Truth above-mentioned doth express This you deny and I affirm Antinom Now we are for filling up the Box and this Assent or Perswasion and Consent or Reliance is put in but not as the Essence of Faith and among the rest there is obediential Regards And why comes in this but only because he would make up Faith into a moral Condition I speak of the Essence of Faith you talk of containing including and tell us those things that are contained and included I told you not what was necessarily concomitant to Faith I did not speak of Love Sicerity Hope c. which are Concomitants to Faith and inseparable from it but yet be not Faith in the Essential Consideration Neonom I will now confirm the Truth 1. Faith is not an Assurance or inward Perswasion that Christ is ours and our Sins are pardoned Antinom I say Faith is a Perswasion of Truth propounded unto me upon credible grounds You should first state the Question concerning Faith in general Whether it be Humane Faith or Divine and then Divine Faith is that which takes all Divine things in general for it's Object or that which hath some more particular Divine Truth for it's Object as Justifying Faith There is also a particular Divine Faith which is not saving in it's special Nature as Faith of Miracles Historical c. Neonom That which I will prove is that Saving Faith is not Perswasion Antinom Very well i. e. That Perswasion is not the general Nature of Faith We are not to meddle here with the distinguishing Specifick Form of one Faith from another Let us joyn issue there Neonom Yes but I will have my Liberty to dispute of what I please whether it be the Question or no. 1. Men may have this Faith tho' they do not savingly believe Matth. 7.22 Ch. 25.1 2. Nay the most profligate Sinners grow secure by it Antinom Your Argument runs two ways or should 1. Against Perswasion as not being the Genus of Faith and it stands thus If they that do not savingly believe may have Perswasion then Perswasion is not of the Essence of Faith but they that do not savingly believe may have Perswasion Ergo. Negatur consequ Homo est Animal Ergo Brutum non est Animal There 's two Species of Believers those that have a Faith not saving as meerly Historical Temporary or Faith of Miracles and those that have Saving Faith is the Genus of both those Species which is Perswasion Now you argue because such as have not a Saving Faith have Perswasion therefore they that have Saving Faith have not Perswasion Non sequitur but rather quite contrary that they have for the Genus communicates it's common Nature to both Species Neonom No no I don't mean so I mean that Faith is not an inward Perswasion that Christ is ours Antinom I thought so I was going to speak that No indeed it 's not a distinction of Faith but a particular Instance of one thing believed by us If you should ask me what Faith is and I should tell you it 's believing Peter betray'd Christ or that Paul was converted you would take me to be very ridiculous Or I should say it is not believing that I am a rich Man So that if you will have the Question run in a particular Instance it 's easily decided for all true Rules of Art must be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã true de omni Therefore I acknowledge to say Faith is a Perswasion that Christ is mine is no more a Definition of Faith than to say Animal est rationalis creatura is a Definition of Animals But this is true if you affirm the Genus of the Species Creatura rationalis est animal and it holds ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã but not reciprocè This therefore I affirm that he that believes that Christ is his and his Sins are forgiven doth believe it by a Perswasion You say those that said Lord Lord and the Foolish Virgins had a Faith of Perswasion and many profligate Sinners have a presumptuous Perswasion but not true Believers Therefore say you Faith is not a Perswasion that their Sins are forgiven You might as well say because some have a false Faith therefore none have a true because one Man that trades is perswaded his Stock is good and deceives himself and breaks doth it follow that no Merchant must perswade himself that his Stock is good These are mighty Inconsequences Neonom Many true Believers have not this Perswasion Antinom Give an Instance of a Believer that hath not a Perswasion of the thing he professeth to believe and so far as he is not perswaded he doth not believe Doth any one believe the Record that God hath given us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son 1 John 5.11 if he doth he is perswaded of it But you 'll say He doth not believe Christ is his He ought confidently to believe there is Pardon and Acceptance from him and to get this Witness of Faith in his own Heart You 'll grant he ought to have the Son How shall he have him but by receiving him in the Promise Believing on him as the Faithful Witness depending on the Truth of the Promise and the reality of the Purpose and Intention of Christ towards us and there is not the weakest true Believers but have a Perswasion such as their Faith is tho' it may not so properly be called Assurance because that denotes a strong and high degree of Faith but it 's a Perswasion accompanied with much doubting a staggering Faith Lord ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I I believe help my Vnbelief Lord I am perswaded in some measure help my doubting Neonom Such as had assurance do by this Doctors Opinion fall into the Sin of damning Vnbelief whenever they doubt their Interest in Christ and especially if they conclude that they have no interest in him Antinom Vix dignus sum hâc contumeliä ac tu indignus qui feceris Do you in your Conscience judge that I hold falling away from Grace Is not Unbelief of a damning Nature of it self and so far as it prevails brings the Consciences of the best under Guilt And wherein consists the Doubts and Fears of God's People but in the prevailing of Unbelief which shakes their Faith and darkens their Perswasion is my Doctrine the more condemnable because I hold as Experience and God's Word witnesseth that Faith as other Graces have their Ebbings or Flowings And do not you hold Unbelief to be a damning Sin in it self But is there not a great difference between the degrees of Faith yea of Assurance as you you self grant elsewhere And what degrees of Unbelief and doubting a Child of God may fall into even to the making very dangerous Conclusions concerning himself and not fall totally from faith it 's beyond us to judge There are great Instances in Scripture and we have seen some Neonom This Perswasion should suppose an Interest in Christ doth not give it it
in it's Abstract Nature is good That Dr. Crisp renders Sin innocent that is your Expression pag. 198. Now you charge him for saying That the grossest Sin that a Believer can commit can't do him the least harm neither ought they to fear the least hurt by their own Sins pag. 181. By this you would give us to understand that he means Sin is in its self Innocent and that Sin bears no Evil Fruits of its self that it may be boldly committed without Fear Whereas Dr. Crisp declares plainly and with much endeavour to prevent Mistakes that the Hurt he means is only the Penal Effects of Sin and declares again and again he speaks this not to encourage Sin He speaks of the Sins of a Believer in Christ they that are under the Dominion of Grace He speaks not of Sins to be committed but that these ought to be looked upon as the most odious and hateful things in the World and that which here he doth speak is only upon the Account of some poor distressed Consciences whose Sins lay so much upon them as thereby their Souls were driven from the Grace of God in Christ For to prove this take only a few of his Words you shall hear many more heareafter Dr. C. p. 513. Thus I speak of Sin not as it smiles upon a Man with a promising Countenance before it be committed For it is most dreadful and odious to the Faithful as that which crucifyed the sweetest Lord but as already committed and lying upon the Conscience of a Believer endeavouring to drive him to deny the Free-Grace and Love of God and the All-sufficiency of Christ In this regard it is crucifyed by Christ and so a Believer need not be afraid of Sin the Hand-writing of Ordinances is taken away His whole Discourse is to evince that the condemning Nature of Sin is taken away the Fear he speaks of is only in respect of Sins that a Believer hath fallen into and to prevent their falling into unbelieving Despair Now let any Intelligent Person judge whether you have not misrepresented Dr. Crisp and basely traduced him You your self say pag. 11. The Obliquity of the Fact against the Precept shall not hurt where the Sanction of the Law is answered I think this being duly weighed is worse than any thing Dr. Crisp sayeth I 'll instance in one Misrepresentation more For you charge him for holding the Uselesness and Unprofitableness of Holiness in saying Graces and Holiness do us not the least Good Dr. Crisp p. 41. Preaching upon Christ the way sheweth Christ to be the way to Justification and saith You that are Believers are in a near way to Salvation Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Such a near way Christ is yet still People will be cavilling Where are good Works all this while what justified by Faith alone Saved by Christ alone I tell you if Christ be the way to Eternal Life then Works are not the way except they be Christ But must we not work Yea but for other purposes i. e. than for Justification and obtaining eternal Life by them the Lord hath propounded other Ends for which you are to work Ye are bought with a price That 's done therefore glorify God in your Bodies being delivered out of the Hands of your Enemies weare to serve him in Holiness and Righteousness He saith much to this purpose often speaks in the High Commendation of Holiness but speaks against putting it in the place of Christ By these things we may see what Credit is to be given to you when you make it so much of your business in Pulpit and publick places to charge Men and Books with saying those things which they never spake and meaning such things as they never intended And let all Men judge whether you have not misrepresented this good Man whom in the end of this Preface you own to have been a holy Man And could that be true if you have not misrepresented him as to what he said of Sin and Good Works and spoken here a very great Falshood These two Proofs may serve to evince for the present which also shall be made good that it is so in most if not all the Chapters of your Book more or less The great Quarrel you have with him is that he makes it so much his business to vindicate the Honour of Free Grace and of the Lord Jesus in our whole Salvation and in Justification to exclude Works altogether You talk of Works necessary to Salvation but how You mean as a working Condition whereby you put Works in the place of Christ and mean as your Oracle plainly speaks For you are not so honest as he but play the Jugler more He saith Quoniam Christus Mediator Fides in Christum Method Theolog p. 394. § 36. Par. 2. sunt tantum media ad hominem Deo per sanctitatem amorem restituendum Ideo sine Hesitatione dicendum est ex natura rei Fidem Sanctitatem amorem Dei ad salutem magis esse necessaria quà m aut fides in Christum aut Christi ipsius Sacrificium I will not construe it for the Reputation of him that wrote it but their 's a Bone for you to pick And I think to all Learned Men it gives your whole meaning in making such a noise as you do which you think in very allowable Terms that none dare oppose you in that works are necessary to Salvation Neonom His Scheme is this That by God's meer electing Decree all saving Blessings are by Divine Obligation made ours Antinom He never erected his Scheme and cast Theological Figures as you have done to find out a new Gospel He took his Measures of Truth from the Word of God but Bernardus non videt omnia some things he might be mistaken in as well as others But you say that he said By God's Electing Decree all saving Blessings are by Divine Obligation made ours But where 's the Expression I remember it not He might say That from God's Electing Grace it proceeds that all Divine Blessings are made ours by Obligation in the Terms that you have put it its improper because it seems to confound Election and the Covenant of Grace I can say nothing further to that till I see his Words being not willing to believe your reporting of them For it 's manifest you make to Conscience to misrepresent any Man to put your Meanings and draw your Consequences upon him Neonom But he saith There 's nothing more needful to our Title to these Blessings Antinom Is not this Spirare ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã one of the First Rate Doth not Dr. C. assert Christ to be needful to Salvation and as our Title Doth he not assert the Covenant of Grace to be needful the Free Gift of Grace Sure Christ and the Covenant of Grace are both distinguish'd from Election and these he affirms needful to our Title to Blessings But Blessings in your Sence are
Promises And how can any Man conform to the Precept in your Sence and not expect and have from thence the Use of the Benefits Yea and not look upon it as Federally following therefrom 4. I would fain know what gave the Use of the Benefit in the Covenant of Works For you say this determines the Rules of Happiness and Misery in the same manner Was not the Use of Adam's Faederal Holiness as to Happiness from Conformity to the Precept Where was the Rule of the Promise there Either it must be in the Precept or the Promise it self or in the Connexion of Promise and Precept Have I hit it now It 's sure the Connexion is the Rule of the Promise Now how is that a Rule of the Promise but in Conformity to the Precept and then it 's Conformity to the Rule of Precept and not of Promise Or is it possible to come with a Conformity to the Connexion between the Precept and Promise Now all the Intricate Harangue is only to tell us in the Clouds that Faith applying the Lord Jesus Christ will not justifie us but as it is a working Condition to which the Promise is annexed Neonom Yes it follows our applying Christ's Righteousness and relying on it would no more justifie us than our sincere Holiness would save us were it not for this Gospel-Promise That God will justifie for Christ's sake all those that believe Antinom The Business here that is the Kernel of this Nut is that Faith doth not Justifie us by applying Christ's Righteousness in the Promise by vertue of Christ's Righteousness it self imputed but by its own Vertue as being a Righteousness it self whereby it answers the Promise as a Condition upon which it is made As for Faith's receiving Christ and his Righteousness it serves thereby to barr the Old Law But Christ's Righteousness hath nothing to do here it 's our own Faith and Repentance is the Righteousness in their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise and that 's Latin for the New Law Here are great Mysteries more than Paul understood and all the Apostles any other than to reckon them another Gospel and vain talking And truly as for your comparing Christ and Holiness in the matter of Justification under the Umbrage of your Invented Rule of Promise is perfect Stuff It amounts but to this at best That if God had not promised Justification there had been none at all neither by Christ's Righteousness nor by ours But how came this Promise Do you not say Christ purchased it as an conditional Grant Neonom Hence by Gospel Grace there 's a great difference between imperfect Faith and utter Vnbelief between sincere Holiness and formal Profaneness or Wickedness true Love to God and prevailing Enmity c. By the Law of Works nothing was Holy but what was perfectly so c. But read the Bible if thou doubtest whether there is not a true Faith Holiness Love c. which be short of Perfection Antinom I thought we should have had a greater Instance of the Grace of God than in giving us a worse Condition of the Covenant than Adam had You should have told us what Perfection here you mean I suppose it must be only of Parts that it may be a Gospel Foederal Condition which must be imperfect and it must be mingled with Sin or else it will not answer the Rule of the Promise Now you will not allow it must answer the Rule of the Precept for there 's nothing abated of it but it must chop in between the Precept and Promise as the Gospel Condition in a way of Imperfection So that without Sin our Holiness is nothing Foederally We must take heed it become not perfect Holiness for if once it comes to that we fall under the Law of Works This were to begin in the Spirit of Imperfection and end in the Flesh of Perfect Holiness And this is the sad Condition of the Saints in Heaven that they are fallen under the Covenant of Works Again you do here not a little insinuate what I know lies in your Breast that there is no specifick difference between Grace and meer moral Endowments and it appears so upon all your Hypotheses For you declare there ought to be such and such Qualifications to entitle a Man to the Promise of Grace or Grace in the Promise before he hath the Promise And as to your Exhortation to the reading of the Bible c. I must tell you I have read the Bible several times and hope to read it and meditate on the Word of Grace contained therein as long as I live But if that be the true Doctrine of the Gospel which you have delivered in this Book I am utterly at a loss for my Salvation which I would be loth to be now at last after so many Years Satisfaction And let the World take notice that I do believe your Gospel to be another Gospel such as Paul speaks of and accurseth Gal. 1.8 9. Neonom God in dispensing of Gospel-promised Blessings doth judicially determine a Conformity to this Rule of the Promise When he forgives he judicially declares a Man hath true Faith When he admits into Heaven he judicially declares a Man sincerely holy and persevering Antinom This is plainly as much as to say God dispenseth the Gospel-Promise Judicially in the same way as a Law of Works He looks whether or no we have fully performed the Conditions and upon finding of them he judicially gives the Promise i. e. In a way of Reward to the Works performed Whether they be Perfect or Imperfect it 's no matter the Reward is of Debt and not of Grace And in this way Pardon is given upon Imperfect Faith and Repentance And thus Heaven is given Judicially for persevering Holiness Here 's not a bit of Enquiry whether they have Christ or no he is a Cypher in the matter of our Salvation No Papist can utter more gross Divinity But this is a strange way of Dispensation of Gospel-Benefits First to determine a Conformity to the Rule of the Benefit As for Example In dispensing Faith for that 's a Promise God determins judicially a Man hath a Conformity to the Rule before Faith Again Is Forgiveness a judicial declaring a Man hath true Faith Or doth this judicial Declaration go before Pardon and Justification If so a Man hath always true Faith before he is justified and pardoned what absurd Consequences will follow thereupon And what can this be but a declared Judgment that he is de Congruo deserving Pardon And I think ex Condigno too before he is pardoned and upon the same Terms are the persevering Saints at last admitted to Glory Neonom As upon a View of his Guests he cast out him that had not the Wedding-Garment viz. True uniting Faith so by keeping out the Foolish Virgins c. Can any think that Forgiving Adopting Glorifying or the Conveyance of every other promised Benefit given upon God's Terms are not Judicial Acts
chargeable for them and Imputed to him Hence 3. If they bear their own Sins till they Actually Believe there must be an Hatred of God to such Persons till they Believe Actually which is Death and a Person may perform a Vital Act in a state wherein he is Actually Dead and at the same time 4. This must follow that there 's Believing before Union with Christ and then there must be some other Root from which this Fruit of Faith doth spring and it 's said Heb. 12. expresly Christ is the Author of our Faith I have received this Principle meerly for the vindication of the Glorious Priviledges which are proper and peculiar to Christ alone and therefore refer the being of Faith it self to Christ to this end I deliver that Elect Persons have a participation and share in Christ himself even before they do believe neither would I thereby diminish the Prerogative of Believing for there are glorious things done by Faith in Believers God hath honoured it above all meer Creatures in the World he hath made it the Conduit-pipe for the conveyance of all Peace and Comfort nay of all that strength which believers have all their Lives no Faith no Comfort no Faith no Peace of Conscience no Faith no Pleasure to walk with God The Soul lyes in Darkness while in Unbelief But still that which is proper and peculiar to Christ alone is not to be ascribed to Believing D. Cr. p. 616 617 618. Calvin Mr. Neonom We shall be the better able to take our measures if you will be pleased to state this Point aright and tell us what we may receive for undoubted Truth and what is to be Anathematized for Errour in your Judgment Neonom I 'le tell you then first what is Truth Truth The Atonement made by Christ by the Appointment of God is that for which alone the Elect are pardoned when it is applyed to them D. W. c. 3. p. 15. Antinom Pray Sir give me leave to make my Remarks as you dictate because my Memory is but short 1. You grant then that there is a compleat Atonement wrought finished and accepted by God if so there is a Fundamental Life of Justification laid up and reserved for them in Christ 2. That this precedes their Actual Justification by Faith 3. That this influenceth to Justification by Faith and is objective to Faith and Meritorious of Faith and of the Work of the Spirit working Faith Neonom But the Elect are not immediately pardoned upon Christ's being appointed to suffer for them nor as soon as the Atonement was made Antinom The Question is Whether there is not upon Christ's Atonement Pardon with God that he may be feared Or whether there be not a Life laid up for them in Christ which needs no addition to it There is a difference between Pardon and Pardoned one is the Abstract and the other the Concrete We say where there is Atonement for any there is Pardon but it follows not that because there is Pardon for any that therefore they are pardoned there may be a Pardon Sealed for a Traytor by the King and yet he not pardoned but the Law proceeds against him till the Pardon is sent down and read in Court So the Pardon is certain and finished for all the Elect but they have not the particular Pardons taken out nor pardoned till they believe Neonom Nor is that Act of laying Sins on Christ God's forgiving Act by which we are personally discharged Antinom I doubt you are too presumptuous to prescribe to God which shall be his forgiving Acts and which not if God's laying Sin on Christ be not of a pardoning and forgiving Nature to us I know not what it was did he not do it as a God pardoning Iniquity Transgression and Sin was it not his casting our Iniquities behind his Back And is it not this Act of God which reacheth every Elect Person unto Actual Pardon and Forgiveness Yea are we not Justified by this Act of God apprehended and applyed by Faith For is not an Act of God removing Sin from us and laying them on a Surety a Pardoning Act. Calvin I pray Sir deliver your self more distinctly for you do darken and confound things extreamly Neonom I will tell you what is not in Dispute between us in diverse particulars that you may not take up a wrong sense 1. The Question is not Whether Christ made a full Atonement for Sin Antinom Give me but the right scent of you which is hard to keep you make so many banks and turns and I will follow you as close at the Heels as I can You grant Christ made full Atonement for Sin there 's Pardon in that Atonement without Question for all God's Elect. Atonement always carries Pardon in it as its formal Nature or else it 's no Atonement Neonom 2. Nor whether that shall in time be applyed to the Elect for their Actual Remission as the Effect of it D. W. p. 16. Antinom Then there is Atonement wherein is Pardon eventually certain i. e. shall certainly be applyed and being applyed is actual Remission as the Effect therefore this Atonement is the Remission as the Cause and as the Object to be applyed Neonom 3. Nor whether we be so far Released thereupon as that God can demand no Atonement from any who shall submit to the Gospel way of Application of it Antinom It seems then if they will not submit to the Gospel way of Application God can demand some other Atonement from them I never understood before that the Suffering of the Damned was Atonement for where there 's Atonement God is at last appeased but he will never be appeased toward the Damned 2. You said but now that the application of the Atonement to the Elect in time should be I understood you certain but now you make it only conditional in case of their submission to the Gospel way of Application Neonom Nor 4thly Whether the Law be answered and God's Honour so vindicated thereby that the Sins of Men cannot hinder an Offer and Promise of Forgiveness and Life Antinom There 's a great Theological Intriegue here we must endeavour to unravel it What do you mean by answering the Law is it by Active or Passive Obedience or both and for whom for some absolutely or conditionally you tell us of a conditional Atonement and such an Atonement the Scripture is a stranger to 2. You would have us to understand the end and use of Atonement is to fence and secure God against his Law that so he might be at liberty to save Men this is to make an Atonement to Sin and not for Sin your suggestion is that God cannot in Honour offer Life and Salvation till his Law be vindicated i. e. I suppose he took out of the way and abolished that Law so another Law more practicable might be set up in the room of it this is a fine way of vindicating a Law to Abrogate it Neonom Nor whether
his Loving Kindness shall not depart from them and all things shall work together for their good Neonom An Hundred such Consequences naturally proceed from this Error which fully tends to render Sin and Sinners Innocent Not to say what Popery is in it as if Justification did remove the Filth of Sin Antinom By such consequent Drawers as you are who will charge the greatest Truths of the Gospel with any Absurdities that are forged by carnal Reason As for danger of Popery where is most in Justification by Free Grace or Works And when you make it appear that Justification doth not take away the Guilt of Sin then you shall convince me it taketh not away Filth in that respect For I take no greater Filth to be in Sin than Guilt and that which is the Fountain of all other Filth that is in it or produced by it causeth the inherent Macula And whereas you say the Doctrine of laying Sins on Christ tends to make Sin and Sinners innocent To make Sin innocent is a contradiction Sin is never made no Sin tho' the Sinner may be made no Sinner in a Gospel Sence and your Position is dangerous Neonom I will shew the Grounds of your Mistake You think because God removes our Sins by Pardon so as to acquit us from Punishment therefore our Sins cease to be ours D. W. p. 27. Antinom That is no Pardon to acquit only from Punishment if the Fault remain so that the Person is under the Charge of it 2. Remitting of Punishment only doth not discharge us from Sin 3. Sin imputed to Christ is not imputed to us It 's a Contradiction to say that it is in the same respect and yet we say it was our Sins imputed to Christ and so it 's still We say not they are not ours imputed to Christ but they are ours by Commission and his by Imputation Neonom Because a pardoned Sinner is discharged from Condemnation therefore you think that Person is not to be denominated a Sinner from the Violation of the Precept Antinom Pardon dischargeth from the Fault it self and forgives it or else it 's no Pardon A Man may many ways escape Punishment and not have the Fault pardoned He that is pardoned is no Sinner in the Eye of the Law but we call him a pardoned Sinner and such an one ought by Faith to look upon himself as perfectly righteous before God Neonom Because Christ took upon him to make Satisfaction for Sin therefore he thinks no Filth can cleave to the Offender nor he be a Transgressor by the Offence Antinom You know I do not think so for you know I said a Believer of himself can do nothing but sin And do not you contend with me for saying Our very Righteousness is Sin polluted and unclean And you know my Meaning is that we are peâfect and compleat in Christ in our selves all things are polluted and unclean And I take this to be very sound Divinity I will tell yau what Luther saith There is no more Sin Death or Malediction since Christ now reigneth we daily confess also in the Creed of the Apostles which we say We believe there is an Holy Church which is indeed nothing else but as if we should say I bâlieve there is no Sin no Malediction no Death in the Church of God Fâr they ãâã do believe in Christ are no Sinners are not guilty of Death but are holy and righteous Lords over Sin and Death and living for ever But Faith only seeth this for we say I believe there is an Holy Church Luth. on Gal. 3.14 Obj. If thou wilt believe Reason and thine own Eyes thou wilt judge clean contrary for thou seest many things in the Godly which offend thee they fall into Sin are weak in Faith subject to Wrath Envy and such other Evil Affections therefore the Church is not holy Answ I deny the Consequence If I look upon my own Person or the Person of my Brother it shall never be holy But if I behold Christ who hath sanctified and cleansed his Church then it is altogether holy For he hath taken the Sins of the whole World Therefore where Sins are seen and felt there are they indeed no Sins For according to Paul's Divinity there is no Sin no Death no Malediction any more in the World but in Christ that is the Lamb of God that hath taken away the Sins of the World who is made a Curse that he might deliver us from the Curse Contrariwise according to Philosophy and Reason Sin Death and the Curse are no where else but in the World in the Flesh or in Sinners for as a Sophistical Divine can speak no otherwise of Sin than doth a Heathen Philosopher Like as the Colour saith he cleaveth to the Wall even so doth Sin in the World in the Flesh and in the Conscience Therefore it is to be purged by contrary Operations But True Divinity teacheth there is no Sin in the World any more for Christ upon whom the Father hath cast the Sins of the World hath vanquished and killed the same in his own Body He once dying for Sin and raised up again dyeth no more Therefore where-ever there 's a true Faith in Christ there is Sin abolished dead and buried but where no Faith in Christ is there Sin doth still remain And albeit the Remnants of Sin be still in the Saints because they believe not perfectly yet are they dead in that they are not imputed unto them because of Faith in Christ DEBATE V. Of the Time when our Sins were laid on Christ and continued there Neonom LET us now discourse about the Time of God's laying our Sins on Jesus Christ I take Mr. Antinomian to be unsound in this Point For he saith That the Time when our Sins were laid actually on Christ was when he was nailed to the Cross and God actually forsook him and they continued on him till the Resurrection D. W. p. 28. Antinom My Words were these Now there was a pitch'd Time wherein God did serve Execution actually upon him and that was when God did forsake this Son of his when he called him forth and served Sin upon him as the Desert of Transgression when he said My God my God c. Now was the time of Payment and Satisfying God Dr. C. p. 356. I do not say that this was the first time of his bearing Sin he bore them in the Garden and was there sorrowful unto Death and lay under Soul-sufferings but upon the Cross he finished his greatest Sufferings made payment in full and therefore the Apostle Peter ascribes his bearing of Sin mostly to that time when he was upon the Cross and under Complaint of the Punishment of Loss God's forsaking of him Besides I distinguish between the charging Sin on Christ as our Debt and the Payment of the Debt and say this was the time of Execution and Payment though I know you confound bearing Sin as a Debt and making
baptize Infants I would desire no stronger Argument to manage against Infant-Baptism than your Principle of Conditionality of the Covenant And as for the Lord's Supper it holds forth Christ's Body freely given and his Blood freely shed for us and that his Blood was a Seal and Ratification of the New Covenant where-by it becomes a Testament Neonom 1 Pet. 3.21 Baptism that saves us is not the putting away the Filth of the Flesh but the Answer of a good Conscience towards God i. e. Vpright consent of Heart to the Vow and Profession Antinom The Words are thus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã To what was Baptism an Antitype Was it not to the Waters of Noah that saved Persons by bearing up the Ark when the rest of the World were drowned What condition was there of God's saving those Eight Persons And to bring it home the Apostle tells us the mere Element in Baptism and external Administration ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not the washing away External or Levitical Uncleanness as it was used by the Jews but as it signifies the Blood of Christ reaching to the purifying of the Conscience from Guilt Heb. 9. 10. and thence is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as it signifies the carrying or washing away our Sins by the Blood of Christ and our rising again wherein we were fundamentally Justifyed and the application of both by Faith whereby our present Sence of God's Wrath and Condemnation is removed To talk that it signifies a Vow or upright Consent is very Jejune against the Stream of Interpreters Neonom An Elect Person known by Revelation to be so while unregenerate is not entitled to the Lord's Supper Antinom He that hath that Revelation I suppose will have something more revealed But in the mean time I wonder why you that stand upon such strict moral Qualifications for an Interest in Covenant-Benefits and so sparing of Gospel Grace stand upon so slight Terms for admission to the Lord's Supper and are so lavish of Covenant-Benefits upon such easie Terms I am sure you may know some of them are not Regenerate without Revelation Neonom Vnbelief and whatever Sins are contrary to the Terms of the Covenant are the only hinderances to a Sinners Interest in the Benefits of the Covenant and by these we are said to reject and refuse the Covenant The Scripture lays Men's want of Forgiveness on their Vnbelief as the culpable cause c. Antinom Then the great Business of the Covenant of Grace is to save Sinners and give them Life being dead in Sin and Unbelief and the Gift of God is eternal Life begun in Remission of Sins and Faith in Christ's Blood which God gives freely unto those that are altogether uncapable to perform any Conditions for it he gives these Gifts to unbelieving rebellious ones And if Unbelief should hinder these Gifts of God's Grace there 's none could be saved And as Unbelief doth not hinder Fundamental Covenant Right which they have by Christ's Imputation so it hinders not God's Application when he will work for then nothing shall hinder You seem also to hint as if some Sins were more venial than others and some more consistent with your Moral Conditions of the Covenant of Imperfection and know that no culpable Cause shall hinder the Forgiveness of those for whom Christ died Neonom The Gospel-Promise being the way which Christ appoints to dispense saving Benefits to Believers must have the same Rules with the Covenant of Grace Antinom Yea for the Covenant of Promise and the Covenant of Grace are the same and saving Benefits are dispensed only by way of Gift which is performance of the Promise and no other way Neonom The Gospel is his Testament and a Covenant cannot be a Disposition contrary to this Gospel Antinom The Covenant of Grace is a Testament because confirmed by the Death of Christ and there 's no adding to it if it were but a Man's Testament and last Will as the Apostle saith and therefore there 's no bringing in any after-terms or conditions of it And the Gospel is a Declaration of this Promise and Seal and addeth no further Terms Neonom This Promise tells us 1. That there is a Promise of the first Grant made to Christ for the Elect and by vertue of that Promise the Elect do consent to the Covenant Antinom Promise and Grant are in a manner one and this made to Christ for the Elect it's better to the Elect in Christ but that will do for the present and by vertue of that Promise the Elect do consent I suppose you mean the first Consent which you will sometimes have the Condition of their receiving benefit by the Promise I hope it 's this a great Benefit and absolute Gift of the Promise and of this then there 's no Condition but Christ by your own Consession Neonom 2. That Gospel or Covenant is the means whereby that Faith is wrought Antinom Very good then the Covenant is the condition of Faith and not Faith of the Covenant Neonom This Gospel commands and by the Power of the Spirit works that Faith in order to saving Benefits which Benefits it promiseth to such as do believe and no other D. W. p. 66. Antinom I thought but now you were got above your Covenant of Imperfections but I find you are working down again These Conditions are heavy bulky things they will weigh a Man down do what he can And is Faith wrought only in order to saving Benefits How often shall I tell you it 's one of the principal saving Benefits of any Grace wrought in us And Faith is promised to Unbelievers else they would never have it Neonom This Gospel invests Believers in those saving Benefitt Antinom And it invests Unbelievers in the saving benefit of Faith and therefore the Gospel is the condition of Faith Neonom It secures the perseverance of Believers in the true Faith and the necessary Effects and thereby secures those Benefits as unforfeited Antinom Then they are not under an uncertain Trial all this Life that it is not determined whether they shall be saved or no as you suggested Neonom But Christ never bequeathed or promised in the Gospel a Pardon or Salvation to Vnbelievers Antinom That 's a Riddle Was it not in Christ's Testament to save Sinners to justify the Ungodly Did he not pray for them that should believe Doth not the Gospel tell us He came not to save righteous but to bring Sinners to repentance that he came to seek and to save them that are lost Doth not Christ say He is the Resurrection and the Life and that we are quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins c. The main Tenure of the Gospel If it be as you say there 's none should be saved for if Men are not saved by vertue of the Promise they will never be saved What a miserable Condition are all in if believing and promising Mercy be not bestowed upon
is a false Conclusion that Christ is mine before he is so and must the great Terms of Life be a Lie We are to examine our selves whether we are in the Faith or not 2 Cor. 13.5 Where hath God made this Proposition My sins are laid on Christ Vnless you are for general Redemption the Word of Grace promiseth Pardon to none but a Believer and the Spirit speaks to none but a Believer Antinom In all things we receive of Gift there must be a right of Donation first if we take before it 's given it 's Theft and unless I am perswaded that the giving Hand is reached out I can't receive We have our first Earnest for Blessedness in the Perswasion of Faith in the very Act of it and it 's Non sence to talk any way of partaking of Christ but by the Spirit and Faith And he that in an Act of believing at first finds Christ in the true Perswasion of Faith doth not nor cannot say of Christ he is his before he is so The Soul cannot be too nimble for Christ and if he that believeth not makes God a Liar what are those that perswade to Unbelief That Faith in it's very Act is an Evidence is no hinderance to the Trial and Examination of our selves by the Fruit of Faith besides And though the Proposition in the Gospel be an indefinite Proposition yet the Application by Faith in a Sinner ought to be particular and fiducial or else the Faith of Believers will be no more than that of others that believe only that Christ came to save Sinners and if the Promise of Pardon were not to Sinners as such it were not Pardon and if a Man upon Trial must first find by Signs that he doth believe before he lay claim to Pardon Sinners would be in a sad condition But this is the comfort that as the Promise of Pardon is the great Encouragement to believing so believing it self is the receiving and perceiving of it And the Soul saith or should by Faith He loved me and gave himself for me At the sight of Christ it saith My Lord and my God If the Lord speak to a Believer in believing by his Word and Spirit Thy Sins are forgiven it 's not said so to one that is a Believer first Relata are simul naturâ The Promise of Paternity is not a Promise or Gift to one that 's a Father first nor Sonship to one that is a Son first God promiseth himself to be a Father to them that are Loammi And how gross is that Assertion That the Spirit speaks it to none but to a Believer as a Believer Doth not the Spirit speak Peace before we receive it by an Act of Faith Doth not this cause us to believe it 's the Light causeth the Eye to see It 's the Light shining into the dark Unbelieving Heart that perswades the Heart it 's God that saith to the Soul I am thy Salvation before we can believe it Neonom The Second thing that I will prove is that Saving Faith hath the Essentials expressed in the above-mentioned Truth as Assent Trust Consenting Acceptance of Christ Reliance c. Antinom You said before that Inward Perswasion of the Pardon of Sin was no Part of Saving Faith And said in the next that it contained Assent to the Word Fiducial Consent and Acceptance of Christ A Man therefore may understand you that tho it contained it yet it was not of it's Essence Now you seem to say these are Essentials if you do not you hide your self again in the Word Include If you say These be Essentials which you name we say so too but allow not yours c. and all these Essentials are in the Word Perswasion Assent is the Perswasion of the Understanding Consent the Perswasion of the Will to the Truths and good things propounded the Promise whereby the Soul relies upon Christ therein for himself particularizeth Christ and all Blessings to himself as his and now go on and prove all that you said before to be false Neonom You are mistaken I will prove my Position true and then see where your Errour will be 1. Faith can be no less than the Souls Answer to the Call of God c. Antinom We say it is so and he bids us believe but it 's not Faith as such for all Obedience is an answer to the Call of God Neonom The Scripture describes Saving Faith by all these Acts it 's the evidence of things not seen Substance of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 Receiving of Christ John 1.12 Isa 55.4 Acts 13.26 Rom. 15.12 Isa 44.5 Antinom This we say it is Evidence and Substance of things at a distance is a full Perswasion of them according to the Nature of them such a Perswasion as carries the whole Soul forth to God to rest and rely upon him having Union with Christ thereby bringing him in all his Excellencies into our Souls and taking him for our own Doth a Man believe any good thing promised and doth not he catch at it for himself if he have any savour of it If the Promise of Pardon present it self to us doth a Man believe till he appropriate it to himself saying It is mine though an unworthy Sinner If a condemned Prisoner hears a Pardon is come out for some he may believe that but till he believes he is one it 's no Comfort to him tho there may be hopes at least he is in it Neonom Christ can't be received as a Saviour without these Antinom It 's very true he is never received as such till I receive him as my Saviour and believe him to be so in some measure and this I am bound to do to receive him by confident Perswasion and resting upon him Neonom A Faith without these Essentials could never produce those great Effects as are ascribed to Faith to purifie the Heart Acts 15.9 to be a shield against Temptations Eph. 6.16 works by Love Gal. 5.6 sanctifies us Acts 26.18 By Faith we are risen with Christ Col. 2.12 Antinom It 's certain that no Faith can do it but such as makes a particular Application by a perswasion of the Love of God or Interest in Christ Pardon of Sins and Reconciliation to God through him that can produce the Effects spoken of this will purifie the Heart from an evil guilty Conscience to serve the Living God this will be a Shield against the most Mortal Darts of Satan that he shoots at our state by bringing in Law Condemnations Hereby Love to God is produced in the Soul and we Act towards God and our Neighbours in Love hereby we are brought to true Obedience such as the Law required at first for the Principle to Love the Lord our God with all our Hearts Soul and Strength and therefore the Apostle saith Love is the Sum of all Obedience as our Saviour said It 's the fulfilling of the Law through this Grace of the Spirit for by receiving Forgiveness of Sin we
is Actually and Absolutely procured for the Elect before Faith and shall infallibly be applyed to them all in time seemeth to reach the Scope intended by the Godly Learned whose Spirits have more particularly laboured to hold forth the whole Truth in this precious part of Soul-Reconciling Doctrine and Soul-Supporting Mystery of the Gospel To say That we are Justified by vertue of a singular Promise in the Court of Conscience and in our own Persons in which sence the Scripture constantly saith We are Justified by Faith is not that I know of affirmed by any And for this he quotes Chamier Cham. Tom. 3. lib. 12 13. Sect. 18. Nobis persuasissinum est remissa esse peccata antequam Credidimus We are verily perswaded that our Sins are forgiven before we believe for we deny that Infants do believe And Perkins Perkins on Gal. 3.16 who saith Christ is first Justified i. e. Acquit of our Sins and we Justified in him And Dr. Ames saith The Transaction between God and Christ was a certain previous application of Redemption and our discharge unto our Suâety Ames Medul lib. 1. c. 24. § 3. and unto us in him which to that secondary Application to be performed in us hath the respect of a kind of Efficacious pattern so that that the Application to him is the Representation of this Application to us and this is produced by vertue of that And he saith § 3. Hence our discharge liberatio nostra from Sin and Death was not only established in God's Decree but also in Christ and granted and communicated to us in him before it could be perceived by us Rom. 5.10 11. Hence the Father and the Son are said to send the Spirit to the performing of this Application John 14.16 and 16.7 And in the Chapter of Justification Am. Med. c. 27. §. 9. He tells us what the sentence of Justification is 1. It was in the Mind of God as it were conceived by him by his Decree of Justifying Gal. 3.8 2. It was in the Christ our Head pronounced when he rose from the Dead 2 Cor. 5.19 3. Virtually pronounced in that first relation which ariseth from Faith ingenerated in the Heart Rom. 8.1 4. Expresly pronounced by the Spirit witnessing with our Spirits our Reconciliation with God Rom. 5.5 Hence it appears that the Doctrine of our Justification before Faith is not an Errour but a Great and Glorious Truth and it is no prejudice to the Doctrine of Justification by Faith but the Foundation Ground and Reason of it neither is it any Door opened to Licentiousness an unbeliever having no more Confirmation or Encouragement to persist in Sin thereby than by the Doctrine of Election which gives none but as Mr. Norton saith It 's no small part of the Ministry of Reconciliation that God Imputed to Christ the Sins of the Elect before they did believe and will never Impute them unto the Elect. Neither is my speaking of Faith's taking hold of Christ's Righteousness and saying That it brings not Christ's Righteousness to us but presupposeth it given and granted such an absurdity as you would make it For Dr. Ames saith very distinctly Justifying Faith precedes Justification it self as a cause of its Effect but Faith apprehending Justification necessarily presupposeth and follows Justification as the Aââ doth the Object about which it is Conversant and this I take to be the true Notion of Justification That Great Man for Holiness and Learning Chamier saith I deny that Faith is the cause of our Justification for then our Justification would not be of Grace Cham. Parstrat Tom. 3. l. 13. c. 10. Sect. 18. but of our selves but Faith is said to justifie not because it effecteth Justification but because it is effected in the Justified Person and in another place he saith Faith doth neither merit obtain or begin our Justification Lib. 22. c. 12. Sect. 5. and Sect. 9. for if it did then Faith should go before Justification both in nature and time which may in no wise be granted for Faith it self is a part of Sanctification now there is no Sanctification but after Justification which really and in its own nature is before it I think Sir I have cleared my self sufficiently from the Charge of Errour in this Point viz. That our Justification is in being before Faith And now Sir before we proceed to the other part of your Charge concerning the manner of Faith's Justifying let us hear your Arguments against Justification in any sense going before Faith Neonom One Real Difference between us is Whether we are Justified before we believe Which I deny for 1. We are Justified by Faith is the common Language of the Holy Ghost Rom. 5.1 Gal. 2.16 D. W. p. 105. Antinom We own it and say too that we are Justified by Faith and this doth not prejudice but confirm what we assert Neon Faith is enjoyned as an effectual means of Justification by Christ Antinom We deny not that Faith required in the Gospel and wrought by the Spirit is as an effectual means of Application of Justification but therefore it follows not that it 's in being before That which is not in being cannot be applyed Neonom The Gospel denounceth and declareth all condemned till they do believe Antinom The Gospel declares only their state of Condemnation under the Law the Gospel properly condemns not and we own that every one by nature is a Child of Wrath and in the sense of the Law is a condemned Person and every one is shut up under the Law as the Apostle saith till Faith comes his New-Covenant Blessedness belonging to him is not yet made manifest nor is his Nature and State changed Neonom Vnbelief is the Cause why men are barred from Justification and remain obnoxious to Misery Antinom It is God that justifies and no Sin can barr God's Act of free Mercy in pardon of a Sinner in the Pardon of Unbelief as well as of other Sins when God will justifie It 's very absurd to say Sin barrs God's Act of Pardon It 's true Unbelief influenceth a Sinner as to his own Acts and will be charged upon him as his Fault and will aggravate that Condemnation which he hath under the Law because from his own corrupt Will and Affection he will not receive Pardon and Life that is offered in the General and Indefinite Tender thereof made in the Gospel And therefore Christ saith John 5.40 Ye will not come to me that you may have Life Heb. 3.18 19. They could not enter by reason of unbelief Unbelief on our part doth keep us from Christ but hinders not on God's part that effectually draws all the Elect justifying of them and working Faith in them Rom. 8.29 30. Eph. 1. The whole Unregenerate state is a Barr till God break it by Regeneration which is a free Work of Grace as Justification is an Act of Grace and must be found where-ever a Sinner is Justifyed by Faith and that in
to God Calvin A Man doth not walk about without his Arms therefore he goes upon his Arms and Hands Neonom Arg. 5. We cannot receive Christ as King without this Repentance of Heart Calvin Nô nor without Faith neither what trifling is here Neonom Without this purpose of Heart no Man accepts of Christ for Sanctification Calvin Therefore you 'l say Christ justifies us by Infusing Righteousness by making us Righteous inherently for which he declares us Righteous an old decryed Popish Errour Neonom A Resolved purpose to continue in Sin and Rebellion against God is Damning let Men pretend what they please Calvin I say more there 's no Venial Sin every Sin is Damning in its own Nature and a Sin repented of without Forgiveness is Damning and the very Repentance of a Natural Man which you would have Conditionate him for Grace is Damning Neonom It 's not to be allowed that it should not be necessary to renounce our Sins with our Hearts in order to Pardon when it is necessary to renounce our own Merits or Righteousness Calvin We reckon it our Duty under the highest Obligation of preventing Grace and great and precious Promises and from the greatest Sence of Duty to renounce our Sins with all our Hearts but dare not do it in a way of Qualification of our selves for Forgiveness least we should make those Repentings and Humblings our Merits as the Papists do whereby Christ profits them nothing and under pretence of Holiness they lose their Righteousness pretend to renounce one Idol and set up another Neonom I will tell you how the Assembly and Dr. O. are of my Mind Calvin You may spare your self the labour for they are point blank against you and so are all Protestants that are not tainted with the Doctrine of the Jesuites Neonom I think there 's never a Barrel the better Herring of you come let 's be gone DEBATE XIII Of the Necessity and Benefit of Holiness Obedience and Good Works with Perseverance therein Calvin HOW do you Mr. Neonomian are you well methinks you look a little Moody Neonom It would disturb any Orthodox Man's Spirit to see how Errour prevails I profess I am almost weary of this Club if this be your Calvinian Club I do think I must betake my self to some other you know where I shall find more soundness in Doctrine Calvin O pray Mr. Neonomian let not Disputants be angry with one another Disputation should be for Information of the Judgment not for the gratifying Pride and Passion put another Question it may be we may agree in that Neonom I will try you once more and if you boggle there Fare you well Gentlemen note that whatever I shall speak now of any Act of Grace except Penitent Believing referrs not to the Forgiveness of Sins or the Sinners Admission into a Justified Estate The Benefits that I here speak of are not the Forfeiture of Pardon the Possession of Heaven and some other Particular Blessings as Increase of Peace Returns of Prayer D. W. Antinom I find now you clapt two Conditions into one why had we not these Conditions twisted together before Methinks you incommoded your self in not doing it yesterday for vis unita fortior but you reckon Faith and Repentance reach no further than the first Justification I think the Catholicks are of your Mind for that 2. You talk of forfeiting Justification the meaning in English is falling away from Grace Neonom Some Mens Brains had need be taken out and washed in Vinegar for there 's no making them understand it were well that you were better studied in Terms of Art Calvin Prethee Mr. Antinomian sit down and hold thy Peace a while you 'll never leave till you have put the Gentleman into a Fustion fume and then we shall lose his good Company pray go on Mr. Neonomian Antinom I smell him where he will be Calvin Nay not yet neither Neonom I tell you then if I may be permitted to speak what an Errour this Antinomian holds He saith 1. Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation 2. Nor is Sanctification a way of any Person to Heaven 3. Nor can the Graces or Duties of Believers no nor Faith it self do them the least good to prevent the least Evil. 4. Nor are they of the least use to their Peace or Comfort 5. Yea though Christ be explicitely owned and they be done in the strength of the Spirit of God 6. And a Believer ought not to think he is the more pleasing to God by any Grace he Acteth or Good he Doth 7. Nor may Men expect any Good to a Nation by their Humiliation Earnest Prayer for Reformation of a People Calvin Now Sir you have a Rowland for your Oliver here 's a long and strong Inditement laid in against you I wish you a good delivery Mr. Antinomian Antinom As I take it there 's about seven things you charge me with I pray make your Proofs per partes I shall be abler to give my Answer Neonom You have told us seeing all things are setled by Christ for us of free Gift I say all we do is for Christ himself and not for our selves Christ comes and brings Justification loving Kindness and Salvation What needs then all this Travel for Life and Salvation seeing it is here already But seeing we get nothing by it c. D. W. from Dr. Cr. p. 41 42. Antinom By this you prove that Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation Gentlemen I must crave your patience to hear that part of my Discourse that you may judge of it It was upon John 14.16 I was saying D. Cr. p. 41. How near hath Christ made the way unto the Father Thus near that he that believeth shall be saved Let me be bold to tell you you are in as full a state of Justification before God Now mark I was speaking of passing from one state to another in Justification and do you not remember what he said That whatever he should speak now referring to any Act of Grace except believing penitently referrs not to Forgiveness of Sins and now he alledgeth what I said upon that account to prove a change about Sanctification You are in a true State of Salvation you that are Believers are as those that are already in Heaven D. Cr. p. 41. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Such a near way Christ is yet still people will be Cavilling where are good Works all this while What justified by Faith alone Saved by Christ alone Let me tell you If Christ be the way of Justification and only Federal Condition of Eternal Life i. e. of all Salvation in Faith and Holiness then Works are not the way except they be Christ but must we not work Yea but for other purposes the Lord hath propounded other Ends not meriting your Salvation for which you are to work ye are bought with a price that 's done therefore glorifie God
Life as a Reward of work for this was the Tenour of the Covenant of Works but from Life received being dead in our selves by Nature and in respect of the Law Condemned Persons we must work not to obtain Eternal Life by working but having received Life from it to work Christ saith He is the Life the Resurrection and the Life Where 's the Man that can work without Life to work from Neonom But he understands this you 'l say only of External Duties but not of the Actings of Grace no I could shew you how he saith the same of all Graces Antinom You need not have troubled your selves with that Objection for I do intend all Graces and Duties for they must all be performed from a Principle of Life received and not for Mercenary Designs and Ends thinking that thereby we deserve any thing of the Lord for when we have done all we are unprofitable Servants Neonom He saith That is the proper Work that God hath given to Belleving D. W. p. 124. D. Cr. p. 326. not to effect any thing to the good of Man but only to be the witness of that good to the Spirit of Man and so give light to that which was hidden before Antinom You know my Opinion and it 's with other Divines That there is Justification in Heaven and Justification in a Man's Conscience and Spirit D. G. â 3ââ Justification in Consciences and Spirits of Men is the manifestation of that Act of God to a Man 's own Spirit by which a Man comes to know and consequently to rejoice in the Justification of God and so you may read the words Rom 5.1 Bring Justified by Faith i. e. through Faith having the Justification of God evidenced and manifested to our Spirits we have peace with God I contend not with them that say It Justifies Virtute objecti or Instrumentaliter So that I ascribeâ all the Efficacy to Christ's Righteousness and not to the Act of Faith as a Quolifying Condition to Justifie sensu proprio as you and the Arminian's do and in that sence I spake against its doing us good that is in your sence of Justification Neonom He saith If you have more Ability than others in doing let it not come into your Thoughts D. W. p. 125. D. C. p. 429. as an Inducement to think better of your self as if you were more accepted of God or pleasing in his sight Antinom I believe it is or should be the Spirit of the best of God's Children that they prefer others above themselves Phil. 3. viz. That fear the Lord and think not that there 's any thing in them that makes them more accepted than others but that all that have true Faith are equally accepted in the Beloved and that Paul's Usefulness and Apostleship rendred him no more Justified than the meanest of the Disciples of Christ Calvin You see Mr. Antinom as he is for the exalting Christ so he speaks highly in the Commendation yea and usefulness of Holiness and good Works those diminutive Terms that he useth is in respect of Purchase obtaining Pardon or being qualifying Conditions for the bestowing of Benefits He holds Christ is the great Condition both of Grace here and glory hereafter tho' I confess I wish Mr. Antinom you had spared many Expressions for which I fear the Truth suffers from the ignorant and more learned of perverse Minds that make it their business to load the Doctrine of Free-Grace with all Scorn and Contempt and take all occasions to wound the Truth because of some rash or over-zealous Expressions used by you and others which it may be had you foreseen you would have prevented by not using them or had you printed your own Sermons you would not have sent to the Press Mr. Neonom I pray let us have this Doctrine delivered in your own Words and Expressions Neonom The Truth is this That though neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works do make any Atonement for sin or are in the least meritorious Righteousness whereby Salvation is caused or for which this or any Blessing becomes due to us by Debt yet as the Spirit of God freely worketh all Holiness and enableth to sincere Obedience and good Works so the Lord Jesus hath of his own Grace and for his own Merits promised to bring to Heaven such as are Partakers of true Holiness perform his sincere Obedience and do those good Works perseveringly Antinom You allow Christ the Honour of Atonement for Sin but how far I know not by what follows his Atonement reacheth not the Breach of the new Law Conditions but only so far as refers to Sins against the Old Law of which you will not allow Impenitency and Unbelief be a breach so that there must be some way in the new Law found out to expiate and appease God for them without Christ's Atonement Beside the Conditions of it it being only imperfect Obedience there will need nothing but the Performance of the constituted Condition which whether perfect or imperfect being performed as well as is required tho' sinfully imperfect leaves no place for Sacrifice or Atonement hence you allow Christ's Righteousness to have merited Blessings with the same Reserve which you are not willing to speak out viz. That Christ hath purchased and merited that we shall come under new and milder Terms with God or God rather with us We thank you no more than we do the Papists for saying Christ hath merited all and is a cause even as the Creation was of the Covenant of Works God's the Cause of all for he made all so Christ hath merited all that follows whatever new Laws and Conditions follow and upon which Terms Benefits become due to us you should have said to Mankind by Debt We may challenge the Priviledges of compounding with God upon such Terms as we like better than the former but our Failure in performing those Terms that Christ agreed for will bring us under new Arrearages to God And for your saying the holy Spirit worketh freely the said conditional Holiness it helps not which notwithstanding your setting aside the Word Merit is truly fo virtute compacti tho' not valoris intrinseci as much as Adam's would have been And as to the Spirit you ascribe the free giving and working of it you give no more to it than Adam had in the state of Innocency and not so much for God had given and wrought in Adam that Perfection and Strength of Grace whereby he might have stood if he would You say There is a Promise made by Christ of Glory upon Condition of their good Works and Perseverance Your Suggestion to us is of two Covenants of Grace procured by Christ for us One the Promise of the state of Grace and Justification provided we fulfil the Conditions of Faith and Repentance whereby we have the first Justification The Second Covenant is of a state of Glory upon condition of Perseverance in good Works which condition if we
i. e. believed them so as to be assured of them As for the rest of the Saints you shall find all along that their Triumphant Assurances was by Faith Abraham Rom. 4.20 21. See the various phrases to express his full Assurance of Faith ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã he made no dispute or doubt about the Promise the English well express He staggered not at the Promise or through unbelief ver 19. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ver 19. He was not weak in Faith but was strong in Faith ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and consulted not with himself secondary Causes or Carnal Reason but was ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã carried forth with a full gale of Assurance Job 19.25 Job's Assurance was the Assurance of Faith I know my Redeemer liveth c. David under his greatest Tryal of Banishment by his own Son from the House of God Psal 42.10 when Challenged by his Enemies at the highest rate at which he was so disquieted he calls up his Soul to take up Comfort in believing ver 11. and 45.5 Paul Rom. 7. where he tells how low he was brought upon Self-examination as to what he could find in himself ver 18. I know that in me that is in my Flesh there dwells no good thing See how he complains ver 24. O wretched Man that I am c. as much as to say I am wretched in regard of the Evil Sin and Corruption that I find abounding in me but ver 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord there is the Root of his Comfort in the Faith that he had in Jesus Christ tho there was this little small spark of Holiness in him a mind at least to serve the Law of God yet he trusted not to that And you see 2 Cor. 12.7 8 9. when he fell into Temptation and Buffeting was it his Duties and Services to Christ and his Churches that supported him No it was an objective manifestation to him received by Faith My Grace is sufficient for thee but you will say his rejoicing was in the Testimony of his Conscience 2 Cor. 1.12 It 's true it was and the Testimony of a good Conscience as to our Hearts and Ways is matter of Rejoicing but this was in Paul without confidence in the Flesh or ascribing any thing to it but by seeing all in Christ and that all flowed down from the Free Grace and Love of God all his Simplicity and Sincerity of Heart was seen by Faith to be Gifts of Grace therefore you see whensoever the Children of God took any Comforts and Rejoicings from the Fruits of the Spirit they made not these as the Fundamental ground of their Assurance but a confirming and additional ground and such as was very uncertain insomuch that at some times they were at a perfect loss for them yet was not without their rooted and grounded Assurances in the darkest Times and under the obscurest Providences Neonom The Conscience is bound to condemn every Man in whom the contrary to these Graces do appear yea where it 's evident they are wholly wanting It 's otherwise a seared Conscience 1 Tim. 4.2 It 's the Candle of the Lord now there can be no Assurance where the Conscience condemns 1 John 3.19 20 21. D. W. p. 166. Antinom There is nothing but the sprinkling of the Blood of Christ applyed by Faith that can take off the Conscience from Condemning and without this all the Works and Duties in the World cannot do it it 's the Law that obligeth the Conscience to condemn and the sence of our Imperfections and Weaknesses and remainder of Corruption may be where there is no condemning Conscience but wherefore is it Not because of what they find in themselves but from what they find in Christ and it 's a harsh Doctrine that you teach from 1 Tim. 4.2 that all that cannot find Works enough in themselves to conclude their state in Christ from and hold it meerly by Faith in Christ and thereby freed from Condemning Consciences have Seared Cauterized Consciences such as the Apostle Prophesies of that should abound in the Antichristian Apostacy and Seduction and you subvert the Doctrine of the Gospel thereby helping to fulfill that Prophecy by what Doctrine the Text will tell you Neonom The Spirit witnesseth with our Spirits ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Rom. 8.16 It doth not witness before our Spirits doth witness It is not a separate Testimony from our Spirits but it concurrs with our Spirit as its Instrument our Spirit witnesseth in the Light of the Spirit 1 Cor. 9.1 my Conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost Antinom What is this Argument brought for is this to prove that there 's no Assurance by the Voice of the Spirit And that the only way of Assurance is by Signs and Marks But you have brought in this place of Scripture as many Men retain Councel in their Case they Fee some Councel only that they may not be against them but the Word of God will not be Bribed this place is directly against you The Apostle here tells us the very Comforting Office of the Holy Ghost that it becomes a Spirit of Adoption this is the Spirit of Christ Gal. 4.6 And what is it that it doth it teacheth us to call God Father and how doth it do this A. It 's by witnessing to us our Relation viz. that we are the Sons of God this is that which doth assure us of our Inheritance if Children then Heirs Now I argue that which witnesseth in the Children of God that they are the Children of God insomuch that from thence they can conclude themselves Heirs doth pronounce the Actual Forgiveness of their Siâs and is the usual way of Assurance but the Spirit witnesseth in the Children of God that they are the Children of God Ergo there is a pronunciation of Actual Forgiveness by the Voice of the Spirit c. For the Major it 's proved from Gal. 3.26 The Spirit bestows Adoption by Faith in Christ Jesus Ye are all the Children of Gâd by Faith in Christ Jesus and ver 29. If ye be Christ's then are you of Abraham's Seed and Heirs according to the Promise you 'll allow the Spirit to witness but not before our Spirit so that you 'll have our Spirits to be before the Spirit the Senior Evidence I deny it for that which causeth our Spirits to give Evidence is not the younger Evidence but the Spirit causeth our Hearts to give Evidence Ergo Now for the Minor that the Spirit causeth our Hearts to give Evidence I prove from your self you say the Spirit concurrs with our Spirit as its Instrument now the Efficient is before the Instrument by which it works and Instrumentum is but Causa Ministrans at most and is res motu facta in that respect is effectum efficientis Now the way of the Spirits witnessing is by bringing to our Spirit an objective Manifestation of Grace in the Promise and causing us by Faith to make
a particular application thereof to our selves and so we become by the Witness of the Spirit to be the Children of God by Faith in the same sence we are Heirs according to the Promise Gal. 3.29 Now therefore the Spirit must witness first as the Worker of this Assurance by the Promise that Faith may witness and you your self said but now that the Spirit witnesseth as a Worker of Grace therefore as the Worker of the Grace of Assurance You say it is not a separate Testimony from our Spirits I suppose you mean from our Spirits Testimony your meaning I take to be that they both witness one and the same thing but that they are two distinct Witnesses is evident from the Text that which witnesseth with another is distinct from that other and you say it concurrs with our Spirit i. e. Conveniunt in uno tertio Testimonio ergo inter se And you say our Spirits witness in the Light of the Spirit i. e. in the Light of its Manifestation and Evidence and therefore the Spirit must witness first or else our Spirits must witness without Evidence which is impossible So that all you have been saying in this Argument is against your self and for us Neonom A Testimony of the Spirit giving an Evidence of Pardon without any evidence of Grace is not according to the Word of Grace for the Word of Grace never declareth any Sinners are pardoned but believing penitent Sinners it is not as meer Sinners the Word pardoneth but it flatly condemneth and leaves guilt on all Impenitent Vnbelievers as I have proved Antinom I marvel a Divine should speak at such a rate as if an Evidence of Pardon were not an Evidence of Grace Is not Pardon the highest degree of Grace is not the Word of Grace therefore so because it is a Word of Pardon to Sinners And if you mean Inherent Grace why may not the Spirit give evidence of Pardon to a Sinners evidence of it in an act of Believing before there can be any Fruits of Faith Was it not so with the Thief upon the Cross and many that God pardons just upon the last moment of their Lives And is it not so with many of Gods Children that can see no Evidences in themselves the Spirit strips them of all grounds in themselves and that gives a full satisfaction in objective Grace with the full Assurance of Faith that the Creature may be laid low and Christ may be glorified I must tell you that a meer Sinner is the Object of Pardon and not a Sinner considered under any holy Qualifications The whole need not the Physician Christ finds and pardons lost Sinners and there 's no Sinner applies pardon aright but as a meer Sinner tho he hath Faith But of this I have spoken before in our Eighth Conference and Twelfth Neonom Therefore if there be a Voice a true Voice of God carrying its own evidence saying Thy sins are forgiven it doth at the same time and by the same voice witness to the truth of our Grace because he forgives no other according to the Word of the Gospel Antinom A true Voice witnessing the Forgiveness of sins doth consequently witness to the truth of Grace in our Hearrs for the closing with the Evidence in a way of Comfort witnessed by the Spirit doth de facto witness to the truth of our Faith there 's Lord I believe Likewise it witnesseth that Christ is ours and we Christs and if so we are New Creatures and this we may be and must be before we can bring forth any Fruits besides Faith it self But it 's not for the reason you alledge which is as much as to say Christ saves none but them that are saved already Neonom If the Spirit should say to an Impenitent Soul Thou art pardoned while such it is no Promise in the Gospel c. Antinom Is there no promise in the Gospel to take away the heart of stone to give repentance and neither of these is found till pardoning mercy make the way and are never savingly found till Forgiveness is given and in some measure of Believing closed with but you rove from the Point of Assurance that we are upon go on to your next Argument Neonom To have the Ordinary way of Assurance as it 's stated by the opposite Errour is of dangerous Consequence D. W. p. 167. Antinom i. e. By the Witness of the Spirit and by the Evidence of Faith I pray let us hear those dangerous Consequences what they be Neonom 1. Most Saints must quit their Hopes and Assurances for they never had this Voice tho they have greater stamps of the Spirit than any I ever knew pretend to this Antinom If any Saints have Hopes and Assurance that is good in some degree they need not quit them in betaking themselves to better firmer and more lasting grounds of Hope and Assurance the Assurance may be the same tho better grounded and built But they never had this Voice what mean you by this Is there any true Believer that never heard what the Spirit saith to Sinners is there any that hears not what God saith in his Word Do they not hear that are in their spiritual Graves the Voice of Christ and live Do you so impose as to stretch our meaning to an extraordinary Audible Voice Then you do but like your self But yet you say they have stamps of the Spirit I pray how doth the Spirit make a Stamp and Impression upon a Sinners Heart but by the Application of the Grace of the Gospel in Believing Is it not as many as received Christ to them is the Priviledge of being the Sons of God And you say greater Stamps than any you know pretend to this you speak you know not what in a scornfull manner as if you knew little your self what belongs to a rrue Gospel Spirit I am sure if you did you would not run out in this loose manner as you do in a way of Contempt of others See Phil. 2.3 4. Neonom It makes all Examination useless and vain Antinom It makes Examination most usefull and necessary yea hereby becomes more profitable advantageous and comfortable when by sounding we find good bottom we find we have not only Life but have it more abundantly Neonom It overturneth one of the great ãâã God hath assigned to the work of all Grace on the Heart Antinom What shall I call this Assertion Mr. Calvin Calvin For shame Mr. Neonom leave off what will you say Gods own Spirit witnessing in our Hearts to the full Assurance of Faith overturns his work of Grace in our Hearts I am sorry to hear this evil Communication come out of your Mouth Neonom It makes Assurance impossible without this Miraculous Voice Antinom Are you again upon the High Ropes and Tenter-hooks Is this intended to be any way a miraculous Voice only the Voice of the Spirit as Comforter in the Heart according to the Word Is it a miraculous Voice
strong or weak so our Assurance is strong or weak Now that Faith still carries with it a Hypostasis or Demonstration of the thing believed grounded upon the Certainty Truth and Infallibility of God I am fully satisfied from that Portion of Scripture that evinces it undeniably Heb. 11.1 And as now for other grounds of Comfort and Assurance which arise from the Visibility of the Grace of God and the Fruits of the Spirit in the Heart and Life I highly value them as subordinate grounds of Comfort and Confirmation in Assurance these are seen by the reflection of the Soul upon it self being able in regenerate man to reason in a spiritual manner from Causes Effects Subjects and Adjuncts c. which he finds in himself according to the Rule of the Word of God This I call Experimental Assurance and this is that which is so long attaining to and when it is had may be lost again in a great measure as Comfort therefore And because many Believers take this to be all the Assurance they must look for and their Teachers tell them so therefore they go mourning all their dayes and are only supported by what degrees of Assurance is in their Faith which they take not to be any and their Teachers tell them that Faith hath nothing of Assurance in it but do suggest as if it were but the roving of the Mind in uncertainties and Probability and that it is Presumption for them to believe to Confidence and Assurance though the Spirit of God doth command and encourage it again and again and that doubting is rather their Vertue than Sin whereas so much as there is of Doubting mingled with their Faith so much there is of Sin and Unbelief In true Faith there is the Promise more or less believed i. e. the Truth and Goodness because a Promise reached forth a Truth which carries Goodness in it to us-ward is received the âeason of which reception is the certain Truth and Faithfulneââ of him that promiseth Hence there is believing a Word and believing a Person Hence believing hath three things in it according to the Apostle Heb. 11. 1. The Object falls not under the measure of Sense and Reason therefore called Things not seen and Things hoped for 2. There is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã i. e. an express Image Heb. 1. of the things not seen and hoped for brought to us in the Promise 3. There is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a Demonstration or Argument of the Reality and Certainty of those things and intention of bestowing them taken from the Truth and Faithfulness of him that promiseth Faithful is he that hath promised Now that God hath promised in general and indefinitely to save Sinners and that he is able and willing to perform it in his time and to whom he pleaseth may be a common Faith only and such as the Devils have But for a Sinner to take up with the Promise for himself is the work of the Spirit peculiarly Because there is no man spoken to by Name in the Promise which advantage Abraham had and the want thereof must be supplyed by the Spirit 's âaying to the Soul more or less plainly This Promise belongeth ânto thee whereby the Soul is enabled to exert fiducially a believing the Promise and staying on the Promiser for himself And here lyes the difficulty of Believing and the usual workings of Unbelief It 's a marvellous thing to me Mr. Neonomian that you can have the Impudency to quote the Assembly for your Assertion Confess Ch. 18. viz. That there is no other grounds of Assurance but Signs and Marks Whereas they say so expressly That a Believer may be assured in this Life that he is in a State of Grace and this Certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable perswasion grounded on a fallible Hope but an Infallible Assurance of Faith founded on the Divine Truth of the Promises of Salvation the inward evidence of those Graces unto which those Promises are made the Testimony of the Spirit of Adoption witnessing with our Spirits So that they make three grounds of Assurance 1. The infallible Assurance of Faith 2. The inward Evidences of Graces 3. The Witness of the Spirit of Adoption When you quoted this place you had either forgot what you had wrote or you quote it retaining the Assembly first least it should be brought against you There are three great Graces spoken of by the Apostle 1 Cor. 13.13 Faith Hope Love Mr. Caryl on Job 13.13 And the Scripture holds forth an Assurance in reference to every one of these First The Assurance of Faith Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true Heart in full assurance of Faith This Assurance of Faith hath a double respect 1. To our Persons 2. To our Services that in both we are pleasing to God Secondly There 's an Assurance of Hope Heb. 6.11 Faith hath an Eye to the Truth of the Promise Hope to the Good of the Promise and the Assurance of Hope is that we shall certainly receive that Good Thirdly There 's an Assurance of Love 1 Joh. 4.48 Perfect Love casts out Fear How is Love made Perfect and how doth it cast out Fear v. 17. Herein saith he is love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment because as he is so are we in the World i. e. As his Love is sincere to us so is ours to him according to our measure even in this life and this gives us boldness our Assurance that all shall go well with us in the day of Judgment so this Love casteth out all fear of Condemnation in that day which Fear where it remains hath Torment than which nothing is more contrary to Assurance In perfect Love there is no Torment because there is no Fear and there is no Fear because there is an Assurance of the Love of God in this love the Soul doth repose rest and delight it self There is a Fourth thing spoken of which is a full assurance of Vnderstanding This is Clearness of our apprehension about the things which we do believe and upon which we fasten by Faith and Love The Light of the Understanding shining upon the Mysteries of the Gospel and mixing with our other Graces bottoms the Soul upon the strongest Foundation and raiseth it up to the highest Pinnacle of Assurance We may say of Assurance in reference to these four Graces as Philosophers do of the Heavens in reference to the four Elements That they are neither of the four Elements but a Quintessence of a fisth Essence So we may say of Assurance it is neither Faith nor Hope nor Love nor Knowledge but it is a fifth thing sublimated and raised either out of or above all those i. e. when Assurance is raised to the highest pitch that it is a full Assurance from whence our Joy is full all a Christians Sails are filled being under a full gale and having fair weather Rom. 8.16 The Spirit
Neonomianism Unmask'd OR THE Ancient Gospel PLEADED Against the OTHER CALLED A New LAW OR GOSPEL IN A Theological Debate occasioned by a Book lately Wrote by Mr. Dan. Williams Entituled Gospel-Truth Stated and Vindicated Unwarily Commended and Subscribed by some Divines Applauded and Defended by the late Athenian Clubb As many as are of the Works of the Law are under a Curse Gal. 3.10 And the Law is not of Faith Ver. 12. Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10.4 By ISAAC CHAVNCY M. A. LONDON Printed for J. Harris at the Harrow in the Poultry 1692. TO ALL True Lovers OF THE LORD JESUS BOTH Ministers Christians Of any Perswasions whatever THE Apostle Paul doth declaim against nothing more than Another Gospel which is not another Gospel as he saith because no Gospel Quod nusquam est cum unum fit Evangelium non plura saith Beza on the Gal. 1. It is no where seeing there is but one Gospel and not more This pretended other Gospel was a Doctrine that taught the Conjunction of the Works of a Law with the Grace of God and the Righteousness of Christ in the Juctification of a Sinner before God which some False Teachers did zealously press upon the Galatians in opposition to the Apostles Doctrine These he calls Troublers of the Churches and Perverters or Subverters of the Gospel of Christ viz. The Doctrine of Justification by Free Grace Such as teach Justification by a Law of Merits not of Christ but our own See Beza on the pl. Altho' we say they were wrought in us by Christ as if Christ could be said to Justifie by giving us a way or means to justifie our selves you may as well reconcile Light and Darkness as these two As to the Introducers and Teachers of such Doctrine the Apostle denounceth a bitter Curse against them whatever they were pretending to never so much Holiness Apostles or Angels Yea he puts himself under this Anathema if at any time he should be guilty in this kind And to shew that he speaks not rashly or passionately but by the Spirit of God and to awe Men's Minds the more and deterr them from such Attempts he redoubles the Imprecation But you 'll say May we not a little make bold with the Gospel of Christ How far may we venture to go and not fall under this Anathema The Apostle answers v. 9. If any Man preach any other Gospel unto you than that you have received let him be accursed And the Doctrines which they had received was Justification by Faith without the Works of a Law And that a Law is not of Faith in the Point of Justification ch 3.12 Mr. Beza justifies our Translation in rendring ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã besides rather than against For saith he the Apostle said not If they preach contrary things and subvert the whole Gospel as Chrysostom hath it But If they pervert it a little if they preach any thing besides that Gospel which they had received c. If they as the Apostle saith many did 2 Cor. 2.17 * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Caupanariam Exercentes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Caupones Infames semper sordidi sunt babiti quod merces corrumpunt adulterant Jun. Beza Corrupt the Word of God as fraudulent Vintners who dash their Wines with Water or any base Liquors But saith the Apostle We are of those who Preach the Word of God ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Sincerity in the Truth of our Hearts as we will answer unto God without any thing of Craft or Double Dealing or mixing our omn Schemes or Phantasies therewith that speak the very Truth as we have dealt plainly and truly not shunning to declare unto you all the Counsel of God Acts 20.27 not shuffling and hiding some great Truths that we think are not fit for the People to know and therefore saith he we have abdicated * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Abrenunciavimus pudendis latebris non calliditaté ambutantes neque falsantes sermonem Dei 2 Cor. 4.2 this shameful hiding the Word of God not demeaning our selves craftily nor handling it deceitfully And to such as receive this other Gospel who have professed to the receiving the True Gospel he saith I marvel you should be so soon removed from him that called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel Calls them Fools Gal. 3.1 saith they were fascinated bewitched the Devil had got a great hand over them tells them they were Apostates had began in a Spiritual Gospel but ended in a Carnal Nay he testifies that whoever is Justified by a Law it's ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã are fallen from Grace and that all their former Sufferings how great soever they have been would prove in vain Oh! that Professors of our Days would seriously consider these things who are so ready to run after this other Gospel Lastly It is also needful to observe how the Apostle Paul complements Peter that Great Apostle and one of the Pillars in the Churches for his double dealing in these matters in so much as countenancing this False Gospel or the Imposing Teachers of it He withstood him to the Face and publickly he rebuked him sharply because he was exceedingly culpable and in that he not only committed a great Sin himself but carry'd away Barnabas and many professing Jews with his Dissimulation insomuch that they all plaid the Hypocrites * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã with him to please the Neonomians He aggravates their Fault in telling them they countenanced a Doctrine which they were convinced was false ch 2.16 That they made Christ a Minister of Sin that they condemned themselves in their Practice by building the things which they had destroyed He takes off also all Apologies that they might make from the seeming Smallness of the Fault as to refuse to eat with the Gentiles Come come saith he the mischief lies in it's Tendency viz. To encourage the Preachers and Receivers of the Doctrine of Justification by the Works of the Law ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã For saith he we have believed on Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of a Law for by the Works of a Law no Flesh living shall be justified I hope they whom these things do nearly concern at this time will duly weigh and consider them Tho' I doubt not but they know them yet it may not be amiss to stir up knowing Men by putting them in remembrance 2 Pet. 1.12 13. Verbum sat sapientibus As to the present Grand Assertor of a New Law and of the Doctrine of Justification by the Works of the said Law I thought it due to the Grandeur of his Appearance in the Head of a New Sect to treat him by the Name thereof viz. A Neonomian * One that Asserts the Old Law is abolished and therein is a superlative Antinomian but pleads for a New Law and Justification by
the Works of it and therein is a Neonomian and the rather because by that Rectoral Rule of Government which he hath usurp'd to himself and the Rule of Sin he hath judicially Sentenced all his Opposers to the Name of Antinomians or Abetters of them Insomuch that all our first Protestant Reformers and any known by the Name of Calvinists fall under his severe Censure as Ignorant Setters up of the Name of Christ and his Grace against his Government I thought it meet to call in the long-ago deceased Doctor also under what Name or Title soever he is pleased to call him whom he carries about to scare Children with and as a Trophy of his pretended Triumph that he might be made speak and the World may hear what he hath to say for himself and be acquainted how he is abused and that he may be hereafter permitted to rest quietly in his Grave and not used as Wickliff was i. e. Burnt for an Heretick so many Years after be hath been dead In a Word Shall we stand still with our Fingers in our Months in such a Day of Peace and Liberty while we are Brow-beaten or wheadled out of the great Fundamental Points of Eternal Life and Salvation which in all Ages of Antichristian Tyranny have triumph'd over the smartest Persecutions through the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of his Testimony in the Faith and Patience of the Saints who have not loved their Lives unto Death in the Heroick Defence of them against the very same sort of Opposition And who I pray will harm us now if we as strenuously defend the Truth as it is audaciously attack'd Have any of us suffered to the spoiling of our Goods in the Defence of Truth of a subordinate and subservient Nature to these and shall we suffer all this in vain and cast our selves tamely at the Feet of such a confident Invader of our most choice and precious things in the World yea our very Life in Christ What is it that affrightens us Doth the Scripture Law or Learning terrify us If so little a Foot-man can run us out of Breath how do we think to contend with Horses Dragooners I mean if they should come And if in the Land of Peace we are wearied what shall we do in the Swelling of Jordan If Popery should ever over-run us again which God forbid and we should be called to bear Testimony to these Truths at Fire and Paggot as the Famous Martyrs have done It 's to be feared now that many Protestants would provide for their Safety by flying to the Neonomian Asylum But to conclude however we shrink from the despised Truths of Christ shuffle and cut with him and sometimes huff and bounce at him or some Truth of his I am fully assured the God of Glory and all Grace who hath hitherto preserved the pure Doctrine of his Gospel not only from the impure Mixtures of Pretenders to Holiness the crafty Methodists of Satan as an Angel of Light but also from his open Rage as a roaring Lion will continue yet to maintain it against all the bâting Winds of False Doctrine That Christ hath his Fan in his Hand and will thoroughly purge his Floor and that if any Man lay any other Foundation than what is laid which is Jesus Christ and continues so to do his Root shall be Rottenness and his Blossom go up as Dust I. C. Some of the Paradoxes contained in the Neonomian Scheme 1. SINS of the Elect are not forgiven immediately upon nor meerly by Christ's Enduring Sufferings but there were by Divine Appointment to interpose a Gospel Promise of Pardon the Work of the Spirit for a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise in the Person to be pardoned and a Judicial Act of Pardon by that Promise on the Person thus conformed to the Rule thereof 2. The Gospel hath another Sanction to the Preceptive Part of the Law than the Covenant of Works had Though nothing be abated in the Rule of Sin and Duty yet Blessings are Promised to Lower Degrees of Duty and a continuance in a state of Death with a Barr to the Blessing are not threatned against every Degree of Sin as the Covenant of Works did 3. This Change of the Sanction supposeth the Death of Christ and his honouring the Law by his perfect Obedience wherein God hath provided for his own Glory while he promiseth Life by Forgiveness to Imperfect Man and yet insists on some Degrees of Obedience to which of his meer Grace he enableth us 4. The Degrees of Obedience the Covenant of Redemption secures to the Elect tho' the Grant therein is pleadable only by Christ as the stipulating Party for us and our Personal Claim depends upon the Gospel Covenant whereof Christ is Mediator 5. The Gospel-Sanction determins as certain a Rule of Happiness and Misery as the Law of Works did tho' it be not the same for while it promiseth a Pardon to all believing repenting Sinners and declares a Barr to Pardon to the Impenitent Rejecters of Christ and Gospel-Grace it fixeth true Repentance and Faith unfeigned to be the Terms of Pardon 6. When it promiseth Heaven to the sincerely holy persevering Believer it fixeth sincere Holiness and Perseverance in Faith as the Terms of possessing Heaven 7. Hence the use of Faith and Holiness as to those Benefits is not fron the Conformity to the Precept but their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise 8. Our applying Christ's Righteousness and relying on it would no more Justifie us than our Holiness would Save us were it not for the Gospel-Promise God will justifie for Christ's sake all such as believe 9. God in dispensing Gospel-promised Blessings doth judicially determine a Conformity to this Rule of the Promise When he forgives he judicially declares a Man hath true Faith when he admits to Heoven he judicially declares a Man sincerely holy and persevering 10. The Wedding-Garment Matth. 22.11 is true uniting Faith 11. Forgiving Adopting Glorifying and Conveyance of every Gospel-Benefit given on God's Terms are Judicial Acts of God as a Rector if not he doth blindly and promiscuously dispense them without any regard to our being Believers 12. With respect to what is declared the Gospel is a Law of Faith and it especially insists on that Sincerity of Grace and Holiness which the Rule of the Promise makes necessary in it's Description of the Person whom it makes Partaker of it's included Benefits 13. The Merits of Christ are the Cause of this Gospel-Ordination his Righteousness Imputed is the Cause for which we are Justified and Saved when we do answer the Rule of the Gospel 14. The Righteousness of God Phil. 3.9 principally intends the Gospel Holiness of a Person justified by Christ's Righteousness both which by Faith in Christ all his Members shall be perfect in 15. The Grace of God is hereby stated as free as is Consistent with his Government and judicial rectoral Distribution of Rewards and Punishments THE Ancient Gospel
5. Therefore they set up the Name of Christ against his Government Is his Name Jehovah our Righteousness against his Government See whether Paul is one of those Ignorant Advancers of Christ Gal. 2.8 9. Neonom I believe many Abettors of these Mistakes are honestly zealous for the Honour of Free Grace but have not sufficient Light to see how God hath provided for this in his Rectoral Distribution of Benefits by a Gospel Rule Antinom We are beholding to you Sir for a Drop of Charity mingled with your supercilious Contempt of Holy Protestant Reformers who in my poor Judgment were knowing and learned Men that asserted both the Grace and Government of Christ against your new Law you esteem them but ignorant honest Men that meant well but ignorantly zealous for the Grace of God carried on only by a blind Devotion and did not understand the Mystery of God's Rectoral Distribution The Apostle tells us who are ignorant Rom. 10.3 They that are ignorant of God's Righteousness and go about to establish their own What do you think of the Mythologists of the Late Athenian Society I hope you esteem them Learned and Knowing as well as Honest Neonom Indeed I am bound to give them a high Character because they have given so ample a Testimony to my Scheme After their Learned Defence that somebody took Care of that it should be well done they give me and my Book this Character The Book is worth Perusal of all sorts of Persons for the Antidote which is annexed to each Argument and we must deliver our Opinions that Mr. Williams hath without Passion plainly learnedly and solidly established the Truth with incomparable Brevity and Criticism upon many Texts Antinom But I suppose they have wronged you in one thing viz. Branding you for a Critick upon Texts of Scripture I would do you right I believe you were never guilty of that As to what they say besides of you and your Book I leave others to judge when the matters are impartially tryed Neonom You may say what you please you see it passed the Judgement of those Wise Learned and Judicious Men Divines and others that were Eyes to the Nation in all Points of Difficulty both in Policy Law Divinity Matrimony and something else Antinom As to the Politicks or the Oeconomicks or what else you will call it their Skill failed tho to their Fatal Ruine But I meddle not with those Points I am most concerned at the Inscription upon their Altar ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to the unknown God which they ignorantly worship Neonom What do you mean by that Antinom I mean they are ignorant of God according to the Articles of the Church of England Neonom It 's Impossible I am sure they give no such ground of suspition by the Credit they have given my Scheme Antinom That may be Bona Ingenia jumpunt I doubt not but they are of your Opinion in Doctrinals Neonom But you say they know not God according to the Church of England Prove that Charge we will both fall together sure if you make not that good I can't but take you for a wicked Slanderer and Backbiter of a worthy solid learned Society of men Antinom If I do not prove my Charge let me be accounted so Sc. As to the Doctrine of Election in answer to this Q. Does the Scripture any where affirm an Election of a determinate Number of men to Eternal Life and Happiness Vol. 7. Athen. Merc. Num. 26. July 26. 1692. They make this Answer I must confess as Men to be pitied for their Ignorance It 's an easie thing to be mistaken in matters of this nature howsoever if we are so we 'll profess our selves ready to change our Opinion this is modest and Ingenuous on the producing better Reason and in the mean time not to have angry and uncharitable thoughts of those who are of a different Judgment Now thus far they set you a Pattern for you forsooth must Dogmatize and Anathematize all men that are not of your Opinion But to the Question We cannot be satisfied by any of those Scriptures which are brought for that purpose that there is any such an Election of a determinate number as either puts a Force to their Natures and Irresistibly saves them or absolutely excludes all the rest of Mankind from Salvation Not to stand upon the fotching in some words improperly brought as forcing Mens Natures which is so much like your way of Canons and Articles that I have a great suspicion that they drew up this Answer by your Direction I shall for all your shifting and shuffling that I see you are prepared for and I am as ready to answer for brevity sake say thus much That these Gentlemen do in this Opinion of theirs deny Absolute Election which you will also be found to do at the long run and that this assertion in denyal of Absolute Election is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England Art 17. Predestination to Life is the Everlasting Purpose of God whereby before the Foundations of the World were laid he hath constantly decreed by his Counsel secret to us to deliver from Curse and Damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of Mankind and to bring them to Everlasting Salvation as Vessels made to Honour Now your Servant Sir I think I have proved what I promised I am sure this Article intends an absolute and unconditional Election of some and such an Election as excludes all others Eventually which I am ready to make good But this is not all yet there is another Question concerning the Salvation of the Heathens you advance in order to that Text There is a Qu. Vol. 7. No. 29. There 's no other Name under Heaven given That if we believe in God we believe vertually in Christ I desire to know what 's meant by a Vertual Belief A. The Jews were under the Dispensation of believing Our Father having Faith in the Messiah and whereas the Heathens were under the Dispensation of the Law of Nature the Divine Light written in Man which is the ordinary Voice of the Spirit in every man to restrain him from Murder Idolatry c. if they kept to that Law they should receive the Vertue of the Lamb of God slain before the Foundation of the World by the Fathers Decree for the sins of all men contrary to the Article 18. of the C. of E. They also are to be had accursed that presume to say that every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth so that he be diligent to frame his Life according to that Law and the Light of Nature For Holy Scripture hath set out to us only the Name of Jesus Christ whereby men may be saved Neonom You are under many mistakes you neither understand those learned Mythologists nor the Articles for the Articles speak Old English and the Mythologist the New Divinity but they both mean the same thing
can be nothing abated in the Sanction it must be Life or Death Ergo There 's the same Law still and we must be saved by the Covenant of Works or not at all But 3. The Reason you give of changing the Sanction is because the Blessings are promised to lower Degrees of Duty This as I said is no Change in the Promise but in the Condition and then see how you contradict your self in the same Breath You say there 's nothing abated in the Rule and yet lower Degrees of Duty admitted How can these Lower Degrees be admitted but by the Rule of the preceptive part For the Degrees of Duty required are according to God's Commands and he requires in a Law Duty answering the Perfection of the Precept Neonom And a Continuance in a State of Death with a Barr to the Blessing are not threatned against every Degree of Sin as the Covenant of Works did Antinom This is not Sence as express'd But I take your Meaning 1. Death was threatned in the Covenant of Works but it spake not of a continuance in that State with any such Barr to a Blessing as should hinder God from the saving of Sinners But you own that Barr might be removed and was but your Covenant puts as great a Barr as that That if Men perform not the Condition they must continue in the state of Death notwithstanding all that Christ hath done to remove the Barr from the Old Covenant For their Concernment in your Sence is not now for a Righteousness to answer that but to answer the New Law which lays them under Life or Death 2. Is the Condition the same and more And the Sanction the same How is it possible it should not threaten Death to every Degree of Sin 3. It seems our Salvation is according to the Degree of Sin We must know what Sins are of such a Degree as that they are pardonable what Venial and what Mortal and if Law and Gospel are distinguished by the Degrees of Sin Gospel lies in Sin not Grace it seems for if it be from the Degree of Sin that we are saved then not from the Blood of Christ which taketh away all Sin 4. Doth God's Law admit of Sin in any Degree then I say as the Apostle saith Is the Law Sin To admit of Sin into Law is Sin No the Law is Holy Just and Good and the Promise doth not make void the Law by abating one Jot or Tittle of it but establisheth the Law Therefore the Law cannot admit of Sin Neonom Can any doubt this to be the Grace of the Gospel-Promise Antinom Yea I do not only doubt it but know and do testifie to the World according to the Grace of God given to me That it is not the Grace of the Gospel-Promise Neonom Doth it promise Life to all Men however vile and impenitent they be Antinom It promiseth and giveth Life to the vilest and most impenitent Sinners Where Grace gives Life it supposeth Men dead and not alive For Repentance is part of the Life given and to talk of giving Life to penitent Sinners is to suppose them alive before Life is given but it doth not suppose that where Christ gives Life the vilest Sinners shall remain so or impenitent Neonom Or doth it threaten Damnation or a continuance of it unto any true penitent believing Godly Man because he is Imperfect Antinom Let a Man pretend himself or be look'd upon to be never so penitent believing and Godly and seek to be justified and saved by his Works I mean such as you mention Moral Obedience Acts of Faith Penitency c. I affirm thereby he is fallen from Grace Gal. 5.4 Being fallen short of the Righteousness of God Rom. 10. And as he puts himself under a Law for Justification so a Law condemns for imperfect Obedience For I roundly assert That no Law of God with a Sanction of Life and Death upon Performance or Non-performance of Obedience doth admit of the least Imperfection in the said Obedience Therefore such are under the Curse for their Imperfections Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things And I say if your Gospel be a Law it doth denounce Damnation to the Holiest and most Godly Man upon Earth Neonom This Change of the Sanction supposeth the Death of Christ and his honouring his Law by his perfect Obedience wherein God hath provided for his own Glory while he promiseth Forgiveness to imperfect Man Antinom I have proved the Sanction is not changed But in your Law it seems the Condition is changed It was in the Old Law Perfect Obedience in the New it's Imperfect Verily it is changed for the worse for Imperfect is worse than Perfect But how comes this to pass God hath provided for his own Glory in Christ that saving of Men is upon the Conditions of Imperfect Obedience i. e. by a worse Law an unholy and unjust Law might not turn to his Dishonour God hath provided for himself you mean seeing he rashly made such a Law as he finds will not answer his Ends Justice shall have it's due in his Son and then he shall be at liberty to make a Law with such easie imperfect and sinful Conditions that Sinners may be saved Is not this admirable Stuff for Gospel Neonom And yet he insists upon some Degrees of Obedience unto which of his meer Grace he enables us Antinom He could by his Grace as well enable us to Perfect Obedience if it were for his Honour that Obedience should be the Condition But doth it make it make it ever the less a Covenant of Works Doth what you say make it of Grace For 1. Forgiveness that 's but the Reward of Life But you 'll say it 's for the sake of Christ well that 's but in respect of the Old Law that it may not condemn you whereby you are come into a capacity to stand again for Life upon new Conditions 2. You say it 's to imperfect Man But is it not the same thing to save by Perfect or Imperfect Works so Works be the Condition 3. What if Grace enables them This alters not the Case Did not God give Adam his Holiness before the Fall and enable him to do what he did Neonom This the Covenant of Redemption secures to the Elect tho' the Grant therein is pleadable only by Christ as the Stipulating Party for us Antinom As for your Notion that your Covenant of Redemption is Distinct from the Covenant of Grace I deny it and shall hereafter make it appear that the Covenant of Grace and Redemption is one and the same Covenant And for the present I tax you for saying That the Covenant of Redemption is pleadable by none but Christ Do we never plead Redemption nor the Promise made in Christ nor Christ himself What is all in the Covenant of Redemption Do we not plead it daily And what Christ stipulated in this Covenant for us may we not plead it Is not
the Promise of Life in Christ pleadable 2 Tim. 1.1 9. Neonom And our Personal Claim depends on the Gospel-Covenant whereof Christ is the Mediator Antinom So the Covenant of Redemption is not the Gospel-Covenant but neither is there any Claim to be made by it but another that interposeth between the Second Covenant and us We are not entitled at all to this new Covenant-Blessing by Christ but by our own Obediance you mean in performance of the Conditions of this Covenant you say How To defend from the Old Law Prosecution that there may be no Interruption but our New Law may have quiet in allowance of our Imperfect Obedience Christ Mediator with you is but as the Angel that defended Paradice so Christ stands and defends the New Law that no exception may be taken at its proceeding in Justification by Imperfect Obedience This is to make the Lord Jesus Christ the Minister of Sin to offer up himself a Sacrifice to procure an imperfect Righteousness for a Covenant Condition For in all Imperfections of Obedience there 's a mixture of Sin And is not this to make Sin good in its own Nature And implicitly to assert it can do us no hurt in the lower Degree it coming in as an Allay to the strictness of the Covenant of Works There 's a necessity of it as to the very formal Nature of it in the Condition For otherwise it would be a perfect Condition and then exclude us from all Blessedness as you say Neonom 4. This Gospel Sanction determines as certain a Rule of Happiness and Misery as the Law of Works did though it be not the same Antinom To determine Rules of Sin and Misery as your frequent Expression is is to make the Gospel to approve of Sin and Misery and it 's great Design and Business to send Men to Hell Take your way of Expression in what Sence you please it 's so Unscholar-like that a School-boy should be whipt for it 2. I tell you the Gospel hath no Law Sanction at all of its own but it only establisheth the Sanction of the Law by way of Promise to all saved ones Christ is the End of the Law to them and as to those that are not saved the Law takes it's Course upon them they come not under the Efficacy of the Gospel at all 3. In the whole you have said you have affirmed the Gospel to be a Covenant of Works as it 's your usual manner Neonom While it promiseth Pardon to all believing repenting Sinners and declares a Barr to pardon to the impenitent Rejecters of Christ and Gospel Grace it fixeth true Repentance and Faith unfeigned to be the Terms of Pardon So when it promiseth Heaven to the sincerely holy persevering Believer it fixeth sincere Holiness and Perseverance in Faith at the Terms of possessing Heaven Antinom 1. I would fain know whether the Gospel offers not Pardon unto unbelieving and impenitent Sinners Not that they should continue unbelieving and impenitent but that they should believe and repent For the Promise of the Gospel is an Offer and Tender of Forgiveness unto Sinners and it 's preached to them as such to perswade and encourage them to believe and whether this Promise be not before Faith to work it if not the Sinner hath no ground to believe For where there 's no Promise there 's no ground to believe 2. If it declare a Barr to all present impenitent ones and Rejecters of Christ it is preached in vain for all are so till they receive Christ by Faith 3. Whether Faith and Repentance be not included in the Promise of the Gospel I say They are All Gifts of Grace belong to the Promise of Grace but Faith and Repentance are Gifts of Grace Tâe Scripture is express in it Now then I argue First That Faith and Repentance belong to the Promise to the same Promise that gives forth Pardon and therefore are no Conditions they are Benefits they are Life in Christ and there 's none can have them but such as are in Christ And therefore Pardon is not promised to Faith and Repentance as things distinct from the Promise but Pardon is promised together with Faith and Repentance to the Sinner The Spirit of God only gives us to understand that they are to go together Pardon is rather the Conndition of Faith and Repentance and much more having a causal Influence thereunto then Faith and Repentance of Pardon 2. The Gospel doth not fix Faith and Repentantance as Conditions of Pardon in your Sence i. e. Working Conditions to entitle us to Christ for we are pardoned and justified freely and though there be Faith and Repentance upon giving forth of Pardon yet Faith Repentance and Remission of Sins are given in the same Promise to the Ungodly to Persons that were even till now Impenitent Rejecters of Christ 3. But you go on with your Mystery First The Sinner must be qualified with Faith and Repentance before he is reconciled to God in a way of Pardon and when he hath that he is to come on upon another Covenant for possessing of Heaven Now there must be sincere Holiness and Perseverance to qualifie him for Heaven The Promise of Heaven it s upon other Conditions What a Sad Case is a poor Sinner in if he make a shift to scramble by his imperfect Conditions into Covenant He is like every Day to be turned out again And when he hath done the best he can yet he must never believe that he shall go to Heaven till he lies a dying It were happy for him to be knock'd on the Head when he is in a good Frame lest he should lose all again and put to begin to go through all his imperfect sincere persevering moral Righteousness believing he knows not what For if he falls into Sin he must conclude his Perseverance is at an end you must enform us what Degrees of Sin in our imperfect Obedience may be admitted before we conclude that our Perseverance is at an end and then though you say Happiness will come upon Perseverance in imperfect Holiness I suppose then perfect Holiness is that which qualifies us for perfect Happiness and is the Condition of it Therefore we must arrive at it in this Life that so we may have the Condition before the Promise Are not these miserable Chimera's for Protestants Neonom Hence the Vse of Faith and Holiness to those Benefits is not from their Conformity to the Precept but their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise Antinom Now we come to the Whirligig that is the Mystery of the Scheme 1. We would know whether there be any difference between Conformity to a Rule and Precept in a Law And 2. What is the Rule of the Promise Is it not with you the Precept If it be not how is Conformity to it Obedience 3. The Promise is not properly a Precept as such tho' the Gospel-Promise is the Ground and Reason of all Gospel-Precepts but not Precepts of
of God as Rector Antinom If you understand Judicial in respect of the Justice of God answered by the Righteousness of Christ purchasing all good Gifts and Blessings for Sinners that deserve nothing but Wrath it may be said of Justification But if you understand Judicial in respect of any Duty Grace or Qualification that is found in us tho' wrought by the Spirit I abhor it as an abominable Position And your Saying the Wedding Garment was Faith and not the Righteousness of Christ apprehended by Faith is a wretched wresting and Abuse of Scripture turning the sweet and precious Doctrine of our Lord and Saviour against himself I shall meet with you again upon these Points more largely therefore I pass them over briefly now But in the mean time take notice that all our Protestants and particularly the Assemblies Catechism define Justification and Adoption always Acts of Free Grace Neonom If so doth he despense these blindly and promiscuously without any regard to our being Believers c. or no Whether our Faith be true or no any one would blush to affirm Antinom I would know whether if God distribute his Free Grace to poor wretched and worthless Creatures according to his Election and distinguishing Mercy doth he do it blindly because he finds no Reason in them And I pray doth God dispense the Grace of Faith blindly if he doth it without respect to Men's being Believers first So if they believe before they shall have the Gift of Faith and their Faith must be true too before they have Faith given I can ' but think you are Fricatae Frontis or you would blush at the delivery of these things Neonom With respect to what is above declared the Gospel is a Law of Faith a Law of Liberty c. And it especially insists on that Sincerity of Grace and Holiness which the Rule of the Promise makes necessary in it's Description of the Person whom it makes Partaker of it's included Benefits Antinom You do here begin to make Conclusions on your Premises but your Premises not holding Water your Conclusions will no way follow you conclude the Gospel is a Law of Faith We have briefly shewed as you have given occasion that the Gospel as such is no Law and hath not a Sanctio it 's wholly a Promise of Life and the Performance of the Promise doth not depend upon any thing a Sinner can do as a Foederal Condition I shall shew fully hereafter that there is no ground from that place Rom. 3. nor that of James 1. to conclude the Gospel to be a Law i. e. A Command of Duty for a Condition with a Sanction of Threats upon the Non-performance or Promises as Rewards upon the Performance whether the Condition be Perfect of Imperfect Obedience You make the Sincerity of Grace and Holiness to be this Condition and you call it the Rule of the Promise which you say is not the Precept neither neither is it the Promise but a Rule that is neither Precept or Promise So what your Rule is he is wise that knows And you say this Rule makes Sincerity necessary in the Discription of the Person So the Rule of the Promise describes a Person only and therefore makes him not but tells us he must be sincere before he hath any thing to do with the Promise From whence hath he this Sincerity described From Law or Gospel From God or himself If from God then by way of Grace and Gift and so through the Promise If of our selves it 's Dross They that are in the Flesh cannot please God and therefore much less perform such a Duty for which God will give the promised Benefits Neonom And the main of our Ministry consisteth in pressing Men to answer the Rule of Gospel Promises Antinom What this means is very strange when you say the use of Faith and Holiness as to Benefits is not from their Conformity to the Precept Therefore what do you press them unto when you press them to answer the Rule of the Gospel When the Conformity to the Precept doth no good I suppose in the same Sence as you say Obliquity in regard of the Precept will do no hurt But the main of our Ministry consists in Preaching Christ and bringing Sinners unto him and building them up in him Neonom And disswading Men from those things which the Gospel threatens shall hinder their Interest in all or any of their Benefits with an Aggravation of their Misery if they be final Rejecters of Grace Antinom Whatever befalls Sinners retaining their sinful state and rejecting Grace is from the Law and not from the Gospel To talk of a Gospel-Threat is a Catechresis at best and nothing else can save it from being a Bull. But what are those that will hinder a Sinner from the Benefit of being turned from Darkness to Light This I can suppose is the Non-improvement of the Grace which you take every one to have which either hinders or makes that they are not converted Neonom We call Men to be reconciled to God upon which we know God will be at Peace with them Antinom But you tell them not according to 2 Cor. 5.18 That all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ And this is the ground of the Ministry of Reconciliation and the ground of Perswasion to Sinners to be reconciled unto God But this Portion of Scripture to the End of the Chapter you take to be hardly Canonical Neonom These things will help thy Conceptions still remembring that the Merits of Christ are the Cause of this Ordination Antinom The Councel of God is the Cause of the Ordination of Salvation Means and Order But you mean they will help to blunder and confound poor Men's Conceptions Per Nebulam per Caliginem per Somnium Non lectore tuis opus est sed Apolline libris But you would have us not to forget the Causa sine qua non of this rare Gospel Scheme You should have told us that your own corrupt Imagination was the Procatarctick Cause of this new Law Ordination Neonom His Righteousness imputed is the Cause for which we are Justified and Saved when we answer the Gospel Rule Antinom It 's ad Graecas Calendas when a poor wretched Sinner must be saved then Christ is the cause of setting up this new Law and that we should be justified thereby when we perform the imperfect Conditions thereof and that 's your answering the Gospel Rule Since Christ hath put a Barr upon the Old Law now we must set up for a Righteousness of our own to answer the Gospel-Rule by and that 's not Conformity to the Precept neither but answering the Gospel-Rule by Imperfection Is not this sad Divinity Neonom And I exclude not this Righteousness when I affirm That the Righteousness of God Phil. 3.9 principally intended the Gospel-Holiness of a Person Justified by Christ's Righteousness Both which by Faith in Christ all his Members shall be
perfect in Antinom It seems the Righteousness of Christ there spoken of is a mixture of Christ's Righteousness and Evangelical Obedience but the principal par tis Evangelical Obedience Christ's is but a Complement of ours The Reverend Dr. Beverly hath abundantly evinced that Christ's Righteousness alone is there understood according to the hest Interpreters We shall have further occasions to deal with you upon this Point and your crude and false Interpretation of that excellent Portion of Scripture shall be laid open in our Progress You should have told us whether you mean we are perfect in Christ's Righteousness for Justification without our own Righteousness or Evangelical Obedience joyned with it and whether our Perfection in Holiness be in the same manner as in Righteousness And whether it be in this Life that we are made perfect in Holiness by Faith in Christ Neonom The Grace of God is hereby stated as free as is consistent with his Government and Judicial rectoral Distribution of Rewards and Punishments Antinom That is you have set Bounds to the Grace of God and told God and us how far he may lawfully exercise his Grace He must take heed that no unqualified Sinners have any thing to do with it and that he be sure notwithstanding the Righteousness of Christ that he dispence Grace in the way of a Law that it may be consistent with his Government and all Grace must be distributed Judicially by Rewards and Punishments Let all the World see now whether you have not stated the Grace of God very fairly out of Doors and gone about to establish a Law of Works as shall more manifestly appear afterwards Neonom And there 's none have need of the Grace of God more than I Antinom The truest Word you have spoken at all But according your own Principles its a Question whether you have not put a Bar upon the Grace of God by making so audacious and daring an Opposition to it as you have done in this Book I am sure if this be part of your Gospel Obedience that you intend for your Justification it will not do if you persevere in it But the Lord in his meer Free Grace look in Mercy upon you pardon you and turn you from Darkness to Light Neonom Note that in this Book I still speak of the Adult and not Infants Antinom I find you see you are like to run your Head against a Post but for all your Foresight you are certain of a Knock in the Pate for hereby I find you see God justifies some without Works God hath not one Righteousness of one kind to justify Infants by and another of another kind to justify the Adult by Adult Persons are no more justified by Works than Infants Neonom Forget not tho' the Doctor in his Book speaks to Men as Believers yet in every thing true of the Elect. Antinom Every thing that is true of the Elect is so of them when Believers but every thing that is true of an Elect Believer is not so of him before he 's a Believer And to prove you charge the Doctor falsly I 'll bring but your acknowledged Sence of the Doctor in your next Words It 's true of a Believer that he knows the Saving Blessings he is entitled to but it 's not true of a Person in Unbelief that he knows the saving Benefits he is to be partaker of Neonom They have as much a Title to all Saving Blessings only they know it not this was his Judgment Antinom His Judgment was that nothing entitleth us to the Blessings of the Covenant but the Promise Deed of Gift is that which entitleth us whereby we claim when we take Possession of it when we believe whereby we know our Title more or less by believing Neonom I have carefully avoided to make any Reflexion on Reverend Dr. Crisp whom I believe a Holy Man and abstained the exposing things according to the Advantage offer'd Antinom These things are but ad Populum Phalerae Whether here you be not as false as in other things a little time will discover We call such an one Phaleratum who is as Horace describes Introrsum turpis speciosus pelle decorus Neonom Look who is that that is coming towards us it's sure Mr. A. B. Antinom It 's so indeed Meditatus venit He 's a perfect Calvinist I 'll warrant you you will find him of my Opinion concerning your Book Neonom Your Servant Mr. Calvinist I have a Question to ask you in the first place before we talk of News or any thing I pray what do you say of my Book Calvin I cannot like it by any means I was sorry to see it knowing something of your Principles before but when I read it it raised Variety of Passions in me Neonom I must confess I am willing to hear what most Men think of this Piece of mine tho' I think I need not regard what many Men say seeing it hath so large and ample an Encomium by several very grave Divines and others especially the Learned Mythologists of the late Athenian Clubb the Dessolution whereof is greatly bewailed by me They might have proved of Great Vse to me in these matters But I pray Mr. Calvinist tell me the Reason of your Dislike of my Book I thought it might have pleased Calvinists tho Antinomians whose Opinions are not much to be valued are so angry at it and I have shewed that what I have asserted is the Sence of the Assembly 's Confession the Savoy 's Dr. Owen Mr. Norton and many Learned Calvinists Calvin I shall deal ingenuously and plainly with you and tell you why I cannot approve of your Book My Reasons are these 1. I except against your Magisterial way of Writing by Canons as it were Anathema's in the manner of a Council National or Provincial Assembly whereby you would have all Men to believe that our Faith in all matters of Salvation is to be measured by your Scheme and pinned upon your Sleeve So arrogant a way of imposing upon others in Doctrines hath not been as I know practised by the Conformists whereby you endeavour to make Humane Authority the Standard of our Faith prescribe New Articles contrary to those of the 39. and all our English Confessions and give an Example unto others so to do For if 20 Men of one Perswasion may recommend their Opinion in Doctrinals by a concurrent Subscription by the same Reason others may do the like so that hereby is laid a Foundation of incurable Factions and Division about the main Points of our Salvation whereas whatever of Differences hath been in lesser matters and Men's private Opinions in greater yet hitherto there 's no Sett of Men as I know hath publickly in the like manner invaded our Confessions wherein those of the Conformists and Nonconformists hath harmoniously agreed in matters of Faith in the Sence of the Scriptures and first Reformers 2. That you have plainly drawn in or rather trickt some Divines
likewise and saith God lays the Iniquity of every Elect Person two ways in respect of the Application of this Grace 1. Secretly 2 Manifestly As to secret applying he instances in God's Declaration of his Love to Jacob Rom. 9. and saith We have here p. 362. the Lord's declaring himself personally and judicially unto the one whom he loved Jacob there was a Love to him from Eternity in the Election of Grace but till there was a single Individual Person as Jacob the Lord did not say Jacob have I loved c. Now he concludes That this secret Application of the Grace of laying Sins on Christ is at the very instant of such a Persons having a Being in the World then God doth appropriate this Grace to an Elect Person and therefore in the Unregenerate Estate of such a Person in the Excess of Riot he is secured from the Judicial Charge of Sin from Vindicative Justice There 's great diversity of Judgment about the time of applying this Grace saith he Some say it 's at Baptism some say at first Conversion c. pag. 364. It 's true an Elect person not called is never able to know individually of himself that he is such an one that God hath nothing to charge upon him because till Calling God gives not unto Persons to Believe And it 's only Believing is the Evidence of things not seen and this he calls the Application of pardoning Grace by way of manifestation Thus I have given you the Summ of Dr. Crisp's Opinion in this matter Calvin I perceive then his Opinion is that 1. In General That by Electing and Redeeming Love the Elect are secured from the Stroak of Vindicative Justice and God hath nothing to lay to their Charge having accepted the Satisfaction of Christ on their behalf 2. That the Application of this Love to a particular Person is in time as to God's Sentence concerning him and as to some Fruits of this Love from his first having a Being as suppose distinguishing of him as a chosen Vessel as he did Jacob from Esau As he separated Paul to the Designs of electing Love as to preventing Grace yea and providential Grace to bring such a Person it may be under the Secret Effects of the Promise and the means of Grace 3. He saith The manifest Application is when God gives to Believe So that notwithstanding all the Security he hath by Election Redemption and secret Application he is before Faith but in a state of Death and under the Law-Sentence in Foro Conscientiae and by Nature born a Child of Wrath and so in Foro Mundi Hence that he knows nothing of all this spoken of an Elect Person any more than a Reprobate doth till he doth believe I think this is Dr. Crisp's Full Sence and therefore I think Mr. Neonomian you are too partial in your Representation of the Doctor you take those Expressions only that may render him odious and leave out the Grounds and Reasons thereof As to that Opinion of his concerning God's secret passing over his Love to the Elect Persons so long before they believe What if he be singular therein yet there may be more in it than you or I can tell seeing it is manifest that it hath been so in several that have lived to be Adult and I doubt not but it is so daily as to Elect Infants that die in Infancy And I must tell you if you deny this Covenant of Grace to belong to the Infants of believing Parents as it is claimed by vertue of a Gospel-Promise you can have little Ground to plead for Infant-Baptism which is a Sign and Seal of Forgiveness of Sins in some Gospel-Sence or other But I leave that Point now and I must tell you that there is no doubt but that there is a secret passing over of the Grace of God in Christ to every Elect Person before he can put forth anyone Vital Act. Neonom He saith the Elect of God are Heirs of God so that their first Being puts them into a right of Inheritance c. Antinom He gathers this from Gal. 4.1 2 3. See Page 367. Though God doth secretly give over his Right and Title of his own Grace to a Person in the Womb yet he doth not make it known to him that he hath that Right and Title till such time as he doth call him during which time being under the Law he is under a Schoolmaster Tutors and Governours And here he saith The Heir so long as a Child differs nothing from a Servant though he be Lord of all From which I observe from hence 1. That there is an Heirship during Childhood it self 2. That there is this Heirship when there is no difference between being a Child and a Servant 3. A Child is an Heir as soon as born yea when first conceived If a Man of Estate leaves his Wife but a Month gone with Child he leaves an Heir c. Calvin Mr. Neonomian though you grant not the secret Application of Grace he speaks of at Conception yet you can't deny a secret and sure Relation by Vertue of Election and Redemption Relata affectio in Deo ponit objectum correlatum A Right must be in the Object whenever it hath a Being Jus adrem if not in re All that are redeemed by Christ are called the Sheep of Christ before Calling John 10. Shew me a Person that is an Elect and Redeemed One I can tell you God's Justice is satisfied on his behalf and eternal Life procured for him though he be yet an Unbeliever be not in Possession nor can make any Claim as yet I pray was not Paul in his unregenerate State an Elect Vessel and secured from the Hands of Vindicative Justice by Christ's Satisfaction and Heaven secured by Christ's Impetration Impetratio dat Jus ad Beneficium I pray Mr. Neonomian what would you say of Paul a Persecutor in the Heighth of his Villany had you known then that he was an Elect Vessel Neonom I would say thus That Paul when a wicked persecuting Saul while breathing forth Cruelty against the Churches should not die under the Dominion of Sin and being an Elect Person and Christ having born his Sins on the Cross was the Object of God's Love and good Will even while he was so wicked and vile and that God continues his gracious purpose of doing him good notwithstanding all his Wickedness and Abomination that Christ hath made full Attonement for his Sins and merited Eternal Life for him and that he shall certainly be Justified Adopted and Glorified in God's appointed way and time and that Christ hath left nothing to be done by us in a way of Atonement and Merit yea I affirm that distinguishing Grace doth make a very great difference between an Elect Sinner and others D.W. p. 1. p. 3. Calvin I pray now what is it more that Dr. Crisp hath said Neonom He saith the Elect are at no time of their Lives under the Wrath of God
Calvin So must you too if you understand Wrath in the same Sence that he doth For Christ cannot bear their Sins and the Wrath of God for their Sins and yet they bear it themselves too Shall not the Judge of all the World deal Righteously And you say They continue Objects of his gracious good Will and full Atonement made God cannot be wroth with a Person with whom full Attonement is made Neonom But what if they should die before they should believe Calvin He doth not say They shall be saved if they die before they believe or under the Dominion of Sin c. You fasten that Charge without Ground and never fear that for you say their Justification and Adoption is certain there 's no doubt then but they shall certainly believe Neonom But they are actually Vnpardoned and not Adopted to Life which the Dr. saith they are Calvin The Doctor speaks not here of the Elect's Actual Pardon or Adoption He saith indeed their Sins are laid on Christ and therefore God hath nothing to lay to their Charge And you say Christ hath made full Atonement for them I pray what difference is here He saith They have a secret hidden Right to Life You say by vertue of Election and Christ's Merits they shall certainly have Justification Adoption Glorification So that you own your Jus ad rem He doth not say an unregenerate Man is Adopted or hath received the Spirit of Adoption any where as I know Neonom But the Elect while dead in Sin and Vnbelief are Children of Wrath condemned by the Law not justified by the Promise This I affirm and the Doctor denies Calvin The Doctor in this point for ought I know affirms and denies but as you do He saith a Sinner in respect of his Visible Estate is under the Law-Sentence and dead in Sin and Unbelief He will not deny this but that an Elect Person as such hath a hidden Relation Standing and Right not only in respect of Election Satisfaction and Procurement but a secret passing over of Grace So that to be a Child of Wrath in regard of the Law-Sentence and a Child of Mercy are not contradicentia they may be predicated of the same Subject in divers respects A Man may be a Child of Wrath in one respect and of Mercy in another A Man may be poor in one respect and rich in another as the Church of Smyrna condemned in one respect and secured from it in another Wrath is understood two ways in Scripture 1. For the Sentence of the Law that all the World is under as having sinned and come short of the Righteousness of God 2. For the real Execution of the Sentence of the Law by Essential Vindicative Justice This the Elect are abundantly freed from and the Wrath of God shall never fall upon them as such Neonom But he saith the Elect have right to the Inheritance Calvin Yes a secret and hidden Right but true and certain though not Possession or Claim till Grace embraceth them and this Grace manifested to them A Child that hath a good Right to an Inheritance may be taken Captive in Infancy and remain in Algiers a Slave many Years and never know of any Estate belonging to him But upon his return to his Native Country finds by Writings and Court-Rolls that he hath had Right all this while though kept out of Possession and knew no Ground of a Claim A Man may be Heir to a Crown and yet during the King's Life be no King yea it may be out in Rebellion against his Father many Years and yet come to possess the Crown upon his previous Right A Man may have a good Right to an Estate in one Court where it is enrolled whenas another Court knows nothing of it Every Elect Person is enrolled by Name in God's Book of Election and the Lamb's Book of Redemption while there 's nothing of this to be sound in Foro Conscientiae nor in Foro Mundi And your own Assertion at first cuts you off from all Pleas to the contrary For you say ch 1. p. 1. It 's certain from God's Decree of Election that the Elect shall in time be Justified Adopted and Saved in the way God hath appointed then they are Heirs of Justification Adoption and Salvation upon some ground of right or other and the whole meritorious Cause and Price of Justification Adoption and Eternal Life were perfect when Christ finished the Work of Satisfaction So now it appears here is a compleat Right adjusted for them the Estate is bought and the Money all paid and the Title is enrolled in their Name what hinders them from being Heirs in Law and having a Right of Inheritance belonging to them Neonom I will prove the Elect before they are effectually called to be Children of Wrath Eph. 2.2 3. Col. 1.21 Calvin As Elect Persons the Scripture no where faith but as Sinners and as dead in Trespasses we acknowledge they are under the Law Sentence imprisoned in their naturall Estate in a State of Bondage and Darkness But this hinders not the Foundation of God in Election and Redemption they have a hidden Safety and Security from Wrath by your own Confession Neonom The Gospel barrs all Vnbelievers and dead Sinners from Pardon and Adoption and denounceth a continuance of Condemnation against them limiting it's Benefits to such as believe John 3.18 ver 36. 1 Cor. 16.22 1 Cor. 6.11 D. W. p. 4. Calvin If the Gospel barrs all Unbelievers and those that are dead in Sin from Gospel Benefits who shall be saved it must barr them from Life for Life is the first and greatest Benefit a Dead Man can receive nay you say it declares continuance of Condemnation against them It 's certainly therefore impossible they should ever be saved And are not Regeneration and Faith Gospel-Benefits And are Unbelievers for ever barred from them This puts a Barr upon their possibility of Salvation and keeps them from ever being Believers The places you quote are nothing to prove your Assertion for the most they say is That whilst a Person is in a state of Unbelief he is in a state of Condemnation under the Law but the Gospel doth not put a Barr to his Salvation but rather take off the Barrs opens the Prison-doors gives him Life gives him a Door of Hope brings him to Christ who is the Resurrection and Life Neonom If it were not so neither the Spirit nor the Word of God would have any Influence in the Saving of Sinners Calvin Non sequitur Can't the state of the Elect be secured by Election and yet Redemption have it's place Why notwithstanding both may not the Spirit have it's place and Influence Neonom Gospel-Benefits imply that there is a time when we are actually guilty and miserable Rom. 7.4 Col. 2.12 Calvin Grant it there is such a time when we are so in our selves but yet quoad Deum Election and Redemption is not in vain they have their Force
look upon this as a Justification of this Child it being a declared Sentence of God concerning it's standing in his Favour and unchangeable Love 2. The Text is particular in the Reason of this Declaration to Rebecka ver 11. that we may see that God accomplish'd his purpose of Election in the applying of the Grace thereof without Works not so much as upon the Account of Faith as a Work because the Children were not capable of doing Good or Evil the Application of his distinguishing Love could not be upon that Account viz. Of any Condition found in them nor could the Foresight of any such thing in them be the Cause of God's Purpose in Election and shews it's one and the same Righteousness that an Infant and Adult Person is Justified by Neonom Because an Eldest Son is an Heir in the Womb therefore an Elect Person who is in time to he Adopted is an Heir in the Womb. Calvin There 's a Difference between an Heir and Adoption If you know there is an Elect Person in the Womb as Rebecka did he is a more sure Heir to Heaven than ever any great Man's Son was to an outward Estate And as to Adoption that may not be till some time after For that is the Grace of Sonship It 's one thing to be a Son and another to have the Grace of Sonship And is the calling them the Sons of God manifestly taking them into the number and endowing them with the Priviledges of the Sons of God The Relation of an Heir and the state of Adoption admit of different Considerations The State of Adoption is the grown state of an Elect Person he is put into Possession of the Estate and all Priviledges sit together with Christ in Heavenly Places as a Coheir And thus we are the Children of God by Faith Gal. 3.26 The Spirit bearing Witness with our Spirit that we are the Children of God and so Heirs ex abundanti Joynt-Heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 Let us now hear what our approved Calvinists say in this Point that speak most particularly and distinctly to it Speak Dr. Amesius Dr. Ames The Transaction between God and Christ was a certain previous Application of our Redemption and Discharge to our Surety and to us in him which hath the Nature of a certain efficacious Pattern to that Secondary manner of Application which is compleated in us so that this is the representation of that this is produced by vertue of that Now it 's inferred hence That our Freedom from Sin and Death was not only determined in God's Decree but also granted and communicated to us in Christ before it is perceived by us Chap. 24. § 3. Mr. Rutherford pray speak you wrote against Antinomianism Sane priusque electus credit c. Certainly before an Elect Person doth believe the Wrath of God and all the Effects of his Wrath are removed from the Persons by vertue of Christ's Satisfaction Exercit. Apologet. per gratiâ p. 45. Mr. Pemble That God doth actually love the Elect before they are Regenerate or can actually believe may appear further by these Reasons 1. Where God is actually reconciled there he actually loveth for Love and Reconciliation are inseparable but with the Elect before they are converted and believe God is Actually Reconciled Ergo he loves them before Faith and Conversion The Minor is evident because before they are Born a full Atonement and Satisfaction is made for their Sins by Christ and accepted on God's part whereupon all Actual Reconciliation must needs follow 2. God did Actually Love the Elect before Christ's time when Actual Reconciliation was not yet made much more therefore after the Atonement made 3. Justification Effectual Vocation and Faith are Fruits of God's Actual Love c. De gratiâ fide p. 22. Chamier Persuasissimum est c. We are most fully perswaded that our Sins are forgiven before we believe for certainly we deny Infants to act Faith and yet their Sins are forgiven them And although it be true that our Sins be forgiven before we believe i. e. before we know it as Actual Believers we do believe the Remission of our Sins because this is proposed to us yea promised to us in the same words which we relye upon by Faith and it 's Sealed by the same Spirit whereby that word is Truth Panstr Tom. 3. lib. 13. c. 10. Antinom I think I see Mr. Baxter appear in this Cause though I suppose he is seldom in this Society Calvin I pray let us hear Sir what you say to this Point Mr. Baxter The Anabaptists bring Eph. 2.3 against Baptism of Infants and say Because they are by Nature Children of Wrath the Promise belongs not to them Ans What though we are by Nature Children of Wrath doth it follow that we may not be otherwise by Grace the state of Wrath goes first in order of Nature and whether in order of time also is not worth our disputing but may not a state of Grace immediately succeed Jeremy was Sanctified in the Womb and John Baptist and the Infants that Christ Blessed were all by Nature Children of Wrath and yet by Grace were in a better state As they come from old Adam they are Children of VVrath but as they receive of the Grace procured by the Second Adam so they are not Children of wrath If a Prince should Entail some Honours upon all your Children you might well say by Nature or as they were your Children they were not Honourable or Noble and yet by the Favour of the Prince they might be all Honourable from the VVomb The Godly at Age may say that they are still by Nature Children of wrath even when they are sure they are Children of God by Grace and they use in their Confessions to say That we by Nature are Enemies to God Fire-brands of Hell R. Baxter of Inf. Bapt. p. 110 111. Calvin I would willingly hear what the Learned and Judicious Mr. J. Cotton saith Mr. J. Cotton in Answer to that Objection made by the Anabaptist against Infant Baptism Faith comes by Hearing Ergo Infants have not Faith Ans It is no Extraordinary thing which Christ speaks concerning Infants when he saith Except you receive the Kingdom of God as little Children c. and they cannot receive it without Christ nor without Faith in Christ and yet received not Christ nor Faith by their own immediate Hearing of the Word and for the second thing which you make Essential to Union with Christ viz. a Heart fitly disposed to apprehend and receive Christ be not unwilling to understand that which is Truth The Heart is fitly disposed by Faith to apprehend or apply Christ when Faith is begotten in the Heart for by this Gift of Faith begotten in us Christ apprehends us and by the same Gift of Faith the Heart is fitly disposed to apprehend Christ even in Infants for when Faith is wrought in Infants the Heart is quickned with Spiritual Life and made a
would have it to be such as may lead to discover the Errours of the Antinomians and if it be possible to convince this Gentleman whom I take to be so deeply immers'd in them Calvin I remember you have Charged him with some already how far he is guilty we leave every Man to his own Judgment to think as matters of proof doth evince It 's not a practice to subscribe our Names to commend Truth or condemn Errour Have you any more Errours to Charge him with Neonom Yes Sir very foul ones I will Name you one and it is this he holds That the very Act of God's laying Sin on Christ upon the Cross is the very Actual Discharge of all the Elect from all their Sins Mr. Antinom Are you sure 1. That this is my Opinion And 2. That if it be it is an Errour It may be there may be such an ambiguity in the terms of the Question that you may understand them in one sence and I in another the greatest I judge lyeth in Actual Discharge But I pray make proof of your Charge first and then we will endeavour to find out the true matter in Debate and discuss the things in difference it may be you mistake me Neonom This is your declared Opinion that runs as a Line thorow all your Discourses and is the Foundation you Build most upon I say all the weight and all the Burthen and all that very sin it self is long ago laid upon Christ and that laying of it upon him is a full Discharge and a general Release and Acquittance unto thee that there is not any one sin now to be charged on thee Did not you speak these words in a Sermon you Preached you know where upon Isa 53.6 D. C. p. 298. Antinom Yes I did speak these words but you deal with me as you always have been wont to do you rehearse only part of my words and conceal or take no notice of such Expressions as may make my true meaning manifest I was speaking to that place Rom. 8. It is God that justifies who is he that condemns I said the same God that justifies will not eat his own words and pass Sentence of Condemnation upon a Person that hath received the Sentence of Absolution already No you will say God doth not Condemn but he will let Sin be charged upon the Spirit of a Man doth not he then Sentence him to be unjust Answ There be divers Condemnations Condemnation in Sentence and Condemnation in Execution Condemnation in Sentence is the pronouncing such a Person guilty The other is the Execution of Punishment deserved for this guilt and it 's but an effect of Condemnation rather than Condemnation it self so far as God charges fault upon a Person so far he condemns that Person so that if God should charge a Person as faulty how can you believe still that this Person is manifested and pronounced just by God I beseech you stop your Ears against the Quirks of Satan and of your Hearts deceived by him clamouring still to you that Sin lyes upon your own Spirits It is but the Voice of a Lying Spirit in your own Hearts that saith That you that are Believers have yet Sin wasting your Consciences and lying as a Burden too heavy for you to bear now comes in the words which you rehearsed I say all the weight and all the burden and all the very sin it self c. Dr. Cr. p. 292. Now I pray judge whether this Gentleman hath dealt fairly with me Calvin No indeed I must needs say he hath not for you see he speaks not of the Elect indefinitely but of Believers and is it not of the Devil that any true Believer lyes under Conscience-wasting sins And was not all the sins of the Elect laid long ago upon Christ in full Discharge of every Believer And is not every Believer bound in Duty to believe it so Mr. Neonom You teach that the Elect are Justified before they do believe otherwise till such Believing the Person of the Elect doth bear his own Transgression and is Chargeable for them D. Cr. p. 616 617. Antinom Sir I was preaching from 1 John 2.1 2. and was shewing Faith is the Fruit of our Union with Christ and prov'd it from John 15. I am the Vine and ye are the Branches and I shewed that there must be a Union to Christ before the Branch could bring forth Fruit and that Fruit is Faith and proceeds from our Radical Union with Christ I also alledged Col. 3. Your Life is hid with Christ in God c. And inferred that the Life of every Elect Person hath a Being in Christ before he doth believe believing therefore doth not produce a new Life that was not before i. e. Fundamentally and Efficaciously to the producing of Faith but it makes that Life that was before an Active Life or is an Instrument by which that Life which was hid in Christ doth now after believing become an Active and Appearing Life in this Person So that all that can be made of this is that till believing there is no Life and Activity in the Person that is Elected his Life is in Christ and was in Christ and reserved in Christ for him till the time of Believing and then doth he the Elect Person become Active in Life when Christ doth give him to believe actually D. C. 615. Calvin And do you Mr. Neonom reckon this false Doctrine I wonder what kind of Gospel you Preach I am much deceived if this be not true Gospel Doctrine and so strongly Built that no Sophistry or all the Gates of Hell will never shake I see every thing is not false Doctrine which you are pleased to call so Neonom Truely now it plainly appears that I am not mistaken in Charging Calvinists with Antinomianism if all be of this Gentleman's Opinion Antinom But Sir if you be pleased to give me leave I will proceed in the further account of my Discourse I shew'd the dangerous Consequences that must follow this Principle that there is no Justification i. e. Fundamentally and Union at all belonging unto Elect Persons till they do Actually believe in Christ I say if Persons are not United unto Christ and do not partake of Justification before they do believe but that believing is the Instrument by which they are first United 1. That this in some respect would be bringing to Life a Covenant of Works Do this and Live whereas the Covenant of Grace runs upon contrary terms Live and do this God in the Covenant of Grace gives Life first and doing comes from Life 2. If there must be our Act of Believing before our participating of Christ then those Sins that were laid upon Christ and taken away from the Elect i. e. in foro Dei are returned back again I say if there must be believing before there be Union with or Interest in Christ it must necessarily follow the Person doth bear his own Transgression is
when we are Pardoned the whole Meritorious Cause of Pardon be that Atonement and what is required of Sinners is only a meetness to receive the Effects of it Antinom What do you mean by the whole Meritorious Cause Do you exclude Christ's Active Obedience from the Meritorious Causes And do you mean the Merit of Satisfaction or Procurement There 's a great deal of difference in the Case before us and what is the meetness whether it be not a meetness of Congruity if not of Condignity And whether this meetness be not of the Effects of Christ's Merits and if not from what other Cause it ariseth Neonom Nor whether this Atonement is the only way of Forgiveness which we can apprehend Antinom I had thought a meetness to be forgiven had been with you one way to be forgiven which you make to be distinct from Atonement and the Meritorious Cause of Forgiveness Now Sir you say these things are not the Question but they are questionable to me you might have told us of a Thousand more Questions which are not ours for there is no one thing but in genere disparatorum is separate from all other things in the World But after Sir you have freed our Brains from the mixture of all Impertinent Questions I pray put your Finger upon the very Spot Neonom The Real Difference lyes in two Things 1. Whether the Elect were Actually discharged of all their Sins at the time that Christ made Atonement D. W. p. 16. Antinom The Question is whether a Believer is not to look upon the laying of his Sins on Christ his full Release for I speak of an Elect Believer I say not that any other can whether Elect or no for all the burden and load of Sin was long ago laid on Christ it is not now to do Neonom Having spoken to the Question before I insist now only upon this Whether the very Act of laying Sin upon Christ on the Cross be the discharge of the Elect from all Sin Antinom You state your Questions still with great Ambiguity for what mean you by the Act of laying Sin on Christ The laying Sin on Christ must suppose and imply all things that conduced to the making him a compleat Sacrifice for Sin God's Acts and his own on God's part it 's to be supposed there was not only a charge of Christ but a discharge on Christ's part not only a Subjection to the Charge but a Suffering by way of Satisfaction not only an undertaking of the Debt but a payment I suppose you mean whether the Atonement that Christ made was in any sence a discharge unto the Elect for no wise Person will give a Discharge to a Debtor till the Money be paid or Suretiship accepted now then we distinguish of Pardon it was perfect and compleat by way of Impetration for all the Elect but it hath not an Actual Application till the Persons are in being to whom it is to be applyed and that Application in regard of the time of their Lives is according to the dispensation of Grace Now all this you seem to grant and need not put to any further Question you say Christ made full Atonement for Sin and it shall be certainly applyed you say only that a Sinner is not discharged till Application we distinguish of Discharge 1. There 's that which is Vertual and Fundamental and Real in Christ or else he could not have rose for the Charge upon him was our Sins and he must have a Discharge as a Surety and it was the Elects Discharge in the Mind of God and of Christ and really transacted But 2ly There 's a personal sensible Discharge which is at or by Application Now then in the same sence that Christ bore our Sins by Imputation as a Representative in that sence we were Discharged for the Discharge must be as large and full as the Charge to the very Person of Christ and all he undertook for or else he is bearing Sin still and the Sins of some of the Elect must be still upon him And 3ly If Christ obtained what he bore our Sins for then he had a Discharge not only for his own Person but for all he undertook for and represented and Christ having made good and full payment cannot remain undischarged for he finished the work which his Father appointed him to do Neonom But we can claim no Interest in his Atonement till we Believe Antinom A Sinner's first Ground of Claim is the Promise and free Offer of Christ in the Gospel and Faith is a laying hold upon him and receiving of him in whom is full Atonement and Pardon It is one thing to have Jus ad rem and another to have Jus in re a Child new Born or to be Born Heir of an Estate hath a good Right to the Inheritance else he could not be Heir which is previous and lyes dormant until the time of Claim and Possession and therefore the Apostle seems to speak in this way of Allusion Eph. 1.11 He saith In whom we have obtained an Inheritance ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and it 's grounded upon what he said ver 7. in whom we have Redemption And Dr. Goodwin saith That the Apostle speaks not there of the Redemption that we have here i. e. the Fruits of Redemption but of the Work of Redemption which Christ himself hath wrought which is the cause of all the Redemption we receive And 2dly We have Redemption in Christ as in a common Person and we have it not only when it is applyed to us but we have it in him as we had Condemnation in Adam before we were Born into the World so we had Redemption in Christ when he dyed So Dr. Goodwin on Eph. 1. Neonom It was not that Will or Purpose of God or Christ that the laying our Sins on Christ should be the Immediate Discharge of the Elect John 6.40 1 Pet. 1.2 D. W. p. 17. Antinom It was the Will and Purpose of God and Christ that upon Christ's Satisfaction for Sin he should have an immediate Discharge and all the Elect Vertually and Really in him a general Discharge but not manifested and personally applyed to particular Persons and in this sence the Elect are Discharged at and by Application and the places mentioned hold forth no more than this and this is all the Dr. saith That the Church had a general Discharge in Christ not a particular Application till Being Neonom This overthrows the whole Scheme so wisely contrived for the distribution of the Effects of his Death Antinom It may overthrow your Scheme but it overthrows no true Scheme of the Gospel Mystery Antinom Things are so adjusted that forgiving the Elect should be the Effect of Christ's Kingly Office as well as his Priestly Office Acts 5.31 1 Cor. 6.11 Acts 26.18 Antinom Christ wrought out our Forgiveness by way of Atonement as a Priest and God was Atoned and Appeased thereby and therein he also Gloriously Triumphed in his
Answer And would it be so absurd to say a Believer may be discharged before the Death of Christ were not the Faithful under the Old Testament discharged before the Death of Christ We say when the Charge of Sin is taken off from one and laid upon another there is a discharge real in one sence or another Generaliter but not particulariter here is a blotting out of Sin quoad Deum though not quoad Conscientiam Christ took away Sin by way of Suretiship before he did it Actually and so the Faithful before his Coming were saved Neonom If this Errour hold the Gospel Notion of Forgiveness by the Blood of Christ is destroyed D. W. p. 19. Antinom You mean I suppose if this be Truth No It confirms Gospel Forgiveness by the Blood of Christ but prove that it destroys it Neonom Forgiveness denotes a Person guilty it is a Judicial Act of God as Rector Acting by a Gospel Rule Antinom The Apostle saith He justifies by free Grace through the Redemption of Christ that he may appear just also in so doing because his Justice is satisfied He shews God justifies sitting on a Throne of Grace Grace is the Impulsive Cause so far as it consists in the Pardon of a Sinner but it is through the Righteousness of Christ to shew forth his Righteousness and in forgiving in and through the Righteousness of Christ he hath the high concurrence of Justice therein that as he is a Gracious Justifier so he is justified as Righteous by doing it in this way and whereas you say It 's a Judicial Act of God Acting by a Gospel Rule I think you should rather say It is a Gracious Act of God Acting according to the Rules of Justice therein for so the Apostle clearly describes it Rom. 3.24 25. And methinks you turn my Stomach to hear you give so pitiful a low and mean Title to God as a Rector as if he were but a Mayor of a Corporation or some little Earthly Prince Neonom And this supposeth the full and perfect Atonement made by Christ and the Grant made in Vertue thereof Antinom What have we been Disputing about all this while I am glad to see Mr. Neonomian's Ingenuity that now he grants all we Dispute about only differs in naming a thing you say the Atonement of the Wrath of God by Christ for Sinners which is in my sence Fundamentally and Really Pardon quoad Deum is full compleat and perfect and that Forgiveness supposeth it and the Grant made in the Vertue thereof if you had said it had been the Grant made in the vertue thereof I take it you had spoken your own sence fuller than to say it supposeth the Grant made in the vertue thereof unless you mean the Grant made to Christ as our Representative which comes more to our sence but let these Mistakes in Expression pass You seem to distinguish between a Discharge and a Discharge so do we you distinguish between an accepted Atonement for us and giving out the Grant and Patent to us and so do we between Impetration and Application and so do we between Forgiveness in foro Dei and Forgiveness in foro Conscientiae or Evangelii but as to that first I find you do not Love to call it Forgiveness though you think it carries the Nature of Forgiveness in it why should you represent me as such an Heretick to scare People from my Ministry upon the meer naming a thing by a word which by your own terms contain the Nature and Substance Neonom But Forgiveness supposeth a Person Guilty Antinom Christ's bearing Sin supposeth all the World is become Guilty before God and the Elect as well as others and therefore he became a Propitiation for Sin to God that we who are by Nature under the Law and thereby Condemned as Children of Adam and in our own Consciences and thereby guilty might receive Forgiveness of Sins or an Atonement both signifying the same thing by believing A Man is reus quoad Deum reus quoad Ministrationem Legis in Conscientiâ and in this sence shut up under the Law till Faith comes and then is his Personal and Particular Discharge through the Blood of Christ and this last I apprehend to be the Justification by Faith which the Apostle Paul speaks so frequently of neither do I say that this or that Man hath any part in Christ or Pardon any more than in Election and Redemption till he doth believe Neonom But you are of Opinion a Person is never guilty Antinom I never had any such Opinion if you distinguish right concerning Guilt Neonom You say Man that Sins were laid on Christ before we were Born and therefore never upon us Antinom How old are you Was not Christ's Death and Suffering almost 1700 years ago And do you not say Sins were laid then on Christ and if they were then laid on Christ they cannot return to us in the sence as they were taken off from us and therefore they are never upon us in the same manner as they are on those that are not Elect and this must be in respect of Guilt quodamodo some kind of guilt distinguish then of guilt there is guilt in respect of the Righteous Judgment of God in foro Dei and guilt that accompanies the Letter of the Law setting in with our Consciences and in that sence the Law worketh Wrath. Sins were laid upon Christ and they lye upon us but not both in the same Manner nor for the same End Neonom A Judicial Act by a Rule there is none Antinom What your new terms of Art mean I will not trouble my self my Scheme as you term it of Justification imports that God graciously pardons in a way of Manifestation of his Justice and all God's Acts are according to the Rule of his good Pleasure and Will and that 's enough Neonom For the Gospel Grant of Pardon is not to the Elect as Elect but as penitent Believers neither is the Atonement of Christ supposed to our Forgiveness Antinom Pardon as to the Nature of it belongs to Sinners as such eo nomine Faith and Penitency is given together with Remission of Sins and how can you have the Face to say I do not suppose Atonement in Forgiveness or belonging to it when it 's upon that account that you have fell so foully upon me because you think I lay too great a stress on Atonement and give too much to it in Forgiveness Neonom You own the laying of our Sins on Christ before the making of Atonement and without our Sins lay on Christ he could not justly be punished Antinom And do not you own that it's first in Nature to making Atonement and how could Christ be justly punished without he had the Merit upon him either by his own Sins or by the Sins of others but I find you own a Man may be justly punished that deserves it in no sence whatever Neonom So that our Discharge being a
transferring of Sin from us to Christ and this being done before Christ made Atonement we are discharged not for the Atonement of Christ nor by any Act of Forgiveness for the sake of this Atonement I need not add that by this Notion Heathens may be in a pardoned State and there 's no need of the Gospel or Knowledge of Christ to bring them out of a state of Wrath. Antinom I hope by this time you have pretty well spent your Powder and Ball. I told you before when we spake of laying Sins on Christ we understand his offer to bear them the Charge and Imputation laid on him and the payment he made of our Debt all which is the Atonement for bearing of our Sins was an Essential part of it as shedding his Blood was of the Payment this payment and bearing Sin was in the Eye of God from Eternity as if already done hence the Patriarchs were Actually and Personally Justified by it and doth it follow that they were Justified without Christ's Atonement And whereas you talk of God's Acts of Forgiveness you should tell us what you mean if Immanent there 's but one Act of Forgiveness there 's no new Acts arise in God and it was the Promise of Eternal Life before the World began Tit. 1. If you mean a Transient Act it 's but one viz. the performance of that Promise to Christ our Surety and Head and to us in him Virtually and Fundamentally 1 John 5.11 This is the Record that he hath given us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son and from him derived to us terminates in and upon us by the same Effectual Grace of God in Christ towards us so that the same Forgiving Act of God terminates in Christ and in us and therefore you must allow our Life of Forgiveness first in Christ and then bestowed upon us in and through him whereby we are as Sinners brought in to him and receive of his fulness both for Justifying and Sanctifying Grace Whereas you say Heathens by this Notion may be in a pardoned state you foist in another term to impose upon us as if we had said that immediately upon laying Sins on Christ all the Elect were in a pardoned state there 's none can be in a pardoned state before a being natural nor before a being Spiritual at least beginning but what hinders but that the Eternal Life which is given me should be in Christ before I was Born and inferrs not that therefore when I come into the World there will be no need of Gospel or Knowledge of Christ to bring me out of my Natural Estate into Christ See Colos 1.25 26 27. Ephes 3.3 4 5 6. And are not Gentiles as well as Jews pardoned through Christ Neonom The Assemblies at Westminster and the Savoy are both against you Antinom They say in a manner but as we do if you distinguish between a Forgiveness in Christ and Forgiveness bestowed between Impetration and Application Justification and Justified Neonom I will shew you your mistake Mr. Antinomian because it was God's Act to appoint Christ to suffer for our Sins that we might in his way and time be discharged therefore you think we are immediately discharged by that Act. Antinom You take greatly upon you to tell what I think and makes me think contrary to what I have exprest you take upon you to make me speak what you please and to think what you please I take you to be a fit Man to be a Guide was there nothing but God's appointing Christ to suffer for our Sins was there not God's accepting of his Sufferings for us Was not Christ Justified from the Sins of the Elect for when he rose was there not a Radical Justification of all the Elect in Christ If there had not been so they could never have been personally Justified but you would have Christ only purchase our Justification by something else but I must believe and say that he wrought out our Justification which being in him is the same that we do partake of and that our Discharge is begun and carried on in Christ and is compleated in him and received by Faith in his Blood Neonom Because Christ's Atonement is the Sole Meritorious Cause of Forgiveness therefore he thinks God suspends not Forgiveness till he works any thing else in the Soul which he made requisite to our being Forgiven though not as a Meritorious Cause Antinom No you mean Christ shall have the Honour of being the Meritorious Cause but it is that way of Justification intended that Christ hath merited that though we have broken the Law and cannot be Justified by it that a new way of Justification should be set up not through his Blood but by something else a peculiar qualification that shall make us meet to be forgiven that there may be some reason found in the Sinner why he should be forgiven this is now the new Divinity to sham off the Satisfaction of Christ from the Justification of a Sinner and you think you have been very kind to Christ to say this new Qualifications are not Meritorious Causes but Christ's Suffering was though they must stand afar off and look on upon a Justification by something else Calvinist I think as you said Mr. Antinomian's Ambiguity lyes in the word Discharge concerning which you must distinguish there 's liberatio in Christo liberatio à Christo though Mr. Antinomian hath abundantly cleared himself as to his Intention and Meaning but you Mr. Neonomian are so harsh in your Censures that nothing but the worst Interpretation of his words can be admitted by you My Opinion is that as Christ bore our Sins by Imputation so he made full payment of our Debt and had a Discharge so far as concerned himself and us represented by him and in him and hence through this Discharge and the perfection of the New Nature in freedom from all Original and Actual Sin and perfection of all Righteousness our Eternal Life which God hash given us is fully and compleatly in him both for Grace and Glory I say fully Fundamentally Originally and as in a Fountain or Root and of this fulness we do receive even Faith the first Vital Act and by Faith all discharge in Justification and all conformity to him in Sanctification through the operation of the Spirit of Holiness so that it was impossible but Christ must be discharged bearing our common Nature and standing in our stead and that we were in our measure discharged in him but it is also as impossible that we should be discharged personally and in ours till we had our Personal Beings and were first in that State and under that Wrath in some regard from which we were to be delivered and brought into the New Nature by Reconciliation and Actual Union on our part and till then we are Prisoners of the Law without God without Hope Aliens to the Covenant of Promise This account I trust may give both
satisfaction and I think it 's that which is generally received as the Truth of the Gospel by the Orthodox I think those Testimonies Mr. Neonomian brought for your Extream do all in a manner say as I have said they do not so deny the discharge of the Elect before believing as to deny Christ's discharge and the Elects in him so far as they were capable nor do they assert our discharge in Christ so as to affirm our Personal discharge before Faith The Assembly saith thus The Lord Jesus Christ by his perfect Obedience and Sacrifice of himself which he through the Eternal Spirit once offered up to God hath fully satisfied the Justice of his Father and purchased not only Reconciliation but an Everlasting Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven for all those which the Father hath given to him Assembl Confess c. 8. 5. Here are two things that Christ hath done satisfied for our Sins and over above purchased a great Estate he could not have done the latter had he not done the former and he hath the Grant or Covenant Deeds in his Hands the Lambs Book of Life wherein the Names of all that are given him are Recorded and Enrolled and this is Life which he now hath the dispensation of in his due time through the Gospel and therefore they further say § VIII To all those to whom Christ hath purchased Redemption he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same c. The Catechism and Savoy Confession say the same in effect in every thing and so doth Dr. Owen When the Lord Christ dyed for us and offered himself a Propitiatory Sacrifice God laid all our Sins on him Isa 53.6 1 Pet. 2.24 Then he suffered in our stead and made full satisfaction for all our Sins as appears Heb. 9.26 c. 10.14 He whose Sins were not Actually and Absolutely satisfied for in that one Offering of Christ shall never have them Expiated unto Eternity Notwithstanding this plenary satisfaction yet all Men continue equally to be Born by Nature Children of Wrath Dr. Owen of Justification 305 This old Nature Christ never Purchased and Redeemed but intended always to pull down and destroy for the whole Nature is under Wrath and we cannot be in a state of Life till we be in the New Nature and be Created in Christ Jesus What the Lord Jesus Christ paid for us is as truely paid as if we had paid it our selves And what he underwent and suffered he underwent and suffered in our stead but yet the Act of God in laying our Sins on Christ conveyed no Actual Right and Title to us i. e. immediately for all our Actual Right is founded on it and flows from it therefore he adds They are not immediately thereon nor by vertue thereof ours or esteemed ours personally and in possession because God hath appointed something not only Antecedent thereunto but the Means thereof viz. Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us I shall add the state of the Question how the Learned Dr. Prid. states the Question de satisfact D. Prid. Praelect 19. p. 297. de satisfact Christi Vtrum Christus filius Dei B. Virginis Justitiae Divinae non commutativae sed distributivae Judiciali tam premiativae quam vindicativae verè h. e. non praecariò impetrativè tantum aut metaphoricè sed reipsâ meritoriè integrè non omittendo aliquid qui stricto Jure fieri debuit satisfecerit tam agendo quam patiendo quicquid saluti nostri erat requisitum Hic affirmamus Orthodoxi cum nostris Art 31. obliquè negant Papiculae subdolè labefactant Remonstrantes Sed ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã quasi ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã apertè toto Impetu oppugnant Anabaptistae Familistae hisce omnibus Acutiores Astutiores Sociniani hanc positionem confirmat variis Argumentis Irrefrigabilibus adversariorum objectionibus responsa dedit Christ satisfied the Justice of God not Commutative but Distributive and Judicial as well Remunerative as Vindicative not Precariously or by way of Impetration only or Metaphorically but Really Meritoriously and Fully not omitting any thing that in strict Justice ought to be done whatever was requisite to our Salvation Christ by his Obedience and Death did fully discharge the Debt of all those that are thus Justified and did make a proper real and full satisfaction to his Fathers Justice i. e. for all them that should believe Assemb Confess c. 11. § 3. And Mr. Neonomian I must not forget to tell you that there is nothing more frequent than for mistaken Men to tell others how much they are mistaken as you do tell Mr. Antinomian about the Scape-Goat Neonom I say he mistakes the Type of the Scape-Goat because the Scape-Goats carried their Sins into the Wilderness who expressed Faith and Repentance by laying Hands on it and confessing Sin therefore the Sins of Men are taken away by Christ while they continue Impenitent and Vnbelieving Calvinist You may see how in this matter you speak after the Socinian for they give this Interpretation of this Type for though the Confession of Sin over the Head of the Scape-Goat or Sacrifice did hold forth Faith and Repentance yet there 's a difference between an Act Typifying God's Imputation of Sin unto Christ and an Act testifying our Faith concerning God's Imputation of Sin to Christ Norton against Pinch p. 49. So Ainsworth There 's nothing more plainly holds forth Christ's bearing away our Sins to be remembred no more So Dr. Prid. Quemadmodum etiam Hircus iste Azazel sive Emissoâis habuit imposita super caput ipsis populi peccata Levit. 16.21 22. Haud alitèr Christo contigit quem proposuit Deus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ipsius Rom. 3.25 Prid. de satisf As that Azazel or Scape-Goat had the Sins of the People laid on his Head and so was sent into the Wilderness Lev. 16.21 22. so Christ was dealt with whom God set forth for a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to shew forth his Righteousness Rom. 3.25 which those Sacrifices did manifestly point out however they fell short in themselves yet in relation to the Antitype they were not only Expiatory but also Satisfactory whence the satisfaction wrought by the Antitype is the more strongly argued Praelect de satisf Mr. Norton We may distinguish between the being of Justification and being Justified between Justification in the Abstract and Justified the Concrete that being without the receiving Subject this considered together with the receiving Subject viz. the Believer's Justification considered in the Abstract Sence and in it self in which sence it signifies Remission of Sins and Righteousness to Acceptation prepared though not yet conferred on the Elect hath before Faith a Being not only in the purpose of God but also in the Covenant between the Father and the Son and the Mediator and in the purchase of Christ this truth held forth in the Gospel makes the object of Faith and thus the Object is before the
that I speak of here I was shewing from Isa 53.6 that Christ is our great Pay-master and how sad a thing it is to have Sin lying upon our Spirits Separate Sin from the Soul and the Spirit hath Rest in the worst conditions You will never have quietness of Spirit in respect of Sin till you have received this Principle viz. By Faith that it is Iniquity it self that the Lord hath laid on Christ Now when I say thus I mean with the Prophet that it is the Fault of the Transgression c. Reckon up what Sins thou canst against thy self if thou hast part in the Lord i. e. by Faith all these Transgressions of thine became Christ's i. e. Thou seest them laid on Christ Not that they were just then laid on Christ when thou believest I would think your Divinity is not so gross as to assert that but that a Believer by Faith sees that he is one of those Elect ones whose Sins were laid on Christ What the Lord beheld Christ to be that he beholds his Members to be So that if you would speak of a Sinner supposing that Person of whom you speak to be a Member of Christ is this speaking of the Elect meerly as the Elect and no more you must not speak of what he manifests but what Christ was pag. 271. What Unsoundness I beseech you is in this Doctrine I pray speak Gentlemen The Company generally smiled but being afraid to displease Mr. Neonomian and affrighted at the Name of Antinomian which Mr. Neonomian called every one that contradicted him were silent But at last a brisk Gentleman Learned and Solid stood up and said I think you have greatly abused Mr. Antinomian and charged him unrighteously both in your misrepresenting him and in your charging him with Error and False Doctrine in the things alledged against him For saith he I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ though I see some of my Brethren here seem to be so that will not speak for the Truth when they hear a Man of Confidence run it down I say and affirm that he that hath a part in Christ is confidently to believe that Christ bore his Sin in his Body oâ the Tree Tit. 2.14 Calvin I pray Mr. Neonomian give us your Thoughts clearly what you hold and what you deny in this Point Neonom I shall tell first what is not in Dispute between us Calvin There 's 100 things are not now in Question before us I pray you to cut short that we may not lose so much time come to the very Point in Difference first Neonom You are not capable of understanding it till I have told you what is not in Dispute I 'm sure you 'll mistake the Question if I tell you not what the Question is first The Difference is not 1. Whether the pardoned Sinner shall be delivered from Condemnation D. W. p. 24. Antinom But it is whether the pardoned Sinner is not delivered from Condemnation and that Delivery the Ground and Reason of his Pardon Neonom 2. Nor whether God for Christ's sake will deal with a pardoned Sinner as if he had not been a Sinner Antinom The Question is Whether God can deal with any one Salvâ Justitiâ as if he were not a Sinner and yet be esteemed by him formaliter and in the just Sentence of the Law a Sinner and whether a pardoned Sinner be in the righteous Judgment of God a Sinner and can be a Sinner and not a Sinner at the same time and in the same respect Neonom 3. Nor whether Forgiveness doth take away Sin as to it's Obligation to Punishment Antinom If Fault in the Judgment of the Law be made the Obligation to Punishment and the Demerit of Sin lies in the Fault it is a great Question how the Obligation to Punishment can be taken away without taking away the meritorious Cause and whether if the Obligation to Punishment could be taken away without taking away the Sin in the Eye of the Law whether it were Forgiveness for Forgiveness lies formally in taking off the Fault and but consequentially in remitting the Punishment Neonom Nor whether the Atonement of Christ when it 's applyed in it's full effects will perfectly remove all Punishment and purge away all Filth and Defilement from the Elect Each of these I affirm Antinom But it is a Question whether upon the Atonement of Christ made and accepted any of the Elect were punishable for Sin in a way of Vindicative Justice even before Faith much more after So that the things which are without Dispute to you are questionable to us especially according to your ambiguous way of expressing them Neonom I shall now acquaint you with the Questions that are in debate betwixt us 1. Whether because Christ obliged himself to bear the Satisfactory Puunishment of our Sins they did therefore become the Sins of Christ Antinom You state this Question fallaciously The Question all this while between us is this Whether if God laid our Sins upon Christ in the way that he laid them they did in that way become the Sins of Christ If you will have it in the Notion of Christ's bearing Punishment only it must run thus If Christ was obliged to bear or did bear Satisfactory Punishment whether or no our Punishment or the Punishment due to us did thereby become his Both these we affirm Neonom Whether our Sins were pardoned when Christ suffered on the Cross This you affirm and I deny Antinom I affirm it in my own Sence but deny it in your false and imposed Sences Neonom Whether even they that are Members of Christ yet if they do sin are they Transgressors and Sinners and are the Sins they commit their Sins This you deny and I affirm Antinom This Question as you you state it I both affirm and deny because in one Sence a Man must be a Transgressor in another none But the Question Whether the Members of Christ while Sin remains are Sinners and in the sight of God do stand fully justified from all Sin This I affirm Neonom One would think this needed no Proof whether he that doth a sinful Fact be a Doer of it Antinom It needs no Proof I always own it to be so I tell you the Saints commit Sin and are therefore the Doers of it and I have told you 't is all that they can do of themselves and that it is my Sin my sinful Fact and yet my Debt that I contracted may become another Man's if he engageth for it Neonom Christ teacheth Believers to pray for the Pardon of Sins Luke 11.4 Antinom So they had need for Sins are pardoned when they have it not and it 's to them as if they were not pardoned at all if they have not the Comfort Neonom It would be vain to object they pray for manifestation of Pardon Antinom Why in vain Is it any more that a true Believer can pray for For he sees and knows all his Sins
are pardoned but yet continues to pray for a further manifestation of Pardon Did not David tell us what it is Psal 1.10 Restore to me the Joy of thy Salvation Neonom For were it so yet it is for our Sins it would sound strange to pray Forgive us the Sins of Christ Antinom Yes we pray for the Pardon of our Sins that were laid on Christ and though we do not pray to forgive us the Sins of Christ yet we pray to God to forgive us for the sake of Christ whose bearing of Sin and Satisfaction wrought we always plead believing But you will banter Christ's bearing Sins Neonom The Saints in Scripture esteemed them their Sins and themselves Sinners when they committed Sin and found it's Motions Jer. 14.7 Isa 59.12 Job 7.21 Psal 25.11 D. W. p. 25. Antinom So do we though they and we ought to acknowledge Sin always in Faith of the pardoning mercy of God in Christ we should ask Pardon in Faith nothing doubting but sometimes there may be but weak Faith next to none in God's Children and great Doubtings and therefore great Guilt lying upon their Consciences and from thence great Darkness in times of Temptation Thence did flow those Pathetical Expressions of many of the Faithful from God's hiding of his Face and the Weakness of their Faith as if they were reprobated ones and cast away and so it is even now sometimes And though we believe Christ hath born our Sins yet this is the greatest Ground of true Gospel-brokenness of Heart that they were our Sins and are now the Product of corrupt Flesh the Old Man remaining in us which we labour under endeavouring to get more and more into Christ by a strong Faith that the Body of Sin the Source of Corruption in us may be destroyed Therefore Repentance and Godly Sorrow is exercised even for our Sins laid on Christ Neonom 3. God reckons Sins to be their own he reproves them he forgave them 1 John 2.12 Jer. 33.8 Rev. 2.20 Rev. 3.19 2 Tim. 4.16 D. W. p. 26. Antinom Sins are Sins and our Sins we have said it again and again and therefore reprovable in us and to be forgiven in us by the Application of Pardon All this hinders not but that we be without Fault before God and our Sins cast behind his Back we have a Perfection and Fulness of Pardon and all Grace in Christ Jesus though Sin it self was never reconciled to God and therefore God sets us to the killing of it Christ destroyed Sin on the Cross as to the obstructing God's compleat Love to the Persons of the Elect so that it cannot condemn before God but it is Sin Yet in the Elect and will accuse and condemn wherever it is or at least the Law will by Reason of it and therefore it hath it's Influence this way sometimes on the Holiest Men. It 's in the Nature of Sin to condemn but God doth not condemn for Sin though he condemns Sin daily in the holiest Men and through Unbelief they are apt to think their Persons condemned of God himself When God denounceth Judgment against a sinful Church or Nation they are ordinarily hypocritical prophane and Apostate and therefore a mixt People many or most under a Covenant of Works and a People in their Sins which God awakens by Threatnings or Judgments themselves and therefore the places quoted by you affect us not The Force of your arguing lies here Those Sins that God calls our Sins and we ought to call our Sins are not laid on Christ and taken away but God calls Sins our Sins and we ought to call them so Ergo. The Major is utterly false For all places that we bring to prove that Sin was laid on Christ do call them our Sins and we speak of them as such and it's cause of Abasement in our selves and thankful Admiration of the Free Grace of God in Christ and so the Church acknowledge their Sins Jer. 14.7 8. Isa 59.12 16 17. Neonom Mark what will follow hence No Elect Members of a Church are justly censured for Offences and no Christian Criminal could be punished for they are not the Sinners the Sin is not theirs Antinom It is a shame to hear a Mininister argue in this manner Your Argument runs thus If the Sins of the Elect were laid on Christ by Imputation then no Church or Court of Judicature can proceed to condemn an Offender Ergo. Baculus stat in Angulo ergo pluit Doth Man see and judge as God doth Is there no difference between Forum Divinum and Humanum Ecclesiastick and Civil the Law before Man and his Administration of it knows no difference of Persons it proceeds secundum allegata probata Churches censures is in order to a Justification before the Church that by Faith and Repentance it may appear that God hath forgiven such an one that he belongs to Electing and Redeeming Grace and the Sinners Sin laid on Christ and when they find that they are soon reconciled to an offending Member And you say If Sins were laid on Christ no Christian Criminal can be punished A very sad Case indeed for then any Criminal condemned justly by Man's Law can never be saved For if Christ bore not his Sins he can't be pardoned nay may not a Godly Man through Temptation fall into a Crime whereby he may justly suffer in Foro humano and doth this hinder his Salvation by Christ And is it an Argument his Sins were never laid on Christ Are not these consistent a Sinner and condemned by Man's Law and an absolved Sinner by the satisfy'd Law of God Was not the converted Thief a Sinner justly condemned by Man though absolved by God because Christ bore his sins on the Cross and if he had repented before he had been hanged on the Cross would it have freed him from Man's Sentence Satisfaction to God's Law is not to Man's nor Satisfaction to Man's is not to God's Men stay not Execution of a Malefactor because he repents to Salvation but Man's Law must take it's course upon him I doubt not but the Ordinary of Newgate can teach you better Divinity than this A Man may be in one respect guilty and in another not And so likewise God deals with his Children two ways in case of their eminent Falls in a way of his common Providential Government of the World in foro mundi as he dealt with David that those Evils of Affliction Judgments in the Apprehension of the Men of the World should befall them and so in the Participation of external common Calamities there should not be any manifest difference between them and other Men. Therefore the Wise Man saith That Love and Hatred is not known by these things But notwithstanding all this the other and certain way of God's dealing with them is according to the Covenant of Grace which is the Secret of the Lord he fully pardons their Sins is reconciled to them in Christ will never leave or forsake them
great Confidence take up the sense and words of these Men. Neonom But Dr. Owen saith That Imputation is not the Transmission or Transfusion of the Righteousness of another into them that are justified that they should become perfectly and inherently righteous thereby c. p. 242. D. W. p. 51. Antinom We say so too but Dr. Owen doth not say We are justify'd by the Imputation of the Effects of Christ's Righteousness he opposeth that Imputation as a Socinian Notion Neonom He doth not For he saith That the Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us as to it's Effects hath this sound Sence namely The Effects of it are made ours by reason of that Imputation It is imputed so reckoned unto us of God as that he really communicates all the Effects of it unto us Antinom But what immediately follows in the next Sentence Dr. O. p. 243. Why did you not quote all the Dr. said Is not this base false dealing You would only quote as much as should serve your turn But to say the Righteousness of Christ is not imputed unto us only its Effects are so is really to overthrow all Imputation For as we shall see the effects of the Righteousness of Christ can't be said properly to be imputed to us and if his Righteousness it self be not so Imputation hath no place herein nor can it be understood why the Apostle should so frequently assert it as he doth Rom. 4. Therefore the Socinians who do expresly oppose the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ and plead for a Participation of it's Effects and Benefits only do wisely deny any such kind of Righteousness of Christ i. e. of Satisfaction and Merit as alone may be imputed to us Here 's matter of Fact to shew your double-dealing Neonom But the Assembly is of my mind Q. 69. What is the Communion in Grace which the Members of the Invisible Church have with Christ A. In their partaking of the Vertue of his Mediation in their Justification Adoption Sanctification and whatever in this Life manifests their Vnion with him so that in their Judgment it 's the vertue of Christ's Mediation operates on us and not the Mediatorial Righteousness in us Antinom This is strange Language to talk of Imputing the Mediation of Christ to us and this is that you now plainly tell us is the Mediatorial Righteousness that you mean all along or that partaking of the Vertues of Mediation and Imputation are convertible Terms Those Reverend Divines do not say the Mediation of Christ was imputed to us no more than his Kingship Priestship Prophetical Office yet we are in a Sence made Kings Priests and Prophets but not by Imputation They tell you only of the Effects of his Mediation of which Justification is one If you would have told us what they say of Imputed Righteousness you should have rehearst the next Q. 70. What is Justification A. Justification is an Act of God's Free Grace unto Sinners in which he pardoneth all their Sins accepteth and accounteth their Persons righteous in his sight not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but only for the perfect Obedience and full Satisfaction of Christ by God imputed to them and received by Faith alone See the Shorter Catechism Q. 33. See also the Confession directly condemning all your Scheme of Divinity at once C. 9. Of Justification Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifyeth not by infusing Righteousness into them but by pardoning their Sins and by accounting and accepting their Persons as righteous not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for Christ's sake alone not by imputing Faith it self the Act of believing nor any other Evangelical Obedience to them as their Rigteousness but by imputing the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his Righteousness by Faith The Savoy Conf. ch 11. is the same verbatim Now Gentlemen I appeal to all Men of Sence and Honesty whether Mr. Neonomian hath dealt fairly thus to represent the Judgment of Dr. Owen and the Reverend Divines of the Assembly or thus to impose upon the weak and such as have not Will or Leisure to search into the Truth of what he saith Neonom I tell you what the Savoy says which is the same Articles with the Assemblies Antinom But you tell us or would have us to understand that the meaning of the Assembly about Imputation is that the Vertue of Christ's Mediation i. e. in your declared Sence the Effects only operates upon us and then after rehearsal of the Words of the Savoy you add Thou seest it 's Christ's Righteousness is imputed for Pardon and not infused You 'll oppose imputation to Infusion which none of us plead for But this Imputation is in your Sence only as to the Effect which you would have us to believe is the Judgment of Dr. Owen and the two Assemblies And I find you lamely rehearse the Article of your Confession as being ashamed to behold your Erroneous Doctrine so fully condemned by them Do not think such pitiful little Sophisms as these are such as do become a professed Minister of the Gospel or that your Reverend Vouchers have not prejudiced their Honour by asserting so publickly to the World That in all material things you have fully and rightly stated the Truths and Errors in this Treatise and look upon this as a Work of considerable Service to the Church of Christ c. when your manifest Design is to hide Truth by Equivocations false Representations and odious forced Consequences and to impose old palpable decried Errours Veritas non querit angulos Now Sir that you may see we have more than Authority for this great Doctrine of Imputation of Christ's very Righteousness 1. I prove that to say Christ's Righteousness is imputed only as to Effects is to deny the Doctrine of Imputation Consider from the Nature of Imputation it self Imputation is the reckoning and esteeming that unto one man which is done by another As in case of Debt or Wrong done by one Man to another a third comes and does or promiseth that thing whereby the Offended Person becomes satisfied with the Offender previous to which Satisfaction in Nature is his reckoning the Payment made or to be made unto the Offender it 's not the taking of this or that Payment in any kind that is Satisfactory for the Offender unless it be by the offended Person reckoned to him Paul to Philemon v. 18. gives the clear Notion of Imputation both as to Wrong and Righteousness ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã If he hath criminally or unrighteously done thee wrong in filching or stealing impute this to me or put it upon my Account Take me as Paymaster and put my Payment on his Account i. e. In respect of any wrong that he hath done thee or Debt that he owes thee Here 's my hand for it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I will repay it to thee Now Paul
the said Foederal Conditions But we affirm neither Faith it self no not the Gift of the Spirit that works Faith not our Union to Christ no Gifts that accompany Salvation are Foederal Conditions Christ in the Exercise of his Mediator's Office in his Humiliation and Exaltation is the only Foederal Condition wherein all entitling Conditions particularly mentioned in the Gospel are lodged and treasured up and are freely by Christ bestowed on us 12. There are also Conditions of Connexion by way of Order and Dependance of things one upon another Whereas the Scripture often inculcates such Expressions as these Without Faith none can please God Without Holiness none can see God as if they had called Faith and a new Life Conditions of the Covenant when in accurate speaking and according to the nature of this Covenant on God's part they are Executions of former Promises and an Earnest of future good But if we will call these Conditions they are not so much Conditions of the Covenant as of the certainty that we are in the Covenant Wits de Foed 196. which are rationes rerum inter se and belong to Logick and they arise from all Arguments Artificial or Inartificial Prime and Ort Simple or Comparate Consentany or Dissentany and they run in a Connex Axiom when the said Conditionality is express'd As thus Si Animal est homo est rationale si figura est trigularis est trilateralis If a Creature be a Man he is a Rational Creature If a Figure have 3 Corners it hath three sides all things in the World are capable of coming under this kind of Conditionality yea the most absolute Beings As if God be the first Cause he is the Creator of all things In this Sence Creation is a condition of Salvation If a Man be saved he must be created So Election a condition if a Man be saved he must be elected but Election is not a Foederal Condition So if a Man believe he shall be saved Believing is a condition of connexion to Salvation If a Man have the Spirit of Christ he shall believe unto Salvation but neither Faith nor Union are Foederal Conditions A state in Grace is a condition to a state in Glory by way of connexion in the Promise But one is not a Foederal Condition of another but both come in in the Gift of Grace In this Sence the Covenant of Promise contains all the Conditions of Order and Dependance in the Exhibition and Performance The Hearing the Word is the Condition of Faith but hearing the Word is not a Foederal Condition So the giving the Spirit is the condition of Union to Christ and Faith Faith the condition of receiving Pardon and living in Holiness And the giving of Pardon the condition of receiving it Holiness the condition of seeing God and eternal Happiness But these kind of Conditions are not Foeâeral entitling to the Promise but are contained in the Promise and denote only the connexion and dependance of one promised Benefit upon another 13. Hence the Ministry of Reconciliation runs conditionally because in it the absolute Covenant is preached 1. Indefinitely to Elect and Non-elect 2. The Covenant is declared in all the Promissary and Duty-Dependances contained in it and Duty required because promised 3. We must distinguish of the Ministry of Reconciliation in respect of the Letter of it Insertae sunt novisaederis conditiones novae obedientiae legali quidam Schaemate ad normam probationis nostrae ipsius gratitudinis debitae Sic tamen alio quoque Schemate ipsa resipiscentia in peccati mortificatione bonorum operum studio promittitur tanque Dei donum quod ipse operaturus sit in nobis ut isthoc signo argumento fas sit ex quo verè resipuimus credimus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã sperate in eam quae ad nos defertur gratiam in patefactione Jesu Christi 1 Pet. 1.13 Promissionis formulae expressissimae novum foedus sancientes donatione rescipiscentiae novae obedientiae extant Jer. 32.40 Isa 52.2 1 Pet. 1.4 2 Pet. 1.3 1 Joh. 3.9 and ver 18. Clopeub dâ foâd p. 516. Quicquid conditionis locum obtinere concipitur id omne vniversalitare promissionum includitur si vitam aeternam solum polliceretur Deus non deâsset specie aliqua dicendi rescipiscentiam fidem c. Conditiones hujus foederis esse Verum cum initium progression non intercisam continuationem consummationem denique novae vitae odem quasi ââlur addicat Deus in universalitte hâc promissorum nihil remanet quod totius foederis conditio censeri queat Nos hic de conditione foederis sic agimus non de aliquâ re in homine quae actuaalem fruitionem consummatae felicitatis precedere debet Witf p. 195 196. de Foeâere and the Spirit of it 1 Cor. 3.6 In the Letter of it the meer external Dispensation that kills because a Sinner looks upon all these conditions of Dependance to be Foederal Conditions but the ministration of the Covenant by the Spirit in that Ministry is absolute according to the Original Contract and the fullest Discovery in its highest Freedom And therefore the Apostie tells us this Spirit giveth Life And the believing Corinthians are said to be the Epistle of Christ written and transcribed from the Original Covenant-Contract not with Ink but with the Spirit of the Living God not in Tables of Stone but in the fleshly Tables of the Heart according to that Promise of a new Heart Hence therefore we must distinguish between the Covenant of Grace it 's absolute Tenure and the Ministry of the Grace of the Coventnt which Ministry is conditionally dispensed according to the connexion and dependance of good things contained in the Promise to a mixed People Elect and Non-elect The effect of this Ministry is either to work effectually by the Spirit according to the nature of an absolute Promise and then becomes a Savour of Life or else it works only in the Letter in the conditional Nature as a Covenant of Works and then it killeth eventually and is a Savour of Death and Condemnation 14. The Covenant of Grace is to be distinguished according to its different Revelation and Dispensation under the Names of the Old and New Testament which is no Specifick Difference but only secundum adjunctae Revelationis The Absoluteness of this Covenant was abundantly revealed under the Old Testament Dispensation unto the Patriarchs and Prophets but not so clearly by the Ministry of the Worldly Sanctuary but vailed on which vailedness the faultiness of that Dispensation was charged and did consist in comparison of what was to ensue 1. It stood vailed under a Figurative Carnal Ministry and Ordinances 2. Such as were weak and insufficient as to reaching those Ends that were designed by the Grace of the Covenant Heb. 10.1 and that in respect of the main Gospel Grace in pardon of Sin and purifying the Conscience 3. In that it
Preaching And let us consider a little the Nature of it Condition comes under several Considerations 1. Logical and there it 's Conditio conditionans or Conditio conditionata It 's more Ordinis aut Relationis respectu Ordinis It ariseth from a Priority and Posteriority of things All things can't be at once but one thing must be before another and here one thing is the condition of another respectu temporis there is Conditio relativa and so all Arguments are mutual Conditions one of another and consist è mutuâ alterius affectione and here is not Prioritas temporis sed nature Pater est conditio Filii or rather Paternitas relata affectio est causa filietatis correlata affectionis There is Conditio Axiomatica which ariseth from a Contingent Axiom or necessary and either connex because they 're mostly express'd Conjunctione connexivâ si And so there is also Conditio in dispositione Syllogisticâ ex dependentia inter conclusiones premissa There is also Law-Conditions Dr. Cawel saith It is a Rate Manner or Law annexed to Men's Acts or Grants staying and suspending the same and making them uncertain whether they shall take effect or no. And Papinian saith Conditio dicitur cum quid in casum incertum qui potest tendere ad esse aut non esse confertur This is a general Account of a Condition as arising out of a Contingency the effect depending upon an uncertain Cause And a Learned Lawyer saith A Condition is a Restraint or Bridle annexed and joyned to a Promise by the performance of which it 's ratifyed and takes effect and by the Non-performance of it becomes void Such a Condition I perceive you and Mr. Flavel will have Faith to be a Condition upon which the Promise is made and the Performance suspended by the Disposer till the said Condition be performed Conditio adimpleri debet priusque sequatur effectus Now this being your Condition I say it 's Foederal It 's Conditio Foederalis and let it be in value less or more it makes a Covenant of Works and is cloathed with all the Logical Notions of Condititions besides The Logical Conditions are in all things ex necessitate dependentiae mutuae rerum and a Man can't move a Hand or Tongue without them Even Brutes and all inanimate Beings as well as Men they belong to the whole Fabrick and Constitution of created Beings But a Foederal Condition belongs only to rational Beings and it 's related to the Promise ex pacto in a way of Merit and the Promise belongs to it by way of Debt And in this Sence the Apostle always decries the Law or any Law to have to do with our Justification he affirms that it 's always of Grace and never of Debt upon the least Consideration whatever of our Performance and Qualification And this is the Condition that I contend against and say That neither Faith or any other Gracious Qualifications or Graces of the Spirit are Foederal Conditions or Conditions of the Covenant of Grace My Arguments some of them in brief are these That which is a Gift of the Promise of eternal Life is no condition of it but Faith is a gift of the Promise Ergo. For the Major it 's clear for one thing can't be another eodem respectu tempore The Condition and Promise are Opposita they are Foederalia relata and therefore Contraria affirmantia a Father can't be a Son in that respect as he is a Father As to the Minor it 's out of all doubt by Divine Testimony See John 17.3 Eph. 2.8 To know Christ by Faith is Eternal Life and this Life of Faith is the Gift of God Hence Faith that is the Benefit promised is not the condition of it A Promise or Gift of the Promise cannot be the Condition of it self 2. That which would make the Promise a Debt and the Gift of it a Reward of Debt is not to be allowed But to make Faith a Foederal Condition of the Covenant of Grace would make the Promise to be Debt and the Reward a Reward of Debt Therefore Faith is not to be allowed to be a Condition of the Covenant For the Major it will stand with invincible strength from the Apostle Paul's Divinity and Logick Rom. 4.4 Believing and working are opposed as working and not working as Contradicentia It 's vain and frivolous to shift by evasive Interpretations and all that 's said to that purpose is easily wip'd off For the Minor That putting Faith in as a Federal condition would make the Promise a Debt The Performance of any Work or doing any Act as a Federal Condition let it be never so small the promising Federator becomes indebted thereby to bestow the Benefit promised on the Confoederator ex obligatione foederali and therefore a Debtor Now the Apostle will not allow any thing of this in the least Measure In those places where the Apostle opposeth Faith to Works he speaks of such Works as contain perfect and perpetual Obedience such as God required of man under the Law but not of those Works which comprehend that Obedience which God requires of us who believe in Christ Racov. Catech. c. 9. Therefore your Doctrine of Conditions is Socin 3. That Doctrine which will make all the Graces of Sanctification or gracious Qualifications Federal Conditions is not to be admitted But to say Faith is a condition of the Covenant in the Sence pleaded for will bring in all other Graces as well as it's self Ergo this Doctrine is not to be admitted for there is as much reason that all of them be allowed to be Conditions as that Faith should and therefore I see you and your Party bring in Repentance and other Graces together with Faith and say Our eternal Life is given unto us at the last upon conditional Meetness for it But the Scripture no where speaks of our Justification for or by Repentunce Love Patience Mortification of Sin c. not so much as once in the Sence that it speaks of Justicfiation by Faith And therefore Faith justifies not in it's qualifying nature which it hath in common with other Graces of the Spirit God never intended our strictest Holiness and highest degrees of Grace should be our Justifying Righteousness before God or Federal Conditions of the Covenant of Grace 4. That any Act of ours should be a Federal Condition of the Covenant of Grace destroys the very Nature of it Rom. 11.6 Eph. 2.8 9. Tit. 2.5 Rom. 5.17 18. Isa 55.1 2. 1 Cor. 2.12 Rom. 3.24 as it stands in opposition to the Covenant of Works it can't be distinguished otherwise from the Covenant of Works for the Condition of the Covenant of Works was as small as any thing imagining the Ability was given before the Condition was required He should have had persevering Grace in the Promise had he outstood this Temptation Now the formal difference between the Covenant of Works and Grace was in the Condition
Grace is no condition of a Covenant in us or conditionary part if there be any it 's in Christ 3. You do manifestly own that Sinners are not capable of a Covenant condition it must be wrought in them therefore how absurd is it to say a Covenant Promise was made to them upon condition of their own Act when they do not Act nor have Power to Act. 4. The conditions of the Covenant of Innocency as you would have it improperly enough were performed by a strength given freely and that before the condition was imposed you make the New Law harder because it commands Duty as a condition beâore it gives strength to perform and how was it due to our Innocent Nature no more than a distinct Nature from Bruits was due to us it was all of Gracious Bounty and ex beneplacito there 's nothing due to the Creature from the Creator but what he will from his free good Will and Pleasure make due well then hitherto you shew us no more Grace in your New Law than in the Old Law and I am mistaken if not less Neonom 2. The Principal Conditions of the Covenant of Grace express the Guilt and Misery of them that perform them Repentance owns our Filth and Guilt and Faith in a Redeemer expresseth our sinful and lost Estate neither of these could have place in our Legal Righteousness as being utterly inconsistent with an Innocent condition Nor can they have much Room in Heaven where we shall be perfect whereas the Terms of the Covenant of Works implied nothing but Innocency and Happiness Antinom You tell us of Faith and Repentance being the Principal condition I pray which are the rest of the conditions it 's fit we should know them all and when we have performed our part that we make our claim for we can make none till we have performed all 2. If our Repentance only as a condition express Guilt and Filth it expresseth our Condemnation only and thereby not a condition of Salvation it worketh Wrath and thereby belongs to the Law of Works broken Rom. 4.15 If it be a condition of Salvation it must take off Guilt and Filth by Expiation which you dare not say Repentance doth make and so Faith it 's not enough to express a sinful and lost Estate that 's but a Sentence of Death but it must as a condition take off this Sentence by its own Nature 3. Whereas you say neither of these i. e. Faith or Repentance could have place in our Legal Righteousness it 's false for Faith had place in our Legal Righteousness Adam's Legal Righteousness was Faith and Obedience and his Legal unrighteousness was begun in Unbelief which is manifest from the Serpents Temptation Gen. 3.3 which Adam complyed with our First Parents fell first by Unbelief And why could not Repentance have been one of the conditions if the Law-giver had pleased to put it in Why might not the Law run in these Terms In the day thou eatest and dost not repent thereof thou shalt die and so one Law should have done all Why could there not have been as many conditions and the same in the Old Law as you will have in the New therefore there 's nothing hinders in the Nature of the thing that makes it inconsistent as you say with an Innocent condition why may not a provision be made in a state of Innocency for the cure of Nocency if the Legislator pleaseth For he made not his Law by necessity of Nature And know that Repentance ââth great consistency with the Law and naturally follows in case of Transgression and there was no need of it but upon that Supposition and upon the Fall Adam naturally fell into Repentance expressing the Guilt and Filth of his Sin 4. Nor you say can they have much room in Heaven it seems they have a little at least so much as to retain the Nature of a condition or else the Covenant is lost in Heaven for the Covenant must always be made up of Condition and Promises or Performance of things promised it is an Everlasting Covenant But bâ your favour Faith hath place in Heaven and that a higher Faith than we are capable of here 5. You say the Terms of the Covenant of Works implyeth nothing but Innocency and Happiness there was not a Promise of Happiness expressed tho implyed and God never intended to give us Happiness by that Law for the Apostle saith Gal 3.21 If there had been a Law given which could have given Life verily Righteousness should have been by the Law Therefore God never intended to give Life to us bâ that Law or any other if he had he could have given a Law sufficient for it at first and were there no Terms but Innocency and Happiness was there not Terms of Transgression and Condemnation and those were the exprest Terms the other were but supposed or implyed Neonom 3. The Conditions of the Covenant of Grace make us capable of no Happiness except what Christ hath bought and prepared for us his Blood is the Price of all But the Happiness granted to sinless Obedience was immediately from the Creator and knew no Atonement or Mediator D. W. p. 57. Antinom Doth that make your Covenant the better or the worse Is not a perfect entire Covenant without any flaws in it better than a faulty Covenant The Apostle condemns a faulty Covenant but you chuse to prefer a Covenant that is faulty made up of sinful Obedience and that must have a Mediator to provide against it and to mend the faults of it and hence this Covenant could not be without a Mediator because of its faultiness and you say your Covenant makes us capable of no Happiness but what was bought and prepared for us 1. Then this is a Covenant that capacitates us first for what Christ bought and then when we are capable we shall be partakers of Christ by a previous Covenant where Christ hath nothing to do but Extrinsecally only this capability is by congruity or condignity 2. It 's a kindness to Christ that you will allow him the honour to buy and prepare Happiness for us and have it ready against we have occasion for it 3. What other kind of Happiness can you suppose Is there any but what comes to us in or by Christ Would the Life promised to Adam have differed in specie and be of another kind But is not the Gift of the Son himself a Happiness all Blessings of the Covenant are Happiness to Sinners the Father's Love was not purchased nor the Gift of the Son God so loved the World that he sent his Son c. 4. But his Blood is the Price of all there 's enough for him he bought your whole New Law at a Lump both your Inherent Foederal Righteousness for a condition and the Reward of Debt he capacitated the Law and brought it to so low Terms that you were capable of performing the conditions of it But hath his Blood no
before the Exercise of true Gospel Repentance Repentance is turning from Sin to God and this must be by Faith for none can come to God but by him Repentance and Faith do become necessary and useful by Vertue of the Promise in the way of Salvation but by no means in the Nature of Foederal Conditions God never constituted them in such a Covenant Order Neonom In the Covenant of Works the meer Work gave an Interest in the Reward as it was Obedience to the Precept by a Sanction which had Goodness but no such Grace in it Antinom It 's a gross mistake that Adam's Obedience would have Merited from Intrinsick Value or Worth it was ex pacto and whatever condition of the Creature-Performance the Legislator puts into the Covenant let it be less or more perfect or imperfect it 's all one they do ex pacto make the Benefit promised a Debt and this I will maintain against all the Neonomians in the World Neonom Vpon these accounts I shall never fear that Conditionality of the Covenant of Grace should turn it into a Covenant Works till I see it proved that God can promise and apply no Benefit purchased by Christ to a poor Sinner upon a condition of an Action he commands and freely enableth the Sinner to perform The Judgment Day is past and a state of Tryal is over whenever it is proved Thus much for Removal of Mistakes Antinom And poor confident Man I can but pity you to see how miserably mistaken you are All that you have said is so far from turning your Law of Imperfection into a Covenant of Works that it proves it to be a Covenant of Works against all the World What God can do is one thing and will do is another I am sure he hath made no other Foederal Condition of the New Covenant than Jesus Christ himself and his Righteousness and when the Judgment Day is come and it may be through Grace before during the state of Tryal as you call it you will be glad to throw away all your conditions and hold Christ alone as the only Foederal condition of Life and Salvation And let me tell you again that you forget it not That God never promised or applyed any Benefit to the most Perfect and Innocent Creature upon the condition of any Action he commands but what he freely enableth the said Person so commanded to perform and hitherto you have given us no Specifick difference between the Covenant of Works and Grace it 's only in degree that this is worse in condition and we are all together without strength to perform it Neonom Having premised these things to remove Mistakes I will tell you the Truth which I will express in the words of the Assembly D. W. p. 58. Q. 32. How is the Grace of God manifested in the Second Covenant A. The Grace of God is manifested in the Second Covenant in that he freely provideth and offereth to Sinners a Mediator and Life and Salvation by him requiring Faith as the condition to Interest them in him promiseth and giveth his Holy Spirit to all his Elect to work in them that Faith with all other Saving Graces Antinom In the first place you should have observed that they speak only of the manifestation of the Grace of the Covenant and no distinct Covenant from that of Redemption 2. They make not Faith a Condition of the Covenant of Grace but only of Interest Reception or Participation of the said Covenant With them 't is no more than modus recipiendi or participandi which is generally called the Instrument and therefore explain themselves thus Quest 73. How doth Faith justifie a Sinner in the sight of God A. Not as if Works or any Grace of Faith or any Act thereof were imputed to him for his Justification but only as it is an Instrument whereby he receiveth and applyeth Christ and his Righteousness 3. I made no Question but that it was that Fly that you catch'd at and watch'd for The Word Condition was then but a very small inconsiderable Word that none made any great matter of as importing no more than the Connexion of the Congregrative connex Axiom whose band of Connexion is the Conjunction Si And this conditional Connexion may fall upon any things that have necessary or contingent dependency one upon another whereby they have a mutual Affection or Dissatisfactions one to another and I call it a relative Condition and all things may come under it which way soever they look The Affirmation of this Proposition Si sit homo est animal If the Antecedent be true then the Consequence is true If John be a Man then he is an Animal and the Negation is Non si Johannes sit homo sit animal and though both antecedent and consequent may be false yet the It may be a true Proposition by vertue of the Connexion As if a Man be a Lyon he is a Four-footed Beast So if Judas be saved he did believe It 's a true Proposition tho' Judas never did believe nor was saved neither was there any Covenant of Grace made with him So that such a Proposition as this importeth no Covenant-Condition unless it be foederal over and above If the Devils shall be saved Christ died for them It 's true as a connex Proposition because there 's no other Name given under Heaven by which any Sinner can be saved But neither parts of this Proposition is true for Christ died not for them nor shall they be saved So here if a Sinner partake of Christ it 's by Believing because believing is his Participation and giving and receiving are relata and is no more a Condition here than Faith is to Holiness As thus If I believe I shall bring forth Fruits of Faith and it will be a Condition the other way if I bring forth good Fruits then I believe So that this sort of Condition attends the Expression of all sorts of Relations and Dependencies either Logical Mathematical Natural or Theological But when the Word Condition is carried further to denote a Foederal Bond or Obligation it becomes a big-bellied Word as you have phrased it and is always a distinguishing Character of a Covenant of Works And that the Assembly intended no other than a Relative Condition not a Federal I can give you many grounds from themselves Neonom But I will give my Reasons why they must understand a Federal Condition For 1. They judge that though God provided a Mediator for Sinners yet they have no Interest in him till they believe Antinom They by Interest mean Claim of Interest and Participation which we have by Faith and there Faith is no more a Condition than my hand is to the receiving a 1000 l. When it 's brought it 's only a Relative Condition Where there 's giving there is receiving but if there be any Condition on one side more than another it 's in the giving side which in nature and causality hath the
first place For it runs thus If you receive there 's some body gives So the Giving is the Condition of Receiving Or see it thus If you be a Father you have a Son they are mutual Causes one of another but the Father is first in respect of Nature and Causality If Receiving lie upon the Condition of Giving then Receiving is not the Condition of Giving but vice versa but Receiving lies under and depends upon the Condition of Giving for if there be no Giving there can be no Receiving Neonom They judge the Covenant is conditional they scruple not to call Faith the Condition of our Interest in Christ and Salvation by him Antinom They do intend and so do we that the New Covenant is conditional and hath a great Condition Jesus Christ He is the Foederal Condition satisfactory and procurative but they mean not that Faith is a condition of the Covenant but a condition relative in the manifestation For they could not suppose Faith to be the Condition of what they make the Covenant for it 's but in the Foregoing Answer they say The Covenant of Grace was made with the Second Adam and in him with all the Elect as his Seed They speak not of any Condition of the Covenant of Grace which they give an Account of Quest 31. but speak only of the way and manner of the manifestation of the Grace of God in the Second Covenant and that they tell you it 's by Faith as a correlative receiving Condition They speak not of any Condition of the Covenant but of the manifestation of the Grace in the Covenant by the Participation thereof Neonom 3. They judge that Christ and Salvation are offered to all Sinners on the same condition though God effectually enable the Elect to obey the Condition Antinom They say he freely provideth and offereth to Sinners a Mediator and Life Is Faith the condition of God's providing a Mediator And upon the same Terms that he provideth he also offereth i. e. freely If you look for a condition here it must be of providing and offering And they say God requires and works Faith as a Condition i. e. no more in their Sence but a means of conveyance the Grace of the Second Covenant unto them Now that this is their meaning take a full confirmation their Sence fully express'd in their Confession In Ch. 11. Of Justification speaking of the Nature of Justification saith It 's not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for Christ alone not by imputing Faith it self the Act of believing nor any other Evangelical Obedience to them as their Righteousness but by imputing the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his Righteousness by Faith which Faith they have not of themselves Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his Righteousness is the alone Instrument of Justification Thus Gentlemen you see what a Catch he hath got of the Word Condition made use of by the Assembly When they used the Word Condition it was but Aaron's Rod it 's now turned into a Serpent and every one that savours Christ aright will fly from it It is no better now than a Nehushtan and is to be brokee in pieces in the Sence of a Foederal Condition Neonom Errour The Covenant of Grace hath no Condition to be performed on Man's part though in the strength of Christ Neither is Faith it self the Condition of this Covenant but all the saving Benefits of this Covenant are actually ours before we are born Neither are we required so much as to believe that we may come to have an Interest in the Covenant-Benefits D. W. p. 59. Antinom We have told you and proved to you your Errour in saying That faith is the Condition foederally of the Covenant of Grace and we have shewed how far saving Benefits are prepared for us and ours in the Promise right before we believe yea before we are born and though it 's our Duty to believe and do believe as thereby partaking of Christ unto Salvation yet not in your Sence as a condition of a Covenent of Grace but as a promised Gift and Benefit bestowed upon us in Christ and wrought in us by him Neonom You spend more than a Sermon to prove this and say there is not any Condition in this Covenant D. C. p. 81. Anntinom In preaching on Isa 42.6 7. I shewed by way of Doctrine Dr. C. p. 81. That the Father is pleased to give Christ for a Covenant to the People and in opening it I shewed what it is for Christ to be a Covenant Where I shewed That the Lord means not a Covenant of Works but the Covenant of Grace which Covenant is mentioned Jer. 31.33 and renewed again Ezek. 36 26. and also Heb. 8.6 where you shall find this appropriated to Christ to be his great Priviledge to have the sole hand and managing of this New Covenant But now saith the Apostle He hath obtained a more excellent Ministry by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant And what is this better Covenant Mark what follows Ver. 8. Behold the days come c. Here see the substance of the Covenant I will be their God and they shall be my People Now I shew the difference between this Covenant and others all others run upon Stipulations the Promise runs altogether upon Conditions on both sides The Condition on God's Part They shall live The Condition on Man's Part That he might live he must do this And in the Old Covenant in case Man failed the Condition was broke But in this Covenant there 's no Condition on Man's part to be performed because the Covenant is everlasting Heb. 8. God saith I will be merâiful to your Iniquities and your Sins I will remember no more Now suppose there were Conditions for Man to perform and suppose Man did fail in those Conditions what were become of the Covenant The Covenant is frustrated as soon as the Conditions are broken Dr. C. p. 81. Obj. 1. There are many Conditions mentioned in this Covenant there must be a Law put in the Mind writ in the Heart c. Answ It is true God saith I will put my Law in your inward parts But it is not said This is a Condition to be performed on Man's part Obj. But Conditions or no Conditions a Man must have his Heart in this manner Answ I answer It 's true by way of Consequence that after we are in Covenant he will bestow those things upon us as Fruits and Effects of this Covenant but it 's not true by way of Antecedence That God will require those things at our hands before we be Partakers of this Covenant Answ 2. You shall see plainly that Man hath no tie upon him to perform any thing whatsoever in this Covenant as a Condition to be observed on his part Mark how it is in Jer. Ezek. Heb. God saith I will put it
in I will write it they shall be my People Shall here is a Word of Power And it follows They shall not teach every one his Neighbour for they shall know me How By their own Study and Industry No. See John 6.45 The Condition of knowing the Lord is to be performed by the Lord They shall be all taught of God Observe also the larger Expression of the Covenant Ezek. 36.25 c. Obj. If all lies on God's part and Man must do nothing then all his Life-time he may live as he list Answ You must make a difference between doing any thing in reference to the Covenant as a Condition thereof and in doing something in reference to Duty and Service to God who freely enters into Covenant with you I say only in way of Condition of the Covenant you must do nothing Calvin You see Mr. Neonom he doth not deny Duties to belong to this Covenant and Duties to be performed under the highest Obligation of God's free and bountiful Acting towards us in this Covenant but he speaks against your Principium modus agendi that we are not to perform these Duties in a mercenary way as if we were thereby Obtainers of the Benefits by Foederal Conditionality which way of Performance brings us under a Covenant of Works but we are to do all as such who receive both to will and to do by vertue of the Covenant and as the Effects thereof and I am very much mistasten if this be not Gospel-Truth Neonom But he saith in Answer to an Objection D.W. p. 60 I must needs tell you directly That Faith is not the Condition of the Covenant Dr. C. 84. Antinom I did say so and say so still Obj. But you will say He that believes shall be saved he that believes not shall be damned Is not Faith therefore the Condition of the Covenant Answ There is no Person under Heaven shall be saved till he hath believed this I grant yet this will not make Faith a Condition of the Covenant Faith as an Act is our Act and our Act of believing is a Work but it doth not depend upon a Work For the Apostle saith To him that justifies the ungodly Thus far to satisfie you from what I discoursed Now I tell you further that the Proposition He that believes shall be saved denotes no more than the necessary Connexion of Faith and Salvation by vertue of the Promise viz. Of one Gift of the Promise to another the Lord making many of the Gifts or Duties from a Covenant-Principle not upon Terms of foederal Conditionality on our part but that all is to be done by vertue of and flowing from the Promise of Eternal Life whereof Faith it self and the lively Fruits thereof are parts as well as Glory it self and all Eternal Life is in one Promise though not bestowed together but the several Gifts thereof have Conditionem Ordinis i. e. Prioritatis Posterioritatis conditiones relativas inter se But none of these Gifts are Foederal Conditions one of another but all alike belong to the Promissory part Grace as well as Glory Neonom But you say That after we are in Covenant with God he will bestow these things upon us as Effects and that the Covenant in the actual Substance of it is made good to a Man before he can do any thing Dr. C. p. 81. 83. Calvin Great Truths for without Christ we can do nothing therefore Christ the Substance of the Covenant must be given to us first or else Christ himself hath not spoken Truth Neonom I will shew you now how far I agree with you in this point and then it will the better appear where the difference lies 1. The Question is not Whether God hath promised and Christ engaged in the Covenant of Redemption that the Elect shall believe and possess Christ c. This I affirm Antinom Then you own a Covenant between the Father and the Son and the Promise of it was Christ and all his Benefits This one Assertion lays the Covenant of Grace higher than it 's possible that you or I can reach by our Conditions only you would not have this the Covenant of Grace though it contains all Grace but a Covenant of Redemption contradistinct to the Covenant of Grace which is most absurd For what is Redemption but rich Grace God hath accepted us in the beloved in whom we have Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of Sins according to the riches of his Grace wherein he hath abounded toward us in all Wisdom and Prudence having made known unto us the mystery of his Will Eph. 1.6 7 8 9. This Mystery of his Will is the Covenant of Grace which I can easily also evince made manifest by the appearing of Jesus Christ and working out our Redemption and by the Preaching thereof 1 Tim. 1.10 11. Neonom Neither is there any Question Whether there be any Duty on Man's part as a Condition of Christ's Vndertaking or of the certainty of the things undertaken in that Covenant This I deny Antinom Then you deny all Conditions of ours as required in the Covenant of Redemption as you call it Call it then but the Covenant of Grace as it is and the Assembly call it and then you say as we do in that Point Neonom Nor whether the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace be performed in our own strength or be uncertain as to the Elect. This I deny D. W. p. 61. Antinom Then this Performance by Divine strength and certainty is founded on Promise and if so is the Gift of God and thence it 's frivolous to talk of Conditions to be performed on our part God doth not give his Gifts to us to make Purchase with and rob his Free Grace and his Son of the Honour due to them Neonom Nor whether the Performance of the Conditions move God to enact offer or appoint this Covenant whereby the Grace of Christ is applyed This I deny Antinom What mean you by enacting or appointing this Covenant If you mean your Law of Imperfection we know no such Covenant of God ever enacted or appointed Neonom Yea I add That God enacted this Covenant before we were born and offers an interest in it on it's proper terms to men when Sinners Antinom Then the Covenant was an Eternal Covenant or at least the compleating of it did not depend upon our coming in with our personal foederal Conditions But I do not grant that your Covenant of Imperfection was ever so enacted And 2. You say offers an Interest in it to Men when Sinners Now our Covenant of Redemption and Grace come to be all one All that remains to be done is to bring Sinners to a participating Interest in it Undoubtedly when the Covenant was enacted it was provided that Sinners should have a free unconditional participation of it for the Infinite Wise God knew Sinners would be so poor and wretched that they would have no Condition Money and
never thought fit to make them Purchasers with his Money lest they should boast and claim all as Debt when he had given them Forty Shillings to begin with 3. But you will have Popish Terms come in at the Tail of this fair Story your dead Fly of Conditions must be in every Pot of your Apothecaries Ointment Neonom Nor whether the Performance of the Conditions of the Covenant be a Purchasing Price or Meritorious of the Benefits promised on such Conditions This I deny for Christ alone paid the Price and it 's the Covenant Promises gives the Benefits to such as perform the Conditions Antinom What security will you give us that they be not a purchasing Price or Meritorious What if Christ will say they be such as will Rob him and that he say if we put in and stand upon our conditions he shall profit us nothing What if poor Creatures that you infuse your Notions into and put your conditions upon they take them to be purchasing Prices of an Interest in Christ How will you answer the Preaching another Gospel than Paul Preached and free your selves from the Anathema But secondly If a Man that hath purchased an Estate for me and left me an Hundred Pound to pay of the Purchase Money I reckon that I pay part as well as he though he paid a Thousand Pound and so will all Men judge 3. It 's not enough for you to say Christ only paid the Price when Foederal Conditions besides lyes to be performed by some others and we do as confidently affirm and do prove that where there is a Covenant stipulated by conditions and promises the performance of the conditions though never so small and disproportionable to the Benefit carries a Merit of a Reward as of Debt virtute pacti though it lye not in the Intrinsick Value of the Condition whether it be mine or imputed to me by Loan or Gift to buy the Benefit or Swop for it And this is such a Truth that every Child almost that runs about to play in the Street knows and daily practiseth Neonom 6. Nor whether the first Grace by which we are inabled to perform the Condition be absolutely given This I affirm though that be dispensed ordinarily in a due use of means and in a way discountenancing Idleness and fit Encouragement given to the use of Means Antinom It seems as to the first Grace it is absolute then we come at first into an unconditional Covenant but afterward we must pay for what we have God gives a Stock of Money and then we must buy first begin in the Spirit and then finish in the Flesh I pray what Covenant Promise doth this first Grace belong to to the Covenant of Redemption or the Covenant of Imperfection It 's plain then that a Sinner doth not come under an Obligation to the Covenant of Imperfection till he hath been furnished with conditions some other way So that he must needs come under two distinct Covenants first an absolute and then conditional What a cutting and hacking is here of the Covenant of Grace to puzzle and confound poor Souls in the great concernment of their Salvation Neonom Nor whether all the Conditions of the Covenant be of the same use to the same purpose or a like compleat Terms of the Principal Benefits this I deny for Faith is supposed to all other Conditions c. Antinom It is not to our Business whether they have other distinct Offices but respectu Conditionalitatis foederalis they are equally conditions the comparison is not here in Quantity but Quality One Shilling is as much a condition in the price set upon a Horse or Cow that is sold as Five Pound though it be not so great in quantity but it seems here are divers sorts of conditions some greater than others and Faith hath the preheminence I have a Question or two to ask Whether if one of these little conditions be not performed I do therefore forfeit my Bargain One inconsiderable one that hath ten times more Sin and Imperfection in it than Good And whether this Covenant of Imperfection doth not look upon the Imperfectest Conditions and most sinful provided there 's a little good in them to be the best Conditions And whether it be fit that we should have good sound and perfect Commodities for debas'd Coin Neonom Nor whether upon the performance of the Conditions the Covenant Grant becomes not as Absolute and the right to the Benefit no longer suspended This I affirm for the Promise conveys the Title as soon as the Terms of the Grant are Answered Antinom As Absolute as what It 's Nonsence I take it to be an Erratum but it 's not among them and that as should not be there and therefore it 's thus that upon performance of the conditions the Grant should become Absolute this is impossible for Absolute and Conditional are adversa quae inter se velut regione perpetuò adversantur As much as if you should say after I have bought a House of you and paid my Money that you gave the House to me freely And what do you talk of the Promise conveying the Title it 's the Condition gives me the Title the Promise is challenged upon the performance of the Condition Neonom I come now to the Real difference betwixt us D. W. p. 62. 1. Whether Men have an Actual Interest in the Saving Benefits of the Covenant of Grace while they live in Vnbelief this you affirm and I deny Antinom Did you not grant a real Interest to the Elect in the Covenant of Redemption which to us is the Covenant of Grace That God hath there Covenanted that they shall believe and that Christ hath undertaken for the certainty of their Faith and Holiness and that Christ hath paid actually all the Price of Redemption for them and are all those no Saving Benefits What if they know not their Interest have they therefore none Doth that follow A good Estate may be bought and made over to me that I have as good an Interest in and Title to as any Man in the World to his and yet I not know it it may be it 's in the Barbadoes bought or given by a Friend and I know not of it a Year after but when I hear of it or enter Possession is my Title any better than before And when is the first Grace given which you said is absolute but when we are in unbelief For there 's no Medium between Unbelief and Faith Neonom Whether God doth offer the Saving Benefits of the Covenant upon Official Terms as Believe and thou shalt be saved this I affirm and you deny Antinom You mean by Official Terms only Foederal Conditions Do and Live or Believe and Live in the same sence as Do and Live I say the Covenant of Grace speaks otherwise it saith Live and Do and the command in the Gospel becoming effectual to Believe is the performance of the Promise in quickning and
raising him from the Dead believing is his very Saving it 's his Life begun and not the condition of it Believe and be Saved is a Proposition declaring the near and indubitable connexion of all the Gifts of Grace as Blessed are they that Mourn for they shall be Comforted Blessed are the Merciful they shall obtain Mercy c. These Propositions of Beatitudes do not declare any Foederal Conditionality lying in the Antecedent but a Covenant Connexion of good things in the Promise of Life to be bestowed that one of these Blessings will be where the other is either first or last for Meekness Godly Sorrow Purity of Heart Faith c. they are all the Gifts of Grace and belong to the Promissory part of the Covenant and not to the Conditional and yet become Duties by Vertue of the Promise and Precepts accompanying Neonom Whether the Beneficial Priviledges of the Covenant be not suspended on the Terms of Duty As doth not God forbear to pardon us till we believe This I affirm and you deny Antinom It is as much as to say that Duty is no beneficial part of the Covenant the change of the Heart is no beneficial part of the Covenant but you say these beneficial parts are suspended upon the Terms of Duty It 's as much as to say he shall have no Benefit by the Covenant and all Benefits are suspended till he do some Duty that is no Benefit of the Covenant And as to your Enquiry Whether God forbear to pardon us till we believe I Answer Pardon is with God before it is with us if it were not we should never have it and the Pardoning Grace of God is at work with us before we do believe and doth by the Light of it in the Glorious Gospel work Faith in our Hearts As for your phrasing it thus that God forbears Pardoning till we Believe it insinuates thus much according to your Scheme of Conditions That God suspends his Acts toward the Creature till he seeth something in it to encourage him and that God would have wrought sooner than he did if it had not been our fault whereas God works and none can let neither doth his working or not working depend upon the Creatures but that it is in his own way and time and when he will pardon he works Faith and it must be so because the Believer is Pardoned in application of Pardon therefore the Pardoner and Pardoned are relata and though as relata they are simul natura yet in respect of Causality the Pardoner is first and if he should forbear pardoning till the Sinner were fit for it by good qualification it would be long enough before it come unto us You say the first Grace is absolute and if the second Grace or Benefit be Conditional foederally where lies the condition and if a man be fallen into a deep Well and have broken an Arm or Leg would it not be very odd to say I forbear the Setting of his Arm or Leg till he comes out of the Ditch whereas it lyes upon me to fetch him out of the Ditch first As God pardons who and when he pleaseth so by the same Grace he hath provided for all ways and means of Application Neonom It 's enquired Whether God doth engage to bestow the promised Benefits of the Covenant on all such who through Grace perform the Conditions This you affirm and I deny Antinom I affirm that God doth bestow all the Benefits of the Covenant upon all those unto whom through Grace they do belong and to perform any Duty of the Covenant required is a Gift of Grace You say through Grace and therefore a promised Benefit Creation in Christ Jesus a New Heart Union to Christ Where are there Conditions through Grace to be wrought in us before the effectual Power of Grace To say any thing is to be performed through Grace that is not the Gift of Grace and is not a Benefit of the Covenant is something otherwise your Conditions are but in order of working or at most Relative Conditions the connexion of one Gift of Grace or Benefit to another and then your conditionality is no more than the Apostles Rom. 5.1 2 3. Faith the condition of Hope Hope of glorying in Tribulation Tribulation of Patience Patience of Experience c. These may all be brought into a connex Proposition forward and backward If I Believe I shall Hope if I Hope I shall glory in Tribulation if I have Patience I shall have Experience but yet all Gifts of Grace are none of them foederal Conditions but Promises bestowed Neonom All may be reduced to this Whether our believing consent to the Covenant of Grace be absolutely necessary by God's Command and promised to our Interest in the saving Benefits of the Cevenants This you deny and I affirm Antinom It 's one thing to be antecedently necessary another thing to be consequently necessary Whatever is commanded in the Covenant of Grace as you will insinuate is also promised and being promised is a Benefit Therefore if you make believing antecedently necessary which is a Work and Gift of Grace to all the Benefits you contradict your self and all right Reason And as to the great Ado you make about Interest I have told you it comes under a double consideration of real and known or manifest All the Elect have a real Right and Interest in the Covenant even before believing such a Right as entitles them to believing For Christ hath undertaken that all that the Father hath given him shall come to him and it 's therefore absolutely necessary they should as promised in the Covenant not as a Condition as a leading Benefit and no otherwise And do you not call them Saving Benefits Shew me a Condition to be performed before any saving Benefits that we do receive and then you will say something What 's a greater Benefit than Life it self Neonom I will confirm the Truth by several Arguments Antinom Let it be Truth first It 's very little Truth that hitherto you have affirmed as I think I have made sufficiently appear But go on I am willing to hear what you can say and to embrace Truth Neonom Each of the Benefits of the Covenant are offered to Men on Condition and not absolutely in relation to God as his People is So Levit 36.3 12. compared with 2 Cor. 6.16 Matth. 22.2 3 9 10 11. Rom. 10.9 ch 4.25 Gal. 3.7 Antinom Your Argument is very confused and rough drawn for you tell us not what you would conclude of all the previous Questions I take it for grant that you would conclude your imperfect conditions in whatever Question you put about the Covenant 2. Then you use very ambiguous Terms you talk of offering the benefits of a Covenant It 's one thing to make a Covenant and another thing to offer to make a Covenant for there are conditions to the Offer and the conditions to the making and what you mean by offering
World and turn all Benefits into Conditions We are to talk of a Condition upon which as such all others are Benefits and relative Conditions are given forth by Promise And we say Jehovah our Righteousness is that Condition for which we are blessed with all Blessings in and through him in and through him they are bestowed and all ways and means of bestowing them are Blessings provided in him and bestowed by him that there is a Method of Order in bestowing them and a relative Connexion between them there is as also among the Blessings and Benefits and is no hindrance to the Absoluteness of the Promise A Man gives me an Estate to come gradually to me 20 l. per Annum this year and 20 l. next c. is my having 20 l. per Annum this year the reason by way of condition of my having 20 l. per Annam more the next The Condition of all this Estate is resolved into the Free-Will of the Donor and his purchasing of it for me with his Money As to your consequence it follows you say That all to whom the Offer is made have an Interest in them I deny it utterly in such Offers as God makes for though the Tender of Grace be indefinite yet God knows who are his by Election and Redemption and to them he gives his Son and his Spirit and the first Gift of the Promise to perswade and enable them to come unto Christ Or you say It 's not a Serious Offer viz. To offer Grace upon such Terms and Conditions which the Sinner is not able to perform This Inference will rebound back again upon you for saying That these Conditions are freely wrought of God in us Doth God work these Conditions before he offers them the Grace of the Covenant If so you say something and work them in all too to which they are offered if not it 's not serious as you and the Arminians will say Therefore to support your Hypothesis you must grant a Free-will in Man and Power of himself to perform the said Condition Now it is true you say as not containing a real and natural Connexion between the Benefit and Duty Why so Can 't Benefits be relative and truly connected without there be a Foederal Condition Having Food and Raiment let us therewith be content Contentment is the Benefit here and it 's a Duty and the Condition ââod and Raiment a manifest Benefit too and can't these be conâââted without one be a Foederal Condition of the other which wanting the Blessing is not look'd for Then you may say Not having Food and Rayment sufficient I need not be content Know this the Spirit of God makes the Promise the Condition of the Duty As to Abraham I am God All-sufficient walk before me and it s always so if we rightly understand the Language for it first bids us live before it bids us do And this is the difference between the Covenant of Works and that of Grace Neonom 2. Faith it self is no more necessary to our first Interest in those Benefits than any other Grace nay than Vnbelief Let no man object It 's a Sign for so is any other Grace so might be the Description of Paul by his Name by his Abode yea Sin a Persecutor c. D. W. p. 63. Antinom There is an Interest antecedaneous to Faith but hidden yet such as our Faith can never come into being without And as to our Interest by Faith you speak of Christ by Revelation of his Grace in the Gospel makes us Partaker thereof It 's an Interest of Possession and yet a Man may be thrown out of Possession unless he have this antecedent Right and Title to it And the Interest by Possession of and Communion with Christ is greater by Faith than any other way because it 's directed to Christ objectively and receives more eminently Christ himself And though it do so yet it can't be the Condition of receiving Christ That is the very receiving of Christ for the receiving cannot be the Condition of receiving then an Act should be the Condition of it self Neonom Let not any one say it 's a Sign for so is any other Grace and Paul may be known by this Name Abode c. Antinom Faith is for those Uses that Christ hath appointed but he never appointed it for a Moral Foederal Condition For if it be a Condition it 's so as an Act and if as an Act a Duty and as a Duty Moral and so makes your Covenant only a Moral Law Believing is more than a Sign but it 's most naturally so in your Sence for in it's Conditionality you make it but the same with other Graces and Duties But we say Believing is feeding on Christ seeing of him receiving of him and it 's not proper for to say Feeding is a Condition of Feeding Seeing a Condition of Seeing yet it carries it's Evidence with it abundantly because there is Perception of all I see and feed upon Neonom Men are said to enter into Covenant with God Deut. 29.12 13. Psal 50.3 To keep Covenant Psal 103.18 To perform the Covenant 2 Chron. 34.31 To take hold of the Covenant Isa 6.6 Antinom In the Covenants mentioned betwixt God and the Church of the Jews we must always consider the Pedagogy that they were under and that they were under the Covenant of Grace vailed and not only with Levitical Types but Legal Dispensations in respect of Duty And the Apostle tells us that this Ministry was faulty and therefore he saith Christ hath obtained a more excellent Ministry far differing ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã By so much that he was the Mediator of a better Covenvnt which is established on better Promises Heb. 8.6 For if the first Covenant had been Faultless ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã there had been no place found for the Second This Second is not to be understood of the Covenant of Works but the Mosaical Ministry of the Covenant of Grace which is fully expressed in the beginning of the Chapter Neither doth the Apostle mean only the meer Ceremonial part of that Ministry but the morally legal and conditional way of Dispensation like the Covenant of Works And therefore he saith The new Covenant that he would make or promulge by the more excellent Ministry of the Mediator it should be published in the true absolute and unconditional Light of it not according to the Mount-Sinai Covenant upon their coming out of Egypt ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã They abode not in that Covenant by performing the conditional Duties ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã saith the Lord ver 9. i. e. He did not give them those Promises of external good things that he made unto them for the Promises were external for the most part as the Conditions of them were morally Legal 2. Besides these explicit Covenants there were Ecclesiastical Covenants as they were a National Congregational Church and in these Covenants they promised Subjection unto God and Observation of all his
ãâã ãâã ãâã The way of God is not just or right O house of Israel saith the Lord are not my ways just Are not yours unjust For thus saith the Lord I will judge you seeing that you stand so upon your own Justification and censure my Justice see now that you repent and turn you from your Iniquities and so Iniquity shall not be your ruine And if they plead this We cannot do it without the Gift of Grace and thou change our Hearts No faith God seeing you stand upon such Terms with me you must do as you have pretended you could Ver. 31. Cast away from you all your Transgressions and make you a new Heart Get up your selves such Faith as those have who receive my Grace freely and I give new Hearts to and it shall be well with you For saith the Lord my Nature is not to delight in the Misery of the Creature as no just Judge that passeth Sentence delights to afflict or kill the Prisoner at the Barr I had according to my nature rather he should repent and live but if he doth not Justice requireth that he should die Now that which seems here to be chiefly aimed at is to convince them of their sinful undone state that they were never able to perform so much as the external Commands of the Law of Moses or any Commands to Repentance or Obedience in their own strength and power And seeing you charge me with this That I accept not your pretended Repentance but have carried you away into Captivity it 's for the Iniquity of our Fathers they have sinned and we must suffer No saith God do but repent Sin shall not be your ruine make you new Hearts your selves Seeing you pretend you deserve so much and have done so and so let me now see what you can do without me as to Help and Grace you shall see I shall deal with you according to your Good as well as according to your Wickedness The Current of the Old Tkstament is to convince them of the Faultiness of this Conditional Covenant and to confirm what the Apostle saith Heb. 8. Rom. 10.31 32. which is the Sence of that place Jer. 7.23 4. This thing I commanded them but they hearkened not c. That they continued not in that conditional way of Salvation nor obtained the Law of Righteousness neglecting the true Spiritual meaning of the Sacrifices but they that were saved were saved as we by Faith in a free and an unconditional Covenant of Grace Calvin saith on the place Non frustra hoc dicit Deus facite vobis c. God doth not speak this in vain Facite vobis though they had no Power to do it but for this end that men being convinced of their sins should blame none but themselves and acknowledging their Impotency should betake themselves to the help of the holy Spirit as David Psal 51.22 So as also this external Exhortation is as it were the Instrument God useth to conferr Grace upon them And the Apostle acquaints us 1 Cor. 10. and shews us how the Israelites failed and rebelled against this conditional Covenant and so brought themselves under the Calamities threatned to their Disobedience and tells us that all these things happened unto them in a Type ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as another Reading hath it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ver 11. They were Types and were written for our Instruction Wherein was that viz. That we should not think as they to be saved upon the condition of our Performances which they did notwithstanding they had Christ and the free Promise of Life given to them in the Types of the Cloud and the Rock which they made not Improvement of or regarded but stood mostly on their own strength and righteousness Therefore saith he ver 12. the Instruction lies here which we are taught He that thinks that he stands let him take heed lest he falls i. e. let him depend upon the Free Grace of the Covenant and not upon his Conditional Performances I see not to what purpose you quote 2 Cor. 3.6 and ch 10.11 12 21. Neonom I will tell you your Mistakes you think every thing is a price to buy a Benefit which is a compliance with the way God hath ordained to be a way to bestow a Gift D. W. p. 71. Antinom I think God hath a way to bestow Grace upon us by Price and Gift too the Price is paid by Christ i. e. the conditional part of the Covenant performed and Christ is freely given to us and this is all the Covenant-way of Salvation in him Now if you bring in any other Foederal Condition between Christ and us you destroy it as a Gift of Righteousness and Life and make it Debt because that which makes the Benefits promised due by remunerative Justice makes them a Debitum but a previous foederal Condition performed makes the Benefits promised due by Remunerative Justice Ergo. Make them a Debt and the Condition a Price therefore all such Conditions are rejected as Money and Price Isa 55.1 Neonom You think because God hath promised to Christ that the Elect shall believe therefore God cannot make Faith a Condition of any other Blessing Antinom I think Faith being promised to Christ for us and to all his Seed in him it can never lose the Nature of a Promise to us and can't return into the Nature of a Foederal Condition That the Promises are bestowed Ordine relativâ connexione I deny not nor no body of Sence but no Gifts of the Promise are Foederal Conditions but Christ himself Neonom He thinks because Christ is given to be a Covenant i. e. is appointâd to be a Surety to serve the great ends of the Covenant accomplished and secured therefore there is nothing required from men as the way of their Interest in the Benefits of the Covenant though under the Influence of Christ Antinom It seems you give two things to Christ as Surety only 1. That he is the Executor 2. That he hath given Bond and Security that we shall perform the Conditions of the Covenant But we say he was so a Surety as not only to undertake but actually to fulfill all Righteousness for us and was our Federal Condition and was the Testator of the Promise and it being made unto him and us in him all Power was put into his Hand he gave it us by Will sealed it with his Blood and now is exalted and in full Power to give out the wâole Covenant-grant himself and eternal Life in him to Sinners freely that have no Qualification for it neither are capable of making or performing any Foederal Conditions Neonom You think because Christ is appointed to work Faith in Order to Vnion and other Benefits therefore we must have an actual Interest in Christ and his Benefits before this Faith is wrought Antinom Faith is the Fruit that grows upon a Branch of the Vine Christ Jesus Now tell me
God unto Salvation but not as the Cause this were to change the Covenant of Grace into a Covenant of Works our good Works are the effects of Grace the Reward of good Works are a Reward of Grace Good Works are necessary to Salvation as the Way not as an Instrument or Cause Faith is necessary to Salvation as an Instrument The Active and Passive Obedience of Christ is necessary as a meritorious Cause Calvin Mr. Antisozzo I pray do you now speak impartially to this Point Antisozzo I think I have met with his Scheme before now and as I take it it runs thus and the Question that lies before us is this What Influence the Sacrifice of Christs Death and the Righteousness of his Life have upon our acceptance with God The Gentleman that I once disputed with stated the Question so and resolved it as follows Antisozzo p. 580. All that I can find in Scripture about this is That to this we owe the Covenant of Grace That God being well-pleased with the Obedience of Christ's Life and the Sacrifice of his Death for his sake entred into a new Covenant with Mankind wherein he promises pardon of Sin and eternal Life to those who believe and obey the Gospel I think this is exactly your Scheme Mr. Neonomian Neonom Yes and something more D. W. p. 8. viz. That the Gospel barrs all Vnbelievers and dead Sinners from Pardon and Adoption and denounceth the continuance of Condemnation against them limiting it's Benefits to such as believe Antisozzo This Scheme contains three things 1. A Description of the Covenant of Grace 2. An Assertion that this Covenant of Grace is owing to the Sacrifice and Righteousness of Christ 3. A Supposition that this Righteousness and Sacrifice of Christ hath no other Influence upon our acceptance with God but that for his sake he enrted into such a Covenant with Mankind 1. His Description is this A Promise of the pardon of Sin and Eternal Life to those who believe and obey the Gospel Neonom You will not I hope deny this to be a true Description of the Covenant of Grace Antisozzo But I will for all your hast It is a Description so liable to Exceptions that it describes neither the whole of the Covenant nor a New Covenant nor upon the matter any Covenant at all Neonom If you prove what you say Eris mihi magnus Apollo I 'll strike out your Name from my Book and if I can be convinced I must subscribe yours Antisozzo You shall see what I can do presently 1. This Description gives us very little of a true Covenant of Grace For 1. Tho you think to put us off with a Promise of Pardon and Life to those that believe and obey the true Covenant of Grace hath given us a Promise of that Faith whereby we may believe and of that New Heart whereby we are enabled to obey the Gospel And First We have the Promise of the right Faith in the true Covenant John 6.37 Eph. 1.8 And least it should be said Faith is a common Gift as other things are the Apostle hath his reply ready Eph. 1.19 Secondly We have a direct and express Promise too of that New Heart from which we give to God new Obedience Ezek. 36. Ver. 26 27. c. 2. This Description gives but very little of the true Covenant of Grace there 's a Promise of Pardon and Life to them who believe and obey but Perseverance in Faith and Obedience is left to the Desultory and Lubricous Power of Free Will whereas in the true Câvenant of Grace there 's an Undertaking that the Covenant shall be immutable both on God's part Jer. 32.38 4. God hath said He will not turn away from doing them good And 2ly He hath promised That they shall not depart from him c. p. 583. 2. As it describes not the whole of the Covenant so it describes not the Nature of a new Covenant 1. It describes no New Covenant in opposition to the Old Covenant of Works The Covenant with Adam promised Life upon condition of Oâedience and those Commands as easie as those now given to Mankind and much easier too if we consider Adam's Natural Strength 2. We are told by you that Christ hath added to the Moral Law i. e. to the Moral Duties required by the New Law Faith and Repentance which is to lay more Load on those that were overcharged before So that as you make Covenants Adam's was much the better Covenant of the two but you have wisely shuffled in a Promise of the Pardon of Sin which may seem to give this Covenant a Preheminence above that of Adam But that will not mend the matter both because it 's better to have no Sin in our Natures than such a Remedy better to have no Wound than such a Plaister and also because the Promise of Pardon as you say is suspended upon the condition of Faith and Obedience which without a Supernatural real Influx of immediate Divine Power reduceth the Promise to an impossibility of Performance 2ly This Covenant described is no new Covenant in opposition to the Old Administration of the Covenant of Grace there were the same Promises then that we have now the same Moral Precepts that we have now Though the Word Gospel come in for a Blind yet the Apostle assures us the Gospel was preached to Abraham 3. Upon the matter it 's no Covenant of Grace at all p. 584. For 1. A Promise of Pardon and Life upon condition of believing and obeying is neither better nor worse than a Threatning of Condemnation and Death to them who believe not and obey not It may with equal right be called a Threatning of Death as a Promise of Life It 's no more of Grace than a Covenant of Wrath And therefore 2ly If it be lawful to consider Man as the Word of God describes him dead in Sins and Trespasses It 's no Covenant at all to him For what is the nice difference betwixt the Promise of Life to him that obeys when it 's certain before-hand he cannot obey and no Promise at all c. Neonom Well Sir pray let us call another Cause Do you argue like a Voucher to my Book Mr. Calvinist he is a sharp Man and he doth this only for Argumentation sake he is of my mind for all this Antisozzo No do not you believe that you wheadled me in to vouch for your Book I know not how but I shall stick the closer upon your Skirts for that I have not done with you yet Calvin I will then propound one Question to Mr. Antisozzo Whether the Covenant of Grace be owing to the Sacrifice of Christs Death and so be distinct from that he calls the Covenant of Redemption Because our time now is up speak only what your Judgment is in this Point Antisozzo Mr. Neonomian I must tell you I have narrowly pryed into this Paradox That the Covenant of Grace is owing to procured by and
founded on the Obedience of Christs Life and the Sacrifice of his Death and yet so unhappy I have been in my search that I cannot find any proof or any attempt to prove it and therefore till I see evidence to the contrary I shall take for granted that the Covenant of Grace is owing to and founded on and given forth by that Free Grace of God from whence it s justly denominated a Covenant of Grace though the Intervention of a Mediator such a Mediator was absolutely necessary to put us into Actual Possession of those Rich Mercies designed to us by God in that Covenant which Mediator himself is owing to and founded on that Covenant of Grace and therefore the Covenant of Grace is not founded upon him but indeed for that Covenant which Mr. Neonomian is pleased to call a Covenant of Grace it 's no great matter where it is founded and therefore let him dispose of his own Creature as he pleaseth c. See p. 581 586. c. Neonom There are Precepts and Threatnings in the Covenant of Grace and therefore those Duties required are Foederal Conditions For to the performance of them are annexed Promises and to the breach of them Threats Calvin I pray Dr. Witsius do you speak in Answer to this Argument Dr. Witsius The Covenant of Grace or Gospel strictly so called as a Platform of that Covenant seeing it consists in meer Promises properly prescribes nothing as Duty it requires or commands nothing not so much as Believe Trust and Hope in the Lord c. but it reports declares and signifies to us what God in Christ hath promised what he will and is about to do All Prescription of Duty belongs to the Law even as after others venerable Voetius hath pressed again and again Voet. Disput Tom. 4. p. 24. seq And this we must firmly hold if we will constantly defend with all the Reformed the perfection of the Law containing in it's compass all Vertues all Duties of Holiness But the Law fitted to the Covenant of Grace and according there to written in the Heart of the Elect commands all these things which are propounded in the Gospel to embrace it with Faith unfeigned and to live a Life of Grace and Glory agreeable thereto De Fââder p. 197. As to Comminations it cannot be denyed but in the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles there are many Comminations which have a peculiar respect unto the Covenant of Grace as He that believes not shall be condemned c. which Comminations do seem to be distinguished from those that are plainly Legal Such as this Cursed be he that continues not in all things c. Yet if we exactly consider them the Covenant of Grace hath no peculiar Threats for all the Threats are from the Law which Law as to all its parts doth accommodate and suit it self to the Covenant of Grace and there are none which cannot be referred to or deduced from that meer Legal Commination Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things c. De Foed p. 199. DEBATE IX Of the Nature of Saving Faith Calvin AT our last Meeting we finished our Debate about the Covenant of Grace and the Conditions of it What have you further Mr. Neonomian to discourse Mr. Antinomian about Neonom Divers Points besides that he is erroneous in The next I would challenge him upon is Saving Faith and the Nature of it For his Errour is this That Saving Faith is nothing but a Perswasion or absolute concluding within our selves That our Sins are pardoned and that Christ is ours D. W. p. 73. Calvin But you do not deny Faith to be a Perswasion do you If you do deny that Perswasion is the Genus of Faith every common Porter or Youth in the Sreet will contradict you for they will tell you that they do believe this or that to be true Ask them what they mean by Believing they will tell you They are perswaded of it They take Faith and Perswasion to be equivalent Terms and indeed reciprocal for that which I am perswaded of I do believe and that which I believe I am perswaded of But go on let us hear what Mr. Antinomian saith in this Point Neonom Sir he tells us that the whole Essence of Faith is nothing else but the Eccho of the Heart answering the foregoing Voice of the Spirit and Word of Grace My Sins are forgiven me saith Faith And the Soul that can assume thus from the Spirit and Word of Grace hath the whole Essence of believing D. C. p. 493. Antinom I doubt not Sir but to prove that this is a good Account of Saving Faith I said That which hath the Whole Essence of Faith is not a Dead but Living Faith i. e. which bringeth forth Fruits D. C. p. 493. But the Question was Whether Faith gives Evidence by it self or no by it's own direct Act. Now I said The whole Essence of Faith is nothing else but the Eccho of the Heart answering the Voice of the Spirit and Word of Grace c. Now I thought I could not give a more lively Account of it for the Eccho is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã The Daughter of the Voice it 's begotten by the Voice So saith the Scripture Rom. 10.16 17. He quotes Isa 53.1 Who hath believed our Report ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã The Word signifies the Voice heard or that comes to the hearing And so doth the Hebrew Word import ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Who hath believed or heard our Voice i. e. Who hath so heard it as to make an Impression thereof upon their Hearts believingly And the Apostle saith When this heard Voice takes in a due Impression upon the Heart through the Spirit it begets Faith and that Impress is Faith Rom. 10.17 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã c. Faith verily is from hearing and this hearing by the Word of God Hearing or the Voice that is heard is by the Word of God Hence that Expression of the Apostle James 1.18 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Of his own Free-will working effectually by his Spirit in opening and new framing the Heart as Lydia's he begets us by the Word of Truth The Truth of the Word is received into the Heart as it were with an Eccho and Formation of the Heart into it Progenuit ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã all udit ad nostram adoptionem cujus facti sumus per fidem participes John 1.12 13. Fides autem est ex auditu verbi Rom. 10.17 Ideo etiam dicuntur ministri filios gignere sed quatenus Dei instrumenta â Cor. 4.15 Phil. 10. Beza by an Assent to it as true and Consent to it as a good Truth And this is indeed the Writing the Law of God in the Heart the Law being taken often for any Truth declared in the Word After this manner the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 4.15 In Christ Jesus I have begotten you by the Gospel ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã So that the Gospel
begets Faith Phil. 10. The Apostle James ch 1.15 useth the Word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã concerning Sin when it is finished or compleated brings forth Death i. e. Sin when it appears as it is it 's Death and Condemnation in the Conscience So the Word brought thus by the Spirit into the Heart the Soul is freed from Condemnation it thereby hath Life he believes to the saving of the Soul And can this be denied to be good Faith and true Faith and all the Essence of our Divine Faith it being the believing of the Word so as to close with it and receive it according to the Nature and End of it The Apostle Heb. 11.1 describes Faith by two Words Marvellous Significent in our Sence by * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã illud quo subsistunt Beza ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Persuasio Syr. It notes Confidence or Presence of Mind without fear So Polyb. It 's rendred Confident or confident Perswasion 2 Cor. 9.4 ch 11.17 and Heb. 3 14. where it signifies and is rendred Confident Perswasion ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which is a Subsistance The Word is besides used concerning the Person of the Father Heb. 1.3 where Christ is said to be the Character of the Father's Hypostacy we read it Personality So here Faith is said to Personate the Truth or to be the Image of it as it were in the Heart or rather things hoped for it makes them as it were present ecchoing them in the Heart the Eccho speaking the same things the Voice doth and he saith ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Evidence or rather Demonstration of things not seen it takes up a Demonstration from God's Authority not from Sence or Reason Here Argumentum Inartific Divine Testimony is of greater Force than any Artificial Arguments can be There is also another Word whereby Faith is express'd and it's ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Rom. 4.20 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Persuasio plena certioratio Stev It 's said of Abraham He was strong in Faith ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Persuasae Intelligentiae Stev And what was his strength of Faith It was his Fulness of Perswasion or Confidence ver 21. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã He was fully perswaded of what God had promised The Word is used for Faith Col. 2.2 To all riches of the full assurance of understanding Denoting that Faith is primarily an Act of the Understanding this Word is often used for it 1 Thess 1.5 Heb. 6.11 10.22 And ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for plenam fidem vel persuasionem habeo Luke 1.1 Rom. 14.5 The very Greek Word for Perswasion is used ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã whence ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 2 Tim. 1.5 12. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I am perswaded i. e. Do believe that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him Rom. 8.38 I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life c. i. e. This was his strong Faith Rom. 14.14 I am perswaded in the Lord Jesus that there 's nothing unclean of it self This was his Faith I will but name one place more Heb. 11.13 it 's said of those eminent Believers mentioned in that Chapter That they received not the Promises in the fulfilling of them by performance but saw them afar off and being perswaded of them saluted them in their own Hearts ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Calvin You must own Saving Faith to be a Saving Perswasion you see or else you must deny the Scriptures and according to the Weakness and Strength of Perswasion we account our Faith is weaker or stronger yet hath it's Forma Differentia from its proper Adjuncts and Object Neonom When he puts a Man to examine his Faith he hath these Words D. W. p. 73. How do I know I believe in Christ He answers Do I rest my Heart upon his Truth Do I receive it as a Truth that I do believe Or do I reject it and will not receive it Then I do not believe it But if thou sit down and rest upon this Truth and receive it and do in reality believe it then you may absolutely conclude Christ is yours D. C. p. 107. Antinom I am sorry to see that you should have such an Aversion to these things I was preaching from Isa 42.6 7. and shewing how Christ receiveth Sinners as Sinners he never shuts out one of those Thousands that come upon the Tender of the Gospel Dr. C. p. 107. and if there be no Example of any shut out in the whole Scripture from whence fetch you that bitterness of your own Spirit that you may not that you dare not close with Christ But you will say If this taking Christ be the best Security how shall I know whether I believe or no Or how shall I know that this my taking is not counterfeit but solid and real Answ I answer by the reality of the thing Do you it indeed If you do it indeed it 's a real taking Do you not bid Men believe sincerely and indeed If a Man should ask you How do you know the Sun shines The light of the Sun doth shew it self and by it's light we know it shines How shall I know I believe There is a light in Faith that doth discover it self unto Men. The Soul that doth really close with Christ may conclude he doth so If you give 6 d. to a poor man and you say to him How do you know I have given you 6 d He will answer I have it in my Hand and feel I have it So ask your Hearts this Question How do I know I believe in Christ Do I rest my Heart upon this Truth Do I receive it as a Truth c Calvin What can you Mr. Neonomian with any face except against this Doctrine Doth not the Apostle say 1 John 5.10 He that believeth on the Son hath a witness in himself Is there any clearer Evidence of an Action than the doing it Ask a Man how he knows he can eat saith he I do eat I do taste and swallow what I eat So that Instance of the Sun shining which he gives there 's no doubt but the first Evidence the Soul hath is in Believing it self tho he tries his Faith by it's Fruits also and receives Evidence therefrom Is not Faith illustrated in Scripture by all our Senses Hearing Tasting Smelling Feeling or Touching Seeing And is there not Perception in the Exercise of all the Senses And how shall I know better that I do exercise them than by perceiving their Objects which is a Witness an Evidence a Demonstration to my self above all others that it is so The Natural Man indeed receiveth not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the things of the Spirit by Faith 1 Cor. 2.14 and therefore they are foolishness to him But the Spiritual Man doth i. e. by Faith Neonom He says If the Lord give to any to believe this Truth D. W. p. 74. Dr. C. p. 296. that it is his
to reach the End of the Covenant which I utterly deny for that would destroy it's own Nature and Use and also the Covenant of Grace it self Neonom The Question is not whether Assurance be attainable in this Life as an effect of Faith D. W. p. 74. Antinom A Perswasion of Truth and certainty thereof is Assurance and so far as I do believe there is this in the Act of Faith though a weak Faith hath Doubtings attending but not therefore commendable And there can be no Faith without some degree of Perswasion concerning the Truth of the Object You speak here of an Assurance which must be reckoned of the highest Degree of Perswasion and therefore you deal not fairly to change your Terms from Perswasion to Assurance There is a two-fold Assurance the Plerophory of Faith and an Assurance that I have true Faith which is Spiritual Sence and Argumentation from it's Nature and Effects one is by the proper direct Act of believing the other by reflex Acts of the Soul upon it self Neonom Nor whether a Sinner ought to apply yea doth personally apply the general Offers of Christ and Life by his own Compliance with the Terms of the Gospel for upon a true acceptance of a whole Christ he is mine in vertue of the Gospel-promise which God will perform in giving Christ and Life to all that accept him as he is proposed for our acceptance Antinom You are very dark and obscure in what you here speak 1. By Personal Application I understand particular Application and so it 's your Sense that a Sinner ought to make a particular Application of the general Offers of Christ and Life in the very Act of believing and so far I joyn with you and that his thus believing is his Compliance the Gospel's Work being perswading my Compliance is to be perswaded and there 's nothing else expected which you call Terms the Terms is that we put in no Terms but accepting Christ freely offered And you say he is yours in vertue of the Gospel-Promise you must intend in the vertue of the Gospel-Promise believed or else you have no right but as you had before believing an Intentional Right only if it be a claimable Right it 's in a Promise believed for whatever Right is real in the Promise none will plead any but what he believes And it is in vertue of the Promise to give Christ and Life to many that do not yet accept of him For it 's the vertue of the Promise to give Life to dead Sinners that they may actively and comfortably receive and accept him Neonom Nor whether a convinced Sinner hath a more special Regard at first of the Priestly Offices and Sufferings as what are more sensibly fitted to his guilty state Antinom I understand not what you mean by Priestly Offices as if Christ had more Priestly Offices than one Christ doth exercise his Priestly Office in the state of Humiliation and Exaltation but I have not seen any before that ascribes to Christ two Priestly Offices And if you mean Justifying Faith it 's Office is to lay hold on and apply the Person of Christ in his Priestly Office Neonom Nor whether every thing recorded in Scripture must be dwelt on with the same regard concern and assurance as the Essentials of the Covenant of Life Antinom You mean here Faith as to the general Nature of it you do not distinguish it from Faith in the Justifying Nature all along Neonom Nor whether Faith contain in it a reliance on Christ as our only Saviour and on his Satisfaction and Merits as what alone purchased our Pardon and Acceptance as well as it includes the realizing Assent to the Truth and unfeigned fiducial Consent to acceptance of a whole Christ in all his Offices All these I affirm Antinom You acknowledge then that Faith contains in it 1. A Reliance on Christ as an only Saviour How can this be without some perswasion A rational Man never rests and leans upon a thing that he hath not some ground of Perswasion that it 's strong enough to bear him 2. You own it includes a realizing Assent to the Truth and this is a very high Perswasion of a Truth with a particular Application of it to a Man's self as belonging to him 3. You say there 's an unfeigned Fiducial Consent to and Acceptance of Christ and all his Offices This is strong Confidence when the Soul is so far perswaded of the reality of the Tender of Christ made in the Promise that he doth not only take him but with boldness questions not but he hath the Son and hath Life in this very Act of Believing You say we rely on Christ's Satisfaction and Merits as what alone purchased our Pardon and Acceptance This is true in a true Sence but we easily see what you mean by what you speak before Neonom The real difference is whether the whole Essence of Saving Faith consists in an inward Perswasion or Assurance that our Sins are pardoned and Christ is ours This you affirm and I deny Yea I deny that it is at all of the Essence of Saving Faith D. W. p. 75. Antinom What I said and you charge for my Errour I stand to it and have made it appear to be Truth I said the whole Essence of Faith is the Eccho of the Heart answering the Voice of the Spirit and Word of Grace and thereby it 's the Obedience of Faith The Soul believes and closeth with Truth according to the nature of it and in such a manner as is required You wrong me to say I used the Words Perswasion or Assurance I said If you receive Truth and in reality believe it and rely upon it you may conclude that Christ is yours and this is now a Conclusion made upon my believing too I pray would you not say so to a poor Sinner If thou dost believe on the Lord Jesus with all thy Heart thou shalt be saved and you ought to conclude you shall be saved And this is a perswasion of my state upon believing Calvin Mr. Neonom It 's indeed a marvellous thing that you should say and unsay a thing in the same Breath to own Faith a reliance on Christ that it carries a realizing Assent to the Truth and an unseigned Fiducial Consent and now to say Perswasion is not at all of the Essence of Faith Neonom I said it contained and it included it I said not they were of the Essence Antinom This is just like your wonted way of Dodging How doth Faith contain and include these things As in a Box which contains and includes things of a Specifick Nature different from it self Well we will attend your Proof Neonom The second thing in difference is Whether Saving Faith includes not in it's Nature that powerful efficacious Assent to the Word and fiducial consenting to acceptance of Christ as Prophet Priest and King with a Reliance on his Merits and obediential Regards to God as the
have an Inheritance among them that are Sanctified Pardon believed is the Root of Sanctification and this cannot be without it for by Faith we are risen with Christ we are planted in the likeness of his Death and Resurrection and Faith in this Point of Christ's Resurrection is that which sets us above the Charge of Sin and Condemnation By the Resurrection of Christ Preached we are begotten to this lively believing hope and we are risen with him through this Faith of the Operation of God hence the Body of Sin is destroyed Death abolished Life and Immortality brought to light Christ by his Resurrection being discharged and justified from the Iniquities of us all which were laid upon him and which he bore in his Body upon the Tree Neonom An Inlightned Regenerate Soul cannot Act towards Christ when he is first presented to its view below these Instances Antinom No it 's the sight of Christ and taste of Christ that carries him forth to all Duties of Sanctification he having Christ in all his fulness he hath done with all his Conditions all his Righteousness is filthy Rags A Soul truely instated by a lively Faith is far above padling with his own little poor sinful Duties as conditions between him and Christ he can serve Christ obey him and his Commandments are not grievous to him neither will he think they have any such Vertue in them as to give him Right to Christ in any way of Foederal Conditionality Neonom His mistakes are because Faith is the Evidence of things unseen i. e. it assents unto unseen realities therefore he thinks that our Faith is nothing but our assent Antinom I think I understand the Import of those words as I have told you but I shewed you it 's such a work of the Spirit and Word whereby the Heart Ecchoes to the Word by such perswasion of the Truth whereby Christ and the Truth is as it were formed in us and your selves can give no account of Faith that reacheth the Essentials thereof but what we have done from the Word of God Neonom Because the Word of Grace promiseth Justification unto all true Believers therefore an assurance of my being Justified is believing whereas I must first be a Believer in order to Pardon before I justly can or ought to believe that I am pardoned Antinom The word Assurance is a word you Impose it was not in the words you alledge against me what is it the Gospel would have us believe if it be not Forgiveness of Sins Acts 13.38 Be it known unto you that through this Man is preached unto you forgiveness of Sins and by him all that believe are justified c. What do they believe It 's Forgiveness of Sins and in this Act of Faith is the Justification by Faith in that they believe forgiveness of Sins and as they are weakly or strongly perswaded through the Spirit of Grace working the Promise upon their Souls In Justification by Faith Faith is not nor cannot be before it but they are Relata quae mutua alterius constant affectione Popish School Divines do dream that Faith is a Quality cleaving in the Heart Luth. on Gal. c. 3. v. 8. without Christ This is a Devilish Errour But Christ should be so set forth that thou shouldest see nothing besides him and shouldest think that nothing can be more near unto thee or more present within thy Heart than he is for he sitteth not Idly in Heaven but is present in us C. 2. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And here likewise you have put on Christ Faith therefore is a certain stedfast beholding which looketh upon nothing else but Christ the Conqueror of Sin and Death and the Giver of Righteousness Salvation and Eternal Life this is the cause that Paul nameth Jesus Christ so often in his Epistles almost in every Verse but he setteth him forth by the Word For otherwise he cannot be comprehended but by the Word This was lively and notably set sorth by the Brazen Serpent for Moses commanded them that were stung to do nothing else but stedfastly behold the Brazen Serpent they that did so were healed Read with great vehemency this word me and for me and so inwardly practise with thy self Id. on Gal. 2.20 that thou with a sure Faith maist conceive and print this me in thy Heart and apply it unto thy self not doubting but thou art of the number of those to whom this ãâã belongeth Also that Christ hath not only loved Peter and Paul and given himselfe for them but that the same Grace also which is comprehended in this me as well appertaineth and cometh unto us as unto them When I feel and confess my self a Sinner through Adam's Transgression why should I not say that I am made Righteous through the Righteousness of Christ especially when I hear that he loved me and gave himself for me This did Paul most stedfastly believe and therefore he speaketh these words with so great vehemency and full assurance which God grant unto us in some part at the least who hath loved us and given himself for us What is Faith The first part of Religion whereby from Knowledge I believe in God Yates Divin The first Act of Faith is passive in receiving what God gives Here may we justly say it is a poorer and meaner Act to believe than to love nay rather Passion than Action for we are first apprehended of God before we apprehend him again Phil. 3.12 This Grace is most freely Graced that it might the more frankly reflect all on God again No doubt Faith receives a full discharge makes it not we rather by Faith receive an Acquittance Sealed in the Blood of Christ than the Blood of Christ to make our own Works Meritorious which we may offer to God in payment for our selves Here lyes the Errour of Papists even in Faith iâ self and other Graces If God will âât bear half the Charges by his Co-operation Man shall undertake to Merit his own Glory and fulfill the Royal Law so abundantly that he shall have something over and above Works are the Effects of Sanctification Sanctification is the Effect of Justification P. 23. The Object of the Understanding is Truth of the Will Goodness Temble of Grace and Faith P. 111. Faith is an Assent to the Truth and Goodness of Divine Revelation wherefore we affirm that this Faith is an Act of the Understanding and of the Will both together approving and allowing the Truth and Goodness of Divine Things In which Asserâion you are to note that we do not make the habit of Faith to be inherent in two Faculties but we affirm the subject is but one and the same viz the Intellectual Nature for I take it with divers of the Lerrned that these Speculations about the real distinction of Faculties in Spiritual Substances of Angels and Souls of Men are but meer subtilties in the Schools without any true ground in
the Nature of it The Understanding essentially includes the VVill and the VVill the Understanding wherefore the Oâject of the Understanding and VVill are one and the same Truth and Goodness are essentially the same Faith is General or Particular P. 124. General that which is Assent to all Divine Revelations as good and true in regard of our selves Here comes in the common Work of the Spirit Particular Assent of Faith is when all things revealed by God are assented to as most true and excellent in regard of our selves when they are particularly applyed to our proper occasion and compared with all Desires and Provocations whatsoever to the contrary when we know and believe these things that are generally delivered P. 131. for our selves in application to our own use and practice as Job was counselled by his Friends so that we believe in this particular as well as that at this time as well as another 1. The Root and Fountain of this Blessed Assent is the Grace of Sanctification And 2. The Object is Twofold P. 133. The whole Will of God revealed in his Word containing all Histories Doctrine Commands Threatnings Promises c. 2. The particular Promise of Remission of Sin and everlasting Life by the Death of Christ which in one Word we call the Gospel tho both be one and the same infused Grace which respects both yet Faith as it respects these Objects the whole Will of God and a particular Promise of the Gospel admitteth of divers Considerations Names and Use Faith as it assents to the whole Will of God I call Legal because it is such a Vertue as is immediately required by the Moral Law in the same manner as Duties of the Moral Law are and as all other Moral Duties are required of us in their Degrees as parts of our inward and outward Sanctity necessary to Salvation so is this Faith commanded as a principal Grace and prime part of our Obedience to the first Command so in this respect it may be saving namely as other Graces are Faith as it assents unto the Special Promise of Grace I call Evangelical because it 's such an Act as is expresly commanded in the Gospel not revealed by the Moral Law It is called properly Saving and Justifying in regard of the Use of it through God's gracious appointment to be the only Instrument of our Justification and Salvation by Christ He defines it thus It is a Grace of Sanctification wrought by the Holy Ghost in every Regenerate Man P. 140. whereby for his own particular he trusteth perfectly on the Promise of Remission of Sins and Salvation by Christ's Righteousness The proper Act of Faith as it justifies it consisteth in Trust and Reliance for our own particular To believe the Truth of a particular Promise is to trust upon the Performance of it to me and that assent of Faith which is given to such a Promise is properly called Fiducia or Trust To assent unto such a Promise is not barely to believe that there is such a thing in the World as Remission of Sins by Christ to be bestowed upon God knows who for this is to believe the Promise not as a Promise but a History but this Assent is of the whole Heart in Trust Reliance Adherence c. That Fiducia is the Essence of Justifying Faith 1. From the Phrase of Scripture used in this business ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to believe in upon into God Christ c. 2. From the opposition between Faith and Distrust Jam. 1.16 Rom. 2.20 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 3. From that excellent place 2 Tim. 1.12 I am perswaded he is able to keep c. Wherefore to believe the Promise is with Confidence and Trust to rely upon it P. 140. which Assent of Faith is wrought in this manner 1. A Man is enlightned to see his Sin and Misery 2. The Promise of Grace is proposed and freely offered unto him 3. Whence the Heart touched by the Spirit of Grace draws near to Christ casts himself into his Arms c. It bespeaks Christ in all Terms of Confidence and Affiance My Lord my God my Hâpe This Work of Faith as it doth greatly glorifie God in ascribing the whole Honour of our Salvation only to Free Grace in Christ so God doth highly honour it above all Fellow-Graces by making it the blessed Instrument of all the Comfort we enjoy in this World thereby giving us assurance of our Justification in his sight by Christ's Righteousness and a double Comfort 1. Peace of Conscience resting it self secure upon the Stability of God's Promise against the Severities of Justice the Accusations of the Law it hath wherewithall to answer even an All-sufficient Righteousness in Christ 2. That kind of Fiducia which we call Assurance of full pardon of our Sins This is the fruit of that Fiducia or trusting unto the Promise it self wherein stands the proper Act of Justifying Faith Many do stedfastly believe and rest themselves only upon Christ for Salvation who yet would give a World to be assured and fully perswaded that their sins are pardoned Whereupon they will be apt to fall back and say They do not nor can't believe at all A great mistake and that which casteth many a Conscience upon the Rack It 's a false Argument for Justifying Faith is not to be assured of Pardon but to trust wholly upon the Promise for Pardon What is Essential unto Faith is manifest That which in order of Nature seems to have the Precedency Dr. O. of Justific p. 135. is the Assent of the Mind unto that which the Psalmist betakes himself unto in the first place for relief under a sense of Sin and Trouble Psal 130.3 4. It 's declared in the Gospel that God in his Love and Grace will Pardon and Justifie guilty Sinners through the Blood and Mediation of Christ so it 's proposed Rom. 3.23.24 The Assent of the Mind hereunto as proposed in the Promise of the Gospel is the Root of Faith the Foundation of all that the Soul doth in believing nor is there any Evangelical Faith without it yet consider it Abstractedly as a meer Act of the Mind the Essence of Justifying Faith doth not consist solely therein 2. This is accompanied in sincere believing with an approbation of the way of Deliverance and Salvation proposed c. This Assent and Approbation causing the Heart to rest upon Divine Grace Wisdom and Love and apply it self thereto according to the Mind of God is the Faith whereby we are Justified and concludes in it Renunciation of all other Ways and Means of attaining Righteousness the Consent of the Will Acquiescence of the Heart in God Trust and Confidence c. Peter Martyr saith Faith is an Assent and that a firm Assent unto the words of God obtained not by Reason or Natural Demonstration but by the Authority of the Speaker and by the Power of the Holy Ghost Com. pl. part 3. p. 58. We must now declare what
whole use depends on Gods Ordination Antinom I wonder you 'l ground your denial upon such a weak Reason for would not Adam's Merits have depended on God's Ordination And doth not Christ's Merits depend on God's Ordination Neonom Nor whether a Soul may neglect to accept of Christ as Prophet Priest and King because they feel not that degree of these Humblings and Convictions which they desire and expect Antinom But being you set them a digging in the Rock of their own Hearts for the Pearl of Great Price you should tell them how deep it lyes before they are likely to find it for all these Convictions and Humblings are before they come at Christ you put them upon hard Service unless you tell them when they are convinced enough and humbled enough and why do you use the word neglect for as long as they are upon the work you assign them they wait for you to offer Christ to them and you tell them it 's better to stay longer and there 's reason for it according to your Hypothesis if some degrees of Humblings must be had to fit them for Christ then more degrees will make them more fit Neonom Nor whether these Preparatory Qualifications be the Work of the Spirit by common Grace This I affirm Antinom So then they may dig and not find the Mine and spend all their days in Common Grace and never find Spiritual Grace now here you fully declare your self that Common Grace is the Condition of Special Grace What a Work is here with Conditions Neonom Nor whether their immediate Influence I mean of Preparatory Qualifications be to prepare the Soul for a true consenting Acceptance which it is hereby less averse to and more disposed for This I affirm Antinom I know not what sence to put upon this but the Papists Congruity and that common Grace is a degree or a qualifying condition of Saving Grace and that Common and Special differ not Specifically but Gradually only which to me is gross Divinity Sancta Clara tells us thus De habitâ prima gratiâ Actuali Communis recepta Sententia Scholar est c. Certainly it is the common and received Opinion of the Schools that with the help of the first preventing Grace we may obtain further helps by acting and endeavouring yea the first habitual justifying Grace and in some measure deserve it de congruo i. e. of meetness fitness and aptitude and it 's the common Opinion of all the Doctors as to after-helps in respect of the first Grace and he faith He takes Scotus's Judgment instead of all as the best in that he saith Repentance is a meer disposition to habitual Grace And amongst such as he quotes for his Opinion he brings the 13th Article of the Church of England Artic. 13. Of Works before Justification Works done before the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God for as much as they spring not of Faith in Jesus Christ neither do they make Men meet to receive Grace or as the School Authors say deserve Grace of Congruity yea rather for that they are not done as God willeth or commanded them to be done we doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin which he would wrest to his sence that although Works before the Faith of Christ or the first Actual Grace are excluded as meritum ex congruo by the said Article exceptio firmat regulam in oppositum yet he saith Other Works according to the said Article done as Fruits of Faith may in some measure dispose and de congruo deserve promereri gratiam Justificationis which Opinion he would make Augustin to be of And whereas it 's said in the said Article We doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin he would palliate it thus saying Non dicunt talia simplicitèr esse peccata sed potius participare quod sine omni dubio est terminus diminuens i. e They say not that such are simply Sins but do partake of Sin which without all doubt is a Term of Diminution i. e. the word rather or else they would have said that they were Sins without Restriction You see what Jesuitical Evasions here are to establish your Qualifications which you and the Papists are so fond of whereas these first Reforming Protestants say Non disponunt hominem ad receptionem gratiae but the rather we doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin yet you will say they prepare for true Acceptance and make the Soul less averse and more disposed to it whereas the quite contrary mostly appears that those that become meerly morall and leave off the practice of some gross Sins and do some good Works from that Principle are usually the most averse and least disposed to the Grace of God of the two Neonom I shall shew you wherein the Real difference is 1. Whether coming to Christ is an inward Perswasion that Christ is mine This you affirm and I deny Antinom You abuse me in charging me with speaking what you would fasten upon me for I spake distinctly of these two things first of coming to Christ and then of knowing that Christ is mine by my being come to him but yet I say that this coming to Christ ought to be by a particular perswasion that Christ is offered to me as a Sinner freely offered to me without any consideration of any Qualification and this perswasion every Believer hath less or more Dr. Twiss distinguisheth between fides in Christum fides de Christo Faith in Christ and Faith concerning Christ being ours the first is this coming to Christ for Life the other our Perswasion and sweet Sense of the Love of God in Christ Neonom 2. Whether Christ is offered to Sinners with a design that they may conclude they have a Saving Interest in him before they are Regenerated by the Spirit and savingly Believe Antinom The Design of offering Christ to Sinners is that they may receive the offer freely and immediately and that when they are come to Christ they should know this Faith was not of themselves or did spring out of any Natural or Moral Qualification but from Christ the Author of it and from their Union to Christ Jesus which I take to be a Saving part in him and that they cannot believe without a Saving part in Jesus Christ before they believe He having blessed us with all Spiritual Blessings in Christ of which Faith is none of the least And Dr. Twiss saith Faith being one proper Effect only of a Saving Interest though not claimable by them till they believe Justitia Christi sicut Christi est c. The Righteousness of Christ as it is Christs and performed by him so it 's ours as wrought for us juris ratione and before Faith as Meritorious of Efficacious Grace for the working of that Faith Lib. 1. p. 2. § 25. For if without Christ they can do nothing then they cannot believe without part
without one desire to be rid of them D. W. p. 88. Calvin Do you think there will be any Fellowship between Christ and Belial One must be gone When Christ comes in unto the Heart he binds the strong man armed and spoils him of his Goods I am sorry to hear you banter a poor Sinner's believing in Christ under the sense of the Vileness and Sinfulness of his Disposition and the Enmity of his Heart or that you should suppose or suggest to the World that there is any way under Heaven to change the Heart and Disposition savingly or heal the Conscience but by bringing a poor Creature to Jesus Christ and him Crucify'd and saying to him Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved There is Pardon Forgiveness Cleansing in the Blood of Christ therefore the Course that I take always is to endeavour to set the Lord Jesus Christ in all his fulness before an awakened Sinner and if he be yet secure and going on in his evil ways I bring him as near to Christ as I can I endeavour to convince him that he sins against Christ as well as the Law the precicious Blood of Christ that was shed for Sinners I do what I can to bring him to Christ to be taught to be invited overcome by the Sweetness and Amiableness of Jesus Christ and let him know the danger if he persist obstinate Neonom But some degrees of Convictions and Humiliations of Soul are necessary prerequisites to the Souls Acceptation of Christ for Pardon weary and heavy laden that Christ invites Mat. 11.28 I came not to call the Righteous i. e. conceited and secure but Sinners to Repentance Luke 5.31 32. They in Acts 2.37 were pricked to the Heart the Gaoler felt some Humbling concern Acts 16.30 Paul knew what this trembling was so Zacheus and the Prodigal Luke 15.14 15. D. W. p. 87. Calvin All his humblings prickings weariness awakenings were by the Power of Gospel Grace and by the preaching of Jesus Christ Christ's Ministry is enough with his Power to save Souls he needs no prerequisites The Gospel is the power of God unto Salvation therewith he wounds and therewith he makes whole Christ makes weary and gives rest he convinceth Sinners and gives Repentance the preaching Christ Crucified pricked those Converts to the Heart and healed those Wounds It was the same Hand of Grace that awakened the Gaoler and when he had a Knife in his Hand even to Murder Christ in his Members and when he saw that was wrinched out of his Hand took a Knife to Murder himself in the height of that desperate Villany he was commanded to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he should be saved The case plainly is this That Jesus Christ himself the Minister of the true Sanctuary and the preaching of him is the only and sufficient Remedy to change and save the worst of Sinners through the effectual working of the Spirit the order and method is various it 's as the Spirit listeth we are not to prescribe any methods or measures of Humblings much less to say such and such Moral Vertues or Duties are necessary Prerequisites and Qualifications before a Sinner comes to Christ The Apostle Paul said That he determined to know nothing i. e. so as to Preach among them but Jesus Christ and him Crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 I am for working Humiliations by setting Christ before the most refractory Sinners ' for all Salvation true Mourning and Humiliation proceeds from looking on him whom a poor Sinner hath pierced I am for the bringing of the most Leprous Sinner I cannot engage he will come to wash in this Spirtiual Jordan though I find you are rather for washing off his Leprosie first in the Rivers of Abana and Pharfar Rivers of Damascus Neonom I am not for bringing such foul filthy Sinners to Jesus Christ it sounds very ill in the Ear to say Christ saves Murderers Adulterers Persecutors c. and to invite them to come to Christ reaking in their Sins and under the Reigning Enmity of their Hearts it 's fit that they should be civilized first and this wicked profligate disposition removed and that they have new Hearts before they come to Christ for I tell you Christ will not pardon them else Antinom You mistake the whole sence of the Gospel or will not understand it that you may seem to have a plausible pretence to oppose it When Sinners are invited to come to Christ it 's not meerly under the Notion of Pardon but of all Salvation he is offered and the Sinner is invited to come unto him as having given himself for us to redeem us from all Iniquity and to purifie to himself a peculiar People Zealous of good Works A Sinner is by the Gospel called to Christ in all states of his Unregeneracy whether openly Prophane or Morally Vertuous one is as easily saved by Christ as the other the former ordinarily sooner easier converted seemingly than the latter neither is the latter better qualified and fitted for the Grace of God than the other That place quoted by you 1 Cor. 14.24 25. is a clear proof how the Word of God's Grace works these true Convictions in the Saving Work and that your Humblings in the state of Unregeneracy are no necessary Prerequisites to the Grace of God Neonom I will discover your Mistakes in these things Because they that truely come to Christ shall have an Interest in Christ therefore he thinks whosoever can perswade himself that he hath an Interest in Christ doth come to him Antinom It would have been well if it had been my Happiness to have attain'd to your degree of Learning and had so great a Capacity for it as you that I might not have fallen under so gross mistakes I confess it's pity a Doctor should be so silly a John-an-Oaks as you represent me But what shall I say to it It 's not every Man's Portion to be Learned or Wise only there 's one Proverb I remember that is some satisfaction to an empty Skull Non est datum cuivis Corinthum appellere But methinks you mistake about my Thoughts if I have Wit enough to tell my own Thoughts It is strange I should be so stupid as Credere quod habeo habeo as to believe that I have when I have not and to call that Perswasion my having I spake of having Christ by coming to Christ and then of our knowing that we have Christ If you will examine what I think I will tell you I think coming to Christ is by believing and appropriating Christ and what is generally delivered of him and by him unto my self if it be by way of Promise offer or command and that this believing is such perswasion of the Goodness and Truth of Christ and his Gospel Salvation that it carries me forth to rest and stay my self confidently thereon and that I can perswade my self of the Truth of my Faith from its Act on its proper Object and
by the several Fruits that it doth produce Neonom Because sometimes the worst of Sinners are made Subjects of Preparatory Work and of Effectual Calling as God's Act on them therefore he thinks that these Sinners are invited to conclude they have an Interest in Christ before they do at all answer that Call D. W. p. 90. Antinom You intimate as if you thought some Sinners were more capable Subjects of Effectual Calling as to God's Act than others and that there 's a Preparatory Work distinct from God's Act in Effectual Calling which I do not think Besides I think God's Act in Effectual Calling upon a Sinner is more than a bare Invitation And I do not think or say That any Man concludes their Personal Interest in Christ because they are invited but because being invited they did come therefore not before they answer the Call by coming Neonom But his greatest cause of mistake is that he thinks the worst of Sinners if Elect have as much Interest in Christ as the greatest Saint Antinom Est Argiva Calumnia when you make it appear that I think so by what I have spoken I will answer to it and your Sarcastick Inference therefrom Neonom You may see the large Catechise Q. What is Justifying Faith They tell us That a Sinner is convinced of Sin and Misery who receiveth Christ Antinom But they tell us that that Conviction which is Saving comes by Saving Faith their words are Justifying Faith is a Saving Grace wrought in the Heart of a Sinner by the Spirit and Word of God whereby he being convinced of his Sin and Misery and of disability in himself and other Creatures to recover him out of his lost Condition not only assenteth to the Truth of the Promise of the Gospel but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his Righteousness c. And in the Shorter Catechism you may see a more particular account of Saving Convictions that they are wrought in Effectual Calling though they be not so properly of the Nature of Justifying Faith for they say Effectual Calling is the Work of God's Spirit whereby convincing us of our Sin and Misery enlightning our Minds c. He doth perswade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the Gospel You see Conviction and Illumination are both the Saving Works of the Spirit And in the Confession they 'll tell you That Saving Faith is of a larger extent as to the Object it Acts upon than meerly Justifying Saving Faith it convinceth it enlightens it justifies it sanctifies and in this sence they tell you the Nature of Saving Faith Chap. 14. whereby they are enabled to believe to the saving of their Souls and by this Faith a Christian is enabled to believe to be true what-ever is revealed in the Word and from thence comes trembling at the Word and embracing the Promises of Life c. So that this contradicts not but confirms the Doctrine of the 39 Articles That all Works before Faith even Legal Convictions are no more than Sin it 's but the filthy Conscience-polluting Guilt of Sin which Thousands have and which do not dispose the Sinner to love God but to hate him nor to seek Pardon but to seek out a Righteousness of his own Neonom Dr. O. tells us p. 133. Of Justif There is nothing in the whole Doctrine that I will more firmly adhere to than the necessity of Convictions previous to true Believing D. W. p. 89. Antinom If he mean saving believing he must mean previous sine qua non not as a Preparatory Vertue but as Sin is previous to Pardon and thereby Guilt also whereby Sin pollutes the Conscience and is both sin and misery and this may arise from a meer natural stirring of the Law or by the preaching of it which is the Death of Sin the Wrath and Curse that attends it and this may and must arise from a common Faith for a Man is not convinced of any thing that he believes not But if he mean Saving Convictions they are good Fruits and wrought in Saving Faith This he intends here For he said just before Let no Man think to understand the Gospel who knows nothing of the Law God's Constitution and the Nature of things themselves have given the Law the precedency with respect unto Sinners for by the Law is the Knowledge of Sin and Gospel Faith is the Souls acting according to the Mind of God for deliverance from that State and Condition which it is cast under by the Law and he supposeth the State of a Man under meer Legal Conviction to be a State of Death and Condemnation Neonom He saith Displicency Sorrow Fear a desire of Deliverance with other necessary Effects of true Conviction P. 102. Antinom True Convictions i. e. Saving have such Effects but observe he is there distinguishing between common Convictions which before Faith are the common Condition of Sinners more or less which is the Death they lye under He saith Temporary Faith and Legal Conviction are the Principles of all Works or Duties in Religion Antecedent unto Justification observe now what he saith which therefore we must deny to have in them any Causality thereof and so he proceeds to shew what Affections and Duties in Religion may follow thence not that they are Gospel Vertues but rather solendida peccata and they I say are so far from disposing the Natural Man to Justification by Grace that they dispose him rather to seek Justification in himself by the Works of the Law till the Law comes to be Preached in true Spirituality in the Gospel and received by Faith And he saith P. 103. That Reformation of Life and these things are where real Convictions are but yet it must be said that they are neither severally nor jointly though in the highest degree either necessary Dispositions Preparations previous Congruities in a way of Merit or Conditions of our Justification Now is not this a Marvellous measure of Presumption and palpable Design upon your Reader to take the Imperfect Sence of a Man's Discourse to justifie your Errours when you must needs see the said Discourse is point blank against you I 'll hear no more therefore of your Allegations in this point out of Dr. O. Neonom Mr. Norton speaks of Preparatory Works between the Carnal Rest of the Soul in a State of Sin and Effectual Vocation Antinom I know of no such middle State for there is but two States that of Death and that of Life that of Light and that of Darkness but the Works done before Conversion he tells you are called Preparatory by way of meer Order which he saith all the Orthodox assert for that which is plainly first in Order and Nature must be said to be so all the Sin and Wickedness as well as the common Graces and Religion performed by an Unregenerate Man are all Antecedent to his Regenerate State But saith Mr. Norton It 's contrary to the Scriptures to say they are
Preparatory by way of Causation Merit and Congruity i. e. by disposing fitting and making Men the sitter for Effectual Grace as you say as asserted by the Papists and Arminians DEBATE XI Of Union with Christ before Faith Neonom ANother Errour of his is All the Elect are Actually Vnited to Christ before they have the Spirit of Christ or at all believe in him even before they are Born yea and against their will D. W. p. 90. Antinom Your Terms are all Ambiguous you seldom use a word of two or three Syllables but you 'l have him Bifrons like Janus I pray produce your proof and I shall see which way you look most Neonom The Title of a Sermon of yours is Christ ours before gracious Qualifications D. W. p. 91. Antinom I own such a Sermon from Isa 33.6 and the design of it was to answer this Query Dr. C. p. 432. How I may be assured my part lyes here That my Sins were laid on Christ The Apostle speaks of full Assurance of Faith and of coming to the Throne of Grace with boldness I shew'd that it may be found out as the Lord hath chalked it out in his Grace and Grant not only when the Lord is pleased to hold out his Grace and Grant to a Man but also upon those Terms that he holds it out on such as the Terms of God are or Conditions if you will call them so Sure I am as the Conditions are by which they may claim Interest in Christ those conditions being granted and found the Soul may close with the Grace of God now all the difficulty lyes in this whether the Lord propounds to Men that there shall be no part in Christ nor Grace by him till they find their Spirits Souls and Bodies sanctified throughout or whether the Lord holds out the Grant of Pardon of Sin without those previous Qualifications And I say D. C. p. 433. That the Grace of saying Iniquity upon Christ is applicable by Forgiveness of Sins to Persons before there be ever the least measure of Sanctification in Works and being applyed by the Lords own Grant there may be Safety and Security in applying the same by Faith without regard to Sanctification in any measure That is in respect of making Trial thereby I seeing yet no Sanctification in Works to try by it 's certain such Pardon is to be had and that the Grace of Forgiveness is applicable before Works or a Person capable of doing them as to Elect Infants and to the Dying Thief and hath the same place in every Elect Person that doth believe forgiveness is applied to him before he can exert any of the working Fruits of Faith and being applied to him by God's Grant it may be applied to himself by Believing but because you insist on nothing in this Sermon that you particularly express I say no more of it now Neonom Sure you intend only to exclude Works and not Faith D. W. p. 91. Antinom I do not exclude Works from a ground of Assurance for I own when the Conditions are granted and found i. e. the Fruits of the Spirit in the Heart the Soul may close with the Grace of God by way of Assurance but I say also there may be an Assurance of Faith without particular respect to the said Works I say not that Works evidence not but that there is an evidence besides Neonom No you tell us of dangerous Consequences that must follow on it if Persons are not united to Christ and partake not of Justification before they believe and addeth There is not I say such a thing as an uniting or knitting Power in Faith as that Faith doth or should become an Instrument to unite a Soul to Christ Dr. C. p. 616. Antinom My Discourse was from 1 John 2. 1 2. The main design of my Discourse there is to prove That Faith is the Fruit of our Vnion to Christ I shew'd that Christ himself frames and creates that very Faith in Persons that come to him D. C. p. 614. uniting them as Members first to him their Head 2. I shew'd that a Branch must have Union with the Root before it can bring forth Fruit. Christ is the Vine we the Branches Faith part of the Fruit. Communion is a Fruit of Union Faith is a Grace of Communion Suppose that the Life spoken of is not in Persons till they believe it is Dr. C. p. 615. but this That there is no Activeness of the life of Christ in the Person that is Elected his Life is in Christ and was in Christ and reserved in Christ till the time of believing for him and then doth the Elect Person become Active in Life when Christ doth give him to believe Actually But to say that this believing should give the first Being of that Life that should be in Persons is to say There is not that Life of the Elect Persons in Christ before they do believe if this be maintained that there is no Justification at all belonging to Elect Persons till they do Actually believe in Christ or Faith be the Instrument by which they are first united dangerous Consequences must needs follow 1. That in some respect there will be a bringing to Life again the Covenant of Works Do this and live viz. for Persons to do that they may live but the Covenant of Grace gives Life first and from Life comes Doing c. But the words you refer to p. 616. For they are not there nor do I find them elsewhere Neonom He denies the presence of Faith to this end he spends much time to prove that Christ is ours before we come to him and that our not coming unto him doth not import a state of disunion with Christ. D. W. p. 614. Antinom I said Let us suppose the coming in this place is spoken of believing Ye will not come to me that you might have Life it cannot follow that although there be no Life till believing therefore there can be no Union till believing I say If it possibly might be imagined that there may not be Life from Christ till believing yet it follows not that there must be believing before this Union Suppose I say that there cannot be Life before there be believing yet there must be Union before there can be Life fetched from Christ Faith being the Fruit born as aforesaid Neonom He saith You may as soon conceive that a Man is able to see whilst he hath no Head as think a Man can have Spiritual Eyes whether the Eye of Faith to behold Christ or the Eye of Mourning to lament ones Wickedness before there be Actually the Presence and Conjunction of Christ the Head to such a Body Dr. C. p. 104. Antinom I say so and will stand to it Calvin I wonder you should find fault with that Divinity or note down that Expression for an Errour you cannot suppose that there can be any living Act performed without Life as the cause of it
which Life must be our Union to Christ which according to the most Orthodox is and must be before Faith it self at least Naturâ Neonom He says We partake of the Spirit by vertue of this Vnion Calvin Yes how should Members partake of the Spirit and Life that is in the Head but by vertue of this Union and yet the Spirit unites A Branch engrafted partakes of the Spirits of the Root by vertue of an Union and the Spirits unite and knit it Neonom He saith God did not only decree to put such Qualifications into them but I say farther That God gives Actual Possession of this Christ and that Christ takes Possession of that Person before there be any Qualifications P. 618. Calvin I doubt not but Christ takes Actual Possession of us saltem naturâ before we have any holy Qualifications but as to our Actual Possession of Christ it 's better exprest that we have it by Faith although where there is Possession there is relatum correlatum Neonom The Question is not Whether God hath decreed the Vnion of the Elect Nor whether this Vnion is agreed in the Covenant of Redemption D. W. p. 92. Antinom But it is Whether the Elect have not a Union of Federal Relation in the Covenant as you call of Redemption as being a Seed in him and Covenanted with in him and he as a common Person representing them and undoubtedly is that Root or Head out of which all his Elect Seed or Members do spring Neonom Nor is it any Question whether Christ's giving us the Spirit of Grace do begin this Vnion and the Spirit given in order to Saving Operations produceth this Faith whereby the Vnion is Consummated Calvin Well well if you own so much what do you make a Controversie of this Point it seems you acknowledge the Union is begun with Christ giving his Spirit in order to Saving Operations only you say it 's consummated by our Active cleaving unto Christ by believing and he doth as good as say as much he saith There is no Activeness of this Life of Christ in the Elect till they do believe and in this sence he will say the Elect are not united viz. by Faith till they do believe as for his Notion of the Elect being in Christ before calling it hath been discours'd already and let 's not fetch things over again Antinom There is a Passive Recipiency and there is an Active Recipiency Dr. C. p. 98. there is a Passive receiving of Christ and that is so that Christ is received without any Hands but in an Active receiving of him he is not received without Hands This passive receiving of Christ is just such a receiving of him as when a froward Patient takes a purge or some bitter Physick he shuts his Teeth against it but the Physician forceth his Mouth open and pours it in down his Throat and so it works against his will by the over-ruling power of one over him Neonom For my part I like not such Similitudes and it insinuates that Men are said to receive Christ against their Wills D. W. p. 101. Dr. C. p. 612. And he said too That our first coming to Christ is as a Coach is said to come to Town when it is drawn to Town Calvin You know his meaning by those Similes and they are not to run on four Feet it 's enough they serve to illustrate that part of Truth which they are used for Mr. Antinomian means as you do as to Man's Will There 's nothing more contrary to a rebellious carnal Man than the Graee of God their Hearts are full of Enmity and Hatred to God and Truth but yet he shews you often that God gives Gifts to the Rebellious And here you see how he gives it and what he gives it may be he binds them with the cords of afflictions and opens their Eyes to see their undone condition pours into their Consciences whole Potions of the Guilt of Sin and the Laws Condemnation whereby as undone Creatures through Grace they become willing and ready to receive Christ and he becomes precious to them by the same hand of his Spirit If you should pick up odd Similes out of Sermons which it may be hath done good and God hath blessed you may expose many a good Man's Labours See holy Cranmer's and I think such were were of famous Mr. Rogers of Dedham and consider the Spirit of God allows preaching Christ to be foolishness to the World Therefore be very wary how you despise reproach or redicule in these cases lest in striking pretendedly at Men and their weakness you happen to give a slant Blow at the Spirit of God For he tells you there is such a kind of Recipiency of Christ he instanceth in Ephraim Jer. 31.18 19. And in the like Dialect Elihu speaks to Job chap. 36.8 9. If they be bound in Fetters and held in the Cords of Affliction then he sheweth them their Works and their Transgressions that they have exceeded And in the Metaphor of a Coach or Chariot the Spirit of God speaks in the Sacred Scripture and the Church saith to Christ Draw me and I shall run after thee Neonom The real difference is 1. Whether the Elect are actually united to Christ before they are born 2. Whether the Elect are united to Christ till they are effectually called and truly believe Antinom That though there be not an active Union on our Parts but by Faith so that it can't be said properly to be a Conjugal Union by mutual consent of Parties yet there is a relative Union such as between Father and Child where the Child gives not consent to this relation he is wholly passive in being brought into it God from Eternity constituted and ordained Christ and all the Elect to be as it were one Body one Lump wherein Christ is the Head and they the Members Christ the Root and they the Branches They are given to Christ John 17. To be in Christ Eph. 1. Being they are called his Seed before they are called John 10. His Seed Isa 53.11 12. Heb. 2.14 Brethren Ver. 11. He that sanctifyeth and they they that are sanctifyed are ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã i. e. as some add ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of Body or Lump And by vertue of this Union it is that the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ descends particularly unto them and not to the rest of Mankind Calvin The Learned Mr. Rutherford hath as follows The Faith by which as by an Instrument we are Justified Rutherford of the Covenant P. 208. presupposeth three Unions and maketh a fourth Union It presupposeth a Natural Legal Federal Union 1. Natural That Christ and we are not only both Mankind for Christ and Pharaoh and Judas are one specie naturâ true Men but one in Brotherhood He assuming the Nature of Man with a special Eye to Abraham Heb. 2.16 i. e. to the Elect and Believers for
with them he is Bone of their Bone and is not ashamed to call them Brethren Heb. 2.11 12. Psal 22.22 2. It presuppones a Legal Union between Christ and them that God made the Debtor and Surety one in Law and the Sum one so far as he laid our Debts on Christ Isa 53.6 2 Cor. 6.21 3. It presuppones an Union Federal God making Christ our Surety and to Assume not only our Nature in a Personal Union but also our State Condition and made our Cause his Cause our Sins his Sins not to defend them but to suffer Punishment for them and our Faith makes the fourth Union betwixt Christ and us whether Natural as betwixt Head and Members the Branches and Vine-tree or Mystical as that of the Spouse and Beloved Wife or Artificial as the Foundation and Building or mixed as that of the Imp and Tree or Legal between the Surety and Debtor Advocate and Client or rather a Union above all hard to determine for these are but Comparisons and this Christ prays for John 2.23 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one And something to this purpose Mr. Norton Norton p. 292. speaks The Efficacy of this Relation springs from its Foundation which is first by the Absolute Grace of God in Election and thence flowing down in the Promise according to the Merit of Christ by the Effectual Operation of the Spirit Needs must the River of Life be full ever overflowing and quickning that ariseth from and is maintained by such Fountains Norton p. 287. And he shews the form of this Union 1. In the Tertium wherein it is 2. The Bands on Christ's part and the Believers 3. The manner as to the Tertium's 1. Sameness of Spirit He that 's joined to the Lord is one Spirit 1 John 4.13 Rom. 8.9 2 Pet. 1.4 2. One Mystical Body 1 Cor. 12.12 13. The third A Spiritual Marryed Estate Eph. 5.32 Isa 54.5 Ch 62.4 4th A State of Glory John 17.22 23. See more But you will see all along how he makes Christ first in this Personal Union to Christ by the Spirit and Faith Dr. Ames Ames Med. lib. 1. c. 26. Receptio respectu hominuÌ est vel Passiva vel Activa Phil. 3.11 The Passive is the Reception of Christ whereby the Spiritual Principle of Grace is Ingenerate in the Will of Man Ephes 2.5 This Grace is the Foundation of that Relation whereby a Man is united unto Christ John 3.5 Neonom I 'll tell you what I take to be Truth in these Points Every Man is without Christ or not united to Christ until he be Effectually called but when by this call the Spirit of God enclineth and enableth him willingly to accept of Christ as a Head and Saviour a Man becomes united to him and partaker of those Influences and Priviledges which are peculiar to the Members of Jesus Christ D. W. p. 90. Antinom I except against what you have asserted in these Particulars 1. You say a Man is not united to Christ before Effectual Calling thereby I understand you that he is not united to Christ in any sence whereas I affirm he is united to Christ before Effectual Calling in the Senses which Mââ Râtherford doth assert before mentioned 2. I understand you mean that in Effectual Calling a Man is not united to Christ till he doth Actually accept of Christ the Head by an Act of Faith whereas the Head unites the Members to it self before they can reach up to the Head 3. You make Union to be the same with Communion and to consist in a participation of Priviledges Now as to the second thing That in Effectual Calling there is a compleat Union with Christ before the Act of Faith I do affirm upon these Reasons 1. From the utter Impotency of the Soul without and before Union with Christ to any good Act for Union standeth in indivisibili it 's a conjunction of two in one an half one is none if we put forth an Act of Faith to lay hold on Christ before we be compleatly united to him we put forth a good Act and bring forth good Fruit before we be in him and before we be good Trees but we cannot bring forth good Fruit before we be good Trees and we cannot be good Trees before we be in Christ Mat. 7.18 John 15.4 5. Therefore we do not put forth an Act of Faith before we be so compleatly united to Christ so united to Christ as to live by him John 11.26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye c. Arg. 2. In our Regeneration we are meerly Passive our Faith is not then Active but in our Regeneration we are compleatly united to Christ Ergo we are compleatly united to Christ before the Act of Faith The major is proved from Eph. 2.1 2 3. Dead Men are Passive to Regeneration and Dead Men we are till we are Regenerated The Minor is proved from the joint concurrence of Regeneration Conversion and Union with Christ which are all wrought together simul semel Arg. 3. If we be united first to Christ by an Active Faith then an Active Faith is the cause of our Union with Christ but an Active Faith is not the cause of our Union with Christ therefore by an Active Faith we are not first united to Christ Min. If Active Faith were not the cause of the Union of the Humane Nature of Christ with the Divine then it is not the cause of our Union with Christ but Active Faith is not the cause of the Union of the Humane Nature of Christ with the Divine Ergo Maj. No other cause can be assigned of our true Union with Christ than of the Union of our Nature with the Second Person viz. Divine Assumption Isa 42.1 6. As the Divine Nature assumed ours John 1. so the Person of Christ takes us to Mystical Union with him Arg. 4. If our Union with Christ be first by an Act of Faith then it is by a Work of ours though a Work of Grace but it is not by a Work of ours Ergo Min. If it be by a Work of ours it is not of Grace but it 's of Grace Ergo Maj. Rom. 11.6 These are Mr. Cotton's Arguments Neonom I 'll answer your Arguments another time pray hear mine now to confirm the Truth 1. The Scriptures expresly affirm Vncalled Vnconverted ones to be ununited to Christ Eph. 2.12 Rom. 16.7 Rom. 11.17 Antinom It 's true in respect of the Union in Effectual Calling but yet not in respect of their Hidden Federal and Relative Union which Mr. Rutherford speaks of Neonom 2. The Spirit of Christ and Faith in him are the things whereby God hath ordained us to be Vnited with Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 13. Ephes 3.17 Antinom We grant it in respect of our Union to Christ in Effectual Calling Neonom I see you will throw off all my Arguments by Mr. Rutherford 's unhappy distinction of Vnions therefore
I will name no more of them for the present Antinom The Assembly is full on this Point that our Union to Christ is before the Act of Faith Shorter Catechism Q. 29. How are we made Partakers of the Redemption purchased by Christ A. By the Effectual Application of it to us by his Holy Spirit Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the Redemption purchased by Christ A. By working Faith in us and thereby uniting us to Christ in our Effectual Calling The Spirit first comes as a Bond of Union and works Faith to Unite by its Act in the first Union by the Spirit we are passive made new Creatures new Born receive Spiritual Life In the second we are Active put forth lively Acts and lay hold on Jesus Christ and all Gospel Grace And if the Confessions say we are United to Christ by his Spirit and by Faith as you acknowledge then there is a Union by the Spirit which is effective of that which is by Faith You say my mistake is in thinking all Grace is wrought by Christ as an Actual Head you mean Grace comes not at first from Christ as our Head but as a designed Head therefore you find fault with my founding our Union on Christ as our Head Where I say P. 104. Christ is the Head of his Church i. e. the Fountain of all Spiritual Sense and Motion A Man cannot have Spiritual Eyes of Faith unless he have this Spiritual Head c. I am not alone here for Mr. Norton and others make Christ as our Head the Fountain and Spring of all Spiritual Life and Motion Evan. P. 249. The Person of Christ Mediator is the first Saving Gift actually applyed to any Elect Person The motion of the Spirit upon the Soul is from Christ the Head See p. 250. DEBATE XII Of Justification by Faith Neonom VVE having formerly discussed the Doctrine of Justifying Righteousness I desire we may now enquire into the Nature of Justification by Faith for Mr. Antinomian hath this Errour among the rest That the whole use of Faith in Justification is only to manifest that we were Justified before and Faith is no way necessary to bring a Sinner into a Justified State nor at all useful to that end D. W. p. 103. Antinom I must hear your proof Sir before I enter upon my defence Neonom You put this Objection Is not believing required unto the Justification of the ungodly Answ An ungodly Person after he is Justified doth believe but you will say it is an Act of Christ by Faith Answ Then Christ doth not Justifie alone c. Nay I say more Christ doth Justifie a Person before he doth believe c. He cannot believe that which is not but he is first Justified before he believes then he believes he is Justified Dr. C. p. 85. Antinom My words were these An ungodly Person after he is Justified doth believe But you must understand it it is not the Faith of the Person that doth simply and properly Justifie but it is that Christ in whom he doth believe he believeth on him that Justifieth the ungodly It is he that Justifieth that is Christ It is not believing that justifieth mark well that Phrase he that justifieth Justification is an Act of Christ not an Act of Faith How often is it said it 's God that Justifieth Justification is an Act of God and not of ours Faith is an Act of ours it 's God by his Grace efficiently Justifies and imputeth the Righteousness of Christ we are materially and objectively Justified by the Righteousness of Christ and by that alone and this I say is before a Sinner believes efficiently because the Object must be before the Act of the Recipient Organ A Man sees because there is Light to see which illuminates the Organ especially such a Light as takes off a privation of sight and restores the Habit so that Justification in regard of Application must be before believing the first Application in ordine naturae saltem is to an ungodly Man eo nomine that he may believe who is thereby made to believe that he may be Justifyed for in Justification we are both Passive and Active as Maccovius saith Calvin Mr. Norton Norton p. 214. hath this Objection If we are Justified by Faith then Faith is in order before Justification and consequently the Act is before the Object whereas on the contrary the Act depends on the Object and not the Object on the Act to this Effect Bellarmine Answ 1. We distinguish between the Being of Justification and our being Justified i. e. between Justification as taken in an Abstract Sence viz. without the receiving Subject thereof viz. a Believer and a Justification taken in a Concrete Sence i. e. together with the Believer Justification considered in the Actstract Sence taken simply and in it self which signifieth Remission of Sins and Righteousness to Acceptation prepared for though not yet conferred upon the Elect hath before Faith a Being not only in the purpose of God but also in the Covenant between the Father and Mediator and in the purchase of Christ This Truth held forth in the Gospel makes the Object of Faith and thus the Object is before the Act. The Grounds of this distinction or distinguishing between Justification actually procured and actually applyed Justification was in God's Decree before Faith P. 315 316. before Sin yea from all Eternity Gal. 3.8 Rom 3.25 The Actual procuring of Justification as considered in it self gives a Being to Justifying Faith Justification is compared to a Garment our being Justified to a Garment put on Justification of the Elect is absolutely and actually procured for them by Christ's Satisfaction before Faith Col. 2.14 The Hand writing of Ordinances cannot be limited to the Ceremonial Law only because it had respect unto the Gentiles then Living to whom the Ceremonial Law belonged not God hath declared his Acceptation of Christ So Calvin on the place P. 216. whereby he hath actually procured Justification for the Elect before Faith It is no small part of the Ministry of Reconciliation That God Imputed unto Christ the Sins of the World of the Elect before they did believe and will not impute them unto the Elect 2 Cor. 5.18 19. This great Gospel Truth is of special use to beget Justifying Faith in the Heart of a Sinner The same the Apostle confirms concerning their Reconciliation Rom. 5.10 That it was wrought for them when they were Enemies i. e. Unbelievers Here is a Twofold Reconciliation mentioned one at the Death of Christ before Paul or the Romans some of them at least were Believers the other at Conversion The first Reconciliation though it was vertually wrought before by the Lamb slain in God's Appointment and Acceptance togethr with his own consent from the beginning of the World Rev. 13.8 yet it was not Actually wrought until the Death of Christ for this Satisfaction sake God Imputes not Sin unto the Redeemed for he
cannot Impute Sin to Christ and the Elect both yea he accepteth us in the Beloved Eph. 1.6 Loving the Persons of the Elect Rom 11.28 though hating their Sins and also their State under the Curse of the Law Rom. 6.14 Chap. 7.6 Eph. 2.3 The second is wrought at our Conversion when the Enmity of Nature is slain by the Infusion of Grace Neonom You ask But what doth Faith serve for D. W. p. 103. Dr. C. p. 85. You answer It serves for the manifestation of that Justification which Christ put upon a Person by himself alone Antinom Adding that he by believing on him may have a declaration and manifestation of his Justification Faith is the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 A Man is Justified and that by Christ alone but it is nât known to him it is an unseen thing Well how shall he see this The Text saith Faith is the Evidence by Faith we apprehend it and rejoice in it as we apprehend it to be our own I tell you in another Discourse Whatever the Scripture speaks concerning Faith Justiâying Dr. C. p. 596. it must of necessity be understood objectively or declaratively one of these two ways either Faith is said to be our Righteousness in respect of Christ only who is believed on and so it is not the Righteousness of its own Act of Believing Or else you must understand it declaratively i. e. Whereas all our Righteousness and all our Discharge from Sin flowing only from the Righteousness of Christ alone is an hidden thing that which in it self is hid to Men doth become evident by believing and as Faith doth make the Righteousness of Christ evident to a Believer so it 's said to justifie by it's own Act declaratively and no otherwise Neonom He saith We do not believe that we may be Justified but because we are Justified Antinom Yes we do believe that we may be justified declaratively I say there Tho' Faith it self cannot be called our Righteousness Dr. C. p. 86. yet in respect of the Glory that God ascribes to it that it seals to Men's Souls the fulness of Righteousness how can you consider a Person a believing Person and withall an ungodly Person When Persons are Believers they cease to be ungodly but if Men be not justified till they do believe Christ doth not justify the ungodly but rather we must believe on him that justifies the righteous But as I said we do not believe that we may be justifyed but we do believe and truly believe when we are and because we are Justified So that still it stands firm we are not justified we are not in Covenant we partake not in the Covenant by any Condition we perform till which Performance the Covenant cannot be made good unto us but we are in Covenant and Christ makes us to be in Covenant for his own sake without any Condition in the Creature God will have mercy on whom he will without any-thing in the Creature to partake first Neonom He saith God doth add never a tittle of Pardon it self more to him that is a Believer than to that Person not yet converted to the Faith c. D. W. p. 104. Antinom He still gives you but part of my Sence and Misrepresents it my words were these Beloved Dr. C. p. 578. for my own part I cannot conceive any other considerable difference between the plea of Christ for a Converted Person and the unconverted Elect but this Circumstantial difference namely that the value of his Blood is of equal force to Believers and Unbelievers being Elected saving that the Believers have this priviledge that the Lord Christ pleads for the Manifestation of this discharge unto this Converted Person but pleads not for the present Manifestation thereof unto the Unconverted Elect Person till such time as he shall be called to the Faith and by that Faith that thing be made evident which before was hid Now follows what he would blacken me with I say the Pardon of Sin by the Blood of Christ is as full for the Unconverted Elect Person as fully passed over in Grant to that Person as to the Believer himself God doth add never a Title of Pardon it self more to him that is a Believer than to that Person not yet Converted to the Faith in regard of the substance of the Pardon it self and this I clear as a great Truth if any will give themselves the trouble of reading it which I stand to Neonom He saith Faith as it takes hold on Christ's Righteousness it doth not bring this Righteousness of Christ to the Soul but doth only declare the presence of that Righteousness that was there even before Faith was and there denies Faith to be so much as an Instrumental cause of our Justification Dr. C. p. 597. Antinom I added That I did abhor to walk in the Clouds in a Truth of so high Concernment as you too much do Sir and that I knew I had many very catching Ears about me such as you are I said That Faith as it lays hold upon the Righteousness of Christ c. as he hath told you and the reason of that saying I gave in as plain words That there is no Person under Heaven Reconciled unto God Justified by God through the Righteousness of Christ but this Person is Justified and Rconciled unto God before he doth believe and therefore Faith is not the Instrument Radically to unite Christ and the Soul together but rather is the Fruit which follows and flows from Christ the Root being united before-hand to the Persons that do believe Shew me how any Person ununited to Christ can believe and how any one that is unjustified can be actually united to Christ as he must needs be before he can believe Neonom He tells you that Justification is from Eternity in several places Antinom You know that to be a false charge for I have told you a Man cannot be said to be Justified before he hath a Being I have often enough told you in what Sence I apprehend Justification to be before Faith but deny noâ the Justification by Faith spoken of by the Apostles in the true Sence of it according to my best understanding I have told you that Justification is first in its provision is fully procured and provided and it 's first in Grant Gift and Application applyed unto us before we make Application of it by an Act of Faith whereby we do not bring it into the Heart but the Grace of God doth which we see behold and improve there by Faith manifesting and declaring our Justified Estate whereby our Consciences are freed from Guilt and Condemnation hence I call it Justification in Conscience in foro Conscientiae Mr. Rutherford Rutherford Exc. 1. c. 2. who wrote against the Antinomians saith There is a Justification in the Mind of God Eternal and a Justification in time terminated in the Conscience of a Believer Norton p. 315. That Justification
order thereunto Neonom The other Question in difference between us is Whether the Vse of Faith in Justification be only to manifest our Justification which we personally had before This you affirm and I deny And add That Faith justifies by receiving Christ and therein answers the Ordination of God who hath promised to justifie the Believer by application of Christ's Righteousness in this gracious effect of it upon a guilty Soul D. W. p. 105. Antinom You alter the Terms of my Expression to make for your own turn My Words were these Quest What doth Faith serve for Dr. C. p. 85. Answ It serves for the manifestation of that Justification which Christ puts upon a Person by himself alone that you by believing on him may have the Declaration and Manifestation of your Justification And I say That it is not the Condition without which we receive no benefit from Christ but rather a manifestation thereof My Words are not That the use of Faith is only a manifestation but I say Rather a manifestation of Benefits received than a condition of receiving benefits And I say it is a Declaration and Manifestation And what is the Promise in the hand of Faith but a Declaration of the Grace of God in Justification of a Sinner and thereby a manifestation of it unto the Conscience Whereby Justification comes to be in foro Conscientiae For I say Where the Condemnation of a Sinner is by the Law there the Absolution of the Sinner is by the Gospel but Condemnation of a Sinner is in Conscience by the Law therefore there his Absolution is by the Gospel and that 's by a Gospel-Sentence pronounced and believed which Sentence is God's Declaration and Faith sealing to the Truth of it applies it and is the Eccho of the said Declaration in the Soul And you say Faith justifies as receiving Christ and you say well Christ is received in the believing of the Gospel-Declaration The Declaration in the Gospel is Life by Christ See 1 John 2.25 This is the Promise that he hath promised us evrn eternal Life 1 John 5.11 And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son and this is the witness of God which he hath testifi'd of his Son Ver. 10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself It should be Testimony ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã This very believing is a Testimony of the Truth of the Promise and his part in it as by the latter part of the 10th Verse appears He that believeth not makes God a Liar and as the truth of the Promise concerns himself ver 12. He that hath the Son hath Life this believing he saith is having the Son as declared in the Promise and Record that takes in the Declaration believingly And this is apprehending and applying and relying on the Promise and Christ in it both as Truth and Goodness Believing is our modus recipiendi or manner of receiving and we do believe that we may receive and apprehend him unto Justification You add and say first Faith justifies by receiving of Christ but you say it 's Application of Christ's Righteousness as to gracious Effects you mean only You do not deal above-board you are not for the application of Christ's Righteousness it self imputed to us and put on by us in believing We have noted your Error in this kind already you 'll not have Christ's Righteousness imputed to us for our Righteousness according to all the Language of the Scripture but only the Effects given us as effectual Calling Sanctification and Glorification So that the Righteousness of Christ justifies no otherwise than it sanctifies and glorifies for it doth these as Effects But I pray express your self more clearly how Faith Justifies or what part Faith hath in Justification according to your Sense without so much ambiguity Neonom The difference is not Whether Faith or any other Grace be a Jot of the meriting Righteousness for which we are justified D.W. p. 104. Antinom But it is whether Faith or any other Grace be a qualifying Condition for Justification if it be so let me alone to prove it a meriting Righteousness whether you call it so or no. Neonom Nor whether Faith or any Grace add any thing to the vaine of Christ's Merits These I deny D. W. p. 104. Antinom No wonder for you have rated Christ's Merits S. Clara dicit omnes convenire scientium de causa efficicate meritorià Justificationis efficiens est Deus meritoria Christus solum ergo controversitur de formuli De Justif Peccatoris how much their Value shall be Valeant quantum valere possunt But there are other things quasi merita at least that must give right to the Benefits procured by Christ's Merits which you call your subordinate Righteousness Neonom Yea I add that if Christ's Righteousness could be applyed for Pardon to the vilest Sinner before he believes it would justifie him but God hath declared that it shall not be applied to Vnbelievers Antinom That 's not for God hath declared the contrary that he justifies the ungodly and if Justification as God's Act be not applied to us first before we are Believers there would never be any Believers for Justification is the cause of Sanctification and not Vice versa But Justification by Faith i. e. Justification as applied by a sensible gracious Act of ours is after Sanctification and we must distinguish in Application of Righteousness between Gods Acts and ours for God must apply Grace before we can partake of it Neonom Nor whether we are Justified the same Moment as we truely believe in Christ and the Blessing is not suspended for any time longer This I affirm because God justifies us by the Promise as his Instrument and this Promise declares that he will justifie him that believes Antinom You 'll own then that we shall not stay for the Benefit if we perform the Condition God will pay ready Mony but the Qualification must be first in us by Nature But why I pray Is it not manners at least to give God the Honour of being first in this Work and say We believe in that moment we are justified 2. I find now you will not have Faith to be the Instrument of Justification but have found out another whereas you find fault with me that I will not have Faith the Instrumental Cause of Justification in its being no more than a passive receiving Instrument and you 'll have the Promise to be the Instrument declaring Justification and what can Faith do but receive this Declaration and thereby declare to the Conscience of the Sinner what the Gospel-Instrument declares Neonom Nor whether an Elect Person once justified by Christ shall be kept by Christ's Care in a justified state Antinom You do not suppose then that Justification is certainly durable in it's one Nature that it is an everlasting Righteousness but that it is loosable
in it's own Nature and needs a continued flux of Supply as our Graces in Sanctification As thus a Traytor pardoned by the King is not unalterably pardoned but shall be kept by the King's Care in a pardoned state Neonom Or whether God hath decreed that the Elect shall certainly believe and so be justified Antinom But hath he decreed that the Elect shall never be justified in any Sence before they believe or that Faith should be wrought as a qualifysng Condition for Justification Neonom Nor whether true Faith be an infallible sign of Justification Antinom But you make it nothing else to us if it justifies as a Condition if your Condition doth not foederally merit the Promise it 's nothing to God but an infallible Sign whereby he sees when to justifie us and to us that we are justify'd by him And what is this better than a manifestation you making it only a manifesting Condition You 're excellent good to multiply Whethers to no purpose You might bring in a 1000 Whethers more and say it 's not the Question Whether it be further to the East or West Indies nor whether Brittain be an Island or Continent Neonom I 'll come to the Point and tell you the Truth Tho' Faith be no way a meritorious Cause of a Sinners Justification yet God hath promised to justifie all such as truly believe Antinom That 's true so he hath promised to Sanctifie and glorifie them Neonom And requires Faith as an Indispensible Qualification in all whom he will justifie for Christ's merits Antinom This now is to the purpose now we see how Faith justifies as an indispensible Qualification a greater Condition than was laid upon Adam a thousand-fold For a clearer understanding the Justification of a Sinner by Faith Norton Evang. p. 110. let these Three Acts be considered the one looked at to succeed the other in Order not in Time First God actually imputes the Active and Passive Mediatory Obedience of Christ unto a Believer Rom. 4.6 therein God is freely given Secondly The Soul having before in order of Nature not in Time received Christ as its Head and Saviour by the same Faith receiveth his Obedience as the matter of it's Righteousness herein the Soul is taking Rom. 1.17 Ch. 6.11 Gal. 3 13. Thirdly God hereupon in the Court of Conscience Judicially declares and pronounceth the Sinner to be righteous and to have right unto Eternal Life by vertue of the Promise John 5.4 Rom. 3.22 30. By this Act of Grace the Person of a Sinner is Justified in himself really yet not inherently but imputatively c. Faith acknowledges 1. That we are Justified for the Righteousness sake of another viz. Christ God Man 2. Acknowledgeth our Justification is free 3. Renounceth our own Righteousness You see the Justifying Nature of Faith is Metonimically ascribed to it as the Eye is said to be the Light of the Body because it lets in the Light so Faith as the Spiritual Eye sees the glory of Christ as the Ear lets in the Justifying Promise declaratory Hence it 's said this is Life Eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent which is to acknowledge him by Faith as he is revealed Mr. Norton tells you We are justify'd by Faith alone i. e. Faith as it is justifying is not a work Rom 4.5 Nort. Evang. p. p. 208. 2 Because we are not justified by our own Righteousness i. e. The Righteousness whereof we are the Subjects 3. Because we are justified by the Righteousness of another sometimes called God's Righteousness whereof God is the Ordainer and whereof he who is God-Man is both the Worker and Subject 4. Because we are justified by a Righteousness that 's made ours by Imputation not by Infusion but as Abraham was justified 5. Because we are justifyed by a Righteousness that is actually procured before we believe our Righteousness is compared to a Garment which we put on by believing Rev. 19.8 Rom. 13.14 Gal. 3.27 yet Faith never took stitch in it Calvin That Faith justifies not as a Qualifying Condition is manifest 1. Faith as a Quality is a Work of the Law The Law commanded Faith a leading Duty in it But no Man is justified by the works of the Law Rom. 3.28 So Wolleb Willet This Proposition we are justified by Faith understood legally with the Papists is not true but blasphemous but understood correlatively is true Vosin Cat. p. 2. Q. 63. 2. That which cannot stand with Grace in Justification cannot have any Influence on Justification as such but for Faith to have any causal Influence as a Work on Justification is inconsistent with Grace The Minor is prov'd Eph. 2.8 Ergo. 3. That which gives no more to Faith in the business of our Justification than to other Works of Sanctification cannot be true but to make Faith to Justifie as a Qualification gives no more to Faith than to other Works of Sanctification Ergo. The reason is because the Scripture doth peculiarly attribute our Justification unto Faith and in a way of Opposition to all Works of Sanctification Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16 Chap. 3.11 4. If you say That Faith justifies only as an antecedent Condition not at all meritorious Virtute eompacti then it 's no more a Condition than our coming into the World or Acts performed by us before Faith and it gives no more to Faith than to the Works of Nature as Worldly carnal Sorrow Legal Repentance and such moral Acts as carnal and unregenerate Men daily perform such as you call your Preparatory disposing Conditions and they are the cause of Faith as much as Faith of Justification and consequently the causes of Justification Causa causae est etiam causa causati and are in in eodem genere causarum 5. Whatever justifies as a Foederal Condition is meritorious but Faith justifying as a qualifying Condition upon which Life is promised justifies as a Foederal Condition The Major is true in the account of all for the Condition need not to be adequate to the Reward in Intrinsick Value tho' it be never so small yet upon Performance of the Condition the Reward is due Debt And indeed all Conditions in Contracts and Covenants are proper meritorious Causes by vertue of the Compact and Agreement made between the Covenanters For the Minor If it justifies as a qualifying Condition it must justifie as a Foederal Condition or meer Antecedent Condition And if you say as an antecedent Condition it 's at best but Causa sine qua non which we call No Cause 6. The Scripture doth sufficiently explain it self in what it says of Justification by Faith when it says we are redeemed saved justified by Christ by his Blood by his Death c. That the Spirit of God when it says we are justified by Faith intends not any Moral or Physical Causality in Faith as a Qualification but only by vertue of it's Object Mr. Bradford the Holy Martyr reasoneth thus
As the Israeiltes were healed by beholding the Brazen Serpent so are we saved by believing in Christ Fox p. 1659. but the Looking up of it self did not procure Health to the Israelites but the Promise made in the Object which was the Brasen Serpent therefore in the same manner are we saved by our Faith and Spiritual looking upon the Body of Christ Crucified not that the Action in it self of Believing as it is a quality in Man doth so deserve but because it taketh that Dignity and Vertue from the Object Jesus Christ Augustine compares our Souls to Lanthorns that hath no Light in them of themselves till Christ shines there The latter Helvetian Confess saith c. 11. Because Faith doth apprehend Christ our Righteousness and doth attribute all to the praise of God in Christ in this respect Justification is attributed to Faith chiefly because of Christ whom it receiveth and not because it is a work of ours Belgia Artic. 22. We do justly say with St. Paul We are Justified by Faith without the Works of the Law yet to speak properly we do not mean that Faith by it self and of it self doth justifie us which is but only as an Instrument whereby we apprehend Christ who is our Justice But if we say it justifies Conditionally we must say it justifies of it self What was accounted to Abraham for Righteousness Zanch. on Phil. 3. not the Action by which but that which he did believe or Faith not in respect of it self apprehending but in respect of the Object apprehended Faith taken as a Quality doth not Justifie us c. Rivet Cathol Orthod Bellarm. l. 1. de Justific c. 17. Rhem. in Annot. Rom. 3. The Papists tell us That Faith doth not justifie as an Instrument in apprehending the Righteousness of Christ but as a proper and true cause it actually justifieth by the Dignity Worthiness and Meritorious Work thereof and say these words in Scripture justificari ex fidem per fide do betoken an Actual force and power in Faith to Justification and then saith the Jesuite Faith is a Work we are justified by Faith Ergo by a Work To this he adds That Faith is our Justice it self Ergo not the Apprehension only of Righteousness This he Builds on Rom. 4.5 They tell us That Faith justifies us per modum causae efficientis Meritoriae as a Proper Efficient and Meritorious Cause And Bellarmine tells us That if we could be perswaded that Faith doth justifie Impetrando promerendo suo modo inchoando Justificationem then we would never deny that Love Fear Hope and other Vertues did justifie as well as Faith Now to avoid the Absurditities they are forced upon by the Protestant Arguments they have two shifts 1. That this Merit is not from us but from God because Faith is the Gift of God's Grace and therefore though we be justified by Merit we are justified by Grace too and that it is of Grace that our Faith Merits 2. They say That Faith Merits Justification non ex condigno of the worthiness of it but de congruo of the fitness of it and this is that which our Neonomians say That it qualifies and disposeth us to Justification so that the justifying a Believer is the doing a thing that is fit and meet to be done the Person being disposed and qualified thereunto It 's sad that Protestants should now come to lick up the Papists Vomit and re-assert those gross Errours in Fundamental Truths that all our Orthodox and Famous Opposers of the Popish Heresie have refuted and decryed by one Consent But that this Errour might the better be swallowed by Protestants the subtle Enemy of Truth and Mankind forgeth it again gives it a good heat and brings it upon his Anvil polisheth it and makes it much more plausible to look upon The Arminians say Faith justifies sensu proprio the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Credere the very Act of believing is imputed to us for Righteousness being accepted of God and accounted to us as the whole Righteousness of the Law So we are justified by Faith in the sight of God not by its Merit for they ascribe all the Merit of Justification to Christ but only they ascribe to it a conditional subordinate Righteousness by vertue of the Ordination of God For Arminius saith Armin. in declar sentent ad ordines Holland Westfris Ipsa fides tanquam Actus juxta Evangelii Mandatum prestitus Imputatus coram Deo in sive ad Justitiam idque in gratia cumque non sit ipsamet justitia legis i. e. Faith it self as an Act performed according to the command of the Gospel is Imputed before God in or unto Righteousness and that in Grace when it is not the very Righteousness of the Law * J. Goodw. Treatise of Justif p. 22. I shall give the refined and sublimed Notion of this Arminian Doctrine from a Man of no small dexterity in pleading for it He saith That that which God precisely requires of Men to their Justification instead of the Works of the Law is Faith or to believe in the proper and formal signification he doth not require of us the Righteousness of Christ for our Justification this he required of Christ himself for it that which he requires of us for this purpose is our Faith in Christ himself not in the Righteousness of Christ i. e. in the Active Obedience of Christ if Paul had certified and said to Men That the Righteousness of Christ should be Imputed to Men for their Righteousness it had been quite beside his Scope which was plainly to make known the Counsel and Pleasure of God concerning that which was to be performed by themselves though not by their own strength for their Justification which he affirms from place to place to be nothing else but Faith or Believing To have said thus unto them That they must be justified by Christ or by Christ's Righteousness and withal not to have plainly signified what it is that God requires of them to give them part in Christ's Righteousness without which they could not be justified had been to cast a Snare upon them rather than open a Door of Life and Peace and hence proceeds to prove that Abraham's Faith or Believing it self was Imputed unto him for Righteousness and he palliates it thus That he understands it but as a means of coming at the Righteousness but he defends this Proposition That we are justified by Faith sensu proprib non Metonymico Now see what the Neonomian says expresly of your indispensible Qualification though you Sir always will look one way while you row another The Question in one of you is plainly asked and answered by a great Leader and Guide among you Con. 13. When it is said that Faith is Imputed to us for Righteousness Is it Faith indeed that is meant or Christ's Righteousness believed on Mr. B. Scripture Gospel Defended p. 32. Contr. 13. Answ A strange and bold
Question if it be not Faith it self that is meant The Context is so far from relieving our Understandings that it contributeth to our unavoidable Deceit and Ignorance Read over the Texts and put but Christ's Righteousness every where instead of the word Faith and see what a Scandalous Paraphrase you will make the Scripture is not so audaciously to be corrected Calvin Now I shall shew you how by the Orthodox Protestants this Doctrine of Neonomanism hath been opposed as Antichristian and Destructive to the Grace of God Pemble's Treat of Justif c. 2. p. 164. fol. The Learned Mr. Pemble gives the Anatomy of this Doctrine after that he had shewed that Faustus Socinus Michael Servetus Christophorus Ostodorus and Arminius were the Forgers next to the Jesuits and Propagators of this Doctrine Armin. saith he branches out his Opinion in three distinct Propositions 1. Justitia Christi Imputata nobis Christ's Righteousness is Imputed to us 2. Justitia Christi non Imputata in Justitiam the Righteousness of Christ is not Imputed for Righteousness 3. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Credere Imputatur in Justitiam Believing it self is Imputed for Righteousness We now meddle with the last more roundly expressed Ipsum fidei Actum ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Credere Dito Imputari in Justitiam Armin. Epist ad Hippolitum idque sensu proprio non Metonymecè The same is the Opinion of his Fellows the Remonstrants of Voetius Peter Bertius Episcopius c. with whom Bellarmine agrees in the Interp. of Rom. 4. de Justific c. 17. lib. 1. In summ their Opinion runs thus God in the Legal Covenant required exact Gbedience of his Commandment but now in the Covenant of Grace he requires Faith which in his gracious estimations stands instead of that Obedience to the Moral Law which we ought to perform Which comes to pass by the Merit of Christ for whose sake God accounts our imperfect Faith to be perfect Obedience This Assertion exactly Neonomianism and in place thereof we defend this Proposition God doth not Justifie a Man by Faith properly imputing unto him Faith in Christ for his perfect Obedience to the Law and therefore accounting him Just and Innocent in his sight which we prove by these Reasons I 'll but name them 1. We are not Justified by any Work of our own though given by Grace but believing is an act of our own Ergo not by believing The Major is manifest by Scripture which teach we are saved by Grace Eph. 2.5 Tit. 3.6 Rom. 11.6 The Minor is evident that Faith is a Work of ours for though John 6.29 Christ saith this is the Work of God c. yet our Adversaries will not conclude thence that Faith is God's Work within us and not our Work by his help for they 'l say It 's not God believes and Christ repents c. They have two shifts 1. We are not Justified by any Work of our own done by our own strength but by the Aid of Grace A. This distinction of Works done without Grace and Works done by Grace was devised by one that had neither Wit nor Grace being a trick to elude the force of such Scriptures as exclude them indefinitely to our Justification c. Wherefore it s without all ground in Scripture thus to Interpret these Propositions A Man is not Justified by Works i. e. by Works done by the Power of Nature before and without Grace A Man is Justified by Grace i. e. by Works done by Aid of Grace 2. They say We are not Justified by any Works of our own i. e. by any Works of the Law but by a Work of the Gospel such as Faith is we may be Justified by there 's no ground in Scripture for this distinction nor in reason for both tell us that Works commanded in the Law and in the Gospel are one and the same for the substance of them Luke 10.27 Deut. 6.5 What Sin against the Gospel that is not a Transgression of the Law Is Charity one doth not the Law command it Is Faith one doth not the Law enjoyn the same Obj. But it commands not Faith in Christ A. It doth for that which commands us in general to believe commands us to believe whatever God shall make known to us Arg. 2. God only accounts that perfect Righteousness of the Law which is so in deed and in truth but Faith is not the perfect fulfilling of the Law Ergo Here our Neonomians will except and say They differ from the Arminians in saying That Christ only hath merited that our Imperfect Righteousness shall be accepted instead of perfect which hath worser absurdity in it as shall appear Arg. 3. We are not Justified by two Righteousnesses existing in two divers Subjects but if we are Justified by Christ's Righteousness and the VVork of Faith we are Justified by two Righteousnesses existing in two Subjects Ergo. I shall only leave with you the Opinion of the Orthodox Protestants concerning Justification by Faith who have strenuosly opposed the Papists Socinians Arminians and Neonomians in this Point He is Justified by Faith who excludes the Righteousness of VVorks Calv. Instit lib. 3. c. 111 de Justific fidei and apprehends the Righteousness of Christ wherewith being cloathed in the sight of God he appears not as a Sinner but Justified So that we Interpret Justification simply an Acceptance whereby God doth account us for Righteous Ones who are received into his Favour and we say That it i. e. Acceptio Acceptance is placed in the Remission of Sins and Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ Justification hath two parts Remission of Sins and Imputation of Christ's Righteousness Mr. Perkins in the Order and Causes of Salv. c. 37. p. 81. Remission of Sins is that part of Justification whereby he that believes is freed from the Guilt and Punishment by the Passion of Christ Colos 1.21 22. 1 Pet. 2.24 Imputation of Righteousness is the other part of Justification whereby such as believe having the Guilt of their Sins covered are accounted Just in the fight of God through the Righteousness of Christ 2 Cor. 5.21 Psal 32.1 Rom. 4. tot cap. Phil. 3.8 9. The form of Justification is as it were a kind of Translation of the Believers Sins unto Christ and again Christ's Righteousness unto the Believer by a Reciprocal and Mutual Imputation Justification is the Gracious Sentence of God whereby for the sake of Christ apprehended by Faith Ames Medul c. 27. he absolves a Believer from Sin and Death and counts him Righteous Rom. 3.22 24. § 17 18. Christ is the adequate Object of Faith as it justifies Faith also upon no other account justifies but as it apprehends that Righteousness for which we are justified and that Righteousness is not in the Truth of any Axiom to which we give Assent but in Christ alone who was made Sin for us that we may be the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 Hence those Sermons in
the New Testament are so often repeated which shew Justification to be sought only in the Person of Christ John 1.12 and 3.15 16. and 6.40 47. and 14.1 54. Rom. 4.5 and 3.26 Acts 10.43 and 25.18 Rom. 3.26 A Sinner is justified by Faith not properly as it is a Quality or Action Pemble of Justific ch 11. § 2. which by its own Dignity and Merit deserves at God's Hands Remission of Sins or is by God's favourable Acceptance taken for the whole and perfect Righteousness of the Law which is otherwise required of a Sinner but only in Relation unto the Object of it the Righteousness of Christ which it embraceth and resteth upon Justification is a Gracious Act of God upon a Believer whereby for the Righteousness sake of Christ Imputed by God Nortons Eang p. 300. and applyed by Faith he doth freely discharge him from Sin and Curse and accept him as Righteous in the Righteousness of Christ and acknowledge him to have a Right unto Eternal Life Q. 73. How doth Faith justifie a Sinner in the sight of God A. Faith justifies a Sinner in the sight of God not because of those other Graces that do always accompany it Assemb Large Catech. or of good Works which are the Fruits thereof nor as if the Grace of Faith or any Act thereof were Imputed to him for Justification only as it is an Instrument by which he receiveth and applyeth Christ and his Righteousness Q. 32. What is Justification A. Justification is an Act of God's Free Grace whereby he pardoneth all our Sins Shorter Catech. and accepteth us as Righteous in his sight only for the Righteousness of Christ received by Faith alone Whom God effectually calleth he freely justifieth not by Infusing Righteousness into them but by pardoning their Sins Confess c. 11. and by accounting and accepting their Persons as Righteous not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for Christ's sake alone not by Imputing Faith it self the Act of Believing nor any other Evangelical Obedience as their Righteousness but by Imputing the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his Righteousness by Faith which Faith they have not of themselves it is the Gift of God We are accounted Righteous before God only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith Artic. 11. of the Church of Engl. and not for our own Merits and Deservings wherefore that we are Justified by Faith only is a most wholesom Doctrine and very full of Comfort c. The Righteousness of Christ as it 's Christ's and performed by him so it is ours as it 's Meritorious of Grace Efficacious of Faith it self that is to be wrought in us it 's ours therefore I say by way of Right because by the Decree of the Father and Purpose of the Son it 's wrought for us tho' not in our Possession as to Sense and Acknowledgment of so great a Benefit bestowed Haec enim agnitio this Acknowledgment ariseth from Faith The Righteousness of Christ is said to be Imputed to us and his Merits to be applyed by Faith not before God but in our Consciences as there is a Sense of it begotten in our Hearts by Faith and an Acknowledgment of the Saving Application from the Love of God which we taste by Faith and Spiritually perceive Justifying of us and Adopting us to be his Sons from whence ariseth Peace of Conscience Whence the Righteousness of Christ is said to be Imputed to us by Faith because it is not known but by Faith that it is Imputed to us by God and then at length we are said to be Justified by that kind of Justification and Absolution from our Sins which begets or produceth peace of Conscience Dr. Twiss C. 1. p. 2. de Elect. He speaks of Justification in a double Acceptation 1. As the Righteousness of Christ is applyed to us before Faith and Repentance by reason of which Righteousness we obtain Efficacious Grace to believe in Christ and Repent 2. He understands Justification to be that Notification that is by Faith made to our Consciences or in the Court of Conscience and this is saith he that Imputation of Christ's Righteousness Remission of Sin Justification and Absolution which follows Faith There 's none of us saith he say that wicked vitious Person allowing themselves to live in their Sins are bound to believe Christ dyed for them for my part I think otherwise that whilst all are commanded to believe in Christ they are not bid presently to believe that Christ dyed for them but rather to rest themselves upon Christ by Faith to renounce themselves and their own Works and cast themselves down at the Feet of Mercy this is only properly called Faith on Christ fides in Christum the other is only Faith concerning Christ Hence Mr. Norton hath these words Orthod p. 315. These are both Truths 1. Justification hath a Being before the Elect do believe 2. That the Elect are not Justified before they do believe Justification is the Object Faith is the Act or being actually Justified is an Effect Faith is the Instrumental Cause the Cause is before the Effect Maccovius Disput XVI distinguishes Justification into Active and Passive Active Justification signifies God's Absolution of a Guilty Person from Guilt for the sake of Christ's Satisfaction and accounting him Righteous for his Righteousness Imputed The Differences between this and Passive Justification by Faith are 1. This is one undivided Act of God Absolution by Faith is repeated 2. Active precedes Faith Passive follows c. A Digression concerning the Necessity of Repentance to Forgiveness Neonom GEntlemen if you please for a Diversion after this Arduous Attempt that I have made to bring in the true Doctrine of the Catholick Church let us make a little digression for our Recreation and treat upon a Point that hath not so much difficulty in it for having got in Faith to justifie as a qualifying Act I doubt not now but to pleasure some of its Relations and find them a place in Justification too Antinom Stay not so hasty I do not find you have yet attained your End about Faith festina lentè cry not Victoria yet but however Gentlemen seeing he is for a digression let him have it for he hath been in digression from Truth all along I know not how he can digress from the way he hath been in hitherto but by coming into Truth Neonom You judging we are justified before we do believe it 's no wonder if you tell us We are forgiven before we confess Sin p. 255. and repent and therefore I would enquire of the necessity of Repentance to Forgiveness D. W. p. 113. Antinom As a Qualifying Condition Gentlemen this is no digression for it 's the Right Line and Method that Bellarmine and all the Papists have taken in handling the Doctrine of Justification first to bring in Faith to justifie as
a Work and then to bring in other Graces and Duties in the like manner only Faith shall have the honour to lead the way Whosoever saith That a Man is justified only by Faith and that nothing else is required to our Justification Trident. Conc. § 6. Chap. 2. let him be Accursed Faith is not the only cause of our Justification but there are others also as Hope Charity Alms-deeds c. Bellarm. de Justific ib. c. 13. c. 16. The Apostle excludeth not all Works for then Faith it self should be excluded from Justification because it is a Work and if justifying Faith do except every Law then the Law of Faith also should be excepted Looky you see Bellarmine hath got your Remedial Law by the End I thought I should find indeed all your Doctrine in the Original Neonom But he doth not speak fully to the case in hand Antinom But he shall speak fully to your Mind For He adds further Such Works therefore only are excluded which go before Faith which are done only by the Knowledge of the VVord Chap. 19. and by the Power of Free-will without Grace not such Works as are of Faith and proceed of Grace But all I fear is that you may not allow us so much as Bellarmine you will have some Qualifying Condition before Faith to Justifie us whereas he doth in a measure exclude all Works before Faith and he calls not that a Merit in plain English though it 's so in some Countreys I cannot tell how your Language expresseth it Neonom You 're a Pragmatick my Business in this Digression is with Men of more Orthodox Principles who yet seem too doubtful in this Point I shall state the Point between these Calvin Then Sir I find the Province will fall upon me wholly to discuss this Point with you unless the Board will be pleased to appoint an Abler Person Board No Sir by no means Neonom I shall state the Point then and shew you wherein the difference is not Calvin I pray Sir be briefer in stating Points for I find you bring your Adversary out of Breath in stating of Points and when you have stated them no body can tell but by Conjecture where you are in this way of stating Points you may run over the Enclycopeidia Artium in telling us where the Point is not for it can be but in one place Neonom But you must look where a thing is not as well a where it is before you find it I 'll tell you It is not 1. Whether Faith or Repentance be any part of the Meriting Righteousness for which we are Justified Antinom True Bellarmine will not allow Faith and Repentance to be any part of Christ's Righteousness for which we are Justified but only a Meriting Righteousness by which we are Justified .. Neonom I told you Gentlemen I would have nothing to do with this Heterodox Fellow Calvin It is a strange thing Mr. Antinomian that you cannot leave this business to me Antinom I am willing to give you ease that you may keep your Lungs till he comes to the Question for he will tire you before you come at it Neonom Nor is the Question Whether the Habits of Faith and Repentance be wrought at the same time in the Regenerating Principle D. W. p. 113. Antinom You mean you will not discuss this Point and therefore tell us not whether you affirm it or deny it and what you mean by the Regenerating Principle is very doubtful whether a Principle within us or without us Whether a Principle by Nature or by Grace It 's a new term to say We are Regenerated by a Principle it must be sure some Principle in our Nature that Regeneration must spring from Neonom Nor whether Convictions of a lost Estate and some degree of Humblings and Sorrow are necessary to drive a Soul to Christ Antinom The Law is a School-master to bring Men to Christ to cast them into a desperate condition that a Saviour may be acceptable to them that 's Christ's end but it 's no Federal Condition of Justification by Christ nor the Effects of it being the Condemnation of a Sinner which Condemnation and Sin it self are alike Conditions Causae sine quâ non that 's none at all in the sence of Logicians Convictions Humblings Sorrow for Sin before Regeneration and Justification are splendida peccata you have subscribed the Doctrinal Articles and Bellarmine excludes such Works which are before Faith done by the Knowledge of the Law and the Power of Free-will Neonom Nor whether there be an Assenting Act of Faith before there be an Exercise of Repentance under the Power of the Word which must be believed in some degree before it operate such Effects Antinom You should have put in this Question and said Nor whether there should be hearing of the Word before there is Repentance under it and you should tell what Faith you mean whether Historical or common Credulity or Saving Faith c. And whether you do not mean that Natural Men do grow up from a Regenerating Principle under the Word into Saving Grace by degrees Neonom Nor whether Ingenuous Sorrow for Sin in the sense of Actual Pardon be after that Pardon Antinom That need not be brought in to prevent our mistaking of the Question for none that hath any Brains can blunder so as to think a Man can be sorry for Sin in the sence of Actual Pardon before it is it must be after that this whether is next a-kin to a Bull. Neonom Nor whether Repentance as it consists in Fruits meet for it as External Reformation a Fruitful Life and the like must follow Pardon it being against the Tenour of the Promise that Forgiveness should be suspended so long after a Man believes and repents in his Heart Antinom You had better have put the Whether thus Whether Pardon is not to come in between Repentance and its Fruits Or whether Repentance with Fruits appearing or Repentance without Fruits appearing be the condition of Pardon and to what degrees of growth Repentance ought to arise before a Man is qualified for Pardon and how long in an ordinary way a truely Repenting Sinner must expect to continue unjustified And what time is limited in the Tenour of the Promise for suspension of Forgiveness after Faith and Repentance For there 's some time it seems with you that Forgiveness is suspended after Faith and Repentance Neonom Nor whether Justification be equally ascribed to Faith and Repentance For we are said to be Justified by Faith which imports that Repentance is but a disposing Condition and Faith a receiving Condition Repentance without Faith is unavailable as Faith without Repentance is impossible Faith seems to compleat all and in a manner to comprehend all These things the Orthodox Divines are agreed on Antinom That is Orthodox Neonomians of which none are Orthodox in these Points But Mr. Calvinist now he begins to bear up towards the Question I
change the term Justification into Forgiveness for though Justification includes Forgiveness yet Justification is not always meant by Forgiveness for Justification is a single Act of God and a Person once Justified is always so but by Forgiveness is meant often especially in the Old Testament a Renewal of the Sence of our Justified Estate the shining of God's Face upon us after Falls and Relapses into Sin and thence we pray daily for Pardon without a Supposition that when we pray for Pardon we are not in a Justified Estate neither do think when we have prayed for Pardon we are ever the whit more disposed and fitted in God's sight to receive it but wait upon God for it with a great sence of our Loathsomness and Unworthiness in our selves flying to Christ and his Righteousness to be covered with it in Believing by which Imputed Righteousness alone we look upon our selves as disposed for Pardon Your places mentioned prove not what you design viz. that in our first Forgiveness which is our Justification That Repentance is required as a disposing condition to the receiving it Acts 3.19 speaks but of the Publick Manifestation of the Righteousness of the Saints at the last day not that they stand unjustified till that day viz. the day of Refreshing and of Christ's second Appearing v. 20. And as for that place Acts 2.38 he commands Gospel Duties but to be performed as Effects of the Promise in performance of the Mercy promised the words of the next Verse shew For the Promise belongeth to you therefore Repent and Repentance is there no more a disposition to Forgiveness than Baptism and the end of that Ordinance is to shew that Forgiveness belongs to us already for it 's the Seal of the Promise and to be Baptized into Forgiveness is no more than to be Baptized into the Seal and Confirmation of the Covenant of Promise or Forgiveness which you believe belongs to you as the Covenant is called the Covenant of Circumcision Acts 7.8 And a Seal is not of a Pardon to be wrote but of that which is Wrote and Signed already Neonom Repentance is a Grace to which Pardon is promised and upon the working of it Forgiveness is given and Impenitency continues Guilt where-ever it reigns D. W. p. 115. Calvin Forgiveness is promised to Persons not to Graces and Qualifications Forgiveness is given to true Penitents and those to whom Forgiveness is given are truely Penitent and both Repentance and Remission of Sins are given it may be we perceive Repentance first but God gives Remission first for so long as there is none of the Grace of Forgiveness bestowed there will never be true Gospel Repentance the Grace of the Promise must be bestowed first by Christ exalted to God's Right Hand God saith He had pardoned David before he Repented and what was it that moved him so kindly to Repentance as is mentioned Psal 51. but the sence of Pardon The Lord had told him by Nathan that he had put away his Sin Neonom How much of the Bible must I Transcribe if I quote all places to prove these Ezek. 18.30 Acts 3.19 Mark 1.4 Luke 13.3 Heb. 6.16 Calvin The Papists have quoted as many as you can think on but could never yet carry the Point As to that place of Ezek. 18.30 it hath been spoken to already It supposeth not that they had any Qualification for Remission by Repentance for they were to make them a new Heart first a Condemned Sinner besure can never do that work nor work at it God must perform the Promise of Grace in breaking his Heart of Stone by the Revelation of Pardoning Mercy and make him a new Heart before he can have a Heart to Repent Acts 26.18 imports no more than that the Gospel is the Power of God to Salvation and thereby Sinners are raised from Darkness to Light i. e. from the Darkness of a Natural State to the Light of Grace thereby in Christ's own Light they see Light the words are ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Infinitive Mood is here put for the Genitive Case governed by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã foregoing the Light a Sinner is brought into is the Light of receiving Remission of Sins the Gospel Promise seen and applyed by Faith is that Light in the Soul wherein it is brought unto God the first Act of the Soul in Saving Conversion is believing for the Soul cannot turn from Sin to God by any Act of Repentance that 's Saving but by Jesus Christ and Faith in his Blood therefore in order of Nature Forgiveness must be had before there can be coming to God and therefore Ephraim cries for turning the Saints through Grace know they cannot come at God but by and through Christ and therefore their Complaints were so great and Repentings so heavy when God hid his Face from them I need not treat upon the other places they are all of the same strain Acts 5.31 is against you Luke 13.3 will not prove the Gospel a Law as I shall have occasion to shew Neonom The Sin against the Holy Ghost is Vnpardonable because it 's impossible to bring the Committer of it to Repentance Heb. 6.16 Calvin The ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is not in respect of the power of God but in regard of the Will and Pleasure of God Whom he will he hardneth When God hath left them to despise Christ and to Crucifie him again as it were to put him to open Scorn and Contempt not sinning Ignorantly but Presumptuously there 's no Repentance the reason why there 's no Repentance is because there 's no Forgiveness neither will they seek after it Neonom Are all these things consistent with Pardon before Repentance Can I be subject to perish and pardoned at once Calvin Yes a Traytor may be in the Cart and have the Halter about his Neck just when the Pardon comes Neonom Can God command Repentance under a Promise of Pardon and suppose I must be pardoned before Calvin Yea he always does so he performs the Promise to enable us to obey the Command and he annexeth the Promise to encourage us to the Duty The performance of the Promise to us is the true necessary condition of our performing any Duty to God acceptably Neonom And doth God do all before and nothing after Calvin Yea he doth abundantly more than we can ask or think before and after too Neonom 13. There 's no Saving Faith that includes not this purpose in it and so saith Dr. Owen Calvin Whatever you quote out of Dr. Owen the World knows he was against you in this Point his whole Book witnesseth that he never said that Faith justified as a Qualifying Grace much less Repentance there may be many things in Faith that toucheth not upon that Nature of it whereby it hath more to do in its peculiar Office in the Justification of a Sinner than any other Grace Neonom Without this purpose we do not accept of Christ as the way
Antinom What kind of Supposition Supposition of Duty Antecedaneous to it This is false Faith is a Saving Benefit and it 's not bestowed with a Supposition that any saving Duty is precedent to it So our Union to Christ Gift of the Spirit Justification yea the Grace of Sanctification it self are all Saving Benefits of the highest Nature Neonom 3. The Influences of the Spirit and God's Institutions have no Causality in our Salvation if men have nothing to do in order to be saved Antinom That is as much as to say If we save not our selves the Spirit cannot save us We must be our own Saviours first or the Spirit must make us our own Saviours that we may be saved I told you Adam had been saved by the Influences of the Spirit if he had been saved in his innocent state and it had never the less been a Covenant of Works Neonom On what account is it said That we believe to the saving of our Souls Heb. 10.39 And Repentance to Salvation 2 Cor. 7.10 1 Tim. 4.16 Antinom Those Expressions are Descriptions of true Faith and Repenrance given as to that 1 Tim. 4.16 We deny not that the Covenant of Grace hath many Exhortations Directions Encouragements to Duty but not antecedent to the Promise The General Promise is first participated of before any Duty is or can be performed and after participation of the Promise Consequent to it and Effects of it particular Duties and Promises do follow Neonom The Destruction of Sinners under the Gospel is still laid to not Doing John 5.40 Their not coming not turning and repenting Antinom Yea their blameable moral Inability and Perverseness is that which they are under the Condemnation for Falling upon them in their Apostacy and so their refusing a Remedy is part of their Condemnation under the Law And therefore our Saviour saith such Unbelievers are condemned already they remain under the Power and Sentence of the first Condemnation Neither is the Destruction of Sinners laid to their not doing but not believing in Christ Believing is opposed to Doing because God will not have us to be saved by Doing And when a Sinner comes he is not saved by his Act in Coming but by Christ to whom he is come Neither doth he come till he is saved by the Father's drawing him and Christ finding every Sinner before he comes shews that he is a lost Sinner and never comes to Salvation till Salvation comes to him Neonom If men have nothing to do for Salvation then Christ hath no Rule to judge them that live under the Gospel Christ proceeds on the difference of Men's Carriage and Tempers at the last Day Consider any Description of the last Day you 'll find God saves and damns with respect to men's Neglect and Compliance with the Gospel Antinom Your Argument seems to run thus Upon the same Terms that Man shall be judged at the last Day upon the same shall they be saved now But Men shall be judged by their Works at the last Day Ergo saved by Works now I deny your Major If that were true you might have some Pretence that the Covenant of Grace was a Covenant of Works There 's a great deal of difference between Christ's proceedings in the Covenant of Grace and the Judgment of the Last Day 1. Christ in Covenant of Grace comes not as a Judge to condemn the World but to save it 2. Christ first saves his Church and exerts his Offices in that Salvation first as Priest to make Atonement as Prophet to teach by his Word and Spirit as King to conquer and subdue their Hearts unto himself and all this is done before he rules and governs them 3. Christ in the Covenant of Grace acts not in his Regal Power as King of the World but as King to his Church his Mediatorial Offices are all exerted towards his Redeemed ones in order to the saving of them All final Unbelievers are judged as such as are under the Condemnation of the Law and their Sins only judged the more aggravated because of their refusal of a Remedy The Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from Heaven in Plaming Fire taking Vengeance upon them that know not God and those that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ The slighting and rejecting a Remedy offer'd is a ground of more severe proceeding in the way of Execution of the Sentence which the condemned Person lay under before How shall ye escape that neglect so great Salvation The Talents mentioned Matth. 25.21 24 28. refer only to the distinction that appears between Professors Some act from common Grace only some by special Grace Some are carried no further than common Grace will carry them and therefore bring not forth real Fruit unto God and are not in Christ Jesus have only common Graces and Gifts Neonom I could easily demostrate that if men have nothing to do in order to Salvation the Ministry of Christ and his Apostles is all Vanity and Falshood c. They are cold Pleadings with Sinners that are not backed with Life and Death Antinom It 's easie to demostrate that an unsaved Person can do nothing in order to Salvation and if they can the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles is false For Christ himself saith Without me ye can do nothing and we are sanctified in Christ Jesus and created in him to good Works and Christ worketh in us to will and to do All this is Salvation The first true Motive to a Sinner is the Salvation wrought by Christ already for Sinners in his Death and Satisfaction The Promise of Heaven is a Secondary Motive but is not to be brought as a Primary Motive The rendring Life and Death to working or not working is the preaching of the Law and of the Letter and makes the Gospel such a Law as is the Ministration of Condemnation And to conclude my Answer to the Proof of that Position That Sinners have much to do in order to Salvation And to prove it in the Negative I offer this Argument They that can do nothing in order to Salvation till they are saved have not much to do in order to Salvation But Sinners can do nothing in order to Salvation till they are saved Ergo a Sinner hath not much to do in order to Salvation in your Sence I leave you to consider of it and the Evidence of it for you cannot but apprehend the Demonstration that is therein for doing must be here understood effective Such Works you speak of as appears by what follows Neonom True Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works and Perseverance are the way to Heaven and so necessary to the Salvation of a Believer that without them he cannot be saved and continuing in them he shall be saved Antinom I find you make Holiness or Sanctification and Salvation two things whereas Sanctification is a part of Salvation True Holiness is the way to Heaven but it 's Salvation as well as the Perfection
have the main difference between the first and last that Christ stands by to see what 's wanting But his great business is to see us saved by our own Works from first to last As for Faith Repentance Good Works sincere persevering Obedience internal and external they are our Foederal Conditions upon the Performance whereof the Promise of all Salvation in Justification and Adoption and Glorification is due Debt to us and if Christ hath done any thing for us it 's due to us upon these Terms whatever he hath provided besides Neonom Well I will make you one Challenge more and so leave you P. 146. If any Sinner believe not and repent not hath Christ ever promised to save him Antinom Indeed those Sinners that believe not nor repent not he hath not named them by name but God forbid that he hath not promised to save Thousands that believe not and repent not for the Promise is to Christ first to save his Seed and this is the Promise that Christ's Office is to seek and save them that are lost And I think all Men are so till Christ finds any by giving Faith and Repentance to them for which end he is exalted And these are the Sheep of his which he hath promised shall hear his Voice and shall come into his Fold these are among the chiefest of Sinners before they ever have Faith and Repentance The Lo-ammi who shall become the Children of the living God Ay but you say will any Decree or Merits of Christ secure them so that every poor Impenitent Unbelieving Sinner is in a desperate Condition There 's no Decree of God nor Merits of Christ can save them So that both Decree and Merits were all conditional provided he believe neither Decree or Merits can secure Salvation to him And do they not secure Faith and Repentance as part of their Salvation and so one part as well as another and upon the same Terms Neonom Again if any penitent Believer shall Apostatize prove ungodly and unfruitful hate God or neglect to love God and his Neighbour wholly c. Shall this Man be saved Hath not Christ determined the contrary Will his first Faith save him Antinon I suppose you can mean no other than a True Believer by your Penitent Believer One that is Godly loves God and is fruitful if any such an one should Apostatize c. wholly i. e. fall away from Grace Here we can understand your meaning no otherwise but that such a thing may be and sometimes is or else why do you not make the like Supposition concerning the good Angels And what follows Say you Shall his First Faith save him i. e. Shall Christ that once saved him save him again Hath not Christ that hath once saved him determined to saveâ him no more These are pretty Enquiries deep School Cases And wherefore is all this but to shew that our Security of standing and keeping in Covenant with God and of all our Salvation lies not on Electing Grace nor on the Merits of Christ but on our own Works of Faith and Obedience The Resolution of these Questions you say according to the Scope of the Word will decide the Main of this Controversie and I will tell you how much they concern the matter in hand As to the first If a Man have a Healthy Body and strength of Nature to live till Fourscore Years of Age he shall not die a young Man And whether if he take the Care of his own Health and Safety God hath not provided every thing else for him Or thus If a Man get a good Estate and hold it till he dies whether this Man can die a poor Man But our Question rightly put runs thus Seeing God hath provided by his Decree or Promise that this or that Sinner shall have true Grace and he that hath it shall never finally lose it whether his Perseverance and Security depends upon his Works and Actings or upon the Decree and Promise The Assembly Chap. 17. of the Perseverance of the Saints saith They that are effectually called shall not finally fall from the state of Grace but certainly persevere which Perseverance depends not upon their own Free Will but upon the Immutability of the Decree of Election The Efficacy of the Merit and Intercession of Christ The abiding of the Spirit the nature of the Covenant of Grace from which ariseth the Certainty and Infallibility thereof As to your second Appeal it hath as much as this in it If a Man get up to the top of the Monument and throw himself down from thence he will certainly break his Neck Or thus If a good Angel fall into Pride and Sin as Belzebub did he will be laid in Chains of Darkness in the same manner as he If Abraham should blaspheme God he would be tumbled out of Heaven If a Man wax on Wings to his Shoulders and fly towards the Sun like Icharus the Wax melts and down comes he headlong Such Propositions as these are the Rules of Christs Rectoral Distribution with you and the Decree comes not in opposition whereas the Decree spoils the Hypothesis for do but assume upon the Proposition and you will find it so that the Decree spoils it as to the Event God's Rule of Government is not a Proposition founded upon an Impossibility Posito Decreto neither is his Decree as you would make it subservient to his Rule of Government but all his Government and Rules thereof are founded on and guided according to his good Will and pleasure in his Decree What you quote out of the Assembly's Confession is nihil ad Rhombum but all against you for none denies God's Approbation of our Obedience the great Uses and Ends of it the acceptation of it and rewarding it in Christ c. ut supra The Ends and Uses which they mention is not amiss to repeat because you charge the same Assertion on Dr. Cr. for his great Errour Assemb Ch. 16. Good Works done in obedience to God's Commands are the Fruits and Evidences of a true and lively Faith and by them Believers make manifest their Thankfulness strengthen their Assurance edifie their Brethren adorn the Profession of the Gospel stop the Mouths of Adversaries and glorifie God whose Workmanship they are created in Christ Jesus thereunto that having their Fruit unto Holiness they may have the end Eternal Life And as for Dr. O. whom you quote from p. 222. Of Justification he is there disputing against these Tenents of yours and grants the like Uses and Ends of our Personal Righteousness as the Assembly that it 's indispensably required by God he approves of it and accepts it in Christ it evidenceth Faith it 's pleadable against Satan and the World And after some explication of his meaning in these things he saith Hence it appears how little force there is in that Argument which some pretend to be of so great weight in this Cause among them you are one As every one say
become most abominable as if God stood in need of something that we have To depart from Iniquity or to labour in Holiness in order to express our Thankfulness unto God for his Mercies in Jesus Christ is most grateful and most forcible Again Love unto God for all his Glorious Excellencies especially for his Mercy in Christ Jesus is the best Principle of Holiness and our departing from Iniquity and this Love is begun and flows from God's Love first He that Acts according to any of God's Commandments out of hope to Merit by them may Act out of Love indeed but it must be then Self-love to obtain as he vainly thinks by his Obedience Eternal Happiness Our Love of God should exceed Self-love as far as God himself exceeds which is Infinitely Our Love of God is a Vertue and the Foundation of the rest Our Love of our selves thus taken is a Sin a Mother Sin the cause of all the rest of our Sins c. I am mistaken if I find not this Doctrine of working for Life according to your sence exactly in the Council of Trent Decree XVI Grace proposeth to the Just the Exercise of Good Works by which Eternal Life is gained as Grace promised by the Mercy of God and a Reward due to Good Works by the Divine Promise And it concludeth This Doctrine doth not establish any Righteousness of our own refusing the Righteousness of God but the same is said to be in us and of God being infused by him for the Merit of Christ Calvin But Mr. Neonomian saith in his Reply It 's vain and false Mr. Antinomian that you say that you are only against setting Graces and Holiness in the place of Christ Antinom He that reads my Sermons must needs see the Truth of that Assertion I have nothing to say to such as only depend upon Mr. Neonomian's report Neonom He reckons they are put in Christ's place though they be affirmed but as Means and Conditions antecedently necessary by Divine Appointment to obtain any Blessing for the sake of Christ's Merits Antinom And well I may if Men must be gracious and holy antecedently to any Blessing for the sake of Christ's Merits and by vertue of that Antecedent Grace and Holiness do obtain Blessings for the sake of Christ's Merits I think you outstrip the Papists here in the Doctrine of Merit Neonom His Principles are That Faith is not so much as an Instrument whereby we are united to Christ or Justified P. 616. Antinom He speaks not there of Faith as an Instrument but he doth speak of it as such P. 597. where he saith Faith is not the Instrument Radically to unite Christ and the Soul together but rather is the Fruit that flows from Christ the Root being united before-hand by the Spirit to the Persons that do believe Neonom 2. That Christ brings us all good things when we are ungodly so it 's in vain to do any thing to obtain these P. 41. Antinom He speaks there of Justification by Faith alone without Works And we are delivered from Wrath before we step a step into Duties and we do not the Duty to be delivered but we do the Duty because we are delivered and seeing all these are settled by Christ for us of Free Gift all we do is for Christ himself I say that we do we do for Christ and not for our selves Neonom He saith Obedience is not the way to Heaven and Sanctification is not the way to a Justified Person Antinom No Sanctification is not the way of Justification he speaks of the way of Justification we are not according to his Divinity Justified by Inherent Holiness or Righteousness though we are according to yours And he tells you Sanctification is our business in Christ the Way for whatever Duty is performed acceptably must be wrought by Faith in Christ Jesus we are Sanctified in Christ Christ is the true way of Sanctification Neonom He saith He should not have the least Thought in his Heart of promoting or advancing himself or any end of his own by doing what he doth Antinom You know this thing is no new Doctrine It use to be one of the signs and marks of Truth of Grace when we Act in Duty singly for the Glory of God and not for selfish and sinister ends and designs but this is spoken to sufficiently before DEBATE XV. Of the Way to attain Assurance Neonom THE next Errour that I have to charge Mr. Antinomian with is his Doctrine of Assurance Errour Assurance is not attained by the Evidence of Scripture marks or signs of Grace or by the Spirits discovering to us that he hath wrought in our Hearts any Holy Qualifications But Assurance comes only by an Inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are Forgiven thee and our Believing thereupon that our Sins are forgiven D. W. p. 161. Antinom What evidence do you bring of your Charge Neonom You say if you would know that the Lord hath laid your Iniquities on Christ you must know it thus 1. Is there a Voice behind thee in thy self Thy Sins are forgiven thee Dost thou see this Voice agree with the Word of Grace i. e. Dost thou see it held out to most vile and wretched Creatures as thou canst be And upon this Revelation of the Mind of the Lord by his Spirit according to that Word doth the Lord give to thee to receive that Testimony of the Spirit to sit down with it as satisfied that upon this thou makest full reckoning thou hast propriety in this particularly to thy self If thou dost receive that Testimony according to that Word here is thy Evidence thou hast thy Propriety and Portion in this Dr. Cr. p. 491. Calvin And do you Banter this Doctrine as Erroneous Stuff I would wish you to have a care it 's a tender Point Antinom I will acquaint you with a little of my foregoing Discourse Let us see what kind of evidencing believing gives it is not a Revealing Evidence Dr. Cr. p. 491. nor an Effecting Evidence these the Word and Spirit are but it is a Receiving Evidence or it is an Evidence as it doth receive that Testimony which the Spirit holds out applying it to the Heart as the Eyes receive the light and the Ears the sound and if we ask a Man how do you know such a thing he will say I saw it with my Eyes and heard it with mine Ears It is an evidence as an Officer in Court that speaks nothing of his own knowledge but produceth Records and testifieth the Authentickness of the Records The Life of Evidence is materially in the Records themselves but the Officer is an Evidence as he doth assert the Truth of such Records It is even so with Faith The Spirit of the Lord makes the Records and speaks the Records to the Heart Now Faith comes in and receives what the Spirit of the Lord hath written In brief Faith is an Evidence as it doth take Possession of
not any just Exception you can have against this Divinity there being so clear Evidence for what is here delivered from the Word of God Neonom He saith Faith is the Eccho of the Heart to the Voice of the Spirit Calvin In the Continuation of Pool 's Annotations one of your Vouchers hath this on 1 John 5.10 He that truly believes hath the effectual Impress of this Testimony upon his Soul What is that but the Eccho of it speaking the same thing Neonom He means that Faith doth not evidence our Pardon as it is a Grace wrought in the Soul by the Spirit or a holy Qualification but only as it doth assent to and rest in this inward Voice D. W. p. 163. Antinom No he doth not place this Evidencing Nature of Faith which he speaks of in it as an Act or Qualification for as such it evidenceth no more than any other Grace but Faith hath a peculiar evidencing Nature in it because it is a receiving Grace he speaks not now of Assent it takes Possession of the Promise And would not you have Faith to be assenting to and resting on the Voice of the Spirit in the Word what would you have it be nothing at all Neonom He seems to own that Sanctification is some Evidence Antinom He doth so as was observed before Calvin I pray what is your Sence concerning the way of attaining Assurance Neonom Truth The ordinary way whereby a Man attaineth a well-grounded assurance is not by immediate objective Revelation or an inward Voice saying Thy Sins are forgiven D. W. p. 160. Antinom I judge by this Negation you set by these things from Assurance as having nothing to do ordinarily in it 1. That no Voice is heard any way by the Soul Thy Sins are forgiven that is not to be believed by a direct Act of Faith 2. That Forgiveness of Sin is not revealed to a Believer by the Word of Promise believed 3. That the Spirit of God hath nothing to do in bringing the Soul to appropriate and apply the general Promise particularly to his own Soul So that here as to our believing Forgiveness of Sin neither the Spirit nor the Objective Revelation of the Gospel nor indeed Faith it self in it's receiving Nature hath any thing to do but only as a Sign and Mark set upon the Soul Neonom But when a Believer is examining his Heaert and Life by the Word the Holy Spirit enlightens the mind there to discern Faith and Love and such other Qualifications which the Gospel declareth to be the infallible Signs of Regeneration And he adds such Power to the Testimony of Conscience for the Truth and In-being of these Graces as begets in a Soul a joyful sense of it's comfortable state and some comfortable Freedom from those Fears which accompany a doubting Christian And according to the Evidence of these Graces Assurance is ordinarily strong or weak Antinom I observe now though you would let the Spirit have no hand in the Evidence of Faith yet you need its help to enlighten about Signs and Qualifications I pray how doth the Spirit enlighten here Is it by any objective Revelation or by any inward Dictate or Intimation And cannot the Spirit as well enlighten the Mind to behold Christ in the Promise by an Act of Faith as to behold Faith and Love in our selves 2. You will not admit the Declaration of the Gospel received and embraced by Faith to evidence but that it seems the Heart and Life must be examined by the Word as a Rule So that Assurance must be wrought by the Word as a Law not as a Gospel so far as you are come up to a Conformity to the Rule not a Testimony of your Interest in the Grace of the Gospel 3. You had need have the Light of the Spirit to find an infallible Sign in you too though they be declared in the Gospel Hypocrites pretend to them and you cannot tell whether you are any better than a Hypocrite without an infallible Voice of the Spirit according to your Doctrine for you must know that you shall persevere in those Qualifications and it 's impossible for a Man to be assured till Death or can be assured of his Perseverance till then all other Signs will signifie nothing without an Infallible Witness 4. You must have a Power added by the Spirit to the Testimony of Conscience that it may witness the Truth and In-being of Graces What 's the Reason it cannot witness the Truth of our In-being in Christ and add a Power to our Faith to believe even unto Assurance 5. All this Examination Illumination of the Spirit Gospel-Declaration c. may at last beget a joyful Sense or a reconciled State you say but according to you it cannot be Assurance because you cannot yet try by Perseverance the Soul is in a little hopes it 's in a probable way to Salvation but cannot be assured he is in a sure state or shall certainly be saved because he must continue his Justified State by his Works and therefore it 's impossible for him to try and find so far as to Assurance because he hath not persevered you 'l say it may be He must believe his Perseverance and be assured of it by Faith then I say there 's as much ground to believe and be assured by Faith of all our Salvation 6. You speak not of an Assurance in all you have said but of some comfortable Freedom from Doubtings i. e. upon some probable Grounds This amounts to more than Opinion at last the only Judgment of a contingent Axiom and you tell us elsewhere our State here is but of Tryal not decided therefore there can be no Assurance at all in this Life 7. You do well to add at last that according to the Evidence of these Graces Assurance is ordinarily strong or weak And may not that Assurance be so which we call the Assurance of Faith May it not be strong or weak according to the Evidence that Faith gives in being strong or weak Faith But now go on to your Whethers and Neithers Neonom I will shew you wherein the difference is not D.W. p. 164. Antinom So you may and enumerate all things in the World by Sea and by Land besides It is not whether the Sun be the Element of Fire nor how many Regions in the Air nor whether Spirits are material nor whether Anima be ex traduce c. Neonom It is not whether the Spirit witnesseth by his Miraculous Operations to Christ and the Gospel which is a Truth and the meaning of many of the Texts which you quote Antinom I do not know that we were like to stumble there for we speak only of the Spirits witnessing in its ordinary way and so are all the Texts to be understood so far as they have been applyed to our purpose Neonom Nor whether the Spirit as a Worker of Grace in the Heart be an Earnest of Glory and Witness to our state
required to examine our selves but where lyes the Critical Point It 's in Christ being in us ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã try or see by tryal whether Christ be in you how look after the true Evidence of it by finding out the thing it self i. e. Christ received by Faith and witnessed by his Spirit for Christ is in us these ways 1. By his Spirit 2. By Faith 3. By our Mystical Union I in them John 17. Now this Tryal is by Faith for it is thus Do we see the things that are Invisible But suppose you say the Tryal is by the Fruits of Faith we deny it not but we say they are not only here but to be understood therefore the place concludes not against us nor that place 2 Pet. 1.10 The Apostle there tells us We have all things that pertain to Life and Godliness through the Knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Vertue and if all things then Assurance too for it 's through great and precious Promises that we are partakers of the Divine Nature and through them as the Spirit is bestowed so it Comforts and Ensures Life and Salvation to us And as it works many gracious Vertues and Fruits in us so it excites and stirs us up to Encrease and Growth in Grace ver 5 6 7. And where these things are not it is a sign that a Man hath no true savour of Pardoning Grace lying under senlesness of the great Reason of Christ's Death and Satisfaction ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of Christ purging away of Sin i. e. by Sacrifice of his bearing of Sin of old so long ago and it 's no doubt but the real total absence of the Fruits of Faith is a sign there is no Faith if these things be wanting such an one is Purblind ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or false-sighted thinks he is something when there 's nothing but the difficulty is this a Man saith he hath upon tryal these Vertues but is short-sighted he looks close to himself and passeth a wrong Judgment how shall he be convinced that he hath them not or he saith he hath them not how shall he come to be satisfied that he hath them Who must resolve these difficulties Is it not the Word and Spirit that must resolve it in believing Therefore the rather give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure and how is that done Why not in believing Doth not Faith make our Calling sure Is Election to be known any way but by believing And how is our Calling i. e. Invitation to believe How is that made good but by answering the Call For he saith doing these things ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã i. e. making Calling and Election sure by getting a sure footing and standing in Christ by Faith you shall not fall or stumble so as to fall and an entrance shall be abundantly ministred the words are so an entrance into his Eternal Kingdom shall be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ministred to you Now Christ he is the Door and a Rich Entrance into his Kingdom ministred to every one that believeth so that the Crisis of our State that the Spirit of God puts us upon in both places is especially about our Faith in Christ which Faith is a Witness in our selves and the Spirit witnessing with it and all ways and means causing our Faith to witness and giving us Light and Evidence from the Word believed to see the Graces of God and Fruits of the Spirit in our Hearts Neonom This is the way whereby the Scripture Saints were assured They concluding their Justication by their Sanctification and a state of Peace by the Truth of Grace 1 John 3.14 ver 9. ver 18. Thus David Paul and other Saints concluded the safety of their state D. W. p. 165. Antinom This is one way but not the only or principal way The Apostle John tells often that Love if it be true and from a true Principle and Root is an Argument of our Regenerate state but that it may be known to be such it must be traced to the Head it being but a stream to see how it flows from the Love of Christ apprehended by Faith whereby we have our Radical hold and standing And as he saith ver 14. Hereby we know we are passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren Yet lest he should leave us in the dark and we should take false Love for true he tells us there is another Judgment to pass upon our Love before we can argue from it we must find that it flows from our perception of the Love of God in laying down his Life for us and from thence should proceed our readiness to lay down our Life for the Brethren ver 16. In this we know or are assured of God's Love in that he laid down his Life for us The Love of God believed gives the Original Ground of Assurance and is the greatest and the Touchstone to an other A Witness from Men from what is found in us is something but the Witness of God is greater 1 John 5.9 And the witness that he hath given to us in the Gospel concerning his Son testified by the Spirit and applyed by Faith is that Evidence upon which all firm Assurance is Radically Built And you shall plainly see that John doth not found our Assurance Radically upon Love but in Justifying Faith he saith ver 18. Let us be sincere in Love and I will tell you whereby you shall attain to good Assurance ver 19 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in this i. e. in what follows in this refers not to the foregoing Verse but to what follows ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is often used as the Causal Particle for For in this we shall know or be assured that we are of the Truth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã we shall perswade our Hearts it 's rendred well assure our Hearts bring our Hearts to Assurance by believing that whereby Condemnation is removed for saith he if this be not whatever Judgment we have of what is in our selves it may deceive us and God knows enough in us to condemn us for if our Hearts labour under unbelief and condemn us whatever we find in our selves will not give us peace and God is greater than our Hearts therefore we must assure our Hearts that way which will hold good in the Eye of God's Justice i. e. by Faith in Jesus Christ ver 21. and saith he if our Heart condemn us not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã we have chearfulness and boldness towards God and how is it possible that the Condemnation of our Hearts should be taken off but by believing and thereby perswading our Hearts But you will say it may be that the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is not used for to express our believing But I will shew you it is See Heb. 11.13 They all died in Faith having not received the Promises but saw them afar off ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã were perswaded of them
for God to say unto the Soul I am thy Salvaiion Is it not the ordinary Gospel Voice under the Old Testament and New Neonom It hardly carries its Evidence to a Soul that hath no Grace at all Antinom You say a miraculous Voice can hardly carry its Evidence to a Soul that hath no Grace at all It is well you put in hardly for you know it was carryed to Paul in a miraculous Voice and it 's a marvellous audacious Expression to say God can hardly carry Grace and Evidence of Grace to a graceless Soul no not so much as miraculously and cannot God give Grace and evidence in the same moment of time as to the Thief on the Cross and thousands more in the Word Neonom It 's a way too far Enthusiastick to be allowed in so stated a Case Antinom You had best say the Apostle Paul in the whole 8th Chapter to the Romans and 1 Cor. 2. and Eph. 1. and in divers other places was too Enthusiastick and therefore those portions of Scripture that speak of the Revelation and Witness of the Spirit and the Assurances of Faith not to be allowed I 'll assure you you are mighty Magisterial to take upon you the decrying the Witness of the Spirit at this presumptuous rate openly and before the World What account can you give of this another day Neonom It gives the Devil a great advantage against Sinners to live in Sin and against honest People if once they find cause to question this Voice Yea it sets up the Spirit against it self if any can boast of Assurance by this Voice when their state is justly challengeable by the Gospel as wanting all Sight of Gospel Marks Antinom If the Grace of God that brings Salvation unto Sinners is the casting out of the Devil out of the Heart and the witnessing Spirit a mortifying Spirit Teacher of Holiness and the greatest Enlarger of the Heart therein as Rom. 8.15 by how much the more it works as a Comsorter as the Spirit of Adoption bringing us into the Liberty of Sons of God and shewing to us that Christ is ours and we are his yea by how much the more he makes us to see by Faith in Christ and how much the less he makes us to see in our selves but still shews us our own Vileness and Ugliness Corruptions poorness of Duties even to the loathing and abhorring of our selves if then I say God is most glorified and his Free Grace Christ is most advanced and his precious Blood and his glorious Spirit to be loved and admired and we in the best and most Gospel-frame Then all that you have here spoken is Burlesque mingled with the Enmity of your Heart vented against the Grace of the Gospel and the Spirit of God Calvin I must confess I can't tell what to say of that saying The Witness of the Spirit by the Voice of the Gospel is giving advantage to the Devil I am sure it hath a dangerous Aspect But I pray Mr. Antinomian do you condemn Signs and Marks as altogether useless towards the gaining of Assurance that he inveighs at so heavy a rate Antinom No by no means I allow the Fruits of the Spirit to be of a marvellous use as to Confirming and Comforting of our selves and very satisfactory to others that our Saviour saith hereby shall all men know that we are his Disciples and as James saith we must be convinced of mens Faith by their Work or else we can't take them to be Believers Yea we expect of every one that we admit Church-members that they should give a Reason of the Hope that is in them according to the Rule of the Gospel This Mr. Neonomian is against he will Burlesque upon it as much as he doth now at the Witness of the Spirit Calvin Why it is not possible Mr. Neonomian Sure when you admit Members into your Congregation you are very strict in Examining of them upon the Fruits of Faith that you and all your Congregation may know so far as the Judgment of a rational Charity will go that they are Disciples of Christ tho' as those Signs may deceive a mans own self so others may be deceived in those that make Profession of them Neonom I know no ground to stand so strictly upon my Admission I think if men be not grossly Ignorant or openly Scandalous they may be admitted to all Ordinances I can't try them for their Perseverance which is the greatest Mark. Calvin But I read that the Churches in the Primitive Times were made up of those that were at least to Visible appearance sanctified in Christ Jesus Neonom But the times are altered now they were Converted out of Heathenism we are all Christians Calvin Aye such as they be such as your honest People which the Devil gets a great advantage against to perswade to live in sin because of the pardoning Grace of the Gospel for whose sake you would have the Doctrine renounced and another Gospel preached I see you do not set so much by Signs and Marks but only to set them up in opposition to the Witness of the Spirit Antinom I will give you my full sence of the Doctrine of Assurance The certainty of a Thing or Proposition can be founded but upon one of these two Bottoms either upon an Artificial or Inartificial Argument so called in Logick An Argument artificial gives me sensible or rational ground for what I am assured of and it argues Things from Causes Effects Subjects Adjuncts Dissentaneities wherein are diversa opposita c. But an inartificial Argument is founded on Testimony and according to the faithfulness of him that brings it it gives more or less ground of belief This is reckoned in Logick the weakest ground of Knowledge especially being Testimonium humanum that is brought it may be a probable ground of believing but is not an Infallible one and therefore the Judgment upon it usually goes no further than Opinion that which is of a Contingency But in Theology Testimonium Divinum Divine Testimony is the greatest ground of Certainty and Assurance in the World because he that speaks is unchangeably true faithful just and holy he cannot ly Now hence it is that what Testimony comes from God himself it is to be believed because it is so without reasoning any further and is the greatest ground of Assurance in the World therefore I affirm that the Witness of God in his Word and the Spirit in the Heart firmly believed is and produceth the greatest Assurance for firmness and durability in the World This is that which ought to ly in the bottom of all our Assurance this will hold above all in the hour of Temptation when all Signs and Marks sail tho our Faith may be sometimes shaken and our Comforts and Assurances eclips'd so that our Faith may hold but as far as a Hoping or Perswasion of a Probability of our State and Condition yet as Mr. Neonomian saith as the Evidence is
it self beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Sons of God Dr. Owen of the Spirit p. 168. Sect. 9. The witness which our own Spirits do give unto our Adoption is the work and Effect of the Holy Spirit in us if it were not it would be false and not confirmed by the Testimony of the Spirit himself who is the Spirit of Truth and none knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.11 If he declare not our Sonship in us and to us we cannot know it How doth he then bear witness to our Spirits What is the distinct Testimony It must be some such Act of his as evidenceth it self to be from him Immediately unto them that are concerned in it i. e. those unto whom it is given He that Expounds Rom. 8.16 In Pool's Annotations see the Expos on Rom. 8.16 I think one of your Vouchers speaks admirably well to this matter The Spirit of Adoption saith he doth not only excite us to call upon God as our Father but it doth ascertain and assure us as before that we are his Children And this it doth not by an outward Voice as God the Father to Jesus Christ nor by an Angel as to Daniel and the Virgin Mary but by an inward and secret suggestion whereby he raiseth our Hearts to this perswasion That God is our Father and we are his Children This is not the Testimony of the Graces and Operations of the Spirit but of the Spirit it self A mans own Spirit doth witness to his Adoption he finds in himself upon diligent search and Examination some of the manifest Signs and Tokens thereof But this Testimony of it self is weak and Satan hath many wayes and wiles to invalidate it wherefore for more assurance it 's confirmed by a greater Testimony i. e. the Spirit it self which first works Grace and then witnesseth it he witnesseth with our spirits and seals it up to us This Testimony is not in all Believers alike nor in any one at all times it 's better felt than expressed He witnesseth to our Spirits so some read it by a distinct and immediate Testimony and he witnesseth with our Spirits so the word properly signifies by a conjunctive and concurrent Testimony Intelligit Paulus c. Paul means that the Spirit of God bears such a Testimony to us Mr. Calvin on Rom. 8.16 that he being our Guide and Master our spirit doth conclude Gods adoption of us is sure For our Spirits would not dictate this Faith to us of our own accord unless the Testimony of the Spirit go before and he shews us how for whilest the Spirit doth witness to us that we are the Children of God he doth also put this believing Confidence into our Souls that we have the boldness to call God Father And this is to be held alwayes as a Principle That we never pray to God in a right manner unless as we call him Father with our Lips so we are certainly perswaded in our Minds that he is such Paraeus also speaks the same and quotes the words of Chrysostom Si Homo Angelus Archangelus c. If a Man an Angel an Archangel promise any thing happily a man may doubt but if the Spirit of God the Supream Being which causeth us to pray and makes a Promise to them that pray and gives us a Promise bearing Testimony to us within our selves what room is there for doubting Faith is called an Evidence hence we learn that the nature of Faith stands not in doubting Mr. Perkins on Heb. 11.1 but in a Certainty and Assurance The Romish Doubting of the Essence of Faith is as contrary to true Faith as Darkness to Light Obj. But it seems Doubting is a part or Companion of Faith and who doubteth not Ans We do say so but what then we should not God commands us to Believe and not Doubt Again If Faith be the Substance of things hoped for much more is it a Substance to a Believer if it give those things a Being which are out of him much more doth it give a permanent Being to the Believer himself strengthning him to stand and continue in all Assaults Heb. 3.14 ERRATA's of the Second Part continued from pag. 83. PAg. 90. l. 6. r. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã p. 93. l. 1. r. nakedly p. 94. l. 18. r. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã p. 95. l. 10. r. Imputata ibid. l. 31. r. it is of Infinite p. 98. l. 3. r. our Confession ibid. 29. r. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã p. 100. l. 24. r. we can never p. 104. l. 4. r. Person p. 107. l. penult r. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã p. 109. l. 12. r. one as well as the other p. 110. l. 28. del only p. 111. l. 23. r. It s the Law p. 112. l. 14. dele that for Ibid. l. 38. r. became p. 113. l. 15. r. tenure of it ibid. l. 17. r. is relating ibid. Marg. r. Pacti p. 117. l. 33. del in ib. l. 38. r. to Christ by Faith p. 118. l. 6. r. dependences p. 124. l. 22. r. parts p. 125. l. 9. r. Restipulating p. 130. l. 6. r. given it to me p. 135. l. 8. r. prusquà m p. 162. l. 11. for second r. the first Covenant p. 168. l. 2. r. promised mercy p. 169. l. 26. r. on the Serpent p. 173. l. 16. r. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ib. l. 26. r. get up your selves to such p. 190. l. 1. r. sincerity p. 222. l. ult r. were some of p. 223. l. 41. r. the same one p. 231. l. 6. r. Denyed p. 232. l. 27. r. it s not in being p. 234. Marg. l. 5. r. formâ p. 235. l. 7. r. that 's not so p. 237. l. 19. r. Vrsin Catech. p. 239 l. 1. r. ex fide per fidem p. 249. l. 5. r. Causa efficiens materialis p. 257. l. 8. r. tell you p. 259. l. 37. r. considering p. 275. l. 37. r. tendring p. 281. l. 16. r. Integrality ib. l. 32. r. but we must not p. 268. l. 22. r. as he is p. 293. l. 9. dele was by p. 296. l. 2. r. Retain p. 303. l. 38. del as ib. l. ult then to the. p. 218. l. 9. r. persevered You 'l say it may be he must believe his perseverance ibid. l. 14. r. to no more p. 329. l. 23. r. World p. 330. l. 21. r. inveighs against you at NEONOMIANISM VNMASK'D PART III. CHAP. XVI Of God's seeing Sin in Believers Neonom THere is a Grand Error Mr. Calvin which we would now deal with Mr. Antinomian about every one talks of it as very Gross and Notorious and that is this That God seeth no sin in believers tho' he see the fact neither doth he charge them with sin nor ought they to charge themselves with any sin nor be at all sad for it nor confess repent nor do any thing as a means of pardon no nor in order to assuring themselves of pardon even when they commit Murder
suspicion upon reflecting on our former acts of Faith we must believe we are to amend weak Faith or Faith suspected not to be true by believing firmly and confidently on the Pardon of God and Blood of Christ the way to believe is not to charge the Wrath of God upon ourselves and to put ourselves under the Law but to flee for refuge to the hope set before us Neonom But I will shew you wherein the difference is not 1. The Question is not whether a Believer doth by new sins fall from a justified estate D. W. p. 173. Antinom Therefore a Believer ought not upon his new sins to look upon himself to be under the Wrath of God for a state of Justification is a state of freedom from Wrath. Neonom Nor whether God doth upon new Crimes judicially charge the Christian with those sins he had pardoned before tho' he may present to his view some former sins for his further humblings Antinom You here grant 1. That a Believer upon falling into relapses or sin is not bound to disbelieve the pardon of former sins 2. The reason is That God doth not judicially charge former sins already pardoned and if so he is bound to believe God doth not And hath he ground to believe God will not charge judicially sins formerly pardoned hath he not then abundant ground to believe and the same ground to believe God will pardon this sin also and is there a foundation in the Gospel to believe the pardon of some sins and not of all 3. You own That God may present sins to a Believer's view for his humbling where he doth not judicially charge and so do I and you shall see this one Concession will cut down all your design in this Chapter Neonom Nor whether a Believer ought to question his justified estate upon any sins that do not give just suspicion that sin hath dominion over him or his faith was not true Antinom Hence then so long as a Believer's state of grace holds he is not to question his justification upon any sin and he is no further to question the pardon of his sins or ought to charge wrath upon himself and I would ask whether upon any such just suspicion he ought not now to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and lay hold on the pardoning grace and mercy of God in Christ for Life and Salvation Neonom Nor whether any sins past and sins present at his first believing be unpardoned Antinom If so why should he not believe that all sins future are forgiven for there 's the same reason of the forgiving all as one Christ bore all his sins at once and he can believe on Christ for pardon of one sin but he believes the pardon of all if the faith be good 2. If upon the first believing of all sins past and present are forgiven why not upon an after act of faith after a Believer hath sinned for the pardon he then looks for is of a sin past or present and do you think any Man can truly believe any one sin is forgiven and not all Neonom Nor whether our renewed acts of Faith Humiliation Repentance Fasting or Reformation do merit pardon Antinom No but if it tantamount to it it 's as bad it 's no matter what you call it if the thing be the same a federal Condition of Works upon which the Covenant-Promise becomes due is a Merit Neonom Nor whether a principle of life given at our first conversion will finally fail to exert itself in due humblings for repeated enormities and in holy resolves Antinom But it is a question Whether there may not be repeated humblings for repeated enormities and such as you call holy resolves without a principle of life 2. Whether you can make up such an evangelical imperfect sincere persevering Obedience for a Condition of the Covenant to a Man that falls into repeated enormous Crimes 3. Whether that principle of life will not produce as well repeated acts of faith as humblings and resolves 4. Whether those humblings and resolves be worth a rush without faith 5. What you will call due acts of humblings and resolves what measure they must reach to produce a pardon 6. What you mean by a principle of life Neonom Nor whether the same degrees of humblings be necessary for all crimes and in all persons and in all times Antinom Then there are Pardons at several rates and it will be difficult to adjust the several degrees of Penance according to those varieties of respect it will be hard to know how far a Believer must go before he may dare to believe he is pardoned and it 's hard that a Believer must pass through so many humblings and resolves before he may believe his Pardon whereas at his conversion on one act of faith all his sins past and present were forgiven Neonom Nor whether any gross miscarriage should cause a Saint to condemn all past experience and conclude his graces to be counterfeit Each of these I deny Antinom You need not have brought in one gross Miscarriage here in question when you past before repeated Enormities 2. I would enquire whether a gross miscarriage or an enormity be perseverance if it be relapse and non-perseverance he hath reason upon your Hypothesis to conclude his Graces counterfeit for having cut off that Sign and distinguishing Character of true Grace he must begin again to try for that Mark which may hold a while till the next gross Miscarriage and where is his true Grace then must not all precedent Experiences be condemned Neonom Nor whether a sense of Pardon ought not to effect and melt the Heart D. W. p. 174. Antinom But it is whether a sense of Pardon doth not affect and melt the Heart as the Natural Gospel and Effectual Means and all other humblings without Faith of Pardon are not meerly legal generating to bondage and ineffectual to reach the end Neonom Nor whether some true Penitents may not sometimes be too much dejected and overwhelmed with sorrow for sin Antinom But it 's a question Whether true godly Sorrow such as is produced by Faith in the Blood of Christ can be too much or overwhelm any true Believer 2. Whether if it be too much it will obtain pardon and not lose its end as well as when it is too little 3. Whether when it is too much it be not a work of supererogation and may not have the pardon of some other sin yet to be committed cast into boot Neonom Nor whether a general Exercise of Faith and Repentance do not answer the Gospel rule of Forgiveness as to Sins of Ignorance and Surprise These three last I affirm Antinom It seems you allow there 's a general Pardon that will serve to Believers for some sins those I suppose you 'l call Venial I would fain know Whether in the justification of a sinner there be any sins particularly excepted that are not pardoned in the first Grant and whether
he must have a new justification upon the commitment of some sins which the first did not reach 2. Whether the general Exercise of Faith and Repentance so far as to answer the Gospel-rule be a sufficient Condition for Justification from some Sins and not from all Calvin Well now Gentlemen we have danc'd pretty fairly about this Point with your Whethers let us dance back again or else we shall be giddy and the World turn round with us Neonom My Brains are more setled than so I will lead him another dance yet Mr. Antinomian come dance with me again you know little of my mind yet I will tell you the real differences 1. Whether an elect sinner be at any time a guilty person in God's esteem This you deny and I affirm I have proved it in our Debate 1 3 7 12. D. W. p. 174. Antinom This is not fair you have taken a great leap back to begin with from a Believer to an Elect Person which you say you have proved in former Debates we have answered and therefore need not harp always on one string Neonom Whether the Remains of Sin defile us This I affirm and the Doctor denies against all Protestants who prove it of Original Sin against the Papists Antinom If you understand defilement as to our Justification I say the remains of Sin do not defile us if it be understood in respect of Sanctification you 'l see Gentlemen that I shall assert Sin 's defilement of the best of our Duties so much that it makes them as Dung and yet this Neonomian is so audacious as to say this he affirms and the Doctor denies and that he goes with the Protestants when every ordinary Christian may see that he goes with the Papists in every thing and opposeth me in this point of the Saints defilement by sin Neonom Whether a justified person falling into gross Enormities is defiled thereby and contracts guilt upon himself thereby This the Doctor denies and I do affirm Antinom You have not proved one word that was said of the guilt of a justified person i. e. it 's one thing to contract guilt of Conscience and another thing to be judicially condemned Said you not but just now that God may present to a Christian's view former sins for further humblings where he doth not judicially charge sin a Believer may have guilt then upon his Conscience and not be guilty before God 2. Do you not say a Believer ought not to question his Justification but upon such causes as make him question his state and truth of Faith 3. Where is it that I say any sin doth not defile especially gross Enormities if they need the fresh applications of the Blood of Christ by Faith they do defile and defile Conscience too but the Blood of Christ reaching the Conscience in believing washeth away this guilt and defilement where your humblings and resolves will not Neonom Whether God esteems the repeated Abominations of Believers not to be their own Crimes and they not to be sinners but they are Christ's sins This the Doctor affirms and I deny Antinom Your affirmation and negation is not worth troubling ourselves about were it not to undeceive such as are deluded by you we have told you our minds already sufficiently about that we do affirm That all Sins and Abomination of every Elect Person was laid on Christ by God and accounted his Judicially and that in justification the Justified Person hath not his sins not one from the first moment of his justification imputed unto him before God whatsoever contracted guilt he may have upon his Conscience at any time by reason of relapses is but God's presenting former or present sins to his view for his humbling without judicial charging of him in the Court of Heaven Neonom Whether a justified person upon new Provocations is charged by God and ought to charge himself as guilty and defiled so as in God's appointed way to repent believe and renew his Covenant and be earnest with God for forgiveness This the Doctor denies and I affirm Antinom In part I deny it and in part I do not 1. A justified Person upon new Provocations is not charged by God as under and liable to the condemnation of the Law under Wrath and Curse 2. It 's one thing to confess guilty to the Fact and confess a Man's self under the Sentence the former ought to be but the other ought not A Man that 's a Felon may come to the Bar and confess himself guilty when he hath the Pardon in his Pocket Do we not assert that it 's our duty to confess sin repent c. but these things must flow from Faith fix'd on the pardoning Mercy of God in Christ or else all our Humblings and Resolves what do they signifie Do we not assert Faith and Repentance renewing our Covenant is exerted in God's way and not yours Neonom Whether all Sins past present and to come are actually pardoned at once This you affirm and I deny Antinom Among all these Enquiries about the state of the Question I think you are nearest to it now for now you speak plainest and I shall speak my mind as plainly that all a justified Persons sins are pardoned at once as well those that are to be committed as they that are committed already Neonom Whether God hath required new Exercises of Faith and Repentance for their actual Pardon This you deny and I affirm Antinom He requireth not new Exercises of Faith and Repentance as federal Conditions of actual Pardon it is always in and through and for the sake of Christ at first and afterward and by Faith renewed this Grace is manifested anew unto the Soul and Repentance follows thereupon as a Fruit thereof Pardon renewed to justified ones is but in taking of the present view of their sins as you say that God hath set before them he makes them to hear joy and gladness Psal 5.8 i. e. a repeated manifestation of their Pardon in believing Neonom Whether a Believer ought to be assured of the Forgiveness of his repeated Provocations just when he hath committed them and before he hath humbled himself renewed actings of Faith on Christ repeated his Covenant prayed for Pardon for Christ's sake as after he hath thus done This you affirm and I deny Antinom This that I affirm is That there is the same ground of believing Pardon in Christ to a justified one before his Confessions and Humblings as after 2. That his assurance of Pardon after these Humblings is not grounded upon them but the Promise and his free and full Justification 3. That he is to betake himself to these Humblings in Faith of the Promise of Pardon or else all the rest will leave him as they find him 4. And after you have muddied and confounded the clear Gospel as much as you can you tell us there must be a renewing our actings of Faith in Christ and praying for Pardon for Christ's sake which
to the purpose you have answered it all yourself in your second Whether viz. That God doth not upon new Crimes judicially charge the Christian with those Sins he had pardoned before tho' he may present to his view some former Sins for his further Humblings And so he doth those new Crimes you speak of God presents them to this view for his further Humblings And I will add in order to the quickning his Addresses to the Throne of Grace in the Faith of Forgiveness and drawing forth and enlarging his Heart in the Love of the Lord Jesus in sense of his Love seeing much is forgiven him Neonom Humiliation Confession Sorrow for Sin new Resolutions and looking to Christ for Healing are the Duties of Saints upon new Faults in order to repeated Acts of Forgiveness c. Antinom That these are our Duties at all times even when we fall not into notorious Relapses we deny not even when and whilst we live in the Faith of our present Pardon and Forgiveness and upon our Relapses our Recovery is by the same Faith which carries us forth to performance of these Duties in order to the mortifying Corruption and giving glory to God in all his Attributes for strengthning Power against Sin and Joy in the Holy Ghost which comfort in believing in restoring of Joy and Gladness in the sense of our Justification and Salvation by Christ is the Forgiveness intended Neonom If a Man were thrice stung must he not thrice look to the brazen Serpent D. W. p. 176. Antinom No doubt of it the brazen Serpent was a Type of Christ and looking to it was the Type of a Sinner's Faith When a Sinner hath Christ in Justification his Life is in him and he must live by the Faith of the Son of God God renews the Expressions and Manifestations of his free Pardon unto Believers from time to time accordingly it 's received by Faith to our daily healing and comfort the vertue of Christ remains the same it 's our Faith is repeated Neonom Believers ought to be more assured of Pardon and joyful after the renewed Acts of Repentance and Faith D. W. p. 177. Antinom They ought not to take up their assurance from their own Performances but from the free Grace in the Promise received by Faith and ought not to suspend Faith till they have repented and humbled themselves this were to pray and repent in Unbelief which makes it all vain and void Neonom It 's otherwise against that wise Order which God hath stated for a due Reverence to him Numb 12.14 Antinom God hath no Order of due Reverence to him established in the Covenant of Grace but Paternal and that 's by a Spirit of Adoption as a Son honoureth his Father and there 's none of this without Faith in the Fatherly Love and Compassion of the Father God hath nowhere ordered that his Children should put themselves into the Hands of his severe Justice when they have sinned and conclude themselves unjustified for a considerable time before they look to Christ for healing they that were stung in the Wilderness did not go to use a great many Medicines first but were immediately to apply themselves to the brazen Serpent for healing So should Believers upon all their falls Miriams being shut out of the Camp seven days was no Argument that God had not forgotten her before the seven days were up God makes some of his People in their falls Examples to others as to outward Afflictions of which they had in the days of the old Testament a more penal Aspect and more Judicial than we ought to make them to have in the days of clearer Gospel-grace as I can make appear divers ways Neonom The People of God have had those sad Fits which you condemn when Sin greatly breaks out they do well become them Paul calls a contrary frame under Guilt a being puffed up 1 Cor. 5.2 Antinom You basely slander the Doctor in making as if he were an Enemy to the serious Gospel remorse of God's Children from a right Principle and due Frame as we have made appear 2 Paul nowhere calls Faith in pardoning Mercy a puffing up that 's from a Spirit of Security and Insensibleness which we have in the Acts of Sin and after till the renewing our Acts of Faith 3. Paul nowhere commends a guilty Frame or Sadness meerly from Guilt But 2 Cor. 7.10 in the Case you mention absolutely condemns such sadness and sorrow as you commend as such which is contrary to true godly Sorrow Sorrow from Guilt only is according to the World and works Death Neonom Consider God remits or binds in Heaven according to what his Church doth justly on Earth either the Pardon of the Non-repenting Offender is suspended or Censures are vain D. W. p. 178. Antinom God's remitting or binding in Heaven is variously understood not to enlarge now upon it I do not apprehend that a justified Person falling into Sin and censured justly by a Church is therefore unjustified before God if so he is fallen from Grace in the highest sense Nor if he be a Hypocrite and in his Hypocrisy be reconciled to the Church in his Hypocrisy that therefore he is justified in Heaven or in foro Dei no I distinguish between forum Dei and Ecclesia a Man may be righteous before God and not before the Church vice versa but I apprehend to bind in Heaven what the Church doth justly on Earth is to confirm and bless his own Ordinances to their designed end and purpose either to the bringing home a lapsed justified Person or to discover him to be a Hypocrite and therefore they shall not be in vain Neonom Need I give you David 's experience Psal 32.3 5. When I keep silence my bones waxed old Antinom That place is impertinently quoted if you read the whole Psalm you will find that it begins with the true Gospel-blessedness of a Believer and after tells you what a miserable condition he was in when he fell under guilt and acted not faith concerning his justified and pardoned state the frame he speaks of as contrary to his sadness was a frame of Faith and Prayer and what was his faith acted upon but on the forgiveness of his sins as Ver. 1 2. Neonom The Assembly and Congregational Elders do both declare God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified D. W. p. 178. Antinom The Assembly saith Christ by his Obedience and Death Assemb Confess c. 11. s 3. did fully discharge the Debt of all those that are thus justified and did make a proper real and full satisfaction to his Father's Justice on their behalf And they say in Answer to that Question Larger Catech. Q. 70. What is Justification A. Justification is an Act of God's free Grace unto sinners in which he pardoneth all their sins therefore them that shall be committed as well as those that are committed already accepteth their persons righteous
is not only the favour of God and by the Merit of Christ but that our Works prevail in some degree Neonom I will tell you wherein the difference lies 1. It is not whether Holiness or the best Acts of a Saint be such or so perfect as to Attone for his Sin or procure a State of Pardon Antinom This is a strange kind of talking about a Saint's good Works Attoning or Procuring a State of Pardon as if there could be a Saint before he is in a State of Pardon And as for those Works that need Attonement and cannot make Attonement for themselves they are in themselves but pitiful Menstruous Rags Dross and Dung for Non Acceptation with God makes all Works such tho' seemingly never so good Neonom Nor whether our Holiness can make us Accepted with God without Christ Antinom Then it is not worth a Pin in it self without Christ Neonom Nor whether the Holiest Action of the Holiest Saint is such as not to need Forgiveness Antinom That which needs Forgiveness is Sin and therefore Filth but according to you The Holiest Action of a Holiest Saint is such according to your self Ergo. Neonom Nor whether by the Sanction of the Law of Innocency Sincere Holiness could be accounted Holiness All this I deny Antinom There could be no other Holiness counted Holiness by the old Law but Sincere Holiness but imperfect Sincere Holiness was not accepted there nor in and by it self in any other Law or Gospel as such Neonom Nothing under that Law but perfect Conformity to the Precept was Holiness whereas Gospel Grace makes a great difference between true Holiness tho' imperfect and wha't formally Wickedness between Sincere Love and Enmity Sincere Faith and Vtter Vnbelief Antinom If perfect Conformity was the Holiness of the old Law required it 's an Argument that nothing will serve the grace of the Gospel but a Holiness answerable to it in perfection and whatever difference you make to be between imperfect true Holiness and formal Wickedness I tell you the formal difference between perfect Holiness and imperfect is Sin for this Imperfection lieth in Sin a coming short of Moral Perfection can lie in nothing but in some degree or other of Sin But is it the Gospel makes the difference between Virtue and Vice Sure it s the Law doth that Neonom The real difference lieth here whether the sincere Holiness of a Believer's Heart and Actions be really Dung and Rotteness This the Doctor affirms and I deny D. W. p. 198. Antinom The Doctor affirms That the Works Services or Performances of a Believer being full of Imperfection and mingled with Sin are not acceptable to God but thro' Faith in Jesus Christ and compared with the pure Holiness and Justice of God and the Righteousness of Christ and his Holiness in which he stands are and ought to be accounted by him as Loss and Dung. Neonom Whether sincere Holiness so far as it prevails in our Hearts and Actings be truly lovely in it self and pleasing to God according to the grace of the Gospel and is not Dung. This I affirm and the Doctor denies Antinom The Question is Whether Holy Works performed by the best Men be not Polluted with Sin and whether they can be truly lovely and pleasing to God in themselves out of Christ according to any grace of the Gospel and therefore are not as Dung This I deny tho' you affirm and a Thousand more Neonom What is spoken of Holiness of any meer Man on Earth since the fall is spoken of sincere Holiness for perfect Holiness none had Antinom What hath been spoken of Holiness that God hath accepted is of true Holiness i. e. Sanctification in Christ Jesus Sincerity may be where there 's no true Holiness Paul had Sincerity in his supposed Holiness he verily thought he did God good Service in persecuting the Churches good ends and meanings which a Carnal Man may have in his Mind are not enough to make an Action good Neonom I have room but to Expostulate Antinom Because you cannot find a good Argument to bring in you might have had more room if you would and it would have been more for your Honour so as you had served Truth in it but go on with your Expostulation Neonom Is that Dung which is the effect of Regeneration in the Soul and Actings Antinom You should have said the Effect of the Spirit for Regeneration it self is not an Efficient but an Effect and that which is the Efficient of Regeneration is so also of all the Vital Acts in a Regenerate Person now we have told you before that the pure graces of the Spirit passing thro' the Corrupt Channel of Man's Heart becomes in a Duty like defiled Pudled Water and such Duty in it self only considered is as Dung in the sight of God and ought to be accounted so by us Neonom Is that Dung which is so often honoured with the Name of the Spirit it self and called the Spirit of Love Prayer c. Antinom You should have named the places where our Works are called by the Name of the Holy Spirit of God as for the Spirit of Love that is the disposition of Love and as to the Spirit of Prayer where it 's taken for the Spirit 's helping our Infirmities it is spoken of as distinct from our Prayers themselves Neonom Is not that more Lovely which is called the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Antinom The Divine Nature there is the Spirit of Christ received by Faith for it 's given in many great and precious Promises and whatever of Divine Nature we receive it is of God and in conformity to and participation of Christ all which is pure as flowing from the Spring but when it comes to be Exerted and put forth by us in our Duties becomes impure and mixed with the Corruptions so the whole Duty in it self is but an Unclean thing Neonom How Amiable must that be which is the New Man after God's Image Eph. 4.24 Antinom Take the New Man Created after God distinctly considered as it comes from God it 's a pure Creature but this hinders not but the Regenerat Man is made up of the Old and New Man and all his Actions and Duties partake of both and therefore polluted for Paul said the Old Man hindred him from doing good when he would for then Evil was present with him the same may be said of the New Heart Ezek. 18.31 The Law in the Members is warring against the Law of the Mind in every part and faculty of Soul and Body Neonom Are those Works Dung to which we are Created in Christ Jesus Eph. 2.10 Antinom We are created in Christ Jesus unto good Works to be performed in Christ Jesus so far as we are in Christ Jesus and our Works in Christ Jesus they are not Dung neither doth the Doctor say they be but when performed out of Christ in ourselves and in themselves they are but as Dung
to his praise and not our doing the cause of God's Grace and Love to us Where Grace first prevails it finds a Man a dead sinner and raiseth him to newness of life and such an one will not nor shall abuse the Grace of God to licentiousness Now let all Men judge how you have proved your Charge by what you have alledged from my Sermons Where is it that I say Christ believes for us or repents for us All that I say is the words of the Prophet He works all our Works for us in respect of Mediation and all our Works in us in respect of Application he works us to believe and repent c. Neonom Pag. 223. He talks of Justification and Vnion to Christ before Faith pag. 616. Antinom You fetch the same things over and over these Doctrins have been spoken to already under the Heads of Justification by Faith and Union Neonom But he tells us Ministers ought not to preach Damnation p. 56 562. He saith this likewise batters to the ground that way of urging Men to Holiness which some hold forth that if Men do not these and these good Works and leave these and these Sins then they must come under the Wrath of God c. The Love of God constrains the Faithful and not the Fear of Wrath. Antinom And is not that good Doctrin that the Grace of God only teacheth Holiness and that a Believer is not under the Law or the Terrors thereof for the learning of Holiness but under Grace and are not they the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.14 And doth he not lay the constraining force of the love of God on our delivery from Wrath and tells us that this is one great end of Christ's dying for us that Men henceforce should not live unto themselves but unto him that died for them It 's a most grievous thing to see how you fly in the face of plain places of Scripture with no small scorn and contempt And these are my words concerning such Preachers They ought rather after the Example of the Apostle to excite them to these good Works because they are already freed from Wrath. Certainly this that I have delivered proves this sufficiently that the appearing of the Grace of God doth teach Men to do the Will of God effectually the Love of God constrains the Faithful and not the Fear of Wrath. But to conclude Do not mistake me in the mean while I have no thoughts as if Wrath and Vengeance were not to be preached and made known even to Believers yea Beloved Wrath and Vengeance is to be made known to them and that as the deserts of Sin and as the means to keep Men from Sin but not in that way Men do ordinarily think I mean thus Wrath and Vengeance are not to be revealed as if Believers were to fear them or as if Believers should come under them But as Believers are secured and freed from them that so they should fear to commit and fall into Sin and not for fear of coming under Wrath but out of Love because God hath been so gracious to them as to deliver them from the weight of so heavy Wrath and Displeasure c. Calv. Have you no greater Error remaining to charge Mr. Antinomian with Methinks it seems as if you had pretty well spent your Powder and Ball and we have spent a great deal of time in these Debates which you have caused and it will be time now as most of the Society have told me to put an end to them Antinom With all my Heart Sir and I reckon my self obliged to render my thankful Acknowledgments that you have heard us with so much Candor and Patience Neonom I can't be Vngentele neither Mr. Calvin you know me better than to think so but I have one only humble Request to make to you and this Society that before we finally part you will hear me instruct Mr. Antinomian in the right way of Preaching and shew him the true difference between Gospel and Legal Preaching Antinom Sir I doubt not but we shall differ as much about Gospel and Legal Preaching as we have done about the Doctrin to be preached for if we cannot agree about the Doctrin that is to be preached and that which is most for the exaltation of Christ and good of Souls it is not likely we should agree about Preaching therefore for that as I conceive it 's a needless Point Mr. Calvin for us to enter upon because we must be necessitated to speak over the same things again in handling of it however if Mr. Neonomian be fond of such a Discourse I shall take the pains to give him my Sentiments and shew how greatly he is mistaken but for the present I think we have proceeded as far as is needful in the foregoing Debates in which Truth and Error is so fully argued and cleared that any unprejudiced Person that hath a competent measure of Understanding in the things of God may easily thereby judge and conclude what is Gospel and what is legal Preaching and what exalts Christ most and what least Calvin Sir I think you have spoken much Reason in what you have said and I am of your mind that it would be impertinent and but Actum Agere to enter upon a Debate about Preaching and I shall add that it s not so proper for this Society as for t'other yonder and besides our Amanuenses complain of the dearness of Paper I must tell you the Calvinian Society is reduced to a small number and are at a low Ebb in the World at this day But I hope the time is at hand when the Smoak that now fills the Temple will be scattered and the Temple of God opened again and the Ark of his Testament shall be seen As for you Mr. Antinomian you may now depart in Peace and rest in your Grave till the Resurrection Antinom Yes Sir with all my Heart if Mr. Neonomian gives me no further disturbance if he doth I shall soon be raised without conjuring for I shall not lie very deep in the Earth However if I do not Christ lives and shall triumph in his glorious Gospel over all Opposers and I find that there are not a few that will appear faithful Assertors and Defenders of these Truths against the most vigorous Adversaries through the assistance of God's grace which are awakened thereto by this Attempt that hath been made to set up another Gospel and to feed us with the Leeks and Onions of spiritual Egypt But before I depart I would do one thing i. e. I would make my Will if you think I am capable of it and it is this That a great Grave be dug and that Antinomianism Neonomianism Pelagianism Popery Socianism and Arminianism be buried therein 50 Cubits deep Calvin Who would make you Executor Antinom I have such a respect for Mr. Neonomian notwithstanding the Pick he hath had at me that I would constitute him my Executor and
Unbelieving Sinners Neonom Nor the continuance of that Pardon or Salvation but upon supposition that this Faith perseveres And if the Gospel-promise say no such thing I am sure the Covenant did not p. 66. Antinom What Christ bequeathed he purchased but it seems all was done but upon condition of perseverance We must stand upon these uncertain conditions all our Days it would be some comfort if we could come to some certainty of our Pardon and Salvation after we are over the first brunt but we can't be sure we are pardoned or that we shall be saved till the last Gasp and if we happen to fall in the mean time our Pardon is gone Neonom The Account of the Covenant which seems most for it's Absoluteness implies this conditional Connexion of the required Grace and the promised Benefits Antinom Now all our Foederal Conditions are dwindled away into conditional Connexions only It is well some places seem to be for the Absoluteness of the Covenant if there be but one Text that is really for it I think we are bound to believe it But you say they imply a conditional Connexion God forbid that conditional Connexions should he turned out of the World if they should all things must be returned into the first Chaos and this would be a conditional Connexion and this Connection is between the required Grace and promised Benefit If you had said Bestowed Grace it had been more proper Or said Required Duty There 's no body hath so little Sence as to deny Cause and Effects Subjects and Adjuncts Arguments of all sorts in the Covenant of Grace in that free absolute Covenant and among the Gifts of it there is Christ and all his Effects the Spirit and its Effects Faith and it's Effects Adjuncts and Contraries This we call Relative Conditions or else things must cease to have a Being But that which we deny is Moral Foederal Conditions to be performed by us Such as these we say there 's none In the Covenant of Grace there 's no required gracious Act that is such a moral condition of any promised Benefit Neonom The places that seem to be for an absolute Covenant are Jer. 31.31 32 33. Heb. 8.10 11 12. Heb. 10.16 17. Jer. 32.40 Ezra 11.19 20. There be others that relate to the restauration of the Captivity Antinom You name Ezra 11. for one and Ezra hath not so many Chapters I suppose it 's an Erratum but I find it not among the Errata's As for the rest you insinuate as if they referr'd only to the return of the Captivity Neonom Yes I 'll pitch upon one Jer. 31.31 c. This is quoted Heb. 8.10 12. and ch 10.16 17. To understand this we must consider 1. Whom is this Covenant made with 2. What can be inferr'd from this Scheme of the Covenant 1. It 's made with the House of Judah and Israel not the Men in present being but Men to be hereafter It 's after those days I will make it so that it was after the Mosaick Covenant was to expire ver 32. D. W. p. 67. Antinom Hence then you refute your self in saying that it referr'd to the Restauration of the Captivity for then the Mosaick Covenant was in it's full force Neonom And it could not be the only Covenant of Grace for that had it's Being from the Fall and the sincere Israelites lost not the advantage of it Gal. 3.17 Antinom The Covenant of Grace had it's Being before the Fall and from the Fall it had it's Promulgation then was that first revealed state of it before it was the Mystery that lay hid in God But observe that as it was then manifested it was absolute as to us The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents Head There was no condition mentioned nor rationally supposed to be implied but Christ And it 's to be observed that this Covenant-promise was made before the Sentence was pronounced upon our Fallen Parents which Blessing was the Curse of the Serpent denounced Now as this promulgated Covenant had it's being from the Fall so it continued as the Covenant of Grace and Salvation to all the Faithful under the Old Testament The Lamb slain from the Foundations of the World or before them was looked upon as the only Foederal Condition which was exemplify'd by Sacrifices early begun in Adam's Family and continued till the Messiah came Now indeed this Covenant in the Epistle to the Hebrews is not meant in the Essential Nature of it but in the vailed state of it under the Mosaick Administration which is called by the Apostle ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Graven in stone 2 Cor. 3.6 7. and opposed to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which is the Gospel unvailed Ministration which is said therefore to be New because of the full and clear Discovery that was made by the Revelation of Christ in his Coming and Ministry which was not before And in the same Sence Mount Sinai and Mount Zion is opposed in Heb. 12. And what was seen by this last Ministration It was that Christ Jesus was the Summ and Substance of the former Ministration 1. That it was a Covenant of Free-Grace the Promise given upon the condition of Redemption by the Blood of Christ which appeared to be the true intent of all the Sacrifices 2. That though so much was conditionally required yet no Duties could expiate sin or reconcile us to God And the Reason of those Duties are given us as truly though then not so fully seen was the performance of the Covenant-condition vertually in Redemption typified by Redemption out of Egypt Exod. 20. In a word the Covenant of Grace stood vailed under the Mosaick Pedagogy which stood in a conditional Command under the Sanction of Rewards and Punishments mostly Temporal and under Types and Figures Now this ministration of the Letter stood under a double Faultiness which clouded the Glory and Beauty of the Promise First A Typical and Shadowy Administration in Sacrifices by which the great condition of the Covenant was pointed at as being not yet come and Symbolically only express'd to their Faith The other Fault was the Moral Mount Sinai Vail which called for Duty as it were in the way of Foederal Condition caused them to perform Duty as under a Spirit of Bondage and in a mercenary manner through the Encouragement of Temporal Rewards and fear of Temporary Sufferings and a seeming Attribution of Demerits to the Performances And therefore the Apostle shews that the Faultiness lay here also Heb. 8.9 Not according to the Covenant I made with their Fathers c. Because they continued not in my Covenant they could not be saved by those Legal conditional Performances but by an absolute Covenant couched under that conditional Ministration being saved even as we for the Law and Legal Ministration it was weak through the Flesh Rom. 8.3 And you speak very truly that the true Israelites never lost the Spiritual Advantage of the Covenant of Grace by reason of
find it otherwise c. Answ There is not one Fit of Sadness in any Believer whatsoever but he is out of the way of Christ to which I add as follows which he mentions not I mean in his Fits of Sadness in respect of his jealousness of his present and future State he is out of the way of Christ he enjoys not him as he ought while he is in such fits therefore the Apostle puts Believers upon rejoycing always Phil. 4.4 There is matter of nothing but joy in him while theâe is mournings in Believers there is meltings in those mournings and more joy in mourning of a Believer than in all the mirth of a wicked Man Believers weep for joy according to the Proverb and never mourn more kindly than when they see the joy of the Holy Ghost in the freeness and fulness of the Lord Christ poured out upon them there is never any more kindly mourning for sin than that mourning when the Soul is satisfied of forgiveness of sins I say the Soul is first satiâfied with forgiveness of sins i. e. it ought to mourn in the faith of forgiveness if the mourning be kindly and of a Gospel-nature before there is that real kindly mouring in those that are Believers Gentlemen I crave your Pardon that I give you the trouble of hearing me repeat so much of my former Discourses but I am fain to do it for my vindication he having so rent and tore my Sermons in sunder on purpose to expose them and my Name yea I wish that were all that it be not the very Gospel-grace itself that he bears such a spleen to else sure he would never make such a scorn of solemn and serious Truths of Christ Neonom I shall not spare you for your Whining you say God doth no longer stand offended nor displeased though a Believer after he is a Believer sin often Dr. C. p. 15. Antinom I was shewing from John 14.6 that Christ is the way the only and effectual and infallible way from all the wrath of God to all that do receive him 1. From the affection of Wrath Let me tell you would to God you could receive it according to the manifest evidence of Scripture God doth no longer stand offended with a Believer tho' a Believer after he be a Believer doth sin often And where is the Believer that doth not sin often when he hath once received Christ and unto them God saith Anger is not in me Isa 47.4 and Isa 53. He shall see of the travel of his soul and he shall be satisfied i. e. pacified The travel of the Soul of Christ makes God such amends for the sinfulness of all Believers that he can no longer stand offended and displeased with them if God remain offended with them there is yet some of their sinfulness to be taken away Except God will be offended where there is no cause to be offended which is Blasphemy to speâk he will not be offended with Believers for I say he hath no cause to be offended with a Believer You must understand always quoad Deum as to God he being satisfied because he doth not find the sin of a Believer to be the Believer's own sin but he finds it the sin of Christ i. e. by way of Imputation so I always mean He was made Sin for us he laid the Iniquities of us all upon him the Blood of Christ cleanseth us from all Sin he bear our Sins in his own Body on the Tree but if he bear our Sins he must bear the displeasure for them nay he did bear the Displeasure the Indignation of the Lord and if he did bear the Indignation of the Lord either he did bear all or but a part if he did not bear all the Indignation of the Lord then he doth not save to the uttermost those that come to God by him Heb. 4. I say not to the uttermost because here is some offence some indignation left behind and for lack of taking of this indignation upon himself it lights and falls upon Believers so that you must say Christ is an imperfect Saviour and hath left some scattering Wrath behind that will light on the head of a Believer c. Calvin I pray Mr. Neonomian what is the Truth in this Point It is you must set us right and shew us all our Mistakes Neonom Truth The Sins of Believers have the loathsomness of Sin adhering to them which God sees and accounts the committers guilty thereby D. W. p. 170. Antinom What do you mean by the loathsomness of Sin Is not Sin in all its respects loathsom and is it not loathsom as it is contrary to the preceptive part of the Holy Law Is there any fine sweet precious part of Sin Did not Christ bear Sin of the deepest die most loathsom Sins Is it any otherwise loathsom than as a Transgression of the Law ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã And this was that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which Christ took away 1 Joh. 3. But how not that they were subjectively removed from us but that the inherency of them in great measure remains in us and God knows it but before the eye of Justice all sin of a Believer as he stands under the Sanction of the Law is taken away i. e. as to the Condemnation and Wrath that belongs unto him he is freed from it by the Blood and Satisfaction of Christ Neonom And they ought to charge themselves with it so as to stir up themselves to repentance and renew their actings of Faith on Christ for forgiveness Antinom They ought to be always sensible of and humbled for the constant indwelling and frequent breaking forth of their Sins and Corruptions but always beginning in the Faith of the Blood and Satisfaction of Christ and therefrom exercise Repentance and Humiliation or else their Humiliation and Repentance will not be of a right nature nor attain a right end and we own such Actings of Faith and Repentance ought often to be renewed by the best of God's Children Neonom Nevertheless they ought not thereby to fear their being out of a justified state Antinom Therefore to believe they are in a justified estate and not to cast off the spirit of adoption and betake themselves to a spirit of bondage and if they ought to believe their justified state then they ought to believe their freedom from condemnation for a justified state and a state of condemnation are the highest in opposition indeed privantia the one totally expels the other Neonom They must not fear their justification further than their faults give them just cause of suspecting that sin hath dominion over them and that their first believing on Christ was not sincere Antinom As to suspicion of the truth of believing our way is not to charge sin upon ourselves as lying under the Wrath of God for it this will work in us the highest despair or such degrees of unbelief as tend thereto but in case of such