will be fully decided before Christ will raise them in this Glory But you say their Faith must come to tryal whether it hath been sincere but undoubtedly that will be fully resolved before the Resurrection or how shall the Elect be gathered from all Parts And how shall Christ distinguish the Saints from others to raise them in Glory But you 'l saâ— this Tryal will be by the new Law at the Resurrection of the Unjust 1. Shall they not be raised in Dishonour with their Consciences accusing them by the old Law 2. How few in comparison will there be of the Millions of wicked that can be justified by the new Law that never heard a word of it 3. Those that have heard of it never owned it or were under it they must be tryed by a Law that nature hath brought them under 4. All their Sins against God's Offers and Commands are judged by the old Law for in the moral Law God is declared a God that shews Mercy unto thousands 5. The Offers of Mercy rejected are but Aggravations of the Sins of those that are condemned already and make them more inexcusable In this sense the Men of Nineveh and the Queen of the South shall rise up in judgment against some and condemn them not that their Actions shall be a Law to try by but that they will be matter of Aggravation to such as had greater means of Grace than they had Rejections of Pardon do not bring condemned Persons to a new Law to Try them by it leaves them but under the former Law and Coâ—demnation with a greater Torment upon their Minds and Consciences For my part I look upon your whole Hypothesis about the day of Judgment to be very raw and indigested in that you suppose it will be like Man's Assizes when all Men shall be brought to a personal Tryal good and bad all in mixture and Believers as well as Unbelievers must be Arraigned and hold up their Hands at the Bar and stand upon their Delivery whereof some upon a formal Tryal shall be justified others condemned I come to shew what a Law is and what Gospel is What a Law is The word Lex is with some a Ligando because it binds to Duty and Obedience with others it is a a Legendo * Quod omnibus ad legendum exponitur publice in soro quod dicebatur promulgatio legis Isidor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot because among the Romans when a Law was made it was exposed publickly that all might read or know it and this was called the promulgation of the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a tribuendo aut distribuendo because it gives every one its due by commanding and forbidding upon a Penalty exprest or understood Hence it is not only regula justi injusti which describes but the preceptive part but it s regula sancita whereby Justice doth proceed in a way of distribution to justify or condemn and thereby suum cuiquet ribuere to give every one his due if Wages of Sin be due to pay it this is the primary and strict sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a larger sense it 's take for Doctrin a Custom or Usage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Instituit docuit monuit c. and is often used for Doctrin or Institution in the Proverbs and Psalms sometimes for the Law of God strictly taken sometimes for the Law of Moses and sometimes for a particular Law or Precept as Exod. 12.49 Sometimes for the Doctrin of the revealed mind of God in his word Psal 1.19 and 119. And sometimes for a Manner and Custom as 2 Sam. 7.19 In which Significations its by the Hebrew dirived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They have also divers other words for particular Statutes Precepts Commandments in treating of which I shall not detain the Reader 2. A Law in general is an explicit Injunction of Obedience by a rightful Power with a Penalty annexed Duty may be owing where its not by any positive Law prescribed on Penalty There are these things necessary to a Law 1. That there be a legislative Power lodged somewhere That it be Sovereign whereby the first Reason of the Law is the good Will and Pleasure of the Law-giver 2. That this Sovereign Power be rightfully exerted or else the Law is but an Usurpation 3. That the Subject under this Law be capable of performing it or else the Law is tyrannical 4. If a Promise of Reward to Obedience be exprest or implyed it becomes a Law-Covenant But concerning the Nature of that more may be said elswhere 3. In a Law there is but two Parts the preceptive part and sanction which is binding the Subject to Duty upon the Authority of the Law-giver and on pain of Curse denounced for the Transgressions thereof You oft reflect on me for being ignorant of what Sanction is I must tell you I understood Sancire before you began to study at five Years old as you say you did and if any one speak of Life and Death distinct from the Precept it s you when you talk of continu ng the Duty and removing the Sanction to another Law for the removing the Sanction from a Law is the taking away all the binding Nature of it and these things are inseparable from a Law with Sanction 1. Every such Law requires perfect Obedience to the conditional Precepts of whatever kind they be if the Law require of me a small Matter or a great it abates not one jot or tittle of what it requires and my performing that is perfect obedience to the said Law If the King's Law require one shilling Poll-Tax of me eleven pence three Farthings half farthing will not pay my due nor be accepted Hence 2. whereas the Law requires the full Duty without the least Abatement so if I make the least Default of what it requires I fall under the Curse of it and he that is thus by the least Default whatever his compliance or obedience is besides is under a Curse unavoidably the whole Penalty falls upon him Thus much for a Law in general whether Divine or Human none allows an imperfect Performance of Conditions required in the said Law but condemns it 4. The Law of God is a strict Injunction to Man of Obedience to all his revealed Mind and Will upon pain of Death The Original Record of this Law was in Man's Heart concreated with him Adam had by Nature the things contained in the Law Lex Adamo data fuit naturalis vel pâ—sitiva illa in imagine Dâ—i involvebatur in corde scripta Rom. 2.14 15. Lex positiva consistebat iâ— prohibitione arboris scientiae boni mali Gen. 2.17 Lâ—i a few dark Remains whereof continue in fallen Man in his sinful Condition This not only comprehended those Precepts which the Jews call the Law of Nature which are Eadem apud omnes homines in omni tempore omni loco
Justice and Mercy in such a way of Salvation his Designs to magnify his Law and make it honourable to exalt his Son Jesus to be a Prince and Saviour and give Remission of Sins to exalt his free Grace in this salvation by a free justification adoption sanctification and glory and in doing this Justice should lose nothing of its due is all great and glorious Gospels 8. That in all these great and precious things there is such a connexion together that one encourageth and leadeth to another Promise leads to Duty and Duty to the receiving of Promises Grace leads to Glory and that Perseverance is as infallibly setled in electing Grace and as absolutely as the first Grace This is admirable Gospel 9. The great and clear discoveries that are made of the evil of sin of the dangers sin leads to and sinners are in and running into by continuing in sin and laying open the strict nature of the Law that it dispenseth not with the least sin it requires still perfect righteousness and holiness and sentenceth the sinner to eternal death and damnation for it and therefore it 's impossible that any flesh living by ordinary descent from Adam can be justified by the Works of the Law it 's a gracious and necessary piece of Gospel to take off a poor sinner from the love of sin and fondness of his own righteousness which every sinner by nature is apt unto and to set up the Lord Jesus as the only Name whereby he can be saved and to shew that he is able and willing to save to the uttermost whereby a sinner becomes dead to the Law and married by faith unto Jesus Christ This is in the glorious Gospel of God and our Saviour It is the light of it that shines into the heart doth this 10. It is good News and glad Tydings that the grace of God in the Gospel doth not make void the Law but establisheth it Rom. 3.31 Neither is the Law against the Promise Gal. 3.21 tho' that he that is under a Law for justification is under a Curse and that by the oeconomy of the grace of Christ in the New Covenant the Law and Gospel do sweetly harmonize 1. In that the Law hath been fulfilled in Christ as to all righteousness it hath a full Sanction as to every believer in the active and passive obedience of Christ their delivery from the curse of it being by this that he was made a curse for them all their sins are condemned in his flesh he bearing them on the Cross the Law hath its end as to all righteousness and compleat perfect holiness in Christ believers are all compleat and perfect in Christ as to the Law 2. It 's good News that Christ's death was not only the satisfying of the Law and Justice of God on the account of our sins and together with his active obedience the merit of grace and glory but that this same death of Christ was the Sanction and Ratification of all the Grace of the New Covenant as a Testament being by the death of the Testator and as a Law to Christ which he lay under by his Father's injunction to perform And this is the Sanction spoken of Hâ—b 8.6 and more fully explained c. 9.15 16 17. compared with c. 10.7 3. It 's good News to a believer that God hath provided a way for him to come into an acceptable obedience through Jesus Christ to the Law of God Lex attemperata foederi gratiae juxta illud inscripta cordi electorum jubet ea omnia quae in Evangelio proponuntur fide non ficta amplecti convenienter isti gratiae gloriae Vitam suam insti tuere Quando ergo Deus in foedere gratiae promittit pâ—ccatori electo fidem Rescipiscientiam consequenter vitam aeternam tum Lex cujus obligatio nunquam potest solvi quaeque ad omne officium sese extendit obstringit hominem ut illi veritati assentiatur promissa illa bona magnifaciat Impense desideret quaerat amplectatur Wits de Foed p. 198. because the Grace of the Gospel causeth him to love the Law and the Commands of Christ in the Gospel-way of performance He saith Oh how do I love thy law Oh that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes and he desires that now God would grant him his Law graciously see Psal 119. For the grace of God in the Gospel writes the Law in his heart in a true love to God with all his heart and a love to the Law of God to the holiness justice and goodness of it and his great desire is now that in Christ Jesus and conformity to him God's Law may be honoured and therefore he looks upon the very performance of holy Duties accordingly as his benefit and priviledge by the grace of the Gospâ—l Christ is sanctification to him he is created in Christ Jesus to good works he is redeemed from all iniquity Tit. 2.12 13. and taught by the grace of God to deny all ungodly and worldly lusts c. from love and thankfulness to Christ to keep his Commandments and this New Gospel restored Principle of obedience is the New Commandment spoken of Joh. 13.34 1 Joh. 2.7 8. 2 Joh. 5. not that it was materially a New Command 4. Lastly It is great and good Tydings that Jesus Christ is set on the Holy Hill of Zion that he is King Head and Governour to his Church and that he hath provided particular right Laws Rules and Precepts for them to walk by according to the original design purity and intention of God's Law and that now the Law of God goes no longer out of Mount Sinai but out of Mount Zion and the Word of the Lord from the heavenly Jerusalem Isa 2.2 3. Mic. 4.1 Heb. 12.18 22 23. And it 's Gospel that all Power is not only given to Christ in his Church as King thereof but all Power in Heaven and Earth is committed to him as to governing Providence and that he shall judge the World at the last day These things are all the good Tydings of the Gospel ratified in the Covenant of Grace graciously freely and fully bestowed on us in the Gospel and upon no federal condition of our own performance either before or after conversion Arguments that the Gospel is not a New Law with Sanction Arg. 1. If Law and Gospel are specifically distinct then the Gospel is not a Law nor the Law a Gospel but Law and Gospel are specifically distinct therefore the Gospel is not a Law The consequence of the Major is undeniable to any one that understands the nature of Genus and Species The revealed offers of salvation were never but by two ways to Man by Works and by Grace that is called Law this Gospel and they are contra distinct sub proximo genere and adversa as much as homo brutum sub animali and the Law can no more be called Gospel or the Gospel a Law than a Man
Christ can't satisfie and merit for us without the Interposal of a Gospel Rule the meaning whereof is That Christ hath not legally satisfied for us till we have done something in conformity to the said Rule that may give validity to the satisfaction of Christ and make it pleadable as such so that Christ hath neither satisfied nor merited till we make up the Complement whereby it becomes legal 4. What mean you by a legal Right to Glory by Adam's Covenant If you mean by Christs satisfaction and obedience to Adam's Covenant we have our legal Right to Glory we say it for Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believes and through his Righteousness we have a Right to Glory by Adam's Covenant Christ's Righteousness is our legal Righteousness as it respects the Perfection and Justice of God in that Covenant and it s our Evangelical Righteousness as it s in the behalf of and bestowed upon undone Sinners But you say this Doctrin excludes Forgiveness Why Because it brings in Forgivness meerly upon Christ's Righteousness alone But how makes it Christ's Sufferings needless when it lays all upon the Righteousness of Christ imputed as the Matter and Form of our Justification Or how doth it deny proper satisfaction when it makes Christ's Righteousness all the satisfaction And your Doctrin makes it but an improper and remote satisfaction yea and imperfect And lastly you say it destroys Christianity This is so gross a Charge as that it is to be exploded with Detestation if the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness as our legal and evangelical Right and Title to Life and Salvation destroys Christianity we may burn our Bibles But you go on 5 You affirm That all sinned and dyed in Adam and in Christ are all made alive owning Christ's influence both real and publick as before explained R. All this is nihil ad Rhombum you own not hereby the Imputation of Adams Sin to his Posterity but that Sin and Death are only Effects of Adam's first Sin i. e. influential you own not that all Men were legally condemned in Adam as a publick federal Person standing in their stead In the same manner you always speak of the Righteousness of Christ as influential to our Forgiveness and that the imputation of it is only bestowing the Effects But whether we were in Christ before Faith as we were seminally in Adam before we were born which his federal Headship did suppose the being thus in Christ before Faith I deny R. You here grant our seminal being in Adam and that Adam's federal Headship supposed it and therefore we were seminally and federally in Adam before we were born Why speak you it not positively whether it was so or no That we were federally and seminally in Adam and that our Sin and Death was in him there we lost original Righteousness and thence the Imputation of his very first Sin to all his Posterity by vertue of our federal standing in him and by reason of our being seminally in him the corruption of the whole Nature was in him and naturally descended to us If it be so why are not the Elect as to Righteousness and Life in the same manner in the second Adam federally and seminally before they believe i. e. before they are born again in him federally as to Righteousness and seminally as to the new Nature Christ being their Righteousness and Sanctification whereas the Apostle runs the Parallel so fully and plainly as he doth Rom. 5 But all this is but shuffling the Cards to make People believe your Principles are what they are not most of whom cannot tell what you hold when you have darkened and confounded the Question by your manner of stating it You say I object against you the denying of the Doctrin of Imputation why do you not deny the Charge but only distinguish so upon it as to confirm it If your Principles are Truth why do you not speak them out but fill us with your cloudy Expressions and Distinctions which you charge us for why speak you not plainly That you deny the Suretiship of Christ as you know you do That you deny Christ to be a publick Person in the Sense as the soundest Protestants have always held him to be which last you do here in effect positively do That we were neither federally nor seminally in Christ before Believing Which if so I am sure you must deny the whole Doctrine of Imputation and what you pretend to can be no more than what the Socinians do And how can you say you are not against the Confession and I am when the Assembly saith Confess c. 8. sect 1. That Christ is ordained of God the Head and Saviour of his Church See Pinchin the Sâ—cinian and Mr. Norton's answer p. 353. Dialo I grant that all Mâ—nkind are one with Adam by a natural Union as proceeding from the same Root but I fear Mr. Forbes doth stretch out our natural Union with Adâ—m to a personal to the end that he might make Adam's personal Action to be ours by imputation Norton The scope of Mr. Forbes is to prove the Imputation of Christ's Passive Obedience and that only in his Dea h to bâ— the Matter of our Justification c. We consent to Mr. Forbs as to the Argument taken from the Comparison but dissent from him as concerning the Restrictions the Reason of the Comparison being founded upon the Conditions of the Persons and Divine Institution it holds betwixt such Acts aâ— thâ— first and second Adam acted as publick Persons Adom therefore being in that Act of Disobedience only a publ ck Person hence that Act only is imputed unto his Seed But Christ bâ—ing in all his Acts of Obedienâ—â— a publick Person hence therefore all the Acts of Christ's Obedience are imputed to his Seed As upon supposition Adam's continuing in Obedience because he had then continued a publick Person all the Acts of his Obedience even to the finishing of perfect Righteousness had been imputed to his Seed according to the nature of the Covenant of Works unto their attaining of Jusâ—ification by the Law The Uniâ—n between Adam and his Posterity was not personal nor only natural but mystical It was a Conjunction of the Person of Adam and all contained iâ— his Loyns in one Spiritual Body by the Insti ution of God whereby he was as their Head they as his Members to stand or fall with him standing or falling Mr. Norton sums up Pinchin's Errors under three Heads 1. In his denying the Imputation of the Sin of the Elect unto Christ and his suffering the Punâ—shment due thereunto contrary to 2 Cor. 5.21 Gal. 3.13 Isa 53 5 6. thereby leaving the Elect to perish in theâ—r Sin 2. Denying that Christ as Goâ—-Man Mediator obeyâ—d the Law and therewith that he obeyed it for us as our Surety contrary to Gal. 4.4 5. Matt. â— 17 18. Heb. 10.7 compared with Psal 40.8.7.8 Rom. 3.31 thereby rendring 〈…〉