the going down of the same my Name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every Place Incense shall be offered unto my Name and a pure Offering that is inward and spiritual Worship and Sacrifices whereof the Ceremonial here express'd were but Types and Figures And thus People are every where to serve God with true and oure Worship For it is the Service now that sanctifies the Place and not the Place that sanctifies the Service as it was among the Jews 1 Tim. 2. 8. I will therefore that Men pray every where lifting up holy Hands without wrath and doubting of God's audience and acceptance For God is every where present and in whatsoever Place we are we are equally near unto him 1 Cor. 10. 26. The Earth is the Lord's and the Fulness thereof The whole Earth where God is called upon is Holy Land. St. Paul prayed on the Sea-shore at Tyre Acts 21. 5. And Mat. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them Every Assembly of Christians met together in Christ's Name and according to his Will is the Church and House and living Temple of God where he is present which is not built with Stone or Brick but is made up of living Saints the Habitation of the Spirit as the Church in the House of Nymphi Col. 4. 5. of Aquila and Priscilla 1 Cor. 16. 19. The Temple of Jerusalem was but a Type and Figure of Christ's Body and Humane Nature which was the True Temple in which the God-head dwelt and therefore he calls his Body the Temple John 2. 19. Destroy this Temple and in three days will I raise it up And therefore after the Incarnation of Christ in which the Figure and Type of the Temple of Jerusalem was accomplish'd God would no more have a Figurative Temple And now Christ is ascended into Heaven there is no Temple upon Earth but the Saints themselves who are the Temples of the Holy Ghost and who offer up spiritual Sacrifices by the assistance of the Spirit which are acceptable to God not as performed in this and the other place as if they derived acceptance from the Holiness of any Place but by the Offering of the Body of Christ once for all through the Eternal Spirit with which he sits at the right Hand of God in the Heavens to make Intercession for us and to procure the acceptance of our Persons and Services Much less then is there any Holiness in Places derived from any Saints from whom the Popish Churches yet derive their Holiness It was the peculiar Presence of God which was thought among the Jews to render the Place Holy for where God is peculiarly present there it is Holy Ground But now it is from the Saints and the Worship that is performed to them in such a Place and their Relicks that are placed there that the Popish Holiness of most of their Places is derived And it is a great Act of Devotion with them to go in Pilgrimages to visit and worship at such Places as to our Lady of Loretto Montferrat to St. Thomas at Canterbury St. Winifred's Well and such-like Places And they think their Services performed in such Places are very acceptable for the Place sake Now if there be no appropriate Holiness in Places with respect to the Presence of God peculiarly in them which renders the Worship acceptable Who can believe that the Shrines of Saints can derive any acceptance to the Service Yet we do not deny but in common decency that some peculiar Respect should be shewn to such Places where we solemnly worship God. But it is the Worship that is there performed to God and not the Presence of God that is supposed to be peculiarly there more than in any other Place that doth sanctify the Christian Places of Worship whatever Sanctification they have But it is not the Place that doth sanctify the Worship as it was among the Jews where the Altar sanctified the Gift Matth. 23. 19. Of the Sacraments This should have followed Chap. XXI That the Sacraments do confer Grace ex opere operato by the Work done Council of Trent Sess 7. Can. 8. THE Sacraments are Seals of the Covenant and Promise of God on his part made with Men which they confirm to us upon our susception or receiving of them and the performance of the Condition which on our part is required and which we enter into a solemn Engagement to do and do make a visible profession of in them And it being a Covenant of free Grace which God makes with Man and by which he really intends to procure our Salvation it must needs be supposed by virtue of this Covenant that God is before-hand with Men with such measures of his Grace without which in this corrupt and fallen State we could do nothing by which now we may be enabled to do what on our part is required And upon our solemn engagement of our selves to God in this Holy Covenant on our part it is not to be doubted but the Spirit of Grace shall be given to us to enable us to perform all the Duties and Conditions of the Covenant necessary to Salvation But the Grace which is given is the effect of the Spirit and is given by virtue of the Covenant and Promise The Sacraments do no otherwise exhibit it to us than as they confirm the Covenant on God's part by which it is given and assure this Gift to us upon our performance of our part The Holy Ghost doth call the Sacraments Signs and Seals of the Grace of God as Gen. 17. 11. Ye shall circumcise the Flesh of the Fore-skin and it shall be a Token or Sign of the Covenant between me and you And Rom. 4. 11. He that is Abraham received the Sign of Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith. But it cannot be any where found that the Sacraments are called Vessels containing the Grace of God. And it was a Seal of the Promises made to the Righteousness of the Faith which he had yet being uncircumcised So that Abraham ' s Faith went before the Sacrament of Circumcision and was not wrought by it And Vers 9 10. This Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness not in Circumcision but in Vncircumcision That so vers 11. believing before Circumcision he might be the Father of all them that believe though they be not Circumcised but who also walk in the steps of that Faith of our Father Abraham which he had being yet Vncircumcised And as Abraham believed and was justified before Circumcision and therefore his Faith and Justification was not wrought by the Sacrament of Circumcision so Cornelius and his Company received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized As iâ— plain from the words of St. Peter Acts 10. 47. Can any Man forbid Water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we Which teacheth us that God doth neither tie his
Grace to the outward Circumcision nor yet to the Water of Baptism The use of these Sacraments was not to work that Grace which they had before but to be a solemn Engagement to them to perform their part of the Covenant and to confirm the Promise of God to them And therefore we find also Faith required before Baptism can be administred Acts 8. 36 37. What doth hinder me says the Eunuch to be baptized And Philip said If thou believest with all thine Heart thou mayest Faith is pre-required before Baptism and therefore is not wrought by the Sacrament of Baptism We find indeed that upon the solemn profession of their Faith by their admission of the Sacrament of Baptism there were sometimes greater measures of the Spirit poured out upon some Acts 19. 5 6. But it was in consideration of their Faith which went before Baptism that these Measures of the Spirit were given to them Their Baptism was only a testification of their Faith Ephes 1. 13. After ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise So when Baptism is called the Baptism of Repentance it is not because Repentance was wrought by it but because it was a Sign and Testification of it and farther engaged to it We therefore also find that Justification and Salvation are every-where in the Scripture ascribed to Mens Faith and Repentance and not to the Sacraments as they would be if the Sacraments were the proper and immediate Causes of that Grace by which we are justified and saved Thus Rom. 1. 17. The Just shall live by Faith. And so Gal. 2. 20. I live by the Faith of the Son of God. And this Faith and so all Grace and Holiness is wrought by the Spirit by means of the Word Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God And John 3. 8. As the Wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit God oftentimes in an imperceptible manner conferring his Grace and not confining it to the Sacraments So that the Sacraments do not give but only seal to us the Promise of Grace and Life 1 Pet. 3. 20 21. In the Ark of Noah a few that is eight Persons were saved by Water The like Figure whereunto even Baptism doth now save us But by Baptism I mean not the putting away the filth of the Flesh or that the outward Act of washing the Body serveth to this Salvation which God doth not lay on any outward Ceremony otherwise than as it is an Act or Exercise of our Faith and Obedience But the Answer of a good Conscience towards God in the Covenant of Baptism when a Person being ask'd doth really and faithfully engage and promise to believe in and give up himself to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil Baptism is but the celebration of this saving Covenant and it is covenanting sincerely that is the Condition of Salvation and washing is but the Sign As Rom. 2. 25. Circumcision verily profiteth if thou keepest the Law but if thou be a breaker of the Law thy Circumcision is made Vncircumcision So it may be said of Baptism with respect to the Gospel It is not any Sacrament in it self that gives Grace or Justification or acceptance with God but thereby the Benefits promised are sealed to them that perform the Conditions Thus vers 28 29. He is not a Jew whom God will accept and justify who is one outwardly only in the Ceremony Neither is that Circumcision acceptable which is only outward in the Flesh and therefore 't is not the external Sacrament which gives the Grace but he is a Jew justified and accepted of God that is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter or Ceremony whose Praise is not of Men but of God. The like may be said of the Christian and his Baptism So Gal. 5. 6. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision nor the outward washing of Baptism neither but Faith which worketh by Love. 'T is this and nothing else that avails to the Christian's Salvation But if the Sacraments themselves did work Saving-Grace the same might be as well affirmed of them It is said indeed Rom. 6. 4. We are buried with him by Baptism into Death that like as Christ was raised up from the Dead by the Glory of the Father even so we should also walk in Newness of Life The meaning of which is this that we by our Baptism enter into a Profession Engagement or Undertaking to give over all Sin and to live a new regenerate Life in conformity to the Death and Life of Christ This Profession was represented and signified by their going down into the Water and being as it were buried in it and then rising out of it again It is not Baptism which works this Grace of Mortification but that proceeds from our believing Reception and hearty submitting our selves to the form of Doctrine delivered to us by the Spirit of Grace in the Gospel vers 17. And it is by the Spirit that we are enabled to mortify the Deed of the Body Rom. 8. But Baptism testifies and represents our Profession and Engagement to do it It is said also Gal. 3. 27. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ his Spirit and Nature and are become his Members There being baptized into Christ signifies those that have sincerely consented to that baptismal Covenant of which the outward Baptism was a Badg and Profession It was not by virtue of their Baptism but by 〈◊〉 of their Faith which they professed in their Baptism that they became Members of Christ Vers 26. Ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus According to John 1. 12. To as many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God even to them that believed in his Name So John 3. 5. Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit c. It is the Spirit 's Regeneration which is asserted and which is only mentioned vers 8. But this spiritual Regeneration was represented by the Water of Baptism So Tit. 3 5. The washing of Regeneration that is Regeneration signified and sealed in Baptism or which is to the Soul as a laver or washing is to the Body to cleanse it from Sin. So Ephes 5. 25 26. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctif◠it and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the Word It is the Regeneration it self which is there intended by the washing of Water which is said to be wrought by the Word because by the means of the Word we are cleansed from the filth of Sin as the filth of the Body is cleansed by the washing of Water But yet this Regeneration is signified and represented in Baptism and there all do make a profession of it ERRATA PAge 52. line 5. read Judiciously P. 67. l. 19. r. is directly P. 81. l. 3. r. what words P. 84. l. 3. r. beneficial P. 104. l. 30. r. God is said P. 118. l. 20. r. yet He. P. 123. l. 9. r. with them P. 140. l. 24. r. in to the understanding P. 145. l. 23. r. from these words P. 147. l. 21. r. rite P. 152. l. 16. r. even after P. 168. l. 32. r. throw on Advertisement of some Books lately printed against Popery 1. A Modest Enquiry Whether St. Peter were ever at Rome and Bishop of that Church 2. The Fallibility of the Roman Church demonstrated from the manifest Error of the Second Nicene and Trent Councils which assert That the Veneration and honorary Worship of Images is a Tradition Primitive and Apostolical 3. A Demonstration that the Church of Rome and her Councils have erred by shewing that the Councils of Constance Basil and Trent have in all their Decrees touching Communion in one kind contradicted the received Doctrine of the Church of Christ 4. A Treatise of Traditions Wherein is proved That we have Evidence sufficient from Tradition 1. That the Scriptures are the Word of God. 2. That the Church of England owns the true Canon of the Books of the Old Testament 3. That the Copies of the Scripture have not been corrupted 4. That the Romanists have no such Evidence for their Traditions 5. That the Testimony of the present Church of Rome can be no sure Evidence of Apostolical Tradition 6. What Traditions may securely be relied upon and what not The Second Part.
who only was made to be Sin or a Sin-offering for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God i. e. treated as Righteous Persons in him and for his sake and not for the Merits and Satisfactions of others 2 Cor. 5. 21. And Vers 19. God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not by the Satisfactions and Merits of Saints 1 Pet. 1. 19. Redeemed we are by the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Which the Apostle implies it was needful he should be to become our Redemption but this cannot be said of the Sufferings of any Saint 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is made to us of God Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption that according as it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord and give him the praise and thanks of the whole Work and have no dependance upon the Sufferings and Satisfactions of Saints For Isa 43. 11. I am the Lord and besides me there is no Saviour And Col. 2. 10. Ye are compleat in him So that we have no need of Saints Satisfactions nor is it their Office and Business to satisfy but only Christ's We cannot do it for our selves nor others for us but he alone who is our Peace As was also proved before by the Texts of the foregoing Chapter There is none but Christ who by his Satisfactions and Intercessions doth answer for others Sins There is no meer Man that can answer for another Though God may and doth often shew Mercy to some Men with respect to others in many Instances according to his Covenant or for other holy and wise Ends it is not for the sake of any Merits and Satisfactions which others have offered for them nor doth he pardon Mens Sins or give them Life upon the account of such Merits and Satisfactions but deals with Men in that respect only according to their own Works and shows Mercy only in Christ and for his sake Gal. 6. 6 7. Let every Man prove his own Work and then shall he have rejoicing in himself and not in another For every Man shall bear his own Burden Exod. 32. 31. Moses said O this People have sinned a great Sin yet now if thou wilt forgive their Sin and if not blot me I pray thee out of the Book which thou hast written And the Lord said unto Moses Whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my Book The Prophet Moses was not admitted to bear the Punishment of the People but every Man was to bear his own Sin. Ezek. 18. 20. The Soul that sinneth the same shall die The Son shall not bear the Iniquity of the Father neither shall the Father bear the Iniquity of the Son. The Righteousness of the Righteous shall be upon him and the Wickedness of the Wicked shall be upon him Mat. 3. 9 10. Think not therefore to say within your selves We have Abraham to our Father every Tree which bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewen down and cast into the Fire ' T is not another's Righteousness will avail to our acceptation Hab. 2. 4. The Just shall live by his Faith not by the Faith of another 1 Cor. 3. 8. Every Man shall receive his own Reward according to his own Labour For 2 Cor. 5. 10. We must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ that every Man may receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad 1 Pet. 1. 17. For the Father judgeth without respect of Persons according to every Man's Work. In vain shall we alledge the Fasts and Alms of another He that serves God by a Proctor shall go to Hell in his own Person Mat. 25. 8 9. The foolish Virgins said unto the Wise Give us of your Oil for our Lamps are gone out They would fain have had a benefit in their Righteousness But the Wise answered saying Not so lest there be not enough for us and you It must be your own Righteousness that must serve you according to the Covenant of Grace in Christ And therefore Vers 35. one Man's good Works did not profit another but every one is judged according to his own Actions And it is Christ alone that satisfies for others and not any Saint with him or subordinate to him As 1 Cor. 1. 12 13. Every one of you saith I aâ— of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Cephas and I of Christ Which is equally blame-worthy in having recourse to their several Merits with Christ's as upon other respects Is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you or were ye baptized in the Name of Paul The same may we also say to those of the Church of Rome when one says I am of St. Francis I of St. Dominick and I of the Society of Jesus Is Jesus divided from Christ Was St. Francis crucified for you or were ye baptized in the Name of Dominick or Igâ—atius Loyola As for what the Apostle says Col. 1. 24. I now rejoice in my Sufferings for you and fill up that which is 〈◊〉 of the Afflictions of Christ in my Flâ—sh for his Body's sake which is the Church It is not meant that he suffered to satisfy for their Sins as if any thing were wanting in the meritorious Sufferings of Christ to that end God forbid But it was for the Church's good that the Apostles suffered to give them an Example of Constancy c. And the Sufferings of the Members of Christ are called Christ's Sufferings 2 Cor. 1. 5. And they are partakers of Christ's Sufferings 1 Pet. 4. 13. They being predestinated to be conformed to their Head Rom. 8. 29. They are to suffer as he did and so by degrees to fill up the Sufferings that are designed for the whole Body of Christ and then at last also they shall reign with him but that by his Gift and Purchase alone Rev. 2. 10. And Rev. 7. 14. These are they which came out of great Tribulation and have washed their Robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb therefore are they before the Throne of God. Now if there be no Satisfactions for Sin made by any Man or Men but only Christ and much less superabounding Satisfactions and Merits for others above what any one hath need of him then there can be no Treasury of these in the Church for the use of others that want For there can be no Treasury of that that is not And what need can there be of it when Christ's own Satisfaction is sufficient in all Cases And if there be no such Treasury in the Church for the benefit of others to be dispens'd then the Pope nor any one else is the Dispenser for he cannot dispense it if it be not If it be not in his hands to give he cannot give it or rather sell for they do not use to be very free of their Gifts And then consequently the use of Pardons and Indulgences for
taken for the same and are all but several Expressions of Justification And the imputing of Righteousness without Works sure is not the infusion of Righteousness which is expressed by Works And the covering or not imputing of Sin is not the abolishing of it Rom. 8. 33. Who then shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth Where Justification is opposed to Accusation and Condemnation And from hence it is plain that it is a judicial Act of God towards us discharging and acquitting Believers for Christ's sake from what they are accused of and condemned by the Law. And it is an Expression taken from Judicial Proceedings at a Court where the Judg does not infuse new Qualities into one at the Bar but acquits and discharges him from the Guilt of which he was accused and the Punishment due to it As the word is also used Prov. 17. 15. He that justifieth the Wicked and condemneth the Just even they both are an abomination to the Lord. Where his Fault is that he acquits the Wicked who ought to be condemned But if he could turn his Heart and make him Just sure that would be no abomination And indeed this sense of the word Justify and Remit is the usual sense of all the World and to understand it otherwise of induing a Man with good Qualities is against the common usage of all Mankind And certainly it ought to be interpreted and taken in such its usual sense then in those places that directly treat of Justification and where all the Circumstances do concur to such a signification Though there should be some particular place elsewhere where it may be singularly interpreted in another manner where the Circumstances of the place do require it Now the result of all is That Faith or a believing reception of and submission to Christ and his Laws is prerequired in us as the condition upon which Justification and Remission of Sin is promised in the Covenant of Grace upon the account of Christ's Sacrifice So that this is presupposed to Justification in order of Nature But the whole of Remission and Justification is the free Act of God's Grace acquitting the true Believer of this Sin and Punishment due to it upon the account of the meritorious Satisfaction made by Christ Jesus and accepting of him as righteous and dealing with him accordingly though he has a great deal of Sin and has not a perfect Righteousness of his own to deserve it His Acquitment and Acceptation is not a natural Consequent of his having Grace inherent in him as if that were properly his Justification but it is by virtue of the Promise made in the Covenant of Grace with respect to and upon the account of the Satisfaction made by Christ Jesus So that the free Grace of God and the Sacrifice of Christ have an hand both in the procuring of Grace for us and the acceptation of it also when that is done CHAP. XXI That for the obtaining of the Remission of all Mortal Sins a particular Confession of them to a Priest which they call Auricular Confession with all the Circumstances which do either increase or diminish the Sin as far as can be called to mind at least an intention of making such a Confession is absolutely necessary Concil Trident. Sess 14. cap. 4 5. Can. 6 7. Catech. Rom. Par. 2. de Poeniten N. 38. THis they say is absolutely necessary to be either in Act or Desire So that Contrition which is the same with Repentance that is a sorrow for Sin past and a purpose of forsaking it for the time to come though perfected also with Charity is not enough to obtain Remission without this But yet imperfect Contrition or Attrition which arises meerly from the fear of Hell with Confession to a Priest and his Absolution will do it without perfect Contrition or true Repentance for the Sin. But this is a meer humane Invention tending to raise the Grandeur of the Priests to acquaint them with all Mens Secrets and to cherish their Covetousness and Ambition by the Gain that they make hereby of their Absolutions and Indulgences and tending likewise to cherish carnal Security in those that confess to them considering that Pardon of Sin may be had at so easy a rate with Confession and to trouble the Consciences of those that have no mind to it as if without it their Sin were unpardonable though they have true Contrition or Repentance for their Sin. And it is manifestly against all those Texts that require Contrition or Repentance in order to Pardon and not Attrition only and that make such Contrition a sufficient Qualification for Pardon without this Auricular Confession As Against Isa 1. 16 17. Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your Doings from before mine Eyes cease to do evil learn to do well And then vers 18. Though your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be like Crimson they shall be as Wool. And Chap. 55. 7. Let the Wicked forsake his Way and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon So Ezek. 18. 30. Repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions so Iniquity shall not be your ruin Vers 31. Cast away all your Transgressions and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die Vers 32. Turn your selves and live ye From all which observe That Repentance and turning from Sin in Heart and Life is absolutely required in order to the Pardon of it and that a promise of Forgiveness is made to this without requiring Confession to a Priest to be joined with it For Psal 51. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and a contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise This indeed is acceptable to God accompanied or followed with a real forsaking of Sin and nothing less than this David thus confessing his Sin to God obtained pardon Psal 32. 5. If less will serve or more be required there must be a new Institution for it in the New Testament But now see Act. 3. 19. Repent and be converted that your Sins may be blotted out But Luke 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall all perish And our Saviour therefore appointed Luk. 24. 47. That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be preach'd in his Name among all Nations So that it is true Repentance which is the condition of Pardon in the New Covenant but Confession of Sin to a Priest is no where required For as for Mat. 3. 6. where it is said that many were baptized of John in Jordan confessing their Sins And Acts 19. 18. That many that believed came and confessed and shewed their Deeds It was their own voluntary Act arising from the heart of Zeal and was done publickly before all Not secretly whispered in the Ears
they can claim nothing by debt in a way of strict Justice It is allowed by our Adversaries that Men by their good Works cannot merit Remission of Sin. And they who cannot deserve to be forgiven how should they deserve to have an infinite Reward bestowed upon them But whence should both one and the other come then but from Grace And if by Grace then it is no more Works otherwise Grace is no more Grace But if it be of Works then it is no more Grace otherwise Work is no more Work Rom. 11. 6 7. For to him that worketh is the Reward not reckoned of Grace but of Debt Rom. 4. 4. So that 't is also a Contradiction to say that he giveth us Grace to Merit for Grace excludes Merit Where there is Merit there can be no Grace and where there is Grace there can be no Merit And if there cannot be Merit to obtain Remission but that is of Grace how should there be Merit to obtain Glorification To have a Righteousness or Works truly Meritorious this Righteousness and these Works then must be perfect at least and without defect For how should an imperfect Righteousness merit But this cannot be said of the Righteousness or good Works of any Justified Person whatsoever For Jam. 3. 2. In many things we offend all Job 9. 3. If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand And vers 21. If I justify my self mine own Mouth shall condemn me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse That a Justified Person may merit eternal Life by his good Works his good Works ought to be perfect and he ought certainly to have no other but good Works for where there is Sin there is need of Pardon And 't is strange that he should have need of Pardon for some and yet can merit a glorious Immortality by others But now it is plain that every justified Person doth sin often Again to have good Works properly meritorious there must be a proportion between the Work and the Reward that the good Work may be a sufficient price or value for the Recompence But now what proportion can there be between an Imperfect Righteousness and Eternal Glory Rom. 8. 18. I reckon says the Apostle that the sufferings of this present Time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed in us 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. For our light-affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory There is no comparison between the Sufferings of the most glorious Martyrs and the transcendently glorious Reward in Heaven Then there is no equality of worthiness of one to the other And if the Sufferings of the most glorious Martyrs have not a Dignity and Worth in them equal to the Glory to come what shall we say of all other good Works Nay though our Works were perfect as perfect as a Creatures can be yet there would be no proportion between our Work and Eternal Life that is so unspeakably great Therefore Adam in Innocency could not merit properly such a glorious Reward as is now promised us in the Gospel For there is no proportional dignity in the Work of any Creature suitable to so great a Glory The most that can be said is That he did not deserve Pain or Punishment or that he did deserve some consideration for the right use of this Free-will that was put into his Power but not that he deserved so great and long and glorious a Reward as is promised us And how can any Justified Person now deserve it whose Righteousness is so stained and defective The most that can be here said also is that it is congruous that good Men who labour against so many Difficulties in mortifying their Lusts and to please God should not be treated in the same manner with other Men but it cannot be said that they deserve so great a Reward as a blessed and glorious Immortality Again be our Works never so perfect yet they could not merit Eternal Life because we do but that which as Creatures we are bound to do though there were no Reward proposed Luke 17. 10. When you have done all those things that are commanded you say We are unprofitable Servants we have done that which was our Duty to do And we can bring no advantage to God by it by which he should be bound to repay it For Job 22. 2. Can a Man be profitable unto God Or is it Gain to him that thou makest thy Ways perfect So Job 35. 7. If thou be Righteous what givest thou him or what receiveth he of thine hand Thy Wickedness may hurt a Man as thou art and thy Righteousness may profit the Son of Man. Job was very sensible of this and therefore what little cause there was of boasting in or relying upon the Merits of his Righteousness though it had been never so perfect Job 9. 15. Whom though I were Righteous yet would I not answer him says he speaking of God but I would make supplication to my Judg. So Psal 16. 2. My Goodness extendeth not to thee And after all whatsoever good Work any Justified Person doth he doth all by a Power received from God himself and how can he merit from God by that which he himself has given For Job â—1 11. Who hath prevented me that I should repay him Ephes 2. 10. We are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works Phil. 2. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure And 1 Cor. 4. 7. What hast thou that thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why boastest thou as if thou hadst received it not Rom. 11. 35. Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompensed unto him When there is a Promise of a Reward annex'd indeed to any performance upon condition of it then upon the performance of the Condition tho it be never so small and by whatsoever power it be performed the Reward is due tho it be never so great But it is due by Promise only the Promiser of meer Grace engaging himself to it and not from the dignity of the Work. And in this sense Eternal Life may be said to be due to them that keeps Covenant with God And therefore 't is sometimes called a Reward and God will at last proceed with Men according to their Works according to the Order assigned and Condition prefix'd in the Covenant of Grace But still the Reward promised is of Grace to us being only founded upon a free and gracious Promise by which God hath obliged himself to give it but is not by virtue of a just and proportionable dignity in the Work it self But this will not serve the turn of our Adversaries who assert that Works are properly meritorious which must be understood in themselves and not by virtue of the Promise For pardon of Sin is
pure from Sin Psal 19. 13. Who can understand his Errors Psal 130. 2. If thou Lord shouldst mark Iniquities who shall stand Therefore Psal 143. 3. Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant O Lord for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified Job 9. 2. I know it is so of a truth For how should Men be just with God If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand Job 15. 14. For what is Man that he should be clean or he that is born of a Woman that he should be righteous Isa 64. 6. For we are all as an unclean Thing and our Righteousness as filthy Rags 1 Joh. 1. 8. If we say that we have no Sin we deceive our selves Jam. 3. 4. For in many things we offend all none excepted Of Baptism CHAP. XXIV That Baptism is absolutely necessary to Salvation so that those who die without Baptism are damned Concil Triden Sess 7. Can. 5. Bellarm. de Amiss grat stat peccat lib. 2. cap. 6. THE Necessity of Baptism we constantly maintain and that it is a Law of Christ which he hath establish'd in the Gospel to be for ever observed But we think it very uncharitable to determine that all those that die without it are absolutely excluded from the Grace of Christ nor have all of the Church of Rome been of this uncharitable Opinion But it is supposed that Martyrdom or Penance and Acts of Faith Hope and Charity may supply the Defects of it But if Children which are not capable of these die without Baptism they very uncharitably hold that they are excluded from all part in Jesus Christ Which being the general Opinion the Sense of the Council of Trent is to be supposed to intend it But by what hath been said in the foregoing Chapter it appears that the Grace of God is not absolutely tied to the Sacraments but is rather presupposed unto them So that there is sometimes Sanctification Justification and the other Graces before the use of the Sacraments As Abraham believed and was justified before he was circumcised Rom. 4. 10. Cornelius received the Holy Spirit before he was baptized Acts 10. 19. And our Adversaries are forc'd to grant that there may be Acts of Faith and Hope and Charity without or before the Application of them As the Thief on the Cross believed though he was never baptized Luke 23. 42. Even after those words were spoken by our Saviour Except a Man be born again of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Now if there may be this Grace of Faith without Baptism then so likewise there may be Salvation For John 3. 16. God so loved the World that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life So that if they may believe without Baptism then so likewise they may be saved as we see the Thief on the Cross was who entred into Paradise without being baptized Sacraments are Seals of Grace which they serve to increase and confirm as being before but they do not give Grace or Salvation any other ways than as they confirm the Covenant by which it is promised to them who are in it It is not the Sacraments then which make Children to have part in the Covenant of God and the Fruits thereof tho by these Rights they are visibly initiated into the fellowship of the Catholick Church But on the contrary they receive the Sacraments because they belong to the Covenant of God before Gen. 17. 7. God made a Covenant with Abraham for himself and his Seed to be a God unto thee saith he and thy Seed after thee and upon this they were to receive the Token of Circumcision as a Seal of the Covenant vers 11. So that Circumcision followed the Clauses of the Covenant and did not give them a right to it nor make them the Children of God out presupposed their being so So in the New Testament God hath taken Children into Covenant together with their Parents that believe so that their Children are holy already before they are baptized and that from the very Birth as being born within the Covenant of Grace 1 Cor. 7. 13 14. The unbelieving Husband is sanctified by the Wife and the unbelieving Wife is sanctified by the Husband else were your Children unclean but now are they holy By which he cannot understand Legitimate in opposition to Bastardy for so they would have been being born in Matrimony though neither of their Parents had believed But he means they are holy to God by virtue of the Covenant by which he is the Parent 's God and the God of their Posterity Gen. 17. 7. And if the Lord be the God also of Children and if they be holy being sprung from the Righteous Seed how can they possibly perish though they die unbaptized For though it be a federal Holiness only which can be directly argued from words yet it must be supposed to be such a federal Holiness as intitles them to saving Benefits contained in the Covenant which therefore if they die before their actual breach of the Covenant they shall not fail to attain Mat. 19. 14. Our Saviour therefore â—aith Suffer little Children to come unto me for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Note that as the Crown which is put on the Head of the Children of Kings doth not acquire to them a right to the Kingdom but because the Kingdom belongs to them the Crown which is the Symbol thereof cannot be denied them So Baptism doth not acquire to Infants a right to the Kingdom of Heaven but because the Kingdom of Heaven is obtained for them by the Blood of Jesus Christ Baptism which is the Sacrament thereof is administred to them But the Promise of God for not being sealed with the outward Sacrament is never the less true nor less constant Baptism succeeded Circumcision and cometh in the room of it and is of the same use to us as Circumcision to the Jews as the Apostle teacheth Col. 2. 11 12. And Circumcision was as necessary to the Israelites as Baptism is to us But now behold the Ordinance of Circumcision Gen. 17. 12. Every Child that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you Luke 12. 3. In the eighth day the Flesh of his Foreskin shall be circumcised It was not to be done before the eighth day there is no exception made in case of necessity Yet shall we say that if they died before the eighth day being uncircumcised that then they were not saved What a cruel Law had that been then to limit Circumcision to the eighth day David's Child died on the seventh day and therefore before it was circumcised 2 Sam. 12. 18. And yet he doth not doubt of the Child's Salvation vers 23. I shall go to him but he shall not come to me Sure he doth not mean in Limbus or in Hell but in the place of the Blessed And many of the Children of Israel in