as the fickle Will of Man doth that standing there is an Election that falling there is none and so toties quoties as often as it pleases man to shew himself variable Election will be something or nothing as it happens This Opinion doth not ascribe Eyes and Hands to God as the gross Anthropomorphites did but it assimilates him to the filly turnings and windings of the Creature But to speak more directly to the Author God's electing Love antecedes all Goodness in in Men and if his elect Vessels fall into great sins as holy David did and this after their Conversion however the Light of God's Countenance be for a time suspended however their habitual Graces be weakned and their Consciences wounded yet the Foundation of God stands sure electing Love remains unvariable and will revive them again by Repentance When God elected a People to himself he did not as Mr. Shaw speaks in allusion to the words of the Apostle use lightness or purpose according to the flesh after the manner of men unsteady and wavering in their determinations no the foundation of God standeth sure the Lord knoweth those that are his But if the Love of Christ be infinite Mr. Sherlock eternal unchangeable fruitful I would willingly understand how sin and death and Misery came into World for if this Love be so because the Divine Nature is so then it was always so for God always was what he is and that which is eternal could never be other than it is now And why could not this Love as well preserve us from falling into Sin Misery and Death as love Life and Holiness into us for it is a little odd first to love us into Sin and Death that then he might love us into Life and Holiness which indeed could not be if this Love were always so unchangeable and fruitful as the Dr. perswades us For if this Love had always loved Life and Holiness into us how should it happen that we should sin and die The gracious Decree of Election is Answer as becomes the Divine Nature eternal unchangeable fruitful yet was it a free Act terminating upon what Object it pleased Hence God saith Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated he infallibly brings his Elect to Glory But no man may be so vain or presumptive as to limit the holy One or chalk a Way or Method for him to walk in who works all things according to the counsel of his own will But how then came sin and death into the World Why surely it came in by Man's Transgression and under God's-Permission But why could not this eternal unchangeable fruitful Love preserve us from falling I doubt not at all but God who is Almighty could have kept up Man and all his Posterity in their primitive station as well as he did the standing Angels but if you ask on Why did he not do it I have nothing to answer but that it was not his pleasure God loves no man into sin the Expression is too odd for a Christians Mouth or Ear but he suffers his very Elect to fall into sin yet is his Love eternal unchangeable fruitful towards them if I may allude to that of Hezekiah Isai 38.17 He loves them from the pit of corruption he fetches them out of the corrupt Mass of Mankind by his effectual Grace and though afterwards they have many falls and lapses yet electing Love sets to its hand again and revives them by a fresh Repentance shewing it self fruitful in their recovery and safe conduct to Heaven and all this is managed in a way of unaccountable Sovereignty Not that I deny that the Love of God is eternal Mr. Sherlock unchangeable fruitful that is that God was alwayes good and alwayes continues good and manifests his love and goodness in such wayes as are suitable to his nature which is the fruitfulness of it but then the unchangeableness of Gods love doth not consist in being alwayes determined to the same object but in that he alwayes loves for the same reason that is that he alwayes loves true virtue and goodness where-ever he sees it and never ceases to love any person till he ceases to be good and then the immutability of his love is the reason why he loves no longer for should he love a wicked man the reason and nature of his love would change and the fruitfulness of Gods love with respect to the Methods of his Grace and Providence doth not consist in producing what he loves by an omnipotent and irresistible power for then sin and death could never have entered into the world but he governs and doth good to his Creatures in such wayes as are most suitable to their Natures he governs reasonable Creatures by Principles of Reason as he doth the material World by the necessary Laws of Matter and bruit Creatures by the instincts and propensities of Nature After all the rest Answer the Author himself confesses that there is in God an eternal unchangeable fruitful Love how so There is a Love of Virtue and Goodness and is there not a Love of Persons too The Scripture is express in it St. Paul is a chosen vessel Act. 9. Jacob was loved and that before he was born or had done any good at all Rom. 9. The Lord knoweth those that are his 2 Tim. 2. He calleth his sheep by Name Joh. 10.3 Some are drawn of the Father Joh. 6.44 Some are called according to purpose Rom. 8.28 On some God will have mercy when he hardens others Rom. 9.18 All which places places prove that electing Love is of particular persons who as St. Austin hath it certissimè liberantur are certainly saved when others are left in massa perditionis Unless this be owned that great Design of a Church which is the Master-piece of Providence must be carried on in such a lame and imperfect manner as if God which is unworthy of him should say I would have a Church but I intend not who shall make it up Such a Jeofail is hardly to be found in a prudent Man But saith the Author The Vnchangeableness of God's Love doth not consist in being determined to the same Object but in that he always loves for the same Reason that is he always loves true Vertue and Goodness where-ever he sees it and never ceases to love any person till he ceases to be good he always loves for the same Reason where Goodness is there he loves where Goodness is not there he loves not This is the Author's meaning this is loving for the same Reason But if this had been so what could have become of Man corrupt lapsed Man in whom as our Church tells us there is not a spark of Goodness How desperate must his case have been Divine Love could not possibly have let out a drop of Mercy to such an one much less have shewed forth it self in such an unparalle'd Act as the Mission of his own Son for our Redemption there
other qualifications than that he is such an individual person that is the excellency of Christs love consiss in this that he loves for no reason Now I confess this is a wonderful love but wherein the excellency of it consists I cannot see I am sure we account that Man a Fool who loves at this rate we who are reasonable Creatures think that we are bound to govern all our actions and the passions of our mind too by reason and we accouut it a reproach to a Man to act either against reason or without it to do any thing of which he cannot give a reasonable account And how that should come to be the perfection of the Love of God which is a reproach to Men is above my apprehension Indeed were this true it would undermine the very foundations of Religion For the great end of Religion is to please God and to procure his love and favour but if God and Christ love for no reason then it is a vain thing for us to think of pleasing God or procuring his love by any thing we can do Whether we obey him or disobey him it is all one in this case for if he please to love us without any reason our sins cannot hinder it and if it does not please him to love us our Holyness and Obedience cannot alter him When our Acceptation with God depends wholly upon a soveraign and unaccountable will nothing we can do can hinder or promote it and therefore all Religion is in vain The foundation of this mistake is a Philosophical nicety that God must act wholly from himself and therefore must not be moved by any external cause whereas should he love us because we are holy or hate us because we are wicked his love or hatred would depend upon an external cause viz. The holyness or wickedness of Creatures which unbecomes an independent Being to depend upon any thing else The sum of which reasoning is this that because God is the first cause of all things on whom all things depend and he on nothing therefore he must love or hate his Creature without any reason but his own unaccountable will For this is all the inconvenience they can Object that when God loves or hates rewards or punishes his Creatures the reason of this difference he makes between his Creatures must be fetched from the persons themselves whom he thus loves or hates and so it must of necessity be if he have any reason at all for the reason of love or hatred ought to be in the Object not in the Person who loves or hates and yet in propriety of speech God cannot be said to depend on his Creatures or any thing without himself for the reason of his love or hatred but his own Nature is the reason of it He is infinitely Holy and therefore loves holyness and hates sin and his natural love to holyness is the reason why he loves holy Men and his natural hatred to sin is the reason why he hates wicked Men his own holyness is the reason why he loves holy Men but the holyness of the Creature is the reason why he determines his love to any particular person And if they will call this a depending on creatures we must acknowledge that God does thus depend on his Creatures in the administration of his Providence in distributions of rewards and punishments and he should not be wise holy and just good if he did not that is if he did not put such a difference between things persons as their Natures require It is a strange notion of an independent Being that he must have no other reason for what he does but his own Arbitrary will which is so far from being a perfection that it destroys all the other perfections of the Divine Nature There is a double love in God Answer A love of complacence whereby he delights in his own Holy Image in the Creature where ever he finds it And a love of Benevolence whereby he designs to bestow good things on his Creatures The first points at goodness in the Creature the other is the great origen of all good things in the Creature The first Issues out of the perfect sanctity of his Nature The other proceeds according to his Soveraign will and pleasure But then saith the Author God loves for no reason or without reason To which I answer Gods love of Benevolence is no Caecus impetus there is summa ratio in it it is irradiated with infinite wisdom but the reason of it is not in the Creature but in himself only God would redeem fallen Men not Angels but surely the reason was not in the Creature for then all the Grace Mercy and Freedom of God in that work vanishes The whole of it must proceed from the Nature of God as it respects something in the Creature and by consequence it could not fall out otherwise because God cannot deny his Nature After the Fall it is strange how God did sever and pick out some to himself out of the rest of Mankind De Pâ—pâ—â—â— Hebr. 〈◊〉 Ex Adami liberis tantùm Sethus ex hujus stirpe Noachus ex Nochi Filiis Semus ex illius posteritate Abramus ac postremò ex numerosâ Abrami sobole unus Isacus placuit electusque est Cujus Familia Ecclesiae nomen at que dignitatem ineffabili ratione velut per successionem sibi vindicaret caeterae gentes tanquam prophanae spretaeque à numine sunt So the learned Cunaeus And it will be an hard thing to find a reason in the Creature for such a strange separation God chose and set his love upon his Children of Israel above all People in the Earth he severed them from all other Nations unto himself and was the reason in the Creature No surely they must not so much as say or mutter in their heart That they had the Land for their righteousness Deut. 9.4 No God tells them that they were a stiff-necked People vers 6. but he chose and loved them because he loved them Deut. 7.7 and 8. What he did was meerly out of his good pleasure and without any reason on their part God gives the Gospel to some Nations not to others and is the reason in the Creature No the Apostle tells us That God calls us not according to our works but according to his own purpose and Grace 2 Tim. 1.9 Christ was manifested to a Thief and not to a Socrates or Plato Impenitent Corazin and Bethsaida had a visible Deity before them in Christs Miracles when poor Tyre and Sidon much nearer to Repentance had it not Matth. 11.21 Here the reason cannot be in the Creature unless we will say with Pelagius Gratiam dari secundum merita That Grace is given according to works But to come to the Church there God gives Faith and Repentance to one Man not to another and is the reason in the Creature Faith and Repentance are the very first Graces in Men
being not in any Son of Adam naturally so much Goodness the only reason according to the Author of divine Love as might attract the least crumb of Comfort on Earth or the least moments Reprieve from Hell But saith the Author Should he love a wicked man the Reason and Nature of his Love would change He cannot love a wicked man with a Love of Complacence but cannot he love him in Design or with a Love of Benevolence Then though as the Author tells us pag. 88. he did passionately desire and design the Happiness of Man yet he could not design to him being in a lapsed corrupt Estate a Christ or a Gospel or any the least Means of Salvation Goodness the only reason of Love being gone by the Fall nothing that is good could be intended to him The Author acknowledges that God loves Goodness in Men but whence came that Goodness Was it a Donative of Divine Love or not If so then he loved them before they were such if not then may we say with the Pelagians A Deo habemus quòd homines sumus à nobis ipsis quòd justi sumus though God be necessary to our Being yet he is not to our Goodness Tract 81. in Joh. as St. Austin observes I shall add no more to this having spoken before touching irresistible Grace Christ being God and Man Mr. Sherlock made him an endless bottomless Fountain of Grace to all that believe Thus the Dr. upon which the Author glosses This he was as God as we were told before and his Grace was never the more bottomless for becoming Man The design of all this is to make the Person of Christ the Fountain of all Grace from whence we must drink Pardon and Mercy as long as we need any His Grace was never the more bottomless for becoming Man Answer yet as God and Man he is the Fountain of all Grace to us and unless he had been Man there would have been no Communication of Grace to us The most Reverend Vsher upon that Text He that eateth my flesh Imman pag. 52. and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him saith Three things 1. That by the mystical and supernatural Vnion we are as truly conjoyned with him as meat and drink is with us 2. That this Conjunction is immediately made with his Humane Nature 3. That the Lamb slain that is Christ crucified hath by that death of his made his flesh broken and his blood poured out for us to be fit food for the spiritual nourishment of Souls and the very Well-spring from whence by the power of his Godhead all Life and Grace is derived to us To the same purpose speaks the Learned Zanchy To begin with the Fulness of Christ Mr. Sherlock and the first place wherein we meet with it is Joh. 1.16 And of his fulness we all received and grace for grace Now what is meant by this Fulness we may learn from ver 14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth This Fulness which was in Christ is a Fulness of Grace and Truth and if we consult ver 17. we shall find that this Grace and Truth is opposed to the Law of Moses The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ So that Grace and Truth signifie the Gospel which is a Covenant of Grace and is expresly called the Grace of God Tit. 2.11 and conteins the most clear and perspicuous Revelation of the Divine Will in opposition to the Types and Shadows under the Law is Truth in opposition to Types and Figures this is the Fulness we receive from Christ a perfect Revelation of the Divine Will concerning the Salvation of Mankind which conteins so many excellent Promises that it may be well be called Grace and prescribes such a plain and simple Religion so agreeable to the natural Nations of Good and Evil that it may well be called Truth This Fulness dwelt only in Christ and from him alone we receive it for none of the Prophets who were before him did so perfectly understand the Will of God as he did No man hath seen God at any time but the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him v. 18. No man ever before had so perfect a knowledge of the Will of God which is here called seeing God because sight gives the most perfect knowledge but the Son who understood all his most secret counsels hath perfectly declared the Will of the Father to us and hence that Fulness we receive from Christ is explained by Grace for Grace which signifies the abundance of Grace manifested in the Gospel St. Austin expounds it Pro Legis gratiâ quae praeteriit gratiam Evangelii accepimus permanentem but this seems to be a forced sence for the Law is no where called Grace but Grace is opposed to to the Law in the next verse But however this they agree in that by the fulness of Grace and Truth they understand the Gospel that perfect declaration which Christ hath made to the World This Fulness was first in the Person of Christ before he could communicate it to us yet it is not this Personal Fulness we are to attend to but the Fulness and Perfection of his Gospel from whence we must fetch the knowledge of the Divine Will Joh. 1.16 And of his fulness we all received and Grace for Grace Arswer Upon this Text the only Quaere is Whether by Fulness is meant the Fulness of Christ's Person or the Fulness of his Gospel I conceive here is clearly meant the Fulness of Christ's Person it is in the Text his fulness his who is God the Word ver 1. his who was in the beginning with God ver 2. his by whom all things were made ver 3. his who is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world ver 9 his who was made flesh and dwelt among us ver 14. None of these his's can be attributed to the Gospel but they are all proper to the Person of Christ his fulness therefore must signifie the Fulness of Christ's Person from whence all Grace is derived as Light is from the Sun and Sense from the Head All true Believers receive from him grace for grace that is say some Gratiam cumulatissimam abundant Grace or as others Grace answering to the Grace in Christ as the Child receives from his Parents Limb for Limb or the Glass from the Face Image for Image It is further to be noted that the words are we received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of his fulness Had the Fulness meant here been the Fulness of the Gospel the words would have been We re-received of his Fulness even the whole Gospel but because here was intended the Fulness of Christ's Person the words are We received of his fulness that is
therefore cannot be given to them for any precedent Grace in them or indeed for any reason at all in them unless which is very odd we presume them to be given to them for the goodness of their Nature The Scripture clearly resolves it into the Soveraign will of God He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy Rom. 9.18 He begets us of his own will Ja. 1.18 He begets us according to his abundant mercy 1 Pet. 1.3 He worketh to will to do of his good pleasure Ph. 2.13 Neither is it possible to be otherwise his love of Benevolence is the Fountain and great Origen of all the goodness in the Creature and how or which way shall the goodness of the Creature be the cause or reason of that love All the goodness in the Creature is but a donative of Divine love and if so then the Divine love was antecedent to that goodness in the Creature Now these things being clearly so in Scripture and reason I suppose there is little reason and less Religion to say That God loves for no reason or without reason that that Man is a Fool who loves at this rate that it is a reproach among Men so to Act with such other stuff which I pray God to forgive unto the Speaker If there be reason for any thing in the World there is for this That God the supream Donor should do what he would with his own That Man the poor Receiver should not expostulate with God or think to call him to an account for any of his matters That the regenerating Spirit should be at liberty and breath where it lists That all Gods gifts should be free and of his good pleasure there being in the Creature nothing that is good but what is a meer gift only But saith the Author This undermines the foundations of Religion if God love for no reason whether we obey him or disobey him it is all one if God love us our sins cannot hinder it if he love us not our holyness cannot alter him therefore all Religion is but in vain To which I answer This Argument runs upon two or three hypotheses which are untrue The Author supposes first that God's purpose or decretive love is what it is not the rule of our acting next that there is in God what indeed there is not some purpose or decree to bar some Men though never so holy out of Heaven And Thirdly That there is not what in truth there is a complacential love in God towards all holy Persons whoever they be Now these things are not so we say that God commands all in the Church to Repent and Believe that God hath made a general promise of Salvation to all that do so and withal that God hath a complacential love towards all holy persons whoever they be And these things considered surely Religion cannot be in vain or to no purpose As for the Philosophical nicety or verity rather if God be as he is a God and the supream Donor of all in reason all Creatures as Creatures must depend on him the Creator and as Receivers must depend on him the Donor And hence it is evident that all the grace and goodness in the Creature because a Creature must depend on him its Maker And because a gift must depend on him the Donor thereof Man though but a petty Benefactor is free in his gifts or else they would not be gifts how much more must God the supream Donor be so It is true when Men are good God such is the sanctity of his Nature doth take pleasure in them but to dispense grace or goodness to the Creature is his Royal prerogative he doth it according to the soveraign unaccountable pleasure of his will he was under no Natural necessity to give a Christ or a Gospel or a dram of Faith or holyness to any one fallen Man in the World what he gives he gives as he pleases out of meer Free grace It is true too when Men are good God such is his gracious promise will greatly reward them but it is he only who makes us good and so meet for the inheritance in light our goodness is of Grace and our reward is Grace upon Grace remunerating Grace upon sanctifying In a word the love of Gods Complacence respects goodness in the Creature but the love of Benevolence causes it and that freely in a way of unaccountable Soveraignty and this is so far from being a love without reason that without it it is impossible that there should be any goodness in the Creature Were there a goodness in the Creature antecedent to the love of his Benevolence it would be a beam without a Sun a gift without a Giver a strange independent self-originated goodness and that in the Creature which is as great an absurdity as can well be imagine Secondly Mr. Sherlock These Men tell us too that Christs love is immutable having once fixt his love upon us though without any reason he can never alter Sin it self cannot separate us from the Love of Christ If sin foreseen were not able to hinder him from planting his heart on us How then shall it that is sin committed be able to over-turn the thoughts of his heart when once they are fixed on us This is a strong fixed Love indeed which sin it self cannot alter But how wise and holy a Love it is let any man judge Herein Dr. Owen tells us the depth of Christs Love is to be contemplated that whereas his holy Soul hates every sin it is a burden an abomination a new wound to him and his poor Spouse that is sinful Believers are full of sin failings infirmities he hides all covers all bears all rather than he will loose them He adds indeed by his power preserving them from such sins as a remedy is not provided for in the Covenant of Grace I suppose he means the sin against the holy Ghost for there is a remedy provided for all other sins in the Covenant of Grace and all other sins a Believer it seems may be guilty of and Christ will hide all rather than lose him Now this is as down-right Antinomianism as ever Dr. Crisp or Saltmarsh vented There have been and are to this day a great many wise learned men who contend for the perseverance of the Saints that those who are once in a state of Grace shall always continue so But then they found this not on such an immutable Love as sin it self cannot alter for this is not reconcilable with the Holiness of the Divine Nature nor with those threatnings in Scripture against such back-sliders When the righteous man turneth away from his Righteousness and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that a wicked man doth he shall dye Ezek. 18.24 If any man turn back my soul shall have no pleasure in him which is a plain demonstration the truth of which is which is acknowledged by all sober Writers that if
in every Sacrifice or else which is hard to believe they knew not the meaning of that Service or did it not in Faith The Gentiles as I conceive had some Glimmerings of pardoning Mercy in his Patience towards them sparing Mercy being an hint of pardoning but this Patience was founded on the Sacrifice of Christ though unknown to them God upon the Fall of Angels made a short work and immediately cast them down into Chains and that he did not so with Men is only owing to the Sacrifice of Christ As for the Dr. I suppose as to the Jews he will fully concurr with me and as to the Gentiles I must concurr with him for he saith pag. 91. That pardoning Mercy which is reveiled in the Gospel shines not with one Ray out of Christ the Mercy in the Gospel expresly relates to the Satisfaction of Christ and as such they knew it not though that Patience which gave some glimpse of it was founded on that Satisfaction The Doctor tells us Mr. Sherlock That in Christ God hath manifested the Naturalness of his Justice in punishing Sin in that it was impossible that it should be diverted from sinners without the interposing of a Propitiation that is God is so just that he cannot pardon without Satisfaction Now this is such a Notion of Justice as is perfectly new which neither Scripture nor Nature acquaints us with Perfectly new Answer how so How many grave Divines and worthy Champions against the Socinians have affirmed That God such is his infinite Sanctity and Righteousness cannot pardon sin without a Recompence or Satisfaction And how strongly have they urged it out of Scripture and Reason In Scripture God is set forth as a Righteous God a Judge of the World who will do right one who cannot look upon iniquity who will by no means clear the guily his punishing sin is attributed not meerly to his Will or Decree but to his just Nature Thus the terrible Tempest comes down upon the wicked because the righteous Lord loveth righteousness Psal 11.6 7. Thus the vials of wrath are poured out because God is righteousness Revel 16.5 In God an hatred of Sin is as essential as a love of Holiness and in this hatred is tacitly included a velle punire as some Divines speak and upon that account sin cannot go unpunished The Subjection of a Rational Creature to its Creator is indispensable and this Dependence so far as it is broken off by sin must be salved up by punishment Should God punish meerly from his Will then it seems Sin or no Sin is all one to him God is in his own Nature no more moved with Impieties and hellish Blasphemies than if there were none the punishing them or absolving them is but an indifferent thing Socinus upon that Text absolvendo non absolvet saith That God as propense as he is to mercy and forgiveness absolves no rebels and impenitent persons remaining in that estate Yet if he might pardon without a Satisfaction might he not do it without Repentance also The very Pagans knew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the just judgment of God or that he would punish sin and this not from the reveiled Will of God but from the natural Principles and Sculptures graven in their hearts which shews that the punishment is not meerly from God's Will If Sin could have been pardoned without Satisfaction why was the only beloved Son of God made a Curse Why did he fear and tremble and bow and sweat and pray and die upon a Cross as the Dr. pathetically expresses his Passion It seems all this might have been spared But saith the Author All Mankind hath accounted it an act of goodness to remit injuries without exacting punishment and he is so far from being just that he is cruel and savage who will remit no offence till he hath satisfied his revenge That part of Justice which consists in punishing offenders was always look'd on as an instrument of Government and therefore the exacting or remitting punishment was referred to the wisdom of Governours who might spare or punish as they saw reason for it Unto which I answer The Comparison between God and Man holds not in all things A Man may renounce his Dominion over his Servant but God cannot renounce his Dominion over his Creature that whilest a Creature must be subject unto him A man saith the Author is cruel who will remit no offence till he hath satisfied his revenge But I hope God is not so who never did hath or will remit any the least offence without satisfaction a man may remit a private offence without it but may a Magistrate remit a publick one in all cases No surely sometimes Justice and the Common Good calls for punishment Deus non vult ut Princeps scelerato Legum publicarum violatori poenam commeritam remittat saith the Learned Camero God is here considered as a Magistrate as the great Judge of the World and that he cannot remit without satisfaction is not out of Impotence or Cruelty but because of the supreme Perfection of his Justice and Sanctity After the terrible discovery of the Naturalness of God's Justice Mr. Sherlock the Doctor makes some amends for it for now in Christ the Nature of God is discovered to be love and kindness a happy change this from all Justice to all Love But how comes this to pass why the account is very plain because the Justice of God hath glutted it self with revenge on sin in the Death of Christ And a little after God is Love and Patience when he hath taken his fill of revenge as others use to say that the Devil is very good when he is pleased What! Answer doth God glut himself with Revenge or is he as the Devil good when he is pleased I tremble at the Expressions and verily believe that the Dr. would have laid down his neck upon the Block before he would have uttered them Revenge or Vengeance in God is nothing but pure immaculate Justice Glutting with Revenge is an Expression fit for malicious Men or for Devils rather but not at all for God God out of Christ is a consuming Fire but in Christ a gracious Father reconconciling the World unto himself Not that there is a change in the unchangeable One but according to his wise and gracious Decree his Justice was satisfied in Christ and through that Satisfaction his Love and Kindness sweetly stream out to Men He that dares deny this must forfeit his Christianity But if the Dr. did not utter these horrid words may any such thing be drawn from him by consequence This the Author would hint for saith he The Dr. speaks very honourably of God Whatever saith the Dr. discoveries were made of the Patience and Lenity of God unto us yet if it were not withal reveiled that the other Properties of God as his Justice and Revenge for sin had their actings assigned them to the full there could be little Consilation
those who are so apt to be conceited of Merit grow as proud of a golden Bucket as if the Well were their own They are civil to Faith to make it a golden Bucket but at other times they tell us That Faith may be a sore and blear-eyed Leah a shaking and a palsie hand weak and bending Legs and have all the infirmities that may be and be never the worse neither as to the purpose of Justification so that Faith had need be a very humble Grace else it would take such language very ill from them What need all this sport with Faiths Humility or Infirmity Answer An humble Grace Faith is it empties the Soul of it self gives all Glory to God hangs upon Christ and free Grace and hath all in a way of receiving and dependence and seeing its Nature and aptitude to Evangelical purposes is such it is no wonder at all that God set his stamp upon it and marked it out for an Evangelical Medium to receive Christ and his Righteousness unto Justification Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace saith the Apostle Rom. 4.16 Fides Gratia commeant mutuò se ponunt tollunt Fides sola Gratiâ nititur Gratia tantùm credenti promittitur saith the Learned Paraeus on the place Let us hear our Church in this matter 2. Hom. of salvation This saying that we be justified by Faith only freely and without Works is spoken to take away clearly all merit of our Works as being unable to deserve Justification at Gods hands and thereby most plainly to express the weakness of Man and goodness of God the great infirmity of our selves and the might and power of God the imperfectness of our own works and the most abundant Grace of our Saviour Christ. But to go on infirm Faith is because of the adherent Corruption which is apt to blear its eyes and give it a palsie hand and trembling legs however if it be true it entitles to Christ and his Righteousness Invoco te Domine languidâ imbecillâ fide sed fide tamen said Cruciger the German Divine Those men whom the Author opposes hold no such thing as meriting by Tears or any thing else of our own but caution against it Indeed the Author thinks there is no danger in repentant Tears but Humane pride such is its venomous Nature is ready to swell at any small matter which hath but any shadow of excellency in it The heart of good Hezekiah was lifted up over his Silver and Gold and Treasures and precious things which yet were of a much lower value than his devotional Tears which shews the proneness of our Nature to that sin Those Scriptures Without holiness no man shall see God Mr. Sherlock The wrath of God is reveiled against all unrighteousness In every Nation he that worketh righteousness is accepted of God Except your righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into Heaven He that breaketh the least of these Commandements and teacheth men so shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven and he that doth and teacheth them shall be called great there assert the absolute necessity of an holy life to entitle us to Gods Love and the Rewards of the next Life and perfectly overthrow their fundamental Notion of Justification by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us Doth the necessity of an holy Life overthrow the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness Answer No surely it 's a very gross mistake a holy Life is so far from overthrowing Imputed Righteousness that it presupposes it We are married to Christ that we might bring forth fruit unto God Rom. 7.4 And our Church in the 12. Article tells us That good Works follow after Justification Those who are true Believers and have Christ's Righteousness imputed to them do above all other men obey God's Commands glorifie his Name and walk in holy Obedience towards the Crown of Glory above Obedience is necessary but not in that sence as if the least breach of a Command should finally exclude from Heaven for then it were Wo wo to us Nor yet so absolutely as that a Believer dying in the first instant of Faith and before actual Obedience should be shut out of Heaven Our Church hath taught us better 1. Hom. of good works quoting St. Chrysost sor it I can shew a man that by Faith without Works lived and came to heaven but without Faith never man had life the Thief that was hanged when Christ suffered did believe only and the merciful God justified him If any say that he lacked time truth it is and I will not contend therein but this I will surely affirm That Faith only saved him But these men defie you Mr. Sherlock if you charge them with destroying the necessity of an holy life for they tell us Tat this universal Obedience and good Works a suspicious word are indispensibly necessary from the sovereign appointment and Will of God this is the Will of God even our Sanctification It is the Will of the Father Son and holy Ghost it is the end of their Dispensation in the business of Salvation it is the end of the Father's electing Love Eph. 1.2 of the Son 's redeeming Love Tit. 2. and of the Spirit 's sanctifying Love it is necessary to the glory of them all And are not these men mightily injured Is it not great pity they should be so abused But the truth is all this is not one syllable to the purpose for the Question was about its necessity to salvation and if we be justified and saved without it all this cannot prove any necessary obligation on us to the practice of it God hath commanded Obedience but where is the Sanction of this Law Will he damn those who do not obey for their disobedience and save those who do for their obedience Not a word of this for this destroys our Justification by Christ's Righteousness only if after all those commands God hath left it indifferent whether we obey or not Obedience is not necessary And will the Father elect and the Son redeem none but those who are holy and reprobate all others If we be elected and redeemed without any regard to our being holy our Election and Redemption is secure whether we be holy or not and so this cannot make holiness necessary on our part though it may be necessary on God's to make us holy but that is not our care and how is Obedience for the glory of the Father Son and holy Spirit when the necessity of holiness is destructive to free Grace which is the only glory God designs by Christ I suppose them injured and abused to some tune Answer after they have in terminis asserted the Necessity of Obedience from strong invincible Scriptural Arguments they are yet charged with destroying the Necessity of an holy Life But saith the Author All this is not one syllable to the purpose
their spiritual Guides and Rulers and in concord and unity among themselves For if our union to Christ consist in our subjection to him as our Lord and this authority is not immediately exercised by Christ but by Bishops and Pastors it follows that we cannot be united to Christ till we unite our selves to the publick societies of Christians and submit to the publick instructions Authority and Discipline of the Church Christ hath left the visible and external conduct of his Church to Bishops and Pastors Very well Answer But the internal Scepter and Rule over hearts is in his own hand only and therefore the Papists who make the Bishop of Rome Head of the Church secundum exteriorem gubernationem are yet so modest as to leave Christ to be the only Head secundum interiorem insluxum Our union to Christ is an internal spiritual one made by the Spirit and Faith such as cannot consist in any thing external such as subjection to Ecclesiastical Governours who have the visible conduct is Hence the Reverend Vsher tells us Without that quickning Spirit Serm. before the Commons 1620. no external communion with Christ or his Church can make a man a true member of his mystical body this being a most sure principle that he which hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Rom. 8.9 A wicked man may be subject to Ecclesiastical Government yet while such is not cannot be a member of Christ or his mystical body Bellarmine himself was so struck with the evidence of this truth that he confessed That wicked men are but membra mortua arida quae solum adhaerent reliquis externâ conjunctione non de Eeclesiâ nisi secundum apparentiam exteriorem putativè non verè that is they are no members at all which makes it clear that our union to Christ stands not in subjection to Ecclesiastical Governours and what for such a thing is possible if the Ecclesiastical Governour be a wicked man himself Is it imaginable that the union of one wicked man to another should produce an union to Christ Or what if such a case should fall out as once did when under the Emperour Basiliscus Evag. Hist L. 3. no less than five hundred Bishops condemned the Council of Chalcedon It would be very hard in such a dismal lapse to say that all the Christians under them had without any default in themselves lost their union with Christ and yet we must say so unless we allow that union to be made and supported by the internal bonds of the Spirit and Faith Schismaticks are in the Church Mr. Sherlock just as Rebels are in a Kingdom not as parts of it but enemies The Apostle tells us wherein the unity of the Church consists In Eph. 4.16 Christ is the Head from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part making increase of the body to the edifying it self in love That is The supreme power is invested in Christ as Head to whom the Church is obedient and subject but to make this union firm and lasting there must be a regular subordination of the several members and a mutual discharge of Christian offices which advances their growth in Grace and especially in love this supposes a visible society of Christians professing the Faith and living in communion with each other if there be no such visible Society as in persecution or degeneracy of the Church Our union to Christ consists in an acknowledgment of his Authority and Subjection to his Laws which makes us members of the universal Church but when there is a visible Church we are under an obligation of communion because herein our Subjection to the Authority of Christ and our Vnion to him consists Schism is the concern of visible Churches Answer but that place Eph. 4. speaks not of visible Churches which are made up of believers and unbelievers but of the Church Catholick made up of Believers and Saints only This is plain the Church Catholick is that whole body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fitly joined together all being Saints in it but in the visible Church there are believers and unbelievers who can no more stand in harmony than light and darkness Christ and Belial the Temple of God and Idols In the Church Catholick there is an effectual working in every part but in the Church visible there is no such energy in the wicked And so in that parallel place Eph. 2.20 The Church Catholick is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That whole Building fitly framed together which groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord But in the Church visible the wicked grow not into a Temple nay there is not a stone of the spiritual Building laid in them And Eph. 1.23 The Church Catholick is not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only the body but fulness of Christ Every member of it helps as it were to fill up the mystical body but in the Church visible the wicked do not complete the body but corrupt it they do not adorn but deform it I have before shewed that our union to Christ stands not in communion with a visible Church or its Rulers It is made by internal and spiritual ligatures and is invariably one and the same whether there be a Church visible or not But saith the Author We are under an obligation of Communion with a Church visible when there is one But it is one thing what our Duty is and another what constitutes our union with Christ it is our duty to be subject to civil Magistrates but I suppose our union to Christ consists not in it it is our duty to hear the Ministers of Christ Luke 10.16 But our union to Christ doth not consist in it indeed it is a sacred Ordinance which God is pleased to use to bring us to Christ but the only proper immediate bands of that union are the Spirit and Faith If any particular Church apostatize from the Faith of Christ Mr. Sherlock we are then under the same necessity of deserting their communion as we are of obeying the Laws and submitting to the Authority of our Lord and Master We must indeed desert an apostate Church Answer but if as our Author holds our union to Christ consists in communion with a visible Church then upon our departure from it though never so just our union to Christ must fail Which yet I think can never be the lot of a true believer he is part of that Church built on the Rock against which the gates of Hell shall not prevail Matth. 16.18 Part of that building which is an holy Temple an habitation of God through the Spirit Eph. 2.21.22 and that Spirit makes and maintains that union This Political Vnion betwixt Christ and his Church Mr. Sherlock may be either only external and visible and so hypocritical Professors may be said to be
the power of sin and that by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Thus the Author to which I answer God sent his Son indeed into the world that we might be sanctified by his Spirit but that was not all he sent him that we might be justified by his Blood and Righteousness to which purpose it will be worth while to consider that place Rom. 8. The Apostle in the first verse sets forth believers men in Christ by two excellent things first by Justification There is no condemnation to them no though there be reliques of corruption in them as is imported in the seventh Chapter there is none and then by Sanctification which is in conjunction with the other they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit And in the other verses he confirms both but inverso ordine first he confirms their Sanctification from the great Origen of it the holy Spirit The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death vers 2. The power of the holy Spirit hath subdued the power of sin and then he confirms their Justification from the sufferings of Christ with which his active obedience is to be taken in conjunction What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh vers 3. Their sins were condemned in the flesh of Christ there was an atonement made for them which certainly must relate to Justification from these sufferings of Christ with which his active obedience must be taken in conjunction the Apostle inferrs That the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us vers 4. The Law was not able to justifie us for want of a perfect obedience in us but God translated the impletion of the Law upon Christ Christ fulfilled all Righteousness for us Christ bore the wrath of God for us and these things being imputed unto us the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us But then the Apostle returns again to Sanctification and subjoyns Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit assuring us that those who are justified by the imputed Righteousness of Christ are also Sanctified and led by his holy Spirit This I take to be the meaning of the place But let us hear our Church treating upon this place in conjunction with other Scriptures r. Hom. of Salvation St. Paul saith Rom. 3. We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ And Rom. 10. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth And Rom. 8. That which was impossible by the Law in as much as it was weak by the flesh God sending his own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh by sin damned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us which walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit In these places the Apostle toucheth three things which must go together in our Justification upon Gods part his great mercy and grace upon Christ's parts justice that is the satisfaction of God's justice or the price of our redemption by the offering of his body and shedding of his Blood with fulfilling of the Law perfectly and throughly and upon our part true and lively Faith in the merits of Jesus Christ which yet is not ours but by Gods working in us So that in our Justification is not only Gods Mercy and Grace but also his Justice which the Apostle calleth the Justice of God and it consisteth in paying our ransom and fulfilling of the Law And so the Grace of God doth not shut out the Justice of God in our Justification but only shutteth out the justice of man that is to say the justice of our works as to be merits of deserving our justification And therefore St. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of man concerning his justification but only a true lively Faith which nevertheless is the gift of God and not man's only work without God and yet that Faith doth not shut out Repentance Hope Love Dread and the fear of God to be joyned with Faith in every man that is justified but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying so that although they be all present in him that is justified yet they justifie not all together These are the excellent words of our Church worthy without flattery be it spoken to be written in Letters of Gold but much more in the hearts of all true Christians We see here that there is in justification nothing on the behalf of man but Faith only no internal Holiness Repentance Hope Love Fear of God are in the justified but shut out from the office of justifying God's Grace and Christ's Righteousness are the great causes of justification But saith the Author Is there here any mention of Christ's Righteousness or the imputation thereof I answer Our Church surely thought so and we have his passive Righteousness expressed vers 3. and where that is expressed the active is implied This is clear when the Scripture saith That we are made righteous by Christ's obedience Rom. 5.19 It doth include his blood also and when he saith That we are justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 It doth include his active obedience also so that the Scripture because it expresses justification by both and because it must be consistent with it self in expressing the one includes the other When therefore Rom. 8.3 his sufferings are expressed his active obedience is also included both therefore are intended and withall an imputation without which they cannot be profitable to us But saith the Author The Law could not do it that is the Law could not deliver from the power of sin I answer The Law could not do it of it self and without the Spirit of Christ but if that divine Spirit take the Law into its hand and write it in the heart I suppose there will be a New Creature But the Author saith That the righteousness of the Law may be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit vers 4. How can imputation come in here What pretty sence will this make of the Apostles argument I answer The sence is very clear the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us by Christ's Righteousness imputed to us and withall we to whom that is imputed walk after the Spirit the one is our Justification the other our Sanctification Both the Apostle proves to be in Believers and both consist very well together as appears from the first verse There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit The No condemnation appertains to Justification and the walking after the Spirit to Sanctification and both stand very well together As to what the Author saith afterwards That there was no reason to abrogate Moses ' s
gift of God hence it is called the fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 and Faith of the operation of God Col. 2.12 It is not of our selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 And such a gift it is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is freely gratuitously given Phil. 1.29 Seing then it is thus should we not submit to God for every crumb of bread drop of drink and moments patience because they are his gifts and must we not submit to him for Faith because it is such Had not God given a Jesus a Saviour to Men they could not have made a just complaint against him and now there being one that he is not known all the World over the Pagans may not open their lips against God and in the Church where Christ is known that all Men have no Faith no Man may question God about it Gifts are free and must be submitted for The Apostle asserts Gods Soveraignty clearly He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth Rom. 9.18 And if any dare repy or find fault the Apostle takes him up Nay but O Man who art thou that repliest against God If thou hadst but any sentiments of thy own nothingness or rayes of the Divine Majesty thou wouldest never dare to question or to implead thy Maker before whom thou art but a Worm a piece of Clay to be disposed of at his pleasures It is certain that God owes us nothing Though we are in the use of means earnestly to seek Christ Faith and not in a careless indifferent manner as without cause the Author would hint Mr. Shephards mind to be yet we must still adore Gods Soveraignty and lye at his feet for all his Gifts and particularly for Faith It was horrible insolence and presumption in him who prayed Redde mihi vitam aeternam quam debes And it would be no less for any one to pray Redde mihi fidem vivam quam debes Verbum debet venenum habet as Peter Lumbard hath it These things considered Mr. Shephards words need no more but only a candid Interpretation What then is to be done Mr Sherlock in order to our closing with Christ by Faith for hitherto there is no foundation for our Faith Why you must not catch at Christ but stay till God give him to you till God take you into his Arms that you may lean upon your Beloved you must stay till God give you a particular call to come to Christ and whether that will be ever or never no Man can tell Many a wounded Sinner will be scrambling from some general reports of him such as his Gospel makes before the day and hour of Gods glorious call Now for any Man to receive Christ before he is called is presumption I unpardonable presumption too to attempt impossibilities for no Body can come till he is called no man should come unless first called and therefore no crime to stay away as it is in calling to an Office so it is in our calling to special Grace No Man takes this honour but he that is called of God Heb. 5.4 It is a great presumption to usurp the Office of a Priest Prophet or King without a designation and so it is to be a good Man or Christian without a particular call For what hath any Man to do with Christ to make himself a Son of God and Heir of glory to take care to please God and to make himself happy but he that is called of God Well Sinner wait with patience till thou art called and so thy work is at an end for this time The Author laughs at Mr. Shephards particular call Answer let us therefore consider it there is a double call a general external call reaching to all in the Church and a particular internal call vouchsafed to some The first is a command a sufficient warrant to come to Christ The second is a special Act of Grace which infallibly produces Farth in those to whom it is given This distinction is clearly founded in Scripture all in the Church are called but all are not drawn of the Father all do not hear and learn of the Father Joh. 6.44 45. For these taught and drawn ones do all of them come to Christ which all Men in the Church do not all in the Church are called but all are not called according to purpose Rom. 8.28 for then all would love God as those called ones do and by consequence all would have that Faith which works by love We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness but to them which are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1.23 24. All of them had an external general call those to whom Christ was a stumbling block and foolishness had such a call for an unknown an unreveiled Christ could not be a stumbling block or foolishness But besides this call there is another an internal effectual call such as makes Christ the power and wisdom of God to Men such as works Faith and other Graces in Men Hence the Apostle saith That they are the called called with a more internal and efficacious call than other Men are These things laid down all things in Mr. Shephard are very easie all Men in the Church have an external call and so a sufficient warrant to believe in Christ it will be no presumption at all in them to do so The Object Jesus Christ is evidently set forth before their eyes but that they may believe in him indeed they must wait for a particular internal call for that Grace which works Faith in the heart if not the work of Faith must be their own they must believe of themselves And this I fear though the Object Christ be free for them would be presumption because the Scripture assures us that Faith is the gift of God All Men in the Church should come to Christ for the Evangelical command makes it their duty yet if we believe our Saviour there must be internal teachings and tractions from the Father to make us truly come to him All in the Church are by the Gospel called to be Believers so to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Royal dignity to be Sons of God Joh. 1.12 to the Divine Offices to be Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 But this believing is produced by that internal efficacious call which calleth things that are not as though they were I mean which calleth Faith into being where it was not before But then saith Mr. Sherlock The Sinner must only wait till he is called and so his work is at an end for this time To which I answer His work is not at an end because he is still to wait if the Scripture which makes Faith the free-gift of God be true there is no nearer passage to Heaven then by waiting upon God for Faith in the use of means The Saints
he be a Christian whether he heartily believe and obey the Gospel and herein consists our Vnion to Christ and fellowship with him let us then leave those other dim notions to men who can believe what no man can understand who despise every thing that can be understood as if it were no better than carnal reason The Author Answer who hitherto hath highly though without cause charged his opposites with violating the evidences of Christians doth now himself blast the highest of all evidences the Testimony of the holy Spirit which is so clealy asserted by the holy Apostle that the Jesuits themselves though hotly disputing against assurance never yet attempted totally to deny it The Testimony of the Spirit saith the Author concerns the general adoption of Christians not to testifie to any particular man It is not a private but a publick Testimony given to the whole Church But let us consider the Text it self in the Apostle The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 The Spirit the Apostle speaks not of the Spirit as shewing forth it self in Miracles and Tongues but as sanctifying and sealing Believers he speaks of the spirit dwelling in them vers 9. Mortifying the deeds of the body in them vers 13. Leading of them vers 14. Making them cry Abba Father vers 15. And then follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the self same spirit beareth witness Here is not one jot or tittle of Miracles or Tongues the testimony of the Spirit in Miracles or Tongues is an external one which runs into the senses But the Testimony of the Spirit in the Text is internal it beareth witness not to our senses but to our Spirits It is said to be sent forth into our hearts Gal. 4.6 The Testimony is not without in Miracles or Tongues but within in the heart The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit the Apostle saith not it beareth witness with the Spirit of the Church for there is one body and one spirit the Spirit of the Church Catholick is the holy Spirit which quickens the whole Mystical Body of Christ And these words The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit cannot be translated thus The Spirit beareth witness with it self but the plain meaning is It beareth witness with our spirit that is with the spirits and consciences of particular Believers And what doth it testifie The Apostle tells us That we are the children of God We particular Believers are so Thus in another place ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise Eph. 1.13 Ye particular Believers were so And again He hath sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 1.22 He hath dealt so with us in particular The Testimony of the Spirit in the Gospel is that all Believers are the Sons of God But the Testimony of the Spirit in our spirits is that we are Believers and so the Sons of God in particular This Testimony of the Spirit though so fully asserted in Scripture Nay and I will add though so sweetly experimented by the dear Saints of God that they have thought themselves in the very borders of Heaven in respect of it is yet with the Author no better than a dim unintilligible notion and as he speaks a little before a private Enthusiasm But why unintelligible cannot the holy Spirit so illustrate and irradiate the heart that the truth of Grace may appear to the Believer that he may certainly see in his own heart that this is precious Faith and that is love in incorruption and so of other Graces there Or what if it were unintelligible Shall we cast off the Divine Revelation because above our narrow reason What then must become of those Mysteries of the Trinity and hypostatical Union What of that peace of God which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 passing or transcending all understanding Phil. 4.7 Surely in such things reason must vail and do homage to Revelations Ephraem Syrus discerning an heretical propensity in his Disciple Paulinus gave him that excellent advice Vide Pauline ne te submittas tuis cogitationibus sed cum te perfecte comprehendisse Deum putaveris crede nec intellexisse We must not commit Divine Mysteries to the measures of Humane Reason but take them as they are in Scripture But this Testimony of the Spirit is but a private Enthusiasm saith the Author To which I answer We are now more afraid of Enthusiasm than they were of old Dyonisius would have the Hierarch to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De Eccles Hierarch to be a divine man and a kind of Euthusiast Ignatius in the Epistle to the Romans saith That he wrote 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secundum arbitrium Dei as if he had wrote by impulse and Inspiration And as Dr. Arrowsmith hath it in Suidas and Hesykius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enthusiasm is when the whole soul is irradiated by God And in this sence I wish with him Vtinam essemus omnes Enthusiastae Would we were all Enthusiasts It s true there is not now an Enthusiasm of gifts in an extraordinary way but sure there must be still in the use of the means an Enthusiasm of Graces in Regeneration and an Enthusiasm of comforts in the Testimony of the Spirit or else which is quite contrary to Scripture there must be no new Creatures but what are of Mans own making nor no Divine comforts for them but what are of Mans own gathering The Just need no longer live by Faith or in dependence upon the Divine Spirit but may have his being and well-being his graces and comforts all from himself CHAP. V. Sect. 1. CHrist hath reveiled the whole mind and will of God Mr. Sherlock in such a plain and familiar manner that every one may understand it who will but exercise the same reason in it that he doth to understand the Laws of his Prince Before the Author took away the witnessing Spirit now the illuminating one Answer A Man may according to him understand the things of God by the exercise of his reason Thus Episcopius Men may by meer natural perception without any supernatural superinfused light understand the Will of God After the same manner speak the Socinians The darkness for such are all the unregenerate Men may it seems comprehend the Evangelical light But the Apostle tells us That the natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.14 That flesh and blood doth not reveil these things but our Father in Heaven Matth. 16.17 Hence the Apostle prays for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation for the Ephesians Ephes 1.17 Hence our Church tells us 2. Hom. of Scripture That the Revelation of the Holy Ghost inspireth the true meaning of Scripture into us In truth we cannot without him attain true saving knowledge According to these Men Mr. Sherlock the love of Christ is a love to the person of a Believer without considering any
was in mans own hand and the stress of all lay upon his will miscarried and brought forth no happiness to man and can we imagine that the All-wise God who made the second Covenant as a secunda tabulae to repair the ruines of the first should frame it in that very same way in which the first miscarried May the stock be in mans hand again and his Bankrupt will trustee a second time Will God hang up all upon a meer posse in the Creature and expect it may do better in lapsed than innocent man Alas what miserable specimens hath Free-will given of it self in fallen Man The old World left to their own Free-will though I suppose according to the Author not without a posse all but one Noah desperately corrupted themselves till the Flood swept them away And for that one Noah it is not probable or indeed imaginable that he had he been left to himself only with the common Grace afforded to the rest should have done better than they nay it is a World against one man that he would have corrupted himself as they did After the flood and that was a startling warning-piece hath free Will with the common Grace done better All Nations have walked in their own ways that is in wayes of wickedness affording us a vast experiment in millions of men that free Will left to it self will miscarry and come to nought and withal a pregnant proof that nothing less than special effectual Grace could secure a Church or so much as a single Noah unto God These things being so I conclude that the design of a Church doth not only give a power to believe and persevere but Faith and Perseverance to those individual persons which make up a Church Hence our Saviour tells us that all that the Father giveth him shall come to him Joh. 6.37 that is shall believe and make up his mystical Body and withal that it was his Fathers will that none of them should be lost vers 39. that is that they should persevere unto the end Now after all this discourse if there be such a design of a Church that comprises in it those individual persons which shall make up a Church and secures Faith and Perseverance unto them then the love of God towards them can be no less than immutable pitching upon them in election and carrying of them through Faith and perseverance unto glory Having said thus much to establish the point I now shall attend the Authors objections first he tells us That sin it self cannot separate us from this immutable Love Very well I acknowledge it that immutable Love which gives Faith and Perseverance to his People preserves them so that sin any other than unavoida-infirmity shall not be at all or if it be shall not finally be in them They shall not sin such sins or if they do the divine Grace shall raise them up by Repentance They are as Dr. Owen hath it preserved from such sins for which a remedy is not provided in the Covenant of Grace that is not only as the Author glosses from the sin against the Holy Ghost but from final Impenitency too which is not remedied in the Covenant of Grace If they sin they shall not lie in it by final Apostacy Impenitency consequently they shall never fall under such threatnings against Backsliders and Apostates as that mentioned Ezek. 18. and in other Scriptures and what Antinomianism there is in this I know not neither can I see how that Love which preserves from final Impenitency should want Wisdom or Holiness The Author goes on Many wise learned men there are who contend for Perseverance but they found Gods immutable Love on their Perseverance To which I answer I know no such They who are for Perseverance do not found Gods immutable love on perseverance but perseverance on Gods immutable love which causeth the same Thus Fulgentius Deus Praedestinationè suâ donū Illuminationis ad credendum donū Perseverantiae ad permanendū donū Glorificationis ad regnandū quibus dare voluit praeparavit nec aliter perficit in opere quà m in sua sempiterna incommutabili voluntate habet dispositū Faith Perseverance Glory all are the effluxes of immutable Love But the Author further tells us That the Immutability of Gods love consists in this not that he always loves the same person but that he always loves for same reason he always loves true goodness and good men and never loves any other and so is unchangeable To which I answer God loves good men with a Love of Complacence he cannot love a wicked man with a Love of Complacence but may he not love him with a Love of Benevolence Then he cannot design the least good to any fallen Man in the World all being by Nature wicked and children of wrath If God love good men and never loved any other then he could not design to lapsed corrupt Man a Christ or a Gospel or any the least means of Salvation Goodness the only reason of Love being gone by the Fall nothing that is good can be intended to man This as the Author tells us would be the degeneracy of Love to love an undeserving object every man by Nature is no better It is saith the Author the greatest change of all to alter the reason of Love and therefore according to this Principle God as he would be a Self-preserver and not suffer a Change in himself having loved innocent Man was bound not to love fallen Man not to give him a Christ or a Gospel or any good thing But rather than run our selves into such Consequences I think we were as good say God's Love of Complacence is towards good men but his Love of Benevolence is towards men even before they are good and is the fontal Cause of all that after-goodness in them which is the Object of his Complacence As for that place Joh. 14.23 If a man keep my words my Father will love him the meaning is God will manifest himself unto him as it is ver 21 I will love him and will manifest my self unto him If God did not love him before whence came his Obedience It must be an odd independent Self-originated Obedience which came not from the Grace or Love of the great Donor SECT II. SOme men tell us That as Christ falls in love with our Persons Mr Sherlock so we must in requital to him love the Person of Christ This is as certain as any Demonstration in Euclide that if we love Christ we must love his Person for the Person of Christ is Christ himself and if we love Christ we must love him But this will not serve their turn they oppose our love to the Person of Christ to our love to him upon account of his benefits to our love to our selves and to our duties First we must love the Person of Christ in opposition to his Benefits that is we must not consider what advantages we
do or may receive from Christ what he hath done or suffered for us but we must love his Person purely for himself without any other considerations to endear him to us This matter is gravely stated and determined by W.B. who tells us 1. That it is a good and lawful thing to love Christ in reference to his benefits This is a very liberal grant that Gratitude which hath hitherto been accounted a great and excellent Virtue is now owned as a lawful thing 2. It is our duty to love Christ's Person This is so true that those men who love Christ for his benefits love his Person 3. The Excellency of Christ's Person is not the Object of my Faith but Christ crucified 4. Though Christ crucified be the Object of my Faith yet the personal Excellencies of Christ are the Object of my Love yea it is a more excellent thing yet to love the Person of Christ than the Benefits of Christ to have my heart drawn out in love to the Person of Christ than to have it drawn out in love to him for his Benefits Now what can be the meaning of all this but that the Excellency and Perfection of our Love to Christ consists in loving him for no reason The proper object and reason of Love is Goodness to love that which is good for nothing is the folly and degeneracy of Love and it is as foolish and impossible a task to love a person who hath been good to us not because he hath been good but for no reason Now this is the case here for if you separate the Person and personal Excellencies of Christ from the consideration of his benefits his personal Goodness from the expressions of his Love and Goodness to our selves and others it can be no Object or reason of our Love for a Goodness which doth no good or never did any or which is all one is considered as doing none is so far from being the Object of our Love that it is not the Object of our Vnderstanding For we cannot understand what that Goodness means which never did any good God challenges our Love not upon account of an imaginary Goodness of Nature which never did any good but for the real and sensible Effects of his Goodness in the works of Creation and Providence and Redemption by Christ And Christ challenges our love for the like reasons because he hath loved us and died for us and now intercedes for us and will at the last day bestow a Crown of Glory and Immortality on us but never as I can observe requires such an abstracted and Metaphysical Love to his Person without any respect to his benefits We love Christ for his Benefits Answer these are the first impulsives of our Love but our love once kindled is afterwards blown up into a purer flame by those attractive Excellencies and ravishing Beauties which are in the Person of Christ we come to love Christ for himself The Spouse in the Canticles did not only love Christ for his Shadow and sweet fruits for the Graces and Benefits communicated from him but for himself his incomparable Person who is the chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely Neither is this Love to Christ for himself what the Author would have it to be a Love for no reason or a Love in its folly and degeneracy But it is a Love for the greatest Reason and a Love in perfection There is a greater worthiness and so an higher attractive of our Love in the Person of Christ than in his Benefits and therefore in all reason Love is in a more high and superlative measure due to the one than to the other All the Benefits of Christ are but as so many Mediums to draw up and attract our Love to the Person of Christ and our Love in its ascent up thither must not stay or take up its final rest in Means for this would be to pervert the nature of Means and transform them into Ends but it must terminate in Christ the great End and Center Should we love the Benefits more than the Person of Christ we should be lovers of our selves more than lovers of Christ our Love would then return and circulate into our selves and there rest and center ut in ultimo termino which is no less than Idolatry If we are truly espoused to Christ we will not love the Rings and Jewels more than himself nay nor so much The true noble Lover doth not acquiesce in other gifts but in Christ the Gift above all other gifts But saith the Author A Goodness which doth no good or never did any is so far from being the object of our Love that it is not the object of our Vnderstanding To which I answer It 's true if God had never done good that is had never created a Creature he could not have been the Object of any created Love or Understanding for there being no Creation there could have been no such thing as any created Love or Understanding however he had been an Object for a greater Love and Understanding than any created one even for his own infinite Love and Understanding Had he never created a Creature he would have been for ever happy by amatorious and intellectual Reflections upon himself and his own Perfections It is true that God calls for our Love upon account of Creation Providence and Redemption but it is due to him for himself for his Divine Excellency and All-sufficiency Could we imagine what is impossible that there were a rational Creature who never received any good from God upon such a supposal that Creature would be bound to love God for his intrinsecal Goodness and Excellency or else the Will of that Creature might which is very strange pass by the Supreme Good unsaluted But to leave that Supposition now we have God and many blessings before our eyes we are bound to love God above all as the complete and adequate Object of our Love Should we love any Blessings without or above him it would be Cupiditas Lust which is the formale of every sin and not Love I conclude with that of Bonaventure Li. 3. distinct 29. quest 2. Secundùm Charitatis legem impossibile est aliquid plus vel aequaliter Deo amare Charitas enim quia diligit Deum ut summum bonum diligit eum super omnia quia diligit Deum ut finem ultimum diligit eum propter se Blessings may be motives to us to love God but they are not to be loved as the supreme End or Good that is God only in his infinite Goodness and Excellency upon account of these all Worship and among the rest Love is due to him Indeed these men seem not to understand themselves Mr. Sherlock for when you enquire what this Person of Christ is which is the Object of our Love then they describe his Beauty and perfections the Comeliness of his Person the sweetness of his Disposition his great Riches that he
is a Good sutable to all our wants Now either all this signifies the benefits we receive by Christ or it signifies nothing and how then do these personal Excellencies differ from his benefits They teach us to use Christ much if we would love his Person Now this using must signifie his benefits and to love Christ much because we use him is to love him because we receive many benefits from him which is neither better nor worse than to love him for his benefits We love Christ for his benefits Answer and for himself too Hence these men describe Christ's Person by both they set out his Beauty and Comeliness in himself and withal his Suitableness to our wants The first rise of our Love to Christ is from his Benefits and afterwards our Love to him is for himself also the Excellency and Amiableness of his Person in himself calls for our love and must have it The Love we owe to God and Christ is no other than gratitude because God loved us first Mr. Sherlock and our Love is only a return of his Now thankfulness and gratitude includes in it a necessary respect to those blessings and benefits we have received It is peculiar to God who wants nothing and can receive nothing from his Creatures to love without any respect to benefits but the Love of indigent and dependent Creatures is a Love of thankfulness a grateful acknowledgment of those many blessings we receive from God Our Love to God and Christ is gratitude Answer It is for Benefits but is it only for Benefits No surely we are to love God and Christ for the infinite goodness and excellency which is in them if we ask what is the formal and adequate reason of Divine Worship No other answer can be given but that it is the infinite divine excellency and perfection which is in God Our love to God which is a part of Worship though possibly its first rise or motive may be from benefits yet it stays not in the benefits but in and by them ascends to God the ultimate Object and Center of Worship who is to be loved in and for himself Secondly Mr. Sherlock these men oppose our Love to the person of Christ to our love to our selves The first destroys the Reason and the Object of our Love and this destroys the principle of it It is made the character of a wicked man Shep. Sinc. Convert who wants an inward principle of love to God and Christ That though he seeks to honour God never so much yet all that he doth he doth out of love to himself self-credit self-ease self-content self-safety he makes himself a God Hence the same author exhorts sinners away out of your selves to the Lord Jesus take hold on him not with the hand of presumption and love to thy self to save thy self but with the hand of Faith and Love to honour him Here is the strongest difficulty of all to row against the stream to hate a mans self our own souls and eternal Salvation and then to follow Christ fully Now is it not an hard case that before we can love God and Christ as we ought we must root out the very principle of all love that we may learn to hate Salvation and Eternal Happiness before we can close with Christ for Salvation This is the strongest difficulty of all for indeed it is impossible Love to our selves is the foundation of our love to all other things even to God himself He that doth not love himself will love nothing else he that hates himself his own soul and despises eternal Salvation will not care for Christ or Salvation by him All the Motives and Arguments of the Gospel to perswade us to love and fear and obey God are founded on self-self-love for how is it possible that we should be affected with a due sense of Gods goodness to us That we should be excited and quickned by the hopes of such great rewards That we should be restrained and governed by the fears of punishment If we did not love our selves if we did not care what became of us whether we were happy or miserable for ever It is a vain thing to perswade a man not to love himself For this is as natural and necessary as it is for the Fire to burn or Sun to shine It is not matter of our choice it is not in our power to do otherwise all that such discourses as these can do is either to make men hypocrites to pretend to do what they cannot do or to make honest men who cannot thus cheat and delude themselves despair of their Salvation because they cannot find themselves contented without Salvation that Christ without Salvation cannot satisfie them It is true when men set up self in opposition to God when self-love teâ—â—â—â—s them to disobey God to dispise his Counsels to renounce their Faith and Religion This is a very vitious and mistaken self-love Such men neither love themselves nor God in a proper sence because it is our interest as well as our duty to obey God such men are Idolaters because they set up self above God and in opposition to him But when our love to our selves teaches us to love God and in all things to submit to his will and pleasure We do as we ought to do they who separate our love to God from our love to our selves from the care of our Salvation do plainly declare that they neither understand the nature of man nor the Gospel of Christ. Mr. Shephard speaks of a wicked man Answer who wants an inward principle of love to God and Christ that he doth all for himself he sleeps prayes hears speaks professes for himself alone that he commits the highest degree of Idolatry and makes himself a God And adds this reason For a man puts himself in the room of God as well by making himself his finis ultimus as if he should make himself primum principium And is there any question at all in this may not a wicked man not to say sleep which every man doth but pray hear speak profess No doubt can be made of it and if he do so it must needs be for himself he having whilst wicked no Divine Principle nothing of grace to elevate him above himself But Mr. Shephard would have men go out of themselves to Christ And this is hard to row against the stream to hate a mans self And saith the Author this is impossible this is to root up the very principle of Love Love to our selves is the foundation of our Love to all other things even to God himself To which I answer No doubt we are to love Christ for the purchased Salvation neither doth Mr. Shephard deny it but we are not to love him for Salvation only or supremely no but for himself his infinite goodness and perfection This is not to root up the principle Love but to rectifie it Indeed this is hard Nay
I may add unattainable by lapsed nature in it self but Grace elevates nature above it self to love Christ though not without a respect to Salvation yet above our selves and so in a comparative sence to hate our selves for him Indeed if love to our selves were as the Author would have it the foundation of our Love to God then it must be the measure of it too and by consequence we should not need love God above our selves and our love of God might for ought I see center and ultimately terminate in our selves But this cannot be allowed As long as God is God the supreme good and last end he must be loved above all and for himself that inclination which is in us to love our selves more than God is as Bonaventure well observes not the perfection but the corruption of our Natures But saith the Author he that doth not love or care for himself will not love God To which I answer If we do not care for our selves in a way of foolish neglect we are unnatural to our selves and want true love to God But if we care not for our selves in a Paroxism of holy Zeal for God as when Moses prayed to be blotted out of Gods book Or when St. Paul wished himself accursed from Christ then our love to God is very great and fervent if whilst we pay that debitum naturae love to our selves We subordinate it to the love of God loving God above our selves and in that sence comparatively not estimating our selves then our love to God is true and as it ought to be We need not make men hypocrites or desperate we need not break any of the sweet links duty and interest may well consist together our love to God and our love to our selves may stand in conjunction yet still our love must keep its decorum we must have a higher respect for Duty than for interest and our love to God must be superlative and above our love to our selves Thirdly Mr. Sherlock they oppose our love to Christ to our own Duties that is to the most proper and natural expression of our love to him Herein Dr. Owen places the chastity of our affections to Christ which you know is a great marriage duty in not taking any thing as our own righteousness into our affection and esteem for those ends and purposes for which we have received Christ and God forbid that any Christian should for our own Righteousness and Duties cannot be our Mediators and Advocates What then is the difference Why it is only this The Doctor places the Righteousness of Christ in the room of our righteousness to be not only the foundation but the condition of the Covenant of Grace and then makes it an expression of our chaste affection to Christ quite to thrust out our own righteousness and to allow it no place in our Religion He makes Christ all to us and leaves no room for any thing else and then warns us upon our vows of chastity not to take any thing into Christ's place Whereas as he has ordered the matter we must take our own righteousness into Christ's place or else cast it quite away for there is no other place left for it But is it not very strange that when our Saviour hath made our obedience the principal expression of our Love to him These men should make such a competition between our Love to Christ and our Obedience should put such jealousies into peoples heads What great danger there is of their own Duties and Righteousness lest they should prove like foolish Lovers Sincere Convert who when they are to wooe for the Lady fall in love with the Hand-maid Men dote upon Duties and rest in the naked performance of them that is in doing good which are only Hand-maids to lead to Christ Is not this to perswade people that our love to Christ consists in something more refined and spiritual than obedience Which will quickly teach them to love Christ without obeying of him and not run the hazard of doting on duties Doth the Doctor quite thrust out our own Righteousness Answer Doth he allow it no place in our Religion I have before noted what charge this is The Doctor in his Book doth assert That our Obedience is indispensibly necessary Commun fo 208 209 210 c. and that because of the Soveraign will of God the Father Son and holy Ghost because of the Fathers electing Love the Sons purchasing Love the Spirits operative Love because of the glory of the whole Trinity because Holiness is our Honour and makes us like to God our peace in communion with God our usefulness in our Generations because it stops the mouths of enemies tends to the conversion of others and profit of all because justified persons are accepted and admitted into Gods presence they are new Creatures and the new Creature is not to be stifled because holiness is the way to eternal life a Testimony and Pledge of Adoption a sign and evidence of Grace Now if this be not enough to answer that charge I must utterly despair that ever it can be cleared No man that I know of ever dreamed of an opposition between Love to Christ and Obedience I should as soon be perswaded that the Sun was fallen out with his Beams or that all the causes and effects of Nature were at a variance among themselves as conceit any such thing Yet Christ must be upon the Throne and Duties must stand at his Foot-stool The Homage which is in Duties proclaims the preeminence of the Lord we are not as Mr. Shephard hath it to rest in Duties in the naked performance of them Our Duties must not supplant Christ's Righteousness but pay a tribute of gratitude to it we must use them as Noah's Dove did her wings to carry us to the Ark even to Jesus Christ in whom only is the Sabbath of Souls But saith the Author is not this to perswade people that our love to Christ consists in something more refined than Obedience which will quickly teach them to love Christ without obeying To which I answer Love without obeying is to me an utter inconsistency If we indeed love Christ we do really will Christum Regem that he should be King and reign in and over us Love sets his Throne in the Heart and Obedience in the Life The expression of our Love to Christ is in Obedience Nothing is more refined within than Faith and Love nor without than Obedience it being as it should performed in a due manner in the actuation of Divine Graces for if it be only an outward naked performance it is but the shell and semblance of obeying without loving Let us now enquire Mr. Sherlock how they express their love to the person of Christ and that consists in preferring Christ above all they value him above all other things and persons above their lives above all Spiritual Excellencies and other Righteousness whatever he is their Joy Crown
Life Food Health Strength Defire Righteousness Salvation Blessedness The meaning of all is that they prefer the person of Christ which hath such a perfect righteousness for them and will save them without requiring any legal conditions of them infinitely before the Religion and Gospel of Christ before Obedience to his commands before the Love and Fear of God So that the foundation of their love to Christ is a fond imagination that he will save them by his Righteonsness without any Righteousness and Holiness of their own This makes them so fond of the person of Christ because they look on him as a refuge and sanctuary for the wicked and ungodly where the greatest oldest stubbornest transgressor may shelter himself from the wrath of God and I have some reason to think that Christ will not much prize such Devoto's as these nor their obsequious flatteries or praise They prefer Christ above all Answer and no wonder all the Saints and Martyrs have done so he is worthy of love in its height and tallest Statures A Believer may love other things but he loves Christ with a love more eminent and over-topping such as is congruous for an Object so altogether lovely and desirable he loves other things with reference to Christ But Christ for himself his infinite excellencie and perfection He loves Ordinances because they are the Banqueting-House of Christ he loves the Gospel because it is his Royal Charter he loves his own Graces because they are his love-tokens and bear his Divine Image After all the great center of his love is Christ himself But saith the Author the foundation of their love to Christ is a fond imagination that he will save them by his Righteousness without any Righteousness of their own that he will be a refuge and sanctuary for the wicked and ungodly To which I say That I have before noted this to be as it is a Popish Calumny and without any just ground at all for it when Grotius drew up such a kind of charge against the common Protestant Doctrine as if it were enough to say Credo justitiam Christi mihi imputari as if there were no need of true Repentance or holy walking Dr. Arrowsmith makes this return Quam nollem haec à te dicta vel ficta potius Tact. Sacr. fol. 141 Hugo doctissime cum nihil sit à praxi nihil à sensu nostro remotius Mr Sherlock The devotion of these men consists in admiring prizing valuing the person of Christ This is that Evangelical Righteousness we must gain by Duties more prizing of acquaintance with defire loving and delighting in Union with the Lord Jesus Christ a Moral man who rests in duties that is who does what God commands and expects to be saved by Christ may grow in legal Righteousness that is in true Holiness and Piety But this will not avail unless we grow in this Evangelical Righteousness Sincere Convert This is the great end of Duties to carry us to the Lord Jesus Hear a Sermon to carry thee to Christ fast pray get a full tide of affections in them to carry thee to Christ that is to get more Love of him more Acquaintance and Union with him sorrow for sins that thou mayst be more fitted for Christ and more prize Christ use thy Duties as Noah's Dove did her wings to carry thee to the Ark of the Lord Jesus As it is with a poor man that is to go over a great water for a treasure on the other side though he cannot fetch the boat he calls for it to carry him over to the treasure So Christ is in Heaven and thou on Earth He doth not come to thee thou canst not go to him Now call for a Boat though there is no Grace no Good no Salvation in a pithless duty yet use it to catry thee over to the Lord Christ when thou comest to hear say have over Lord by this Sermon when to pray say have over Lord by this Prayer to a Saviour c. So that it seems the whole business of our Love to Christ and Evangelical Righteousness consists in some flights of fancy and imagination in admiring and valuing the person of Christ in getting an acquaintance and union with him The business of all Religion is to have over to Christ that we may love and prize his Person and personal Righteousness above all things in the World It is not so much the business of Sermons to acquaint us with the Nature Attributes and Works of God to instruct us in our Duty and encourage us to it by the Motives of the Gospel as to have over to Christ The design of prayer is not so much to affect our Souls with a sense of the Divine Majesty to worship and adore him and to express our trust in him as to have over to Christ Sorrow for sin is not so much to imbitter sin to us and to strengthen us against it as to teach us to prize Christ The Nature of Religion is now changed from being the Homage and Worship of God the certain means of pleasing him and transforming us in to his likeness which is the natural end of Religion into a Cock-boat and Skuller to waft us over to Christ Here we see the true reason why these men do so despise Morality in comparison of those Gospel-duties of hearing Sermons Prayer Confessions Humiliation c. because as they handle the matter The practise of Moral Virtues cannot have us over to Christ cannot apply the righteousness and fulness of Christ to us nor ravish our fancies with glorious Images and Idea's of his person And since all the Duties of Religion are such pithless things which have no Grace no Good no Salvation in them but as they have us over to Christ poor Morality must needs be a worthless thing That we are highly to prize Christ Answer can be no question with Christians when he comes in his Glory he shall be admired of all them that believe 2 Thess 1.10 And before that coming we are as far as our Faith will carry us to admire him who is indeed an Object in whom Heaven and Earth are so admirably blended together that humane reason may well lose it self and stand in a maze at such an Union That Christ is to be highly prized by us we need go no further than the raptures and extatical passions of the Spouse in the Canticles which are a kind of Commentary on that Admiration which is the genius and communis sensus of Christians Nature it self reveils God to be the great Object of Worship but the Gospel assures us that there is no access no coming to God but by Christ That there is no Righteousness able to cover our persons and duties with the defects thereof but Christ's Righteousness That there is no doing Duties in a right and spiritual way acceptable unto God but by the Spirit and Grace of Christ and upon these strong important Reasons