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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59652	Moral vertues baptized Christian, or, The necessity of morality among Christians by William Shelton, M.A., late fellow of Jesus Colledge in Cambridge, and now vicar of Bursted Magna in Essex.	Shelton, William, d. 1699.	1667 (1667)	Wing S3099; ESTC R37384	107,365	208

allude to a fable as some have seigned the Sun all night to be clipt into Stars which in the morning do re-unite in the body of the Sun so hath it been in this case The knowledge of God and those precepts of the Law of Nature which grew up in the world by being propagated from Adam to Noah and so downwards after the multiplying of Languages and dividing of Nations were as the Sun broken into Stars for the further they scattered the weaker and fainter they grew till at last the Gentile world was be●ighted for the Gentiles did walk in the vanity of their mind Having their understanding Eph●● 4. 17. 18. darkned c. Thus it continued to be the world for the greatest part of it was governed by dim lights or indeed shadows rather than lights till the Sun of righteousnesse arose Yet ●●●l 4. 2. still there was some star-light in this night of Ignorance there did remain a Conscience of good and evil the Gentiles who had not the Law of Moses did by Nature the things contained Rom 2. 14. in the Law The more sober Heathens did believe themselves to be under an obligation of being vertuous and accordingly we find in many of their writings good precepts that direct us in our behaviour in the world which though of themselves they cannot attain the end for which the holy Scriptures are profitable 2 Tim. 3. 17. that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works yet are not these precepts of Morality to be despised in as much as our Blessed Saviour himself from whom our Religion takes its name doth frequently urge and inculcate those very rules of a good life which were acknowledged among the Heathens and as he did himself assume our humane Nature to his divine at his Incarnation so doth he assume Morality and incorporate it into Divinity so that the Gospel doth require of every one that names the name of Christ to depart 2. Tim. 2. 19. from iniquity That is as much as to say he that pretends to be a Christian though he must be somewhat else yet withal he must be a Moral man which is the position I undertake It is necessary for a Christian to be a Moral man Sect. 2 That is He who professeth faith in Jesus Christ and therefore is called a Christian whether he be so onely by outward profession or also by an inward participation of the Divine Nature this man is not at his liberty but he is bound up he is under a necessity of what kind will hereafter appear of practising moral vertues i. e. He owes obedience to the Moral law There is a certain manner of life which the law directs to and is therefore called the moral law because circa Mores it is concerning the manner of a mans conversation his behaviours towards other men or his carriage towards himself A Christian should be moral as well as Religious he must live soberly and ●it 2. ●2 righteously as well as godly He must be just and honest and temperate and meek and in a word fullfil the whole law by an universal observation of that comprehensive precept Thou Mat. 22. 39 shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Which is enough to be said for the explication of the Terms they are plain to any one that is willing to understand them Sect. 3 3. That I may the more orderly proceed in the proof of what I have undertaken to prove namely that it is necessary for a Christian to be a moral man I comprehend all my subsequent discourse within these two Propositions Prop. 1 Whatever reasons may have induced some men to speak slightly and undervaluingly of morality yet none of them all conclude against the necessity of it in a Christian Prop. 2 When we have yeilded to these as much as safely we may yet do there remain great and strong and unanswerable reasons why it is necessary for a Christian to be a moral man and abound in moral vertues By the first of these we shall gain an answer to all those objections that may be made on the other side and shall proceed thus far that there doth not appear any thing to the contrary but that it may be so the second will be a more full demonstration of the case tha● not onely it may be but so it is and so it must be and cannot be otherwise because it is necessarily so CHAP. II. Sect. 1 THe first Proposition will take up the first Book and that is Whatever reasons may have induced some men to speak slightly and undervaluingly of morality yet none of them all conclude against the necessity of it in a Christian In the making good of which Proposition it must be enquired what may have been the reasons that have induced men thus to speak in each of which it will be found that they do not conclude moral vertues unnecessary for they are such as these An extream opposition to the doctrine of the the Papists concerning the merit of good works A sense of the insufficiency of moral vertues for Salvation without the addition of Faith and Repentance A desire to save the prerogative of the Scriptures and to prefer them before the writings of all Heathen Moralists or Philosophers To these three there is much to be yeilded but not so much as to prejudice the cause but in the two following there is a great deal of danger as in these a great deal of truth They are An opinion that the obligation of the Moral Law is not consistent with the perfection of a Gospel-state and as Antinomianisme hath frequently ushered in Libertinisme The vitious inclinations of men of corrupt affections have prompted them to break all these bands of humane societies that they may range and rant without controll who have therefore cast off the yoke of all goodnesse because it is too heavy for their flesh and blood yea and sometimes have embolden'd themselves to say as they who have said with our tongue Psal 12. 4. will we prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us Sect. 2 An extream opposition to the Doctrine of the Papists concerning the merit of good works Indeed it is easie for opposition to be extream when two adversaries have turned their backs upon one another they will be ready to think that whatever is contrary to error must needs be truth and therefore though they go never so far from each other yet still they are in the right way whereas commonly truth lyes in the middle between both and doth frequently suffer as Christ did with a Thief on each hand for whether we add to truth or diminish from it on both sides an injury is done to it Thus is it between the Papists and some of their eager adversaries for the most part the Papists erre by adding to the word of God by being wise above what is written To the Scriptures they add Traditions and

make them of equal Authority We acknowledge a power in the Church Artic. 20. to de●ree rites or ceremonies and authority in controversies of Faith they add Infallibility to that Authority We acknowledge a superiority of order and jurisdiction they add the supremacy of their Pope We own two Sacraments they add five more We believe in one Mediator between 1 Tim 2 5 God and man the man Christ Jesus they make many And so in many other cases particularly to our present purpose we acknowledge a necessity of good works they adde that they are meritorious Now because the Papists go so far to ascribe so much to good works therefore some unwary men have adventured in contradiction to them to ascribe too little if they be necessary the Papists make them meritorious on the contrary l●st they should be thought meritorious some have judged them little or not at all necessary The extream opposite to the Papists in this case is the Antinomian whom yet I reserve for another Head afterwards their Doctrine being of so dangerous concernment that it doth deserve a distinct con●ideration now I onely consider them as those who in contradicting the Papists have run themselves into as great a danger on the other side Vtrinque in contrarias partes velus in extremitates Holds● Lect. 19 P. 158. s●induntur adversarii Hinc Pontificii plus aequo ad dextram vergunt dum causam salutis nostrae in legis operibus ponunt illinc Antinomi ad sinistram dum legis usum omnem obligationem explodunt On either hand adversaries run into extreams The Papists erre too much on the right hand by making good works the cause of our salvation The Antinomians on the left by denying that there is any use of or obligation to the law Sect. Thus it appears to have been in the difference between George Major and Nicholas Amsdorfius two German Divines Major defends this Proposition according to Scripture Melch. Adam in vitis corum Bonorum operum studium est necessarium ad salutem The study of good works is necessary to salvation Against this Flacius Illyrious and Amsdorfius cry out amain It is a Popish Doctrine and would introduce merit and therefore they oppose this bold and wicked speech to it Bona opera sunt noxia perniciosa ad salutem Good works are hurtful and pernicious to salvation Which proceeding out of a dislike to the Popish Doctrine of merit had been just if it had gone no farther for it is Usher answ to Jesu challenge p. 498. a doctrine which as a very Learned and Reverend Prelate saith from our very hearts we detest and abhor But see how easie it is for men to contend for victory rather than truth and rather than not oppose an adversary they will condemn him though he be Innocent Many men contend for the truth as men run for the ball when they come at it they step over it or kick out of the way to wrestle with their adversary whereas the truth of the case is we do not merit by good works yet we are obliged to them we do not merit so we acknowledge Good Artic. 12. works which are the fruits of Faith and follow after justification cannot put away our sins and endure the severity of Gods judgement yet we believe them to be necessary for us for it follows in the same place Yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith And surely these have been thought by learned men to be very consistent though good works do not merit yet they are necessary else a Reverend Doctor afterwards a Prelate of our Church did little understand himself in his disputation upon this argument where this is one conclusion Bona Davenant de justit actual Cap. 31. Con. 7. opera justificatorum sunt ad salutem necessaria necessitate ordinis non causalitatis vel planius ut via ordinata ad vitam aeternam non ut causae meritoriae vitae aeternae That is in few words Good works are ordained as a necessary means to eternal life but they do not deserve eternal life Sect. 4 This Objection hath hitherto been considered as concerning good works in the general but it doth manifestly relate to the Argument in hand for moral vertues so qualifyed as shall afterwards be said works of Justice and Mercy and Sobriety c. these are exercises of morality and so far as good works are necessary so far will these be found to be the necessity of which is not now to be proved but asserted and vindicated from this Objection which vulgar people that do not know how to distinguish are ready to burden it with when we are industrious to urge upon men the duties of honesty and righteous and just dealings between man and man let it not be suspected that this is done out of a secret design to symbolize with the Papists For may not a man go 10. mile unlesse he go 20. True it is we do go on part of the way with the Papists for the truths sake that is to assert good works and moral vertues necessary and here we ●ix they would draw us on further to a perswasion that they are meritorious that doth not at all follow upon the necessity we ascribe to them there is a necessity upon other accounts as shall be demonstrated in due time And this is enough to be yeilded to this plea whereupon some speak but meanly of moral vertues and there does not yet appear any thing to the contrary but they may be necessary for a Christian CHAP. III. Sect. 1 Object 2 A Sense of the insufficiency of moral vertues to salvation without the addition of faith and repentance hath been another reason why some other men have attributed less to moral vertues than otherwise they would have done if they had been considered out of that competition The merit of good Davanant ●● supra works and the perfection of them are two different things and diversly and apart handled by a fore-cited Author although therefore they be not supposed to merit yet if they be thought so perfect as that faith and repentance may be laid aside no wonder if sometimes they be lightly made of and seemingly disparaged for it is to preserve our due esteem of faith and those spiritual graces which are required in us over and above those Moral Vertues which the Heathens at any time could attain to We do not wonder when we 〈◊〉 Ch Princ. ● 4 3. read Moral Principles to such as rely upon them and seek no further prove Mortal Principles or as another likewise of our own If Moral Vertuousness Bolton's Discourse of True Happiness p. 14. were able to put on the greatest Magnificence and applause that ever it antiently enjoyed among the precisest Romans whereby it might worthily draw into admiration and just challenge even these times of Christianity yet

is Apology enough for the use of Heathen Authours in the use of which it is to be acknowledged it is easy to over-doe And it is a witty comparison of a Learned man That to stuff a Sermon with Citations Wilkins Ecclesia●●es of Authours and the witty sayings of others is to make a feast of Vinegar and Pepper which may be very delightful being used moderately as sauces but must needs be very improper and offensive to be fed upon as dyet So much if not too much in answer to the third Reason why some have spoke so slightly of Morality to save the prerogative of the holy Scriptures by preferring them above the writings of all Heathen Moralists CHAP. VIII Sect. 1 Obj. 4 THere is another sort of men with whom I have next to deal to whom I must not be so facile and yielding as in the former cases They are the Antinomians who are of opinion that the Obligation of the Moral Law is not consistent with the perfection of a Gospel state and therefore no wonder if they during that perswasion undervalue Morality Who first gave these men their denomination and of how long standing they have been in the World is almost as hard to find as the Head of Nilus A Learned Doctor of our Church hath taken Holdsw pains in it to whom I dare add nothing He finds Antinomianisme among the Manachees and higher a great deal In hoc se speculo intueantur Lect. 19. Antinomi agnoscant prosapiam suam Quis Pater ipsorum Manes Quis Avus Tatianus Quis Proavus Marcion Abavus Cerdon Tritavus Simon Yea further then Simon Magus he pursues the Serpent to his first Den. The Devils first temptation was to make our first Parents Antinomians Sect. 2 How this wretched sort of men are the opposite extream to the Ch. 2. Papists hath been observed before out of this same Authour but no more then said of them because this is their proper place Certainly they are direct Adversaries to this Doctrine of the necessity of Moral Vertues for they own no Obligation to the Moral Law and so they say if we may credit those who have perused their writings There is a Sermon extant with this Title Gods eye on his Israel which is in Mr. Gataker the design of it a resutation of the Antinomians in the Preface to which the Author reports one of their positions in these very words That the Moral Law is of no use at all to a Believer no rule for him to walk or examine his life by and that Christians are free from the mandatory power of it Another borrowing this from Edwards Gangr the foresaid Author addes this to it as another of their sayings Neither Faith nor Repentance nor Humiliation nor Selse-denyal nor use of Ordinances nor doing as one would be done to are dutyes required of Christians or such things as they must exercise themselves in or they can have no part in Christ Sect. 2 Yea foreign Authors have quoted as bad passages as these though some of them to our griefe from English mouths Lex non est digna Hoornb sum controv ut vocetur verbum Dei And again Non admittunt Antinomi quod nos de bonis operibus dicimus esse ea viam ad regnum non causam regnandi Afterwards he reports Richardson to say condemnamus nos ali●uid agere ad nostram salutem Yea it seems there is a Book written by Eaton peacem one whom Bishop Hall bewails to have belonged to his Diocess of Norwich and set out by Lancaster another the same man I suppose who was used to such midwifery for it was such a name that set out Dr. Crispe whom I dare not joyn with the worst Antinomians which Book hath this Title The Honey comb of free justification by Christ alone In which he discourses of the great priviledges of Believers That now since Gataker ut supra the death of Christ upon the Cross sin it self and guilt and punishment are so utterly and infinitely abolished that there is now no sin in the Church of God and that God sees no sin in us and whosoever believes not this point is undoubtedly damned Sect. 3 Surely if this were all the Scriptures were good for give me the sting rather than the Honey These sweet allurements of men to licentiousness plus Aloes quam Mellis habent The sting the severity of threatnings is more safe for us to lye under It is better to be terrified to obedience than to bee flattered to sin But blessed be God we find Honey in the Scriptures too yea that which is sweeter then the Honey and the Psa 19. Honey-comb There are glorious priviledeges we hope to partake off but then it must be by keeping in Gods way that is the way of obedience to Gods commands some of which will hereafter be found to require good works and Moral Vertues It ought not to be expected that I should now undertake to confute these dangerous and blasphemous positions that will be sufficiently done if the second Proposition be proved which will give good reasons for the necessity of Moral Vertues where it will appear that what this wretched generation of men hath filthily devised hath proved nothing to our prejudice they have spoken swelling words but they are words of vanity and none of them conclude against the necessity of Moral Vertues So I dismiss these men likewise onely with this one Observation So many Antinomians as have proceeded to be Fift-Monarchy-men as they are commonly called must needs contradict themselves For that man that believes Christ will come to raign personally upon the Earth and introduce the Glorious Kingdome of the Saints and yet shall not at the same time believe himself obliged to be an honest man and Morally Vertuous he must not think that the Kingdome of Christ will be like the new Heavens and the new 2 Peter 3. Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Which yet the Scripture sayes And surely if Christ be Head of this Kingdome either he must Countenance Unrighteousness or be unable to suppress it or there shall be no unrighteousness there or if there be it will be no glorious Kingdome nor any such great advance from the present Administration of things in the World CHAP. IX Obj. 5 THere is but one sort of men more to be considered and they are such as make good the words of St. Paul Evill men and seducers 2 Tim. 3. wax worse and worse Antinomianisme is the high way to Libertinisme Wherefore it is not to be wondred at if those corrupt principles have given occasion to rotten and abominable practices Hence have proceeded those Ranters in Religion that late years have abounded with who have made themselves truly lyable to those criminations that were falsly objected to the Primitive Christians viz. Promiscui Concubitus and the like yea there are some that have extinguished all sense of Religion