Pauls conversion Acts 9 to prove that men come to know themselves that is their misery by sin by the preaching of Christ and that the preaching of the Law doth not prepare us for Jesus that we may believe in him For the ministery by which Paul came to see himself and to believe was the voice of Christ Answ I am Jesus of Nazareth Whereunto I answer that Pauls conversion was miraculous and extraordinary it cannot therefore be concluded from thence that men are ordinarily brought to Faith in Christ or enlightned to see their miserable estate by sin without the preaching of the Law But he goeth on forward and saith Object It is the sight and knowledge of Christ that brings men truly to see and know themselves not as they are in the estate of grace he meaneth not so but as they are in the estate of damnation for proof whereof he saith Saul Acts 9. thought himself a very holy and happy man till he met Christ in the way And biddeth us note that Christ taught him in the first place the knowledge of himself Who art thou Lord saith Saul I am Jesus of Nazareth saith Christ whom thou persecutest Christ did not tell him of his sin O thou art an accursed persecuting creature Dost ask who I am Thou hadst more need know thy self c. No no he discovereth Himself unto him And this I know was Gods usual dealing in the Gospel those whom he taught he taught them first to know Christ and this Christ our Prophet must teach thee if ever thou be taught Answ But I would know whether the Lord did not take another course with Adam when he was fallen Sure I am he first brought him to the sight and sense of his sin and misery by reproving him for the transgression of his Law before he comforted him raised him up with that Evangelical promise The seed of the woman shall break the head of the serpent And our blessed Saviour layeth it down for a general rule and direction Luke 24.47 That repentance and remission of sins must be preached in his name amongst all nations First repentance which cannot be without the knowledge of sin and then remission of sins by Faith in Christ Now as for the example of Sauls conversion which Mr. C. so much and so often urgeth it is not true which he saith as it were triumphantly Christ did not tell him of his sin O thou art an accursed persecuting creature c. For did he not plainly speak unto him and say Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And again I am Jesus whom thou persecutest It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks It 's evident that he did as manifestly and as soon if not before tell him of his sin in persecuting him as he told him that he was Jesus We may conclude therefore from hence that a man must be brought to know himself and his miserable estate and condition by sin either at the same time or before that Christ is preached and offered unto him But of this more hereafter only I will say this now that Paul was terrified and cast down indeed by those terrible words of Christ and by beholding his glorious Majesty but for the perfecting of his conversion Christ sent him to Ananias by whom he was to be taught and instructed what he was to do By him therefore he was taught all things necessary unto his salvation and so was â—â—mforted and raised up again by Faith in Christ from his former terrours and fears I say therefore as Mr. C. doth It is Christ in the preaching of the Gospel that is glad tidings for sinners remission of sins for believers and this Gospel this glad tydings cannot rightly be held forth unto the world but withal men must be shewed that they are sinners and the emptiness of duties and of all other foundations must be discovered and the danger of not accepting Christ But I demand whether this is not to be done by shewing unto men their sins by the Law and their disability to do any thing of themselves that is pleasing unto God through the corruption that is in them by the fall of Adam For this impotency of doing good and the great wrath that is due unto us for our sins the Law re ealeth and maketh known unto us which when a sinner once apprehendeth then the Gospel is to be preached and he is to be exhorted to lay hold of Jesus Christ by Faith Object as the only means of salvation But let us examine another of Mr. C's Arguments and see whether there be any more force in that Beloved saith he God hath appointed the Spirit to be the means in the preaching of the Gospel to convince the world of sin Joh. 16.9 It is the Spirit of God that convinceth the world of sin and that in the preaching of the Gospel But hereunto I answer that our Saviour saith not Answ that the Spirit of God doth in the preaching of the Gospel only reprove the world of sin absolutely but of the sin of infidelity for thus he saith VVhen the Comforter is come he will reprove the world of sin because they believe not in me Now what shall we say that none believed in Christ before this coming of the Spirit and reproving of the world of unbelief Verily no for the Apostles with many other did before this believe in him For our Saviour speaks here of the coming of the Spirit in the miraculous gifts thereof as he came upon the Apostles and other believers in the day of Pentecost and afterwards until those gifts ceased in the Church when the Gospel had been by them sufficiently confirmed Besides the world of which our Saviour there speaketh though it was convinced of sin by the miraculous gifts of the Spirit yet it never believed for our Saviour calleth it the world that believed not in him Lastly If we should say they were unbelievers and worldlings before but afterward believed when they saw the miraculous gifts that were by Christ poured down and bestowed on his Apostles and others that reproved their infidelity yet it cannot hence be inferred that all in all succeeding ages are thus to be converted and brought unto Faith in Christ But of this more hereafter when I shall examine that which he alledgeth out of Acts 2.37 In the next place he reasoneth thus All preparations and qualifications whatsoever which are not of Faith Object are sin and I am sure Faith comes by the preaching of the Gospel not of the Law Therefore the preaching of qualifications before Faith is sin for all things before or without Faith are sin His Reason if we put it in form will be thus Sin cannot prepare us for Christ but all preparations before Faith are sin therefore no such preparations or qualifications can prepare us for Christ Here I would wish him first of all to consider that by reasoning thus he striketh himself as well as us For he will not
Baals priest I think ten times over and Minister of the Devil Doct. of John Baptist Page 36. 37 38. did unto me that Christs Disciples at that time and all the servants of God under the Old Testament were to pray for the pardon of their sins because Christ had not then payd the price of our Redemption and purchased the pardon of our sins by his Passion Now here Mr. D. joyneth with them and confirmeth them in their errour For he saith that there was no pardon of sin in the Old Testament because Christ had not then redeemed us But against this Assertion of his I shall by Gods grace both prove that there was the same forgivnesse of sins in the Old Testament that is in the new and then afterwards I shall answer his Arguments which he alleadgeth to the contrary First the Scripture it self of the Old Testament sheweth not darkly nor obscurely but plainely and manifestly not in a few but many places that the sins of all that did in those dayes truly repent were blotted out and forgiven by God The truth of this is to be seen in David he no sooner repented of his sins of adultery and murther crying out in the anguish and bitternesse of his soul and saying I have sinned against the Lord but presently the Prophet Nathan pronounced his absolution and sayd 2 Sam. 12.13 The Lord hath put away thy sin He hath forgiven he hath put it away sayth Nathan not he will put it away when the Messiah shall come and lay down his life for thy Redemption The same also doth David himself acknowledge and professe saying I acknowledged my sin unto thee Psal 23.4 5. and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin But what do I stand upon a such particular examples The Lord himself speaking of and to his people in the Old Testament saith I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake Esa 43.25 and will not remember thy sins And by his Prophet Ezekiel he proclaimeth a generall pardon for all as well in those dayes as in these that would repent and turn unto him saying Ezek. 18.20 21. The soul that sinneth it shall dye but if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall not dye Hereupon the Prophet Micah magnifieth the mercy of the Lord and saith Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Micah 7.18 The Protestants do hold against the Papists that the souls of the ancient Patriarchs and of the godly and faithfull that died before Christs passion went after the dissolution of their bodyes not into limbus patrum but into Heaven But surely this could not be if their sins remained and were not forgiven them For it is nothing but sin that openeth Hell and shutteth Heaven Let Mr. D. therefore advise himself whether he will in this joyn with the papists or with the protestants Sure I am as many as took the protestation which was put out by the Parliament bound themselves by a solemne vow to defend the protestant religion against all popery popish innovations but how well this is performed â—y many of the Sectaries the event sheweth Thus have I manfested that there was remission of sins in the Old Testament SECT III. Objections Answered LEt us now examine Mr. D. reasons whereby he and divers Sectaries do think to prove the contrary It is not possible say both he and they that those who lived under the Old Testament Object could have their sins actually pardoned because Christ then had not purchased the pardon of them by his death and Passion But I answer Answ they are much mistaken For the sins of all the elect people of God that lived before Christs passion were pardoned because he had undertaken to satisfie the law and justice of God for them Whereupon it is that Christ is called the surety of a better Testament Heb. 7.22 that is then the Law was to wit because he became our surety to his Father and undertook to satisfie his justice for our sins and to bring us to God Wherefore as the debter is discharged from prison when the suerty taketh the debt upon him although he doth not pay it presently but bindeth himself to satisfie it at a set time agreed upon So seeing the eternall Son of God became surety unto his Father for us and took our spirituall debt upon him and bound himself to redeeme us by his death at that fulnesse of time which was decreed and agreed upon by his Father and him all those therefore that by faith did rely upon the alsufficient sacrifice satisfaction of Christ from the beginning of the World untill his passion had their sins pardoned and were saved by meanes of that their faith in him as well as we are who now believe in him after he hath suffered and paid our debt For this cause he is called The Lamb slain from the beginning of the world Rev. 13.18 not only because he was in Gods decree and counsell from all eternity appointed to be slain or because he was from the beginning of the World slain Mystically in the sacrifices that were offered But in this regard principally becauâ—e the validity and virtue of his death did extend it self unto Adam and to all the elect of God that lived at any time or other from the beginning of World Object But saith Mr. D. those that lived before Christ had by his death redeemed them were under the Bondage and curse of the law Answ therefore their sins were not pardoned and forgiven them I answer they were in bondage to the Ceremonies of the Law Gal. 5.1 which Paul called a yoak of bondage And St Peter saith That neither they nor their Fathers were able to bear it but they not were in bondage to sin and Satan Acts 15.10 For what godly heart can endure to hear that Abraham the Father of the faithfull or Isaac or Jacob or David and the rest of those holy Patriarchs should be said to be in bondage to sin or to be Satans bond-men As aborrent also it is to Christian piety to say as Mr. D. doth that they were under the curse of the law for then they should have been in the state of damnation and liable to Gods wrath We confesse indeed they were under the law but how under the paedagogie or School-Mastery not under the curse and condemnatory sentence of it for from that were they freed and delivered by their faith in Christ to come as we are now by our faith in the same Christ who is come But saith he Object St. Paul telleth us that as many as are under the law are under the curse
out and that they may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Object What is this say these men but to teach and preach legally when you do thus tie men to conditions for the obtaining of salvation as the Law did Answ It s true indeed we should be legal teachers if we did require of men the same conditions for the obtaining of salvation and after the same manner that the Law doth but we are far from this for the Law requireth perfect obedience to all the Commandements thereof that is to say all manner of good works as that whereby we are to be justified before God or as the cause of our salvation Now we on the contrary do teach that we are saved only and altogether by the grace of God through the merits and satisfaction of Jesus Christ And we say that works are necessary to our justification at leastwise to the continuance of it after a far inferior manner that is necessitate presentiae non efficientiae as duties necessarily accompanying it and going with it not as any causes meriting or working it Thus whereas the Law requireth works as causes of our justification and salvation we require Faith Repentance and such works or duties as the Gospel teacheth only as necessary conditions without which we cannot be saved For as I have proved in the former Question the Gospel indeed offereth salvation unto all by Christ but not absolutely but upon condition of their faith and repentance Where faith therefore in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance are wanting it is in vain for men to believe that they are reconciled unto God or that they are in the state of salvation which is the Doctrine now taught by Mr. D Mr. S. and many others Whereas these men then do think that all conditions are legal they are herein deceived For the difference between the Law and the Gospel is not that the one requireth conditions to be performed and the other none at all which were it so then the Gospel should be a Doctrine of licentiousness and carnal liberty but in this that the Law offereth salvation unto none but unto those that do perfectly fulfill it without failing in any the least duty therein required and commanded but the Gospel offereth pardon of all sins and transgressions unto all that believe in Christ and rise up out of their sins by repentance when they are fallen and do not still lie in them Thus the Law is a covenant of works because it promiseth salvation to none but to those that do the works therein prescribed and commanded Rom. 10.8 but the Gospel is a covenant of faith or as St. Paul calleth it the word of faith because it promiseth forgiveness of sins and salvation to all those that renouncing themselves and their own works do relie only upon Christ for salvation according to the promises of his Gospel SECT II. Both repentance and all manner of good works are commanded and required in the Gospel THis that I have already said might be sufficient for an answer unto this Question notwithstanding because many at this day by hearing of our late new Preachers and reading of their Books have their mindes and understandings so vitiated and depraved that whensoever they hear us teach the necessity of repentance unto salvation or hear us presse the practise and performance of good works upon mens Consciences presently they think that we are enemies unto the grace of God and do preach nothing but the Law For so indeed some few years since when one heard me tell my hearers that as long as any one of them did live in sin and not practise repentance it was in vain for him to believe that his sins were forgiven and that he should at the comming of Christ to judgement rise again in his own body to live eternally with Christ After he was returned home from the Church he spake aloud in the hearing of divers and said here is nothing but preaching of the Law preaching of Repentance Repent and ye shall be saved repent and Heaven Gates shall be set open for you To the intent therefore that such poor seduced souls may be brought to see their error I will handle this matter a little more fully First of all then It is certain that the Law requireth perfect obedience of us unto all the Commandements thereof and will not accept of any repentance if we fall but into any one sin or fail in any one duty but concludeth and shutteth us up under the curse of God The Doctrine of Repentance therefore as these men think is not legal Deut. 27.26 but meerly Evangelical And therefore when Christ taught the people repentance it is said that he preached not the Law but the Gospel Now it is manifest and evident also Mar. 1.15 that all manner of good works which are the fruits and effects of repentance are required and commanded in the Gospel as well as in the Law For St. Paul telleth us that we are Gods workmanship Eph. 2.10 created in Christ Jesus unto good works which he hath appointed that we should walk in them When St. Paul saith here that we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works it is certain that this is the voyce not of the Law but of the Gospel For the Law neither speaketh of our new Creation in Christ Jesus that is of our Regeneration neither maketh any mention of Christ at all Christus enim non est revelationis naturalis sicut est lex Rom. 2.14 sed supernaturalis It is not the Law but the Gospel that revealeth Christ unto us It is therefore the Gospel also and not the Law that informeth us and telleth us that Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity Tit. 2.14 and purifie a peculiar people unto himself zealous of good works And seeing this is one end of Christs passion for as much as he hath delivered us out of the hands of our enemies that we might serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness Luk. 1.74 75. before him all the dayes of our life And did therefore bear our sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live to righteousness hereupon St. Paul wrote unto Titus and said This is a faithful saying and these things I will 1 Pet. 2.24 that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God Tit. 1.8 might be careful to maintain good works And afterwards in that Chapter Vers 14. He writeth thus unto him Let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses that they be not unfruitful In all these and many other places of the Gospel are good works required of us Yea I will say more they are required as necessary to our eternal salvation in Heaven though not by way of merit yet as a condition necessarily to be performed by us Eph. 2.10 and as the way wherein we are to walk
ones we are by sinners whom Christ professeth that he came to call to understand contrite and broken hearted sinners that being terrified with the judgements of the Law do acknowlege that they stand in great need of Christ the heavenly Physician and of every drop his blood which he shed for them But of this I have spoken enough before Object 7. He goeth on and saith All that ever received Christ Object 7 Corinthians Ephesians Colossians received him in a sinful condition when they were unwashen darkness dead in sins enemies in their minds by wicked works Answ Here also Mr. S. setteth up an adversaâ—y unto himself of his own devising and then dischargeth fiercely and furiously upon him For no Protestant teacheth that those that are only prepared for the preaching of the Gospel by the terrours of the Law are washed from their sins and do live the life of grace but on the contrary they hold That as yet they are dead in sin and if they proceed no further shall perish everlastingly Object 8. Object 8 Lastly He thus also objecteth God offereth Christ in time as God gave him God before all times gave him to us because we were sinners and now he is but offered as he was given Answ Hereunto I answer First That God neither before time gave Christ in his eternal decree because we were sinner nor in time doth he give us him because we are sinners For there is no cause in us at all of our salvation it is to be ascribed wholly to Gods grace As for sin it is in it self a cause of damnation not of salvation But if his meaning be that God before time considered us as sinners when he gave us Christ there followeth nothing more from hence but that God in time offered Christ unto us when we were sinners which we willingly grant But we add further that God before all time decreed not only to give Christ to sinners but that those sinners should by the power of his Spirit be brought in time to acknowledge their sins and spiritual misery and woful condition under sin and so be driven out of themselves and be made to fly unto Christ Seeing therefore whatsoever God decreed before time shall be fulfilled and accomplished in time hereupon therefore it followeth not that all sinners absolutely but that those only who do acknowledge their sins and their eternal misery by sin are they to whom Christ is offered in the Gospel and that do come unto him SECT 6. Two Objections of Mr. D. answered THere are two Objections of Master D. which I formerly passed over at my first reading of his Book whereunto I have thought good now to return an answer First Object he reasoneth thus against any qualification or preparation or other to be wrought in us before we be justified Reconcil of God to man pag. 16. Let us hear the Lord speaking of his own work upon the Creature Isa 57.18 He went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heale him I will lead him also and restore comforts to him and to his mourners Whom wilt thou heale O Lord Whom wilt thou restore Even him whose wayes I have seen What are those wayes Even frowardnesse and perversnesse He went on frowardly in the way of his heart See again Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my owne sake and will not remember thy sins Whose sins will the Lord blot out Look we back unto the 22. vers Thou hast not called upon me O Jacob thou hast been weary of me O Israel Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities verse 24. See Thou hast been weary of me Yea thou hast wearied me This is Iacobs qualification This is Israels preparation Then follows I even I am he that blotteth out thy trangressions As if the Lord should say unto his people as he speaketh by the prophet Ezek. 36.22 Say unto the house of Israel Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for my holy names sake which ye have prophaned among the heathen whither ye went See also Deut. 9.6 Isa 48.9 alleadged by him And then his conclusion is This is all the qualification we bring unto God to win his love and mercy Answer But I answer whereas the Lord saith he went on frowardly in the way of his heart c. This is not Jacobs qualification but a description of his perverse disposition being considered as he was in himself to the magnifying of Gods most rich mercy and superabundant grace towards him in pardoning his sins His qualification precedent to his justification was his humiliation and abenegation of himself wrought in him by Gods Spirit opening his eyes to see his sins and the great wrath that was due unto him for them This was that which through the gracious working of Gods Spirit drew him unto Christ the promised redeemer of his people when he was offered unto him that he might be saved through faith in him But it was not this nor any thing else that Jacob did or could do that merited the pardon of his sins or that moved made God to justifie him for we acknowledge that our justification is wholly of grace yea that this preparation is also of grace yet not necessitating our justification as if it did alway follow it But of this enough hath been said before Yet Mr. D Dr. C and others do so represent our doctrine as if we taught precedent qualifications to win Gods love to procure him to have mercy upon us to forgive us our sins Object Master D. second Objection against precedent qualifications not onely to our justification but to our Conversion and Sanctification Reconcil of God to man pag. 31. is this John Frith whose Learning was by his adversarie commended whose constancy and patience in his Martyrdome was admired writeth to this effect Thou maist preach Hell Damnation and the rendering of a terrible account to a severe Judge seven years together and yet not make one good Christian He that would make a good Christian let the love of God be the first stone which he layeth for the foundation Answ That which this holy man saith I acknowledge to be most true A minister may preach not only seven but seventy time seven years together and yet if he preach nothing else but Hell and Damnation not convert one soule For it are not the terrours of the law but the glad tydings of Salvation by Christ in the preaching of the Gospel whereby the Spirit of God worketh faith in us to our conversion and salvation and stirreth us up to love and thankfulness towards God Notwithstanding the terrours of the Law are necessary by way of preparation hereunto For how can a man se of apprehend the great love of God to him in giving his Son to death for his Redemption if by
which shall be all of them accomplished and fulfilled in us in their due time When the Apostle also saith that God hath chosen us unto sanctification of the Spirit it followeth hence not that we were actually and really in our own persons sanctified from all eternity as he reasoneth but that we shall be sanctified at that time which God hath decreed and appointed But let us see how Mr. D. confirmeth this former exposition of his These places saith he that is Object James 1.18 1 Pet. 1.23 are to be understood of the manifestation of adoption not of the act of adoption it self And that it is so is plain God hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead A lively hope is the thing whereunto we are begotten It is ordinary in Scripture to call the manifestation of things by the name of the things themselves I grant the Scripture Answ though not so ordinarily as he would have it yet sometimes doth call the manifestation of things by the name of the things themselves but we must not therefore take liberty to set this glosse upon whatsoever places of Scripture we shall think good our selves as Mr. D. and others now but too commonly do For it is agreed upon by Divines that the Scriptures are to be taken and understood in that sense and meaning which the words do plainly import except it be contrary to the Analogie of Faith or to good manners or abhorrent to common sense and reason or to some other plain and manifest places of Scripture none of all which can be said of these two places of Scripture Jam. 1.18 1 Pet. 1.23 Those words therfore of both the Apostles are ro be taken in their native sense as they found Now whereas St. Peter saith that we are begotten again to a lively hope he sheweth in the words following what this hope is when he saith to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation Object But whereas Mr. D. saith a lively hope is the thing whereunto we are begotten will he therefore infer hence as he seemeth to do that our Adoption is eternal surely then he may deduce quid libet ex quo libet chalk out of cheese for there can nothing be concluded hence but that the inheritance of Heaven is a câ—nsequent of our Adoption according to that of St. Paul If children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ Answ But though Mr. D. passeth it over in silence it may be some one or other will say St. Peter telleth us that we are begotten again through the resurrection of Christ When St. James therefore and St. Peter do say that we were begotten by the word of God this must needs be meant of the manifestation of our Adoption and not of the act of Adoption it self for Christ was risen from the dead long before the Word was preached either to us or to those Christians to whom the Apostles wrote and directed their Epistles Whereunto I answer That neither will this prove the eternity of our Adoption as Mr. D. teacheth it For Christ rose again at that certain and determinate time which God had decreed and foretold that is to say the third day after his Passion on the Crosse But not to make any use of this whereas St. Peter saith that we are begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead the meaning hereof is not that we were at that time regenerated or begotten again when Christ rose from the dead unlesse it were virtually only but that our regeneration which is actually wrought and effected by Gods Word and Spirit as was the regeneration of all Gods children from the beginning of the world depended on Christs resurrection as on a virtual cause or power producing it in that time and by those means which God hath appointed For as St. Paul saith to the Corinthians If Christ be not raised your Faith is vain ye are yet in your sins Thus I have answered Mr. D.'s Objections and as I take it sufficiently cleared this matter Quest 9. Whether a man is to pray for the pardon of his sins after he is regenerated and doth believe and repent SECT I. The Children of God do and ought to pray for the pardon of their sins I Have taken occasion to discusse this question in regard of those many giddy Sectaries that do pertinaciously Reaso n 1 deny it And first I reason thus David was the Child of God in high favour with him as that Testimony which the Lord giveth of him doth bear witnesse I have found David the Son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my will Acts 13.23 Notwithstanding he prayed heartily not only for the pardon of those two heynous sins of adultery and murther when he had been overtaken with them but of those other sins whereof he had repented and which were forgiven him long before For Psal 25.6 7. he cryeth unto the Lord and saith Remember O Lord thy tender mercyes and thy loving kindnesse for they have been ever of old Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions And in many other Psalmes doth he petition the Lord for the pardon of his sins Daniel also a most worthy and renowned Servant of God one that was greatly beloved maketh confession of his own sins as well as of the sins of the people and prayeth most heartily for the pardon of them saying O Lord hear O Lord forgive Dan. 9.10.20 23. Thus did these holy men pray by the inspiration and instigation of Gods holy Spirit it followeth necessarily therefore that the Children of God both may and ought to pray for the pardon of their sins For I hope none now living will dare to say that they are holier then David or Daniel were or that they are in higher favour with God or have more Reaso n 2 assureance of his love and favour Again our Saviour taught his disciples whom all do acknowledge for Gods Children nor will any dare to say that they were the Children of the Devill to pray for the pardon of their sins For when they upon a time came unto Jesus Christ and said Master teach us to pray as John taught his Disciples Luk. 11.4 he said unto them when ye pray say Our Father which art in Heaven forgive us our sins It is manifest and most evident from hence that it is our blessed Saviours will and appointment that those who are the true Children of God as his disciples were should pray for the pardon of their sins SECT II. There was forgivenesse of sins before Christs Passion BUt will you see how these our adversaries do think to avoyd the force of these Testimonies They confesse for so a foul mouthed Sectary * One that called me bald Rogue bald Priest
No he doth not Gal. 3.10 but as many as are of the works of the law that is who seek and go about to be justified by the works of the Law Answ are under the curse But this did not the Fathers before Christs coming for as St. Peter saith Acts 15.11 As we do believe that we shall be saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ so did they Object He alleadgeth also those words of the Apostle They received not the promise Heb. 11.39 as if the meaning of them were that those under the Old Testament were not made partakers of forgivenesse of sins and salvation before Christs coming Bur I have before proved Answ that there was the same remission of sins in those dayes that there is now For of those that lived at that time as well as now David speaketh plainely and saith Psal 32.1 2. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Whereas then the Apostle saith they received not the promise he speaketh of the promise of Christs incarnation and manifestation in the flesh and his meaning is that that promise was not then accomplished but differred untill the dayes of the New Testament wherein we see those things and hear those things which Abraham and the Prophets and faithfull people of God in those dayes desired to see and hear but could not God providing better things for us as the Apostle speaketh in the next words that they without us might not be made perfect that is in the knowledge and faith of the full Revelation of the Messiah but held in the state and condition as it were of children in their Minority Object He urgeth also against us those words of the Angel Gabriel unto Daniel Dan. 9.24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the holy City to finish the trangression and to make an end of sins and to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousnesse For from hence he inferreth and concludeth that the sins of the people of God were at that time remaining and that they were not reconciled to God Answ But hereunto I answer that the Angel in these words speaketh of the finishing of transgressions and making an end of sins and of making reconciliation for iniquity by way of satisfaction and Redemption which Christ was to do in his passion Isai 53.10 when as Isaiah saith he was to make his soul an offering for sin but not of taking away sin and making reconciliation by actuall remission and forgivenesse thereof For thus all those were reconciled to God and were discharged of their sins who before Christs passion did expect his coming and built the hope and confidence of their Redemption and salvation on him I do not remember for I have not his book by me any thing else that Mr. D. alleadgeth to infringe the force of my two former reasons I have nothing therefore more to say unto him in this Question SECT IIII. Two reasons more proving that the Children of God are to pray for the pardon of their Sins THirdly therefore I do reason thus against the aforesaid Reaso n 3 Sectaries If the Children of God are not to pray for the pardon of their sins then it will follow that pardon of sin is to be had without any prayer which is a great and grosse absurdity for we have no promise of any good thing from God unlesse we pray for it Math. 7.7 Ask saith our Saviour and you shall have Here the promise is made to him that asketh But on the contrary ye have not James 4.2 because ye ask not saith St. James James 1.7 Now when men are unregenerate they cannot pray in faith and therefore as St. James saith shall obtain nothing of the Lord. And after they are regenerated and do believe these men will not allow them to pray for the pardon of their sins According therefore to their doctrine pardon of sin is to be had without any true prayer The grossnesse and absurdity of which conceipt who seeth not that is not stark blind in spirituall things Fourthly it hath been Reaso n 4 constantly taught untill this time not only by others but even by those also that would not allow the Lords prayer to be used as a prayer that it is a platforme of prayer according whereunto we are all of us to frame and form all our prayers at least wise for the matter of our petitions Now as I have shewed already Christ therein taught his Disciples to pray for the forgivenesse of their sins It it a novellous conceipt therefore and upstart errour to hold That the Children of God ought not to pray for the pardon of their Sins SECT V. The severall Causes or reasons why the Children of God are to pray for the pardon of their sins Object But say these men when we believe in Christ our sins are pardoned we are therefore to praise God for this his mercy but not to pray for it seeing we have it already for then we should take Gods name in vaine Answ 1 But I answer them that the promise of pardon of sin at leastwise for the continuance of it is not made unto one individuall act of faith onely but to perseverance and continuance in the faith for so we are given to understand Heb. 10.38 Heb. 10.38 The just shall live by faith but if any man draw back my soule shall have no pleasure in him But saith the Apostle We are not of them that draw back unto perdition but of them that believe perseverantly to the saving of the Soul And before in the third Chapter the same Apostle hath told us See also Joh. 8.31 verse 14. that we are made pertakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence sted-fast unto the end After therefore we are justified and absolved from our sins yet we are to pray still for the pardon of them because as Amesius and other of the Learned protestants generally say Continuatio hujus gratiae est nobis necessaria the continuance of this grace is necessary for us For as it is not to one individuall act of faith onely so neither of repentance nor of prayer but to perseverance and continuance in all these that God hath promised and granted pardon This is to seen in David for after his sins were pardoned and he the true Child of God yet he prayeth still remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions And after David was pardoned for Nathan upon his repentance said unto him the Lord hath taken away thy sin 2. Sam. 12.13 yet he prayed most earnestly for pardon Psal 51. We are still to pray for the pardon of our sins Ut sensus et manifestatio hujus gratiae magis magisque percipiatur prout singularia peccata postulant that the sense and manifestation of this grace may be more and more
He will not alwayes chide neither will he keep his anger for ever Psal 103.8 9. After the same manner speaketh also the Lord himself In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting mercy will I have compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer It is evident that the Lord speaketh here of his own Children for his everlasting mercy belongeth to them and on them it is that his anger remaineth but a moment For on wicked reprobates it shall rest for ever according to that Joh. 3.36 He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Quest 11. Whether God do correct his Children for their sins This Question I thought good to add unto the former because it is of great affinity with it and the rather indeed have I done this because an Acquaintance of mine did lately long after I had finished this Treatise take upon him to maintaine that God doth never correct his Children for any sin that is committed by them against whom I reasoned thus God doth either correct his Children for sin or for righteousnesse for there is no mean betwixt these two For our actions although being considered simply as they are per se et sua natura in themselves and in their own nature are many of them indifferent that is neither good nor evil morally yet in actu exercito that is being clothed with such circumstances as they are when they are practised by us so they are all either good or evil Now said I God doth not correct any for righteousnesse or well doing therefore it is for their sins and for their evil doings that he correcteth his Children But hereunto he answered that it is for righteousnesse that God correcteth his Children for said he God correcteth them from their sins and maketh them to live righteously I perceived his meaning was as if he should have said God correcteth his Chiâ—dren for righteousnesse not that righteousnesse which they have done but which he would have them to do Now this I willingly yeelded unto him that the terminus á quo of Gods corrections or rather of our sanctification which he worketh in us by his corrections is sin and the terminus ad quem is righteousnesse that is to speak popularly and plainely God by his chastisments driveth us from sin unto righteousnesse For as the Apostle saith No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous Heb. 12.11 but grievous neverthelesse afterwards it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby Thus the end of our Heavenly Fathers Chastiâ—ements is to make us to leave our sins and to follow after righteousnesse But doth it follow hereupon that we are not corrected for our sins whereby we do provoke God and make him to afflict us If we should never be overtaken nor be at all defiled with any sin he would never correct us We may truely therefore be said to be corrected for our sins because sins are they that do pull down Gods corrections upon us But here mine adversary replyed and said Object Christ hath either born all the punishment of our sin or he hath born none of it at all Whereunto I answered that punishment is of two sorts either satisfactory to Gods justice Answ now all this Christ hath born For as I say saith He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities Isa 50.5.6 the Chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes are we healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath layd on him the iniquities of us all Or else punishment is for the humiliation and reformation of the party offending and such are Gods corrections whereby he nurtureth his Children for his own glory and their amendment It is for our profit that we are thus corrected as the Apostle telleth us Heb. 12.10 Christ therefore by his passion hath not redeemed us from such Chastisements but sanctifieth them unto us After I had answered these Objections I proceeded and proved unto him that God correcteth his Children for their sins The arguments which I then used I shall now somewhat inlarge not tying my self strictly to the order in which they were propounded unto him First of all then I say that the holy Scripture in expresse words affirmeth that God correcteth his Children for their sins for thus speaketh the holy prophet David unto the Lord This Testimony is universal of all men of all times Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moath And presently he addeth surely every man is vanity in regard he meaneth of Gods corrections which do weaken and waste him He excepteth none out of this number not the Children of God more then others For it were his own afflictions that made him to utter these words For having said I am consumed by the blow of thine hand presently he inferreth When thou with rebukes dost chasten man thou makest his beauty to consume away David also bringeth in Almighty God speaking thus of his posterity whereof it cannot be denyed but many were Gods Children If his Children forsake my law and walke not in my judgments If they breake my statutes and keep not my Commandements then will I visit their transgression with the rodde and their iniquity with stripes Psal 89.30.31.32 Now what is this but to correct them for their sins And I pray you did not Josephs bretheren when they suspected that they were brought into great hazard and danger of their lives in the land of Egypt acknowledge that this was Gods punishment or correction on them for their sins for thus they spake one to another We are verily guilty concerning our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he sought us and we would not heare therefore they mean for their sin in oppressing and betraying their Brother is the distress come upon us Gen. 42.21 When Job also saith Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth what meaneth he but that God laid his hand heavy upon him and chastized him for the sins of his youth 2. Besides these and many other testimonies that might be produced I reason thus If the sins of Gods children be the cause of their corrections then they are corrected for their sins for what is it to correct one for his sins or for his faults but to correct him because of such faults and offences as are committed by him Now the holy Scripture testifieth that Gods children are corrected because of their sins which they have committed and not onely to keep them from sin pro futuro for the time to come therefore it cannot justly be denyed that God correcteth them for their sins That their sins are the cause of Gods corrections these places of holy Scripture do evidence first the Lord speaketh
tell him what both I my self and some others heard one speak with great rejoycing whose conversation was none of the best We never had the Gospel preached until now Christ is freely offered unto all nothing is required of us free Grace is preached What will you say to those who hearing you preach thus do turn the grace of God into lasciviousness and say That they know they shall be saved by their Faith in Christ who is freely offered them without any conditions what you and those who preach thus will say I know not but sure I am St. Paul saith to them and to all Prove your selves whether ye be in the Faith And then he sheweth how this is to be done 2 Cor. 13.5 Know you not your own selves that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates As if he should say Whosoever they are that believe in Christ they have him dwelling in them by his Spirit hereby therefore shall you know that ye are true believers even by his spirit whereof ye are made partakers For as St. John also saith Hereby we know that he abideth in us 1 Joh. 3.24 by the Spirit that he hath given us He therefore that upon good proof and experience findeth that the Spirit of God is in him mortifying his carnal lusts and affections and renewing him in holiness may be assured hereby that he is by Faith ingrafted into Christ and that he shall be saved by him For it is not flesh and blood that worketh such an inward and universal change in us but the spirit of God by Faith in Christ Jesus And of this St. Iohn assureth us when he saith This is our Victory that overcommeth the World even our Faith As if he should say it is our Faith in Christ 1 Ioh. 5.4 whereby we are made pertakers of the spirit of God which he merited for us who believe in him that makes us Conquerors of the World that is of those sinful lusts that raign in worldly men and not any power or strength of our own Where sin therefore is thus conquered there is true faith but in whomsoever sin still raigneth 't is in vain for him to boast of his faith or of the free grace of God for as yet he can lay no claim thereto Thus Mr. D. I have proved that our love to the Brethren and other effects of the spirit which are never seperated from true Faith do bear witness to our Faith and testifie the truth of it not only before men Confer with a sick man Pag. 8. as you say but inwardly also to our souls and consciences which you must not deny if you remember what you have written concerning the reconciliation of Man to God pag. 57 59 60. for there you say that joy in the Holy Ghost and the love of God and of our Brethren and new obedience are inseperable Companions to our reconciliation by Faith Every one of these therefore must needs assure us of our reconciliation to God unless you will say that a man may know that he hath faith but cannot know either that he rejoyceth in God or that he loveth God and his Children or that he obeyeth his word and Commandements of which I can see no reason seeing faith is as spiritual supernatural and as hard to be known as any of these For my part I cannot conceive how the souls of those that are reconciled unto God should have such abundant joy as you speak of be filled even with floods of comfort and have no knowledge nor feeling thereof at all And though the true love of God cannot alwayes so easily be seen and discerned by every one in whose heart it is as such superabundant joy and rejoycing may yet if he that loveth God could not know that he doth so our Saviour would not have said unto Peter Lovest thou me neither could Peter have answered as he did Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee â—â—h 21.15 â—sal 116.1 Nor could David so confidently have said as he doth I love the Lord because he hath heard my voyce and my supplications Now as a true Christian may know that he loveth God so may he also that he truly repenteth and liveth not according to his fleshly lusts but according to Gods Commandements and is therefore his Servant For else how could Iob have said Iob 42.6 Psal 116.6 that he abborred himself and repented in dust and ashes Or how could David have said Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant and the Son of thine Handmaid It will be worth the while also to take further notice what Mr. D. hath written concerning the love of God and the keeping of his Commandements This Garment of love saith he is like the Garment of divers colours wherewithall the Kings Daughters which were Virgins were apparelled If a woman be seen in the street without a party coloured Garment it is concluded that she is either none of the Kings daughters or at least no Virgin so is that Ornament of love I say that thing wherewith all the people of God reconciled to him are adorned if we see a soul altogether stript of this Ornament we conclude they are not in the number of Gods people at least not reconciled Therefore the Holy Ghost concludes He that loveth not knoweth not God 1 Ioh. 4.8 And as on the affirmative he pronounceth Grace be on all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Eph. 6.24 So also on the negative If any love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16.22 Now with the love of God is joyned the keeping of his Commandements as an inseparable effect thereof This is the love of God that we keep his Commandements 1 Joh. 5.3 If ye love me keep my Commandements 1 Iohn 14 15. If a man love me he will keep my words Vers 23. Christ entering into the soul shall drive out whatsoever is prophane and draw up the soul by the cords of love unto new obedience And to this place we refer hatred of sin love of vertue a godly sorrow for transgression committed revenge upon our selves for the things that are past and a jealous care for that which is to come Thus far Mr. D. From all which I pray you may not I infer and conclude both negatively that he who liveth in sin and loveth the World and the things thereof is destitute of the true love of God and as yet can have no assurance of salvation and affirmatively that if a man can find that he sincerely and unfainedly loveth God and testifieth the truth hereof by obedience unto his Commandements he may hereby and not by faith only as Mr. D. will have it be assured of Gods love and of his own eternal salvation by Jesus Christ Doubtless St. Peter would have us thus to conclude 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9 10. and resolve upon it for he biddeth us make our Calling and Election sure