinck down in black Despaire to which the Reflexions he must needs make upon that Cursed state he had so cheaply brought himself into could not but Expose him And though the Generality of the Sons of Men through their own sinful Negâ—…ect Lost the Faith of that first and precious Promise yet the Gracious God took Effectual Care that his Service and Worship should be carried down in a chosen Seed and holy Line from our first Parents by righteous Abel heavenly Enoch upright Noah and others to believing Abraham to whom he was Graciously pleas'd to vouchsafe a more Distinct and Explicit Revelation of the Promised Seed And whereas before all Families of the Earth might equally pretend to the hopes of it Now God Clears and Secures it to his Faith that in his Seed by the Line of Isaac should all the Nations of the Earth be Blessed In pursuance of this Promise and the glorious Design managed thereupon he Renews in a more Solemn Ample and full Manner the Covenant of Grace with him the Epitome and Abstract whereof was this Gen. 17. 7. I will be thy God And for the greater Security adds Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 4. 11. As the Family of Abraham was branched out into two so we observe how the vigilant Eye of Providence Traces that Line by which He had fore-appointed to Conveigh so Rich a Mercy as a Redeemer down to the following Generations And accordingly he Hedges it about with special Care Waters it with extraordinary Blessings Impales it from the Common and Wild of the World by distinguishing Ordinances that it might get a fixed Root in the Earth Hence was Ishmael waved and Isaac taken into special Protection Esau excluded and Jacob comes under the peculiar Cognizance of God just as the Stream and Current of the Promise found its proper Channel and the other Old ones grew either Shallow and Inconsiderable or quite Dried up For the better Securing and more prosperous Managing this great Project God was also pleased to cast the Posterity of Iacob into a visible Church-frame and Political Model appointing to them a Ceremonial Law as an Appendice to the former and the Iudicial Law as an Appendice to the latter Table of the Moral Law accommodating so the whole that all might lead to Him who was indeed the whole life and Soul of that Administration An High-priest and other inferiour ones he also instituted with great variety of
God excluded the World from all possible Means of Salvation is an Idâ—…e Dream when indeed they excluded themselves When God gave the Promise to the Common Parent of Mankind there was a Possibility in the Thing that that Means of Salvation might have been derived to all those Rivulets into which his Posterity should be subdivided and if it was not I conceive the fault was theirs not Gods and all that I know will be proved hence is That it 's marvellous dangerous to venture the Concerns of another World upon the Credit of Oral Tradition for if it proved treacherous when the Lives of men were drawn out to such a length what may We expect from it whose dayes are but as a shadow But if indeed the World lost that Promise its Encouragement and Warrant in drawing nigh to God I doe not cannot see that God was bound to repeat and renew it every Thirty or Forty years to every particular Kingdom Nation Countrey and the Individuals therein for fear of being wanting to his Creatures happiness and I have some hopes that our Authour will shew himself friendly in this business for he tells us p. 33. That Now the only true Medium of knowing God is the Knowledge of Christ who came into the World to declare God to us Has God then excluded the rest of the World from all possible means of Salvation or Did the Gospel of Christ come into every Nation in every Age and to every individual Man and Woman of that Age or else must we say that God is wanting to his Creatures in not affording to them but excluding them from all possible Means of Salvation But further God hath maintain'd a Church in all Ages of the World where the Means of Salvation have been enjoy'd and there was a possibility of being interessed in the Priviledges and Advantages of that Church for so sayes our Author p. 29. The rest of the world when they pleased might fetch the best Rules of Life from Israel And in all probability if it was possible to fetch any thing from them it was as easie to come to and joyn with them and then again it was as easie every jot to fetch other means of Salvation as the best Rules of Life But I am afraid we do not discourse ad idem all this while perhaps he may reckon upon those to be sufficient Means of Salvation which we think insufficient to Man under his present Circumstances Let him therefore set up for himself and prove if he be Able That the knowledge of so much of the will of God as may be known from the works of Creation and Providence is a sufficient means for the saving of Mankind in any Age he will pick out considered as represented by the Church of England in her Ninth Article and he shall either have a just Confutation or a speedy Recantation One Text of Scripture he judges will doe his work Rom. 3. 29. Is he the God of the Iews onely is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also It will be convenient to remember here what he is proving least his Argument should be sick of an old Disease which some call Ignoratio Elenchi And that was That God did not design by choosing Abrahams Posterity to exclude the rest of the world from all possible means of Salvation much less from his Care and Providence And we will readily own that all that the Apostle had been excluding from Iustification and Salvation was onely an importunate Thing which has ever giveâ—… the world trouble in this matter call'd Boasting So that shut out but that and take in what you will or can God is resolved to justifie none Iew or Gentile but in such a way as shall solidly ascribe all the Glory to Himself So that our Author may sleep on both ears in this matter The Gentiles were never excluded all possibility of Salvation if they excluded not themselves by Neglecting that Justification by Faith which he had proclaimed for so saith the Apostle v. 30. It is one God which shall justifie the Circumcision by Faith and the Uncircumcision through Faith There is one God alwayes the same and one Faith ever uniform and what need had our Author then to fancy That Enoch and Noah were justifi'd one way Abraham another and Believers since the coming of Christ a third way For the same Apostle Hebr. 4. 2. proves that the Gospel was preached to the Iews from of Old as well as unto others since his Appearing in the flesh the same Gospel For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them and he proves also that the same Gospel was also preached to Abraham that was preached to the Iews Galat. 3. 8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham To Abraham in the state of Uncircumcision and therefore under the Notion of a Gentile and not a Circumcised Iew. But I would not hinder our Author from making the very best improvement he can of the Text. Which Argument saith he if it have any force in it must prove Gods respect to the Gentiles before the preaching of the Gospel as well as since because it is founded on that Natural Relation God owns to all Mankind as their mercifull Creator and Governour If it have any force in it why do you Question that He speaks of St. Paul's way of Arguing sometimes as if a man might draw Cutts whether it should have any strength in it or no or as if it were an even lay one way or t'other No but that If is not dubitantis but arguentis If it have as undoubtedly it hath what then Why it must prove Must There 's the singular Happiness of the Man who is one of Pauls familiar Acquaintances and privy to all the Cryptick wayes of his Argumentation but what must it prove why that before the preaching of the Gospel God had respect to the Gentiles as well as since Have a little Patience 1. I would fain know when that time was before the preaching of the Gospel for we have heard that the Gospel was preached to Abraham to the Iews in the Wilderness and I think that was Gospel too that was preached to Adam That the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head Indeed there was a time when the Gospel was more clearly publickly and eminently preached call'd therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the times of the Gospel but I do not know of any of which it could be said simply and absolutely the Gospel was not preached 2. I would very gladly learn also what that respect was God had for the Gentiles A respect there might be upon Common Accounts he was their mercifull Creator and Governour but that respect is short of what our Author designs And he might have a respect for the future there being good Evidences of Gods intentions to bring in the Gentiles more universally to the knowledge of the
that he hath appointed an Atonement for us and given no less Person than his own Son for our Ransome The Reader cannot but observe that he is there giving us Another Scheme of Religion from an Acquaintance with Christs Person without Scripture and then when he comes to take the Matter in hand he can from the Person of Christ demonstrate Gods good Will his pardoning Mercy and what not when others indeed venture upon Conclusions without Scripture they give some uncertain conjectures get some feeble hints some dim appearances and smattering Iâ—…cklings of the Matter but to Us it speaks nothing less than Apodictical and great Demonstration 2. The Reader will observe how perfectly he Overthrows the very design he would exalt for undertaking to prove How unsafe it is to found Religion upon a Pretended acquaintance with Christs Person and assigning this for a Reason that this is to build Religion upon uncertain Conjectures which we acknowledge to be Cogent When he comes to wind up his bottomes he tells us Though we had seen Christ in the flesh we could never have ghess'd at the End and Design of it had not he Christ Acquainted us with it So that the short and long of this great Demonstration is this That it 's uncertain to found our Religion upon Christ's Person because we could have known nothing of Religion unless we had been Acquainted with him He will lift himself off this flatt by replying that he means nothing but Christs acquainting us in and from his Gospel and we rejoyn that that which will bring him off will bring off his Neighbours for who ever affirm'd any more 3. He has herein at unawares stabb'd his main Cause to the heart For if there be no necessary connexion between the Person of Christ his Death and Suffering and the Salvation of Mankind but that as he assures us the End and Design of Christ in dying must be known onely by Revelation then it will unavoidably follow that Christ dyed for some greater Ends than to give us an Example of Patience and Submission to the Will of God to Confirm what he Preach'd seeing we needed no Revelation to acquaint us that a holy man is to be imitated in all holy things living or dying and that he thought at least his Doctrine was true or else he would never have exposed and layd down his Life to justifie it Now it 's plain however our Author does now and then humour us with Propitiation Ransom Atonement Expiation these are all reducible by his Engine to Christs confirming what he preach'd Pag. 320. All that I can find in Scripture concerning the Influence that the Sacrifice of Christ's Death hath upon our Acceptation with God is that to this we owe the Covenant of Grace which is Nothing else in his sence but God's Promise of saving us if we obey his Laws 4. He is slipt into the very same guilt with which he loads though unjustly his Adversaries viz. The Dividing the Person and Gospel of Christ. He was of a good Mind once p. 3. if he could have kept him in 't That the Person of Christ is not at oddes with his Gospel and that Christ and his Religion were well agreed but he has quitted his Post and dogmatically asserts That whosoever would understand the Religion of our Saviour must learn it from his Doctrine and not from his Person And why not from his Person in or by his Doctrine It 's a harder matter than our Author is aware to hear a Sermon preach'd without a Preacher and almost as difficult to believe it without good warranty that the Preacher has good Authority for what he delivers All the Authority of the Scripture is resolved into the Authority of Christ and therefore it concerns us to fetch our Religion from Christ by his Word 5. I must needs observe to the Reader one piece of cleanly conveyance and Legerdemain which our Author is forced frequently at a standing pull to serve himself of to draw Dun out o' th' Mire and that is to shew you a fair round Tester and then fob you off with a Counter to shew you a Horse in the Premises and pass to an Asse in the Conclusion He has pasted and posted it up in the Title of this Section How unsafe it is to found Religion upon a Pretended acquaintance with Christs Person but when he addresses himself to prove his Thesis he falls a persecuting the old thing of Learning Religion from an Acquaintance with Christs Person He who has the famous Art of Arguing from the essential Differences of things can he find no accidental difference at least betwixt Principium essendi and Cognoscendi Betwixt the Foundation of our Religion and the Means of conveying the Knowledge thereof unto us A thing may be first in Knowledge which is last in Being there has been some such Distinction in former Ages There was a time when the old World learnt it's Religion from Angels as our Author thinks from Prophets from the Government of the World will he say that the Religion of those dayes was founded upon any thing short of God upon Angels Men Sun Moon Stars Say the same in our Case Jesus Christ has revealed what we are to know and believe of the Father Son and Spirit in his Word he has reveal'd it yet our Faith Hope Love Obedience is founded on and ultimately terminated in God alone by Christ He that believes a Promise obeyes a Precept does believe the veracity of Christ in that Promise and obey the Authority of Christ in that Precept That Credit we give to Letters Patents praemunited with the Royal Seal is resolved ultimately into the Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Obedience we give to a Law is founded upon the Authority of the Legislator We learn our Duty from a printed Act of Parliament from a Proclamation but that which is the formal Reason of our Duty is the Relation wherein we stand to our Prince So childish is our Author in his Reasonings he begins to make a Cauldron and tinckers up a sorry kettle Amphora coepit institui currente rotâ cur urceus exit He undertook to prove the unsafeness of the Foundation of our Religion but he 's glad to come down a button-hole lower and prove onely the danger of learning of our Religion from a pretended acquaintance with Christs Person without Scripture-Revelation 6. He tells us there is not a Natural and Necessary connexion between the Person of Christ his Death c. and the Salvation of Mankind Very discreetly worded Not a natural and necessary connexion What 's matter if it be not Natural if it be Necessary Let it be owned Necessary any way that 's fair and honest and let him choose whether it shall be necessary by Nature or no. If our Author understands himself here it 's very well I am sure some others do not Does he mean therefore of all Mankind that there 's no natural connexion betwixt Christs Person
Gospel the same Faith the same Blessing with Christians he was justified the same way but so had our Father Abraham But what is our Author's judgment in the case I confess that 's hard to discover p. 243. he gives us The Righteousness of God the Righteousness of Faith and the Righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Iesus Christ as Synonima's And again expresly p. 245. he observes it to us for a choice discovery That the Righteousness of God is the Righteousness of Faith or Righteousness by the Faith of Christ. And now p. 246. he is peremptory That this Righteousness of Faith and this alone can recommend us to God Which says he the Apostle proves from the example of Abraham and adds That Abraham who was the Father of the faithful was set forth for a patern of our Iustification Now scarce one of his Readers in a thousand but would have been trying Conclusions out of his premises Abraham's Righteousness was the Righteousness of Faith But the Righteousness of Faith is the Righteousness of Faith in Christ therefore Abraham's Righteousness was the Righteousness of Faith in Christ. Again says he the Apostle proves that this Righteousness of Faith and this alone can recommend us to God If then there be but one only Righteousness that can recommend us to God either Abraham and Christians have one and the same Righteousness or else one of them must needs want a Righteousness that can recommend them to God But now from these premises our Author concludes that Abraham's Faith was not a Faith in Christ. Then say I His Righteousness was not the Righteousness by Faith in Christ And then it was not neither the Righteousness of Faith no nor the Righteousness of God for our Author has warranted us p. 243 and 245. That the Righteousness of Faith the Righteousness of God and the Righteousness by the Faith of Christ are but all one Righteousness But here we have the Quintessence and Elixir of our Author 's rational Abilities To this purpose he argues The Father of the faithful and his believing Children are justified both one way But Abraham the Father of the faithful was justified one way and therefore Believers who are his Children are justified another Now I like our Author's Conclusions dearly when they are together by the ears with their premises Again Thus he reasons Abraham was set forth for a patern of our Iustification But nothing ought to be like its patern and therefore you may be sure if Abraham was justified one way Believers are justified another Again The Apostle proves what way Believers are justified from the example of Abraham But now the Apostle you know always argues from one sort of things to another his way of concluding is by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therefore if Abraham was justified by Faith you may conclude from thence then Christians are justified by Works and if Believers are justified by Faith in Christ then to be sure Abraham was justified some other way The plain truth is our Author is got into a Cramp and has so hamper'd and bangled his matters that I am very confident none of his Readers do understand him and it were well if he understood himself There are two Enquiries he will make to enlighten us in this Mystery 1. What that Faith was whereby Abraham was justified 2. What Agreement there is between the Faith of Abraham and the Faith in Christ. 1. What that Faith was whereby Abraham was justified To which he answers 1. Negatively It was not a Faith in Christ. Which Determination might have better become any mans mouth than hiâ—… whose hand has subscribed the Seventh Article of the Church of England Both in the Old-Testament and the New Everlasting Life is offered to Mankind by Iesus Christ who is the only Mediator between God and man being both God and man And I do the rather urge him with this Article because it speaks not only what respect God might have to Christ in bestowing Eternal Life but that there was an offer to Mankind of Eternal Life through Christ which speaks that respect which Believers had to a Mediator in their Faith But perhaps these Articles are but matter of course and form and therefore I shall press him with what has more weight than a sorry Subscription The Righteousness of God says he p. 245. is the Righteousness of Faith or Righteousness by the Faith of Christ But Abraham's Righteousness was the Righteousness of God and therefore it was the Righteousness of Faith or the Righteousness by the Faith of Iesus Christ Yea says our Author Christ was the material Object of Abraham ' s Faith that is he believed the promise of God's sending Christ into the World John 8. 56. Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad Hence it 's evident that Abraham had a great and personal concern in Christ's coming into the World which made his heart leap within him The same which the Apostle expresseth Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Iesus Christ through whom we have received the Atonement For what cause of all this triumph all this joy that Christ should come into the World some thousands of years after he should be dead and buried and rotten in his grave to preach a Gospel in which he had no concern and for which he should not be one pin the better But our Author will prove that Abraham's Faith was not a Faith in Christ because no man could believe in Christ till he came But I prosess my self otherwise perswaded and that the actual exhibition of Christ in the flesh was not at all times absolutely necessary to a believing in him Abraham believed that testimony which God gave of his son that in him all the Nations of the earth should be blessed He believed that God would bless him for the sake of Christ. He saw Christ slain from the Foundation of the World in Sacrifices He saw a Redeemer as that way which God had chosen to bruise the head of the Serpent which St. Iohn expounds 1 Epist. 3. 8. by destroying the works of the Devil and Paul Heb. 2. 14. by destroying the Devil that is so far as he had got the power of Death into his hands by sin and in that security which he received from the promise of God and from Christ who was the Reason of its being made good Yea and Amen His Soul did rejoyce with exceeding great joy for so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do import But our Author has a Notion of Believing that is worth two of this and will do his work To believe any thing upon the Authority of Christ is the true Notion of believing in him To which I answer 1. Supposing this to be the true Notion of believing yet might Abraham receive a Doctrine upon the Authority of Christ before his Manifestation in the Flesh Christ was Mediator before his
Incarnation nor was his Assumption of our Nature absolutely necessary to the discharge of his Prophetical but of his Priestly Office A Body was prepared him that he might have what to offer in Sacrifice to God Hebr. 10. 7 8. It was the Spirit of Christ that spake in the Prophets 1 Pet. 1. 11. and to deny this is to deny something more than all the Thirty nine Articles namely the Nicene Creed I believe in the Holy Ghost who spake by the Prophets But 2. I deny that to receive a Doctrine upon the Authority of Christ is the true and full Notion of believing on him Faith in general implies an assent to a Truth upon the Authority of the Revealer but to make this a saving a justifying Faith the assent of the Understanding must draw along with it the Consent of the Will A true Faith is described by such terms as include the Concurrent Acts both of the Will and the Understanding and therefore that which the Apostles Creed expresses I believe the Resurrection of the Body the Nicene Creed renders I look for the Resurrection of the Dead Taking in that Act of the Soul whereby it waits and stedfastly hopes for the goodness of the thing promised as well as credits the Veracity of God in the truth of the Proposition And thus Abraham believed in Christ he looked and waited for that rich Mercy wrap'd up in that promise of the Messiah and all those spiritual Blessings that were to come through him 3. The Reason of the Promise is the Object of Faith as well as the Truth of the Promiser Abraham believed the Promise to be true upon the Authority of him who gave it forth but he saw also that it was upon the account of Christ a Mediator that God would communicate to him the Blessings of the Covenant opitomized in that I will be thy God And this was that Gospel or Glad-tidings which was preached to Abraham Gal. 3. 8. But our Author threatens we shall hear more of this presently And I promise him when we do it shall be fully considered 2. He answers Affirmatively Abraham believed God To which I say Subordinat a non pugnant To believe God and to believe in Christ are very well consistent That Abraham believed in God and therefore he believed in Christ seems to me to carry as fair Reason as that other of his Abraham believed God and therefore he did not believe in Christ for the Scripture represents them as well agreed 1 Pet. 1. 21. Through Christ we believe in God 4. Our next Task must be to Combate with our Author's scruples and certainly never did man so snithe with prejudices against Truth It 's hard to conceive how Abraham should learn this Mystery from that general Promise In thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed Prejudice will I confess make an easier matter than this very hard and unbelief impossible to be conceived And yet were there not something worse than Prejudice at the bottom the difficulty could not be insuperable For 1. Abraham had one Promise that we know of to clear up the meaning of this Several Promises give Reciprocal light to one another The first Promise assured him That the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head This shews to Abraham the necessity of having that Enmity removed which the Devil by sin had sowen between God and his Creature the removing of this Enmity could not be whilst Satan had the Dominion over the Creature A Seed is therefore promised to heal all that misery which sin brought into the World This Promise was committed to the Church of God which was a faithful Guardian to keep so precious a Iewel committed to its trust In this Seed which God had now revealed should come out of the Loyns of Abraham God promises Blessedness which mutually sends light to the other Promise that God would not only by the Promised Seed Deliver from evil but bestow all good 2. Abraham might have other and better Comments upon both these Promises than we are concerned to know it 's enough for us that we are taught in general that Abraham was justified the same way that we are and what that is the New-Testament abundantly declares And therefore it 's more ingenuous to conclude That Abraham was justified by a Faith in Christ because we are so than That we are not justified by the Righteousness of Christ because Abraham was not so 3. Abraham understood the true use of Sacrifices which are a clear Paraphrase upon the Promise in what manner God would reconcile the World to himself namely by laying the sins of the Offender upon the head of that Sacrifice which in the fulness of time should be offered for a Propitiation to God In the Faith of which grand Propitiation all true Believers lived and died And when at length he was exhibited to the World Iohn the Baptist points to him as the Accomplishment of all their former Sacrifiees and the Answer of all their Prayers and Hopes This is that Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the World John 1. 29. But 4. The Promise it self is not so obscure neither but that upon this single Supposition That God would bless the World with spiritual Blessings in the promised Seed they might easily conclude they could not be blessed in themselves and therefore not in their own works and deservings but in the Righteousness of another who must be more acceptable to God than themselves 5. We ought to entertain charitable thoughts of God of his Goodness and Mercy that he would not preach to Abraham the Gospel in an unknown tongue that is would not give him a Promise without the full latitude and extent of its meaning And 6. We are assured of the matter of fact that God did because he had the same Gospel preached to him That God would justifie the Heathen through Faith Gal. 3. 8. Now as it 's a strange way of Preaching to speak in a Language not understood so it 's as strange a Gospel that knows no Mediator no Redeemer Whatever then was the Object of a Gospel-Faith was the Object of Abraham's Faith for substance and whatever did constitute a Gospel-Righteousness made up his Righteousness And yet after all this our Author has muster'd up more self-created Prejudices to stumble his own belief of the way of Abraham's Justification For he supposes that Abraham must believe many things incredible and know many things not knowable before he could come to the knowledg of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness As 1. He must be well assured that the Blessings here meant are spiritual Blessings c. But if this be the worst on 't it would stumble me more to believe how he could believe Blessedness without pardon of sin and eternal life I cannot tell whether I shall satisfie another but I have satisfied my self in this matter from these Considerations 1. That Abraham upon his believing was
justified in the sight of God and methinks it looks like a mere whimsey to fancy a Notion of Iustification in his sight that has neither pardon of sin included in it nor eternal life attending of it It 's strange to me to hear of Iustification before God against Temporal Evils And if Abraham had no other I think he was never perfectly justified 2. The Determination of the Church of England is no light matter with me Artic. 7. They are not to be heard that feign the Fathers looked only for Transitory Promises But it seems that in this one particular the Church was not infallible for they are to be heard and read and licensed and advanced too who dare fâ—…ign and write and preach That the Patriarchs either looked for none or at the best but Transitory Promises 3. When I read that Abraham was so earnest to see Christ's day by Faith and when he got a sight of it he was glad I begin to think with my self what should be the ground of so great a joy at so great a distance Spiritual Promise he is allowed none and was it worth the while to rejoyce in the foresight of some temporal Advantages that should come to the Jews when he should be turn'd to dust and nothing especially seeing the coming of Christ either brought spiritual Mercies 〈◊〉 the Seed of Abraham or none at all So that he had more cause to sit down and lament that he had no promise of Love from or Life with God either for his Person or Posterity Ay! but says he the Promise was not so clear but men might mistake iâ—… That may be I confess And so may the clearest that ever God gave to the sons of men If men will set their wits on work and serue and torture and vex and wrest every letter and syllable and in all this forsake the Conduct of God's Spirit and scorn the Catholick Judgment of the Church in all Ages to gratifie their Airy Crotchets I do not remember a Promise of God to secure them against mistaking his Promises Ay! but says he we know that the whole Iewish Church did so for many Ages If he knows it he knows more than I do but that is no great wonder and than any man alive besides his own Knowing self And yet they had more particular Promises concerning Christ than that was and yet expected only a temporal Prince I will deal openly with him I do not believe that the whole Iewish Church for any Age much less for many Ages no not for any one day in any Age did expect a Messiah to deliver them only from temporal evils That there was great degeneracy in that Church in some Ages I deny not there is so amongst Christians especially towards the latter times of their Church-state But that ever the whole Church so far degenerated as to lose the expectation of a Redeemer to deliver them from sin and its consequents and to endow them with spiritual Blessings I demand better proofs than Confidence before I subscribe And 1. For Abraham it 's evident he sought a heavenly Country and therefore I conclude That the believing Jews who had says our Author more particular Promises concerning Christ sought a heavenly one too or their more express Promises were ill bestowed on them Heb. 11. 9. By Faith he Abraham dwelt in the promised Land as in a strange Country The promised Land was a strange Country to him that sought a heavenly one whereof that was but the figure the rind and bark for that Promise had greater excellencies underneath to his discerning Faith ver 10. For he looked for a City that had foundations whose builder and maker is God Vers. 13. All these died in the Faith Confessing that they were Strangers and Pilgrims for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a Country Vers. 16. But now they desire a better that it a heavenly Country therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God 2. It 's evident that the Messiah was promised Isa. 53. 4. To bear their sins and carry their sorrows Vers. 5. To be wounded for their transgressions and bruised for their iniquities Ver. 6. To have all their iniquities laid upon him Ver. 8. To be stricken for the transgression of God's people Ver. 10. To have his Soul made an Offering for sin And now to assert That the whole Iewish Church expected only a temporal Monarch is to throw such dirt in the face of God's people as is very scandalous 3. If any of them at any time expected temporal Deliverances temporal Honours Revenues c. from the Messiah it was not inconsistent utterly with an expectation of better things from him for the Disciples themselves had been hammering some such conceit in their heads Acts 1. 6. perhaps mistaking in the Chronology and Antedating that Mercy which in its season they might have reason to expect and yet by our Author 's good leave I will be so charitable as to presume they looked for pardon of sin and eternal life from Christ Nay I could name instances nearer home of those that expect from the Gospel large in-comes and yet we may reasonably believe have nobler things in their eye and would scorn his Atheistical spirit who would not forgo his part in Paris for his share in Paradise 2. He must know that Christ was to die for our sins without which according to our Doctor it 's impossible God should forgive sins considering the Naturalness of his Vindictive Iustice to him Now to untie this knot in the Bulrush 1. I question not that Abraham understood clearly That God was essentially holy and that his Rectoral or Governing Iustice was founded therein Gen. 18. 25. Shall not the Iudg of all the Earth do right That it should be with the righteous as with the wicked or with the wicked as with the righteous were far from God Which Consideration might stagger his Faith about the pardon of his own sin and his only relief could be from the Faith of the Messiah's undertaking with God In which he had this satisfaction that however he found difficulties in the way of believing yet still he gave credit to God and his Testimony concerning a Redeemer leaving the Modes and Circumstances of the Mediatory Office as a secret in God's bosom 2. I am confident our Author cannot prove that Abraham knew nothing of Christ's death This I know he had Sacrifices which might sufficiently instruct him in the demerit of sin and what the sinner had deserved and in the necessity of Compensation to be made to God's Justice for his violated Law and reproached Government And whether Abraham might not once open his mouth to God to be instructed in their noblest signification and design I cannot tell 3. I do not know of any absolute necessity that Abraham should understand the Circumstances that should lead towards the fulfilling of the Mediator's work or in what particular way God would justifie a sinner
It was enough that God had firmly revealed that he had made sufficient provision for it by a Mediator Abraham believed stedfastly that the means God had chosen were proportionable to their end and the rest was to be left to God 4. And herein lay much of the Bondage that Believers were in Under the Old-Administration of the Covenant of Grace they had not so satisfactory an account of the particular means how the Redeemer should work out their Deliverance which way he should accomplish the great work of Propitiation and therefore when fresh guilt contracted by fresh sin lay upon the Conscience their faith was staggered and peace broken because they had a clear Objection against their pardon from their sins but not so clear a Solution from the promise of the pardon of it the Promise being encumbred with so many intricacies that the only refuge was a Retreat to the Faithfulness of God in general Which yet was no easie work under the Scruples and Cavils of present guilt and the Accusation of Conscience Ay! but says he this was more than the Apostles understood till after the Resurrection though Christ had expresly told them of it Was it so Then 1. They could never know it to the World's end For if telling and express telling will not make us know there 's no remedy we must be content to be ignorant But this is our Author's humour to reproach all the World for Soâ—… and Fools but himself and a few more Rational Heads The Jews were all Fools they had more particular Promises than Abraham and yet they looked only for a temporal Prince The Apostles they were all Naturals for they had been told and expresly told of it and yet understood no more than the wall I wonder what could have been done more to make them know it unless it had been beaten into their heads with a Beetle I suppose our Author has got this fancy from some such place as that Mark 9. 31. The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of Men and they shall kill him and after that he is killed he shall rise again but they understood not the saying But can we be so vain as once to imagine that they understood not the Grammar of those words that they knew not the literal sence of dying No! but they had not such clear satisfaction about some of the Consequents of it Perhaps they had not such a firm and stedfast belief of the truth of it as might bear up their hearts at an even rate of Tranquillity and Calmness under their temptations and tryals they might not improve the Truth to encourage in a patient waiting for the Resurrection of Christ And that this was it that pinch'd them is plain they declare it Luke 24. 19 20 21. Concerning Iesus of Nazareth how the chief Priests delivered him to be condemned to death and crucified him but we trusted that it had been be that should have redeemed Israel They believed his Crucifixion but were staggered about his Resurrection Hereupon Christ rebukes their slowness of heart to believe all that the Prophets had spoken how Christ ought to suffer and to enter into his glory ver 25 26. Besides it 's a common Rule That verba intellectus implicant affectiones words that in their bare sound only denote the understanding yet in their true intent and meaning take in the will and affections And again Negatives are often put for Comparatives I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice that is I will have Mercy rather than Sacrifice So here They understood not that is They understood not so much of it as such clear Expressions deserved 3. Another great Scruple for I see there 's no end of them is this He must understand the perfect holiness and innocency of Christ's life But that was the least thing of a thousand He needed no Elias to explain that a very Nullifidian would have believed that he whom God had designed to bless others must needs be perfectly blessed himself 'T is true had Christ's work been no other than what our Author has cut out for him he might have discharged it without an absolute sinless Perfection A Prophet might have revealed the whole will of God and afterwards confirmed his Doctrine by his death but to be a Propitiatory Sacrifice this required that Christ the Antitype should be holy harmless undefiled and separated from sinners And in this God was punctual and precise under the Law that the Sacrifice of Atonement should be without spot and without blemish And thus much Abraham might learn from his own Sacrifices and had he conceived the least suspicion that Christ would prove a sinner it had damped his joy and triumph in the foresight of his day Ay! but says he further he must understand that he fulfilled all Righteousness not for himself but for us Answ. 1. It 's a most wretched and unrighteous way of procedure to call things clear and evident into question for the sake of some that are obscure and disputable It becomes ingenuous persons to agree to what is clear and certain leaving them upon their own Basis and to reduce the doubtful to them It 's plain that Abraham was justified by Faith his Righteousness was the Righteousness of Christ If the measure of his knowledg herein be unknown to us yet that he had a knowledg is not so If God revealed this to Abraham's Faith I doubt not but he believed it That he did not is more than our Author can prove If he shall attempt it his Arguments may be considered in the mean time his Conceits and Crotchets ought not to prejudice the Truth But if God did not reveal it Abraham's Faith might live though not be so vigourous and strong without it 2. Abraham might know that what Christ suffered he suffered not for himself but in the stead of those for whom he suffered for he saw the Sacrifices die and yet not for their own sins And why he might not conclude That what a Redeemer did was for others too I cannot tell 3. There 's many a sincere and sound Believer that understands not all the Terms of Art that are used in the Explication of the Doctrine of Justification that perhaps cannot tell you which part of Christ's obedience answers this and which the other exigency of the sinner and yet believes the Thing that Christ is made to him Righteousness of God He is not so well versed in the Nomenclature of the Schools as to call every thing by its proper name but goes downright to work he renounces his own Righteousness sees the necessity of a Redeemer to make his peace with God accepts of life upon God's terms and leads a holy life suitable to his present mercies and future hopes and leaves the rest to the Learned World to wrangle about who may perhaps dispute themselves gravely and learnedly into Hell whilst the poor honest man believes his Soul into Glory 4. He must understand the great mystery
of the Incarnation of the Son of God Understand the mystery of the Incarnation I assure you it 's fair if it be well believed I have not met with many not with any that understand the mystery of it to this day It 's more adviseable for our Author to secure his own Faith in this point than Abraham's Understanding Abraham was a Believer and received his Religion upon the Authority of the Revealer but our Author will own none but what approves it self to his Reason and whether the Incarnation of Christ have had that happiness with him I cannot tell and therefore to deal plainly with him I have some Conjectures that may weigh against his Prejudices which incline me to choose Abraham's Faith even in this particular before his own But however that be the Scripture assures us that Abraham was justified the same way that New-Testament-Believers are One God one Lord Iesus Christ one Holy Spirit yesterday to day and the same for ever and if his poor prejudices must controul divine Revelations I cannot help it An Atheist would believe there iâ—… a God but that he cannot get over all Objections and our Author would believe the Gospel-report of the way of Abraham's Justification but that he cannot weather all the Prejudices which he first creates and then pleads 5. He must understand the nature of Faith and of rowling the Soul on Christ for Salvation and renouncing all Righteousness of his own Answ. I question not but the Father of the Faithful one so much in the exercise of Faith understood very well the nature of it and that he would hardly have lighted his Candle at our Author's Torch but it 's grown the Mode for junior Understandings to vilifie the grey Heads of the Fathers and to count them all Blâ—…ck heads that think not to a hairs breadth with them Abraham knew that Faith consisted in a firm belief that what God had promised was true and that the things of the Promise were exceeding good and so to him He gave a full assent and consent to both with their special Reasons he embraced the mercy of the Promise with thankfulness and joy and credited the veracity of him that made the Promise with security of mind and he felt by experience that quiet and satisfaction of Soul that arises from an interest in him that gave and that Redeemer that was given in the Promise And if he must be jeered for rowling himself on God and on his Christ for ought I know he must bear his burden 5. And now conformable to his old awkward humour our Author will attempt the deciding the Controversie Which way Abraham was justified from Heb. 11. And this I say is a perverse and awkward way of proceeding to wave the proper places Rom. 4. Gal. 3. where the Apostle professedly disputes the point and fix upon one where he disputes it not Two things he would perswade us to believe him in 1. That the Apostle in this Chapter discourses of a justifying Faith To which I answer That the Apostle does indeed Treat of a Faith that justifies but not of Faith as it justifies A justifying Faith has many excellent and admirable uses does a Christian noble service besides that of justifying him before God It teaches him to trust God in all the ways and methods of his Providences to depend on him for all the good things of this life as well as those of a better It deals with the Promises of the life that now is and those of that to come It encourages us to pray Give us this day our daily bread as well as Forgive us our trespasses It instructs us to commit our concerns to his fatherly love and care to wrestle vigourously with all the oppositions we meet with in the Profession of Christianity to walk comfortably chearfully conscientiously in our particular Callings to despise the things that are seen which are but temponal in comparison of those which are not seen and are eternal It taught Abel to offer Sacrifice to God whereby he had the witness that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts And if our Author can see no difference between being made Righteous and having the witness of it in his Conscience he needs a Collyrium which I cannot help him to It taught Enoch also to walk with God from whence he had the same testimony that he pleased God The same Faith that justified him procured him a testimony of his Justification but not as it justified him The Direct Act of Faith is one thing and the Reflecting Act of Faith another It taught Noah also to take Gods warning of the approaching Deluge and to prepare an Ark to escape the danger Whereby he condemned the World and became heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith that is he had more full assurance of his Acceptation with God According to a common Rule Multa tunâ—… fieri dicuntur quando facta esse manifestantur 2. He would perswade us into his Notion of a justifying Faith This justifying Faith says he is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen But the Apostle does not here intend to give us a strict Definition of a justifying Faith but a Description of its most noble effects A justifying Faith produces these effects but not at all times nor in all persons justified it 's Faith in its vigour not in its essence that is here described By this Faith the Elders obtained a good report before men and their own Consciences yet was it not this Act of Faith that justified them before God though it was the same Faith that produced this Act by which they were justified Whereas therefore he would oblige us yet more by his critical skill in the Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a firm and confident expectation of those things we hope forâ—… and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Argument of the Being of those things we do not see For my part I am not much edified and therefore let him make merry with his own Talents That which follows will be more for our Information for he will now speak to the Act the Object and the several kinds of Faith 1. For the Act of Faith It is as he says such a firm and stedfast perswasion of the truth of those things that are not evident to sense as makes us confidently hope for them But this seems to me to be a hungry description of the Act of justifying Faith The Scripture has other apprehensions of this matter which describes the Act of faith by receiving John 1. 12. To as many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name Where if the Evangelist may be trusted to make his own Exegesis Receiving of Christ and Believing on his name do mutually interpret each other It 's not enough that the Understanding be engaged in this work which may be found in the worst of men and
Devils the Will must also conspire with the Understanding For that which Faith is conversant about being not only true but good there must be an Act of Choice as Knowledg that the whole man may be employed about it 2. Says he The Object of Faith must be unseen things As the Being or Providence of God or a Future state something past or to come the Creation of the World or the final Dissolution of it or the accomplishment of any Promises or Predictions I grant indeed that these things may be called tropically the Object of our Faith but as they are things to be obtained they are more properly the Object of our Hope But that which Faith primarily eyes that which is its proper Object is the reason of its Assent and Consent And thus God in Christ through the Promise is the proper Object of a justifying Faith The mercles of the Covenant of Grace are many of them reserved for a future estate when the Soul shall be better qualified to enjoy them but Faith respects God actually giving himself in Covenant to be our God through a Mediator When we say we believe Heaven we belief Life Everlasting c. the meaning is only this we believe God has promised to give Heaven to give Life Everlasting through Jesus Christ I believe such a thing will be that is I believe God who has engaged that such a thing shall be The Authority of God speaking in the Promise is the true Reason and proper Object of Faith and the things contained in the Promise as they are such are not the Object of my Faith properly but have other powers of the Soul that are concerned about them 3. The different sorts of Faith says he result from the different Objects and Motives of it The Apostle takes notice of two kinds of Faith in this Chapter Hebr. 11. and faith in Christ makes a Third which are all the kinds of Faith the Scripture mentions Now I am afraid I shall grow every day less in love than other with our Author's Accurateness in Divinity For 1. What a mad way is this to distinguish Faith into its several kinds and sorts from the multiplicity of the things that it believes for at this rate he could have minted not three only or threescore but three hundred sorts and kinds of Faith The different sorts or kinds of Faith result says he from the different Objects and Motives of it But say I in his sence the Objects and Motives of Faith are innumerable and therefore the sorts and kinds of Faith are innumerable also The Object of Faith says he must be unseen things The Being or Providence of God or a Future state something past or to come c. Now according to this Doctrine we must believe the Being of God with one sort of Faith his Providences with another the Creation of the World with one kind of Faith its Dissolution with another Heaven with one kind of Faith Hell with another things past with one kind things to come with another Prophesies with one kind of Faith Promises with another And then for the Motives of Faith they are various The Power of God the Wisdom of God our Experience of God the Goodness of God So when I believe any thing and take the Power of God able to accomplish it for my Motive I believe it with a Faith of another kind from that whereby I believe the same thing and take the goodness of God for my motive And now there 's a Foundation laid for one of his plain Demonstrations that Abraham's Faith differed toto genere from Pauls because Abraham in believing took his encouragement from the faithfulness of him that had promised and Paul from his Abilities to keep what he had committed unto him So that I think I have not over-shot my self in saying That he may upon these principles coyn as many several sorts and distinct kinds of justifying Faith as he can possibly spend in seven years time and as he grows out of sorts he may stamp as many more 2. I am not satisfied that the Apostle mentions two and but just two sorts of justifying Faith in this Chapter For the Apostle mentions one and the same Faith By Faith we believe the Worlds were created by Faith Abel sacrificed by Faith Enoch walked with God by Faith the Elders obtained a good report by Faith Noah took Gods warning by Faith Sarah conceived by Faith Abraham offered up Isaac c. But if these Faiths were of several sorts and kinds the Apostle could not manage his Argument with Consistency nor should he so insensibly have passed from one sort of Faith to another without fair warning that he had no plot upon his Readers imbecillity 3. It 's full as easie to make All the sorts of Faith appear in the Chapter as two if it had pleased the Painter For 1. Here 's evidently the Faith of Christians vers 3. Through Faith we understand we Christians that the Worlds were framed by the Word of God 2. There 's Enoch's and Abel's Faith which our Author allots for a second kind of Faith And then 3. The Faith of Noah Abraham and all the rest and their 's constitutes the third sort oâ—… Faith 4. Much less am I satisfied that Faith in Christ makes a third kind of justifying Faith distinct from the other two Faith is but one the Reason into which our Faith is ultimately resolved is but one the Mean whereby we believe in God is but one even Jesus Christ by whom we believe in God But the things the good things propounded in the Promises are infinite So that I doubt not when any necessity shall urge him he can reduce all these three sorts of Faith into one again by Synaeresis or split any one of them into a couple by a Diaeresis But now let us look into his three sorts of Faith 1. § The first says he we may call A natural Faith I confess he may call things what he pleases only let him be sure he do not miscal them the rather because he has not Adams faculty to make inspection into their Natures But what is this natural Faith A belief says he of the Principles of natural Religion which is founded on natural Demonstrations and moral Arguments as that God is and that heis a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him But I am still of the same mind that there is no such thing nor ever was as a Religion of sinners whereby they can draw nigh to God and worship him with Acceptation but what supposes Divine Revelation as the means of Manifestation and a Redeemer as the medium of Reconciliation It is owned that this is a Principle of all Religion that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him But there must be somewhat more than this namely Ability and strength from God that we may diligently seek him and a Mediator through whom we may seek him with him
with Acceptation But says he This was the Faith of Abel and Enoch whereby they pleased God Answ. There was this in their Faith but this was not the whole of their Faith Well! he will prove it 1. There 's no mention made of the Faith of Abel and Enoch in the Old-Testament A worthy Argument A non scripto negativè in a matter of Fact The Old-Testament mentions it not therefore there was no such thing this is pure trifling For though the Old-Testament mentions not expresly their Faith it mentions their Acceptation with God which without Faith is impossible to be obtained And secondly The New-Testament mentions both their Faith and their Acceptation Which Faith was of the same kind with the rest of those eminent Worthies mentioned with them as is evident from that even Tenour of Discourse the Apostle uses By Faith Abel by Faith Enoch by Faith Noah by Faith Abraham c. without any ground of the least suspicion that he leaps from one sort of Faith to another 2. God says he required no more of these good men Answ. 1. But there was something required to make them good men 2. How can he prove that God required â—… more of these good men God required more of Adam even Faith in that first Promise of a Mediator and how Abel should lose it or having it not believe it and yet be such a good man is past my skill to conceive 3. He tells us p. 26. That God afforded good men the frequent Apparitions of Angels The head of whom was the Son of God who in praeludium futurae incarnationis frequently appeared to the ancient Fathers And he is not sure either what God revealed to them or required of them 4. God required more of Abel a Sacrifice and that not meerly as a part of his Obedience but as Propitiatory which by the blood and the fat which always accompanied that kind of Sacrifices is evident 3. Says he They had no other particular Revelations of God's with Answ. If they had no other they had none at all for natural Demonstrations are not particular Revelations 2. Adam had more particular Revelations and it being a Promise wherein Posterity was concerned as well as himself and concernid so deeply I shall not question his fidelity in deriving it to posterity without proof 3. Abel had the use of Sacrifices which suppose Revelation For what Light of Nature could teach me that God would delight in the death of his Creatures that had not transgressed the Laws of their Creation Abel's was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bloody Sacrifice nor is God ever the more entitled to or possest of any Creature by being offered dead than if it were presented alive And if natural Demonstrations the Light of Nature was the Foundation of the Practice it is still obliging for natural Light with its Demonstrations varies not 4. We are sure that Enoch had the Spirit of Prophecy was an eminent Prophet in his days and therefore had particular Revelations and amongst many one Revelation of Christ Jude ver 14. Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesiâ—…h of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgment upon all c. The same with that of the Apostle 2 Thess. 1. 7. The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire to take vengeance c. for to Christ is the power of executing vengeance committed John 5. 27. And therefore I cannot but conclude That he who had a particular Revelation of Christ's coming to judg the World had particular ones also that he should come into the World to redeem it And now how vain must our Author's Argument needs be from the silence of the Old-Testament to infer That Enoch and Abel had no particular Revelation when the New-Testament proves that Enoch had particular Revelations And if Enoch had this Revelation which yet is not mentioned either in the Old-Testament or the New but only in this place how many more might he have which are drowned in the Gulph of Time and this one by special Providence scaped the common Shipwrack But 5. That which abundantly proves that they had particular Revelations and Revelations of Christ too through whom God is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him is this That their Sacrifices in God's Institution of them and their own Application of them from the first rise of them had respect to Christ who is therefore called The Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World Rev. 13. 8. Which without partiticular Revelation they could never have understood § 2. His second sort of justifying Faith he calls a Faith in God Which puts me to a stand Whether he would have us take the former for a justifying Faith or no. If the former were not a Faith in God how could it justifie If it was then how comes Faith in God to constitute a new and distinct kind of justifying Faith But what is this Faith in God A belief says he of those particular Revelations which God made to the Fathers of the Old-Testament From whence it is easie to prove that every time our Author repeats his Creed I believe in God we are bound to take him for one of the Fathers of the Old-Testament If this be a true Definition of Faith in God all the Saints in the New-Testament are misbelievers But of this says he the Apostle gives us many examples Noah Abraham Sarah Moses c. Perhaps the Reader will wonder why Enoch and Abel should be left out of the Catalogue of the Fathers of the Old-Testament but he must reflect and remember that they are rank'd already in the Classis of examples for the natural Faith And truly if he had pleased he might have created a new sort of Faith for every Pair in the whole Chapter Thus Abraham and Sarah would have done well in a Form by themselves nay to have advanced the Conceit he might have created a particular kind of Faith for every particular person of them Each of them had their particular Revelations and particular Motives Noah believed the Deluge Abraham the promise of a Son and David the warning that God gave him of his Danger c. Now we are told that the object of Faith is something to come or something past c. and that the different sorts of Faith result from the different Objects and Motives of it and therefore it had been easie to have allotted to each of them a different kind of Faith But let us hear him improve his Notion Noah says he believed God when he forewarned him of the Deluge and in obedience to him provided an Ark and this was imputed to him for Righteousness He became the Heir of Righteousness which is by Faith But I find no such thing in all the Copies that I have that it was imputed to him for Righteousness This I find that he became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith
Which two things are more different than any of his three kinds of Faith Noah was an Heir of Righteousness that is he inherited those advantages which come by Righteousness he had the peaceable fruits of Righteousness As a Son by being his Fathers Heir inherits the Purchases Possessions Honours of his Father Thus Noah by being an Heir of Righteousness enjoyed whatever Priviledges the Promise of God had entailed upon Righteousness Noah was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Heir of Righteousness where Righteousness is not Geâ—…itivus materiae but efficientis It denotes not that Righteousness was the thing he inherited but the true Reason why he inherited those blessings Righteousness answers not to the Possession but to the Ancestor not what but from what he inherited And this is clear from this one Consideration That Noah was righteous before God before that particular Revelation was made to him He was not made righteous because he believed that particular Revelation but God made him that particular Revelation because he was already righteoâ—… Gen. 6. 8 9. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord Vers. 9. Noah was a just man and perfect in his Generations and Noah walked with God Vers. 13. God said unto Noah The end of all flesh is come before me Ver 14. Make thee an Ark of Gopher wood Ver. 17. And behold I even I do bring a Flood upon the Earth He proceeds to Abraham Who in obedience to the divine Revelation left his Country went into a strange Land offered his son Isaac which seem'd to thwart that former promise In Isaac shall thy Seed be called i. e. That from Isaac should proceed that numerous Off-spring which God had promised Abraham and yet he was so well assured of the power and faithfulness of God that whatever Impossibilities Humane Reason suggested he would neither disobey Gods Command nor distrust his Promise Now here would arise several Queries As 1. Whether then Abraham's Religion was of the right stamp seeing it would not approve it self to his Reason and Whether Abraham's Reason was not Carnal that suggested Impossibilities against God's Promise and Whether our Author had he been in Abraham's Circumstances ought not by his own Principles to have disobeyed and distrusted God both in his Precept and Promise because they did not approve themselves to his Reason 2. It might be enquired What inference he will make from hence and that he tells us is That the Faith whereby Abraham and all good men were justified before God was such a firm belief of the Being and Providence of God and all the particular Revelations God made to them as made them careful to please God in all things Now this is still the Question and is like so to continue for any assistance we are like to have from our Author's Arguments But 3. There is one thing that I shall particularly examine Whether that Promise Gen. 21. 12. In Isaac shall thy Seed be called be made good in that numerous Off-spring that issued from Isaac ' s loyns Now if any regard might be had to the Apostle he would soon decide the Controversie Rom. 9. 7 8. In Isaac shall thy Seed be called that is they which are the children of the Flesh are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the Seed See here now the vast difference in mens judgments In Isaac shall thy Seed be called id est says our Author from Isaac should proceed that numerous Off-spring No says the Apostle In Isaac shall thy Seed be blessed id est The children of the Flesh are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the Seed Again Rom. 4. 16. Therefore it the Promise is of Faith that it might be sure to all the seed not only to that which is of the Law but to that which is of the Faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all Gal. 3. 29. And if ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams Seed and Heirs according to the Promise 4. It were easie to evidence that what the Apostle speaks of Abraham's Faith in offering up his son related not to the Act of it whereby he was justified but to the Evidence of his Justification His third sort of Faith follows § 3. From hence says he we learn what Faith in Christ is which is now imputed to us for Justification From hence From whence If we never learn what faith in Christ is better than from the Faith of Abel Enoch Noah and Abraham which are the whole Heavens asunder each from other as he has ordered the matter we must be content to be ignorant of it till our lives end For who could learn the special Nature of one thing from another that differs from it in the kind But let us give him the hearing Our faith in Christ must signifie such a stedfast belief of all those Revelations which Christ hath made to the World as governs our lives and actions Why so To make our faith in Christ answer to the faith of Abraham and all good men in former Ages without which the Apostles Argument from Abraham ' s being justified by faith to our Iustification by faith is of no force There is a necessity then granted that our faith in Christ and Abraham's do answer one another lest the Apostle should be reproach'd with a Non-sequitur Now to perform this instead of making Abrahams to be a faith in Christ as it really is he debases faith in Christ as low as if not below the faith of Abraham He pretends to under-prop the Apostles Argument but really he undermines it and whilst he seems to provide an Expedient that his Reasonings may not be invalidated he renders them more than Nugatory For 1. How can faith in Christ answer to the faith of all those good men in former times Abel Enoch when their's was Faith without Revelations but faith in Christ is a Faith grounded upon Revelations The Motive of their Faith was Natural Demonstrations the Reason of ours is Revelation The Object of our Faith in his sense is Eternal Life but whether they had any such thing in their eye our Author will not grant for he that will not allow Abraham whose Faith was grounded upon Revelations to have had any spiritual Promises will less allow those poor good men the priviledg whose Faith was only built upon Natural Demonstrations 2. How can faith in Christ answer to the faith of Abraham He has laid it down as the bottom of this Discourse p. 252. that The different sorts of Faith result from the different Objects and Motives of it But Abraham's Faith had different Objects and Motives from ours as he tells us And therefore it 's of another nature sort and kind than ours for so he says expresly The Apostle takes notice of two kinds of Faith and faith in Christ makes a third Now will it not be hard for the Apostle to maintain his great Principle That Abraham is the
two words Influence and Sake are like two Rackets that Toss the Ball from one to another to the end of the Game However Rebus sic stantibus under our present Circumstances I would gladly know What that Influence is Why He thinks no man will deny that God was very highly pleased with the perfect Obedience of our Saviours Life Truly I think so too and perhaps it may be the last time that we shall be both of a mind But yet to put it upon thinking is a more cunning way of Tempting our unbelief to appear against it Had it been a truth wherein our Authors affections had been bespoke I doubt not but we should have had better Proof than his thinking or standing to the Courtesie of mens denyal But still still the Difficulty presses us Why God should be ever the more pleased with our Obedience because He was pleased with Christs For if no consideration be had of Christs Obedience in the Justification of a sinner as that which God accepts for our Non-obedience I do not see but God had been as well pleased with our Obedience without Christs Obedience as with it The Obedience of Christ was a Transient thing it 's past and gone long since and how it should come in remembrance before God at this day that for the sake of it we should find savour in his Eyes is without the Doctrine of Imputation very unaccountable Why that is the thing wherein our Author will at length Resolve us We know says he how many Blessings God bestowed upon the Children of Israel for the sake of their Fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob who were great Examples of Faith and Obedience which made them very dear to God and there is no doubt but God was more pleased with the Obedience of Christ than with the faith of Abraham and therefore we ought not to think that we receive no Benefit by the Righteousness of Christ when Abrahams Posterity was so blessed for his sake I have several humble Propositions to make upon this Discourse 1. We ought not to think that we have no benefit But how shall we do to know what that Benefit is Great or Small Spiritual or Temporal Must we content our selves with thinking Surely we have some benefit if we could but tell what it was It may be we may want that benefit and may have it for asking for his sake and yet still we must not know what it is or it may be some small benefit that cannot be seen without a Microscope such it may be and yet answer all the necessary Import of his words 2. We ought not to think that we have no benefit But have we the benefit of acceptation with God For that was the Question if I have not forgotten as well as our Author So that though we should be so charitably credulous as to take it upon one of our Authors Say-soes and Thinkings that we have some benefit by it yet if it be not the very benefit under Dispute it 's monstrously Impertinent 3. We ought not to think But what if we do think so With what argument will he compel us to alter our Judgments For I see this is his Device when he has no mind to a Truth to lay the Proof of it upon thinking and a well fortified fancy 4. Let us now examine his Similitude God says he bestowed many Blessings upon Israel for the sake of their Fathers But 1. VVere they accepted of God Pardoned Iustified for their Fathers sake If not How will it follow that we are Accepted Pardoned Iustified for the sake of Christs Obedience because they received some common Favours for the sake of Abraham 2. VVould God give them any blessings for their Fathers sake unless they walked in their steps If not then they were not accepted for their Fathers obedience-sake but for their own For why should they need the sake of their Fathers Obedience to procure them Blessings for their Obedience more than their Fathers needed the sake of another to procure them Blessings for their Obedience But if so that God did give them many blessings for their Fathers sakes though they walked not in the steps of their Faith and Exemplary Obedience That is indeed to the purpose but then it will be in danger of proving that God may give us Gospel blessings for Christs sake though we walk not in his steps Indeed we read that when Israel was most unworthy and had provoked God most that God did remember his Covenant made with Abraham Isaac and Iacob and God may have special Favours too for sinners who personally considered are unworthy of the least Mercy which some will call the Imputation of Christs Obedience 3. The true account of those Favours which God bestowed upon Israel for Abrahams saké is this God had made a Promise to Abraham that in his Seed all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed That is That in the Messiah which should come of his Line by Isaac there should be a Blessedness or Happiness provided for the miserable undone VVorld This Promise was afterwards clear'd up to Iudah that the Messiah should be conveyed to the VVorld by his Tribe this being an absolute irrevocable Promise that God would out of that People that Tribe deliver a Saviour to the VVorld It was necessary that God should preserve that Tribe that People out of which the Messiah was to come and as it was necessary for the truth of the Promise that that Tribe should be continued in being so was it necessary for the evidencing of the fulfilling of the Promise that that Tribe should be continued in some considerable state of Visibility in the VVorld that so the Promise might not only be made good in it self but that it might be made out that it was made good to the Conviction of Gain-sayers This was the Reason why when Iudah had sinned and God Corrected them yet still He remembred this Covenant he left his People a Lamp for Davids sake on this account that People escaped utter Extirpation when they were upon the borders of Desolation To this Zachary imputes the giving of the Messiah Luke 1. 72. To perform the Mercy promised to our Fathers and to remember His holy Covenant The Oath which he Sware to our Father Abraham 4. Perhaps this may be some account of it The Covenant which God made with Abraham he made with his Seed also Gen. 17. 7. I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed Abraham therefore and his Seed were but one of the Parties to that Gracious Covenant and therefore God in his Providential Dispensations dealing with them as one Body the Obedience Holiness of Abraham the Head was considered as the Obedience and Holiness of the Body so far at least as to turn away temporal Evils and procure temporal Mercies And if this be so we may consider Christ and Believers as one Mystical Body and God in Covenant with Christ their Head and in him with them
and then our Authors Argument will hold though his Cause break If God for the sake of Abrahams imperfect Obedience yet as he was the Head of the League gave so many temporal Mercie to Israel surely then God for the sake of Christ the Head of all that the Father hath given him will bestow Spiritual and Eternal Mercies for the Head and Members making but one Body the Obedience of the Head is reputed the Obedience of the Members And as the Blessings which God bestows for Christs sake are Transcendently gâ—…eater than those bestowed on Israel for Abrahams sake so is the Obedience which Christ performed upon it's own account and the Dignity of the Person infinitely beyond the imperfect Obedience of Abraham and the Union which Faith makes with Christ is a stricter Union than any Natural Civil Political Union that could possibly be between Abraham and his Posterity Thus I have endeavoured to Vindicate our Authors Argument but I am sure he had rather it should perish than be thus justified But is it not strange our Author should tell us That he knows how many Blessings God bestowed upon the Children of Israel for their Fathers sakes and yet not acquaint us with one single Blessing that God bestows on us for Christs sake For the sake of Christs Personal Obedience I wish I had so much Interest in any Friend of his that had that Interest in him to perswade him to acquaint us freely and open-heartedly what those blessings are and how procured Why just now he comes to it The Righteousness of his Life and the Sacrifice of his Death both serve to the same end to establish and confirm the Gospel-Covenant God was so well pleased with what Christ did and suffered with the obedience of his Life and Death that for his sake he entred into a Covenant of Grace with Mankind Very good what needed all this Circumlocution and Periphrase To beat about and about the Bush Had it not been more Civil to have given us our doom in plain English than to Tantalize us with sugared hopes and expectations of some great matter from Abraham Isaac and Iacob Some would say 1. That this ascribes more Influence to Abrahams Obedience than thus to Christs for God for the sake of Abraham's Active Obedience entred into a Covenant with Israel and chose them to be his peculiar People without the Death of Abraham but the Obedience of Christs Life and Death must both concur to procure this Covenant and yet it is such a one as I suppose God would not refuse upon as small an account as the sake of Abraham 2. Some will say this is not to Answer the Question but perplex it The Question at first was what influence the Righteousness of Christs Life and the Sacrifice of his Death have upon our acceptation with God He Answers They serve to establish the Covenant they confirm to us that God will pardon and save us if we believe and Obey but what if I Obey without such confirmation shall my Obedience be rejected without it be performed upon that Confirmation Ay but God entred into this Covenant of Grace for Christs sake Still I say that 's not an answer but the bandying the Question upon us again a hundred times over Why should his Life and Death have such an influence upon God to make that Covenant Why should they Operate that way What connexion is there between Christs active and passive Obedience and such a Covenant But sure we forget our selves for we are enquiring into the influence of Christs Active Obedience And 1. For Confirming a Covenant let any rational Man satisfie me how The Obedience of a Person perfectly holy pure spotless sinless being accepted of God should prove this promise That therefore God will accept them whos 's best Obedience is imperfect and defective This is so far from confirming it that God will accept me who am a Sinner that it leads to utter dispair of acceptance with him seeing I came so infinitely short of my pattern What hope can a sinner have of acceptance from a consideration that God has accepted Christ who was no sinner If Faith was ready to believe that God would accept him that believes and obeys yet had it seen Christs Faith and Obedience and his acceptance thereon it might have stagger'd him that ever such pitiful things as his Faith and Obedience should find favour with God And if Faith was so strong as to overcome that difficulty as to believe the Promise notwithstanding this staggering Example yet it 's far enough from Truth that a sinner should believe the promise ever the more that his imperfect Service should be accepted and rewarded because Christs entire obedience was so Nay without question it had been a greater confirmation of that promise to have had assurance that God had pardoned some hainous Offender some flagitious wretch who deserved Condemnation than to behold him accepting a Person not obnoxious to Condemnation So says the Apostle 1 Tim. 1. 16. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Iesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them who hereafter should believe on him to Life everlasting The Pardon of a Blasphemer one injurious a Persecutor is a stronger confirmation that God will pardon a sinner than the acceptance of Him that had done no wrong neither was guile found in his mouth 2. But now for Gods making such a promise for Christs sake or entring into a Covenant to pardon accept for Christs sake this answers not the Question in the least for 1. It onely asserts that God has declared openly that he will do it Now a Declaration of Pardon is not a Pardon a promise of acceptance is not acceptance and therefore a Reason of or Motive to such a Promise such a Declaration is not a Reason of or Motive to Pardon and acceptance Christs Obedience was so well pleasing to God that for his sake he made such a Promise Well but if my Obedience be little Christs Obedience will not make it accepted as if it were great if imperfect it will not render it accepted as if it were perfect 2. That God has made such a promise for Christs sake answers not the Question for it s but turning the Question into an Assertion As if we should enquire what Reason is there that God should accept me for Christs obedience And he should Answer there is a Reason why God should accept me for it but never shew the Reason Or thus What Cause is Christs Obedience of the Acceptance of our Obedience And he should say it is a Cause but not shew the Cause But then further The Obedience and Righteousness of Christs Life was one thing which made his Sacrifice so Meritorious I confess I question the Truth of the Proposition had Christ Sacrificed himself as soon as he came into the World his Sacrifice had been as Meritorious being the Sacrifice of him that as Priest was God and