he there was no Sin in him this doth plainly evince that the Anomy of Sin was accounted to him 3. That the fault of Sin is separable from the Person of the Sinner but can never be separated from the demerit without payment David's Person is freed from the fault of Murder but his Murder cannot be freed from the desert of Death Now that which Christ did especially was to make the Elect without fault before God to take off that relation which they had to the Law lying as to the blame of it God's Reconciliation to the Persons of Sinners is by taking away the fault of Sin before God and this is done by the Person of Christ bearing Sin 4. That in a Sinner which is to be pardoned whenever he receives Christ was â—aid on Christ but the fault of Sin is to be pardoned whenever he receives Christ there 's the least part of pardon that frees only from Punishment but forgives not the Fault or Offence just as a King 's Reprieving a Felon but not Pardoning him To save him from the Gallows but charge him never to see his Face 5. That without the taking away of which the Conscience of a Sinner can never be purified from Guilt was certainly laid upon and taken away by Jesus Christ Heb. 9 14. But the Fault of Sin is such without the taking away of which before God the Conscience can never be purified from Guilt Ergo the fault of Sin was laid upon Jesus Christ to take it away let a Man be sure he should never see Death yet if the fault lye upon him there will still be Guilt his Conscience will accuse he cannot have Peace towards God 6. If the Wages of Sin be in the very Nature of Sin viz. Spiritual Death and it be inseparable from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Sin it self then that Death cannot be removed without taking away the Sin before God but the Wages of Sin which is Death is inseparable from the Nature of Sin in the Fault before God c. Ergo he that by Death slays our Death slays and carries away the Sin which is this Death The Apostle to the Rom. 7. calls the Body of Sin the Body of Death 2 Tim. 1.10 7. That which Essentially belongs unto Christ's Office as Mediator must be performed by Christ but bearing our Sins so as to take them away before God is Essentially belonging to Christ's Office as Mediator It 's not the Essential part of a Mediator to bear the Punishment of the wronged Party but to reconcile the Parties at variance he may save one Party from utter Ruine by bearing Punishment yet cannot reconcile them without taking away all matter of offence but it is the fault of Sin that is the cause of variance God hates it and the Sinner loves it God is not offended at the Creature because he must be punished but because it 's he who hath broke his Law therefore he punisheth him 8. If the Creature will never be Reconciled to God till it hath some prospect of God's being reconciled first by Christ taking away the fault of Sin before God then Christ bore it away but the Creature will never be reconciled to God without this prospect Ergo for the Ministry of Reconciliation as to its Efficacy is founded upon this 2 Cor. 5. And it 's there described to be God being in Christ first Reconciling the World to himself and how is he said to be so but by making Christ Sin for us who knew no Sin 9. All the Sin-offerings of the Law hold forth Christ's bearing Sin if you consider their Names the proper Sin-offering was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Levit. 4.3 It was called a Sin because made Sin for us Typically as Christ Really by Imputation the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Trespass or Guilt-offering was for Sin that for the whole Congregation was such Lev. 4.15 So the Burnt-offering was designed to the taking away of Sin by bearing it that Called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Peace-offering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was in order to the making Peace and Reconciliation for the Sinner therefore in the Consecration of all these there was the charging them with Sin by the laying on of the hands of them that brought them to be Offered up for them Levit. 1.3 The Hebrew Doctors say all Oblations of Beasts which particular Persons Offer of Debt or voluntarily they lay hands on them and so it was on the daily Sacrifice as Mr. A. on Numb 28.2 saith signifying that it was constituted instead of the Sinner and the Sacrifice placed in the Sinners Room thus charged with his Sins the Priest was to offer to make Atonement by to Expiate and make Reconciliation in regard of Man's Sin and God's Wrath for the same That these Sacrifices were Types of Christ our Sacrifice in beating Sin appears abundantly Heb. 9.28 Neither do we say that this bearing of Sin by Christ doth free a Person from being formally a Sinner but because we are formally Sinners therefore our Sins are thus born to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 The Physical Substratum of Sin remains and in us yea the Moral macula in pravity and obliquity to be gradually removed in the Application of Christ's Blood by the Spirit of Holiness but yet the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before God must be taken away which is the fault blamed by the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dr. O. of Justification p. 287. proves Sin was laid on Christ as to the Guilt which we have shewed and is either the Sin it self or is so conjoined with it that it cannot be separated where there is a demerit there is a fault if Christ had a demerit to Sufferings it was for Sin though ours and subjective in us which his bearing Sin by Imputation always supposeth His Arguments are these 1. If Guilt of Sin was not Imputed to Christ Sin was not Imputed to him in any sence for the Punishment is not Sin 2. There can be no Punishment but with respect of the Guilt of Sin personally Contracted or Imputed Guilt alone gives what 's materially evil and afflictive the formal Nature of Punishment and what is Guilt but Sin manifest by Conviction whereof the Sinner is charged in foro Dei or in foro Conscientiae The first kind Christ took off by bearing it immediately the other is removed by Application in Believing 3. Christ was made a Curse for us Gal. 3.13 14. but the Curse of the Law respects the Guilt of Sin only i. e. a Person manifestly faulty and a Delinquent to the Law 4. The Express Testimonies of Scripture unto this purpose cannot be avoided Isa 53.6 Psal 32.5 c. 5. This was represented in all the Sacrifices of old especially in the Great Aniversary Expiation with the Ordinance of the Scape-Goat 6. Without supposition of this it cannot be understood how Christ should be our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or suffer
exprest he means that Justification and Eternal Salvation is the Portion of such the positive is included in the negative it 's God's condemnation only from which such as are in Christ are exempted they are nevertheless condemned and censured by Men and sometimes by their own Consciences And on Ver. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect c. Who can implead such or put in an accusation against them There is nothing to accuse them of they are justified And there is none to Accuse them it is God that hath Justified them the Supream Judge hath Absolved them This seems to be taken out of Isai 50.8 9. they were Christ's words there and spoken of God's justifying him and they are every Believer's words here intended of God's justifying them and seems to be from two reasons one implied i. e. God's electing them the other express'd God's justifying and acquitting them And on Ver. 34. Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died c. His Death frees them from condemnation thereby he hath made a sufficient attonement and satisfaction for all their sins and which hath long ago satisfied in Heaven for the sins of all the Elect may very well serve to satisfie the Heart and Conscience of a believing sinner here on Earth such an one may throw down the Gantlet as the Apostle doth and challenge all the World let Conscience Carnal Reason Law Sin Hell and Devils let them all bring forth what they can it will not be sufficient for condemnation and that because of Christ's Death and Satisfaction Dr. Jacomb on Rom. 8.1 saith we read it no condemnation the Original will bear it if we read it not one condemnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such is the Grace of God to Believers and such is their safety in their justified estate that there is not so much as one condemnation to be passed upon them suppose a condemnatory Sentence for every Sin I 'm sure every Sin deserves such a Sentence and in point of merit 't is so many Sins so many Condemnations yet the Pardon being plenary and full every way adequate to the sinner's guilt the exemption of the pardoned person from condemnation must be plenary and full too so that if there be not one sin unpardoned there is not one condemnation to be feared This now is dreadful Antinomianism with some Men Jer. 50.20 In those days the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none 'T is an Allusion to a Man that turns over all his Bonds searcheth into all the Debt-books to see if he can find any Debt due to him from such and such a Person but upon all his searching he cannot find so much as one Debt to charge upon him so 't is with a Pardoned and Justified Sinner Imagine that God should be inquisitive to find out some guilt as lying upon him he might indeed find out enough as he is in himself but as in Christ he is Pardoned and Justified there 's nothing to be found against him therfore no Condemnation What do you think now is it an Errour to say God sees no Iniquity in his People How can any dare to Curse where God Blesseth This is to do worse than Balaam DEBATE XVII Of the Hurt that Sin may do to Believers Neonom I call to mind a most dangerous and dicentious Position of this Antinomian and that is that Sin can do no hurt to Believers D. W. p. 181. His Errour is this Errour The grossest Sins that Believers can commit cannot do them the least harm neither ought they to fear the least hurt by their own Sins nor by National Sins yea tho' themselves have had a hand therein Antinom It is strange you should charge this is an Errour upon me when as it s your own Assertion but you know the old Proverb The Thief crys Cut-purse first In the very Second Conference he had this Assertion He is there shewing that there was no need that Christ should bear any more than the Punishment of Sin saying all that endangered us was the Threatning of the Law and this upon Agreement that upon his Attonement we should be released where is the need of more The Obliquity of the Fact as against the Precept shall not hurt when the Sanction of the Law is answered and therefore he that suffers as a Sponsor for another need not sustain in himself the filthiness of the Crime to make him capable of giving satisfaction Chap. 2. p. 11. But go on to your Proof Neonom He saith they need not be afraid of their Sins they that have God for their God there is no Sin that ever they commit can possibly do them hurt Therefore as their Sins cannot hurt them so there is no cause of fear in their Sins committed c. there is not one Sin nor all the Sins together of any Believer that can possibly do that Believer any real hurt This he attempts to prove from Rom. 7. D. W. p. 181. from Dr. Cr. p. 510. Antinom He hath left out my true sense and meaning in these words on purpose as he useth to do to render my Assertions unsound Having been saying that a Believer's Sins cannot hurt them I raised this Objection Some wiâ—l be ready to say This is strange Dr. C. p. 510. all the Evils in the World that come they grow up from the sinfulness of Men. If Man be afraid of any thing he should be afraid of Sin from whence all Evils do flow A. I Answered Beloved it is true Sin naturally is a Root of all manner of Evil Fruit observe Gentlemen the wages of Sin is Death but yet I say whatever Sin in its own nature brings forth yet the Sins of God s peculiar People they that have God for their own God their Sins can do them no hurt at all and in that regard there is no cause of fear of any of their Sins that ever they have committed This may seem harsh to some Spirits that misconceive my drift that I aim at which is not to encourage any one to Sin but to ease the Consciences of the distressed there 's not one Sin nor all their Sins can do them hurt real hurt I mean they may do them supposed hurt And I suppose the Apostle Rom. 7. doth personate a scrupulous Spirit Dr. C. p. 511. that a Believer under the multitude and prevalency of Corruption who was ready to Cry out O Wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death but saith he I thank God thro' Jesus Christ q. d. till a Man look to Christ there is nothing but matter of bitterness to be seen as the certain fruits of Sin and there can be nothing but bitterness in Sin in regard of the Evil that is like to follow it but when persons can once look to Christ the case is altered What doth he thank God
by the dominion of Sin the prevailing of Sin this I deny to be dominion in a Justified One You should have made this Proposition if a true Believer be not in Christ he shall come into Condemnation Would not this look Ridiculous Neonom And tho' the Grace of God will prevent the dominion of Sin in every Elect Believer and so keep them from Eternal Death yet true Believers may by Sin bring very great hurt to themselves in Soul and Body which they ought to fear and they may expect a share in National Judgments according as they have contributed to the common guilt Antinom Here now you add a preservation from another hurt and it 's certain that as Sin shall not hurt them as to the wages of Sin and penal effects answering the Sanction of the Law so it shall not have dominion over them which you say well in Grace hath secured them from Rom. 6. and yet you begin with a bounce in your proposition made up of impossibilities by your own concession 2. You say the grace of God prevents the dominion of Sin and so keeps them from Eternal Death as if you thought the grace of God made no use of Christ in preserving Men from Eternal Death Hath Christ not delivered us from the dominion of Sin and Eternal Death too but I find you 'l have as little to do with Christ in the Salvation of Sinners or Believers as you can 3. Notwithstanding Sin cannot bring them under Condemnation nor under its dominion the Two great real hurts of Sin yet you would seem to say something contrary to me and that is it doth do them hurt in Soul and Body which they ought to fear we tell you 1. It can do them no real hurt it may do them supposed 2. It doth them no hurt directly as to punishment or dominion it may by accident i. e. thro' the weakness of their Faith lie upon their Consciences defile them and drive them to warp from the free love and grace of God this you would call good and not hurt for you would have them put themselves under Wrath. 3. We speak of Sins past yet lying upon Conscience and driving the Soul from Christ we speak not of Sins not committed those we should fear with a fear of watchfulness and dependance on grace for strength against them and we say they are odious to the Faithful 4. We say true Believers shall have a share in National Calamities which shall not be Judicial Punishments to them but sanctified afflictions and therefore no real hurts tho' seeming ones Neonom But I will tell you wherein the difference is not Antinom What then I must run the Gantlet for my Error forward and backward with whether and neither Neonom Yes if you will know the Truth rightly stated you must know it when it is not as well as when it is as they that look for that which is lost 1. It is not whether God will preserve Elect Believers from Eternal Condemnation by keeping them from the Dominion of Sin Antinom But it is whether keeping Men from the Dominion of Sin is the proper Reason of their being kept from Condemnation Doth Mortification of Sin save Men from Condemnation or the strictest degree of Holiness It 's true that the Will of God is our Sanctification but our Sanctification did not die for us and hath no more to do in taking off Condemnation than Paul in taking off Condemnation from the Corinthians it peculiarly belongs to Christ to deliver from the Wrath to come and from all Condemnation Neonom Nor whether a justifyed Person be freed from the Curse of the Law or the Sanction of the Law of Works Antinom But it is whether he be free from the Sanction of your new Law which is a Law of Works too Neonom Nor whether a Believer should fear his Eternal Condemnation no further than his Sins bring his Sincerity in question or lead to Security or Apostacy Antinom But it is out of question Hypocrites and Apostates were never Believers 2 Whatever a Believer doth do yet you own he ought upon some Grounds or other to be delivered from the fear of Condemnation We say it ought to be grounded on the Faith of his full deliverance from Condemnation by the attonement and satisfaction of Christ You say it ought to be founded upon his Sincerity and Perseverance that when he is rid of all his Hypocrisy and hath persevered to the end of his Life he may be free from fear of Condemnation but not before 3. Where 's the true Believer but is daily complaining and not without cause enough of his Unbelief Hypocrisy Security Backsliding And if he should have no better assurance of the safety of his State and freedom from Condemnation than his own Sincerity and Perseverance he could not be freed from the fear of Condemnation in this Life nor walk comfortably an hour Neonom Nor whether God may in sovereign Mercy spare to execute those Rebukes National or Personal which a godly Man's Sins may expose him to Antinom You love to dance about in Ambiguities There is a great deal of difference between sovereign sparing Mercy and Covenant-Mercy God exerciseth sparing Mercy and long Suffering towards the worst of Men but deals with a true Believer always in a way of Covenant-mercy and whether he rebukes him or not it 's all from his Fatherly Love and Wisdom God cannot deal with him but according to his Covenant relation God indeed deals with Nations and mixt Societies of Men according to his Sovereignty but the same visible Dispensations are made Covenant-mercies to all true Believers within the compass of such Providences Neonom Nor whether God may or can over-rule the Sin of a Believer afterward to his Benefit these I affirm Antinom It 's not only out of question that he may or can over-rule the Sin of a Believer for his Benefit but that he always doth do it if he is truly belonging to God Neonom Nor whether the Afflictions of the Godly be the execution of the damnatory Curse of the Law or any satisfaction or attonement for Sins This I deny and add That Christ alone satisfied Justice Antinom But it 's a question what you mean by the damnatory Curse of the Law Is then one Curse damnatory and another not damnatory You mean Afflictions are an Execution of the Curse of the Law but are not of eternal Damnation 2. You say They are not any satisfaction and attonement but if they be execution of a Curse if but temporary it cannot be avoided but they must be satisfying and attoning in one kind or another in whole or in part 3. You add That Christ alone satisfied Justice if so then he suffered the whole penal part of Sin and this is all the Doctor saith that there remains none of it for a true believing Member of Christ to bear and what 's the reason you make such a noise when here you yield all the
keeps Men from Sin or reforms them when fallâ—n into it there 's no true grace of God in the Heart David saith God's Rod and Staff comforted him Neonom Whether great Offences be a real hurt to a Believer and brings on him much present harm This I affirm and the Doctor denies The Case of National Sins is concluded in these Antinom Here how you come to fight with a Man of Clouts which you yourself have made for we said not that Sin is no hurt for if so why should our whole Doctrin be to shew that it needs healing It 's the hurt of the Daughter of Zion why is it said that we are healed by the stripes of Christ And that Sin even remaining in God's People makes the best of God's Peoples Services and Duties as Dross and Dung by reason of its mixture with them which you condemn for an Error We say pag. 509. let us not be mistaken We do not say we must not be afraid to Sin but that they that have God for their God need not be afraid of the Sins they have committed in regard of the penal Effects But that Sin naturally is a Root bringing forth all manner of evil Fruit The Wages of Sin is Death We distinguish of fear a natural fear an affection in Men by Nature that they cannot be freed from there 's a religious and godly fear which is an awful reverence of the Majesty of God and keeping a convenient distance such as the Creature ought to keep it 's opposed to Sauciness And there 's a turbulent fear a fear of disquietness that which the Lord endeavours to take off from his People All such fear the Apostle saith hath Bondage and perfect Love casts it out And the same Apostle saith as I say These things I write unto you that ye sin not But if any Man sin i. e. hath committed Sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is a propitiation for our Sins 1 Joh. 2.1 2. Therefore you charge us falsly to say our meaning is That Sin in it self is no hurt and in its Nature doth no hurt But we say as you That Christ satisfied Justice for Sin and over-rules the hurt of it for our good so that through Grace it doth us no real hurt Christ hath taken away the sting of Sin and the Condemnation of Sin The real hurt of Sin lies in the dominion of Sin and in the penal effects of it they that have God for their God can't give up themselves to the dominion of Sin they can't have a love for it because they are under grace and as to the penal Effects they are taken away by Christ or else his satisfaction to Justice was imperfect Now all other Effects of sin as hiding God's Face his paternal Chastisements in outward Afflictions ecclipsing our graces and duties come under a Promise that tho' they are not joyous but grievous to a gracious Mind yet they shall through God's grace disposing them tend to our good in making us the more Partakers of God's Holiness to mortify sin to humble us and empty us of our selves and to bring us to an higher exaltation of Christ and dependance upon him yea to more watchfulness carefulness and circumspection in our ways Hence God's People have their frequent complaints against Sin as to its indwelling and hindring them from doing the good they would groan under the body of Sin and desire Heaven to be altogether rid of it c. But when we say sin cannot do us real hurt and we should not be afraid of it we mean only of sins already fallen into that the disturbing disquieting guilt of them should not lye upon our Consciences to obstruct our Comforts and rejoycing in Christ they should not drive us from Christ to deny the love and free grace of God and the alsufficiency of Christ for if he that hath God for his God lyes continually under an embondaging fear of sins past he would always labour under a servile slavish frame of spirit without comfort all his days We need not repeat what hath been said to vindicate ourselves from this unjust Charge Neonom I 'll tell you your Mistakes Because there is no Eternal Condemnation lyes against a Believer therefore there is no penal present Affliction D. W. p. 189. Antinom It 's all condemnation Christ hath taken away its condemnation that makes Hell and if God's People be under it here they must have a degree of it Christ died in vain as to our present state if it were not to take away condemnation from us here we cannot be justified before God and lye under condemnation too Is a Believer only justified from future condemnation and not present And it 's no mistake to say Because a Man is freed from Eternal Condemnation therefore present Afflictions are not penal but it 's a necessary consequence Why did Christ bear our Sorrows and carry our Griefs but that our Afflictions should not be penal Neonom Whereas there 's much hurt below Hell and that it is not Hell that follows the Sin of a Believer is not from the Innocency of Sin but the Grace of God that brings him to repentance and faith in Christ for remission Antinom I thought there had been no hurt lower than Hell I suppose you mean there 's much hurt on this side Hell but Improprieties are natural to you Condemnation for Sin in this Life is much hurt and a degree of Hell and is the same in kind and therefore if God's People be not freed from it here they cannot expect to be freed from the lower Hell 2. The reason why Hell you say follows not the Sin of a Believer is not the innocency of Sin this is one of the black-mouthed Charges you lay upon us that we make Sin innocent because we say Sin was laid on Christ and he hath born all the Penal Effects of Sin Why say you not the same of the Apostle who saith the strength of Sin is taken away and the sting of Death whereby it or lesser afflictions can't hurt is taken away These abominable Reproaches fall not on Man so much as upon the Truths of the Gospel which Christ hath a Controversie with you for And that Hell follows not the Sin of a Believer you say is from the grace God and why may it not be from the grace of God that no Penal Effects follow the Sin of a Believer That grace that prevents or delivers from the greater evil will also from the lesser Neonom Because all Sufferings for Christ work for good therefore all Sins against Christ can do no harm Antinom All Sufferings of a Believer from the Hand of Christ as well as such as are in a way of Persecution for Christ shall work for their good and therefore whatever befalls them by reason of sin shall be for their good and whatever is for our good according to the wise disposing of God is not for
begets Faith Phil. 10. The Apostle James ch 1.15 useth the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning Sin when it is finished or compleated brings forth Death i. e. Sin when it appears as it is it 's Death and Condemnation in the Conscience So the Word brought thus by the Spirit into the Heart the Soul is freed from Condemnation it thereby hath Life he believes to the saving of the Soul And can this be denied to be good Faith and true Faith and all the Essence of our Divine Faith it being the believing of the Word so as to close with it and receive it according to the Nature and End of it The Apostle Heb. 11.1 describes Faith by two Words Marvellous Significent in our Sence by * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illud quo subsistunt Beza 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persuasio Syr. It notes Confidence or Presence of Mind without fear So Polyb. It 's rendred Confident or confident Perswasion 2 Cor. 9.4 ch 11.17 and Heb. 3 14. where it signifies and is rendred Confident Perswasion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a Subsistance The Word is besides used concerning the Person of the Father Heb. 1.3 where Christ is said to be the Character of the Father's Hypostacy we read it Personality So here Faith is said to Personate the Truth or to be the Image of it as it were in the Heart or rather things hoped for it makes them as it were present ecchoing them in the Heart the Eccho speaking the same things the Voice doth and he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Evidence or rather Demonstration of things not seen it takes up a Demonstration from God's Authority not from Sence or Reason Here Argumentum Inartific Divine Testimony is of greater Force than any Artificial Arguments can be There is also another Word whereby Faith is express'd and it's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 4.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persuasio plena certioratio Stev It 's said of Abraham He was strong in Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persuasae Intelligentiae Stev And what was his strength of Faith It was his Fulness of Perswasion or Confidence ver 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was fully perswaded of what God had promised The Word is used for Faith Col. 2.2 To all riches of the full assurance of understanding Denoting that Faith is primarily an Act of the Understanding this Word is often used for it 1 Thess 1.5 Heb. 6.11 10.22 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for plenam fidem vel persuasionem habeo Luke 1.1 Rom. 14.5 The very Greek Word for Perswasion is used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1.5 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am perswaded i. e. Do believe that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him Rom. 8.38 I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life c. i. e. This was his strong Faith Rom. 14.14 I am perswaded in the Lord Jesus that there 's nothing unclean of it self This was his Faith I will but name one place more Heb. 11.13 it 's said of those eminent Believers mentioned in that Chapter That they received not the Promises in the fulfilling of them by performance but saw them afar off and being perswaded of them saluted them in their own Hearts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Calvin You must own Saving Faith to be a Saving Perswasion you see or else you must deny the Scriptures and according to the Weakness and Strength of Perswasion we account our Faith is weaker or stronger yet hath it's Forma Differentia from its proper Adjuncts and Object Neonom When he puts a Man to examine his Faith he hath these Words D. W. p. 73. How do I know I believe in Christ He answers Do I rest my Heart upon his Truth Do I receive it as a Truth that I do believe Or do I reject it and will not receive it Then I do not believe it But if thou sit down and rest upon this Truth and receive it and do in reality believe it then you may absolutely conclude Christ is yours D. C. p. 107. Antinom I am sorry to see that you should have such an Aversion to these things I was preaching from Isa 42.6 7. and shewing how Christ receiveth Sinners as Sinners he never shuts out one of those Thousands that come upon the Tender of the Gospel Dr. C. p. 107. and if there be no Example of any shut out in the whole Scripture from whence fetch you that bitterness of your own Spirit that you may not that you dare not close with Christ But you will say If this taking Christ be the best Security how shall I know whether I believe or no Or how shall I know that this my taking is not counterfeit but solid and real Answ I answer by the reality of the thing Do you it indeed If you do it indeed it 's a real taking Do you not bid Men believe sincerely and indeed If a Man should ask you How do you know the Sun shines The light of the Sun doth shew it self and by it's light we know it shines How shall I know I believe There is a light in Faith that doth discover it self unto Men. The Soul that doth really close with Christ may conclude he doth so If you give 6 d. to a poor man and you say to him How do you know I have given you 6 d He will answer I have it in my Hand and feel I have it So ask your Hearts this Question How do I know I believe in Christ Do I rest my Heart upon this Truth Do I receive it as a Truth c Calvin What can you Mr. Neonomian with any face except against this Doctrine Doth not the Apostle say 1 John 5.10 He that believeth on the Son hath a witness in himself Is there any clearer Evidence of an Action than the doing it Ask a Man how he knows he can eat saith he I do eat I do taste and swallow what I eat So that Instance of the Sun shining which he gives there 's no doubt but the first Evidence the Soul hath is in Believing it self tho he tries his Faith by it's Fruits also and receives Evidence therefrom Is not Faith illustrated in Scripture by all our Senses Hearing Tasting Smelling Feeling or Touching Seeing And is there not Perception in the Exercise of all the Senses And how shall I know better that I do exercise them than by perceiving their Objects which is a Witness an Evidence a Demonstration to my self above all others that it is so The Natural Man indeed receiveth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things of the Spirit by Faith 1 Cor. 2.14 and therefore they are foolishness to him But the Spiritual Man doth i. e. by Faith Neonom He says If the Lord give to any to believe this Truth D. W. p. 74. Dr. C. p. 296. that it is his
The Changes that pass upon us doth not make a Change as to Electing Love nor as to the Satisfaction and Merits of Christ Neonom The Dr. may well infer that we are sanctified and possessed of Heaven in the Womb for God hath elected us to those as well as to Pardon and Christ merited these also Calvin No but he might not One imports a Relation the other a real Subjective Change A Child may be a Son and yet a very wicked one There is also a great difference between a Right and a Possession Neonom Do you not find that God justifies none but what are called Rom. 8.30 Calvin 1. He Justifies Infants dying in Infancy that were never called by the Word 2. What you would prove by that place that effectual Calling is before Justification is not manifest for it's whom be called them he also justified It might be before Calling as well as after for any thing appears in that Text. 3. But you go from the Terms of the Question all along for that which the Doctor saith is That the Sins of the Elect being all laid upon Christ who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect It 's Christ hath dyed and rose again for them Now God hath no Charge against the Elect considered as such if Justice remain unsatisfied Christ dyed in vain Neonom There is Joy in Heaven for one Sinner that repents Luke 15.7 10. And would there be such if they were pardoned and safe before Calvin Yes Why not For I question whether the Angels be acquainted with the Secrets of Election and Redemption as to the Persons concerned till it be made manifest by their Actual Faith and Repentance And as for the safe Estate of the Elect before believing you have said enough i. e. As to their Security from Wrath and Certainty of Eternal Life Therefore it 's strange you should deny it now say and unsay the same thing Neonom How much is our Ministry and Concern for Souls debased if all we can prevail with are actually pardoned Calvin You should have said If all you prevail with have had their Sins laid on Christ whereby God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself Paul might have said How then is our Ministry debased to be only Embassadors for Christ to beseech Sinners to be reconciled to God when their Sins are already laid on Christ and to Preach That all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ who hath slain the Enmity and made Peace on the Cross c. There 's great difference between God's being reconciled to us and our being reconciled to God Neonom Who can reconcile this Notion to the Pleadings of God with Sinners Ezek. 33.11 Calvin Every one The Pleadings of God in his Word with Sinners is in Order to change their Hearts by his Word and Spirit in the Embassie of Reconciliation which God hath sent unto Sinners Therefore the Apostle saith We beseech you for Christ's sake to be reconciled unto God and all Arguments used in the Word are to that end and purpose viz. To work Faith and Repentance and to bring them unto God One great End why Christ bore their Sins Neonom I have the Assembly and Dr. Owen on my side Antinom We deny not what the Assembly and Dr. Owen saith according to their true Meaning and Intention For they all say no otherwise than what I have shewed the Doctor sincerely means and your own Assertions will bear out as well as his as to his particular Opinion That the Grace of laying Sins on Christ is secretly applyed as soon as we have a Being as to some Effects wherein we are meerly passive and it 's unknown to us till effectual Calling you see he grounds it upon matter of Fact in the Instance of Jacob which undoubtedly deserves Consideration Though I say not that it 's so with every one but apprehend the Spirit of God hath these things to instruct us thereby that Justification of a Sinner before God is not for the Act of Faith or Gospel-Obedience because Jacob was justified before either 2. That the Children of Believing Parents dying in Infancy may be justified and saved 3. That a believing Parent hath Promise Ground to baptize his Child and exercise Faith that his Child is embraced in the Arms of Free Grace to work upon it how and when and in what manner he pleaseth and though he can't be active therein yet he may be passive This we pray for and in praying believe God saying I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed I am not for Baptismal Regeneration nor Baptismal Justification Though there is something Analogous to it and therefore a kind of Justification in Foro Ecclesiae it being a significant Seal of it as Circumcision was called the Covenant And therefore if there be any secret Application of the Grace of Election and Redemption accompanying that Institution of Christ or coming before or after neither we nor our Children shall be ever the worse for it And therefore let us not banter and condemn such as have higher Apprehensions of the Secret Workings of Grace before we are aware of of it I am sure many Divines that you would not call Antinomians have defended Infant Baptism upon this Notion That Infants are capable of the Habit of Saving Faith And if so I am sure according to your Notion they must be Justified because they have the qualifying Condition For a Habit is a Quality and a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise as you phrase it and therefore must Justifie as such Neonom The Dr. mistakes the Nature of God's Decree because a Decree ascertains a thing shall be in time therefore he thinks a Decree gives a thing a present subjective Being Antinom The Decree of God gives an Objective Being to the thing Decreed for the Will willing and the thing willed are relata all things in time are present with God looking upon them in one Eternal Act there 's neither Time past or to come or Succession that his Decrees are measured by his Decree is himself But if we consider the Objects of the Decree in Execution they are in time and measured by Succession but yet things thus standing are the Objects of the Decree they have their first Cause in his Divine Idea and have their unchangeable Fixation as to their Nature and Order in the present or future Being and Working either as necessary or contingent Agents Neonom Because Jacob was an Elect Person or the Object of Electing Love in the Womb therefore he was then actually a Pardoned and Adopted Person Antinom Nay there was more in it than that For mark the Text ver 11 12. r. It doth not only tell us Jacob was Elected but that it was published and declared unto Rebecka Jacob have I loved If God should tell my Wife when with Child I have Elected and do love this Child that is in thy Womb I should
Head to another in respect of that there is a reality of making Christ to be Sin when one Man becomes a Debtor in another Man's Room Legally and by Consent this Surety that doth become the Debtor is not barely supposed to be the Debtor but by undertaking it and legally having it pass'd upon him he is as really and truely the Debtor yea hath the same Debt upon him as he was who was the principal before I say as really and truely the Debtor So that there is an absolute truth and reality in God's Act of passing over Sins to Christ and laying Sins upon him There must be in Criminal Cases of necessity a present desert upon a Person on whom he inflicts Punishment he must not inflict Punishment upon a meer Supposition Mr. Calvin I do not see but that he hath given a very clear and distinct account of his Notion but I find you will condemn whatever Mr. Antinom saith right or wrong Neonom No no I will lay open his mistakes more plainly before you I will assure you he knows not what he saith I will convince you both immediately The Ground of his Mistakes are these 1. He seems to speak of Sin as a positive material thing and doth not distinguish between God's laying our Sins on Christ as a Physical Act and as a Moral Act and thinks God took our Sins as a material Burden and laid them upon Christ D. W. p. 13. Calvin Sir I must tell you then that you mistake him I doubt wilfully for he no where speaks of Sin as a Physical Act but as a Moral Transgression Doth he not say as plainly as may be the contrary to what you suggest viz. Here is a real Act of God God doth really pass over Sin upon him still keeping this fast that Christ Acted no Sin Doth he not plainly here deny the Physical Act to Christ And doth he speak of Sin as a material Burden when he saith Christ bore it as a Fault Debt Law-Breach c. D. C. p. 283. He speaks of it as a Moral and Judicial Burden and so doth the Spirit of God speak of it Psal 38.4 Mine Iniqui-quities are gone over mine Head as an heavy Burden they are too heavy for me And Christ bore them as a Burden in his Body on the Tree it was not sweet and pleasant naturally to him Neonom He seems not to Apprehend what the true Notion is of Imputing a thing to another in Law in Criminal Cases Calvin Nor do you understand that of Mr. Antinomian I suppose he means you were never used to the Crown Bar you only have been exercised at the Nisi Prius side Antinom I am no Lawyer but yet am fain to use some Law terms that the Scripture useth and most Men are acquainted with in this matter and most Divines hold necessary to explain these Mysteries by though Mr. Neonomian will not understand them nor allow them any otherwise than in his own Sense contrary to all received meanings of them Do not I talk of Sin as a Criminal Case when I say David's Murder and Adultery was Imputed to Christ and the Sin of those and such like Actions Imputation is of the same Nature whether the Default be Debt or Criminal nature both Debts of Money and Fellonies are Moral Transgressions nay both are the breach of one Law Theft and not paying anothers or his own Money due upon Bond or Rent-Charge or the like is breaking the Eighth Commandment Thou shalt not Steal and is not Theft a Criminal Case See Dr. Cr. p. 288 289. Neonom God's laying Sin on Christ is a Moral Act of God as a Rector i. e. he Agreed and Appointed that Christ should in his Person stand obliged to bear the Punishment of our Sins that we might obtain pardon and that Punishment was Actually laid upon him and suffered by him Antinom What do you mean by a Rector do you mean as a Rector under a Law for the Rule of his Moral Obedience or was God bound by his Moral Law to appoint Christ to bear Sin What do we with this diminutive word Rector methinks you might Entitle God our Great King Soveraign Lawgiver who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and doth whatever he pleaseth in Heaven and Earth and you make him little Moral Rector and as such he Covenanted with his Son to bear Sin Did God Act in a way of Government and Dominion over his Son as his Rector when he said If thou shalt make thy Soul an Offering for Sin c Isa 53. Or as with one that counted it no Robbery to be equal with God Phil. 2.6 Was it not when he was with him one brought up with him his Delight his Delight his Fellow And was agreeing with Christ to bear Sin and Actually laying it upon him the same Act whereas one was Immanent and the other Transient God in laying Sin or charging Sin upon Christ or executing the Punishment upon him freely submitting himself to be dealt with in a way of Justice did Act as a Great Judge the Judge of all the World in foro Justitiae Divinae Why must we have this mean Title for God Rector God did not Covenant with his Son in a way of Judicial proceeding though that Covenant was executed in a way of Vindictive and Remunerative Justice And you say the Punishment of Sin was laid on Christ but not Sin it self What Justice is it in a Judge or as a Rector as you call him to punish him for Sin that is not justly charged with Sin its Transgression charged is the only Meritorious Cause of Punishment where there is no Law there 's no Transgression and where there 's no Transgression there can be no Punishment though there may be Sufferings they cannot be Penal Sin and Punishment are Relata in Logick as well as Law And you say he was obliged to bear the Punishment that we might obtain pardon cunningly worded indeed this is an answer to a Bill saving all Advantages that hereafter may be taken You mean Christ hath bore the Punishment of our Sins that we may hereafter by the Righteousness of another Law obtain pardon Neonom Again also because a Man that is bound in a Bond of Money becomes a Debtor therefore he thinks because Christ suffered to save the Idolater or Blasphemer therefore Christ must be the Idolater and Blasphemer D. W. p. 14. Antinom But pray Sir shew first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies propter Rom. 4.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for these things comes the Wrath c. Eph. 56. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath the same force 1 Cor. 15 3. Pro peccatis nostris Gal. 1.9 Et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Sins 1 Pet. 3.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 use to signifie no less the Impulsive Cause than the Final Cause See Rom. 15.9 2 Cor. 1.11 Eph. 1.16 2 Cor. 5.21 Grot. de satisfact Vlciscipio Injuriis Sceleris poenas
persolveré suppliciis maleficiis metuere Cicero Castigare pro commerita noxia Plaut Pro dictis factis ulscisci Terrent Pro peccatis Passus aut Mortuus Grot. de sat that he thinks Christ became the very Idolater and Blasphemer you heard him again and again deny that he thought so but he said that Christ was charged with and bore the Sins of the Idolater and Blasphemer and I stand to it and I must tell you if a Man bound for Money becomes a Debtor it 's for that Debt which is owing And if Idolatry be a Sin whereby a Sinner is a Debtor to the Law Christ becomes a Debtor in the same sence for Idolatry And I told you a Debtor is a Moral Transgressor if he make not due payment as well as a Thief both Sinners against one Command Neonom Christ paying our Debts was a satisfaction for Criminals not a payment of Money Antinom Not Silver and Gold but a better sort of Money 1 Pet. 1.18 19. You know the Spirit of God alludes to that Metaphor he calls our Redemption Our being bought with a Price or a Ransom c. 1 Cor. 6.20 therefore I think you should not pretend to be wiser than the Spirit of God and Christs paying our Debts was making satisfaction for Criminals and he was a reputed Criminal he was numbred among Transgressors not only by Man as you say but by God Neonom And yet it is plain that if I were bound for Money for one that by Drunkenness wastes his Estate my being bound to pay the Money doth not argue that I was or must by the Creditors be so accounted when I make payment Antinom It is very true Mr. Moderator I think it's time for us to break up our Club at this time for if the Constable should happen to look in and hear such high-flown Reasoning as this is I do not know but we may be in danger of being laid by the Heels the best of it is that we shall not be reckoned Constables for being laid by the Heels Neonom Once more to clinch the last Conviction a little closer because Christ was made Sin i. e. an Offering or Sacrifice for Sin therefore he thinks our very Sins was laid upon him and he made filthy Antinom Because he was made a Sacrifice for Sin therefore I say he was made Sin the Sacrifices were made Sin and bore the Sins of the People Typically as Shadows Christ really and as the Substance and as the Sacrifices became Levitically Unclean by the bearing of Sin so Christ the true Sacrifice was Judicially Unclean when he bore our Sins in his Body on the Tree Neonom To add no more because men wickedly arraigned him as a Blasphemer therefore â—he Doctor thinks he was so indeed and in God's account Calvin What blundering Doctor is this to have so many gross Mistakes in such a plain point of Divinity and of so great concern that ever any Man's Skull should be so thick as to think that Christ Actually Blasphemed God because he bore the Sins upon the Cross of those that reproached him for a Blasphemer and Arraigned him as such Antinom I pray Sir let me ask him one Question for Information now he talks of Blasphemers and he is so good at rectifying Mistakes Tell me the meaning of that place Psal 69.3 applyed to Christ Rom. 15.3 Some take it to mean that the Blasphemies of Blasphemers were charged upon and imputed to Christ and I think the Apostle Paul quotes the place in that sence but it may be the Apostle Paul and I may be both mistaken I pray Sir make it so and add it to the other mistakes Calvin You have been a great while shewing what laying of Sin upon Christ is not and convincing this Dr. of Antinomianism and want of Brains I pray Sir now let us be the better for yours and let us know the Truth in this great matter and that we may not be liable to be led aside by such dark Larthorn Doctors as you make this to be Neonom I came on purpose to be a Guide to you I know you are all at a loss in these Points Truth Though our Sins were Imputed to Christ with respect to the Guilt thereof so that he by the Fathers appointment and his own consent became obliged as a Mediator to bear the Punishment of our Iniquities and he did bear those Punishments to the full satisfaction of Justice and to our Actual Remission when we believe nevertheless the filth of our Sins was not laid on Christ nor can he be called the Transgressor or was he in God's account the Blasphemer Murderer c. D. W. p. 7. That you may not be mistaken I will tell you in several particulars what I hold 1. Christ bare the Punishment of our Sins D. W. p. 9. Antinom Sir I desire to remark upon your Concessions as you Name them Neonom I pray take your liberty as to that Antinom Punishment is such no otherwise than as the Wages of Sin and where Sin is not charged there 's no Wages due and therefore if Punishment be taken only as Suffering for Sin it 's no Punishment but bare Sufferings An Innocent Person may suffer but none can be punished by justice but a nocent Person that is so in the Eye of the Law that inflicts the Suffering Neonom 2. Christ bare the Guilt of our Sins which is that respect of Sin to the threatning of the Law whereby there is an Obligation to bear the Punishment Antinom We have told you the Scripture every where says Christ bore our Sin You say before that our Sins were Imputed to Christ with respect to Guilt as if they were not layed on the guilty 2. We find God's People for whom Christ bore Sin do often labour under Guilt of Sin 3. Guilt of Sin is a result of Sin belongs to the Committer and all the World is found Guilty before God or else it is the Judicial Charge or Accusation by the Law whereby the Sinner is made to deserve Punishment thus it is with Thousands that have no sense of Guilt in Conscience 4. Guilt in Conscience is taken off at the application of the satisfaction of Christ to the Soul by the sence of his bearing Sin 5. Guilt in Judgment is upon proof of the Charge or Confession of it either from Conscience of the Fact in the Person that committed it or from a submitting to the Charge in the place and stead of another whereupon the Person becomes Guilty i. e. blame-worthy and faulty in the Eye of the Law 6. You mistake in saying Guilt is that respect of Sin to the Threatnings of the Law whereby there is an obligation to bear Punishment Guilt is the just Charge of Sin which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Transgression of the Preceptive part it 's Extrinsick to Sin to suffer Punishment for Sin and though they are relata by God's Constitution that where-ever there is Sin there must
be Punishment yet it 's not so by necessity of Nature 7. Hence obligation to Punishment is from the Will of the Law-giver and the Nature of the Law not from the Sinner the Law hath tyed Sin and Punishment together and it 's not Sin to be obliged to Punishment but it is for Sin obligation to Punishment is part of the Wages of Sin and not Sin in it self nor the guilt of Sin a Murderer that is cast he is guilty before Sentence or Execution not because the Law will Sentence him but because he hath committed the Fact which the Law hath forbid and therefore hath annexed a Penalty to it There 's a Privative Nature in Sin which is a contrariety to the Goodness of the Law which is the Fault therefore the Law to avenge it self makes it worthy or deserving such a Punishment and upon Tryal binds over the Sinner to it there 's hardly to be found a difference between reatus culpae poenae as Dr. O. saith but Sin committed or justly charged upon some account or other is in it self by vertue of the Constitution of the Law an obligation to Punishment being the Meritorious Cause thereof Neonom I own Christ was esteemed by Men a Transgressor and Arraigned as such Antinom If it were only so he bore Sin no otherwise than the Saints and Martyrs who also were accounted Transgressors by Men Arraigned and Condemned as such but it seems you will not own him accounted a Transgressor by God and therefore no Sin was laid upon him nor any Punishment and here you fall in roundly with the Socinians Neonom We grant also that Christ's Sufferings were as Effectual to put away Sin as if our very Sins had been transacted on him Antinom I doubt not but you will ascribe as much to your Gospel as Paul did to his there was never any Coyners of new Doctrine Papist Quaker Socinian or Arminian all Well-wishers to your Divinity in some part or other of it but will still each of them cry up your Doctrine and decry the Truth for Error and this Truth of laying Sin on Christ as vehemently as you especially in the Sence that you do Neonom But I say he became obliged as Mediator to bear the Punishment of our Iniquities Antinom If as Mediator then to take up the difference between God and us for it's Sin makes the difference and not punishment this is but the effect of the difference the High-priest the Typical Mediator was to bear the Iniquities of the People and offer a Sacrifice on which they were charged Neonom He did bear those Punishments to the full satisfaction of Justice Antinom Unless Sin be taken away in a Law sence Justice is not satisfied bearing Punishment only doth not satisfie for Sin the Law will have the Sinner or the Sin taken away therefore the Damned must suffer to Eternity because they cannot take away Sin by Suffering but Christ did more than suffer he put an end to Sin by the Sacrifice of himself Neonom Yea and to our Actual Remission when we believe Antinom It seems there 's Fundamental Potential Remission before and I doubt you will not suffer this Remission to take place without a new Law and the Righteousness thereof Neonom The Real difference lyes in these things 1. Whether Sin it self as to its filth and fault was transacted on Christ This you affirm and I deny 2. Whether Christ was made and accounted by the Father the very Transgressor the Adulterer the Blasphemer This you affirm and I deny D. W. p. 10. Antinom You might have put the Questions into one and stated it as it lyes between the Apostle Paul and you Whether God Imputed Sin to Christ at all Neonom I go on to confirm my Positions 1. To transact our Sins on Christ as opposed to Guilt is impossible for it would argue either a mistake in the Divine Mind to account him the Committer of our Sins or a Propagater of our corrupt Qualities to him which is impossible and any other way besides Imputing the guilt there is none Antinom This Argument I judge is to prove both Positions As to the First it runs thus That which is impossible cannot be done but to transact Sin as to it's Fault is impossible Ergo. As to the Major I judge the Impossibility is meant in respect of the Nature of God or the Constitution of God otherwise I know not why a Fault may not be taken away as well as Obligation to Punishment when as Fault is that for which a Man is obliged to bear Punishment For if the Fault remain the Punishment is still due The Minor you prove thus It would argue a mistake in God or suppose him a Propagator of Sin 1. It doth argue a Mistake in you to say that 's transferred from us which was never in us For the Obligation to Punishment in it's active consideration is subjectively in the Law and that cannot be taken from it it 's the Debt which the Law owes to the Sinner by reason of it's Sanction and the Punishment is the Payment 1 Joh. 3.3 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Wages of Sin is Death For Punishment is not the Sinners Debt but the Law 's Debt and the Sinner's Due The Sinner's Debt is doing the Duty the Law requires His Disobedience is an Offence to the Law a Fault blamed by the Preceptive part of the Law and this is Guilt Reatus culpae to which Meritum poenae doth by vertue of the Constitution belong There 's two respects in Sin 1. To the preceptive part of the Law and that is Fault 2. To the Penal part and that is Meritum Now these by reason of the Justice of the Law and the Connexion made by it's Institution between the Accusing and condemning part are inseparable before God and being but two different respects of the same individual Act it is a Fault and a Merit and a Merit because it is a Fault the Merit is a Result from the Fault and are such relata that they cannot be parted in Judgment Now then will not your Argument rebound upon your self Would it not argue a Mistake in God to lay the Merit of Punishment upon a Person that hath not any meritorious Cause of it in no respect If the Fault be not imputed how can the Merit There can be no Merit without a meritorious Cause and this is our Sins and not Christ's by way of Perpretation In laying Sin on Christ there are these things 1. The Spirit of God says it's Sin and doth not confound Sin and Punishment And it 's absurd if it should for Punishment is not Sin 2. It saith It 's our Sins not Christ's 3. That these Sins are Juridically imputed and accounted to Christ The Payments by Christ's Sufferings is his own Money not ours the Debt is imputed not the Payment A Surety is charged with and takes upon him the principal Debt but doth not take Money from him to pay
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He likewise vindicates the Imputation of Sin to Christ in the sense of Guilt opposed to Punishment from all these odious Consequences that you would lay upon it such as this That if our Sins be Imputed to Christ then Christ is a Sinner and Child of the Devil A. That which the Scripture affirms is that he was made Sin for us this the Greek Expositors Chrisostom Theophyl Oecumen and many others take for a Sinner but all affirm that denomination to be taken from Imputation only he had Sin Imputed to him and underwent the Punishment 2. This Imputation did not carry with it any thing of Pollution and Filth of Sin to be communicated by Transfusion 3. The Denomination of an Idolater Drunkard belongs not to him upon this account c. In Sin there are three things 1. The Offence of God which is the fault 2. Obligation unto Eternal Punishment which is the Guilt 3. The Stain or Pollution of the Soul the Inherent Vicious Inclination of the Soul Sin doth not remain in those that are Justified in the two first respects of Fault and Guilt both which are taken away by the Death of Christ But Sin doth remain in the Regenerate according to the third respect viz. the Vitious Quality and Corruption thereof inherent in the Soul Pemble of Just p. 183. fol. Pinch saith 2 Cor. 5.21 The meaning of these words is not that he was made Sin for us but as a sacrifice for sin c. Norton against Pinch p. 53. Answ He was made sin for us as we are made Righteousness i. e. by Judicial Imputation without the Violation yea with the Establishing of Justice he was made sin as he was made a Curse Gal. 3.13 the Greek word used here and there are the same But he was made a Curse by Judicial Imputation because he was the sin-offering in truth therefore he was made sin by real Imputation as the Legal Sin-Offering was made sin by Typical Imputation Likewise in Vindication of Isa 53.6 from Pinchon's false Glosses who used this Argument against Imputation Christ's sacrifice was Effectual to procure Atonement therefore sin was not imputed to him p. 4. § 46. Here is a meer non-sequitur nay the contrary consequence is true Christ appeared to put away Sin Heb. 9.26 28. was once Offered to bear the Sins of many ver 28. The Greek word used here by Paul and elsewhere by Peter 1 Pet. 2.24 signifieth to take carry bear up on high and that so as to bear away and in Allusion to the whole Burnt-offering the Person that brought the Sacrifice was to put his Hand upon the Head thereof The Apostle whilst he was speaking of the Antitype chuseth out such a word to express Christ's bearing of sin to teach us thereby that Christ did both carry up and bear the load of our sins Imputed to him on the Cross and also bear them clear away And thus Isaiah Paul and Peter sweetly agree together and Interpret one another as concerning Christ's bearing the Imputation of Guilt and Punishment of sin See more in his Refutation of that Socinian I do not see how he could be said to bear the Punishment of sin that being strictly taken if first he should not take its Guilt We all grant Christ's sufferings to be Penal but how could they have been so without Guilt Therefore having no Guilt of his own he must be lookt upon as assuming ours upon which he might be said properly to undergo Punishment And he also vindicates 2 Cor. 5.21 shewing that his being made sin is his voluntary susception of the sinners Guilt Dr. Jacomb on Rom. 8. p. 490. Etsi Peccatum interdum vocatur Victima ex Hebreor Idiotissimo c. yet the reason of the Antithesis here requires that Christ should rather be said to be made Sin for us i. e. the sinner not in himself but from the Guilt of all our sins Imputed to him of which thing that pair of Goats was a Figure Levit. 16. Beza on 2 Cor. 5.21 Quemadmodum Christus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coram Deo peccatum nostrum Execrationem sustinuit non fictè sed reverà ita fidelis fiunt Justitia Dei i. e. Justi in conspectu Dei c. i. e. As Christ being Righteousness and Holiness himself bore our Sin and Curse before God not feignedly but really so the Faithful are made the Righteousness of God Camerar upon the same place It is of singular Consolation so to Cloath Christ with our sins and to wrap him in my sins thy sins and the sins of the whole World And so to behold him bearing our Iniquities for the beholding him after this manner shall easily vanquish all the Fantastical Opinions of the Papists concerning Justification by Works for they do imagine by a certain Faith formed and adorned with Charity sins are taken away and Men are justified before God and what is this but to unwrap Christ and strip him quite out of our sins to make him Innocent and to charge and overwhelm our selves with our own sins and to look upon them not in Christ but in our selves yea what is this but to take Christ clean away and to make him unprofitable to us Luth. on Gal. 3.13 Let us receive this most sweet Doctrine and full of Comfort with Thanksgiving and assured Faith which teacheth that Christ being made a Curse for us i. e. a sinner subject to the Wrath of God did put upon him our Person and laid our sins upon his own shoulders saying I have committed the sins which all Men have committed therefore he was made a Curse indeed according to the Law not for himself but for us for unless he had taken upon himself my sins and thine and of the whole World the Law had had no right over him which condemneth none but sinners only and holdeth them under the Curse but because he had taken upon him our sins not by constraint but of his own good will it behoveth him to bear the Punishment and Wrath of God not for his own Person which was Just but for our Person Fol. 140. Spanhem saith Culpam Poenam esse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adeoque se mutuo ponere tollere nec illam dari sine abnoxitate ad istam nec istam sine retentione illius absurdum est esse hominum culpae omnis propriae Imputatae expertem poenae ulli addici The sum whereof is It is absurd to say that a Man can be void of his own sin or the sin of another and yet Condemned to any Punishment Spanhem Dub. Evang. pars tert p. 117. DEBATE III. Of the Discharge of the Elect from Sins upon their being laid on Christ Neonom GEntlemen you may remember what Point was discoursed the last time we met in this Conference now Mr. Antinomian is come I pray let us proceed in order and method and if you please I will propound the subject of our Discourse because I
transferring of Sin from us to Christ and this being done before Christ made Atonement we are discharged not for the Atonement of Christ nor by any Act of Forgiveness for the sake of this Atonement I need not add that by this Notion Heathens may be in a pardoned State and there 's no need of the Gospel or Knowledge of Christ to bring them out of a state of Wrath. Antinom I hope by this time you have pretty well spent your Powder and Ball. I told you before when we spake of laying Sins on Christ we understand his offer to bear them the Charge and Imputation laid on him and the payment he made of our Debt all which is the Atonement for bearing of our Sins was an Essential part of it as shedding his Blood was of the Payment this payment and bearing Sin was in the Eye of God from Eternity as if already done hence the Patriarchs were Actually and Personally Justified by it and doth it follow that they were Justified without Christ's Atonement And whereas you talk of God's Acts of Forgiveness you should tell us what you mean if Immanent there 's but one Act of Forgiveness there 's no new Acts arise in God and it was the Promise of Eternal Life before the World began Tit. 1. If you mean a Transient Act it 's but one viz. the performance of that Promise to Christ our Surety and Head and to us in him Virtually and Fundamentally 1 John 5.11 This is the Record that he hath given us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son and from him derived to us terminates in and upon us by the same Effectual Grace of God in Christ towards us so that the same Forgiving Act of God terminates in Christ and in us and therefore you must allow our Life of Forgiveness first in Christ and then bestowed upon us in and through him whereby we are as Sinners brought in to him and receive of his fulness both for Justifying and Sanctifying Grace Whereas you say Heathens by this Notion may be in a pardoned state you foist in another term to impose upon us as if we had said that immediately upon laying Sins on Christ all the Elect were in a pardoned state there 's none can be in a pardoned state before a being natural nor before a being Spiritual at least beginning but what hinders but that the Eternal Life which is given me should be in Christ before I was Born and inferrs not that therefore when I come into the World there will be no need of Gospel or Knowledge of Christ to bring me out of my Natural Estate into Christ See Colos 1.25 26 27. Ephes 3.3 4 5 6. And are not Gentiles as well as Jews pardoned through Christ Neonom The Assemblies at Westminster and the Savoy are both against you Antinom They say in a manner but as we do if you distinguish between a Forgiveness in Christ and Forgiveness bestowed between Impetration and Application Justification and Justified Neonom I will shew you your mistake Mr. Antinomian because it was God's Act to appoint Christ to suffer for our Sins that we might in his way and time be discharged therefore you think we are immediately discharged by that Act. Antinom You take greatly upon you to tell what I think and makes me think contrary to what I have exprest you take upon you to make me speak what you please and to think what you please I take you to be a fit Man to be a Guide was there nothing but God's appointing Christ to suffer for our Sins was there not God's accepting of his Sufferings for us Was not Christ Justified from the Sins of the Elect for when he rose was there not a Radical Justification of all the Elect in Christ If there had not been so they could never have been personally Justified but you would have Christ only purchase our Justification by something else but I must believe and say that he wrought out our Justification which being in him is the same that we do partake of and that our Discharge is begun and carried on in Christ and is compleated in him and received by Faith in his Blood Neonom Because Christ's Atonement is the Sole Meritorious Cause of Forgiveness therefore he thinks God suspends not Forgiveness till he works any thing else in the Soul which he made requisite to our being Forgiven though not as a Meritorious Cause Antinom No you mean Christ shall have the Honour of being the Meritorious Cause but it is that way of Justification intended that Christ hath merited that though we have broken the Law and cannot be Justified by it that a new way of Justification should be set up not through his Blood but by something else a peculiar qualification that shall make us meet to be forgiven that there may be some reason found in the Sinner why he should be forgiven this is now the new Divinity to sham off the Satisfaction of Christ from the Justification of a Sinner and you think you have been very kind to Christ to say this new Qualifications are not Meritorious Causes but Christ's Suffering was though they must stand afar off and look on upon a Justification by something else Calvinist I think as you said Mr. Antinomian's Ambiguity lyes in the word Discharge concerning which you must distinguish there 's liberatio in Christo liberatio à Christo though Mr. Antinomian hath abundantly cleared himself as to his Intention and Meaning but you Mr. Neonomian are so harsh in your Censures that nothing but the worst Interpretation of his words can be admitted by you My Opinion is that as Christ bore our Sins by Imputation so he made full payment of our Debt and had a Discharge so far as concerned himself and us represented by him and in him and hence through this Discharge and the perfection of the New Nature in freedom from all Original and Actual Sin and perfection of all Righteousness our Eternal Life which God hash given us is fully and compleatly in him both for Grace and Glory I say fully Fundamentally Originally and as in a Fountain or Root and of this fulness we do receive even Faith the first Vital Act and by Faith all discharge in Justification and all conformity to him in Sanctification through the operation of the Spirit of Holiness so that it was impossible but Christ must be discharged bearing our common Nature and standing in our stead and that we were in our measure discharged in him but it is also as impossible that we should be discharged personally and in ours till we had our Personal Beings and were first in that State and under that Wrath in some regard from which we were to be delivered and brought into the New Nature by Reconciliation and Actual Union on our part and till then we are Prisoners of the Law without God without Hope Aliens to the Covenant of Promise This account I trust may give both
are pardoned but yet continues to pray for a further manifestation of Pardon Did not David tell us what it is Psal 1.10 Restore to me the Joy of thy Salvation Neonom For were it so yet it is for our Sins it would sound strange to pray Forgive us the Sins of Christ Antinom Yes we pray for the Pardon of our Sins that were laid on Christ and though we do not pray to forgive us the Sins of Christ yet we pray to God to forgive us for the sake of Christ whose bearing of Sin and Satisfaction wrought we always plead believing But you will banter Christ's bearing Sins Neonom The Saints in Scripture esteemed them their Sins and themselves Sinners when they committed Sin and found it's Motions Jer. 14.7 Isa 59.12 Job 7.21 Psal 25.11 D. W. p. 25. Antinom So do we though they and we ought to acknowledge Sin always in Faith of the pardoning mercy of God in Christ we should ask Pardon in Faith nothing doubting but sometimes there may be but weak Faith next to none in God's Children and great Doubtings and therefore great Guilt lying upon their Consciences and from thence great Darkness in times of Temptation Thence did flow those Pathetical Expressions of many of the Faithful from God's hiding of his Face and the Weakness of their Faith as if they were reprobated ones and cast away and so it is even now sometimes And though we believe Christ hath born our Sins yet this is the greatest Ground of true Gospel-brokenness of Heart that they were our Sins and are now the Product of corrupt Flesh the Old Man remaining in us which we labour under endeavouring to get more and more into Christ by a strong Faith that the Body of Sin the Source of Corruption in us may be destroyed Therefore Repentance and Godly Sorrow is exercised even for our Sins laid on Christ Neonom 3. God reckons Sins to be their own he reproves them he forgave them 1 John 2.12 Jer. 33.8 Rev. 2.20 Rev. 3.19 2 Tim. 4.16 D. W. p. 26. Antinom Sins are Sins and our Sins we have said it again and again and therefore reprovable in us and to be forgiven in us by the Application of Pardon All this hinders not but that we be without Fault before God and our Sins cast behind his Back we have a Perfection and Fulness of Pardon and all Grace in Christ Jesus though Sin it self was never reconciled to God and therefore God sets us to the killing of it Christ destroyed Sin on the Cross as to the obstructing God's compleat Love to the Persons of the Elect so that it cannot condemn before God but it is Sin Yet in the Elect and will accuse and condemn wherever it is or at least the Law will by Reason of it and therefore it hath it's Influence this way sometimes on the Holiest Men. It 's in the Nature of Sin to condemn but God doth not condemn for Sin though he condemns Sin daily in the holiest Men and through Unbelief they are apt to think their Persons condemned of God himself When God denounceth Judgment against a sinful Church or Nation they are ordinarily hypocritical prophane and Apostate and therefore a mixt People many or most under a Covenant of Works and a People in their Sins which God awakens by Threatnings or Judgments themselves and therefore the places quoted by you affect us not The Force of your arguing lies here Those Sins that God calls our Sins and we ought to call our Sins are not laid on Christ and taken away but God calls Sins our Sins and we ought to call them so Ergo. The Major is utterly false For all places that we bring to prove that Sin was laid on Christ do call them our Sins and we speak of them as such and it's cause of Abasement in our selves and thankful Admiration of the Free Grace of God in Christ and so the Church acknowledge their Sins Jer. 14.7 8. Isa 59.12 16 17. Neonom Mark what will follow hence No Elect Members of a Church are justly censured for Offences and no Christian Criminal could be punished for they are not the Sinners the Sin is not theirs Antinom It is a shame to hear a Mininister argue in this manner Your Argument runs thus If the Sins of the Elect were laid on Christ by Imputation then no Church or Court of Judicature can proceed to condemn an Offender Ergo. Baculus stat in Angulo ergo pluit Doth Man see and judge as God doth Is there no difference between Forum Divinum and Humanum Ecclesiastick and Civil the Law before Man and his Administration of it knows no difference of Persons it proceeds secundum allegata probata Churches censures is in order to a Justification before the Church that by Faith and Repentance it may appear that God hath forgiven such an one that he belongs to Electing and Redeeming Grace and the Sinners Sin laid on Christ and when they find that they are soon reconciled to an offending Member And you say If Sins were laid on Christ no Christian Criminal can be punished A very sad Case indeed for then any Criminal condemned justly by Man's Law can never be saved For if Christ bore not his Sins he can't be pardoned nay may not a Godly Man through Temptation fall into a Crime whereby he may justly suffer in Foro humano and doth this hinder his Salvation by Christ And is it an Argument his Sins were never laid on Christ Are not these consistent a Sinner and condemned by Man's Law and an absolved Sinner by the satisfy'd Law of God Was not the converted Thief a Sinner justly condemned by Man though absolved by God because Christ bore his sins on the Cross and if he had repented before he had been hanged on the Cross would it have freed him from Man's Sentence Satisfaction to God's Law is not to Man's nor Satisfaction to Man's is not to God's Men stay not Execution of a Malefactor because he repents to Salvation but Man's Law must take it's course upon him I doubt not but the Ordinary of Newgate can teach you better Divinity than this A Man may be in one respect guilty and in another not And so likewise God deals with his Children two ways in case of their eminent Falls in a way of his common Providential Government of the World in foro mundi as he dealt with David that those Evils of Affliction Judgments in the Apprehension of the Men of the World should befall them and so in the Participation of external common Calamities there should not be any manifest difference between them and other Men. Therefore the Wise Man saith That Love and Hatred is not known by these things But notwithstanding all this the other and certain way of God's dealing with them is according to the Covenant of Grace which is the Secret of the Lord he fully pardons their Sins is reconciled to them in Christ will never leave or forsake them
respect to his Son p. 180. Now as there was an Abhorrence of Sin charged on Christ yet and accordingly a Separation or forsaking upon that Account so far as he bore Sin in his Humane Nature yet God did retain that Love and Respect to him as his Son Neither do I say that Christ in his Humane Nature was separated from the Divine by a Dissolution of his Hypostatical Union And therefore it 's a false Charge to say I said God abhorrtd the Person of his Son or that there was a Separation between the Divine and Humane Natures of Christ D.W. p. 33. Neonom You say Christ was separated from God which you affirm and I deny Answ If you understand me according to the Language of the Scripture and Analogy of Faith I say so i. e. As Sin brings inevitably the Punishment of Loss as the Curse and the greatest part of it which is a Judicial Separation of God from the Creature this I affirm Christ suffered this Punishment in his Soul But if you will wrest my meaning to be this that he was separated by a Dissolution of the Hypostatical Union I deny it I say Should Iniquity be laid on the Humane Nature and the Divine Nature not support it it would have sunk under Sin as a meer Humane Creature D. Cr. p. 378. Therefore it 's apparent I intended no such Separation as also by my whole Discourse it appears that you would impose upon me Neonom The Question is Whether Christ was at any time under God's Abhorrency or odious to him because under the Loathsomness of Sin This you affirm and I deny Antinom That I affirm it in your Sence is false for you know I said in express Terms that God retained his Love and Respect to his Son For it 's not inconsistent that God should retain his Love to his Son in respect of his Divine Nature and yet lay him in respect of his Humane Nature under his manifest Displeasure being now under the Charge of all the Sins of his Elect and so Sin on Christ was the Object of God's Abhorrency Neonom Whether Christ was thus on the Account of the Filthiness of Sin c. This you affirm and I deny Antinom When you can clear Sin from being Filthiness in the sight of God upon any account and that Guilt of Sin reatus culpae I mean not liableness to Punishment that 's not Sin but the Effect of it is not the greatest Filth of Sin I shall tell you I do not think Sin as to it's Filthiness was not laid on Christ But this hath been argued before You think you have a great Claw at me here but I am sorry you understand the Nature of Sin no better as to think it in the Law relation to be so clean as not to be Filth in the sight of God Calvin I pray Mr. Neonomian lead us into the Truth of this Point that we may not be mistaken We are willing to receive Light in these Truths but we think it of dangerous Consequence to part with them or darken them Neonom Truth Though God testified his threatned Indignation against Sin in the awful Sufferings of Christ Soul and Body in his Agony and suspended those delightful Communications of the Divine Nature to the Humane Nature of Christ as to their wonted Degrees yet God was never separated from Christ much less during his Body's lying in the Grave neither was the Father ever displeased with Christ and far less did he abhorr him because of the Filthiness of Sin upon him D. W. p. 31. Antinom This is a marvellous Aphorism indeed 1. Did God testifie his threatned Indignation against Sin in the awful Sufferings of Christ Soul and Body What is this less than what you would condemn for Error in me 2. Did God suspend his Delightful Communications to the Humane Nature What was this but the Separation I always shewed that I intended 3. That God was never separated from Christ in the Hypostatick Union I always affirm No not during his lying in the Grave 4. But 4ly I never said the Father was displeased with Christ as his Son or in relation to him as Son by Eternal Generation but in relation to him as our Surety and as a Sacrifice to bear Sin he was displeased with him or else you give your self the Lie in the same Paragraph where you say he testified his threatned Indignation against sin in the Sufferings of his Body and Soul and how could this be without Displeasure 5. What have we been doing all this while Have you not been arguing against Christ's bearing sin And now you say God testified his Wrath against sin in the Sufferings of Christ If sin was not imputed to him could he bear Indignation for it 6. And was not the Father as Judge displeased with Christ as Debtor and bearing our sins How could he deal with him else in a way of testifying his Indignation as you say 7. You say He did not abhorr him so say we not his Person nor in such a way of Abhorrence that is in Man's Affections God is not as Man in natural Appetite or Aversion but he exerted such an Abhorrence or Aversion as was proper to his Nature we desire to term it but as you do a manifestation of threatned Indignation to Sin condemning Sin in the Flesh of Christ Rom. 8.8 As Christ was made sin doth not the Spirit of God say he was made a Curse Is not Sin a cursed thing that which is odious and abhorred Suppose then we use not those Words Odious Abhorred and we say God testified his threatned Indignation against sin in Christ even to the making him a Curse for us What greater and higher Expression can be used And how could God's Indignation be shewed against sin on a person upon all Accounts innocent no way chargeable Sin can't suffer Indignation but the Sinner may Sin in the Abstract is not capable of Suffering it must be sin bringing some Person under a Law-Condemnation so that he have the Denomination of a Sinner 9. And whereas you will not have sin filthy where is it the Spirit of God represents it any otherwise and the efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice as to the Purgation of Filth therefore it 's said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 1.3 But of this elsewhere Neonom This Separation was impossible because of the Vnion between the Divine and Humane Nature of Christ c. D. W. p. 33. Antinom This Argument affects us not for we never thought of of any such Separation as I have told you and it 's your Impudence to charge it Neonom 2. The Father hath promised constant Supports to Christ in the whole of his Vndertakings and Sufferings Isa 42.1 4 6. Isa 50 7 8 9. Antinom Shot beside me still I said Should Iniquity been laid on the Humane Nature and the Divine Nature not support it it would have sunk under sin and you own that I say so Dr. Cr. p. 378. Neonom
Preaching And let us consider a little the Nature of it Condition comes under several Considerations 1. Logical and there it 's Conditio conditionans or Conditio conditionata It 's more Ordinis aut Relationis respectu Ordinis It ariseth from a Priority and Posteriority of things All things can't be at once but one thing must be before another and here one thing is the condition of another respectu temporis there is Conditio relativa and so all Arguments are mutual Conditions one of another and consist è mutuâ alterius affectione and here is not Prioritas temporis sed nature Pater est conditio Filii or rather Paternitas relata affectio est causa filietatis correlata affectionis There is Conditio Axiomatica which ariseth from a Contingent Axiom or necessary and either connex because they 're mostly express'd Conjunctione connexivâ si And so there is also Conditio in dispositione Syllogisticâ ex dependentia inter conclusiones premissa There is also Law-Conditions Dr. Cawel saith It is a Rate Manner or Law annexed to Men's Acts or Grants staying and suspending the same and making them uncertain whether they shall take effect or no. And Papinian saith Conditio dicitur cum quid in casum incertum qui potest tendere ad esse aut non esse confertur This is a general Account of a Condition as arising out of a Contingency the effect depending upon an uncertain Cause And a Learned Lawyer saith A Condition is a Restraint or Bridle annexed and joyned to a Promise by the performance of which it 's ratifyed and takes effect and by the Non-performance of it becomes void Such a Condition I perceive you and Mr. Flavel will have Faith to be a Condition upon which the Promise is made and the Performance suspended by the Disposer till the said Condition be performed Conditio adimpleri debet priusque sequatur effectus Now this being your Condition I say it 's Foederal It 's Conditio Foederalis and let it be in value less or more it makes a Covenant of Works and is cloathed with all the Logical Notions of Condititions besides The Logical Conditions are in all things ex necessitate dependentiae mutuae rerum and a Man can't move a Hand or Tongue without them Even Brutes and all inanimate Beings as well as Men they belong to the whole Fabrick and Constitution of created Beings But a Foederal Condition belongs only to rational Beings and it 's related to the Promise ex pacto in a way of Merit and the Promise belongs to it by way of Debt And in this Sence the Apostle always decries the Law or any Law to have to do with our Justification he affirms that it 's always of Grace and never of Debt upon the least Consideration whatever of our Performance and Qualification And this is the Condition that I contend against and say That neither Faith or any other Gracious Qualifications or Graces of the Spirit are Foederal Conditions or Conditions of the Covenant of Grace My Arguments some of them in brief are these That which is a Gift of the Promise of eternal Life is no condition of it but Faith is a gift of the Promise Ergo. For the Major it 's clear for one thing can't be another eodem respectu tempore The Condition and Promise are Opposita they are Foederalia relata and therefore Contraria affirmantia a Father can't be a Son in that respect as he is a Father As to the Minor it 's out of all doubt by Divine Testimony See John 17.3 Eph. 2.8 To know Christ by Faith is Eternal Life and this Life of Faith is the Gift of God Hence Faith that is the Benefit promised is not the condition of it A Promise or Gift of the Promise cannot be the Condition of it self 2. That which would make the Promise a Debt and the Gift of it a Reward of Debt is not to be allowed But to make Faith a Foederal Condition of the Covenant of Grace would make the Promise to be Debt and the Reward a Reward of Debt Therefore Faith is not to be allowed to be a Condition of the Covenant For the Major it will stand with invincible strength from the Apostle Paul's Divinity and Logick Rom. 4.4 Believing and working are opposed as working and not working as Contradicentia It 's vain and frivolous to shift by evasive Interpretations and all that 's said to that purpose is easily wip'd off For the Minor That putting Faith in as a Federal condition would make the Promise a Debt The Performance of any Work or doing any Act as a Federal Condition let it be never so small the promising Federator becomes indebted thereby to bestow the Benefit promised on the Confoederator ex obligatione foederali and therefore a Debtor Now the Apostle will not allow any thing of this in the least Measure In those places where the Apostle opposeth Faith to Works he speaks of such Works as contain perfect and perpetual Obedience such as God required of man under the Law but not of those Works which comprehend that Obedience which God requires of us who believe in Christ Racov. Catech. c. 9. Therefore your Doctrine of Conditions is Socin 3. That Doctrine which will make all the Graces of Sanctification or gracious Qualifications Federal Conditions is not to be admitted But to say Faith is a condition of the Covenant in the Sence pleaded for will bring in all other Graces as well as it's self Ergo this Doctrine is not to be admitted for there is as much reason that all of them be allowed to be Conditions as that Faith should and therefore I see you and your Party bring in Repentance and other Graces together with Faith and say Our eternal Life is given unto us at the last upon conditional Meetness for it But the Scripture no where speaks of our Justification for or by Repentunce Love Patience Mortification of Sin c. not so much as once in the Sence that it speaks of Justicfiation by Faith And therefore Faith justifies not in it's qualifying nature which it hath in common with other Graces of the Spirit God never intended our strictest Holiness and highest degrees of Grace should be our Justifying Righteousness before God or Federal Conditions of the Covenant of Grace 4. That any Act of ours should be a Federal Condition of the Covenant of Grace destroys the very Nature of it Rom. 11.6 Eph. 2.8 9. Tit. 2.5 Rom. 5.17 18. Isa 55.1 2. 1 Cor. 2.12 Rom. 3.24 as it stands in opposition to the Covenant of Works it can't be distinguished otherwise from the Covenant of Works for the Condition of the Covenant of Works was as small as any thing imagining the Ability was given before the Condition was required He should have had persevering Grace in the Promise had he outstood this Temptation Now the formal difference between the Covenant of Works and Grace was in the Condition
baptize Infants I would desire no stronger Argument to manage against Infant-Baptism than your Principle of Conditionality of the Covenant And as for the Lord's Supper it holds forth Christ's Body freely given and his Blood freely shed for us and that his Blood was a Seal and Ratification of the New Covenant where-by it becomes a Testament Neonom 1 Pet. 3.21 Baptism that saves us is not the putting away the Filth of the Flesh but the Answer of a good Conscience towards God i. e. Vpright consent of Heart to the Vow and Profession Antinom The Words are thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To what was Baptism an Antitype Was it not to the Waters of Noah that saved Persons by bearing up the Ark when the rest of the World were drowned What condition was there of God's saving those Eight Persons And to bring it home the Apostle tells us the mere Element in Baptism and external Administration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not the washing away External or Levitical Uncleanness as it was used by the Jews but as it signifies the Blood of Christ reaching to the purifying of the Conscience from Guilt Heb. 9. 10. and thence is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as it signifies the carrying or washing away our Sins by the Blood of Christ and our rising again wherein we were fundamentally Justifyed and the application of both by Faith whereby our present Sence of God's Wrath and Condemnation is removed To talk that it signifies a Vow or upright Consent is very Jejune against the Stream of Interpreters Neonom An Elect Person known by Revelation to be so while unregenerate is not entitled to the Lord's Supper Antinom He that hath that Revelation I suppose will have something more revealed But in the mean time I wonder why you that stand upon such strict moral Qualifications for an Interest in Covenant-Benefits and so sparing of Gospel Grace stand upon so slight Terms for admission to the Lord's Supper and are so lavish of Covenant-Benefits upon such easie Terms I am sure you may know some of them are not Regenerate without Revelation Neonom Vnbelief and whatever Sins are contrary to the Terms of the Covenant are the only hinderances to a Sinners Interest in the Benefits of the Covenant and by these we are said to reject and refuse the Covenant The Scripture lays Men's want of Forgiveness on their Vnbelief as the culpable cause c. Antinom Then the great Business of the Covenant of Grace is to save Sinners and give them Life being dead in Sin and Unbelief and the Gift of God is eternal Life begun in Remission of Sins and Faith in Christ's Blood which God gives freely unto those that are altogether uncapable to perform any Conditions for it he gives these Gifts to unbelieving rebellious ones And if Unbelief should hinder these Gifts of God's Grace there 's none could be saved And as Unbelief doth not hinder Fundamental Covenant Right which they have by Christ's Imputation so it hinders not God's Application when he will work for then nothing shall hinder You seem also to hint as if some Sins were more venial than others and some more consistent with your Moral Conditions of the Covenant of Imperfection and know that no culpable Cause shall hinder the Forgiveness of those for whom Christ died Neonom The Gospel-Promise being the way which Christ appoints to dispense saving Benefits to Believers must have the same Rules with the Covenant of Grace Antinom Yea for the Covenant of Promise and the Covenant of Grace are the same and saving Benefits are dispensed only by way of Gift which is performance of the Promise and no other way Neonom The Gospel is his Testament and a Covenant cannot be a Disposition contrary to this Gospel Antinom The Covenant of Grace is a Testament because confirmed by the Death of Christ and there 's no adding to it if it were but a Man's Testament and last Will as the Apostle saith and therefore there 's no bringing in any after-terms or conditions of it And the Gospel is a Declaration of this Promise and Seal and addeth no further Terms Neonom This Promise tells us 1. That there is a Promise of the first Grant made to Christ for the Elect and by vertue of that Promise the Elect do consent to the Covenant Antinom Promise and Grant are in a manner one and this made to Christ for the Elect it's better to the Elect in Christ but that will do for the present and by vertue of that Promise the Elect do consent I suppose you mean the first Consent which you will sometimes have the Condition of their receiving benefit by the Promise I hope it 's this a great Benefit and absolute Gift of the Promise and of this then there 's no Condition but Christ by your own Consession Neonom 2. That Gospel or Covenant is the means whereby that Faith is wrought Antinom Very good then the Covenant is the condition of Faith and not Faith of the Covenant Neonom This Gospel commands and by the Power of the Spirit works that Faith in order to saving Benefits which Benefits it promiseth to such as do believe and no other D. W. p. 66. Antinom I thought but now you were got above your Covenant of Imperfections but I find you are working down again These Conditions are heavy bulky things they will weigh a Man down do what he can And is Faith wrought only in order to saving Benefits How often shall I tell you it 's one of the principal saving Benefits of any Grace wrought in us And Faith is promised to Unbelievers else they would never have it Neonom This Gospel invests Believers in those saving Benefitt Antinom And it invests Unbelievers in the saving benefit of Faith and therefore the Gospel is the condition of Faith Neonom It secures the perseverance of Believers in the true Faith and the necessary Effects and thereby secures those Benefits as unforfeited Antinom Then they are not under an uncertain Trial all this Life that it is not determined whether they shall be saved or no as you suggested Neonom But Christ never bequeathed or promised in the Gospel a Pardon or Salvation to Vnbelievers Antinom That 's a Riddle Was it not in Christ's Testament to save Sinners to justify the Ungodly Did he not pray for them that should believe Doth not the Gospel tell us He came not to save righteous but to bring Sinners to repentance that he came to seek and to save them that are lost Doth not Christ say He is the Resurrection and the Life and that we are quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins c. The main Tenure of the Gospel If it be as you say there 's none should be saved for if Men are not saved by vertue of the Promise they will never be saved What a miserable Condition are all in if believing and promising Mercy be not bestowed upon
whole use depends on Gods Ordination Antinom I wonder you 'l ground your denial upon such a weak Reason for would not Adam's Merits have depended on God's Ordination And doth not Christ's Merits depend on God's Ordination Neonom Nor whether a Soul may neglect to accept of Christ as Prophet Priest and King because they feel not that degree of these Humblings and Convictions which they desire and expect Antinom But being you set them a digging in the Rock of their own Hearts for the Pearl of Great Price you should tell them how deep it lyes before they are likely to find it for all these Convictions and Humblings are before they come at Christ you put them upon hard Service unless you tell them when they are convinced enough and humbled enough and why do you use the word neglect for as long as they are upon the work you assign them they wait for you to offer Christ to them and you tell them it 's better to stay longer and there 's reason for it according to your Hypothesis if some degrees of Humblings must be had to fit them for Christ then more degrees will make them more fit Neonom Nor whether these Preparatory Qualifications be the Work of the Spirit by common Grace This I affirm Antinom So then they may dig and not find the Mine and spend all their days in Common Grace and never find Spiritual Grace now here you fully declare your self that Common Grace is the Condition of Special Grace What a Work is here with Conditions Neonom Nor whether their immediate Influence I mean of Preparatory Qualifications be to prepare the Soul for a true consenting Acceptance which it is hereby less averse to and more disposed for This I affirm Antinom I know not what sence to put upon this but the Papists Congruity and that common Grace is a degree or a qualifying condition of Saving Grace and that Common and Special differ not Specifically but Gradually only which to me is gross Divinity Sancta Clara tells us thus De habitâ prima gratiâ Actuali Communis recepta Sententia Scholar est c. Certainly it is the common and received Opinion of the Schools that with the help of the first preventing Grace we may obtain further helps by acting and endeavouring yea the first habitual justifying Grace and in some measure deserve it de congruo i. e. of meetness fitness and aptitude and it 's the common Opinion of all the Doctors as to after-helps in respect of the first Grace and he faith He takes Scotus's Judgment instead of all as the best in that he saith Repentance is a meer disposition to habitual Grace And amongst such as he quotes for his Opinion he brings the 13th Article of the Church of England Artic. 13. Of Works before Justification Works done before the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God for as much as they spring not of Faith in Jesus Christ neither do they make Men meet to receive Grace or as the School Authors say deserve Grace of Congruity yea rather for that they are not done as God willeth or commanded them to be done we doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin which he would wrest to his sence that although Works before the Faith of Christ or the first Actual Grace are excluded as meritum ex congruo by the said Article exceptio firmat regulam in oppositum yet he saith Other Works according to the said Article done as Fruits of Faith may in some measure dispose and de congruo deserve promereri gratiam Justificationis which Opinion he would make Augustin to be of And whereas it 's said in the said Article We doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin he would palliate it thus saying Non dicunt talia simplicitèr esse peccata sed potius participare quod sine omni dubio est terminus diminuens i. e They say not that such are simply Sins but do partake of Sin which without all doubt is a Term of Diminution i. e. the word rather or else they would have said that they were Sins without Restriction You see what Jesuitical Evasions here are to establish your Qualifications which you and the Papists are so fond of whereas these first Reforming Protestants say Non disponunt hominem ad receptionem gratiae but the rather we doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin yet you will say they prepare for true Acceptance and make the Soul less averse and more disposed to it whereas the quite contrary mostly appears that those that become meerly morall and leave off the practice of some gross Sins and do some good Works from that Principle are usually the most averse and least disposed to the Grace of God of the two Neonom I shall shew you wherein the Real difference is 1. Whether coming to Christ is an inward Perswasion that Christ is mine This you affirm and I deny Antinom You abuse me in charging me with speaking what you would fasten upon me for I spake distinctly of these two things first of coming to Christ and then of knowing that Christ is mine by my being come to him but yet I say that this coming to Christ ought to be by a particular perswasion that Christ is offered to me as a Sinner freely offered to me without any consideration of any Qualification and this perswasion every Believer hath less or more Dr. Twiss distinguisheth between fides in Christum fides de Christo Faith in Christ and Faith concerning Christ being ours the first is this coming to Christ for Life the other our Perswasion and sweet Sense of the Love of God in Christ Neonom 2. Whether Christ is offered to Sinners with a design that they may conclude they have a Saving Interest in him before they are Regenerated by the Spirit and savingly Believe Antinom The Design of offering Christ to Sinners is that they may receive the offer freely and immediately and that when they are come to Christ they should know this Faith was not of themselves or did spring out of any Natural or Moral Qualification but from Christ the Author of it and from their Union to Christ Jesus which I take to be a Saving part in him and that they cannot believe without a Saving part in Jesus Christ before they believe He having blessed us with all Spiritual Blessings in Christ of which Faith is none of the least And Dr. Twiss saith Faith being one proper Effect only of a Saving Interest though not claimable by them till they believe Justitia Christi sicut Christi est c. The Righteousness of Christ as it is Christs and performed by him so it 's ours as wrought for us juris ratione and before Faith as Meritorious of Efficacious Grace for the working of that Faith Lib. 1. p. 2. § 25. For if without Christ they can do nothing then they cannot believe without part
hath a Knife in his Hand and Thoughts in his Heart to murder Christ and yet without so much as laying down his Arms D. W. p. 87. Antinom I wish you have not Thoughts in your Heart and a Knife in your Hand not only to wound my Ministry but the Doctrine of Free-Grace you shew such an inveterate Spirit against both Gentlemen Speaking from that Text John 6.37 and endeavouring to remove Objections from poor distressed Souls that dare not come to Christ because of a high deep Sense of their Filthiness and Loathsomness and that are always aggravating their Condition under the saddest and most dreadful Consideration You will say For all this high Aggravation of Loathsomness and Sinfulness my Case is worse than all this you speak of Dr. C. p. 220. therefore there is something in my Condition that if I come to Christ he must cast me off Mark Gentlemen these are the bitter Complaints of a poor distressed Soul against himself set on by Temptation to keep him from Jesus Christ Besides positive Filthiness I am a Rebel a sturdy Enemy I fight against God I quarrel with God and take up Arms against him I endeavour to remove this Objection thus Imagine your Condition is a Condition of as great Madness and Enmity against God as you can devise as always it is look'd upon to be by one labouring under a wounded Conseience in whom Sin is revived by the Law The Remedy that I advise is to bring this poor broken-hearted Creature to Christ to be bound up I go on and say Sure you will say If I be such an Enemy I must lay down my Arms before Christ will have to do with me or admit me to come to him Will a King let a Cut-throat Traitor while he hath Thoughts in his Heart to murder him will he let him come with a naked Knife into his Presence and graciously embrace him in his Arms For Answer still see the close of the Text Observe that if this be true that in respect of this Rebelliousness in thy Spirit against God thou say If I come to Christ he will cast me off This word in no wise cannot be true Do you think it was out of the Thoughts of Christ viz. our Enmity and Rebellion And if he thought of it do you not think he would not have put it in to clear up this Truth Look into Psal 68.18 and Rom. 5.6 7 8. Now observe what I say I do not speak this to the intent that any should conceive that God leaves Persons rebellious Dr. C. p. 211. vile and loathsom as he doth find them when he closeth with them but I say that time when the Lord closeth with them it 's a state of Rebellion and if thou come to Christ in this Condition it manifestly shall appear to thee that he will open his Bosom for thy Head to rest upon as well as for the Righteousest Saint in the World so Christ invites every one that thirsts to come and drink of the Water of Life freely Calvin I would fain know Mr. Neonomian what you would say to a distressed Soul in such a condition that would not only liken himself to a Murderer or a Cut-throat Traytor but will give you an Instance that he is so even at this very time he hath continually horrid blasphemous Thoughts of God yea Atheistical and such as is a Horror to mention He will tell you what a sink of Vileness and Hypocrisie he is in upon all respects what would you tell him indeed here 's the Skill of a Divine Neonom Tell him I would tell him he must be humbled for those Sins and he must cast out these filthy Thoughts and that he must pray and hear the Word and watch over his Heart and resist Satan and indeed must get rid of this Enmity that is in his Heart and this Rebellion and then he may come to Christ for Pardon Calvin Ay but I can do none of these my proud Heart will not be humbled my filthy Thoughts will remain I cannot love God nay I cannot pray and the Word of God is a Terror unto me I fly from the Law and as for the Gospel I dare not come at it God is a Terror to me Neonom I would tell him such a vile Heart corrupt Affections Blasphemous Thoughts are inconsistent with Vocation Regeneration Conversion I would tell him he can't have true Faith or Acceptance with Christ which consists with such vile dispositions and is void of a purpose to be otherwise Calvin And would you not think meet to invite this poor Soul to come to Jesus Christ in this sad Condition Neonom No indeed that I would not in that miserable pickle Calvin What would you do with him Neonom I would tell him he hath a proud Heart which God is humbling his Lusts must be mortify'd he must bear the Indignation of the Lord God will shine in upon you in his due time when you are fit for it and your Sins be purged in the mean time you must wait Calvin But may not a Man speak to such an one of Help laid upon one that 's mighty to save Neonom Take heed of being too bold there If Christ be mentioned it must but be as King and Law-giver if you be too busie in talking of Christ as Priest and Sacrifice and of laying his Sins on Christ it may prove such a Narcotick to him as may cast him into the contrary Extream of carnal Security and Presumption that his condition is better than it is Calvin Do you deal thus always with distressed afflicted Souls when they come to you for advice Neonom No not always in private Conference but in the Pulpit this way must be taken or else you 'll have a company of vile loathsom Sinners grow too sawcy upon the Doctrine of Grace and the Promise Calvin And yet here your Ministry is very successful you receive many Members I suppose you have to deal with great Variety of Cases Neonom I do not trouble my self with that way of Experiences I know no Rule for that I ask them whether they have been humbled and whether they are sincere in taking Christ as their Lord and I tell them now God accepts Sincerity and Imperfect Duties as the Condition of the Covenant of Grace and I find this way succeeds very well and I hope to make it take throughout the City and extirpate those Antinomian Principles and Congregational too Calvin Indeed Mr. Neonomian I must take my liberty to dissent altogether from you in your Method with and Cure of distressed Consciences it was not the way formerly I am for bringing such a poor loathsom polluted Creature to the Fountain set open for Sin and Uncleanness c. and not say he must be washed first Neonom Can we thus Marry Christ what a carnal selfish thing is Believing A meer using Christ for our own safety in our Abominations which we resolve shall rule over us
without one desire to be rid of them D. W. p. 88. Calvin Do you think there will be any Fellowship between Christ and Belial One must be gone When Christ comes in unto the Heart he binds the strong man armed and spoils him of his Goods I am sorry to hear you banter a poor Sinner's believing in Christ under the sense of the Vileness and Sinfulness of his Disposition and the Enmity of his Heart or that you should suppose or suggest to the World that there is any way under Heaven to change the Heart and Disposition savingly or heal the Conscience but by bringing a poor Creature to Jesus Christ and him Crucify'd and saying to him Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved There is Pardon Forgiveness Cleansing in the Blood of Christ therefore the Course that I take always is to endeavour to set the Lord Jesus Christ in all his fulness before an awakened Sinner and if he be yet secure and going on in his evil ways I bring him as near to Christ as I can I endeavour to convince him that he sins against Christ as well as the Law the precicious Blood of Christ that was shed for Sinners I do what I can to bring him to Christ to be taught to be invited overcome by the Sweetness and Amiableness of Jesus Christ and let him know the danger if he persist obstinate Neonom But some degrees of Convictions and Humiliations of Soul are necessary prerequisites to the Souls Acceptation of Christ for Pardon weary and heavy laden that Christ invites Mat. 11.28 I came not to call the Righteous i. e. conceited and secure but Sinners to Repentance Luke 5.31 32. They in Acts 2.37 were pricked to the Heart the Gaoler felt some Humbling concern Acts 16.30 Paul knew what this trembling was so Zacheus and the Prodigal Luke 15.14 15. D. W. p. 87. Calvin All his humblings prickings weariness awakenings were by the Power of Gospel Grace and by the preaching of Jesus Christ Christ's Ministry is enough with his Power to save Souls he needs no prerequisites The Gospel is the power of God unto Salvation therewith he wounds and therewith he makes whole Christ makes weary and gives rest he convinceth Sinners and gives Repentance the preaching Christ Crucified pricked those Converts to the Heart and healed those Wounds It was the same Hand of Grace that awakened the Gaoler and when he had a Knife in his Hand even to Murder Christ in his Members and when he saw that was wrinched out of his Hand took a Knife to Murder himself in the height of that desperate Villany he was commanded to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he should be saved The case plainly is this That Jesus Christ himself the Minister of the true Sanctuary and the preaching of him is the only and sufficient Remedy to change and save the worst of Sinners through the effectual working of the Spirit the order and method is various it 's as the Spirit listeth we are not to prescribe any methods or measures of Humblings much less to say such and such Moral Vertues or Duties are necessary Prerequisites and Qualifications before a Sinner comes to Christ The Apostle Paul said That he determined to know nothing i. e. so as to Preach among them but Jesus Christ and him Crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 I am for working Humiliations by setting Christ before the most refractory Sinners ' for all Salvation true Mourning and Humiliation proceeds from looking on him whom a poor Sinner hath pierced I am for the bringing of the most Leprous Sinner I cannot engage he will come to wash in this Spirtiual Jordan though I find you are rather for washing off his Leprosie first in the Rivers of Abana and Pharfar Rivers of Damascus Neonom I am not for bringing such foul filthy Sinners to Jesus Christ it sounds very ill in the Ear to say Christ saves Murderers Adulterers Persecutors c. and to invite them to come to Christ reaking in their Sins and under the Reigning Enmity of their Hearts it 's fit that they should be civilized first and this wicked profligate disposition removed and that they have new Hearts before they come to Christ for I tell you Christ will not pardon them else Antinom You mistake the whole sence of the Gospel or will not understand it that you may seem to have a plausible pretence to oppose it When Sinners are invited to come to Christ it 's not meerly under the Notion of Pardon but of all Salvation he is offered and the Sinner is invited to come unto him as having given himself for us to redeem us from all Iniquity and to purifie to himself a peculiar People Zealous of good Works A Sinner is by the Gospel called to Christ in all states of his Unregeneracy whether openly Prophane or Morally Vertuous one is as easily saved by Christ as the other the former ordinarily sooner easier converted seemingly than the latter neither is the latter better qualified and fitted for the Grace of God than the other That place quoted by you 1 Cor. 14.24 25. is a clear proof how the Word of God's Grace works these true Convictions in the Saving Work and that your Humblings in the state of Unregeneracy are no necessary Prerequisites to the Grace of God Neonom I will discover your Mistakes in these things Because they that truely come to Christ shall have an Interest in Christ therefore he thinks whosoever can perswade himself that he hath an Interest in Christ doth come to him Antinom It would have been well if it had been my Happiness to have attain'd to your degree of Learning and had so great a Capacity for it as you that I might not have fallen under so gross mistakes I confess it's pity a Doctor should be so silly a John-an-Oaks as you represent me But what shall I say to it It 's not every Man's Portion to be Learned or Wise only there 's one Proverb I remember that is some satisfaction to an empty Skull Non est datum cuivis Corinthum appellere But methinks you mistake about my Thoughts if I have Wit enough to tell my own Thoughts It is strange I should be so stupid as Credere quod habeo habeo as to believe that I have when I have not and to call that Perswasion my having I spake of having Christ by coming to Christ and then of our knowing that we have Christ If you will examine what I think I will tell you I think coming to Christ is by believing and appropriating Christ and what is generally delivered of him and by him unto my self if it be by way of Promise offer or command and that this believing is such perswasion of the Goodness and Truth of Christ and his Gospel Salvation that it carries me forth to rest and stay my self confidently thereon and that I can perswade my self of the Truth of my Faith from its Act on its proper Object and
a Work and then to bring in other Graces and Duties in the like manner only Faith shall have the honour to lead the way Whosoever saith That a Man is justified only by Faith and that nothing else is required to our Justification Trident. Conc. § 6. Chap. 2. let him be Accursed Faith is not the only cause of our Justification but there are others also as Hope Charity Alms-deeds c. Bellarm. de Justific ib. c. 13. c. 16. The Apostle excludeth not all Works for then Faith it self should be excluded from Justification because it is a Work and if justifying Faith do except every Law then the Law of Faith also should be excepted Looky you see Bellarmine hath got your Remedial Law by the End I thought I should find indeed all your Doctrine in the Original Neonom But he doth not speak fully to the case in hand Antinom But he shall speak fully to your Mind For He adds further Such Works therefore only are excluded which go before Faith which are done only by the Knowledge of the VVord Chap. 19. and by the Power of Free-will without Grace not such Works as are of Faith and proceed of Grace But all I fear is that you may not allow us so much as Bellarmine you will have some Qualifying Condition before Faith to Justifie us whereas he doth in a measure exclude all Works before Faith and he calls not that a Merit in plain English though it 's so in some Countreys I cannot tell how your Language expresseth it Neonom You 're a Pragmatick my Business in this Digression is with Men of more Orthodox Principles who yet seem too doubtful in this Point I shall state the Point between these Calvin Then Sir I find the Province will fall upon me wholly to discuss this Point with you unless the Board will be pleased to appoint an Abler Person Board No Sir by no means Neonom I shall state the Point then and shew you wherein the difference is not Calvin I pray Sir be briefer in stating Points for I find you bring your Adversary out of Breath in stating of Points and when you have stated them no body can tell but by Conjecture where you are in this way of stating Points you may run over the Enclycopeidia Artium in telling us where the Point is not for it can be but in one place Neonom But you must look where a thing is not as well a where it is before you find it I 'll tell you It is not 1. Whether Faith or Repentance be any part of the Meriting Righteousness for which we are Justified Antinom True Bellarmine will not allow Faith and Repentance to be any part of Christ's Righteousness for which we are Justified but only a Meriting Righteousness by which we are Justified .. Neonom I told you Gentlemen I would have nothing to do with this Heterodox Fellow Calvin It is a strange thing Mr. Antinomian that you cannot leave this business to me Antinom I am willing to give you ease that you may keep your Lungs till he comes to the Question for he will tire you before you come at it Neonom Nor is the Question Whether the Habits of Faith and Repentance be wrought at the same time in the Regenerating Principle D. W. p. 113. Antinom You mean you will not discuss this Point and therefore tell us not whether you affirm it or deny it and what you mean by the Regenerating Principle is very doubtful whether a Principle within us or without us Whether a Principle by Nature or by Grace It 's a new term to say We are Regenerated by a Principle it must be sure some Principle in our Nature that Regeneration must spring from Neonom Nor whether Convictions of a lost Estate and some degree of Humblings and Sorrow are necessary to drive a Soul to Christ Antinom The Law is a School-master to bring Men to Christ to cast them into a desperate condition that a Saviour may be acceptable to them that 's Christ's end but it 's no Federal Condition of Justification by Christ nor the Effects of it being the Condemnation of a Sinner which Condemnation and Sin it self are alike Conditions Causae sine quâ non that 's none at all in the sence of Logicians Convictions Humblings Sorrow for Sin before Regeneration and Justification are splendida peccata you have subscribed the Doctrinal Articles and Bellarmine excludes such Works which are before Faith done by the Knowledge of the Law and the Power of Free-will Neonom Nor whether there be an Assenting Act of Faith before there be an Exercise of Repentance under the Power of the Word which must be believed in some degree before it operate such Effects Antinom You should have put in this Question and said Nor whether there should be hearing of the Word before there is Repentance under it and you should tell what Faith you mean whether Historical or common Credulity or Saving Faith c. And whether you do not mean that Natural Men do grow up from a Regenerating Principle under the Word into Saving Grace by degrees Neonom Nor whether Ingenuous Sorrow for Sin in the sense of Actual Pardon be after that Pardon Antinom That need not be brought in to prevent our mistaking of the Question for none that hath any Brains can blunder so as to think a Man can be sorry for Sin in the sence of Actual Pardon before it is it must be after that this whether is next a-kin to a Bull. Neonom Nor whether Repentance as it consists in Fruits meet for it as External Reformation a Fruitful Life and the like must follow Pardon it being against the Tenour of the Promise that Forgiveness should be suspended so long after a Man believes and repents in his Heart Antinom You had better have put the Whether thus Whether Pardon is not to come in between Repentance and its Fruits Or whether Repentance with Fruits appearing or Repentance without Fruits appearing be the condition of Pardon and to what degrees of growth Repentance ought to arise before a Man is qualified for Pardon and how long in an ordinary way a truely Repenting Sinner must expect to continue unjustified And what time is limited in the Tenour of the Promise for suspension of Forgiveness after Faith and Repentance For there 's some time it seems with you that Forgiveness is suspended after Faith and Repentance Neonom Nor whether Justification be equally ascribed to Faith and Repentance For we are said to be Justified by Faith which imports that Repentance is but a disposing Condition and Faith a receiving Condition Repentance without Faith is unavailable as Faith without Repentance is impossible Faith seems to compleat all and in a manner to comprehend all These things the Orthodox Divines are agreed on Antinom That is Orthodox Neonomians of which none are Orthodox in these Points But Mr. Calvinist now he begins to bear up towards the Question I
change the term Justification into Forgiveness for though Justification includes Forgiveness yet Justification is not always meant by Forgiveness for Justification is a single Act of God and a Person once Justified is always so but by Forgiveness is meant often especially in the Old Testament a Renewal of the Sence of our Justified Estate the shining of God's Face upon us after Falls and Relapses into Sin and thence we pray daily for Pardon without a Supposition that when we pray for Pardon we are not in a Justified Estate neither do think when we have prayed for Pardon we are ever the whit more disposed and fitted in God's sight to receive it but wait upon God for it with a great sence of our Loathsomness and Unworthiness in our selves flying to Christ and his Righteousness to be covered with it in Believing by which Imputed Righteousness alone we look upon our selves as disposed for Pardon Your places mentioned prove not what you design viz. that in our first Forgiveness which is our Justification That Repentance is required as a disposing condition to the receiving it Acts 3.19 speaks but of the Publick Manifestation of the Righteousness of the Saints at the last day not that they stand unjustified till that day viz. the day of Refreshing and of Christ's second Appearing v. 20. And as for that place Acts 2.38 he commands Gospel Duties but to be performed as Effects of the Promise in performance of the Mercy promised the words of the next Verse shew For the Promise belongeth to you therefore Repent and Repentance is there no more a disposition to Forgiveness than Baptism and the end of that Ordinance is to shew that Forgiveness belongs to us already for it 's the Seal of the Promise and to be Baptized into Forgiveness is no more than to be Baptized into the Seal and Confirmation of the Covenant of Promise or Forgiveness which you believe belongs to you as the Covenant is called the Covenant of Circumcision Acts 7.8 And a Seal is not of a Pardon to be wrote but of that which is Wrote and Signed already Neonom Repentance is a Grace to which Pardon is promised and upon the working of it Forgiveness is given and Impenitency continues Guilt where-ever it reigns D. W. p. 115. Calvin Forgiveness is promised to Persons not to Graces and Qualifications Forgiveness is given to true Penitents and those to whom Forgiveness is given are truely Penitent and both Repentance and Remission of Sins are given it may be we perceive Repentance first but God gives Remission first for so long as there is none of the Grace of Forgiveness bestowed there will never be true Gospel Repentance the Grace of the Promise must be bestowed first by Christ exalted to God's Right Hand God saith He had pardoned David before he Repented and what was it that moved him so kindly to Repentance as is mentioned Psal 51. but the sence of Pardon The Lord had told him by Nathan that he had put away his Sin Neonom How much of the Bible must I Transcribe if I quote all places to prove these Ezek. 18.30 Acts 3.19 Mark 1.4 Luke 13.3 Heb. 6.16 Calvin The Papists have quoted as many as you can think on but could never yet carry the Point As to that place of Ezek. 18.30 it hath been spoken to already It supposeth not that they had any Qualification for Remission by Repentance for they were to make them a new Heart first a Condemned Sinner besure can never do that work nor work at it God must perform the Promise of Grace in breaking his Heart of Stone by the Revelation of Pardoning Mercy and make him a new Heart before he can have a Heart to Repent Acts 26.18 imports no more than that the Gospel is the Power of God to Salvation and thereby Sinners are raised from Darkness to Light i. e. from the Darkness of a Natural State to the Light of Grace thereby in Christ's own Light they see Light the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Infinitive Mood is here put for the Genitive Case governed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foregoing the Light a Sinner is brought into is the Light of receiving Remission of Sins the Gospel Promise seen and applyed by Faith is that Light in the Soul wherein it is brought unto God the first Act of the Soul in Saving Conversion is believing for the Soul cannot turn from Sin to God by any Act of Repentance that 's Saving but by Jesus Christ and Faith in his Blood therefore in order of Nature Forgiveness must be had before there can be coming to God and therefore Ephraim cries for turning the Saints through Grace know they cannot come at God but by and through Christ and therefore their Complaints were so great and Repentings so heavy when God hid his Face from them I need not treat upon the other places they are all of the same strain Acts 5.31 is against you Luke 13.3 will not prove the Gospel a Law as I shall have occasion to shew Neonom The Sin against the Holy Ghost is Vnpardonable because it 's impossible to bring the Committer of it to Repentance Heb. 6.16 Calvin The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not in respect of the power of God but in regard of the Will and Pleasure of God Whom he will he hardneth When God hath left them to despise Christ and to Crucifie him again as it were to put him to open Scorn and Contempt not sinning Ignorantly but Presumptuously there 's no Repentance the reason why there 's no Repentance is because there 's no Forgiveness neither will they seek after it Neonom Are all these things consistent with Pardon before Repentance Can I be subject to perish and pardoned at once Calvin Yes a Traytor may be in the Cart and have the Halter about his Neck just when the Pardon comes Neonom Can God command Repentance under a Promise of Pardon and suppose I must be pardoned before Calvin Yea he always does so he performs the Promise to enable us to obey the Command and he annexeth the Promise to encourage us to the Duty The performance of the Promise to us is the true necessary condition of our performing any Duty to God acceptably Neonom And doth God do all before and nothing after Calvin Yea he doth abundantly more than we can ask or think before and after too Neonom 13. There 's no Saving Faith that includes not this purpose in it and so saith Dr. Owen Calvin Whatever you quote out of Dr. Owen the World knows he was against you in this Point his whole Book witnesseth that he never said that Faith justified as a Qualifying Grace much less Repentance there may be many things in Faith that toucheth not upon that Nature of it whereby it hath more to do in its peculiar Office in the Justification of a Sinner than any other Grace Neonom Without this purpose we do not accept of Christ as the way
Life as a Reward of work for this was the Tenour of the Covenant of Works but from Life received being dead in our selves by Nature and in respect of the Law Condemned Persons we must work not to obtain Eternal Life by working but having received Life from it to work Christ saith He is the Life the Resurrection and the Life Where 's the Man that can work without Life to work from Neonom But he understands this you 'l say only of External Duties but not of the Actings of Grace no I could shew you how he saith the same of all Graces Antinom You need not have troubled your selves with that Objection for I do intend all Graces and Duties for they must all be performed from a Principle of Life received and not for Mercenary Designs and Ends thinking that thereby we deserve any thing of the Lord for when we have done all we are unprofitable Servants Neonom He saith That is the proper Work that God hath given to Belleving D. W. p. 124. D. Cr. p. 326. not to effect any thing to the good of Man but only to be the witness of that good to the Spirit of Man and so give light to that which was hidden before Antinom You know my Opinion and it 's with other Divines That there is Justification in Heaven and Justification in a Man's Conscience and Spirit D. G. â— 3â—â— Justification in Consciences and Spirits of Men is the manifestation of that Act of God to a Man 's own Spirit by which a Man comes to know and consequently to rejoice in the Justification of God and so you may read the words Rom 5.1 Bring Justified by Faith i. e. through Faith having the Justification of God evidenced and manifested to our Spirits we have peace with God I contend not with them that say It Justifies Virtute objecti or Instrumentaliter So that I ascribeâ— all the Efficacy to Christ's Righteousness and not to the Act of Faith as a Quolifying Condition to Justifie sensu proprio as you and the Arminian's do and in that sence I spake against its doing us good that is in your sence of Justification Neonom He saith If you have more Ability than others in doing let it not come into your Thoughts D. W. p. 125. D. C. p. 429. as an Inducement to think better of your self as if you were more accepted of God or pleasing in his sight Antinom I believe it is or should be the Spirit of the best of God's Children that they prefer others above themselves Phil. 3. viz. That fear the Lord and think not that there 's any thing in them that makes them more accepted than others but that all that have true Faith are equally accepted in the Beloved and that Paul's Usefulness and Apostleship rendred him no more Justified than the meanest of the Disciples of Christ Calvin You see Mr. Antinom as he is for the exalting Christ so he speaks highly in the Commendation yea and usefulness of Holiness and good Works those diminutive Terms that he useth is in respect of Purchase obtaining Pardon or being qualifying Conditions for the bestowing of Benefits He holds Christ is the great Condition both of Grace here and glory hereafter tho' I confess I wish Mr. Antinom you had spared many Expressions for which I fear the Truth suffers from the ignorant and more learned of perverse Minds that make it their business to load the Doctrine of Free-Grace with all Scorn and Contempt and take all occasions to wound the Truth because of some rash or over-zealous Expressions used by you and others which it may be had you foreseen you would have prevented by not using them or had you printed your own Sermons you would not have sent to the Press Mr. Neonom I pray let us have this Doctrine delivered in your own Words and Expressions Neonom The Truth is this That though neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works do make any Atonement for sin or are in the least meritorious Righteousness whereby Salvation is caused or for which this or any Blessing becomes due to us by Debt yet as the Spirit of God freely worketh all Holiness and enableth to sincere Obedience and good Works so the Lord Jesus hath of his own Grace and for his own Merits promised to bring to Heaven such as are Partakers of true Holiness perform his sincere Obedience and do those good Works perseveringly Antinom You allow Christ the Honour of Atonement for Sin but how far I know not by what follows his Atonement reacheth not the Breach of the new Law Conditions but only so far as refers to Sins against the Old Law of which you will not allow Impenitency and Unbelief be a breach so that there must be some way in the new Law found out to expiate and appease God for them without Christ's Atonement Beside the Conditions of it it being only imperfect Obedience there will need nothing but the Performance of the constituted Condition which whether perfect or imperfect being performed as well as is required tho' sinfully imperfect leaves no place for Sacrifice or Atonement hence you allow Christ's Righteousness to have merited Blessings with the same Reserve which you are not willing to speak out viz. That Christ hath purchased and merited that we shall come under new and milder Terms with God or God rather with us We thank you no more than we do the Papists for saying Christ hath merited all and is a cause even as the Creation was of the Covenant of Works God's the Cause of all for he made all so Christ hath merited all that follows whatever new Laws and Conditions follow and upon which Terms Benefits become due to us you should have said to Mankind by Debt We may challenge the Priviledges of compounding with God upon such Terms as we like better than the former but our Failure in performing those Terms that Christ agreed for will bring us under new Arrearages to God And for your saying the holy Spirit worketh freely the said conditional Holiness it helps not which notwithstanding your setting aside the Word Merit is truly fo virtute compacti tho' not valoris intrinseci as much as Adam's would have been And as to the Spirit you ascribe the free giving and working of it you give no more to it than Adam had in the state of Innocency and not so much for God had given and wrought in Adam that Perfection and Strength of Grace whereby he might have stood if he would You say There is a Promise made by Christ of Glory upon Condition of their good Works and Perseverance Your Suggestion to us is of two Covenants of Grace procured by Christ for us One the Promise of the state of Grace and Justification provided we fulfil the Conditions of Faith and Repentance whereby we have the first Justification The Second Covenant is of a state of Glory upon condition of Perseverance in good Works which condition if we
become most abominable as if God stood in need of something that we have To depart from Iniquity or to labour in Holiness in order to express our Thankfulness unto God for his Mercies in Jesus Christ is most grateful and most forcible Again Love unto God for all his Glorious Excellencies especially for his Mercy in Christ Jesus is the best Principle of Holiness and our departing from Iniquity and this Love is begun and flows from God's Love first He that Acts according to any of God's Commandments out of hope to Merit by them may Act out of Love indeed but it must be then Self-love to obtain as he vainly thinks by his Obedience Eternal Happiness Our Love of God should exceed Self-love as far as God himself exceeds which is Infinitely Our Love of God is a Vertue and the Foundation of the rest Our Love of our selves thus taken is a Sin a Mother Sin the cause of all the rest of our Sins c. I am mistaken if I find not this Doctrine of working for Life according to your sence exactly in the Council of Trent Decree XVI Grace proposeth to the Just the Exercise of Good Works by which Eternal Life is gained as Grace promised by the Mercy of God and a Reward due to Good Works by the Divine Promise And it concludeth This Doctrine doth not establish any Righteousness of our own refusing the Righteousness of God but the same is said to be in us and of God being infused by him for the Merit of Christ Calvin But Mr. Neonomian saith in his Reply It 's vain and false Mr. Antinomian that you say that you are only against setting Graces and Holiness in the place of Christ Antinom He that reads my Sermons must needs see the Truth of that Assertion I have nothing to say to such as only depend upon Mr. Neonomian's report Neonom He reckons they are put in Christ's place though they be affirmed but as Means and Conditions antecedently necessary by Divine Appointment to obtain any Blessing for the sake of Christ's Merits Antinom And well I may if Men must be gracious and holy antecedently to any Blessing for the sake of Christ's Merits and by vertue of that Antecedent Grace and Holiness do obtain Blessings for the sake of Christ's Merits I think you outstrip the Papists here in the Doctrine of Merit Neonom His Principles are That Faith is not so much as an Instrument whereby we are united to Christ or Justified P. 616. Antinom He speaks not there of Faith as an Instrument but he doth speak of it as such P. 597. where he saith Faith is not the Instrument Radically to unite Christ and the Soul together but rather is the Fruit that flows from Christ the Root being united before-hand by the Spirit to the Persons that do believe Neonom 2. That Christ brings us all good things when we are ungodly so it 's in vain to do any thing to obtain these P. 41. Antinom He speaks there of Justification by Faith alone without Works And we are delivered from Wrath before we step a step into Duties and we do not the Duty to be delivered but we do the Duty because we are delivered and seeing all these are settled by Christ for us of Free Gift all we do is for Christ himself I say that we do we do for Christ and not for our selves Neonom He saith Obedience is not the way to Heaven and Sanctification is not the way to a Justified Person Antinom No Sanctification is not the way of Justification he speaks of the way of Justification we are not according to his Divinity Justified by Inherent Holiness or Righteousness though we are according to yours And he tells you Sanctification is our business in Christ the Way for whatever Duty is performed acceptably must be wrought by Faith in Christ Jesus we are Sanctified in Christ Christ is the true way of Sanctification Neonom He saith He should not have the least Thought in his Heart of promoting or advancing himself or any end of his own by doing what he doth Antinom You know this thing is no new Doctrine It use to be one of the signs and marks of Truth of Grace when we Act in Duty singly for the Glory of God and not for selfish and sinister ends and designs but this is spoken to sufficiently before DEBATE XV. Of the Way to attain Assurance Neonom THE next Errour that I have to charge Mr. Antinomian with is his Doctrine of Assurance Errour Assurance is not attained by the Evidence of Scripture marks or signs of Grace or by the Spirits discovering to us that he hath wrought in our Hearts any Holy Qualifications But Assurance comes only by an Inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are Forgiven thee and our Believing thereupon that our Sins are forgiven D. W. p. 161. Antinom What evidence do you bring of your Charge Neonom You say if you would know that the Lord hath laid your Iniquities on Christ you must know it thus 1. Is there a Voice behind thee in thy self Thy Sins are forgiven thee Dost thou see this Voice agree with the Word of Grace i. e. Dost thou see it held out to most vile and wretched Creatures as thou canst be And upon this Revelation of the Mind of the Lord by his Spirit according to that Word doth the Lord give to thee to receive that Testimony of the Spirit to sit down with it as satisfied that upon this thou makest full reckoning thou hast propriety in this particularly to thy self If thou dost receive that Testimony according to that Word here is thy Evidence thou hast thy Propriety and Portion in this Dr. Cr. p. 491. Calvin And do you Banter this Doctrine as Erroneous Stuff I would wish you to have a care it 's a tender Point Antinom I will acquaint you with a little of my foregoing Discourse Let us see what kind of evidencing believing gives it is not a Revealing Evidence Dr. Cr. p. 491. nor an Effecting Evidence these the Word and Spirit are but it is a Receiving Evidence or it is an Evidence as it doth receive that Testimony which the Spirit holds out applying it to the Heart as the Eyes receive the light and the Ears the sound and if we ask a Man how do you know such a thing he will say I saw it with my Eyes and heard it with mine Ears It is an evidence as an Officer in Court that speaks nothing of his own knowledge but produceth Records and testifieth the Authentickness of the Records The Life of Evidence is materially in the Records themselves but the Officer is an Evidence as he doth assert the Truth of such Records It is even so with Faith The Spirit of the Lord makes the Records and speaks the Records to the Heart Now Faith comes in and receives what the Spirit of the Lord hath written In brief Faith is an Evidence as it doth take Possession of
not any just Exception you can have against this Divinity there being so clear Evidence for what is here delivered from the Word of God Neonom He saith Faith is the Eccho of the Heart to the Voice of the Spirit Calvin In the Continuation of Pool 's Annotations one of your Vouchers hath this on 1 John 5.10 He that truly believes hath the effectual Impress of this Testimony upon his Soul What is that but the Eccho of it speaking the same thing Neonom He means that Faith doth not evidence our Pardon as it is a Grace wrought in the Soul by the Spirit or a holy Qualification but only as it doth assent to and rest in this inward Voice D. W. p. 163. Antinom No he doth not place this Evidencing Nature of Faith which he speaks of in it as an Act or Qualification for as such it evidenceth no more than any other Grace but Faith hath a peculiar evidencing Nature in it because it is a receiving Grace he speaks not now of Assent it takes Possession of the Promise And would not you have Faith to be assenting to and resting on the Voice of the Spirit in the Word what would you have it be nothing at all Neonom He seems to own that Sanctification is some Evidence Antinom He doth so as was observed before Calvin I pray what is your Sence concerning the way of attaining Assurance Neonom Truth The ordinary way whereby a Man attaineth a well-grounded assurance is not by immediate objective Revelation or an inward Voice saying Thy Sins are forgiven D. W. p. 160. Antinom I judge by this Negation you set by these things from Assurance as having nothing to do ordinarily in it 1. That no Voice is heard any way by the Soul Thy Sins are forgiven that is not to be believed by a direct Act of Faith 2. That Forgiveness of Sin is not revealed to a Believer by the Word of Promise believed 3. That the Spirit of God hath nothing to do in bringing the Soul to appropriate and apply the general Promise particularly to his own Soul So that here as to our believing Forgiveness of Sin neither the Spirit nor the Objective Revelation of the Gospel nor indeed Faith it self in it's receiving Nature hath any thing to do but only as a Sign and Mark set upon the Soul Neonom But when a Believer is examining his Heaert and Life by the Word the Holy Spirit enlightens the mind there to discern Faith and Love and such other Qualifications which the Gospel declareth to be the infallible Signs of Regeneration And he adds such Power to the Testimony of Conscience for the Truth and In-being of these Graces as begets in a Soul a joyful sense of it's comfortable state and some comfortable Freedom from those Fears which accompany a doubting Christian And according to the Evidence of these Graces Assurance is ordinarily strong or weak Antinom I observe now though you would let the Spirit have no hand in the Evidence of Faith yet you need its help to enlighten about Signs and Qualifications I pray how doth the Spirit enlighten here Is it by any objective Revelation or by any inward Dictate or Intimation And cannot the Spirit as well enlighten the Mind to behold Christ in the Promise by an Act of Faith as to behold Faith and Love in our selves 2. You will not admit the Declaration of the Gospel received and embraced by Faith to evidence but that it seems the Heart and Life must be examined by the Word as a Rule So that Assurance must be wrought by the Word as a Law not as a Gospel so far as you are come up to a Conformity to the Rule not a Testimony of your Interest in the Grace of the Gospel 3. You had need have the Light of the Spirit to find an infallible Sign in you too though they be declared in the Gospel Hypocrites pretend to them and you cannot tell whether you are any better than a Hypocrite without an infallible Voice of the Spirit according to your Doctrine for you must know that you shall persevere in those Qualifications and it 's impossible for a Man to be assured till Death or can be assured of his Perseverance till then all other Signs will signifie nothing without an Infallible Witness 4. You must have a Power added by the Spirit to the Testimony of Conscience that it may witness the Truth and In-being of Graces What 's the Reason it cannot witness the Truth of our In-being in Christ and add a Power to our Faith to believe even unto Assurance 5. All this Examination Illumination of the Spirit Gospel-Declaration c. may at last beget a joyful Sense or a reconciled State you say but according to you it cannot be Assurance because you cannot yet try by Perseverance the Soul is in a little hopes it 's in a probable way to Salvation but cannot be assured he is in a sure state or shall certainly be saved because he must continue his Justified State by his Works and therefore it 's impossible for him to try and find so far as to Assurance because he hath not persevered you 'l say it may be He must believe his Perseverance and be assured of it by Faith then I say there 's as much ground to believe and be assured by Faith of all our Salvation 6. You speak not of an Assurance in all you have said but of some comfortable Freedom from Doubtings i. e. upon some probable Grounds This amounts to more than Opinion at last the only Judgment of a contingent Axiom and you tell us elsewhere our State here is but of Tryal not decided therefore there can be no Assurance at all in this Life 7. You do well to add at last that according to the Evidence of these Graces Assurance is ordinarily strong or weak And may not that Assurance be so which we call the Assurance of Faith May it not be strong or weak according to the Evidence that Faith gives in being strong or weak Faith But now go on to your Whethers and Neithers Neonom I will shew you wherein the difference is not D.W. p. 164. Antinom So you may and enumerate all things in the World by Sea and by Land besides It is not whether the Sun be the Element of Fire nor how many Regions in the Air nor whether Spirits are material nor whether Anima be ex traduce c. Neonom It is not whether the Spirit witnesseth by his Miraculous Operations to Christ and the Gospel which is a Truth and the meaning of many of the Texts which you quote Antinom I do not know that we were like to stumble there for we speak only of the Spirits witnessing in its ordinary way and so are all the Texts to be understood so far as they have been applyed to our purpose Neonom Nor whether the Spirit as a Worker of Grace in the Heart be an Earnest of Glory and Witness to our state
between God and him the interest he hath in Christ and the love of Christ imbracing him I say there is as much ground to be confident of the pardon of sin to a believer in respect of the fulness and freeness of pardoning grace in Christ as soon as ever he hath committed it though he hath not made a solemn act of confession as to believe it after he hath performed all the humiliation in the Worâ—d Not that I say he ought not to confess sin I say he ought and it is his duty but speak of the ground and reason of pardon quoad Deum as to God What is the ground of the pardon of sin I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own Namesake Here is Pardon the Fountain of it is in God himself All the Pardon in the World that any person shall enjoy is revealed in his Word of Grace and it 's the most absurd thing in the World to think a Soul should fetch out a Pardon any where but from the Word of Grace Calv. I think you have said enough to vindicate yourself that you are for Confession of Sin and it 's every Believer's Duty but that we are not to understand it or look upon it as the ground of God's pardoning our Sins Neonom The Sins he speaks of are Adultery and Murther he brings in an Objection you 'l say this is strange Doctrin Suppose a Believer commits Adultery and Murder must he presently look upon Christ Dr. C. p. 212. Antinom You speak not of my Answer which is I confess the Crime is great in this kind and it may be for the present the Crime may silence the Voice of Truth itself but whatever becomes of it that Christ may have the glory of his Grace and the glory of that fulness of Redemption wrought all at once let me tell you Believers cannot commit those sins that may give just occasion of suspâ—cion to them that if they come to Christ he would cast them out Calv. I think herein you have spoken very safely according to our Saviour's own words directed to actual believers and unbelievers too John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out Neonom But you will say all the Promises of Pardon do run with this Proviso In case Men humble themselves in case Men do this and that then Pardon is theirs but otherwise it 's none of theirs Ans Take heed of such Doctrin D. W. p. 172. from Dr. Cr. p. 215. Antinom I answer'd another Objection before this Obj. In all this will you strike at all manner of meeting with God in Humiliation and Prayer Fasting and Confession of Sins I answer with the Apostle Do we herein make void the Law God forbid the rather we establish the Law May not a person come and acknowledge his Fault to his Prince after he hath received his Pardon under the Hand of his Prince when he is brought from the Place of Execution Nay may he not acknowledge it with melting and extream bitterness of Spirit because he knoweth he hath a Pardon It is but a sordid and gross Conceipt in the Heart of Persons to think that there can be no Humiliation for Sin except Persons be in despair I say when Christ doth reveal himself to your Spirits you shall find your Hearts more wrought upon with sweet Meltings and Relentings of Heart and Breathings of Spirit when you see your Sins pardoned than in the most despairing Condition you can be in Many Malefactors have been observed to be hard hearted that they could not shed a Tear at the Place of Execution yet when they have heard their Pardon read have melted into a Flood of Tears And so I say that Heart that could not relent to see the filthy loathsomness of Sin before he saw his Pardon after the knowledge of it doth melt into Tears and hath such relenting that none in the World hath but he that knoweth it I say the Grace of God doth teach Men more Duty than any thing else in the World Tit. 2.11 12 13. We must walk in all ways God hath chalked out to us but if we think our Righteousness and our deep Humiliation and large Talents of the Spirit and Sorrow for Sin and our Confession thereof must make our way to the Bowels of Christ take heed lest you set up a false Christ Then I bring in the Objection and Answer which you rehears'd and go on thus We have heard Arminianism exceedingly exploded but if we conceive that God in pardoning Sin hath an Eye to Confession of Sin how is that doing of Works for Pardon of Sin And how far short this comes of Arminianism let the World judge Calvin I think none that understands the Gospel tho' he takes Confession of Sin to be a great Duty but thinks as you do that none is pardoned for the sake of Confession and that if a believer sinneth he hath an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is a Propitiation for all Sin and in the faith of this he ought to go to the Throne of Grace with Confession and Humiliation tho' it 's not so easie to perform a Duty in Faith after relapses into Sin yet whatever Duty we perform ought to be done in Faith and we ought to go to beg pardon in the Faith of it Jam. 1.6 7. Neonom He saith There is nothing but Joy and Gladness D. W. p. 172. Obj. But some will say Believers find it otherwise there is no such Joy and Gladness they are often oppressed with Sadness and Heaviness of Spirit Answ There is not one Fit of Sadness in any Believer whatsoever but he is out of the way of Christ c. I say The Soul is first satisfied of Forgiveness of Sins before there is that real kindly Mourning in those that are Believers Dr. C. p. 52. Antinom I was speaking upon Christ being the only way and among other Commendations of Christ as a Way one was Dr. C. p. 52. That he is a pleasant Way To illustrate which I alledged Isa 35.8 A high-way shall be there viz. in the Wilderness and Desart that should rejoyce and blossom as a Rose v. 10. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads Nothing but Pleasure it is compared to Lebanon the sweetest place in the World to Carmel and Sharon places of great delight Look into the last Verse and see what a Way of Pleasure Christ is unto all those that receive him And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away Then follows what he chargeth me with Behold the Mirth that is in the Way of Christ there is nothing but Joy and Gladness Object But some will say But Believers
in his sight not for any thing wrought in them or done by them therefore not for their act of Faith or their sincere Obedience but only for the perfect Obedience and full Satisfaction of Christ c. Therefore he never forgives for the Humiliations or Sorrow for Sin which they exert and whereas they say God doth continue to forgive it 's as much as to say God continues them justified from all their Sins which Justification falls in by way of application to their Souls and Consciences in manifestation of pardon as their sins are committed and in saying that they never fall from their justified estate they do as much as say that there is not a moment of time wherein their persons are not justified before God and to say any man is in a justified estate and not in a pardoned estate at the same time is a contradiction and nonsense it 's one thing to be pardoned and free of condemnation in respect of a Man's person and another thing not to have the sense and comfort of it and after this manner only any sin of a Believer is unpardoned when his heart is overwhelmed with darkness and unbelief from the deceitfulness of sin besides God hides his face and the light of his countenance from him in fatherly displeasure i. e. in tender love it is called displeasure but by a Catechresis a Father corrects his Son in great love and Believers may not have the light of his countenance restored unto them they say not their justification restored until they humble themselves and confess their sins in faith for without faith i. e. without Christ apprehended by faith their humblings and confessions cannot please God and renew their faith and repentance And they say The justification of Believers under the Old Testament was in all those respects one and the same with the justification of Believers under the New As for your quoting Authority for Praying for Pardon I think you might have spared yourself the pains if you understand Pardon in this case as it ought to be understood Neonom I will tell you your Mistakes D. W. p. 179. Antinom Your Charge of Mistakes are as little to be valued as your Charge of Errour Come Gentlemen let us adjourn for this time Calv. The Scripture is most express in this Point that God sees no sin in justified ones i. e. so as to set their persons in the eye of his Justice and to deal with them as such who are under his vindicative Wrath. 1. The Psalmist saith he is a blessed Man whose Iniquity is forgiven whose Sin is covered and to whom the Lord imputes not Iniquity Psal 32.1 2. What can be meant by covering here but hiding our sins from the eye of God's Justice by the impuputed righteousness of Christ in the same sense as David prays Hide thy face from my sins There 's the Face of God in his Justice as well as in his Mercy nay when Moses speaks of the Wrath of God against Persons or People Psal 90.8 he calls it setting their Iniquities before him and their secret Sins in the light of his Countenance of such as are consumed by God's Anger and God's Wrath troubleth them What is the meaning of that famous place Mich. 7.18 19 20. is it not that God seeth no sin in justified ones where the Prophet saith Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity transgression and sin and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage He retaineth not his Anger for every because he delighteth in Mercy Now when he hath pardoned Iniquity will he charge it again No he will cast all the Sins of justified ones such as he hath pardoned into the depths of the Sea How shall their Sins then be found any more in the deep fathomless Ocean They shall not be found The iniquity of Israel i. e. the true spiritual Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon whom I reserve Jer. 50.20 And those days are there spoken of when the clear discovery of Grace of the New Covenant shall be made which the same Prophet foretells Jer. 31.32 33. and the Apostle to the Hebrews quotes ch 8.12 ch 10.17 I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and for their sins and iniquities I will remember them no more And what means that of good Hezekiah when he speaks of himself Isaiah 38.17 For peace I had great bitterness in respect of Temptations Darkness and Afflictions but what was his comfort and support thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption God had added some Years to his life for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back And what was the great intention of the living Sacrifice of the Scape-goat in the day of attonement and after the High-Priests charging all the Sins of the Congregation solemnly upon him He was sent into the Land of Forgetfulness Lev. 16. Was it not to point out God's non-remembrance of the sins of justified ones that as Christ died and answered the Type of the Slain goat in satisfying for sin so he carried away the remembrance of our sins from before the Lord he was delivered for our Offences and rose for our Justification and the Apostle lays the stress of carrying away of sin upon his Resurrection and Life Rom. 8.34 35. and 1 John 3.5 He was manifested to take away sin to carry it quite away from before God into forgetfulness as the true Scape-goat Neither will we part with that famous Portion of Scripture as an unmoveable bottom for this Truth if there were no more notwithstanding all the false glosses that have been put upon it by such as would curse where God will bless I mean Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld Iniquity in Jacob nor seen Perverseness in Israel Which is plainly to be understood of Spiritual Jacob and Israel under the Old and New Testament such God hath commanded to bless and they shall not be cursed but blessed there is the shout of a King amongst them Therefore as there is no Enchantment or Divination so no new-coin'd Divinity can be against them to bring them under God's Wrath and Curse I add what follows Because I hear a certain Minister in Town hath lately charged this publickly as an Error to say God sees no Sin in his People he should have first charged the Scripture with Error and refuted it and then he should have charged that Divine with Error who commented on the Epistle to the Romans in continuation of Mr. Pool's Annotations See what he saith on Rom. 8.1 No condemnation or no one condemnation he doth not say there is no matter of condemnation or nothing damnable in them that are in Christ there is enough and enough of that but he saith there is no actual condemnation See Joh. 3.18 and 5.24 There is a Meiosis in the words more is understood than
our harm tho' it be so for the present in our own apprehension Neonom Because God can and doth over-rule these to some good at last therefore they do no harm in the mean while nor in any degree Antinom We speak not against the hurt of sin in its nature and natural effects nor the seeming hurt of sin and the effects of it but how evil soever it be through the grace of God over-ruling it all the seeming yea real hurt that it doth at present shall be for good and is good in the wise way and end of God tho' not apparently so yet the Promise is to be believed Neonom Because a Believer is freed from the Curse of the Law therefore no Gospel threatning of Christ can reach him Antinom Where no Curse of the Law can reach there nothing you call a Gospel threat can do a real hurt for that is not what we call so but what the wise God doth make so Neonom Because some good Men are sometimes humbled and awakened by sin as it 's an evil therefore to them it is not evil Antinom Whatever is for humbling and awakening of a sinner is good to that sinner and no real hurt that that is malum simpliciter either naturale or contristativum may be good in ordine ad finem and secundum quid as to cut off a Leg or Arm is malum naturale contristativum but in order to the saving the whole Body it 's bonum necessarium many causes act not sua facultate sed externa and that is when a thing produceth an effect by an external direction and gubernation that it hath no internal disposition to nor it may be an immediate agent might not intend or design Vt Phereo Jasoni profuit hostis qui gladio vomicam ejus aperuit quam sanare Medici non poterant The Enemy did Jason a kindness when by a thrust of a Sword he opened an Imposthumation that the Physicians could not cure So Commission of Sin through Divine Disposal and the Promise of Grace serves to lay open some latent Corruption or other in the Children of God which becomes of great benefit and advantage to them Neonom The Assembly is of my mind they say the Threatnings of the Law are of use c. Antinom But you leave out what you please c. 19. they say Although a true Believer be not under the Law as a Covenant of Works to be thereby justified or condemned yet it is of great use to them to inform them of the Will of God and the Threatnings to shew what Sin deserves Who denies all they say But observe They say a Believer is not under the Law for Condemnation Neonom But they say c. 17. Saints may through Temptation and the prevalency of Corruption fall into grievous Sins and continue therein for a time and incur God's Displeasure and grieve his Spirit and come to be deprived in some measure of their Graces and Comforts have their Hearts hardned their Consciences wounded hurt and scandalize others and bring temporal Judgments upon themselves Antinom All this is granted and yet we are not affected by it in our true sense and meaning we say Sin is hurtful and bears all manner of evil Fruits but through the Victory that we have in Christ Sin shall not bring upon us the Curse of the Law nor condemning Penal Effects Castigations proceeding from a fatherly hand are the Priviledges of his adopted Children whether it be exercised in outward Afflictions or inward Withdrawings And this is the Hurt that is all along spoken of we intend not Sin in its own Nature and those Effects that naturally proceed from it nor the Aspect it hath upon ourselves or others in all which it carries odium and mischief with it The sole reason why it hurteth not in a way of condemnation is from the Propitiation and Advocateship of Jesus Christ in whom and by whom that hurt is taken away which we speak of Calvin But Mr. Neonomian saith he hath not wronged the Doctor in this Charge nor mis represented him Repl. p. 47. Neonom I say he doth very oft say and frequently attempt to prove that Sin can do no hurt Antinom In what sense doth he speak it doth he intend Sin in its own nature hath no hurt in it or that it can do no hurt in its Penal Effects hurt must be understood in one of these senses Neonom I never designed to charge him with it in the first sense for he saith Sin is a Lion there 's its nature and a dead Lion there 's its calmness and because it 's dead it 's not to be feared it 's a Traytor that 's its nature and bound hand and foot that 's its inability to harm Antinom But you say he makes Sin innocent to the Elect that 's to change the Nature of it not to remove the Effects a Traytor may be bound and be a Traytor still tho' not to be feared Neonom He hath said too much to make it harmless to the Elect Antinom It must be harmless to the Elect so far as Christ bore Sin for them or else he bore it in vain but if the Doctor had thought Sin had no hurt in it he need not have insisted so much upon Christ's bearing Sin for us that Sin might not wound us to death Neonom I tell you I do not charge him for saying Sin as to its own Nature hath no hurt in it Antinom Where lies the fault then is it in saying Sin as to its Penal Effects can do them that are in Christ no harm Neonom He says not so and yet those are most of the hurts that come for Sin Antinom Mark Gentlemen he denies that this is his meaning he saith not those very Words and Syllables but what is it that he proves his Position by viz. There 's not one Sin or all the Sins together of a Believer can do him the least real hurt he proves it from Rom. 7. l. c. 8.1 After complaint against the remaining of Corruption in him he thanks God through Christ and saith there 's no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus pag. 511. and from Isaiah 43. p. 512. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgression c. where he saith What prejudice can that do that is blotted out Every Debt of a Believer is a cancelled Debt so that the Lord himself hath nothing to lay to a Believer's charge it is Christ was wounded for his Peoples sins Isaiah 53. It 's true our sins themselves do not speak Peace but Christ bearing sin and the wrath that these sins do deserve And again Tho' naturally sin hath a sting yet there is a victory over this sting Christ is the death of it as he took away the sting of it Now let any impartial Person judge whether this be not the Hurt of Sin which the Doctor intends and besides that you judge it to be his meaning appears 1. Because you
say he means not this Hurt in respect of the Nature of Sin and if so it must be in respect of the real pernicious Effects of Sin for a Believer sees Hurt in Sin and complains of it but as to its Nature which is odious in itself or to its Effects 2. It appears that you judge his meaning is such because you say that by his Doctrin of Christ beaâ—ing Sin he makes Sin innocent to the Elect Whereby 1. You make the nocency of Sin to lye in the punishment of it and thereby justifie Dr. Crisp's Expression how unproper soever it be or erroneous 2. You say totidem verbis that Penal Effects of Sin are most of the hurt that comes by it according to what Doctrin we have already charged you with supra The great sign of the truth of Grace that is usually given is the fear and hatred of Sin from the very nature of it its contrariety to God and his Law and that its the greatest sign of an Hypocrite to abstain from it only for fear of Wrath and Hell And 3. You tell us upon what Principles he goes 1. That God hath no Sin to charge upon an Elect Person tho' a Man sins God reckons not his Sin to him c. Whereby you shew where your grudge is it 's against the Doctrin of Imputation more than against the Doctor for any thing he hath said As for your Instance about poisoned Wine you say yourself he speaks not by way of Exhortation but Doctrinally therefore exhorts none to take poisoned Wine but cautions them against it again and again and as for any that have through weakness and inadvertency he tells them their Antidote as the Apostle John 1st Epist c. 2. 1. My little children these things I write unto you that you sin not and if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is a propitiation for our sins DEBATE XVIII Of God's Displeasure for Sin in the Afflictions of his People Neonom THE next great Antinomian Errour is That none of the Afflictions of Believers have in them the least of God's displeasure against their Persons for their Sins D. W. p. 190 191. Antinom We must proceed in our ordinary Method let us know what you ground your Charge upon Neonom He affirmeth p. 15. Except God will be offended when there is no cause to be offended he will not be offended with Believers because he doth not find the Sin of a Believer to be his own Sin but the Sin of Christ Antinom But he in the next words quotes places of Scripture to prove what he saith He hath made him Sin for us he hath laid upon him the Iniquities of us all the Blood of Jâ—sus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin he bare our Sins in his Body c. and from these he Argues thus If he bear our Sins he must bear the displeasure for them and he did bear the Indignation of the Lord and if so he did bear it all or but part If he did not bear all the Indignation of the Lord then he doth not save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him as Heb. 4. I say not to the uttermost because here is some Indignation and Displeasure left behind and for lack of taking this Indignation upon himself it lights and falls upon Believers So that either you must say Christ is an imperfect Saviour having left some scattering of Wrath behind that will fall on the head of a Believer Or else you will say he is a perfect Saviour and takes away all God's displeasure then there remains none of it upon the person of a Believer Now why had you not Answered his Argument for what he said yea why had you not brought in the next Objection made to clear up his meaning but quote only so much as may leave your Reader under Prejudice Object Yet you will say Is not God displeased and offended at the Sins of Believers when they do commit them Hath Christ taken away the offence of Sin by his Death Answ No therefore do not mistake your self there may be easily a mistake for lack of serious pondering the words I speak I have not said God is not offended with the Sins a Believer doth commit but that God stands not offended with the Persons of Believers for the Sins committed by them he hath that everlasting Indignation against Sin as ever And as there is the same contrariety in Sin against his nature so there is the same contrariety in God's nature unto Sin All contrarieties have a mutual contrariety against each other as Water and Fire c. As Sin is contrary to the nature of God so there is an Abhorrency of God to that Sinfulness here see with what ground you could say that Dr. C. makes Sin Innocent but there is no Offence of God to the Person that commits that Sin because the Offence of God for that Sin hath spent it self upon the Person of Christ there remains none of it to light upon the person of a Believer Christ having born all this Offence for Sin Tho' in our Natures and in the Sinfulness of them there is matter of displeasure yet in Christ for all this God is well pleased with us And yet there is none of God's Indignation against Sin lost in all this for he is satisfied for this his Offence in his Son more than in our own Persons Neonom And he saith p. 18. But are not the Afflictions for their Sins Antinom Come I will tell you he Answers that Objection He saith I Answer No Afflictions are unto Believers fâ—om Sin but not for Sin What is the meaning of that will you say This God in Afflicting Believers doth not intend to punish them as now laying on them the desert of their Sin for that is laid upon Christ but he doth Afflict them in part to be a help to preserve them from Sin I say all Afflictions to Believers are to keep them from Sin rather than Punishment unto them for Sin Neonom P. 170. He saith That at that Instant when God brings Afflictions upon them he doth not remember any Sins of theirs they are not in his Thoughts Antinom That which he Asserts is from plain Texts of Scripture how dare you Banter and Expose so great a Truth as this it is in that great place Jer. 31.33 declared to be the great promise of the Gospel by the Spirit of God Heb. 10.16 17. God saith He remembers our Sins no more you say he doth who are we to believe God or you Neonom He saith Christ being Chastened for our our Sins there 's nothing but Peace belongs to us P. 170. Antinom The Words were thus I see the Scripture runs wholy in this strain and is so full in nothing as in this that he hath generally discharged the Sins of Believers Oh then take heed of falling into the Errour of the Papists that say that God hath taken
to your Intention and therefore now you will accuse him for his meaning that all that he speaks of Believers refers as well to the unconverted as the Elect. Now to shew the World how little like a Gentleman Scholar or Christian you carry your self see D. Crisp pag. 15. out of which you take your Charge against him in the very entrance of his Discourse what is said He shews from John 14.6 That Christ is the way from all the Wrath of God to all that do receive him 1. From the Affection itself of Wrath let me tell you God doth no longer stand offended or displeased tho' a Believer after he be a Believer do Sin oft yet I say God no longer stands offended or displeased with them when he hath once received Christ and unto them God saith Anger is not in me Isa 27.4 And doth he not expresly mention Believers in these very places you quote out of him Now I see it 's impossible to escape your Accusations for you have so addicted yourself to say one thing and mean another that whatever any saith tho' never so plainly whom you are minded to accuse you 'l say he meant another and so you run on with your Cuckow 's Note He says that Sin will do them no hurt and God is not angry with them c. Neonom I affirm God is displeased with Believers for their Abominations Antinom Some abominable Believers out of doubt some that you will have called Believers when as they themselves know in their Consciences that you slander them Neonom If he be displeased it must be for their Sins he oft affirms it and he forceth his People to own it Psal 60.1 3. Isa 5.25 Antinom There is nothing to be concluded that God is angry with the Persons of true Believers from those Expressions that refer to a National Church when there is a mixture of Believers and Unbelievers God always when he speaks to such in a way of Anger hath respect to the generality or prevailing Party according to which he doth in external ways of his Providence carry himself towards the whole Neonom God was angry with Moses Exod. 4.14 Deut. 4.21 Chap. 9.21 Antinom No Man of sense would bring that of Exod. 4.14 to prove God was angry with Moses in your sense for Moses was then in Converse with God who was calling him to a great Undertaking whereat Moses was surprized and pleaded his own Insufficiency which Plea of his when it savoured of Unbelief God rebuked not that there was in God penal Anger against his Person but he rebukes his Sin that he might not go on in the same Sin and Unbelief and it s spoken after the manner of Men and so often in Scripture God's Rebukes of Sin in his Children by Word or Providence is termed his Anger because it s so against Sin and seems to be so with their Persons by God's carriage to them many times in their Apprehensions and yet for all that whom he loves he loves to the end And so God loved the Persons of Moses and David even when they sinned as you say yourself that God ceaseth not to love a Believer when he sinneth if not then he is reconciled to their persons however his sensible dealing may be with them and all proceeds from that love And therefore why do you blame Dr. Cr. for saying that at that Instant when God brings Afflictions on Believers he doth not remember any one of their sins It must be understood thus as he explains it that God remembers not their sins in a way of judicial proceeding marking Iniquity it is called therefore God's dealings in this kind with his Children and are called in the Gospel-language Corrections and Chastisements not for Destruction or Hurt as all Penal Evils be but for Reformation and Amendments c. Doth he not speak as plainly and distinctly as may be that he doth not say God is not angry with the sins of a Believer but that he is not wroth with their Persons Neonom That place Psal 81.30 31 c. proves what I say Antinom That place is on the Doctor 's side and against you for it only holds forth thus much that God corrects his People from Sin not for Sin in a way of vindicative Wrath for its a Promise to Christ and the Seed there spoken of who are redeemed ones and believers God saith in case of Sin he will visit their Iniquities with a Rod to kill and destroy Sin in them but as for his loving-kindness it shall never depart from them You could not have mentioned a place of Scripture more directly against you Neonom There is that place 1 Cor. 11.30 and Rev. 3.19 Antinom The Church-members of the Corinthians might not be true Believers for ought you know for they were of those that eat and drunk unworthily and accordingly in the Apostle's phrase did eat and drink damnation But what hinders but a Child of God may die under an Affliction which is laid upon him to cure some Corruption or other it's not too late to partake of God's holiness upon a Death-bed in a higher measure than before And as for those that were sick and weak but recovered there 's no doubt if they were true Believers but it tended to the curing their spiritual sickness It is a strange thing that a Chirurgeon must act always as an Executioner have his Commission from Justice-Hall still when he comes to a Patient to open an Ulcer or to cut off a mortified Hand or Leg and he cannot do this in love and all tenderness and compassion to his Patient but in anger and wrath and to punish and torment the poor creature for his faults As to what is said by Christ to the Churches Rev. 2. 3. Christ speaks to Body-Politicks to mix Congregations that had many corrupt Professors among them and he speaks to them as such as were for the greatest part of many of them over-run with Hypocrisie and Formality And what is it he calls them to but Reformation So is that place Amos 3.2 it 's spoken to a professing apostatizing People Neonom The Assembly at the Savoy assert this and in the Assembly's large Catechism How doth Christ execute the Office of a King in rewarding their Obedience and correcting them for their Sins Antinom But what follows preserving and supporting them under all their Temptations and Sufferings is that in a way of Wrath and Indignation They say for their Sins so say we too in their sense if for denote the end of the chastisement causa medendi for healing but it 's not causa vindicandi for punishing in a way of vindictive Justice which is your sense or else you would never make this sputter whatever pretence to the contrary you make God's displeasure is with the Sins of Believers not with their Persons and this is Paternal Displeasure because there is love to their Persons as the cause of dealing with them in the way of any seeming
Peace with God that which entitleth them to Eternal Life and Heaven They have that which altho' it doth not take away the being of Sin yet it setteth them as free from Hell as Adam in Innocency and setteth them upon a sure Centre that Faith wherein we stand outspeaks Adam even Adam in his first Integrity p. 176. 2dly This Righteousness which they have in Christ is the Righteousness of God this is a Phrase frequent with the Apostle Paul and is almost peculiar to him Now mark that Righteousness whereby a poor Sinner is made Righteous with God is the Righteousness of God i. e. of a Person who is God Jer. 33.16 Not his essential Righteousness it 's only that Righteousness which is from God that which God imputeth to us that which he hath provided appointed and approved to be a satisfaction to his Justice that 's the Righteousness of God which God hath made to be so to us and that is Christ 1 Cor. 1.30 p. 180 3dly This Righteousness of God is by Faith God hath appointed this humble Grace of Faith to be in the hand of the Receiver which taketh hold of this Righteousness of God But now you must consider this Faith not as Mr. Neonomian doth as a Habit or Quality but consider it in the Office it hath as it is an Instrument taking hold of Jesus Christ Not I say as a habit for the worthiness of Faith it self for tho' it be said by Faith it is not said for Faith by it as an Instrument of God for hereby you come to the Promises and to Christ closing with Christ by Faith you are made the Righteousness of God in him It is a self-denying Faith that casteth out Pride and Self and Works and cometh naked and poor to the rich Promises of Christ and there hanged taketh hold and claspeth fast 4. This Faith by which you have the Righteousness of God is the Faith of Christ or which is all one of the which Promises hold forth Christ they are the object of this Faith by which you have the Righteousness of God it 's true the object of Faith is the whole Word of God and that doth not justifie because it works Faith the Eye seeth other things besides the brazen Serpent but as it healeth it looketh to the brazen Serpent only c. p. 185. Now I come to the description of the other sort of Righteousness 1. There is a Righteousness called our own which is of the Law 2. Our own Righteousness which is of the Law is to be utterly disclaimed our own in opposition to the Righteousness of God which is by Faith in Christ As the Righteousness of God is the very same with that which is by the Faith of Christ for they are all one so our own Righteousness is that which is of the Law Now that there is a Righteousness which is called our own is evident from Rom. 10.3 to open the Righteousness of the Law 1. The Righteousness of the Law is nothing else but a conformity to the Law See Ezek. 18.5 Gal. 3.12 Rom. 2.17 the Duties which is the Matter must be done with all the Mind and Strength and all the Soul 2. What is meant by our own Righteousness It is that whereby we walk in some conformity to the Law of God and if you will have Works done from a natural Principle or Power by the strength of moral Vertues by Men out of Christ this is indeed within ourselves and this is our own Righteousness like that the Apostle calleth his Gain before he knew Christ But then for holy Duties or Works that are performed which flow from a Principle of renewing Grace this say the Papists is not our own Righteousness For the clearing this Point All your Works that flow from sanctifying Graces in conformity to the Law of God all these come under the Name of our own Righteousness not because it is of our selves efficiently but it is ours subjectively inherent in us As Adam's Righteousness his own though it came from an inward Holiness and Righteousness given him of God Are not the Fruits of the Spirit as Love Joy Temperance are they not our own They are our own or Gods if our own then I have the Point if the Righteousness of God then you are justified by the Fruits of the Spirit and not by the Righteousness of Christ imputed which is the greatest Error in Divinity If the Apostle in this Text had said Not my own Righteousness but the Righteousness of God which is by Repentance Love Hope the fear of God holy Duties then the Apostle had carried it clear against us but he brings nothing that we have to join in concurrence to the Righteousness of God and Christ but only Faith therefore the Apostle leaves all our inherent Graces and the Works that issued from them in this Text to come under the Name of our own Righteousness As the Sin of the first Adam that was personally in Guilt was likewise ours so the Righteousness of God is subjectively in Christ and by Imputation ours Consider then all those Works that proceed from sanctifying Grace in you in order to conformity to the Law of God they may all come under this Name and Notion of my own Righteousness p. 190 191 192. Doct. 2. Our own Righteousness is utterly to be disclaimed that we may be justified by the Righteousness of God Mark the Scripture Rom. 3.21 ch 4.6 Christ pulleth down the Righteousness of your selves which had the Chair before the Servant must not sit in the King's Chair So Grace tho' it be that whereby you may walk serviceable to God yet you must not set it in the place of Jesus Christ Yet the Apostle would not be without Holiness Sanctification and Obedience One in Christ hath Vertue Holiness c. but how as serviceable Graces to walk with God not as his Righteousness with God when the Sun shineth the Moon is put out not out of her Orb or Course but as I may say from her Rul So the Righteousness of God when you come to be justified by Faith doth not abolish Holiness and Sanctification for they are and must be there together but the setting up Obedience in the place of Christ's Righteousness as a Cypher is pull'd down from the place of Pounds How doth that Apostle say Not having mine own Righteousness I answer not having it as my Righteousness with God then I should put mine own in the place of Christ not having it as concurrent with Christ That would make my Righteousness Co-partner with him not having it as a Motive to move him then I should put my Righteousness in the place of free Grace not having it as the Instrument whereby I take Christ no for then I should put other Graces in the place of Faith Well then in a word having Holiness or Righteousness as a stock to trade with in the way of service to God not having it as a means to buy my