Secondly Grace is taken by a Metonymie for a supernatural gift of grace Eph. 4.7 2 Cor. 6.1 as in these places following Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ c. We beseech you that ye receive not the Grace of God in vain Under this latter signification of Grace are comprehended both Christ himself John 4.10 for he calleth himself the gift of God and all the several Acts also or parts of our salvation which he hath merited for us and worketh in us or bestoweth upon us as our justification adoption sanctification preservation in the state of Grace redemption from hell and eternal glorification and salvation in Heaven Now judge whether those can be enemies to Grace or whether they are justly charged not to preach free Grace who do thus ascribe our whole salvation to the Grace of God It is true indeed we do teach men to repent and believe in Christ that they may be saved by him but withal we do teach them that Faith and Repentance are Graces of God or dona ex gratiâ gifts of his Grace and that they cannot practise nor perform them viribus liberi arbitrii sui by their own free will or by any power of their own but must seek and sue unto God for them in the use of such means as he hath prescribed For God doth not force his graces upon us nor doth not work upon us as on stocks or stones but seeing he hath made us reasonable creatures he therefore speaketh unto us by his word and perswadeth and inableth us by his Spirit to do those things which he requirerh of us Thus he dealeth with us as with men but yet so that still our salvation is wholly of his grace both the beginning middle and the end thereof For though it bee we that do repent and believe and obey and not God yet we do all this not of our selves but by his grace Thus do we alwaies and in all things magnifie and extol the grace of God acknowledging it to be the only cause of our whole salvation by Christ Yet all this that I have said Objection Mr. S. thinketh to overthrow by saying That all sorts even Papists and Arminians do thus acknowledge grace in general as we do But who seeth not that we do more then so Answer For whereas they do divide the salvation of a sinner between mans Free-will and Gods free grace yea do terminate his conversion ultimately and leave it in the power of his own Free-will we ascribe it only to grace Quest 2. Whether a man when he is converted from Infidelity to Fayth do change his estate before God Reconcil of God to man pag. 32 MAster D. saith that a mans believing doth not change his estate before God Whereupon that I may passe my censure this I say that if before God he meaneth only according to that he is in Gods eternal predestination this may be admitted for so he is a believer that is decreed to be a believer from all eternity But if his meaning be that his estate before he believed and after his conversion is the same before God that is in Gods account or in reality and truth as well as in outward appearance in which sense Zachary and Elizabeth are said both to be righteous before God this may not be granted For upon Zacheus his conversion our Saviour spake unto him and said Luke 1. This day is salvation come unto this house He was not in the state of salvation therefore before Now the same is to be said of all other converts and true believers whereof is to be seen in the Ephesians Eph. 2.1 2. of whom St. Paul saith You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in times past ye walked and afterwards he speaketh unto them and saith Ye were sometimes darkness Eph. 4.8 but are now light in the Lord. Now I would know whether he doth not change his estate that passeth from death to life which our Saviour our in express words affirmeth of the believer John 5.24 and from darkness to light As manifest a change of their estate do those words of the Apostle import and imply when he saith unto them Remember that ye being in times passed Gentiles in the flesh that at that time ye were without Christ Eph. 2.11 12 13. being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ Can any thing be spoken more plainly to shew what a great difference there was between their former estate and condition whilest they remained in infidelity and their present since they were converted to the Faith of Christ To be without Christ and without God and to be nigh unto God and unto Christ that is to be the children of God and members of Christ must needs argue a great change in a mans spiritual estate Those words also of St Paul Col. 1.13 do evince as manifest a change of our spiritual estate when he saith That God the Father hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son For how is it possible there should be any such translation if our state remained unalterable and still the same It is false therefore that Mr. D. teacheth to wit Reconcil of God to man pag. 27.28 That our Faith only giveth us evidence and assurance of our salvation which we had before but that we are not to believe and to serve God that we may obtain salvation non per modum meriti not by way of merit I mean not so but that we may obtain by Faith both right unto and possession or fruition of that salvation in Heaven which Christ hath purchased for us In this he contradicteth the Scripture for St Peter calleth the salvation of our souls the end of our Faith Now I would know 1 Pet. 1.9 whether a man doth undertake or do any thing nisi ex intuitu et cum intentione finis but for some end or other which he propounds unto himself When we do therefore believe in Christ and Repent us of our sins past we do it with this intention and for this end That we may be partakers of eternal salvation in Heaven through Christ Whereupon when the Jaylor demanded of Paul Silas Sirs What must I do to be saved Acts 16.31 They said Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved thou and thine house He findeth fault with this question Reconcil of God to man pag. 34. If the Jaylor had asked this question of Mr. D. he in choâ—er scorn would have answered him What thou ignorant and impious man dost thou ask me what thou must do to be saved as if Christ had not throughly wrought and
time I deny this consequence for from hence it followeth only that Faith goeth before our justification in order of nature or in reason but not in time because a man is justified at the same instant that he layeth hold on Christ believeth in him But he denieth that Faith goeth before our justification in any respect at all his reason is because Faith is a part of our sanctification but there is no sanctification but it is after justification which indeed and in nature is before it The first of these Propositions I do willingly grant that Faith is a part of sanctification but whereas he assumeth that there is nosanctification but it is after justification I cannot assent unto him in this For many worthy Divines do hold that sanctification is before justification their judgment therefore I might oppose unto the learned Chamiers others that hold the contrary For the clearing of this matter I do distinguish of sanctification and say that it is either habitual and so God doth sanctifie us by infusing holinesse into us or actual and so we do sanctifie our selves by renouncing the works of sin and living holily Of both these Moses speaketh when he saith Sanctifie your selves and be ye holy for I am the Lord your God and ye shall keep my Statutes and do them Lev. 20.7.8 for I am the Lord which sanctifie you When the Lord saith here Sanctifie your selves and be ye holy this must be understood of actual sanctification that is of holiness that is to be actually performed by us But whereas the Lord useth this as a reason to stir us up hereunto for I am the Lord which sanctifie you this is spoken of habitual sanctification For how doth the Lord sanctifie us but by infusing the habit or the internal grace of holinesse into us whereby we are inabled to perform the several acts of holinesse or to live holily the effectual excitation of Gods blessed Spirit herewith concurring But because these words of the Lord which I have alledged though they speak of a twofold sanctification are taken in another sense by very learned Divines than this that I have given for confirmation therefore of habitual sanctification I do alledge those words of St. Paul 1 Thess 5.23 where he prayeth that God would sanctify them wholly or throughly And those 1 Cor. 1.30 where he saith That Christ is made unto us sanctification See also 1 Pet. 1.2 Now of actual sanctification St. Paul speaketh when he saith This is the will of God even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour not in the lust of concupiscence even as the Gentiles which know not God Hereof also speaketh St. Peter in that precept of his Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts In these and in other places the Scripture speaketh of Sanctification both habitual wrought in us by God himself and of sanctification acted and wrought by us through the assistance of Gods Spirit exciting us unto holinesse Whereas then this most learned Divine saith That there is no sanctification but it is after justification this is true if it be understood of actual sanctication For we are first justified by Faith and then this Faith inflameth our hearts with the love of God and stirreth us up to glorifie him and to serve him in holiness and righteousness according to all his commandements Thus the several works of holiness and righteousness do proceed from Faith Etiamsi non elicitivè imperativè tamen though not elicitly yet imperatively Faith stirreth us up unto them For as St. Paul saith The end of the commandement is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience 1 Tim. 1.5 and Faith unfeigned It is true therefore that Faith and therefore justification which is thereby laid hold of and obtained is before actual sanctification For as this learned man saith well fides vera est fons et scaturigo omnium bonorum operum in fidelibus De sola fide justificante Lib. 22. cap. 12. True Faith is the fountain and source of all good works in the faithful But I cannot say that there is no sanctification but it is after justification for habitual Faith is a part of habitual anctification Now the infused habits of grace such as Faith is are before their acts If therefore it can be proved that adulti or such as are of capacity and understanding are not justified without or before actual Faith then it will inevitably follow that there is some sanctification that is not after justification Yea beside what hath been said already to prove that we are actually justified by Faith and not without it methinketh Chamierus himself doth as good as grant it when he saith Verum est proptereà nos factos in Christo justitiam Dei quòd Christo nos simus incorporati per fidem It is true that we are therefore made the righteousnesse of God in Christ because we are incorporated into him by Faith We are not then justified before Faith or before we do believe in Christ Again this most excellent Divine saith In adultis fatemur remissionem peccatorum ab inhaerente justitiâ nunquam sepaerari We confess that remission of sins is never separated from inherent righteousness in those that are grown in years But say I many of the Elect after they have the use of reason and understanding being well grown in years do yet live in sin for some time and do not serve God in righteousness until he by his grace doth afterward convert them According therefore to his own Doctrine it followeth that justification from sin at least in adultis in those that are grown in years doth not go before Faith But saith he Faith justifieth relativè as it hath for its proper peculiar object the mercy of God on which it relieth Whence as I conceive he would have it inferred That seeing the mercy of God is eternal therefore our justification is so also and therefore before Faith Now hereunto I answer that though Christs righteousnesse be materialiter the proper object of our justification or that which is imputed to us for our justification Yet I will not deny bur that Gods mercy considered as the internal cause moving God to justify us may thus be said to be the proper and peculiar object on which our Faith relyeth for justification But it doth not follow hereupon that we were justified ab aeterno from everlasting because Gods mercy is the cause of our justification no more than that we are sanctified and glorified eternally because our sanctification and glorification are wholly of Gods mercy Quest 7. Whether any previous dispositions preparations or qualifications be required of men in the Gospel that they may be partakers of salvation by Christ SECT I. The Preparations that go before our Regeneration and Conversion THose that take upon them to be the only Preachers of
and brethren what shall we do This is the very nature of the thing required For as in the naturall generation of a man there are many previous dispositions which go before the introduction of the form so also in the spiritual by many antecedent actions of grace do we come to our spiritual maturity This lastly is apparent by the instruments which God useth in regenerating men for he useth the ministery of men and the instrument of the word 1 Cor. 4.15 I have begotten you by the Gospel But if God would immediatly regenerate and justifie a wicked man prepared hereunto with no sorrow no desire no hope of pardon there would be no need neither of the ministery of men nor of the word preached for the effecting thereof neither need the Ministers to take any care to divide the word aright first by wounding the consciences of their hearers aptly and prudently with the terrours of the Law and afterwards by raising rhem up with the Promises of the Gospel and exhorting them to seek Repentance and Faith of God by prayers and tears Thus far those worthy Divines SECT II. The Preparations that are necessary to our future glorification and perfect salvation in Heaven THus I have shewed what qualifications are necessary to the receiving of saving grace and consequently to the first beginning of our salvation by Christ Now if we shall speak of our salvation as it shall be consummated and perfected in Heaven it is most true that we must also by Gods grace and by his Spirit be qualified renewed and prepared for it as our Saviour himself assureth us in these words Matth. 5.20 For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharises ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Heb. 12.14 Consonantly unto this the Apostle telleth us that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord that is in his kingdom and to his comfort For all unclean persons shall be excluded out of the new Jerusalem as St. John also beareth witness 1 Cor. 6.9 Revel 21.27 Whereunto St. Paul also subscribeth when he saith Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Wherefore if salvation be taken for our compleat salvation in Heaven so Sanctification Faith Repentance John 3.16.38 Luke 13.3 Rev. 19.7 and good works go before it although not as any meritorious causes thereof yet as preparations to it as we are given to understand when it is said The mariage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready and the next words shew how not by any natural power or ability of her own sed dono Dei but by Gods free gift or grace for so it followeth and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linnen clean and white for the fine linnen is the righteousness of Saints And that it is necessary for us thus subsidio gratiae divinae by the assistance of Gods grace to prepare our selves to meet Christ in his Kingdom of glory both the parable of the five wise Virgins Matth. 25. that prepared their lamps to meet the bridegroom sheweth and St. John also confirmeth it when he saith 1 Joh. 3.3 whosoever hath this hope in him that is to see Christ Jesus in his glory and to be glorified with him he purifieth himself as he is pure These things which I have thus alledged do manifest and make it evident that God sanctifieth prepareth and maketh his Elect fit for his Kingdom of Glory before he doth admit and receive them into it SECT III. An Objection answered Obiect BUt against this Doctrine Mr. H. Mr. S. and the rest of them do object and say That if such previous dispositions qualifications and preparations do go before our justification and salvation then our salvation shall not be of grace but of works Answ and so the Gospel will be a Covenant of works It 's true indeed if we did hold as the Papists do that we by such works of preparation do merit our salvation then it should be of works and not of grace but we are far from this For first we say that God of his grace by his Word and Spirit doth work these preparations in us and not we our selves by any strength or power of our own free will Secondly we therefore acknowledge and say that it is of his meer grace that he doth both justifie and sanctify us and after our warfare is ended crowns us with the glory of his Kingdom Over and besides all this we do also acknowledge that many of those in whom the common graces of the Spirit are wrought whereby the Elect are ordinarily â—ted and prepared for the work of regeneration 〈◊〉 through their own negligence and wickedness queâ—â— the Spirit and fall away from the grace which they 〈◊〉 thus received and so are never regenerated but juâ—â— rejected of God for their unthankfulness and neâ—â—r brought by him into the estate of salvation We do 〈◊〉 therefore say nor do we hold that the regeneration 〈◊〉 conversion of a sinner doth necessarily spring as it were or arise out of these previous dispositions as natura forms do out of the matter when it is rightly disposed for them for even the Elect themselves after they are thus wrought upon and disposed by the Word and Spirit of God do many times grow careless and do too much neglect the means of their salvation and so would utterly perish if God should leave them to themselves but hi Love towards them is such that he rouseth and raiset them out of their security and in due time by his wor and Spirit converteth them and bringeth them into th estate of grace This that we thus teach and acknowledge doth make it evident that our justification sanctâ—fication and whole salvation is of grace and not of aâ— works of ours It 's false therefore that we as they char us do by our Doctrine make the Gospel a Covenant works But hereof more at large Quest 14. SECT IIII. More Objections answered A Good while after I had thus answered the former Obiection in a private conference which I had with â—ne who denied all antecedent preparations to a sinners â—onversion he spake unto me to this effect Let Christ be offered unto sinners Object and let the riches â—f Gods grace be manifested and made known unto â—hem for that alone will be a sufficient means to make â—hem to receive Christ and to come in unto him yea â—nd to love and obey him Whereas on the contrary the preaching of the Law hath kept men from Christ and hath hindred the salvation of many souls Hereunto I replyed that no doubt many will be ready to come in unto Christ Answer and make a formal profession of his name when the Gospel is thus preached unto them but unlesse they be humbled by the Law and brought to see in what need they stand of Christ
ones we are by sinners whom Christ professeth that he came to call to understand contrite and broken hearted sinners that being terrified with the judgements of the Law do acknowlege that they stand in great need of Christ the heavenly Physician and of every drop his blood which he shed for them But of this I have spoken enough before Object 7. He goeth on and saith All that ever received Christ Object 7 Corinthians Ephesians Colossians received him in a sinful condition when they were unwashen darkness dead in sins enemies in their minds by wicked works Answ Here also Mr. S. setteth up an adversaâ—y unto himself of his own devising and then dischargeth fiercely and furiously upon him For no Protestant teacheth that those that are only prepared for the preaching of the Gospel by the terrours of the Law are washed from their sins and do live the life of grace but on the contrary they hold That as yet they are dead in sin and if they proceed no further shall perish everlastingly Object 8. Object 8 Lastly He thus also objecteth God offereth Christ in time as God gave him God before all times gave him to us because we were sinners and now he is but offered as he was given Answ Hereunto I answer First That God neither before time gave Christ in his eternal decree because we were sinner nor in time doth he give us him because we are sinners For there is no cause in us at all of our salvation it is to be ascribed wholly to Gods grace As for sin it is in it self a cause of damnation not of salvation But if his meaning be that God before time considered us as sinners when he gave us Christ there followeth nothing more from hence but that God in time offered Christ unto us when we were sinners which we willingly grant But we add further that God before all time decreed not only to give Christ to sinners but that those sinners should by the power of his Spirit be brought in time to acknowledge their sins and spiritual misery and woful condition under sin and so be driven out of themselves and be made to fly unto Christ Seeing therefore whatsoever God decreed before time shall be fulfilled and accomplished in time hereupon therefore it followeth not that all sinners absolutely but that those only who do acknowledge their sins and their eternal misery by sin are they to whom Christ is offered in the Gospel and that do come unto him SECT 6. Two Objections of Mr. D. answered THere are two Objections of Master D. which I formerly passed over at my first reading of his Book whereunto I have thought good now to return an answer First Object he reasoneth thus against any qualification or preparation or other to be wrought in us before we be justified Reconcil of God to man pag. 16. Let us hear the Lord speaking of his own work upon the Creature Isa 57.18 He went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heale him I will lead him also and restore comforts to him and to his mourners Whom wilt thou heale O Lord Whom wilt thou restore Even him whose wayes I have seen What are those wayes Even frowardnesse and perversnesse He went on frowardly in the way of his heart See again Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my owne sake and will not remember thy sins Whose sins will the Lord blot out Look we back unto the 22. vers Thou hast not called upon me O Jacob thou hast been weary of me O Israel Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities verse 24. See Thou hast been weary of me Yea thou hast wearied me This is Iacobs qualification This is Israels preparation Then follows I even I am he that blotteth out thy trangressions As if the Lord should say unto his people as he speaketh by the prophet Ezek. 36.22 Say unto the house of Israel Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for my holy names sake which ye have prophaned among the heathen whither ye went See also Deut. 9.6 Isa 48.9 alleadged by him And then his conclusion is This is all the qualification we bring unto God to win his love and mercy Answer But I answer whereas the Lord saith he went on frowardly in the way of his heart c. This is not Jacobs qualification but a description of his perverse disposition being considered as he was in himself to the magnifying of Gods most rich mercy and superabundant grace towards him in pardoning his sins His qualification precedent to his justification was his humiliation and abenegation of himself wrought in him by Gods Spirit opening his eyes to see his sins and the great wrath that was due unto him for them This was that which through the gracious working of Gods Spirit drew him unto Christ the promised redeemer of his people when he was offered unto him that he might be saved through faith in him But it was not this nor any thing else that Jacob did or could do that merited the pardon of his sins or that moved made God to justifie him for we acknowledge that our justification is wholly of grace yea that this preparation is also of grace yet not necessitating our justification as if it did alway follow it But of this enough hath been said before Yet Mr. D Dr. C and others do so represent our doctrine as if we taught precedent qualifications to win Gods love to procure him to have mercy upon us to forgive us our sins Object Master D. second Objection against precedent qualifications not onely to our justification but to our Conversion and Sanctification Reconcil of God to man pag. 31. is this John Frith whose Learning was by his adversarie commended whose constancy and patience in his Martyrdome was admired writeth to this effect Thou maist preach Hell Damnation and the rendering of a terrible account to a severe Judge seven years together and yet not make one good Christian He that would make a good Christian let the love of God be the first stone which he layeth for the foundation Answ That which this holy man saith I acknowledge to be most true A minister may preach not only seven but seventy time seven years together and yet if he preach nothing else but Hell and Damnation not convert one soule For it are not the terrours of the law but the glad tydings of Salvation by Christ in the preaching of the Gospel whereby the Spirit of God worketh faith in us to our conversion and salvation and stirreth us up to love and thankfulness towards God Notwithstanding the terrours of the Law are necessary by way of preparation hereunto For how can a man se of apprehend the great love of God to him in giving his Son to death for his Redemption if by
the Lord in his Gospel required of us Now what Christian eares can indure to hear that Christ should be said to have turned from sin unto righteousness Christ was never overtaken with any sin he never turned from God therefore he cannot be said to have turned from sin unto God as we do when we are converted Nor can he be said to have been mortified for us for there was no flesh nor none of the old man in him that required any mortification SECT IV. How Christ is made unto us Sanctification BUt let us see now how Mr. S. endevoureth to prove and make good that Christ hath fulfilled all the conditions of the Gospel for us The Apostle saith he teacheth Object that Christ is made unto us of God Sanctification his holiness therefore is ours he wrought it for us 1 Cor. 1.20 Whatsoever holy duties therefore of faith or new obedience are required of us in the Gospel Christ hath fulfilled them for us Thus I have urged and inforced his Argument to his greatest advantage as I suppose For answer whereunto I say Answ that Christ may be said to be made unto us Sanctification three manner of wayes 1. Imputativè by way of imputation 2. Meritorie by way of merit 3. Effectivè efficiently or effectually working it in us The first of these Mr. S. maketh choyce of and pitcheth upon For he will have Christs holy obedience to be imputed unto us for our sanctification Now I grant that it is imputed unto us indeed Rom. 5.19 but for our justification not for our sanctification For as St. Paul saith by the obedience of one that is of Jesus Christ many are justified or made righteous Again If Christs holiness should be imputed unto us for our sanctification then sanctification should not be inherent in us but external and without us as our justification is And lastly Then there should be no real difference between our justification and sanctification neither should they be different graces but altogether the same For wherein consisteth our justification but in the imputation of Christs holy obedience unto us Now if our sanctification do consist in this also Heb. 10.29 13.12 what real difference will there be between them I do indeed acknowledge that the holy Scripture doth now and then make no real difference between sanctification and justification For whereas the Apostle saith ordinarily that we are justified by the blood of Christ it is said that we are sanctified by his blood Where I conceive that sanctification is either put for justification or at the least that justification is included in it as it must needs be if we shall say that the meaning of the Apostle is that the blood of Christ hath merited both our justification and our sanctification 2. In this sense I do willingly grant that Christ is made unto us sanctification that is by the merit of his passion purchasing it and by his blood washing away the spots of sin that do adhere to our sanctification 3 And lastly I do also acknowledge as all Orthodox Protestants do that Christ is our sanctification not only meritorieé by way of merit sed effectivé but efficiently also because by his spirit which he hath purchased of his Father he doth sanctifie us or effect and work holiness in us And thus as I take it I have cleared the Apostles meaning and made it manifest that he hath no intent to teach that Christ believed for us and obeyed the Gospel for us in that sense as Mr. S. taketh his words when he saith That Christ is made unto us of God sanctification SECT 5. Although the promises of the Gospel are offered unto sinners yet they have no right nor interest in them unless they do receive them LEt us now examine another of Mr. S. his Arguments whereby he goeth about ro prove that the promises of the Gospel do belong to sinners as sinners and that there is no condition of faith nor of repentance required of them that they may be partakers of remission of sins and of salvation through Christ What saith he were the Churches of the Corinthians Object Ephesians Colossians and what was Paul before Christ came to him were they sinners or qualified And what were all that believed before they believed Answ They were sinners It s true they were so but though the promises were then offered unto them yet they did not then belong to them nor had they any interest in them until they received them but as the Apostle saith Eph. 2.12 They were strangers from the Covenants of promise and so should have remained continued for ever had they rejected them as did the Jewes and some other Citizens of Antioch in Pisidia when Paul and Barnabas preached Act. 13.46 and offered Christ unto them Briefly therefore I do reason thus Promises do belong to those to whom they are made and not to any other but the promises of the Gospel concerning remission of sins and eternal salvation in Heaven are made to those that either do for the present or shall hereafter repent and believe in Christ and not to any other therefore none have any right to these promises but such believers and repentant sinners Object This was written before Mr. S. his death It may be Mr. S. or some other will here reply and say are the promises of the Gospel then to be offered to none but to those that do repent and believe Yes They are to be offered unto all neither Infidels nor any other sinners excluded but not absolutely sed sub conditione fidei resipiscentiae but upon condition that they do repent Mar. 16 16 Act. 3.19 and believe if they will have their sins blotted out and be saved through the mercy of God in Christ Thus indeed promissiones Evangelij sunt universales conditione promulgatione sed non applicatione the promises of the Gospel are to be preached and propounded unto all but all do not appropriate and apply them to themselves nor interest themselves in them Now wherefore is this but as I said before because the promises are not absolute but conditional For were they absolute and no condition at all were required then one man should have as great an interest in them and as good right to them as another whether he were believer or unbeliever SECT VI. How the promises of the Gospel or of the new Testament are said to be better then the promises of the old or of the Law Object BUt against this that hath been said it is further objected The Law promised life upon condition for so it saith Lev. 18.5 hoc fac vives do this and thou shalt live Heb. 8.6 The promises of the Gospel therefore seeing as the Apostle saith they are better then those of the Law are absolute and not conditional Answ But I answer No such thing followeth hereupon For the Apostles words are That Christ is the Mediator of a
the brazen Serpent though never so weakly was through Gods Ordnance as perfectly cured as he that saw and beheld it most clearly and most evidently so Faith in the least degree through Gods Ordinance is as effectual to interest us in Christ and to make us partakers of salvation by him as the strongest Faith that is Thus I have shewed the cause or the reason why a weak Faith can give us an interest in Christ and the salvation which he hath purchased for us although it cannot so firmly assure us hereof But whereas he holdeth That Faith when it is increased and grown stronger by an addition of more degrees than it had at the first doth only give us a greater manifestation and assurance of salvation by Christ but no interest in him I cannot assent unto him in this for the interest which we have in Christ and his merits at the first by believing in him is continued by perseverance in the same Faith and therefore John 1.12 Eph. 3.17 as we are said to receive Christ by Faith so he is said to dwell that is to remain and make his abode in our hearts by Faith Consonantly whereunto the Apostle telleth us Heb. 3.14 that We are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end And on the contrary he saith Heb. 10.38 If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Thus Faith not only in the first act or beginning of it but in the continuance also and greatest height or strength thereof doth interest us in Christ and as the Apostle saith maketh us partakers of him as well as it doth evidence unto us and assure us hereof Here therefore I would know whether it be not a manifest contradiction to say as Mr. S. doth Christ is ours without Faith but we cannot partake of him as ours but by believing Thirdly he objecteth also and saith If Christ should be ours by Faith in this sense that is actually then when Faith ceaseth shall we cease to be justified Whereunto I answer That no such thing followeth hereupon but the contrary For upon our Faith and Repentance our sins are pardoned and forgiven us not for a time but for ever Ezek. 18.22 They shall never therefore be mentioned unto us that is imputed and laid to our charge any more no not when Faith ceaseth Neither needeth this to seem strange to Mr. S. or any other that Faith which is but temporal should obtain an eternal pardon for a salve which by its own inherent vertue doth in a few days heal a wound needeth afterwards to be used no more much less will there be any need of Faith in Christ or of repentance for the continuance of the remission of our sins and of our justification in the world to come seeing by Christs Promise and by his Ordinance which hath more force in it then the most Soveraign or precious balm or salve upon our repentance and Faith in Christ we are for ever acquitted and absolved from all our sins Whereas then Mr. S. in his next words demandeth and asketh Shall Faith begin our interest here and not be able to continue it hereafter John 3.46 I answer him No it shall not For he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life His Faith indeed shall cease with this corruptible life of his 2 Cor. 13. but he himself shall be raised up by the power of Christ and not dye any more forever John 11.26 Fourthly Mr S. proceedeth and asketh Can a sinner be too soul for a Saviour and too wounded for a Physitian to heal and too filthy for a fountain opened to wash To all which several demands of his I will answer severally First Whereas he asketh whether a sinner can be too foul for a Saviour I answer No if he will carefully and conscionably practise and observe the means of salvation which he doth prescribe him which are Repentance Faith and new Obedience For as the Apostle telleth us Christ being in his passion made perfect he became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 On the contrary therefore whosoever he is that doth not obey Christ but doth wilfully contemn or carelesly neglect the means of his salvation as many do it is in vain for him to look for salvation by Christ for as St. Augustine saith elegantly De verbis Apostoli Ser. 15. Qui fecit te sine te non te justificat sine te He that made thee without thee doth not justifie thee without thee His next demand is Can a sinner be too much wounded for a Physician to heal Surely no. Not for Christ our heavenly Physician but then he must take his Physick and observe such a Dyet as he prescribeth him that is he must receive Christ and his merits by Faith and live orderly according to his Gospel that is as St. Paul setteth it down He must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly Tit. 2.12 and righteously and godlily in this present world On the contrary therefore as long as infidelity or incredulity possesseth his heart and lyeth putrifying and rotting in his carnal lusts it is in vain for him to think or to perswade himself that he is healed by Christ Lastly Whereas he asketh Can a sinner be too filthy for a fountain opened to wash Surely no not for that fountain of which Zachary speaketh That is opened to the house of David Zac. 31 12. and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleaness But did he ever hear that a fountain though never so limpid and clear did cleanse any unlesse they did wash themselves with the water of it And even in like manner shall none be purifyed and cleansed from their spiritual filthyness and uncleanness until they do by Faith-sprinkle their souls with the bloud of Christ For as we have heard St. Peter tell us Christ purifieth the hearts of sinnâ—rs by Faith As long therefore as Faith with the inseperable effects thereof are wanting it is in vain for any to imagine that he is purified from his sins Fifthly He that offereth Christ saith M. S. offers all the conditions in him both of Faith and Repentance for Christ is exalted to give repentance unto Israel Acts 5.31 Gal. 2.21 And Faith is called The Faith of the Son of God Here first of all it is to be observed that he acknowledgeth Faith Repentance to be conditions required of us in the Gospel that we may be saved by Christ which elsewhere he denyeth Secondly he saith That God in offering Christ doth offer these conditions in him Which words of his may receive a double construction or understanding First that Repentance and Faith are not in our power but that Christ hath merited these graces for us and that he doth work them in us by his spirit when the Gospel is preached This the places of
Scripture alleadged by him do prove and we do constantly professe and preach the same but by that which he hath written in other places of this Treatise I know that he hath another meaning and that is that Christ performed the conditions of the Covenant of grace or of the Gospel for us that is as he speaketh that he repented for us and believed for us and that his Faith and Repentance are in the Gospel offered unto us and are accepted of God for us as if we our selves did repent and believe This strange opinion of his I have examined Quest 13. Whither I do referr you for more ample satisfaction in this matter Sixthly It 's no more saith Mr. S. to offer Jesus Christ then any grace of Christs or gift of Christ unto a sinner For a sinner is as unprepared and unfit for the one as the other equally in sin and pollution to both All this is true I grant if he do speak of a sinner as he is by nature and of himself But what can be inferred or concluded hence against the Protestant Doctrine that hath been hitherto constantly taught I cannot see nor perceive but may rather wrest his weapons out of his hands and use them against himself For if it be all one or as he saith if it be no more to offer Christ then any grace of Christ or gift of Christ unto a sinner then seeing the grace and gift of remission of sins or of justification is received by Faith as both St. Peter teacheth Acts 10.43 and St. Paul Acts 26.18 Christ himself also is to be received of us by Faith and as our sins are not forgiven but we are bound over unto punishment for them in Gods word until we believe in Christ so neither can any have any interest in Christ as long as we remain in infidelity and incredulity do not believe in him contrary to Mr. S. Mr. D. new doctrine Thus I have answered this Objection also according to the generality of the words wherein it was propounded But thinking more intentively with my self what M. S. his meaning might be I guessed that his words must be taken Restricte in a more restrained sense as if he should reason thus The graces of Faith and Repentance are freely and absolutely offered in the Gospel without requiring any antecedent act of Faith or Repentance whereby they are to be received and made ours therefore Christ is also as absolutely offered without any condition either of Faith or Repentance Now hereunto I do answer that all are in the Gospel commanded to believe in Christ and to repent that they may be saved by him but Faith and Repentance were never offered to all neither by Christ himself nor by his Apostles when they preached the Gospel nor are the Ministers of the Gospel now so to offer them It 's true Christ giveth Faith and Repentance to his spiritual Israel This we are to teach Acts 5.31 that men may be stirred up to seek both Faith and Repentance of Christ in the use of such means as he hath prescribed But it is one thing to teach this and another to offer Faith and Repentance to all absolutely It is Christ and his merits that are offered unto us in the Gospel but Faith is required of us as the means whereby both himself and his merits are received and Repentance and new Obedience is in joyned as a necessary condition without which we can have no communion with Christ as I shall have occasion to shew hereafter But if I shall grant that Faith and Repentance are offered unto us in the Gospel yet I may retort the Argument of Mr. S. upon himself for Faith and consequently Repentance are not offered unto us nor wrought in us nisi mediante verbo but by the means and ministery of the word For Faith cometh by hearing Rom. 10.17 and hearing by the word of God therefore Christ is neither absolutely offered nor absolutely made ours sed mediante eodem verbo et fide but by means of the same word and Faith whereby we receive him Lastly I do argue thus eternal life is not to be had without Faith in Christ This St. John giveth us to understand when he saith John 20.31 These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name Seeing therefore as Mr. S. saith we are alike indisposed to any gift of Christ as we are to Christ himself it followeth therefore necessarily that seeing the gift of life is not ours without Faith neither is Christ himself ours without Faith which if it be granted it cannot be avoided but must needs be acknowledged that he is made ours by Faith And this the Apostle expresly avoucheth Eph. 2.12 Ye were at that time without Christ that is whilest they were Infidels and unbelievers Lastly This spiritual work saith Mr. S. is a new Creation and so works of preparation are not so proper in that Eph. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus Answer That our regeneration is a new Creation we do all acknowledge but that every work of Creation doth exclude all precedent preparations will not so easily be granted For Beasts Birds and Fishes were not made immediatly of nothing but of a precedent matter And God created man also not immediatly of nothing but his Body was first prepared and created of the dust of the earth and when that was perfectly formed he breathed the breath of life into his nostrils that is he infused his Soul into his Body Gen. 2. and so he was made a living Soul The same course also doth the Lord ordinarily take in our regeneration which is a new Creation For that there are certain preparations such as are the hearing of the word some knowledge of sin and of a mans own misery by sin and of the grace of God in Christ ordinarily thereunto precedent in adultis in those that are of capacity and understanding shall be shewed afterwards God willing in the seventh Question It doth not appear therefore neither by this nor by any former Reasons of Mr. S. that Christ is ours before we do believe in him or that he is not made ours by Faith Objection Whereas therefore he saith immediatly before the first of those aforesaid seven Reasons of his that we are not to consider neither Faith nor Repentance as bringing-in Christ in the Soul but Christ bringing-in them and working them more and more in the soul Unto this I answer Answer that Christ by bringing-in as he speaketh that is by working Faith and Repentance in the Soul doth bring-in himself into it and taketh and keepeth possession of it and so we are interested in Christ For until Christ worketh these graces in us by his Spirit we are altogether aliens from him and have no communion with him at all It is no good reasoning to say Christ worketh Faith in
us therefore we do not receive him by Faith or he is not made ours by Faith for he therefore worketh Faith in us that by the same Faith we may lay hold on him and on his merits Posita primâ causâ non tolluntur secundae The working of the first cause doth not exclude the secondary and subordinate from acting that which appertaineth and belongeth unto them Christs apprehending therefore of us by his Grace and by his Spirit doth not exclude but necessarily inferreth our apprehending and appropriating of him to our selves by Faith For as St. Paul saith Phil. 3. we apprehend him or rather are apprehended of him His meaning is that we both apprehend him and he apprehendeth us but the firmness and certainty of our salvation consisteth rather in his apprehending of us then in our apprehending of him these two do alwayes go together and are never separated To make this yet more plain briefly thus it is Christ is made ours 1. On Gods part 1. By his eternal Decree of Predestination ordaining him to be ours in the due time appointed by him but not before 2. By his word wherein he offereth Christ and of his grace giveth him unto us when we do believe in him 3. By his Spirit whereby he regenerated us and infuseth into us the habit of Faith and exciteth the Act. 2. On his own part By meriting for us and working in us grace whereby we do believe in him and are made partakers of him and of his merits 3. On our part by Faith whereby we do receive Christ offered unto us in the Gospel and upon our hearing thereof do believe in him reposing and placing the whole confidence of our salvation in him as in our only Mediator I come now to Mr. S. his Conclusion of this matter which is this Question And now Why should any servant of Christ refuse to give out the blood of his Master which runs so freely to sinners Answer Whereunto I answer that Christs blood is to be offered and reached out to all sorts of sinners upon condition that they will leave their sins and lay hold of Christ by Faith and shew themselves thankful unto him for their salvation But as long as they continue in sin and incredulity they are to be taught and told that they have no part nor portion in Christ for he that believeth on the Son hath life John 3.36 but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Question Mr. S. moveth yet another question saying And why should any sinners refuse to receive Christs blood because their vessels are not clean enough for it when it is such a blood as makes the vessels clean for it self To this I answer That to receive Christs blood is not for a wicked sinner to believe while he continueth in drunkennesse and whoredome or in any other vile sins that he is reconciled to God by the blood of Christ as Mr. D. and he do understand it but it is to rely on Christs blood both for the pardon and purging away of his sins according to the promises of the Gospel which whosoever doth though he were never so unclean before his soul being thus sprinkled with the blood of Christ by a true and lively Faith will become pure and holy for neither shall his former sins be imputed unto him nor will he welter and wallow in the puddle of sin any more but will serve God in righteousness and holyness all his dayes SECT IIII. We do put on Christ and apply him unto our selves by Faith I Will now leave Mr. S. for a while and return to Mr. D. I cannot conceive saith he how Faith should put on Christ Can you conceive then what St Paul meaneth when he saith Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus for as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ to wit by that Faith of theirs whereof in their Baptism they made profession The meaning of this metaphorical speech of his is to teach us that if we do appear before God naked as we are of our selves our filthiness and deformity is such that God will loath and abhor us We must therefore put on Christ or cloath our selves with Christ as it were with a garment that we may be amiable in Gods eyes that is we must be united unto Christ as a mans garment which he putteth on is to his Body before we can find any acceptance with God For he hath made us accepted in his beloved Eph. 1.6 This was typified and presignred by Jacobs obtaining of his Fathers blessing by coming and appearing before him in the garments of his elder brother for so we do obtain the blessed inheritance of Heaven by being invested with Christs righteousness But contrary hereunto Mr. D. telleth us Reconcil of man to God pag. 57. That this is our receiving of Christ our putting on of Christ our living by Faith that Faith assureth us of Gods favour and good will towards as in Jesus Christ But who seeth not that he doth here confound things that differ For it is one thing to receive a thing and to put it on and another to be assured that we have done both these that is not only received it but put it on And in like manner to live and to be hereof assured are diverse things To receive Christ therefore and to put him on and to be assured that we have received him and put him on are divers things And our living by Faith and being hereby assured of Gods favour and good will towards us Objection are divers things But saith he I can not conceive how Faith doth apply Christ or make Christ ours in the sight of God The Reason of this his asserion is because as he conceiveth Christ was ours befor◠we did believe in him Now a man needeth not receive that which is his own already Answer But I answer That although Christ in Gods eternal counsel was given us before the foundation of the world was laid that is decreed to be given us and to be made ours yet he is not actually ours until we receive him For Christ is offered unto us in the Gospel as the gift of God John 4.10 But as we all know a gift when it is offered must be received before we can have any interest or propriety in it And hereupon it is that Christ when he came amongst his own Countreymen the Jews and offered himself unto them St. John saith that to as many as received him he gave power to be the Sons of God even to those that believed in his name giving us to understand who they were that received him to wit such as believed in him Now why doth the Evangelist speak thus if Christ be not received by Faith The Apostle telleth the Ephesians Eph. 2.12 that they in the dayes of their ignorance and infidelity were without Christ I
would know therefore how they came to have Christ but by receiving him when he was offered unto them in the preaching of the Gospel But here it may be said Christ in his Gospel Question requireth of us Repentance and new Obedience as well as Faith Mark 1.15 Heb. 5.9 Acts 3.26 Why then should we be said to receive Christ and to apply him and his merits unto us any more by Faith then by our Repentance To this I answer Answer That Faith is required of us as the only instrument or means whereby we are to receive Christ and his merits when they are offered unto us in the Gospel For so ye have heard the Scripture tell us that Christ is received by Faith and Paul saith Acts 26.18 that forgiveness of sins and the inheritance of Heaven which Christ hath purchased for us are received by Faith Now there is no such thing spoken of Repentance or new Obedience but they are required in another respect or for another Reason to wit That we may have communion with Christ and glorifie the name of God and his Gospel by living holily Thus both Faith and Repentance are Conditions of the Covenant of Grace or of the Gospel but in divers respects For by Faith we receive Christ and salvation by him and without Repentance we cannot receive him or the salvation which by his death he hath purchased and in his Gospel offereth unto us Briefly then thus it is Faith is a condition necessary to be performed by us that we may thereby receive Christ and be incorporated and united unto him Repentance is Conditio sine qua non that is a necessary condition without the performance whereof 2 Cor. 6.14 Heb. 5.9 we can have no communion with Christ nor hope of Heaven SECT V. Christ is freely given notwithstanding the Conditions that are required of us Object BUt he objecteth again and saith Yet methinks that Christ is here set forth upon some conditions and not so freely given Answ Yes he is freely given that is gratis notwithstanding these conditions For they are not meritorious as in many compacts and Covenants that passe between man and man but conditions to which Christ and his merits are freely offered and given in the Gospel through the meer mercy and goodness of God and not for any merit or desert of these conditions I would know of these men whether the Kingdom of Heaven and the glory thereof be not freely given us of God Yet I hope they will not deny but that Faith Repentance and new Obedience must go before tfie fruition and possession thereof Heb. 12.14 as conditions or as things on our part to be performed or else we shall never come there What doth not the Apostle set it down as a condition of our glorification and salvation in Heaven when he saith to the Collossians Now hath Christ reconciled you in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable Col. 1.22 and unreproveable in his sight if you continue in the Faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel Like whereunto is that of the same Apostle 1 Tim. 2.15 where he saith that the woman notwithstanding the dolorous pains in child-birth which God hath laid upon her shall be saved if they continue in Faith and charity and holiness with sobriety The like conditionals we meet with Rom. 11.22 Rev. 3.20 and in divers other places of the new Testament Whence these men who take upon them to be the only Patrons of free Grace may see how absurdly they reason when they say Grace is free therefore nothing is required of us antecedenter to the receiving of Christ or of justification or of any other grace For I would know of them whether eternal life be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free gift of God or a gift of Gods grace as the Apostle calleth it Rom. 6.23 Now what will they say that nothing is to be done of us that we are neither to repent nor believe nor to do any good works before we come to Heaven that we may be saved by grace If so then let them profess themselves Libertines or if they will not do that let them take heed that they do not lay down such Principles whence Libertinisme may necessarily be inferred For I would know of them where in all the Scripture remission of sins is so granted by God that nothing is required of us neither Faith nor Repentance Where there is such an absolute grant a man is tied to nothing whence it will follow that he may have remission of sins and consequently be saved although he never believe repent nor amend his life but live in sin all his dayes But that I may let them see wherein they do deceive themselves Whereas they say That grace is free Objection therefore nothing is required of us but Christ is freely to be offered and preached to all even to those that live in sin as well as to any others without any conditions I answer That they do deceive themselves and others with an equivocation For when they say grace is free Answer the meaning hereof is that it is gratuita free in regard of any recompence or satisfaction and so freedome in this sense is opposed to merit but the meaning is not that we are inde liberati à conditionibus fidei et resipiscentiae thereby freed from the conditions of Faith and repentance without which there is no remission of sins nor salvation to be had no more then we are freed ab officio gratitudinis erga Deum from our duty of thankfulnesse towards God after we are justified and in the state of grace Yet thus do these men speak of freedom when they say grace is free opposing freedom not to merit but to any bond of duty towards God in the same sense as St. Paul doth when he saith that a woman is free from the Law of her husband when he is dead Rom. 7.3 SECT VI. In what sense and signification this word Grace is used and taken in holy Scripture and that we do ascribe our salvation wholly to Grace BUt that I may make this yet more plain I say that Grace is taken in several senses and significations in holy Scripture but principally in these two First properly pro gratuita Dei benevolentia et favore for the free good will and favour of God as when the Apostle saith Eph. 2.8 Ye are saved by Grace that is by the free favour and mercy of God Rom. 3.24 Rom. 4.16 Eph. 1.5.6 And so it is to be understood in those sayings All have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justifyed freely by his Grace And therefore it is of Faith that it might be of Grace And having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his Grace
will be said So also did Christ reconcile us unto his Father by his death Object therefore we were reconciled before we did believe in Christ It is true we were reconciled to God by his death Answer 1 quoad meritum vel quoad pretium redemptionis et reconciliationis nostrae in regard of the merit or price of our Redemption and Reconciliation but we are not actually reconciled until by Faith we do believe in Christ 1 John 5.11 12. and are united unto him For he that hath the Son hath life but he that hath not the Son hath not life but the wrath of God abideth on him And hereupon it was that St. Paul accounted all he had but as dung that he might win Christ Phil. 3.8 Math. 17.4 and be found in him For why Christ is the beloved Son of the Father in whom it is that he is well pleased with us As long therefore as we are out of Christ and remain in our sins we are liable to Gods displeasure and therefore had need to be reconciled unto him For though God loveth us ab aeterno from everlasting amore complacentiae with a love of complacencie and delight secundum intuitum praedestinationis suae that is as he beholds us justified and sanctified in his Decree of predestination yet being considered as we were of our selves when we remained in our sins and were aliens from Christ he could take no pleasure in us If this answer do not give full satisfaction then I say Answer 2 further that although God loves his elect eternally yet he suspendeth the saving effects of this his love towards them until they do believe in Christ In that regard therefore they may be said to be reconciled unto him when they are converted and do believe because he then taketh off this suspension by working in them the saving effects of his love and not only declaratively For first God works these effects in them and then by them declares and manifests his Love unto them and assures them thereof Answer 3 Lastly Though God loved us eternally as we were elected of him in his eternal Decree of Predestination that is in regard of the felicity and happiness which he alwaies intended us notwithstanding we were by God in his word bound over unto eternal punishment and condemnation for our sins while we lived in them but when we did return unto God and believe in Christ then we were justified and absolved from our sins and from the sentence of condemnation and consequently were actually reconciled unto God for there is no reall difference between the justification and reconciliation of a sinner When a sinner by Faith in Christ obtainerh pardon of his sins then he is reconciled to God St. Paul therefore useth the words justification and reconciliation promiscuously Rom. 5.9.10 and indifferently as importing the same thing being justified by the blood of Christ saith he we shall be saved from wrath through him This he proveth thus for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son where you see he putteth reconciled for justified implying there is no real difference between them much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life See this proved afterwards Question 6. Now we are not actually justified from the sentence of condemnation which God in his word hath denounced against us for our sins until we do believe in Christ It follows necessarily therefore that we are not actually reconciled unto God until we do believe in Christ and are united unto him Quest 5. Whether the Doctrine of Reconciliation as Mr. D. hath propounded it be a better means of comfort to distressed consciences then our Protestant Doctrine is FIrst He teacheth that God was reconciled to us that is as he understandeth it that he loved us ab aeterne from all eternity without any precedent dispositions or qualifications which he found or fore-saw in us or any conditions to be performed by us to gain His love and His favour Now whatsoever comfort this can afford to any if it be a means to keep those that are great sinners or such as are troubled with the apprehension of their own unworthinesse from despair our Doctrine will do the same also For there is no judicious nor no orthodox Protestant who teacheth not that God loved us freely from everlasting and that His love is the cause of our loving Him and of all the goodness that is in us as St. John saith We love him because he loved us first 1 John 4.19 and not that he loveth us because we love Him to speak properly of his Love as it is in it self though otherwise when we speak of Gods Love according to the influence it hath upon us or according to the gracious effects thereof we say as the holy Scripture doth that the Lord will love those that love him and keep his commandements In this sense our Saviour speaketh of Gods Love If a man love me he will keep my words John 14.23 and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And John 16.27 The Father himself loveth you because ye have loved me have believed that I came out from God Where we must not so understand our Saviour as if he made his Disciples loving of him and believing him to be the cause why God did first set his Love upon them for he loved them erernally but to be the cause why God did aboundantly testifie his Love towards them by many gracious rare and most comfortable effects thereof rather than to the world We may say therefore as Dionysius Carthusianus doth That our Saviour in these words setteth down the cause of Gods Love à posteriori that is he cause of the effects of Gods Love and so maketh his Disciples loving of him and believing in him a sign and an assurance unto them that his Father loved them Reconcil of man to God pag. 49 50 52 57. Secondly speaking of our Reconciliation to God that is as he expresseth himself of the declaration or manifestation of Gods Reconciliation to us he teacheth that we are thus reconciled to God by Faith only but maketh joy in the Holy Ghost and the Love of God and of our Brethren and new Obedience inseperable Companions of this our Reconciliation Now it a man cannot finde these graces in himself What great comfort can he take that Gods Love is eternal without any conditions on our par◠to be performed Or how can this encourage men against desperation more than our Doctrine which is That Gods Love may be known by the inseparable effects thereof For he will not say that God loves all or that he was from all eternity reconciled unto all but only unto the Elect. Until therefore a man shall finde in himself the undoubted effects of his Election he can take no great comfort in this that Gods Love is free and without
Law indeed is abrogated to Believers as it is the Covenant of works or in respect of the condemning power thereof or of any power we receive thence to do the duties therein prescribed Thus as St. Paul hath told us VVe are not under the Law but under Grace But otherwise the moral Law hath not lost its power nor its authority to bind us to to our duties that we owe to God and man For in this regard St. Paul alledgeth the authority of the Law to prove that children ought to honour their Parents Eph. 6.2 and that Christians ought by love to serve one another For saith he all the Law is fulfilled in one word Gal. 5.13.14 even in this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self And by alike Argument from the authority of the Law he proveth that we ought to love one another Rom. 13.8 9 Owe no man any thing but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law For this thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steal thou shalt not bear false witness thou shalt not covet And if there be be any other Commandement it is briefly comprehended in this saying Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Jam. 2.8 9 10 11. St. James also teacheth that believers are bound to the obedience of the Law when he saith If you fulfil the Royal Law according to the Scripture Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self ye do well But if ye have respect to persons ye commit sin are * If believers be not bound to the obedience of the Law they cannot thereby be convicted as transgressors though they fail never so much in the duties that are therein required convinced of the Law as transgressors c. Now let any reasonable man judge whether the Apostles of Christ would thus have alledged the Law to stir up believers to mutual love and the offices thereof if the moral Law were altogether abrogated and had no authority to bind us to the obedience of it no more than the ceremonial If any one should tell Christians that they are bound to be circumciâ—ed or to abstain from the eating of Swines flesh because the Ceremonial Law forbiddeth the eating of Swines flesh and commandeth every male-child to be Circumcised the eighth day every one would laugh at such reasoning as this because the Ceremonial Law is abrogated and is of no force to bind us to the obedience of it Now thus ridiculous would these men make both St. Paul and St. James to be in pressing us to love one another by that precept of the moral Law which saith Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self if the moral Law be of no authority now to bind believers to obedience but altogether abrogated as is the Ceremonial But far be it that any Christian should thus blasphemously slight or extenuate the force of the Apostles Argument It standeth us upon therefore all of us to say and to acknowledge every one 1 Cor. 9.21 for himself as St. Paul doth That he is not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ that is as it is Regula vitae et morum the Rule of our life and of our actions In this respect St. Paul said of himself That he did with his mind serve the Law of God Rom. 7.25 acknowledging that he was subject unto the direction and commanding power and authority of it And doth not St. Paul also say That the Woman that hath an husband is bound by the Law to her husband as long as he liveth Rom. 7.2 The Law therefore is not abrogated as it is the rule of righteousness whereby our actions are to be regulated but we are thus still bound unto the obedience of it SECT V. Other Objections answered whereby Mr. S. endeavoureth to prove that sinners as sinners are called to believe in Christ without any precedent Qualifications or Preparations These for the avoiding of tediousness I do divide into several ranks Object 1. That Faith is not the only work of the Gospel FIrst he objecteth thus Faith is the only work of the Gospel This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent John 6.29 And this is his commandement that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ 1 John 3.23 Whence his Conclusion seemeth to be therefore no Preparations nor any thing else is required of us but Faith only For answer hereunto I say Object that it is one thing to say as our Saviour doth that Faith is the work of God and another thing that it is the only work of God or of the Gospel as Mr. S. avoucheth For when our Saviour saith this is the work of God that ye believe in him whom he hath sent his meaning is as St. John in the latter place alledged by him expresseth it that Faith in Jesus Christ is a work commanded and required of us by God Now so is repentance also for as St. Paul saith Acts 17.30 Now that is in these daies of grace the Lord commandeth all men every where to wit to whom the Gospel is preached to repent The Lord also in the Gospel commandeth good works as necessary effects and fruits both of Faith and Repentance For Faith worketh by love Gal. 5.6 And hereupon the Apostle saith Tit. 3.8 This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men And afterwards ver 14. he layeth down this precept Let ours also that is believers learn to maintain good works for necessary uses that they be not unfruitful By these places it appeareth that there are other works commanded of God in the Gospel beside Faith and that as Faith hath its necessary uses so have they also theirs It doth not follow therefore because Faith is called the work of God nor because it is said this is his Commandement that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ that it is the only work of the Gospel as Mr. S. inferreth for St. John even in the place which he alledgeth speaketh the same of charity and saith 1 John 3.23 This is his Commandement that we should believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us commandement Again Faith is also called the work of God not as if Repentance and all other good works were either to be contemned or neglected but because it is the only act or work prescribed us by God whereby we are to apprehend and receive Christ the bread of life that we may live eternally by him Christ in that chapter calleth himself the living bread which came down from Heaven 1 John 3.23 and saith that if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever Whereas then our Saviour said unto the Jews this is the work of God
house Both these Apostles do inform us that there is something to be done of us that we may be saved that is that we must repent and believe in Christ and be fruitful in all good works which are inseparable effects of Faith and Repentance Whereupon St. Paul exhorteth us not to be weary of well doing Gal. 6.9 and to incourage us hereunto he telleth us that in due time we shall reap if we faint not There is something then to be done or us contrary to Mr. S. his assertion that we may receive more then we have already For as we are here by the Apostle given to understand this present life of ours is but the seed time wherein we are to sow the seeds of virtue and good works and hereafter at Christs appearing the harvest cometh when we shall reap a crop of glory This is the expectation of all true believers for as St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15.19 had we hope in Christ only in this life we were of all men the most miserable Lastly Whereas he saith We are to do as much as if we were to be saved by what we do because we should do as much for what is done already for us and to our hands as if we were to receive it for what we did our selves Hereunto I answer That seeing Gods glory is to be preferred before our own salvation therefore we ought both to desire and to endeavour were it possible to do not as much but more for what is done for us already as if we were to be saved by what we do our selves But otherwise I must tell him that if we would obtain our salvation for our own works then we must look to it that they be pure and perfect and that we do all that the Law requireth without fayling in any thing But he that shall challenge such perfection to himself is to be ranked amongst proud Pharisees and deserveth not the name of an humble and lowly hearted Christian For a farewel therefore to this first reason of his I would know how Faith can be the only work of the Gospel if the Gospel do teach us to do as much in way of thankfulnesse to God for our redemption and salvation as if we were to redeem and save our selves Obiect 2 I come now to his next Reason whereby he endeavourete to prove That Faith is the only work of the Gospel Salvation saith he is a short work Believe and thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.10 Answ But I must tell him As short as he maketh it there will be work enough for the believer all his life long for the Faith which St. Paul speaketh of will not suffer a believer to be idle or unfruitful but as he himself telleth us Gal. 5.6 1 Cor. 15.58 it worketh by love yea it stirreth up believers alwaies to abound in the work of the Lord. Mt. S. his Faith therefore if it be without works and do set all upon Christs score as if he had repented for us and done all for us that we our selves should do is no better as St. James telleth us Jam. 2.17 then a dead Faith Obiect 3 Now whereas he saith It is the Gospel way of dispensation to assure and passe over salvation in Christ to any that will believe Answ I grant it is so but must tell him that true Faith as our Saviour himself teacheth us is to believe the Gospel Mark 1.15 The Faith therefore that is not founded on the Promises of the Gospel but a mans own fancie as is the Faith which Mr. S. requireth is not a true but a false Faith Obiect 4 But saith he There needs no more on our sides to work or warrant salvation to us but to be perswaded that Jesus Christ died for us because Christ hath suffered and God is satisfied Now suffering and satisfaction that great work of salvation How Christ by his Passion hath wrought the great work of our salvation I have already shewed But it followeth not hereupon that there is nothing to be done by us in a lower way for we must walk in that narrow way of which our Saviour speaketh Matth. 7.14 Matt. 7.14 that leadeth unto life or else we shall never come to Heaven nor have any part in that salvation which is there purchased and prepared by Christ for his Saints It 's therefore not only a false but a most impious and most dangerous assertion to say as here Mr. S. doth That there needs no more on our sides to work or warrant salvation to us but to be perswaded that Jesus Christ died for us If this were so then indeed salvation would be a short work For not only all those must needs be saved who are perswaded that Christ died for all men absolutely and therefore for themselves in particular but also the most loose and licentious Libertines and carnal Gospellers that are for even those if not all yet many of them do perswade themselves that Christ died for them as well as for any other but this Faith of theirs is nothing else but most deadly and damnable presumption as is shewed in the 15. Question Lastly Whereas he objecteth and saith They only Obiect 5 are justified who believe Rom. 1.17 Acts 13.39 And that we are justified by grace not of works Rom. 3 2â— Answ This we willingly grant but tell him that there is more required to our salvation than to our justification For as Bernard saith excellently well Bona operae De gratiae et libero arbitrio sunt occultae praedestinationis indicia futurae glorificationis praesagia via regni non causa regnandi Good works are tokens of our predestination that otherwise lieth hidden from us fore-tokens of our future glorification the way to the Kingdom but not the cause of the crown Whosoever therefore liveth here idly and worketh not nor imployeth the talent which he hath received of his heavenly Lord and Master shall never come to Heaven Matth. 25.30 but be cast into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Again whereas he saith They only are justified who believe We acknowledge this true but tell him that no man believeth until he seeth his own misery by sin and in what great need he standeth of Christ as hath been already shewed Albeit then we are justified by Faith only yet this Faith is not ordinarily to be had without some precedent qualifications such as are the hearing of the word denial of a mans own self and of his righteousnesse and a belief of perswasion that salvation is to be had by Christ only Object 2. Gods love is not offered to all equally and indifferently or to all absolutely Object 2 Secondly He alledgeth also these sayings of holy Scripture against us as if they excluded all preparation to Faith God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Rom. 5.8 God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have eternal life John 3.16 And this offer is an offer of Gods love wherewith he loved us from everlasting Answ So he but to the contrary I say That Gods eternal love is not here offered to all as he would have it there can no such thing be deduced and drawn from either of these places for in the former St. Paul sheweth what manner of persons believers were in themselves when Christ out of his love died for them they were not righteous but sinners in the latter our Saviour himself sheweth what it was that moved God to give his Son to death for us it was his surpassing and incomparable love and nothing else Now how Mr. S will frame an Argument either from the Apostles or from our Saviours words against preparations before Faith I know not unlesse it be thus God loved all equally loved them to make them partakers of Christ and of salvation by him therefore in preaching the Gospel nothing is to be required of any but all are to believe that they shall be saved by Christ whether they be penitent for sin or rejoyce and delight in sin and whether they purpose and resolve to leave sin or to live in sin Now I grant indeed That this Conclusion were to be admitted if the antecedent whence it is deduced were true that is if God did love all absolutely unto their eternal salvation and had no purpose to work any change or alteration in them while they live here But this is palpably false for whom God loveth eternally and before all time they receive in time through the gracious operation of his Spiit the necessary effects of this his love that is contrition and compunction of heart for sin Faith in Christ for the forgivenesse of sin conversion to God from all sin and all other saving graces to the accomplishment of their their salvation It 's false therefore that sinners are only to believe that God loveth them and that they are reconciled unto him by Christs death as Mr. D. and Mr. S. do teach and that nothing else but such a bare Faith is to be required of them that they may thereby know and be assured that they are justified and partakers of Christ For God loveth not all unto salvation but the Elect only whom in time he bringeth by degrees to the possession of that salvation by preparing them for it in that manner as the Gospel teacheth and letteth none lie still rotting in their sins without any true Faith or Repentance but only wicked reprobates whom he suffereth to walk in the broad way that leadeth unto destruction Object 3. It exalteth Grace more to receive broken hearted than Object 3 obdurate sinners He farther urgeth It exalteth Grace more to receive a sinner who hath no mony no price no righteousness His meaning is That it maketh more to the glory of Gods grace that he receive sinners as sinners without any sorrow for or sense and feeling of their sins rather than humbled and broken-hearted sinners that see and perceive how miserable they are in themselves and in what great need they do stand of a Saviour But I answer him That maketh most to the magnifying and exalting of Gods grace which he himself requireth and prescribeth and not which sinful men in their carnal and fleshly wisdom do fancy and like best or which they judge to be most for the setting forth of his grace Now it is evident that God offereth Christ to none but to those that acknowledge their sins and feel the burden of them Matth. 11.5.28 Isa 61.1 2. Yea even that very place which Mr. S. alledgeth proveth against him that some preparations go before Faith in Christ to wit a thirsting after him and his graces which cannot be unlesse a man feel his misery by sin and see in what need he standeth of Christ even as a man never thirsteth corporally until he is pained with heat and drynesse and feeleth in what need he standeth of drink These very words therefore of the prophet Isay Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no mony come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without mony and without price are produced by him against himself For all are not here invited to come to Christ and to be made partakers of his graces not sinners as sinners as he will have it that is sinners continuing in their sins without any purpose to leave them yea not so much as acknowledging their sins and their misery by means of them but first such sinners who feeling their great need of Christ do thirst after him and secondly such as have no mony and therefore do offer no price for him that is who do acknowledge that they have no merits of their own nor can do any thing to purchase or procure Gods favour Having thus wrested his weapon out of his hands and turned it against himself I must now tell him that whereas he saith That it exalteth grace more to receive a sinner that hath no money no price no righteousnesse that is in his sense all sorts of sinners though they do not so much as feel nor acknowledge their sins rather then those that being cast down with the sight and sense of their sins do acknowledge they have no money no price nor no righhteousnesse of their own I must I say tell him that he is much deceived in this for first it standeth not with Gods justice and his hatred of sin to pardon sinners without working any change in them at all but suffering them to continue and remain still in their sins The holy Prophet David disclaimeth this and speaketh against him when he saith Psal 5.4 Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickednesse neither shall evil dwell with thee The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity Again I say further Gods grace is most exalted when sinners do most acknowledge the riches of his grace and are most thankful to him for it Now so are they who do most feel the burden of their sins and do most apprehend their spiritual misery as it is to be seen in the penitent woman Luke 7. Luke 7.47 the sight and sense of whose many and great sins made her greatly to love Christ But on the contrary if God should pardon those that feel not their sins but are whole in their own conceit they would either with the Pharisees ascribe their salvation more to their own works then to Gods grace or turn the grace of God into lasciviousnesse and wax wanton against Christ as Libertines and carnal Gospellers do who rely so much on the grace of God that they have no care to live holily and righteously to the glory of Gods grace but by their wicked works and deeds of darknesse do cause the name of God to be blasphemed Rom. 2.24 1 Tim. 6.1 Object 4.
Pauls conversion Acts 9 to prove that men come to know themselves that is their misery by sin by the preaching of Christ and that the preaching of the Law doth not prepare us for Jesus that we may believe in him For the ministery by which Paul came to see himself and to believe was the voice of Christ Answ I am Jesus of Nazareth Whereunto I answer that Pauls conversion was miraculous and extraordinary it cannot therefore be concluded from thence that men are ordinarily brought to Faith in Christ or enlightned to see their miserable estate by sin without the preaching of the Law But he goeth on forward and saith Object It is the sight and knowledge of Christ that brings men truly to see and know themselves not as they are in the estate of grace he meaneth not so but as they are in the estate of damnation for proof whereof he saith Saul Acts 9. thought himself a very holy and happy man till he met Christ in the way And biddeth us note that Christ taught him in the first place the knowledge of himself Who art thou Lord saith Saul I am Jesus of Nazareth saith Christ whom thou persecutest Christ did not tell him of his sin O thou art an accursed persecuting creature Dost ask who I am Thou hadst more need know thy self c. No no he discovereth Himself unto him And this I know was Gods usual dealing in the Gospel those whom he taught he taught them first to know Christ and this Christ our Prophet must teach thee if ever thou be taught Answ But I would know whether the Lord did not take another course with Adam when he was fallen Sure I am he first brought him to the sight and sense of his sin and misery by reproving him for the transgression of his Law before he comforted him raised him up with that Evangelical promise The seed of the woman shall break the head of the serpent And our blessed Saviour layeth it down for a general rule and direction Luke 24.47 That repentance and remission of sins must be preached in his name amongst all nations First repentance which cannot be without the knowledge of sin and then remission of sins by Faith in Christ Now as for the example of Sauls conversion which Mr. C. so much and so often urgeth it is not true which he saith as it were triumphantly Christ did not tell him of his sin O thou art an accursed persecuting creature c. For did he not plainly speak unto him and say Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And again I am Jesus whom thou persecutest It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks It 's evident that he did as manifestly and as soon if not before tell him of his sin in persecuting him as he told him that he was Jesus We may conclude therefore from hence that a man must be brought to know himself and his miserable estate and condition by sin either at the same time or before that Christ is preached and offered unto him But of this more hereafter only I will say this now that Paul was terrified and cast down indeed by those terrible words of Christ and by beholding his glorious Majesty but for the perfecting of his conversion Christ sent him to Ananias by whom he was to be taught and instructed what he was to do By him therefore he was taught all things necessary unto his salvation and so was â—â—mforted and raised up again by Faith in Christ from his former terrours and fears I say therefore as Mr. C. doth It is Christ in the preaching of the Gospel that is glad tidings for sinners remission of sins for believers and this Gospel this glad tydings cannot rightly be held forth unto the world but withal men must be shewed that they are sinners and the emptiness of duties and of all other foundations must be discovered and the danger of not accepting Christ But I demand whether this is not to be done by shewing unto men their sins by the Law and their disability to do any thing of themselves that is pleasing unto God through the corruption that is in them by the fall of Adam For this impotency of doing good and the great wrath that is due unto us for our sins the Law re ealeth and maketh known unto us which when a sinner once apprehendeth then the Gospel is to be preached and he is to be exhorted to lay hold of Jesus Christ by Faith Object as the only means of salvation But let us examine another of Mr. C's Arguments and see whether there be any more force in that Beloved saith he God hath appointed the Spirit to be the means in the preaching of the Gospel to convince the world of sin Joh. 16.9 It is the Spirit of God that convinceth the world of sin and that in the preaching of the Gospel But hereunto I answer that our Saviour saith not Answ that the Spirit of God doth in the preaching of the Gospel only reprove the world of sin absolutely but of the sin of infidelity for thus he saith VVhen the Comforter is come he will reprove the world of sin because they believe not in me Now what shall we say that none believed in Christ before this coming of the Spirit and reproving of the world of unbelief Verily no for the Apostles with many other did before this believe in him For our Saviour speaks here of the coming of the Spirit in the miraculous gifts thereof as he came upon the Apostles and other believers in the day of Pentecost and afterwards until those gifts ceased in the Church when the Gospel had been by them sufficiently confirmed Besides the world of which our Saviour there speaketh though it was convinced of sin by the miraculous gifts of the Spirit yet it never believed for our Saviour calleth it the world that believed not in him Lastly If we should say they were unbelievers and worldlings before but afterward believed when they saw the miraculous gifts that were by Christ poured down and bestowed on his Apostles and others that reproved their infidelity yet it cannot hence be inferred that all in all succeeding ages are thus to be converted and brought unto Faith in Christ But of this more hereafter when I shall examine that which he alledgeth out of Acts 2.37 In the next place he reasoneth thus All preparations and qualifications whatsoever which are not of Faith Object are sin and I am sure Faith comes by the preaching of the Gospel not of the Law Therefore the preaching of qualifications before Faith is sin for all things before or without Faith are sin His Reason if we put it in form will be thus Sin cannot prepare us for Christ but all preparations before Faith are sin therefore no such preparations or qualifications can prepare us for Christ Here I would wish him first of all to consider that by reasoning thus he striketh himself as well as us For he will not
deny thar the hearing of the Gospel goeth before Faith Now what shall we hereupon conclude that none but believers are to heat the Gospel I trow not For then there will be no hope of any mans conversion from infidelity or incredulity to Faith in Christ But that I may shew the weakness of his reasoning First I grant the major Proposition Sin cannot prepare for Christ The knowledge of sin may but not that which is absolutely and altogether sin or wherein nothing is to be found but sin for sin in this sense is opposite to all goodness Now whereas he assumeth in the minor Proposition and saith But all qualifications before Faith are sin Here I distinguish of sin and say that it is so vel per se vel per accidens either in it self and its own nature or accidentally because being otherwise good through the corruption and unbelief of him that committeth it it becometh sinful and evill as it proceeds from him Now of this latter sort is the hearing of the word both of Law and Gospel and all preparations wrought before Faith that is to say legal terrours confession of sin humiliation hope of pardon and the like For these are not evil but good in themselves and evil only by accident therefore in regard of the good that is in them they through Gods grace do prepare and dispose us unto our conversion and unto Faith in Christ I do wonder therefore that Mr. C. should say as he doth not only that all preparations and qualifications going before Faith are sin but that the preaching of such before Faith is sin Indeed it cannot but be great and grosse sin to preach and to stir men up to adultery whoredom rash swearing lying or to any thing that is simply and in it self sinful evil but otherwise I think no wise man will say that parents ought not to teach their children to know God and themselves to praise God and to perform all necessary duties both to God and man until they shall give good proof that they do believe in Christ There remaineth now only the last of Mr. C. Arguments which I shall briefly dispatch Object Christ saith he brings those Acts 2.37 from beholding of Christ to behold themselves and makes them cry out Men and brethren what shall we do c. For answer hereunto I say Answ that it cannot be concluded hence that men by the ordinary preaching of the Gospel are at all times without any sight of sin or any terrours wrought in their hearts by the Law brought to believe in Christ and so after this to see their sins For those Jews Acts 2. were by the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost bestowed on the Apostles convinced that Jesus whom they preached was the Christ And because they had consented unto and conspired his death hearing themselves accused of this by St. Peter they were pricked in their hearts with fear and sorrow knowing partly by the Law whereof they were not ignorant and partly by the Miracles which they saw that they were guilty of a most hanious murther But now that no such miracles and wonders are wrought what ordinary way is there to convince men of sin and of their danger thereby but by the preacâ—ing of the Law For by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 Having thus examined Mr. C. Arguments and manifested the invalidity of them I will shut up this matter with shewing contrary to his Assertion that Christ is not alwaies first to be preached and that this is not the only way to bring mâ—n not only to Faith in Christ but also to the knowledge of themselves and of their sins and that therefore God never taught his people otherwise Unto this his Assertion I do oppose that which is to be read in St. Paul's Sermon unto the Athenians Acts 17. wherein he beginneth and preacheth the Law of nature unto them and thereby convinceth them of grosse idolatry and then sheweth them the necessity of repentance and preacheth Christ unto them It is not true therefore that Christ is alwaies first to be preached and offered and that men never come to see their sins until they do believe in Christ but rather on the contrary by seeing of their sins they come to see the necessity of Faith in Christ We read Acts 2â— that Foelix the Governour of the Jews under the Roman Emperour sent for Paul and heard him concerning the Faith in Christ And as he reasoned of righteousness and temperance which arâ— moral vertues taught and prescribed in the Law of nature and of judgment to come Foelix who was a most unrighteous and intemperate man trembled Now hence I infer 1. That it cannot be concluded that the Apostles did not preach the moral Law where it is said that they preached Christ or the Faith in Christ 2. That the knowledge of sin by the Law is necessary to prepare men for Faith in Christ For wherefore was it that Paul preached unto Foelix of righteousnesse and temperance but to bring him to the sight of his sins in which he lived contrary to those vertues that so despairing of salvation in himself being terrified with the judgment of God he might be driâ—en to receive Christ by Faith and to put the whole confidence of his salvation in him Yet I do not deny but that the children of God after that Faith is wrought in their hearts do ordinarily come to a more full sight and apprehension of their sins that are contrary to moral equity honesty but that is by a more perfect knowledg of the law whereby they see themselvs guilty of more sins against it then they took notice of before and of more impiety in sinning against greater light Even as the more they do grow in the knowledge undestanding of the Gospel the more they do see what sins they are guilty of against the Gospel Yea and in general also the more they do by the Gospel see and apprehend Gods mercy towards them in Christ the more wretched sinners do they acknowledge themselves to have been The sum of all is this Gods chiâ—dren are prepared unto Faith in Christ not always we say not so nor only by the preaching of the Law and the terrours thereof but more immediatly and much more by the preaching of the Gospel by hearing whereof they conceive some hope of pardon and are thereby kept from being swallowed up of desperation and do desire and pray for the forgivenesse of their sins and salvation by Christ and do never cease meditating of the gracious Promises of God in Christ until at length Faith is by the Gospel as the proper instrument or means thereof wrought in their hearâ—s For it is not the Law but the Gospel that as the Apostle saith is the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1.16 to every one that believeth Again it cannot be denyed but that men sometimes have been prepared unto their conversion to Faith
in Christ by Gods Judgments 2 Chro. 33.12 13. Luke 15. wherewith he hath visited them and awakened their consciences and by meditating of the shortnesse and uncertainty of their life here in this world and by other the like morives and considerations And it is manifest that not a few but many have extraordinarily been prepared unto Faith in Christ by miracles and strange works Mark 16.20 John 11.45 20.31 which have been wrought by God for the confirmation of the Gospel Lastly It is not to be denied that God both can work Faith yea and that he hath extraordinarily and most marvellously wrought it in some without any precedent qualifications or preparations at all To teach the contrary is to deny Gods power Luke 1.44 and to contradict the holy Scripture Quest 8. Whether we are made the Sons of God by Faith in Christ or but declared so to be Reconcil of man to God pag. 66. Gal. 3.20 MR. D. his peremptory resolution is We are not made the Sons of God by Faith for we were before reconciled unto him and were his sons And whereas S. Paul saith ye are all the sons of God by Faâ—th in Christ Jesus he will have the sense and meaning hereof to be That we are declared to be the sons of God by Faith in Christ Jesus But the Apostle saith you are and not are declared to be the sons of God though that be true also He speaketh therefore of the essence of son-ship and not of the manifestation or appearance hereof only Object But here it will be said Were all the Galathians that made profession of the Faith of Christ the sons of God really Answ It is not likely they were St. Pauls words therefore must be understood per reduplicationem to wit thus you are all the sons of God that is all of you who are the sons of God are his sons by Faith in Christ Jesus Or else we are to say that he speaketh of them according to the judgment of charity when he saith ye are all the sons of God presuming them to be so and then specifieth the means how they came to be his sons when he addeth by Faith in Christ Jesus But if they he will not admit of this Exposition I would know of him what it is that maketh a man to be a son Is it not his parents begetting of him Sure I am that is fundamentum hujus relationis the foundation of this relation Now St James telleth us That God hath begotten us by the word of truth Jam. 1.9 1 Pet. 1.23 St. Peter also saith that we are renati born again not of mortal seed but of immortal by the word of God Whence it followeth necessarily that we are not the sons of God until we do hear his word and are thereby converted to the Faith and obedience of Christ But Mr. D. tâ—inketh to avoid and put off this also by saying that the Apostles do say Object that we are regenerated and born again by the word because we are declared so to be and not that we are in deed and in truth regenerated by the word But this will not serve his turn Answ for the word being made effectual by the spirit is that which begets faith in us for Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of of God Now it is absurd to say that a man is regenerated while he liveth in infidelity or incredulity and is void of Faith Again until men hear the word their minds are blined with ignorance and their lives are full of impurity and uncleanness And hereupon St. Paul saith that God sent him unto the Gentiles to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God that is by his preaching Gods word unto them which they had not heard before Yea our Saviour's own Disciples were unclean as all men are by nature until they heard the word as those words of Christ do testifie Now ye are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you They were not so therefore before and how then could they be said to be regenerated without the word For by regeneration men are made partakers of a new nature which they had not before St. Paul also speaking of the whole Church of Christ in general saith that he sanctifieth and cleanseth it with the washing of water by the word All therefore generally and ordinarily without the word are unclean and unregenerated Object But let us see how Mr. D. endeavoreth to prove that we were the sons of God before we did believe The Holy Ghost saith he declareth son-ship to be the cause of giving the Spirit when he saith Because ye are sons Gal. 4.6 God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father Seeing therefore a man cannot believe without the grace of the Spirit it followeth necessarily that we are the sons of God before we do believe Answ But hereunto I answer that the Spirit is given diversly First to regenerate us for we are born again not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man John 1.13 but of God by the powerful operation of his Spirit Even as our Saviour himself also teacheth when he saith Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit John 3.5 he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Thus the Spirit is not a consequent of our regeneration whereby we are born the sons of God but a precedent cause thereof 2. Again the Spirit is also given to increase Faith and holinesse in us and to strengthen and establish us in grace after we are regenerated For as Christ by his Spirit beginneth the good work of grace in us so doth he by his Spirit perfect the same Phil. 1.6 2 Cor. 3.5 and not we our selves by any power of our own Lastly After we are born again the Spirit is also given to comfort us and to assure us of our Adoption by crying in our hearts Abba Father Thus as Mr. D. saith son-ship is in some sort the cause of giving the Spirit But otherwise we are not sons before and without any work of the Spirit at all for he is the Author or principal efficient cause of our being regenerated and born again the sons of God Another of Mr. D's Objections is this The Apostle saith Object that God the Father hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself We were not therefore begotten in time by the word but it is an eternal grace Whereunto I answer that he might as well infer Answ and conclude that we are alteady glorified and in actual possession of Heaven For God hath predestinated us to be made partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light It 's strange that he cannot distinguish between the Decree of Election it self which is eternal and the effects thereof that is to say the things whereunto we are Elected
to lead a godly life and yet our Saviour rejected their obedience saying Mat. 5.20 Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharises ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven For their righteousness was externa non interna justitia outward onely before men but the inward purity of the heart was wanting in them For which cause our blessed Saviour compared them to whited Sepulchres and told them that they did make clean the outside of the Cup and of the platter whereas their inward part was full of uncleanness Besides this Luk. 11.39 they tythed Mint and Annise and Cummin but neglected the weightier matters of the Law as our Saviour layeth this to their charge He is much mistaken therefore Mat. 23.25 when he saith that the Scribes and Pharises had a constant purpose to forsake all sin and to walk in all holiness But saith he St. Paul a Pharise saith of himself Object Phil. 3.6 that he before his conversion was as touching the righteousness which is of the Law blameless The answer hereunto is Answ that he speaketh only of the outward righteousness of the Law as his enemies the Pharises understood it His meaning therefore is that he was unblameable in the Opinion of the Jews who were seduced by the Pharises and did as much as they required of him or that he was unblameable in regard of his outward cōversation before men and what if St. Paul did think well of himself whilest he was a Pharise and did persecute the Church of God can none therefore no not those who have received the spirit of God whereby they know the things that are given them of God 1 Cor. 2.12 be assured that they do in truth serve God according to all his Commandements SECT II. Faith and Repentance are distinct Graces Object Confer p. 19 20. Answ Synop. purioris Theologiae BUt he telleth us wherefore he acknowledgeth true Repentance to be a sure mark of salvation to wit because Repentance includeth Faith as a part thereof Whereunto I answer as the learned professors of Leyden and other Protestants do that Repentance is sometimes taken generally for the whole conversion of a sinner from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God and so faith is a part of it but otherwise the holy Scripture speaketh of Faith and Repentance as of two distinct graces For so doth St. Paul when he saith that he kept back from the Ephesians Act. 20.21 nothing that was profitable for them but taught them repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ Whence I reason thus Conf. p. 20. those vertues or those graces that are differenced by their objects are different vertues but so are repentance and faith therefore they differ really non sicut totum pars and not as the whole and the part Object Act. 2.37 38. the one whereof is included in the other But saith he when the Jews asked what shall we do to be saved Peter answered Repent and be baptized And when the Jaylor made the same Question Paul answered Act. 16.31 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved therefore either repentance must include faith or else St. Peter giveth not a full answer yea rather say I or else Mr. D. is deceived for in that saying of St. Peter Faith is not included in the word Repent but in the words following And be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that is in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ Although otherwise as I have said before I do not deny but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance when it is used alone and not opposed to faith may comprehend or include in it faith in Christ Jesus as a part of our conversion SECT III. That Charity doth not bind a man universally to give half his Goods to the poor as Zacheus did HE granteth also That Love to the Brethren is a sure and certain note of a true Child of God and of Salvation is plainly taught 1 Joh. 3.4 which place is vindicated from the false glosse which Mr. D. hath set upon it Pag. 234. Confer Pag. 7 8. that where unfained love to the Brethren is found it may be a testimony of grace received but addeth that a man cannot love them unless he do sell either the whole or half of his possessions and divide them among such of his Brethren as he knoweth to be poor But if this be an inseparable note of true charity as he teacheth I dare boldly say he by this Doctrine of his will much more trouble mens Consciences then we do by ours and give them lesse assurance of Salvation 1 Joh. 3.14 For he that loveth not his Brother abideth in death Now how many can he find in this Kingdom that with Zacheus do give half their goods to the poor or that having Lands and possessions do with those primitive Christians sell them and lay down at their Ministers Act. 4. or Pastors feet the price of them that it may be distributed amongst their Brethren as their necessity shall require doubtless he will find but a few if any that will do this Now what shall we exclude all the rest from the state of grace and consequently from all hope of salvation I dare not do so and yet I must needs say seeing the faith that is available to salvation worketh by love Gal. 5.6 the great want of love in many forward professors of the Gospel may give them just cause to doubt of their salvation Luk. 19. Act. 2.45 4.34 35. But that I may come nearer to Mr. D. although Zacheus at his conversion gave half his goods to the poor and those that were possessors of Lands sold them and laid down the money at the Apostles feet yet the Lord no where bindeth us by any precept to do the like neither do their examples bind all to imitate and follow them in this their practice For God distributeth his graces diversly to some he giveth very large hearts and stirreth them up to do more then others can ordinarily attain unto who have received an inferior portion of the spirit 1 Pet. 4.10 or gift of grace And hereupon it is that St. Peter exhorteth As every man hath received the gift so minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God And St. Paul exhorting the Corinthians to be liberal in their contributions to the poor Saints at Jerusalem doth not call upon them to give half or any certain and determinate part of their goods unto them although they were in great necessity but saith he Every man as he purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity 2 Cor. 9.7 for God loveth a chearful giver There are sometimes more sometimes fewer poor to be relieved by us and sometimes their necessity is greater and
tell him what both I my self and some others heard one speak with great rejoycing whose conversation was none of the best We never had the Gospel preached until now Christ is freely offered unto all nothing is required of us free Grace is preached What will you say to those who hearing you preach thus do turn the grace of God into lasciviousness and say That they know they shall be saved by their Faith in Christ who is freely offered them without any conditions what you and those who preach thus will say I know not but sure I am St. Paul saith to them and to all Prove your selves whether ye be in the Faith And then he sheweth how this is to be done 2 Cor. 13.5 Know you not your own selves that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates As if he should say Whosoever they are that believe in Christ they have him dwelling in them by his Spirit hereby therefore shall you know that ye are true believers even by his spirit whereof ye are made partakers For as St. John also saith Hereby we know that he abideth in us 1 Joh. 3.24 by the Spirit that he hath given us He therefore that upon good proof and experience findeth that the Spirit of God is in him mortifying his carnal lusts and affections and renewing him in holiness may be assured hereby that he is by Faith ingrafted into Christ and that he shall be saved by him For it is not flesh and blood that worketh such an inward and universal change in us but the spirit of God by Faith in Christ Jesus And of this St. Iohn assureth us when he saith This is our Victory that overcommeth the World even our Faith As if he should say it is our Faith in Christ 1 Ioh. 5.4 whereby we are made pertakers of the spirit of God which he merited for us who believe in him that makes us Conquerors of the World that is of those sinful lusts that raign in worldly men and not any power or strength of our own Where sin therefore is thus conquered there is true faith but in whomsoever sin still raigneth 't is in vain for him to boast of his faith or of the free grace of God for as yet he can lay no claim thereto Thus Mr. D. I have proved that our love to the Brethren and other effects of the spirit which are never seperated from true Faith do bear witness to our Faith and testifie the truth of it not only before men Confer with a sick man Pag. 8. as you say but inwardly also to our souls and consciences which you must not deny if you remember what you have written concerning the reconciliation of Man to God pag. 57 59 60. for there you say that joy in the Holy Ghost and the love of God and of our Brethren and new obedience are inseperable Companions to our reconciliation by Faith Every one of these therefore must needs assure us of our reconciliation to God unless you will say that a man may know that he hath faith but cannot know either that he rejoyceth in God or that he loveth God and his Children or that he obeyeth his word and Commandements of which I can see no reason seeing faith is as spiritual supernatural and as hard to be known as any of these For my part I cannot conceive how the souls of those that are reconciled unto God should have such abundant joy as you speak of be filled even with floods of comfort and have no knowledge nor feeling thereof at all And though the true love of God cannot alwayes so easily be seen and discerned by every one in whose heart it is as such superabundant joy and rejoycing may yet if he that loveth God could not know that he doth so our Saviour would not have said unto Peter Lovest thou me neither could Peter have answered as he did Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee â—â—h 21.15 â—sal 116.1 Nor could David so confidently have said as he doth I love the Lord because he hath heard my voyce and my supplications Now as a true Christian may know that he loveth God so may he also that he truly repenteth and liveth not according to his fleshly lusts but according to Gods Commandements and is therefore his Servant For else how could Iob have said Iob 42.6 Psal 116.6 that he abborred himself and repented in dust and ashes Or how could David have said Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant and the Son of thine Handmaid It will be worth the while also to take further notice what Mr. D. hath written concerning the love of God and the keeping of his Commandements This Garment of love saith he is like the Garment of divers colours wherewithall the Kings Daughters which were Virgins were apparelled If a woman be seen in the street without a party coloured Garment it is concluded that she is either none of the Kings daughters or at least no Virgin so is that Ornament of love I say that thing wherewith all the people of God reconciled to him are adorned if we see a soul altogether stript of this Ornament we conclude they are not in the number of Gods people at least not reconciled Therefore the Holy Ghost concludes He that loveth not knoweth not God 1 Ioh. 4.8 And as on the affirmative he pronounceth Grace be on all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Eph. 6.24 So also on the negative If any love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16.22 Now with the love of God is joyned the keeping of his Commandements as an inseparable effect thereof This is the love of God that we keep his Commandements 1 Joh. 5.3 If ye love me keep my Commandements 1 Iohn 14 15. If a man love me he will keep my words Vers 23. Christ entering into the soul shall drive out whatsoever is prophane and draw up the soul by the cords of love unto new obedience And to this place we refer hatred of sin love of vertue a godly sorrow for transgression committed revenge upon our selves for the things that are past and a jealous care for that which is to come Thus far Mr. D. From all which I pray you may not I infer and conclude both negatively that he who liveth in sin and loveth the World and the things thereof is destitute of the true love of God and as yet can have no assurance of salvation and affirmatively that if a man can find that he sincerely and unfainedly loveth God and testifieth the truth hereof by obedience unto his Commandements he may hereby and not by faith only as Mr. D. will have it be assured of Gods love and of his own eternal salvation by Jesus Christ Doubtless St. Peter would have us thus to conclude 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9 10. and resolve upon it for he biddeth us make our Calling and Election sure
by the practice of other vertues as well as of Faith and consequently giveth us to understand that assurance of salvation is to be had not from Faith only but from charity also and from brotherly love and all those other Vertues and Graces that are joyned with it and by the Apostle in that place particularly rehearsed and reckoned up For it must needs be granted that those who are assured of their election are thereby also assured of their salvation seeing it is not possible that any of the Elect should perish Math. 24.24 For Gods decrees are immutable his counsel shall stand and he will do all his will and pleasure Isa 46.10 SECT VI. Objections answered and Doubts resolved THere remaineth nothing now but that I answer certain Reasons of Mr. D. which I have not yet touched whereby he goeth about to prove that our works of piety or charity cannot possibly assure us of salvation when faith lyeth hid that we cannot see that we believe by the inward testimony of our Conscience Object Convers J. Baptist p. 51. The first of them is this That which maketh me doubt of my Faith will make me doubt of the sincerity of my works No it will not for the cause many times lyeth hid when the effect discovereth it self and is obvious to sight and sense Answ 1 He that is shut up in a Dungeon or in a dark house cannot see the Sun when it is risen yet notwithstanding he may assure himself that it is not night but day and that the Sun is risen by those beams of light which do dart into the house through some little crevises or chinks that are in the wall and even so in like manner when a mans faith cannot be seen being over-clouded with tentations yet by the lively effects thereof by his love to God and to his word and Children and by the opposition which he maketh against all sinful lusts and tentations and by his constant purpose desire and endeavour to obey God and to please him in all things he may gather that he is not destitute of Faith though he cannot so clearly see it nor behold it directly and immediately in it self or in its own proper acts Again whereas he saith That which maketh him doubt of his faith will make him doubt not of his work but of the sincerity of it Answ 2 I further answer That there is a two fold sincerity the one agentis seu operantis of the person that doth the work the other operis of the work that is done 1. The sincerity of the person consists in the true intention of his minde or heart and so it is opposed to hypocrisie Now whether a man doth his works in sincerity and truth or but in hypocrisie his own Conscience will tell him 2. The sincerity of the work is when it is true and real and not imaginary or counterfeit Now if sincerity be taken in this sense there is apparent reason why many a believer doubteth more of the sincerity of his faith then of his works to wit because his faith is assaulted with strong yea and now and then with hideous and with fearful tentations which do shake it and make him to doubt of the truth of it whereas he may have no such cause to doubt of the truth of his works Even as though not the same man yet some other for the same cause may doubt more of the truth and sincerity of some of his vertues actions and works then of others As for example of his chastity rather then of his liberality and justice because lascivious thoughts do now and then rise in his minde although he taketh no delight in them but resisteth them and grieveth and condemneth himself for them Whereas he is not so assaulted in the exercise of other vettues which maketh him lesse to doubt of the truth and sincerity of them Lastly Whereas he saith That which maketh me Answ 3 doubt of my faith By retorning the Objection will make me doubt of the sincerity of my works I must tell him That if this reason of his be any thing worth then neither will his faith give him any assurance of his salvation when he doubteth of the sincerity of his works or of his love to God and Man Gal. 5.6 for the true justifying and saving faith worketh by love But contrary hereunto he telleth us as you heard before that when the soul is loaden with the burthen of sin and sense of misery it is sufficient for our assurance to believe God in his promises according to that Act. 16.21 Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Object A second Reason of his is this How is it possible I should judge my works sincere when I cannot see I believe Whatsoever is not of faith is sin Answ To this I answer It is one thing to be without faith another for a man to want the sense and sight or feeling of his faith No works in deed are any thing worth where faith is altogether wanting for without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 But as fire on the hearth cannot be seen when it lyeth covered under ashes so is the faith of Gods dear Children many times so covered by reason of doubts that arise in their minds or the dimness of their spiritual eye-sight that they cannot see it Yet I hope Mr. D. will not say that all their works in this case are unsound or that they or others shall do well to think so of them as long as their Consciences do tell them that whatsoever they do they do it in sincerity and in the singleness of their hearts and not as time-servers or men-pleasers Object Lastly He asketh What works are done in faith that the same acts may not be done in the spirit of bondage Answ I answer him That though the same acts that are done in faith may be done in the spirit of bondage He that is acted only by the Spirit of bondage doth love sin still and whatsoever good he doth Act. 15.9 it is only for fear and not out of love to God Heb. 9.14 that he may glorifie him quoad materiale according to the matter of them yet not quoad formale that is according to the purity and sanctity of them for it is faith that purifieth the heart as St. Peter saith And as another Apostle telleth us It is faith in the blood of Christ that purifieth the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Men in deed may be restrained from acting sin for a time by the terror and fear of Gods judgements which the spirit of bondage worketh in them but when that fear is gone or when it is but forgotten as usually it is in their mirth and meriments then they break out again and commit the same sins which they did before with greediness The sum of all then is this it is faith and the filial fear of God and not the
be saved and otherwise denouncing damnation if we transgress it doth hereby shew wherein the covenant of works consisteth So seeing the gospel doth not offer remission of sins and salvation by Christ unto all nor unto any absolutely but unto those only that do repent and believe the Gospel Mark 1.15 and obey Christ Heb. 5.9 It followeth therefore that the Gospel bindeth us to the obedience thereof as to our part of the covenant of grace yet so that we are to do the things which the Gospel requireth not by our own strength as the Law injoyneth Sed subsidio gratiae divinae à Christo pronobis partae but by the assistance of Gods grace which Christ hath purchased for us So that even in this regard the Gospel is a covenant of grace as well as in respect of our free justification and eternal salvation in Heaven because our salvation from the beginning unto the end thereof is of grace and not of nature or by any power or strength of our own free will For all the powers of our souls are in bondage to sin and Sathan until they be freed by Christ as our Saviour himself giveth us to understand when he saith If the Son shall set you free ye shall be free indeed Joh. 8.26 And St. Paul telleth us Col. 1.13 That it is not we our selves by any power of our own but God of the riches of his grace who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Thus the very works or acts of Faith Repentance and new obedience which we are bound unto in the Gospel are effects of Gods grace in us We presume not therefore to do them by any power of our own but do covenant the performance of them by the grace of God in Jesus Christ diligently using the meanes that are prescribed us in the Gospel for the building of us up in grace and waiting upon God for a blessing on them 7. And lastly When the people of God in the old Testament had revolted from him by Idolatry and other foul sins We read that when they repented 2 King 23. they bound themselves by Covenant to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandements and his testimonies and his Statutes Now shall we say that they renewed the legal covenant We have no reason to think so for they knew it was impossible for them to keep it They covenanted therefore to keep Gods Commandements evangelically whereunto they had before bound themselves when they were circumcised yea and not only so but were born under this covenant being descended from Abraham and the ancient Patriarchs with whom and their Seed the Lord entred into covenant It was this covenant of the Gospel for such was the covenant which the Lord made with Abraham as is to be seen Gal. 3.17 18. that the Israelites when they repented and returned unto the Lord from Idolatry renewed with him These things which I have thus alledged do make it manifest both that the covenant of grace is properly a covenant and that it is made not only with Christ our head but with every one of us that are his members who by this covenant are bound to faith in Christ and new obedience that so we may glorifie God and be saved eternally through his rich mercy in Jesus Christ Against this that I have said Answ Mr. S. undertaketh to prove that the covenant is made with Christ only for so St. Paul saith To Abraham and his seed Gal. 3.16 were the promises made He saith not to seeds as of many but as of one And to his seed which is Christ But how he can prove hence Object that the covenant of grace was made only with Christ and not with any other I cannot see The contrary rather may be concluded and deduced from these words for the Apostle saith That the promises were made to Abraham and to his seed which is Christ To Christ indeed only as to the Mediator in whom the covenant is confirmed of God as the Apostle explaineth himself in the next words but otherwise to Abraham the Father of the faithful and consequently to all that tread in his steps as to those to whom forgiveness of sins and the other benefits and blessings purchased by Christ and promised in the covenant do appertain and belong This will be the more manifest and evident unto us if we do consider what St. Paul meaneth by the promises which were made to Abraham and his seed The words indeed are difficult and therefore diversly understood by the learned The most common exposition is that by the promises are meant that promise of the Lord to Abraham In thy seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed And that the Apostle speaketh numero plurali in the plural number because this promise was at several times repeated and made unto Abraham Now it is evident that the seed here spoken of is Christ for in him only it is that all the Nations of the Earth are blessed But it doth not hereupon follow that the covenant is made only with him For from these very words we may infer against Mr. S. that all Christs members are comprehended in the covenant as well as he though after another manner and in another sort For the promise is made unto Christ only that he shall be the Authour of blessedness unto all Nations but unto them that they shall be blessed in him Now I would know how all Nations shall be blessed in Christ verily not so as if no one person of any Nation were to be excluded for then all the World should be saved and none should be damned The meaning therefore of this gracious promise must needs be that all Nations should be blessed in Christ not absolutely but according to the conditions expressed and laid down in the Gospel wherein the covenant of grace is fully opened and unfolded Or that Elect who are to be gathered out of all Nations shall be blessed in Christ who only fulfil the conditions of the covenant There is another exposition of these words of the Apostle and that is that by the promises of which St. Paul here speaketh we are to understand the promise which the Lord at several times made unto Abraham that he would give unto him and to his seed the Land of Canaan for an everlasting possession as a type of the eternal inheritance of Heaven whereof it was an assurance unto them That whereby Estius and other learned men are led and induced to renounce the former exposition and to imbrace this latter is because St. Paul without any necessity doth twice repeat this word And saying to Abraham and his seed were the promises made He saith not and to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed For the sense would have been as compleat and full say they if the word And had been left out and he had said he saith not of seeds
better Covenant which was established upon better promises to wit then the former covenant was which God by the Ministry of Moses made with the Israelites Now by this former covenant if he meaneth the covenant of grace as it was administred unto the Israelites of old under the Law of Moses and by this latter and better covenant the same covenant of grace as it is plainly laid down in the Gospel the promises of this latter covenant are better then those of the former First Because they are clearly delivered in express and plain words whereas those were darkly shadowed out under types and figures and dimly represented in obscure Prophecies Secondly Because there is a greater measure of the spirit and of the graces thereof both promised and exhibited now under the new Testament since the comming of Christ in the flesh then was formerly in the old Testament This may well be the meaning of the Apostle But if we shall say that he doth in these words of his compare together the covenant of works and the covenant of grace then I say that the promises of the Gospel are better promises then are the promises of the covenant of works First Because remission of sins is promised in the Gospel which is not to be had by the Law For whosoever fulfilleth not all the Commandements thereof Deut. 27.26 it shutteth him up under the everlasting wrath and curse of God without any hope of pardon Again The promises of the Gospel are said to be better then those of the Law because the Gospel promiseth grace whereby we are inabled to perform the conditions thereof which the Law doth not For the Law only forbiddeth sin and commandeth that which is holy and just and good but ministreth no power to perform that which it requireth but in the new covenant of the Gospel the Lord promiseth that he will write his Lawes in our hearts and put his spirit within us Heb. 8. and cause us to keep his Commandements and to do them Thus by the grace of God in Christ we are strengthened and inabled to keep the covenant of the Gospel whereas it is altogether impossible for us so to keep the Law as to be justified and saved thereby SECT VII The learned Protestants do hold the promises of the Gospel not to be absolute but conditional THere is one Objection more which I think good to remove and that is this The learned Protestants as by name Bucanus Locis Com. Theol. and some others make this main difference between the Law and the Gospel that the promises of the Law were conditional but the promises of the Gospel sunt gratuitae are free promises It may seem therefore that Mr. S. and those that teach as he doth do preach true Protestant Doctrine and that we which teach otherwise have revolted and departed from the Protestant Religion at leastwise in this particular Answ But I answer It is nothing so for Bucanus explaineth himself and sheweth what he meaneth by the conditions which he speaketh of to wit such as are causae causes of the blessings that are promised Whereas therefore the Gospel saith si credideris if thou shalt believe particula si non est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this particle if is not a note of a cause but of a consequence saith he Now this we do willingly grant that remission of sins and salvation are freely promised in the Gospel and that our faith and repentance are no causes of them Bucanus therefore teacheth altogether as we do for in the next words he saith that our faith or our believing non est causa vel meritum sed modus vel instrumentum sine quo non potest fieri applicatio beneficiorum Christi is not a cause or merit but a meanes or instrument without which there can be no application of Christs benefits unto us And if this be not enough he saith afterwards in expresse words that Jeremy calleth the Law of Moses being considered by it self and in it self the legal and old Covenant because it was the covenant of our creation whereby the Lord required of us perfect obedience to be performed by our own strength but the Gospel a new or a free covenant sub conditione fidei ex gratuito favore ab ipso nobis donandae upon the condition of faith to be freely given us by him Thus Bucanus who in his common places hath abridged and drawn into a short sum both Calvin and the principal and best of the Protestant writers that were before him sheweth how we are to understand them if any of them any where or other do say that the promises of the Gospel are not conditional as those of the Law were And for further confirmation that the Protestants do teach that salvation is offered us in the Gospel non simpliciter absolute sed sub conditione fidei resipiscentiae not simply and absolutely but upon condition of our faith and repentance I will also alledge Volum 2. Thes Theol. Loc. 4. what Pisâ—â—tor and Pareus two of the most principal Protestant Doctors do write First of all then Piscator setting down the difference between the Law and the Gospel hath these words The covenant of the Law is whereby the Lord of old promised unto the Israelites all sorts of temporal blessings and eternal life it self upon condition of perfect obedience to be performed by them to his Law by their own strength and on the contrary threatned sundry and divers curses and eternal death it self to all that should transgress but even one Commandement of the Law and they on the other side promised that obedience unto God The sanction or ratification of this covenant is described Exod. 24. The covenant of grace is that whereby God hath promised his gratious favour for ever to all that believe in Christ upon condition indeed of that their faith and sincere piety or new obedience joyned with it notwithstanding of neither to be performed as by the believers own strength but as by that free favour to be bestowed on them by him and they on the other side being assisted by Gods grace do promise faith and obedience unto him â—olleg 1. de lvang et gratia p. 21. Pareus also setting down the difference between the Law and the Gospel amongst other things hath these words The Law promiseth life with condition of a mans own righteousness the Gospel promiseth the same with condition of repentance and faith in Christ This might be sufficient notwithstanding because the same Pareus doth excellently in another place express and unfold the conditions of the covenant of grace I will therefore here transcribe and translate that which he there saith into English that all those who are illiterate and unlearned amongst us as well as others may see and perceive that the Doctrine formerly taught by us here in England is the very same which the learned Protestants also beyond Sea have taught from which our new illuminated
teachers have revolted and departed and therefore in this perticular are but half Protestants if so much His words are these Colleg. theol 2. de faed Dei part 2. There were three conditions of the covenant of grace without which there could have been no peace between God and Man The first was That some one should be a purchaser or procurer of this peace that is a Mediator who upon a way agreed upon should make peace between God and man That way was that he should proceed or come forth from God unto mankind not only as an herald or as a Messenger between them for he could not come forth from men declaring Gods will concerning peace but that he should both pacifie Gods wrath by the dignity of his person merit and intercession and that he should also by his divine efficacy confer upon men grace righteousness and life eternal by him obtained for them The former of these was necessary in regard of Gods justice and truth the latter in regard of mens imbecility The second condition was That God for the intercession satisfaction and merit of the Mediator should receive sinners into his grace or favour of enemies should make them his friends and Sons and blesse them with eternal joy and happiness with himself The third condition was that men should acknowledge this comprehensive grace of God towards them receive by faith the benefits purchased by the Mediator offered and given in the Gospel and be thankful unto God in all holy obedience Let every one that readeth these things see and consider whether it be Protestant Doctrine to teach that there are on our part no conditions at all in the covenant of grace but that all the conditions thereof belong unto Christ as Mr. S. will have it SECT VIII That the promising or passing over of a thing not absolutely but upon a condition doth not infer merit in him that performeth the condition but is onely a bar to the injoying of the thing promised whilest the condition is not performed But against this that hath been said Object it is further thus objected If God should exact or require any thing by way of condition of us then our salvation should not be of grace but of merit But no such thing followeth hereupon Sol. for we are bound to serve and to obey God both by right of Creation and of Redemption Now what may not God require of us that which is his own yea and upon condition also of our Faith and Repentance if we will be partakers of the reward which he freely promiseth unto our obedience Methinks this should not be denyed especially seeing it is for our good that God doth offer salvation unto us upon such conditions for hereby we are stirred up to use the means of our salvation the more carefully and diligently that so we may be both for the present assured and hereafter pertakers of the thing promised to our endless comfort Again God in his Gospel requireth no other conditions of us but what we in duty are bound to perform now what can we be said to merit any thing by doing of our duty I trow not for our Saviour teacheth us when we have done all that is required of us yet to say that we are unprofitable Servants we have but done that which in duty we were bound to do Luk. 17.10 Moreover God hath elected and chosen us to the means as well as to the end for by the meanes we come to the end And hereupon it is that the end that is eternal salvation is not promised absolutely but upon condition of the means that lead unto it that is of Faith and Repentance which God of his grace worketh in us and we by the grace of God are to perform because we are elected unto them as well as to the end it self which is our eternal salvation by Christ Now that which we thus obtain by the free election of God and for the merit of Christ and not by any power of our own but by the work of his grace it would be too much pride in us to think that we do any way merit it by this that hath been said it appeareth that the thing which is made over unto us upon a condition non transit in meritum doth not become meritorious upon our performance of that condition unless it be res indebita a thing to be done by us whereunto we are not bound and unless also there be some proportion and equality between it and the reward otherwise a condition is only a barre to the receiving and injoying of the thing promised until it be fulfilled or if the condition be not fulfilled at all by us or in the time appointed and set down then we loose the thing promised and deprive our selves of it A Gentleman as I heard some few years since from a Servant of his did promise to give unto the Vicar in an impropriate Rectory that belonged unto him 40 l. per annum if he would receive it as his free gift and testifie this under his hand Now I demand whether this requiring of him to receive it as a free gift did turn it into a merit Doubtless it did not for unless the Vicar would under his hand acknowledge that he received it as a free gift he was to forfeit it and to lose it as indeed he did not because he did think that he should have merited some thing if he had fulfilled this condition but out of pertinacy and stomack because his predecessor had more or out of the pride of his heart contemning this gift as too small and mean for a man of that worth which he took himself to be Now the same is to be said concerning eternal life which God offereth unto us upon condition of our faith and repentance for the exacting of this condition doth neither make eternal life to be any whit the lesse the free gift of God nor doth it any whit diminish or destroy our bond of thankfulness to God for this his unspeakable and unconceivable blessing and benefit SECT IX Although Salvation is not promised to any but upon condition of Faith and Repentance yet the Lord hath absolutely promised to his Elect Grace to perform both these YEt notwithstanding Because I would not willingly conceal any part of the truth I do freely grant that the promises of the Lord are in some sort absolute that is in respect of the grace promised by God unto his people whereby they may be inabled to keep his Covenant and his Commandements or in respect of his spirit which he hath promised them With Dr. Field therefore and other learned Protestants I say that the promises of the Gospel are absolute in respect of the means but conditional in regard of the end Their meaning is that salvation which is the end of our hope is no where offered us but upon condition of our Faith and Repentance Where these therefore are wanting there can be no hope
to Heaven For our Saviour hath told us plainly Mat. 5.20 That except our righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharises we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven These things which I have thus alledged being rightly considered any one may see that they do not preach the Gospel rightly and truly who do not presse the necessity of good works on the Consciences of their hearers SECT III. Why the Gospel seeing it prescribeth and requireth works is not to be called a Covenant of works as well as the Law Or how it can be said to be the Covenant of Grace BUt not unlikely some one or other will here say what difference is there then in this particular between the Law and the Gospel if both do urge the necessity of good works or why is not the Gospel to be called a Covenant of works and not of grace as well as the Law I will shew you the reason hereof 1. The Law is called the Covenant of works because works are therein required as causes antecedent to our justification and salvation or as that whereby and for which we are to be justified now so are they not in the Covenant of the Gospel as hath been sufficiently shewed before 2. Again The Law is also called the covenant of works because works are therein commanded and required but no power nor ability is ministred and given to perform them but the Gospel is the ministration of the spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 For it doth not only command us to repent and to bring forth the fruits of repentance which are good works but sheweth how we may be inabled to do this to wit by faith in Christ who hath merited not only forgiveness of sins but the spirit of sanctification for all that do believe in him Gal. 3.14 The Gospel therefore is a Covenant not of works but of grace not only because it teacheth that we are justified not of works but of grace but because by faith in the promises thereof we do obtain grace to repent and to do all those things which it requireth of us Lastly The Gospel is truly said to be the covenant of grace because it is such a covenant as is not only begun and entred into but altogether ratified and consummated by grace For first It was meerly and only of grace and mercy that God after we had broken and dissolved the former covenant of works or of the Law was pleased to enter into a new covenant of salvation with us the form whereof is revealed in the Gospel Secondly as I said before it is meerly of his grace that God inableth us to perform the conditions of this new covenant to wit Faith and Repentance which otherwise would become impossible unto us for we are as unable of our selves to repent and believe in Christ as we are to fulfil the whole Law It s true Faith and Repentance are in themselves easier conditions than the universal and most perfect obedience which the Law requireth But otherwise As it is as impossible for a man when he is dead to lift up a straw as an Oxe so while we are dead in trespasses and sins as we are all by nature Eph. 2 3. and of our selves it is as impossible for us to believe and obey the Gospel as it is for us to fulfill the Law until we be quickened by the spirit of Christ Thirdly It is of grace that we are kept and upheld by the power of God from falling away from him or that he keepeth us firm and fast in his Covenant for otherwise if he should leave us to our selves but a day or an houre we should break and altogether dissolve the covenant of the Gospel as we did the legal covenant Lastly It is of grace and not for any merit or desert of ours that we are in part for the present Eph. 2 8. Tit. 3.5 and shall hereafter perfectly and fully be made partakers of the benefits and blessings that are conveyed and passed over unto us in the covenant of the Gospel that is to say of justification adoption sanctification and glorification or eternal happiness in Heaven Thus the new covenant of the Gospel is wholly of grace and therefore deservedly it is called the covenant of grace and not of works as is the Law Now seeing all these things are acknowledged professed and constantly taught by us what cause hath Mr. S. or any other to say that we turn the Gospel into a covenant of works or to alledge against us that saying of the Apostle Rom. 11.6 if it be of works it is no more of grace It s true indeed if we did make works any cause of our salvation then we should make the Gospel a covenant of works as the Law was but this we do not but require them as necessary conditions to be performed by us in way of thankfulness to God for our salvation by Christ and for other necessary uses and not to merit any thing by them Quest 15. Whether the Orthodox Protestant Ministers who teach men to believe in Christ and to repent that they may obtain remission of sins and salvation by Christ or those who offer Christ and Remission of sins to all without requiring any thing of them either Faith or Repentance or â—eâ— obedience do preach Christ the more truly and more to the edification and consolation of their hearâ—rs SECT I. Where is shewed which is the right way of preaching the Gâ—spel IT is most certain that those who preach the Gospel as Christ himself and his Apostles did are they who preach Christ not only most truly but most to the edification and consolation of their hearers Now so do not they who offer Christ and Salvation by him to sinners as sinners or to sinners without any condition either of Faith or Repentance but who teach men to repent and believe in Christ that they may be saved or which offer Christ and Salvation by him to all the greatest sinners not excepted if they will lay hold of him and his merits by Faith and turn from their sins and practise Repentance That our Saviour did thus preach the Gospel St. Mark assureth us Chap. 1.14.15 For there he saith that after John was put in prison Jesus came into Galilee preaching the â—ospel of the Kingdom of God and saying the time is at hand repent ye and believe the Gospel I know not what they will here reply Object except perhaps they will say that John had before preached the Gospel to the Galileans and that they had received it Now they do not deny but grant and teach that after that men have received the Gospel then Faith and Repentance and new obedience are to be pressed upon them but not when Christ is first offered and tendered unto them But Johns preachings may be a sufficient confutation of such conceipts and surmises as this Answ for he began his Ministry with the Doctrine of
consolation have we against the difficulty of repentance Now all these things being well considered let any indifferent man judge whether are like to bring men out of their sins and to bring on their conversion they that by their Doctrine do stir them up to labour and strive against sin and to call upon God for grace whereby they may be enabled to subdue it relying not on their own strength but on Christs merits who hath purchased the spirit of God for them or they that will have men even while they live in prophane swearing drunkenness whordom or any other the like impieties or impurities Reconcil of God to man p. 40 41 42 to believe that their sins are pardoned and that they are reconciled unto God and in the state of salvation which is Mr. D. his Doctrine preached and much applauded by many There is not any one that considereth rightly hereof and perceiveth what the necessary and unavoidable consequences hereof are but he will say that this is to lay a foundation for pre umption and carnal security And indeed this is the very use which many have made of this Doctrine already For though they live in sin and are led captiâ—e by their sensual lusts as formerly they were yet hearing these mâ—n offer Christ unto all without requiring any thing of them either faith repentance or any reformation of their sinful liâ—es reâ—â—ing them that grace is freely offered in the Gospeâ— without any conditions and freeâ—y to be taken and receiâ—ed of all hereupon they are confident that they shall be saved by Christ though they liâ—e like libertines and cast off all care of reforming their wicked wayes and works It is too late now after they haâ—e thus preached free grace unto them according to this nâ—w way of theirs to tell them that if they do finally continue in infidelity and impenitency they shall be damned For their former Doctrine hath made them secure inâ—omuch that they do now resolve as one did of late haâ—ing read a certain Treatise of Mr. S. that they will no more hearken unto any judgements or terrors threatned and denounced against sin as they had formerly done And well may they resolve thus with themselves if it be true which Mr. S. teacheth to wit that God in the Gospel doth absolutely offer remission of sins and salvation by Christ to all without any condition yea to sinners as sinners For it is most certain that God will fulfil and perform all his absolute promises to all those to whom they are offered and made neither can their infidelity or their wickedness frustrate the performance of them He promised absolutely and without any condition Gen. 8.22 that while the earth remaineth Seed-time and Harvest and cold and heâ—t and Summer and Winter and day and night shall not cease Gen. 9.9 He promised also as absolutely that the World should never more be destroyed with a Flood and that he would set his Bow in a Cloud for a sign and in assurance hereof Now these promises of his he hath ever since constantly performed throughout all Generations though the World hath been never so wicked God did as absolutely promise Christ and accordingly sent him into the World in a most corrupt time to renew all things Thus the wickedness or the infidelity of man cannot frustrate nor disannul the promises of God that are absolute Wherefore if the promises of life and salvation by Christ unto all to whom he is offered and preached be absolute and without any condition how can final impenitency or infidelity as Mr. D. telleth us cause any to forfeit and frustrate them to their damnation But let us see how our adversaries go about to prove that their Doctrine is more likely to gain sinners to God and to bring them to repentance and amendment of life then ours is Object It is not possible say they for a man to believe that his sins are forgiven him but he will love God and in lieu of thankfulness consecrate himself unto his service Whereas therefore they do require no such hard conditions of men to discourage them from believing as we do but offer Christ and salvation by him freely unto all though they live in their sins and profess that they cannot leave them who seeth not that they will sooner believe this Doctrine then ours and then afterwards being thus perswaded of the pardon of their sins they will love God for his mercy and forsake sin and consecrate themselves unto his service Answ It is ttue indeed he that truly believeth will love God and will out of thankfulness towards him for his mercy renounce the World and his own lusts and consecrate himself unto his service For first The true believer by his faith in Christ Joh. 7.38 doth obtain grace and power and strength to love God and to obey him And secondly That faith of his upon serious and due meditation and consideration first of his own eternal misery by sin and secondly of Gods wonderful mercy towards him in Christ who suffered his most bitter passion for his redemption and passing by many others doth offer salvation freely unto him will inflame his heart with the love of God and excite and stir him up to the obedience of his Commandements But a false faith produceth no such gracious effects but nourisheth and nusleth men in carnal security as we see in many who fay they believe in Christ and trust to be saved by him as well as the best and yet live still in their sins and never go about to reform themselves Now such is the faith which Mr. D. and his Companions do teach for they will have men to believe that their sins are pardoned and that they are reconciled to God before they go about to rise out of them by repentance which faith of theirs is no true but a false faith for as I have before proved repentance and remission of sins do alwayes go together Where there is no repentance therefore there can be no remission of sins All therefore that such a faith can do is but to stir up those who do thus falsly perswade themselves that their sins are pardoned to love God for his mercy towards them and to obey him which it seldom or indeed never doth but grace it obtaineth none to crucifie sin in them and to sanctifie them and therefore though they should strive never so much to serve God and to obey him according to all his Commandements yet it is not possible that they should do this because there is no principle of grace nor no spiritual life in them SECT III. Wherein is shewed who do preach Christ most comfortably BY this that hath been said any one that is not possest with prejudice may easily see and perceive whether the Protestant way of preaching the Gospel or the new way taken up here of late in England be like to bring forth better fruits and to prove more profitable and more
pertinent to the edification of the hearers To leave this therefore it remaineth now in the last place to be discussed whether of these two wayes maketh more for the comfort of mens souls and consciences Whereunto thus I answer That is solid and true comfort which is grounded on Gods infallible word and not on mens fancies that are deceiptful But such is the comfort which the old and Orthodox Protestant Doctrine affords the hearers thereof and not the Doctrine of our Novelists For we teach as the Gospel doth that though men have been never so great sinners in times past yet that all those sins of theirs are forgiven by God and blotted out when they do repent and believe in Christ We exhort therefore all that do thus repent and believe to be of a good comfort and not to be terrified with any fear but to rest assured that they shall undoubtedly be saved through the mercy of God in Jesus Christ Thus do we comfort true believers with the unfallible and unfailable promises of Gods word which are the only safe and sure ground of comfort Object But I know that our adversaries in this controversie will here be ready to say that they do so also For although they do teach and tell their hearers that they were reconciled unto God and justified freely by his grace before they did believe and therefore without faith as we have heard Mr. D. speak Yet they say that they can have no assurance hereof until they believe Thus they teach men to believe not that they may be justified but that they may be assured of their justification and salvation by believing Now I do willingly acknowledge that true faith Answ when it is wrought in a mans heart by Gods word and spirit is an undoubted testimony of his salvation For as St. John saith He that believeth hath the witness that is 1 Joh. 5.10 of his adoption and consequently of his salvation in himself But the faith which these men do teach is nothing else but a fancy For they will have wicked men D. his Conf. p. 20. 21. even when they do continue in their sins to believe that these sins of theirs are pardoned and tell them that by believing this they are assured of their justification before God and of salvation Now this is not true faith but detestable and most damnable presumption For faith is to believe the promi es of God and to rely upon them Psal 119.41 42. as on its foundation Now I would know whether God have any where made any promise of forgiveness to men while they continue in their sins surely no but on the contrary he threatneth them by his Prophet David and saith That he will wound the hairy scalpe of such as go on forward in their wickedness Psal 68.21 And our Saviour himself told his hearers That except they did repent they should all perish It is not possible therefore for any to believe truly Luc. 13.3 I mean that their sins are pardoned until they do repent Or if even then while they continue in sin they will needs perswade themselves as many do that their sins are pardoned and forgiven through Gods mercy and Christs merits this is nothing else but presumption Those therefore that preach thus instead of comforting their hearers as they perswade them and make them to believe do nothing else but delude and deceive them For true justifying faith is not for a sinner whilst he continueth in his sins to believe that they are pardoned which is false but to rely upon Christ for the pardon of them according to the promises of his Gospel and not according to his own fancy and fond imagination as Libertines and carnal Gospellers do That this is that faith whereby we obtain pardon of our sins and are justified before Gods tribunal St. Paul maketh manifest and plain when he saith All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3.23 24 25. being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation by faith in his blood It is not then our believing that our sins are pardoned whereby we are justified but it is our faith in Christs blood that is our relying on the merits of his death and passion whereby we obtain the pardon of them even as many did in like manner by faith in Christ obtain the health of their bodies from our Saviour when they were miraculously cured by him Mah. 8.13 For when our Saviour required faith of them saying Mar. 9.23 be it unto thee according to thy faith Or if thou canâ—t believe all things are possible to him that believeth what is meant here by faith or what were they to believe That they were already made whole by Christ No for that was false but that Christ was of that power that he could and so gracious and good that he would heal them and hereupon to rely and put their trust and confidence in him that he would cure them This was their faith whereby they obtained the health of their bodies from Christ as is yet further to be seen in the Canaanitish Woman Mat. 9.21 For she said in her self that is in her heart she believed and was perswaded If I may but touch the hem of his Garment I shall be whole not I am already but I shall be whole That this was the faith whereby she obtained the health of her body our Saviours words to her do assure us For he turned him to her and said Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole Eâ—en so in like manner did we when we were dead in our sins obtain the spiritual health of our souls not by believing that our sins were pardoned but by perswading our selves that God of his rich mercy would pardon them according to the gracious promises which he hath made unto us in his Gospel and by relying upon him for the pardon of them For as Christ required faith of them for the obtaining of their bodily health so also doth he of us for the spiritual health of our souls As they therefore were cured of their corporal maladies by relying on Christ according to his word so shall we be saved eternally by relying on Christ according to the promises of his Gospel SECT IV. Two Objections answered AGainst this that I have said I finde two Objections raised which I do think good to remove that they may not lie as stumbling blocks in the way of any well-minded people to indanger them upon error First Some do reason thus If a man cannot believe that his sins are pardoned until he do repent then Repentance shall go before faith which they hold as an absurdity for whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 saith St. Paul And again He telleth us That without faith Heb. 11.6 it is impossible to please God But hereunto I answer That
although Repentance goeth before that act of faith whereby a man believeth that his sins are pardoned yet it doth not follow hereupon that it goeth before all faith in general no nor yet before justifying and saving faith For if I shall speak Logically and properly there are as I conceive no lesse then foure several acts of faith but I do make choyce rather to speak popularly and therefore I will contract two of them into one The first act of faith is for a man to believe that the whole word of God is true or that I may speak more particularly to the matter in hand it is for him to believe that Jesus Christ being sent of his Father hath perfectly wrought and accomplished our salvation and that he doth offer this salvation unto all those who do repent and believe in him This act of faith doth not only go before repentance but before all other acts of faith also For if a man do not believe both that Christ hath absolutely and perfectly accomplished our redemption and salvation and that he doth also offer the salvation which he hath purchased unto all that do repent and believe in him he will have no incouragement neither will it be possible for him either to repent or believe to rest and rely on Christ for salvation This is that faith which is commonly called fides dogmatica vel historica doctrinal or historical faith because it goeth not beyond the faith of the Doctrine or of the History of the Bible Now this though it be absolutely necessary unto salvation yet it is not saving faith because it justifieth no man nor giveth to any man any interest or right unto salvation 2. The second act of faith is That a man do not despair though his sins be never so many or never so great but believe or perswade himself that God of his mercy through Christ will pardon them and so cast himself upon Christ or that he do trust upon Christ for salvation according to the promises of the Gospel This is saving faith or it is that act of faith whereby we are justified and saved as St. Paul giveth us to understand in those words of his which I have already alledged Rom. 3.23 24 25. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Behold it is faith in Christs blood that is in his death and passion whereby God becommeth propitious that is gracious and merciful unto us and consequently whereby we are justified and saved Now this act of faith is in nature before repentance though in time it go with it I will make this plain by a familiar comparison Sol est natura prior lumine ex illo orto The Sun is in nature before the light that springeth and proceedeth from it because in nature the cause is alwayes before the effect but the Sun and its light are simul tempore together in time For as soon as the Sun was created and placed by God in the Firmament at the very same instant did it illighten the World And even so in like manner faith in Christ is in nature before repentance but they go together in time For seeing there is no promise of pardon made to any one in the Gospel while he continueth in sin it followeth necessarily therefore that true justifying faith cannot be separated from repentance no more then saving repentance can be without such a true faith And this as I take it is the cause why remission of sins and salvation are in some places of holy Scripture attributed to repentance and in some other to saith to wit because faith and repentance are as it were twisted and infolded the one in the other For neither can a man repent without faith nor can he believe in Christ for the pardon of his sins unless his faith did stir up repentance in him and a setled purpose to forsake all sin For as long as a man liveth in sin he hath no promise from God to ground his faith upon The true Christian therefore in believing repenteth and in repenting believeth these are two inseparable Companions and as it were twins that are bread and born together Although then that act of faith whereby we do believe in Christ is in nature before repentance as the cause is before the effect yet there is no priority nor posteriority of time between them Faith is the first wheel in the Clock that moveth all the rest Mr. Panb Vind. Grat. for a man cannot believe in Christ for salvation according to the promises of the Gospel unless this faith of his do excite and stir him up to the practise of repentance The third and last act of faith is that whereby a man believeth that his sins are blotted out and forgiven and that he is in the state of salvation The former is called a direct act because it maketh a man to look directly upon Christ and to cast himself upon him for salvation This latter is called a reflexed act because a Christian reflecting and looking back upon himself and his own soul seeth faith and repentance wrought in him and hereupon concludeth that his sins are pardoned and that he now is the Child of God and an Heire of Heaven This he believeth because he seeth the conditions accomplished in him to which God hath promised remission of sins and salvation that is to say faith and repentance Thus whereas the former act of faith whereby a man doth truly believe in Christ maketh him partaker of the remission of sins and giveth him right and a true title to the Kingdom of Heaven this latter assureth him of this and breedeth and begetteth great peace quietness and comfort in his heart and conscience Now this last act of faith whereby a man thus believeth that his sins are pardoned and is assured of his salvation doth not go before but followeth after repentance For until a man seeth and perceiveth that he hath forsaken sin and that he doth repent he cannot confidently believe that his sins are pardoned nor can he have any firm assurance of salvation because he hath no word of promise from God whereon to ground that faith and assurance of his Object Another stumbling-block which our Novellists have cast in the way of many good Christians is this whereas St. Paul telleth us 1 Tim. 1.15 that Christ came into the World to save sinners behold say these men he came to save sinners not repentant sinners and hereupon they infer and conclude that a man before he repenteth even at that very time when he liveth in sin ought to believe that his sins are pardoned and that he is in the state of salvation But I answer Answ That they do deceive both themselves and others fallacia consequentis with a fallacious consequence For when or how doth Christ save
sinners verily Mat. 9.12 not while they do continue in sin without repentance for he himself telleth us that he calleth them to repentance and so saveth them But for a man to continue in sin and yet to be saved are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things that will not consist nor stand together for this implyeth a manifest contradiction Thus then it is Christ saveth sinners by freeing and delivering them both from the gilt of their sins and from the tyranny and dominion of sin by faith in his blood and by the power of his spirit For so St. Paul having rehearsed and reckoned up many foul and filthy and fearful sins wherewith the Corinthians had spotted and polluted themselves in times past before their conversion to the faith of Christ presently addeth But ye are washed but ye are sanctified 1 Cor. 6.11 but ye are justified in the blood of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God It is the greatest folly and madness in the World therefore for a man to believe that his sins are pardoned and that he is in the state of salvation as long as he continueth and remaineth an impenitent and unreformed sinner for the Angel of the Lord that was sent unto Joseph the espoused Husband of the blessed Virgin Mary telleth us how we are saved by Christ Act. 3.26.2 He shall save his people from their sins He doth not say He shall save his people in their sins that is while they live and lie in them But he shall save them from their sins that is by freeing and delivering them from them Whereof St. Peter also assureth us in that saying of his to the Jewes God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to blesse you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities 2. That I may make this matter yet more plain and remove all ambiguity this I add further that when St. Paul saith This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the World to save sinners he speaketh not de partiali sed totali salute not of salvation in part but of that whole salvation which Christ hath purchased for us and worketh in us and bestoweth upon us that is to say not of the pardon of our sins only but as well also of our sanctification and of all other things that do any way or other concur to the perfecting of our salvation For Christ doth not save us in part but most perfectly He hath purchased for us not only our justification but our adoption sanctification redemption from Hell and glorification in Heaven And hereupon it is 1 Cor. 1.30 that St. Paul saith He is made unto us of God wisdom justice sanctification and redemption We must therefore rely upon Christ by faith for all these and not separate any one of them from the rest as carnal Protestants do who believe in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and for their salvation in Heaven but not for grace whereby to mortifie their sinful lusts and to live holily Now wha Can this faith of theirs save them no surely for Christs merits must not be separated and divided no more then his person Christ in his Gospel offereth both himself and all his merits unto us He therefore that receiveth him as man but not as God that receiveth him as his Priest to reconcile him unto God and to save him from Hell but not as his King to command him and to reign over him that receiveth him for his justification but not for his sanctification setteth up a false Christ unto himself and shall receive no salvation from him at all SECT V. A twofold Corollary or conclusion deduced and drawn from the former answers BY this that I have said in answer to the two former objections it may appear that faith is to be considered either more strictly as it relateth to our justification or more largely as it hath reference to our whole salvation 1. To believe in Christ to our justification is as I have said before for us to rely upon him for the pardon of our sins not according to our own fancies and imaginations but according to the gracious promises of his Gospel For so St. Paul calleth the Gospel verbum fidei Rom. 10.8 the word of faith that is the word of faith which we preach as if he should have said That Gospel which we the Apostles of Christ and other his faithful Ministers do preach is the word of faith Now wherefore is it that Paul doth call the Gospel the word of faith Is it not first Because faith is bred and begotten in our hearts by the hearing of the Gospel And secondly Because it is built and grounded on the Gospel as on its foundation For our Saviour himself also telleth us That the faith which he requireth of us is the faith of the Gospel or it is for us to believe the Gospel Now I have proved already Mar. 1.15 Psal 130.5 Psal 119.42 that Christ in his Gospel doth no where offer pardon to such as continue in sin but only to those that repent and turn unto him from their evil wayes And hereupon St. Peter having convicted the Jews of great and grosse impiety against God and his Sonne Christ Jesus afterwards exhorteth them and saith Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out c. And at the end of that Chapter Act. 3.19 he telleth the Jewes as we have already heard that God sent his Sonne to save them not by suffering them to continue in their sins but by turning every one of them from their iniquities This I have the more largely insisted on that none may neither fancy that their sins are pardoned while they do live in them without repentance nor yet rely upon Christ for the pardon of them unless they do stir up themselves to the practise of repentance Secondly If Faith be considered more largely as it hath reference to our whole salvation so as I have said before we are to rely upon Christ not for the pardon of our sins and for our redemption and deliverance from Hell only Joh. 7.38 but as well also for our sanctification and for all things which do accomplish consummate our salvation for all these are we to rely upon Christ in the use of all those means which he hath prescribed us such as are the reading hearing meditating of Gods word laying of it up in our hearts the applying of it to our souls with prayer godly conference striving against sin endeavouring to do the things which God commandeth and the like For God will not have us to be idle but to use such means as he hath appointed for the furtherance of our salvation and to depend upon him for his blessing on them Isa 38.18 which he will not deny but in due time vouchsafe us for as the holy Prophet saith Blessed are all they that wait for him For
risen though perhaps that might not be the very first moment of the rising thereof when this was spoken and the Suns shining upon the wall is made a sign or an evidence and manifestation thereof And even so in like manner when our Saviour saith Her sins which are many are forgiven her his meaning was that they were really forgiven though not at that instant onely but from the first moment of her conversion And he maketh this manifest by his next words from her abundant love which she so many wayes shewed and expressed towards him saying For she loved much I know Mr. D. will not here say with the Papists that her love to Christ was the cause that he pardoned and forgave her her sins but that he drew an Argument from thence to prove and to evidence that her sins were forgiven And so this conjunction causal for est causa consequentiae non consequentis is only the cause of the consequence in his Argument or in his reasoning but not of the thing it self whereof he speaketh that is of the pardon of her sins He would prove also from the judgement of Protestant Interpreters that our Saviour speaketh not of remission of sins really but of the manifestation thereof because when we pray in the fifth Petition of the Lords Prayer Forgive us our trespasses they make this to be the meaning hereof that the Children of God whose sins are already pardoned do pray for more assurance thereof But I have shewed already Quest 9. that they make this to be the meaning thereof only in part and not the full sense of that Petition as Mr. D. would have it Recon of God to man pag. 43. Another place of Scripture which he perverteth and corrupteth by a novellous and strange Exposition are those words of St. Paul 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers c. shall inherit the Kingdom of God The meaning hereof he will have to be that they shall not enter into the Kingdom of God here on Earth which is his Church But in expounding these words thus he commeth far short of the meaning of the Apostle for albeit it is most certain that the unrighteous are no true members of the Church though they be in it for a time yet the Scripture when it speaketh of the inheritance which Christ hath purchased for his Saints from which the unrighteous are excluded referreth the possession thereof not to this World where we sojourn for a time as Pilgrims in a strange Country but to that happy life that is to come Thus our Saviour at the day of judgement will say unto his Elect people and righteous Servants Mat. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world St. Paul also telleth us that flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. neither shall corruption inherit incorruption Which words it were absurd to refer unto the Kingdom of grace or to say that the Apostle excludeth all such out of the Church here on earth who carry about them corruptible flesh and blood St. Peter also in plain words so speaketh of the inheritance of Heaven as of a thing the possession whereof is not to be had in this life but in the World to come Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of God 1 Pet. 1.3 4 4. through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time When St. Paul therefore saith that Fornicators Adulterers and such unrighteous persons shall not inherit the Kingdom of God his meaning is that they shall never enter into the glorious Kingdom of Heaven but be excluded thence and be cast into Hell 3. As strangely doth he expound those words of the Apostle Heb. 12.14 Recon of God to man p. 43 44. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord that is saith he with spiritual eyes or with the eyes of faith whereas the Apostle speaketh not here in praesenti of that Vision or seeing of the Lord which is to be had in this present World but in futuro of our seeing of him hereafter to our endless comfort in his Kingdom and in his glory in the same sense as St. John doth 1 Joh. 3.2 We know that when Christ shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Most false therefore it is which Mr. D. saith To see God and to inherit the Kingdom of God are nothing else but to believe in God and in his Son Jesus Christ When we come to Heaven faith in Christ shall cease and yet we shall not cease then to see God Another place of holy Scripture 1 Cor. 13.13 Confer with a sick man pag. 7. 1 Ioh. 3.14 which he grosly perverteth with a false Exposition and so goeth about to deprive the godly of the comfort which they take from it are those words of St. John We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the Brethren Many good souls have acknowledged that when all other grounds of comfort have failed them or at the least when in time of temptation they have not been able to apprehend any comfort from any thing else yet these words of the Apostle have upheld them from despairing of their Estate because their Consciences did testifie unto them that they did unfainedly love and ardently affect all that are godly Now this comfort also Mr. D. denyeth them * Confer p. 9. I do saith he for the present believe that St. John doth principally speak of our assurance whereby we know one another to be the Children of God And Conf. p. 8. He telleth us that it is before man that our love beareth witness to our Faith For he saith that St. Johns meaning is not that a man may know by his love to the Brethren that he himself particularly is in the state of grace but that the faithful in general by means of the love which they professed and shewed one to another were well perswaded one of another and believed by the judgement of charity that they were all the Children of God But this Exposition of his crosseth the main scope and drift or the purpose and intention of the Apostle in writing this Epistle which was to comfort the faithful by shewing them what signes and tokens and particular evidences they had of the forgiveness of their sins and of their salvation by Christ for so he saith Chap. 5.13 These things have I written unto you whereof their love to the Brethren was one that believe on the name of