knoweth not God for God is Love And we have known and believed the Love that God hath to us God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him So did some of the oldest of the Greek Poets call the Supream Deity and the Original of all Beings by the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Love And so Plato and his Disciples call the First Person in their Trinity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self goodness 'T is by this Vertue of Love that we are made partakers of the Divine Nature most eminently that being the Highest Perfection of the Image of God that we are capable of For God is Love not causally only but essentially Other Graces are from him Quicquid in Deo est Deus est but this is in him and whatsoever is so is himself Other Graces of Humility temperance and even those two mentioned by the Apostle together with this Faith and Hope do connotate something of imperfection incompetible to the Divine Nature But Love is Pure and Perfect Goodness Our English Name of God comes from Good And 't is observable from Exod. 34.6 where the name of God is proclaimed by himself most of the Royal Titles that make up the Dignity and Perfection of that Great Name are no other than a Comment upon this simple and Essential Attribute of Love The Lord passed by before him Moses and proclaimed The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth keeping mercy for Thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin And 't is this Vertue of Love that makes us partakers of the Name of God in a qualified sense Homo homini Deus one man is a petty God to another as he is a Benefactor Such only were the Hero's and minor Deities of the Heathens Such as had been Eminent Benefactors to their Country in their Lives and were therefore Deified after their Death Such were all earthly Gods Kings and Princes they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Benefactors Luke 22.25 So the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used for a Prince and rendred by the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth primarily signifie a Liberal Magnificent Benefactor I say therefore that Love is the most Divine Grace as having most of the Name and Nature of God in it On the contrary those Vicious Dispositions which are most directly opposite to Love are the most Satanical and Diabolical malice hatred envy c. 2. Charity is the most Christian Virtue most strictly charged by Christ himself by his special Command and signally expressed in his Singular Example Jo. 15.12 This is my Commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you The Pronoun my is Emphatical signifying the Special Weight that he puts upon this Commandment And this is the reason as St Hierom reports that was given by the Beloved Disciple St John when the question was put to him by his Auditors why he did so much in ulcate that Precept in his Preaching Filioli diligite alterutrum Little children love one another he answered quia est preceptum Domini because it was the Command of his Lord meaning the Special and Principal Commandment and that which being obeyed would secure the fulfilling of all the rest that concerned humane society and was most necessary for the Constitution and the Preservation of the Church Indeed all Societies are maintained by the common Cement of Amity nor can any subsist without it But the Christian Society was designed to be the most Perfect of any that was possible to be amongst men and therefore was necessary to be most strictly obliged to this Bond of Perfection And therefore This precept of Charity was by Christ perfected in the proper measures and significations thereof and to be extended to all Mankind without exception of enemies which by no other law of Heathens or Jews had been expressly required Amicos diligere omnium est inimicos solorum Christianorum Tertul. To love friends was a common acknowledged obligation and practice of all men but to love Enemies too was a pure Christian law Joh. 13.34 Mat. 5.44 A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you He calls it a new Commandment notwithstanding it was as old as any other as old as Moses or Adam as to the matter and substance of it but almost antiquated by the manners of men and not well understood by the Jews and therefore was renewed by him who was the great Reformer of the world by his precept and example And this mutual love and amity was assigned by Him to be the badge and cognisance or mark of his Disciples whereby they should be known and distinguished from other People Joh. 12.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another And accordingly this was observed in the primitive times as the signal mark and distinction of Christians as is testified by Tertullian or Minutius Felix Vide inquiunt ut invicem se diligunt 3. Love is the most Spiritual Grace 'T is the first fruit of the Spirit in St. Pauls Catalogue Gal. 5.22 The fruit of the Spirit is Love c. And the rest that are added are no other then the known effects and symptoms of Love The fruits of the Spirit are Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Meckness c. 'T is the distinct character and proper attribute of the Holy Spirit as that name signifies the Third Person in the Blessed Trinity The three Primalities or signal properties noted in the Trinity of Persons are Power belonging to the Father Almighty Wisdome to the Son the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom are hid all the Treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2.3 and Love to the Holy Ghost which is that which consummates the perfection of the Divine Nature rendring it infinitely good as well as great powerfull and wise And this Infinite Goodness is the flower and ultimate glory of the Divine Nature crowning his wisdom and power So that as the First Person in the Trinity may be esteemed the most Excellent in as much as it is the fountain and basis of the whole Deity and of all Being And the Second Person represented by the title of Wisdom called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ratio prima est substantialis is the first natural Emergency or advance of the same Being and therefore called the Son So the Third Person which is expressed by Love and is the immediate principle of all communication of Being and Goodness may in that respect be said to be flos gloria Deitatis the flower and glory and perfection of the whole Deity as the word Glory doth properly signifie the manifest ation and illustration of any Excellency CHAP. I. NOW the Text that I am treating of is an Exhortation to this most Divine most Christian most Spiritual Vertue emphatically expressed as a matter of greatest
make use of Texts and Sayings in the Old Testament in a different Sence from that which did belong to them there As in Mat. 2.15 and 23. 2 Cor. 8.15 and elsewhere frequently And this Answer I take to be sufficient for this first Objection against our Interpretation of St. Peters words 2. Objection But another main Objection and that which is most like to be insisted upon against this Interpretation is that it seems to favour the Popish Doctrines of Merit Satisfaction and Justification by Works and to be repugnant to the Evangelical Doctrine of the most full perfect and sufficient Expiation and Satisfaction for the sins of the whole World made only by the Sacrifice of Christs death and applied only by Faith The covering and pardon of sin is the Effect of Gods grace granted only upon the consideration of Christs death upon condition of a true Faith in him wrought by the Spirit of God through the hearing of the Gospel Answer To this Objection I answer 1. That although some Papists interpreting this Text as I do may be found to alledge it among other Texts for the confirmation of some of the Doctrines mentioned in the Objection yet neither is this Sense vouched by all Interpreters of their Profession nor can any of those Doctrines be further evinced or confirmed from this Text so understood then it may be from other Texts before alledged for the Confirmation of the Doctrine against which the Objection is made Nor is the free grace of God or the sufficiency of that Expiation or Satisfaction which was made by the death of Christ any more abated by this Doctrine than it is by that which all the forementioned Texts import 2. The words Merit and Satisfaction are known to have been familiarly used in reference to Good Works by the most ancient of the Latin Fathers and particularly by St. Cyprian one of the most Primitive in a Catholick Orthodox Sense Both the words are Innocent in the Sense of the Fathers though they have been perverted by the Schoolmen And Justification by Works is certainly as true in St. James's Sence as 't is false in St. Pauls The late Controversies that have been concerning these Points do not so much respect the words as the extravagant Sense that hath been put upon them by the Schoolmen who have intangled and corrupted a great part of Christian Doctrine by their misinterpreting the Fathers determining the simplicity of their Popular Expressions by their own Capricious and Litigious Conceits into such Dogmatical Sense as was never thought of by the Antients But in the particular Controversies about Merit Satisfaction and Justification by Works there hath been so much of Logomachy or word-bate as might in my opinion be fairly compromised or accorded by Judicious Arbitratours whose minds were free from all prejudice but that against Contention and Division and were more zealous for Unity and Concord than for disputable and opinionative Truth But for to undertake that task in this place would not be reasonable That all Pardon of sin is founded upon the Expiation or Propitiation made by the Bloud of Christ and granted or obtained only by the Free Grace of God is not denied by any Sect or Party of Christians that I know of Although some Differences have been about the Conditions of this Grant For to say that this Grace is granted without any Condition or Qualification of the Receiver is in my Judgment to deny a great part of the Scriptures as well of the New Testament as of the Old destructive as well of the New Covenant as of the Old no more Antinomian than Anti-evangelical Doubtless it is of Free Grace that God will pardon a sinner upon any Condition Nor is it possible for us to do any thing sufficient to make Satisfaction for our sins or to merit the Forgiveness of them in rigor of Justice because all that is in our Power to do is no more then our Duty if God requires it And all that we do is much less And as the duty of Well doing in the utmost Extent is a just Debt of Thankfulness at least if not of Preceptive Obligation to Almighty God to whom we owe our selves and all that we have or can do So the Punishment we are liable to for neglecting our Duty or acting contrary thereunto in our Evil doings is another Debt by our Saviours account signified to us in that Form of Prayer which he hath taught us to use Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors Mat. 6.12 But it is altogether unreasonable one Debt can be discharged by the Payment of another especially when the Payment falls so much short of the old Debt as it doth in any thing we do Besides that upon a due account Charity it self and every Good Work that can be done by us doth increase our debt to God because it cannot be done without his Grace Nevertheless God of his Free Grace hath promised the Remission of sin upon certain Conditions declared in his Word amongst which this of Charity is one that by a common Synechdoche of a Part for the Whole includes all the rest And whereas in the New Testament Faith in Christ is more commonly propounded as the Condition of Justification importing the Remission of sin it is to be considered that this Faith is so far from excluding Charity that it is expressly said to include it by St. Paul himself the supposed Author of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith without Works Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be to be understood in a Passive sense as most commonly it is elsewhere in Scripture and in other Books and as it is here rendred by the Syriack Translator and so meaning that Faith is actuated perfected and made effectual by Love or in the Active sense as our English Translation gives it signifying the Efficacy Energy or Operation of Faith only The Meaning of the Apostle by the Addition of these Words can be no other then to limit and distinguish the nature of that Faith which is available to Justification from an hypocritical dead and ineffectual Faith which is altogether invalid availing nothing at all to the Effect of Justification The Active sense of the Word as well as the Passive serving to declare the true Nature and Notion of a Justifying Faith to be Energetical and Practical i. e. producing such effects of the Will as are agreeable to the entire Object of it that is to the Authority of Christ his Doctrine and Precepts as well as such as respect only the Effect of Redemption or Expiation of sin by his Death And such is the necessity of this Charity by the Doctrine of the same Apostle that he elsewhere saith Though I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13.3
Where by all Faith undoubtedly is meant all the Faith that can be had without Charity and needs not to be restrained to the particular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or extraordinary Gift of the Faith of Miracles whereof he speaks in the former Chapter ver 12. To this Purpose St. James Chap. 2.22 saith Faith is made perfect by Works not excluding any sort of Good Works but specially treating of the works of Charity as appears by the Context from verse the 13. to the 18. And whereas he saith Faith is made perfect by Works he speaks not only of a Gradual Perfection or of the Consummation or Preservation of Faith or of the Ornament Demonstration or signal evidence of Faith as some would have it but of such an essential and formal Perfection as is necessary to the nature of Truth and sincerity of Faith as appears by that repeated Sentence both before and after these Words ver 17. Faith without Works is dead and ver 26. As the Body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without Works is dead also Whether by the Spirit he means the Breath as some take it because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus sometime signifies no more or rather the Soul which is the most usual Sense of the word in Scripture the Meaning comes all to one signifying that an idle or fruitless Faith hath no more of Spiritual Life or Reality in it than a Body can have without Breath or without a Soul and therefore is no more a true and unfeigned Faith than a dead Carcass is a human Body Indeed the true justifying saving Faith in the practical Notion which is the only true Notion of it includes Charity together with all other Good Works as I have elsewhere largely shewed So that if Faith be necessary to the Covering or Remission of sin Charity is so too But the common Answer to these and all other Texts produced to evince the Necessity of Charity and Good Works to the Salvation of a sinner is that they prove only a necessity of Presence and Concomitancy or at most a necessity of Consequence not of Efficacy that is that this Necessity doth not respect the End or Effect of Faith in the Justification or Salvation of the Believeer but proceeds only from the common nature and principle of that Faith which is an effect of the Spirit of God the necessary Fruits whereof do consist in Love Joy Peace Long-suffering c. which distinct Vertues with their proper Works do not contribute any thing to the Effect of our Justification but are meer Concomitants or at most but gratefull Effects of that Faith which justifieth us Which useth to be illustrated by a Similitude borrowed from the natural and animal Life wherein the particular faculties of Seeing or taking hold of a thing by the Touch do necessarily imply such a common Principle of sensitive Life as doth also comprehend the powers and faculties of Hearing Smelling and Tasting yet none of these Faculties or any act of them do or can contribute any thing efficiently to the effect of Seeing Apprehending or laying hold of an Object So the Grace of Charity or Love to God and Man together with all those other Fruits of the Spirit which are mentioned by the Apostle and all the Effects and Works which do proceed from them are indeed necessary Concomitants of such a Faith as justifies or saves a Man but do contribute no more nor have any more Efficacy to this effect of Justification and Salvation than the distinct Faculties of other Senses do to the effect of Seeing This I take to be a true Account of their Sense that assert the Doctrine of Justification and Pardon of sin by Faith only as that imports a habit or act really distinct though not separated from other Christian Vertues In opposition to this Opinion contradicting the Doctrine which I maintain to be the Sense of the Apostle in this Text confirmed as hath been seen by many others I am engaged to prove that Charity and Good Works are necessary to the Justification of a sinner that is to the Remission of his sin not only by way of Concomitancy or joint Presence with Faith or consequent to it but also by way of moral Efficacy as a Condition or Means to obtain that Effect This I hope will be sufficiently done by the following Arguments this one postulate or conclusion which I suppose will not be denied being first granted me viz. That if any thing else beside the habit or act of Faith considered as really distinct from other Christian Vertues or Acts be effectual or available to the Remission of sin then Charity is or may be so in as much as that is one of the most Excellent of Christian Vertues most agreeable to the Nature of God and consequently most pleasing to him So that if that be not available to this End nothing else besides Faith can be so This Proposition being granted I argue as followeth 1. Argument If it be certain from Scripture and we be bound to believe that nothing which can be done by us besides such a Faith as is supposed to be really distinct though not separate from all Good Works can be of any Efficacy towards the remission of our sins then ought nothing else to be done by us towards that end because every such other act done to this end would by this supposition be perfectly vain and unreasonable and not so only but also contrary to our obliged belief And then to pray for the forgiveness of our sins that being an act distinct from Faith would be not only needless and useless but unlawful especially if it should be acted with any opinion hope or belief that such a prayer could avail us any thing in order to this end or that this end could any way be promoted by our Prayers But this is directly contrary to our Saviours Precept in that Form of Prayer which he hath taught us to use wherein we are directed to pray that God will forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And contrary to the advice of St. Peter to Simon Magus Acts 8.22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee Where also it is to be noted that the Apostle adviseth him not only to pray for the forgiveness of his sin but also to repent of it in order to the same end The same advice is given by the same Apostle to the Jews in the first Sermon which he made unto them after the reception of the Holy Ghost Acts 2.37 38. Having convinced them of their hainous sin in the murder of the Lord Jesus and made them sensible of it Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles men and brethren what shall we do Then Peter said unto them repent and be baptizid every one of you in the
as to constitute and make up the Truth and Validity thereof and thereby to declare the Efficacy thereof the Question is really yielded And these things must be acknowledged to have a concurrent Efficacy to the forementioned Effect which is all that is contended for But if by the verification of Faith no more be meant then a bare manifestation of the truth of it by the Signs and Fruits of it that is the same thing with the former allegation concerning the necessity or usefulness of these things for the Assurance of a mans Justification or Salvation But whether this be the true intent or only meaning of the Promises and Exhortations made to these Practices I appeal to the Judgment of any Unprejudiced Reader that shall review and consider the express Terms and Forms of Words used in them When we pray for the Forgiveness of our sins must this be the only Meaning â—r not that God will be pleased to forgive us upon any consideration of our Prayers but that he will give us an Assurance that he hath forgiven us I appeal to the Conscience of any of them that make this Allegation to serve an Hypothesis which they have unwarily espoused whether this hath been or is their own Sense in their Prayers for the Pardon of their sin Which is no other then if a Criminal petitioning a King for his Pardon should thereby intend not to obtain it but only to be assured that it was granted When our Saviour promiseth that if we will forgive Men their Trespasses our Heavenly Father will also forgive us our Trespasses is that his only Meaning that our Forgiving others shall be to us a sign and evidence that we are forgiven but no Means to obtain that Forgiveness When we are exhorted to Repentance for the Remission of our sins which was the common Doctrine of the Prophets of John Baptist our Blessed Saour and his Apostles and particularly of St. Peter in answer to the Question of the Jews what they should do to be saved Acts 2.30 was this their Meaning not to teach Men to repent to that end that they might be saved and their sins be forgiven them but that they might be assured that their sins were forgiven them I desire any Indifferent Reader that is not pertinaciously bent to maintain a Prejudice against all Appearance of Reason to apply this Meaning to the Promises Exhortations and Assertions of Scripture which have been before alledged to this Purpose and then to judge whether all or any of them be to be interpreted to this Sence And if they be I demand why the same promises of Justification Salvation c. made to the act of Faith may not or should not admit of the same Interpretation as some of the Antinomians have contended viz. that Faith it self contributes nothing at all to any of these Effects or Benefits that are thereunto promised or is any Means or Condition of obtaining them but only a sign or means to assure us of our Interest in them Lastly I demand whether any thing possible to be done by us doth serve to qualifie us for the Reception of those Benefits by the Grace of God or be of any Validity or moral Efficacy towards the Obtainment of these Ends If not then Faith can be of no more Efficacy to this purpose then Charity But if any Act or Condition that is possible to be performed by us be any ways effectual or available to these Ends why may not Charity especially as a fruit and effect of Faith be conceived to have a concurrent Efficacy with Faith or subordinate to it agreeable to the many promises of the same Benefits made to Charity and Good Works as well as to Faith And seeing that it is and must be ever acknowledged that it is only of the free Grace of God that Faith is accepted as any condition qualification or means of obtaining these Benefits Seeing also that Charity in the proper nature of it is the most Excellent and most Divine Vertue most conformable to the nature of God himself and therefore said to be the greatest of the three Christian Graces 1 Cor. 13.13 Is it not very reasonable to believe that such a quality most Divine expressing both the Nature and Image of God and being also the Effect of his own free Grace should be accepted as part of that disposition in us that qualifies us for his Favour and Reconciliation merited only by the Expiatory Sacrifice and Obedience of his Son always acknowledged by our Faith in him renouncing all confidence in any thing that we can do as acceptable upon any other account then of his Meritorious Meciation Other reasons are given by Modern Divines of the Protestant Party concerning the necessity of Charity and Good Works exclusive of this we contend for alledging that these things are necessary necessitate praecepti non medii i. e. necessary parts of our Duty in obedience to the Law or Will of God not necessary means of Salvation or obtaining the Benefit of remission of our sins necessary to be practised in order to the pleasing of God the Glorifying and Honouring of his Name to express our Thankfulness to him for all his Benefits especially for his Free Grace of Redemption and Justification procured by the merits of Christ As also necessary to adorn our Holy Profession the Honour of Christ and his Gospel to give Good Example and avoid Scandal c. All which are without Exception to be acknowledged for just Reasons of our Duty But do fignifie nothing to the Question in hand in as much as they do not severally or jointly make any reasonable account either of the promises of Pardon Eternal Life and Salvation to the performances of these Duties or of the Exhortations to the practice of them urged by such Promises These Reasons are indeed just Motives to the Duties of Piety and Charity and urged as such in other Texts of Scripture But of a different sort and nature from those which are propounded in the Promises and Exhortations alledged by us These Reasons with others of like import exclusive of that which is urged by us alledged as the only account of the necessity of Good Works do utterly destroy and make void the validity of the Motives in the forementioned Promises And here with as little disparagement as may be to the Author I think it lawfull for me to mention the great dissatisfaction not to say Scandal which I long since took from the common outlandish Catechism set forth first by Zachary Vrsin and afterward by David Paraeus Anno D. 1623. who intitles the third part of his Book wherein he undertakes to give an account of the necessity of Good Works and all the practical part of Christian Religion de Gratitudine of Gratitude or Thankfulness to God for our Deliverance from the misery of the Natural State and our Liberty recovered by Christ which are the titles of his two former parts This General Title and Account of
same natural Spirit Nor do we deny but that Faith is the first Act that disposeth a Man to the Receipt of this Divine Spirit dwelling in him whereby it may be said to effect or procure our Union with Christ whereby we partake both of the Nature and the Effects and Benefits of his Righteousness But the imputation of Christs Righteousness to us is no Scriptural Phrase but differs very much from that of St. Paul asserting not the Righteousness of Christ but Faith working by Charity to be imputed for Righteousness to them that believe Rom. 4.5 24. But if it be the act or habit of Faith which is imputed to us for Righteousness according to the express literal Sense of the Apostles words then 't is not the Personal Righteousness of Christ that is imputed to us for our Faith is no part of his Righteousness But because the Phrase of Christs Righteousness imputed to us hath been commonly used by Divines of very good Note amongst Protestants though no man can be obliged to admit it in a strict Sense it being not found in Scripture yet I think for Peace sake it should not be absolutely rejected much less with any reflections of Reproach or Disparagement to them that have used it but rather admitted in such a Candid Sense as it may fairly bear As if the Son of a Prince or some other Person of Great Merit and Favour with him should undertake to be Mediator for some Rebel that had justly incurred the Displeasure of his Prince and rendred himself obnoxious to the highest penalty of Law should of his own Good Will by the Appointment and Will of the Prince act or suffer something for and on the behalf of the Delinquent and thereby obtain by the Grace of the Prince a free Pardon for him under some equitable Conditions required of the Delinquent In this case the Merits Act and Sufferings of such a Mediator might in a reasonable Sense be said to be imputed to the Redeemed Person Such an Interpretation of this Phrase of Christs Righteousness imputed to us I think should not be quarrel'd but may fairly agree with the Scripture phrases of Propitiation Expiation and Attonement of Christ made for us and with the Discourse of the Apostle Rom. 5. from the 15 Verse to the end of the Chapter Other Senses there are of this Phrase insisted upon by some Divines which cannot be maintained without gross and absurd Consequences as hath been shewed by some that have lately written sharply concerning this Point This Explication of the Question what is meant by that Efficacy which any act that can be done by us towards the Remission of our sins or our Justification can have being premised and cleared from the most usual Objections against it I proceed in my Reply to the fore-mentioned Answer to the Arguments for the Confirmation of the Doctrine in hand drawn from the Promises and Exhortations of Scripture as followeth To the First part of that Answer alledging only the necessity of Presence of Charity and Good Works together with Faith in order to the obtainment of the Benefits propounded as a sufficient Account for the use of those Motives contained in the said Promises and Exhortations I reply by demanding whether the Charity and Good Works supposed to be necessary do concurr to the Qualification of the Person that is to receive these Benefits or not If they do concurr as any Part of the Qualification of the Person for the Receipt of those Benefits it cannot be denied by the Explication of the forementioned Question but that they are as truly available to the Obtainment of those Benefits as Faith or any thing else can be If they do not concurr as any Part of Qualification for these Benefits the bare necessity of their Presence upon any other account can be no reasonable ground of Exhortations to such Actions in order to the Advantages thereunto promised Nor can those Advantages or Benefits be any reasonable Motives to such Actions whiles they are supposed to contribute nothing at all to the Obtainment of them And consequently the only design of propounding those Motives to such Actions would be utterly frustrate For all Exhortations Counsels or Advices to any Act or Practice do include this general Supposition to common Understanding that the things advised or exhorted to are of some Use and Validity to the End that is propounded either by removing some Impediment or by some kind of Causality or other else the Advice is altogether vain and a Man should be never the nearer his End by following it And therefore it hath been said that although Charity and Good Works be in themselves of no Validity or Efficacy to the Covering of sin Justification or Salvation of a sinner nor do contribute any thing towards the Obtaining of these Benefits yet they have the nature of a Causa sine quâ non that is of something without which a thing is not to be effected or gained but if that Something hath no manner of Causality at all in it it cannot be called a Causa sine quâ non without a real Contradiction in the Terms For to be a Cause without which a thing cannot be and yet to have no manner of Causality in reference to the Effect is to be a Cause and no Cause But suppose the design of the Holy Ghost in the forementioned Promises and Exhortations had been as we really suppose it was to instruct men what they should do or what things possible to be done by them would be available to the ends propounded I demand how such a Design could have been expressed more significantly then it is by the Terms used in the Exhortations and Promises alledged And as for the bare necessity of presence of Charity and Good Works together with Faith in the Persons which are to be justified and saved that 's no more then is equally true of the faculties of Life Sense and Reason there being a perfect necessity of the presence of all these things to the act of Faith which is supposed to be the only thing that justifies a man But would it therefore be reasonable to exhort men to take care to preserve these faculties in order to their Justification or might the Promises of Pardon of Sin Life and Salvation be reasonably annexed to such a care of preserving these Faculties upon the bare account of their necessary presence or concomitancy with a justifiing Faith Now where it hath been said that Charity and Good Works are necessary to the verification of that Faith by which we are justified i. e. to declare and manifest the truth of it but have otherwise no concurrent Efficacy to the Justification of the Believer and that is a sufficient account of the reasonableness of all Promises made to the habit and exercise of this Vertue as also of the Exhortations before mentioned I answer that if indeed these things be necessary to the verification of that Faith that justifies us so