one thing from another in a wonderful manner as thus Christ is lovely that is as Mr. Watson hath it he is lovely in his Titles being the desire of all nations the Prince of Peace the holy one lovely in his Types typified by Moses David Solomon who were lovely persons and typified by lovely things as the Pillar of Cloud the Manna the Mercy-seat brazen Serpent and Noah's Ark Who can forbear being smitten with so lovely a Person Besides all these Christ is resembled to the Rose of Sharon the Queen of Flowers to a Vine the noblest of Plants to a Corner-stone a Rock a rich Treasure a beautiful Robe and all these are lovely and so should any thing have been that had come in his way at that time thus Christ is altogether lovely The Author tells us Answer pag. 75. That he had done enough to expose these men to scorn Yet we have here a very long Harangue serving to very little use unless that ill one which I presume the Author never intended to gratifie that ugly scoffing humour at Religion which runs about the prophane world God himself by using similitudes hath sanctified them to us the Song of Solomon is an entire Allegory full of sacred mysteries the writings of the ancient Fathers are in a great measure like pieces of Arras or Tapestry beautified with Allegorical Flowers and Images of Divine things to give a little tast S. Cyril of Alexandria saith Comment in Aron That Christ is inserted into us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if he were the Diamond of the heart S. Hilary tells us That Christ is Margarita quia nihil illo pretiosius invenitur Thesaurus ut in ipso omnes divitiae regnorum coelestium reconditae agnoscantur De Patris Filiunitate all riches and pretionsness being in him S. Austin touching Manna saith Panem Angelorum manducavit homo Tract 13. in Johan quis est panis Angelorum In principio erat verbum quomodo manducavit homo Verbum caro factum est habitavit in nobis And in another place De Coelo Manna veniebat that is in Mr. Watson's phrase De â—tilit Poenitent It was meat dressed in Heaven attende quem figurabat ego sum inquit panis vivus qui de Coelo descendi For the Rock let S. Ambrose come in Christus petra dicitur De fide centra Ar. cap. 6. quia credentibus fortitudinem incredulis duritiem praestat that is in Mr. Watson's language A Rock for defence and a Rock for offence and for the Honey in the Rock our Church thinks it no disparagement to say 1. Hom. of the Sacrament That from this Rock we may suck the sweetness of everlasting Salvation As for the brazen Serpent let us hear Theophylact Vide figuram confer cum veritate illic Serpentis similitudo Comment in Joh. 3. formam habet bestiae venenum non habet that is in Mr. Watson's words It was like a Serpent but no real one Ita ex hoc loco homo Dominus sed à peccati veneno liber in similitudine carnis peccati venit that is in Mr. Watson's words Christ was in the likeness of sinful flesh but no sinner Tunc videntesevadebant mortem corporis nunc autem qui vident mortem animae that is in Mr. Watson's words The Serpent was lifted up to be looked on and so was Christ to be fiducially looked on Touching the Vine I must make bold to vouch in St. Bernard who not seeing all things never dream'd such things should be ridiculous he brings in Christ speaking thus De Coena Dom. Ser. 10. Ego sum vitis dans botrum dulcissimum cunctis palmitibus that is in Mr. Watson I give the sap of Grace to all believers Generans vinum quod laetificat cor hominis that is in Mr. Watson My Blood is the Wine which chears Man's heart And a little after Christus est vitis in quo est totus humor id est omnis plenitudo Spiritùs sancti The divine Spirit fills or as Mr. Watson saith supports his Humane nature And now I might bring the same Author for the Rose of Sharon and other things but this may suffice to shew that Mr. Watson's words may carry a fair Sence before a candid Interpreter The Author might have made no less pretty sport with those ancient Fathers those excellent devout Souls who spiritualize every thing and reduce every thing to the great Center of Scripture Jesus Christ I shall only add on Mr. Watson's behalf that he never thought that Christ the Manna should be accommodated to Mens Fancy nor imagined the Church unplanted by Christ neither did he dream that his Discourses of Christ's Loveliness should be traduced into carnal Expressions such as that Who would not be smitten with such an one To what the Author adds as his own imitation of these Men being no other than the playing of his Fancy with it self I shall return just nothing as seeing nothing considerable therein When this will not do Mr Sherlock they argue from their own preconceived Notions and pretend to prove their own Scheme from Scripture but in truth prove the sence of Scripture by its agreement with their Opinions which is just such a trick as the Papists have got to prove the Church from Scripture and the Scripture from the Church Thus after all their talk of being justified by the Imputation of Christs Righteousness the Scripture tells us that we are justified by Faith have remission by Faith have peace with God by Faith are sanctified by Faith are the sons of God by Faith are saved by Faith Now how is this reconcilable with being justified by imputed Righteousness Why thus Faith doth not justifie absolutely as Faith but relatively as it brings us to Christ and apprehends his Righteousness This is their own preconceived opinion or else no man could have stumbled on this Distinction But their Reason is plain Should Faith justifie as Faith as our own Act it would be as bad as good Works and irreconcilable with the Grace of God though modest men dream not of meriting though Faith had justified as our Act since the Reward doth so infinitely exceed the Work that there can be no suspicion of Merit and where there is no Merit the Reward is of Grace I shall at present wave Answer who symbolizes most with the Papists and how Justification Sanctification Adoption and Salvation are here jumbled together as if they were one thing The General Charge having had so many I say nothing to but I come to the Instance The Scripture saith that we are justified by Faith very well but what by Faith exclusively of its Object Christ's Blood and Righteousness No surely then the Scripture which tells us That we are justified by Faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 and made righteous by his obedience Rom. 5.19 must contradict it self or what exclusively to the imputation of these No
preservation in Jesus Christ But take away the Mystical Vnion he is a man out of Christ he stands upon his own bottom he subsists by himself alone he receives no influences from Christ the Head nor is acted by any higher Spirit than his own and in such a case the next news we hear of him must be an utter downfall But to say no more of the Mystical Vnion that other Point touching the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us hath also been ever owned in the Church he that denies it must I fear in the consequent overturn the Law the Gospel and the Satisfaction of Christ He must overturn the Law for he must own a Justification without a Righteousness answering thereunto inherent Righteousness being imperfect and imputed a Nullity there is nothing to answer the Law and yet we are justified which is as much as to say the Law is no Law If it be a Law none can be justified without a Righteousness adequate to it if we may be justified without such a Righteousness the Law is no Law which is what the Antinomians would have That a Law should be in force and a man should be justified without an adequate Righteousness and that before a most righteous Judge who judgeth according to truth is utterly impossible Again he must overturn the Gospel and that upon a double account The one is this He must subvert the Promises of Justification made in the Gospel the Promises run thus That we shall be justified by Christ's blood made righteous by his obedience that his blood shall cleanse away sin and purge our consciences from dead works and how can these be fulfilled without an Imputation To say that Christ's Blood founded the Covenant will not serve the turn these are Promises of a Covenant founded already and a founded Covenant doth not promise the founding of it self Christs blood as it founded the Covenant is precedent to the Promises and by it as such the Promises cannot be fulfilled for then they should be fulfilled before they were made or at least in the making of them It remains therefore that Christs righteousness must be made ours by imputation thereby the promises may be made good to us If the Promises mean as they speak then we must be justified by Christs blood obedience which infers Imputation if the Promises how plain how emphatical soever the words be mean not that we shall be justified by Christ's Blood or Righteousness then Christ shed his Blood for us that we might be justified without it he satisfied for us that we might be pardoned without a satisfaction which is an odd reflection on his satisfaction if not a total evacuation of it The other is this he must pervert the Conditions of the Gospel from their true end and scope These Conditions were in infinite Wisdom accommodated and attempered to the death of Christ which founded them they were made to be subordinate and subservient to Christ's satisfaction and the glory of it The Faith required in them was not intended to be the matter of our Justification and in that notion to discharge and justifie us the main scope and end of those conditions was to shew upon what terms Christ's righteosness and satisfaction should discharge and justifie us Now as long as these conditions are made but conditions as long as Faith keeps its proper station all is well and as it ought to be but if those conditions be advanced above their own station if our inherent righteousness be made the very matter of our Justification as indeed it must if imputed Righteousness be denied then the conditions of the Gospel are corrupted and perverted from their true end they are no longer subordinated to Christ's satisfaction but made to set up our inherent Righteousness in the room of it they shew no longer upon what terms Christs satisfaction shall discharge us but how our own Righteousness may do it which is plainly to pervert the conditions of the Gospel Moreover he must overturn the satisfaction of Christ Touching this three things are considerable viz. Christ's surrogation in our room Gods acceptation of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on our behalf and the operation of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our discharge none of which can stand without an imputation The first thing is Christ's surrogation he suffered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 20.28 in stead of many he was our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putting his Soul in the room of ours or else he could not have satisfied for us Now that Christ should suffer in our room and stead and his sufferings should not be accounted or imputed to us is a contradiction take away Imputation and you take away Surrogation take away Surrogation and you take away Satisfaction The second thing is Gods acceptation of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on our behalf Christs Sacrifice was a sweet-smelling savour unto God Eph. 5.2 God accepted it on our behalf or else Christ could not have satisfied for us Now that Christs sufferings should be accepted by God as on our behalf and yet that they should not be accounted or imputed is utterly impossible so far as Christs Satisfaction was accepted by God for us so far it must be imputed to us if it was accepted only for a remissibility then it is imputed no further but then remission will be without satisfaction which is what the Socinians would have but if as the truth is it was accepted for Remission and Justification to be dispensed upon believing then it is imputed to that end actually to justifie and discharge us Take away Imputation and you take away Acceptation and with it Satisfaction The third thing is the operation of Christ's satisfaction in our discharge Satisfaction is destructio obligationis it doth really and properly discharge him for whom it is made accepted absolutely it discharges him immediately accepted on terms it discharges upon the performance and that as properly and really though not so soon as in the other case its vertue and efficacy which was suspended by the condition breaks forth into effect upon the performance this is the nature and property of Satisfaction A Satisfaction which doth not discharge doth not satisfie that is in plain terms it is no Satisfaction Now the satisfaction of Christ doth no discharge us immediatly but upon believing which is the Evangelical Condition and how doth it do it Surely one of these two ways either it discharges us meerly as it founded the Covenant or else as it is made ours by Imputation the former cannot be it founded the Covenant before our believing if it do no more after it discharges us not for it doth as much before believing before which it discharges not as after It founded the Covenant for those that perish at least so far that upon believing they might have been justified if it do no more for those that are saved it discharges us not for it doth operate as much and as far
the Mystical Union let Bishop Davenant say Exp. in Col. Quicquid de obtentâ Gratiâ sanctificatione de obtinendâ vitâ aeternâ homines sperant merum ludibrium insomnium est si non sint in Christo Christus in illis jam verò Christus in nobis nos in illo sumus cùm vinculo Spiritûs Fidei per Spiritum impressae in cordibus nostris unimur huic capiti nostro What in denying Imputed Righteousness the Church of England tells at large in the Homily touching the Salvation of Man I shall quote but one passage Christ is now the Righteousness of all them that truly believe in him he for them paid the Ransom by his Death he for them fulfilled the Law in his Life so that now in him and by him every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the Law forasmuch as that which their infirmity lacked Christ's Justice hath supplied Which plainly implies a necessity of Imputed Righteousness What in bringing in internal Holiness into Justification the reverend Hooker saith The Church of Rome in teaching Justification by inherent Grace doth pervert the Truth of Christ There are other things but I leave them to the Reader 's observation in the After-discourse All Religion is founded on a belief of God's Goodness Mr. Sherlock Natural Religion was founded on those natural Evidences of the divine Bounty and Goodness in making and governing the World The Mosaick Religion on those miraculous Deliverances God wrought for Israel and that particular Providence which watched over them The Christian Religion on the Incarnation death and Resurrection of the Son of God The Christian Religion is founded so but dated much sooner than the Incarnation Answer it was in Essence though not in Name under the old Testament all along there hath been but one Faith one Mediator one Name under Heaven one Foundation of Salvation The Gospel was preached to us as well as unto them Heb. 4.2 Through the grace of the Lord Jesus we shall be saved even as they Act. 15.11 They all drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rook was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 He is that Petra vnde omnes credentes salutem hauriunt as one glosses on those words Salvation streams from him yesterday to day and for ever he that will seek any other Fountain of Life must be saved Platonicè or Catonicè which to say is to depreciate the Christian Religion and render it as cheap as any other He is our Saviour in no other sence than as he is our Mediator Mr. Sherlock and he mediates for us as our Priest that is in vertue of that Covenant which he sealed with his blood He sealed the Covenant with his Blood Answer but did not turn over his Mediatory Office to it he mediates in vertue of his Blood and Merits being not as Socinus would have it a meer Internuncial Mediator but a Redeeming atoning and Reconciling one He ratified the Covenant by his Blood but so that we have redemption through his blood Eph. 1.7 peace through his blood Col. 1.20 and cleansing from sin in his blood 1 Joh. 1.7 Hence as the learned Lubbertus hath observed the Blood of Christ differs from other in a way of transcendent excellency other blood hath been used in confirming Covenants but Christ's confirms the Covenant and besides expiates and purges away sin There is one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.5 and how he mediates the next Verse tells us Who gave himself a ransom for all The blood of Christ purges the Conscience saith the Apostle Heb. 9.14 and then adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that he might purge away our sins What the Author afterwards subjoyns These men trust in the person of Christ without any Promise nay in contradiction to it they quit his Promise and rely and roll upon his Person is utterly denied till proof be made of it The good men opposed are far from believing that they shall have any thing without a Promise neither do they quit his Promise when they rely upon his Person and Blood And yet that Reliance is as I have before shewed a Faith far higher than that dogmatical one which believes the Gospel and is distinct from Obedience When the Author summs up the Terms of the Gospel only in believing and obeying he falls short in omitting that Faith of Recumbency required therein under the Command of Faith which is more than a dogmatical Faith and distinct from Obedience which is the fruit but no part thereof CHAP. III. Sect. 1. WHen God chose Abraham 's Posterity Mr. Sherlock to be his peculiar People he did not design to exclude the rest of the World from his care and Providence and all possible means of Salvation as the Apostle argues in Rom. 3.29 Is he the God of the Jews only is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also Which Argument if it have any force in it must prove Gods respect to the Gentiles before the preaching of the Gospel as well as since because it is founded on that Natural Relation God owns to all Mankind as their merciful Creator and Governour which gives the Gentiles as well as Jews an Interest in his Care and Providence This plainly evinces that all those particular favours which God bestowed on Israel were not owing to any partial fondness and respect to that People but the Design of all was to encourage the whole World to worship the God of Israel What the Author means by all possible Means of Salvation Answer I know not Surely God could have given as great Means to all other Nations as he did to Israel who was exalted above them all in Laws Revelations Miracles Protections Symbols of the Divine Presence in so signal a manner that the Jews doubt not to say That the seventy Souls that went down with Jacob into Egypt were worth as much as the seventy Nations of the World As for that of the Apostle Rom. 3.29 Is he the God of the Jews only Is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also The Apostle in the precedent Verse concludes that the only way of Justification is Faith in this he shews that the one way of Justification was open to Gentiles as well as Jews in the next Verse he infers that it is one God who justifies both of them in a way of Faith He speaks not of being the Gentiles God in respect of Care and common Providence but in respect of extending this way of Justification to them upon their coming in to Christ who was that blessed Seed of Abraham in whom all Nations were to be blessed However till the Gospel came to them they sate in darkness and in the shadow of death aliens from Israel strangers from the Covenant without God without Christ without hope seeing no
for we must bring nothing to Christ with us the marriage is consummated without it and then we have less need of it than before for then we are adorned with Christs Beauty holy with his holiness delivered by his expiation righteous with his righteousness which gives us an actual right to Glory we need no righteousness of our own to save us which were to suppose a defect in the righteousness of Christ unto which I answer Though a man with his arms of rebellion in his hands cannot possibly whilest in that posture close with Christ yet I take it Faith which espouses Christ doth precede true Obedience Without faith saith the Apostle it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 Without saith saith our Church in the Homily of good works All that is done of us is but dead before God although the work seem never so gay and glorious before man even as the picture graven or painted is but a dead representation of the thing it self so be the works of all unfaithful persons before God they do appear to be lively works and indeed they be but dead not availing to the everlasting life they be but shadows and shews of lively and good things and not good and lively things indeed thus our Church excellently which tells us what manner of Obedience we can bring to Christ After our espousals to Christ by faith Obedience follows as a fruit and effect of Faith though the Author fasten this opinion expresly on those whom he opposes calling them in sport intimate acquaintances of Christ yet our Church tells us in the twelfth Article That good works do spring necessarily out of a true and lively Faith Christs righteousness makes us righteous in Justification but doth it thence follow that Obedience is needless No sure It is a thing noted in the Papists that they confound Justification and Sanctification together but we must not do so if it be necessary to do Gods will or promote his Glory or to give evidences of our Faith in and gratitude to Christ or to walk in the way to Heaven and Salvation then such is Obedience but the Author cannot understand this gratitude unless our Righteousness and Obedience be due to Christ in thankfulness to him for saving us without Obedience and Righteousness which is just as broad as long and we get nothing by the bargain To which I answer our Obedience is a due gratitude to Christ who saves us by his Blood and Righteousness and and that without a perfect personal sinless Obedience in our selves and withal it is necessary as a proof of our faith and as the way to Heaven which our Saviour hath chalked out to us The Soul saith Dr. Owen consents to take Christ on his own terms Mr. Sherlock to save him in his own way and saith Lord I would have had thee and salvation in my way that it might have been partly of mine endeavours and as it were by the works of the Law but I am now willing to receive thee and to be saved in thy way meerly by Grace that is Without doing any thing without obeying of thee as the Author doth interpret him Without doing any thing Answer without obeying of thee Is this the Doctors meaning Do his words import so Nothing more remote from him he shews how the Soul closes with Christ and takes him on his own terms it will not now be justified by its own works or legal righteousness but by Christ and his righteousness it will not now endeavour in its own strength but under the duct of Grace this is his plain meaning For before the words quoted he speaks of accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour and after them of giving up our selves to be ruled by the Spirit which cannot be without Obedience It s true the Author calls this a pretty complement but the Doctor speaks it as his serious judgment In the eighth Chapter of the book quoted he tells us Obedience is indispensibly necessary if Gods Sovereignty is to be owned if his Love to be regarded if the whole work of the ever blessed Trinity for us in us be of any moment our Obedience is necessary Thus fully the Doctor who yet is here construed by the Author to exclude Obedience what measure this is let others judge The Soul gives up it self to be ruled by the Spirit of Christ to be passively Mr. Sherlock not actively good to submit as needs it must to the irresistible working of the Divine Spirit and to obey when it can rebel no longer Thus the Author sports with his Opposites Touching irresistible Grace Answer I have spoken before the Soul in the first act of Conversion is meerly passive but after the Divine Principles infused acta agit it moves under the sweet influences of the Spirit without whose inspiration as our Church tells us in the thirteenth Article Works done are not pleasant to God yet that inspiration doth not as the Author hints force the will of man but sweetly lead it in a way congruous to its liberty And now the Author shuts up this Section thus I have given thee Reader an entire scheme of a new Religion resulting from an acquaintance with Christs person in all its principles and practices I think there needs no more to expose it to the scorn of every considering man who cannot but discover how inconsistent the religion of Christs Person and of his Gospel are To which I shall only say the Author hath done his endeavour to expose his Opposites to scorn but how new their Religion is how inconsistent with the Gospel and how just the scorn I leave to considering men to determine SECT III. THese men pretend to learn a Religion from Christs Person Mr. Sherlock but this is at best to build Religion upon uncertain conjectures or ambiguous reasons suppose them to be cautions yet what assurance can they have that their inferences are true and as a reason of this the Author afterwards adds There is not a natural and necessary connexion between the person of Christ and what he did and suffered and the salvation of Mankind the Incarnation Life Death Resurrection of Christ were available to those ends for which God designed them but the vertue and efficacy of them doth depend upon God's Institution and Appointment and therefore can be known only by Revelation We cannot draw a Conclusion from the Person of Christ which his Gospel hath not expresly taught because we can know no more of the design of it than what is there revealed They learn from Christ's Person Answer but what without the Gospel No by no means without this they cannot pretend not to know whether there be such a Person as Christ or no or what are the Ends of his Incarnation Life Death and Resurrection These depend upon God's appointment and that is set forth in the Gospel But having the Gospel as an outward Medium they see Christ and many Mysteries in him
neither without the imputation of these we cannot be entitled to them to our Justification Now that Faith justifies not absolutely and as our Act may appear In Justification there is a judicial proceeding and we must answer to something to the Gospel only or to the Law also if to the Gospel only then Evangelical Justification is in a way frustrative and not perfective of the Law there needeth only Faith to answer the Gospel and not perfect Righteousness to answer the Law But what saith the Apostle to this Having concluded Justification to be by Faith Rom. 3.30 he immediatly adds Do we then make void the Law through faith God forbid yea we establish the Law ver 31. And how is this That Faith which answers to the Gospel receives that perfect Righteousness of Christ which answers the Law in every point Christ being the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth as we have it Rom. 10. Without this it is not at all imaginable how Faith or Justification by it should establish or complete the Law our sincere Obedience which flows from Faith can no more do it than imperfection can reach perfection Again if to the Gospel only then all the Pagans must needs be justified for they have nothing to answer unto not to the Gospel that is not reveiled to them not to the Law of Nature that is but the relicts and broken pieces of the Moral Law And if Christians who have the Moral Law in its entire perfection are not to answer to it then surely Pagans who have only some little Fragments of it need not answer thereunto and by consequence they must be recti in Curia before God But if as of necessity we must we must answer to the Law also then Faith as it is in it self and our Act cannot possibly justifie it being but a piece of the Law and that imperfect God who judgeth according to truth will not esteem those perfectly righteous who are not so indeed nor accept of a partial Righteousness for a total one If reply be made This is true when God judgeth Judicio Justitiae but not when he judges Judicio Misericordiae he in his condescending Mercy accepts of Faith in the room of total perfect Righteousness I answer this cannot possibly stand God's Mercy and Truth are never at variance his Truth will not esteem us righteous upon account of a partial imperfect righteousness and his Mercy will not condescend so far as to interfere with his Truth But when he esteems us righteous upon account of a perfect Righteousness which is not our own but Christ's then Truth and Mercy both shine forth Truth in that there is a perfect Righteousness to answer the Law and Mercy in that it is not our own but our Sureties But further If Faith be taken for a perfect Righteousness then it is lifted up into the room of Christ and his Righteousness If you say no Christ's Righteousness is the foundation of this acceptance of Faith I answer Then will it follow that Christ died not so much for Persons to justifie them as for Graces to elevate Faith above it self into the estimation of a perfect Righteousness and withal that Faith is our proper Righteousness in an immediate formal way and Christ but a remote Cause only much after the same rate as the Papists say Bona opera tincta sanguine Christi justificant Works are made the immediate Cause of Justification and Christ the remote Moreover it is to be remembred that nothing can be Instrumentum instrumentatum the Artificers Tools are not the House he makes the Hysops sprinkling of Blood in the Jewish Sacrifices was not the Blood of Christ Faith is not our Righteousness but the Medium to it Hence Phil. 3.9 we read of righteousness by faith it is not it self our Righteousness but a means to it Thus it appears that Faith in it self and as our Act justifies not therefore it justifies as it is that Evangelical Medium which receives Christ and his perfect Righteousness Thus the Reverend Hooker Faith is the only hand which putteth on Christ to Justification and Christ the only Garment which being so put on covereth the shame of our defiled Natures hideth the imperfection of our Works preserveth us blameless in the sight of God before whom otherwise the weakness of our Faith were cause sufficient to make us culpable yea to shut us from the Kingdom of Heaven where nothing that is not absolute can enter Thus our Church 2. Hom. of salvation The true understanding of this Doctrine That we are justified by Faith in Christ is not that this our own Act to believe in Christ which is within us doth justifie us and deserve our Justification for that were to count our selves justified by some Act or Vertue that is in our selves And in another place This Righteousness 1. Hom. of salvation which we receive of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits embraced by Faith is accepted by God for our perfect Justification But this is past all doubt Mr. Sherlock when it is confirmed by a Metaphor or two A Ring which hath a precious Stone in it which will stanch blood may be said to stanch it but the Virtue lies in the Stone Faith is the Ring Christ the precious stone all that Faith doth is to bring home Christs Merits to the Soul and so it justifies an invention I never met with before And again In the Body are Veins that suck nourishment from the Stomach Faith is a sucking Vein that draws Virtue from Christ Is not this plain that we are saved by Christ as the Body is nourished by the Stomach That of the Ring is no new or absurd invention Answer it was many years since used by Dr. Pomeran Melch. Ad. in Vita Georg. Anhalt in these words Vt Annulus magnò estimatur amatur propter gemmam non propter aurum sic dicitur fide justificari homines propter gemmam Filium Dei hanc autem gemmam fide amplectimur With this Similitude George Prince of Anhalt was much delighted Neither need the Author have found fault with that other Similitude of a sucking Vein all spiritual nourishment is drawn from Christ and that by Faith Now to make all clear Mr. Sherlock we may give a Philosophical Account why God chose Faith to be the Instrument of our Justification Because it is an humble Grace and gives the Glory of all to Free Grace If Repentance should fetch Justification from Christ a man would be ready to say This was for my Tears strange deserving Creatures these who can dream of meriting Heaven with a few tears But Faith is humble it is an empty Hand and what merit can there be in that Doth the poor man's reaching out his hand merit an Alms yes just as much as a few tears merit Heaven Faith is only a golden Bucket that draws water out of the Well of Salvation But why may not
Righteousness should not be imputed to us Another place I shall instance in is that Rom. 8.3 4. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us Unto which I shall also add that other Rom. 10.4 Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Righteousness of the Law is a pure and spotless Perfection the least defect makes a breach upon it and ushers in a Curse The chief and primary End of the Law was absolute Obedience and how is the Righteousness of the Law fulfilled or its great End attained Our inherent Graces can no more reach it than defect can reach perfection or a spotted Face absolute Beauty Neither doth the Apostle say that the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by us but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us it is not our own work but in the Righteousness of Christ the Law hath its end and completion and when that Righteousness is made over to us by Imputation then the Law may be said to be fulfilled in us The Apostle Rom. 5.18 saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life Here we have a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Christ answering to that in the Law and that being ours by imputation the Law is fulfilled in us St. Chrysostome putting the question on that place Rom. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is the Righteousness What would the Law have And answering himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That we should be without sin adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This therefore is performed for us by Christ The last place I shall quote is that Eph. 1.6 He hath made us accepted in the Beloved Where we may observe that we are not accepted in our selves in our inherent Righteousness but in Christ the beloved in his perfect Righteousness which becomes ours by Imputation Thus far I have asserted Imputed Righteousness by Scripture I shall now add some Reasons to prove it And 1. God the righteous Judge proceeds judicially in Justification his judgment is according to truth Rom. 2. 2. he esteems no man righteous which is not such nor doth he account an imperfect Righteousness to be a perfect one such as justifies before him Hence it appears that our inherent Graces because imperfect cannot be our Righteousness or the matter of our Justification and what then shall we doe How may we be justified before him Must not the perfect Righteousness of Christ come in and to make it ours a divine Imputation No other expedient can be thought of because there must be a Righteousness and a perfect one to justifie us If any reply That in and through Christ our inherent Graces though imperfect are accepted of God in the room of a perfect Righteousness I answer God is mercifull but his Mercy never clashes with his Truth which calls for a perfect Righteousness He accepts of our Graces but they must pass as St. Austin saith of our Life sub veniâ under pardon and under the Wings of Christ he accepts them but not as the Matter of our Justification nor in the room of Christs perfect Righteousness Justification of Life comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by one righteousness as that place may be read Rom. 5.18 and that one only Righteousness is the perfect Obedience of Christ no other Righteousness may take away its Crown But further should God accept of an imperfect Righteousness in Justification some I fear might ask why he could not abate a little more and accept of a No-righteousness why he could not pardon justifie wilful and impenitent sinners which the impure Socinus himself will not allow of yet if the true holy one might decline from a perfect Righteousness in Justification what may not men imagine or presume upon 2. God hath set down in the Gospel his own Way and Method of Justification The Apostle Rom. 3.28 30. having drawn his Conclusion up That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law that Circumcision and Uncircumcision are justified in one and the same way of Faith adds ver 31. Do we then make void the Law through faith God forbid yea we establish the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we make the Law to stand in its firmness and perfection That God might justifie poor sinners returning and believing he doth not abrogate the Law and so accept of their imperfect Grace in the room of that perfect Righteousness which the Law calls for but he introduces the perfect Righteousness of a Mediator and imputes it to Believers and so stablishes the Law and justifies in a way completive and perfective of it Hence Christ is said to be the End of the Law and the Law is said to be fulfilled in us The Obedience of Christ answers the Law in every point and makes the old Promise Do this and live dead through our Impotency spring and bud again with life Here the infinite Wisdom of God shews forth it self that as all the Types and Shadows of the Law which were but Temporaries were perfected in Christ the true Substance so all Moral Commands which are of an immortal Goodness were completed in his Righteousness it pleased God through the perfect Righteousness of Christ imputed to us to justifie that being a way perfective of the Law neither may any man presume to contradict his Method 3. A man in Justification is presumed to stand at God's Bar and to answer to somewhat and what must he answer to to the Gospel only or to the Law also If to the Gospel only I confess Faith answers to the Terms of it but mean while all the Pagans in the World must be in a justified State They as well as others are only to answer to the Gospel and to that because unreveiled they need make no answer at all and having nothing to make answer unto they must needs be in a justified condition And mean while also all true Believers must be in a state of Perfection the defects of their Graces must be no sins for the truth of Grace in them answers to the Terms of the Gospel and to more than these they are not to answer But if in Justification a man be to answer to the Law also nothing less than the perfect Righteousness of Christ and that made his by Imputation can possibly serve his turn nothing else is an answer to the pure perfect Law nothing else can stand before the divine Tribunal of Heaven Hence the Reverend Bishop Andrews saith with respect to that Name Jehovah our righteousness we may say Esto justitia Sermon of Justif in Christ's Name fac justitiam esto justitia intra in judicium cum servo tuo With
this Righteousness with this Name we may without fear appear before the King executing Justice If any here reply we are Christians the Moral Law delivered by Moses obliges not us I answer I conceive it obliges all Christians the Scripture urges it upon them St. Paul presses the Romans though no Jews to love as the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.8 9. and the Ephesians though no Jews to honour their parents because it is a commandment with promise Eph. 6.2 St. James in his Epistle which is general to Gentiles as well as Jews would have them fulfil the Royal Law according to the Scriptures Jam. 2.8 The Matter of the Moral Law is perpetual and why should God put a temporary obligation upon it If the Moral Law bind us not then all the excellent Morals in the Prophets which are but as so many Commentaries on the Moral Law do not belong unto us and what a door will this open to overthrow the Old Testament I conceive therefore the Moral Law delivered by Moses obliges us Christians and I take it that our Church is of the same mind for I am sure she is too wise to command us to Eccho to an abrogated Law in such a devotional Prayer as that Lord have mercy upon us encline our hearts to keep this Law But however this opinion be touching the Moral Law as Mosaical without doubt whatsoever is Moral Naturall in it whatsoever is the pure Primitive Law of Nature must reach unto all and bind all all must answer to it and because it calls for finless Perfection nothing can answer it but the perfect righteousness of Christ and that made ours by Imputation 4. It is evident that the Passive Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us In Scripture the blood of Christ justifies us Rom. 5.9 purges the corjcience Heb. 9.14 cleanses us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 washes us from our sins Revel 1.5 And how can it doe these great things for us unless it be applied and made ours in particularâ— or how can it be made ours but by a particular Imputation sanguis Christi non haeret in nobis it is not subjectively in us but what ever it doth for us in Justification it doth as imputed to us Hence Christ is called a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 2.25 Faith receives the atoning Blood and God imputes it If there had been no first fundamentall Imputation of that Blood to us it could not have been said that Christ dyed for us more than for Devils That Blood shed could not have rendered us pardonable or justifiable upon Gospell-terms And if there be not an after particular Imputation of that Blood to us upon believing it cannot be said actually to justifie and wash us from our sins As shed for us it makes us pardonable and justifiable but no more till there be a particular imputation Without this it doth not actually justifie and wash us because it is not particularly applied and made ours Should we be justified or pardoned without this Imputation we should be justified or pardoned without that Blood made ours and by consequence without a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Satisfaction made ours in particular that Satisfaction without this Imputation being only in common to all pardoned or unpardoned and particularly applied to none Bellarmine himself confesses the Imputation of Christ's Passive Obedience Solus Christus saith he pro peccatis nostris satisfecit D. Justifiâ—◠〈…〉 illa satisfactio nobis donatur applicatur nostra reputatur cum Deo reconciliamur justificamur And why he might not as well have allowed the Imputation of the Active Obedience I see not save only because he would leave for our inherent Graces a room in Justification But because he allows not the Imputation of the Active Obedience Bishop Andrews is bold to tell him Sermon of Jâ—stisie That he spoils Christ of one half of his Name that is of that Name Jehovah our Righteousness And withal the Bishop urges thus against the Papists By what proportion do they proceed They cannot counterpoise an infinite sin but with an infinite Satisfaction and think they can weigh down a reward every way as infinite with a Merit to say the least surely not infinite Why should there be a recessary use of Christs death for the one and not an use fâ—â—â— as necessary for the Oblation of his Life for the other And again he saith This nipping at the Name of Christ is for no other reason but that we may have some honour our selves out of our Righteousness Hence Bellarmine saith Magìs honorificum est habere aliquid ex merito Rather than they will lose their honour Christ must part with a piece of his Name Thus that Reverend Man Let us therefore confess that all Christ's Righteousness Active as well as Passive is made ours by Imputation His Obedience like his seamless Coat all woven together of Love and Philanthropy from his first breath of Holiness on Earth to the last gasp upon the Cross should not be rent or divided but preserved entire for our Justification and Salvation 5. When we are justified before God it must be by a Righteousness either that of inherent Grace or that of Christ imputed to us We are not justified by the first our inherent Graces have all their spots and wrinkles of imperfection how faultring is our Faith How fluctuating our Hope How cold our Charity How much is there wanting of what ought to be in every one of them All of them are but in part and as it were in their first Lineaments none of them in plenitude or full measure answering to the Law they dwell not alone but alas there is a sad Inmate of Corruption a body of Sin dwelling under the same roof so that the purest actions of the Saints on earth come forth ex laeso Principio out of an Heart sanctified but in part and in their egress from thence gather a taint and tincture from the indwelling sin Quotidie stillamus super telam justitiae nostrae saniem concupiscentiae nostrae saith one Our concupscence like putrid matter is ever dropping upon the web of our weak little holiness If we walk not post concupiscentias it is very well Non concupisces which is a greater thing we cannot reach in this Vale of sins and sorrowes still the Flesh will be lusting and Corruption bubling up in the heart and can we think that such imperfect Graces should be the Matter of our Justification Again we have contracted many Guilts and every even the Least of them have a kind of Infinity in them because against an infinite Majesty and can our inherent Graces which are but finite things ever expiate or blot out those guilts No surely they cannot cover their own spots and blemishes but must pray in aid from the Grace and Righteousness of Christ to have them done away and is it imaginable that those Graces which want a pardon and
place Christ borrows not his Name from temporal blessings no that is too low The Salvation their spoken of is a spiritual and eternal one that Salvation is procured by the active and passive righteousness of Christ that righteousness is made ours by imputation Hence Christ is called the Lord our righteousness The Name of Christ must import somewhat peculiar to himself to do good to us is common to the whole Trinity but the active and passive righteousness of Christ is peculiar to himself that therefore is imported in this Name This Name seems to be attributed to the Church Jer. 33.16 because the Church is mystically united to Christ in whom this perfect righteousness is and this righteousness which is in Christ becomes the Churches by imputation Observe this name is not given to all men but to believers as pointing out not common favours but that righteousness of God which is upon those that believe The Kingdom of Christ is a spiritual Kingdom and the Salvation must be suitable to it And this great Name the Lord our righteousness is the foundation of both As to the places quoted out of Isaiah by the Author that Isai 54. may possibly speak of a vindication or justification against their enemies that Isai 45.24 25. In the Lord have I righteousness and strength in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory speaks of a justification by Faith in Christ that robe of righteousness Isai 61. may be taken for Christs Rrighteousness which is the foundation of Salvation but however these be taken that first quoted place Jer. 23.6 plainly imports imputed righteousness It is very observable Mr. Sherlock that in all the histories of the Gospel which gives us an account of our Saviours Sermons and parables whereby he instructed the people in all necessary truths he makes no mention at all of imputed righteousness but exacts from them a righteousness of their own if they would find mercy with God Now it is very strange if imputed righteousness be the great Gospel-mystery that our Saviour should not once mention it nor warn his hearers to beware of tructing in their own righteousness but that instead of this he should severely enjoyn them the practice of an universal righteousness as the only thing that pleases God and severely threaten those who continue in any sin who break the least of his commandments that they shall not enter heaven This to me is a very great prejudice against such notions as are set up for the fundamentals of Christianity when there is not the least foot-steps of them to be seen in the Gospel of our Saviour Did not our Saviour instruct his hearers in all things necessary to Salvation Or have the Evangelists given us an imperfect account of our Saviours doctrine and omitted so essential a part of it as imputation of his Righteousness Chuse which side you please and the consequence is bad if the first then Christ was not faithful in his prophetical Office If the latter you over-throw the credit of the Gospel and by both destroy the foundation of our Faith Our Saviours Sermons were to be the rule of the Apostles had the Apostles taught any thing as necessary to Salvation which our Saviour had not taught especially any thing that did so plainly contradict the Doctrine of our Saviour as this imputed righteousness doth it would very much have weakned their credit with me for this had been to preach another Gospel than our Saviour did and we have St. Paul 's command to reject all such Preachers though they were Apostles or an Angel from heaven Gal. 1.8 9. And is there no mention at all in the Gospel of imputed Righteousness Answer Are there no footsteps of it Yes surely our Saviour tells us Seek ye first the kingdom of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his righteousness that is Gods Matth. 6.33 Inherent Graces are in Scripture called our own but here we have Gods Righteousness which answers to Jehovah our righteousness in the Prophet and the righteousness of God in the Epistles Now the Righteousness of God that is of Christ as before hath been noted is made ours only by Imputation but where doth Christ speak of his own Righteousness See Math. 3.15 Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness saith he he fulfilled all righteousness but was it for himself or for us Not for himself his humane Nature was no sooner assumed into his divine Person but it had a Title to Heaven and might have asended up thither it was for us therefore Hence the Apostle saith expressly That he was made under the Law to redeem us Gal. 4.4 What he did as under the Law was for us and such was all his righteousness and therefore that was for us and what was for us must be applicable to us and this cannot be without an imputation It is said that Christ gave his life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a price or ransome for or instead of many Math. 20.28 Now a Ransome or Satisfaction implies imputation and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly imports a Subrogation or Substitution of one in the room of another Christ died in our room and satisfied for us this Satisfaction is made ours particularly by imputation Hear the French Divines Hanc satisfactionem loco nostro praestitam à Christo nobis imputari negari non potest quis neget solutam à Fidejussore pecuniam imputari Debitori exhibitam à Vade satifactionem imputari ei cujus nomine facta est Ea igitur Christi satisfactio nobis ex gratiâ Dei Patris imputata atque donata illa demum justitia est quâ justificamur in Dei judicio We see therefore in the Gospel Satisfaction owned and that necessarily infers Imputation Christs blood was shed for many for the remssion of Sins as himself tells us Matth. 26.28 Now it could not be shed for us without the first fundamentall Imputation neither can it be made ours to justifie us without an after particular Imputation For his Blood when it cleanses away our sins is not ours by Inhesion therefore if it be at all ours to doe that great Work it must be so by Imputation Remission of sins was to be preached in his name Luk. 24.47 and In his name shall the Gentiles trust Math. 12.21 This Name includes his Blood and Righteousness and these are made ours by Imputation If any reply plainer proof is desired I answer Several things are to be considered by us There is no one place in the Gospels to maintain Justification by our own Righteousness or if there were I shall be bold to say that all the Protestant Churches in the World are bound to yeild the Cause in this point to their Adversaries the Papists Obedience to Gods Commandements is indeed the way to heaven but it is no where made an ingredient into our Justification That place Math. 5.19 quoted by the Author that Whosoever shall break one of the Least
the Gospel Rom. 1.5 In this sence Faith and Works are opposed in St. Paul's Epistles the Dispute in the Epistle to the Romans is Whether we must be justified by the Law of Moses or by the faith of Christ that is whether the observation of all the external Rites and Ceremonies and an external Conformity of our Actions to the moral Precepts of it will justify a man before God or that sincere universal Obedience which the Gospel of Christ requires which transformes our Minds into the likeness of God and makes us new creatures And that this Righteousness of Faith and this alone can recommend us to God the Apostle proves from the Example of Abraham in the 4. Chapter who was accounted righteous for the sake of his sincere and stedfast belief of Gods Promises vers 3. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness And this while he was uncircumcised which is a convincing argument against the Jews that Circumciston and the observation of the Law of Moses is not necessary to justification because Abraham the Father of the faithful and pattern for our justification was justified without it The Righteousness of God Answer is the Righteousness of Christ And this is called the Righteousness of God because he accepts it and imputes it to us And a Righteousness through the Faith of Christ because Faith receives it The Righteousness of God is not Faith it self but a righteousness through the faith of Christ Phil. 3.9 Faith I confess is sometimes put for the Gospel but the question is not what it is in other places but what in those which speak of the Righteousness of God Mark that place Rom. 1.17 therein that is in the Gospel is the righteousness of God reveiled from faith to faith Here Faith is not put for the Gospel for then the Righteousness of God should be reveiled from Gospel to Gospel Nay here we have the Gospel the Righteousness of God and Faith all set down as distinct things And in other Scriptures we have the Grace of Faith mentioned with the Righteousness of God because Faith receives that Righteousness The Moral Law of Moses required not only external conformity but internal Sanctity and that in all perfection the Apostle in the fourth Chapter to the Romans excludes not only external observations but the works of converted Abraham from justification Faith is accounted for Righteousness not properly absolutely in it self but relatively with respect to its object Jesus Christ as I have before proved Abrahams faith was not a faith in Christ Mr. Sherlock but Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for Righeousness Christ indeed was the material Object of Abrahams Faith that is he believed that promise which God made of sending Christ into the world upon which account our Saviour tells the Jews Your father Abraham rejoyed to see my day and he saw it and was glad Joh. 8.56 But no man could believe in Christ till he came that is could not believe any thing upon his Authority which is the true Notion of believing in him Some men make work with Abraham 's Faith as if it were a fiducial reliance or recumbency on Christ for Salvation upon which the Righteousness of Christ apprehended by Faith was imputed to him But how should Abraham learn this great Mystery from that general and obscure promise In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed which is all that was ever reveiled to Abraham concerning Christ this is such a train of thoughts from In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness as Mr. Hobs himself could never have hit on Is there no possible way for God to bless the world but by imputation of Christ's Righteousness Or is there a natural connexion between this blessing and imputed Righteousness that we cannot understand the one without the other before Abraham could come to the knowledge of imputed Righteousness he must distinctly know first that the blessings here meant are spiritual pardon and eternal life The whole Jewish Nation for many ages who had more promises concering Christ than this was expected only a temporal Prince and therefore they were prejudiced at the mean appearance of Christ. Secondly That Christ was to dye for the sins of the World And this the Apostles themselves did not understand till after Christ's Resurrection Thirdly That he fulfilled all Righteousness for us Fourthly That great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God without which it is impossible to understand the vertue of his Sacrifice and Righteousness Fifthly That intimate oneness and conjunction between Christ and his Church which is a riddle not understood to this day Sixthly The Nature of Faith rolling the soul on Christ for Salvation and then possibly he might understand this great mystery of imputed Righteousness and all this must be learned from that general promise In thy seed shall all Nations be blessed Abraham believed the promise of the Messiah Answer but his Faith was not a Faith in Christ Why so no man could believe in Christ till he came that is he could not believe upon his Authority But surely Christ was a Prophet under the Old Testament his Spirit and surely then his Authority too was in the Prophets 1 Pet. 1.11 And so it was in the Promise to Abraham Besides true Faith in Scripture imports a reliance or fiducial recumbency so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Old Testament signifies and to these as Dr. Ward proves by many parailels answers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the new where also we often find that phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a phrase totally the holy Spirits found in no humane Author I mean not for the Object but the form of speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not any where but in Scripture as Dr. Ward observes which surely must import a reliance or fiducial recumbency According to this notion of Faith I conceive Abraham rested on or trusted in the Messiah for Salvation he being the Messiah he could not but expect some great thing from him and what was it Temporals or Spirituals Surely not Temporals his Faith was gone beyond the Line of this World even as far as the City which hath foundations in another Heb. 11.10 And how did he think to come thither but by the Messiah He did not speak to God Gen. 18. trusting in his own righteousness But in the lowest posture of humility much less did he think to enter Heaven upon the account of his own worthiness he was a man of great Faith and the Father of the faithful The Promises of the Messiah were Spiritual Ones The seed of the woman shall break the serpents head Gen. 3.15 that is Christ should dissolve the works of the Devil and erect his own Kingdom of Grace and Glory In thy seed shall all nations be blessed
thing That the blood of bulls and of goats could take away sin There must be such a gross error in modo a misprision so horrible that it is not imaginable that any one among all the millions of Sacrifices under the Law could be rightly offered up or accepted by God Such hard intolerable consequences follow this opinion that the Ancients had no knowledge of or Faith in the Messiah On the other hand that they had such a Knowledg and Faith may be gathered as from other things so from this consideration that they offered up their Sacrifices in Faith as Abel did that they were graciously accepted of by God in their offering up those Sacrifices Hence it is said that God had respect to Abel and his offering consuming it as is thought by fire from Heaven and so giving a divine Testimony to it Hence also we find that when Noah offered burnt offerings the Lord did smell a sweet savour Gen. 8.21 because those Sacrifices had an aspect upon the sweet Sacrifice of Christ in which God is ever well-pleased Moreover if the justification of the ancients were as it must be built upon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the death and satisfaction of Christ then unless it were by a Faith in Christ the death of Christ one in it self must found three ways of justification one by natural Faith another by a Faith of particular promises and a third by Faith in Christ which seems very strange and incongruous Thus much touching the Ancients Faith in Christ unto which I shall only add the Testimony of our Church Abraham Isaac and Jacob believed and it was imputed to them for righteousness 2. Hom. of the Passion was it imputed to them only And shall it not be imputed to us also Yes if we have the same Faith as they had it shall be as truly imputed to us as it was to them for it is one Faith that must save both us and them even a sure and stedfast Faith in Christ Jesus From hence we learn Thirdly Mr. Sherlock what Faith in Christ is which is now imputed to us for righteousness as Abraham 's Faith was to him for to make our Faith in Christ answer to the Faith of Abraham and all good men in former ages without which the Apostles argument from Abraham's being justified by Faith is of no force our Faith in Christ must signifie such a stedfast belief of all those Revelations which Christ hath made to the world as governs our lives and actions Abraham was justified by believing the Revelations which God made to him and we are justified by believing those Revelations which Christ hath made of God's Will to us for if by the righteousness of Faith you understand the righteousness of Christ apprehended by Faith and imputed to us you utterly destroy the Apostles argument for our justification by Faith for Abraham and all the good men of old were not justified by such a Faith as this they never heard of the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us Noah was made heir of Righteousness because he believed the deluge and prepared an Ark at Gods command Abraham 's Faith was imputed to him for righteousness because he left his own Country followed God into a strange Land believed that God would give him a son and offered this son at God's command Now what hath all this to do with an imputation of Christ's Righteousness How does it follow that because Abraham was justified by such noble and generous acts of Faith therefore we should be justified by imputed Righteousness by rowling our souls on Christ These two Faiths are of as different kinds as can be imagined we cannot reason from the one to the other The difference between the Faith of Abraham and the Faith of Christans is this Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness we believe in Christ and this is counted to us for righteousness Abraham believed the Revelations God made to him we believe the Revelations God hath made to to us by his Son Heb. 1.1 So that the first notion of Faith in Christ is a firm belief of his divine Authority which necessarily draws after it a belief of the whole doctrine of the Gospel Thus Joh. 20.31 The Christian Faith is described by believing that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God And 1 Joh. 5.5 Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God That is that he came from God with full Power and Authority to declare his Will and confirm the Covenant Abraham 's faith was founded on the immediate Inspirations of God or the Revelations of Angels But a Faith in Christ is founded on the Authority of Christ which is the first Object of the Christian Faith and the reason and foundation of all other acts of Faith Abraham had only some particular Revelations as the Object of his Faith but Christ hath made a perfect Revelation of the whole Will of God which is the Object of our Faith Thus the Christian Faith excels all other kinds of Faith as much as the Gospel excels all other revelations made to Abraham and other good men but still the end of all Faith is the same to govern our lives and make us obedient in all things to God as Abraham 's was without which no Faith can justifie The stress of this discourse lyes upon two or three supposals Answer One is this that the very act of Faith is properly and in it self our Righteousness or the matter of our Justification Another is this that the whole nature of Faith consists in an assent to Divine Revelation A third is this that Abraham had only a Faith of particular Revelations but no Faith in Christ Now not to repeat things over and over I have before proved that Faith as it is an Act and absolutely in it self considered is not our Righteousness or the matter of our Justification that there is in the nature of Faith over and above a meer assent a fiducial recumbency also and that the Faith of Abraham was not only a Faith of particular promises but a Faith in the Messiah These things being before asserted the answer is very easie Our Faith in Christ very well answers to the Faith of Abraham Abraham trusted in Christ and so do we These Faiths answer one another and that much more harmoniously than if we say Abraham believed particular Promises and we believe in Christ for there the Objects are variant Indeed our Faith as having more of Evangelical Light in it is more explicit than Abraham's was but this being but a gradual difference still they are one Faith in substance and center in the same Object in the Messiah But saith the Author Abraham and the rest never heard of imputed Righteousness no he and Noah believed particular Revelations and what hath this to do with imputed Righteousness Doth it follow because Abraham was justified by such generous acts that we
blameless ver 5 6. But then after all he casts away all this Jewish and Pharisaical glory What things were gain to me those I have counted loss for Christ ver 7. he would not be justified by any of those things but doth he go no further Doth he only exclude his external Pharisaical Righteousness No surely his discourse goes on 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ vers 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Particles of amplification as if the Apostle had said Nay more than that even now do I count all things loss In the 7. Verse he casts off his Jewish and Pharisaical gains but in the 8. he puts by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things his inherent Graces not being admitted to be the Matter of our Justification In the 7. Vers we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in tempore praeterito I have counted but in the 8. we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in praesenti now I do count all things loss Hence the excellent Beza saith Notandum praesens tempus sic enim crescit oratio ut jam Apostolus quod ad justificationem coram Deo attinet omnia opera excludat tum praecedentia tum etiam consequentia fidem Exam. ' de Justif pag. 135. And Learned Chemnicius saith Paulum non tantùm uti praeterito tempore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de operibus praecedentibus conversionem sed praesenti 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut ostendai quòd operibus suis etiam post renovationem fact is non tribuat Justificationem coram Deo Even our inherent Graces how precious soever they be in Sanctification must not assume the Royal seat of Christ and his Righteousness they must not be our very Righteousness in Justification Bellarmine indeed here cries out Quanta quaeso blasphemia est How great is this blasphemy to call good works done out of the Faith and Grace of Christ no better than dung But Paraeus answers him very well That they are not so called absolutely in themselves but comparatively to the Righteousness of Christ nefas enim ducit in ullis operibus fiduciam Justificationis ponere coram Deo In the Matter of Justification the whole Church calls her Righteousness a filthy Rag St. Paul will not there own his own inherent Graces no more than holy Job would know his own Soul But this is yet more clear ver 9. The Apostle would be found in Christ not having his own Righteousness which is of the Law he excludes his own Righteousness that is his inherent Graces in the point of Justification I say his inherent Graces for he had before shut out his external Pharisaical Righteousness ver 7. and his after-speech being not a Battology or vain repetition but progressive or expressive of more than went before he doth in the 9. Verse put by his inherent Graces under the name of his own Righteousness and which further confirms this Sence inherent Graces are in Scripture said to be our own Hence we find my faith and thy faith Jam. 2.18 and our Saviour saith Except your righteousness shall exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven Matth. 5.20 See here a Righteousness and that exceeding a Pharisaical one called theirs The Apostle excludes the righteousness which is of the Law In the 7. Verse he had shut out the Righteousness of the Law taken in the Pharisaical sence but in the 9. Verse he goes on and puts by the Righteousness of the Law taken in its own spiritual Nature the Righteousness which the Law in its holy Commands prescribes and surely the Law calls for internal Holiness as well as external Conformity In another place the Apostle tells us That by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified Gal. 2.16 No flesh not the holiest Saint on earth whose Righteousness is as much above the Pharisees as Life is above pictures and shadows shall be justified by his own Righteousness or conformity to the Law But if the Apostle would not have his own Righteousness which is of the Law in Justification what would he have He would have the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith He doth not say a Righteousness which is Faith or other Graces but a righteousness which is through the faith of Christ a righteousness which is of God by faith Now inherent Graces are never in Scripture called the Righteousness of God The righteousness of God is upon those that believe Rom. 3.22 not in them as inherent Graces are The righteousness of God is in Christ 2 Cor. 5.21 not in our selves as our Graces are The righteousness of God is one and the same with the righteousness of Christ 2 Pet. 1.1 not the same with our Graces The Apostle therefore would have the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith that is the perfect Righteousness of Christ which Faith receives and God accepts on our behalf By these things it appears that the Apostle in this place doth not only exclude external Pharisaical Righteousness but even inherent Graces in the matter of Justification There is a double Antithesis in the words Mr. Sherlock the righteousness of the Law is opposed to the righteousness which is by the faith of Christ and my own righteousness to the righteousness of God Now the surest way to understand the meaning of this is to consider how these phrases are used in Scripture The righteousness of the Law as you have already heard is an external Righteousness which consists in washings and purifications and sacrifices or an external conformity to the Moral Law The righteousness which is by the faith of Christ is an internal Righteousness which consists in the renovation of our Minds and Spirits in the government of our thoughts and passions which is therefore called being born again becoming new creatures rising with Christ putting off the old man and putting on the new which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness That Righteousness which God requires of us under the Gospel must be an inward Principle of Love and Obedience which transforms us into the image of God as if we were born again or made new creatures The reason why Godsent Christ into the world to die as a Sacrifice for our sins and to confirm and seal the new Covenant with his Blood was that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom 8.3 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Chrysostome expounds it that which the Law was designed to work in them but was found too weak to effect it by reason of the greater power of sin that is the inward holiness and purity of mind which was represented and signified by
the power of sin and that by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Thus the Author to which I answer God sent his Son indeed into the world that we might be sanctified by his Spirit but that was not all he sent him that we might be justified by his Blood and Righteousness to which purpose it will be worth while to consider that place Rom. 8. The Apostle in the first verse sets forth believers men in Christ by two excellent things first by Justification There is no condemnation to them no though there be reliques of corruption in them as is imported in the seventh Chapter there is none and then by Sanctification which is in conjunction with the other they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit And in the other verses he confirms both but inverso ordine first he confirms their Sanctification from the great Origen of it the holy Spirit The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death vers 2. The power of the holy Spirit hath subdued the power of sin and then he confirms their Justification from the sufferings of Christ with which his active obedience is to be taken in conjunction What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh vers 3. Their sins were condemned in the flesh of Christ there was an atonement made for them which certainly must relate to Justification from these sufferings of Christ with which his active obedience must be taken in conjunction the Apostle inferrs That the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us vers 4. The Law was not able to justifie us for want of a perfect obedience in us but God translated the impletion of the Law upon Christ Christ fulfilled all Righteousness for us Christ bore the wrath of God for us and these things being imputed unto us the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us But then the Apostle returns again to Sanctification and subjoyns Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit assuring us that those who are justified by the imputed Righteousness of Christ are also Sanctified and led by his holy Spirit This I take to be the meaning of the place But let us hear our Church treating upon this place in conjunction with other Scriptures r. Hom. of Salvation St. Paul saith Rom. 3. We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ And Rom. 10. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth And Rom. 8. That which was impossible by the Law in as much as it was weak by the flesh God sending his own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh by sin damned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us which walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit In these places the Apostle toucheth three things which must go together in our Justification upon Gods part his great mercy and grace upon Christ's parts justice that is the satisfaction of God's justice or the price of our redemption by the offering of his body and shedding of his Blood with fulfilling of the Law perfectly and throughly and upon our part true and lively Faith in the merits of Jesus Christ which yet is not ours but by Gods working in us So that in our Justification is not only Gods Mercy and Grace but also his Justice which the Apostle calleth the Justice of God and it consisteth in paying our ransom and fulfilling of the Law And so the Grace of God doth not shut out the Justice of God in our Justification but only shutteth out the justice of man that is to say the justice of our works as to be merits of deserving our justification And therefore St. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of man concerning his justification but only a true lively Faith which nevertheless is the gift of God and not man's only work without God and yet that Faith doth not shut out Repentance Hope Love Dread and the fear of God to be joyned with Faith in every man that is justified but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying so that although they be all present in him that is justified yet they justifie not all together These are the excellent words of our Church worthy without flattery be it spoken to be written in Letters of Gold but much more in the hearts of all true Christians We see here that there is in justification nothing on the behalf of man but Faith only no internal Holiness Repentance Hope Love Fear of God are in the justified but shut out from the office of justifying God's Grace and Christ's Righteousness are the great causes of justification But saith the Author Is there here any mention of Christ's Righteousness or the imputation thereof I answer Our Church surely thought so and we have his passive Righteousness expressed vers 3. and where that is expressed the active is implied This is clear when the Scripture saith That we are made righteous by Christ's obedience Rom. 5.19 It doth include his blood also and when he saith That we are justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 It doth include his active obedience also so that the Scripture because it expresses justification by both and because it must be consistent with it self in expressing the one includes the other When therefore Rom. 8.3 his sufferings are expressed his active obedience is also included both therefore are intended and withall an imputation without which they cannot be profitable to us But saith the Author The Law could not do it that is the Law could not deliver from the power of sin I answer The Law could not do it of it self and without the Spirit of Christ but if that divine Spirit take the Law into its hand and write it in the heart I suppose there will be a New Creature But the Author saith That the righteousness of the Law may be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit vers 4. How can imputation come in here What pretty sence will this make of the Apostles argument I answer The sence is very clear the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us by Christ's Righteousness imputed to us and withall we to whom that is imputed walk after the Spirit the one is our Justification the other our Sanctification Both the Apostle proves to be in Believers and both consist very well together as appears from the first verse There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit The No condemnation appertains to Justification and the walking after the Spirit to Sanctification and both stand very well together As to what the Author saith afterwards That there was no reason to abrogate Moses ' s
not please God nothing but an imputed Righteousness can though I should rather have concluded that nothing can But the truth is the Righteousness of the Law and of Works in the New Testament signifies only an external Righteousness which cannot please God and that internal Holiness which they call the Righteousness of the Law is that very Righteousness of Faith which the Gospel commands and which God approves and rewards and this imputed Righteousness is no where to be found that I know of but in their own Fancies The Righteousness of the Law and of Works in the New Testament signifies only an external Righteousness Answer Thus the Author And yet before the Author quoting that Text Rom. 8. That the righteousness of the Law might he fulfilled in us interprets it of internal holiness in us I confess it is not meant of our internal Holiness but neither doth it signifie external Righteousness only The righteousness of the Law Phil. 3.6 doth by the circumstances of the Text intend only an external Righteousness but the righteousness of the Law ver 9. reaches to an internal one for as I before noted the Apostles speech there is progressive and expresses more than it did before The Works of converted Abraham are excluded from Justification Rom. 4.2 and yet surely they were more than external shadows By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Gal. 2.16 not only the Pharisee with his external Righteousness but no flesh not the holiest man on earth shall be justified by the works of the Law The Law in the New Testament plainly calls for internal Holiness it is a holy just good spiritual Law forbidding Concupiscence the very first risings and imperfect births of Corruption Rom. 7. commanding the love of God with all the Heart Soul and Mind Matth. 22.37 And therefore it would be very strange if the Righteousness or the Works of this Law which is represented in the New Testament as a divine spiritual Law should in the same New Testament signifie no more than external Righteousness no more than the meer shell or outward superficies of true Sanctity and that too in Epistles written not to Jews or Pharisees who hung about the Letter of the Law but to the Romans Galatians Philippians who I suppose understood it better They could not but see some hints of inward Purity in the Books of Pagan Philosophers and it is inimaginable that they should look for less in the Law of God Though the Pharisees who had only an external Righteousness themselves construed that Law according to their Model yet why the believing Romans Galatians Philippians who had internal Graces in themselves should do so I see no reason Neither is it to me credible that the Romans who in the Epistle to them had the pure Spirituality of the Law set before them should ever construe the Righteousness or Works of the Law mentioned in that Epistle to be only external As for internal Holiness God indeed approves of it but not as that which is the matter of our Righteousness in Justification Let us now consider in what sence the Apostle opposes his own Righteousness to the Righteousness of God Mr. Sherlock and there is no great difficulty in this for the Apostle tells us that by his own Righteousness he means the Righteousness of the Law and by the Righteousness of God the Righteousness of Faith and what that is you have already heard Thus in Rom. 10.3 For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God Where their own Righteousness which the Jews so obstinately adhered to was the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of God which they were ignorant of and would not submit to was the Righteousness of Faith For this was the great Controversie between the Jews and Apostles which is the Subject of this Epistle Whether men were to be justified by the Law of Moses or by the Gospel of Christ by a Legal or Evangelical Righteousness as appears from Rom. 9.3 Israel who followed after righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousness wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law that is The Israelites who pursued so earnestly after Righteousness are excluded from Righteousness or forgiveness of sins and are under a Curse because they did not look for Righteousness and Justification in the way which God prescribed which is by Faith in Christ or by Christianity but by the observance of the Law of Moses Now the most obvious reason why the Righteousness of the Law is called their own Righteousness and the Righteousness of Faith Gods Righteousness is because this Legal Righteousness was a way of Justification not of Gods appointment but their own chusing God never designed that any man should be justified to eternal Life by observing the Law of Moses but yet they confidently expected Justification by that Law and for that reason rejected the Gospel of Christ But the Righteousness of Faith is a Righteousness of God's chusing this he approves and accepts of for the Justification of a sinner By this the Elders obtained a good report by this Enoch and Noah and Abraham were justified before God And therefore this may well be called the Righteousness of God because this he appointed and this he will own and reward Our own Righteousness is I confess Answer the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of God is a Righteousness by Faith or through Faith because Faith receives it but it is not Faith it self The righteousness of God is reveiled from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 Were Faith it self the Righteousness of God the words must amount to no more than this Faith is reveiled from Faith to Faith We are made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 and who ever construed those words thus We are made Faith in him Faith is inherent in our selves but the Righteousness of God is in Christ who is Jehovah our Righteousness The Jews went about to establish their own righteousness Rom. 10.3 but it doth not appear that that was a meer external one we find that they had a zeal of God Ver. 2. which surely was internal Zeal is a mixture of Love and Anger They had at least in pretence a love to God and his Glory and an anger at the Christian Faith as supposing it an enemy to God and his Law All the Jews were not Pharisees nor did they stick meerly in the Letter or husk of external Righteousness the Scribe could say That the love of God with all the heart was more than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices Mark 12.33 and some Jewish Rabbins say That the heart of man answers to the holy place there a place must be made for the Shecinah the divine Majesty to dwell in and it must be the holy of Holies No question the Jews at least some of them
is a belief of the Gospel which was confirmed by his death and believing that Christ is the Son of God the Messiah and Prophet whom God sent to reveil his will includes a general belief of the Gospel which he preached and believing that God raised him from the dead doth the same because his Resurrection was the last and great confirmation of the truth of the Gospel Hence the Apostles attribute such things to the Blood of Christ as are the proper immediate office of the Gospel-Covenant because the Blood of Christ is the Blood of the Covenant and therefore all the blessings of the Gospel are owing to it because the Gospel-Covenant was procured and confirmed by it Thus the Gentiles who were a far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ and the Gentiles and Jews were reconciled unto God in one body by the cross Eph. 2.14 15 16. That is the Gentiles were received into the fellowship of God's Church and the Jews and Gentiles united in one body Now this union of Jews and Gentiles is owing to the Gospel which takes away all marks of distinction and separation and gives them both an equal right to the blessing of the New Covenant This New Covenant belongs to all mankind there is now no distinction of persons Neither Jew nor Greek Barbarian Scythian bond nor free but Christ is all and in all No man is acceptable to God because he is a Jew or Greek but the only thing of any value is Faith in Christ or a belief of the Gospel which is indifferently offered to all Now this is attributed to the Blood of Christ and to his death because thereby Christ put an end to the Mosaical Covenant and sealed this New Covenant of Grace with Mankind as the Apostle explains himself in the following verses 17.18 c. That Christ having abolished the Law of Commandments by his death he came and preached peace that is the Gospel of peace to them who were a far off to the Gentiles and to them who were nigh to the Jews he abrogated the Mosaical Law That Law of Commandments contained in ordinances which was peculiar to the Jews and separated them from the rest of the World And he broke down the middle wall of partition which kept the uncircumcised Gentiles though Proselites at a distance from God as confining their worship to the outward court of the Temple which the Apostle seems to refer to in that phrase Them that were a far off And now by the Gospel he admits the Gentiles to as near an approach to God as the Jews As he adds For through him we have an access by one Spirit to the Father vers 18. The Author enquiring Answer what influence the obedience and death of Christ have upon our acceptance with God resolves it thus All that I can find in Scripture is that to this we owe the Covenant of Grace Christ's Blood is called the Blood of the Covenant because it did seal and confirm the Covenant I answer Christ's Blood did indeed seal and confirm the Covenant But is this the all of it Socinus will own as much as this comes to Sicuti alicujus animantis sanguine fuso foedera antiquitùs sanciebantur De servat l. 1. cap. 3. confirmabantur ita Christi silii sui sanguine foedus suum novum atque aeternum quod nobiscum per ipsum Christum pepigerat sancivit confirmavit Deus Thus he telling us too that it is therefore called Sanguis aeterni foederis To the same purpose speaks the Racovian Catechist with others of the same Tribe But the Scripture tells us more of the Blood of Christ That we are justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 But saith the Author we are said to be justified by his Blood that is by the Gospel-Covenant which was confirmed with his Blood This is a strange way of interpreting Scripture We are justified by his blood that is by the Gospel We may as well go on to verse 18. and say justification of life is by the righteousness of one that is by the Gospel And to verse 19. and say We are made righteous by the obedience of one that is by the Gospel And from thence we may go on at the same rate with other Scriptures as He hath washed us from our sins in his own blood Revel 1.5 that is in his own Gospel The blood of Jesus Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot to God shall purge your consciences from dead works Heb. 9.14 that is the Gospel shall do it This is my blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Matth. 26.28 that is this is my New Testament of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of fins Rather than make such work with Scripture we were as good let the Blood of our dear Lord stand there as it ought in its justifying Glory We are justified by Christ's blood that is by the Gospel And is Christ's Blood the Gospel Or where in all the Scripture is the Blood of Christ so taken The Scripture rarely if ever speaks of being justified by the Gospel but it speaks much and often of being justified by Christ's Blood It cleanses us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 It purges the conscience Heb. 9.19 It was shed for the remission of sins Eph. 1.7 It washes us from our sins Rev. 1.5 And yet all this contrary to the express words and genius of Scripture must be understood not of the Blood of Christ but of the Gospel and why of the Gospel Because his Blood confirmed the Gospel And is justifying and confirming the Gospel all one Christ's Blood according to the Author confirmed the Covenant with all Mankind but all men are not justified When the Scripture speaks of Christs Blood and Death as confirmative of the Covenant or Gospel it speaks sometimes in general of all men Thus he died for all men 2 Cor. 5.15 Hee gave himself a ransom for all 1 Tim. 2.6 with many other places to the same purpose But when the Scripture speaks of Christ's Blood as justifying it speaks not in general of all but in particular of Believers only and yet if justify and confirming the Gospel were all one it might be as truly said that Christ justifies all as that he died for all The Gospel is the Charter of Justification but besides the Charter their must be a Righteousness to be the Matter of our Justification God never justifies any man without a Righteousness and what is it Is it the very Act of Faith Thus Socinus would have it De servat part 4. cap. 4. that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Credere is loco justitiae in the room of all Righteousness But I have before proved that Faith as an Act and absolutely in it self considered canot justifie us Or is it our inherent Graces This is the express Tenet of the Papists Thus Bellarmine would have
The plowing of the wicked is sin Prov. 21.4 Take him in sacred or Devotional affairs His Sacrifice is an abomination Prov. 15.8 And so is his Prayer too Prov. 28.9 Whatever his outward work or posture be To the unbelieving there is nothing pure Tit. 1.15 The very mind and conscience is defiled and will be so till it be purified by Faith Mr. Shephard places Justification before Sanctification and what doth the Church of England do It tells us in the 12. Article That good works are the fruits of Faith and follow after Justification that they spring necessarily of a true and lively Faith And in the 13. Article That works done before the Grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God forasmuch as they spring not of Faith in Jesus Christ Nay in the close of that Article our Church saith of such works We doubt not but they have the nature of sin As for Mr. Shephards speech for Christ come in a sense that they have in some measure resisted his Spirit refused his Grace and wearied him with their iniquities the inviting of such is no more than that of our Saviour which calls the weary and heavy laden to come to him for rest in which all are concerned except such as can without Christ earn a sanctity or holyness at the fingers ends of Nature and take a nap at home in a presumption of their own worthiness and self made righteousness But let us consider Mr. Sherlock the whole progress of the Soul to a closure with Christ the several steps to this are Conviction Compunction Humiliation and Faith which is the uniting Grace Now if there be nothing of forjaking of sin included in all this then Men must be united to Christ before they forsake their sins Now Conviction is a great sense of the evil of sin and the evil after it of its abominable accursed Nature and the Judgments which follow it and this is as it ought to be Men must be awakened to see these evils before they will reform their lives Reform nay you are out this is not the end of Conviction to reform sin that is a legal way but Compunction is the end of it well then what is this Compunction Why Compunction is first a great fear of being damned he sees death wrath eternity near to him next to this succeeds a great sorrow and mourning for sin and that which perfects this Compunction is a separation from sin this is something like but by a separation from sin you must not understand a leaving sin but such a separation as consists with living in it For it is nothing but a being willing or rather not unwilling that the Lord should take it away the Lord doth not wound the heart that the Soul should first heal it self but that it may desire the Physician the Lord Jesus to come and heal it So that all he means by separation from sin is to be content that Christ by an irresistible power should take away our sins By this Separation the Soul is cut off from the will to sin not from all no nor from any sin in the will for that must be mortified by a Spirit of holyness after the Soul is implanted into Christ Now this is down right non-sense for he must be a subtil Man who can distinguish between a will to sin and sin in the will and all that can be made of it is this that this separation is a willingness or rather not unwillingness that Christ should take away our sins against our wills and therefore he tells us That this Separation is no part of our Sanctification The whole design of this Compunction is to work humiliation in us which is the work of the Spirit whereby the Soul broken off from self-conceit and confidence submitteth and lieth under God to be disposed as he pleaseth this self-confidence is any hope of pleasing God by Reformation or Repentance or any thing he can do When Men feel this Compunction the great danger is lest they should seck ease by Repentance and Reformation if they can repent and reform they have some hopes as well they may if they do so that this will heal their wounds and pacify the Lord towards them when they see no peace in a sinful course they will try a good one But this is a dangerous mistake for while it is thus with the Soul he is uncapable of Christ For he that trusts to other things to save him or makes himself his own Saviour or rests in his duties without a Saviour that is according to this Author all those who repent and reform he can never have Christ to save him So that true Humiliation is this when the Soul feels its own inability and unworthiness that it may lye under God to be disposed of that is contented to be saved or damned as shall please God and when the Soul is at this pass it is vas capax a vessel capable of Grace And now they are made thus hollow and empty by Humiliation they are capable of receiving Christ as an hollow vessel is of receiving any thing This is a new notion of our union to Christ that it is a receiving Christ into us as an hollow vessel receives any liquor poured into it This is a Philosophical account of the nature of Humiliation that a man must have such a sense of his inability to please God that he shall never dare to be so prophane as to attempt it but must leave repentance and reformation to carnal christless men and that he may be so sensible of his unworthiness that he shall contentedly submit to God to be damned or saved as he pleases And now the Soul being thus hollow is fit to receive Christ and being grown careless of its Salvation and indifferent whether it be saved or damned for it is impossible thus to submit without being indifferent in some measure which God shall chuse it is a fit object for mercy certainly it is a very hard thing to bring any man in his wits to this and I find by this Author that God is very hard put to it to humhle the Soul thus For he is forced to irritate and stir up original corruption to stir the dunghil a very unfit office for an Holy Being that so men finding themselves sensibly grow worse and worse may despair of growing better and leave off such vain attempts and sit down humble under God Nay the Lord loads and tires and wearies the Soul by its own endeavours till it can stir no more That is when the Soul labours to repent and reform the Spirit of God which should assist such pious endeavours withdraws it self because it knows the Soul would rest therein without Christ Now I know not who suffers most by this The sinner who is thus humbled or God who thus humbles him for it must needs be as contrary to the holy merciful nature of God to use such
to say that which he cannot know and that against his own Soul and eternal Salvation Is there any such reprobation in Scripture as barrs out of Heaven such as by Faith venture upon Christ No surely Christ hath so far dyed for all men as to found for them that general promise whosoever believeth shall be saved This is a plain sure foundation for men to venture upon none that by Faith venture upon Christ shall be barred out of Heaven by any Decree of God because his Decree cannot clash with his Promise It is very irregular arguing to say I know not Gods Decree therefore I 'll neglect my duty St. Paul exhorts the Philippians to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling for it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. Might the Philippians have said how do we know what Gods pleasure is or what he will work in us Why should we work at such a venture or at the pleasure of another No the fear and trembling in the Text was enough to keep them back from arguing at that rate Suppose now that there were no such thing as Election will there not be a paucity and an hard venture still Our Saviour tells us that few find the way to life Matth. 7.14 And God whose prescience is immutable eternally foresaw that it would be so and what must we do now May we deny the truth of Christs words or of Gods prescience Surely we ought not or may we argue thus Few enter into life why should I venture It s an hard venture and great odds against me May I now cry out Good God what Merchant adventurers are poor sinners Surely it doth not at all become me I must look upon the Rule in the Word and endeavour to do my duty Duties belong to us and issues to God But to pass on according to Mr. Shephard it seems assurance it self cannot secure us to which the bare recital of Mr. Shephards words will be answer enough they are these The Call of Christ is the ground by which we first believe It is a constant ground of Faith For if you come to Christ because you have assurance or because you feel such and such Graces and heavenly Impressions of Gods Spirit in you you may then many a day and year keep at a distance from Christ and lye without Christ for the feeling of Graces and assurance of favour are not constant His meaning is very plain the Call of Christ is the ground of our first believing and it is a constant ground if by after renewed acts of Faith we come to Christ because we have assurance we may many a day live without Christ for assurance is no constant thing as the Call is The Author I suppose took out a little out of Mr. Shephard not to interpret him but to sport with him Afterwards we have the Author concluding from Mr. Shephards particular Call That the general Call signifies nothing that there is no foundation for our Faith in Christ but this particular Call To which I answer The general promises of the Gospel signifie Gods will to save Believers and therefore are a sufficient foundation for a man to believe in Christ for Salvation a greater warrant we cannot have for it then Gods own Charter sealed with the Blood of his Son Jesus Christ But that which works this Faith in us is a special Call or internal Grace which shines into the heart and calls forth Faith into being But though we know not how to get into Christ Mr. Sherlock it would be some comfort to know that we are in him But this is as impossible as the other As the only foundation of our Faith in coming to Christ aocording to these mens notions is a special call of the Spirit So the only infallible assurance that we are in Christ is the testimony of the Spirit The spirit of adoption which teaches us to cry Abba Father And yet God doth not afford this Testimony to all but suffers many good Christians to walk in darkness and hides his face from them for no other reason but because they are desirous of it and would be quiet if they should know it this is somewhat hard measure But suppose you have or think you have this testimony of the Spirit how can you be sure that it is not a cheat and delusion the imposture of the Devil or of your own self-flattering imagination to satisfie this we are directed to marks Thus this infallible assurance from the testimony of the Spirit must in its last resolve be founded upon some Moral evidence As it is with the Church of Rome who after a great noise and cry of infallibility are at last forc'd to resolve their Faith into some Motives of credibility or to dance round in an endless circle Well what are the marks of our being in Christ You must enquire whether you have the Spirit of Christ And it is just as easie to know this as whether you be in Christ But are you true Believers Is your Faith of the right stamp is it wrought by the Almighty Power of God Or is it such an easie common presumptuous false faith as that which is in the generality of men This is as easie to know as any of the former For if there be such a false presumptuous faith as takes Christ when he does not belong to us and rests and relies on Christ only for pardon and salvation and yet shall never have Christ How shall we know whether our Faith be true and genuine such as will make Christ ours and the answer to this brings us to that great mark of Sanctification You must consider the effects of Faith Dr. Jacomb pag. 65. doth it purifie the Heart overcome the World work by Love are you new Creatures Is the state of your person changed from a Child of wrath to an Heir of Grace which is the thing to be proved Or is your nature changed Do you walk in newness of life Have you crucified the flesh with its lusts Do you bring forth fruit That is you must prove your justification by your sanctification your Faith by your Works I am glad it is no worse that good works and an holy life may at least put in for marks and evidences of a justified state though the truth is this is a meer complement to Holiness and as they order the matter an holy life can no more be a sign of a justified state than it can justifie us It would be some comfort to know Answer that we are in Christ But this is impossible Thus the Author Impossible Nothing plainer in Scripture we read of the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 1.12 The sealing of the holy Spirit of promise Eph. 1.13 The witness of the Spirit with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 But God doth not afford this testimony of the Spirit to all
on the one side that he according to their Principles but a meer creature should be the object of faith on the other that so many pregnant places of Scripture should be eluded but had they found out a way to interpret such Phrases as believing and trusting in him in a sence abstractive from his Person they might all have concluded that he was not the object of faith The Authour as to a faith of recumbency on him and his merits seems to conclude the same for though he speak of trusting in Christ and his blood he interprets himself thus expecting to be saved according to the terms of the Gospel Covenant that is by believing and obeying the Gospel of Christ pag. 24. The whole is placed in believing and obeying the Gospel Obedience as I take it is no part of Faith Works shew forth Faith James 2. and so are distinct from it Faith produces Obedience Hebrews 11. and surely it doth not produce it self We are married to Christ that is by Faith that we might bring forth fruit unto God Rom. 7.1 And me thinks Faith which is the espousal should not be the Progeny Abraham's faith only is admitted in Justification Romans 4. And his works though done after conversion are excluded as being no part of it When Socinus said that Christo credere idem significat atque illi obedire The Learned Calovius tells him That it is but a meer Fiction to prevent the Article of Justification and transform Faith into Works And withall adds that Credere in nullo idiomate idem est quod obedire Obedience being no part of Faith that which remains is only believing the Gospel which is a Dogmatical Faith such as believes the Gospel to be true and inter alia Jesus Christ to be the Messiah and Saviour But alas This is so far beneath a faith of recumbency such as in the Apostle is stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 that the very Devils are capable of it who yet never shall have the least drop of that atoneing blood sprinkled on them In our Authour the whole terms of the Gospel are believing and obeying it Obeying it is not so much as a part of faith Believing it is a part of faith but far short of recumbency and how the Authour leaves any room at all for recumbency I see not if Faith which uses to rest in the wounds of Christ may be only totally lodged in the Evangelical Axiom's I fear that Christ will be at odds with the Gospel which contrary to its Native Genius which is to elevate faith unto him our Great Redeemer reserves all of it to it self But to go on the Authour saith That they are for a recumbency on Christ in contradistinction to obedience to his Laws which sets up a Religion of the Person of Christ in opposition to the Religion of his Gospel I answer They make true faith contradistinct from obedience not that faith is alone in existence as if it had no holy fruits of obedience hanging on it but that it is alone in the matter of Justification And this I think is the Doctrine of Protestants and Fathers Which made Erasmus as I have him quoted by the Reverend Morton say Haec Vox sola fides tot clamoribus lapidata hoc seculo in Luthero reverentèr legitur auditur in Patribus if faith though alone in justification do yet spread forth it self into holy obedience I hope the Gospel is not in the least opposed by such a recumbency as gives Christ the glory of his blood and righteousness But now we must hear the significations of the word Christ First Mr. Sherlock Christ is originally the Name of an Office which the Jews call the Messias or Anointed Jesus Christ was anointed with the Holy Ghost and Power which was his consecration to the Mediatory Function and virtually contained all those Offices of Prophet Priest and King which are not properly distinct Offices in Christ but the several parts and different administrations of his Mediatory Kingdom after which the Authour describes those Offices to us The Socinians Answer who deny the Satisfaction of Christ have some reason according to their corrupt Principles to jumble all the Offices of Christ together that the oriency of his Priestly Sacrifice might not appear yet are they castigated for it by Calovius and others and Arnoldus calls the Racovian Catechist Hostis crucis Christi upon that account But why our Authour who owns the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ should confound them I know not I conceive the Offices of Christ are distinct though he who had them all performed them in such a just Decorum as became him who had all of them in himself Though he triumphed upon the Cross and what he preached was a Law yet Teaching is not Reigning nor is either Sacrificing In his Prophetical Office Salvation was explicated in his Priestly purchased in his Kingly applied The first removes Ignorance the second expiates Guilt and the Third subdues Corruption In the Authours description of these Offices the Reader may make some Observations In that of the Prophetical Office he mentions his outward preaching but passes over in silence that internal illumination of the Spirit which to me is the life of the other without which no man can spiritually discern the things of God Hence Reverend Bishop Reynolds speaking of the Opinion of Episcopius that an unregenerate man may understand such things sine lumine supernaturali is bold to censure the same as wicked words In that of the Priestly he tells us That Intercession is the Power of a Regal Priest to expiate and forgive sins I take it Christ on Earth had power to forgive sins and did expiate them by his once offered Sacrifice on the Cross But may we call it Intercession Or is Intercession here below I ever took it to be above and to be Christ's Appearance in Heaven for us and his presenting his meritorious Sacrifice to his Father in our behalf When the Racovian Catechism describes his Intercession by his Power to avert Wrath Arnoldus censures it thus Quis unquà m tam inepta stolida insulsa super claros Scripturae textus glossemata vel somniare posset Interpellare Christi in coelis nihil aliud esse quam potestatem Quae rei vel verborum saltem cognatio In that of the Kingly he saith That he conquers the minds of men by the Power of his Word and Spirit and reduces them into Subjection by Minds I hope he takes in Wills too and all is excellent well may it but stand so but afterwards the Authour denies irresistible Grace and then the Conquest is but ad nutum creaturae at the pleasure of the conquered the conquered if he please may be Conqueror and the Conqueror must drop his Crown into his Hand and shall we call this a Conquest Or if we may is it such as becomes the Throne of the Son of God or the design
those who are so apt to be conceited of Merit grow as proud of a golden Bucket as if the Well were their own They are civil to Faith to make it a golden Bucket but at other times they tell us That Faith may be a sore and blear-eyed Leah a shaking and a palsie hand weak and bending Legs and have all the infirmities that may be and be never the worse neither as to the purpose of Justification so that Faith had need be a very humble Grace else it would take such language very ill from them What need all this sport with Faiths Humility or Infirmity Answer An humble Grace Faith is it empties the Soul of it self gives all Glory to God hangs upon Christ and free Grace and hath all in a way of receiving and dependence and seeing its Nature and aptitude to Evangelical purposes is such it is no wonder at all that God set his stamp upon it and marked it out for an Evangelical Medium to receive Christ and his Righteousness unto Justification Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace saith the Apostle Rom. 4.16 Fides Gratia commeant mutuò se ponunt tollunt Fides sola Gratiâ nititur Gratia tantùm credenti promittitur saith the Learned Paraeus on the place Let us hear our Church in this matter 2. Hom. of salvation This saying that we be justified by Faith only freely and without Works is spoken to take away clearly all merit of our Works as being unable to deserve Justification at Gods hands and thereby most plainly to express the weakness of Man and goodness of God the great infirmity of our selves and the might and power of God the imperfectness of our own works and the most abundant Grace of our Saviour Christ. But to go on infirm Faith is because of the adherent Corruption which is apt to blear its eyes and give it a palsie hand and trembling legs however if it be true it entitles to Christ and his Righteousness Invoco te Domine languidâ imbecillâ fide sed fide tamen said Cruciger the German Divine Those men whom the Author opposes hold no such thing as meriting by Tears or any thing else of our own but caution against it Indeed the Author thinks there is no danger in repentant Tears but Humane pride such is its venomous Nature is ready to swell at any small matter which hath but any shadow of excellency in it The heart of good Hezekiah was lifted up over his Silver and Gold and Treasures and precious things which yet were of a much lower value than his devotional Tears which shews the proneness of our Nature to that sin Those Scriptures Without holiness no man shall see God Mr. Sherlock The wrath of God is reveiled against all unrighteousness In every Nation he that worketh righteousness is accepted of God Except your righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into Heaven He that breaketh the least of these Commandements and teacheth men so shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven and he that doth and teacheth them shall be called great there assert the absolute necessity of an holy life to entitle us to Gods Love and the Rewards of the next Life and perfectly overthrow their fundamental Notion of Justification by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us Doth the necessity of an holy Life overthrow the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness Answer No surely it 's a very gross mistake a holy Life is so far from overthrowing Imputed Righteousness that it presupposes it We are married to Christ that we might bring forth fruit unto God Rom. 7.4 And our Church in the 12. Article tells us That good Works follow after Justification Those who are true Believers and have Christ's Righteousness imputed to them do above all other men obey God's Commands glorifie his Name and walk in holy Obedience towards the Crown of Glory above Obedience is necessary but not in that sence as if the least breach of a Command should finally exclude from Heaven for then it were Wo wo to us Nor yet so absolutely as that a Believer dying in the first instant of Faith and before actual Obedience should be shut out of Heaven Our Church hath taught us better 1. Hom. of good works quoting St. Chrysost sor it I can shew a man that by Faith without Works lived and came to heaven but without Faith never man had life the Thief that was hanged when Christ suffered did believe only and the merciful God justified him If any say that he lacked time truth it is and I will not contend therein but this I will surely affirm That Faith only saved him But these men defie you Mr. Sherlock if you charge them with destroying the necessity of an holy life for they tell us Tat this universal Obedience and good Works a suspicious word are indispensibly necessary from the sovereign appointment and Will of God this is the Will of God even our Sanctification It is the Will of the Father Son and holy Ghost it is the end of their Dispensation in the business of Salvation it is the end of the Father's electing Love Eph. 1.2 of the Son 's redeeming Love Tit. 2. and of the Spirit 's sanctifying Love it is necessary to the glory of them all And are not these men mightily injured Is it not great pity they should be so abused But the truth is all this is not one syllable to the purpose for the Question was about its necessity to salvation and if we be justified and saved without it all this cannot prove any necessary obligation on us to the practice of it God hath commanded Obedience but where is the Sanction of this Law Will he damn those who do not obey for their disobedience and save those who do for their obedience Not a word of this for this destroys our Justification by Christ's Righteousness only if after all those commands God hath left it indifferent whether we obey or not Obedience is not necessary And will the Father elect and the Son redeem none but those who are holy and reprobate all others If we be elected and redeemed without any regard to our being holy our Election and Redemption is secure whether we be holy or not and so this cannot make holiness necessary on our part though it may be necessary on God's to make us holy but that is not our care and how is Obedience for the glory of the Father Son and holy Spirit when the necessity of holiness is destructive to free Grace which is the only glory God designs by Christ I suppose them injured and abused to some tune Answer after they have in terminis asserted the Necessity of Obedience from strong invincible Scriptural Arguments they are yet charged with destroying the Necessity of an holy Life But saith the Author All this is not one syllable to the purpose
make holiness needless Under pardon this is neither better nor worse than an old Popish calumny such as hath been cast into the face of Protestants over and over Chemnitius asserting justification by imputed Righteousness tells us Exam. Conc. Trid. de Justif Inde verò Pontificii texunt calumniam omnia decreta Tridentina ita condita sunt de justificatione ut obliquè nos insimulent quasi doceamus credentes non renovari quasi charitatem obedientiam ita excludamus ut nec adsit nec sequatur in reconciliatis And what return doth that learned man make thereunto Sed tantùm Syeophanticae impudentes calumniae sunt quibus strepitum excitant The learned Chamier brings in Sapeins Cham. de Sanctif cap. 2. charging the Protestants thus Non esse nos justos nist solû imputatione justitiae Christi non autem ullâ inhaerente qualitate And Costerus thus Christus est nostra justitia nulla est ergo alia justitia in nobis And Bozius thus Vt salutem consequaris sis sanctus aiunt omnes Protestantes nihil est necesse boni aliquid velis moliaris aut facias Christo fidas impunè quidvis audeas ad exitum perducas and then expresses himself thus Immanem ita me Deus amet calumniam The excellent Davenant De Hâ—tuali cap. â— ushering in Bellarmine and Campian and Becanus as casting the same dirt into the face of Protestants saith plainly to the two first quot verba tot serè mendacia and to the third calumnia est apertè falsa The Papists you see have cast out these calumnies but should a Protestant do so No surely the Author I confess hath done a great honour to these few Nonconformists in casting upon them that reproach of Christ for so as a Protestant I must call it which many a son of the Church of England would willingly bear hoping to have the spirit of Glory rest upon him but I suppose he hath done no great right to the Protestant cause therein How vain this calumny is doth assoon appear as we can open our eyes upon the common distinction between Justification and Sanctification Justification is an Action of God without us Sanctification an Action of the Spirit within us the one is by the perfect Righteousness of Christ imputed the other by the holy Graces of the Spirit infused and inherent in us In the one we are freed from the Guilt of Sin in the other from the Corruption and Pollution of it By the one we have a Title to God's Kingdom by the other a Meetness for it it being such as no unclean thing can enter into the same And what colour of Repugnancy is there between these two and how doth the one make the other useless Both are useful to the Believer and both in Harmony between themselves Obedience is so far from being needless that it is a necessary consequent upon Justification by Christ's Righteousness St. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans first treats of Justification and then of Sanctification as a consequent thereupon Good works as our Church tells us in the 12th Article are the Fruits of Faith and follow after Justification To me it is unimaginable that the holy Spirit which is procured by Christ's Righteousness and before whose inspiration as our Church tells us in the 13th Article works done are not pleasant unto God should inspire unjustified persons to Obedience nay had it not been for Christ's Righteousness the holy Spirit I verily believe would no more have touched in the least holy motion upon Men than upon Devils I shall close this Point with the Authors own words Christ's Satisfaction was for sins of Omission and Commission and by it we are reputed by God as having done nothing amiss and as perfectly righteous to have done all to have kept the whole Law pag. 60. and yet I hope the Author doth not esteem Holiness needless though I cannot tell how Christ's imputed Righteousness whereof his Satisfaction is a part should make any man more than perfectly righteous However Holiness is necessary with respect to Sanctification Mr. Sherlock We have in us a New Creature which is fed cherish'd nourish'd kept alive by the fruits of Holiness God hath not given us new Hearts to kill them in the womb or to give them to the Old Man to be devoured as Dr. Owen hath it The phrase of this is admirable and the reasoning unanswerable if men be new Creatures they will certainly live new Lives And this makes Holiness necessary by the same reason that every thing necessarily is what it is when it is The new Creature is fed with fruits of of Holiness Answer so Dr. Owen Upon which the Author tells us in sport that the phrase is admirable I suppose it is so Hear our Church As Men that be very Men indeed 1. Hom. of good works quoting St. Chrysost for it first have life and after be nourished so must our Faith in Christ go before and after be nourished with good works But for the reason I think it cannot be answered Exercise is necessary for the Body and is it not necessary for the Body and is it not necessary for the Soul It is necessary for the Soul in meer Moral Virtues and is it not necessary for it in spiriritual Graces too Reason though a natural Talent only necessarily obliges us to walk sutably to it and how much more do Divine Graces which are altogether supernatural bind us to live in a Decorum thereunto These things to me are very cogent Well! Mr. Sherlock but holiness is necessary as the means to the end but how Though it neither be the Cause Matter nor Condition of our Justification yet it is the Way appointed by God for us to walk in for the obtaining Salvation he that hopeth purifieth himself none shall come to the End who walk not in the Way without Holiness it is impossible to see God This is all pertinent and home to the purpose but it hath two little faults in it that it contradicts it self and overthrows their darling Opinions which I can pardon if he can What the necessary way to eternal Life and yet neither Cause Matter nor Condition At least it might be the Causa sine qua non and that will make it a Condition But not to dispute about words I am content it should be only a way to life but what becomes of Christ then who is the only way Cannot Christ's Righteousness save us without our own Doth Christ's Righteousness free us from guilt and entitle us to Glory and yet can we not be saved without Holiness What becomes of free Grace then Is not this to eek out the Righteousness of Christ with our own To make Christ our Justifier and our Works our Saviour This is all pertinent Answer It seems the former Arguments drawn from the sovereign Will of God from the End of the Love of the blessed Trinity from the
Commandements shall be the Least in the Kingdom of Heaven if taken in rigore juris were enough to shut all men out of heaven it imports therefore that sincere Obedience is necessary to those who will go thither Again the Evangelicall Light brake out as it pleased the Father of Lights gradually and successively In Math. 16. Peter makes that famous Confession Thou art Christ and was by Christ called Blessed for it and a little after Peter as ignorant of Christ's Passion would have diverted him from it and for that was called Satan Christ's Passion was sure a most necessary thing vet he knew it not Further our Saviour tells the Apostles that It was expedient for them that he should go away why so Then the spirit should come which should guide them into all truth which should glorifie Christ which should take of Christs and should shew it unto them Joh. 16.7 13 14 15. Observe the Spirit was to open and display the things of Christ amongst others his blood and righteousness in their glory and true use to be made ours and now it is no wonder at all if imputed Righteousness be more fully laid down in the Epistles than in the Sermons of our Saviour Christ himself the wisdom of heaven reserved that fuller light till the descent of the holy Ghost Moreover we must distinguish between the necessity of Christs imputed righteousness in it self and the necessity of the knowledge of it Imputed Righteousness since the fall hath ever been necessary in it self no man was ever justisied without Christ's blood applyed to him and that application is made upon believing by way of imputation but the knowledge of it hath been more or less necessary as the Evangelical light hath more or less reveiled it St. Peter at that time of his confession was no doubt justified by Christ's blood and yet he then had not the knowledge of his passion Lastly it appears plainly that our Saviour warned his hearers not to trust in their own Righteousness Thus the Pharisee and the Publican are in the Parable set forth to those that trusted in themselves that they were righteous Luk. 18.19 The Pharisee boasts of his Justice Purity Sanctity The Publican cries out of his sins and begs for mercy and as our Saviour tells us went away jestified rather than the other So true is that of Prosper Melior est in malis factis humilis confessio quà m in bonis superbagloriatio To conclude I hope by these things it appears that neither our Saviour was unfaithful in his prophetical Office nor the Evangelists in giving us an account of our Saviours Doctrine It is worth the observing Mr. Sherlock that in all the New Testament there is no such expression as the Righteousness of Christ or the imputation of Christ's Righteousness we there only find 〈◊〉 righteousness of God and the righteousness of Faith and the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ which is 〈◊〉 strange Did the whole Mystery of the Gospel consist in the imputation of Christ's Righteousness that neither Christ nor his Apostles should once tell us so in express terms This is Bellarmine's own Argument Answer Hactenùs nullum omninò locum invenire potuerunt De just l. 2. cap. 7. ubi legeretur Christi justitiam nobis imputari ad justitiam But I hope our Author will not follow the sound and tinkling of words what if it be not in Scripture syllabically and literally May it not suffice to be there in Sence just Consequence Ratio divina non in superficie est sed in medullà The Author saith That there is no such Expression as the Righteousness of Christ but St. Peter tells us of the righteousness of God our Saviour Jesus Christ 2. Pet. 11 1 Again he saith That there is no such Expression as the Imputation of Christs Righteousness But St. Paul tells us That we are made righteous by Christs obedience Rom. 5.19 But I will say no more to this Objection because I have before proved Imputed Righteousness by Scripture That phrase Mr. Sherlock the Righteousness of God sometimes signifies his Justice Veracity or Goodness Rom. 3.5 but most commonly in the new Testament it signifies that Righteousness which God approves commands and which he will accept for the Justification of a sinner which is contained in the Terms of the Gospel Rom 1.17 For therein is the Righteousness of God reveiled Thus it is called the Righteousness of God Math. 6.33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness which is the same with the righteousness of his Kingdome Now the Kingdom of God signifies the State of the Gospel and the Righteousness of God or of his Kingdom that Righteousness which the Gospel prescribes which is conteined in the Sermons and Parables of Christ and consists in a sincere and universal Obedience to the Commands of God Answer The Righteousness of God is indeed that which he approves and accepts of in Justification but not that which he commands us to do no then we should not be justified by Christs blood Rom. 5.9 nor made righteous by his obedience Rom. 5.19 then the Apostle would not tell us of a righteousness imputed without works Rom. 4.6 Neither would he as he doth in that place exclude the Works of converted Abraham from Justification I say of converted Abraham for those words Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness Rom. 4.3 were spoken of Abraham divers years after his Conversion as Dr. Ward hath observed Our Obedience is an Evidence of our Justification 〈◊〉 22. but till it can expiate sin and reach the top and apex of the pure Law it cannot be the Matter of our Righteousness before God Our Church places good Works after Justification and most exellently states Justification in three things Vpon Gods part his great mercy and grace 〈◊〉 of Salvation upon Christs part Justice that is the satisfaction of Gods Justice or the price of our Redemption by the offering of his Body shedding of his Blood with fulfilling of the Law perfectly thoroughly and upon our part true and lively Faith in the Merits of Jesus Christ which is not ours but by God's working in us Thus our Church leaving no room at all for Obedience In the point of Justification The Righteousness of God that which he commands and rewards is the Righteousness of Faith Mr. Sherlock or Righteousness by the Faith of Christ Now Faith in Christ is often ujed objectively for the Gospel of Christ which is the Object of our Faith and so the Righteousness of Faith or by the Faith of Christ is that Righteousness which the Gospel commands Thus Acts. 24. Felix sent for Paul and heard him concerning the Faith of Christ that is concerning righteousness temperance and the judgment to come vers 25. which are the principal Matters of the Gospel Thus obedience to the Faith is obedience to
that it stands faster than the Pillars of Heaven and Earth and must be so as long as God is God and Man Man The Reason of Man must be bound in duty to point to God as the Primum Verum and the Will of Man to resign to him as the Primum Amabile these are Foundations never to be shaken The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law amounts to so much more than the inherent Righteousness of all Saints put together that it is no were to be found but in the perfect spotless obedience of Christ neither can that be made ours but by imputation Hence Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Sher-Jock the end of the Law the perfection and accomplishment of it for Righteousness to them that believe Rom. 10.4 That is the Gospel of Christ requires that Rightcousness of us which the Law did only typifie and represent that holiness and purity of mind which is the perfection of all legal Righteousness For that Christ should be the end of the Law by imputation of his Righteousness to us hath no foundation in the Text. The Apostle explains what he means by this in the following verses where he gives us a description of the righteousness of the Law and the righteousness of Faith The righteousness of the Law is an external conformity to the letter of the Law the man that doth them shall live in them that is shall enjoy all the Temporal Blessings of Canaan which were promised to the observance of the Law But the Righteousness of Faith is a firm and stedfast belief of the Divine Authority of Christ that he is the Lord and more particularly a belief of his Resurrection from the dead as the last and great confirmation which God gave to the divinity of Christ's Person and Doctrine This is that Faith that overcometh the world and purifies the heart and transforms us into the likeness of God which is the perfection of all the ritual righteousness of the Law Vpon this account Christ is said to be made to us Righteousness 1 Cor. 1.20 He of God is made to us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption He is our Wisdom as he is our great Prophet who instructs us in true Wisdom our Righteousness as we are justified by Faith in him by a sincere belief of his Gospel which is the only Righteousness acceptable to God our Sanctification because the law of the spirit of life in him makes us free from the law of sin and death our Redemption as by these means he bath delivered us from the bondage of the Jewish Law from the idolatrous Customs of the Heathens and the tyranny of wicked Spirits and the wrath of God which is the merit of sin Christ is the end of the Law Answer even of the Moral Law and what did that call for Not external Conformisty only but all Holiness and Righteousness and that in pure sinless perfection this our Faith or inherent Graces because imperfect can never amount to The Law therefore hath its end only in the perfect spotless Righteousness of Christ and that being made over to Believers by Imputation Christ is truly said to be the end of the Law for righteousness to the believer The man that doth them shall live in them Rom. 10.5 that is saith the Author shall enjoy the temporal blessings of Canaan Indeed the Racovian Catechist will go no further Nusquam in Lege Mosis reperies vitam aeternam promissam saith he But we find the Saints in the Old Testament fixing their Faith upon eternal Life My Redeemer liveth and I shall see him saith Job Job 19.25 and 27. Abraham desireth a better country that is an heavenly Heb. 11.16 The just shall live by his faith Hab. 2.4 which is interpreted of eternal Life Rom. 1.17 Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Joel 2.32 that is with eternal Life as it is applied Rom. 10.13 Paul said no other things than the Prophets and Moses did Act. 26.22 and yet surely he spake of eternal Life Moses and the Prophets are frequent in promising the Messiah and in him all the Promises are contained Do this and live is meant of eternal Life a Curse that is eternal Death is threatned to the violaters of the Law Gal. 3.10 therefore Life and that eternal is promised to the keepers of it When the Lawyer asked What shall I do to inherit eternal life our Saviour answered him that he must keep the Law Luk. 10.25 28. If the Law did not promise eternal Life then it did not threaten eternal Death and by consequence Christ who redeemed us from the Curse of the Law redeemed us only from a temporal one But to pass on Christ of God is made unto us righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 that is saith the Author we are justified by Faith in him by a sincere belief of his Gospel That we are justified by Faith in Christ I acknowledge but not in the Authors sence he makes Faith properly and as an Act to justifie he makes the nature of Faith to consist only in a firm assent But I have before proved that Faith justifies as it receives Christ and his Righteousness and that justifying Faith over and above assent includes in it a fiducial Recumbency Christ is made to us righteousness one of these two ways either by the Graces of his holy Spirit imparted to us or else by his perfect Obedience imputed to us He is not made Righteousness to us by the Graces of his Spirit imparted to us for with respect to these he is made Sanctification to us and Sanctification and Justification must not be confounded As we have holy Graces from him to sanctifie us so we have Righteousness from him to justifie us He is therefore our Righteousness because his perfect Righteousness by Imputation becomes ours Bellarmine speaking of this place at sâ—â—â—interprets it of the inherent Righteousness in us which comes from Christ but afterwards as convicted of the truth De Jusiâ—â— 11.2 cip 10. he saith Nobis imputari Christi justitiam merita cùm nobis donentur applicentur ac si nosipsi Deo satisfecissemus That the Righteousness and Morits of Christ are imputed to us when they are given and applied to us as if we our selves had satisfied God Further our Author upon this Text saith That Christ is our wisdom as he is cur Prophet our Righteousness as we are justified by believing the Gospel our Sanctification as we have the Law of the Spirit of life and our Redemption as by these means he hath delivered us I see not what room is left here for the redeeming Blood of Christ nevertheless I suppose the Author meant to include the same This is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Sherlock the foundation of all other mistakes that by the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Works most men understand an internal Holiness and then conclude That if this Righteousness will
justifying Grace to be donum in Animainhaerens Renovation and Regeneration Against this our Protestant Divines have sufficiently testified Indeed no man who understands either himself and his own Errata's or the necessary distinction which is to be made between Justification and Sanctification can assert it And now nothing remains to be our Righteousness in Justification but the Obedience and atoning Blood of Christ and these cannot be applied to us and become ours but by Imputation By this it appears that the Blood of Christ doth not only confirm the Covenant but that it justifies us also And this further appears by the place quoted by the Author Moses sprinkled the blood on the book and on all the people Heb. 9.19 He did not only confirm the Covenant but sprinkled the People too this was the Type or Figure but Christ who is the Substance not only confirms the Covenant but sprinkles the hearts of Believers by his Blood Hence their hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience Heb. 10.22 and they have the sprinkling of the blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1.2 But to go on The Scripture saith the Author uses these phrases promiscuously to be justified by Faith by Christ by Grace nay by believing that Christ is the Son of God or risen from the dead To which I answer All these concurr to the same Justification but not in the same manner Grace which is the inward impulsive Cause of Justification is not Christ or his Blood the Blood of Christ which is the Matter of our Righteousness is not Faith Faith which is the Hand to receive Christ and Grace is not the Gospel the Charter of Justification which contains the Evangelical Axioms such as those touching Christ's being the Son of God or touching his Resurrection from the dead are These are distinct things and not to be confounded As for that place Eph. 2.14 15 16. the Apostle speaks indeed of reconciling Jews and Gentiles but that is not all he speaks too of reconciling both to God ver 16. and of making them one new man in himself ver 15. which notes a further reconciliation than that among themselves even a conjunction with God and Christ according to our Saviours Prayer That they maybe one in us Joh. 17.21 Christ saith the Author abrogated the Mosaical Law I answer He did so as to Types and Ceremonials but the Moral Law which is immortalized by its intrinsecal Sanctity stands to this day and the Grace which was under the Old Testament was not abrogated but made more illustrious than it was before The Gentiles saith the Author were at a distance from God But if they had natural Faith and could by it please God the distance was less and more tolerable though they were but in the outward Court of the Temple nay though they were a thousand miles off from it they would do well enough in the other world Mr. Sherlock Thus the Jews are said to be redeemed from the curse of the Law by the accursed death of Christ upon the Cross Gal. 3.13 Because the death of Christ put an end to that Legal dispensation and sealed a new and better Covenant between God and Man and the Gentiles were redeemed from their vain conversation received from their fathers that is from those idolatrous and impure practices they were guilty of not with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ 1. Pet. 1.18 19. Now the Gentiles were delivered from their Idolatry by the preaching of the Gospel which is called their being redeemed by the blood of Christ because we owe this unspeakable blessing to his death Thus the Jews are redeemed from the curse of the Law by the accursed death of Christ Answer Gal. 3.13 so the Author and thus Socinus De Servat part 2. cap. 1. Ad Judaeos tantùm pertinet This belongs only to the Jews But the Curse which fell upon Christ was not a ceremonial one but a real such as put him into Agonies and a bloody Sweat neither were the Jews only redeemed from it but the Gentiles also what else was this to the Galatians who were Gentiles Were not the Gentiles also under the Curse and by nature children of wrath No doubt they were the Apostle saith That Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ ver 14. And surely he would not argue from the Redemption of the Jews only to the Benediction of the Gentiles but from what was common to both of them The Gentiles were redeemed from their vain conversation that is from their idolatrous practices with the blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 19. that is they were delivered by the preaching of the Gospel So the Author But when they were redeemed from their vain Conversation they were redeemed from the guilt of it and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this was not the Gospel but the precious Blood of Christ who was a Lamb without blemish and without spot Those men are injurious to the Blood of Christ Mr. Sherlock who attribute no more to it than a non-imputation of sin That by his death Christ Dr. Owen Com. 193. bearing and undergoing the punishment due to us paying the ransom due for us delivered us from the wrath and curse of God And thus by Christ's death all cause of quarrel is taken away But then this will not complete our acceptation the old quarrel may be laid aside and yet no new friendship begun we may be not sinners and yet not so far righteous as to have a right to the Kingdom of heaven So that the Blood of Christ only makes us innocent delivers us from guilt and punishment but if we will take the Doctor 's word for it it can give us no title to Glory this is owing to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to the Obedience of his Life But you see the Scripture gives us a quite different account of it we are said to be justified and redeemed by the Blood of Christ nay We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the Blood of Jesus Heb. 10.19 which is an allusion to the high Priest's entring into the Holy of Holies which was a Type of Heaven with the blood of the Sacrifice Thus by the Blood of Christ we have admission into heaven it self though the Dr. says That the Blood of Christ makes us innocent but cannot give us a Title to Heaven The Scripture takes no notice of their artificial Methods That the guilt of sin is taken away by the death of Christ and that we are made righteous by his Righteousness But the Blood of Christ is said to justifie us and to give us admission into the holiest of all into heaven it self nay we are made righteous by the death of Christ too 2 Cor. 5.21 For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in
righteousness of one vers 18. and the obedience of one vers 19. The Apostle is so far from speaking of our own inherent righteousness that the great scope of the Chapter is not of Sanctification but Justification and that not by a righteousness of our own but of another that is of Christ But now let us hear the Authors conclusion Christs righteousness and our own are both necessary to our salvation the first as the foundation of the Covenant the other as the condition of it Very well Faith in Christ is indeed the condition of the Covenant and in us inherent but I had thought the Author had been treating of that righteousness which is the matter of our justification and not only of the condition of the Covenant To understand what that righteousness is which is the matter of our justification we must consider what it is which we are to answer unto in the point of justification if we are only to answer unto the terms of the Gospel Covenant then indeed Faith answers thereunto but what will be the consequences of this If we are only to answer unto the terms of the Gospel Covenant then our Saviour contrary to his words came 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to dissolve the Law to untye all the Bonds of it to loosen the very Foundation of it then Justification is not in such a way as establishes the Law as the Apostle tells us Rom. 3.31 But in such a way as voides and abrogates it then all true Believers must be in a state of perfection the defect of their Graces must be no sins for they have that true Faith which answers the terms of the Gospel and to more then these they are not to answer then the Gospel the great Charter of Grace hath no pardon in it for no more is required of us but the truth of Faith and other Graces and the want of true Faith and other Graces the Gospel doth not pardon Then Christ dyed not to obtain the pardon of those sins which are consistent with Gospel-sincerity but dyed to prevent them from being sins which otherwise would have been sins and to prevent them from being pardoned by his Blood and to name but one thing more Then all the Pagans must be in a justified state for the Gospel Covenant being founded for them also they are only to answer to the terms of the Gospel and to these they have a very easie full answer that they knew them not By these things it appears that in the point of Justification we must answer not to the terms of the Gospel only but to the pure perfect Law also and to that nothing of our own imperfect Graces can respond nothing less can answer but the perfect Righteousness and Obedience of Christ which is made ours by imputation Hence the Apostle tells us That by the righteousness of one we have justification of life and by the obedience of one we are made or constituted righteous SECT IV. According to the notion of these Men Mr. Sherlock men may nay must be united to Christ while they continue in their sins Mr. Shephard tells us expresly That Obedience doth not make us Gods People or God our God but he is first our God which is only by the Covenant of Grace and hence it is that he being ours and we his we of all others are most bound to obey him We are Gods People and that by vertue of the Covenant before we obey him The same Author tells us That we are united to Christ our life not by Obedience as Adam was to God by it but by Faith that is by such a Faith of which Obedience is no part and therefore as all actions in living things come from union so all our acts of Obedience are to come by Faith from the Spirit on Christs part and Faith on ours which make the union The meaning is this We must first be united to Christ by Faith before we can do any thing that is good before this union the best actions we can do are sins which is a plain demonstration of the truth of this charge because according to this principle we can do nothing but sin before we be united to Christ hence these Men constantly place our Justification before our Sanctification that we are first accounted holy by God before we are made so now our Justification follows our union to Christ and our Sanctification follows our Justification and therefore we must first be united to Christ before we are sanctified that is before we are made holy Hence we are told that holyness is a remote end of vocation but the next end is to come to Christ And the same Author makes a speech for Christ to a Sinner more gracious than all the Gospel invitations though thou hast resisted my Spirit refused my grace wearied me with thy iniquities yet come to me this will make me amends I require nothing of thee else but to come We cannot indeed be united to Christ whilest we continue in our sins Answer in the wilful Indulgence of them neither can we be holy whilest we are separated from Christ and the influence of his Holy Spirit Mr. Shephard sets Faith in the first place and then Obedience after it as a fruit thereof and well he may do so Ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3.26 Faith makes us Gods People Obedience which comes after proves us such Without Faith it is impossible to please to God Heb. 11.6 and therefore without Faith it must be impossible to obey him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faith is the beginning of life saith Ignatius Fides principium Christiani est Faith is the first principle Epist ad Eph. or mover in the new Creature saith St. Ambrose Laudo fructum boni operis In Psal 118. Ser. 20. sed in Fide agnosco radicem I praise the fruit of a good work but I acknowledge the root of it to be in Faith So St. Austin And a little after he saith In Psal 31 That works before Faith are but inania cursus ceberrimus praeter viam Vain things and a swift running beside the way Hence our Church in the 1. Homily of good works assures us That Faith giveth life to the Soul and that they be as much dead to God that lack Faith as they be to the World whose Bodies lack Souls that without Faith all that is done of us is but dead before God all good works are but shadows and shews of good things that out of Faith come good works that be good works indeed and without Faith no work is good before God I suppose Mr. Shephard cannot speak more fully it may seem harsh to some that before Faith in Christ there should be nothing good in us that our best actions should be sins but if we look on a wicked Man that is a Man without Faith in the Scripture-glass nothing can be plainer take him at an honest calling
methods of Humiliation as it is to the proud heart of man to be thus humbled Thus you see that Humiliation hath nothing to do with repentance and reformation of our lives The steps of the Soul towards Christ Answer are conviction compunction Humiliation Faith Now if there be nothing of forsaking of sin in all this then men must be united to Christ before they forsake their sins So the Author But doth Mr. Shepherd allow of no kind of forsaking of sin before union to Christ Yes surely There is saith he a separation from sin so much separation as makes the Soul willing that sin should be taken away So much separation as is necessary to the Souls closing with Christ He never thought that a man indulging his lusts should immediately come and be united to Christ No every step or degree which he sets in the Souls progress to a closure with Christ proves the contrary what need conviction compunction humiliation If the Soul wallowing in its lusts might be united to Christ But Mr. Shephard makes the end of conviction to be not reformation of sin but compunction But how doth he so What that there is no tendency at all in conviction towards reformation No he saith expresly that the next end of it is compunction Sorrow for sin is so called for in Scripture that no man may deny it to be one of God's methods by which he uses to bring men home to himself Neither is it imaginable that sin our old joy unless in some measure it become our sorrow should ever be reformed as it ought without compunction saith Mr. Shephard a sinner will never part with his sin A bare conviction doth but light the Candle to see sin but compunction burns his fingers and that makes him dread the fire But Mr. Shephard who places this compunction in a fear of wrath sorrow for sin and separation from sin means by separation not a leaving of sin but a being willing or rather not unwilling that the Lord should take it away and that by an irresistable power and that against our wills To which I answer touching irresistable Grace and that objection as if we were made willing against our will I have before discoursed In compunction there is a leaving of sin in some measure the fear of wrath will make a man start from it sorrow for sin will make it cease to be joy separation from sin so as to be willing to have it taken away is a kind of withdrawing and departure of heart from it But indeed in this compunction there is not such a leaving of sin as if we could be our own Physicians and heal our corrupt natures as if we could our selves reach that victory over the world and its lusts which is the triumph of Faith as if we could mortifie the deeds of the body without that holy Spirit which is given to Believers for that end This were to render Christ Faith the holy Spirit unnecessary to our Sanctification and to render our selves like those Pagans of whom St. Austin speaks who would not be made Christians Quia quasi sibi sufficiunt de bonâ vitâ suâ Mr. Shephard saith Enarr in Psal 31. That this separation from sin cuts off the Soul from the will to sin not from all sin in the will which is mortified by the Spirit of Holiness Now this saith the Author is down right non-sence for he must be a subtil man who can distinguish between a will to sin and sin in the will But I suppose no great subtilty is required to solve this by a will to sin is meant that act of the will whereby it is carried out to sin as its beloved Object and by sin in the will is meant that habitual corruption which is there In compunction there is such a separation from sin that the will is not in its acts carried out as before to sin as its pleasure joy and pursuit but not such a separation from sin as if the habitual corruption in the will were mortified as after Faith it is by the holy Spirit But saith Mr. Shephard Huniiliation breaks off the Soul from self-considence after compunction men are apt to seek ease by repentance and reformation to try a good course but if they trust in themselves or rest in their duties without a Saviour they are uncapable of Christ that is saith the Author all those who repent and reform are uncapable of Christ And must the world believe that Mr. Shephard is against repentance and reformation Surely there is no reason at all for it the thing is very plain if a man will stand like the proud Pharisee upon his bottom if with the Jews he will go about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make to stand his own weak cadaverous righteousness if he will repent and reform in his own strength and without coming to Christ the Fountain of Grace Surely he is not whilst in this proud posture capable of Christ Repentance and Reformation are good things but they must be done in a good manner they must not be made our Christ's or Saviours they must not keep us off from Jesus Christ or make us say as the Pagan mentioned by St. Austin did Jam benè vivo quid mihi necessarius est Christus I can live well already what need have I of Christ All that reformation which is without Faith in Christ is as our Church saith of works without Faith But dead before God Nemo computet bona opera sua ante fidem saith St. Austin If we would reform indeed we must go to Christ by Faith But saith the Author in this Humiliation of Mr. Shephards a man must have such a sense of his inability to please God that he must not dare be so prophane as to attempt it and such a sense of his unworthiness as to submit to God whether he will save or damn him he must in some measure be indifferent whether he be saved or damned but it is an hard thing to bring a man in his wits to this To which I answer for the first a sense of our inability to please God is a thing so necessary that our Saviour tells Laodicea that she was wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked and must have her gold and raiment and eye-salve and all from him If we think we can please God in our selves not in the beloved Jesus Christ or that we can please God by walking in our own strength and not in the power of Grace we do but deceive our selves and our labour will be but in vain it will fare with us as it did with the man storied of in one of the Jewish Rabbins who in the night lighted his Candle and it went out again and lighted it again and again and still it went out Our Lamps of a self-made Sanctity and Righteousness though trimmed over and over with our endeavours will certainly go out and at last we must resolve as he did
the truth of our Union to Christ and the truth of our holy life both at once An holy life taken not meerly in its outward acts but in its efflux from Faith is an infallible mark of our Union to Christ At other times these Men make the work of Sanctification so imperfect Mr. Sherlock and so like an unsanctified state that it is impossible to distinguish a sanctified and unsanctified Man upon this account holyness must be a very sorry evidence of our union to Christ when it is so imperfect that it cannot be known An unregenerate Man is under the Law of sin under the reigning power of it and a regenerate Man as they describe him is in a state as like this as one Egg is another For a regenerate Man may be carnal sold under sin that is a Slave and Captive to it he may do those things he allows not nay those things which he hates that is he may sin against the clearest convictions of conscience and sense of duty he may neglect to do those things which he knows he ought to do and do those things which he knows he ought not to do he may find a Law in his Members that when he would do good evil is present with him a Law in his Members warring against the Law of his mind which brings him into captivity to the Law of sin that is in his Members For so they tell us that St. Paul complains of all this in the person of a regenerate Man Rom. 7. Now an unregenerate man does the very same and indeed cannot do much worse he sins against conscience is brought into captivity to sin is overpowered by indwelling sin he finds natural fears and terrors when he is tempted to sin which gives some check to him and makes him sin against his own will with some unwillingness and reluctancy he approves the Law of God as just and equal his conscience assents to it but there is a strong byass upon his will which runs counter to all those holy Commands and makes him a Slave and Captive to his lusts Now not to dispute which of these two the Apostle means in Rom. 7. I think it is hard to assign any difference between them the regenerate Man according to this description is full as bad as the ungenerate or if there be any difference the regenerate Man is the worst of the two because in the regenerate Man the spirit is led into captivity but in the ungenerate only natural conscience which is a much weaker principle and so is capable of a better excuse is led into captivity But which of these two it is no Man can tell and therefore a regenerate Man hath great reason to fear that he may be unregenerate and an ungenerate Man hath as much reason to hope that he may be regenerate and what becomes then of this evidence of Sanctification to prove our union to Christ when Sanctification it self cannot be distinguished from an unsanctified state According to these Men Answer we cannot distinguish a sanctified and an unsanctified man an unregenerate man is under the reign of sin and a regenerate man as they describe him is so too Why so He may be Carnal Rom. 7.14 but not as the ungenerate totally altogether Carnal without any spark of Spiritual life in him but partially only in respect of the Reliques of corruption abiding in him He is Spiritual so far as he is regenerate yet Carnal because he hath some corrupt flesh in him This appears because though regenerate he is still to go on mortifying the flesh and the flesh is yet lusting in him against the Spirit The Babes in Christ are called Carnal 1 Cor. 3.1 yet they were not unregenerate but their regenerate Man is sold under sin Rom. 7.14 He is so but what as Ahab who sold himself to work evil What as the unregenerate are who are willing Captives ready to obey the desires of the flesh no but he is a captive against his will he cannot wholly rid himself of those lusts which lye as so many heavy chains upon him so far as regenerate he is a free-man but because Regeneration is imperfect he is yet a Captive But their regenerate man may do those things he allows not nay those things he hates Rom. 7.15 Not that as the profane he does outward gross acts of sin and wallows in them but that the inevitabile malum that unavoidable concupiscence though he disallow hate it all its progeny will be stirring in his thoughts and desires nay and sometimes prevailing too That the Apostle speaks of such unavoidable defects is clear from the following words It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me vers 17. which words can be only understood of unavoidable defects But their unregenerate Man neglects duty the good he would do he does not vers 19. not that he doth not do duties to God but that the clog of corruption impedes him from doing them in that pure and uninterrupted manner as he desires He finds a Law in his Members warring against the Law of his mind and bringing him into captivity to the Law of sin which is in his Members vers 23. He hath a Divine Spiritual life in him but because Regeneration is imperfect the indwelling sin is still in him strugling though not reigning by these things it appears that there is a vast difference between a regenerate Man and an ungenerate But if we understand Rom. 7. of an unregenerate Man see if we do not saint him and make him a regenerate Man A regenerate man hates sin Ps 119.128 and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.15 which yet never any unregenerate Man did reach unto A regenerate Man hath a will to that which is good and so hath the unregenerate Rom. 7.18 which is a lift beyond A regenerate Man delights in the Law of God Psal 1.2 and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.22 which is a Divine strain much beyond him A regenerate Man groans under the burthen of the indwelling corruption and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.24 who yet hath little or no sense of it A regenerate Man blesses God for the great deliverance by Jesus Christ and in gratitude serves him and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.25 who yet never made it his business so to do And thus the unregenerate Man is made as good as the regenerate to conclude the holyness of the regenerate though imperfect and labouring under the indwelling sin is yet a good evidence of their Union with Christ Dr. Jacomb Mr. Sherlock in his Discourse of the Law of sin attempts to assign the difference between the Law of sin in the regenerate and it in the unregenerate and hath given such a Description of an unregenerate state that there is scarce such an unregenerate Man in the World and yet if we must judge what a regenerate Man is by inverting the Character of the unregenerate he is by