dishonoured his Father which was heaven and therefore his dayes were not prolonged in that land which the Lord his God had given him 6. He massacred himselfe and all his posterity 7. From Eve he was a virgin but in eyes and minde he committed spirituall fornication 8. He stole like Achan that which God had set aside not to be medled with and this his stealth is that which troubles all Israel the whole world 9. He bare witnesse against God when he believed the witnesse of the Devill above him 10. He coveted an evill covetousnesse like Amnon which cost him his life and alâ— his progeny Now whosoever considerâ— what a nest of evils here were committed aâ— one blow must needs with Musculus seâ— our case to be such that we be compelled every way to commend the justice of God and to condemn the sin of our first parents saying concerning all mankinde as the Prophet Hosea doth concerning Israel O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Nom. But Sir had it not been possiblâ— for Adam both to have holpen himself and his posterity out of this misery by renewing the same covenant with God and keeping it for afterwards Eva. O no he covenant of works was a covenant no way capable of renovation when he had once broke it he was gone for ever because it was a covenant between two friends buâ— fâ—llen man was become an enemy And besides it was an impossible thing for Adam to have performed the conditions which now the justice of God did necessarily require at his hands for he was now become liable to the payment of a double debt to wit the debt of satisfaction for his sin committed in time past and the debt of perfect and perpetuall obedience for the time to come and he was utterly unable to pay either of them Nom. Why was he unable to pay the debt of satisfaction for his sin committed in time past Evan. Because his sin in eating the forbidden fruit for that is the sin I mean was committed against an infinite and eternall good and therefore merited an infinite satisfaction which was to be either some temporall punishment equivalent to eternall damnation or eternall damnation it self Now Adam was a finite creature therefore between finite and infinite there could be no proportion so that it was impossible for Adam to have made satisfaction by any temporall punishment and if he had undertaken to have satisfied by an eternall punishment he should alwayes have been satisfying and never have satisfied as is the 〈◊〉 of the damned in hell Nom. And why was he unable to pay the debt of perfect and perpetuall obedience for the time to come Evan. Because his precedent power 〈◊〉 obey was by his fall utterly impaired foâ— thereby his understanding was both feebleâ— and drowned in darknesse and his will was made perverse and utterly deprived of all power to will well and his affections were quite set out of order and all things belonging to the blessed life of the soule were extinguished both in him and us so that he waâ— become impotent yea dead and thereforâ— not able to stand in the lowest terms to perâ—form the meanest condition the very truth is our father Adam falling from God diâ— by his fall so dash himself and us in peeces that there was no whole part left either 〈◊〉 him or us fit to ground such a Covenanâ— upon And this the Apostle witnesseth both when he saith We are of no strength And The Law was made weak because of thâ— flesh Nom. But Sir might not the Lord have pardoned Adams sinne without satisfaction Evan. O no for Justice is essentiall in 〈◊〉 and it is a righteous thing with God 〈◊〉 every transgression receive a just recomâ—â—nce and if recompence be just it is unâ—â—st to pardon sin without satisfaction and â—â—ough the Lord had pardoned and forgiven 〈◊〉 former transgression and so set him in 〈◊〉 former condition of amity and friendâ—â—ip yet having no power to keep the Law â—erfectly he could not have continued â—â—erein Nomista And is it also impossible for 〈◊〉 of his posterity to keep the Law perâ—â—ctly Evan. Yea indeed it is impossible for any â—eer man in the time of this life to keep it â—erfectly yea though he be a regenerate â—an for the Law requireth of man that he â—â—ve the Lord with all his heart soule and â—â—ight and there is not the holiest man that 〈◊〉 but he is flesh as wel as spirit in all parts â—nd faculties of his soule and therefore canâ—ot love the Lord perfectly yea and the â—aw forbiddeth all habituall concupiscence â—ot only saying thou shalt not consent to lust â—ut thou shalt not lust It doth not only â—ommand the binding of lust but forbids â—â—so the beeing of lust And who in this case â—an say my heart is clean Antin Then friend Nomista take notice I pray that as it was altogether impossible for Adam to return unto that holy and happy estate wherein he was created by the same way he went from it so is it for any of his posterity and therefore I remember one saith very wittily the Law was Adams lease when God made him tenant of Eden the conditions of which bond when he kept not he forfeited himself and all us God read a lecture of the Law to him before he fell to be a hedge to him to keep him in Paradise but when Adam would not keep within compasse this Law is now become as the flaming sword at Eden gate to keep him and his posterity out Nom. But Sir you know that when a Covenant is broken the parties that were bound are freed and released from their ingagements and therefore me thinks both Adam and his posterity should have been released from the covenant of works when it was broken especially considering they have no strength to perform the condition of it Evan. Indeed it is true in every Covenant if either party fail in his duty and perform not his condition the other party iâ— thereby freed from his part but the party failing is not freed tiâ—l the other release him and therefore though the Lord be freed from performing his condition that is from giving to man eternall life yet so is not man from his part no though strength to obey be lost yet man having lost it by his own default the obligation to obedience remains still so that Adam and his off-spring are no more discharged of their duties because they have no strength to do them than a debtor is quitted of his bond because he wants money to pay it And thus neighbour Nomista I have according to your desire endeavoured to help you to the true knowledge of the Law of Works Ant. I beseech you Sir proceed to help us to the true knowledge of the Law of Faith Evan. The Law of faith is as much to say as the Covenant of grace or the Gospel which signifieth good merry glad and joyfull
Church and under the externall Covenant are called the chosen of God and the people of God But though they had been all of them believers yet as the Lord delivered it to them it would have done them no more hurt than it did them that were Nom. But Sir was the same covenant of works made with them that was made with Adam Evan. For the generall substance of the duty the Law delivered on mount Sinai and formerly engraven in mans heart was one and the same so that at mount Sinai the Lord delivered no new thing only it came more gently to Adam before his fall but after his fall came thunder with it Nom. I but Sir as your self said the ten Commandements as they were written in Adams heart were but the matter of the covenant of works and not the covenant it self till the form was annexed to them that is to say till God and man were thereupon agreed now we do not find that God and these people did agree upon any such terms at mount Sinai Evan. No say you so do you not remember that the people consented Exod. 19.8 saying All that the Lord hath spoken we will do And do you not remember that the Lord consented Levit. 18.5 saying Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgements which if a man do he shall live in them And in Deut. 27.26 saying Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them And doth not the Apostle Paul give evidenee than these words were the form of the covenant of works when he saith Rom. 10.5 Moses describeth the righteousnesse which is of the law that the man that doth these things shall live in them when he saith Gal. 3.10 For it is writen Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them And in Deut. 4.13 Moses doth in expresse tearmes call it a Covenant saying And he declared unto you his Covenant which he commanded you to perform even ten Commandamennts and hee wrote them upon tables of stone Now this was not the Covenant of grace for Moses afterwards Deut. 5.3 speaking of this Covenant saith God made not this Covenant with your Fathers but with you And by Fathers all the Patriarkes unto Adam may be meant saith Mr. Aynsworth who had the promise of the Covenant of Christ therefore if it had been the Covenant of grace he would have said God did make this covenant with them rather then that he did not Nom. And do any of our godly and moderne witers agree with you in this point Evan. Yea indeed Polanus saith the Covenant of workes is that in which God promiseth everlasting life unto a man that in all respects performeth perfect obedience to the Law of workes adding thereunto threatnings of eternall death if hee shall not performe perfect obedience thereunto God made this Covenant in the beginning with the first man Adam whilst hee was in the first estate of integrity the same Covenant God did repeat and make againe by Moses with the people of Israel And Dr. Preston saith the Covenant of workes runs in these termes Do this and thou shalt live and I will be thy God This was the Covenant which was made with Adam and the Covenant that is expressed by Mâ—ses in the Morall law And Mr. Walker saith that the first part of the covenant which God made with Israel at Horeb was nothing else but a renewing of the old covenant of works which God made with Adam in paradise And it is generally laid down by our Divines that we are by Christ delivered from the Law as it is a Covenant Nom. But Sir were the children of Israel at this time better able to perform the condition of the covenant of works than either Adam or any of the old Patriarks that God renewed it now with them rather then before Evan. No indeed God did not renew it with them now and not before because they were better able to keep it but because they had more need to be made acquainted what the covenant of works is then those before for though 't is true the Ten Commandements which were at first perfectly written in Adams heart were much obliterated by his fall yet some impressions and reliques thereof still remained and Adam himself was very sensible of his fall and the rest of the fathers were holpen by traditions And saith Cameron God did speak to the Patriarchs from heaven yea and he spake unto them by his Angels But now by this time sin had almost obliterated and defaced the impressions of the Law written in their hearts and by their being so long in Egypt they were so corrupted that the instructions and ordinances of their fathers were almost all worne out of mind and their fall in Adam was almost forgotten as the Apostle testifieth saying Before the time of the Law sin was in the world yet did they not impute it to themselves because there was no Law Nay in that long course of time betwixt Adam and Moses men had forgotten what was sin so that although God had made a promise of blessing to Abraham and to all his seed that would plead interest in it yet these people at this time were proud and secure and heedlesse of their estate and though sin was in them and death raigned over them yet they being without a law to evidence this sin and death unto their consciences they did not impute it unto themselves they would not own it nor charge themselves with it and so by consequence found no need of pleading the promise made to Abraham Therefore the Law entred that Adams offence and their own actuall transgression might abound So that now the Lord saw it needfull that there should be a new edition and publication of the covenant of works the sooner to compell the elect unbeleevers to come to Christ the promised seed that the grace of God in Christ to the elect beleevers might appeare the more exceeding gracious so that you see the Lords intention therein was that they by looking upon this Covenant might be put in mind what was their dutie of old when they were in Adams loines yea and what was their dutie still if they would stand to that covenant and so go the old and naturall way to work yea and hereby they were also to see what was their present infirmitie in not doing their duty that so they seeing an impossibilitie of obtaining life by that way of workes first appointed in Paradise they might be humbled and more heedfully minde the promise made to their father Abraham and hasten to lay hold on the Messiah or promised seed Nom. Then Sir it seemeth that the Lord did not renew the Covenant of workes with them to the intent that they should obtaine eternall life by their yeelding obedience to it Evan. No indeed God never made the
heaven and happinesse whereupon I concluded that I had as yet done no more then they and withall I considered that our Saviour sayth Except your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot enter into the Kingdome of God yea and I also considered that the Apostle sayth Hee is not a Jew that is one outward but he that is one within whose praise is not of men but of God Then did I conclude that I was not yet a true Christian for sayd I in my heart I have contented my selfe with the praise of men and so have lost all my labour and pains in performing duties for they have been no better then outside performances and therefore they must all fall down in a moment I have not served God with all my heart and therefore I see I must either goe farther or else I shall never be happie whereupon I set about the keeping of the Law in good earnest and laboured to performe duties not onely outwardly but also inwardly from my heart I heard and read and praid and laboured to bring my heart and force my soule to every duty I called upon the Lord in good earnest and told him that whatsoever hee would have mee to doe I would doe it with all my heart if hee would but save my soule and then I also tooke notice of the inward corruptions of my heart the which I had not formerly done and was carefull to govern my thoughts to modeate my passions and to suppresse the motions and risings of lusts to banish privie pride and speculative wantonnesse and all vain and sinfull desires of my heart and then I thought my selfe not onely an out-side Christian but also an in-side Christian and therefore a true Christian indeed and so I went on comfortably a good while till I considered that the Law of God requires passive obedience as well as active and therefore I must bee a sufferer as well as a doer or else I could not bee a Christian indeed whereupon I began to bee troubled at my impatience under Gods correcting hand and at those inward murmurings and discontents which I found in my spirit in time of any outward calamity that befell mee and then I laboured to bridle my passions and to submit my selfe quietly to the will of God in every condition and then did I also as it were begin to take penance upon my selfe by abstinence fasting and afflicting my soule and made pittifull lamentations in my prayers which were somtimes also accompanied with tears the which I was perswaded the Lord did take notice of and would reward me for it and then I was perswaded that I did keepe the Law in yielding obedience both actively and passively and then was I confident I was a true Christian untill I considered tha◠those Jewes of whom the LORD complaynes Esay 58. did as much as I and that caused mee to feare that all was not right with mee as yet whereupon I went to another Minister and told him that though I had done thus and thus and suffered thus and thus yet I was perswaded that I was in no better a condition then those Jewes ô yes sayd hee you are in a better condition then they for they were Hypocrites and served not GOD with all their hearts as you doe Then I went home contentedly and so went on in my wonted course of doing and suffering and thought all was well with mee untill I bethought my selfe that before the time of my conversion I had beene a transgressour from the wombe yea in the wombe in that I was guilty of Adams transgression so then I considered that although I kept even with GOD for the time present and to come yet that would not free m◠from the guiltinesse of that which wa◠done before whereupon I was much troubled and disquieted in my minde then I went to a third Minister of Gods holy word and told him how the case stood with mee and what I thought of my state and condition he cheered me up bidding mee be of good comfort for howsoever my obedience since my Conversion would not satisfie for my former sinnes yet in as much as at my Conversion I had confessed lamented deplored bewayled and forsaken them God according to his rich mercy and gracious promise had mercifully pardoned and forgiving them Then I returned home to my house againe and went to God by earnest Prayer and supplication and besought him to give mee assurance of the pardon and forgivenesse of my guiltinesse of Adams sinne and all my actuall transgressions before my Conversion and as I had endeavoured my self to be a good servant before so I would still continue in doing my duty most exactly and so being assured that the Lord had granted this my request I fell to my businesse according to my promise I heard I read I prayed I fasted I mourned I sighed and groned and watched over my heart my tongue and wayes in all my doings actions and dealings both with God and man But after a while I growing better acquainted with the spiritualnesse of the Law and with inward corruptions of mine owne heart I perceived that I had deceived my selfe in thinking that I had kept the Law perfectly for doe what I could I found many imperfections in my obedience for I had been and was still subject to sleepinesse drousinesse and heavinesse in prayer and hearing and so in other duties I failed in the manner of performance of them and in the end why I performed them seeking my selfe in every thing I did and my conscience told me I failed in my duty to God in this and in my duty to my neighbour in that and then I was much troubled again for I considered that the Law of God requireth and is not satisfied without an exact and perfect obedience and then I went to the same Minister again and told him how I had purposed promised striven and endeavoured as much as possibly I could to keepe the Law of Ged perfectly and yet by wofull experience I had found that I had and did still transgresse it many ways and therefore I feared hell and damation O! but sayd hee doe not feare for the best Christians have their failings and no man keepeth the Law of God perfectly and therefore goe on and doe as you have done in striving to keepe the Law perfectly in what you cannot doe God will accept the will for the deed and wherein you come short Christ will help you out and this satisfied and contented mee very much so I returned home againe and fell to prayer and told the Lord that now I saw I could not yield a perfect obedience to his Law and yet I would not despaire because I did believe that what I could not doe Christ would doe for mee and then I did certainly conclude that I was a Christian indeede and not before and so have I beene perswaded ever since And thus Sir you see I have dcclared
behalfe of all his chosen perfectly fulfilled the Law as it is the covenant of works divine justice delivered that bond in to Christ who utterly cancelled that hand-writing so that none of his chosen were to have any more to doe with it nor it with them and now you by your believing in Christ having manifested that you are one that was chosen in him before the foundation of the world his fulfilling of that covenant and cancelling of it is imputed to you and so you are acquitted and absolved from all your transgressions against that covenant either past present or to come and so you are justified as the Apostle saith Freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Ant. I pray you Sir give mee leave to speake a word by the way was not he justified before this time Evan. If he did not believe in Christ before this time as I conceive hee did not then certainly he was not justified before this time Ant. But Sir you know as the Apostle saith It is God that justifieth and God is eternall and as you have shewed Christ may be said to have fulfilled the covenant of works from all eternity and if he bee Christs now then was he Christs from all eternity and therefore as I conceive hee was justified from all eternity Evan. Indeed God is from all eternity and in respect of Gods accepting of Christs undertaking to fulfill the covenant of works he fulfilled it from all eternity and in respect of Gods electing of him he was Christs from all eternity and therefore it is true in respect of Gods decree hee was justified from all eternity and hee was justified meritoriously in the death and resurrection of Christ but yet he was not justified actually till he did actually believe in Christ for saith the Apostle By him all that believe are justified so that in the act of justifying faith and Christ must have a mutuall relation and must always concur and meet together faith as the action which apprehendeth and Christ as the object which is apprehended for neither doth Christ justifie without faith neither doth faith except it bee in Christ. Ant. Truly Sir you have indifferently well satisfied me in this point and surely I like it marvellous well that you conclude no faith justifieth but that whose object is Christ. Eva. The very truth is thuogh a man believe that God is mercifull and true of his promise and that he hath his elect number from the beginning and that he himselfe is one of that number yet if this faith doe not eye Christ if it be not in God as he is in Christ it will not serve turn for God cannot be comfortably thought upon out of Christ our mediator for if we finde not God in Christ saith Calvin salvation cannot bee known wherefore neighbour Neophytus I will say unto you as sweet Master Bradford said unto a gentlewoman in your case Thus then if you would be quiet and certain in conscience then let your faith burst forth through all things not onely that you have within you but also whatsoever is in heaven earth and hell and never rest untill it come to Christ crucified and the eternall sweete mercie and goodnesse of God in â—hrist Neo. But Sir I am not yet satisfied concerning the point you touched before and therefore I pray you proceed to shew me how far forth I am delivered from the Law as it is the covenant of works Evan. Truly as it is the covenant of works you are wholy and altogether delivered and set free from it you are dead to it and it is dead to you and if it be dead to you then it can doe you neither good nor hurt and if you be dead to it you can expect neither good nor hurt from it consider man I pray you that as I said before you are now under another covenant to wit the covenant of grace and you cannot bee under two covenants at once neither wholy nor partly and therefore as before you believed you were wholy under the covenant of works as Adam left both you and all his posterity after his fall so now since you have believed you are wholy under the covenant of grace Assure your selfe then that no Minister or Preacher of Gods Word hath any warrant to say unto you hereafter either doe this and this dutie contained in the law and avoid this and this sin forbidden in the Law and God will justifie thee and save thy soule or doe it not and Hee will condemne thee and damne thee no no you are now set free both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works so that I will say unto you as the Apostle saith unto the believing Hebrews You are not come to Mount Sinai that might not be touched and that burned with fire nor unto blacknesse and darknesse and tempests but you are come unto Mount Sion the City of the living God and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant so that to speak with holy reverence God cannot by vertue of the covenant of wotks either require of you any obedience or punish you for any disobedience no he cannot by vertue of that covenant so much as threaten you or give you an angry word or shew you an angry look for indeed he can see no sin in you as a transgression of that covenant for saith the Apostle Where there is no Law there is no transgression And therfore though hereafter you doe through frailty transgresse any or all the ten Commandements yet doe you not thereby transgresse the covenant of works there is no such covenant now betwixt God and you and therefore though you shall hereafter heare such a voice as this if thou wilt be saved keep the commandements or cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are writen in the book of the Law to doe them nay though you heare the voice of thunder and a fearfull noyse nay though you see blacknesse and darknesse and feel a great tempest that is to say though you heare us that are Preachers according to our commission Lift up our voice like a trumpet in threatning hell and damnation to sinners and transgressors of the Law though these be the words of God yet are you not to thinke that they are spoken to you no no the Apostle assures you â—hat there is no condemnation to them that â—â—re in Christ Jesus believe it man God never threatens eternall death after he hath once given to a man eternall life nay the truth is God never speaks to a believer out of Christ and in Christ hee speaks not a word in the terms of the covenant of works and if the Law of it selfe should presume to â—ome into your conscience and say herein and herein thou hast transgressed and broken â—â—e and therefore thou owest so much and â—o much to divine Justice which must be
right well that Luther sayth the conscience hath nothing to doe with the law or works and that Calvin sayth the consciences of the faithfull when the affiance of their justification before God is to be sought must rayse and advance themselves above the Law and forget the whole righteousnes of the Law and lay aside all thinking upon works Now for the true understanding of these two worthy servants of Christ two things are to be concluded First that when they speak thus of the law it is evident they mean only in the case of justification secondly that when the conscience hath to doe with the law in the case of justification it hath to doe with it onely as it is the covenant of works for as the law is the Law of Christ it neither justifies nor condemns and so if you understand it of the Law as it is the Covenant of works according to their meaning then it is most true that they say for why should a man let the Law come into his conscience that is why should a man make any conscience of doing the Law to be justified thereby considering it is a thing impossible nay what need hath a man to make cōscience of doing the law to be justified thereby when he knows he is already justified another way nay what need hath a man to make conscience of doing that law that is dead to him and hee to it hath a woman any need to make any conscience of doing her duty to her husband when hee is dead nay when shee her selfe is dead also or hath a debter any need to make any conscience of paying that debt which is already fully discharged by his surety will any man be afraid of that obligation which is made void the seale torne off the writing defaced nay not onely cancelled and crost but torne in pieces I remember the Apostle saith That if the sacrifices which were offered in the Old Testament could have made the commers thereunto perfect and have purged the worshippers then should they have had no more conscience of sins that is their conscience would not have accused them of being guilty of sins now the blond of Christ hath purged the conscience of a believer from all his sins as they are transgressions against the covenant of works and therefore what needs his conscience be troubled about that covenant but now I pray you observe and take notice that although Luther and Calvin doe thus exempt a believer from the Law in the case of justification and as it is the law or covenant of works yet doe they not so out of the case of justification and as it is the Law of Christ. For thus saith Luther out of the matter of justification wee ought with Paul to thinke reverently of the Law to commend it highly to call it holy righteous just good spirituall and divine yea out of the case of justification we ought to make a God of it And in another place saith he there is a civill righteousnesse and a ceremoniall righteousnesse yea and besides these there is another righteousnesse which is the righteousnesse of the Law or of the ten commrndements which Moses teacheth this also we teach after the doctrine of faith And in a third place he having shewed that believers through Christ are far above the Law adds howbeit I will not deny but that Moses sheweth to them their duties in which respect they are to be admonished and urged wherefore such doctrines and admonitions ought to be among Christians as it is certain there was among the Apostles whereby every man may be admonished of his estate and office And Calvin having said as I told you before that Christians in the case of justification must raise and advance themselves above the law adds neither can any man thereby gather that the law is superfluous to the faithfull whom notwithstanding it doth not cease to teach exhort and prick forward to goodnesse although before Gods Judgement seat it hath no place in their conscience Ant. But Sir if I forget not Musculus sayth that the law is utterly abrogated Evan. Indeed Musculus speaking of the ten commandements sayth if they be weak if they be the letter if they do worke transgression anger curse and death and if Christ by the law of the spirit of life delivered them that believed in him from the law of the letter which was weake to justifie and strong to condemne and from curse being made a curse for us surely they be abrogated Now this is most certaine that the ten commandements doe no way worke transgression anger curse death but onely as they are the covenant of works neither hath Christ delivered believers any otherwise from them then as they are the covenant of works and therfore wee may assuredly conclude that they are no otherwise abrogated then as they are the covenant of works Neither did Musculus intend any otherwise for sayth he in the words following it must not be understood that the points of the substance of Moses covenant are utterly brought to nothing God forbid for a Christian man is not at liberty to do those things that are ungodly and wicked and if the doing of those things which the law forbids do not displease Christ if they be not much different yea contrary if they be not repugnant to the righteousness which we received of him let it be lawful for a christian man to do them or else not but a Christian man doing against those things which be cōmanded in the Decalogue doth sinne more outragiously then hee that should so do being under the law so far off is he from being free from those things that be there commanded Wherfore friend Antinomista if eyther you or any man else shall under a pretence of your being in Christ exempt yourselves frō being under the law of the ten cōmandements as they are the law of Christ I tel you truly it is a shrewd signe you are not yet in Christ for if you were then Christ were in you if Christ were in you then would he governe you and you would be subject unto him I am sure the Prophet Isaiah tels us that the same Lord who is our Saviour is also our King and Law-giver truly he will not be Jesus a Saviour to any but only to those unto whom he is Christ a Lord for the very truth is whersoever he is Iesus a Saviour he is also Christ a Lord therfore I beseech you examine your self whether he be so to you or no Ant. Why then Sir it seemeth that you stand upon marks and signes Evan. Yea indeed I stand so much upon marks and signes that I say unto you in the words of the Apostle John in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God for sayth Luther he that is truly baptised is become a new
of it or being at all affected with it so far are wee from comming out of it And if the Lord be pleased by any means to open our eyes to see our misery and we doe thereupon begin to step out of it yet alas wee are prone rather to goe backwards towards the first Adams pure estate in striving and strugling to leave sinne and performe duties and doe good works hoping thereby to make our selves so righteous and holy that God will let us into Paradise againe to eat of the tree of life and live for ever and this we do untill we see the flaming sword at Edens gate turning every way to keepe the way of the tree of life Is it not ordinary when the Lord convinceth a man of his sin eyther by means of his Word or his Rod to cry after this manner O I am a sinfull man for I have lived a very wicked life and therefore surely the Lord is angry with mee and will damne me in hell ô what shall I do to save my soule And is there not at hand some ignorant miserable comforter ready to say yet doe not despayre man but repent of your sins and aske God forgivenesse and reforme your life and doubt not but he will be mercifull unto you for hee hath promised you know that at what time soever a sinner repenteth of his sins hee will forgive him And doth hee not hereupon comfort himself and say in his heart at least ô if the Lord will but spare my life and lengthen out my days I will become a new man I am very sorry that I have lived such a sinfull life but I will never doe as I have done for all the world ô you shall see a great change in me believe it And hereupon he betakes himself to a new course of life and it may be becomes a zealous professour of Religion performing all Christian exercises both publike and private and leaves off his old companions and keeps company with religious men and so it may be goes on till his dying day and thinks himselfe sure of Heaven and eternall happines yet it maybe all this while is ignorant of Christ and his Righteousnes and therefore establisheth his own Where is the man or where is the woman that is truly come to Christ that hath not had some experience in themselves of such a disposition as this if there be any that have reformed their lives and are become Professours of Religion and have not taken notice of this in themselves more or lesse I wish they have gone beyond a legall Professour or one still under the covenant of works Nay where is the man or woman that is truly in Christ that findeth not in themselves an aptnes to withdraw their hearts from Christ and to put some confidence in their owne works and doings if there be any that do not find it I wish their hearts deceive them not Let me confesse ingeniously I was a professour of Religion at least a dozen yeeres before I knew any other way to eternall life then to be sorry for my sins and aske forgivenesse and strive and endeavour to fulfill the Law and keepe the Commandements according as Master Dod and other godly men had expounded them and truly I remember I was in hope I should at last attain to the perfect fulfilling of them and in the mean-time I conceived that God would accept the will for the deed or what I could not doe Christ had done for me And though at last by meanes of conferring with Master Thomas Hooker in private the Lord was pleased to convince me that I was yet but a proud Pharisee and to shew mee the way of faith and salvation by Christ alone and to give mee as I hope a heart in some measure to embrace it yet alas through the weaknesse of my faith I have been and am still apt to turne aside to the covenant of works and therefore have not attained to that joy and peace in believing nor that measure of love to Christ and man for Christs sake as I am confident many of Gods Saints do attain unto in the time of this life the Lord be mercifull unto mee and increase my faith And are there not other though I hope but few who being enlightned to see their misery by reason of the guilt of sin though not by reason of the filth of sinne And hearing of justification freely by grace through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ do applaud and magnifie that doctrine following them that doe most preach and presse the same seeming to be as it were ravished with the hearing thereof out of a conceit that they are by Christ freely justified from the guilt of sin though still they retain the filth of sin these are they that content themselves with a Gospel knowledge with meere notions in the head but not in the heart glorying and rejoycing in free grace and justification by faith alone professing faith in Christ and yet are not possessed of Christ these are they that can talke like believers and yet do not walke like believers these are they that have language like Saints and yet have conversations like Devils these are they that are not obedient to the Law of Christ and therefore are justly called Antinomians Now both these paths leading from Christ have been justly judged as erronious and to my knowledge not onely a matter of 18 or 20 years agoe but also within these three or foure years there hath been much a doe both by preaching writing and disputing both to reduce men out of them and to keep them from them and hot contentious have been on both sides and all I fear me to little purpose for hath not the strict professour according to the Law whilst he hath striven to reduce the loose professour according to the Gospel out of the Antinomian path intangled both himselfe and others the faster in the yoke of bondage and hath not the loose professour according to the Gospel whilst he hath striven to reduce the strict professour according to the Law out of the legall path by promising liberty from the Law taught others and been himselfe the servant of corruption For this cause I though I be nothing have by the grace of God endeavoured in this Dialogue to walk as a middle-man betwixt them both in shewing to each of them his erronious path with the middle path which is Jesus Christ received truly and walked in answerably as a means to bring them both unto him and make them both one in him And oh that the Lord would be pleased so to blesse it to them that it might be a means to produce that effect I have as you may see gathered much of it out of known and approved Authours and yet have therein wronged no man for I have restored it to the right owner again in the margent some part of it my manuscripts have afforded me and of the rest I hope
and so out of judgement discretion and election able to make choice of his way and therefore it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him that he might according to Gods appointment serve him after a reasonable manner Secondly it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him to shew that he was not such a Prince on earth but that he had a Soveraigne Lord therefore God set a punishment upon the breach of his commandement that man might know his inferiority and that things betwixt him and God were not as betwixt equals Thirdly it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him to shew that he had nothing by personall immediate and underived right but all by gift and gentlenesse so that you see it was an equall covenant which God out of his prerogative royall made with mankind in Adam before his fall Nom. Well Sir I do perceive that Adam and all mankind in him were created most holy Evan. Yea and most happy too for God placed him in paradise in the middest of all delightfull pleasures and contents wherein he did enjoy most near and sweet communion with his Creator in whose presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand is pleasures for evermore So that if Adam had received of the tree of life by taking and eating of it while he stood in the state of Innonencie before his fall he had certainly been established in a happy estate for ever and could not have been seduced and supplanted by Sathan as some learned men do think and as Gods own words seem to imply Gen. 3.22 Nom. But it seemeth that Adam did not continue in that holy and happy estate Evan. No indeed for he disobeyed Gods expresse command in eating the forbidden fruit and so became guilty of the breach of the Covenant Nom. But Sir how could Adam who had his understanding so sound and his will so free to choose good be so disobedient to Gods expresse command Evan Though he and his will were both good yet were they mutably good so that he might either stand or fall at his own election or choice Nom. But why then did not the Lord create him immutable or why did he not so over-rule him in that action that he might not have eaten the forbidden fruit Evan. The reason why the Lord did not create him immutable was because hee would be obeyed out of judgement and free choice and not by fatall necessity and absolute determination and withall let me tell you it was not reasonable to restraine God to this point to make man such a one as would not or could not sin at all for it was at his choice to create him how he pleased but why he did not uphold him with strength of stedfast continuance that resteth hidden in Gods secret Counsell howbeit this we may certainly conclude that Adams state was such as served to take away from him all excuse for he received so much that of his own will he wrought his own destruction because that act of his was a wilfull transgression of a Law under the precepts whereof he was most justly created and unto the malediction whereof hee was as necessarily and righteously subject if he transgressed for as by being Gods creature he was to be subject to his will so by being Gods prisoner he was as justly subject to his wrath and that so much the more by how much the precept was most just the obedience more easie the transgression more unreasonable and the punishment more certaine Nom. And was Adams sinne and punishment imputed unto his whole off-spring Evan. Yea indeed for saith the Apostle Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned or in whom all have sinned that is in Adam the very truth is Adam by his fall threw down our whole nature headlong into the same destruction and drowned his whole off-spring in the same gulfe of misery and the reason is because by Gods appointment he was not to stand or fall as a single person only but as a common publike person representing all mankind to come of him therefore as all that happinesse all those gifts and endowments which were bestowed upon him were not bestowed upon him alone but also upon the whole nature of man and as that Covenant which was made with him was made with whole mankinde even so he by breaking Covenant lost all as well for us as for himselfe as he received all for himselfe and us so he lost all both for himselfe and us Nom. Then Sir it seemeth that by Adams breach of Covenant all man-kinde was brought into a miserable condition Evan. All mankind by the fall of Adam received a twofold damage first a deprivation of all originall goodnesse Secondly an habituall naturall pronenesse to all kind of wickednesse for the image of God after which they were created was forthwith blotted out and in place of wisdome righteousnesse and true holinesse came blindnesse uncleanesse falshood and injustice the very truth is our whole nature was thereby corrupted defiled deformed depraved infected made infirme fraile malignant full of venome contrary to God yea enemies and rebels unto him so that saith Luther this is the title we have received from Adam in this one thing we may glory and in nothing else at all namely that every Infant that is born into this world is wholly in the power of sinne death Sathan hell and everlasting damnation nay saith Musculus the whirlpoole of mans sinne in paradise is bottomlesse and unsearchable Nom. But Sir me thinks it is a strange thing that so small an offence as the eating of the forbidden fruit seemes to be should plunge whole mankind into such a gulfe of misery Evan. Though at the first glance it seem to be a small offence yet if you look more wishly upon the matter it will appeare to be an exceeding great offence for thereby intolerable injury was done unto God as first his dominion and authority in his holy command was violated Secondly his justice truth and power in his most righteous threatnings were despised Thirdly his most pure and perfect image wherein man was created in righteousnesse and true holinesse was utterly defaced Fourthly his glory which by an active service the creature should have brought to him was lost and despoiled nay how could there be a greater sin committed then that when Adam at â—hat one clap brake all the ten Commandements Nom. Did he break all the ten Commanâ—ements say you Sir I beseech you shew â—e wherein Evan. 1. He chose himself another God when he followed the Devil 2. He idolized and defiled his own belly â—s the Apostles phrase is He made his belly â—is god 3. He took the name of God in vain when â—e believed him not 4. He kept not the rest and estate whereâ—â— God had set him 5. He
second thing and first tell us when the Lord began to make a promise to help and deâ—ver fallen mankind Evan. Even the same day that he sinned wâ—hich was the very same day he was created for Adam by his sin being become the child of wrath and both in body and in soule subject to the curse and seeing nothing due to him but the wrath and vengeance of God he was afraid and sought to hide himself from the presence of God whereupon the Lord promised Christ unto him saying to the serpent I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed He that is to say the seed of the woman for so is the Hebrew text shall break thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele This promise of Christ the womans seed was the Gospel and the only comfort of Adam Abel Enoch Noah and the rest of the godly Fathers untill the time of Abraham Nom. I pray you Sir what ground have you to think that Adam fell the same day he was created Evan. My ground for this opinion is Psal. 94.12 which text in the Hebrew is thus read Adam being in honour did not lodge a night in it Ant. But Sir do you think that Adam and those others did understand that promised seed to be meant of Christ Evan. Who can make any doubt but that the Lord had acquainted Adam with Christ betwixt the time of his sinning the time of his sacrificing though both on a day Ant. But did Adam offer sacrifice Evan. Can you make any question but that the bodies of those beasts whose skins went for a covering for his body were immediately before offered in sacrifice for his soulâ— Surely those skins could be none other but of beasts slain and offered in sacrifice for before Adam fell beasts were not subject to mortality nor slaying And Gods cloathing of Adam and his wife with skins signified that their sin and shame was covered with Christs righteousnesse And questionlesse the Lord had taught him that his sacrifice did signifie his acknowledgment of his sin and that he looked for the seed of the woman promised to be slain in the evening of the world thereby to appease the wrath of God for his offence the which undoubtedly he acquainted his sons Cain and Abel with when he taught them also to offer sacrifice Ant. But how doth it appeare that this his sacrificing was the very same day that he sinned Evan. It is said Ioh. 7.13 concerning Christ â—hat they sought to take him yet no man laid hands on him because his houre was not yet come But after that when the time of his sufferings was at hand he himself said The houre is come which day is expresly set down by the Evangelist Mark to be the sixth day and ninth houre of that day when Christ through the eternall Spirit offered up himself without spot to God Now if you compare this with Exod. 12.6 you shall find that the Paschall Lamb a most lively type of Christ was offered the very same day and houre even the 6. day and 9. houre of the day which was at 3 of the clock in the afternoon and the Scripture testifieth that Adam was created the very same sixth day and gives us ground to think that he sinned the same day And do not the fore-alleaged Scriptures afford us warrant to believe that it was the very same houre of that day when Christ entred mystically and typically upon the work of redemption in being offered as a sacrifice for Adams sin And surely we may suppose that the covenant as you heard being broken between God and Adam Justice would not have admitted of one houres respite before it had proceeded to execution to the destruction both of Adam and the whole Creation had not Christ in the very nick of time stood as the Ram or rather the Lamb in the bush and stepped in to perform the work of the covenant And hence I conceive it is that St. Iohn cals him the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world For as the first state of creation was confirmed by the covenant which God made with man and all creatures were to be upheld by meanes of observing the law and condition of that Covenant so that Covenant being broken by man the world should have come to ruine had it not been as it were created anew and upheld by the covenant of grace in Christ. Ant. Then Sir you think that Adam was saved Evan. The Hebrew Doctors hold that Adam was a repentant sinner and say that he was by wisdome that is to say by faith in Christ brought out of his fall yea and the Church of God doth hold and that for necessary causes that he was saved by the death of Christ yea saith Mr. Vaughan it is certain he believed the promise concerning Christ in whose commemoration he offered continuall sacrifice and in the assurance thereof he named his wife Heva that is to say life and he called his son Seth setled or perswaded in Christ. Ant. Well now I am perswaded that Adam did understand this seed of the woman to be meant of Christ. Evan. Assure your self that not only Adam but all the rest of the godly fathers did so understand it as is manifest in that the Thargum or Chalde bible which is the ancient translation of Ierusalem hath it thus Between thy son and her son Adding furâ—her by way of comment So long O serpent â—s the womans children keep the Law they â—ill thee and when they cease to do so thou â—tingest them in the heele and hast power to â—urt them much but whereas for their harm â—here is a sure remedy for thee there is none for in the last dayes they shall crush thee all to â—eeces by means of Christ their king And â—his was it which did support and uphold their faith untill the time of Abraham Ant. What followed then Evan. Why then the promise was turned into a covenant with Abraham and his seed and oftentimes repeated that in his seed all nations should be blessed Which promise and covenant was the very voice it self of the Gospel it being a true testimony of Jesus Christ as the Apostle Paul beareth witnesse saying The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Gentiles through faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed And the better to confirme Abrahams faith in this promise of Christ it is said Gen. 14.19 that Melchisedec came forth and met him and blessed him Now saith the Apostle this Melchisedec was a Priest of the most high God and king of righteousnesse and king of peace without father and without mother and so like unto the son of God who is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec and both king of righteousnesse and king of peace yea and without
now heare of his performance of it Evan. Touching this point the Scripture testifieth that God according to his purpose before time and his promise in time Did in the fulnesse of time send forth his Sonne made of a woman made under the Law to redeeme them that were under the Law c. That is to say looke how mankinde by nature are under the Law as it is the Covenant of works so was Christ as mans suretie contented to bee so that now according to that Eternall and mutuall agreement that was betwixt God the Father and him he put himself in the roome and place of all the Faithfull and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all Then came the Law as it is the Covenant of Workes and said I finde him a sinner yea such a one as hath taken upon him the sinnes of all men therefore let him die upon the Crosse. Then said Christ Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldest not but a bodie hast thou prepared mee In burnt offerings and sacrifice for sinne thou hast no pleasure Then said I loe I come to doe thy will O God And so the law proceeding in full scope against him set upon him and killed him and by this meanes was the justice of God fully satisfied his wrath appeased and all true beleevers acquitted from all their sinnes both past present and to come so that the Law as it is the Covenant of workes hath not any thing to say to any true beleever for indeed they are dead to it and it is dead to them Nom. But Sir How could the sufferings of Christ which in respect of time were but finite make full satisfaction to the Justice of God which is infinite Eva. Though the sufferings of Christ in respect of time were but finite yet in respect of the person that suffered his sufferings came to be of infinite value for Christ was God and Man in one person and therefore his sufferings were a sufficient and full ransome for mans soule being of more value then the death and destruction of all creatures Nom. But Sir you know that the Covenant of workes requires mans owne obedience or punishment when it saith Hee that doth these things shall live in them and cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them how then could beleevers be acquitted from their sins by the death of Christ Evan. For answer hereunto I pray you consider that though the covenant of workes requires mans owne obedience or punishment yet it no where disalloweth or excludeth that which is done or suffered by another in his behalfe neither is it repugnant to the Justice of God for so there bee a satisfaction performed by man through a sufficient punishment for the disobedience of man the Law is satisfied and the justice of God permitteth that the offending partie be received into favour and acknowledge God after such satisfaction made as a just man and no transgressor of the Law and though the satisfaction be made by a surety yet when it is done the principall is by the Law acquitted But yet for the further proofe and confirmation of this poynt wee are to consider that as JESUS CHRIST the second Adam entered into the same Covenant that the first Adam did so by him was done whatsoever the first Adam had undone so then the case stands thus that like as whatsoever the first Adam did or befell him was reckoned as done by all mankinde and to have befallen them even so whatsoever CHRIST did or befell him is to bee reckoned as to have been done by all believers and to have befallen them so that as sinne commeth from Adam alone to all mankinde as he in whom all have sinned so from Jesus Christ alone commeth righteousnesse unto all that are in him as hee in whom they all have satisfied the justice of God for as by being in Adam and one with him all did in him and with him transgresse the Commandement of God even so in respect of faith whereby believers are ingrafted into Christ and spiritually made one with him they did all in him and with him satisfie the justice of God in his death and sufferings and whosoever reckons thus reckons according to Scripture for in Rom. 5.12 all are sayd to have sinned in Adams sinne In whom all have sinned sayth the Text namely in Adam as in a publike person all mens acts were included in his because their persons were included in his so likewise in the same Chapter it is sayd that death passed upon all men namely for this that Adams sinne was reckoned as theirs even so Rom. 6. the Apostle speaking of Christ sayth In that he dyed he dyed unto sinne once but in that hee liveth hee liveth unto God so likewise sayth he in the next verse Reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so as touching the resurrection of Christ the Apostle argues that all believers must and shall arise because Christ is risen and is become the first fruitâ— of them that sleepe CHRIST as the first fruits ariseth and that in the name and stead of all believers and so they rise in him and with him for CHRIST did not rise as a private person but hee arose as the publike head of his Church so that in his arising all believers did virtually arise and as CHRIST at his resurrection was justified and acquitted from all the sinnes of all believers by God his Father as having now fully satisfied for them wherefore the obedience of Christ being imputed unto believers by God for their righteousnesse it doth put them into the same estate and case touching righteousnesse unto life before God wherein they should have been if they had perfectly performed the perfect obedience of the covenant of works Doe this and thou shalt live Nom. But Sir are all believers dead to the Law and the Law dead to them Evan. Believe it man as the Law is the Covenant of works all true believers are dead unto it and it is dead to them for they being incorporated into Christ what the Law or Covenant of works did to him it did the same to them so that when CHRIST hanged on the Crosse believers after a sort hanged there with him and therefore the Apostle Paul having sayd I through the Law am dead to the Law addes in the next verse I am crucified with CHRIST which words the Apostle brings as an argument to prove that hee was dead to the Law for the Law had crucified him with CHRIST upon which Text Luther sayth I likewise am crucified and dead to the Law Forasmuch as I am crucified and dead with CHRIST and againe I believing in CHRIST am also crucified with CHRIST In like manner the Apostle sayth to the believing Romanes So yee my brethren are dead also to the Law
justified by faith it is a very needless thing for him to endevour to keep the law and to do good works Evan. I remember Luther sayth that in his time there were some that did reason after the like manner if faith say they do accomplish all things and if faith be onely and alone sufficient unto righteousnesse to what end then are wee commanded to doe good deeds we may go play us then and work no working at all to whom hee makes an answer saying not so ye ungodly not so And there were others that said If the law do not justifie then is it in vaine and of none effect yet is it not therefore true saith he for like as this consequence is nothing worth money doth not justifie or make a man righteous therefore it is unprofitable the eyes doe not justifie therefore they must be plucked out the hands make not a man righteous therefore they must be cut off so is this nought also the law doth not justifie therefore it is unprofitable we do not therefore destroy and condemne the law because wee say it doth not justifie but we say with Paul the law is good if a man do rightly use it and that this is a faithfull saying That they which have believed in God might be carefull to mayntaine good works these things are good and profitable unto men Neo. Truly Sir for mine own part I do much marvell that this my friend Antinomista should be so confident of his faith in Christ and yet so little regard holinesse of life and keeping of Christs commandements as it seemes hee doth for I give the Lord thanks I doe now in some small measure believe that I am by Christ freely and fully justified and acquitted from all my sins and therefore have no need eyther to eschew evill or do good for feare of punishment or hope of reward and yet me thinks I finde my heart more willing and desirous to doe what the Lord commands and to avoid what hee forbids then ever it was before I did thus believe surely Sir I doe perceive that faith in Christ is no hinderance to holinesse of life as I once thought it was Evan. Neighbour Neophytus if our friend Antinomista do content himself with a meere Gospell knowledge in a notionary way and have run out to fetch in notions from Christ and yet is not fetcht in by the power of Christ let us pitty him pray for him and in the mean time I pray you know that true faith in Christ is so far from being a hinderance from holinesse of life and good works that it is the onely furtherance for onely by faith in Christ a man is enabled to exercise all Christian graces a-right and to performe all Christian duties a-right which before he could not As for example before a man believe Gods love to him in Christ though he may have a kind of love to God as he is his creatour and preserver and gives him many good things for this present life yet if God do but open his eyes to see what condition his soul is in that is if he do but let him see that relation that is betwixt God and him according to the tenour of the conant of works then he conceives of him as an angry Judge armed with justice against him and must be pacified by the works of the law whereunto he finds his nature opposite and contrary and therefore hee hates both God and his law and doth secretly wish and desire there were neyther God nor law and though God should now give unto him never so many temporall blessings yet could hee not love him for what malefactour could love that Judge or his law from whom he expects the sentence of condemnation though he should feast him at his table with never so many dainties But after that the kindnesse and love of God his Saviour hath appeared not by works of righteousnesse that he hath done but according to his mercy hee saved him that is when as by the eye of faith he sees himselfe to stand in relation to God according to the tenour of the covenant of grace then he conceives of God as a most mercifull and loving Father to him in Christ that hath freely pardoned â—nd forgiven him all his sins and quite released him from the covenant of works and by this means the love of God is shed abroad in his hart through the Holy Ghost which is given to him and then he loves God because he first loved him for as a man seeth and feeleth by faith the love and favour of God towards him in Christ his Son so doth he love again both God and his law and indeed it is impossible for any man to love God till by faith hee know himself loved of God Secondly though a man before he believe Gods love to him in Christ may have a great measure of legall humiliation compunction sorrow and griefe and be brought down as it were to the very gate of hell and feele the very flashings of hell fire in his conscience for his sins yet is it not because hee hath thereby offended God but rather because he hath thereby offended himself that is because hee hath thereby brought himselfe into the danger of eternal death and condemnation but when once he believes the love of God to him in Christ in pardoning his iniquity and passing by his transgression then he sorrows grieves for the offence of God by the sin reasoning thus with himselfe and is it so indeed hath the Lord given his own Sonne to death for me who hath been such a vile sinfull wretch and hath Christ borne all my sins and was hee wounded for my transgressions ô then the working of his bowels the stirring of his affections the melting and relenting of his repenting heart then he remembers his own evill ways and his doings that were not good and loaths himselfe in his own eyes for all his abominations and looking upon Christ whom he hath pierced he mournes bitterly for him as one mourneth for his onely sonne thus when faith hath bathed a mans heart in the bloud of Christ it is so mollified that it quickly dissolues into the teares of godly sorrow so that if Christ doe but turn and look upon him ô then with Peter hee goes out and weeps bitterly and this is true gospel mourning and this is right evangelicall repenting Thirdly Though before a man doe truly believe in Christ he may so reforme his life and amend his ways that as touching the righteousnesse which is of the Law he may be with the Apostle blamelesse yet being under the covenant of works all the obedience that he yields to the Law all his leaving of sin and performance of duties all his avoyding of what the law forbids and all his doing of what the law commands is begotten by the law of works of Hagar the bond-woman by the force of self-love