as free from Condemnation as if they had never sinned and accepted and entitled to eternal Glory as if they had kept the whole Law Rom. 8.1 There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit These are in that State wherein the Curse is restrained from arresting them Yea they are Heirs joynt heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 the Gospel-Covenant is their Charter of right which is secured by the Death of Christ the Oath of God and Sacramental Seals The Death of Christ is to be considered not only as what purchased the Covenant-Blessings of which I have spoken before but also as what ratifies the Covenant to our Faith by Death its irrevocable as a Testament and it must be sure or the Lord of Glory had never died to secure the ends of it his Death is too great a thing to admit a doubt of the certainty of that Charter by which the Effects of that Death are granted Christians being thus free and thus accepted and entitled proclaims them Righteous Exh. Be comforted notwithstanding your Faults and Weaknesses whilst your Hearts are upright in God's Covenant What is not a just Challenge to the Sincerity of thy Faith ought not to make thee conclude thy self Accursed or quit thy hopes of Glory Failings may cause Mournings that we are so Imperfect when they ought not to perplex us as if we were in a lost Condition The same Mouth that delivered the Curse against Sinners in the Law hath published Forgiveness and applied Redemption to Believers though Sinners by the Gospel Gal. 3.13 14. If your Faults be objected Christ hath answered them If the Weakness of Graces be objected Christ hath made up that If the Greatness of Gospel-Benefits be objected it 's Christ hath purchased them and they are bestowed not for thy Graces but for Christ's Obedience though it be to such as even thou art if a sincere Penitent that they are given for the Gospel-Rule doth only appoint the Persons who receive the Benefits but not ordain us to make the Satisfaction for the Sin to be pardoned or to purchase the Glory to be received Wilt thou not let Christ appoint his own Legatees to his own Bequeathments and rejoyce in the Gifts whilst thou art the Person to whom he declares they belong If he had promised Heaven to a meer Sinner as such thou oughtest as a Sinner to expect it with Joy But he hath promised it to all believing Saints however imperfect and must not thou with Comfort look for it and not quit thy hopes till thou cease to be a believing Saint Yea he hath ministred further to thy Joy That he will influence thy Soul by his Warnings against Apostasie by Sacraments and by constant Supplies so that thou shalt Persevere 10 Pro. Christians become thus Righteous upon believing by the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them in their Justification and by the continuance of this Imputation they remain Righteous Upon our first believing we are justified Rom. 3.29 and there is a constant Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to the Believers for his continued Justification Did Men cease to be Believers God would cease to impute the Righteousness of Christ to them Did God cease to impute Christ's Righteousness Men would cease to be justified and did we cease to be justified we should be subject to Condemnation But blessed be God he will cause the true Believer to persevere in Faith and so he shall remain in a justified State God will preserve the Habit of Faith enable him to frequent Acts of Faith and still prevent damning Infidelity he will keep thee from a prevailing distrust and rejection of Christ as a Saviour Luke 22.32 and from reigning Disobedience to him as thy Lord. I shall explain this great Truth of Justification by the imputed Righteousness of Christ which may be conceived of according to the following Heads 1. There is a making us Righteous as it is a giving a Believer a right to Pardon Absolution from the Curse Adoption and Acceptance which is by imputing the Righteousness of Christ to the Believer We must be made Righteous before a just God can pronounce us so or deal with us as such there must be a right to Pardon e're God will Pardon this right to Pardon is given by God's imputing to us the Righteousness of Christ and the effect of that imputing Act seems to be the first Consideration in the Change made in our State as justified For the better apprehending of this you may remember I have before informed you that Christ's Righteousness may be considered 1 As the full Performance of the Conditions of the Covenant of Redemption which included a full Conformity to the Law of Works yea and morâ— 2 An adjudged Right to the promised Reward for his performance of those Conditions Now both these are imputed to the Believer in this first Consideration Of giving a Believer a right to Pardon c. 1. The Righteousness of Christ as it was the Performance of the Conditions of our Salvation is mediately imputed to the Believer God adjudgeth that what Christ did and suffered for the actual Remission of Sinners was really done and suffered for us it belongs to us we are the designed Objects of that actual Remission to procure which for us that Obedience was rendred Iohn 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting Life Here we see that God gave his Son to do and suffer what he did that Believers thereby might not Perish but eternally Live Now by Grace beinâ— Believers that we may have a right not uâ— Perish but Live we have what the Son â— given did and suffered reckoned and accounteâ— to us God looks on what Christ did as donâ— for us and esteems us Believers them whom his Son did that for and therefore by his gracious Ordination we are the very Persons thaâ— have a right to Pardon of those Sins for whicâ— we were liable to Perish and excluded from Life I say Christ's very Performance of the Conditions is imputed mediately in this manner If one give me my Liberty which he voluntarily purchased for me at a dear Rate he mediately gives me what he paid for my Ransom though immediately I receive my Liberty and a right thereto whereas the redeeming Price was paid to my Detainer in whose hands I was Captive So it was to God that Christ made Satisfaction and yielded the Meriting Price yet it is applied and reckoned so to the Believer that he receives the same Blessings thereby as if himself had rendred it because it was for his Title to those Benefits that it was rendred by Christ. Yea by this Imputation it becomes his Security for all saving Benefits and pleadable with God by him with respect to what is purchased for Believers thereby as if he had endured and performed the things Christ did Since God
in Justification and upon this the rest depend Hereby we are made Righteous in Christ's Righteousness Though we be not personally Innocent yet Christ's Righteousness which fully answered the Law is judicially applied so as to give us a sure right to be dealt with as to Eternity as if we had been Innocent and Perfect which is what we principally need and as much as we are capable of considering we are Sinners and that we did not provide the Ransom nor substitute him that became so 2. God hereupon actually forgives adopts and gives the Earnest of Glory to Believers thus invested in the Righteousness of Christ and on the account of that Righteousness This is Executive Justification in part and indeed all Benefits peculiar to the Members of Christ are conferred in a way of Execution hereof unless as we may consider such Benefits as follow Pardon and Adoption to refer to Justification as including an additional Right resulting from Gods pardoning and adopting Acts. The reason why I add this is that Pardon gives a Right to impunity and Adoption gives a Right to the Privileges of Children and so with respect to Forgiveness and Adoption a Believer may be called Righteous and frequently in Scripture is called so though inclusively of Christ's Righteousness because it 's for that we are so forgiven and adopted Forgiveness is of so great importance in Justification that upon the account hereof we are said to be Blessed Yea it 's put frequently for the whole of Justification Rom. 4.6 7 8. it 's so in the Lord's Prayer Luk. 11.4 yea it 's so put in our Creed 3. God judicially sentenceth the Believers thus made partakers of Christ's Righteousness and thereupon pardoned and adopted to be them who have a Right to Impunity Favour and Glory and accepts them as such notwithstanding all challenges and accusation Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right Hand of God who also maketh intercession for us This doth not only obviate the Accusation of Persecutors against such as are chosen to suffer but it answers all Challenges against every Believer gathered out of the World by the Spirit pursuant to God's Eternal Election for against the unconverted Elect God himself hath much to Charge and he lays it to their Charge by his Law-condemning Sentence But as to the Converted here 's a general defiance and a large enumeration of what tend to their defence God justifies them and this for the sake of Christ's Death and that the Death of him who is risen and being risen is enthroned and being enthroned intends their Security by his Intercession It 's true if they be charged to have been sinners they must own it as a true Charge But what then must they Dye for their Sin No God declares they are pardoned and this upon a Righteousness more then adequate to the Law of Works and they have no lower a safety from their Guilt than Christ's Title who died that Believing Sinners might not Dye but Live Indeed if the Charge be That these are not Believers then God Acquits them another way of which hereafter This is Sentential Justification which is Virtual now and will be solemnized at the great Day 4. It is the Gospel whereby God justifieth us as his Instrument God in his his Word having declared that he will Iustifie him that Believes Rom. 3.30 and that we are justified by Faith Rom. 5.1 and Commanding us to Believe with a Promise That we shall be Justified if we Believe He doth by this very Declaration of his Will Justifie the Believer This promise effects what it includes assoon as the Object is answerable to the Tenure of the Promise By this he Imputes Christ's Righteousness to the Convert and so makes him Righteous declares him Righteous and treats him as Righteous in for and by Christ's Righteousness and this assoon as he Believes There needs no more to express it now than this Word of his Mouth unless as we may add the Sacramental Seals and also such influences and acts of Power whereby such Benefits are conferred as are Executive of the Justifying Sentence and so far are a Divine Declaration of our State as Justified 5. The Object of God's Justifying Act is the living humbled converted Believer who by Faith cometh to accepteth of and rusteth in Christ as an entire Saviour The promise of this Mercy being to such yea confined to such and Unbelievers declared to have God's Wrath abiding on them especially when this Gospel is that Word of the Lord whereby we are Justified Gal. 3.22 Ioh. 3.36 and 8.24 Rom. 10.4 We must then Believe but it is not Faith unless it be a coming to accepting of and trusting in a Christ it is not a Christ if he be not a whole Saviour When will we Believe if we be not convinced and humbled How can we Believe if we be not quickned by the Spirit Yea of what sort of Faith is it if we are not purposed in our Heart to turn from all Sins Self and Idols to Christ and to God by him Which turning is oft the Word by which the Spirit oft expresseth Faith it self Ezek. 18.21 30.1 Pet. 2.25 Acts 26 18. By what is said you may Answer the main Enquiries that occur to your Mind concerning Justification Qu. Who Justifies us Ans. God as our Ruler Qu. What doth God do for us or on us when he Justifies Ans. 1. He Imputes Christ's Righteousness to us whereby we have his Right to our Pardon Absolution c. 2. He actually forgives absolves and adopts us in Christ's Right and for the sake of his Obedience And by this forgiveness absolution and adoption he further gives us a Right to Impunity the in-dwelling Spirit Perseverance and Eternal Glory 3. He pronounces us free from all Accusation and Challenges that would import a present liableness to Eternal Death or bar to Eternal Glory we having Christ's Righteousness and thereby our Pardon Absolution from the Curse and our Adoption for our Plea and Defence Qu. What is our State by being thus Justified Ans. We are accepted with God free from Eternal Condemnation and entitled to Life as if we had not sinned but kept the whole Law to this time Yea we have some greater Benefits than we forfeited as Union with Christ the in-dwelling Spirit and Perseverance whereby we are secured from forfeiting Eternal Life for the future Qu. By what Instrument or Sign of his Will doth God Justifie us Ans. By the Gospel-promise Quest. Whom doth God Justifie Ans. The true Believer whether he know himself to be so or no and no others Yea God in Justifying a Man doth as far declare him to be a Believer as he declares him to be Justified Qu. When doth God Justifie a Sinner Ans. Assoon as he is a Believer and not before
his and the Fathers Pleasure it was us he was to Buy but it was he alone stood obliged to Pay He engaged to die for us but that is not engaging for us as Principals that he would die a thing which we never were obliged to He did not engage we should not Sin nor if we sinned that we should make satisfaction but he engaged that he would satisfie God that we might not die for our Sins even one Christ for all of us once to die instead of our eternal Death 2 R. Were Christ a proper pecuniary Surety in his Death and Obedience there would be no room for God's Forgiving us any Sin or giving us any Mercy as of Free Gift unless he forgave us more than Christ satisfied for or bestowed what he did not merit This is evident for if my Surety be bound with me to a Creditor for a Thousand Pounds if my Surety pay as my Surety this Thousand Pounds the Creditor forgives me nothing I pay him all So as to Merit If I buy a Jewel for an Hundred Pounds and give Bond for it with a Surety bound with me for that Sum if my Surety shall pay that â—undred Pounds can the Seller be said to give me that Jewel No. I in a Law-sense paid him because my Surety did it Whereas the Gospel lays the Stress of our Felicity upon Forgiveness Rom. 4.8 Acts 13.38 And though Justice do not suffer as having received Glory by Christ yet that is not to exclude Forgiveness but to make way for Forgiveness in a Consistency with his Perfections And further God no more sells us any Blessing notwithstanding Christ's Merits than Christ sells them to us Whereas he must sell all Benefits and forgive no Faults if he be considered as a Creditor and Christ our Money Surety Obj. God may be said to forgive us being he admitted Christ to be a Pecuniary Surety though we pay by him Ans. That goes a very little way towards Forgiveness yea and to refuse it in Money-Matters is hardly admittable by the Rules of Equity It sounds low to hear a Creditor say You were bound to me for a Thousand Pounds which I was paid by one that I allowed to be your Surety and because I would take it from you by him I forgave it you though I got from you legally by your Surety every Farthing of your Debt This is not Forgiving and such a Change whilst the very Debt in kind is paid is not an Abatement Obj. God procured Christ to be our Surety and therefore he forgave us Ans. In Solution of Money this will not amount to Forgiveness If one owes me Ten Pounds for which I cast him in Prison and finding him Insolvent do I forgive him if I get one that wisheth him well to pay it for him I befriend him but am paid all my self even by him in his Surety without forgiving I know nothing more Suspicious to be an Error than what tends to overturn the Doctrine of the Forgiveness of Sins which is the great Support of a poor Sinner and of this the Notion of strict Money-Suretiship whereby we paid all to God is guilty whereas if you consider God as Ruler and Christ as Mediator making Satisfaction for Criminals by enduring Punishment in their stead we avoid all the Difficulties which that of Money-Debts perplex the Work of Redemption with The Socinians main strength lies in Objections from Sin being as a Money-Debt and Christ's Death being the Payment of a Debt even the Idem This is perceived and therefore denied by our best Authors against the Socinians as Lubbertus Essenius Turretin Owen Stillingfleet c 3 R. Were Christ a proper Pecuniary Surety in the same Law of Works with them then every Believer would be entitled to the same Reward as Christ is entitled to yea and as much or more than Christ. This is evident for if I Covenant with another that in Consideration of my paying a Thousand Pounds I shall enjoy such an Estate of Fifty Pounds a Year I have a Surety engaged with me for the Payment of that Money I by my Surety pay the Thousand Pounds upon which I have the Legal Right to that Estate rather than my Surety but at most my Surety can have a Right to no more than that Fifty Pounds a Year in common with me by those Covenants 〈◊〉 here be other Covenants between me and 〈◊〉 wherein I engage to repay him that or mâ—â—e in those Covenants he is not my Surety but a distinct Party Hence it follows that we are entitled to be exalted over all and have a name above every name to see our Seed to be regarded as Saviours at least to be Satisfiers to God for our selves and our own Redeemers in Law-sense Obj. Christ paid all Personally and not we and therefore he hath peculiar Rewards and Honour Ans. The Principal and Surety is one Legal Person and therefore if the Law reckon we satisfied in Christ the Reward promised on that Satisfaction is common to us with Christ The Law gives the Honour as it receives the Tribute and distributes the Recompence as it estimates the Obedience One Person in Law made up of us and Christ alike obeyed in Law-sense and then one Person in Law made up of him and us must be alike rewarded as we are reckoned to do all so we are adjudged to have a Right to have all due upon that doing I shall say more of this presently 4 R. If Christ be a strict Pecuniary Surety I think it will be impossible to confute many very erronious Opinions which naturally are deduced therefrom What can be said against our being Justified actually before we believe For if we satisfied the Law in Christ How can our Justification be suspended till we believe unless there be some other Law The Law acquits us as soon as the Condition is performed by us Obj. We do not apply Christ to our selves before Faith Ans. 1 But God by the Law applies him to us if we have satisfied it and he hath applied him already in making him our Money-Surety the Law will execute it self whether we apply or no. 2. When the Conditions are performed by us it 's against the Law to deny us the Reward or at least to continue us under its Curse a Moment yea or to injoyn any Terms on us for possessing the Reward besides its own Conditions which are fulfilled by us The laying of Guilt on our Persons any time is unjust Obj. We are not Christ's Seed till we Believe Ans. All will not own that but if we ever satisfie in Christ it must be when he satisfied it is not to be done now when the Act of Performing the Atonement and Paying the Debt is over Can we by becoming his Seed now be esteemed to pay what he paid so many Years since if we did not pay it then Or can he be our Money-Surety by whom we pay now when he hath done paying and not then when he was
to Justifie as described by any Personal Character such as a Believer c. whatever God promiseth Pardon to as Repentance whatever is contrary to that for which he declareth that he will notwithstanding Gospel-Grace continue the Sentence of Condemnation on Sinners and deny them Mercy As when he saith If the Wicked turn not he shall die thereby Conversion is necessary By these Rules we may know what kind of Person he must be whom God by his Gospel doth Justifie God will not deny it to whom the Gospel promiseth it he cannot by the Gospel grant it to him whom he declares he will deny it to yea on whom he still more binds Condemnation 7. Faith in Christ hath a peculiar Aptness and is more especially honoured in the first Application of God's Justifying Act upon a Christian though nothing can be wanting which God hath made necessary in him whom he will Justifie This acknowledgeth Christ and his Righteousness and by it we return to him as the way to the Father Heb. 7.25 and own his Authority which is the Reward of his Mediation Iohn 5.23 This is our conjugal Consent and Band of Union on our part with Christ as our Husband Head and entire Saviour 2 Cor. 11.2 it includes all of that regard which is appropriated to Christ as Redeemer and therefore we are said to be Justified by Faith and not by any other Grace as I remember Rom. 5.1 But yet Forgiveness and pardoning Mercy is promised to other things especially to Repentance and we are called to repent with this Promise That our Sins shall be forgiven upon it and we turn to God that we may receive Remission of Sin Acts 26.18 Luke 13.3 When I have considered that we are said still to be Justified by Faith and yet Repentance is so absolutely required to the Pardon of Sin I have been apt to think that the Spirit of God seems to instruct us that Justification in the first part of it viz. The Imputâ—â—â— Christ's Righteousness and investing us in his right to Pardon and other Blessings is especially applied to Faith and yet our enjoying actual Pardon upon our Investiture in Christ's right is promised to Repentance As if God would ascribe the first Application of Christ's Righteousness to that Grace which more especially acknowledgeth the Redeemer whose Righteousness it is by which we are Justified and yet that Sin which is Treason against God should not be forgiven even for Christ's sake without Repentance wherein God is more especially acknowledged as our God and rightful Law-giver whence the Sum of our Ministry is made Repentance towards God and Faith towards the Lord Jesus Acts 20.21 If there be any weight in this which I only offer to Consideration then Faith is more especially made the Condition of the first part of Justification viz. The Application of Christ's Righteousness And yet Repentance also made the express Condition of the second part of Justification viz. Actual Pardon that great Privilege possessed by us with a right to what this Pardon entitleth to Hereby the Dignity of the Law-giver and the Honour of the Redeemer are distinctly provided for in the Justification of a Sinner yea the Gospel-order is preserved for by Christ we come and return unto God whom we had by Sin forsaken Yet remember that Repentance is still a Concomitant of Faith whatever Priority as an exprest Condition I assign to it for no utterly Impenitent Person can put forth an Act. of Saving 〈◊〉 Justifying Faith 8. Our Blessed Lord exerts a Governing Authority in a way of Grace or Grace in a way of Governing Authority in the appointing and requiring what he makes necessary in the Person to be Justified He commands Men to believe with a Promise that they shall be Justified if they do believe which is the Scope of the Gospel He plainly threatens all that will not believe that they shall not be Justified if they continue in Unbelief Iohn 3.18 36. He hath appointed Ministers to use the Blessing of a Justified Estate as a Motive to Mens Believing or coming to Christ. Thus it is as to Repentance in order to Pardon c. here 's the Authority of a Law-giver yet the Grace of a Redeemer here 's a Law in the obliging Power of the Command and the certain Connexion between the Duty and the promised Benefit and yet here is Grace meer Grace in the Adjustment of the Sanction as to the Matter it contains and Merit it refers to This as to us is Governing Grace and not Governing Iustice it 's not Justice that adjusts the Benefit with respect to the Duty as Meritorious thereof here 's nothing as of Debt to us for Believing yet a certainty of being Justified upon Believing here 's no Pardon as a Debt for repenting yet a Pardon sure upon repenting Divine Justice was honoured in Christ's fulfilling the Law of Works where God displayed Justice in Government yea it 's honoured with respect to Christ in God's giving all Benefits in Christ's right and as Christ's proper Reward But as to us it 's of Grace that a Believer should be thus sure to be Justified But though Grace be thus advanced in the Matter given yet here 's Authority expressed in the manner of giving and Divine Government maintained according to the present State of redeemed Sinners Some Obedience shall be yielded though perfect Obedience is become impossible there shall be the Reins of a Sanction on our Necks though the Sanction of the Law of Works hath and must condemn us if Christ relieves not from it Fear and Hope in us shall not be useless to us though we were by the Fall in a Case as to our selves utterly desperate and as to Election and Christ's Undertaking eventually Safe There shall be a Law of Faith to Judge and Save us by though we daily Transgress the Law of Works and by every Transgression are liable to the Curse Rom. 3.27 Gal. 3.10 I might had I time easily prove what I have asserted and give you the great Usefulness of this Point that the Gospel by which the Blessings of Christ are dispensed is a Law or a Display of Grace in a way of Authority and Government but I 'll only glance 1. Hereby the Gospel is said to be obeyed and disobeyed Rom. 10.16 2 Thess. 1.8 2 Cor. 9.13 2. Men become culpable as Rejecters of its Benefits Acts 13.38 41 48. 3. All Gospel-Benefits become fit and strong Motives in Gospel-Duty Acts 2.38 4. The Benefits are Suspended Infallibly till the Conditions be performed Luke 13.3 5. They that obey the Gospel may be sure of the promised Benefits and know how to try their Interest and conclude it Heb. 5.9 6. The Gospel-Blessings may be truly offered to all and all charged to accept of them by complying with the Conditions Acts 13.38 7. The Conditions hereby are described stated urged and not left uncertain 1 Cor. 13.2 8. A Rule of Judgment is hereby fixed whereby God is justified in
Saving some and Damning others who yet had the very same Offers Invitations and Calls Rom. 2.16 9. They that disobeyed the Gospel are justly liable to sorer Punishments and Vengeance than would have fallen on them for their first Apostasie Matt. 11.24 10. Here is an apt means to excite Diligence Watchfulness Faith Repentance and Holiness and to prevent Sloath Despair Presumption and Disobedience I appeal to the Consciences of Men whether fallen Men are liker to be governed by telling them You are under no Law but the Law of Works which requires all Graces and Duties alike and all to be done perfectly without Sin or you must eternally Perish though it 's true if God please to justifie you by Christ's Righteousness then you have legally fulfilled this Law and you are justified by it and you shall go to Heaven But God requires no Duty or Care on your part in order to be Justified by Christ's Righteousness nor doth he command you to act any Grace with a Promise of any Benefit upon that Act nor threaten you with any Damage whatever Sin you commit so that you have Faith as a Sign but not a Condition of your Pardon nor ought you to obey any Command as a means of Good to you but only in Gratitude that Christ hath done all for you Or else this way God hath set down this Authoritative Rule to give Sinners the Beneficial Fruits of Christ's Death and commands you to obey it that though you are Lost yet if you believe and repent you shall be pardoned if not the Wrath of God will abide on you Turn to God and you shall Live iâ— not you shall Die Fight the good Fight if you overcome you shall be Crowned and reap if you faint not but if you draw back God will have no Pleasure in you Be Fruitful for if you be Barren you are nigh to Cursing and your end is to be Burned Use your Talents for if you improve them God will reward you with greater Blessedness but if you hide them in a Napkin you shall for your Unprofitableness be cast into the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone Subdue your Lusts for if Sin reign in you you shall Die but if you Mortifie the Deeds of the Flesh you shall Live c. O then attend the means of Grace look to Christ be earnest with God watch and strive as for your Lives Whether I say is liker to Influence Men to the Design of Redemption and Obedience to God the first or this last And I am sure this last is the way God chuseth for it 's his Words though we are not by this way excluded from adding Arguments that may also excite Gratitude But are not these words of Authority the Dictates of a Ruler and yet not the Law of Works which promiseth nothing of Good to the Imperfect and bindeth Death for the lease Sin 9. The Gospel enjoineth nothing on Men for the impetration or purchasing of Justification or any other Benefit but that they may receive Justification and every Benefit as the Effect of Christ's Merits Christ hath Bought all by his Obedience and by the Gospel prescribeth the way how he in his own right will give what he hath acquired As the Gospel is his Testament he describeth his Legatees as it 's God's Covenant our Consent to it is necessary to it's Blessings 10. The use of Faith in order to Justification is that it renders the Sinners the ordained Objects of God's Justifying Act and Gift according to his own Gospel Rule Justification brings the Righteousness by which we are pardoned but God promiseth to Justifie him that hath Faith and saith he will not Justifie him that hath not Faith Doth not Faith distinguish him that hath Faith from another that hath not Faith And doth not God declare he will deal very differently with him that hath Faith and him that hath no Faith he 'll justifie the one and still condemns the other And it 's the same as to any other Condition of any other promised Benefit The Condition is not that for which the Benefit is given but it renders the Man the Person to whom God hath promised to give that Benefit in Christ's right 11. All endeavours after Faith are endeavours after Justification and all neglects of Faith are neglects of Justification This is plain for if the Object of God's Justifying Act be the Believer then whatever tends to make him a Believer tends to bring him into a Justified State and whatever tends to hinder him to Believe tends to keep him out of a Justified State It 's the same as to all other Promises made to any Grace or Duty though all the Promises are made and performed in Christ's right Yet when he describes the person by any Grace â— Duty who shall receive the good promised we pursue that good promised by following after that Grace or Duty to which the Promise refers Therein we look to Christ's Righteousness with just Hope when we look to him in his Promise and follow that which he hath assured the Fruits of his Righteousness upon 12. God now doth and will hereafter more solemnly Judge Mens Faith and Men by their Faith as far as he hath made that Faith necessary to any Blessing 1. God says in his Gospel I will in and for Christ's Righteousness forgive him that Believes and no other yea all unbelievers shall be still condemned because they believe not Ioh. 3.16 19. Christ's Righteousness shall not be applied to them for Pardon And 2. If the Gospel hath described what this Faith in Truth is and warned us of all false Faith as vain and insufficient to our pardon Iam. 2.14 17. Gal. 5.6 if those two things be true Can you imagin 1. That God doth make no Judgment of that Faith whether it be true or false Are all sorts of Faith alike in his Account 〈◊〉 Dead Faith and a Living a feigned Faith â—â—d an unfeigned Faith Doth he give and execute the Pardon without any regard to their being such Believers as his Gospel appoints Surely he that says be watchful and strengthen the things that are ready to Die for I have not found thy Works perfect before God Rev. 3.2 doth distinguish between the Faith the Promise is made to and the Faith which the Promise is not made to nay which he threatens as Hypocritical 2. Or can you think that God makes no Judgment concerning a Man's Interest or no Interest in the promised Pardon with any regard to his having true Faith or his not having it The Question is not What Righteousness that Pardon is founded on for that is Christ's and the Pardon connotes it but the Question is Is this or that Man the Person to whom God hath promised to give that Pardon Doth it by that Promise belong to this Believer or that Unbeliever I ask then Will not God Judge this Man by having true Faith to be the very Man the Pardon by that Promise belongs to
and that the Pardon doth not belong to the other Man for want of true Faith nay that because he hath not Faith he is subject to the threatnings denounced against Unbelievers God's present dealings with Souls according to his Gospel is a kind of virtual Sentence but at the great day he will solemnly judge according to the Gospel Rom. 2.16 Mat. 25. The Work of that day will be to Sentence Mens Faith true or false upon full evidence of its truth or falshood and to convince the World that God hath pardoned all Believers and none but Believers and to condemn publickly all Unbelievers and solemnize before all the happy State of those pardoned Believers The Case is the same as to every other Grace or Duty to which God hath promised any Benefit in the Gospel As far as God makes any Duty a necessary Condition of any Benefit by the Gospel he will Judge us according to that Duty and if we totally want it that Benefit will be with-held He that did not repent shall be denied the blotting out of Sins at that day Acts 3.19 13. Hence Men can be said to be Justified by Faith as a sort of Work no otherwise than thus That Christ adjudgeth a Man to be a Believer who is so and his Faith a true Faith and that he is to be dealt with as a true Believer according to the Gospel Promise Justification in this sense is quite another thing than Justification by Christ's Righteousness or by Faith as it connotes that Object This is not Pardoning Absolving and Accepting a guilty undone Sinner which must be upon a Righteousness adequate to the Law and satisfying to Justice no no It is but a determination of a particular Cause viz. He is a true Believer and not an unbelieving Hypocrite and yet it is of great importance to our main Cause being that God hath said Christ's Righteousness shall be imputed to none but the true Believer And if we must be judged whether we be Believers or no we must be sentenced to be Believers or Unbelievers and if we be sentenced to be Believers we are so far justified by Faith as a sort of Work and if our Faith be tried by our Words or other Works our Faith is justified by those Words and Works and we are Justified as to this Cause in trial by those Words and Works i. e. We are adjudged not to be Vnbelievers nor to be meerly such Believers whose Faith was not evidenced by such Words and Works Mat. 12.37 Iam. 2-17 21 25. The matter is the same as to any thing the Gospel indispensibly requireth and concerning which we must be judged 14. In the like manner Faith can be called our subordinate Righteousness no otherwise than as it is the performed Condition which the Gospel requireth in the person whom God promiseth to Impute the Righteousness of Christ to for Justification or actual Forgiveness and Absolution It is not the legal Righteousness the Law would Condemn any Man notwithstanding his Faith if he had not Christ's Righteousness Imputed to him It is not the Righteousness that is Imputed for Justification as that in the right whereof Pardon and Acceptance is promised or stands It is not the Merit that God regards either in making or applying the Promise It is not a Righteousness by Acceptilation which the Socinians call it that is it is not reckoned instead of a Legal or Perfect Righteousness which were to exclude Christ's Satisfaction and set it instead of his Righteousness It is not a Righteousness that makes up Christ's Righteousness or at all serves to the same End It 's not a Righteousness by or for which God justifies us i. e. God doth not Pardon or Accept us for this But Christ having a full Righteousness and promising to Impute it for Justification to all that will Believe sincerely and requiring and commanding Sinners to Believe in him with this Promise That if they will Believe they shall be justified by his Righteousness and if they Believe not they shall not be justified by his Righteousness but Die in their Sins notwithstanding the full Righteousness that is iâ— him and the Offers made to them I say a far as this Promise gives a Believer a right to the promised Benefit his Faith is that upon which he receives that right and so far the Gospel makes him Righteous by his Faith i. e. He is the Man whom the Gospel assures that Benefit to which it gives the Unbeliever no right to but directly excludes him So that this Faith is no Righteousness that is any part of Justification which is the Benefit promised and subsists entirely in its own Causes But what Righteousness it is depends wholly on the Authority Tenure and Truth of the Gospel as the instrument whereby God applies Christ's Righteousness to us for our Justification If the Gospel doth not promise to Justifie one that hath true Faith though it be imperfect then indeed Faith is no Condition nor at all a Conformity to the Gospel as defining the Condition and if the Gospel doth not by its Pormise or Sanction give any Right to the Benefit promised upon performing the Condition then indeed Faith must not be called a subordinate Righteousness But if the Gospel assures to every true Believer Justification by Christ's Righteousness then true Faith is the performed Condition and thereupon the Gospel gives him an infallible Title yea this Gospel is his Title by God's gracious will to his partaking of Justification by Christ's Righteousness yea to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness for Justification but still it 's Christ's Righteousness that justifies and only that though it be thus assuredly applied to him that believes 15. Faith it self much less any other Grace or Work is not the Righteousness or any Part of the Righteousness wherein a Believer is accepted pardoned or glorified or stands in before the Justice of God or is it pleadable against the Law of Works or Charge of Sin It 's Christ's Righteousness alone that pleads for Believers in all these respects this answers the Law and for this we are released from the Curse By this Righteousness our Pardon and Heaven were purchased and for it they are given That there is a Pardon that there is a Glory for fallen Man is owing to Christ and that Believers have those given to them is also in Christ's Right though his Gospel assures them to Believers Yea it 's for Christ's Righteousness that the Spirit works Faith in any Person Faith puts in no Claim of Merit nor can it stand before governing Iustice nor admit a Trial before God as Creator as what entitles any to his Rewards But to the Praise of divine Grace and Wisdom our blessed Redeemer will own true Faith as that which he hath ordained to be a Means of investing us in his blessed Righteousness and what renders a Sinner certain of the Fruits of his Merits The Believer hath a Right by the Gospel to plead all Christ's
a great Means of their Perseverance which Divine Wisdom hath appointed Obj. Christ's Righteousness upon us keeps our Faith Ans. And yet keeping our Faith through God's Power keeps that Righteousness upon us to Salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 And know that Christ's Righteousness is applied in Correspondence with the Gospel-Rule It is not upon the Apostate to give him a Right to Salvation but upon the Persevering Believer It is on the Believer for his present Right but it is in Christ for to be still applied to the Persevering Believer for his continued Right Obj. The Believer will not fall away Ans. It is not naturally Impossible but it 's by Grace that he shall not fall away But then God's Helps and Means must be used by him of which these Cautions are not the least and the Connexion between Apostasie and the loss of Salvation is never the less true and so Mr. M's Principal never the less false for if ever he draw back my Soul shall have no Pleasure in him and truly you may as well infer that Faith is not necessary to our justification at first as that Perseverance is not necessary to our continuing so For it was as sure of the Elect. even before they believed that they should be justified It 's sure of the Believer before he persevere that he shall be saved But yet if Faith be necessary to the first so Perseverance is by as express Testimony necessary to the last 2. It is not blamably legal Fear for Believers to be sollicitously cautious in resisting Temptations and sâ—riving in Christ's Strength to persevere and this lest they eternally perish hold fast that which thou hast that no Man take thy Crown Rev. 3.10 was a fit Means to beget Care in holding fast Heb. 4.1 is a Caution the Apostle comprehends himself in Let us fear left a Promise being left us any of us should seem to come short of it any appearing challenge from within themselves was matter of Fear for on Christ's Part there 's no Suspicion It 's a divine Charge Phil. 2.13 Workout your own Salvation with Trembling and Fear not only begin it so but so work it out Nay in no span of Time on this side the Grave is the best Saint exempted Pass the Time of your sojourning here in Fear and the Reason is If you call upon the Father who without respect of Persons judgeth according to every Man's Work 1 Pet. 1. 17. These Men now tell us There is no judicial Process of Believers no Judgment by a Gospel-rule It will not be asked you what Sin you have committed or forsaken or Duty you have omitted or Good you have done but are you in Christ As if these were of no Use to determine whether we are in Christ truly or no and as if a Privilege were the proper matter of a Judicial Trial. Mr. M. may know whose these are Oh Christians Is our Race as yet run our Fight already fought or our Dangers past Are we still in Via or in Termino 3. A Man that hath once believed if he should fall under the reigning Power of Sin and Corruption ought to suspect that he is not in a State of Salvation Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if ye mortifie the Deed of of the Flesh by the Spirit ye shall live was a Truth directed to all the Saints at Rome and let me tell you the Dominion of Sin is a more sure Evidence that Men are now out of a State of Salvation than the Knowledge of their Consciences that they formerly believed is of their ever being in a State of Salvation For this may be a mistaken Knowledge but the other is the divine Word These Conceits are obviated Ezek. 33. 13. when I say to the righteous he shall surely live if he trust to his own Righteousness and commit Iniquity all his Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his Iniquity that he hath committed he shall surely die for it i. e. If because he began to do well and because he hath done so for a Time he ventures to give up himself to a Course of Sin he shall certainly perish for it This is the plain Sense of the Place notwithstanding Mr. M. forced Perversion of it against our expecting any Benefit upon performing any Duty The Apostle Paul thought not himself above this Rule 1 Cor. 9.11 24. I keep my Body under lest when I have preached to others I my self should be a Cast-away What a damning Sentence would Mr. M. pass on Turretin Perkins Mr. Anthony Burgess and most of our old Divines who jointly assert That if David had died before he had repented of the Murther of Vria he had been damned Nay that comfortable Text Rom. 8.1 brands his Position there 's no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit whence it 's evident That if they now walk after the Flesh they shall be condemned at least from its being inconsistent with their present being in Christ whatever they think of their former believing I will not retort damning on Mr. M's Opinion yet to such Souls who credit his Notion That whatever thy Corruptions now be if thy Conscience know that thou hast believed formerly they Salvation is safe I must in pity say thou mayest eternally perish by it For thou canst not judge now it was a true saving Act but according to the Sentence of Conscience and they Conscience may be mistaken yea if thy Corruptions now have Dominion over thee and continue so God warns thee Let no Man eeceive you with vain Words for these things the Wrath of God comes upon the Children of Disobedience Eph. 5.6 3 Charge And whether he do not in Truth disown the Imputation of our Sins unto Christ and of his Righteousness unto us It is like if he live the World will see more fully for he hath given such pregnant Indications thereof as do amount to at least just Cause of Iealousie Repl. 1. Is it come so low as a Jealousie now When he was one that under his Hand affirmed thus of me He teacheth that the Righteousness of Christ is imputed only as to Effects with a Purchase of a Conditional grant viz. This Proposition He that believeth shall be saved and they cite for it though in contrary Words Gospel Truth p. 39. where my Words are these I affirm That Christ by his Righteousness merited for all the Elect that they should in his Time and Way be certainly Partakers of its saving Effects and did not only purchase a conditional Grant of those Effects viz. That Proposition He that believeth shall be saved And besides these Effects being made ours the very Righteousness of Christ is imputed to true Believers as what was always undertaken and designed for their Salvation and is now effectual to their actual Pardon and Acceptance to Life yea is pleadable by them as their Security and is as useful to
their Happiness as if themselves had done and suffered what Christ did Reader were these Men duly tender or honest when they pervert Words â—o plain and ascribe to me what is as directly contrary to my Words as yea and no. They say I affirmed what I do deny and that I denied the very thing I affirmed But the Turn could not be served without these Methods 3. The Ground of Jealousie I 'll give and judge you how just it is 1. I did affirm that Christ did bear the Punishment of our Sins yea and he bare the Guilt of our Sins which is that respect of Sin to the threatning of the Law whereby there is an Obligation to bear the Punishment of Sin But I denied that Sin it self as to its Filth and Fault was transacted on Christ and that Christ was made and accounted by the Father the very Transgressor the Adulterer and Blasphemer Gospel-Truth p. 10 11. Here 's my Crime for Mr. M. hath oft preached up the later 2. I affirm as thou seest of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness but my Fault is that I deny that God accounts that we legally died and obeyed that we made Satisfaction to God though I grant that Christ died for us yea in our Place and stead 3. I have through the Goodness of God lived to declare in this Book enough to confute his Prophesie and his Opinion too though I think he should pray for a more calm and charitable Spirit before he prâ—tend to Predictions concerning his Brethren 4. Will he repent of his rigid censorious Slander For I 'll here declare that I assent to his own Words p. 18. By imputed I mean that it Christ's Righteousness is looked on by God as belonging to us in order to our being judicially dealt with according to the Merit thereof This I have oft affirmed but it 's far short of what elsewhere he strains it too 4 Charge The Son of God was united to an Embrio which is a Piece of ignorant Blasphemy Repl. My Words were Oh! For God-Man to be at any time unactive as an Embrio or Child in the Womb for him to be born of a Woman I said not that the Son of God was united to an Embrio unactive as an Embrio is another thing And I 'll â—â—ing him twice Ten to oppose his two Witnesses But had I said it where is the Blasphemy when the divine Nature I hope was united to Christ's dead Body in the Grave as all grant And very many say that the divine Nature was united to the Flesh before it was organized or animated of whom Turretin's Instit. Theol. p. 372. Etsi anima infundi non potuit in Corpus nisi jam organizatum c. Non sequiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non potuisse carnem statim sibi unire cum Opus ejus non possit aut praesente aut absente anima sibi coarctari Pierson and Multitudes are Blasphemers with this bold Man But supposing that though the Virgin conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost and went her usual Time and that Christ was like other Children and the Faetus had Matter and Nourishment ministred thereto by the Virgin who conceived by the Power of the Spirit Yet that the Divine Person was not united to the Flesh before it was animated But are not many Phisicians so ignorant as to judge the Soul is united to the Body unorganized and if so either the humane Nature of Christ had a separate Subsistence from the Divine Person which is false or the Divine Person assumed it when the Body was unorganized But it 's a Theme not fit for me to pursue who must confess my Ignorance therein in Comparison of Mr. M. who can tell us how the humane Nature of Christ leans on the God-head in the Son and hath the eternal Power of the Deity clasping about it and holding it in that Vnion p. 63. May not this seraphical yet very dull Author call what he please in this Point a Piece of ignorant Blasphemy whatever greater Divines or skilful Phisicans say to the contrary 5 Charge Because I would wash off all his Dirt at once I 'll give you one Charge out of his Book that he forgets in his Postscript though it hath been their best Tool viz. That I lick up Bellarmin's Vomit in my Exposition of Phil. 3.8 9. Repl. This is as true as the rest for when I expounded that Text I plainly affirmed thaâ— 1. We are justified by Christ's imputed Righteousness only 2. That all Holiness compared with winning Christ is to be esteemed as Dung 3. The best thing in us is vile compared with Christ's Righteousness And indeed if that Text speaks only of Justification and that the Apostle designes to oppose his own Righteousness to Christ's then his own and ours are as unfit as Dung to be found in 4. But I then judged and still do that the Apostle there designed to proclaim the Preferrableness of Christianity to Judaism and what was Pharasaical yea or self-invented And therefore as he enumerates all the Dignities of Judaism so he ascribes to Christ the whole Glory of his entire redeemed State shewing that not only his Justification but his Sanctification too came from and by Christ both which were of a diviner Nature as well as appointment than what he arrived to whiles he was a Stranger to Christ and therefore expected and pressed after a Perfection therein whiles he despised all Things Priviledges and Attainments which stood in Competition with Christ Yea was glad he had lost them all for Union with him a Perseverance in whom with higher Communications from him was the very main Aim of his Life and Endeavours I am sure this Sense best agrees with the Context and is far enough from Bellarmin's Sense neither want I Reasons sufficient to prove it had I room yea my Exposition of that Text is so far from militating against Justification by Christ's Righteousness that it proves it strongly 2. I come now to consider Mr. M's Defence of his own Errors He confines them to two Saying I kept Silence as to more When others read this Book they 'll see a greater Number though it seems he could not perceive them when he read my Notes and hath left out of his printed Sermons many obnoxious Passages yet he 'll meet with his Suretiship Righteousness the Debtor being as clear as the Surety P. 24. With his limiting so far Christ's Merit to his active Obedience p. 13. With his Position that all Graces of the Spirit are Effects of our being justified and not at all the Means thereof p. 32. That all our Obedience avails no more to our Justification than our worst Sins p. 71. Though he ascribes a Causality to Faith that the Crown of Glory is due to us in Justice p. 12. Even a remunerative Justice is exerted to us p. 15. c. But let us take what he thinks most concerns him the first whereof is that Christ's Incarnation was no
upon Christ alone for Justification Sanctification and eternal Life 6. His Faith wâ—nts the receiving of Christ if not wholly yet as a Prophet and Lord Whereas true Faith receives Christ Iesus the Lord Col. 2.6 7. Here 's no yielding up our selves to our Redemer's Conduct no Dedication of our selves to him as our Owner Guide and Ruler nor Consent or Engagement or Purpose of Heart to do so Whereas Gospel-Faith is such a Trust of and on Christ as includes a yielding up our selves to him to be saved by him in his way as he sets down the Terms viz. To deny our selves take up his Cross be his Followers and Disciples Isa. 44.5 Luke 19.14 27. Rom. 6.13.16 Luke 14.26 27 33. Ier. 30.21 8. Here 's no purpose of Heart to renounce the World Flesh and Devil who are Christ's Rivals and Competitors to whom we before did yield up our selves 1 Pet. 3.21 Io. 5.44 Faith is a strange Conjugal Consent wherein the Wife promiseth no Duty or Loyalty only expects all to be done for her Obj. If we trust and lean on Christ we shall do these Ans. 1. It 's as true if we do these we shall and do lean on Christ and by that rule may as well call these Faith and leave out that 2. It is not a saving Trust in Christ that doth exclude these or is without them This is plain because the Act of Gospel-Faith is oft expressed by these as well as by Trust and a Sentence of Condemnation lies still upon a Soul that wants these and is under the power of their contraries We will not have this Man to Reign over us was the Language of Unbelief and for this they were subject to Death Luke 19.14 27. 3. The Scriptures tell us of instances of a Trust and Leaning that proved destructive for want of these other things and certainly will prove so to all others Mic. 3.11 The Priests teach for hire and the Prophets divine for money yet they will lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us No doubt the Foolish Virgins had a degree of Trust in Christ but were lost for want of Oil though they looked for so much from him 4. As he wordeth it and joineth it in other places it looks to be a meer Contemplative Act which as a Man unregenerate doth with him perform so a Carnal Man may do it for indulging his Sloath and Carelesness q. d. I will now and then apply to this Meditation Christ shall do all for me I trust him to do so and therefore I am safe though I do no more yea I shall be damned if I strive to do any thing else as a means of obtaining saving Benefits though it be in Christ's Righteousness that I expect all We are warned Mat. 7.21 Not every one that crieth Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father and this was to enforce that Charge Enter in at the strait Gate 5. He ascribes too much to Faith as imperfect dead and unholy a thing as he makes it even more than I dare for a World ascribe to that which is the true Gospel-Condition P. 51. There is between our Believing and this Righteousness being upon us a reference of Causality Repl. We must be destroyers and be destroyed for saying God requires Faith suspending Pardon till we believe and by his Promise securing it to us when we believe though we expresly deny all Causal Influence and confine the Condition to the meer Frame of the Object and do leave Justification in all its Causes entire as the Benefit to be given in Christ's Right to him that is a Believer Yet our Accuser Witness and Judge can innocently cry up a Causality a real and proper Causality a mediate Causality of Justification an immediate Causality of Union with Christ which is the greater benefit P. 52. My short Legs can follow these small strides It 's a Cause of Justification but how By more than that Rule causa causae est causa causati Faith is a Cause of Vnion that Union is a Cause of Christ's Righteousness being upon us and that Righteousness being upon us is the Cause of Justification and so Faith is an influential Cause of Justification If you go forward with what Justification is the Cause of and what that is also a Cause of Faith is a Cause of even as much and in the same sort as it is of Justification and if you go backward to the next Cause of Faith and to the Cause of that and even all that is the Cause of Justification as much and in the same sort as Faith is And what kind of Cause is Faith in all It 's always with him a Phisical Cause a natural touch and clasping Yet P. 52. he saith it 's by God's Constitution and Ordination hopeful words but he soon throws it oâ—â— of â— moral Causality again and brings iâ—to the Corporeal Spicies Clasping about the Soul Here 's a Covenant-Consent without an Act considered as any way Moral a strange thing to any Man of Sense who must know that Acts are considered only as Moral Acts in every Covenant 6. He accounts all Performance of any Duty with an Expectation of any Saving Benefits as Morally connected therewith to be in a legal Manner and Spirit from legal or old Covenant Principles and unto old Covenant Ends c. P. 28 Compare p. 71. Reply I have fully proved that though nothing done by us is the Righteousness wherein we stand before a Just God or the Merit of any Good or Atonement for Sin or instead of a legal Righteousness Yet there is in the Gospel a Display of Authority though in a way of Grace and a Rectoral way fixed for giving out the Effects of Christ's Obedience in his Righteousness as Benefits encouraging to Duty And in that way we must expect them to the Glory of God's Truth and Promises and we wickedly Presume in expecting them otherwise and hereby Obedience to Christ and the Righteousness of Christ are not opposed nor old Covenant ends pursued Mr. M. saith P. 49. Faith hath no Influence no not so much as in a way of Instrumentality to confer upon us a Right and Title to Christ's Righteousness all the Influence that Faith hath is to our actual Possession of it I grant 1. That Faith is not our Justifying Righteousness 2. That Christ hath merited the Elect shall have it 3. That it is the Gospel-Promise is our Title and Charter yea 4. I deny all Causal Influence to our Possession But as to him who ascribes to Faith a Causality I would ask 1. Doth not the Gospel adjust by its Promise that it is the Believer it will invest in this Possession of Righteousness 2. Doth not this Promise entitle a Believer to this Possession and bar the Unbeliever 3. Doth Faith then no way affect our Right or Title to the Possession thereof Doth it not
to his particular Flock is at an end Nay he is of so Rash a Spirit small Skill in the Reason of Names and lavishly disregardful of Truth in this Matter that a Nick-name must be the Effect of his giving any to such as are not of his own Faction 2. He quits all Truth and Modesty in giving us the Name of Socinians or Semi-socinians He saith our Opinions are the Off-spring of Socinianism What meaneth he by Off-spring Is it 1. only that Socinianism was the occasion thereof Or 2. That they are of the same Genuine Nature with Socinianism The last is an abominable Slander hatch'd by no good Spirit 1. The former may be pretended but then an immediate Descent must be denied Socinianism tempted weak Men to the opposite Extream of Profane Antinomianism This Extream was perceived equally â—atal to the Vitals of Practical Christianity as Socinianism and also to give Advantage to the Socinians by its wild Positions and weak Arguments consonant thereto Therefore our best Learned Divines at once to prevent the Triumph of the Socinians and the growth of Antinomianism waved many of those Terms which had obtained among the Orthodox in speaking of Christ's Satisfaction without any due regard to either of these fatal Errors Hence Dr. Owen of the Trinity and Satisfaction P. 153. It appears from what hath been spoken that in this matter of Satisfaction God is not considered as a Creditor and Sin as a Debt and the Law as an Obligation of that Debt and the Lord Christ as paying it He then shews the difference and tells us God must be considered as a Rector c. p. 113. and p. 141. There is an allusion to them the Socinian Argument to a Debt and Payment which is the most improper expression used in this matter The same you 'll find Essenius Triumphus Crucis p. 391 399. Turretin Instit. Theol. par 2. p. 264. 462. In like manner they place Satisfaction in an equivalent in many things and not the same for kind in all Essenius p. 340. Dr. Stillingfleet of Sufferings of Christ p. 244 245. Many more instances might be given 2. But our Principles are far from being the Off-spring of Socinianism as being of the same Nature with it which he meaneth They are nothing which is properly Socinian or condemned as such by either Synod or Men of Learning So far are we from being half Socinians The Socinian Principles are summarily reduced to that of the Trinity and that of Christ's Satisfaction They deny the Deity of Christ as the Son of God by eternal Generation We affirm it they deny the Personality of the Holy Ghost we affirm it The Malice of our Author cannot pretend to touch us there The Socinians deny that Christ died a proper Sacrifice for Sin we affirm it They deny that Christ's Sufferings were the Punishment of our Sins we affirm it They deny that Christ satisfied Divine Justice or died in our Place We affirm he satisfied Justice and that Christ died in our Place and in our stead He died that we might not die who were liable to die He gave his Life for ours They say Christ died for our Good not by way of Merit at all strictly We affirm that Christ properly merited all the saving Good we enjoy The Good they say Christ died for is the giving us an Example of Patience confirming his Doctrin and at highest the ratifying the Covenant wherein our own Faith and Obedience is by Acceptilation accepted instead of a perfect legal Righteousness and this exclusive of Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness and that he attends to this is what they mean when they say Christ in some sort may be said to give us Life But we affirm that the good Christ merited is Reconciliation with God Pardon of Sins and eternal Glory c. as well as that he gave us an Example of Patience c. And we truly affirm that we have no Righteousness that answers the Law but Christ's and that Christ's Righteousness is imputed to us as that wherein we stand before a just God and is as available to us for Salvation as if we had done and suffered what Christ did and we renounce all our own Obedience and Works legal and evangelical as any Part of that Righteousness in or for which we are pardoned accepted or glorified Our very Faith and much less our Repentance or other good Works is not any merit or procuring cause of our Justification The whole use and place we assign to Faith in our Justification and to Repentance in the pardon of sin is that they are the things which the Gospel requireth in those whom God will impute the Righteousness of Christ to for actual Pardon and a Title to Eternal Glory as promising to impute Christ's Righteousness to Believers and actual Pardon to the believing Penitent as also the possession of Glory to such as persevere in Faith and Holiness and all in by and for the only Righteousness of Christ as the sole meriting enclining and procuring Cause Reader judge between us yea let the searcher of Hearts judge whether we are not wronged by this Brother I have in this Book as well as formerly shewed that by Reward is meant no more than an encouragement to a Duty established by the Gospel as a Law not whereby governing Iustice enjoineth us to work out a Righteousness as our Title to Eternal Life but a Law wherein Grace in a way of Government appoints Conditions that render us the subjects of saving Benefits as the Effects of Christ's Righteousness and to be received and enjoyed in his Right Again whereas some call Faith our subordinate Righteousness I have evidenced that they intend no more than a performed Condition of the Gospel and no way a Righteousness of the same kind or to the same End or Purpose with Christ's Righteousness Also when any of us say that we are justified by Faith as an Act Justification is then taken in quite another sense from Justification by Christ's Righteousness the last being universal as to our Persons and State the former being only of a particular Cause viz. Are we Believers and but consequently are we the Persons the Gospel promiseth to deal with as Believers Also I have shewn that Justification is entire in all its Causes and that Faith doth no more than connote us the Objects or Subjects on whom this Justification is conferred by God as a Benefit or the Object on whom the Justifying Act terminates by the Gospel If these be Semisocinian Principles I undertake to shew that all or most of the noted Protestant Confessions of Faith and the Body of our Protestant Divines of Name yea especially such as have written against Socinianism are Semisocinian Sure then our Author either reads our Principles in a false Glass or he knows no more of Socinianism than that it is a scandalous word and so fit to brand those with whose worth acceptance and usefulness he beholdeth with an envious Eye
What allowance did he make for the weakness of their Flesh How kindly doth he assure them of Eternal Mansions with that Pathetick Accent If it were not so I would have told you Joh. 14.1 How earnestly did he pray for them Ioh. 17. How soon doth he visit them without upbraiding their sad Desertion c. Yea our blessed Jesus retains the same affectionate Heart towards us in Heaven after all he endured on Earth He ever lives to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 as if that were the very business and end of his Living How precious should Christ be to us to us to live should be Christ his Dominion we should acknowledge and obey his Law who so dearly bought his Government Rom. 14.9 Let us be entirely resigned to him and with joy endure the utmost for his Name for we are redeemed by his Blood Be careful and studious to imitate him as what expresseth our Esteem of him and most answers the great Ends of his Undertaking Rom. 8.29 Tit. 2.14 4. That sorer Punishment denounced in the Gospel against such as neglect Salvation by Christ is exceeding just Heb. 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the son of God and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing c. It 's equal they die in their Sins notwithstanding the Remedy since they refuse it and that the Wrath of God abide on them who despise his Reconciling Love But that 's not all the Gospel proportions its Threatnings to the aggravated Sins of Unbelief and Impenitency that we will not come to Christ for the Life he purchased by his Death is worse than our first forfeiture of Life By this we trample on Christ as odious and esteem his Blood profane and vile We spurn at the tenderest Bowels and contemn the riehest Grace We approve of our Apostacy and hug our Chains We downright tell God to his face I chuse to be Damned rather than be saved by Christ. Can any think it strange that their Fall should be the lower their Flames the hotter and the Reflections of a tormenting Conscienee more penetrating It 's in flaming fire Christ will take vengeance on such as obey not the Gospel who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power The Blow intended for such is too great for a created Instrument to give therefore it will be immediate by the Presence of the Lord yea it will be so awful as shall make the Power of God's Arm glorious in inflicting it Marvelous is the Instance by which God intends to glorifie any Attribute sore will be that Misery by which God will get Eternal Glory to the strength of his Power in making Wretches miserable Oh! tremble at Gospel Vengeance and credit Gospel Threatnings lest you feel them and thereby Christ not only become useless but also terrible to you What will your case be when he shall avenge his despised Blood and execute that which is the condemnation Joh. 3.19 And know O! obstinate Sinner thy Ruine is as sure as it is dreadful Heb. 2.3 How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation There 's no possibility of escaping thy own awaken'd Mind being Judge Hath God a dearer Son to give for thee Will God be a Liar and Perjured for thy sake Can'st thou hope for this as thou must since he hath so often declared yea sworn that the impenitent Unbeliever shall never enter into his Rest. Undo not thy self by Hopes without any Word of God for them yea so expresly against his Word which so many thousands already feel the certainty of Obey the Gospel for Salvation thou must or its sorer Vengeance thou shalt Eternally undergo 5. The Faith and Joy of a sincere Christian are well grounded notwithstanding his many Offences and great Forfeitures Our Sins are many and great can God forgive them I am exceeding unworthy how shall God deal with me as his Child or admit my wearing a Crown of Glory Can I expect this or have any joyful hopes concerning it Truly these are necessary Challenges if the Price of Salvation be unknown But consider O Soul that thy Pardon and Eternal Glory are purchased by the Obedience of the Son of God in our Nature and secured to thee by the Covenant made and ratified in the Virtue of Christ's Blood Thy Sins have not dishonoured God above the Glory which redounds to him by the Sufferings and Merits of thy Redeemer That was done and suffered by Christ which in the Balance of Justice more than compensates whatever is to be forgiven thee or is promised to thee No Perfection of God is aggrieved by any thing the Gospel grants to the Persons it designeth Art thou a godly Believer thô a weak one Even thou mayest rejoyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ having now received the atonement Rom. 5.11 Having answered the first Quesâ—â—on What is the Obedience of Christ by which we are made Righteous I come to the second Question SERMON II. 2 Q What is it to be made Righteous by Christs Obedience A. THere 's hardly a word in Scripture of so various acceptations as the word Righteousness But I shall confine my self to what the Spirit of God designeth principally in the Text. To be made Righteous by Christ's Obedience is 1. To be made free from Condemnation as if we had not sinn'd and to be entitled to Acceptance with God and Eternal Glory as if we had kept the whole Law and both for the sake of Christ's Righteousness imputed to Penitent Belieâ—ers for Pardon and Adoption It is not to be made Men that never sinned for that 's impossible nor to be esteemed Men that personally kept the whole Law for that were false both which blessedness by Pardon doth demonstrate our forgiveness shews our disobedience 2. By the Merits and Spirit of Christ to be made obedient to the Gospel at least in those things which Christ hath graciously appointed to be the Conditions of our actual Enjoyment of saving Benefits as the effects of Christ's sole Righteousness In the first sense we are made Righteous in our Justification which is a forensick act and infers a relative change of our State from Guilty to Pardoned from Non-Accepted to Accepted and from being void of Right to have a Right to the Eternal Inheritance In the sense of the second particular we are made Righteous partly in our Effectual Vocation and partly in our Progressive Sanctification and Perseverance This is by the efficiency of the Spirit of Christ enclining and enabling us to the performance of the respective Gospel Conditions he enableth us to Believe for Justification to Repent for Pardon to Persevere in Faith and True Holiness for the possession of Eternal Glory Both these are by the Obedience of Christ. His Satisfaction and Merits have a causual influence on both though these
adjudged just right to the Rewards promised him for performing the foresaid Conditions The dueness of the Reward to Christ in a way of strict Justice is his Righteousness Ius ad premium it was to him a Reward of Justice and not of Grace because Justice proportioned the Conditions to the Reward and the Reward to the Conditions if it were not so governing Justice never glorified or discover'd it self in the dispensing of Rewards To finish this Point consider 1. The Reward to which Christ hath a Right includes all that was promised to Christ or to others on the account of his Satisfaction and Merits Not only that he should be exalted and have a name above every name Pâ—â—â— 2.8 with whatever Glory or Homage which was to be render'd to him as a Saviour But it comprehends all by the Father promised and by himself bequeathed to his Members as Justification Adoption the Sanctifying Spirit Perseverance and Eternal Glory to his Regenerate Seed As also Regeneration and Faith to all the Elect that they may be raised to be a Seed to him and united with him 2. The Lord Jesus was solemnly adjudged to have performed all the Conditions and to have a Legal Right to all this Reward His Righteousness was adjudged he was justified as foretold Is. 50.8 God by Voice declared this but it was more manifest in his Resurrection and yet more in his Solemn Enthroning in the Heavens where he sits at Gods right hand Heb. 8.1 Yea he had Authority given him to execute his own Right Ioh. 5.27 Exh. Rejoyce and Glory in the Perfection of Christs Righteousness You see that in all respects it's compleat The Law of Redemption prescribed as became Gods Essential Justice to propose To these Governing Justice annexed a due Reward upon performing the Conditions the perfectly Holy Jesus had a right to all the Reward and was solemnly adjudged to have performed the Conditions and to have that Right to the Reward His Right is founded in a full performance of the Conditions which includes a full Conformity to the Law of Works yea and what far exceeds it In this then we may glory there 's no blot in his performance there 's no flaw in his right Can Sinners need anymore than this applied for it will serve to all the purposes it 's designed to Oh! Christian honour it by laying the stress of thy Hopes and Comfort on it and clearing thy Interest in it above all good it answers guilt weakness yea thy want of all things except that without which it cannot be applied to thee nor its effects attained viz. a Penitential Faith When thy Body rotteth in the Grave because of Sin thy Spirit will be safe and Eternally live on the account of this Righteousness Rom. 8.10 thou mayest chearfully venture thy Soul upon it 6 Pro. The Lord Jesus is and always will be possessed of this Righteousness in his own Person In the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength Is. 45.14 with respect to this it 's said our Redemption is in Christ by which we are justified Rom. 3.24 The Meriting Acts are over as Acts but the Merit never ceaseth His Sufferings are past but the Righteousness acquired thereby remains it 's not only their Vertue simply that continues but the Righteousness or Right founded thereon abideth He hath a Right to Faith for all the Elect who are yet uncalled he hath a Title to Pardon for all True Believers he hath a Right to Eternal Glory for all Persevering Saints There is our Right best secured It is for the Righteousness that is in Christ that we are acquitted and adopted and on it as in him we must still depend Exh. Sinners and Saints look to Christ as having in him a full Righteousness Let this Commend him to thy Acceptance and Trust. Sinners you need him on this very account to answer for your Unrighteousness all his Offers and Calls should have power with you from this very motive he hath a perfect Righteousness it were else in vain to believe in him it were to no purpose to repent and turn to him were not he by this Righteousness mighty to save thee an answer to his Call might not be expected But know with assurance that he is a Fountain deep enough for thy Uncleanness Zech. 13.1 The Son of Righteousness hath healing under his Wings Mal. 4.1 and peace and glory in his power You may trust the Promises by which the Gospel allureth you to Christ for as amazing as the Good is which they contain they are by his Righteousness Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 but take care of separating his Person from his Righteousness you must accept of him as a whole Christ if you hope for good by his Righteousness and your Faith must be directed to him in a firm dependance and entire subjection or he 'll be to you as unuseful as if he had not this fullness of Righteousness 7 Pro. All Graces and Saving Benefits are dispensed to Men in the Righteousness of Christ. By his Satisfaction he render'd it consistent with the Perfections of God to visit blind Souls with his light and surprize the dead with spiritual life on Christs account the Spirit descends to strive with the rebellious and awake the sleepy His Regenerating Influences are the effects of Christs Merits he acts as the Spirit of Christ. I do not mean that Christ's Righteousness is imputed to Men in order to the working of Faith in them as it is in order to Pardon you may as well say it 's imputed to Men in order to the preaching of the Gospel to them for that 's an effect of Christ's Righteousness but these are the result of a Divine Constitution wherein Christ is acknowledged but no right in Men supposed The first Grace is absolute and an arbitrary act as to any claim the Sinners hath Though Christ hath a right to the Elects being brought to believe yet he transfers not his right to the Elect who till they believe are not united to him and so are Aliens to his Righteousness But God hath an Eye to the Merits of Jesus in all his Grants and Gifts from first to last from the least to the greatest When he forgives Sin it is a rendring to us what is purchas'd by Christ's Blood Eph. 4.32 It is a giving forth of what he hath bought We are made Kings and Priests as a proper Reward to Christ and a Testimony to his Righteousness Exh. Say of every Saving Benefit and of all Graces This I receive because the Lord Iesus hath a full Righteousness The Heavens had been Brass as to Vital Influences but for this The Word had been a dead condemning Letter but for this My Sins had been eternally sealed up among his Treasures Pledges of his Love to my Soul I had never found my Prayers would have been excluded audience Christian Hopes and Comforts I had not intermeddled with but that Christ is Righteous yea perfectly so But because his Righteousness
is great I have found Healings when Wounded Strength when Weak my Prayers have had frequent Audience God hath not refused me Communion with himself mine Iniquities are removed as a Cloud I joy in Gods Favour I glory in his Fullness and have lively Hopes to be ever with him Should not that be owned by us in all which is the Consideration upon which all is given 8 Pro. The Righteousness of Christ is differently applied and operative as the Gospel distinguisheth the promised Benefits with respect to the various Conditions of such who are the Persons described in the Promises For Explication of this note 1. The Gospel Promises distinguish the Benefits that come by Christ and describe the Objects of each The Promises are various and those are all Gospel Promises that are made to fallen Man for Christ's sake To be a Promise to fallen Man and not Gospel to be for Christ's sake and not a Gospel Promise are in the nature of the thing impossible The variety of the Promises is obvious and the Persons to whom they are made not alike described Some are made to one Grace some to another Grace some on one Condition some on another Justification is promised to the Believers Pardon to the Penitent Mar. 1.4 Returns of Prayer to him that prays frequently and in Faith Iam. 5.16 Glory to the Persevering Saint Gal. 6.9 Abundant Glory or Reaping liberally to him that sows liberally that is who is abundant in fruitfulness 2 Cor. 9.6 He that hungers after Righteousness shall be filled and the like Mat. 5.2 Each of the Promises are made in Christ's Right They are but an Inventory of Christ's Claim Nay they were made with respect to his Merits If God could make a Promise of Saving Benefits to Sinners without an Eye to Christ's Satisfaction as the Consideration of making that Promise I doubt it will go too far to prove that he may perform that Promise without an Eye to his Satisfaction The same Objection will not lie against a meer Decree or Purpose to give such Benefits in and by Christ for this Purpose gives no Man right to the Benefit but the Promise doth give a right and to suppose a Sinners Right without respect to Christ's Righteousness seems to weaken the necessity of his Satisfaction and Merits who is given to be a Covenant Is. 42.6 i. e. for his sake this Covenant is made and by him confirmed and executed But how ever various the Promises are they grant in his right they be Christ's Legacies they are bequeathed by his Testament and therefore argue that the respective Blessings contained therein are his proper Goods given out by the Promises as his Donative Instrument and upon terms which the Fathers and he thought fittest to prescribe as rendring the State of the Receivers such as they judged most subservient to infinitely wise and holy purposes 3. It 's Christs Righteousness that exerts it self and operates in conferring the Benefits included in these various Promises this empties it self in all those Channels and influenceth by each of those means the Blessing conferred is a display of his Merits as the procuring Cause whatever power the thing is effected by or way it 's effected in Christ's Righteousness is applied in Pardon in Adoption in the Perseverance of Penitent Believers Gal. 3.16 This is applied in the Answer of every Prayer this is as truly in all additional degrees of Grace in some Saints as in any measure in every Saint yea in the augmented degrees of Glory as in a State of Glory Hence it 's past doubt that unless we say some Spiritual and Heavenly Benefits are given not by or for Christs Righteousness or that his Righteousness may be equally applied and yet not produce equal effects then we must conclude the Righteousness of Christ is not in the same degree applied unto all to whom it yet may be applied to saving purposes It is applied to no true Believer but that it secures to him a Deliverance from Hell an acceptance of his Person and Duties Perseverance in Faith and the Kingdom of Heaven at last But are all as greatly beloved as Daniel as mighty with God as Moses or Iacob Had he that was Ruler of five Cities as great Glory as he that was made Ruler of ten Cities Luk. 19 17 19 24. Comp. Mat. 25.28 and surely the very preheminence in these respects is owing to the Righteousness of Christ applied Rev. 1.5 Exh. Be careful and industrious to be the described objects of the several benefits you desire according as the Promises describe the Persons and to whom they are made yet expect each benefit by Christ's Righteousness when you are the described objects of those benefits according to the Gospel Ordination In vain do you expect the benefit promised if you are not the Persons to whom the Promise grants it for the Promise doth as truly exclude the wrong Person from its Blessing as it assures it to the right Person But by what doth the Promise describe you to be the Person it speak of It 's not by your Name but by your Character even your being such a one as Christ declares by the Promise he will give the Benefit to Would you be filled be then one that hungers after Righteousness Would you be pardoned for Christs sake see that you be Penitent Believers for it 's to such only Christs Righteousness is promised to be applied for Pardon Would you reap plentifully then sow plentifully for if you be of them that sow sparingly God doth not say it to you that you shall reap plentifully 2 Cor. 9.6 The like I may say of every other Promise that is Conditional for therein God moves us to duty by Benefits he induceth us to what we are more backward by what we more esteem and desire Election knows our Names the Promises appoints our Qualifications And do not think thou canst plead Christs Righteousness to obtain the Good promised if thou art not such a one as the Promise describes for in making these Promises Christ hath fixed the way how the Effects of his Righteousness shall be dispensed and by these he requires us to guide our Expectations or they do not answer the end of his Publication of them But when thou art by the Grace and Spirit of Christ the characterized Man to whom the Promise belongs expect the Blessing as the Effect of Christs Righteousness and not of thine own the Promise had not been made to thee but for that it is in his right the Blessing is conferred whenever any partake thereof which adds Sweetness as well as Certainty thereto The Spirit frames the Vessel but Christ affords the Oyl By the Operation of the Holy Ghost thou art rendred the designed Object of the Promise but look to Christ as Procurer of the Good which the Promise is to convey But more of this hereafter 9 Pro. In and by the Righteousness of Christ they that sincerely believe are upon Gods pardoning of them
dangerous to exclude the Holy Ghost from an Efficiency in framing Sinners for the participating of Blessings in Christ's Right as it is to exclude Christ from the sole Impetration Many little think what a Dishonour and Offence they are to the Holy Ghost in denying an Authoritative Connexion between Duties and Benefits and allowing him no hand in making them the Objects to whom Gospel Benefits are appropriated by its Sanction The Language of such to the Spirit is We are without any Operation of thine on us the Persons entitled to all Benefits Christ hath not only a Right to all these Blessings but we also are fully and constantly invested in that Right without any dependance on thee or Obligation to thee though we own thou workest some of those things after we have a full Right to them and because we have that full Right yet we are at no time indebted to thee for any ways rendring us the Persons to whom that Right is applied or belongs the vilest Wretch in Hell oweth thee as much Thanks on that account I would tremble to hold a Principle whereof this is the Native Language when I see that though the Promises are made in Christ's Right and the Benefits contained in them are his Purchase yet as they require Conditions in such as shall be Partakers of Christ's Right to those Benefits to the Glory of the Son and of the Father who gave his Son so there is a wise Contrivance for the Honour of the Holy Ghost also as it is he who enableth Men to perform those Conditions for a Gospel-Interest in those Benefits A REPLY TO Mr. Mather's Postscript I Shall first consider the Errors Mr. M. chargeth me with and then his Defence of his own The Errors he loads with no lighter Epithets than Damning and Blasphemouâ— Terms agreeable to his long known Temper and Charity He introduceth his Charge with an Ecee This is he he is the Man Would he infer that I am the only Man No the body of Divines except Antinomians affirm as I do And in his Preface it 's his Moan the Number is so great Is it that I am the Man that eminently defend these Alas I can shew him Volumes of the Dead and many are yet Alive whose Defence of my Positions is so Nervous as renders mine truly Inconsiderable as his Opposition thereto Contemptible Sure then it 's either to leave a Mark that his Factious Design may more succeed or to point me the Person designed by him in his Sermons Page 22.64 in words indeed too blunt for a Man of his own Sagacity to need another Comment Yet after all his labour to make the Man sure he hath assigned the Charge so falsly that an Ingenuous Reader will sooner charge him for a base Trick in his Insinuations than me the Patron of the Opinions he would ascribe 1 Charge He is one that makes Vnion to Christ our having this Righteousness upon us and our being Iustified by it to be given us in way of Reward of something done by us Reply My words which he refers to here and Page 46. are these Gospel-Benefits are no Reward of Debt and yet they are given in a way of Reward The Benefits are given not for our Faith yet upon Believing not upon it as a Meriting Consideration yet upon it as that the Presence whereof is made necessary by the Gospel this having required Faith and confined the Benefit to him that believes If a Man saith I 'll give you a Thousand Pounds if you will come to my House and fetch it It is not a Free Gift though the Poor Man must come if he will have it and the Giver is yet bound by his Promise to give it if he come and not bound to give it if he refuse to come Defence of Gospel-Truth P. 25. These are my very words he pretends to mention and no where in my Books can he find the least shadow for more You see 1. I mention only Gospel-Benefits and not Union with Christ or Justification 2. It 's Faith only which I mention and not something done by us by which he would insinuate that other good Works are meant 3. I say it 's upon Believing and not for Faith upon it not as a Meriting Consideration but upon it as that the Presence whereof is made necessary by the Gospel Doth not this sound lower than his Reward of something done by us Vpon it as a thing present and of it as a thing Meriting are very different 4. The occasion of my using these words was this to prove that God by the Gospel injoyns Faith as a Condition of our having those good things which yet he freely gives and that Christ shews his governing Authority in his displays of Grace and excites to Duties by Motives from Benefits freely given and that Gospel-Conditions have no Merit of Condignity or Congruity And 5. I laid the Vmbrage of the way of Reward wholly on the Gospel-Promise and not upon the least Dignity of the Act done God who is our Ruler commands Faith and promiseth as a Motive to Faith the Benefits purchased by Christ as good things Here 's the whole of this Damning Error as far as he could justly call it mine And by this time you 'll discern as little Danger to me by my Opinion as to him by his False and Malicious Attempt to expose my Ministry and Person not to say truth it self yea and the generality of Ministers and Christians who will not stoop to him as Dictator 2. I shall descend into the Merit of the Cause truly stated which is resolved into two Questions 1 Q. When may a Benefit be said to be given in a way of Reward when yet it is not in a way of Debt or Merit or a Reward for the thing done Ans. A thing is thus given in a way of Reward when a Benefit is given in a way of Encouragement of something required yea or desired to be done however small or unvaluable the thing done is or however great the Benefit is If you say to your Child If you 'll make a Bow and Thank me I 'll give you such an Estate When you give him such an Estate upon his so Bowing and Thanking you do give it him in a way of Reward It 's a Gift because that Bow and Thanks deserve not that Estate it 's yet given in a way of Reward since you promised it in a way of Encouragement to his Bow and Thanks Indeed all Gospel-Conditions are but a meet receiving of the Benefits 2 Quest. Whether God doth give Gospel-Benefits in a way of Encouragement to our performing of any Gospel-Duties Ans. Can any one read the Bible and not cease to doubt that the Scope of it were vain in its Proposals and Promises if the thing be otherwise For 1. Are not the Promises of the Gospel Motives to Duty Acts 13.19 Repent and be converted that your Iniquities may be blotted out Matt. 11.28 Come unto me and I
the Heart of Stone and gives a heart of Flesh renewing their Wills and by his power determining them to that which is good and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ Conf. Cap. 10. A. 1. Q. 2. Man is altogether Passive therein until being quickned by the holy Spirit he is thereby enabled to answer this Call and to embrace the Grace offered and conveyed in it Large Cat. A. 73. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God not because of those other Graces which do always accompany it or of good Works that are the fruit of it Here we see that there is a quickning regenerating Work and Change on the Heart and Will in order to the Act of Faith and that there is no Faith unaccompanied at any time by other Graces and that by good works they intend not such Graces c. Did not Mr. M. tell us p. 60. that in effecting our Vital Vnion there is a Vital touch as I may say between Christ and us and a Clasping on each other Is there a Vital Touch before Life or a Clasping while we are Dead Doth the Mind see Christ whilst it 's Blind or the Will embrace him whilst it 's morally dead impotent unperswaded and averse Do we consent to Christ and Covenant with him whilst Satan Sin and Enmity Reign in our Faculties or open the Door to Christ whilst these keep the Keys God saith the natural Man receiveth not the things of God because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 but Mr. M. saith yea it 's while they are natural that they see Christ and close with him Here 's a knowledg of an ignorant Mind here 's a coming and receiving without Life Here 's a Faith the Gospel Covenant never promiseth for it 's not included in God's Writing his Laws in the Heart The whole stress of Salvation is laid by him on an Act of a dead unregenerate sinner and Men are justified while the Soul is not turned from darkness to life nor from the power of Satan unto God Acts 26. 18. it were worth asking hâ—m whose Act this Act of Faith is It 's not a Humane Act unless you can suppose the Mind and Will can Act without any Vital Principle yea against it's own prevailing Principle Here then must be a force and unactiveness too in our very acting and it 's a strange Clasping of what we hate and abhor I doubt here may come in again Christ's believing for us However he must think 1. That our Faith after we are alive is either a Faith specifically distinct from that which justified us or it 's still an Act not effected by a regenerate Principle but is somewhat either below Life or above Man even when he is spiritualized he seems to bid at both His Simile is for the first the Spirits which he saith are Corporeal Clasp about the Soul for Life so it seems our Faith is a dead thing always never made Life or Living any more than those Spirits are made Soul otherwise it loseth its Clasping meetness as they would do in ceasing to be Corporeal Yet other times he makes it look like a Divinity Clasp about us 2. I do now see a little why the Man is so against God's giving us any saving Benefit in any way of Reward though not of Debt It 's because Faith is the only thing ordained not required as a Physical means on our part and this is so low a thing that a dead sinner may act or so sublime as not to be a Humane Act. 3. Again I see why he doth still confine our Justification to the end to the first Act of Faith yea and deny the immediate influence of Faith on our Justification for if you should bring it among Duties or to be under the Notion of a Duty all is spoiled No it must be a meer Physical Band of Union not enjoined by God as our Ruler but appointed as the Corporeal Spirits for Ligaments I dare not touch the Philosophy part of that lest if I name Embrio he should Curse me anew 4. I know now at last why he thought me a Pelegian the selfish reason why he writ it to London I knew long since because I in a Printed Sermon put the Act of Faith after spiritual Life it seems I should have said with him That in Vnion with Christ as one mystical Person which is by the efficient causality of Faith we are brought into a state of Spiritual Life Relative in our Iustification and Adoption and then and thereupon Qualitative c. p. 60. His Proofs for Faith before Life because Christ promiseth Life upon believing are contemptible as if further spiritual Life and Pardon and Eternal Glory be not Life as well as Hell is Death ' and some sinners twice dead 4. The Faith he so much insists on hath not all the Essentials of a saving Faith I know many Worthy Men distinguish between Faith quae justificat and qua justificat and no doubt the Soul hath an especial respect to Christ as Priest and his Righteousness in order to Justification But our Discourse is of the Faith quae justificat What that Faith is he tells us p. 62. Faith is a going out of our selves unto Christ for all And p. 40. The Hearts acting towards this Object in its believing is most properly in a way of trust and dependance and affiance Rep. 1. We have just seen it wants a Vital Principle as it is the Act of an unregenerate dead Soul Now this brings it in the Judgment of most Divines to be no saving act at all no saving Faith because the Act of a Natural and Dead Sinner 2. I need not mention that it is no obediential Act And note That when our Divines deny that Faith is not Imputed as an Act of Believing or as an Evangelical Act of Obedience they say it 's not as such imputed as our justifying Righteousness which I grant But they positively affirm that the Faith by which Christ's Righteousness becomes imputed is an Act of evangelical Obedience Confess Chap. 11. A. 1. Again 3. I will not insist how far the Assent of this Faith is limited as to its Object as well as its Nature 4. I do grant That by Gospel-faith we trust in and depend on Christ as our only Saviour and that by it we go out of our selves to Christ for all Attonement Merit Causality of Acceptance of all we do and Strength and Grace to enable us to all 5. Yet see how much more the Assembly includes in saving Faith Confess Chap. 14. A. 2 By this Grace Faith a Christian believeth to be true whaever is revealed in the Word for the Authority of God himself speaking therein and acteth differently upon that which each particular Passage thereof containeth yielding Obedience to the Commands Trembling at the Threatnings and embracing the Promises of God for this Life and that which is to come but the principal Acts of saving Faith are accepting receiving and restin