is also called the Promise Faith then is made void the Promise made of none effect Rom. 4.14 And lastly to mention no more the Promises is the Law then against the Promises of God Gal. 3.21 the verbs To him that worketh not but believeth his Faith is counted unto him for righteousness Having given this Muster-Roll as it were of both parties I come now to some other Positions the first was this viz. 1. That there are but these two ways imaginable of fication there are but two sorts of Righteousness and so but two ways by which men do or with pretence of reason can seek Justification in else there had been more mentioned by the Apostle The second position is this 2. That these two wayes are quite opposite one to the other and inconsâ—stent one with the other that is as to the Justification of the same man at the same time nay if a man doth but seek to be justified by the one he cannot be justified by the other at the same time This opposition I have argued out for me expresly by the Apostle Rom. 11.6 If by Grace then it is no more of works otherwise Grace is no more Grace but if it be by works then it is no more of Grace oâ—herwise work is no more work Rom. 4.4 5. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of Grace but of Debt but to him that worketh not but believeth his Faith is counted for righteousness 3d. Position is this The way of works was once and still in its own nature is a way of justification Rom. 7.10 The Commandment was ordained to be unto life yea this way was the ancient and the first of the ways of God in his dealing with man and seems to be natural and necessary to the primitive Estate of mankind For God made made man upright in his own Image of knowledg righteousness and true holiness and gave him the Law though not written in Tables of stone yet in his heart which was better else it had not been sinne to have committed Murther Adultery Stealth false-witness bearing Perjury Idolatry and what not in the Estate of innocency for where there is no Law there is no transgression God gave man a Law and surnished him with ability to have hept it to a tittle so that if he would he might have had the works of the Law to shew for himself The way of Justification by the â—aw unsolded and aâ—gued to be the first natural way of juslification at what time soever the Creator should have called him to account and all the time he and others had kept themselves innocent and holy they must have been acceptable to God he would have had respect to them and their works and they would have obtained this Testimony from God that they pleased him which was all that Enoch who was too good to live in the World had to shew for his justification And this had been enough for Adam or any other man to have produced for their Justification if Satan had at any time turned Accuser And thus living according to the Will of God they should have continued in the favour of God and perhaps after some term of years have been translated to some more happy an estate Then they might have gloryed without sinning that is they might have pleased themselves with such thoughts and speeches as these Happy are we that we took heed and care to please God and kept our selves innocent for now have we obtained a glorious reward we might have ruined our selves as we see the Angels have done We had a Power to have started aside from God but we have kept our selves from that mischief Such an innocent glorying as this and no higher glorying can I imagine lawful even in such a state was not forbidden by the Law of Works it was not excluded Rom. 3.27 Thus we see Justification is a a thing feasible and attainable by works by the Law if a man have the works of it Our Saviour and the elect Augels were justified by the Law Yea our Saviour Christ had the Works of the Law and the Law justified him and the Angels that kept their first estate they were doubtless approved by the Law of their Creation and had all the Apostate Angels turned Devils and false Accusers of them as they are of the Brethren their Works would have justified them in the sight of God Not that the good Angels had no other reward but what a Covenant of Works would allow and before the world though I say not that the good Angels have no other reward but what a Covenant of works allots But I doubt not to affirm That the good Angels were justified and rewarded by a Covenant of Works in as much as there was a full trial made when the other Angels fell of their voluntary obedience So that the Law in it self hath not only a power to justifie and reward but hath actually rewarded the observers of it those that had the righteousness of it Yea all the Work of our redemption by Christ was brought about onely with the good leave of the Law Christ must make a recognition and publikely own the Authority and Majesty that was still remaining in the Law acknowledgement must be made how that that had been offended and some reparation must be made unto the glory of God which was much impaired as it is a revenue from us in the transgression of the Law And this was the onely way decreed by God that the Law must satisfie it self upon him whosoever would undertake our Redemption and then the Law must justifie him all which it did upon our Saviour Which proves the unquestionable Power and Authority that the Law had in it to justifie man had he but the works of it But now let any man or Angel but sin If the â—aw be once broken in a tittle it can justifie no longer and the Law can justifie him no longer if he have but the least failing in obedience the Law can onely condemn this person Man or Angel whoever he be but I shall limit my self to mankind For this take that Scripture Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them So that if a man hath once sinned and yet seeks to be justified he must not seek justification by the righteousness of the Law any longer there comes a necessity of Grace Pardon Mercy which the Law hath not in it the Law hath no such thing as Grace or Pardon in it The Law onely saith He that doth them shall live in them and he that doth them not is accursed Now this Grace Mercy and Pardon which a man comes to have a necessity of upon his first breach of the Law is in the way of Faith which I have proved to be the opposite way of Justification to that of the Law It is of Faith saith the Apostle
have had from God at times of further Discoveries This is the substance of the answer of the Apostle and this reason Because of transgressions you see was a weighty reason why the Law should be given to the Jews if God had any love for them to make them his people above all other Nations viz. to keep them from running out into these gross sins which otherwise they would and other Nations not having the Law did run out into C. 19. Ver. 19 20. He sheweth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgements unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation And as for his Judgments they have not known them for though the Work of the Law be written in every mans heart as the Apostle tells us Rom. 2.14.15 where he is speaking of the Gentiles yet men will not be at the pains to read or study what is written there neither would Israel have done it had not the Law been written for them in Tables of stone too they would not have known God's Judgements any more then other Nations had not God given his Law to them by Moses And this we see by the event for that notwithstanding this Law yet when they came amongst other Nations they ran into their abominations though they had express Laws against them what would they have done therefore if they had been wholly without this Law There was therefore a necessity at least a great requisitness of a Law to be given to Israel if God loved them and would manifest his love to them more then to any other people he could not do it in an higher instance then in giving them the Law Therefore you see the Law might be given for other reasons then this to be a way of Justification by the works of it I will shew further anon why the lavv vvas given with respect to transgression I shall onely in the mean time observe one or tvvo things further in the Apostles answer to the objection which I mentioned by the Name of cautionary circumstances in his Answer one is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was added non data sed addita est it is not said simply the Law was given but added because of transgressions Added to what Why to the Promises to the Gospel that vvas on foot before long before above 2000. years before in Adam's time 430. years before in Abraham's time it vvas added to the Covenant that vvas before confirmed of God in Christ and it vvas added not as a supplement for the Gospel vvas compleat in it self it saved thousands before ever the Lavv vvas given by Moses and it vvould have saved thousands more and might have served till the coming of Christ for all any absolute necessity that there vvas of it Onely if the Lord vvould be so gracious to his people of Israel above all Nations in the World to give them his Will in Writing at large that they might be the better contained in their obedience better then other Nations vvere This vvas the Lords Bounty and Grace to them but it is certain ' t vvas never given them to be so much as a necessary supplement to the Gospel that vvas before in the matter of Justification It vvas added onely occasionally as an useful Appendix not as a necessary supplement not vvith design to supplant but to serve the Gospel I have mentioned one of the limitations or cautionary circumstances vvhich the Apostle useth in his assigning the reason of the Lavv's being given As the law was given onely occasionally and additionally so it was but a temporary dispensation it vvas added there is another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 until such time as the Seed should come As the Law was but occasionally and additionally given at first so it is but temporary in its continuance as there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in its beginning so there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a set-time of its continuance Here observe that though the Apostle doth allow that there was a weighty reason a great occasion of the Law 's being given yet he is afraid at the same time lest the Law should get too much advantage by this allowance of his and therefore gives these several terms of diminution whilest he speaks most for the honor of the Law Let us return now a little more to discover the mystery that is contain'd in that phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law was added because of Transgressions for you shall find that there is much of mystery in it yet besides what I have mentioned What I have mentioned lyes more obvious that which remains is much more wonderful and mysterious yet expresly asserted by the Apostle in several places The Law therefore was added because of transgression in these three respects The Law was added because of transgression in three respects 1. To hinder transgression from being committed 2. To aggravate transgressions that were or should be committed And 3. ultimately to finish transgressions and make an end of sin by driving and directing the wounded sinner to a Saviour And all those three reasons are as I may say fundamental in the occasion of the Law its being added to the promises till the time that the Seed should come 1. The Law was added because of transgressions that is to hinder transgressions from being committed and the Law was added to hinder transgressions these two ways 1. As a large plain Rule to shew them what was their duty that so they might not run into transgressions through ignorance And 2dly as a fiery Law to deter them from sin and frighten them into their duty that so they might not run into transgressions through negligence 1. As a large plain Rule to shew them their duty This particular and this onely I insisted upon ere-while when I explained what was the substance of the Apostles Answer to the Objection and I shall add no more unto it 2dly It did not onely hinder transgression by informing them in their duty lest they should run into transgression through ignorance but as a fiery Law to deter them from transgression and to frighten them into their duty that they might not transgress through negligence though this doth not so much refer to the matter of the Law as to the manner of its delivery But yet this manner of its delivery is as much taken notice of by the Apostle and was as necessary almost as the matter of the Law it self Now this manner of its delivery with dread and terror consists of two things 1. Wherein consists the terror of the Law That it was delivered with thunderings and lightnings c. 2. That it was delivered much in the form of a Covenant of Works without that mixture of promises which the Gospel abounds with and these two things make up the terror of the Law of Moses and indeed this terror made up of these two parts is almost all that which is peculiar to their dispensation For else for
the matter of it setting aside the Ceremonial and Judicial Law it remains still obliging us in the dayes of the Gospel and the Apostle professeth to establish the Law even by the preaching of Faith 'T is true it was first of all given to the Jews that was their priviledge but now that it is given it is ours as well as theirs that therefore which seems to be peculiar to them in it was the manner of its delivery both being without promises and in that terrible manner given upon the Mount but yet still it was thus given because of transgressions to hinder transgressions they needed this terror at that time Children though they know their duty must have some terror to make them do it The Heir whilest he is a Child differeth nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all he is used like a servant harshly severely he is under Tutors and Governors till the time appointed by the Father Gal. 4.2 there is the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Apostle hath in his answer to the objection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But because this particular hath some affinity with the second general end mentioned why the Law was given with respect to transgressions I shall now enter upon that and it was this 2. The Law was added because of transgressions for the heightning and aggravating of transgressions Rom. 5.20 The Law entered that the offence might abound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subingressa est irrepsit the Holy Ghost is pleased frequently to use such words as should shew that the Law came in by the by for some considerable ends indeed that the Lord had in delivering it but not as the great establisht way for Justification for certainly that could not come in by the by but the Law came in thus it stole in subingressa est it crept in by stealth irrepsit so the Original signifies But what was the end of the Law when it thus entred why it entred because of transgressions that the offences of men might abound In the 12. ver of Râ—â— 5. 〈◊〉 read that sin entered into the World and 〈◊〉 that the Law entered the Law hunted it followed it stole in afterwards to discover sin for as ver 13. hath it Before or until the Law sin was in the world that is not before the Law did oblige but before the Law was delivered in such a solemn manner as it was upon Mount Sinai before the Law sin was in the world but sin was not imputed when there was no Law yet death reigned all this while till Moses his time which was the curse of the Law Now that men might know wherefore they suffered death and the curse it was sit the Law should come into the world in a solemn manner delivered that so sin might be imputed by men to themselves as it was by God to men witness death the curse of the Law which reigned from Adam to Moses from Adam that sinned to Moses that gave the Law sin did not appear to be sin till the Law entred therefore it is said Sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good viz. the Law that sin by the Commandment might become out of measure sinfull So Rom. 3.20 the Apostle proves that the Law cannot justifie for by the Law is the knowledge of sin The Law is so far from justifying saith the Apostle that it only brings sin to light brings the knowledg of sin with it makes the offence to abound and if that be the way to justifie sinners to aggravate their sins bind on their guilts more then ever upon their consciences let any man judg therefore indeed the Law in the immediate great intent of it was a killing Letter an Administration of Death a Ministration of Condemnation a Ministration of Desperation and not of righteousness unto justification and accordingly it was delivered with thundering lightning upon Mount Sinai to shew the horrible fire darkness tempest that there was in the Law it self to all that should come near it to think to make use of it for a way of Justification as Moses put a Vail upon his face to shew the vailedness of his Dispensation so the Law was delivered with fire to shew the fieriness of the Law unto the conscience for the Law was not only terrible to the beholders of it when it was given upon Mount Sinai but this terribleness is in the Law it self to all that ever had to do with it feelingly ever since to all that ever came near it for justification Indeed for those that stand aloof off from it only play about it at a distance hope to be saved in a loose way by their works by their good doings and by their good meanings they may perhaps never feel the stinging fiery lashes of the Law but let any of these self-Justiciaries drive their Principle to an Head let them come up near to the Law let them advance toward Mount Sinai and approach it and challenge their Justification from God by the Law and they shall quickly find themselvs scorched and scalded sent away with sad hearts and affrightned consciences they'â— find the Law to be a ministration of Death and not of Righteousness I might here shew in several particulars how the Lâ—w doth discover sin it discovers habitual sin St Paul or the man personated in Rom. 7. had never found there had been such a bottomless depth such a lively body of death within him but for the Law when that came sin revived and he dyed Rom. 7.9 2. It discovers actual sin I had not known sin that is lustings to be sin except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet ver 7. But I shall not insist longer upon this particular The third end of the Law 's being â—â—ded I hasten to the third great end of the Law 's being added with respect to transgressions and that was for the finishing of transgressions and making an end of sin as the expressions are though somewhat otherwise used Dan. 9.24 What shall we think that when God had given promises to Abraham and confirmed a Covenant in Christ to him and his Seed that he now gave a law to drive all his people into despair this amounts all to one as if he had broken his promise and his covenant as I have before argued out of the Apostle Paul did the Lord only send his law that they might know their duty and be affrightned into their duty as the first particular carries it if they did not do their duty should the law aggravate their sin bind on their guilts upon their Conscience and so leave them under desparation and be a ministration of death to them Was this all the Law came for If this were all they might better have been without the law at a venture then have had it they might have done better with the promises alone This therefore was not all the end
of the Law to bring them into desperation and there to leave them but by this desperation which indeed the Law was to bring them into to make them hunger and thirst after another righteousness then that of the law which by the law they might see they could not have to make them in love with the promises with any thing that looks like mercy and grace and in a word to direct them and drive them to Christ and a Gospel-Justification Gal. 3.24 The law was our School-master to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by Faith ver 22. The Scripture that is the Law hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe 23. Before Faith came we were kept under the Law included as prisoners shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed Rom. 10.3 Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness unto every one that believeth So that indeed the Law was given not to undermine the promise but to serve the ends and honour of the promise The law entred not to preach a Legal Justification but an Evangelical The Law came into the world to confess its own impotency to save or justifie us as also to send and direct us to one that could according to that of Rom. 3.20.21.22 Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sin But now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets even the righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe The righteousness of God without the law is witnessed by the law There are other Scriptures to this purpose which I forbear to mention Thus the Law and the Gospel do mutually good turns for one another the Law preacheth the Gospel most effectually for men never well close with the Gospel till they feel the lash of the Law And the Gospel again most effectually establisheth and obligeth to the keeping of the Law for till men have a principle of faith they never have a living principle of obedience thus the elder which is the Law is made to serve the younger that is the Gospel but the Gospel hath an ingenuity in it to return the Law a due acknowledgement And the Law might well direct the sinner to Christ and preach Justification by Faith for this was the onely way of recovering its own honour and obedience which was due unto it Reas 1. Why the Law might well direct to Christ as appears in these three particulars First for that Christ personally fulfilled it to a tittle he lived a most perfect life and performed unerring obedience for more then thirty years together here amongst men upon earth and this is said by some Divines to be for the Justification of his own person and is known by the name of his active obedience 2. For those whom he was to save and redeem from under the law from under the punishments and penalties which were due to them for the breaches of it he underwent all that the law exacted from him as their Mediator till the law was fully satisfied 3. As for the persons themselves thus redeemed by the sufferings of an innocent and legally-righteous Saviour they are not owned by this Saviour to be his redeemed ones any further then as they acknowledg the perfect holiness of the law that they themselves are obliged as Creatures and the redeemed ones of Christ to endeavour to their utmost to keep the law still to a tittle and do actually perform a sincere obedience to it not dispensing with themselves in any command of it but bewailing their infirmities wherein they fall short of unerring obedience so that in the way of faith the law obtains its true end though not exactly in the persons justified yet in their Saviour Christ is the end of the law for righteousness Rom 10.4 Yea and in their persons thus far that they perform a sincere obedience and endeavour an unerring obedience to the law and thus the righteousness of the law is said to be fuifilled in them in as much as they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8 4. So that now I have answered the great objection against Justification by Faith which was th s Wherefore then serveth the Law and that with some advantage to the present cause I have shewn that whatever the law was intended for in its delivery it was not given for a way of Justification because the way of faith was establisht before the reasons of its delivery were these 1. It was given to the Jews in mercy to shew them their duty more plainly then they could otherwise have known it by the light of nature or any other way of teaching which they had amongst them till that time that so they might not run into transgressions through ignorance and it was given with terror that they might not rush into transgressions through negligence and these two particulars made up the first end of the delivery of the law viz. to hinder transgressions from being committed 2. It was added to heighten transgressions in the guilt of them when they should be committed 3. Not to leave them in desparation but to direct them unto Christ and I have shewn that great advantage did accrue to the law this way that hereby it came to pass that though it was not fulfilled by the first Adam in the first giving of it yet it was all as well fulfilled by the second and every way recompensed and satisfied as if it had never been broken so that I reckon the Objection is quite taken off and may be retorted upon the objectors thus If they ask Wherefore then serveth the Law We answer It serveth to lead men unto Christ that they may be justified by Faith I have some things yet to add upon the two last last ends of the law 's being given which I thought not fit to insert in the first mention of them upon the second end of the law 's being given viz. for the aggravating of transgression and loading the Conscience with guilt I have this to add It is so true that the law was given to the Jews to make the offence to abound and to press the conscience with guilt that it had the same effect upon the Gentile World to whom it was not delivered as it was unto the Jews so saith the Apostle Rom 3. where when he had recited out of the Psalms a Catalogue of sins which the law doth condemn men for from the 10. to the 19. ver in that 19. ver Now we know saith he that whatsoever things the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world might be guilty before God Certainly the Gentiles are a part and the greatest part of the
Now this being the great means of transferring Justification from the Law to Faith I shall a little insist upon the Explication of it That which I have to say upon it will be contained in these two assertions 1. That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook the Law and answered it in all that it had to say against us And whereas it was a killing letter he took out this condemning power of it for all believers 2. That this was done by Christ for all ages of the Church and so it was and is the great foundation of that Justification by faith which the Apostle Paul contends to have been in all ages before the Law under the Law and in the dayes of the Gospel to the end of the world so that the way of Justification by faith comes in kindly and in a comely manner without any neglect or violation of the Law I begin with the first assertion That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook and answered the Law The first assertion That Christ undertook answered the law for us c. Now to prove and illustrate this assertion it will be usefull to us 1. To consider in what condition the Lord Christ found us when he came into the world as a Saviour We were therefore all of us Jewes and Gentiles We were all under the law when Christ came to save us prisoners to the Law I shall give the account of this in the Apostle's expressions which are somewhat mystical to which I hope I shall adde some light by laying them together and comparing them one with another Before Christ came and before faith came and so at the time when Christ came when faith came in the doctrinal discovery or at any time doth come to us in the hearty closing with it We were kept under the Law Gal. 3.23 the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law had set a guard upon us and as it follows we were shut up unto the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we were all shut up as so many prisoners unto the Law and under its guard and custody and in Rom. 7.6 speaking of the Law the Apostle saith We were held by it that being dead that is the Law wherein we were HELD or by which we were detained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For though these places in the Galatians and Romanes may referr to the different dispensations of the Old Testament and New that before the dayes of the Gospel when faith came to be preached men were under a legal dispensation they were kept under the Law and shut up to the faith that was to be revealed yet I dare affirm that there is a deeper meaning then that at least a deeper truth then that if not in those places which is this That till Christ and the way of Justification by faith be made known to the soul the soul must needs be under a legal frame â—f heart towards God under fear and bondage â—ay and a further sense then this yet and that â—s this That till the virtue of the blood of Christ â—e applyed to the soul till actual Justification â—y or upon faith every man lies under the curse â—nd threatning and wrath of the Law the Law â—ath taken hold of us all an evident signe of â—hich is this That death hath passed upon all and â—hat is the reason why for that all have sinned â—om 5.12 And if any could plead exemption from this abnoxiousness to the Law it must be either the â—â—ntiles that had not the Law as the expression is â—â—m 2.14 that is had not the Law given to â—â—em or those that lived before the Law was â—ven by Moses now neither of these can plead â—is exemption therefore all mankinde were â—ptives to the Law when Christ undertook the â—ork of Redemption or rather until the desigâ—ation of Christ by the Father to this work For the first viz. the Gentiles the Apostle tells us that he had proved them under sin which is the transgression of the Law therefore under the Law and their thoughts within them did accuse for their breach of the Law which was written in their hearts Rom. 2.14 Neither were they free from this arrest of the Law who lived before the delivery of the Law by Moses for the Apostle tells us plainly Rom. 5.13 That untill the Law sin was in the world that is from Adam till the time that the Law was solemnly given by Moses sin was in the world now sin is the transgression of the Law and accordingly as sin was in the world all that space of time from Adam to Moses so Death reigned from Adam to Moses Now we know that death 〈◊〉 the wages of sin and the strength of sin is the Law 1 Cor. 15.56 Sin could never have brought in death but by the Law which bindes sin upon the sinner and with sin the punishment due to it therefore all that space of time from Adaâ— to Moses sin and death being in the world 〈◊〉 they were to be sure there was the Law in its power energy it was there in effect as sure 〈◊〉 it was in the hearts consciences of Heathens and the Grave was the Law 's Prison Death it's Arrest Sin it 's great Charge and Accusation by and upon which Death entred Sin entred in the world and death by sin upon the threatningâ— the Law Rom. 5.12 This was the state and condition therefore that Christ found us in wâ— were all under the Law as Prisoners and Captives therefore when the Father sent fort Christ upon the work of Redemption it is saâ— Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his Son made of a woman mâ—â— under the Law to redeem them that were under 〈◊〉 Law This was written to the Galatians who were Gentiles That we putting himself and the Galatians together might receive the adoption of Sons therefore the Gentiles were under the Law when Christ was sent forth for their redemption And our Saviour tells us what he was commissionated to by his Father Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted to preach DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES and recovering of sight to the blinde to set at liberty them that are bruised or bound as it is in Isai 61.1 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord that is the Year of Jubilee when all servants were set free thus Christ's coming was to proclaim a Year of Jubilee to the whole world that the Law 's Captives should be delivered and those that served God under the tyranny of the Law might receive a spirit of Adoption So now thus farr we are gone in our proof of the first assertion that when Christ came as a Saviour and Redeemer of his people he found them all under the Law as the lawfull Captives and Prisoners unto it by reason of their sins which were
that it might be by Grace the way of Grace is the way of Faith So that is the third assertion with its explication and proof The fourth Assertion is this That every man in the World hath broken the Law Rom. 3.23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God The Jews call the Gentiles by this Name The sinners of the Gentiles or of the Nations But what saith the Apostle speaking of the Jews of whom himself was one What then Are we better then they No in no wise For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin as it is written There is none righteous no not one v. 9 10. When the Jews brought a Woman taken in Adultery unto our Saviour to see what Judgement he would pass upon her he delivered the Woman by this sentence of stoning her Let him that hath no sin cast the first stone at her Now if there had then been but one there that durst pretend to have been without sin the Woman might perhaps have lost her life John 8.34 And we find it amongst our selves none but some brain-sick people dare pretend to be free from sin even actual sin committed in their own person either in deed word or thought at least Now if we have all thus offended the law and transgressed the law shall we dare appeal unto it or can it justifie us The fifth assertion therefore which determines the Question negatively is That the law is disabled from justifying us by reason of sin In Rom. 8.3 Justification is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that impossibility of the lavv translated thus What the Law could not do the lavv novv cannot do it according to that famous assertion of the Apostle Paul to this very purpose Gal. 3.21 For if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily righteousness should have been by the Law The Iavv cannot novv justifie and vvhat is the reason Why the Apostle tells us in Rom. 8.3 What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh The law became thus disabled in the matter of Justification through the flesh through sinful flesh as appears by the following words so that now it could not justifie us if it would never so fain We can conceive no way now that the Lord hath to justifie by us the law but this one first to pardon then to give us a stock of grace ability to keep his law as he gave to Adam but then mark here you see first the way of Grace Faith must be made use of before the law can do us any good or stand us in any stead therefore still the fifth assertion holds true that the law in the present state of things cannot justifie us except the way of grace should first pass upon us and then what need vve come to the lavv again No it is so true that the lavv cannot novv justifie us nor give life unto us that if it could have done it it should have done it and God would not have made use of any other way I might now give several Scripture-proofs of this assertion under several Heads As 1. By the Law now comes onely the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified for by the Law is the knowledge of sin Where-ever the Law comes now amongst sinners it discovers that they are guilty in such and such a particular I had not known sin saith the Apostle but by the Law for I had not known lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet Rom. 7.7 2. The Law worketh therefore Wrath therefore it cannot justifie this is the Apostles Argument Rom. 4. ver 15. Now the Law worketh Wrath these two ways either it setteth home the Wrath of God already deserved upon the Conscience or it gives occasion to further sinning and so to a further desert of Wrath for the Law hath this strange effect now upon a sinners heart that seeks to be justified by it that it will contrary to the first design of it which was to sanctifie justifie and save it will now stir up all manner of lusts in the heart as the Sun shining on a Dunghil sends forth a stink and so not onely discovers our former illdemerits and deserving of Wrath but provokes to further sinning so lays us under more wrath stil if this be not a truth let any make sence of these Scriptures if they can Rom. 7.8 9 10 11. Sintaking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me all manner of Concupisence for without the Law sin was dead for I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed and the Commandment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death for sin taking occasion by the Commandment deceived me and by it slew me 13. Was then that which is good made death unto me God forbid but sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the Commandment might become out of measure sinful I know several of these expressions are and may be in part interpreted of sin in the guilt that it appears by the law but it must also be understood of the power of sin that the law discovers that likewise whilest it irritates and provokes it and I would fain know if there can be any other sence of that whole context from the 1. to the 7. ver of that chap. especially the 5. ver When we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death 3. The law by both these effects discovering of sin and exciting sin as also shewing the Wrath due to sin is so far from justifying that it becomes the Ministration of Death and Condemnation to the sinner and not of justification unto life and for this we may consult the whole third Chap. of the second to the Corinthians My 6th Assertion therefore is this Faith is the way and the onely way that we have to take for Justification being sinners We must have Mercy Grace Pardon We must not think to stand upon our terms to require Justification as a due debt We must be glad to receive it as a gift and this is the way that Faith leads us in That Faith and Grace are one way I have proved before in reckoning up the several Synonymaes of those onely two wayes which the Apostle mentions Now that Faith is the onely way for us appears from what hath been already said and proved For if the law be no way and there be only these two wayes imaginable then there is no other way but this of Faith left us But I shall yet give one full Scripture-proof of this Rom. 3.21 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no fiesh be justified in his sight but now the righteousness of God without
if not more that God cannot faâ—l in the promise of his Grace as it is that he should exact the rigour of his Law But yet now if those which make the objection will be sober the Apostle will give them further satisfaction yet 2. Ans There were other ends of giving the Law There were other ends of giving the Law besides justification by the works of it besides Justification by the works of it For the Apostle wil readily allow that there were great and weighty ends of the delivery of the law that it was delivered with great Majesty and Authority that the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good The Apostle never speaks lightly of the law no you shall find saith the Apostle that by the preaching of Faith we go the highest way in the World to establish the Laws Rom. 3.31 We will allow any thing that can be thought or imagined for the honour of the law if you will abate us thus much that it is not a way of Justification I come therefore to shew some other ends of the law 's being given which were indeed very considerable besides that of its being a way of Justification by the works of it And first in general and I shall answer in the words of the Apostle in the same verse where the objection is made Gal. 3.19 Is was added because of transgression The Law was added because of transgressions till the Seed should come to whom the Promise was made Here may be observed in this answer the substance of the answer which is the true reason of the laws being given and two at least if not more cautionary circumstances in the manner of expressing this reason or answer The substance of the answer or the main reason of the law 's being given was this it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was given for the sake of or by occasion of or because of transgressions How transgressions occasioned and even necessitated the giving of the law we shall easily understand if we consider that All transgressions did not occasion the giving of the Law first it was not given because of Adam's transgression or transgressions for then it must have been presently given as soon as Adam fell whereas it was not given for the space of 2400. years after Adam's fall so it seems it was not necessary to be given for Adam's Salvation by occasion of his transgressions he had indeed the promise of the Seed of the Woman given him presently upon his fall by which he was to be saved Again it was not necessary to be given for Abrahams salvation not by occasion of his transgressions it was not given in his time he had the promise and the Gospel preached to him by the Faith of which he was saved the Law was not given till above 400. years after he received the promise which was long after Abraham was dead and buried So you see all transgressions did not necessitate the Law 's being given for all the good men that were before the Law had their transgressions and yet the Law was not given in their time they went to Heaven without it The truth is therefore this seems to be the plain reason of the Law 's being added with respect to transgressions Before the Law and the Scriptures written by Moses How transgressions occasioned the Laws delivery the People of God had only the Light of Nature the Promise given to Adam or other promises and discoveries from God made to some eminent Patriarch such as Enoch and Noah but especially and famously to Abraham and by these delivered to the people Enoch is said to be the seventh from Adam and to prophesie Jude 14. and Noah to be the 8th person a Preacher of Righteousness which perhaps may as wel signifie his being the eighth famous Preacher from Adam as one of the eight saved in the Ark 2 Pet. 2.5 from these the people of God before the Law had a traditional Divinity and Gospel which might serve well enough and did very well with the People of God in their days who were but few as it should seem to hinder them from running out violently into transgressions but when God had entered into Covenant with a carnal Seed of Abraham that should come of his Son Isaac and this Seed of Abraham according to the promise grew and multiplied like the stars of Heaven for number could not be contained in their duty by so few traditional Rules as the Patriarchs and the good men in their days lived and served God by or that the Prophets which they had amongst them one at a time were not able to teach so great a people as they should be taught but that they would be apt to break out into manifold transgressions except they had the Law written plainly for them in Tables of Stone so that every man might teach his Neighbour when they grew irregular and ungodly saying Know the Lord then for the sake of these transgressions and for the prevention of them the Law was added So you see the Law was given by Moses onely occasionally If the Children of Israel could have been contained in obedience as well as Adam and the Church of God in his time was and till Abrahams time and after Abraham's time for a great while and this without the Law it seems the Law had never been given by Moses This is the substance of the answer and to this suits exceeding wel another place of the same Apostle 1 Tim 1.7 8 9. There are a sort of men saith he that have swerved from the way of Faith and they will needs be teachers of the Law but alas they know not what they undertake in it 'T is true saith the Apostle the Law is good if a man use it lawfully but you may make such an use of the Law viz. in the matter of Justificaton that it may do you a mischief And whereas these ignorant Law-preachers tell us that the Law was given by Moses for a way of Justification we know saith he ver 9. that the Law is not made was never given for the righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for the unholy and prophane for these serve the Laws of the first Table for Murtherers of Fathers and Murtherers of Mothers for Man-slayers serves the sixth Commandment For Whoremongers and them that defile themselves with mankind serves the seventh Commandment for Men-slayers the eighth for Lyars for perjured persons the ninth and if there be any thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine The Law was given because of these transgressions and transgressors else it should not have been given at all more then it was before viz Clearly written in the heart of man before the fall and obscurely in the heart of all men ever since yet plainly enough for those that were minded to use their light faithfully and honestly together with those vouchsafements they should
world now the whole World becomes guilty before God by the law and every mouth is silenced and stopped by it I do not say that the law as given to the Jews by Moses had this effect upon the Gentiles to whom it was not given but the Apostle tells us Rom. 2.15 how this came to pass that the law though not given to the Gentiles in the same manner as it was to the Jews did yet convince and condemn the Gentiles as well as the Jews because the effect and substance of the same law that was written upon Tables of Stone by Moses was written in the hearts of the Gentiles so that their thoughts did accuse them when they did evil as well as excuse them when they did well Now hence I draw an argument a minorâ—â— If the law written upon the hearts of the Gentiles though obscurely had yet an accusing and condemning power in it to them how might it well have upon the Jews to whom it was delivered plainly written and engraven in stones with thunder lightning earthquakes as is before expressed That which I have to add upon the third great end of the Law it's being delivered viz. to direct and bring the wounded sinner to Christ O How 〈…〉 Christ is by way of answer to this question How did the Law lead to Christ I shall give several answers unto this question and first of all The Law was our School-master unto Christ A. â—â— as the Dispensation of the Law made way for the Dispensation of the Gospel Sowre things make the sweet more pleasant Darkness makes Light more desirable Slavery and Severity makes Liberty more welcom Quineseâ—t servâ—re nescit imperare the School makes fair way for the University This consideration makes the succession of the Gospel to the Law more comely and it is insisted on very much by the Apostle in Gal. 4 for the seven first verses Ver. 3. When we were Children we were in bondage unto the Law but when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son to redeem us into liberty and to give us the spirit of sons Gal. 3 23. Before Faith came we were kept under the Law and kept under by the Law shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed wherefore the Law was our School-Master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by Faith but after that faith is come we are no longer under a School-Master it would now be an incongruous thing to be under a School-master any longer as it was very convenient that before we should be and thus the Law was a School-master unto Christ as John Baptist was by its severities to humble us and break our hearts and to make us 〈◊〉 people ready prepared for the Lord. And the beauty great conveniency of the succession of these two Administrations of the Law Gospel each to other appears still in the great work of Conversion upon every sinners heart where the same method is observed first to humble the soul by legal convictions then to make a discovery of Christ the Grace of the Gospel And this our practical Divines insist much upon in their Sermons and Treatises giving us this account of the Work of Grace upon the heart that first there is conviction compunction and humiliation all yet a legal work then Faith or Conversion And I do verily believe that the Spirit of God doth use this method though as all acknowledge not with the same degrees in every work of Regeneration And again they observe that as after the Gospel and Faith is come it is absurd to return to the Law of Moses in the whole Dispensation of it so they apply that Scripture Rom. 8.15 Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear to this purpose That after men have received the Spirit of Adoption which in some degree every regenerate person hath received they receive not again the spirit of bondage to fear which they take to be a spirit of legal convictions preparatory to the Work of Conversion and indeed according to the Calvinist-principles it must needs be true that after they are regenerate they can never receive a spirit of Bondage again because a spirit of bondage is not Grace but onely preparatory to it and therefore men that have once been regenerate can never return to this Spirit without being emptied of all Grace But here it may be further queryed Q How did the Law direct those to Christ that lived and lived before Christ came that indeed it is not to be doubted that the Law in the dispensation of it made excellent way unto the Gospel for those that were to live in the days of the Gospel as we find in the Analogical succession of Law and Gospel in the Work of Grace but how was the Law a School-Master unto Christ to those that lived in the dayes of the Old-Testament Who dyed before Christ came How were they directed to Christ by the Law The Law might perhaps be a Ministration of death and desperation only to them How did the Law witness the righteousness of God by Faith unto them In answer I shall first of all premise these two things and then answer more directly 1. Negatively that to these it must not come to destroy the promise and the covenant that was made before nor the comfort of it It must not come to hinder but they might have as true saving comfort from the promises as the Saints before the Law had or else the Law had been against the promises which the Apostle denyes with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. It must preach Christ to them as truly though perhaps not so clearly as it doth unto us Thirdly and more directly The Law did preach Christ to the Jews under the Old-Testament these two ways 1. Virtually or consequentially 2. Formally and expresly 1. Virtually as it convinced them all of their necessity of some other besides a legal Righteousness as I have shewn at large in explaining the second end of giving the Law because of transgressions 2. Expresly as it made mention of Christ and this it did either improperly figuratively in types and shadows or properly in the prophecies and promises of Christ Or the answer may be better given after this distinction of the Law A different acceptation of the Law in the Scripture The Law in Scripture amongst the various significations of it hath these two very eminent 1. It signifies the strict and bare command and so is naturally a Covenant of Works that hath no mercy or grace in it can onely justifie the righteous and condemn the transgressor and in this sence it hath been taken by me for the most part hitherto in my Discourse I have produced several places where it is taken in this sence in the Scripture Take that for instance As many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse as it is written Cursed
is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3.10 2dly The Law is taken in a sence all as large as this is strict and that is for the whole Old-Testament So it is likewise taken in several Scriptures Gal. 4.21 Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law do ye not hear the Law For it is written that Abraham had two sons c. where the whole Book of Genesis is made a part of the Law again in Rom. 3. the Apostle makes the Psalms a part of the Law where having quoted a great part of the 14. Psalm in the 19. ver saith he Now we know that whatsoever things the Law saith c. and so in other Scriptures Now to apply the distinction in answer to the last query The Law strictly taken for a Covenant of Works did only teach Christ virtually and by consequence as it taught them that they could not be justified by its righteousness and thus for ought I know the Law in its accusations taught Christ to the Gentiles as it convinced them of the insufficiency of their own righteousness But now the Law in the second sense as taken for the Scriptures of the Old Testament taught Christ formally and directly though more obscurely then the Gospel teacheth him viz. in Types and Prophecies it were endless to reckon up all the Types Promises and Prophesies of Christ that are in the Old-Testament This way indeed the Law could not teach Christ unto the Gentiles who had not the Scriptures of the Old-Testament It is now high time and yet in this place seasonable enough to answer some other parts of the objection which I proposed at large some pages since which pleads for the Law its being a way of Justification unto the Jews at least before the coming of Christ if not to us now and something of that which remains yet unanswered Obj. 2. The Law was given to the Iews as their covnant is this If the Law was not given to be a way of Justification why is it called a Covenant the Old-Testament or Covenant 2 Cor. 3.14 and the first Covenant Heb. 7.8 expresly said to be made with the Children of Israel when the Lord took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Aegypt For whatever you have argued about Adam's estate of innocency that God made a Covenant of Works with him and that if he would he might have been justified by Works by the Law that since him all men have sinned and the Law was no way of Justification to them Whatever you have argued to this purpose say the objectors yet we find not that the Law was given to Adam but onely to the children of Israel by Moses and given to them as a Covenant therefore called the old Covenant or first Covenant in Heb. 8. out of Jer. 31.31 32.33 34. Therefore it was given them as a way of Justification for certainly the Justification that they were to seeke of God they were to seek in the way of a Covenant therefore in the way of the Law which was their Covenant To this I answer some things by way of concession A. 1. By way of concession in two particulars afterwards some things more concluding And first of all I grant that the Law is no where to my remembrance said to be given to Adam but onely to the children of Israel I am sure usually when mention is made of the giving of the law Where the law is said to be given it is to the children of Israel not to Adam Yet Adam had the Law and it was a Covenant of works to him 1. He had the Law it is likewise noted in the same place as given to the children of Israel by Moses so 2 Cor. 3 7. Heb. 8.9 1 Joh. 17. For the Law was given by Moses Gal. 3.19 Wherefore then serveth the Law It was added because of transgressions and it was ordained by Angels upon Mount Sinai in the hands of a Mediator viz. Moses Though when I make this concession that the Law is not said to be given to Adam but to the children of Israel by Moses I still think it may be easily collected from the Scriptures that Adam had the Law too and that it was to him a Covenant of Works 1. That he had the Law for 1. if Adam as a creature had not the Law written in his heart how came the Gentiles who had not the Law given them by Moses to have it written in their hearts 2. Else as I urged it before it had been no sin for man in innocency to have killed whom he pleased to have lyed forsworn himself to have defiled his own body by Adultery or other uncleanness for where there is no Law there is no transgression 3. If Adam had not the Law before his fall how came he to have it written in his heart presently after as it is certain he had for all other men have it so written and I cannot think that Adam alone wanted this excellency of all mankind neither do I think that he got this advantage by his fall to have the effect of the Law written in his heart which he had not written there before therefore he had it written in his heart before the Fall 2 It was to him a Covenant of works 2. It was a Covenant of Works to Adam in innocency For Adam then had no need of Grace or Pardon before his fall and I have proved that the Law is in its own nature a Covenant of Works and Adam had the Law therefore it was a Covenant of Works to Adam I deny not but Adam might have some positive Laws in his Covenant of Works as we find one viz. that of the forbidden fruit My second Concession is this That the Law was given to the Jews as a Covenant 2d Concession and where-ever mention is made of the Old-Covenant or First Covenant the parties covenanted withall are the people of the Jews So it is in 2 Cor. 3.6.14 in the 6. ver we have mention made of the New-Covenant which is that made by Christ in preaching the Gospel and in the 14th of the Old-Testament or Covenant which is that made with the Jews So in Heb. 8.6 7. the first Covenant is that which Moses was the Mediator of the second or better Covenant is that which Christ is the Mediator of this must not cannot be denyed and I have been often offended at persons that when they make a distinction of the Covenants a first and second old and new they make the first that with Adam in innocency the second the Covenant of grace made with the faithful ever since this though it may be true Divinity yet is not Scriptural or if it be somewhat Scriptural yet it is onely to be drawn by consequence out of the Scripture But there is another determination in this business that is more plainly
this legality lies of what it consists which men are so generally inclinable unto and this is the chief thingin the Conviction this I shall dispatch in three Propositions the first is negative shewing what it is not yet ought to be if they understood what they go about 1. It is not a professed putting themselves upon the Law of God strictly as it requires perfect unerring obedience for Justification so the Jews durst not adventure their souls the Jews acknowledged themselves sinners though not such sinners as the Gentiles We find when the Jews brought the Woman to Christ that was taken in Adultery he set the Woman at liberty by this Sentence of stoning her He that hath no sin let him 〈◊〉 the first stone Neither did the Galatians assert themselves free from sins alas they had been sinners of the Gentiles Gal. 4.8 They had been Idolaters and accordingly the Apostle disputes against them with such arguments as took that pro confesso that they were sinners Gal. 3.10 Is many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Now surely as it might be supplyed you will not pretend to have continued in all things therefore you cannot expect to be justified by the works of the Law Though I must needs say this If they had gone wisely to work in their seeking Justification by the Law they must first have found themselves free from sin hitherto of their lives together with a power of keeping themselves free for the remainder of their lives or else must have desisted in the beginning and therefore the Apostle batters down their high imaginations of self-righteousness with such arguments as these The Law saith Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things now you have not continued in all things And in Rom. 3.19 20. when the Apostle had recited a Catalogue of sins out of the Law he infers Now we know that whatsoever things the Law saith it saith to them that are under the Law and so to you Jews especially that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God As much as to have said As for all these sins some are found in one and some in another and where-ever any of them is found there that man's mouth is stopped by the Law and every such person is become guilty or subâ—ect to the Judgement of God 20. Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sin the Law tells you what is sin and so the wrath due to sin and by the Law every transgrestion should receive a just recompence of reward And so Gal. 5.3 I testifie again to every man that is circumcised which was the usual sign of their going off to the Law that he is a debtor to do the whole Law And yet this you dare not undertake O ye Galatians this you dare not profess to do A strange Dispensation that they gave themselves that they would aim to be justified by the Law and yet not hold themselves obliged to keep the whole Law How could they ever think that the Law should justifie them and yet these arguments brought by the Apostle to convince them both shew that they did not pretend to answer the Law byunerring obedience and fulfilling of it as also that they should have done thus had they gone wisely to work So much for the first Proposition shewing what their way was not yet ought to have been had they understood themselves 2. Yet though they did not profess to appeal to a strict Covenant of Works for Justification and did not understand themselves in what they did yet by the way that the Jews Galatians took for righteousness they fell under that way of Works were so reckoned by God to be and by the Apostle in his Discourses against them else his Arguments had concluded nothing against them And the reason is this for that though they did not formally intend a Covenant of Works yet the way they took was of that nature and tendency and we have a distinction in the Schools of sinis Scientiae Scientis now the sinis Scientiae is eternal and unalterable as proceeding from the nature of the thing let the finis Scientis be what it will so if the way they took be legal it is no matter whether they intended it or no. But you will say What was that in their way or what is that in this way which you say men usually taken which makes it so justly and unavoidably be called and reckoned by God a putting our selves under a Covenant of Works though we are not our selves aware of it I answer in the third and last place 3dly Wherein Legality consists positively It is such a mixture of the Covenant of Works with the Covenant of Grace as in which the Covenant of Works is predominant and so most justly gives the denomination to their way I fix upon the Word Predominant For else as I shal shew anon all the Saints have some legal mixtures in their Spirits even whilst they treat God for their justification and acceptation but because they are byassed and swayed more by Evangelical Principles then by Legal they are after the Spirit not after the Flesh in the business of Justification I shewed in the first Proposition that the Jews and Galatians did not profess themselves perfectly holy and so durst not appeal to the Law in a strict sense for a righteousness I shall now further shew how in many things it appears that these Legallists even whilst such did profess and adhere to the Gospel which is the way of Grace and then that yet by reason of their Legal mixtures all their Gospel was soured to them and turned into so much Law and they are no longer to be reckoned for Christians but the Disciples of Moses in Gal. 5.2 3 4. There are three proofs of this together that they were great professors of the Gospel when yet at the same time the Apostle disputes against them as adhering to a Covenant of Works for Justification Ver. 2. Behold I Paul say unto you That if ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Here you see they thought to have had some profit and benefit by Christ Now this was a great mixture of Gospel in their way for if hope of benefit by Christ be not Gospel what is Nay you may see in another place of this Epistle that they had hope in the death of Christ which certâ—inly is a mixture of the Gospel with their Legal way Gal. 2.21 If righteousness come by the Law as your way leads you to say then Christ is dead in vain but you will not allow that Christ died in vain you hope for benefit from the death of Christ notwithstanding your cleaving to
He that is righteous let him be righteous still which two places the Doctor makes use of for proof But that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should have these significations where the Apostle is strictly speaking to the business of Justification I can by no means allow yea I think it most abhorrent from the Apostles designe in this business what saith the Apostle Rom. 3.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is none righteous no not one here the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 There is no other righteousness takes place here And to rip up the whole business again which here I am put upon by the Doctor 's assertion and interpretations though otherwise I might have gone on smoothly in my way First of all surely the Doctor will not deny that Justification and Sanctification have different proper conceptions and notions which they are to be understood by that Justification is God's pardoning our sins and receiving our persons into special love and favour that Sanctification is a mans likeness to God in his heart and life or if the Doctor should deny this there are several places will evidence it I shall name but two Acts 13.38 39. Be it know unto you therefore Men and Brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and by him all that BELIEVE are justified FROM ALL THINGS from which yee could not be justified by the Law of Moses That is saith Dr Hammond shall certainly be freed and purged from the wrath of God and the punishments attending sin in another world from which the Law of Moses could not by all its Ceremonies Washings and Sacrifices purge or cleanse us The other Scripture shall be that in Janes 12.24 Yee see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith onely Take Justification here for sanctification and let any one see if he can make sence of it nay it is plain in that Chapter that Justification is taken for being highly approved of God and being made the friend of God ver 25. And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and then as it were exegetical of that expression it is added he was called the friend of God But I know the Dr will allow of the particular without this proof That Justification and Sanctification have these different and proper conceptions mentioned 2dly Certainly the Dr. will allow that the Apostle Paul hath a mighty vigorous and curious Discourse concerning Justification in its proper notion or its foreusal acception as the Dr himself expresseth it pag. 379. ad finem The Apostle forms a professed Discourse nay a Dispute with the Jew and Judaizing-Gentile upon the business of Justification taken for Divine approbation they thought to obtain the favour of God one way but he shews them another These two particulars I shall take for granted Now I proceed 3dly The Apostle therefore being to remove one way of Justification viz. that of the Legallist and to set up another he makes mention of two Righteousnesses one of the Law the other of Faith That of the Law as I have shewed in the beginning of this Treatise is a perfect conformity to the Law perfect inherent righteousness unerring obedience this saith the Apostle no man hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is none righteous no not one and the Apostle in that third chap. of the Rom. by enumerating all sorts of sins which we are all more or less guilty of proves that no man can be jusâ—â—ed by the Law this righteousness therefore the Apostle having fully removed as an impossible unattainable thing he as a Messenger from heaven substitutes another righteousness which he calls Gods Righteousness in opposition to our own the righteousness of God is revealed that is that righteousness which God will accept and what is that why it is Faith The righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith as it is written The Just shall 〈◊〉 â—aith Rom. 1.16.17 The scope of the Apostles Discourse I doubt not is this That God hath designed and determined that seeing men have lost their Original purity and to can no longer stand upon their own bottom he will take them off from it altogether and make them live a life of pure dependance upon himself and that is by faith which must have holiness of life attending it and those that come off to do this renounce themselves their own righteousness and all creature-dependencies and roll themselves and all their concerns upon him and upon his Son though their imperfections may be 〈◊〉 yet this their faith shall be imputed to them â—â—r righteousness which they may plead for their â—â—tilication according to the Law of the new Covenant and they shall pass for righteous men as truly iustified and approved as if they had perfectly kept the whole Law under which they were created especially since God had made provision otherways how thâ— honor of that Law might receive râ—â—â—ation viz. by the death of his Son upon the Cross And this I suppose is no santastical notion of Justification by Faith which I suppose the Dr. is chiefly set against and seeing how many wayer men had corrupted the Doctrine of Justification by Faith after he had solidly confuted their opinions betakes himself to that of his own which I dare say had no evil intention though I still affirm that it is most unhappily exprest and I cannot but read it with a great displeasure and indignation For to think that the Apostle should make so much to do to decry the design of a legal Righteousness which in truth was no other in it self but true and real onely it must be perfect holiness however the Legallists all along in their pursuit after the Righteousness of the Law minded nothing less I say for the Apostle to dispute so vigorously against a Righteousness by perfect unerring obedience under the name of one's own righteousness and to set up Faith as Gods righteousness and yet that this righteousness of saith should signifie nothing else but those poor inconsiderable effects of Faith in holiness of life which the greatest part of Christians attain unto onely this seems a mean business for the Apostle to labour about Alas 't is true Faith works holiness and all the great Legallists shall never attain by all their stir and ado to so much true holiness as the meanest believer attains unto but yet this which we attain though by faith is nothing to give name to a righteousness in the sight of God for Justification to be justified by or for our holiness of faith is a low and base expression of Gospel-Justification The righteousness of Faith is an higher thing when a man comes off from himself and from all Creature-dependencies and professeth to live upon the Power and Goodness and Faithfulness of God and the blood spirit of Christ alone such a
unerring obedience faith was but a part of our duty which we owed to God under the first Covenant that is relying upon the power goodness and veracity of God and therefore where-ever faith comes to be our righteousness or our chief righteousness it argues that there is a great deficiency in the creature that is so to be justified and accordingly the Apostle often glances upon this that glorying is in this way excluded not by the law of works but by the law of faith Faith therefore cannot justifie by any natural excellency that it hath in it for though all the men in the world being now sinners and obnoxious to punishment by the law of their creation should resolve of their own accord to believe that there is so much goodness in God that he will not destroy the work of his own hands so depending upon his mercy and therefore they will endeavour to do all those things which they think may be pleasing and acceptable to him why all this faith and confidence attended with the most sincere obedience will not extort a Justification from Almighty God except it be in his good pleasure to justifie such believers and such obedient persons because they were all obnoxious to punishment for the breach of his law Faith therefore cannot justifie but by reason of divine ordination and constitution that hath passed upon it such as this The just shall live by faith and That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.9 and for this reason I suppose it is so often called Gods righteousness Rom. 10.3 because it was a righteousness not in its own nature as works were but a righteousness purely of divine appointment This is Mr John Goodwin's notion of it Pag. 34. of the Banner of Justification displayed God was pleased to decree or make this for a law which the Apostle calleth the law of faith Rom. 3.27 that faith or believing in him through Christ should interesse men in the benefit or blessing of the death and blood shed of Christ that is in that remission of sins which was purchased by his death And in this consideration faith justifieth viz. by virtue of the Soveraign authority of that most gracious Decree or Law of God wherein he hath said or decreed that it shall intitle men unto or inright them in part and fellowship of that benefit of the death of Christ which consisteth in the forgiveness of sins or which comes much to the same as it is a qualification or condition ordained covenanted or appointed by God to bring upon those in whom it shall be found the great blessing of that pardon of sin which Christ hath obtained for men by his blood This is Mr Baxter's opinion too that is That saith justifies as it is made the chief condition of the N. Covenant Page 225 of his Aphorisms Thesis 57. It is the act of faith which justifieth men at age and not the habit yet NOT AS IT IS A GOOD WORK this is directly against Dr Moor's affirmation who faith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing else but to be approved as a good man or a doer of that which is righteous and good and that BECAUSE he doth that which is good and righteous methinks here is a Justification for good works purely and if faith comes in here to justifie it doth it only as it is a good work Mr Baxter is of another minde viz. That faith doth not justifie only under that quaâ—enus or reduplication AS a good work Faith saith Mr Baxter in the Thesis quoted doth not justlfie AS it is a good work or as it hath in it self any excellency above other graces But in the NEAREST SENSE DIRECTLY AND PROPERLY as it is the fulfilling the condition of the New Covenant c. But now though I have affirmed that it doth not justifie purely from its own nature Though faith doth not justisie purely from it's own nature yet it hath a great excellency in it self which might somewhat recommend it to this service but chiefly from the ordination of God and that it could not have justified without this ordination yet I shall adde that it had in its own nature a great fitness to be chosen of God for this eminent service to justifie men by It was the fittest medium that we can imagine when the first natural way of works failed to promote the honour of God and the good of the creature in Justification which consideration commends highly the wisdom of God in setting it apart for this use as the chief condition of our Justification To evince the truth of this let us consider a little the natural excellencyes that there are in faith And first of all faith takes in all spiritual objects 1 Excellency of Faith and represents them to the soul so that all other graces are beholden to faith for their objects Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen hope could not be if faith did not give a real and evident being and subsistence to the things that we hope for as also to all other the invisible and unseen things which a Christian a Saint as such converseth with and lives upon Again ver 6. of that chap. 11. Without faith 't is impossible to please God For he that comes unto God must believe that he is Now it is by faith that we believe and know that God is ver 27. by faith Moses forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible by faith Moses saw him that is invisible I will acknowledge that reason may finde out that there is a God but if a mans wayes please God his reason delivers over this observation to his faith which is an higher thing an higher principle in the soul then reason though it never contradicts true reason yet it is somewhat above meer reason * If any one here will say that faith in such a case as the belief that there is a God is much the same with reason or a rational conviction of the truth of such a Proposition I will not much contend only because here the divine Penman sayes it is by saith we believe there is a God and his assertion must have a truth in it we may distinguish Reason Faith thus That Faith is a more particular faculty or habit of divine principles such as respect God and Religion but Reason is a more general faculty conversant about all objects whatsoever and this consideration must come in That meer Reason only makes one a man but Faith makes a man a Saint and therefore this Faith must have a divine afflatus and spirit in it beyond meer reason It is by faith that we believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him And these two
transgressions of the Law Now therefore what remains but this that if Jesus will save his people from their sins if he will deliver the Law 's Captives he must make satisfaction to the Law The Law was such a thing as must not be dealt with in a way of violence 't is true when our Saviour came to redeem us from the power of Satan he did that by an holy violence he fought with all the powers of hell upon his Cross and conquered them by force of arms as I may speak and triumphed over them in himself or in his Cross but now the Law must be taken off in a more honourable way for the Law had an authority in it the Law was nothing but the will of God revealed for mans life with a reward and threatnings annexed so that the great God himself stood up in vindication of his own Law that if the Prisoners of it were rescued it must be upon such terms as these which appear what they were by the event That he that is the Saviour of the Law 's Captives must first be made under the Law himself The terms upon which the Law 's captives be delivered God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law And secondly That he must pass thorough a legal Justification himself before he can take others off from the Laws condemnation for being made under it the Law must either justifie him or condemne him which latter it did not for any personal breach that he made of it therefore it must and did acquit him But then for us who were under the curse of the Law if he will deliver us from it he must be made a curse Gal. 3.13 if he will save us from our sins which were invigorated by the Law with a sentence of condemnation all the strength of sin for condemnation being in the Law he himself must be made sin that is as much as an immaculate Lamb could be viz. a sin-offering 2 Cor. 5.21 he was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him that is that we might be made righteous by Gods accepting Gospel conditions instead of legal for our Justification If Christ will redeem us from the wrath of the Law which is the wrath of God the Law worketh wrath Rom. 4 15. truely he must come under that wrath so farr as it was possible for such an innocent person to be under it and we know that he was under as horrible a desertion as ever any that trusted in God was under and that at such a time when he needed the greatest supports even when he hung upon the Cross crying My God My God words of an high saith why hast thou forsaken mee words expressing a most dreadfull desertion Math. 27 46. Not to mention his agony in the Garden which was but a fore-taste of that Cup which he was afterwards to drink off And methinks there is an eminent place for this in Zech. chap. 13. ver 7. saith the Lord there as it were stirring up his wrath against Christ Awake O Sword against my Shepherd and against the man that is my Fellow saith the Lord of Hosts As much as to say there is a man upon earth that is my Fellow and he hath undertaken to rescue the Law 's Captives to redeem them from under the Law Curse and Wrath now awake my Sword against him Here the great God the Lord of Hosts doth as it were set himself in battel array against Christ but what doth Christ now Doth he make resistance doth he redeem his Captives from the Law by forceâ— No though he were equal with God though he were God's Fellow as here the Lord calls him yet he made it not a prey or a robbery to be equal with God so as to hold it fast and stand it out but gave way he knew what he had undertaken to redeem Captives indeed but it was from under the Law the righteous and holy and pure law of God and this must not be violated this must not be resisted He had to do with his Father and there must be no resisting him The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it John 18.11 Though he were God's Fellow though he were equal to God as it is Phil. 2.6 7 8. Yet he made himself of no reputation he laid aside his equality took upon him the form of a Servant and humâ—â—ed himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross And this was the utmost that the Law could do to him here the Law ended it's rage the Law brought Christ to the Cross and when he ascended the Cross he bare our sins in his own body 1 Pet. 2.24 and being as yet under the Law for the Law pressed him with our sins he carried up the Law as Sampson did the gates of the City upon his shoulders Judges 16.3 he carried up the Law upon the Cross he nailed the Law to the Cross both Moral and Ceremonial as to all it's condemning power as to all that wherein it was a gainst us wherein it was contrary unto us he answerit fully cancelled it and left it behinde him upon the Cross to this very day Christ came down again but the Law could never come down since Col 2.14 Blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was AGAINST US THAT WAS CONTRARY UNTO US and took it out of the way â—ailing it to his Cross Now this was the manner of Christ's enervating the Law and leaving it without strength or obligation upon us to punishment as the expression is Rom 76. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law is made of no strength against us so it might be rendred though the Translation is this we are delivered fram the Law the Law can hold us captives no longer it is made a weak and a vain thing to us having spent all it's rage fury upon Christ for the Law could do no more then it did upon Christ what can the Law do more to a debtor nay to any malefactor then arrest him bring him to trial and execution and all this the Law did upon Christ as our surety and so left no strength or vigour in it self against those whose Surety he was The Law when it fell upon us it left us without strength Rom. 5.6 When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly but when Christ comes to deal with the Law he leaves the Law without strength nay though he offered no affront or violence to the Law yet he left it for dead as it is Rom. 7 6. Now we are delivered from the Law THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD The Law that fell upon us when we were weak was taken by the Captain of our salvation and left for dead nay he made it suffer the same death that it put him to The Law nailed Christ to
God a Sacrifice for our sins give his life a ransome c. and though the Father loved him all the while as I cannot admit that the Father was really angry with Christ or that he tasted the Fathers wrath for God could never be angry with one that never displeased him yet undertaking such a load as our sins the Father would deal with him much like as with a sinner leave him to men and devils upon the Cross and with-draw the light of his countenance which forced those sad out-cryes upon the Cross Now upon condition of Christ's performing this great service which was as I verily believe the chiefest designe of his coming into the world for this cause came I to this hour John 12.27 though there were divers other great designes of his coming I say upon condition of performing this great service the great God of heaven would reckon that his word of threatning was fulfilled and the holiness of his Law satisfied in this eminent signification of his displeasure against sin shewn upon his own Son whom he would not spare when he had taken our sins upon him and for ever after would grant this new and living way of Justification unto the world THAT WHOSOEVER SHOULD BELIEVE AND OBEY SINCEREEY should be justified and saved and that for all such they should be no longer under the Law for their Justification but under Grace And I can understand no other sense of the Law 's being dead and Grace it's reigning through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ I shall only need to minde one thing before I go off from this particular The subjects of the great Priviledge of freedom from the Law and that is the subjects of this priviledge of freedom from the Law And they are only so many as put themselves upon the way of believing for Justification all others are really under the Law still When we were in the flesh the motions of sins which were by the Law did work in our members c. Rom. 7.5 All that are in the flesh are under the Law still But now saith the Apostle we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held The Law was alive before to their conscience whilest they were in the flesh and out of Christ but now the Law was become dead to them which plainly argues that the Law is dead or alive to men in the condemning power of it according to the state that a man is in either of sin or holiness So Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace plainly implying that if they were under the Law sin would have dominion over them an also that if sin had dominion over them it were a plain signe that they were under the law This being a great truth in this matter That all that are not serving God in the way of faith are under the law for that the law is the natural way which a man is born under and the way of faith and grace a superadded dispensation upon consideration of the death of Christ for all those that should believe and obey sincerely therefore till they get into the way of believing they must be in that state which men are naturally born under that is under the law I shall conclude this particular with a passage about Dr Preston I have heard it affirmed by one that was contemporary with Dr Preston in Cambridge a person of credit and worth that he heard him preach to this purpose That Christ dyed to make this Proposition true that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH SHALL BE SAVED Now this I suppose is full to the purpose for proof of what I am upon That Christ dyed to buy a people off from the law that they might be justified by faith he dyed to buy those off from the law that should prove believers as for all others he leaves them to the law still For Christ did not dye to get the law annihilated or made utterly void Do we make void the law God forbid saith the Apostle Rom. 3.31 but he laid down his life for HIS SHEEP and to save HIS PEOPLE from their sins he bought them off from the law such as St Paul I through the law am dead to the law but not for wicked men that is such as continue so they shall finde the law alive to them and full charged with wrath against them it being nothing else but the holy will of the great God unto which all his creatures owe an exact conformity Now by what hath been said I suppose is plainly and fully proved that which I made my first assertion viz. That Christ Jesus in his own person here upon earth underlook and answered the law for all believers so that they may be justified for any accusation that the law hath to charge them with and thus they come under grace and into this easier and sweeter way of Justification in a comly manner the law being honourably taken off So that now God may be just that is mercifull saith Dr Hammond upon the place and the justifier of every one that believes in Jesus Rom. 3 24 25 26. He may now justifie the ungodly Rom. 4.5 which by the law if that had not been taken off by Christ he could not I think have done Methinks what I have said should be a clear proof of this assertion seeing I have not only proved that it is so but shewn out of the Scripture the very manner how the law was taken off All that I can apprehend to remain any whit doubtful or questionable is this How doth it appear that what Christ did in suffering under the law being under the curse c. did reach to the times that were before Christ's coming into the world it may be easily conceived how it makes clear way for our Justification by faith who have lived since his death for if he bare our sins the law will not charge them upon us if he dyed for us or in our stead we are not by the law to die if Christ were sacrificed for us as our Passover we need not fear if we have the Gospel-conditions of Covenant-relation to God in Christ but the destroying law will pass over us see how the word Passover comes from passing over Exod. 12.21 23 27. But how doth it appear that this death of Christ had this influence upon the times of the Old Testament to bring in the way of Justification by faith to them for that you have asserted that the way of Justification by faith hath been in all ages both before the law and under the law as well as now in the dayes of the Gospel and that none was ever justified in any other way Now how were they taken off from the law and brought under Justification by faith or how doth it appear that the death of Christ was the foundation of this way of Justification by faith even to them And unto the
justified man is a just man in the sight of God To be justified before God or in the sight of God or by God are all one for it is the same phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in both places and the meaning is onely this that God must reckon that man just whosoever is justified according to that in 2 Cor. 10.18 Not he that commendeth himself is approved I may add not he whom all the men on earth or all the Augels in Heaven commend is therefore approved but whom the Lord commendeth This act or state of Justification is variously expressed in the Scripture I shall give just a taste of it The description of â—ustification vâ—ried in the Scripture In Gen. 4.7 It is called God's accepting of us If thou dost well shall thou not be accepted And again Gods having respect unto us in the same chap. v. 4.5 The Lord had respect unto Abel and unto his Offering but unto Cain and his Offering he had not respect Once more Justification is expressed thus To have a Tessimony from God that we please him Heb. 11.6 But I shall keep to my first description because that is especially made use of by the Apostle Paul in his professed Discourses upon this subject viz. That Justification is a mans being reputed just and righteous in the sight of God and indeed the Apostle Paul as a close Disputant keeps to his terms and rallyes all the terms of a sort together which in this business are these three especially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Just Justice or Rightcousness and Justification Every â—ustified personâ—s reputed a just man by vertue of a Justice or Righteousness that constitutes him so or at least makes him a Subject immediately sit for this Act of Justification to pass upon him For Justification is a legal or judicial Act the Act usually of a Court. Now men in their Courts will not pronounce a man just when he is accused or is brought upon his justification except there be a righteousness appearing in him except there be something sufficient brought in his justification And do we think that God wil transact such a great business more slightly than we are wont to do Why this Justification of a mans person it is done in the sight of God and that I may a little illustrate it it seems to be done in the Court of Heaven before all tht Augels of God for they reâ—oice at the conversion of a Sinner and so at his Justification Luke 12.8 9.15.10 Therefore in the Court of Heaven when one is to be justified the great inquiry that is made is after a Righteousness And the Apostle Paul's Epistles when he treats of this subject ring of nothing so loudly as of a Righteousness No less then thirty several time doth the Apostle make mention of that Word Rightcousness in that one Epistle to the Rom. and and at least twenty of those times it is referred unto Justification therefore Justification must be by a Righteonsness The great Question therefore is this What is the Righteousness which if a man have he is a Subject capable of being justified that is reputed a just man in the sight of God Now the Answer to this Question cannot be made till I have established four preliminary Propositions The first position is this That there are only two kinds of righteousness imaginable by us or rather but two to be found in Scripture they are by the Apostle fairly distinguished each part of the distinction expressed in several synonymaes or words signifying the same thing There is the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 10.5.6 The Righteousness of God and our own Righteousness Rom. 10.3 And as Righteousness is thus variously distinguished so is Justification which is the Reward of Righteousness said to be of several kinds according to the several Righteousness which it proceeds upon if the Righteousness be that of the Law by the Works of the Law then is the Reward reckoned of Debt if the Righteousness be that of Faith the Reward is in the nature of a Grace or Gift Rom. 4 4. Now to him that worketh according to the Law the Reward is not reckoned of Grace but of Debt and 〈◊〉 contra to him that believeth and is for the Righteousness of Faith the Reward that is Justification is reckoned of Grace not of Debt Having thus given a distinct account what Justification is how that it is the constituting a man just before God and what ground or reason it proceeds upon viz. Upon a Righteousness found with the person to be justified he hath a Righteousness to plead for him And having given you the onely distinction that there is of Righteousness it is of the Law or Faith however either part of the distinction may be varied in synonymous expressions and so the Justification following upon one of these Righteousnesses viz. That of the Law is of Debt upon the other viz. The Righteousness of Faith is of Grace I shall draw up the terms that belong to either part of the distinction whether of Righteousness or Justification together that so ye may see the Apostle is full of these two and only these two as also that the Scriptures may appear wherein this subject is touched at and so fall upon a fair dispute for the Cause which is this Whether of these two ways must serve us in the present state of things Which way of Righteousness which way of Justification we must betake our selves unto if we would be saved For without Justification no Salvation and Salvation at the day of Judgement will follow onely upon our Justification in this life God will then do that in the face of all the world in acquitting or condemning which now he doth effectually in a more covert and secret manner To draw up therefore these two parties into the field 1. The Law in its party or list of Synonyma's hath these severals The works of the Law 2 Gal. 1.6 The deeds of the Law Rom. 3.20.28 The Law of Works ver 27. By works without any addition of the Law If Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory Rom. 4.2 Here glorying and boasting belong to this Tribe too as a consequent upon Legal-Justification or Law-Justification The Verb used is this To him that worketh I shall not instance in any further Synonyma's belonging to the Law such as this that it is called a fleshly way and flesh Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh I come to give the synonymaes or conjugata that belong to the way of Faith The substantives are these 1. Faith alone Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness The Faith of God Rom. 3.3 The Law of Faith ver 27. The righteousness of faith Rom. 4.13 Grace 't is of Faith that it might be of Grace Abundance of Grace and the gift of righteousness Rom. 5.17 It
the Law is manifested even the righteousness which is of God by Faith 24. Being justified freely by his Grace 28. Therefore we conclude That a man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law The 7th and last Proposition is this That de facto there hath been no other way of Justification which hath taken effect upon any sinful man nor any other way adhered to by any of the true Saints of God since the fall of Adam but this way of Faith And the Apostle takes this way of proof viz from the event For most people are more affected with Events then with Arguments from the nature and profound reason of the thing Therefore having proved it first from the nature of the law I come to examples and they shall be but two one plain the other mystical and lastly prove it from a Testimony out of David to this way of Justification by Faith herein following the Apostle in the way which he takes or rather herein onely marking out the way which he takes not imitating it in doing the like The first and onely-plain example which the Apostle proves Justification by Faith by is that of Abraham this example of Abraham the Apostle hath continual recourse to in his Discourses of this subject both in the Romans and Galatians and well might having to deal with the Jews and Jewdâ—izing Gentiles who gloryed in nothing more then to be called and accounted Abraham's Seed and the Apostle in his urging this Example plainly proceeds upon such a supposition as this Certainly your Father Abraham was justified in the right way and you will desire to be justified in no other way then he was Now He prove to you clearly that he was not justified by the law nor by vvorks but by Faith by the promise therefore justification is not by the lavv nor by vvorks but by Faith Thus the Apostle argues Rom. 4. Gal. 3. Rom. 4.1 What shall we say then that Abraham our Father as pertaining to the flesh hath found That is either Abraham our fleshly Father hath found or Abraham our Father hath found according to the flesh that is in the vvay of a fleshly righteousness VVhat hath he found Hath he found Justification by the flesh Shall vve say he hath It follovvs ver 2. For if Abrahaw were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God that is but he hath not vvhereof to glory before God therefore he vvas not justified by vvorks For if he vvere justified by vvorks he might glory before God for the lavv of vvorks if a man hath these vvorks doth not exclude glorying before God But novv Abraham hath not vvhereof to glory before God therefore he vvas not justified by works v. 3. For what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness v. 4 5. Now he that believeth as the Scriture saith Abraham did he worketh not that is seeks not Justification by works Novv see Gal. 3. vvhere the same example is brought in proof by the Apostle v. 6. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness v. 7. Knovv therefore that they which are of Faith and for the way of believing the same are the true Children of Abraham and the onely blessed or justified persons v. 18. For if the Inheritance be of the Law it is no more of the Promise but God gave it to Abraham by Promise therefore he had not the Inheritance by the Law nor the Works of it therefore we must not expect it that way for we must bejustified the same way that Abraham was Having given you the plain example I shal likewise give you the Mystical or Allegorical example which the Apostle produceth to prove this last assertion that de facto Faith hath been all along the way of Justification and it is safe using Allegories when the truth is once well established and I have heard it observed that the Jews were much taken with this way of Allegories The Allegorical example therefore is that of Hagar and Saraah The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah Isaac and Ishmael in Gal. 4. from the 21. ver to the end The substance of it is this Hagar was Mount Sinai in Arabia and that Mountain vvhich the Jews call Sinai the Arabians call Hagar Novv upon Mount Sinai or Mount Hagar vvas the Lavv delivered as much as to say Allegorically Hagar and her Seed are for Mount Sinai for the Lavv and the Works of it for justification But novv Sarah ansvvers Jerusalem that is above and to Mount Sion that is she vvas a Type of the Gospel-Church vvhich is for Justification by Faith Novv vvhat saith the Scripture v 30. concerning these tvvo Mothers and their Children vvhich was not onely true literally but is to be understood mystically and figuratively of the two Seeds of those two sorts of men that adhere the one to the Law for justification the other to the way of believing what saith the Scripture Cast out the Bond-woman and her son for the son of the Bond-woman shall not be heir with the Son of the Free-woman as much as to say Those that go to Mount Sinai to the Law for Justification shall never be heirs of God but only the Gospel-Churcch those that adhere to the way of Justification by Faith according to that Scripture Gal. 3.18 If the Inheritance be of the Law it is no more of the Promise but God gave it to Abraham and Sarah and her Seed by promise Abraham is the Father of us all Rom. 4.16 and Saraah vvhich ansvvers to Jerusalem that is above is the Mother of us all Gal. 4.26 Novv if any should object that this prove de facto onely since Abrahams time for all that vvould be accounted of his Seed I ansvver Let them look into Heb. 11. and there they may see a Catalogue of Saints from Abels time dovvn to the time of the Maccabees and in the end of that chap it is said These all obtained a good report through faith ver 39. I come novv to my last proof vvhich vvas to be from Testimony out of David vvhich the Apostle likevvise makes use of for an Argument Rom 4.6 7. vvherein the Apostle tells us there is a description of the blessedness of Justification and particularly that Justification vvhich is by Faith and give me a Scriprure-description this is Authentick and Divine Ver. 6. Even as David alsâ— describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom Goâ— imputeth righteousness without works This is purely a description of Justification by Faith Now what is it It follows v. 7 8. saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin Here David makes him the onely blessed man that is justified by Faith and what is this Justification other then pardon of sin forgiveness of Iniquity Mercy Grace a thing that the Law is not acquainted with the Law cannot
justifie the ungodly as Faith can Rom. 4.5 How Faith receives pardon and what this Faith is I shall have best opportunity to discover in the following part of this Discourse in the mean time I reckon that I have established these two positions in the general that the Law is now no way of Justification and that Faith which is the way of Grace and Pardon is the only way left us which sufficiently appears from Reason and Example the Reason is that of the fall and sinfulness of mankind The Example is that of Abraham which may serve instead of all and that which is of kin to it viz. the Allegory of Hagar and Sarah Isaac and Ishmael together with all the Saints of the Old-Testament reckoned up in Heb. 11. To which as an overplus I may adde the reason of God's approbation of this way of believing and preferring this way before the reviving the old way of Works again And this we have Rom. 4.16 The reason why after there was once a necessity of pardon the Lord was pleased to continue the way of grace altogether Therefore it is of Faith that it might be by Grace When once man had fallen and so brought on a necessity of another way of Salvation if the Lord wouldshew so much mercy when once the way of Grace became necessary the Great God liked this way of Grace altogether not to pardon man and then set him up a new in the way of Works and the Lord liked the continuation of the way of Grace rather then re-introducing the old way that hereby he might have a great revenue of Glory from his Grace which would be shown in this way the Lord liked not so well that his Creature should come and as it were challenge his Justification and Salvation as a Debt which in the way of the Law he might have done To him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of Grace but of Debt The Lord liked not that the Creature should glory and boast that it had saved it self as in the way of Works it might have done for glorying is not excluded by the Law of Works but onely by the Law of Faith whereas this way of Grace excludes glorying and that indebtedness of God to the Creature and holds the Creature in continual debt and obligation to God When Paul would have had the Thorn in the flesh the Messenger of Satan taken off from buffeting him the Lord teacheth Paul to be contented with this answer My Grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness 2 Cor. 12 7 8 9. This way of believing taught Paul to depend upon the Grace and Strength of God by which the Lord received an Honour which he should not have had if the temptation had been suddenly taken off And this we find to be the great Reason alledged by the Apostle frequently in this subject God in the way of his Gospel-Grace goes quite cross to that way which man would have chosen for this very reason to hinder man's glorying and boasting so we have it 1 Cor. 1.28 29. The base things of the World and things which are despised hath God chosen to bring to nought the things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence And in the 30.31 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption that according as it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord So in Rom. 3. when the Apostle had shewed what God had declared to be his Righteousness even that of Faith Where is glorying then saith the Apostle It is excluded Again the righteousness of the Law and Works is called our own righteousness but Faith is called the righteousness of God Rom. 3.22 Now God will not allow that we should be justified by our own righteousness he will have another righteousness which is not our own that we may glory in him alone Having asserted and proved those two Positions That the Law is no way and that Faith is the onely way of Justification I come now to answer the objections that may be made against what I have asserted either in behalf of the Law or against the way of believing The great objection and that which contains almost all that can be mentioned is started by the Apostle Paul himself Gal. 3.19 Object Wherefore then serveth the law Wherefore then serveth the Law is the Law of no use then as you seem to make it For if it were once a way of life as you acknowledge and the Scripture affirms it was ordained to be unto life Rom. 7.10 and it be now no way unto life but the way of Faith onely is then you make it an old antiquated thing out of date out of use And the Apostle is sensible that this inconvenience would be objected Rom. 3.31 Do we then make void the Law through Faith But the meaning of the objection in Gal. 3.19 is chiefly this Wherefore then serveth the Law that is To what end or purpose was the Law given to the Children of Israel by Moses You assert say the objectors that as soon as Adam fell the Law became of no use to him nor any of his posterity in the matter of Justification but yet we find that the Law was given by Moses 2000. years after Adam's fall and it was given in the most glorious manner with the most astonishing glory that ever God appeared in at any time unto the World it was delivered by Angels with the voice of a Trumpet with Thundering and Lightning and Earthquakes so that the whole Mountain was of a fire and all the people saw and heard the thunder and fire and the voice of Words Yea God himself is said to descend upon the Mount in fire and speak with Moses Deut. 4.17 18 19 20. Heb. 18.19 20 21. And say the Objectors Whereas you seem to say in your third Position That the Law was onely a way of Justification to Adam The Scripture makes no mention that ever the Law was given to Adam but onely to the Children of Israel and when ever you have a comparison made between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace or betwixt the Lavv and Faith it is the comparing still of the Covenant vvith the Children of Israel under the Old-Testament and the Nevv-Covenant mad by Christ vvith his people under the Gospel So vve sind these two ways compared in 2 Cor. 3. throughout the chap. and Heb. 8. throughout that chapter but especially from v. 6. to the end In 2 Cor. 3. there the Law is indeed called a Ministration of death but yet it is the Law of Moses for in the same ver it is said to be written engraven in stones which is plainly the Law of the ten Commandments and that when Moses brought them to the people his countenance had such a glory and lustre upon it that the children of Israel could not
stedfastly behold his face ver 7. And this Law of Moses is called the Old-Testament ver 6. And this is that which is compared with the Gospel which Paul preached ver 12.13 Seeing that we have such hope we use great plainness of speech and not as Moses which put a vail over his face c. Ergo The Law reacht further then the days of Adam for a way of Justification for it was given to the Children of Israel by Moses and it was their Covenant or Testament and if it be done away it was not till the dayes of the Gospel by Christ according to that of the Apostle John 1 John 17. The Law was given by Moses but Grace came by Jesus Christ So in Gal. 3 23. Before Faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed So in Heb 8.6 speaking of Christ But now hath he obtained a more excellent Ministry by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which was established upon better promises ver 7. For if that first Covenant had been faultless then should no place have been sought for the second but finding fault he saith Behold the dayes come saith the Lord when I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers when I brought them out of the Land of Aegypt And what Covenant was that I pray but the Law the Law of Moses ver 13. In that he saith a New Covenant he hath made the first old now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away From this whole context I conclude sayes the objector That the Law which is famously known to be the Law of Moses was a Conant till Christs time at least with the people of of God Jews and Proselytes and so a way of Justification which is quite contrary to your fifth and seventh Positions or else shew of what use the Law was when given to the Children of Israel besides this of being a way of Justification or a Covenant of Works which is all one Wherefore then serveth the Law Is it of no use now unto us Or rather wherfore then was it given to the Jews Was it of no use to them Was it not their Covenant And therefore must it not be their way of Justification Else shew how it would deserve the Name of the first or old Covenant or Testament Nay to adde a little more matter of Objection the Law hath the Language of a Covenant a condition annexed and that when it was given to the children of Israel and the Lord tells his people Lev. 18.5 after the delivery of the Law That if a man do these things he shall live And Moses is said by the Apostle Paul Rom. 5.10 in those words of Leviticus to describe a legal righteousness in opposition to the Righteousness of Faith For Moses describeth the righteousness of the Law that the man which doth those things shall live by them but the righteousness which is of Faith speakethon this wise that is in an opposite manner Therefore certainly saith the objection the Law when it was given by Moses was given as a way of Justification Nay our Saviour himself saith in Luke 10.28 speaking of the law of Moses This do and thou shalt live Therefore certainly the law is a way if not the onely way of Justification unto fallen man for those Jews then were fallen as well as we are now This is the objection which is indeed weighty and considerable and of purpose raised by the Apostle in the first great branch of it that it might receive an answer It consists of several branches to all which I shall endeavour to apply an answer in its place and first I shall begin with that part which is greatest which when well answered the rest will receive an easie solution and it is this For what ends or purposes was the Law given to the Children of Israel if not for a way of Justification Now as I gave the objection first in the Apostles words so I shall give you the answer to it in his words in that same Chap. Gal. 3. This great objection therefore the Apostle answers in the same way that our Saviour sometimes answered the cavilling Pharisees with a question all as hard or harder A You come saith the Apostle in a cavilling way against the Doctrine of Faith which we preach and tell me the law hath been a way and therefore is a way and the way of Justification and you tell me it was not onely a way to Adam in innocency but to all the people of God before that Jesus and we his Apostles preached up this way of believing And you go to prove this last thing that you say that it was the way to all the Saints of God till Christ's time which is the great thing that I deny by a meer cavil Forsooth else wherefore doth it serve Of what use else is it And I answer you with an harder question by far Wherefore then sereth the promise To what end serve the promises To what end serves the Gospel that was preached to Abraham Gal. 3.8 The Scriptute foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham c. You ask To what end serveth the Law then And I ask To what end serveth the Gospel then that was preached to Abraham before the law was given Yea to what end serves the Covenant made of God in Christ to Aâ—braham and his Seed 430. years before ever the law was given by Moses ver 17. Shall I ever be induced to believe that when God had set up a way of Grace nay had established confirmed it in a Covenant not to Adam only who was a remote Father but to our Father Abraham and his Seed nay had confirmed it in Christ shall I think that the law coming by Moses 430 years after should disannul this Covenant and make the promise of none effect What did God repent of his being so gracious and set up a way that had no Grace and can have no Grace in it or was not the great God obliged to make good his Promise and Covenant Why if it be but a mans covenant yet after it is confirmed no man disannulleth or addeth thereto Now this was Gods Covenant and therefore saith the Apostle Gal. 3 15 16 17 18. that is This is the full scope and genius of his Discourse Finding thus a Covenant made and confirmed so long before I wil never believe it can never be that the law coming so long after should come in to put an end to it to make the way of Justification by Faith to cease What ever therefore the law came for this could never be the end of it And here the Apostle might have ended the enquiry having silenced the question by a greater For it is as certain
Scriptural in the words and phrases of Scripture which is that the first Covenant the old Covenant or Testament is God's Covenant with the Jews by Moses the new Covenant is that made with the faithful by Christ and what others aim at in that other way of stating the Covenants may be attained without that confusion which they make Having made two as fair Concessions as the objectors can desire A. 2. I come now to the determination of the question or repelling the Objection after I have minded you of a distinction of the Law which I lately gave and it was this That sometimes the Law is taken strictly for the bare command with the threatning annexed to the breach of it and the promise of life upon the strict obeence of it So it is in Gal. 3.10 sometimes it is taken for the whole Old-Testament as Rom. 3.19 where the Psalms of David are made a part of the law sometimes taken for the five Books of Moses as in Luke 24.44 where the Old-Testament is divided into these three parts The Law of Moses the Prophets and the Psalms Now I answer Take the Law in the first sence for a Covenant of Works strictly and so it was not given for a Covenant to the Jews for then it must have come in against the promises or the Covenant of God in Christ that was made before But take it in the second or third sense either for the whole Old-Testament as we call the Writings of the holy men of God till our Saviours time or for the five Books of Moses the dispensation by Moses from the Mount and this I confess was a Covenant to them but then it was a Covenant of Grace and indeed contained in it all the promises that were given before it that traditional Gospel which Abraham and the holy Patriarchs before him were saved by is inserted in the Law of Moses else it had been a vain thing for the Apostle Paul to have undertaken to prove Justification by Faith out of the Old-Testament yea out of the Law of Moses for as a man cannot bring a clean thing out of an unclean so neither can he bring Gospel out of pure Law if therefore the Law of Moses had not been a Covenant of Grace the Apostle could never have proved Justification by faith out of it which yet he doth not onely by strained consequences but as there professedly Abraham believed God saith he and it was imputed to him for righteousness they therefore which are of Faith are blessed and justified with faithful Abraham Galathians 3. ver 6 7 9. which is as fair an Enthymema as can be and every Sophister can supply the Proposition that is wanting St. Paul proves Justification by Faith by two great Arguments out of Genesis the first Book of Moses viz by Abraham's Justification and the Allegory of Hagar and Sarah which I explained and urged before Nay the Apostle makes a great affirmation indeed which is this that even Moses himself the great Law-Covenant Mediator doth in his Writings give a clear distinction of the two Covenants of Works and Grace shews us the tenour of one Covenant and another When he had produced the Allegory of Hagar and Sarah out of Genesis saith he Alas Moses in this Story gives you Allegorically the two Covenants Gal. 4 21. to the 24. But the chief place for proof of what I have said is Rom. 10.5 6. for Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law That the man which doth these things shall live by them Lev. 18.5 But the righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend up into Heaven c. and so goes on in the words of Moses Deut. 30.12 13 14. Here we see Moses in his Writings delineates and describes the two ways of Works and Grace of the Law and Faith and it is proved out of the same â—oses that the Law is no way to justifie sinners Now I shall but draw out the Apostles Argument which I suppose to be this Moses describes two ways of Justification that by the Law and that by Faith that by the Law Moses tells you is no way for sinners because you must continue in all things or you are accursed therefore certainly he described the way of Faith too that ye might betake your selves unto it for justification and life therefore the Law take it either for the whole Old-Testament or for the Dispensation by Moses and it was a Covenant indeed with the Jews but it was a Covenant of Grace for in it Moses describeth the way of Grace that his Disciples might adhere unto it But here you will object still Well 3 Object if Moses his Dispensation or Covenant which he was the Mediator of was a Covenant of Grace and not of Works for Justification why is it called a killing Letter a Ministration of Death a Ministration of Condemnation as it is 2 Cor 3.6 7 9. Why is the Lord said to find fault with it and so to abrogate it and make a new Covenant Heb. 8 7 8. By this it should seem to be a Covenant of Works for else God would not have found fault with a Covenant of Grace nor abrogated it To this I answer 1. Here observe That this 〈◊〉 no Jewish Argument for they would not acknowledge that their Law is a ministration of death whilest they seek life by it nor yet a ministration of condemnation whilst they seek justification by the righteousness of it but it is a cavil or objection against the Apostle Paul who calls the Law a ministration of death and condemnation and yet acknowledgeth that it was the Jews covenant and that Moses in it describeth the righteousness of Faith 2dly I answer That these two are very consistent it might prove a ministration of death to them and yet be a way of grace and life in it self so is the plainest Gospel in the World a savour of death unto the disobedient and unbelievers that yet is certainly in the great intendment of it a way of grace and life 3dly The Law proved a ministration of death to many of them because they mistook it for a covenant of works though it were not given with that intention they did not see the Grace that was contained in it There was a vail upon their heart and is to this day upon the hearts of many of the Jews their minds were blinded so that the Children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is alolished they could not see Christ the end of the Law 2 Cor. 3.13 14 15. 4thly There is thus much indeed to be said concerning the dispensation it self that it was dark and obscure the children of Israel had not onely blinded eyes and a vailed heart but Moses had also a Vail upon his face ver 13. which was one reason they could not see that Grace which was in his Dispensation Moses had a vail over
his face so that they could not look stedfastly to the end of his Dispensation The fault of the first Covenant There was some kind of fault as it were in the Law it self so the Apostle tells us Heb. 8.7 For if that first Covenant had been faultless there should no place have been sought for the second What this fault was is commonly known and discoursed and it was the obscurity of it the promises of it were not so plain therefore it is said Christ is the Mediator of a better Covenant establisht upon better promises ver 6. There was a Covenant of works inserted in their Dispensation Else how could the Apostle give you a description of the righteousness of it out of Moses Which he doth both in Rom. 10.5 and Gal. 3.12 And no caveat entred in the place where the Covenant of Works is delivered 'T is true the same Moses describeth the righteousness of Faith too but an inobservant Reader might chance to mistake the Covenant of Works for his way to Heaven as well as take the Covenant of Grace for his way and they might keep in that way all their lives if they were not strict observers of the effects of that way upon their Consciences which was to gall and sting them and weary them out of their very lives till they came to the way of Grace And thus we find the generality of the Jews did mistake and ruined themselves by it so that unless God had by a wonderful hand as he plucked Lot out of Sodom and perhaps by irresistable illuminations and attractions brought a remnant to himself all Israel had been burnt up by the Wrath of God they had been as Sodom and Gomorrah Rom. 9.29 to the end Rom. 10.1.2.3 I might well transcribe every word of these eight Verses Now this was the fault which God found with his first Covenant that though it were a Covenant of Grace yet he is so gracious that he thought it was not plain enough to save the generality of them they would be still mistaking and misconstruing his Covenant it would not make them holy enough nor save enough of them and therefore this Fault the Lord amends in the second â—ovenant in the New-Covenant Heb. 8 9 For finding fault he saith Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the Land of Aegypt because here is the reason of the change because they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not It was a Covevenant which they brake with me and I brake with them upon there was a fault in that Covenant which seems to be this It had not Grace enough in it to hold them they continued not in it The fault is laid upon the Covenant not so much upon the parties covenanting though they were not free from blame God indeed was free he was ready to give his Grace and Spirit under the first Covenant but the Covenant was not a free channel for conveyance of this precious Water of Life for the Spirit runs freest in the clear promise therefore the Gospel which is full of rich and plain promises is called the ministration of the Spirit and called by the Name of Spirit whereas the Law of Moses was a dead meer out-side literal thing in comparison of it 2 Cor. 3.6 I say the fault was laid upon the covenant which yet was a covenant of Grace Now what other fault it could be then this that the Lord did not think it gracious enough I cannot imagine and I think that is the fault the Scripture pitcheth upon Now because Moses's Dispensation or the first covenant made with the Jews was thus faulty had a covenant of Works in 〈◊〉 and was mistaken by the Jews to be a covenant of Works it might well be called by the Apostle There was the same reason of the Gospel its being added to the Law that there was of the dispensation of Moses to be added to what they knew of God before a killing letter a ministration of death and condemnation and deserve to be abrogated and disannulled if the Lord will make a better clearer more gracious and saving and yet it can by no means be concluded hence that it was truly either in its own nature or in the intention of the Lord who gave it a covenant of Works nay the contrary hereunto is sufficiently evinced Ob. 4. But yet there is a very considerable Objection behind which is thus You have acknowledged that in Moses's Writings there is a covenant of Works described that St. Paul asserts now I will add saith the Objection that it is not onely there described but there commended to the children of Israel as a part at least if not the chiefest part of the Dispensation by Moses and it is given with as great Authority and hath as solemn a Sanction upon it as any part of the Law of Moses for in that place which the Apostle Paul quotes out of Moses viz. Lev. 18.5 for the description of a legal righteousness we have these words Ye shall therefore keep mp Seatutes and my Judgements which if a man do he shall live in them I am the Lord. So in the fore-going verses 1 2. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them I am the Lord your God then follow the three verses wherein the covenant of Works is described ver 3. After the doings of the Land of Aegypt wherein ye dwelt shall ye not do and after the doings of the Land of Canaan whither I bring you shall ye not do neither shall ye walk in their Ordinancee Ver. 4. Ye shall do my Judgements and keep mine Ordinances to walk therein I am the Lord your God Ver 5. Ye shall therefore keep my Statutes and my Judgements which if a man do he shall live in them I am the Lord. Here I observe 1. The simplicity and plainness of the delivery of these commands which contain the covenant of Works they are delivered without any caveat or caution to the Reader lest he should mistake this for his covenant which he should be saved by 2. I observe the Authority and Majesty they are delivered with even with this addition three several times in the compass of four verses I am the Lord and I am the Lord your God This doth not look like an old antiquated covenant made with Adam about 2000. years before and of use to him but onely for the strst day of his creation I conclude therefore saith the objector That it is a valid covenant and delivered with intention that men should be justified by it And besides I add that which hath great strength in it That even Jesus Christ himself repeats this covenant of Works in Moses his own Words and directs a man to this
covenant for salvation that came to ask of him what he should do to be saved the place is Luke 10.25 26 27 28. And behold a certain Lawyer stood up and tempted him saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life He said unto him What is written in the Law How readest thou Christ sends him to the Law and you shall see it is not to the Law in a large sence as it comprehends both a covenant of Works and a covenant of Grace but to the Law taken strictly for a covenant of Works it follows therefore ver 27. The Lawyer answering said The Law saith Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy neighbour as thy self And Jesus said unto him Thou hast answered right this do and thou shalt live which are the very words of Moses where he describes a legal righteousness From whence I conclude That the Covenant of Works is still good unto Justification the Covenant of Works is still in force else Moses would never have delivered it in that simplicity and with that Authority else Jesus Christ himself would never have directed one unto it to get eternal life by it I answer 1. That Moses indeed did deliver a covenant of Works to the people of Israel as truly as he did a covenant of Grace and that without any caution that I can find in the place where it is delivered and I think I may say also that our Saviour Christ did deliver a Covenant of Works too in that 10. of Luke above-mentioned And 2dly I may add There was very good reason why they might and why they did For that the covenant of Works is still in force all men by nature are under it for it is nothing but the natural law of our creation All men are naturally under a Covenant of works There was indeed a positive Law besides given to Adam but the observing of it needed not have created any trouble to innocent man All men are naturally under a covenant of Works for they are naturally under the Law of their Creation which is the covenant of Works Yea the Saints themselves are not freed from it any further then from the condemning power of it by Christs having suffered the penalty for them That all men are naturally under the Law or under a covenant of Works which are all one appears for that all those whom Christ came to redeem were under the Law Gal. 4.5 which must be meant of the Law strictly taken for a covenant of Works for else none but the Jews and proselyted Gentiles were under the Law as delivered by Moses whereas in that Scripture it is plain that all those whom Christ came to redeem were under the Law therefore it is meant under the Law as a covenant of Works Besides the Apostle in Rom. 7. the first six verses argues thus That the conscience or soul of a man must either be married to the Law as its Husband or to Christ as its Husband and till it is marryed to Christ the Law is its natural Husband but when it is married to Christ the law is its husband no longer therefore till a man come to Christ he is under a covenant of Works therefore all men naturally are under a covenant of Works for no man is in Christ by nature I answer in the third place That it 's true Moses and our Saviour both preached a covenant of Works as well as a covenant of Grace and well might because all men are naturally under it Yet neither our Saviour nor Moses did it with design to make men seek justification by Works but only to burthen mens consciences with insupportable loads of guilt that so they might readily flee to the hope that was set before them in the covenant of Grace which they had together with the covenant of Works in the same Dispensation That Moses did it with this design St. Paul asserts as I have shewn in several places the law entred that the offence might abound and so was a School-Master unto Christ And that our Saviour did it with this design the place quoted in the objection will sufficiently evidence Luke 10.25 to the 28.25 v. Behold a certain Lawyer stood up and tempted him saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life Here this Lawyer came not with a good intention for it is said he stood up and tempted our Saviour made the question rather to see what our Saviour would say then to get any satisfaction to himself and in the 29. ver it is said This Lawyer was willing to justifie himself Now how could the pride of this tempting Lawyer be better repressed then by sending him to the Law to a covenant of Works which if he would but set himself in earnest to keep would quickly prick the bladder of his pride and let out that wind with which he was so swoln as to dare come and tempt Christ and justifie himself But now our Saviour takes another course with the Woman of Canaan who after she was tryed with a knock or two with some harsh words so as to be called Dog yet continuing humble and submissive had her faith extolled by our Saviour and is strengthened with the highest consolations as we have the story Matt. 15. from ver 22. to ver 29. Thus God resisteth the proud he hath a Covenant of Works to oppose them withall but he giveth Grace and sheweth Mercy to the humble he hath a covenant of Grace to comfort them with Obj. 5 There is one objection yet more concerning the ceremonial law which I did not mention at the first and it is this Certainly it appears from the ceremonial law that the law of Moses was given to them for a covenant of Works else why had they such multitude of ceremonies imposed upon them if they were not to have life for the observation and doing of them together with the duties of the moral Law And it is very observable that in that place of Leviticus which the Apostle quotes as containing the righteousness of the law the ceremonies are as strictly enjoined as the moral duties of the law are with this badge of the law of works upon them The man that doth them shall live in them Lev. 18.4 5. Ye shall do my Judgements that is say Commentors my judicial Laws and keep mine Ordinances that is say they either moral or ceremonial so in ver 5. You shall therefore keep my Statutes and Judgements which if a man do he shall live in them I am the Lord. Now hence I argue saith the Objector Here you have acknowledged is a covenant of Works described Now here is their whole Dispensation by Moses of laws moral ceremonial and judicial contained therefore their whole Dispensation was a covenant of Works besides if the Law moral alone which you have called the law of Nature he of it self a covenant
of Works as it seems to have been to Adam who had but a few other commands besides viz. such as we call Positive and if every man by Nature be under a covenant of works though a stranger to the Old-Testament or New as having never heard of either being under the law of his creation how much more were the Israelites under a covenant of Works who besides the moral law had the judicial and ceremonial added for them to observe and altogether given them vvith this language of a covenant of Works these ye shall observe which if a man do he shall live in them I am the Lord. I shal add onely one observation more to strengthen the objection and it is this That when St. Paul disputes against the Galatians for embracing a covenant of Works most of his Work lyes in beating them off from the ceremonial law vvhich they were exceedingly addicted to as looking upon the lavv of Moses to be very much of the nature of the covenant of Works and the ceremonial law as a great sign of it there being so much vvork cut out for them in it and verily believing that if they vvere pretty strict in keeping the ceremonial law God vvould justifie and save them Therefore it is very probable that the law of Moses was given to them as a covenant of Works for this reason as well as others that there were so many ceremonies appointed for them to observe most of which it is more then probable the greater number did not understand and so must take up und satisfie themselves with the Work done then which vvhat can look more like a covenant of vvorks for men to do a great many things which they did not understand meerly because God had commanded them Now for answer to this objection and I shall give it in several particulars A. 1 I confess that the ceremonial law proved a great snare and a stumbling-block unto the careless Jews and so to the Galatians for when they found such a great task of ceremonies set them they cared not much to study the meaning of them but took up with the doing of them which to do did not much trouble their hearts or consciences and so placed themselves by it under a covenant of vvorks in their treating with God for Justification 2dly I grant that the ceremonial law was a great burthen and an unsupportable yoke even to those that were good amongst the Jews Acts 15.10 and it is a great piece of the liberty of the Gospel to be freed from it 3dly I grant that the laws moral judicial and ceremonial were given altogether and are included in that place where a covenant of vvorks or the righteousness of the Law is said to be described by the Apostle and I grant in this particular that though the law of nature alone is a covenant of vvorks to those that are in a state of nature though they never received any positive law from God yet that it is possible for a ceremonial lavv or a law consisting of many ceremonies or positive laws to be a part of a covenant of vvorks as we find in Adam's covenant of works there was a Sacrament as some reckon it of the Tree of life and there was a positive law concerning the forbidden fruit which vvere neither of them branches of the law of Nature and he might have been as well forbidden as allowed all the trees save one if the Lord had pleased he might have had a systeme of positive and ceremonial laws inserted in his covenant of vvorks if the Lord had thought good and no wrong had been done him for he was able to have kept them 4thly Yet here I deny that the ceremonial law was any part of a covenant of works though brought in near that place where the righteousness of the law is said by the Apostle to be described and that for this reason which fully answers the objection That the ceremonial law did contain Gospel in it which cannot be said of any branch of the covenant of works I allowed indeed above that the law taken strictly for a covenant of works did preach the Gospel virtually or by consequence as it burthened the sinners conscience and so made him seek further for a righteousness but I said then it is the law taken in a large sence onely as it contains the whole Old-Testament or at least a considerable part of it that teacheth Christ and the Gospel formally and expresly VVhy now the ceremonial law teacheth Christ in many perhaps in all the parts of it if wel understood VVhat could the shedding of so much blood for remission of sins signifie but the shedding of Christs blood for them and us all which is the great mysterie of the Gospel Now if any say they understood it not and yet must do it and so it was all one to them as if it had not singnified any thing at all and therefore must still pass with them as a covenant of works I answer 1 in the words of the Apostle Rom. 3 3. What though some did not believe did not understand must their unbelief and ignorance make the Faith of God that Doctrine of Faith which the ceremonial law preached of none effect or signification But you will say they could not see the blood of Christ in the blood of a sacrifice having no clearer discoveries then they had of Christ I ans I confess I cannot say they could see so much though still so much was contained in it as now we well understand But yet if they could not see so much yet somewhat they might have learned for certainly God appoints no idle useless insignificant ceremonies in his Worship therefore I suppose they might have learnt thus much by their ceremonies and particularly by their sacrifices which I suppose was known even amongst Heathens in their sacrifices that when they killed a Beast for attoning the anger of God here life went for life and God might as well have taken their lives from them as accepted the life of that Beast and so by this they might see that their lives and salvations did depend purely upon the Mercy and Grace of God now this sufficiently weaned them from the law or covenant of works which had no Grace or Pardon in it it was therefore the grossest mistake of all to understand the ceremonial law for a part of the covenant of Works when it was greatly intended to be a Gospel to them 5thly and lastly If yet it were dark and did confound them with the multitude of duties which it imposed Why might it not herein do the good turn that a covenant of Works did for them Which was to make them study and search and long for the pure and clear discoveries of that rich Grace which we now see in the dayes of the Gospel I have now done with this objection also which I of purpose kept out from the rest in which I only considered the moral law as a
covenant of Works for these two reasons 1. For that the ceremonial law neither was nor could be a part of the covenant of Works which the moral law both was and is to all that are under a covenant of works 2dly and consequently I therefore kept off from any consideration of the ceremonial law in my discourses about the law its being given by Moses that so I might have my discourse run clear in the business of the covenant of works and draw a line in it from Adams estate in innocency to the very days of the Gospel which with any mixture of discourse about the ceremonial law would have been broken and disturbed VVhereas now you see the law taken strictly for a covenant of works might have justified Adam but could not justifie the children of Israel and therefore though added to the promise given to Abraham and that in the language of a covenant of works yet was never given with design that they should accept it for such unto Justification which appears from this double demonstration as I may call it a priori a posteriori A priori for that before the law was given there was a covenant of Grace which the law could not come in to disannul and a posteriori for that the very same Moses that brought their law from God out of the Mount did not more truly acquaint them with the nature of a legal righteousness then he did with the righteousness of Faith Rom. 10.6 But the righteousness of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thy heart c. being a text quoted out of the same Moses Deut. 30.11 which make this argument vvherefore should Moses first describe to you a legal righteousness and tell you as appears by clear consequence out of him that ye cannot attain unto that righteousness and then describe unto you the righteousness of faith but for this end that ye might forgo the one cleave to the other And there are infinite places in other Scriptures of the Old-Testament which give their testimony to Christ and the Righteousness of Faith which sufficiently argue that the Old-Testament never went about to establish a way of Justification by the Law And here I think it may be of great use to search into this place of Moses which the Apostle asserts to contain the description of the righteousness which is by faith that so we may find both that it is so and what this righteousness of faith is The place is Deut. 30.11 to 15. quoted and paraphrased by the Apostle Rom. 10.6 7 8 9. An inquiry into the sense of Deut 30 11 12 in Rom. 10.6 But the righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart Who shall ascend into Heaven c. clearly referring to Deut. 30.11 12 as any may see in the Margent of their Bibles Now let us go to that place in Deut. and see what Gospel there is in it and how evident it is that there is Gospel in it The words are these For this commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off it is not in heaven that thou shouldest say who shall go up for us to Heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it Neither is it beyond the Sea that thou shouldest say Who shall go over the Sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it but the Word is nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it This is the whole Paragraph in which the covenant of Grace or the righteousness of Faith is described according to the Apostle Paul But how is the Gospel or righteousness of Faith described here First of all I must separate that which doth not seem to look like Gospel from that which is pure Gospel in this place And here we may observe That the matter of the Gospel spoken of is the law or commandment which he had delivered to them This Commandment which I command thee this day the same which is spoken of as I think there being no visible difference as to matter in Lev. 18.5 the place asserted by the Apostle to contain a legal righteousness it was for matter the law of Moses This Commandment saith he which I command thee this day Again I think it will appear to be meant of the ten commandments because it is added That Commandment which I command thee is not far from thee but is nigh thee even in thy heart and mouth Now the ceremonial law was not written in their heart neither had all the children of Israel nor the generality of them to whom yet this is spoken been taught the law effectually by the Spirit of God so as that should be the sense of these words This Commandment is in thine heart and indeed that is the promise of the new Covenant not of this by Moses but the effect of the Moral law was in their heart for it was in the heart of Heathens If it be objected as perhaps it may by some that the matter of the Commandment which Moses commanded them that day was not likely to be the ten commandments nor that chiefly nor to be the same with that in Lev. 18. because this is in Deuteâ—â—româ— which very word signifies a second Law or a second Edition and giving of the Law and had more Gospel in it then the Law in the first giving of it had I answer 1. by concession That there were indeed two several Covenants which the Lord is said to have made by Moses with the children of Israel Deut. 29.1 These are the words of the Covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the Land of Moab be ides the Covenant which he made with them in Hoâ—eb which a as a Mountain adjoining to if not a part of Mount Sinat 2. That perhaps in this Deutetonomy or second Covenant by Moses there 〈◊〉 mâ—â—â— promises and more of Gospel then in the first Edition of the Law there was But 3dly This doth not hinder but the commandment mentioned in Deut. â—0 might be chiefly for matter of it the moral Law or ten Commandments 't is true there were promises added to encourage unto the keeping of them and there were also terrible threatnings unto the breaking of them all the twelve tribes being divided into two equal parts the one half placed upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people that were obedient to the Law the other half upon Mount Ebal to curse all that brake it Deut 27.11 12 13 But that commandment for the sake of which these promises and threatnings were added was the Law of the ten words or two tables which were twice given to Moses in Sinai and again repeated in this Covenant in the Land of Moab as we may see in Deut. 5. and the very word Deut. signifies a second Law or a second giving of the Law
and this was the Commandment which that day Moses commanded them Lastly Another thing in this Paragraph that will not seem perhaps to some to look like Gospel is this That all the comfort of this Gospel by Moses lies in Doing This Commandment saith he is not far off but in thy heart and in thy mouth that thou mayest do it and so obtain life and justification by it This seems to look right like that place in Levitious so often mentioned where Moses is said to describe a Legal Righteousness The man that doth them shall live in them And so in all the Chapter after there is blessing if they do the command and cursing if they do not this to some may not look like Gospel But yet here is the Gospel and therefore wherein doth it lie VVherein is the Gospel expressed in this place of Deut. or how will it appear I have shewed wherein it cannot lie or doth not seem to lie I will shew yet wherein it must be expressed and wherein it is visibly expressed and that is in that easiness which Moses doth so much insist upon in this Scripture of doing the Commandment The Commandment for the matter of it was perhaps the same with the Covenant of Works and Doing partly at least brought in the reward of it that is Justification But is this the Language of a Covenant of Works think you to fallen man such as the Israelites were The Commandment is easie there are no such difficulties in keeping it as you may imagine ye shall not need to climb as high as Heaven after it nor to coast all Lands and compass the Ocean for it propose no such vast undertakings to thy self for the accomplishment of it for thou needest not the Word is nigh thee in thy mouth that is near yea but nearer yet in thine heart that thou mayest do it and thou mayest do it with ease and sweetness No I have shewn at large that the Covenant of Works or the Law taken strictly as a way of Justification serves now to sinners onely to terrifie their Consciences with laying home its charge it hath no such comfortable words in it nay I shewed out of the Scripture that it is an utter impossibility that the Law should be done by a sinner so as to justifie him A man might as well climb up to Heaven or compass the vast Ocean yea to add another impossibility which the Apostle adds in his Paraphras upon this Text in Deut. a man might as well descend into the infernal Abyss and make a resurrection as be justified by the Law This therefore cannot be the Language of the Law But now take the keeping the Law in a Gospel-sence as perhaps that Rom. 8.4 is to be understood where the righteousness of the Law is said to be fulfilled in us that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit and then the Gospel in this Scripture is obvious it is easie to keep the Law now even that commandment which Moses commanded them even the Moral Law that is to keep it sincerely not exactly to a tittle but in the substance of it This Word therefore which Moses means when he says The word is nigh thee as the Apostle adds in his Paraphrase must be the word of faith which he preached The Word is nigh thee that is not the Word of the Moral law taken in its utmost exactness to be fulfilled to a tittle this is not nigh thee it is as far as Heaven further then either of the Indies further then Hell it self thou sinner canst never attain unto it to do it But yet the Word of the same Commandment in a moderated sense in the gracious acceptation of God where sincere obedience is accepted for unerring observance of it This Word is nigh thee even in thy heart and in thy month that thou mayest do it and it is saith the Apostle the Word of Faith which we preach this the new creature can undertake with the assistance of God even the keeping the Commandments of God in an Evangelical manner through Faith which works by Love Here thou dost not claim thy wages upon thy doings as if they deserved it or as if they answered the letter of the Law and so thou comest not to the Law for thy Justification but though the great Rule of thine obedience be the Law yet thou goest to the Gospel for thy Justification thou comest by Faith to the Promise and Goodness and Grace of God for thy Justification And indeed there is nothing but Faith will encourage thee in such a keeping of the Law as this is The Law strictly taken will dishearten thee that will thus reason the case with thee VVhat are all thy works what is all thy obedience so long as thoughast broken such and such a Commandment hast omitted such and such a duty What is thy sincerity good for What is thy good meaning and real intention worth I must have a full task performed I must have unerring never-failing obedience or else I must curse thee with all the curses which thou findest written against sinners Now the Soul by Faith thus answereth the Law 'T is true were I to stand to thy award it must be all as thou hast said but I am upon other terms with the Lord for my Justification I am upon terms of Grace and Mercy of which there are no footsteps in thy whole way of Justification and though I was born under thy power yet I have a Saviour that hath freed me from under it by suffering the penalty for my breach of it and now I am assured That if I walk faithfully and deal honestly with God endeavouring in sincerity to walk after the Spirit to do all the Wills of God from the heart my sincere obedience will now be as well accepted as unerring obedience would once have been Thus you see Faith bears off from coming to a legal-Justification and Faith bears up the Soul against all expostulations of the Law with it and against all the accusations of Satan in the Conscienc and yet doth keep the soul intent upon the design of universal obedience to the pure and holy Law of God Faith requires thy obedience to the Law the preaching of Faith doth establish the Law and yet the Law in this moderated sense onely observed requires thee to go or rather takes for granted that thou goest to Grace Mercy and Pardon by Faith for that thou art not an exact Doer of the Law So I have shewn how this place in Deut. seems to speak Law yet must be understood to speak Gospel and what Gospel that is which it speaks Yet I may not expect to go off without opposition in this interpretation and I am sensible that these two or three things will be objected against me 3 Objections against the interpretation of Deut. 30.11 12. 1. That I make Faith too easie a business as if those that could not keep the Law are yet able to
believe whereas some think it as hard a business to believe as to keep the whole Law 2. They 'l say That I make the Gospel but a Covenant of works in a new dress and substitute Evangelical obedience in the room of Legal as the matter of our Justification 3. They may perhaps add that I leave out the great Gospel-mysterie which according to the Apostle is contained in Deut. and that is Christ That which Moses expresseth thus the Commandment which I command thee is not in heaven that thou shouldst say Who shall ascend for us into Heaven bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it The Apostle Paul expresseth thus Who shall ascend for us into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it The Word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart and leaving out that thou mayest do it he addeth the Word of Faith which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Here we see the Apostle sinds Christ in all that speech of Moses and it was Faith on him that justified therefore it was not a keeping of the Law according to sincerity instead of unerring obedience which Moses meant and so the exposition given of Moses is useless Now I shall answer first this last objection against the interpretation of Moses his Covenant of Grace and then come to the other two objections and I shall do it in the words of truth as I hope I am sure in the words soberness The last objection first answered 1. I do believe all this which the Apostle adds by way of Paraphrase to agree wel with the words of Moses 2. That yet I cannot believe that any ordinary Saint or any other then some mightily inspired by God like an Apostle could have understood all that in Moses his words when they were first delivered viz. That Christ should descend into the deep and after that be raised from the dead and ascend into Heaven because Moses sayes Say not in thine heart Who shall ascend for us into Heaven and bring the Word from thence that we may hear it and do it Or because Moses sayes Who shall go for us beyond the Seas and bring the Word unto us Neither can I believe that it was their duty in Moses's time to confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus or to believe in their heart that God had raised him from the dead a thing which was not at that time true I say I do not think it was their duty to believe it because to us it is contained in the Word of Faith to wit the Gospel which the Apostle preached Neither do I believe that it was a necessary duty of that time so much as to believe that God would raise Christ from the dead and that for this reason For all the Apostles in the dayes of Christ's Flesh were ignorant of this Mystery yea did not believe it or understand it after Christ had told them of it as is very plein in Luke 18. from 31. to 35. The reciting the words of that Text is plain proof enough without urging them by force of Argument 31. Then he took unto him the twelve and said unto them Behold we go up to Jerusalem and all things that are written by the Prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished Ver. 33. They shall scourge him and put him to death and the third day he shall rise again Now it is said ver 34. that they understood none of these things and this saying was hid from them neither knew they the things that were spoken Therefore certainly these things were not necessary to be known and believed in Moses his time And therefore though there be so much Gospel contained in that Text of Deut. to us now that the Apostle hath discovered it unless we will say they are additional glosses upon that Text of Moses which perhaps may prove no false Divinity I say Permit all that be contained to us in that Text of Deut. which St. Paul hath discovered in it yet by them under the Old-Testament as I think there could be no more understood then this That they were not to lay it upon themselves as absolutely necessary to salvation and so unto Justification to keep the whole Law in the strictness of it but that they were to minde the keeping of it from their heart to turn unto the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their souls and so to keepe his Commandments and his Statutes which are written in this Book of the Law as it is ver 10. immediately preceding those Verses in Deut. 30. where the righteousness of Faith is said to be described and this to do to keep the Law with all their heart sincerely they should find easie and pleasant whenas for a strict Covenant of Works Do this and thou shalt live they would find it an unsupportable yoke and burthen Now I come to answer those other two objections against my interpretation The first answered the first is this That I make Faith too easie athing in comparison of keeping the Law whereas many good men judg it a hard to believe as to keep the whole Law I answer 1. That indeed I do think the way of Faith to be an easier way in it self then keeping the whole Law For I ask any sober man Whether it be not easier to keep the Law in a sincere manner that is to guide my actions onely by the rule of it and honestly to endeavour toconform to it though in some things I fail if this be not easier then the exact keeping the Law to a tittle The question I suppose is answered as soon as made Why then I say I look upon the way of believing to be this Corning to God humbling my self for my sins addicting my self to his service and walking faithfully with him The description 〈…〉 and in this way of well doing seeking for glory honour and â—mmortality In one word It is an Honesty to God upon terms of Grace and I being honest and true to him doubt not of his faithfulness to me for pardoning my sins and providing for me here and saving me here after Erge if this be Faith for proof of which I refer to my interpretation and require a better or fairer in confutation of it I say if this be faith then the way of Faith is easier then keeping the whole Law 2. But yet I have not said that though it be easier yet it is in a mans own power to believe it is not iâ— a man 's own power to move a finger without God and it is equally impossible without God to move a singer and to remove a Mountain yet there is no man in his right
stand firm and unshaâ—en That the law is no way to sinners for Justification That Faith is a way and the onely way and that God hath set up this way without which all mankind must have perished and that he hath led his people in this way throughout all ages before the law and under the law that as they were all under sin by the law so they were likewise under the discoveries of Grace for their Justification by Faith I come now to some more practical and experimental inquiries which I shall introduce with an use of Conviction and Reprehension from the Doctrinal part of the foregoing Discourse VVE have seen in the foregoing Discourse that there are but two wayes of Justification the one by Works the other by Faith that these two are opposite one to the other that the Law or Works is now no way to fallen man but Faith onely that all that ever were justified were justified by faith even Abraham and David and all the Saints of God under the Old-Testament all the Saints before the giving of the law by Moses and ever after yea the Gentiles themselves if any were saved must be saved this way An use Conviction and Reproof How greatly then are they mistaken that even under the Gospel will needs be justified by Works This falls with clear evidence of conviction and reprehension upon such a generation of men and yet such there are in abundance who would think it even at this day yea the greatest part of professors run this way Although man be turned out of Paradice which was his place of Justification by Works and at the door a Cherubin be set with a flaming Sword to dispute the passage yet they will needs enter again though they venture life and soul and all Though Mount Sinai be covered all over with smoke though they hear the thunderings see the lightnings feel the Earth quake at a distance and be forbid to approach the Mount yet they wiâ— make up towards a cousuming fire that wil certainly devour them Though one way of Justification be impossible so that the Apostle professeth That if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily righteousness should have been by the Law Gal. 3.21 I say though one be absoluteâ— impossible and the other way easie yet they wiâ— leave the easie way and take that way which is no passable way at all Yea though after they are entred upon that way they feel themselves lasheâ— and galled and stung as it were to death with fierâ— Serpents in a Wilderness and Labyrinth of guilts and pressures of Spirit yet they will not be beaten off from going this way but onely a very few of them They run still upon the Pikes and press upon the thick Bosses of God's Bucklers Yea â— thing stranger yet Though the law it self preach faith yet those that pretend to very great skill it the law and are called great boasters of the lawâ— they will not believe the law in this particularâ— though the law give witness to the way of believing yet they will understand the law as giving testimony rather to its own way of Justification Now to set home this Conviction and Reprehension Consider that there are these four great iniquities found in a legal Spirit 1. An horrible perversness and self-willednefs When God would have them go one way they will go another 〈◊〉 right cousness of God is revealed in the Gospel from faith to faith as it is written The Just shall live by Faith Rom. 1.17 And they give God the lye and say The Just shall live by Works and will go the quite opposite and contraty way 2. Here we see their intollerable pride which is the root of this self-willedness they will not be justified by Gods Righteousness but by their own Righteousness they prefer their own Way to God's their own dis-approved Works to God's approved Way of Righteousness 3. Here we see the sottish senselesness and brutish fool-hardiness of these men for in doing thus they are as a Ship that runs her self upon a Rock as a Moth that flyes at the Candle they perish every Mothers Child of them that thus steer their course 4. See the high dis-ingenuity that there is in this way of theirs What do they herein but spurn at the very bowels of their Heavenly Father When God had found man fallen by his own voluntary defection he might have left him as he did the fallen Angels to have perished for ever but he was graciously resolved not so to lose his creature but finds out a way how he might recover his creature Man again in which certainly there are most admirable contrivances of Wisdom Power and Mercy and he proposeth terms of Reconciliation he offers his Sons blood bids the sinner but come and humble himself and ask pardon and return to his Allegiance and trust in him for Pardon Grace and Perseverance to Eternal life No saith the Legal self-Justificiary I have never sinned I have deserved no anger no displeasure I need no pardon no mercy I have no need of the blood of Christ I say all this and a great deal more which were not fit to be expressed must lie as in the Seed and in the Root in a Legal Spirit though perhaps it may never come directly to such expressions nor actual imaginations for let any one but imagine what would be the Language of a sinner that seeks not Justification by Faith Grace and Mercy but by the Law which can justifie none but for perfect and unerring obedience and I think I may say it can be no other but such as I have mentioned or fat worse it must be onely a deal of blasphemy against the Grace of God as useless and needless against the person of Christ as coming into the World to save sinners when there was no need oâ— a Saviour c Now to have these things lye in his heart at the bottom though but as in a spawn not perfected or come to the birth how odious must it needs be in the eyes of God and good men And yet all this lies in a legal-Spirit for which they justly lie under a severe reproof from the foregoing assertions Obj. But surely may some say there are no such men as these you mention there are none that pretend themselves perfectly holy there are none but think they stand in need of pardon we all cry God mercy for our sins and why should you say that men are generally apt to do thus to seek Justification by Works and that most professors run this way I answer Ans 1. That it is true few men profess to go this way amongst us and perhaps few ever except those that do or have held perfection in this life and that as a thing necessary to salvation did profess to expect salvation by the Law as a Covenant of Works in the strict sense of it 2. That yet there are very many and as I
have said the most of professors are guilty of this folly yea we are all of us naturally inclinable unto it viz. To seek Justification by the Covenant of Works and in proof and explication of this second answer or assertion I shall do these three things 1. Prove that the greatest part of men and professors go this way 2. I shall endeavour to discover wherein their error or mistake lies that they should not dare to profess this way and yet be thus deeply guilty And 3dly I shall give some characters of a Legal and Evangelical spirit whereby we may discover if we are guilty and unto what degree we faulty this way The fâ—â—st particular in the convict onthaâ— very many are guilty of legality The first thing which I am to do is to prove that there are very many men yea many most professors that are guilty of this folly yea that we are all naturally inclinable to it and have been from the beginning If there had not been such a generation of men in the Apostles times all the Discourses and Argumentations of the Apostle Paul against this sort of men in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians had been useless Now certainly the Apostle did not trifle so with the world as to set up Enemies in his own imagination and then sight with them And yet it cannot be denyed by any that the Apostle spends large Disco rses and Argumentations against such a sort of men Besides that the thing may be out of question that there were such men the Apostle Paul names them points them out with the finger lays hold of them binds them down with such Arguments as they can never dis-entangle themselves from He points them out they were the Jews they were the Galatians and others the Jews see Rom. 10.1 2 3. Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge for they being ignoram of Gods rightcousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the right cousness of God Here you see the Apostle draws up an high charge against Israel in the lump and bulk that is the people of the Jews in general it was a general mistake of theirs that they missed of God's righteousness that is as I have explained it the righteousness which is of God by Faith and went about to establish their own righteousness that is a righteousness of works of the Law they were ignorant of this that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness as it is in ver 4. of that chap. The Jews they would needs be justified by works they are one sort of men named by the Apostle as guilty in this particular But which is yet stranger not onely the Jews but the Galatians who were Gentiles who had never received the Law and lived under it as the Jews had had onely been educated in Heathen Idolatries and filthiness till the Gospel came amongst them yet even these after they had received the Gospel had begun in the Spirit that is in the way of Justification by Faith in a Gospel way and had made publick Encomiums of the blessed Estate the Gospel had brought them into crying O the blessedness Gal. 4.15 They so loved the Apostle Paul for his preaching the Gospel to them that they could have pulled out their own eyes and have given them to him if it would have done him any good yet even these after all this they no sooner had some Law-Teachers come amongst them but they turn off from the Apostles Doctrine unto another Gospel not that there is any more then one Gospel but some under pretence of â—oining the Law to the Gospel to make them more compleat in their Christian Religion had perverred the Gospel of Christ instead of making a more compleat Gospel had reduced all the Gospel they had left under the service of the Law so that the Law was uppermost ruled in the great business of Justification yet these after they had thus sophisticated the Gospel had gotten the Galatians to be their admirers and followers which puts the Apostle upon strange admirations exclamations expostulations with his Galatians in his Epistle to them I wonder saith he ye are so soon removed from him that called you unto the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. And where is the blessedness ye spake of when I first preached the Gospel to you Gal. 4.16 And again saith he certainly you are bewitched O ye foolish Galatians Gal. 3.1 And again O my little children of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you Gal. 4.19 He had travelled with them in the new-birth once already and Christ had been in some sort formed in them they had received the Gospel but they were now turned off to the Law and he was fain to travel with them again you may see plainly what their disease was Gal. 4.21 Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law they had a desire to be under the Law and in chap. 2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified Here the Apostle mentions the Disease that they would needs be justified by the works of the Law and he proposeth his own and the other Apostles and converted Jews their examples for their imitation We saith he in ver 15. We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles that was the name they gave the Gentiles we knowing that a man is not justified by works have believed in Christ and if we have done so who had more pretence of reason to cleave to the Law then ever you had if we have quitted the I aw for the Gospel certainly we may well wonder at you that were sometimes sinners of the Gentiles and not Jews born that you should quit the Gospel for the Law So Gal. 4.89 Although then when ye knew not God were without God in the world as other Gentiles were Although then ye did service to them who by nature are no Gods that is served Idols and although this was somewhat tollerable then in the dayes of your ignorance yet now after that ye have known God or rather are known of God how turâ— ye again or back to the weak and beggarly Elements unto which ye desire again to be in bondage Not that they ever were in bondage before to the Jewish Ceremonies but they were in bondage before unto Idols and they had been freed by Christ and now fell back and desired to be in bondage again not as before unto their Idols but to Jewish Ceremonies and the keeping
the Law of Moses And this the Apostle aggravates so that he seems to make it a worse business in the dayes of their knowledge thus to go off to the Law then in the days of their ignorance to serve Idols Thus you have seen their Disease now for further proof yet that this was their distemper we may observe that the Apostle applies several arguments by way of remedy which were proper onely for this distemper in that one chap. Gal. 3. I shall observe mine several Arguments sive of which are contained in the first five verses of that chap. and are more particular and experimental for the conviction of the Galatians the minor of every ' yllogism being evident in their experience the major evident in its own nature or from Scripture the other four being sufficiently convincing to every man and of no particular concernment to them more then others in ver 1. Who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes fesus Christ hath been evidently set forth as if he had been crucified amongst you Makes this syllogism They who had Christ clearly preached to them so as if he had been crucified before their eyes should not for shame go off to the Law But you have had Christ thus clearly preached Ergo 2d Argument in the 2d ver Ye received the Spirit by this plain preaching of Christ which ye never did by your Law-Preachers This one would think was a mighty Argument to them This onely would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the preaching of Faith The Syllogism They that have received the Spirit by the preaching of Faith should not for shame go off But you have received Ergo 3d. Arg. in ver 3. Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect in the flesh 'T is a disgrace for wise men to begin in any way and alter their way at all before they make an end but it is a higher disgrace to begin in a better way and end in a worse to begin in the Spirit and to end in the Flesh As much as Spirit doth excel Flesh their Horses are Flesh and not Spirit Isa 31.3 so much doth the Gospel-way of Justification excel the Legal The Syllogism is this They that have once begun in a more excellent way then the Law is should not go off to the Law but you have begun in a more excellent way viz. the Spirit Ergo 4th Arg. from the 4. ver Have ye suffered so many things in vain if it be 〈◊〉 in vain They had not onely embraced the Gospel and begun in the Spirit to do something but they had suffered many things from the persecuting Jews for professing a pure Gospel-way and now would lose all their sufferings 5th Arg. from the 5th ver He therefore that ministreth to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you doth he it by the works 〈◊〉 the Law or by the hearing of Faith The Law-Preachers could neither administer the Spirit to their Hearers nor yet work miracles in proof of what they delivered both which the Apostle had done and their present Minister Epaphrus did do and yet they were so mad upon the Law and the way of Justification by works that they were ready to shake off the Gospel for the insupportable burthen of the Law There are ye see at least five Arguments in the compass of five verses proper to them and all five proposed in the way of interrogation to express the Apostles vehemency his trouble at their desection his strange admiration at it his longing for their recovery all which this interrogation-form implies Then the Apostle proceeds to general and universal Arguments not of such particular concernment to them such as I have in my former Discourse urged viz. the example of Abraham from the 6. to the 10. from the nature of the Law requiring strict obedience or else accursing the sinner ver 10. from an express proof out of the Old-Testament Hab. 2.4 The just shall live by Faith therefore not by the Law saith the Apostle for the Law is not of Faith 11 12. And then comes in that great Argument which I have so largely insisted upon That there was a Covenant of Grace on foot before ever the Law was given by Moses which could not be broken therefore the Law came not in for a way of Justification else it must have disannulled this Covenant from the 15 to the 1. I now recollect and argue Here you see that not onely the Jews but the Gentiles desired to be under the Law would needs be justified by the works of the Law else the Apostle had disputed largely and strenuously against no Enemy Nay the Galatians though they never had had the Law before but onely first Heathen Idolatry and then a pure Gospel and received it with joy and admiration and great intensness of affection received the Spirit through the Ministry of it suffered much for the profession of it begun wel and did run wel yet though they had begun in the Spirit no sooner came the Law-Preachers among them but they turned from St. Paul who had called them unto Christ like fools and men bewitched unto another Gospel that is unto a Law-Gospel The Law-Preachers no sooner came amongst the Galatians but they turned the very Gospel which the Apostle had preached and they received into so much Law so that there ye might have seen Christians to be the pure Disciples of Moses nay far worse then the true Seed were in Moses's time Now from hence I infer the first assertion in the coviction viz. That there have been and therefore may be such a generation of men that notwithstanding the preaching of the Gospel nay and the profession of the Gospel are legal in the business of Justification followers of the Law seek to be justified by works and also that we are very apt to run into this way without much care and caution Who would ever thought that the Galatians that had so many reasons to engage them to keep in that way of Faith should ever have turned carnal and fleshly in the business of Justification Certainly this Apostacy of theirs argues a great aptitude in humane nature to this way unless you will think that the Galatians were of another make from all the men in the world I shall add somewhat moreof proof to this proposition and the parts of it by and by only I must first enter upon the explication of the 2d thing proposed viz. Wherein this legality lyes or wherein the great inistake lies that so many should seek to be justified by a Covenant of Works and yet acknowledge themselves sinners and in the explication of this there will new proof arise to the first Proposition viz. That men are generally addicted to the way of works 2dly 2d parâ—iculâ— in the conâ—iction viz. wherein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I Negaâ—vel Therefore it comes to be explained wherein
the Law for a righteousness Here was a great mixture you see of Gospel with their way And in the 3d. ver of Gal. 5. we see they thought it was not their duty to keep the whole Law but that I have spoken to already in ver 4. You may see yet the strangest mixture of Gospel in their way which yet the Apostle calls Legal that can be imagined for they did profess themselves all this while they so cryed up the Law were such admirers of it and Votaries to it they did profess themselves to be under Grace to be in the way of Grace Gal. 5.4 Christ is become of none effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law â—e are fallen from Grace that is from the way of Grace and Mercy to be upon perfect strict exact terms with God Ye renounce the Grace of God the benefit of Christ's death Christ can do you do good let your false Preachers call what they preach Gospel while they will and you may think you are removed to another and better Gospel then what you received from me chap. â— v. 6 7 8. But there is no other Gospel but what I preached Some indeed have perverted the Gospel of Christ and made it a mongrel thing but it 's Name now muse not be Gospel any longer but Law and Works not Grace and Gospel Here you have â—â—en that they did not only avoid the rigor of the Law in exacting perfect obedience to a tittle but did take in the Gospel-Principles into their way of Justification such as the Death of Christ and the Grace of God and yet these were legal all this while else the Apostle had disputed impertinently where he had no Adversary Now what was that which soured all their Gospel which made their Grace no Grace and their Christ no Christ and made them perfect Debtors to the Law thus unexpectedly to themselves but this that they went to make a compromise betwixt the Law and the Gospel in the matter of Justification they would join them together that were as irreconcilable as fire and water The Law is not of Faith if it be of Grace then it is no more of works otherwise work is no more work Now by reasoâ— of the incompossibility and incompatibleness of these two in their * For else as the Elements are said to be mixed in a natural body losing their proper forms so the Lâ—w and Gospel will well mix one of them viz. the Law losing as I may say its natural form of a Covenant of works may be well reconciled to the Gospel and mixed with it for the matter of it proper and precise notion and nature they that mix these two must destroy one of them they can never agree togegether in this business of Justification any otherwise then heat and cold agree in water that look unto what degree the one is there the other is expelled so much as there is of cold so much there is wanting of heat and so much as there is of heat so much there is wanting of cold so here so much as there is wanting of legality in any heart so much there is of a Gospel-Spirit é contra Now because these Jews and Galatians did more hanker after the Law then after the Gospel though they owned many Gospel-principles and durst not own the Law in the strictness of it yet their predominancy of inclination to the Law for righteousness justly gave them the denomination of Legal as the predominancy of cold in water justly gives it the name of cold water and the Evangelical or Gospel-like men and women though they have always had some Legal-mixtures in their obedience yet because Gospel-Principles are predominant they obtain the name of Spiritual and Evangelical And according to this representation which I have now given of Legal-persons that is that they are more propending and inclining to the Law then to the Gospel doth the Apostle be-speak them and speak of them he speaks to them so in Gal. 4.21 Tell me saith he you that Desire to be under the Law They were such as though they durst not quit the Gospel and come off wholly to the Law yet had a desire to be under the Law So he speaks of them Rom. 9.31 32. But Israel which followed after the Law of righteousness hath not attained unto the Law of righteousness Wherefore because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the works of the Law And this though it were but anâ— as it were and a Desire yet it ranked them under a Covenant of Works and accordingly the Apostle useth such arguments against them as would have served any that had perfectly renounced the way of Faith and the Death of Christ and wholly betaken themselves to the Law of Works I have done with the second particular in the Conviction viz. the explication of the Legality which is so generally to be found and wherein the deceit lies that men who acknowledge themselves sinners and profess themselves Christians may yet set themselves under a Covenant of Works for their Justification They that wil after what I have said deny that there may be or hath been such a thing such persons to be found that did acknowledge themselves sinners and profess themselves Christians and yet sought to be justified by the works of the Law let them quarrel with the Scriptures and with the Apostle Paul if they dare out of whom I have so clearly described them and confute him if they can Again if any one questions that which I have asserted to be the manner how this comes to pass that these persons are justly denominated and reputed Legal self-Justificiaries viz. by the predominancy of their inclination to the Law more then to the Gospel let them shew a more probable way and I shall gladly quit this Now the explication and proof of this matter being the very great thing of all should not pass without some improvement or observation from it which I shall perform by and by in the mean time methinks a sober person might very well desire to be further satisfied in this great business viz. the explication of the nature of a Legal-Spirit I suppose it will be acknowledged that that which gives denomination to a Legal-Spirit is his greater propension to the Law then to the Gospel but yet it may be queried Wherein doth this propension exert and shew it self in what one word or more then one would you express it Now this I confess is the great difficulty hic labor hoc opus est this were worthy of the most excellent Saint and the most learned and accurate Head to discover I can do it onely after my manner that is rawly enough but would God I could provoke some able man to undertake it in the strength of God Very many of those that have medled with it have dealt rudely and yet saucily with this subject I mean the Autinomians They will express the whole
business presently in one word and tell you that it is Doing So far as you seek to get life by doing you are legal they will tell you ye muâ—â— not act for life but from life a mighty distinction with them though quite false And for prooâ—â— they 'l bring you such a Scripture as this Mark 10.17 where the young man came to our Saviour and said What shall I Do that I may inherit Eternaâ— life Which is a question that I suppose might be asked by a good man though he was not good that asked it unless it be asked with such a design as if one thought that the doing good actions might merit heaven by this Divinity of theirs which they have of late spread far and near they have made their followers which I fear are very many think strangely of good works as if they had no influence aâ— all not so much as secondary to the obtaining oâ— our salvaâ—ion and so onely as matters of love and thankfulness from us but not as absolutely necessary unto the pleasing of God and continuing in his favour according to that of our Saviour Joh. 15.9 10. As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue in my love How may we do that ver 10. tells us If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers Commandments and abide in his love Yet I would do the Antanomians this right to say that I think they have very many of them aimed honestly that they have lighted upon many Gospel-strains and have done very well in observing that there is a vast difference betwixt serving God with a Legal and with an Evangelical Spirit though they have not been so happy in telling us wherein the difference lies and for the difference which they make the Legal way to lie in Doing the Evangelical way in Believing I confess it hath a great countenance from Scripture as to the sound of words but as they explain their sense I reckon there is a great disagreement from the Scripture As to their sence of the word Believing I shal have some occasion to examin it anon but as to the word Doing in their sense I say at present That though the Scripture seems to express the whole business of Legality in that word Rom. 4 4. Working or Doing yet certainly in a far other sense from their explication of it For the Scripture in that place understands Working or Doing in a strict Law-sense so as to expect a Reward for it of Debt whereas they will tel you if you look upon Works as having any influence upon Justification let the works be what they wil you are so far Legal Now having proved as I suppose their exposition of Working or Doing to be but a false gloss I shall do my endeavour and no more can be expected to deliver the truth in this matter I suppose therefore according to that Text Rom. 4 4. where Legal Works or working are accurately described that Legality lies in Doing any work with this supposition or conceit in my mind that now I have justly obliged God not only by a Justice of performing promise but a Justice of strict distribution according to the natural desert of an action My meaning is best expressed in that commonly known word of Merit he that doth an action to God supposing that he hath now merited a reward from God by distributive Justice The reason why I make prefumtion of Merit the form of Legality is for that reward of Debt is the Characteristical note of a Legal Reward therefore the expectation or presumtion of such a reward ought to be in a Legal Spirit he is Legal in his action and none other It will bepresently said Then there will not be found so many Legal professors as you assert there are for that few amongst us if any at all acknowledge Merits I answer though they do not acknowledge it with their mouths yet this I suppose is the secret Language of their hearts and where it is not let them be free from the imputation of Legality for me I see no rule to condemn them of it though I wil add this I think many men may disown it in words nay and think they are not guilty of it that yet are extreamly guilty such a a secret unsearchable Disease of heart is this of Legality I have perfectly done with the explication or discovery of the Disease in its own nature I shall come anon to give some symptomes of it that are signs and effects of it in the mean time let us see what improvement what observations we can make upon that Anatomical Discovery which was made of the Galatians e'ne now And here 1 Obser first of all I shall observe the strange and unhappy disappointments that the Legal self-Justitiaries meet with the miserable cheat that they put upon themselves They think to mix Law and Gospel they dare not stand to the Law alone they would fain have a little help from the Gospel to eke out their defects in a Legal Righteousness and alas the Gospel turns them off with scorn to the Law onely to be tried and judged by it which wil certainly condemn and devour them 2dly 2 Obser I observe the strange absurdities and self-contradictions which these self-Justitiaries both Jews and Gentils run into in their prosecution of a Legal Righteousness There are no less then four contradictions which the Galatians ran into in this business 1. They would be justified by the Law and yet acknowledged themselves sinners which is a contradiction for it is obvious that the Law must condemn sinners 2. They would be justified by the Law and yet not be bound to do the whole Law whereâ—s the Law hath no other way imaginable to justifie any persons but when they have the works of the Law when they have done the whole Law He that doth them shall live in them 3. They would be justified by the Law and yet have benefit by Christ and his death whereas Christ â—ras not the Minister of Circumcision Christ came into the world and dyed because the Law was broken and could not justifie 4. See the greatest of contradictions imaginable They would be justifisied by the Law and yet profess the Gospel and the way of Grace therefore the Apostle convinceth them with this Argument If ye seek Justification by the Law ye are fallen from Grace Rom. 11.6 If by Grace then it is no more of works yet all these absurdities and contradictions the Galatians swallowed that they might go on with their way of Works which they were so greedy after and addicted to besides all those evident arguments both general and of more particular concernment to them which they went against though they had received the Spirit by the Gospel though miracles were done amongst them in confirmation of the Gospel neither of which attended the Law though they had done and suffered so many things
for the Gospel yet all of a sudden like men bewitched away they turn to the Law and in effect though not in profession they leave the Gospel From whence again I add new proof as I promised to the first thing proposed in the conviction which is my third observation Therefore certainly mankind is exceedingly addicted to this way of works 3 Obser though not in a-strict way yet in this mixt way which comes all to one at last and must be called by the same Name I say I may justly infer from this one example of the Galatians That mankind is exceedingly addicted unto this way of works For though an argument ab exemplo be not ordinarily cogent yet such an example as this wil of it self almost amount to a demonstration for it is not an example of one man but of a great company of men they were the Churches of Galatia as it is in chap. 1. ver 2. and Galaria was not a Town or a City but a large Countrey that had many Churches up and down in it and these were such as had gladly received the Gospel they had received the Apostle Paul as if he had been an Angel of God even as Christ Jesus they blessed themselves exceedingly in this that they had heard the Gospel from him they received the Spirit by it c. Now notwithstanding all this no sooner do a company of Law-Preachers come that could do no Miracles at all could not convey the Spirit in their Ministry and yet the Galatians are so bewitched and besotted with them through their own natural inclinations to a Legal Righteousness that they fall off to the Law in the sight and view of all those demonstrations and convictions to the contrary and swallow down four several contradictions to boot Ergo hence it evidently appears that men are exceeding apt to run into this way of Justification by Works unless we shall imagine that this inclination in whole Churches of Galatia was some strange kind of special distemper arising from the soyle or some such trifling cause that hinders it from being common to us with them I say I take it for proved and granted from this example which is to me much like an Induction the whole Nation of the Jews the Churches of Galatia that were Gentiles were wholly given to this way therefore this way is mighty natural to mankind and we have all a strong propension and inclination to it but here comes in one considerable objection upon the answering of which the truth of this last Assertion wil be much clearer and that is this You say Object that because the Nation of the Jews and the Gentile Galatians were so much addicted to the way of Justification of Works therefore it is an argument that all mankind is addicted to this way and that we are in danger of running into this way but you do not seem to observe the great snare and stumbling-block that lay in their way to put them upon it and that was the Ceremonial Law which they did not understand as typical of Christ and Gospel-Mysteries but looked upon it as a task of duties which if they did go thorow and do their best to keepe they should undoubtedly please God and be saved Now this Ceremonial Law was given to the Jews and not perfectly out of use when the Galatians were thus led aside by it but was preached up by the devout Jews that were turned to Christianity that if they were not circumcised and kept not the Law of Moses they could not be saved Act. 15.1 Now this the Galatians receiving as true and holding the Gospel with it they did with the Jews too much dote upon Ceremonial Observances and so their Gospel which they professed with it was sowred and spoiled by it but we are not in this danger we know that the Ceremonial Law is down and so we are free from this snare and danger therefore we need not fear lest we run into a Covenant of Works or seek Justification by works This is the objection and you see it is considerable to which I shall endeavour an answer And first of all I answer by way of concession in three particulars Ans 1. 'T is true the Jews had the Ceremonial Law imposed upon them by God and the Galatians by the seduction of false Teachers received it likewise as their duty 2. The Ceremonial Law was apt to prove a snare to all that were under it in leading them into a Covenant of Works For to be set to do a great many things which we understand no meaning almost in how naturally will it teach us to take up with the opus operatum the work done to look no further Which easily mis-leads us into an opinion of Merit especially when we think our selves prettily well to have discharged our selves of the duties of the Moral Law besides 3. Let it be granted that this did actually prove a great snare both to the Jews and Galatians which appears from this that the Apostle when he is rebuking the Galatians for their Legality he instanceth for proofs often in their observing the Ceremonial Law Gal. 4.8 9. I winder saith he that after ye were set free from bondage to Idols by the Gospel of Christ ye should desire again to enter into bondage to ceremonies which there he calls beggarly rudiments and in ver 10 11. saith he Ye observe dayes and months and times and years I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain Nay the Apostle instanceth so frequently in the business of the Ceremonial Law that an incurious Reader might think that all thrir fault was but this that they made Conscience of keeping the Ceremonial Law though 't is certain and I have proved it already that this was not the greatest fault they had fallen into for then the Apostle would onely have gone about to convince them that the Ceremonial Law was abolished by the death of Christ or at least that they being Gentiles need not have their Consciences obliged to it which doth not scarce at all appear to have been any part of his design but his main design is to beat them off from a Covenant of works unto which the Ceremonial Law served for an Inlet And indeed this was the nature and genius of their mischievous error they thought as the Jews also did that though they were not so strict as they should be in observing the great weighty duties of the Moral Law yet if they were strict and careful in observing the Ceremonial this would make some amends for their other great defects and herein we see the Ceremonial Law proved a great snare Thus our Saviour chargeth the Jews even whilest it was their duty to keep the ceremonial Law that they placed the observances of the ceremonial Law in the room of their obedience to the moral Law Ye pay tythe of Mint and Annise and Cummin and have omitted the weightier matters
chief ingredient upon the whole composition We must not so miscall things lest at last we have no Names left us to call things by but I say herein is contained the mystery of the way of believing in opposition to the way of Works But to return What a brave flourish doth Micah's man make with his legal Righteousness What high promises What vast offers doth he make thousands of Rams ten thousands of Rivers of Oyle more then ever any Emperor in the world could set on running Yet these mighty offers doth this man here make to the Lord for his favour in the mean time he misseth passeth by this poor contemptible way of believing Only believe believe and all things are possible Do justly love mercy and walk humbly with thy God No but men that wil merit heaven they must be doing such a number of Duties so many Ave-maries so many Pater-nosters Heathenish vain repetitions they must give themselves so many stripes of a Good-Friday Surely they think God slights plain honesty as an homely thing and that he is taken with gallant gandy magnificent services or else with barbarous cruelties and severities Thus I reckon I have in some sort proved my seventh and last assertion in answer to the objection viz. That men are so far addicted to the way of works that though they had no ceremonial Law at all yet they would be finding out some way or other to vent this humour either in superficial obedience to the Moral law or in full tasks of Ceremonious observances which they could invent for themselves The Heathens did it in barbarous Sacrifices and vain repetitions the Pharisees in divers washings and that Jew in Micah in costly and diabolical offerings so that though we are freed from the Ceremonial law of the Jews and should be freed altogether from the Ceremonies in the Christian Church yet we are not quite out of all danger of seeking Justification by works All now that I can apprehend my self any way engaged to speak unto further upon the second particular in the conviction by way of discovery wherein this legality should lye is That seeing I have asserted that it must consist onely in opinion of Merit I should speak a little to prove that there is such a thing as that commonly in practise in the world of which I shall give a brief proof both in Jew and Gentile which will yet further evince that we are not wholly free from the danger and then I shall come to give some marks and signs of a Legal-spirit That there was such a thing among the Jews Mr. John Smith a late Writer in his select Discourses hath taken very good pains to prove In that Discourse which treats of a Legal and Evangelical Righteousness he tells us That it was a great affirmation of the Jewish Doctors That happiness by way of Merit is far greater and much more magnificent then that which is by way of Mercy and so that they reckoned they are his own words upon a more triumphant and illustrious kind of happiness victoriously to be atchieved by the merit of their own works then that beggarly kind of happiness as they seem to look upon it which cometh like an Alms from Divine bounty And accordingly they held I shal give you the Authors words That the Law delivered to them upon Mount Sinai was a sufficient Dispensation from God and ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE BY HIM for the advancing of them to a state of perfection and blessedness and that the proper end and scope of their Law was nothing but to afford them several wayes and means of merit But yet see what their great brags of Merit came to See what strange Dispensations they gave themselves even such as the Galatians gave themselves whilst they sought to be justified by works for the same Author in the third Chapter of the Discourse mentioned quotes this passage out of the Misna Lib. Maccoth Sect. ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the meaning whereof is That therefore the Precepts of the Law were so many in number that so they might single out where they pleased and in exercising themselves therein procure Eternal life or as Obadias de Bartenora expounds it that whosoever shall perform any one of the 613. Precepts of the Law for so many they make in number without any worldly respect for love of the Precept behold this man shall merit thereby everlasting life Here they might have been convinced by those two Arguments which the Apostle Paul useth against the Galatians Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things And he that is circumcised that is professeth to be justified by the Law is a debtor to keep the WHOLE Law And this we find the Pharisees to do in our Saviours time they taught that if a man had devoted what he should have given his Parents to God he was dispensed with from the duty of the fifth Commandment to Father and Mother he might say it was corban that is a gift already given to God Mark 7.11 Matth. 15.5 So that they taught their Disciples to pick and chuse among the Commandments which they would do and which they would leave undone nay to leave out some of the greatest commands of all that they might but fulfil some one of their inventions Here you have seen the presumption of mankind in the business of Merit instanced in the Jews they liked the way of Merit rather then the way of Mercy and yet cheated themselves with this That if they kept any one Law of the 613. that is if they kept it constantly as the same Author tells us they should merit everlasting life And that there is such a thing as opinion of Merit in their serving of God at this day amongst men professing Christianity we may know easily if we hear but what the Papists teach and hold and practise they won the very word Merit that good works are meritorious And if they seem to avoid the thing which we mean by their distinction of Meritum excongruo condigno yet we will easily fasten the Thing upon them For Merit as I have said in the Scripture-notion of it is when a man that doth any action to God expects the Reward of Debt and so demands it at the hands of the Law Now these men profess that they can do more then the Law requires of them they can lay up a stock of good Works that shal serve for others which the Church may dispose of to those that want them and they shall be meritorious for them therefore it must follow that they have done what the Law requires for how can he do works of supererogation which were not demanded of him by the Law and which the Church may dispose of at pleasure who hath not kept the whole Law There is such a thing as opinion of Merit amongst the Papists in their serving of God therefore we may be guilty of it How doth the Pope tell them and
where I set my Name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel Now did God destroy his people at Shiloh for their wickedness the place where God set his Name at the first and cannot he deal as severely with a second place Therefore saith God except ye repent and amend your ways I will do unto this House as I did to Shiloh and I will destroy you as I did my people at Shiloh for all your Temple But here we see how men may dote upon a Temple so as to think themselves secure from God's Judgments though they themselves are ful of wickedness Whysomewhat like this are our people ready to do tho God forbid there should be such a gross thing found amongst us in the dayes of the Gospel as this of the Jews was yet how do many dote upon Churches and consecrated places crying as it were The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and that after our blessed Saviour hath told us as much as this in my apprehension that one place is no holier then another neither Jerusalem nor Mount Gerizim but men should worship the Father in spirit and truth and in every place saith the Apostle perhaps we might gloss in every place alike men should lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting and yet how are some apt to think that if they pray in a Church though the Assembly be not there that a prayer in a Church is far more acceptable then in their Closet at home Not as if I did not far more prefer publick Worship then private or secret devotion or that I were against a convenient decent Meeting-place Again The Iews gloried in ceremonious services how did this Jewish Legal Carnal righteousness please pride it self in the ceremonial service of Sacrifices and the like but never look at the heart Isa 1.11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me saith the Lord I am full of Burn â—fferings of Rams and the fat of fed Beasts I delight not in the blood of Bullocks or of Lambs or of He-Goats Ver. 13. Bring no more vain Oblations incense is an abomination unto me the new Moons and Sabbaths I cannot away with Not as if all these things were at this time unlawful for they were their duty but here you see they were abundant in these and failed in matters of common honesty and justice as we may see ver 15 16 17. Your hands are full of blood wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgement relieve the oppressedâ— judge the fatherless plead for the Widow These things they ought to have done and not to leave the other undone and when ye have done these things saith the Lord Come now and let us reason together though your sins be as Scarlet they shall be white as Snow c. ver 18. Here was Gospel that if they would mind the true reformation of their hearts and lives they might expect the pardon of their sins but these Legal Jews they never mind this inward holiness no nor common honesty and yet make no question but they shall make God amends very wel by keeping Festivals New-Moons Sabbaths days of solemn Assemblies and by Sacrifices of Rams Lambs Bullocks He-Goats as if God were fed with the blood and fat of these beasts and were migtihly attoned by incense sweet perfumes See Psal 50. from 7. to 14. as if then he must needs smel a savour of rest in all that they did And the Gal. we find were come to this Gal. 3.10 Ye observe days and months times and years that is Jewish Feasts I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain When they once came to observe them there was a great deal of danger and cause for the Apostles sear that they would rest in the observance of them for that this was the reason why they took to observing of them when it was not now any longer the Jews duty so much as to observe them because of their inclination to a Covenant of Works which chiefly expresseth it self in an external service So likewise the Colossians amongst whom the same pestilent Law-Preachers had been they were ensnared to the making conscience of dayes Sabbaths and new Moons and also in the business of meats that some were clean and others unclean which was once the Jews duty to observe insomuch that Peter tells the Lord he had been so strict in the business hitherto that nothing common or unclean meaning of the flesh of unclean Beasts and Fowls had entred into his mouth Acts 11.6.8 But now was not only not their duty any longer but at least to the Gentiles a sin to make any conscience in it for that they could hardly begin such a thing at such a time upon the inticement of false Teachers for none else perswaded the Gentiles to it but from an evil inclination of swerving from the pure Gospel which they had received from the Apostles unto a Covenant of Works thus served out to them by their false Teachers And it argues almost as ill a disposition in the Galatians and Colossians but to take up these things as their duty as it did in the Jews to place so much in them when they were their duty Let no man judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy-day or of the new Moon or of the Sabbath-dayes which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ Col. 2.14 16 17. These things when they were in use and were mens duties were at best but shadows and yet these shadows did men exceedingly glory in and preferred them before true holiness and the spiritual Worship of God yea they thought verily that whilest they did observe these things they might commit all manner of Villanies and yet escape the judgement of God Yea they thought they were delivered to do all sorts of abominations as it is in Jer 7.10 The Apostle finds out such a generation of Jews in his time Rom. 2. from the 17. to the 25. Behold thon art called a Jew and restest in the Law a full expression I think of one that seeks Justification by the Law and makest thy boast of God and knowest his will And the Apostle proceeds to describe a great Lawyer indeed one that thought himself sit to be a Guide of the blind a Light of them that walk in darkness an instructer of the foolish a teacher of babes and one that had the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Law Yet what kind of man is he for his Morals Why he is a Thief an Adulterer a Sacrilegious person what not ver 21 22. Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thy self thou that preachest a man should not steal dost thou steal Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery dost
think the Papists do generally ruine themselves by resting upon externals nay inventions in the service of God So much for the cautions and for the Character as it concerns those that are under predominant Legality Now because the same character that will discover it at this height will discover it also where it is in any less degree and for that I have asserted that there is a mixture of Legality in the services of the best Christians and Saints of God I think it good to improve this character yet further for the discovery of that Legality which may be found in the Saints themselves That Legality of the Saints therefore which is discoverable and reprovable by this Character is 1. That I doubt not but some good men have a Conscience of some superstitious observations and I would not for all the world think the contrary lest I should condemn the generat on of the just and think too hardly of some dear Saints of God And I must needs confess there is too much occasion given men to run into this extream of Superstition by the irreverence of others perhaps good men in the service of God How ordinaâ—ily do many sit at prayers in the Church when they are not necessitated by weakness or any other occasion and with their Hats upon their heads Now how easily may this give occasion to others that take offence at this irreverence out of a fear lest they should not be reverent enough in the service of God to approve of kneeling at the Sacrament which I doubt not but many good men may be very zealous for as also forbowing at the Name of Jesus But yet I reckon that good men are in greater danger of Legality in the matter of Moral duties then in ceremonies and superstitions for though I have acknowledged that some good men may have a conscience of some superstitious observations being misled by the care to be sufficiently reverent yet to be greatly superstitious in Gospel-days is a shrewd sign of a rotten heart and so not so incident to good men 2dly For the duties of the Moral Law good mens Legality lies in two particulars 1. When they have performed a duty rightly and spiritually they are apt to reflect upon it with a spiritual pride and ready to lay too much stress upon it and to think that now God must needs grant the Petitions they have asked whereas perhaps they have answer enough in the very sweetness of the duty it self and the communion with God which they have enjoyed in it and therefore if they are not humbled after such a duty to see their great unworthiness notwithstanding all they have done they are so far guilty of Legality Or which is more usual 2dly The Saints too often content themselves with doing their tale and number of duties praying morning and evening perhaps reading so many Chapters but are not spiritual in what they do watching over their hearts that they worship God in a right manner with those spiritual affections stirring in prayer that attention in reading that should be this is commonly known by the name of resting in duties this is â—egality and yet I think that which is found more or less in all the Saints and so far indulged to themselves by some Saints till at last they have a general deadness and benummedness in all their Graces and then they fall into sad complaints of desertions and run into a maze and a Labyrinth of doubts and troubles of mind which perhaps they get not out of for some years together As for those Saints that pick and choose amongst the Commandments that are high-flown in their notions and yet err grosly in matters of common Justice and honesty that are indeed not only slanderously reported or unworthily suspected to be so disobedient to Magistrates with other like irregular Christians I have nothing to say to them here I refer these to the head of hypocritical Legallists that expect to be justified by a parcial obedience to the Commands of the Moral Law these not being spots of Gods Children There are other miscarriages of the Saints in duties that are to be referred to their Legality of Spirit as for instance if they chance through extraordinary occasions to have missed the time of prayer morning or evening to have missed the reading their number of Chapters or doing any good task which they had laid upon themselves then they have a great fear and terror lest God should be angry and displeased with them though indeed Mercy was at ended instead of Sacrifice but such as these belong to another head or character of a Legal Spirit to wit a Spirit of Bondage which I shall come unto anon I have now perfectly done with the first Character as to its explication proof and application both to Legality predominant and that which is found in a less degree in which I may be thought tedious enough Onely I would not leave so much as a cavil without some endeavour at least of an answer to it Now I am sensible that thoughts may arise in some as if this whole particular were impertinent Obj. Whoever thought before may they chance say that Superstition was Legality that a partial performance of the Moral Law either by the less strict or more strict Morallists was Legality If men would seek to be justified by the Law they would endeavour at least to keep the whole Law and if they knew they fell short of it as those prophane wicked men which you mention out of Isaiah Jeremiah and other places that were very wicked did and yet rested in Ceremonious performances and external Priviledges these indeed deserve the Name of wicked men but not of Legallists or such as seek justification by the Law Now to this I answer and I shall say but little more then what I have said before 1. 'T is true none ought to seek Justification by the Law but those that have perfectly kept it hitherto and undertake to keep it for the future part of their lives 2. If any seek justification any other way they do but be-fool themselves 3. But yet the Jews and Galatians did seek justification by Works by the Law ASIT WERE by the Works of the Law else the Apostle had disputed against no adversary And yet they did not pretend to perfect and unerring obedience So I reckon the objection is answered already that men may seek Justification by the Law that have not nor think they have the exact Works of it But yet to give some overplus of answer There being a generation of men that do seek Justification by the Works of the Law yea forasmuch as all men are apt to seek it this way it must be in some kind of actions or other Now I have shewn that these very men that are taxed for Legality by the Apostle viz. the Jews and Galatians they were also taxed for their being so much in love with ceremonies and superstitions and with external
but the Jews yet who greater Legallists then they They at Lystra that would have worshipped Paul and Barnabus for gods to day are by to morrow perswaded by some Jews that came down thither from Antioch and Iconium to stone them Acts 14.11.19 They were the Jews who were so zealous for the Law that cryed out against Paul Away with such a fellow from the earth it is not fit that he should live Acts 22.22 Might not he justly therefore as he doth not by way of revenge but of right appellation call them Dogs Phil. 3.2 Beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision those that yet have their great confidences in the flesh ver 3.4 And as it was then in Abraham's time and in the Apostles days so it is now they that are for Ceremonies and Superstitions or meerly for an external way of serving God cannot endure the true spiritual Worshippers I shall now in a word endeavour to shew how this spirit of persecution proceeds from their Legality not that the Law teacheth them any such thing directly but that the corruption of their spirits incited occasionally from the Law puts them upon it Now I suppose it comes to pass thus that seeing they are in such a way of serving God as brings them in no true peace but puts the most of them into great horrors fears and troubles of spirit as is manifested in the former particular and indeed into a secret hatred of God they cannot vent their hatred against God directly that would be too gross and therefore they find out some pretence or other of venting it against his truest and most faithful servants They 'l accuse them of being too strict that they are the troublers of their Israel as Elijah was accused by Ahab 1 King 18.17 though indeed Elijah there sets the Saddle upon the right Horse as the proverb is when he tells Ahab ver 10. I have not troubled Israel but thou and thy fathers House in that ye have forfaken the Commandments of the Lord and thou hast followed Baalim So was his successor Elisha served by the King of Israel in his time 2 King 6. where is a most pertinent story to this purpose which I havâ— somewhat touched at above There was indeed a sore Famine in Samaria perhaps upon the prayer of Elisha as before there was upon the prayer of Elijah as appears from 1 King 18.1 compared with James 5.17 18. or at least the King of Israel suspected that he was the cause of it and upon this bears him a grudge but yet Elisha promising or giving some hopes at least that there should be a plenty in some very short time as Commentators say the King thinks fit to wait a while which he in the 33. ver calls waiting on the Lord and he waits with some signs of humiliation for it is said ver 30 that at the story of the womans eating her child he rent his cloaths and the people looked and behold he had sackcloath within upon his flesh And he hath some Religious words for those that came to make their complaint to him ver 26.27 Then cryed a woman unto him saying Help my Lord O King And he said If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee Hitherto all things look pretty well but alas this was all but an external religiousness an external humiliation like that of wicked Ahab Seest thou Ahab humbleth himself And therefore this King 's forced patience hath an end and he breaks out into the highest impatience against God and where hath it its chiefest vent Why in persecuting the Prophet Elisha God do so to me saith he and more also if the Head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day and he senta man from before him to be the Executioner whom Elisha calls the son of a murtherer ver 31 32. Now alas what an absurd and impertinent revenge was this For suppose Elisha had prayed for this punishment of Famine upon the wicked Samaritans what reason had this foolish falsly-religious Wretch to think that there was any sault in Elisha Could he bind up the clouds from raining Or would the Lord have answered a Prayer which had been guilty of cruelty and inhumanity It was God who had sent the Famine not Elisha yea this wicked Prince acknowledged so much This evil is of the Lord saith he ver 33. but here is the my sterie of this iniquity he could not revenge himself upon Heaven and therefore he lets out his rage upon the best man that was upon earth All legal Worshippers have at the bottom of their heart a deep hatred against God and his people In the last place there is in the heart of every Legallist a spirit of envy and emulation They are all sensible more or less at one time or another that they are not acceptable to God and that these Puritans these holy men are and therefore they cannot endure them they envy them for their greatest excellencies and for that they are the favourites of heaven and they cannot endure that seeing they take so much pains as they do in their wrong way as indeed many of them are at great cost and pains in their way they cannot endure that any should be preferred before them Legallists and Spiritual Worshippers are as I may say Rivals for the favour of God Now the spiritual Worshippers take the right way the Legallists take the wrong way to obtain it therefore the first â—â—e received the latter are rejected and cast out What saith the Scriptures Cast out the bond-woman and her son Now there can be no greater â—ud than that which is between Rivals This was the very case bet wixt Cain and Abel which I have several times explained And Cain as I have said had no other quarrel against Abel but for that God accepted of his offering But now whereas a legal spirit is thus wrathful revengeful envious and murtherous the Spirit of the Gospel and of all Saints so far as they are baptized into a Gospel-spirit is a micable peaceable meek gentle and easie to be entreated James 3.17 Hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions envyings murthers are all fruits of the flesh and of those that are BORN AFTER THE FLESH but the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace LONG-SUFFERING GENTLENESS GOODNESS What excellent virtues are these for humane Society The Legallist he cryes It is not fit to suffer such Wretches to live away with such an Heretick from the earth Now for the Gospel-spirited man he could wish indeed St. Pauls wish in Acts 26.29 I would to God saith he that not onely thou but all that hear me this day were not onely almost but altogether such as I am except these Bonds he doth not wish them his Bonds that was his GOODNESS that last Gospel-virtue mentioned but he wisheth that all his persecutors were of his perswasion so doth every good man else he could not
be a friend to the truth that he professeth But how to make them such he pretends to no other means but earnest prayers strong arguments and meek perswasions Thou almoâ—â— perswadest me to be a Christian saith Agrippa I would to God I could do it altogether saith St. Paul And when he comes to deal with his legal-Galathians first he useth the strongest arguments that can be to convince them afterwards the kindest appellations and sweetest infinuations to get an interest in their affections I have spoken to the arguments at large the appellations and insinuations I might insist upon such as these Brethren I beseech you be as I am for I am as you are yee have not injured me at all yee know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospel unto you at the first and my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not nor rejected but received me as an Angel of God even as Christ Jesus chap. 4. ver 12 13 14 15. ver 19. My little children of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you I desire to be present with you c. And as St. Paul practised so he advised Timothy to do in dealing with men of a contrary perswasion to him yea with such as opposed themselves to him 2 Tim. 2.25 26. IN MEEKNESS INSTRUCTING THEM WHO OPPOSE THE MSELVES if peraduenture God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth And so he adviseth his Philippians Chap. 3.15 16. Whereto we have already attained let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same thing and if in any thing yee be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you The application is onely this So far as any are of a persecuting spirit so far they are Legal and I fear there are great mixtures of this in the hearts of many good men but I dare make this guess concerning them that when they have well smarted themselves by impositions and persecutions for their consciences they will be heartily glad of a TOLERATION which yet they would not have allowed to others if they had had the power in their own hand and I fear they will feel the smart as much as any sort of men and perhaps more for all that are good shall be sure to feel the sting of the Serpent and those most especially that stand next him hoping to make some accommodation but yet are true enemies to him I have done with this fourth Character I have one more considerable Character to add unto the former but before I proceed to the mention of it I shall add some few quotations out of Dr. Moore and Mr. Smith of Cambridge for confirmation of those things that I have asserted as Characters because I am loath to goalone without some restimony from others in such a considerable subject as I have here adventured through the assistance of God to treat upon Dr. Moore in his Mysterie of Godliness Iâ—â— 9. cap. 7. pag. 470. tells us That a MEER LEGALLIST is even a stranger to those things he praâ—â—ses and imitates under the Law Vpon the 〈◊〉 Chaâ—acter that the service of the Legallist consists onely in extemals and acts so as a Paâ—â—â— speaks by external imitation not from a due inwaâ—â— faculty and so again in the same pag. The Law sayes he not giving life there is no principle of life and natural genuine compliance of the soul of man wiâ—â— the SPIRITUALITY of the Law under the first Câ—venant Now if it cannot reach the spirituality oâ— the Law its service must consist onely in external conformities I shall produce somewhat 〈◊〉 the like nature out of Mr. Smith of Cambridge in that Discourse of his of the difference betwixt a Legal and Evangelical Righteousness he hathâ— these words That Righteousness of Faith which the Apostle sets up against the Law and compare with it is indeed in its own nature a VITAL and SPIRITUAL Administration wherein God converseth with men whereas the Law was meerly an EXTERNAL or dead thing in it self not able to beget any true Divine Life in the souls of men All that LEGAL RIGHTEOUSNESS which the Jews boasted so much of was but from the earth earthly consisting MEERLY IN EXTERNAL PERFORMANCES and so falling extreamly short of that internal and God-like frame of spirit which is necessary for a true conjunction and union with God c. Again in the same Discourse he tells us That the most proper and formal difference between the Law and the Gospel is this That the one is considered onely as an external Administration and the other as an internal and that therefore the Apostle calls the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Ministration of the Letter but on the other side he calls the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Ministration of the Spirit Once more in the same fourth chapter p. 323. Under the old Covenant This reaches the first and third characters and in the time of the Law there were amongst the Jews some that were Evangelized that were re non nomine Christiani as under the Gospel there are many that do Judaize are of as LEGAL and SERVILE SPIRITS as the Jews children of the Bond-woman resting in meer external observances of Religion in an outward seeming purity in a form of godliness as did the Scribes and Pharisees of old Another out of Doctor Moore his Mystery of Godliness pag. 387. The holiness of the Gospel is far transcending the holiness of either the ancient or MODERN SCRIBES and PHARISEES and Zelotical Ceremonialists for all outward Ceremonies of time and place of gestures or vestments rites or orders they are all but signs and shews but the body is Christ Some passages out of Mr. Smith's Discourse of the shortness of a Pharisaical Righteousness That Love is an absolutely necessary principle of Gospel-obedience to shew that love is absolutely necessary to a Gospel-spirit pag. 364. saith he The spirit of true Religion is of a free noble ingenuous and generous nature arising out of the warm beams of the Divine Love which first hatcht it and brought it forth and therefore it is afterwards perpetually bathing it self in that sweetest love that first begot it and is alwayes refreshed and nourished by it This Love casteth out fear fear which hath torment in it and is therefore more apt to chase away souls once woundâ—â— with it from God rather then to allure them to God with much more to the same purpose One more out of the learned Doctor concerning the last Character mentioned Upon the fourth Character viz. a spirit of Persecution and it is this That Ishmael Hagar's son had his hand against every man Upon which he quotes a descant of Philo. that it might signifie thus much That the Legallist is a great and fierce Disputer upon the Letter a notable Polemical Divine and his ignorance and untamedness of his carnal heart makes him very hold and troublesome I shall
need transcribe no more but if the proof of these Propositions that the Legallist is for◠external conformities onely in the service of God that he hath aflat and dead spirit in his service that he is proud and conceited and yet under a spirit of Bondage c. I say if the proof of these rested upon authority I might be furnished with abundant testimonies out of these Authors and I shall name no more hitherto therefore it is evident that I go not alone either in words or matter and design I proceed now to speak to the last character The last Character which is this A man is so far Legal as he is affectedly ignorant of Christ or acts to God without Christ in the daies of the Gospel Phil. 3.7 8 9. when the Apostle had there rekoned up his external fleshly privileges which if he would have had a trust and confidence in the flesh he might have boasted of with any Pharisee of them all these saith he were once gain to me I accounted them my riches and my treasure but now What things were gain to me these I counted loss for Christ yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him NOT HAVING MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF THE LAW but THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE FAITH OF CHRIST the righteousness which is of God by Faith That I may know him c. This which I have produced is evidently to the purpose for that the Apostle is opposing the two righteousnesses of the Law and Faith and the righteousness which is of God by Faith is all one with the righteousness which is through the Faith of Christ and therefore that which he presseth forward unto is to be found in him and to know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto him in his death ver 10 11 12 13 14 15. But here I will mark before I go any further that there is an inseparable connexion betwixt the righteousness of Faith There is an inseperable connexion betwixt the righteousness of Faith and true holiness and the righteousness of Sanctification nay they seem in this place to be put one for the other for when the Apostle interprets his own expressions of counting all things losse and dung that he may win Christ and that he may be sound in him not having his own righteousness which is of the Law he speaks it in words that signifie sanctification immediately and properly But which is saith he through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by Faith What is that it follows that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death These are expressions of sanctification so it follows ver 11. If by any means I might obtain to the resurrection of the dead Which is the highest expression of Sanctification in the whole Scripture or at least one of the highest and so to the same purpose it follows ver 12 13 14 15. * Vnless we wil say that the Apostle speaks of Justification in the 7 8 9. verand then without any formal transition passes on to speak of sanctification in the following verses Not but that there must still be a proper difference held betwixt Justification and Sanctification for they have proper different notions and conceptions Justification is an act of God without us Sanctification is an act of the Spirit within us Sanctification denominates the Person good Justification denominates the person accepted and well-pleasing to God But for any contradiction that there should be in this to say that the same inward holiness which is called our Sanctification may be the very condition of our Justification I profess I know of none not that I affirm that it is so for indeed I am somwhat shye of affirming in those very words though I shall afterwards have occasion to say something to the like purpose but if I should I were not alone in the opinion those two Authors above-named would abundantly supply me with testimonies for they frequently and strenuously assert That the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the RIGHTEOUSNES OF FAITH mentioned so often in Paul's Epistles is onely an INTERNAL HOLINESS for which I shall give you several quotations out of them and so proceed Mr. Smith in his discourse of the difference betwixt the Old and New Covenant he comes to speak unto this very Scripture Phil. 3. Where saith he The Apostle amongst his other Jewish privileges having reckoned up his blamelesness in all points touching the Law he undervalues them all and counts all but loss 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus in which place the Apostle doth not mean to disparage a real inward righteousness and the strict observance of the Law but his meaning is to shew how poor and worthless a thing all outward observances of the Law are in comparison of a true internal conformity to Christ in the renovation of the mind and soul according to his image and likeness as is manifest from ver 9 10 c. in which he thus delivers his own meaning of the knowledge of Christ which he so much extolled very emphatically That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by Faith Where by the way wee may further take notice what this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the righteousness of Faith and the righteousness of God is according to his own true meaning as he expounds himself viz. A CHRIST-LIKE NATURE IN A MAN'S SOUL or Christ appearing in the minds of men by the mighty power of his divine Spirit and thereby deriving a true participation of himself to them so we have it ver 10. That I may know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death So far Mr. Smith I shall give now the same observation out of Dr. More and so proceed Pag. 387. of his Mystery of Godliness It is plain saith he from the constant scope of the Apostle both in his Epistle to the Gal. and every where else in extolling the righteousness of Faith that he does not vilifie true virtue and morality but drives at an higher pitch and perfection thereof and that the righteousness of Faith which he prefers to the righteousness of works IS NOT BY WAY OF EXCLUSION OF GOOD WORKS OUT OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH but of urging us to exacter and more perfect works of righteousness than could be performed under the dispensation of the Law And in pag. 379 where the Doctor professeth
man hath made God himself his righteousness and Christ his righteousness and this is a glorious righteousness indeed far beyond the righteousness of a perfect and unerring obedience if a man had it for this see one proof out of the Old-Testament and one or two out of the New Isa 45.24 25. Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength even to him shall men come and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed in the Lord shall all the Seed of Isral be JUSTIFIED and SHALL GLORY For the New-Testament I have often mentioned already that place Gal. 2.20 yet it can never be too often repeated I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I or no longer but Christ liveth in me and the 〈◊〉 that I now lâ—ve in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who lived me and gave himself for me Here St. â—aul had a glorious righteousness indeed for Christ was his riches and righteousness and dwelt in him by Faith that is he lived upon Christ by faith 't is true he had a Christ-like nature in his soul but this Christ-like nature was not the righteousness of faith or the righteousness of God or his Gospel-righteousness but a fruit of that Faith which was his righteousness All other glorying is excluded in the Gospel save crâ—ely to glory in the Lord Rom 3.27 2 Cor. 1.30 31. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousnesâ—y that according as it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Now this making God and Christ a mans righteousness is that alone which commends the Gospel so highly above the Law sets up he second Adam above the first gives a just account of all those Elogies which the Apostle gives of the Gospel the way of believing above the first way of works which I suppose out of Dr Moor's notion would not arise at all For though the Drs notion should be true which I confess there is no contradiction in I have delivered some things above p 218 219. but a little too much in favor of it * I would have that expression p. 219. 〈◊〉 shall say something to the like purpose understood only thus Tha sanctification is the condition of our justification onely in the second place faith in the first I say suppose the Dâ—â— notion should be true That faith justifies us purely because it sanctifies us and that the holiness which arises from faith should be that which is called the Righteousness of Faith yet how could this ever advance the Gospel above the Law in the business of Justification If we take the Law not in the mistaken sense of the Legallist but in the proper sense of it For so the righteousness of the Law is unerring obedience and the righteousness of Faith in the Dâ—s sence is obedience full of defects Now comparing obedience with obedience and the righteousness of Faith with the righteousness of the Law how can the righteousness of Faith be preferred to the righteousness of the Law How can the second Adam in the holiness which he causeth be advanced above the first in his earthly righteousness That therefore which make the excellency and precedency of the Gospel to the Law is this that the righteousness of the Law was one 's own this of Faith makes God himself and Christ himself our righteousness by our living wholly upon them I have said as much as I intend to the Dr. s notion of the righteousness of saith and I do cordially profess That what I have spoken hath been meerly out of love to the truth and if the truth had not engaged and enforced me to deliver what I have I should not have presumed to encounter counter such a great man being my self not worthy to carry the Doctors books after him And I know the Doctors candor and ingenuity to be so great that he will give others leave as freely to differ from him as he takes to differ from others I shall shut up this Question with a grave admonition out of Mr John Goodwin in his Banner of Justification displaied pag. 32. That Faith justifies saith he is the constant assertion of the Scripture and the Architectonical doctrine of the Gospel Rom. 5.1 3 28. Gal. 2.15.16 By the way upon occasion of these with many the like passages in the New Testament wherein Justification by faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expresly affirmed I cannot but mention my dislike of their strein in teaching who lay down and deliver it to the people for a doctrine positively and plainly That men are not justified by saith or by believing Douotless it is not convenient or comely positively to deliver or assert that for a doctrine of truth which is so diametrally opposite to 〈◊〉 frequent clear and express words of the Scripture And again I judge it very incongruous for any Minister of the Gospel to seâ— up a doctrine as it were in defiance of or in conâ—â—st against any thing so frequently and so directly in terminis affirmed in the Scriptures as Justification by faith I do not â—â—â—â—uce this quotation to infirmate as if the Doctor did not hold that we are justified by the acts of faith as well as by any other good actions but for that I am sensible the Doctor intends that we are not more justified by the acts of faith than by any other good actions which if it were true I could not see how faith could be worthy of so famous attributious of justification to it in such an eminent manner when the Apostle is silent about other graces only here and there in some places where there is no such professed dispute he speaks wordâ— in Tayor of other graces and good works in the matter of justification I tome now to a fifth Question which is this How do good works justifie And in answer to this I must first premise That seeing the Scripture is so express in it that works to justifie Jam. 2.25 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified and 〈◊〉 by saith only I dare not pass over this Question without speaking to it But I shall need to speak the less to this because Mr Baxter and others have delivered so much upon it I shall first shew the agreement which there is betwixt St Paul and St James in this business and then shew how works justifie 'T is true St Paul assirms Rom. 3.28 chat we are justified by faith without the deeds or works of the Law St James saith that we are justified by works and not by faith only here seems to be a jarring and disagreement But they are to be reconciled by the observation of the several sorts of works that these two Apostles speak of St Paul speaks of legal works or works of the Law which contain in them an opinion of merit or debt as I have shewn above pag. 97 98.
and a man is justified without these nay he cannot be justified if he but pretend to these Therefore the Apostle James must speak of another sort of works which whilest a man doth he yet renounces merit in them and these works a man may be in part justified by without any prejudice to the doctrine of Justification by faith This is fully asserted by Mr Baxter Thesis 76. pag. 292. Neither is there saith he the least appearance of a contradiction betwixt this and Paul's doctrine Rom. 3.28 if men did not through prejudice negligence or wilfulness over-look this that in that and all other the like places the Apostle doth professedly exclude THE WORKS OF THE LAW ONLY from Justification but never at all THE WORKS OF GOSPEL as they are the condition of the New Covenant Works therefore justifie as a less principal part of the condition of the New Covenant I am not shy to speak in Mr Baxter's words since I intend much the same thing they do not justifie from their own merit so only legal works justifie but from divine promise and acceptance For proof of this that it is so that works do justifie in the second place besides the express words of the Apostle James I finde the same thing asserted by the Apostle Paul in three several Scriptures * Dr Hammond Par. All that is required to our justification is faith not all that is called by that name but such as is made perfect by addition of those duties which we owe to God and our brethren Gal. 5â— In Jesus Christ that is in the doctrine of Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing that is unto Justification 〈◊〉 uncircumcision but faith whiâ—â— worketh by Love Here faith indeed is â—aid to justifie but it is a faith which worketh by love a working faith But yet more plainly the same expression is used in two places to our present purpose Gal. 6.15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature that is saith Dr Hammond the renewed regenerate heart and it may be added a new life 2 Cor. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a now creature old things are past away behold all things are become new that is he lives a perfect new life and this new life only availeth unto Justification beyond circumcision or uncircumcision which are meer external Priviledges The third Scripture where the same expression is used is beyond all exception to our present purpose 1 Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing these are of no consideration in the matter of pleasing God and obtaining his favour What then is why the keeping the commandments of God this is beyond all these considerations of bond and free circumcised and uncircumcised But these are the things with which he compares the new creature and good works he doth not set these above all when he compares them with faith in that place where he mentions faith that is set above works and other graces as the cause above the effect the principal agent above the instrument Neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncâ—râ—umbâ—sion but faith which WORKETH BY LOVE But in these Scriptures we see plainly that work have an influence upon our Justification they are of great availe in order unto it If it be objected that the first Justification passeth upon believing before works I answer with many others that there is in the first faith a rooted disposition unto an universal obedience there is the new creature or new man of the heart there and in continued justification there is the new man of the life and conversation Now the reasons why the Lord would have works in the condition of Justification though he doth not justifie for works only or chiefly may be gathered out of the Scripture to be these The first reason is this 1 Reas Why works are in the condition of Gospel justification For that without works faith it self cannot be accounted a perfect saith Now certainly if faith justifie it must be a perfect compleat faith not a maimed imperfect faith That without works faith is imperfect and by works it is perfected are the assertions of the Apostle James Faith without works is dead James 2.20 26 ver 22. Seest thâ—â— how faith wrought with his works and by works was his faith made perfect What an uselets imperfect dead thing is a power or faculty for action without operation What an useless thing would it be for a man to have eyes able to see only the man hath a continual blinde put before his eyes that he never doth see in all his life Why just such a thing were faith withour action of no worth or use What an imperfect faith had Abraham's been if his works and actions had not attended it Suppose we that when God commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac he had refused and said Lord how then shall there arise of him a great Nation his faith had been exceedingly discredited But when he resolves with himself I will offer him up for I know that God that raised him out of Sarah's dead womb can as well raise him from the dead after I have killed him and offered him up here was a noble faith indeed his faith was perfected by this work here that grace shewed what it could carry men unto When any thing attains its end it receives its perfection Here faith attained its end in carrying Abraham to do so great a work and therein was perfected and so obtained the compleat reward of Justification then the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God if works had not accompanied his faith it had proved but an imperfect dead faith the Scripture had not been fulfilled which faith Abraham believed God No artificer will own any thing to be a true and perfect piece of work which will not attain it's end serve the use it is made for so will not God own that to be faith which will not put us upon acts of confidence in himself and obedience to his commands be they never so difficult For though God knows the heart and so can see into the very principle of our actions yet the Lord is pleased to keep that distance of State and Majesty that he will not seem to know what he doth know till the outward man express what is in the inward man God knew before what was in Abraham's heart but yet he will not seem to know that he was so great a believer till he had put him upon this trial of offering up his son Gen 22.12 Now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not with-heâ—â—â—hy son thine only son from me Now I confess what is here said of works in this reason That faith receives it's perfection from them can only properly and immediately be applyed to the works of faith to other works only remotely as faith may have some kinde of influence even upon all good works but however
Spirit of Christ being throughly convinced of the righteousness of the Law the truth of its threatning the Nature and Offices Sufficiency and Excellency of Jesus Christ his free offer to all that will accept of him for their Lord and Saviour doth hereupon believe the truth of this Gospel and accept of Christ as his only Lord and Saviour to bring him to God his chiefest good and doth accordingly rest on him as his Saviour and SINCERELY though imperfectly OBEY him as his Lord FORGIVING OYHERS LOVING HIS PEOPLE BEARING WHAT SUFFERINGS ARE IMPOSED c. and all this sincerely and to the end This is part of his desinition of Faith Again Mr. Baxter in another place pag. 238. Thesis 62. according to this definition of Faith tells us That Faith may be called the onely condition of the New-Covenant for two reasons 1. Because it is the principal condition and the other but the less principal and so as an whole Countrey hath ost its Name from a chief City so may the conditions of this Covenant from Faith 2. Because all the rest are reducible to it either being presupposed as necessary antecedents or means or contained in it as its parts properties or modifications or else implyed as its immediate product or necessary subservient means or consequents And so full to the same purpose Thesis 73. pag. 280. Thus we see by Scripture and according to the opinion of a very learned and good man that Faith is not onely the first Grace in order but a very operative Grace and was in its own nature exceedingly sitted for that service which God hath in much Wisdom and Prudence appointed it unto But thirdly 〈…〉 there is yet a more proper reason then either of these why Faith should be chosen for this uses and that is for that Faith is a self-emrying Grace to live by Faith is to live purely in dependance upon God and Christ for every thing and what fitter instrument or condition of Justification could be chosen after the fall of man when it was most reasonable that if God would save a man he should have all the glory Doth not the Apostle insist mightily upon this both in his Doctrine and particular practice Justification now saith he is not of works lest any man should boast Eph. 2.9 But by Grace are ye saved through Faith So Nom. 3.27 Where is boasting then it is excluded By what Law Of works Nay but by the Law of Faith This is St. Paul's Doctrine Then for his practice For my part saith he I am crucified with Christ I am a poor dead thing Nevertheless I live yet not I or no longer I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Christ liveth in me and the life that I live is by Faith in Christ Gal. 2.20 Now that St. Paul is come to live the life of Faith he is nothing Christ is all he is dead and liveth not Christ onely liveth in him So that you see Faith besides all its other excellencies hath a peculiar fitness for this service of justifying a sinner and yet notwithstanding all these excellent qualities that are to be found in Faith it could not have justified without a Divine ordination and appointment Now for any to say as some do that Love justifies as much as Faith nay that God doth rather approve of a man for his Love then for his Faith is methinks very bold and unscriptural Divinity I shall onely adde a word of testimony out of Mr. Baxter to this last particular and so conclude the question and all the questions which I have to propose about Justification Pag. 231. of his Aphorisms he hath these words If God had seen meet to have stamped any thing else to pass for Justification it would have passed currantly yet take this Faith is even to our own apprehension the most apt and suitable condition that GOD COULD have chosen for as far as we can reach to know there cannot be a more apt or rational condition pag. 232. This is the most self-denying and Christ-advancing Work Nothing could be more proportionable to our poverty who have nothing to buy with than thus freely to receive c. I have now done with all the Questions which I thought any ways necessary to be spoken to for the more particular and distinct unfolding of the Doctrine of Justification and I might here shut up the Discourse with the Uses of the whole But before I come to the Uses I judge it convenient to add somewhat by way of Appendix concerning the means or way how Justification came to be transferred from the Law to the Gospel or from Works to Faith for that I have acknowledged that Works and the Law were the first natural way of justifying men but now that it is altogether brought about by Grace and Faith That which I have to say I shall introduce with this objection If we were all born under the Law Object and bound to obey it to a tittle upon which obedience it should have justified us but upon the least breach was armed with this threatning That we should dye the death and that we have all broken it how comes it to pass that we are not all the Laws Captives and Prisoners and condemned by it How came there such easie gracious terms to be offered us for our justification as Faith and sincere obedience that these shall be accepted instead of perfect unerring obedience How will this way be for the honor of God's veracity in the threatning or his holiness to take imperfect sinful creatures into favour Now in answer to this objection I shall not need to meddle with that question Answ whether it were inconsistent with the natural Justice or Holiness of God considered as antecedent to his threatning or Decree of punishing sinners with death for him to have pardoned sinners by an absolute Power and Soveraign Grace and so to have received them into favour upon their repentance without the intervention of a Saviour But in the first place seeing there was adecree passed In the day that thon eatest thou shalt dye the death Gen. 2.17 I see not how it was consistent with the veracity of God to remit the sinner without any consideration at all without a very considerable fulfilling of this threatning 2dly The threatning therefore was fulfilled these several ways 1. Upon man himself in a great measure for that presently upon man's fall insued his mortality and all the inconveniences and troubles which we meet with in the World which are the fore-runners and causes of our dissolution But secondly and especially the great God in infinite Wisdom and Mercy provided a Saviour one mighty to save that should come into the world in the fulness of time about the 4000th year of the World the World being to last but perhaps 7000. years in all and free us that were born under the Law and by our sins made obnoxious to the curse of it from the curse and power of the Law
the Cross and Christ nailed the Law to the Cross and all this without violence or affront offered to the Law it being but naturally consequent upon what the Law did first to Christ for if the Law set upon Christ as our Surety and do the utmost to him that it can it must needs follow that it hath no strength left against those for whom he undertook and so must die and expire by the same death that our Saviour dyed it being nailed to the Cross which is but a sigurative expression And yet I shall carry the Allegory a little further herein still following the Apostle Paul Is it any wonder now is it any unreasonable thing now that the Law is dead and taken out of the way that we should be married to another husband that we should reckon our selves to be no longer under the Law The woman which hath an husband saith the Apostle Rom. 7.23 is bound by the Law to her husband so long as he liveth but if the husband be dead she is loosed from the Law of her husband So then if while her husband liveth she be married to another man she shall be called an adulteress but if her husband be dead she is free from that Law so that she is no adulteress though she be married to another man ver 4. Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the Law or the Law is become dead to you BY THE BODY OF CHRIST that ye should be warried to another even to him that is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God The Law is every soul's first Husband since the fall so every one's actual sin the Law is an intolerable husband there is no living with it it so sets on guilt presseth the soul w th terrors nay instead of producing good works the natural fruit of this Marriage-relation of the Soul to the Law whilest in innocency it now produceth all manner of lusts according to the 5. ver of that 7. chap. When we were in the flesh the MOTIONS OF SINS WHICH WERE BY THE LAW did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death Now God in much mercy to mankinde finding that if the Law and the conscience or soul of man keep together his creature will be lost and himself lose those fruits of good works which the soul was first created for he provides another husband for the soul which is Jesus Christ only Christ must redeem his Spouse from that tyrannical Husband which now it lives with else the Soul shall be but an Adulteress to pretend marriage to Christ that is the way of grace whilest the Law can make a just claim to her as a wife which it might have done as long as it lived The manner of the rescue I have before declared it was by suffering and yielding to the Law yet so as in it the Law destroyed it self and then is it lawfull for the Soul that was before wife to the Law to be married to another husband and who so fit as he that redeemed her Now the Soul shall have it's forbearance under failings which the Law would not endure and God shall have a kindly and ingenuous Service there will be fruits unto God and this is the passage from Works to Faith from the Law to Grace I though the Law saith the Apostle am dead to the Law that I might live to God Gal. 2.19 that is through what the Law hath done to Christ it hath nothing to do with me But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter Rom. 7.6 One Scripture more to this purpose it is Rom. 8.1 23.4 There is therefore now no condemnation to ohem which are in Christ Jesus who are married to Christ and have accepted the terms of the Gospel who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit for the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death this chiefly relates to sanctification that the inward law or power of corruption which was occasionally and accidentally strenghtned by the Law of God was now broken by that inward power spirit and life which is conveyed by the Gospel of Christ and is called the spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus ver 3. for what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh that is it could neither justifie nor sanctifie both these did God bring to pass by sending his Son in the likeness of sinfull flesh when for sin that is Christ's making himself a Sin-offering so answering the Law God condemned Christ in the flesh that is destroyed it both in the guilt and power of it out of us that were sinners so it follows that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit that is that the Law might no longer accuse us being answered by our Saviour and that we might attain to that which is the chief designe of the Law to wit righteousness and holiness which if we had continued under the Law we could never have attained unto What so common now with the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romanes as to tell them that now they are not under the Law but under grace by this means namely the BODY OF CHRIST offered and that therefore there shall be no condemnation and that therefore sin shall not have dominion over them which are the two great effects of the death of Christ though the first chiefly belongs to that subject which I am upon viz. Justification Having given now all these things in an allegorical and mystical dress yet herein only following the Apostle I shall deliver the same thing somewhat plainly and so conclude this first particular The summe of all this is Man was made holy had a Law to live by to which there was a threatning annexed In the day thou eatest thou shalt die the death or shalt surely die * This threatning I take it is due by the Law to intended against all sins according to that of the Apostle The wages of sin is death Ro. 6.23 speaking of sin indefinitly besides wise Adam might have committed any other sin and not have dyed Man did eat and so was to die death accordingly entred by this sin into the world that is a natural death and for eternal death hereafter and the spiritual death of the soul here which consist's in alienations from God both which all men at age are obnoxious unto being sinners as for children I neither affirm nor deny any thing the Lord in mercy designing to deliver men from provided a Saviour who should first live a perfect life that so he might be the more acceptable Sacrifice and his terms of saving men must be these that he must freely offer himself up to
assoiling of this difficulty I shall now address my self that is to the proof of my second assertion which was this What was done by Christ viz. 2 Assertion his undertaking and answering the law was done for all ages of the Church and so it was and is the great foundation of that Justification by faith which the Apostle Paul contends to have been the only way of Justification in all ages And for proof of this I offer these things to consideration 1. The Saines in all ages before the death of Christ had this way of Grace then as well as we have it now that I have proved at large in the beginning of this Treatise therefore whence had it they but from this death of Christ which was certainly to follow at a prefixt time If it be said they had their way of Grace purely from the goodness of God I oppose 1. That if so many thousands vvere saved before by meer grace vvithout the consideration of a Saviour vvhy had not the Lord continued the same grace unto the end of the vvorld vvhich we see he hath not continued Why are the vouchsafements of Gods Grace in pardon of two such quite different kinds so as to save his people for 4000. years without a Saviour and the rest by a Saviour Nay to save them without a Saviour whom yet he had by multitudes of Promises Prophesies and Prefigurations made to hope for a Saviour 2dly If the Lord could in a consistency with his veracity in threatning death to sin pardon sin without either the sinners death or his sureties and that the law would be so well enough contented and satisfied why would the Lord put our Saviour to so much trouble in suffering a death which he might as well have escaped and which he so earnestly desired if it were possible that he might escape and all this to take off the Law from being our Head and Husband 3dly It is said expresly That the Covenant was confirmed to Abraham of God in Christ Gal. 3.17 which methinks must necessarily imply thus much that the consideration of Christ went into the confirmation of this Covenant whether Abraham or any of the Saints under the Old-Testament knew it or no as it is plain Abraham did He rejoiced to see my day and saw it and was glad John 8.56 Now this Covenant with Abraham is that which the Apostle doth mightily insist upon to prove Justification by Faith to be antecedent to the giving of the Law and therefore not to be nulled by the coming of the Law and yet this Covenant was confirmed of God in Christ that is as I think was sounded upon this consideration that Christ should aftervvards come into the World and pay that price vvhich God vvould accept for the redemption of all believers * 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3 4. All the Fathers did drink of the some spiritual drink for the drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that rock was Christ Again 4thly Christ is said to be the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the World Rev. 13.8 vvhich to me signifies thus much that though he vvere not actually slain yet he vvas reckoned by God as slain then and so God vvas attoned for all the Saints of all ages ensuing or to follovv the other reading of the Words in Rev. 13.8 so that from the foundation of the world should refer to the vvriting the Saints Names in the Lamb's Book of Life and not to the Lamb 's being slain this vvill make more for my purpose for if they that vvere elected from the foundation of the World vvere all enrolled in the Lambs Book of life hovv should this come to pass but because they were all to be redeemed to God by the Lambs blood And if this opinion of personal Election be true that Scripture vvould serve to countenance this interpretation vvhich vve have Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him that is Christ before the foundation of the world ver 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ c. And methinks Mr. Biddle who in a late Book of his which he calls An Essay to the explaining of the Revelations pag. 64. lays so much weight upon this passage in Rev. 13.8 for proof of personal Election as to say That this alone in his judgement seemeth sufficient to decide the so much agitated Controversie about Predestination might very well have gone one step further in his alteration of his mind by acknowledging the reason why all the Elect should be said to be written in the Lamb's Book of life to be this namely Because he was to pay the price of their Redemption as the most proper and pleasing Sacrifice for sins that ever was offered up to God But to proceed as Christ was slain in Divine designation and acceptation from the beginning of the world for I shall take liberty to follow that reading so when he came into the world to be slain actually it is said to be in the fulness of time Gal. 4 4 5. WHEN THE FULNESS OF TIME was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law c. Time went with this great birth of the Saviour of the World near 4000. years and then it was time Christ should be sent into the world to pay that debt which through the forbearance of God had been contracting for so long a space of time But 5thly for a pertinent and concluding Scripture-proof I shall insist a little upon Heb. 9.24 25. 26. For Christ is not entred into the holy place made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self there to appear in the presence of God for us Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the High-Priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others for then must he often have suffered SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD but now ONCE IN THE END OF THE WORLD hath he appeared to put away fins by the sacrifice of himself Here are several differences which the Author of this Epistle observes betwixt Christ out High-Priest the High-Priest under the law who was the most eminent type of Christ The High-Priest under the law entred into the holy places made with hands ours into heaven it self The High-Priest under the law entred into the holy place often that is though but once in the year yet every year once which is often in many years ours but once in all Again the High-Priest entred with the blood of others ours by his own blood or the sacrifice of himself But yet herein there is a correspondence between our High-Priest and the legal High-Priest that as theirs went into the holy of Holies once in the end of the year for to make reconciliation for the sins of the year past so our High-Priest entred into Heaven with his own blood ONCE IN THE END OF THE WORLD to make attonement for
out Rom. 11.33 2. 2 Use of Information of the perversness of man This discourse informs us of the strange unreasonable perversness of the sons of men That when God hath in so much mercy and wisedom found out and appointed such a glorious easie way of saving sinners they should yet generally dislike this way and take to a more ignoble way to wit their own righteousness and an impossible way to wit the keeping of the Law which I have proved above at large that they do and it acquaints us with the strange infatuations which pride leads us into for that is by the Apostle chiefly glanced at as the reason of so many mens adhering to the way of Works because they would establish their own righteousness which they prefer far before the righteousess of God that is that righteousness which he hath sufficiently manifested he will alone accept They that are for the Law are for boasting and glorying this humour of self-confidence and fleshly boasting doth so besot them that they run upon the most absurd and irrational designs in the whole world but of this enough above 3. 3 Use of Consolation There is great matter of consolation which offers it self unto us from what hath been discoursed above Is it so that the Lord hath remitted of the rigour of his Law nay that he hath taken off the Law wholly from requiring an account of those that are married unto Christ as being their Husband no longer Is the condition of Justification altered from unerring obedience to faith and sincerity in obedience then here is comfort for all faithfull sincere hearts Art thou honest to God hast thou no Delilah in thy bosome art thou faithful to the interest of Christ and his Saints thou art safe thou art secure it is not necessary that thou be in the highest form of Christians 't is true it were well if thou wert there and it is thy duty to endeavour it but it is not absolutely necessary to thy being a Saint or in favour with God There are of all sorts and sizes See more of this pag. 202 203. above of all ranks and ages that are accepted with God There are babes and young men and strong men and fathers there are lambs and there are sheep that are with young only without sincerity without a lively faith they cannot be so much as Christ's little ones Now this is a matter of comfort which we may often reflect upon it is ready at hand unto us Art thou in any distress or trouble at any time either from without from men or from within by the bufferings of Satan turn in presently upon thy soul and examine see how thou hast lived and what thy present frame of heart is 2 Cor. 1.12 Our rejoicing is this the testimony of our conscience that IN SIMPLICITY GODLY SINCERITY not with fleshly wisedom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Now if thou hast such a testimony as this from thine own conscience thou maist conclude thou art in the favour of God and that therefore all things shall work together unto thee for good but herein do not deceive thy self with an imagined honesty of heart to God as many do but deal faithfully with thy self in the examination whether thou have a sincerity or no. If I should here give all the marks of sincerity that I could finde throughout the Scripture I should not be impertinent in so doing but yet seeing that hath been done well by many I shall forbear I shall only say this that if thou settest thy self any boundary or stint to thy attainments in holiness short of perfection thou art so far insincere or if thou avoidest any opportunity which thou canst by any means certainly understand to be an opportunity of honouring God thou art so far insincere Lastly if thou givest way to sin in the little degrees or appearances of it thou art so far insincere and if the interest of the flesh or of the world prevail in thy heart above the interest of God and Christ thou art altogether infincere whatever good desire and good affections thou maist have in thy heart I might here mention the other more principal condition of Gospel-justification viz. Faith and bid thee if thou wouldest have comfort enquire if thou have faith this St James tells thee how thou mayest know whether thou hast it oâ— no even by thy works thou maist discover it both unto thy self and others by these Jam. 2.18 Shew me thy faith without thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works For though I affirm that the Apostle James doth not speak only in that Chapter of the demonstration of Faith by Works but also of real Justification before God by Works as they are a part of the condition of Gospel-justification according to the 14. ver of that Chap. If a man say he hath faith and not works SHALL FAITH SAVE HIM yet it is certain that he speaks there also of the demonstration of Faith by Works and both these designes I think may be as we understood in that chap. of James as in the 24 of Mat. we may understand our Saviour speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the World But instead of giving marks and signes of true faith I shall rather proceed to an use of Exhortation unto the high and frequent exercise of Faith which when we are engaged in we shall have marks and signes enough to discover our faith by In the next place therefore I come to an use of Exhortation 4 Use of Exhortation Is it so that Faith is made the great and principal condition of our Justification that Faith bears so great a stroke in the business of Gospel-justification that the whole way should receive denomination from itâ— Rom. 4.14 If they which are of the Law be heires FAITH is made void Is the righteousness of God in the Gospel said to be revealed from faith to faith Is the Gospel-righteousness called the righteousness of faith nay is faith it self accepted as our righteousness then let this provoke us to the constant lively exercise of all the various excellent acts of Faith Let us do as all the Saints of old have done and if it be possible let us out-do them in believing By faith saith saith the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews the Elders obtained a good report so he begins the chap. ver 2. These all saith he obtained a good report through faith so he ends it ver 39. What that great good report which they obtained was he tells you ver 33 34 35. Through faith they subdued Kingdomes wrought righteousness obtained promises stopped the mouthes of Lions quenched the violence of fire c. My first motive that I shall begin with to quicken this Exhortation shall be from the wonderfull things that faith hath wrought and can work 1 Mâ—tive Faith hath a virtue in it
obedience onely to the Moral Law and I cannot learn wherein else their fault of Legality lay therefore this must be their Legality For it is certain they must vent their Legality in somthing in some way or other and I finding no other great way of theirs but one of these three viz. ceremonies superstitions and external conformity to themoral law which all agree in this general nature of an external and fleshly service such as doth not reach the heart conclude that their way branches it self forth onely into these three particulars Besides I have shewn that there was a continual succession of Legallists from the beginning they all agree in this general of external service therefore this must be the very matter of their Legality And for full proof having shewn what is the form of Legality to wit expecting the reward as of Debt or Merit I have found out this form enlivening and quickening this fleshly matter of the Legallists service and obedience to God Thus I have shewn how the ceremonious Jew with his appointed Ceremonies and invented Superstitions Micah in the Book of Judges and the Legal Jew in the Prophesie of Micah made no doubt but to DESERVE very well the favour of Almighty God The Partial Moralists in Isa â—8 wonder that God should not accept of their fastings and take it very heinously when they had so well deserved it that they should be so unexpectedly slighted dis-regarded So would the Papists and our selves many of us wonder that upon crying Lord Lord open to us after we had been so superstitious and ceremonious in his service on earth we should be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven I come now to the second Character The second mark or sign of a Legal Spirit by which it may be found out is this That it is proud and impatient in the service of God I shall give Scripture-proof that a Legal Spirit is proud and impatient and Scripture-instances For a sinful creature to think that it can merit is pride in it self yet this I have proved already that the Jews and Galatians and all that practise Legality are for the Doctrine of Merit and they make no doubt but they shall very well deserve the favour of God some by their rich Sacrifices and high Superstitions others by their external obedience to the Commands of the Moral Law Surely saith Micah now God will do me good God I thank thee that I am so much better then other men saith the Pharisee and upon this challengeth his acceptance they take it for granted that God cannot but be well pleased with them This is their pride in its direct and formal act But now what if the Lord shew them some dislike Why there we shall see their pride in its effects impatience anger weariness fullenness I gave one instance of displeasure against God in the former haracter Isa 58.3 4. Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no pleasure They seem to take it very ill at God's hands Another instance we have in Cain who when he found that God did not accept him with an answer from heaven as he did Abel he is sullen and dogged and falls into an angry and malicious passion Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell Gen. 4.3 4 and in ver 6. God comes graciously to argue him out of this angry and su len fit And the Lord said unto Cain Why art thou wrath and why is thy countenance fallen If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted Do but as Abel hath done offer in faith offer thy heart with thy Sacrifice and thou shalt be accepted as he was No but Cain 't is like thought he had done well enough in bringing the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord and that he might very well have deserved to be accepted as well as his younger Brother and therefore he continues his wrath and malice and perhaps if he could have had his will at the great God for it was against him that his passion was chiefly stirred he would have discovered the utmost malice against him But because he could not his poor servant and true spiritual Worshipper Abel must rue it and he takes his first opportunity and kills him ver 8. Others again of Cain's gang Legal-Worshippers when they have found that God did not accept them as they thought he might well have done they are quite weary of his service and cry out with those in Malachi chap. 1. ver 13. Ye have said also Behold what a weariness is it And ye have snuffed at it And so Amos 8.5 they cry When will the new Moon be gone and the Sabbath that we may set forth Wheat Will such hypocrites think you pray alwayes Will they alwaies call upon God No where a man doth not sind acceptance he will be at last weary of waiting Now though whosoever comes with faith and love and an hearty-good-will shall be sure to sind acceptance with God yet an hypocrite or a Legal-Worshipper shall never find it and therefore he will be apt ever now and then to grow weary if not quite to cast off the service of God I shall instance in a proud speech of one that was quite weary it was the King of Israel 2 King 6.33 And he said speaking of the Famine in Samaria This evil is of the Lord and why should I wait ouâ— he Lord any longer It seems say Commentators that Elisha had made the King some promise of deliverance from the Famine after a while and the King had waited for the fulfilling it but at last the King seeing the extremity of the Famine upon the woman that eat the flâ—sh of her child he would wait no longer Well and how doth he vent this rage and impatience Why he would take off Elisha's Head Wel and what then Would that cease the Famine No but saith he by his Messenger This evil is of the Lord God deals exceeding hardly and severely with us therefore I le cut off his servants Head A goodly consequence and that which sussiciently argues against whom chiesly his anger was aimed even against the Lord himself Now that this anger impatience and weariness in the service of God is an argument of Legality is clear for that pride is the root of it namely such a pride as by which we think there is very good reason why God should accept of us and no just reason why the Lord should deal thus severely with us which if it doth not contain Legality or opinion of merit in it I despair of making any proof in this business and yet I shall not onely give this proof by way of argument but clear Scripture-proof that this impatiency proceeds from Legality it is in Hab. 2.3 4. Behold the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shal speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely