to be in regard of the world to come what would he have Christians to be but Libertines and Rebels True it is God imposeth it not as upon his subjects but tendreth it as to his rebels for the condition upon which they may become his subjects instead of his rebels And that is a just reason why it is called a Covenant rather than a Law And that reason justly reproves the Leviathans imagination that it can oblige neither more nor less than the Law of Nature For being positive as tendred by the meer will of God and upon what terms he pleased as the Precepts thereof which are Gods Laws to his Church and the institution of the Church it selfe is meerly positive there is no reason at all to presume that the moral Precepts which are in force under it are bounded by the Law of Nature Though whether it be so or not I undertake not here to determine But we know what S. Paul saith Rom. III. 27. Where is boasting It is shut out By what Law Not by the Law of works but by the Law of Faith That is by the Gospel which requireth that Faith of which I am inquiring wherein it consists for the condition of obtaining the promises which it tendreth And S. James 11. 8. 12. If ye fulfill the Royall Law which saith Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self ye do well And So speak ye and so do ye as being to be judged by the Law of Libertie For the liberty of being Gods subjects and under Gods royall Law the Gospel giveth Neither is S. Paul otherwise to be understood when he saith Rom. VIII 2. The Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the Law of sin and of death The imbracing of the Gospel being the Law that is the condition upon which we become partakers of the Holy Ghost free from sin and from death And truly I cannot but pity the blindness of error so oft as I remember that I have heard Antinomians alledge the words of the Prophet Jer. XXXI 31 -34. quoted by the Apostle to show the difference between the first and second Covenant Heb. VIII 8 -11. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will settle with the house of Israel and the house of Judah a new Covenant not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers when I tooke them by the hand and brought them out of the Land of Aegypt for they abode not in my Covenant and I neglested them saith the Lord For this is the Covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord Putting my Laws into their mind I will also write them upon their hearts and I will be to them for their God and tâ—ey to me for my people Neither shall they teach every man his neighbour and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord For they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest I say I cannot but pity them that upon these words ground themselves that the Covenant of Grace is a meer free promise not onely freely made for so I say it is free for what but Gods goodness moved him to tender it but freely without condition contracted for at their hands For cannot God by his Prophet foretell the effect of the Covenant of Grace but he must be presumed to set down the terms of it And if he express them not there is he the less free to demand them when he tenders them Especially the Covenant it self being to remain a secret till Gods time to reveal it I say then that this Prophesie hath taken full effect in the lives of those who submitting themselves to the terms of Christianity have received of God the gift of the Holy Ghost to understand their profession that they might live according to it But that this gift of the Holy Ghost that is to say the habituall assistance thereof neither was due nor bestowed but upon supposition of Chnstianity professed by baptisme which God by our Lord Christ hath revealed to be the condition which he requireth of them that will injoy the same CHAP. IV. The consent of the whole Church evidenced by the custome of chatechising By the opinion thereof concerning the salvation of those that delayed their Baptism By the rites and Ceremonies of Baptism Why no penance for sins before but after Baptism The doctrine of the Church of England evident in this case BUT I am now come to the argument that is to be drawn from the practise of the universall Church to my purpose And truly he that shall consider for what reason the Apostles should require those whom they had converted to be baptized will find himselfe intangled in rendring it unless he settle the ground of it upon the obligation of professing true Christianity And the effect of it in admitting to the unity of the Church which may require the performance and maintain the exercise of it And the consequence thereof they that are or shall be imployed by the Church to preach to unbelievers will find to be such that either they must insist upon the terms which I hold with them or they shall make them but aequivocall Christians That is such as may wear the Cross of Christ to man for a cognizance but not in the obligation of their hearts to God rather to suffer death than either to profess or act against that which he hath taught The next point in the visible practice of the Catholick Church is the custome of catechizing The circumstances whereof for time and manner though no man can mantain to have been the same in all Churches yet it may be argued to have been generally a time of triall for them that had been wonne to believe the truth of Christianity how they were likely to apply themselves to live like Christians and what assurance or presumption the Church might conceive that they would not betray the profession thereof And therfore I appeal to the common sense of all men whether they that exercised this course did not admit men to Christianity and baptism upon the condition of professing and undertaking so to do Besides those things which I alledged in the first Book in the Constitutions of the Apostles in the most ancient Canons of the Church and generally in all Church writers we read of Missa Catechumenorum and Missa fidelium In English the dismission of Scholars and the dismission of Believers Because during the Psalms during the reading of the Scriptures expounding the same reason was that learners should be present as well for their instruction in Christianity as for discharge of their â—uty in the praises of God and prayers to God Though the same prayers were not to be offered to God for Learners as for believers but they were to be dismissed with peculiar prayers of the Church for their particular estate such as yet are extant in the ancient Offices of the
future contingencies For to say that they may be â—oreseen in the deceite of permitting them is to say that that which may be otherwise may be certainely foreseen by certainly knowing that there is nothing to hinder it It remaines that I say what is to be thought of that proposition which some of the School Doctors holdforth That to such as do what is in them to doe by their naturall abilities God gives grace facientâ—bus quod in se est ex vi ibu naturâ— Deus largitur gratiam Because it seems to follow upon â—upposition of that which I have maintained That the unregenerate are notwithstanding originall concupiscence able to do things that are good for a right end though not out of a resolution to doe all for the right end of all which is God and his service For hence it seemeth to be inferred that those who live in civill righteousnesse for honesties sake and not for their particular advantage inconsistent with the generall good of mankind dâ—serâ—ve that God should â—end you those helps of grace which are immediately sufficient to save them by the Covenant of grace But it is manifest that the proposition may be understood in two senses One in point of Fact the other of right Theone making the proposition universal the other particular The one importing that God may tâ—e other that God must give those helps of grace that are immediately sufficient to them that live well according to the light of nature there being a vast difference between Gods giving the helps of grace that are immediately sufficient to them whom he considers to have done such things as the light of nature justifies And his giving them because of the same as obliged so to reward them For the one leaves those sufficient helps gifts of Gods grace by Christ the other renders them rewards of mens works not subject to Gods bounty being prevented with the obligation of justice and therefore establishes that opinion of meritum de congruo which had much vogue in the Schooles and supposeth not but inferreth the Covenant of grace and therefore destroyes it as verifying the effects thereof into those works of man that oblige God to grant those helps which the Gospell pretending to be set on foot by Gods free grace in Christ tendreth Certainly admitting that which hath been proved that the preaching of the gospell is granted in consideration of the merits and sufferings of Christ it cannot by any meanes be maintayned that any works of meere nature can oblige God to send the meanes of knowing the Gospell and conviction of the truth of it without granting by consequence that the very coming of Christ whereof these meanes are the consequence must be imputed to the works of those who in the state of corrupt nature have obliged God to send them the knowledge of Christ Which they could not have had had not the coming of Christ been fiâ—st provided Which by this reason must have been in consideration of the originall merit of their works I say the originall merit of their works because in this case there could be no consideration of Gods promise made out of free grace as the ground of those blessings which God thereby ties himselfe to bestow upon condition of doing that which his Covenant requires though otherwise infinitely exceeding the value of the condition which he requireth For here it is evident that the free grace of God which tenders the promise upon the condition is the originall ground of all the claime that any that is qualified can make to the promise But supposing the workes of corrupt nature to oblige God to give his Gospell it is no more his free grace but the originall merit of those workes to which all the grace of it must be imputed Which as it directly falls into the prime article of Pelagius his heresy that grace is given according to merit and that it is not given to every act being prevented by those acts in consideration whereof this opinion supposes it to be granted So by consequence it makes the publication of the Gospell to be no grace of Christ but the reward of mans merit which is the true consequence of Pelagius his position For though being pressed with those scriptures in which the grace of Christ is so clearely preached that nothing but impudence could deny it he granted that the preaching of the Gospell is as much of Gods free grace as the light of nature by which these workes are done yet in very deed he oâ—erthrewe his owne saying that is gave the Church an undefeasible advantage against himselfe by granting it His heresy being no waies tenable without maintaining the very preaching of the Gospell to be the purchace of mans merit and Christ himselfe the subject of the Gospell by consequence And thus the heresy of Pelagius becomes that very opinion which S. Paul writes against as often as he disputes that a man is justified by grace and not by works Onely with this difference that when he writes against the Jewes arguing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by faith his meaning is that the righteousnesse of the Jewes turned Christians is not to be ascribed to the outward observation of Moses Law but to the Covenant of grace But when he wriets to the gentiles That they attained not the promises of the Gospell by the works which they had don before they heard of it but by the meere grace of God that sent our Lord Christ to bring it But if any man insist that nothing hinders him to suppose the Gospell already set on foot and thereupon to say and hold That by the use of corrupt nature God may be obliged to send the knowledg of it The insufficience of the plea will be evident enough For those works of morall honesty which corrupt nature is able to doe not serving to discharge the obligation thereof to God in those particular occasions upon which they become due because they are void of any whether habituall or actuall intent of that end which they ought to aime at It were ridiculous to tye God to grant the effects of his free grace in sending our Lord Christ to those that are lesse sinners then others And consiâ—ering that which is visible in point of fact it wil be imposible to reduce those things which appear in the propagating and maintaining of Christianity through the world to any difference of works done before the knowledg thereof as the reason of Gods dispensing of it Which may also be said of another opinion that may be and perhaps is held upon termes not prejudiciall to the faith as this seemes to be to wit That God by declaring the Covenant of Grace his inclination to save all the world by it hath tied himselfe to grant such motions and inspirations of true good to all men that if they neglect them not but do what corrupt nature so prevented is able to doe he shall
is to determine controversies of Faith And what obligation that determination produceth Traditions of the Apostles oblige the present Church as the reasons of them continue or not Instances in our Lords Passeover and Eucharist Penance under the Apostles and afterwards S. Pauls vail eaâ—ing blood and things offered to Idols The power of the Church in limiting these Traditions 178 CHAP. XXV The power of the Church in limiting even the Traditions of the Apostles Not every abuse of this power a sâ—fficient warrant for particular Churches to reforme themselves Heresie consists in denying something necessary to salvation to be believed Schism in departing from the unity of the Church whether upon that or any other cause Implicite Faith no virtue but the effect of it may be the work of Christian charity p. 163 CHAP. XXVI What is to add to Gods Law What to adde to the Apocalypse S. Pauls Anathema The Beraeans S. Johns Gospel sufficient to make one believe and the Scriptures the man of God perfect How the Law giveth light and Christians are taught by God How Idolatry is said not to be commanded by God 168 CHAP. XXVII Why it was death to transgress the determinations of the Jewes Consistory and what power this argueth in the Church A difference between the authority of the Apostles and that of the Church The being of the Church to the worlds end with power of the Keyes makes it not infallible Obedience to Superiours and the Pillar of truth inferre it not 175 CHAP. XXXI The Fathers acknowledge the sufficiencie 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—rnesse of the Scriptures as the Traditions of the Church They are to be reconciled by limiting the termes which they use The limitations of those sayings which make all Christian truth to be contained in the Scriptures Of those which make the authority of the Church the ground of Faith 181 CHAP. XXXII Answer to an Objection that choice of Religion becomes difficult upon these terms This resolution is for the Interest of the Reformation Those that make the Church Infallible cannot those that make the Scriptures â—â—ear â—nd sufficient may own Tradition for evidence to determine the meaning of the Scriptures and controversies of Faith The Interest of the Church of England The pretense of Rushworthes Dialogues that we have no unquestionable Scripture and that tâ—e Tradition of the Church never changes 192 CHAP. XXXI That the Scriptures which wee have are unquestionable That mistakes in Copying are not considerable to the sense and effect of them The meaning of the Hebrew and Greek even of the Prophets determinable to the deciding of Controversies How Religion delivered by Tradition becomes subject to be corrupted 198 CHAP. XXXIV The dispute concerning the Canon of Scripture and the translations thereof in two Questions There can be no Tradition for those books that were written since Prophesie ceased Wherein the excellence of them above other books lies The chiâ—fe objections against them are questionâ—ble In those parcels of the New Testament that have been questioned the case is not the same The sense of the Church 207 CHAP. XXXIII Onely the Originall Copy can be Authentick But the truth thereof may as well be found in the translations of the Old Testament as in the Jewes Copies The Jewes have not falsified them of malice The points come neither from Moses nor Esdras but from the Talmud Iewes 218 CHAP. XXXIV Of the ancientest Translations of the Bible into Greek first With the Authors and authority of the same Then into the Chaldee Syriack and Latine Exceptions against the Greek and the Samaritane Pentateuch They are helps never thelesse to assure the true reading of the Scriptures though with other Copies whether Jewish or Christian Though the Vulgar Latine were better than the present Greek yet must both depend upon the Original Greek of the New Testament No danger to Christianity by the differences remaining in the Bible 224 The CONTENTS of the second Book CHAP. I. TWo parts of that which remains How the dispute concerning the Holy Trinity with Socinus belongs to the first The Question of justification by Faith alone The Opinion of Socinus concerning the whole Covenant of Grace The opinion of those who make justifying Faith the knowledge of a mans Predestination opposite to it in the other extream The difference between it and that of the Antinomians That there are mean Opinions p. 1 CHAP. II. Evidence what is the condition of the Covenant of Grace The contract of Baptism The promise of the Holy Ghost annexed to Christs not to Johns Baptism Those are made Christs Disciples as Christians that take up his Cross in Baptism The effects of Baptism according to the Apostles 5 CHAP. III. The exhortations of the Apostles that are drawn from the patterns of the Old Testament suppose the same How the Sacraments of the Old and New Testament are the same how not the same How the new Testament and the New Covenant are both one The free-will of man acteth the same part in dealing about the New-Covenant as about the Old The Gospel a Law 12 CHAP. IV. The consent of the whole Church evidenced by the custome of catechising By the opinion thereof concerning the salvation of those that delayed their Baptism By the rites and Ceremonies of Baptism Why no Penance for sins before but after Baptism The doctrine of the Church of England evident in this case 17 CHAP. V. The Preaching of our Lord and his Apostles evidenceth that some act of Mans free choice is the condition which it requireth The correspondence between the Old and New Testament inferreth the same So do the errors of Socinians and Antinomians concerning the necessity of Baptism Objections deferred 23 CHAP. VI. Justifying faith sometimes consists in believing the truth Sometimes in trust in God grounded upon the truth Sometimes in Christianity that is in imbracing and professing it And that in the Fathers as well as in the Scriptures Of the informed and formed Faith of the Schools 30 CHAP. VII The last signification of Faith is properly justifying Faith The first by a Metonymy of the cause The second of the effect Those that are not justified do truly believe The trust of a Christian presupposeth him to be justified All the promises of the Gospel become due at once by the Covenant of Grace That to believe that we are Elect or justified is not justifying faith 37 CHAP. VIII The objection from S. Paul We are not justifyed by the Law nor by Works but by Grace and by Faith Not meant of the Gospel and the works that suppose it The question that S. Paul speakes to is of the Law of Moses and the workes of it He sets those workes in the same rank with the works of the Gentiles by the light of nature The civil and outward works of the Law may be done by Gentiles How the Law is a Pedagogue to Christ 43 CHAP. IX Of the Faith and Justification of Abraham and the Patriarkes according to the Apostles
himself because hee expresses not so much of his meaning For my part as I found it necessary so I finde it sufficient to have quoted these opinions and reasons advanced against the right of the Church because I finde they oblige mee to digg sor a foundation upon which as the true ground of that right which the Church claimeth I may be inabled to dissolve whatsoever reasons wit and learning impregnated by passion or interest can invent to contradict the same Here then I must have recourse to a position which some men will count hazardous others prejudicial to Christianity according as their prejudices or engagements may work But will appear in truth to them that shall take the pains to look through the consequences of it in the resolution of Controversies which divide the Church to concern the interest of Christianity and the peace of the Church more thâ—n any point whatsoever that is not of the Foundation of Faith In as much as there is no question that is started or can be started as the case is now with the Church so as to call in question the peace and unity thereof but the interpretation of the old Testâ—ment or some part of it in relation and correspondence to the New Testament will be ingaged in it Concerning which the position that I intend to advance is this That by the Law of Moses and the Covenant between God and the people of Israel upon it nothing at all was expresly contracted concerning everlasting life and the happinesse of the world to come Not that I intend to say That there was not at that time sufficient ground for a man to be competently perswaded of his right to it or sufficient means to come to the knowledge of that ground for hee that should say this could not give account how the Fathers should attain salvation under the Law which I finde all that maintain the truth of Christianity against the Jews so obliged to do that without it they must give up the game But that the thing contracted for between God and the people of Israel by the mediation of Moses was the Land of Promise That is to say that they should be a free people and injoy their own Lawes in the possession of it upon condition of imbracing and observing such Lawes as God should give As for the kingdome of heaven which the Gospel of Christ preacheth the hope of it was so mystically intimated that there was sufficient cause to imbrace it even then but not propounded as the condition upon which God offered to contract with them as hee doth with Christians And this though I cannot say that the Church hath at anytime expressed to be a part of the Rule of Faith yet that the Church hath alwaies implicitely admitted it for a part of the reason of Faith which wee call Divinity I must and do maintain Before I come to prove this I will here propound one objection because it seems to contain the force of all that is to be said against it For when our Lord sayes Mat. XIX 19. If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandements When hee resolves the great commandements of the Law to be the love of God above all things and of our neighbor as of our selves Mat. XXII 36. In fine wheresoever hee derives the duties of Christianity from the Law of Moses hee seems to suppose and so do his Apostles that the same life everlasting which hee promiseth by the Gospel was proposed by the Law as the reward for observing it And indeed what can the Gospel was propound for a more suitable way or meanes to salvation than the love of God and man in that order which the Law of God appointeth It is not for nothing that S. Augustine observeth The first commandement of the Decalogue to acknowledge God and the last not to covet that which is another mans to contain in them the utmost office of a Christian And all Divines have distributed the precepts of Moses Law into Moral as well as Judicial and Ceremonial The Moral precepts containing in them no lesse than the duties of Christianity when they are done with such an intent as God who by giving Moses Law declareth himself to see the most inward of the heart requireth Here in the first place supposing that God entring into Covenant with that people intended to establish their Civil Government by the Law of Moses I will proceed to argue that all Civil Lawes that are not contrary to the Law of Nature and the actions by them injoyned or prohibited may be done or not done for two several reasons For if there be reason enough for the Nations that know not God nor ground their Lawes upon any presumption of his will or expectation of good or evil from him to unite themselves in Civil Society then is their reason enough for them to observe the Lawes upon which the benefit of Civil Society is to be had though they suppose not themselvs obliged by God to them nor to oblige God by keeping them And if it be evident that all Civil Lawes not contrary to the Lawes of God and Nature do come from God as Civil Society doth it will be as evident that the keeping of them in that regard and for that consideration is obedience to God The Jewes Civil Law hath this privilege above the Civil Lawes of other Nations to be gronnded upon those acts whereby God revealing himself for their freedom by Moses tendereth them the Land promised to their Fathers upon the Covenant they then had with God upon condition of undertaking the Lawes which hee should give them for the future And no reason can deny that this was sufficient to convince them that God required of them not onely the work which the Law specified but that it be done in consideration of his will and in reference to his honor and service Though on the other side it is not necessary to grant that so much is expressed by the Civil Law of that Nation expresly tending to their Civil freedome and happinesse in the possession of the Land of Promise It cannot be doubted that the immortality of the soul and the reward of good and bad after death was received among that people from and before the time of receiving the Law Otherwise how should the Patriarchs obtain it which the maintainance of Christianity requireth that they did obtain It is also evident by the Scriptures that the same conversation which Christ and his Apostles preached was extant in the lives and actions of the Fathers before the Law Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph Job Moses and the rest as the Fathers of the Church are wont to argue against the Jewes that Christianity is more ancient than Judaisme It is also manifest that the same conversation was extant and to be seen under the Law in the lives of the Prophets and their Disciples by the words of our Lord to the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. XXIII 29-36 when hee
be and was sufficient means under the Law to make them understand their obligation to that spiritual obedience which the Gospel covenanteth for though wee suppose as the truth is that the Law expresly covenanteth onely for the temporal happinesse of the Land of Promise Therefore there was also sufficient meanes to oblige them to expect the coming of the Christ as wee see by the Gospel that they did at the coming of our Lord and as all that will maintain Christianity against the Jewes are bound to maintain And therefore to the objection proposed I answer That though the words of the precept of loving God with all the heart and all the minde and all the soul and all the might may contain all that Christianity requireth to be done in consideration of duty to God and with an intent of his honor and service Yet neverthelesse that sense thereof that depends upon the Covenant of the Law is to be limited to the observation of those precepts which God should confine their civil life to in the service of him alone The intent of the Covenant being to contract with God for temporal happinesse in the Land of Promise they undertaking as a Common-wealth to live by such civil Lawes as hee should give as well as to worship him by such Ceremonies as hee should prescribe And therefore supposing they observed those precepts they were to expect the inheritance of the Land of Promise though wee suppose that they did it out of respect to that reward and not onely to God and to his honor and service Yea though wee grant that for the acknowledging of the true God alone they were bound to indure persecution and death rather than for fear of torment to deny God or sacrifice to Idols or renounce his Law as wee see Daniel and the three Children did under Nebuchadnesar and the zealous Jewes in the Maccabees time under Antiochus Epiphanes For if the Heathen had cause to believe that which is received of all as the ground of civil Society that particular persons are bound to expose their lives for the defense of their Countrey that is to no other end but that they may live and die in the Lawes under which they are bred though they had no promise of God that they should hold their inheritance of this world by maintaining them Cereainly the people that obtained their inheritance by taking upon them Moses Law shall stand bound not onely to maintain it by the sword under the conduct of their Soveraignes but also by suffering for it when they were not to maintain it by force A thing nothing strange to a man that shall consider how desâ—rable life is to him that is forced from the Lawes of his Countrey As for the other part of loving our Neighbor as our selves it is without doubt pregnant with an evident argument of this truth seeing in plain reason the extent of the precept might so argue the intent of it For it is evident by infinite Texts of the Law that a mans neighbor in this precept extends no further than to Israelites whether by birth or by religion that is to say those that are ingraffed into the Covenant by being circumcised For example Let mee ask how the Law could forbid the Israelites to seek the good of the Moabites and Ammonites if it be part of the same Law to love all men under the quality of neighbors as themselves Let mee demand of any man how Mordecai was tied not to do that honor to Haman that his Soveraigne commanded to be done How hee could in conscience disobey his Prince in a mater of indifferent nature of it self had it not been prohibited by the Law of God Whether a Jew that is commanded by the Law to professe hostility against all Amalekites could be dispensed with in this obligation by any act of his Soveraign Whether any just reason can be alleged for Mordecai but this Nay those who are called strangers in the Law That is to say those that had renounced all Idols and professed to worship the true God and thereupon were privileged to dwell in the Land of Promise out of which the Israelites were sufficiently commanded to root all Idolaters those strangers I say by the leter of Moses Law are not comprehended in the precept of loving our neighbor as our selves For hee that asked who is the neighbor that the Law speaks of Lut. X. 27-37 is not convicted by our Lord by any leter of the Law but by a Parable intimating the example of that which hee did for mankinde to be the reason of that which the Gospel requires Forsooth if the love of Christians extend to strangers and enemies because the good Samaritâ—ne which is our Lord Christ extended his so farr then not because Moses Law had convenanted for it Therefore besides this precept of loving our neighbors as our selves it was requisite that the Law should by a particular provision limit that respect and tenderness wherewith they were required to use those strangers as converts to the true God for so the Syriack translation of the Law calls them alwaies to wit in the rank of Widowes and Orphans If this be true the precept of not coveting by the immediate intent of Moses Law stands confined to that sense which the Jewes at this day give it according to the decisions of their Doctors that no man by contrived oppresion or vexation designe to force his neighbor that was by the Law inabled to make a divorce to part with his wife or any thing else that hee called his own Which sense our Lord also in the Gospel manifestly favors Mar. X. 19. where recounting the precepts that those must keep that will inherit life everlasting after thou shalt not bear false witnesse hee inserres thou shalt not take away by fraud or oppression that which is another mans for the sense of the tenth Commandement thou shalt not cover that which is thy neighbors All which extendeth no further than the over act of seeking what is not a mans own And though this be out Lords answer to him that asks what hee is to do to obtaine life everlasting yet it may well seem that our Lord intended first to propound unto him the civil Law of Moses as necessary to salvation and a step towards it because the Gospel saith that our Lord loved him that answered All these things have I kept from my youth up as acknowledging that hee said true For that hee had kept these precepts in that spiritual sense and to the intent and purpose which the Gospel requireth it was not true And by that which followes when hee askes what remained to be done namely that hee leave all to follow Christ hee inferrs in one precept the whole inward and spiritual obedience of God which under the Gospel is expresly required To wit that a man set all the world and himself behinde his back that hee may follow Christ Therefore though they be the obedience
which under the Gospel is expresly required yet when it is said of the precepts of the Law which who so shall do shall live by them Levit. XVIII 5. Ezek. XX. 11 21. it is not to be granted that everlasting life is necessarily signified but onely a prosperous estate which vivere in the Ebrew as well as in the Greek and Latine elegantly signifies And yet there is good reason why these are counted by our Lord the chief precepts of the Law though as for the immediate intent thereof they reach no further than the over act which other Lawes determine as well as they Because more apt to signifie the general extent of that inward and spiritual obedience which being preached and taught by the Fathers was first to be translated out of their doctrine into the Law of Moses that the Prophets who being authorized by the Law Deut. XVIII 18. were raised by God to prepare the way for our Lord Christ and his Gospel might have as it were a Text in the Law upon which they might ground their Sermons of spiritual obedience which the Gospel of Christ whose coming they preached should expresly require And this is that secret of Gods Law and of his Covenant which the Prophet David declares to be revealed to those that keep Covenant with God and prayes that his eyes may be opened to see it in the Law the study whereof inlightens a man to discover it Psal XXV 13 15 XIX 9 10. CXIX 18. if wee adde hereunto the secret of Christ his coming which this obedience or at the least the tender of a Covenant which should condition for it presupposeth As for the division of the Precepts of the Law into Ceremonial Moral and Judicial it will very fitly fall in with the truth which I insist upon in case those that advance or maintaine that division be content to receive this truth For it will be very proper to say that the Ceremonial and Judicial Precepts are those that depend upon the expresse and immediate intent of the Law as it containeth the condition on their part upon which God on his part covenants to give them the civil happinesse of the Land of Promise But the Moral precepts such as might be counted Civil Lawes being observed civilly out of respect to that happinesse and might be counted spiritual Lawes as the offices of them might be done out of obedience to God in respect to his service Which sense the light of Nature stirred up by that measure of revelation which God was pleased to grant the Fathers before and the Prophets under the Law having prevailed to bring into force before the Law was translated out of unwritten custome into the Law of Moses to give the Prophets a ground of their doctrine of the love of God above all and a mans neighbor as himself so to make way for that spiritual obedience which under the Gospel was expresly to be required But if they refuse to admit this division so as to comply with the sense I pretend then will it be easie for mee to refuse the division as not contained in the Scripture but the conceit of Divines that neither do understand the true difference between the Law and the Gospel not can be content to be showed it For neither doth any Scripture of the Old or New Testament expresse this division to come from the first and immediate and expresse intent of the Law nor is there any Tradition in the Church of it which are the two onely means that hitherto remain in question whether mater of Faith can be grounded upon both of them or onely upon the one And to have recourse to any opinion of the Jewes since the separation of them from the Church of God in a point concerning that difference must needs be an affront to Christianity CHAP. XIII That the Law tendreth no other promise but that of the Land of Canaan How the Resurrection is signified by the Prophets Expresse texts of the Apostles Their arguments and the arguments of our Lord do suppose the mystical sense of the Scriptures That this sense is to be made good throughout the Scripture wheresoever the ground of it takes place Christianity well grounded supposing this What parts of Scripture may be questionable whether they have a mystical sense or not The sayings and doings of our Lord have it As also those passages of the Old Testament which are fulfilled by the same The sense of the Fathers HAving showed by removing this block that there is no appearance of inconvenience in admitting this truth I am now to show what appearance of necessary consequences from the Scriptures there is to inforce it Beginning then with the first proposition of the Covenant of the Law in Marah Exod. XVI 27 28. wee reade that at Marah God appointed them a Statute and a Judgment The Jews say that there hee gave them the precepts of the Sabbath and Honoring parents Whether so or not something God propounds them to do For to show what hee bids them expect doing it hee inferres And there hee tried him and said If thou wilt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God and do that which is right in his eyes and wilt receive his precepts and do all his Statutes I will bring upon thee none of the griefs that I brought upon Aegypt For I am the Lord thy God that heal thee It will be hard to say how the Law could be established upon any other condition than first it was propounded on and here is nothing but an earthly promise Come wee to the giving and receiving of the Law Exod. XIX 5 6. And now if you will hear my voice and keep my Covenant yee shall be to mee whose all the earth is a Jewell above all Nations of the earth a kingdome of Priests an holy people All Nations being at this time polluted by offering sacrifices to devils and enemies to God the Israelites redeemed by God out of Aegypt to be free under his government and to offer sacrifices to him alone might well be a kingdome of Priests a holy people Gods Jewel above all Nations of the earth without any Covenant for the happiness of the world to come After the giving of the Decalogue and other Precepts by the mediation of Moses Exod. XXIII 25 And you shall serve the Lord your God and hee shall blesse thy bread and waters And I will take sickness from amid thee There shall no woman miscarry or be barren in thy Land I will make full the number of thy dayes I will send my terror before thee and the rest that followes there to assure them how and by what means hee will bring them into the Land of Promise Hitherto in treating in contracting this Covenant no mention of the world to come What shall wee finde at renewing it Deut. XXIX 1. These are the words that is the termes of the Contract which Moses struck with the Israelites in the plain of Moab besides that
Apostle denies any man to be justified For all Christianity acknowledges that the Gospel is implied in the Law neither could the justification of the Fathers before and under the Law by Faith be maintained otherwise And therefore it is no strange thing to say that under the Law there were those that obtained that righteousnesse which the Gospel tendereth though not by the Law but by the Gospel which under the Law though not published was yet in force to such as by meanes of the Law were brought to embrace the secret of it But it cannot there-therefore be said that they were justified by the Law or by the works of it but by Grace and by Faith though the Law was a meanes that God used to bring them to the Grace of Faith And therefore when the Apostles inferences are imployed to fortifie this argument To wit that if a Christian be justified by works depending upon the Covenant of Grace then he hath whereof he may glory which Abraham that was justified by Faith had not Then hath he no meanes to attain that peace and security which the Gospel tendereth all having the conscience of such works as do interrupt it I do utterly deny both consequences For I say that the works that depend upon the Gospel are neither done without the Grace of God from whence the Gospel comes neither are they available to justify him whom the Gospel overtakes in sinne of themselves but by virtue of that Grace of God from whence the Gospel comes Now I challenge the most wilfull unreasonable man in the world to say how he that sayes this challenges any thing whereoâ— he may glory without God who acknowledges to have received that which he tenders from Gods gift and the promise which God tenders in lieu of it from his bounty and goodnesse To say how a man can be more assured that he is in the state of Gods grace then he can be assured of what himself thinks and does For not to decide at present how and how farre a man may be assured of Gods grace whatsoever assurance can be attained must be attained upon the assurance which a man may have of his own heart and actions and that as S Paul saies 1 Cor. 11. 10. No man knows what is in a man but the Spirit of a man that is in him For if it be said â—hat this assurance is from the Spirit of God and therefore supposes not so much as the knowledge of our selves I must except peremptorily that which I premised as a supposition in due place that no man hath the Spirit of God but upon supposition of Christianity And therefore no man can know that he hath the Spirit of God but upon supposition that he knows himself to be a good Christian otherwise it would be impossible for any man to discern in himself between the dictates of a good and bad Spirit seeing it is manifest that among those that professe Christianity many things are imputed to the Spirit of God which are contrary to Christianity Now of the sincerity of that intention wherewith a man ingages to live like a Christian a man may stand as much assured as he can stand assured of his own confidence in God or that he doth indeed believe himself to be predestinate to life And therfore it is no prejudice to that security and peace of conscience which the Gospel tendereth that it presupposeth this ingagement and the performance of it This answer then proceedeth upon these two presumptions That the grace of Christ which is the grace of God through Christ is necessary to the having of that faith which alone justifieth Which the heresy of Socinus denies with Pelagius And that it justifieth not of it self but by virtue of that grace of Christ that is the grace which God declares in consideration of his obedience These presumptions it is not my purpose to suppose gratis without debating the grounds upon which they are to be received having once purposed to resolve wherein the Covenant of Grace stands But I must have leave to take them in hand in their respective places and for the present to dispatch that which presses here which is to shew that the intent of S. Paul and the rest of the Scriptures which he expounds most at large is this That a Christian is not justified by the Law of Moses and those works that are done precisely by virtue thereof not including in it the Gospel of Christ but by undertaking the profession of Christianity and performing the same which is in his language by faith without the workes of the Law and therefore consequently by those workes which are done by virtue of this faith in performance of it And first I appeale to the state of the question in S. Pauls Epistles what it is the Apostle intends to evict by all that he disputes And demand who can or dare undertake that he had any occasion to decide that which here is questioned upon supposition that a Christian is justified by the Covenant of Grace alone which the Gospel tendereth Whether by Faith alone which is the assurance of salvation or trust in God through Christ Or by Faith alone which is the undertaking of Christianity and living according to the same For it is evident in the Scriptures of the Apostles how much adoe they had to perswade the Jewes who had received Christ that the Gentiles which had done the like were not bound to keep the Law which they it is evident did keep These had no ground had they understood from the beginning of their Christianity that their righteousnesse and salvation depended not upon the keeping of it under the Gospel of Christ It is evident that the trouble which Jewish Christians raised in the Churches to whom those Epistles are directed which dispute this point fullest upon occasion of this difficulty was the subject and cause of directing the same What cause then can there be why these Epistles should prove that a Christian is not justified by such works as suppose the Covenant of Grace when as the disease they pretend to cure consists in believing to be justified by the works of Moses Law which supposeth it not For it is evident that had it been received as now that Moses Law is void the occasion of this dispute in these Epistles had ceased what ever benefit besides might have been procured by them for succeeding ages of the Church Is it not plain that the pretense of S. Paul in the Epistle to the Romanes is this that neither the Gentiles by the Law of Nature nor the Jewes by the Law of Moses can obtaine righteousnesse or avoid the judgement of God and therefore that it is necessary for both to imbrace Christianity He that reades the two first chapters cannot question this In the fourteenth chapter together with the beginning of the fifteenth you shall find him resolving upon what terms these two sorts of Christians were to converse with one another And
how turn ye back againe to those weake and beggarly rudiments to which ye desire to be in bondage againe Ye observe dayes and monthes and seasons and yeares For the observation of legall Festivals according to the moneths and seasons of the yeares is indeed obedience to that God by whose Law the difference is made But when their conceits of themselves transports them to imagine that God esteems them for these things whereby he hath differenced them from other nations and that it cannot stand with that esteem that he should receive the Gentiles into favour upon undertaking that spirituall obedience which Christ publisheth not tying that to the same Worthily are they called by the Apostle weak and beggerly rudiments that did onely prepare them to this obedience by tying them to the true God and his outward service And is not the precept of circumcision in the first place which obliges to all the precepts and intitles to all the promises of this nature Hear S. Paul to the Philipians III. 3. 6. among whom this leaven began to spread◠We are the circumcision saith he that serve God in the Spirit and glory in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Though I have confidence in the flesh also If any other man seem to have confidence in the flesh I more Circumcised the eighth day of the race of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of Hebrews also concerning the Law a Pharisee as concerning zeal one that persecuted the Church as concerning righteousnesse that is by the law blamelesse Are not all these priviledges of that nation by virtue of Moses Law and of circumcision which obliges to it And is not that confidence of righteousnesse which is by the Law which S. Paul disclaimes though he claime as good a title to it as any Jew beside I say is not that it which moved the Jews out of zeal to the Law to persecute the Church And can that righteousnesse which moveth to persecute Christianity be thought to presuppose it Therefore what S. Paul meanes by confidence in the flesh we must learn from the Epistle to the Hebrews IX 9. 10. Where the tabernacle is called a Parable or figure for the then present time in which gifts and sacrifices were offered which could not profit him that ministred as to conscience being onely imposed upon meates and drinkes and severall Baptismes and righteousnesses of the flesh untill the time of reformation came Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are those carnall and bodily rites which obtaine that carnall righteousnesse which answereth the carnall and earthly promises of the Law and were mistaken by them for meanes of obtaining resurrection unto life and the world to come which under the Law so given they had neverthelesse just cause to expect though not in consideration of such observations Another argument hereof we have from S. Paul which to me seems peremptory in that he opposeth that grace and faith whereby Christians are justified to those works which Gentiles by the Law and light of nature were able to do Which works certainly do not suppose Christianity Ephes II. 8 9. For by grace are ye saved through the Faith and that not of your selves it is Gods gift Not of workes least any man should glory There is nothing moremanifest then that the Church of the Ephesians when S. Paul wrote this Epistle was gathered of those that had been Gentiles as you may see by Ephes II. 11 12. III. 1 6. Wherefore when S. Paul sayes to them being presently Christians that they were not saved by works least they should glory it is manifest that his meaning is that their conversation before the Gospel came could not move and oblige God to provide them the meanes of Salvation which it tendereth Againe S. Paul exhorting Timothy to suffer hardship for the Gospel according to the power of God who saith he hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and the grace that is given us in Christ Jesus before everlasting ages 2 Tim. I. 9. speaketh of the same Ephesians whose Pastor Timothy was at that time But most fully Titus III. 4 7. But when the goodnesse and love to men of God our Saviour appeared not of workes which we had done in righteousnesse saved he us but according to his own mercy by the laver of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed upon us richly through our Saviour Jesus Christ that being justied by his grace we might become heirs of everlasting life according to hope For that those whom Titus had in charge were Christians converted for the most part of Gentiles appeares by the Apostles words Titus I. 10. For there be many and those rebellious vaine talkers and cheaters especially they of the circumcision whose mouthes must be stopped And in the words that goe next afore the passage alledged there is a lively description of the conversation of the Gentiles For of Jewes he could not have said We also were once foolish disobedient wandring out of the way in slaved to divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another Titus III. 3. Seeing then that it concerns the Gentiles as well as the Jews which the Apostle argues that men are not justified by works but by grace and by faith it is manifest that he meanes such works as the Gentiles might pretend to no lesse then the Jews and that while they were Gentiles because he speakes of that estate in which the Gospel overtook them And therefore when S. Paul denies that men are justified by works he meanes those works which men are able to do before they are acquainted with the preaching of the Gospel whether by the light and Law of nature or by the meere instruction of Moses Law For though the law of Moses containe in it many morall precepts of true and inward and spirituall obedience the observation whereof is indeed the worship of God in Spirit and in truth Yet we must consider that the same precepts are part of the law of nature written in the hearts even of Gentiles And we must consider further that these precepts may be obeyed and done two severall wayes First as farre as the outward work and the kinde and object of it goes and further as farre as the reason of it derived from the will and command of God and the intention thereof directed to his honour and service Which purpose of heart cannot be in any man but him that loves God above this world making him the utmost end of all his actions I say then that of those morall precepts of Moses law which are parts of the law of nature the outward and bodily observation goes no further then the observation of other rituall and civil precepts of the same law And therefore is to be comprised in the account of those works of the Law by which S. Paul denies deservedly that we
was actually deprived of the habituall knowledge of those truths which were setled in his minde concerning God or of those images in the minde or conceptions of the mind wherein that knowledge did consist as all knowledge doth It is enough and more then enough that the poison wherewith his inclinations and appetites stood now so perverted suffered not that truth which enlightened his mind to have effect in his actions according to that which Christians being by the grace of God restored to the like light do find in themselves by sad experience And when in processe of time his posterity notwithstanding the instruction which they received of him for above nine hundred years together and notwithstanding the preaching of the godly Fathers which S. Jude in his Epistle exemplifieth of Encch and S. Peter of Noe 2 Pet. II. 5. fell away not onely to oppression and wickednesse but to the worship of false Gods Then it appeared how naturall this blindnesse is to the posterity of Adam having departed from God concupiscence prevailing to make such strange and horrible ignorance take place in the mindes of them who had such certain and evident information from their predecessors of God that made them and all the world for their benefit of his severe judgement upon the fall of Adam and mercy promised and judgement preached against them that should refuse it To the difficulty then which causeth this whole dispute I will answer otherwise then they which have not been able to take it away have done That all sinne being a transgression of Gods Law if there be severall Lawes by which God deales with mankind there must be also severall rules and severall measures by which that which is sinne according to the Originall Law may not be sinne according to the latter Law which necessarily derogateth from that which went afore The originall rule of righteousnesse which the light which man was created in obliged him to must needs detect and convince all habituall inclination of concupiscence and much more the very first motions of the same to be sinne against God And seeing the very same motions are seen in that conflict between the flesh and the Spirit which the most regenerate find in themselves though by the grace of Gods Spirit in them they prevaile not so that there is no difference for nature and kind but onely for efficacy and strength between the concupiscence which remaines in the regenerate and that which rules in the unregenerate there can no controversie remaine among Christians that there is an original Law of God which this defect of original righteousnesse violateth And seeing Christianity obligeth to mortifie concupiscence and to prevent rather then to suppresse the first motions of it of necessity the rule of our conversation is grounded upon that uprightnesse in which or to which Adam was created But not therefore the rule of Gods proceeding with us whose salvation his mercy designeth supposing concupiscence And if there be a latter Law of God derogatory to that originall Law according to which he dealeth with those that are under it by imbracing the Covenant of Grace it cannot be said that the transgression of Gods Originall Law is any sinne against it being tendered to those whom God knows that so long as they live in the world they cannot be void of concupiscence So that by virtue of that Law according to which God by his Gospel declares that he will deâ—l with those that imbrace Christianity well may it be said that originall sinne is utterly defaced by Baptisme Though in relation to that originall rule of righteousnesse which mans uprightness obligeth him to it is most truly said that concupiscence is originall sinne And though supposing this answer it seems to me evidently unnecessary if not evidently contradictory to it self and to the justice goodnesse and holinesse of God to have recourse to a state of meer nature as if man might have been created in it supposing him designed by God to a state of supernaturall happinesse Yet it is as evident to me that it is no error of the foundation of faith but onely in the knowledge of the Scriptures and the skill of divines For supposing the belief of originall sinne on the one side on the other side remission of sinne by the profession of Christianity which Baptisme executeth and solemnizeth he that failes in giving account how these things may stand together and be both true at once cannot be thought to faile of that faith which he maintaines not with good successe There may be as great a failâ—ur on the other side in not believing the efficacy of Christianity in the remission of sinne Neither can the decree of the Council of Trent couched in the proper and formall terms of S. Augustine that concupiscence in the regenerate is not truly and properly sinne but so called because proceeding from sinne and tending to sinne be condemned as absolutely false so long as there is a new Law of God which is the Covenant of Grace against which it is no sinne being tendred and made after it and supposing it Nor could the mouth of Pelagius have been stopped when the efficacy of Baptisme in the remission of sinne was received among all Christians according to the Primitive and originall truth of Christianity were there not some true and just ground upon which it may be said that the opposition of concupiscence after Baptisme to the Law of God remaineth no more And yet that is no lesse true which the same Augustine in divers other places affirmeth either expresly or by good consequence that concupiscence which remaines after Baptisme is originall sinne To wit according to the originall Law of God tendred to the originall institution of mans nature If therefore that be true which Doctor Field saith that all the errors of the Church of Rome concerning the Covenant of Grace have their originall from this error concerning the state of pure nature as perhaps they may better be said to proceed from not distinguishing the severall consequences of Gods severall Lawes it will neverthelesse be very fit to be considered whether those errors which are grounded upon a mistake in divinity do amount to any deniall of the Foundation of Faith For supposing for the present though not granting the supposition of meer nature that is that God might have made man though instituted to supernaturall happinesse with concupiscence to be possible it may be neverthelesse and is without doubt utterly uselesse for a reason why the righteousnesse of a Christian is accepted by God as the fulfilling of his Law towards the reward of everlasting happinesse notwithstanding concupiscence For which it would be very impertinent to alledge that God might have made man with concupiscence and therefore accepts the obedience of those that are under it Because it is manifest that the perfection to which Christianity calleth is that to which Adam was instituted in Paradise It is therefore by consequence no lesse impertinent
the world of Judgement because the Prince of theis world is condemned by the conversion of those who forefook him to become Christians Therefore S Steven upbraideth the Jews saying Ye stisnecked and uncircumcised in hearts and eares ye do alwaies resist the Holy Ghost even you also as did your fathers Acts VII 51. Because being convicted by the Holy Ghost which spoke in him that he spoke from God neverthelesse they submit not to his message Therefore our Lord Mark III. 28. 29 30 All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men and blasphemies which they shall blaspheme But whoso shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath no remission for ever but is liable to everlasting damnation Because they said he hath an unclean spirit which you have againe Math. XII 31 32. Luke XII 10. Because being convicted that our Lord spoke did his miracles by the Holy Ghost they blasphemed saying that he spoke and did them by an uncleane spirit For these words and these workes are the meanes by which our Lord accomplished â—his promise Iohn XIV 23. If any man love me he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and abide with him For before the condition If any man love me be fulfilled the case is that which our Lord expresseth Apoc. III. 20. Behold I stand at the dore and knock And if any man heare my voice and open the dore I will come in to him and sup with him â—e with me But being fulfilled the words of our Lord take place Iohn XVI 15 16 17. If yee love me ye will keep my commandements And I will aske the Father and he will give you an other Advocate to abide with you for ever even the spirit of truth which the world cannot receive because they â—ee it not nor know it but you know it because it abideth with you and is in you For seeing it is manifest by the premises that the undertaking of Christianity is the condition upon which the Holy Ghost is granted as a gift to abide with Christians the preaching of Christianity that is the proposing of those reasons which God by his word hath shewed us why wee should be Christians is the knocking of our Lord Christ by the spirit at the dore of the heart that he may enter and dwell in us by the same spirit according to the words of S. Paul 2. Cor. II. 16. For ye are the Temple of the living God as God hath said To wit I will dwell and converse among them and will be their God and they shall be my people That which some Philosophers say of the naturall generation of man That the soule frames its owne dwelling being fulfilled in the worke of generation by grace when the Holy Ghost by his actuall assistance frameth the man to be fit for the habituall gift of the Holy Ghost by becoming a true Christian If then we believe that the Holy Ghost was given by God and obtained by Christ as well to make the Gospell effectuall as to move the Apostles to preach it there can no doubt remaine that the preaching of the Gospell that is to say the meanes which the Holy Ghost provideth to make it either sufficient or effectual to convince the world of it is the instrument whereby he frameth himself that invisible house of true believers in which he dwelleth And therefore the meanes whereby Gods grace becomes effectuall to those who imbrace it is the same that renders it sufficient for those who refuse it the difference lying as well in the disposition which it meets with for which the man is accountable as in the spirit of God that presenteth it which renders God the praise when it takes effect and leaves men accountable when it does not If this reason had been in consideration with Socinus and perhaps with Pelagius he would have found it necessary acknowledging as all that read the Scriptures must needs acknowledge that which they find so frequent and so cleare in the Scriptures that the habituall gift of the Holy Ghost is granted to inable those who undertake Christianity to performe it to acknowledge also that the actuall help of it is necessary to make the motives of Christianity effectuall to subdâ—e men to it And by consequence that the coming of the second Adam was necessary to restore the breach which the first had made seeing it was not to be repaired without the same Nor is it to be marveled at that naturall meanes conducted by the grace of Christ should produce supernaturall effects such as I have shewed the obediencâ— of Christianity to be which supposing the Covenant of grace and freedome of mans will cannot be otherwise The reasons which appeare to the understanding and move the will to act contrary to the inclination of originall concupâ—scence in professing Christianity and living according to the same being sufficient to convict it to give sentence that so the man ought to doe And the circumstances in which the spirit of Christ conducteth these motives to the heart which it knocketh at by their means being able to represent them valuable to take effect with him who is moved to the contrary by his originall concupiscence And though meanes naturall because they move a man to proceed according to right reason which nature requires him to doe yet as they are brought to passe and conducted by a supernaturall cause nothing hinders the effect to be supernaturall in such a nature as is by them made capable of acting above nature I do much approve the discourse of some that have indeavoured to shew how this comes to passe thus supposing the covenant of the Law to be the renewing of that which was made with Adam in Paradise for the maintaining of him in the happnesse of his naturall life Which we may suppose though we suppose not that God covenanted not with him at all for the life to come For the dispensation of those blessings of this life which the covenant of nature limited by Moses Law to the happinesse of the land of promise tendreth may well be the advantage which God taketh to make the covenant of Grace acceptable especially to those who by Gods blessing failing of the blessings of the first covenant by that meanes becoming out of love with this present worlâ— meeâ— with the Covenant of Grace in such a disposition as may render it acceptable For so long as things goe well with men in this world it seemes haâ—sh to require them to takeup the Crosse of Christ that they may obtain the world to come But when the comforts of this world faile it is no marvell if any condition that tenders hope in the world to come be welcome If it be said that this renders the grace of Christ effectuall onely to the poore and men oâ— meane condition in the world who have cause to be weary of their estâ—te in it It is answered that it is no marvell if the
and ruled the whole Church and might as easily make his corruptions generall as Christ Christianity But if it were meerly their saying to make it a Tradition of the Apostles what shall we say of Pelagius For they must pardon me who think that the hatred of his Heresie brought the baptism of Infants into force More generall it might deservedly make it For by the condemning of his Heresie the danger of Infants going out of the world was conâ—eâ—â—ed But it was the Baptism of Infants being in force afore that made his opinion an Heresie as making the necessity of Baptism visible as supposed by all Christians and therefore the truth of Original sin Pelagius was not so very a fool as they imagine If all the knowledge that a man of his time could get by seeing all parts of the Church would have served for an exception to the authority of the baptism of Infants he might have wrangled with his adverse party about the exposition of those Scriptures which are alleadged in the point till this day and his opinion have found footing in the Church But because he could not sâ—op mens eyes so as not to see what they saw we may for wantonnesse betray the cause of God by letting the interpretation of the Scriptures loose to every mans fancy which God had appointed to be confined within the Tradition of his Apostles but they could not chuse but condemn that position which the visible practice of the Church proclaimed to be Heresie Thus farre then I proceed upon the Tradition of the Apostles to make the Baptism of Infants necessary in case of necessity that is of danger of death But I that condemn not the ancients for disputing that it ought not to be generall nor the Greek Church for reserving it till years of discretion supposing the means of it reasonably secured in that case am not like to attribute the necessity of baptizing all Infants which the present Laws of the Church do introduce to the tradition of the Apostles but to the original power of the Church founded upon the constitution thereof in determining the circumstances of those offices which being incumbent upon the Church are not determined by any law of either of his Apostles For though I take not upon me to say that there can no reason be given why this particular should not now be so determined as we see it is who do acknowledge great reasons to have been alleadged by the ancients to the contrary for their time yet I see so many ways for the misunderstanding and the neglect of Christianity to creep upon the Church that I cannot see sufficient reason why the Church should trust the conscience of particular Christians whom it concerned to see to the baptism of all Infants that might come into that case now that the world was come into the Church and that therefore the Church could not have the like presumption of the conscience of all that professed Christianity in the discharge of an office of that concernment to that which it might reasonably have while it was under persecution and men could not be thought to imbrace Christianity but for conscience sake And therefore as I do maintain it alwaies to have been within the lawfull power of the Church to make a generall Law as now it is so I must averre that there was just reason and ground for the exercise of that power in determining this point whither as in the East with some toleration of those whom they had confidence in for seeing to the baptizing of their Infants in danger of death or generally as in the West to see the occasion of mischiefe and scandall prevented by doing it presently after birth And therefore those that forsake the unity of the Church â—ather then be subject to a Law which it may lawfully make as I have showed if that which hath been resolved of the difference between Heresie and Schism be true cannot avoid being schismaticks As for the ground of that opinion which moves them to break up the seal of God marked upon those that are baptized unto the hope of salvation upon the obligation of Christianity by baptizing them anew to the hope of salvation without the obligation of Christianity whether they are to be counted Hereticks therefore or not let who will dispute This I may justly inferre they take as sure a course to murther the souls of those whom they baptize again as of those whom they let go out of the world unbaptized There remains two questions which seem to make this resolution hard to believe If there be no salvation without Baptism no not for the Infants of Christians it is demanded what becomes of their souls and whither they go I must needs allow that those ancient and later Divines alledged by Cassander and our Hooker after him had reason to entertain a charitable hope of the happinesse of those who being prevented by the inevitable casualties of mans life of attaining the Sacrament of Baptism are accompanied out of the world by the prayers of Christian Parents commending them to God with the same affections wherewith they alwaies vowed them to God by bringing them to Christianity so soon as they should become capable to be instructed in it But if I will stand to the bounds of Gods revealed will I must also say that this hope is presumed without book that is without any Law of God to warrant the effect of it For if God promise the Kingdom of heaven to Infants that depart after Baptism as the reasons premised and the practice of the Church make evidence nothing hindreth the mercy of God to extend to those that depart without it where nothing hindreth the power of his grace to regenerate without the Sacrament those whom he hath not expressed that he will not regenerate But this shall not proceed from any obligation of his Covenant of Grace nor tend to make good the evidence thereof which the practice of the Church createth And therefore shall make onely a presumption of what may be and not of what is I find that Arminius had further a doubtful conceit that all Infants departing without Baptism are to be saved by the virtue of Gods second Covenant and the death of Christ upon which it is grounded God having extended both as farre as sinne by the first Adam extendeth But the publication of the second Covenant and the intent of Christs death upon which it is grounded being conditional as hath been showed I suppose it is not enough to intitle Infants to the benefit thereof that they never did any thing to refuse it Otherwise what cause is there why all the Gentiles that go out of the world without hearing of Christianity should not be saved by virtue of it notwithstanding all that they sinne against the Law of nature Because the New Covenant is to take effect where it is not refuted and sinnes against the Law of nature cannot be constrained as a refusall of the
Covenant of Grace And supposing that excluding themselves from Gods mercy by sinning against the law of nature as I said in the second Book they are thereby necessarily excluded from all benefit of the second Covenant It is not because they were born under the benefit of it intitled thereunto by the same birth which makes them need it but because as by their birth they need it so by their birth supposing the coming of our Lord Christ they are onely capable of it Therefore it remains firme that though God by Christs death stand obliged to receive those that turn to Christianity yet the Covenant is not inacted till the party become obliged to it And so it remains that I answer negatively that whosoever hope charity may be allowed there is no legall assurance or presumption of salvation for Infants that depart afore Baptism If this will not serve unlesse I affirm where they are and in what estate I will affirm that I know not but I will affirm further that it is an effect of the tree of knowledge to demand a further answer being well resolved that God hath given none They that will not believe the Mystery of the Trinity till I demonstrate to them how three persons can subsist in one nature one in two natures must be Arians or Socinians for any thing that I have here said They that will not believe the Covenant of Grace till they have a reason why God hath taken such a course as will not save those whom he might have taken a course to save must for me be Pelagians or Stoicall Predestinations They that will not submit to the Baptism of Infants till I can tell them where thoâ—e are and in what estate that depart unbaptized must for me be Anabaptists But when that is done how will they be Christians unlesse Christianity preâ—end to resolvâ— these quesâ—ions before a man is obliged to be a Christian which no Christian can imagine I can easily say that they are not to be in the estate of them that are condemned to punishment answerable to their works seeing originall sinne howsoever foul is not the worke of him that hath it And he that undertakes to press me by the Scriptures will as soon be dumbe as he finds the torments of hell no where assigned by the Scriptures but to the works of those thâ—t actually tranâ—gress Gods Lâ—ws As for that condemnation of all mankind by the first Adam our of which it is recovered by the second Adam according to S. Paul Rom. V. I suppose all the world will allow that I acknowledge it whâ—n I allow not those Infants the Kingdom of God that deparâ— unbâ—ptizâ—d If it be â—â—id thâ—t Fulgentius in his Book de fide ad Petrum reckons it for a part of the Catholick faith that Infants departing without Baptism are in hell torments it will be as easie for me to say that Genâ—adius in his Book de dogmatibus Ecclesiasticis acknowedges it not For though Gennadius was onâ— of thoâ—â— whose opinion concerning Grace was prohibited by the Council of Orange and that there is appearance enough that Fulgentius writ expresly to contradict him in the list of positions received by the Church yet seeing this point is not defined by the Councill much lâ—sse by any act of the Church against Pelagius still much lesse by any Tradition of the whole Church before and after Pelagius though it may pass for dogma Ecclesiasticum such a position as the Church alloweth to be held and professed yet it cannot be prâ—ssed for any part of the rule of faith which cannot but be acknowledged by all the Church I will add the words of Gregory Nazianzenâ— in the same Oration a litle afore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some delay for negligence others for covetousâ—esse others are in no capacity to receive it for infancy perhaps or some accident utterly involuntary whereby though they would they could not attain the Grace As therefore we found much difference among those so these They that wholly scorn it in deed are worse then the more covetous or negligent But these are worse then those who fail of the Gift for ignorance or constraint For constraint is no other thing then to fail against a mans will And I truly think that those shall be punished as for their other wickednesse so for neglecting Baptism Those also though lâ—sse because guilty of failing rather for folly then malice But that the last shall neither be punished nor glorified by the iust Judge as without malice though unsealed and suffering rather then doing harm For he who is not worthy of punishment is not therefore of honour as he that is not worthy of honour is not therefore of punishment And I consider also thiâ— If thou condemnest him for murther that would have murdered onely because he would without murdering let him that desired baptism without being baptized be counted baptized In this last câ—se supposing a mans resolution to be a Christian so compleat that only opportunity of being baptized is wanting I conclude with the Church sâ—nce Gregories time that there is no doubt in the salvation of such a one And that by virtue of his own words that Baptism is the Covenant of a new life which if a mans heart fully resolve upon between God and himselfe to doubt of his salvation because his baptism is prevented is contrary to S. Peter to ascribe his salvation to the cleansing of the flesh not to the profession of a good conscience In the mean time he who acknowledges that such a one is not punished for not being baptized though not glorified can neither allow the Kingdom of heaven to an Infant that dyes unbaptized nor condemn him for Original sinne which is for not being baptized As for the opinion of Pâ—lagius who because our Lord said Except ye be born of water and of the spirit ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God granteth Infants that dye unbaptized noâ— to coâ—e to Gods Kingdom but would have thâ—m come to everlasting life neverthelâ—sse the Anabaptists may learn modeâ—ty of him in handling the Scriptures with reverence and not allowing regeneration by water and the Holy Ghost where the Church never allowed the Kingdom of God But on the other side when he maketh life everlasting which himselfe cannot â—istinguish from the Kingdom of God due to nature and birth he voideth the grace of Christ and the intent of his coming seeing nothing but their own choice can hinder men to attain that without Christ which is due to infants by their birth And if any man think to blast this with the reputation of Popery as the conscience of this time is to make that Popery which they understand noâ— â—nd may juâ—â—ly give reasonâ—ble and conscionable men a good opinion of Popery the imputation whereof is so brutishly abused what will he think oâ— himselfe when he finds himselfe in the company of so many Doctors of the Church of Rome as at this day
communion with or obligation of dependance one upon another either in the Rule of Faith or service of God according to it wherein they may seem elder brothers to those who have put the like principle in practice among us though without supposing any other Rule of Faith then that which every Church so constituted shall agree to take for the sense of the Scriptures Now how soon it may come into the mind and agreement of a Church so constituted to take up the profession of Socinus for the Rule of their Faith I leave them that are capable to judge if yet we have no experience of it But I have observed by reading Socinus his Book de Christo Servatore one of the first if not the first of all the Books whereby he declared his heresie that being extreamly offended at his adversaries opinion he seems to have been thereby occasioned to fall upon another extream of denying the satisfaction of Christ and so by degrees his Godhead as the only peremptory principle to destroy the satisfaction of Christ and by consequence as well that reason of the Covenant of Grace which the Church as that which his adversary maintaineth Conceiving then his error about the Covenant of Grace to have occasioned his error in the Faith of the holy Trinity I conceive I shall handle the chiefe Controversies in Religion that divide the Church at present according to the title of my Book though I maintain not the faith of the Trinity against Socinus otherwise then as the maintenance of the Covenant of Grace grounded upon the satisfaction of Christ as that upon his Godhead shall require Another reason I had because this Heresie seems to be too learned to become popular among us though branches of it may come to have vogue For though there hath been but too much either of wit or Learning imployed in framing the Scriptures to the sense of it in the chiefe points of Christianity Yet is it hard to make the vulgar understanding not onely of hearers but of teachers such as these times allow capable of that sense to which they have framed the most eminent passages of the Scriptures and the grounds of it together with the consent and agreement of the severall points of Christianity among themselves according to it Upon this consideration I charge not my selfe with the maintenance of the Faith of the holy Trinity otherwise then as the consideration thereof shall be incident to resolve the nature of the Covenant of Grace which is the first part of my purpose Therefore that a few words may propose many and great difficulties from whence it comes and what it is that renders Christians acceptabe to God sand heirs of everlasting life who as men are his enemies by sinne here and â—ubjects of his wrath in the world to come this I conceive to be the sum of what we are to inquire Concerning in the first place that disposition of mind which qualifies a man for those blessings which the Gospel tenders upon that condition which the Covenant of Grace requires and in the second place whether this disposition be brought to passe in us by the free Grace of God and the helps which it provides or by the force of nature that is by that light of understanding and that freedom of choice which necessarily proceeds from the principles of mans nature It is well enough known how great dispute there is between them that professe the Reformation and the Church of Rome whether a man be justified before God in Christ by Faith alone or by Faith and Works both speaking of actuall righteousnesse or if we speak of habituall righteousnesse by Faith and Love For though the whole Garland of supernaturall vertues concurrs to the habituall righteousnesse of Christians which is universall to all objects actions Yet seeing the reason of them all is derived from that which Faith believeth and the intent of all referred to that service of God which love constraineth where Faith and Love are named there the rest may well be understood Whether Faith alone therefore or Faith and love so much the parties must in dispite of them remaine agreed in that there is some disposition or act of mans mind required by the Covenant of Grace as the condition that qualifieth a man at least for so much of that Promise which the Gospel tendreth as justification importeth But this being supposed and granted it may and must be disputed in what consideration it qualifieth for the same Which is to make short whether the inward worth of that disposition whatsoever it shall prove to be oblige Almighty God to reward it with that which the Gospel promiseth Or whether in consideration of the obedience of Christ performed in doing the message which he undertook of reconciling Man unto God he hath been pleased to proraise that reward which is without comparison more then can be due to that disposition which he requires as the condition to qualifie us for the promise Here must I relate the position of the Socinians concerning the intent of Christs comming Not to purchase at Gods hands those helps of Grace which inable Christians to become qualified for the promise which the Gospel tendreth which the Church with S. Austin in the dispute with the Pelagians cals therefore the Grace of Christ Not to reconcile us to God in the nature of a meritorious cause his obedience being the consideration for which God accepteth that disposition which qualifies us for the promise of the Gospel as the condition upon which he tenders it But to yield us sufficient reason both to perswade us of the truth of his message as by the rest of his works so especially by rising again from the dead and also to induce us to imbrace the Gospel by assuring us of the fulfilling of that promise to us which we see so eminently performed in him by that height to which we believe him to be exalted and then having induced us to undertake the Gospel of Christ to secure us both of protection against the enemies thereof here by that power which he that went before us in it hath obtained for that purpose and of our crown at the judgement to come And all this not in any consideration of the merits and sufferings of Christ but of Gods free Grace which alone moved him to deale with us by Christ to this effect and to propose a reward so unproportionable to our performance which would not redound to the account of his free Grace if it should be thought to have been purchased either by the satisfaction of Christ in regard of our sins to be redeemed or by his merits in regard of the reward to be purchased As for the matter of Justification by Faith alone it is to be observed that Socinus is obliged by the premises to understand that Grace for which the Gospel is called The Covenant of Grace to be no Grace of Christ that is to say not given out of any
consideration of his merits and sufferings which they neither acknowledge to have been tendred by our Lord nor accepted by the Father to any such effect or purpose But nothing hinders him therefore to acknowledge it the Grace of God that is a meere grant of his free goodnesse whatsoever condition he require thereby to qualifie him that imbraces it for the promises which it tenders provided it be such as he that it is tendred to can accomplish For that Faith which alone justifieth according to S. Paul he maketh to consist in believing the Truth of Christianity and sincerely indeavouring to bring forth the fruits thereof out of a grounded confidence of obtaining the said promises And that in consideration hereof those that thus believe are counted righteous before God that is treated as if they had been originally righteous and not sinners before they came to believe As for the Sacrament of Baptism making no more of a Church then of an arbitrary Society of so many as agree to serve God together in the same Faith it is no marvel if he make it a meer Ceremony the use whereof was during the time of the Disciples of our Lord and the conversion of Jews and Gentiles to Christianity by their preaching to signifie the purifying of them by that Faith to which they professed thereby to be converted which intent ceasing in those who being born of Christian Parents were never tainted with the filthinesse either of Jewes or Gentiles by consequence that ceremony though it may freely be used by Christians in the nature of a thing indifferent yet ought not to carry that opinion as if any mans salvation depended upon it And having related this opinion I must relate another opposite to this in another extream which is the opinion of those that hold that Faith which alone justifieth to consist in believing that a man is predestinated by God to life from everlasting as being of the number of them whom Christ was sent to redeem exclusively to the rest of Mankind And that therefore the whole consideration for which this Faith justifieth is the obedience of Christ imputed unto them which are of thâ—s number upon no other account then the eternall purpose of God to give him for them alone whereby his sufferings are theirs in Law as much as if they had been performed by themselves the condition of Faith serving only to limit a qualification without which this purpose availeth them not being limited to take place from the time that this purpose of God is revealed unto them the revelation whereof they suppose to be that Faith which alone justifieth Who they are that maintain this opinion I will not here dispute which I intend to show cause why it is to be thought so ill of that I could with that no man that is called a Christian would own it And perhaps many of those who either expresly or in effect do hold it do withall hold other points which indeed and in effect are contradictions to it Neither can I say that our Presbyterians are parties in it but this I say that this is the opinion in opposiâ—ion to which Socinus brought in the Opinion hitherto described voiding the Grace and satisfaction of Christ by declining to the other extream as any man may see that with a little care shall peruse the fourth part of his Book De Christo Servatorâ— Cap. III. IX X. And therefore I conceive I may justly infer that to maintain this extremity which he not consulting the Catholick Church and the Faith thereof thought necessary to the voyding of that other extream which he found inconsistent with the principles of Christianity he proceeded so far as to deny any Godhead any being of Christ before his birth of the Virgin taking away by consequence that reason and ground both of satisfaction for sin and of merit of Grace which the Church ascribeth to his obedience and sufferings and placeth the Godhead of Christ which he acknowledgeth so far as to tender him the worship that is proper to God at least in some circumstances in that height of eminence to which God hath exalted him for undertaking and performing the Commission of reconciling Man to God though bound to it as a meer man and Gods Creature before he undertooke it And thus you see how that part of Socinus his Heresie in denying the Faith of the Holy Trinity indirectly commeth in to the question of the Covenant of Grace Seeing it is manifest to the sence of all men that had he not questioned the Godhead of Christ there had been no pretence of bringing the Faith of the Trinity into any dispute But of what consequence this opinion concerning Justifying Faith and the nature of it is to the substance of Christianity it will be time to consider when I have shewed why it is not true In the mean I shall note here another opinion differing in somewhat but agreeing in much with this which I take to be the opinion of our Antinomians but shall not be much troubled if any man shall dispute that I mistake it For seeing them so full with a blasphemous conceit of Gods Spirit that they would think it a disparagement to it to be tied to any dispute of reason though upon supposition of the Christian Faith to distinguish between principles and conclusions to infer a certaine position from certain grounds even of Scripture I cannot think it any great imputation to misunderstand them whose perfection it is not to understand themselves For when I name Antinomians I intend to comprise in the opinion which I refute all our Anabaptists all our Familists all our Enthusiasts and Quakers all Sectaries whatsoever that do believe themselves possessed of the Spirit not presupposing not only the beliefe of that Faith which is necessary to the salvation of all Christians but also whatsoever else it shall appear that the condition of the Covenant of Grace importeth The having of Gods Spirit as it inferreth a right to everlasting life so supposing whatsoever the Covenant of Grace importeth But by the noise which they make with the free Grace of God and the Covenant of Grace I conceive the main of their position lies in one step beyond that extream which I described even now in opposition to Socinus That we are justified by the obedience of Christ performed for them for whom God appointed it and therefore imputed to them from everlasting by vertue of that appointment made from everlasting but revealed to them by that faith whereby they know themselves to be elected to life from everlasting not depending upon the revelation thereof but the revelation upon the being of it And upon this ground it is that they say that God sees not nor can see sin in his Elect that all their sins are pardoned before they are done and that there is no mortall sin but repentance implying the want of saving faith with which no sin can stand nor any thing be but sin without
Moses a little before his death though in effect they had submitted to whatsoever should be required in Gods name by Moses when they passed the red Sea under his conduct Only it is to be observed that the Covenant of Circumcision which God had made with Abraham when he gave him the Land of Promise remained for their Title to it when the promise thereof became limited by the Law Which limitation because they submitted to by leaving Aegypt under the conduct of Moses and being shadowed by the Cloud saw their enemies drowned in the red Sea therefore are they elegantly said by S. Paul to be baptized into Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea For if being redeemed from the Aegypt of this world we undertake to leave it under the conduct of our Lord Christ If hereupon our sins be drowned in the waters of Baptism Were not they baptized in the same sense as we passe the red Sea at our comming out of Aegypt But both upon supposition of the correspondence between the two Testaments without which all this argument could neither have force nor relish And therefore I cannot but admire to see men learned in the Scriptures to maintain by this place that the Sacraments of the Old Testament are the same with the Sacraments of the New Not distinguishing whether immediatly or by way of correspondence For if you make the Kingdom of Heaven and the Land of Promise all a thing then is Baptism and the passage of the red Sea all one But then it will be all one to believe in Christ and to submit to his conduct to Paradise as to believe in Moses as the Israelites did hereupon Exod. XIV 31. and to put themselves under his conduct to the Land of Promise Which is my Argument But if setting aside the correspondence you make their ingagement to God under Moses for obtaining the Land of promise one thing and our ingagement to God under Christ another Certainly the immediate assurance of this and the immediate assurance of that which by means of the correspondence becoms also the assurance of this are severall things And if there be between the Old and New Covenant that correspondence which makes that the figure of this they may as well be said to be one and the same and by consequence the Sacraments of them as a mans Picture is called by his name when seeing the Pictures of our Princes for example we say This is H. the eight and this Queen Elizabeth But to say that the Sacraments of the Old Law do immediately figure or assure the same thing which the Sacraments of the Gospel do is the same thing as to say the rest of the Land of Promise and the everlasting rest of the Kingdom of Heaven are both one and the same Let us now see by what right that is upon what ground S. Paul argues that concerning the Gospel from the words of Moses Deut. XIII 11 -14 which is manifestly said by him concerning the Law Rom. X. 6 -10 The righteousnesse that is of Faith saith thus Say not in thine heart who will ascend into Heaven To wit to bring down Christ Or who will go down into the deep To wit to bring up Christ from the dead But what saith it The Word is near thee in thy mouth and in thy heart That is the word of Faith which we Preach That if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe with thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart a man believes to righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made to salvation The argument is this If Moses duly warn the Israelites that they have no excuse for not obeying the Law which he had put as it were in their mouths and into their hearts so plainly had he taught it them then cannot those that hear the Apostles Preach the Gospel excuse themselves in not obeying it being so plainly shewed That if they professe Christ with their mouths believing with the heart that God raised him from the dead they should be saved That this word of Faith is put as it were in their mouths and in their hearts Can this be made good to be Moses his meaning not supposing that the Spirit of God intended the Gospel by the Law Or can it be denied so to be supposing it If therefore the profession of an Israelite tie him to the Law of God given the Jews shall not the profession of a Christian tie him to the Law of God given the Jews shall not the profession of a Christian tie him to the Law of God given the Christians Shall not the professing of Christ which the Apostle speaks of be the undertaking of it For S. Paul by saying that they were baptized into Moses under the Cloud and in the Sea plainly sheweth that as their undertaking to march under the conduct of Moses towards the Land of Promise through the red Sea was rewarded by God with the drowning of their enemies and the overshadowing of the Cloud So our undertaking to follow Christ towards that Kingdom which he obtained by his Crosse is rewarded with the extinguishing of sin and the refreshing of the Holy Ghost in our travel to the world to come And therefore the ingagement of the second Covenant being inacted and settled upon us by the Sacrament of Baptism the promises of the Covenant must needs depend upon the same What else shall the name of a New Covenant or a New testament signifie if we will not have them to signifie nothing Some man perhaps may marvel whence it comes that the agreement between God and his ancient People being alwaies represented in the Old Testament in the nature and terms of a Covenant the New is by the Apostle proved to have the nature of the last Will and Tessament of our Lord Christ Hebr. IX 16 17. But if this Testament be also a Covenant as the same Apostle saith Hebr. VIII 9. He hath obtained a more excellent Ministery by how much he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which is inacted upon better promises there will be no cause to marvell The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in ordinary Greek signifies no more than a mans last Will and Testament But in the use of the Jews that spoke Greek such as are the Apostles the translators of the Old Testament into Greek and others it fignisies also a Covenant If further it pleased God that our Lord Christ should die to assure us of everlasting life on his part which thereby he purchased obliging God on his part to give it to those that shall be found qualified for it well may the Apostle affirm that it is the last Will and Testament of him who died to make it irrevocable because mens Wills are not so till death But it containeth nevertheless a Covenant because men become not Sons of God by birth but by choice accepting the adoption which is tendred being
also their New-birth Whereupon it follows Hebr. IX 18. Whence neither the first was dedicated without bloud Making the first Covenant a Testament also because the sacrifices which it was dedicated with signified the death of Christ whose Testament the New Covenant is Now every Covenant every Contract whatsoever is a Law which the parties intercbangeably tie themselvs to being free before Neither can it be a Covenant that imposeth nothing upon one of the parties I know the promise of God not to destroy the World any more by water is called many times his Covenant and the Rain-bow the sign of it Gen. IX 9. 17. whence it may be argued that nothing hinders a Covenant to be no more then a bare Promise And truly it is properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a disposition though by free promise it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a choice according to them that will have that to be the originall of the Word He that would be contentious might have ground to dispute that this promise of God was not without a condition annexed unto it For the tradition of the Jews is now generally received by men of Learningâ— that God gave Noah and his Sons seven Precepts to observe which were visible during the time that his People lived in the Land of Promise as being the condition upon the undertaking whereof strangers were protected by Gods Law among them Which if it be true it can no way seem unreasonable to say that the undertaking of these precepts was the condition upon which it pleased God to secure them from the waters of another deluge reserving himself neverthelesse the liberty of destroying the world by fire when that Covenant which was to succeed this and all the additions to it under Abraham or Moses should have wrought the effect for which it was tendred in the salvation of Mankind And thus it might be said that the name of a Covenant is properly attributed to this promise because of the condition annexed though not remembred in the Scripture But seeing the word Covenant is manifestly used in the Scripture to signifie a decree of God or the declaration of it as when it speaks of Gods Covenant with the day and the night I shall not need to ground my selfe upon any such nicety as this provided and understood alwaies that the annexing of a condition necessarily determines and limits it to signifie a Contract not a bare decree or promise Which easily appeareth in the Covenants whereof we speak because they are treated For to induce a man to imbrace a promise which being of advantage brings no burthen within it is not for the wisdome of God to send his Son to do because none but a mad man can refuse it But where God sends his Son to tender mankind terms of reconcilement where he suffers death to undergo and execute his Commission where he sends his Disciples authorized by the evidence which his Spirit gives that he sent them but obliged to undergo death in testimony of the same There I suppose there is such a condition annexed which they that have reason to be satisfied of the truth of the message may doubt whether to make themselves parties to by imbracing the profession of it Hear the Apostle 2 Cor. V. 18 19 20. All is of God that hath reconciled us to himselfe by Jesus Christ and given us the Ministery of reconcilement As that God was about reconciling the World to himselfe by Christ not imputing to them their transgression and placing in us the Ministery of reconcilement We are therefore Ambassadors in Christs stead As if God did exbort by us In Christs stead we beseech you be reconciled to God If all that is said in the Bible of the second and New Testament or Covenant of Grace imported no more but a bare promise was mankind so void of reason as to need all this to perswade him to imbrace his own happiness tendred without any reputed disadvantage For though to forsake the world and our selves be really an advantage to the most noble parts of humane nature yet because that is not seen but by Faith not imbraced without disadvantage in regard of the present world that which is really a difficulty to the imbracing of Christianity I admit as in the reputation of them to whom the Gospel is preached to be a disadvantage And therefore with them to whom the Gospel is preached the case is the same as with Cain when God said to him Gen. IV. 5. If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted but if thou dost not well sin lieth at the door As with the Israelites when God said to them Deut. XXX 15. Behold I have set before thee this day life and good and death and evil Whereas I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God to walk in his wayes and to keep his commandements and statutes and judgements and thou shalt live and increase and the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in the Land whither thou goest in to possesse it In fine as with them to whom it is said Ecclesiasticus XV. 14 17. He made man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his own Counsel Keep the Commandements and faith if thou wilt To do things acceptable to him He hath set before thee fire and water stretch forth thy hand to whether thou wilt Life and death is before man and that shall be given him which he liketh That is to say so manifest as it is that God when he tendred the Law to the Israelites tendred them their choice whether they would undertake to live according to it upon condition of obtaining the promises tendred with it So evident is it that God tendring the Gospel in the same terms to all that are invited to undertake Christianity tendreth it upon condition of living according to it And therefore that as well in matter of Christianity in the imbracâ—ng or rejecting in performing or failing of it the choice of free will is evidently seen and exercised in as any thing else wherein one man contracts with another The nature and consideration of a Covenant holding as fully in this as in humane contracts Which if it be true we must not be nice in allowing the Gospel of Christ the name nature of a Law thogh the name of the Law being already possessed by the Law of Moses when it is put with some addition incompetent to the Law of Moses cannot be understood of any thing else For if every contract be a Law to the parties so soon as it is inacted then can it not be denied that the Covenant of Grace is a Law to them that ingage in it unless we would have God tied by his promise and Christians free from any obligation yet nevertheless intitled to the same For what is a Law but the condition by observing whereof every man maintains his estate in the Commonwealth whereof he is Which he that would not have Christianity
be baptized who cannot make or are tied to any such promise To these I say no more but this that it is one thing to answer arguments and to give grounds of a contrary truth another thing to object difficulties which even the truth is not clear of especially that which comes by revelation from without as Christianity doth Because to the verifying of revealed truth it is not necessary that all things should be alike clearly revealed that are necessary to the clearing of objections The obligation of sticking to that which is revealed taking place no lesse though something belonging to the clearing of it be not so clearly expressed And generally that which is evident is never the lesse evident because there is something else evident the evidence whereof I cannot reconcile with it But this I say not as though I meant to dismiss these difficulties without that which I conceive ought to satisfie But because I have learned of Aristotle that it is the fashion of the unlearned to demand at once both the grounds of the truth and the clearing of difficulties A thing which might be done here but so that another place would require it to be done againe and not without balking the order which I intend My designe will bring me in due time to speak with the Pelagians first and afterwards with the Anabaptists To those points I will remit the answer to these objections Onely for the present to the former of these doubts I would say this That all that hath been said hitherto concerns onely that disposition which he that will come to salvation by Christianity must be firmly qualified with as the condition which the Covenant of Grace requireth All which being supposed it may and doth still remaine questionable how and by what meanes in the nature of an effective cause a man becomes qualified with the disposition so required To wit whether by the meer force of free will or by the help of Gods Grace And that being resolved upon what consideration in the nature of a meritorious cause those helps of Gods grace are furnished To wit whether by the free Grace of God or in consideration of the merits and satisfaction of Christ provided by Gods free Grace as the reason for which and the measure by which the helps of his Grace are dispensed To the latter of them I would onely say here That I conceive I have here maintained that reason for the necessity of Baptisme to the salvation of all Christians upon which the necessity of the Baptisme of Infants is to be tied Which is to say in plain English That I have by the premises re-established that ground for the necessity of Baptisme in generall the unsetling whereof was the onely occasion to make the necessity of Baptizing Infants become questionable CHAP. VI. Justifying Faith sometimes consists in believing the truth Sometimes in trust in God grounded upon the truth Somtimes in Christianity that is in imbracing and professing it And that in the Fathers as well as in the Scriptures Of the informed and formed Faith of the Schools NOW for those Scriptures wherein the nature of justifying faith is described by those effects which the promises of the Gospel tender I must here observe that which all observe that faith is many times made by the Scriptures to consist in believing the truth of Christs Message which he came to preach Otherwhiles neverthelesse in a grounded trust and confidence in the goodnesse of God declared through Christ For what is more manifest then that of S. Paul Rom. X. 9. If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe with thy heart that God raised him from the deád thou shalt be saved Where first that which the heart believeth is the rising of Christ from the dead signifying by one Article the rest of the Faith then that which the mouth professeth is nothing but the same truth Therefore neither the inward nor the outward act of faith reacheth any further then the acknowledgment of the said truth So the Apostle 1 John V. 15. 10. Every one that believeth that Jesus is the Messi as is begotten of God Who is he that overcomes the World but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God He that believeth in the Son of God hath the witnesse in himself He that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the witnesse which God beareth of his Son Where it is plain that no difference is made between believing God and believing in the Son of God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no more then to believe Gods witnesse Mat. IX 28. Jesus faith to the blind Believe you that I am able to do this They say unto him yea Lord. Then touched he their eyes saying according to your faith be it unto you That faith which consisted in believing that he was able to do it So of John the Baptist our Lord Mat. XXI 32. John came to you in the way of righteousnesse and ye believed him not but the publicans and harlots believed him Which you seeing repeated not afterwards that ye might believe him And sure they obtained the grace of Christ that believed John the Baptish Our Lord to the father of the Lunatick Mat. IX 23. 24. If thou caust believe all things are possible to him that believeth And straight the father of the childe crying out said Lord I believe help my unbeliefe If thou canst believe that I am able to do this as afore Mat. XI 23. 24. He that shall say to this mountaine be thou removed and cast into the sea and doubt not in his heart but believe that what he sayeth cometh to passe is shall come to passe to him as he sayeth Therefore I say unto you all things that ye ask by prayer believe that ye shall receive and they shall come to passe to you John V. 24. He that heareth me and believeth him that sent me hath eternal life and cometh not into condemnation but is passed from death to life XX. 31. These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believeing ye may have life through his Name Acts VIII 37. Philip said to the Eunuch If thou believest with all thy heart thou mayest be baptized He answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Upon which faith he is baptized Rom. IV. 3. Abraham believed God saying to him Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven Gen. XV. 5. and it was impâ—â—â—ed to him for righteousnesse On the other side it is no rare thing to finde faith described by trust and confidence in God and the effects of saving faith ascribed to it as in the description of the Apostle Heb. XI 2. Now faith is the substance of thing hoped for the evidence of things not seen That which he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is that which the Hebrew expresseth by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Christ how farre it is declared to us by the Scriptures and original Tradition of the Church Knowing neverthelesse that this being resolved the rest of the controversie concerning the holy Trinity necessarily falls to the ground of it self as having nothing whereupon to subsist when the everlasting Godhead of Christ is once maintained afore Now the ready way that I can think of to go through so great a dispute as briefly as is possible is to take in hand first the point of originall sinne in which the dispute between Pelagius and Socinus on the one side and the Church on the other side is grounded For therefore I hope it will appear the shortest way to dispatch the whole dispute because that being decided together with that which dependeth upon it as incident to it concerning the state of our Lord Christ before his coming in the flesh the rest will appear to consist either in controversies of Divines or in mistakes and disputes about words I begin with S. Paul because he it is who having laid forth the necessity of Christianity to the salvation as well of Jewes as of Gentiles in the beginning of his Epistle to the Romanes and in the fourth chapter by the Example of Abraham confirmed the same Or if you please answered the objection concerning the salvation of the Fathers before and under the Law proceeds in the fifth Chapter to lay forth both the ground upon which it is effectuall which is the death of Christ and the ground upon which it was necessary which is the sinne of Adam Thus then saith S. Paul Rom. V. 12 13 14. Therefore as by one man sinne entered into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all in whome all sinned For untill the Law sinne was in the world Now sinne is not imputed where there is no Law And yet death raigned from Adam until Moses even upon them that had not sinned after the likenesse of Adams transgression who is the figure of him that is to come It is said that the wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are to be translated in asmuch as all had sinned To signifie that Spirituall death came after Adam upon all that had sinned as Adam did inasmuch as they had sinned For as for bodily death they believe not no more then Pelagius that it was the punishment of Adams sinne but the condition of mans birth Onely the troubles the cares the sorrowes by which men come to their graves these as they acknowledge to be consequences as of Adams sinne so of all those sinnes whereby men follow and imitate Adam so they think to be meant by the sentence In the day wherein thou eatest thereof shalt thou die the death But this is no lesse then to deny the literall sense of the Scripture which the Church hath received for one of Origens errors in the interpretation of the beginning of Genesis What is it else to say That Adam was liable to bodily death by nature but to spiritual death by sinne For it is manifest by the premises that through all the Old Testament the second death is no otherwise preached then under the figure of the first death and that by virtue of the ground laid from the beginning that the Covenant of Grace which tendreth life and death everlasting was onely intimated under the Covenant of nature which the Law only received and limited to the happiness of the land of promise as to the Israelits tendring expresly only blessings and mercies of this life to the civil and outward obedience of Gods commandments And can it be imagined that in the very first tender that God made to man of life in consideration of obedience and death of disobedience this life and this death must be understood to be the second when the obedience was onely in abstaining from the forbidden fruit What was then that fruit of the tree of Life by eating whereof they might have preserved themselves from death I aske not what it signified but what it was For all reason will require admitting the premises that it signified that whereby the soul escapes spirituall death But the same reason will inforce that it must be the fruit of a tree which so long as they eat not of the tree of knowledge they were licensed to eat to preserve them from bodily death Neither is there any difficulty in that they aske How all the posterity of Adam should have come by the fruit of that tree that grew no where but in the garden of Eden For I suppose it had been as easie to have planted all parts of the world with the same tree as with the posterity of Adam had he continued in obedience Who being not driven out of Eden as upon his disobedience but sending his posterity to do that in the rest of the world which he did there had made all the world Eden by placing the Paradise of God wheresoever innocence dwelt In this case I see not why any man should take care for the tree of Life that no posterity of Adam might die No more then what should become of that innocent posterity which when it had so planted the World the counsel of God concerning the propagation of man kind may well be thought to have been come to ripenesse The Socinians indeed do alledge Josephus who speaking of the tree of life doth not say that it should have made man immortall but onely that it should have made him live to very great yeares But that is of no consequence In regard that it is not expressed in the Scripture that God would have had man live everlastingly upon the earth had he lived in obedience For supposing that it was a question among the Pharisees to which sect it appeares Josephus inclined most whether so or whether God would translate them to a heavenly life after a time of obedience here which to the Pharisees that acknowledge the resurrection and the world to come must needs seem credible enough it is no marvaile that Josephus should say That by virtue of the tree of life they had lived to a very great age though in case not translated they might as well have lived alwayes by virtue of it But let us hear S. Paul 1 Cor. XV. 21 22. For since by man came death by man also came the resurrection of the dead For as by Adam all died so by Christ shall all be made alive Is there any rising from bodily death but by Christ I say not any rising in the quality of those in whom the Spirit of Christ dwelleth of whom S. Paul saith that He who raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies through his Spirit dwelling in you Rom. VIII 11. But setting aside this quality it is the coming of Christ and his trump that raiseth againe even those that shall rise to judgement And can it for all this be doubted whether that life was lost by Adams fall which the rising of Christ shall
the ground of this foresight how that can be other then necessary which is certaine because the knowledg of God that foreteis it cannot be uncertaine yet would it be no lesse evident that the foresight of God which supposeth the future being of that which it evidenceth causeth no necessity in that which it supposeth though I could give no account how the future being of that which is contingent can be certaine And as it is not requisite to the maintenance of Christianity to be able to answer all questions that the enemies of it may make So were it very impertinent not to allege that which is evident in behalfe thereof because there hangs an other question at the end of it which I cannot so evidently resolve And upon these terms I set aside that necessity which Gods foresight of future contingencies infers as impertinent to the question in hand being meerely the necessity of that which must needs be because you suppose that it is all foresight necessarily supposing the future being of that which is foreseen as all sight supposeth the present being of that which is seen Further when I say That the freedom which the Covenant of Grace supposeth in man to whom it is tendred requireth that his will be not determined by God before it determine it selfe to wit in order of nature I do not therefore require that it be alwaies indifferent that is no more inclined to doe then not to do this or that I have learned out of Aristotles Moralls that a drunkard may chuse whether he will be drunk or not though it is not possible that he should in an instant change that inclination to which he is habituated and that as the world is it cannot in discretion seeme possible to come to passe that some opportunity of bringing that inclination to effect shall not come to passe before the inclination of his habit be changed into the contrary by frequence of practice But this I say That in this latitude and variety of mans inclination he is not determined by any of them presently to satisfie and execute it having so many to please besides And that God without determinnig immediately by his omnipotence the will which remaines not determined by its owne inclination is able to bring to passe whatsoever his providence shal order by wils of men left at large to their own choise though not in a state of actuall indifference without biasse inclining them to do rather then not to do this rather then that yet in a capacity of becoming actually indifferent by change of judgement and by consequence of inclinations which frequent acting according to another judgement shall produce In the meane time not determined by God otherwise then as they determine themselves It is not therefore my meaning to say that the will proceeds immediately from a state of indifference to determine it selfe by chusing that whereon the mans happinesse depends For it is manifest that all choice is determined by the appearance of good in the object to reason that sees it nor can proceed without it It is manifest that all vertues and vices are meere determinations of indifference in the Will to some thing chosen for a cheife good It is manifest by experience that the proposing of an object determines many times the Will to chuse it It is received in Philosophy that from that which is indifferent as indifferent no action can proceed That the same remaining the same can never do but the same That nothing can come to be anew of it selfe without some cause And how shall the will from meere indifference proceed immediately to do this rather then that How shall indifference prefer doing this before doing that or not doing this My meaning is this That without appearance of reason sufficient to convict the mind what is good to be don there is no freedome in the Will that can determine to chuse it That when there is no appearance of reason to the contrary as in the generall nature of good there is no freedome to refuse That all habit of vertue or vice tends to determine indifference to the object and act of it and effecteth so much in this life that morally and speaking of that with experience and discretion will allow it is as impossible that some man should do any thing that is good as some other revolt from all goodnesse And therefore do allow a kinde of freedome in the blessed as well as in the damned who are arrived at the full determination of the will for the better or for the worse are past deliberating any more to which side they shall adhere for everlasting But their estate I account impertinent to the question in hand concerning that freedome in this life the use whereof is every mans title to the world to come and his owne share in it As also the estate of the blessed Angels Devils whom all allow to be as effectually derermined to evill or to good upon their fall or settlement as men are upon the performing their race here But as I have granted that no man can desire that in which he sees no reason why it is good for him So seeing sufficient reason he is not thereby immediately determined to act but onely inabled to act according to it The coherence of true good with the utmost happinesse of mankind is so darke the coherence of counterfeit good with his utmost misery so remote that as the apperance of counterfeit good may interpose to defeate the prosecution of that which sufficient reason convinceth to be true so may the appearance of true good interpose to deseate the prosecution of that which is counterfeite So that the race of this life is a continuall deliberation about the necessity of the meanes even in them that have made choise of their end It may be disputed indeed that when after resolution and choise we have experience of great debate within us what to do it is not the will the subject of freedome that is the seate of this debate but it is the sensuall appetite that makes opposition to the resolution of reason and that this opposition is meere violence to the naturall exercise of freedome not pretending to introduce a contrary resolution standing the first but hindring execution by degrees upon contrary information to reverse the sentence But the determination which we suppose sufficient reason had produced remaines alwaies ineffectuall and therefore the question must needs have recourse what determines the Will till answer be made that it proceeds effectually inwardly to chuse and outwardly to act by that choice determining all capacity of indifference in it selfe which redounding to every mans account at the generall judgement must needs be the act of the will that is of the person that doth it By that which hath been said I conceive I give account why having hitherto established the necessity of Grace upon the account of Originall sin I now advance a proposition tending to
reconcile aswell the activity of Gods providence generally in all things as the efficacie of his predestination and grace in supernaturall actions leading to the happinesse of the world to come wiith our common freedome For it is manifest that this opinion of predetermination proceeds not upon any supposition of originall sin but meerly of the nature and state of a creature and intends to affirme that whether Adam had sinned or not the will of man must have been determined by God to do whatsoever it should do as unable to determine it selfe otherwise then as every creature moves when God moves it And therefore I am here to acknowledg the answer is lâ—rger then the question at least then the occasion of it and the resolution then the ground of the doubt The necessity of the grace of Christ being grounded only upon the fall of Adam and that bringing on the dispute what freewill hath to do where the freegrace of God cannot be spared and herefore what freewill it is that remaines to be freed from the bondage of sin by grace But as the generall comprises necessarily all particulars it is no esse destructive to the covenant of grace that the freedome of the will should be denyed upon the account of the constitution of nature then of depravation by sin And therefore I find my selfe bound to answer in what estate the covenant of Grace overtakes man borne in originall sin whether upon the account of Originall sin or meerly of Gods creature But I do purposely observe this to all them of the Reformation that I believe their own consciences will tell them all if passion or faction give leave that all the controversy advanced against the Church of Rome about freewill in the works of Salvation was grounded upon the supposition of the necessity of grace occasioned by Originall sin from which so much is derogated as is arrogated to freewill without iâ— and therefore the controversy never needed about all kind of works but those only that tend to salvation the meanes whereof became necessary upon the account of Originall sin Which if it be true then cannot the Interest of the Reformation consist in any opinion concerning all maner of human actions without difference whether in the state of uprightnesse or sin Nor can any thing but the spirit of slander impute the maintaining of Gods grace without or against such opinions to any inclination towards the abuses of the Church of Rome but to the conscience of Gods truth without respect of persons For further evidence vvhereof I shall make good use of the evill of faction if not of division now on foot upon occasion of this dispute as vvell among those of the reformation as in the Church of Rome For seeing that both parties are divided about it though in the Reformation only the mater hath proceeded to a breach first between Lutherans and Calvinists in the Empire then in Holland between these and Arminians he that goes about to cast the aspersion of Popery upon that opinion which the Papacy injoyneth not though it aloweth must first answer whether the popery of the Dominicans the rest of them that hold predetermination whether the Popery of Jansenius his followers be Popery or not With all I shall think the way made towards the proof of my position by observing that the ground upon which I shall proceed to make evidence of freedome from necessity under originall sin will necessarily take place against the predetermination of the Will by God whether under Originall sin or in the state of uprightnesie And upon that ground I shall freely affirme that this position is not onely intended to contradict but also effectually contradicteth the opinion of the predetermination of the will by the immediate operation of God CHAP. XXII The Gospel findeth man free from necessity though not from bondage Of the Antecedent and Consequent Will of God Praedetermination not the root but the rooting up of Freedome and of Christianity Against the opinion of Jansenius THE ground which I speak of may be branched out into particulars as large as you please But it shall be enough for me to say That whatsoever is read from one end of the Bible to the other concerning a treaty tendred by God to man concerning an alliance or covenant contracted upon it concerning an inheritance or assurance of an inheritance upon that alliance concerning exhortations reproofes promises threats inducing to observe that contract and not to transgresse it all this and whatsoever else may be reduced to this nature evidenceth that neither freedom from necessity is lost by originall sinne nor the will of man determined by the immediate operation of God to do or not to do this or that I must further mention here that difference between the antecedent and the consequent the conditionall and the absolute will of God the first suspended upon some act of mans free will the second resolute as supposing the same past or not requiring it not because the divines as well of the Eastern as of the Western Church have imbraced it but because they all found that they could not discharge their account of the Scriptures without it But I must not forget to mention withall the rewards and punishments expressed in the Scriptures to be brought upon the compliance with or resistance of those helps which the antecedent and conditionall will of God requireth whether he choose it or not In the Old Testament you have the contestations of Moses in Deuteronomy often warning Gods people that he had set before them the good and the bad for them to make choice You have the Prophet Esay V. 3-6 contesting with Gods vineyard that he had done what he could do for it and that having born wild grapes in stead of good fruit it was therefore just with him to destroy it You have the Psalmist protesting the cause why he gave over his people to their enemies and to famine to be their disobedience Psal LXXXII 9-17 You have the Prophet Ezekiel XVIII 30 31 32. thus reclaiming them Return and repent of your transgressions and wickednesse shall not be to you a stumbling block Cast from you all your transgressions which you have transgressed with and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why should ye dye ye house of Israel For I delight not in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord God but repent ye and live For is not this to say of my self I desire not your death but because of your obstinacy in rejecting my Prophets By whom he so often protesteth that he had risen betimes to send them from age to age if by any meanes he might reclaim them to his Law and so preserve them in the inheritance of the Land of Promise In like manner our Lord in the Gospels Mat. XXIII 37 38. Luke XIII 34 35. Jerusalem Jerusalem that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent thee how often would I have gathered thy
meanes that makes the grace of Christ effectuall addresse it selfe especially to that estate o men in which our Lord Christ to whom they so become conformable appeared in the world And for that very reason to figure that estâ—te of mind which the Gospell requires the people of â—sraell were by Gods Law left unâ—uâ—nished of many helps of policy and force by which other nations maintain themselves free from servâ—tude that they might remaine obliged to depend upon Gâ—dâ— immediate assistance providence But it is to be said further That the greatest estates of the world being subject to the greatest crosses through want of successe and those great changes to which they are liable this way of preparation to the kingdome of heaven can no way seeme wanting to any estate when a begger is seen no lesse to doâ—e upon this world then an uncleane person is seen to doâ—e upon that whore by whom he is abused It is moreover to be said That the remembrance of death which must and the inconstancy of this world which may deprive us of all the benefits thereof being by Gods judgement the punishment of sin soures all the content of them that drench themselves deepest in the pleasures of this life and gives them just cause to forsake them all in case they stand not with the hope of the world to come And the very injoying of them being injoyed with that conscience which all Châ—â—stians have of Gods providence and the sense of his hand from whence they come is reasonably an advantage to those who injoy the best successe that can be expressâ—d in the course of this world both to become thankfull to God for it and also to prefer â—â—ernity before it Whereby it may appeare that the course of this world disposed by God upon the terms of the covenant of nature containes â—â— it those opportunities and advantages which the act of Gods providence by the grace of Christ knowes easily how to makâ— effectuall to the supernaturall purposes of it This is the place for the rest of that which I am to say of the opinion of Jansenius setling the efficacy of saving grace upon other grounds then those which I use The ground of it seems to stand upon the observation of S. Augustin de corrept gratia Chap. XI XII Distinguishing between the help of grace without which the worke of grace is not don that by which it is don auxilium sine quo non and auxilium quo and comparing the grace of Christ which cometh to effect notwithstanding originall concupiscence with the grace given Adam which might have come to effect had he pleased but came not notwithstanding his innocenâ—e as more powerfull in our weakenesse then that in his strength For hereupon he will have the grace of Christ to be onely that which takes effect confining that help without which the worke of grace cannot be don to the state of innocence as ouâ— of date now under oâ—iginall sin So that the freedome of the will is so far from being râ—quisite to â—he effects â—hereof that it hath no being but bâ— the meanes of it consisting in that free love of that which God commandeth because he commandeth it which it inspireth As on the other side the counâ—erfeit of it in them that sin without reluctation bâ—cause free from righteousnesse is nothing but the free lâ—ve of sin for the saâ—isfaction of concupiscence It is therefore in his opinion impertinent how necessarily the grace of Christ determineth the wil to imbrace the true good seeing it is the love of it the delight in it which grace worketh in the wâ—ll that determines it willingly and freely to imbrace it To tâ—ke the more distinct view of this plea let us put the case in him who running full speed in a course of sin is caâ—led by the preaching of the Gospell to become a Christian Or to the same purpose in him who being a Christian and runnâ—ng the same race is summoned by his profession and the grounds thereof to reâ—urne to it In this case can any man imagine that the reasons which move us all to be Christians shâ—uld raise no love of true good no dislike to sin no feare of vengeance no desire of everlasting hapâ—iâ—esse in him that considers them as they deserve Especially being managed by the spirit of God which knocketh at the dore of the heart by that meanes Or can any man question as it is â—he feare of vengeance that beginneth so it is the love of good for Gods sâ—ke that conâ—ummateth the resolution of becoming a true Christiâ—â— But the quâ—stâ—â—n being put about changing the chief end of a mans whole life and doings can it be supposed that any man is prevented with such a delight in true gooâ—nesse as iâ—stâ—ntly to abandon the lust which his bâ—sâ—nesse hath been hitherto to satisfie without demurre or regret I doubt not that God can immediatly crâ—aâ—e in any man that appearance of true good that shall without debate or looking back transport him to the prosecution of it That notwithstanding the Covenant of grace he may doe it Which though a rule to his ordâ—nâ—ry proceeding is no Law to his Soveraigne perogative But him that is thus sâ—ved though sâ—ved by grace yet we cannot count to be saved by the Covenant of grace Which proposeth a reward to them who are led by motives thereof notwithstanding the difficulties to the contrary though implying the worke of grace in him that overcometh And this no man more câ—earâ—ly acknowledgeth then Jansenius de gratia Christi VIII 2. where â—â— conâ—esseth that the predetermination of the will by the grace of Christ is not indefeasible but onely when it overcomâ—s as Gods predetermination according to the Dominicans is For by this difference whâ—ch in statiâ—g of this opinion I have not neglected afore the efficacy thereof cannot be attribuâ—ed to â—e â—aâ—ure of that help which overcometh aâ— of an other kind then that which pâ—oveth frustrate And therefore notwithstanding that large and elaborat work of his he hath left us to inquire further whence the efficacy of it proceedeth As having in effect onely resolved us wherein the efficacy of Grâ—ce consisteth in the nature of the formall cause Not from whence it proceedâ—th in the nature of the effective cause which the question indeed demandâ—th And truly the very consideration premised That as freedome from sin coâ—sists in the determination of the will to righteousnesse which the Grace of Chrâ—st effecteth so freedome from righteousnesse in the determination of it to sin which it acteth Inâ—orceth an other kind of freedome common to both estates not importing praise or dispraise but a capacity of either by doing that which no necessity determineth a man to doe And therefore that though the grace of Christs Crosse be the medecine yet till it be freely taken it worketh not the cure This is that freedome from necessity by the present condition of our nature the use whereof
say that there is enough in the doctrine of the Schoole or in the dâ—cree of the Council of Trent to show that they cannot intend the first sense but that they must acknowledge it to Gods free promise which being accepted becomes the Covenant of Grace This followes upon severall points of their doctrine First as they make at least the materiall of originall sinne to consist in concupiscence the remains whereof in the regenâ—rate â—re therefore even with them of the same nature and kind though rebated and acquiâ—ed of the nature and effect of sinne which is to make liable to death For this cannot hold but in regard of severall Lawes whereof the one forbiddeth this concupiscence the other allowes reconciliation and grace supposing it as I said afore that Law that succeedes being the Covenant of Grace Secondly as it requires the Sacrament of Baptisme to the allowance of this righteousnesse in lieu of the reward which it challenges For the Sacrament of baptisme being a part of the Christian Law which is the Covenant of Grace and so a Secondary and positive provision for the salvation of mankind lost by Gods originall Law it were a contradiction to say that any thing claimed by viâ—tue thereof should be due by Gods originall Law Thirdly and lastly in regard of that sound sense in which they clearely and freely maintaine the satisfaction of Christ which by the promises is nothing else but the consideration for which God accepts the acts and the quâ—litiâ—â— which the Gospell requires in due plea for that which it premisâ—s For imputation being nothing else in common reason but the immediate consequencâ— of satisfaction the righteousnesse which God imputes to Abrahams spirituall seed as to his person according to S. Paul Roâ— IV. 16 24 cannot depend upon the meer worth of the condition required but upon the free grace of God accepting it for that it is not worth in consideration of the obedience of Christ Lastly I say there is appearance of reason to move men that are jealous of the glory of Gods grace to thinke that they claâ—me the promises of the Gospel as due by Gods originall Law to that infused righteousnesse by having whereof they say we are righteous before God First in that they depart from the language of the Scripture and the true meaning thereof in making justification to consist in the infusion of righteousnesse which though it presupposeth by the premises formally it signifieth not For having showed that the condition which the Gospell requires is allowed of grace in consideration of Christ to qualify us for the promises of it it remains beyond question that the righteousnesse which the Gospell requireâ— is of it selfe râ—all true righteousnesse because it is God that allowes it and accepts it to that effect to which he accepts not the righteousnesse of an hypocrite Allwayeâ— understanding it to be the righteousnesse of one that turneth from sinne with a sincere and effectuall resolutâ—on to serve God in all thinges for the future Whose righteousnesse may well be called infused righteousnesse in regard of the helpes of Gods grace whereby it is effected though we suppose no other kiâ—d of quality beside that disposition which brings a man to Baptisme to succeede upon it but onely the habituall assistance of the Holy Ghost promised â—o inable all them that sincerely undertake Christianity to preforme what they undertake Thus then making justification to consist not in Gods allowance but in his act of infusing righteousnesse they create appearance â—o reason that the righteousnesse so infused is in their opinion that righteousnesse before God to which the promises of the Gospell are due by his originall Law For if there were not other points of theire doctrine to create another interpretation of it there could be no other sense for it then this Secondly in that they make this righteousnesse to consist not in any acceptation and allowance of God but in his grace really infused into that soule which out of an act of the love of God raised by the helpes of his grace supposing faith and hope joyned with servile feare afore had resolved upon Baptisme For what allowance can this love be imagined to need as of grace to make the promises of the Gospell by Gods originall Law due to it if it be admitted for righteousnesse before God Here I must doe them right I must not say that it is the Council of Trent or that it is any act of the Church obligatory to all the Communion that ownes it that obliges them to attribute the effect of justifying to Gods infused Grace by virtue of the nature of it and not by virtue of his Grace in accepting it to that purpose For it is notorious and you may find the names of the Doctors in Vasquez in 1. 2. Disput CCIV. Num. 1. 2. 3. that hold this grace not to render men gracefull to God for it selfe but by his free accepting it to that effect The Nominals in particular besides Durandus and Alliacensis by name In the meane time no man can deny that it is lawfull to â—old that we are justâ—fied by the worth and naturall perfection of Gods infused Grace Which though he freely giveth yet can he not refuse justification having given it And therefore they who place their Religion in making theire distance from Hereticks as our Puritaines from Antichrist as wide as they can possible have taught and still doe teach that the supernaturall infused righteousnesse of Christans which as I said they make to consist principally in the love of God above all thinges of it owne worth and intrinsecall perfection and not by Gods accepting of it to that effect not onely formally remitteth sinne as formally it expelleth the same but so justifieth that God were unjust should he not justify Christians in consideration of it And what could have been said more expresse that it is due by Gods originall law not by any dispensation in it which the promise of the Gospell importeth That the grace of God in Christ iâ— not seene in rewarding that disposition which the Gospell requireth but in giving those helpes whereby we attaine unto it A thing never a whit more contradictory to that which hath been proved here then to other points of their owne Profession alleged even now Before I leave this point for the clearing of that which I said that the Council of Trâ—â—t seemeth to have inacted the doctrine of the Scholâ— for mater of Faith not that indeed it hath so done I will observe that it hath not decreede that we are justified by Grace habitually dwelling in the Soule But onely that through the merit of Christs passion the love of God is diffused in the harts of those that are justified and is inherent in them so that in theire justification with remission of sinnes they receive Faith Hope and Charity as infused into them Sâ—ss VI. Cap VII For here it is expressely claimed by Doctors of that Church not
man that comeâ— into the world with concupiscence becomes either habituated to the love of God above all things or indowed with the habituall assistance of Gods Spirit by that promise which the Gospell importeth Thus much is to be seenâ— by that which hath been said That in the justification of a sinner by Christianity which I have showed to be the condition of it there is a twofold change either implied or signified For that a man should become reconciled to God continues in the same affection to himselfe and the world as before he heard of Christ is a thing which the soâ—ereâ—t of them that dispute justification by faith alone abhorre And that a man by the Gospel should be intitled to no more then that disposition which be is changed to obligeth God to give is no lesse horrible to them that dispute justification by the works of faith And therefore besides that change in the nature and disposition of him that becomes estaâ—ed in the promises of the Gospel which justification involveth there is another change in Gods esteeme which is morall by virtue of his free promise which the change which his nature hath received signifieth not because Gods will onely infâ—rs it The former of these the Schoole insist upon and they seeme to follow S. Austinâ— in it who though he have nothing to doe with any conceit of habituall grace yet most an end attributeth the effect of justifying even before God to those inherent acts of righteousnesse whereby the grace of God translateth his enimies into that state of his grace The later though it be that which both the Scriptures and the most ancient records of the Church doe expresse yet so long as the effect of justifying is attributed to the disposition which is inherent in the soule not for the worth of it but by Gods Grace it can containe nothing either formally destructive or by consequence prejudiciall to the Faith That the one is fundamentally implyed the other formally signified in the justification of a Christian belongs rather to the skill of a divine in understanding the Scriptures then to the virtue of a Christian in holding the faith What the Church thinkes of the workes of those who believing do not yet declare themselves Christians by procuring Baptisme as it is a consideration fit for this place so is it manifest by the doubt which they make of the salvation of those that dye in that estate For though the life that they live supposing the preventing Grace of the holy Ghost to bring them to that estate must needs be ascribed to the same yet is it not as yet under the promise of reward because they are not yet under the Covenant of Grace but onely disposed to it And how good soever their life may be yet so long as it proceeds not to an effectuall resolution of undertaking Christs Crosse it is buâ— actuall and dependeth dâ— facto upon the assistance of Gods Spirit which dâ— jurâ— they can challenge no title in being not yet estated in Gods promises but onely prevented by those helps which they can claime no difference of right in from those that are not prevented with the same But he that undertakes Christs Crosse by coming to Baptisme with a good conscience obtaineth remission of sinnes adoption to be Gods Sonne and right and title to everlasting life Which adoption and which title as they are morall rights and qualities so are they meer appendences of that justification which God alloweth the Faith of those that are baptized sincerely without consideration of workes according to the doctrine of the Fathers Supposing it is true as much change as between a Christian and no Christian in him that obtaines them in which regard it is no marvaile if remission of sinnes or justification be ascribed to the said change many times in their writings For how such sayings are to be understood imports onely the signification of words not the salvation of a Christian but not importing Gods consideration of their qualities the consideration of whose works is excluded S. Augustine it is true considering this change in him that is justified which is indeed the ground upon which God accepteth of his Faith to that purpose and using the word justifying to signify the same hath occasioned the Schoole to agree in that forme of doctrine which the Council of Trent canonizeth But though he frequent the terme more then others in that sense yet can he no wayes be thought to depart from the meaning of the rest who do sometimes describe justification by the ground which it supposeth sometimes by the quality in Gods account which it signifyeth Acknowledging all of them the gift of the holy Ghost to be obtained by this faith which justifyeth of Gods free Grace indeed which onely moved him to set the Gospel on foot but as due by the promise which it containeth to abide and to dwell with him that voides not the condition upon which it is granted This grace of the holy Ghost habitually dwelling in them that have undertaken Christs Crosse to inable them to go through with the work of it as it cannot be unfruitfull in good works so are those works henceforth under the promise of reward which no workes done afore Baptisme can challenge I must not leave this point till I have said a word or two of Socinus his opinion as to this point of justifying faith For as concerning the two points premised I conceive I have showed you that it is no lesse destructive to Faith in teaching that a man is able of himself to imbrace and to fulfill all that the Gospel requires at his hands withoâ—â— any help of Gods grace granted in respect of our Lord Christs obedience Then that God accepteth what a man is so able to performe not out of any consideration thereof but of his own free goodnesse which moving him to settle such a decree moved him to send our Lord Christ to publish and assure it As for the rest of his opinion having maintained that the efficacy of all acts whether of Gods grace or of mans will toward the obtaining of the promises of the Gospel necessarily depends upon the receiving of Baptisme where the outward fulfilling of the promises of a positive precept which the onely will of him that is converted to Christianity fulfilleth not is not unavoidablely prevented by casualties which his will cannot overcome I suppose I have by that meanes showed that his opinion is destructive to Christianity because destructive to the precept of receiving Baptisme without which no man is a Christian And truly this imputation reflects upon the other extreme opinion concerning the justification of a Christian which ascribing it to believing that a man is predestinate excludes it from being necessary either as a meanes to salvation or as a thing commanded both which considerations concurre in the necessity of it supposing the premises For the necessity of that which is necessary as the meanes and the
suspended and interrupted as in him that cannot have confidence in God as reconciled to God in regard of these sinnes the seed of it notwithstanding remaining by virtue of that act of Faith whereby being reconciled as these are that are for ever reconciled to him he remains certaine of helpes of grace that shall be effectuall to work in him true repentance and of reconcilement upon supposition of it Whereupon it must be said the contrary that those whom God receiveth into grace without any purpose of granting them the grace of perseverance cannot be said to be justified without some terme of abatement signifying the justification granted them to be as to the sense of the Church or to an opinion unduely conceived by themselves but not as to God So that their faith also must be understood to be a confidence unduely grounded the failing whereof is not the disanulling of that which once was good but the discovering of that which once seemed good and was not This opinion so limited as I have said I should not think destructive to Christianity for the reason delivered afore concerning that opinion of justiing faith upon which it followes But as I then concluded that though not destructive to the Faith yet that opinion from whence it followeth is not true according to the true sense of the Scriptures wherein the skill of a Divine consisteth So must I here conclude that this opinion of perseverance which proceedeth upon that supposition of justifying faith which though not destructive to the Faith yet is not true is also not true though not destructive to the Faith The other which proceeds upon that supposition of justifying faith and predestination which is destructive to the faith remaining both untrue and destructive to the faith I grant that though the gift of the holy Ghost which is as I have said the habituall assistance of it being granted in consideration of a mans undertaking Christianity becomes void upon not performing that which a man undertakes yet God of his free goodnesse not as obliged by any promise of the Gospel may continue the assistance thereof but upon the same terms as he first grants the help of it to bring men out of the state of sinne into the state of grace I grant that the resolution of believing the faith of Christ and of living according to the same in the profession of Christianity having been once made upon reasons convincing a man that he is bound so to do cannot be changed at his pleasure in an instant though it fall out that he be overtaken with some sinne that laies wast the conscience But the promises of the Gospel being made in consideration of undertaking the profession of Christianity and therefore incompetible to those that live not according to it I say that they all become void to him that falls into such a sinne For the Covenant of Grace passing upon supposition of originall concupiscence remaining in the regenerate and insnaring them all with the occasions of sinne It cannot be imagined that all sinne makes it void But on the other side some sinnes being of so grosse a nature that a man cannot be surprized by them but that the being so conquered must imply a resolution to preferre this world before the world to come must needs forfeit those promises which depend upon the Covenant of Grace a rebellion against which they containe and declare So that unlesse the free grace of God by the operation of his Spirit bring a man back to repentance the whole resolution of being a Christian shall in time be blotted out though the profession because it imports the benefit of this world in Christian states remain counterfeit This is then the reason of my resolution necessarily following upon the premises that the sincere profession of Christianity is the condition of the Covenant of Grace seeing it is not imaginable that any man should hold any priviledge at Gods hands by professing that which he performeth not The profession as it serveth to aggravate the sinne which it committed under it as done in despite of all the grace of God and the conviction which it tendereth to reduce us to Christianity and the profession made in submission to the same condemning a man by his own sentence So containing the condition upon which all the promises become due upon the violation whereof on the contrary they must of necessity become void And this is the reason that leaves no place for any composition of this difference by saying that a man remains absolutely justified when the particular sinne which is not yet repented of is not pardoned For seeing the wages of it is death so farre as the Covenant of Grace dispenses not and seeing the Covenant of Grace cannot protect him that transgresseth the termes of it of necessity he falls into the same estate which he was under setting the Covenant of Grace aside as if to him our Lord Christ had neither been borne nor crucified nor risen againe Those that suffer the truth of this condition to be obscured by defective interpretations of that faith which alone justifieth and the scripturs concerning the same it is no mervaile if they can imagine a reconciliation betweene the state of sinne and the state of grace in the same man at the same time which makes the positive will of God declared by the Gospell to dispense with the necessary and naturall hate he beares to all sinners for their sinne But when it is once discoverd that by the termes of the Gospell God who declares himselfe ready to be reconciled to all sinners is declared unreconcileable to any so long as he continueth in sinne then must it necessarily appeare that the positive will of God declared by the Gospell concurring with the naturall detestation of sinne which is essentiall to the purity of his nature whosoever is under the guilt of sinne remains liable to his wrath And proceeding upon this ground as I doe I shall not thinke my selfe obliged to take notice of those thinges which have lately beene disputed in great volumes upon this point to and againe For presuming that the parties have not the ground upon which I proceed in debate As of necessity he who seemes to come short of proving his intent without it may with it be able to make the conviction effectuall which he tenders So he that seemes to have made the worse cause seeme the better without considering it must provide new evidence to make the condition of the Covenant of Grace seeme otherwise then I have showed it to be before he can thinke to have done his worke Notwithstanding because there are many texts of Scripture which evidently fortify the summe of Christianity setled upon the termes of the Covenant of Grace by demonstrating the failleure of the promise upon failleure of the condition to which the Gospell makes it due I take it to be part of my businesse to point at the cheife of them without being much troubled to
any now unlesse the signification thereof be fuâ—ther limited by other terms which being added to it every man will allow may determine a sense utterly prejudiciall to it True it is divers have observed that the word merâ—râ— in good Latine especially of those later ages in which the Fathers writ signifies no more then to attaine compasse or purchase Arguing from thence that the workes of Christians merit heaven in their sense and language no otherwise then because they are the meanes by which we attaine it So Cassander observes that S. Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. I. 13. is by S. Cyprian translated misericordiam merui not intending to say that S. Paul deserved that mercy which he professes to have received of Grace But onely to signify that he found mercy and attained it But though I should grant that this word may signify no more in the language of the Fathers yet the Faith and the sense out of which it is evident that they spake will inforce that it doth signify as much as I say when they speak of our coming to heaven by our workes For having once resolved that the Covenant of Grace renders life everlasting due by Gods promise to those that lâ—ve as at their Baptisme they undertook though not for the worth of their workes yet by the mercy of God in Christ which moved him to tender such a promise he that sayes a man attaines heaven by the meanes of those workes which he lives in like a Christian sayes that those workes of his do merit heaven in the sense that I challenge For as for those that will have the workes of Christians to merit heaven of their own intrinsicke value Of those I have already said that I conceive they do prejudice the Christian â—aith in not allowing the necessity of Gods grace through Christ in accepting the condition which the Gospel requires for such a reward as the intrinsick value of it cannot deserve by Gods originall law For granting those helps of Gods grace in Christ being supernaturall and heavenly to hold proportion and correspondence with the reward of life everlasting which is the same Yet will it not follow that in all regards for the purpose in that the actions which they produce are momentany the reward everlasting which is the consideration S. Paul uses Rom. VIII 18. 1 Cor. VII 17 18. the correspondence will produce an equality of value And though the first principle of them be heavenly and supernaturall which is the help which God for Christs sake allowes yet seeing that it comes not immediately to effect but by the meanes of the faculties of mans soule infected with originall concupiscence it cannot be said that they can demand a reward correspondent to heavenly grace alone when earthly weakness concurres to imbase and allay the value of that which it produceth But as it cannot be denied that the Church of Rome in which that Order which maintainâ—s this extremity hath so great credit allowes this doctrine of merit to be taught yet can it not be said to injoine it Because there have not wanted to this day Doctors of esteem that have alwayes held otherwise Among whom I may very well name Sylvius now or lately Professor of Divinity at Doway who in his Commentaries upon the second part of Thomas Aquinas his Summe expounds that meritum de condigno which the Schoole attributes to the workes of Christians to be grounded in dignatione Dei because God vouchsafes and daignes to accept them whose they are as worthy of the reward expressing also the promise of the Gospell whereby this condescension of God is declared The Schoole Doctors found out the termes of meritum ex congruo ex condigno merit of congâ—uity and condignity Some of them because they thought That the workes of meer nature deserve supernaturall grace in regard that it is fit that God should reward him that doth his best with it That works done in the state of Grace are worth the Glory of the world to come But as the former part of the position which is planted upon these terms is rejected by many So they who onely acknowledge meritum congrui in workes done in the state of grace that is to say that it is fit for God to reward them with his kingdome say no more then that it was fit for God to promise such a reward Which whoso denieth must say that God hath promised that which it was unfit for him to promise And if the dignity of our works in respect of the reward may have this tolerable sense because God daignes and vouchsafes it The Councill of Trent which hath inacted no reason why they are to be counted merits can neither bear out these high opinions nor be said to prejudice the Faith in this point For The kingdom of God is not in word but in power if S. Paul say true And therefore though I affect not the terme of merit which divers of the Reformation do not reject Yet can I not think it so far from the truth so prejudiciall to the faith as the peevish opinions of those that allow not good workes necessary to salvation but as signes of Faith For that which necessarily comes in consideration with God in bestowing the reward which the condition he contracteth for must necessarily do though it cannot have the nature of merit because the Covenant it self is granted meerly of Grace in consideration of Christs death yet it is of necessity to be reduced to the nature and kind of the meritorious cause Nor can the glory of God or the merit of Christ be obscured by any consideration of our works that is grounded upon the merit of our Lord Christ and expresseth the tincture of his bloud The end of the Second Book Laus Deo OF THE LAWES OF The Church The Third BOOK CHAP. I. The Society of the Church founded upon the duty of communicating in the Offices of Gods Service The Sacrament of the Eucharist among those Offices proper to Christianity What opinions concerning the presence of Christs Body and Blood in the Eucharist are on foot IF God had onely appointed the Profession of Christianity to be the condition qualifying for the world to come leaving to every mans judgment to determine what that Christianity is and wherein it consists which it is necessary to salvation hee professe and what that conversation is which his salvation requireth There had been no cause why I should go any further in this Dispute But having showed that God hath appointed the Sacrament of Baptisme to be a necessary means to salvation limiting thereby the profession of Christianity which hee requireth to be deposited and consigned in the hands of his Church whom hee hath trusted for the maintaining and propagating of it I have thereby showed that hee hath appointed all Christians to live in the Communion of the Church The effect of Baptisme being to admit unto full Communion in those Offices wherewith God is