the answering the Gospel Rule and how we make this Righteousness of Christ the cause for which we are saved that is I do affirm or positively declare without any suspicion of being accounted a self Justiciary that the righteousness of God which the Apostle accounted all his Righteousness but dung for and which he saith is the righteousness through the Faith of Christ and the righteousness of God by Faith This I assume for the honour of Mans Righteousness to concur with Christs imputed Righteousness that this Expression of the Apostle intends yea it principally intends the Gospel Holiness of a person Justified by Christs righteousness that is to say though the Apostle expresly saith 't is not my own Righteousness yet I will make the Apostle mean 't is my own Holiness tho' the Apostle calls it the righteousness through the Faith of Christ I affirm 't is the Holiness of the person justified and though I do not exclude Christs Righteousness in Words yet I affirm 't is Gospel Holiness that the Apostle intends If this be not a plain contradicting the Apostle and making the Apostle contradict himself then nothing can do so The Apostle saith T' is not mine own Righteousness 't is saith Mr. Williams my Gospel Holiness this is to say and unsay it is not and yet it is I pray what great difference between my Righteousness and my Gospel Holiness the Apostle would not for a World be sound in his Righteousness of any sort but in Christ and yet Mr. Williams saith the Apostle would be found in his Gospel Holiness I believe Mr. W. consulted few Protestant Divines in that affirmation for here he goes diametrically opposite to the current stream of them of which hereafter and against the very direct words of the Apostle in which he laboured to bring forth his meaning the Holy Spirit by the Apostle uses much pains and skill to free the truth from Mr. W. his interpretation of a sinners or Saints being found in his own righteousness or holiness by varying the expressions thereby explaining the truth of our righteousness not having any thing to do in our Justification or standing at Gods bar either in our Consciences or at the great day but Mr. Williams with a bold stroke of his Pen flatly opposes it the Apostle saith that the righteousness he would be found in is that which is through the Faith of Christ How can this be Mr. Williams his Gospel Holiness By Faith Noah being warned c. became Heir of the righteousness which is by Faith which shews us that Noah had in those dealings of God with him the very same righteousness for the Object of his Faith which our Gospel now proposeth to us and which our Faith lays hold upon Which the same Apostle stiles the Righteousness of God and the Righteousness of Christ which is by Faith Phil. 3.9 Which Righteousness for Justification he more setly treateth of in Rom. 3.21 But now the Righteousness of God without the Law is manifested even the Righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ He witnessed of that Righteousness which is by Faith as it hath Christ for its Object this all sound Protestants do profess Goodwin of Elect. fol. 40. The Faith of Jesus is Faith in the righteousness of Christ who is the Lord our Righteousness and the Apostle lest he should not be fully understood he explains what this through the Faith of Christ is he saith plainly 't is the righteousness of God and lest we should mistake here and turn this righteousness of God this righteousness through the Faith of Christ which is the righteousness of God to our Gospel Holiness with the Arminians or with Grotius and Mr Williams he explains it farther and saith 't is the righteousness of God by Faith as much as to say 't is that Righteousness which Christ as God wrought out for us who is made of God to us righteousness and which is made ours by Faith But though these 4 Bars be laid in the way 1. Not my own righteousness 2. But that through the Faith of Christ 3. Plainly not Gospel Holiness but the righteousness of God 4. And this Righteousness of God ours by Faith yet this Gentleman takes a Run and leaps over them all with a confidence most bold dashes out all the Apostles sense and saith I affirm it principally intends Gospel Holiness than which nothing can be a more shameless imposing on the plain Word of God I conceive and a corrupting of it which he doth by his confident affirmation that the righteousness of God ours by Faith is a persons own Gospel Holiness he may as well affirm that being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus is being justified by our Gospel Holiness The Gospel of Salvation by Jesus would stand on ticklish terms and soon be lost if a few more such bold Attempts as this against the righteousness of God ours by Faith be allowed but the Gates of Hell shall never be able to overthrow this Truth that the righteousness of God there is Christs righteousness believed on to Justification and not our Gospel Holiness We must not lose such a glorious Star out of the Firmament of the Scriptures nay I may say 't is the Sun for take this Mr. Williams and take all the Bible away for I would as soon hope to be Justifyed by the Turkish Alkoran as by my Gospel Holiness nay it must not come in for a share or have any concurrence as to causality for a little Leven in this case will leven the whole Lump O the Cloud of Witnesses that have from this Text of Phil. 3.9 made many comfortable Conclusions that this righteousness of God by Faith is the imputed righteousness of Christ received by Faith O the famous Dr. Tuckny how would he have shamed that Man that should have enervated this Text on which he preacht many Sermons lately Printed contrary to Mr. Williams Exposition O the rich streams of Gospel Grace that flowed from solid Dr. Jacomb at Tunbridge in June 1686. In six Sermons on this Text which I took from his Lips all contrary to this puddle of Gospel Holiness Hundreds of these I pass and shall cite a few Passages out of older times as the Faith of our Protestant Forefathers not to be ravisht from us by Mr. Williams tho' he had a hundred Vouchers for his serving the Church First our Composers of the Homilies in King Edward the Sixth's time which is the Doctrine of the Church of England Confirmed by many Acts of Parliament they quote Bazil a Greek Father in fol. 16. of the Homily of Salvation on this very Text Phil. 3.9 This is saith Bazil a perfect rejoycing in God when a Man advanceth not himself for his own righteousness but acknowledgeth himself to lack true Justice and Righteousness and to be Justified by the only Faith in Christ and Paul doth glory in the contempt of his own righteousness and he
Mr. Frith have insisted on No manner of Works make us right wise and no works make us unright-wise and all good Works must be utterly excluded and stand apart that grace may appear free Now are not Repentance Holiness new Obedience perseverance and Mr. Williams his c. Good works yet they must stand apart and be far from such a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise in our salvation as Perfect Obedience was to the Rule of the Precept O that God would teach Men to lower their high towering Opinions of our Holiness concurring to our Salvation and cry Grace grace to all from the Foundation to th◠Top-stone still not of works though this galls proud Flesh lest any boast For a farther satisfaction in this great point let us see what our great Men presently after the down-fall of Popery in this Nation have said as to our works in the matter of Salvation The Homilists say in fol. 27. All good Works spring from Faith and cannot be done without Faith then I argue if they spring from Faith and that we are justifyed by Faith then good works have no hand in our Justification because that is over in order of nature before a good work sprung up then what have we to do with Mr. Williams Gospel Obedience conforming to the Promise in order to pardon The Homilists say farther from those words without me you can do nothing That what work is done without Faith is sin and without Faith all done of us is dead and Austin saith fol. 31. Whether thou will or no that work that comes not of Faith is naught There is one work in which is all good Works that 's Faith This is the Work of God to believe in him so that Christ called Faith the work of God and as soon as a man hath Faith anon he shall flourish in good Works Thus Holy Austin was for Faith alone without the Trumpery of our Obedience with c. in order to pardon Mr. W. fixeth Repentance and Faith with Holiness c. to be the Terms of Pardon How far this c goes it may be Mr. Williams may tell us in the next Edition or by the Athenian Mercury but for the consolation of humble Enquirers into the truth I 'll tell them what our Homilists say of this great grace of Repentance which Mr. W. puts before Faith and which he makes one of the terms of Pardon with his c. in fol. 258. these Homilists say We must return to the Lord yea to him alone and never rest till we have taken bold upon him but this must be done by Faith and he himself in his Gospel doth cry out I am the way the Truth and the Life therefore they are greatly deceived who preach Repentance without Christ so that with the Homilists 't is first Christs ours by Faith then Repentance they that think they have done much of themselves towards Repentance are so much more the farther from God This is not like our new Gospel Truth stated that a man without saving Faith in Jesus may repent of his sins yet say the Homilists but 't is such a Repentance as Judas's such as puts him farther from God and in fol. 263. they confirm their Doctrine of no sound Repentance without Faith in Jesus the way to it and say We must beware we in no wise imagin we can repent aright hy our own strength for this must be verifyed in all Men without me you can do nothing Mr. W. will say he owns that Christ enables us to repent 't is true but doth he own a Man is in Christ believes in Christ before he repent if he do not own that then he comes not up to the Text where Christ speaking of all his to the Branches in him he saith upon that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without me or out of me you can do nothing you cannot repent or do new Obedience if not a branch in me by Faith Again in fol. 268 they say They that preach Repentance without a lively Faith in our Saviour Jesus Christ do teach Judas his Repentance It is evident tho' we be never so earnestly Sorry for our sins acknowledge and confess them all these are but means to bring us to utter despair except we do stedfastly believe that God our heavenly Father will for his Son Jesus Christ's sake pardon and forgive us our Offences To them I add the Testimony of as great a Scholar and as sound a Protestant as Mr. Williams who above 100 years ago gave a better account of Faith and Holiness than Mr. W. doth and that is Mr. Perkins no Antinomian who saith in fol. 236. The law promises life to him that performs Obedience perfect The Gospel promises Salvation to him that doth nothing in the cause of his Salvation but only Believes in Christ yet not for this Faith or for any work else but for the merit of Christ this is a big word what do nothing in the cause of Salvation but believe no nothing saith Mr. Perkins and before Mr. Williams can confute him he must prove Christs Righteousness ours by Faith is meant of our Gospel Holiness that is God saith 't is Christ's Righteousness but he means quite otherwise viz. 't is our Gospel Holiness Mr. Perkins is in good earnest that we are to do nothing for Salvation but believe and answer several Objections as follow Objection 4th saith Mr. Perkins To believe is a work therefore one work is commanded in the Gospel and is necessary to Salvation Answer The Gospel considers not Faith as a Vertue or Work but as a Hand to apprehend Christ for Faith doth not Cause or effect or procure our Justification and Salvation but as the Beggars Hand receives them being wholly wrought and given of God and in fol. 247 he saith we must first be Justified before we can do a good work and in fol. 287. Paul teaches that works set up as Causes of Salvation with Christ make void the grace of God And is not this making them causes of Salvation with Christ to say Christ purchased this Grace that our Sincere Obedience Faith Holiness Perseverance should be accepted to answer the rule of the Gospel Promise for pardon Well doth Mr. Perkins proceed to reject our Righteousness in the matter of Salvation and Saith in fol. 955 of vol. 1st A mans Conscience must in some sort be settled touching his reconciliation with God before he can begin to Repent wherefore Justification and Sanctification in order of Nature go before Repentance but if we respect time then Grace and Repentance are together This is intelligible Doctrine and strenuous for the advancement of Christ alone and the same in effect as Mr. Perkins had asserted contrary to Mr. Williams in fol. 84. Saying From Sanctification Repentance is derived because no man can earnestly repent except he denying himself do hate sin and embrace Righteousness this no man can perform but such an one as is in the sight of God
we had never heard of the Gospel What Riches of grace is this in Mr. Williams's gospel the sum whereof is It hath made a difference between Faith and Unbelief Holiness and Profaneness Love and Enmity Duty and Rebellion O what Encomiums must the World raise to such a Discoverer of that which Nature without either Law or Gospel teaches every man But some hidden Treasure must lye under this Rubbish of Divinity 't is not for nothing that Gospel grace is dignified with procuring these four Blessings therefore Mr. W. must mean that Conformity to the Rule of the Promise is in our imperfect Faith sincere Holiness love of God and spiritual Duties and these are the Conditions on which the gospel promiseth pardon now how correspondent Mr. Williams gospel is to the Prophet Isaiah's Account the world may judge from Isaiah 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for mine own sake This is the Rule for Pardon in the sense of Doctor Crisp and of all that love the Lord Jesus for obtaining this gospel grace and for those that differ I beseech the Lord to open their Eyes and subdue their Hearts to the simplicity of the gospel that they may lay down their strong Reasonings which indeed are foolishness not only with God but to every Child of seven Years old that hath learnt his Assemblies Catechism But now I think on 't Mr. Williams hath slur'd that by his new unsound one come we next to his Conclusion of his great point of our Conformity to the Rule in order to obtain pardon wherein he saith thus God in dispensing of gospel promised Blessings doth judicially determine a conformity to THIS Rule of the Promise We must observe that decisive word this Rule no gospel Blessing without a Conformity to this Rule that is the four Pillars of his Babel to build Pardon upon our imperfect Faith our sincere Holiness our love of God our spiritual Duties which include every Precept Counsel and Direction in the Bible as much as to say Stand by blessed Jesus I have heard of thy pretious Blood a Ransom I have heard of thy saving to the uttermost all that come to God by thee I have heard of thy passing by when poor Sinners lay in their Blood dead in Sins and saying Live I have heard thou didst say Publicans and Harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you Pharisees that justify your selves Mâ—â—h 21 3â— But there is risen up in this last Age a Generation of strong Reasoners that say Our formal Pardon is not in thy Blood but we must get it as it were by the VVorks of the Law by Faith Holiness Perseverance Love Spiritual Duties and this Doctrine O Jesus I must adhere to or I shall be accounted a Dethroner of thee and an enervater of thy Laws though there is not one word either in the Law or Gospel that enjoyns these as Conditions to obtain Pardon But thy Righteousness is by them interpreted to be our gospel Holiness and upon this they ground our obtaining Pardon not by the one work of the Law Thou shalt love the Lord with all thine heart but by the many works of the gospel O that ever mens Learning and Parts should be so vitiated as to decry the simplicity of the Truth as it is in Jesus Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved set up their Scheme of a gospel Promise of Pardon upon a Conformity to this prescribed Rule of Duties innumerable besides Repentance Faith Love sincere Holiness Perseverance Obedience and when all this is mentioned there comes in a boundless c. O to the Law and to the Testimonies let t is say which directs us plainly Look to me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth come unto me and ye shalt find rest for your Souls After all this Pudder Mr. Williams comes to himself and also Doctor Crisp and though he had been setting up his Connexions and Conformity in Faith Holiness Obedience c. At last he comes to Bellarmins's Tutissimum to the Sheet Anchor To the alone true Gospel way of Salvation true uniting Faith in Christ I was in an Amazement to find that God extorted this Confession from him after his long Deviation That true uniting Faith was the Wedding Garment This is like a Minister of the gospel of our Lord Jesus if he can stay here but alas the next Page throws this good Mist down however we will make much of this for here he Centers with the choicest Christians when he saith thus God upon a View of his guests he cast out him that had not on the Wedding Garment viz. true uniting Faith Then I quaere What 's become of the Long Bed-Roll of Spiritual Duties Faith Love Repentance Holiness Obedience c. If true uniting Faith be the Wedding garment sure this Wedding garment was not worn without Pardon of Sins through the Blood of Christ washing them off from this guest if this were by true uniting Faith and nothing else was lookt after by the Master of the Feast but that his Guests owned him by wearing him their Righteousness by Faith then avoid the Scheme of our holy Performances from having any thing to do in our being admitted to fit with the King at his round Table But what shall we say unstable as water Reuben was no sooner hath Mr. Williams writ clear gospel that nothing but true uniting Faith kept a Man from being cast out but the next Clause brings in persevering Holiness with the Train of all spiritual Duties to give admittance to the wise Virgins so that one while we are justified by Faith another while by persevering Holiness If you are to go to the Wedding Feast you are to put on true uniting Faith If you are to enter with the Bridegroom to the Marriage then 't is the Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness gains you admittance these are his words As by keeping out the foolish Virgins for not having Oyl in their Lamps viz. the Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness so by admitting the wise Virgins he judicially declared they had a Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness Here 's not one word of Faith or of Christ or of his Righteousness for these poor Virgins to get into the Wedding House by not one syllable of being justified by Faith But according to his sense they said to Christ Lord we have the Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness we have prophesied in thy Name against too much exalting Free Grace we have done many wonderful Works we have persevered in our Holiness till thy coming But will Christ give them admission on this Plea of a Spirit of grace and holiness without a word of Faith in our Lord Jesus No sure he will say I know you not you would not know me to be your Righteousness You come in your gospel Holiness I know you not This is to make the gospel yea and nay 'T is yea to day true uniting
Faith gains admittance to day 't is nay to morrow now persevering Holiness doth it This is giving an uncertain Sound whereas the Promises are the same to day yesterday and for ever and all yea and Amen in Christ Jesus If true Faith be the Wedding Garment our wearing Christs Righteousness the same true Faith is that which receives the Oyl into our Vessels the blood or righteousness of Jesus ours by Faith or the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus Rom 8.2 This Christ dwelling in our Hearts by Faith Christ dwelling in us by the holy Spirit is the true Oyl that the Wise Virgins gain admittance by His next Clause is the advancing into our Justification God's terms of forgiving adopting glorifying as Rector by believing c. This c. hath a great hand in forgiving I suppose it wonderful to every Judicious Râ—ader that a Gentleman of great Parts and sense should blend the Gospel thus as to make the Gospel Blessings to be disperst by God with regard to our being Believers c. that is to our being Believers and performing all the Duties prescribed in the Gospel he puts it only God hath a regard to it but the plain English must be God doth so regard our performing this Act of believing c. and that till death and not only so but all other Gospel Duties that if we do not perform them God dispenses no gospel Blessing so that we are still under a Covenant of Works but let us see the true lineaments of this new Gospel which is in these words of Mr. Williams Thus Can any think that Forgiving Adopting Glorifying or the conveyance of every other promised Benefit given on Gods terms are not Judicial acts of God as Rector if so doth he dispense these blindly and promiscuously without any regard to our being Believers c. or no I suppose Mr. W. will be accounted more hold than becomes him to insinuate that God dispenses his Blessings blindly if he do not bestow them in his way upon his terms of our being Believers c. O that men were humble and in pretending to oppose Dr. Crisp they did not speak indecently of God by calling him a blind giver of Benefits if he give them not according to our prescriptions of his rectoral Government God gives freely God gives before we have done good or Evil God shews mercy because he will shew mercy God saves the chief of sinners in the Career of sin God therefore speaks comfortably because Israel went after her Lovers and pardons sin because it is great his ways in shewing mercy are past finding out justifying the Ungodly and not calling the Righteous and yet God dispenses not blindly and promiscuously though he do not do it in Mr. W. way of having some regard to our being Believers Repenters Perseverers c. Vain man would be wiser than God when God saith Not for your sakes do I this be it known unto you but for mine holy Names sake which ye have prophaned among the Heathen Will Mr. W. be so bold as to think God dispenses his Blessings blindly because he doth not give them on those terms he hath prescribed We see Gods terms here are for his Names sake which they prophaned prophaning Gods Name was all that God had regard to on their part it was his own holy name was his only inducement his holy free gratious Covenant in which his holy name was engaged not our being believers Perseverers in spiritual Duties c. The like ground God looks at and regards in his delivering Israel in Deut. 7.7 not their being more excellent than other People but his own love of them The Lord did not set his love upon you and châ—se you because you were more than other people for you were the fewest of all People but because the Lord loved you these are Gods Terms he loved and chose because he loved Sure Mr. Williams will not say God had regard to their holiness in dispensing his blâ—ssings to them before the gospel shined in its lustre through our Lord Jesus and must God be charged with blind promiscuous dispensing blessings now under clear gospel light if he now shew mercy in a soveraign way of grace to gross sinners without regard to any good they do while he suffer the Righteous in their own Eyes to perish in their own righteousness O let us not prescribe rules and terms to God for his bestowing mercy but thankfully accept his grace and mercy in our Lord Jesus freely given because he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardens Well but Mr. W. will confirm his Position and that by Scripture too though strained thus With respect to what 's above declared the gospel is called a Law of Faith a law of liberty It is true the gospel is called in opposition to the Law of works a Law of Faith but I think in the stream of the whole Bible David could not find a fitter stone to sling into the Head of this great Goliath mans righteousness to joyn with Christs than this Scripture Mr. Williams is setting up a righteousness of Works or gospel Holiness for ushering in pardon and to prove it saith the gospel is called a Law of Faith but let us see how 't is so called in Rom. 3.26 27. To declare his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus where is boasting then it is excluded by what Law of Works Nay but by the law of Faith Here the Apostle setly and solemnly treats of excluding works and of our being justified by Faith without works of all sorts and positively asserts God is just in justifying the Believer God could not be just in justifying according to the Arminian way for our imperfect holiness or having any regard to it in the matter of Justifying but God is just in justifying a Believer because the Believer hath a perfect compleat righteousness of Christ put upon him to answer the Law by and God looking upon him compleat in Christ is just in Justifying him The Apostle having laid this ground work to damn all self-self-righteousness or works even Faith as a work in the matter of Justification he comes and makes a challenge directly against Mr. Williams's Doctrine of our sincere holiness concurring to pardon and saith where is boasting then Where are all these great Advancers of mans righteousness which tends to boasting and he gives the stabbing answer It is excluded God hath not lest the least Crevice for it to enter by 't is wholly excluded 't is shut out from ever having any thing to do in our salvation yet may one say 't is shut out by the Law of Works the old Moral Law do and live we grant that but there is a gospel holiness will let in boasting again I must repent believe be sincerely holy and persevere therein all my days and God hath regard to this in my Justification no no 't
with gospel Rule gives right to gospel Blessing The Papists go on and say the only formal Cause of Justification is the Righteousness of God not wherewith be himself is righteouâ— but whereby he makes us righteous I know Mr. Williams in words denies our Sanctification to be a part of our Justification but in the whole scope of his Argument he makes our gospel Holiness to be lookt upon by God as having a concurrence in our Justification and this is his gospel Ordination and in full conformity to the Popish Justification by God's Righteousness whereby we are renewed His last clause of the Popish Article about Justification suits extremely with Mr. Williams's fling at Doctor Crisp as dethroning Christ for making Christ the alone cause of our Salvation without any thing of our works concurring And thus saith the Council of Trent If any one shall say that a Man is justified by the sâ—le imputation of the Righteousness of Christ or in the sole remission of sin excluding grace and charity which is shed abroad in their hearts by the holy Spirit and is inherent in him or that the grace whereby we are justified is only the savour of God let him be accursed This I take to be asserted by the Papists in opposition to the Protestant Doctrine so that the Protestant Doctrine was what they accurst and what Mr. Williams in effect accurseth saying the holding it is dethroning Christ VVell then the Papists curse those that say a man is justified by the sole imputation of Christ's Righteousness without any grace or charity VVhat 's become then of Mr. Williams's gospel Holiness sincere Obedience that God looks at in the gospel Rule to obtain the gospel Promise again they curse those that say our Justification is by the alone savour of God or freely by his grace Rom. 3.25 VVhat doth Mr. Williams less in falling foul on Doctor Crisp and all that wholly exclude every thing of man in the business of Justification and say they enervâ—te Christ's government and open a door to all Licentiousness Whereas the contrary is most true that the grace of God appearing teaches to deny all ungodliness My next Opposer of Mr. W's Gospel Ordination is a great maul to Arminianism that is the Learned Pious Mr. Perkins who saith in fol. 576 of Vol. 1. Thus the Papists say Christ merited that our good Works merit And answers This is a dotage of their devising for Christ merited pardon for sin impuation of his Righteousness and Life eternal And fol. 104. To say Christ merited that our works merit this takes away Christ's Intercession I may add to say our Holiness comes in toward our Justification doth the same Mr. Perkins comes closer in Vol. 2 fol. 205. It may be objected saith he there is a co-operation of works and faith I answer That this co-operation is not in the Act of Justification nor in the Work of our Salvation but in the manifestation of the truth and sincerity of our Faith and for the declaration of this Faith and Works jointly concur Here then is a pestilent and damnable Doctrine of the Papists when they teach Justification by the Woâ—ks of the Law And what is it to teach Justification by the Works of the Gospel which never had a Promise of Justification to it whereas the Works of the Law once had before Adam's Fall In Fol. 236. He turns perfect Antimonian with our Homilists if some men may censure him and saith thus The Gospel promises Life to him that doth nothing in the cause of his Salvation but only Believes in Christ This is dangerous Doctrine in Doctor Crisp because it spoils Mr. W's Gospel Ordination of Works and Faith going together in Justification but hath for this 100 years been good sound Doctrine in Perkins and the Homilies too He proceeds in fol. 237. and saith thus Believing and doing are opposed in the Article of our Justification In our good Conversation they agree Faith goes before and doing follows but in the Work of Justification they are as Fire and Water This is a fatal stroke to the new Gospel Ordination and a full concurrence with Dr. Crisp though Mr. Williams call this a dethroning Christ Mr. Perkins could not expect to be taken for an Oracle so that by his ipse Dixit that every one should receive his Positions tho' he grounded them on plain Scripture therefore he strengthens his Assertion by the sayings of the Fathers with which I farther oppose Mr. W's Gospel Ordination and confirm Dr. C. in fol. 537. Mr. Perkins saith The Fathers do hold Faith only to be requisite to Justification even without the Works of Grace Chrysostom saith in Hom. 7. in Cap. 3. Rom. What is the Law of Faith saith he To be saved by Grace here he sheweth the Power of God in that he not only saved us and that without use of any works exacting only Faith of us And Theodoret on Eph. 2. We have not believed of our own accord but came being called and when we are come he doth not exact Purity and Innocency of Life but hath Pardoned our sins accepting of Faith only And Basil Ser. de hum This it is to glory in the Lord when a man is not puffed up with his own righteousness but acknowledgeth himself destitute of all true righteousness and Justified by Faith alone in Jesus Christ They are justifyed before God saith Ambrose on Rom. 4. Without any labour or Toyl by only Faith no Works of Penitence being hereto required but only that they believe This Cloud of Witnesses is enough to cover and wholly extinguish the Gospel Ordination of Mr. Williams without any Comment on them Mr. Williams next Assertion is a Chip of the same block thus His Christs Righteousness imputed is the cause for which we are Justified when we do answer the Gospel Rule Here 's no mincing the matter of bringing in our Sanctification into our Justification for Mr. Williams tells us plainly what our answering the Gospel Rule is viz. Some degrees of Obedience Repentance Love imperfect Faith Persevering c. Thus while in words he pretends to separate Sanctification from Justification yet here he really joyns them and confounds them making our justification to be by Christs Righteousness imputed when we are holy when we be sanctifyed inferring that it is not till then and not only so but that that is the Condition of our justification Is this the Apostles justifying the Ungodly to be justified when we answer Mr. Williams Gospel Rule Whereas the Gospel makes no such Rule as he lays down of our sincere Obedience concurring to justification or God's having regard to our Gospel Holiness which is Mr. Williams own word I will not stand to refell this but do aver nothing can be clearer to me than this that by this expression we are justified when we answer that Gospel Rule which Mr. Williams laid down there is a downright mingling our Sanctification with our justification which the Apostle strenuously
denies 'T is not of Works only of Faith that it might be by grace not Gods grace in us working holiness but his grace to us in Christ The next is that which is the ground work of all Mr Wâ—â— building 〈…〉 that glorious Text which I so often have harped upon and which I must again say somewhat to now in its course for that I am not able to bear that such an outwork should treacherously be delivered up and say that this Text in Phil. 3.9 Is allowed by all sound Protestants to be meant as 't is said that the Righteousness of God that the Apostle desired to be found in by Faith is only the imputed Righteousness of Christ and not at all concerns our Gospel Holiness nay this Gospel Holiness thus put in the room of Christs Righteousness is a term Foreign to Scripture Language and is brought in to jostle out Gospel Grace 'T is Holiness we are to walk in but 't is Grace we are to be saved by which grace is this that the Rigâ—â—â—â—â—ness of Christ is made ours wrought out by Christ for us and imputâ—â—◠〈…〉 to us without any thing of that which men call our Gospel Holinâ—â—◠〈…〉 to do therein Now if the Church of God will be content to lose 〈…〉 â—f Phil. 3.9 and suffer a Disputer to make this breach in our Bank agâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Popish Sea of Justification by Gospel Holiness all the rest of our Banks and â—arriers will soon be run down Then they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness shall be filled must be interpreted of our Gospel Holiness If we be hungry for holiness in conformity to Gospel Rule our Souls shall be filled with eternal happiness and then if we take to us the Brest Plate of Righteousness that is a holy walking with God that will defend us from all Temptations of the Devil as for Faith in Christ that must come after our own Righteousness by this Doctrine whereas the Apostle in that place Eph. 6. Brings in that Breast Plate as our chief first piece of Armour after Truth when the Soul is enlightned with the knowledge of God's love to give Jesus Christ for us The first thing he doth is he puts on Christ's Righteousness as his Breast-Plate Alas if the Soul puts on his own Righteousness the Devil's Darts would soon pierce through it but every sensible Soul will say with Job Though I were righteous yet would I not answer I would make Supplication to my Judg. I suppose Job had as much to say for his close holy walking with God as any that now call for Gospel Holiness to make us partakers of Christ's purchase yet he renounces all and saith farther for the confounding our new Grotian Divinity If I wash my self with Snow Water of the best Gospel Holiness that ever meer Man had and make my hands never so clean with close walking with God yet shalt thou plunge me in the Ditch of self Condemnation and eternal misery and mine own Cloaths of self righteousness shall abhor me O what clear gospel grace had this good man acquaintance with when he flies from all the trash of his being clean to make way for his justification and betakes himself to his Days-Man his Redeemer who though he had not actually taken flesh yet was then living and living as his Redeemer For I know that my Redeemer liveth though he slay me I will trust in him If I justifie my self with my close walking or Gospel Holiness in part or in the whole mine own mouth would condemn me nay though I were perfect yet would I not know my Soul Here was a right gospel Spirit like the Apostle Paul concerning the Law blameless yet my Righteousness is Dung so Job If I be righteous I will not lift up mine head Job 10.15 I will not glory in my Breast-Plate of mine own Righteousness Again if with Mr. Williams the Righteousness of Christ by Faith be our own gospel Holiness why may not Esa 45.24 In him have I Righteousness and strength he our gospel Holiness too and Jer. 23.6 Jehovah our Righteousness be the same and then Have not submitted to the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 shall have the same usage and mainly intend our Gospel Holiness though the Apostle brings it in in opposition to our own righteousness But blessed be God if Mr. W. or an Angel should undermine these Foundations of a sinner's salvation yet on this Rock God will build his Church that Christ was made sin for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him I say in him not in our gospel holiness and if on this foundation any man builds hay and stubble as our gospel holiness compared with Christs Righteousness his work shall be burnt and he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved so as by fire it being a dangerous thing to mingle our gospel holiness with Christs Righteousness Again if Christ Righteousness Phil. 3.9 be our gospel Holiness Mr. W. may as well say by the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all Men to justification of life Rom. 5.18 doth principally intend not so much the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us as the gospel holiness of every one of us If we give this Inch he may take an Ell but we are bid earnestly to contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints of which this is as great a part as any I know next the Deity of our Lord Jesus therefore we must not part with it to let in a sham Model of Schematical Divinity of God's regarding our holiness as a ground to justify us we complying with the Gospel Rule of sincere Obedience to qualify us for Christs Righteousness to be Imputed to us By this unsavory gloss of Mr. W. any Judicious Person may see how unmeet he is to Arraign and by his Arguments to come in Evidence against the Doctrine delivered by Dr. C. If he would have convinced him he must do it with stronger and better Reasons than Human even with opposite Scriptures if his Bible have any such as are repugnant to the plain force of express Scriptures that the Dr. insisted on such as the Lord laid on him the Iniquity of us all to prove sin really translated on Christ and the Children being yet unborn having done neither Good nor Evil he said Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated to prove that God loves us and imputes the Righteousness of Christ to his Elect without respect of good or Evil done by them But he having no Scriptures to overthrow those Maxims he may not think to do it with plausible Sophistry of the suitableness of it to God's holiness to justifie none but the Holy when the Scripture saith expresly he Justifies the Ungodly and so I beseech the Lord to do to him as well as to my self else woe unto us Next comes the exact Copy of Paul a Pharisee thus The grace of God is hereby stated as free as is consistent
Christ alone Exalted IN Dr. Crisp's Sermons Partly confirmed in Answering Mr. Daniel Williams's Preface to his Gospel Truth stated by alledging Testimonies from Scripture and the Doctrine of the Church of England in the Book of Homilies establish'd by Law and other Orthodox Authorities SHEWING How he hath wronged as well the Truth as the said Doctor in the great Point of Justification by the Neonomian Doctrine Hom. of Salvation fol. 17. Justification is not the Office of Man but of God we be justified freely by Faith without Works not that this our Faith in Christ which is within us doth justifie us that were to count our selves justified by some Act within our selves Of Fasting fol. 82. Good Works go not before in him which shall afterward be Justified but good Works do follow after when a Man is first Justified and are Testimonies of our Justification this spoyls Neonomianism on the Sacrament fol. 200. It followeth for Communicants to have a sure and constant Faith that he Christ hath made upon his Cross a full and sufficient Sacrifice for thee a Perfect cleansing of thy sins Where is the sin of a Believer now Passion Serm. 177. for in this death of Christ standeth the continual pardon of our daily Offences in this resteth our Justification If so then Faith doth not procure it but only receive and evidence it and so away flies Neomanism with Arminianism Humbly offer'd by S. C. an unworthy Son of the said Doctor Author of a Book Entituled Christ made Sin Reflected on by Mr. Williams London Printed for William Marshall at the Bible in Newgate street And Henry Barnard at the Bible in the Poultry 1693. Where is to be Sold at the same place the same Authors Book Entituled Christ made Sin Errors besides false Pointings to be amended Folio 2 Line 47. for assume read affirm 12 36. for or read our 24 40. for of sin read if sin  41. for participation read propitiation 26 5. for thus read this 28 24. for as read of at the last as 32 22. for other read object 34 7. for faces read fails 38 47. for pampering read tampering 40 38. read But saith 42 33. f. God's Righteousness r. our sanctification 43 20. Blot out that 44 last line put in is after Holiness 47 34. for Mercies read Mines 47 45. read 1642. 48 20. read then God believes To the Eminent Assertors of the Free Grace of God in Christ whereby Christ alone is exalted in the Salvation of Sinners viz. To the Reverends Mr. Cole Mr. Griffith Mr. Mather Mr. Beverly Mr. Barker Mr. Mead Mr. Chauncey Mr. Trail Mr. Woodcock Mr. Laurence of Stepney Mr. Brag. Mr. Bearman Mr. Terry Mr. Crusoe Mr. James of Wapping Mr. White Mr. Moor Mr. Wavel Mr. Tailor of Pinners-Hall Mr. Cross Mr. Grace Mr. Nisbet Mr. Fincher Mr. Lob Mr. Glascock Mr. Mence Mr. Ford Mr. Owen Mr. Jennings Mr. Roe Mr. Wressel Mr. Clark Mr. Goodwin Mr. Gamon Mr. Powel Also to several of the surprized Subscribers to Mr. Williams late Book as Dr. Bates Mr. How Mr. Alsop Mr. Bures and others Also to those of the Episcopal Clergy who preach the Doctrine of Justification as it is established by Christ in the Gospel and by our Statute Law in the Homilies as Mr. Meriton of Old Fish-street and others REjoyce thou Heaven the Church of Christ and ye holy Apostles and Prophets Rev. 18. The Evangelical Preachers that blessed be God there are many Seven thousands that have not bowed to the Bayal of Man's Holiness joyning with Christ to Justification But Mr. Williams having in the judgment of many in his Gospel Truth stated warped that way witnâ—ss his interpreting the Righteousness of Christ in Phil. 3.9 to be a Believers Gospel Holiness I hereby appeal to your Consciences if such a Star of the first Magnitude in the Firmament of the Scriptures ought with the silence of the By-standers to be so obfuscated Though in many respects I look on my self one of the unworthiest of those that name the Name of our blessed Lord Jesus in sincerity yet I cannot but bear my Testimony against the Preface of the said Book as unsound according to my sence of the Truth after above 50 Years investigating it and tasting a sweet Relish in Divine Things and I humbly apprehend I have in the ensuing Collection made it so appear which I leave to the Spirit of the Prophets in the Prophets to judge and hope you will all agree to declare he hath much wronged the said Text. As for his stigmatizing my dear Father as a dethroner of Christ because he exalted him alone without Works in the business of our Salvation I beseech the Lord Mr. Williams may see his Mistake and that God would forgive him as I and I hope all mine freely do This I pass by But when the Mother of us all the Truth as it is in Jesus is wounded by him when not of Works lest any Man should boast Eph. 2.9 is turned by him into God promiseth Liâ—e to imperfect Man by Forgiveness yet insists on some degree of Obedience And hence the use of Faith Holiness c. To these Benefiâ—s is not from their Conformity to the Precept but their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise Then on such an invasion all from 16 to â—0 should be alarum'd then all hearts and heads that love the Lord Jesus should be engaged iâ— vindicating his Royalties that he is Alpha and Omega Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption all and in all in our Salvation that no Flesh should glory In particular I find my self though the meanest obliged to bear witness against this piece being censured by many for my silence in regard my Preface to my Fathers reprinted Sermons they say occasioned this Pudder What I did therein was in the simplicity of my heart to exalt the Lord Jesus and refresh Souls thereby which I still desire by taking off Mr. William's Evidence against the said Sermons by shewing his disagreeing from Scripture and Orthodox Authority as well as from my Father I hope you will all candidly accept this Service and upon this occasion give me leave to beg that as the Lord Jesus hath sent you to preach the everlasting Gospel glad Tidings to sinners through Christ in which many of you have been renowned so that ye abound more and more That you will determine to know nothing among your people but Christ and him Crucified that he may be magnified in your Bodies by life and by death that you may shew in every Sermon that to you to live is Christ and not to labour with a Scheme of some degree of Obedience in the business of our Salvation and this supposes the death of Christ as if his death were only a Sub-intelligitur business in his Rectorship O that we could be more warm for our Lord Jesus who poured out his Soul and warm Blood for us and if when warm you please to remember me a poor worm at the Throne
of Grace as I do ye I doubt not but I should be highly recompensed for this labour of love and should find refreshment under many rufflings from the Lord on my Person and Family Thus beseeching the Lord to pour out abundance of his Spirit on you all and the unhappily engaged Mr. Williams whom I truly love and respest That the people may be prepared for the Lords glorious appearance now hastning To him I recommend you and subscribe Your Servant and an unworthy Son of Dr. Crisp S. C. Clapham January 21st 1692 3. Christ alone Exalted IN Dr Crisp's Sermons Partly Confirmed in Answer to Mr. Williams Preface to his Gospel Truth stated and Vindicated by Comparing some of his unfair Accusations of the said Doctor with the Scripture and the Doctrine of the Gospel Established by Law in the Homilies c. WHEN Peter who seemed to be a Pillar was come to Antioch I withstood him to the Face because he was to be blamed saith the Apostle Gal. 2.9 10. And if an Apostle who seemed a Pillar might Err in Ceremonies and be blamed so may our seeming Pillars some of them Err in Substance conjoyning our Gospel Holiness with Christs Righteousness and be blamed Now I perceiving what I suppose will appear a great Error in the Preface of Mr. Williams to his Arraignment of Gospel Truths in Dr. Crisp's Sermons and supposing none will mind the Preface that design to Answer the Book but pass it over as a Cursory Discourse I think it not ungrateful to studious Christians to animadvert on the brief Systems of Religion which Mr. Williams hath there given the World in opposition not so much to Dr. Crisp as to the plain express Scripture and the sound sense thereof held out by the great Orthodox Divines that were Staunch against Aâ—minianism upon our first coming out of Popery when Zeal for Christ alone in Salvation was warm Wherein I beseech the Lord so to guide my Thoughts and Pen that I may mind only his Glory in and through our Lord Jesus The Meek he will guide in Judgment which meekness I beg of the Lord though a Golden Calf of Mans Gospel Holiness to be set up in the place of Christs Righteousness would provoke a Moses Yet I hope to retain as well Meekness as Integrity till I die It is beyond all doubt Man since the Devil deceived him that upon eating he should be as God doth think with himself he can tho' dead do something which is proper only to God that is he can quicken his own dead Soul he can Convert himself he can be a God to himself hereupon there is a great Outcry against any that assert That our Lord Jesus Christ is all in all in the Salvation of poor Sinners and Dr. Crisps Sermons because fuller than ordinary of the free Grace of God in Jesus Christ are singled out to be battered and with them the Gospel of our Salvation is run down into terms utterly Forreign to the Scripture and because the Doctor adheres and sticks close to the Scripture terms of our being dead dead dead in sins and our sins our very sins Christ bare in his Body on the Tree as the Apostles Peter and Paul expresly say he is exclaimed against And that this great Champion might appear compleatly armed in opposing Dr. Crisp he puts on the great shield of being solicited to this Work by several worthy Ministers and that this may appear true he hath emblazoned his honour in this great Atchievement by the Hands of several indeed worthy Ministers who are most of them in my Experience eminent Servants of our Lord Jesus however their Zeal for Gospel Holiness may have been imposed upon to countenance Mr. Williams making Christ's Righteousness to be our Gospel Holiness Though I have a great honour for all those of them whom I know yet I suppose they will not think themselves dishonoured to say I think most of them were imposed upon in getting their subscribing to what they never throughly examined I am sure one of them tho' next the first yet nulli secundus for a sweet Christian Spirit among them said a few Weeks before Dr Crisps Sermons were reprinted to an Eminent Mininister in a great Company If Dr. Crisp be an Antinomian so am I and I am sure he said in a Sermon December 12. 1669. We are first made active by Christ in order to his bringing us to God and September 24. 7. 1672. Christ hath brought the Law to its end it hath no more to require be is the abolishing end the Law is quite out of doors as to justify plant a Crab-Tree in the best Soil it brings forth crabs till planted in Christ so that there must be Vnion to Christ by Gods planting us in Christ before any good Fruit. So this Gentleman and so Doctor Crisp in his Faith the Fruit of Union contrary to Mr. Williams and yet this excellent person is by Mr. Williams Art taught to say with the rest We judge our Reverend Brother hath in all that is material fully and rightly stated the Truths and Errors mentioned as such and do account he hath in this work done considerable Service to the Church of Christ and so will I say when by it he hath ingaged Able Pens to vindicate the truth from Sophistical Glosses that he hath done considerable service against his will I reckon this Preface is the marrow of his Book and I shall begin with as great a point as any I know of in the Bible next to the Deity of the Lord Jesus and yet 't is that which is the chief Fruit of his Deity which is his Righteousness as God-Man made ours by Faith by Mr. Williams his treating this he discovers his whole Soul concerning Justification that great Article stantis vel cadentis Ecclesiâ—â— of the standing and falling of that Church that holds it as Luther said in that a little Leven here leveneth the whole lump Here Mr. Williams hath made very bold with the expression of the Apostle Paul in Phil. 3.9 That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by Faith here Mr. Williams instead of extolling this righteousness of Christ and the rich Grace of God to impute this to us he runs Counter to the stream of the Gospel and dashes to pieces all the comfort that thousands have found in this Scripture as signifying Christs Righteousness our cloathing before God and gives his Romish gloss upon it in these words I exclude not this Righteousness Christs imputed when I affirm that the Righteousness of God Phil. 3.9 Principally intends the Gospel Holiness of a Person Justifyed by Christs Righteousness which in plain Words is this When I Daniel Williams say in the preceding words his Righteousness imputed is the cause for which we are justifyed and saved when we do answer the Gospel Rule now I explain
looketh for the righteousness of God by Faith Phil. 3. Here is not a word of our Gospel Holiness brought in but a total contempt of his own righteousness call it what you will the righteousness of the Law or Gospel holiness if it be his own 't is contemned and somewhat plainer is Mr. Perkins on the same Text in fol. 659. Vol. 1. who saith thus The Apostle Paul in desiring to be found not in his own righteousness but in Christs desired nothing else but that he might be accepted of God for Christs sake and be esteemed righteous in his righteousness and this very Obedience which is in Christ and not in us is the very matter of the Justice of the Gospel and this is made ours by Faith the Gospel requires not the conditions of Merit or of any work to be done on our parts in the Case of Justification Toletus writing on the Rom. 10.3 the not submitting to the righteousness of God which is the same righteousness of God by Faith as is in Phil. 3.9 he hath this expression upon it and saith it is Justitiam partam morte Christi quam Deus Credenti imputat donat and Pareus saith 't is Justitiam Christi and Vatablus on Rom. 10.4 concerning Christs being the end of the Law for righteousness saith Vt qui credit in Deum reputetur Justus à Deo perinde ac si totam legem impleverit finis legis per se est ut ex ejus prestatione Justificentur homines hunc finem lex obtinuit in solo Christo qui legi penitus satisfecit per Christum in nobis quoque obtinet quibus data ei legi satisfactio per fidem imputatur thus Vaâ—ablus Gomarus gives in his Testimony very plainly against Gospel holiness being the righteousness of God and saith on Rom. 1. on the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith in this Question Quid sit justitia non qua Deus Justus est sed effectivè quod à Deo data est Estius Quâ nos revera in oculis ejus Justos facit Tirinus Quâ nos Deus à Peccatis absolvit And Zanchy on the Righteousness of God without the Law Rom. 3.21 saith Quomodo fides Justificat assert fides justitiam non effectivé quasi habitualiter Justos efficiat nec materialiter quasi ipsa sit illud quo justi censemur sed objectivè quatenus in Christum qui est Justitia nostra dirigitur organicè quatenus Justitiam Christi nobis imputatam fides apprehendit And on this very Text Phil. 3.9 but the righteousness which is of God by Faith Id est Justitia quae est ex Deo quae tota penitus omnibus suis partibus merum est Donum Dei gratuitum venit haec Justitia è Caelo unde cadit Super fidem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non dicit hic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi fides prout opus est nostrum vel sit pars hujus Justitia vel illud promereatur sed tantum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus these Worthies on this Text agree with Dr. Goodwin who saith p 40. of Election which righteousness by Faith to be Christs Righteousness all sound Protestants profess wherein they are as far from saying the righteousness of God by faith is our Gospel holiness as that it is our Gospel unholiness I suppose it might easily be shewn whence Mr. Williams had this unsound Interpretation of this glorious Text even from Grotius as he from the Mother of Harlots Rome who Joyns mans works with Christs for Justification But methinks every true Lover of the Lord Jesus and honourer of him with his Righteousness made ours should rise in Arms against such an Exposition of this Text and say Sir I would rather the Pen though Steel should be thrust into the Ball of my right Eye than thus to pierce again the side of the Lord Jesus and let his righteousness run waste while 't is joyned so corruptly with our Holiness But what need the suffrage of these Worthies be called in to oppose this exposition they may as well be called in to say White is not Black and black not white for 't is positively against the express word of God and such an Interpretation is to make the Word a Nose of soft Wax to turn it which way one will the Spirit of God saith expresly 't is the righteousness of God by Faith that is 't is the righteousness of him who is God blessed for ever and 't is ours by Faith No saith this bold Pen 't is our Gospel Holiness that is 't is our conformity to all the Rules of the Gospel From such Divinity the Lord Deliver us By this preface it may be guessed how he will attack the free Grace of God set forth in the Gospel and held up to the light by Dr. C. ex pede Herculem ex ungue Leonem This is the first part of the proof of his opposing Dr. C. in order to bring in our righteousness to concur with Christs in our Justification by his perverting the Text in calling the righteousness of God by Faith our Gospel Holiness which is near a kin to the Quakers Light within being their Christ so if our Gospel Holiness be the righteousness of God then 't is our Christ for Christ is called by Thomas his God and by the Apostle Paul he is made of God our Righteousness and by Mr. Williams this Christ our righteousness is our Gospel Holiness So that by this Clew or Thread at the entrance into his Book we are led into the Mystery of his laying so great Blame on Dr. C. for renouncing all our Righteousness in the matter of Justification before God But to trace him from the beginning he enters on the Stage with so much heat against Errors of his own forming that he forgets himself and the first dash in his Preface is a trip of nonsense making his beginning to sound as if it were his ending saying the Revival of those Errors whereas he had named no Errors before but Zeal and his Passion puts and begins on these Errors which hath no reference and instead of saying the Errors which I have proved against Dr. C. he saith the revival of these Errors Well what will the revival of these Errors in the air do they must not only exclude that Ministry as Legal which is most apt in its Nature and by Christs Ordination to convert Souls but also renders Vnity amongst Christians a thing impossible But what if they be found sound Gospel Truths what you take for Errors then the Ministry excluded as Legal will be found not very apt in its nature to Convert Souls and not of Christs Ordination so to do Whether they be Errors or no will be seen when Examined in the mean time this expression looks like Legal and Ungospel to say the Ministry he pretends to hath an aptness in its own nature to convert Souls and is Forreign to the Apostle's account
peace by the Blood of his Cross But in regard plain Scriptures will not go down but Christ's Righteousness must be our Gospel Holiness I proceed with the Testimony of those blessed maintainers of the absolute irreversible vertue of the sufferings of Christ which sufferings contained in them the daily pardon of our offences and yet these I hope Mr. Williams will not say have laid down Doctrines to the dethroning Christ though the same with Dr. Crisp they say in the same Passion Sermon in fol. 177. In this Death of Christ resteth our Justification How Sure Arch-Bishop Cranmer and Bishop Ridley and you famous Martyrs you will be Antinomians by and by have a care Mr. Williams do not see this he 'll get 49 and 49 and more if the Press be not in too much haste to subscribe a Paper to countenance his accusing you for enervating Christs Laws what our justification rest in Christs death what justified in the sight of God who calleth things that are not as though they were Rom. 4.17 before we believe Sure either you are mistaken or Mr. Williams must retract his black Titles he hath given to this Doctrine however Mr. Williams take it the Doctrine is good stands firm is allowed nay commanded by many Acts of Parliament to be read and by Queen Elizabeths Letter to be read again and again by all Parsons Vicars and Curates that our justification resteth in the Death of Christ and if so having the Apostle Paul on my side Being Justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 and the Apostle John Who washed us from our sins in his Blood and our Statute Law and the Queens Letter to the Bishops that our Justification resteth in his Death I will oppose it against all Gospel Mincers though 1000 times 49 and will say that on God's part all the Elect were justifyed when Christ died or rather rose again for our justification that is for the Declaration of it tho' on man's part no man is personally justified 'till Christ come and unite himself to him and work Faith in him which is always accompanied with all other Graces in Faith the Seed and Root planted by Christ with himself in the Soul the Homilists go on for the farther ascertaining the benefits that accrew to the Elect in the Death of Christ and say In this death we be allowed how will Mr. Williams and his Friends take this In this we be allowed will they say in Christs death there is only a Foundation for Pardon or a Foundation for our being allowed O 't is much more doubtless 't is thus we now are allowed or accepted in that death of his that death had such an efficacy that we being justified by it are allowed or accepted in it he don't say we are accepted for it or allowed for it but in it we are allowed in it God looks on nothing else but that Death of his Son in which he allows or accepts of those Sheep his Son dyed for and that this is the meaning the next words shew they saying In this is purchased the everlasting Health of our Souls Ay saith Mr. Williams now they lean on my side Christ purchased this for them that is to say provided they repent believe walk holy no 't is not with that connexion tho' God works all those Graces where Christs death is imputed But they say everlasting Health is purchased and it is in this death of Christ there 't is firmly fixt on that unmoveable Rock without mentioning any previous Qualifications as terms or conditions to concur to our Title for the Title is freely given in the Purchase and the Qualifications are wrought by the Purchaser all of Grace and as sure as he laid down his life for his Sheep so surely they shall come to him the Father drawing But without any limitation to any Condition 't is asserted plainly by above 49 of these holy Reformers that in this Death of Christ I say in it which is more than by it in this is purchased the everlasting health of our Souls and we may not think that Christ will lose his Purchase he having paid the Price Salvation is sure and secure without any Ifs and And 's and connexions and distributions as their next words plainly say Yea there is none other thing than the death of Christ that can be named under Heaven to save our Souls but this only work of Christs precious Offering of his Body upon the Altar of the Cross Here are words without Sophisticating connexions saving our Souls is the thing aimed at now say they he hath not only purchased it so will say most Arminians but nothing else out the Death of Christ saves us name what you will name Repenting Believing Gospel-Holiness blessed graces all but what have they to do with Salvation they are found in the Subjects saved they being the free gift of God but as for Salvation as for the everlasting Health of our Souls that was wrought out long before our complying with the Gospel rule and made firm to all the Seed the foundation of God standing sure this work was over and so allowed by these great men when Christ died and so well and effectually done that nothing can be named under Heaven to have any thing to do in saving our Souls but this Death of Christ tho' I grant many things tend to the manifesting of it to us and making us meet for it as Faith and Holiness being the things that must and will accompany Salvation Are you for works for Conditions 'T is this only work say they saves our souls Christs precious offering of his Body upon the Altar of the Cross then and upon that Altar the material Cross on which our Lord Jesus hung and died upon that the work of saving our Souls was finished when he cryed out it is finished so that here is more than a Foundation for pardon for here is Justification nay more than Justification here is everlasting Health and Salvation of our Souls wrought upon the Cross of Christ 1657 years ago or thereabouts this was good Divinity in our great Grand-Father's days and in Dr Crisps Eyes and Lips that our Justification and Salvation was really actually in Christs Death as they say and so confirmed by every Parliament that ever Confirmed the Book of Common Prayer but now a poor sinners salvation must be tortured with our personal holiness coming in with an as it were as the Apostle saith Rom. 9.32 that is to say with our inherent Righteousness concurring complying with conformity to Gospel Rule under threats and promises or else we are for the Dethroning Christ for enervating his Laws and the Rabble that know nothing of either Justification or Sanctification shall be let loose upon asserters of Free Grace by Mr. Williams crying out O these be men against Gospel Holiness when their Opposers know in their Conscience there is such a strain of Holiness all along in Dr. Crisps Book that though it be against the grain they
save all thus doth it damn all for what man lives and sins not So that every true Penitent is imperfect and this question needed not be askt but only to insinuate that true Penitence believing and godliness come in equal sharers in intituling Men to salvation by Christ that they go hand in hand to give an Interest in the promise only Repentance must take the Right hand and go next the Wall though the Apostle say justified by Faith we are saved by grace through Faith yet Repentance and Godliness will crowd in for a little boasting though it rob Christ whereas true faith gives him the glory of all by being the hand that receives all from Christ In the next place we have the yet most dangerous position for establishing our works in the business of our Salvation in this long sentence to bring in a degree of obedience a little finger we must have in the Pye or it will not be well made he brings it in thus This change of the Sanction that is of Life from Gospel Obedience instead of the Law Obedience supposes the death of Christ and his honouring the Law by his perfect Obedience wherein God hath provided for his own glory while he promises Life by forgiveness to imperfect man and yet he insists on some degree of Obedience to which of his meer grace he enableth us Here 's a long series or train to bring in a degree of Obedience first the sanction is changed this needs pondering next this supposes the death of Christ O fit what only supposes the death of Christ is his death to have no better encomium upon it one would think that glorious price and ransom of our redemption should have been set off with a glorious title as thus this is owing to the infinite love and mercy of God in the Unvaluable purchase by the blessed death of Christ But repenting believing a godly life that must have the high praises the Death of our blessed Lord Jesus must come off with a supposition this supposes the Death of Christ 〈◊〉 the next place it supposes the honouring the Law and is that all doth it not suppose the satisfying the Law I find not a word of that that Christs death satisfyed the Law O there is care taken that string must not be harped upon it would drown the sweet melody of some degrees of Obedience and our repenting believing and godliness which though excellent in their place yet are not to eclips the glory of our Lord Jesus in becoming the end of the Law I must say 't is a mean business to say Christs death honoured the Law so Cranmers death honoured the Gospel but Christs death to all sound Protestants was the end of the Law by his fulfilling our Righteousness but there must come in with it some degree of our Obedience this seems pretty broad compounding the matter with God for the sin of man Christ honoured the Law by his Obedience yet God insists on some degree of our Obedience this looks like a linsey woolsey Garment but it must be laid aside for it will not prove the wedding Garment the Bridegroom will scorn that any of his Guests shall sit down with the glorious Garment of his righteousness patcht up with the degrees of our Obedience If the King should send a Garment for Mr. Williams to come to Court in and stand before him I am confident he would wear that and that only and not go about to clap a patch here and a patch there of his own Coat much less will he do it to the Lord Jesus on serious thoughts Wherein God hath provided for his own Glory But it is but a mean provision if Christ have only honoured the Law and not fully satisfyed it and if our Obedience must come in with his Sons Obedience can is be thought that our imperfect obedience provides for God's glory by joyning it with Christs most perfect Obedience God indeed hath provided well for his glory in mans Salvation only from his own free Grace through the Blood of Christ but Mr. Williams makes but a slender providing for God's glory while he leaves room for the flesh to glory in his presence by his own obedience is this that no flesh may glory in his sight But Mr. Williams takes care to prevent that he 'll say by the last clause that God of his men grace enables us to this our Obedience I answer not in the least doth this take off from glorying for though 't is Gods grace inables to Obedience yet the Obedience is still our work and the Scripture saith plainly not of works lest any boast Every breath I breath is of God's grace and if God should enable me to speak for two hours together to the King Lords and Commons in Parliament so as to perswade them to imploy none but those that truely fear God in any place of trust should I not be apt to applaud my self though I should still own the ability and efficacy to perswade them was of God how much more will any poor Creature boast if his Obedience hath any hand in the salvation of his Soul O that we could cry grace grace not to us but to thy name be the praise and as for our Obedience cry all our righteousness is as filthy Raggs and so let us set the Crown on the head of our Lord Jesus say continually To the King eternal immortal invisible the only wise God be honour and glory for ever for his being all in all Author and finisher Alpha and Omega in our Salvation He promises Life by forgiveness to imperfect Man This is the next step to bring in some degree of our obedience but a false step if by promising Life by forgiveness he excludes Christs satisfying Gods Justice as that which leads to forgiveness of which there is not a word in this Paragraph and doth God promise life barely by forgiveness this is a sorry and nonsensical account of mans Redemption and Salvation And yet he insists on some degree of Obediences saith Mr. Williams Here comes the great master wheel by which our Salvation is secured Christs death is supposed the Law hath honour by Christs Obedience life is promised but yet God insists in our Obedience at least on some degree of it That God insists on our obedience and on more than some degree of it must be owned by all for God insists on our being holy as he is holy God insists on our loving him with all our heart God insists that we be blameless and unreproveable in his sight this is more than some degree of Obedience and it is our duty doubtless to endeavour to be perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect But this hath nothing to do in our obtaining Life and is not such an Obedience as Mr. Williams saith God insists on He is more easie in his terms to poor sinners than to run it so high well what is it God insists on he in
effect told us before 't is a true penitent believing Godly Man this God insists on this is his some degree of Obedience that God insists on while he promises Life by forgiveness and is this the true Interpretation of these Texts Whileâ— we were Enemies we were reconciled and he justifies the Ungodly but from such glosses I desire to be delivered Well we must be true Penitent we must have Faith that Christ honoured the Law and we must be Godly persons that is we must walk in all godliness and honesty or we be not godly persons and when that is done then we may come to God and say Lord we have done what thou commandest we repent believe and are Godly though we are not perfect yet we are truly penitent believing and Godly 〈…〉 life if this be nor dividing shares with the Lord Jesus in the honour of salvation what is No mortal man will say that our perfect Obedience must come in toward our justification there being no such thing in the World and to say that Christ merited that our imperfect Obedience should be accepted for perfect is to say Christs death was needless for God might as well have saved the honour of his Righteousness and justice when Man had broken his Law by an absolute Forgiveness without Christs death as to make his death of no more value than to purchase that our lame Obedience should pass for firm perfect Obedience But God is Just in Justifying God hath received full compleat satisfaction from the Lord Jesus and now saith Come take the Water of Life freely and by a Holy Conversation glorifie me and do good to your selves and others I pass by examining his next cloudy expression in these words viz. This life on some degree of our Obedience the Covenant of Redemption secures to the Elect tho the grant therein is pleadable only by Christ as the Stipulating Party for us and our personal claim depends on the Gospel Covenant wherein Christ is Mediator which is liable enough to Exception for his saying Gods grant is not pleadable by us but only by Christ whereby Mr. Williams makes way to bring in the Gospel Covenant of our degree of our Obedience before we can claim any thing of Christ as Mediator this I pass and If come to his plain downright opposing the way of Salvation according as it is delivered us by the Apostle by holy Martyrs by the Homilists by famous Divines besides Dr. Crisp which follows in these unscriptural words of Mr. Williams his Gospel Sanction saith he determins as certain a Rule as happiness and misery as the Law of Works did though it be not the same 〈◊〉 it fixeth true repentance and Faith unfeigned to be the terms of Pardon so when it promiseth Heaven to the sincerely holy persevering Believer it fixeth sincere Holiness and Perseverance in Faith as the terms of Possessing Heaven Hence the Vse of Faith holiness c. to those benefits is not from their conformity to the Precept but their conformity to the rule of the Promise This long Paragraph of the Gospel Sanction of Mr. Williams his drawing I take to be as clearly opposite to the Apostle Paul as Arminius was to our Reformed Orthodox Divines for Mr. Williams his Faith Holiness and the bottomless boundless endless c. are brought in as the terms of possessing Heaven and not only so for that they might be as fruits of Union to Christ but they are so the terms as they are a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise even as the Law of works was to the Rule of the Precept that is as the Law of works required a perfect Obedience in Conformity to the Precept for obtaining Life So the Gospel Sanction requires Faith Holiness c. in conformity to the promise for obtaining Life which in our ordinary Dialect is that what perfect Obedience obtained under the Law that imperfect Faith and holiness c. doth under the Gospel which in plain terms is Christ hath purchased that our Faith Holiness perseverance in new obedience under the Gospel should pass instead of perfect Obedience under the Law which is as diametrically opposite to the Apostles not of Works lest any boast as East is to West and though Mr. Williams say these are not Works of the Law yet they are works and good works and such as if brought in for answering the Gospel Sanction as perfect works did the Law is the homest stab to the true Gospel that ever was printed by any Arminian for there is not a tittle in all the Gospel that our Faith and holiness are so our terms of happiness in conformity to the Rule of the Promise as obedience to the Law of works was in conformity to the Rule of the Precept the Apostles sanction is quite otherwise he faith not by works of righteousness but by his grace he hath saved us and not of works lest any boast if of works then grace is no more gâ—â—â—â— is not Faith a work holiness is it not working perseverance in Obedienc◠〈◊〉 it not working and must these come in to answer the Promise as perfect Obedience answered the Law What becomes then of Christs Obedience for us to answer the Law 't is quite shut out of doors and his Satisfaction too by this Scheme and Sanction this is so far from giving Christ the sole honour of being our perfect compleat alone only Saviour Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption that it quite excludes him in every part of Salvation but only his making way that we should save our selves his obtaining by his Life and Death imputed to us that God would be so kind to us and unjust to himself that our Faith Holiness c. should answer the promise as unsinning Obedience should have answered the Law this is making God a very cheat to himself to set up a pure holy Law the perfect Copy of his will and mans breach of it should be made up by our imperfect weak faith and holiness which hath no more proportion to the infinitely holy Law than a brass Farthing hath to a World full of Diamonds nor so much and yet so easie a Merchant this Doctrine would make God by making our pretended conformity to the Promise to answer the enjoyned perfect conformity to the Law But because those of this Opinion cannot for shame bring it in to stand alone that our Conformity to the Promise should answer instead of obedience to the law therefore they bring in Christ to purchase this priviledge that is that Christ purchased that God should cheat his holiness and righteousness with a sham of Mens invention whereas the Doctrine of the Gospel is that God is just and the justifier of those that believe in Jesus who in our stead fulfilled all righteousness for us and so became the end of the Law for righteousness sake And that our Faith and Holiness with the unmeasurable c. have nothing to do in our justification or Salvation as a
conformity to the Gospel Promise even as perfect obedience had in conformity to the Precept or Covenant of works I shall shew farther by the opinion of sound Orthodox Writers and begin with that famous Martyr in Scotland burned Anno 1532. for adhering to salvation by Jesus Christ without works in his Treatise set forth by Mr. John Frith an English Martyr in the same Cause Burned in 1533. he hath these Expressions viz. No manner of works make us right wise and no works make us unright wise if any evil works make us unrighteous then the contrary works should make us righteous the proof is we believe that a man shall be justifyed without works Rom. 3. and we believe in Jesus Christ that we may be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the deeds of the Law good works make not a good man nor evil works an evil Man but a good man bringeth forth good works and an evil man evil works good Fruit makes not the Tree good nor evil Fruit the Tree evil but a good Tree beareth good Fruit and an evil Tree evil fruit If works make us neither righteous nor unrighteous then thou wilt say it maketh no matter what we do I answer if thou do evil it is a sure Argument thou art evil and wantest Faith if thou do good it is a sure Argument thou art good and hast Faith Here is no sophistication of Faith Holiness Obedience c. answering the Rule of the Gospel promise as perfect Obedience answered the Law and moreover he gives the reason why we are so saved by Christ Because saith he Thou madest the fault and he suffered the pain and that for the love he had for thee before thou wast born now sith he was punished for thee thou shalt not be punished Finally he hath delivered thee from Condemnation all evil and desireth nought of thee mark that but that thou wilt acknowledge what he hath done for thee and bear it in mind and help others for his sake as he hath helped thee for nought Thou wilt say Shall we then do no good deeds I say not so but I say we should do no good works for the intent to get the Inheritance of Heaven or the remission of sin Thus this blessed Martyr asserted the Gospel in these truths worth laying down ones life for but I hope none will be put to lay down their life for asserting our imperfect Obedience answers the Gospel as Adams perfect Obedience If he had had it would have answered the Law for any to die upon such a point would be to be a Martyr for his own Righteousness not for asserting Christs now comes Mr. Frith and gives his Observations as full of Antinomianism as his Author Mr. Hamilton or as Dr. Crisp and just such an Antinomian as the A. Paul was and saith Therefore wheresoever any question or doubt ariseth of Salvation or our justifying before God there the Law and All good Works must be utterly excluded and stand apart that grace may appear free the Promise simple and that Faith may stand alone which faith alone without Law or Works worketh to every Man particularly his Salvation through meer promise and the free grace of God this word particularly I add for the particular certifying of every Mans heart privately and particularly that believeth in Christ so Faith is the instrumental Cause by which every Man applyeth the Body of Christ particularly to his own Salvation so that in the action and office of Justification both Law and Works all good Works above be here utterly secluded and exempted as things having nothing to do in this behalf The reason is this for seeing that all our Redemption universally springeth only from the body of the Son of God Crucified then is there nothing that can stand us in stead but that only wherewith this body of Christ is apprehended now for so much as neither the Law nor Works but Faith only is the thing that apprehendeth the Body and death of Christ therefore Faith only is that matter which Justifieth every Soul before God through the strength of that Object which it doth apprehend for the Object only of our Faith is the body of Christ like as the brazen Serpent was the other only of the Israelites looking by the strength of which Object through the promise of God immediately proceeded health to the Beholders so the Body of Christ being the Object of our Faith striketh righteousness to our Souls Thus far Mr. Frith Here 's good sound strong home-spun Divinity that came from the heart of an early English Martyr in the days of Hen. VIII It came not from Rome or Amsterdam or Poland and because the Book of our blessed Martyrs is in few hands I 'll transcribe some more of Mr. Frith's contrariety to our new way of stating Gospel Truth hoping it may tend to the establishing Souls whom the Sophistry of some Men may amuse with their Connexions of c. to Faith and Holiness in the business of pardon of sin to which Mr. Frith saith as follows In a Christian mans life there 's the Law there 's Repentance there is Hope Charity all which in mans Life and Doctrine are joyned and yet in the action of justifying there is nothing else in man that hath any Part or Place but only Faith apprehending the Object which is the body of Christ Jesus for us Crucified in whom consisteth all the worthiness of our Salvation by Faith that is by our apprehending and receiving of him according as it is written John 1. Whosoever received him he gave them Power to be made the Sons of God even all such as believed in his Name For so much therefore as the Truth of the Scripture in express words hath included our Salvation in Faith only we are enforced necessarily to Exclude all other causes and Means in our Justification and to make this difference between the Law and Gospel between Faith and Works affirming with the Scripture and Word of God that the Law condemneth us our Works of all sorts do not avail us and that Faith in Christ doth only justifie us and this ought diligently to be learned of all Christians especially in all conflicts of Conscience between the Law and the Gospel Faith and Works Grace and Merits Promise and Condition Gods Free Election and Mans free Will so that the light of the Free grace of God in our Salvation may appear to all Consciences to the Immortal glory of Gods holy Name Amen Thus said this blessed Servant of the Lord Jesus and this he sealed with his Blood and this was good Doctrine in those days among the Reformed this was thought worthy to be inserted in our famous Book of Martyrs and approved by the whole Body of Christians in the Nation and not scandalized as the same expressions are in Dr. Crisp's Sermons I would fain know what more stabbing words can be said against Mr. Williams Thesis or Position than both Mr. Hamilton and
regenerate and Justified and indued with true Faith and regarding the Order of Nature it follows Faith and Justification O these are strong battering Rams against setting up mans Righteousness and in fol. 468. he gives account whence this new Doctrine of repentance having a hand in our Salvation comes viz. from Rome and saith thus The Church of Rome hath Corrupted the Antient Doctrine of Repentance saying That a Sinner hath in him a Natural disposition which being stir'd up by God's preventing Grace he may and can work together with Gods Spirit in his own Repentance But indeed all our Repentance is to be ascribed to Gods grace wholly Eph. 2.4 The Soul of man is not weak but stark dead in sin and therefore it can no more prepare it self to repentance than the body being dead in the Grave can dispose it self to the last Resurrection O these are weighty words and O that they might prevail in the hand of the Spirit of God to weaken mans apprehensions of something practicable in and by himself in order to bring about his Salvation that so we might all put our Mouths in the dust and give glory to God for of him and through him especially in the matter of our Salvation and to him be all things to whom be glory in the Churches for ever thus much for Mr. W. Sanction of the Gospel giving pardon on our Conformity to the Rule of the Promise In the next place Mr. W. asserts a profound benefit by Gospel grace and yet it carries Poyson in it I fear Hence by Gospel grace there is a great difference between imperfect Faith and utter Vnbelief The Poyson in the head of this Snake I fear is that this imperfect Faith is intended to be the upshot of Gospel Grace A little to descant upon this I would offer That if so mean a Lover of the Lord Jesus as I am should have been telling the World the benefit of Gospel Grace I should have flown a little higher in celebrating the Love of God therein than to say by it imperfect Faith differs greatly from utter Vnbelief which without Gospel Grace any Child of four Years Old will grant That can tell there is a great difference between a little mess of Milk and none at all I should have said By Gospel Grace there is a great difference between our Lord Jesus freely given us and with him all things even himself to be our Wisdom Righteousness c. And being slaves of Satan sold under sin without this gospel grace I should have invited the World to rejoyce in this Benefit by Gospel Grace That Christ was made sin for us that he might be made righteousness to us or become the Lord our Righteousness And that by Gospel Grace God comâ—s to justify the Ungodly to save Sinners of whom the Apostle saith He was chief and a Pattern of them who should afterward believe to everlasting life this is right gospel grace worthy of the Father Son and Spirit to give Purchase and Communicate I should scarce have flamm'd the World off with such a dead Carcass of Divinity as to say If you look for the glorious Priviledge and Benefit of Gospel Grace which the Father Son and Spirit have been contriving and rejoycing in from all Eternity and which the Eternal Blessed Son of God took Man's Nature for and for which he was under the Curse of God and died for which all the Angels and Saints of God for ever adore him It was that this should be published That there is by the Gospel Grace a great difference between imperfect Faith and utter Unbelief or which is much at one between an Essentiality and a Nullity between something and nothing there is so great difference as is between Heaven and Hell and this difference is eternal and so would have been without any thing of the Gospel I suppose Mr. W. means though he is unhappy in not expressing it that by Gospel Grace imperfect Faith is accepted for perfect Obedience that is to say if it be joyned with sincere Holiness true Repentance and Perseverance c. but this is still wide from the mark of Gospel Grace for the Apostle saith It brings Salvation and teaches Godliness But Mr. W. will make the World amends it may be hoped in the next Benefit by Gospel Grace which take as follows By gospel grace there is a great difference between sincere Holiness and formal Profaneness or Wickedness one would wonder how gospel grace comes to be hookt into this Difference which all the World would own to be infinitely different without any grace of God in the Gospel Did our Lord Jesus shed his Blood for this Notion to be asserted which was as true without any grace of the gospel as with it but it may be he means that by gospel grace there is a Purchase made that sincere Holiness shall stand instead of perfect Holiness which Wickedness could not do And this he must mean or nothing and if he means this he perfectly overthrows the gospel and if he do not mean it he abuses the World with an Amusement The next is True Love to God and prevailing Enmity There is by Gospel Grace he saith great difference between these But this is another great mistake which I am confident he will he ashamed to own What hath the gospel to do to make this great difference By the law is the Knowledge of sin and the gospel shews grace but to say the gospel makes this difference is to roh God of the Holiness of his righteous Law But supposing this Nonsense to be current Divinity with some that by gospel Grace there is great difference between God and the Devil or Love to God and prevailing Enmity What is this to the point Mr. Williams is labouring to make good that there is to be a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise in the person to be pardoned for proof of which he saith There is great difference between Love of God and prevailing Enmity Would he have his meaning to be that love of God is conforming to the Rule of the Promise therefore an ingredient to Pardon which Enmity is not I answer Love of God is as much conforming to the Rule of the Law as of Gospel grace and so his Argument faces had he said the Law commands us to love God and the Gospel promiseth to write this Law in our hearts though not as an ingredient to our Pardon there might be some Edification by it but to assert there is a difference between these two which was ever so is of no more force for his Argument than to say Black and White differ or I and Doctor C. dâ—ffer His next is like the three former Differences viz. by Gospel grace there is a great difference between in perfect spiritual Duties and Rebellious Negleâ—ts Now he hath spun a fine Thread here 's the end of his Gospel grace it hath made this difference and would not this difference have been if
is wholly shut out there is to be no boasting and 't is shut out by the law of Faith by that Faith I just now mentioned all you have to do in the point of Justification is Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved Do these Men seek a Law here 's the Law this is his Commandment that you believe in the name of the Lord Jesus John 3.23 when they said What shall we do that we might work the works of God Jesus answered and said unto them This is the work of God that ye believe in him whom he hath sent so the Apostle here do you seek a Law that excludes from boasting I 'll tell you the Law 't is the law of Faith to believe on him that is just and the justifier of the Ungodly upon his believing and yet this Mr. W. brings for confirmation of his sincere holiness that God regards in his giving pardon But thus it pleaseth God to confound the wise by quoting a Text in order to adulterate it when in the Issue no Text is more sharp upon him A farther Confirmation of his setting up works for concurring to pardon is in the next words thus And it the gospel specially insists on that sincerity of grace and holiness which the rule of the Promise makes necessary in its description of the Person whom it makes partaker of its included Benefit sure never was the free grace and love of God to Man so fetter'd and obscured by dark expressions had any Sophister industriously set himself to vitiate the true meaning of Gods Love in these words God so loved the World that he gave his only beloved Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life he could not possibly I think have done it worse than to explain hem in Mr. W. expressions of the gospel insisting on grace and that sincere and on holiness and that such as the rule of the Promise makes necessary and that rule of the Promise is in its description of the Person to be benefited by it which description must needs be the whole word of God and when this person hath all that holiness that we find the word of God recommends then this person by this rule with this holiness is partaker of an included benefit God of his rich mercy pour out his Spirit and grant his Servants may be inabled to deliver his clear plain Scripture offers of life and Salvation by Jesus Christ with clearer Evidence than this Is this the way of confuting Dr. C. who asserts Gospel Grace in plain Gospel Terms That Christ came to seek and save the lost that he seeks and finds his lost sheep and brings them home upon his Shoulders that he carries the Lambs in his Arms and gently leads those with young and instead of such Soul-saving encouragements to poor sinners to put them off with our grace and holiness and not a word of Gods saving them in Christ but our coming up to the rule which the promise makes necessary And who shall be able to say when he hath done all that he comes up to Mr. Williams rule of believing c. his Obedience c. his persevering c. from such stating of Gospel Truth O Lord deliver thy People Now we come to the Use Mr. Williams makes of his premises of salvation from our conformity to Gospel rule of new obedience c. which he summs up in few words viz. And the main of our Ministry consists in pressing men to Answer the Rule of the Gospel Promise But the main of the Apostles was to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and to press men to be found in him and so Mr. W. once did when he preach'd that Christ indured the utmost God bated him nothing the atonement was so compleat that God can demand no other from Christ or from any Soul this Atonement is applyed to This he deduced from this Doctrine The reconciling of sinners to God is effected by the concurring influence of the Priestly and Kingly Office of Christ Well then Christ hath effected this reconciliation what remains for poor man to do but accept it and be thankful not to come in with his Gospel Holiness for God to have regard to in our reconciliation to God But it seems this stream of Gospel grace must not run so clear now in his Book here must be conformity to Gospel Rule before we have any benefit by Christ which consists in Repentance Faith c. to all the rest and now this is prest and the main of our Ministry consists in this whereas the main of the Apostles was to beseech Men to be reconciled to God because God was in Christ and when upon the Cross reconciling the world to himself when by one Offering he for ever perfected the Work and cryed out it is finished and then after Union after engrafting into Christ after being in a blessed state of Salvation secured so as never to fall away then the Apostle presses to walk worthy of this Gospel of this free Salvation by Jesus Christ Mr. Williams proceeds viz. We call men to be reconciled to God upon which we know God will be at peace with them This I thought it would come to at last First we must come to God and be reconciled to him and then God will be at peace with us which is just contrary to the Apostle when we were Enemies we were reconciled Rom. 5.10 But when Men will be pampering with our holiness for God to look to in our acceptance in Christ they will fall into a Covenant of Works and call it Gospel Grace that our works are accepted in order to our Justification and Salvation we must first be reconciled to God saith Mr. W. that is we must first comply with the gospel rule of not only Faith but Holiness Repentance and perseverance in new Obedience and having thus brought our selves to that reconciled posture then God will be at peace is this fulfilling Christs commission Go Preach the gospel to every Creature he that believeth shall be saved Is this proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord When thou wast in thy Blood I said to thee Live and for mine own Name sake I will remember their sins no more God waits to be gracious knocking at the Door of poor sinners hearts crying Open to me let me come in I bring my Supper I bring my Son only let him in only receive him by Faith God don't say my Son and I will be at peace with you after you have washt you and made your selves clean but he comes to tell you he loved you and washt you from your sins in his blood on the Cross and you that believe in me are the Persons I was reconciled to you then and am come now to offer it to you and beseech you to be reconciled to me Thus with these words of his first love he draws poor sinners to be reconciled to him and do not damp