any thing which we owed for our Sins but when he is said to have died for our Sins as they were laid on him nothing else is meant but that he died by occasion of our Sins to take them away i. e. he died to reclaim us from our Sins and to assure us that if we did leave our Sins we should be forgiven and besides this that we might perceive and obtain the fruit of that Forgiveness c. Socin Tom. 2. 153. Tom. 1. Prael Theol. cap. 18 20. Crell Vol. 3. Resp. ad Grot. cap. 9. Truth When it 's said Christ died for our Sins as being laid on him it 's not only to bring about the forementioned Ends and such other Purposes as are assigned by the Socinians but they were imputed to him as what he had for our Salvation engaged to make Satisfaction for And he did by his Death make a real full and proper Satisfaction to God's Justice vindicating the Honour of his Justice and Government and of the violated Law as fully as if the pardoned Sinner had endured the utmost Punishment threatned by the said Law Error 11. God did not inflict Death on Christ our Mediator to express his hatred of Sin and deter us from it by his Death as any instance of Divine Displeasure against our Offences and therefore our Sins were not punished in Christ. Socin Tom. 1. 577 578 581. Tom. 2. 194. Crell vol. 1. de Morte Christi p. 611. Truth God did punish our Sins in the Death of Christ by shewing his real Hatred against Sin in all the Extremities Christ did endure which Extremities and Death thus inflicted were not only fit but truly design'd to deter us from all Disobedience against which God thus testified his high Displeasure Error 12. Christ did not by his Death properly merit Salvation or any other thing for us nor did he by the Merit of his great Obedience appease God's Anger Socin Tom. 2. de Servat Part. 3. cap. 6. p. 205. Ruari Epist. 164. Smal. Disp. 2. contr Frantz Truth Christ by his Death and Obedience did properly merit our Salvation and the Reconciliation of God to us his Death being to be considered first as satisfactory and hen meritorious and his Obedience first as meritorious and then satisfactory Error 13. By Christ's dying for us or in our stead as some of them sometimes word it tho they expresly dispute against it is not meant that Christ was substituted to die in the room of us who were condemned to die that God might be pacified nor that his Death was instead of our Death that we for the Merit of it might be delivered but the meaning is that Christ for our good did by his Death come to be crowned with Glory and Power whereby he is able to make us meet for Pardon and authorized to give that Pardon to us Socin Praelect cap. 20 21. de Scrvat cap. 8. Crell Resp. ad Grot. cap. 9. Par. 1 c. Truth By Christ's dying for us and in our stead is meant that whereas we Sinners were condemned to die for our Sins our Lord Jesus tho he became not a Sinner in our stead yet as Mediator he was substituted to die in our stead that by his Death God might be inclined to forgive us who otherwise must have died and by virtue of his Death as a Satisfaction to Divine Justice we are delivered from Death This Parenthesis I add to the Description Grotius gives of Christ's dying in our stead De Satisf cap. 9. LIMBORG's Opinion of Christ's Satisfaction consonant to EPISCOPIVS and some few other Arminians Error 14. Vindictive Justice required not Satisfaction to be made in order to the remission of Sin Limbor Theol. Christian. lib. 3. cap. 18. § 4. Truth Vindictive Justice for the Honour of the Divine Law required Satisfaction in order to the remission of Sin at least after the enacting of Adam's Covenant Error 15. Christ's Sufferings were not a full Satisfaction to Justice nor was the Price of our Redemption fully equivalent to the Misery we deserved But God might accept as a redeeming Price much or little as himself judged fit and might be satisfied with any sort of Affliction laid on Christ. Nor did Christ satisfy the Rigor of Divine Justice but the Will of God considered at once merciful as well as just i. e. Mercy abated to Christ in the terms of Satisfaction what Iustice demanded Lib. 3. cap. 2. § 8 9. cap. 22. § 2. cap. 23. § 6. Truth Tho the great Mercy of God appeared in his being willing to admit accept and provide Christ our Mediator to make Satisfaction for our Sins yet God our just Governor would have it that the terms of Satisfaction proposed to our Mediator should be such as strict Iustice demanded for the Honour of his violated Law and securing the Ends of his Government which terms were no lower than that he should suffer what was fully equivalent to the Punishments they whom he was to redeem deserved to endure And as our Lord Jesus did suffer in kind much of what we deserved to suffer so he suffered considering the Dignity and Innocency of his Person what was in the intrinsick Value fully equivalent to such of our deserved Punishments as he was not capable of suffering in kind Nay the Price of our Redemption paid by him was not only equivalent to what the Law of Works required of us but it was supralegal that is it far exceeded what any Sinners were thereby obliged to nor see we how a full Satisfaction for all our Sins could be otherwise made Error 16. Our Faith and Regeneration were not merited by Christ. Lib. 3. cap. 22. § 3. Truth Considering that our New-birth and Faith are the Fruits of the holy Spirit whom by Sin we had expelled his return to regenerate and make us Believers must be for the sake and with respect to the Merits of Christ as what vindicated the Honour of God who restored him to us Truth No Penance Pilgrimage Fastings or good Works of our own or other Men can make proper Satisfaction to Divine Justice for the least of our Sins as to any part of their Fault or Guilt This last we add in opposition to what POPISH Opinions seem to militate against the Doctrine of Christ's Satisfaction Socinian Notions of Iustification Error 1. In our Justification by Christ our Sins are blotted out not by Christ's Death and Obedience as any Compensation or Satisfaction to God for them but only by God's simple Forgiveness and Pardon absolutely free in all respects without any Merit of Christ's or our own Socin Tom. 1. Praelect Theol. cap. 15 16. Crell vol. 1. in Phil. 3. 9. in Rom. 3. 24. Truth In Justification upon our penitent believing our Sins are pardoned and our Persons accepted for the sake of Christ's Death and Obedience as what compensated and made Satisfaction for our Sins And tho neither our Graces nor Works do merit our Pardon Acceptance or eternal
foreknown predestinated and called effectually according to the purpose of his Grace shall fall away either totally or so as not to be finally glorified 5. That Faith Repentance a holy Conversation or any Act or Work whatever done by us or wrought by the Spirit of God in us are any part of that Righteousness for the sake of which or on the account whereof God doth justify any Man or entitle him to Eternal Life Then follows a Testimony against the other Extreams viz. Antinomian Errors Again Anno 1696. in a Paper call'd The second Paper sent to our Brethren we thus give our sense 1. Concerning Iustification That altho the express Word of God doth assert the necessity of Regeneration to our entring into the Kingdom of God and require Repentance that our Sins may be blotted out and Faith in Christ that we may be justified and Holiness of Heart and Life without which we cannot see God yet that none of these or any Work done by Men or wrought by the Spirit of God in them is under any Denomination whatsoever any part of the Righteousness for the sake or on the account whereof God doth pardon justify or accept Sinners or entitle them to Eternal Life that being only the Righteousness of Christ without them imputed to them and received by Faith alone 2. Of a Commutation of Persons between Christ and us As we are to consider our Lord Jesus Christ in his Obedience and Sufferings as God and Man invested with the Office of Mediator so it is apparent this Commutation of Persons with us was not natural in respect of either Nature by which his individual Substance should become ours and ours his nor moral in respect of Qualities or Actions whereby he should become inherently sinful and we immediately sinless nor was it any change whereby his Office of Mediator should be transferred on us but it is to be understood in a legal or judicial sense as we may call it viz. He by Agreement between the Father and him came into our room and stead not to repent and believe for us which the Gospel requires of us as our Duty tho he hath undertaken the Elect shall in due time be enabled thereto but to answer for our Violation of the Law of Works he being made Sin for us that knew no Sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. 3. Of God's being pleased or displeased with Christ as standing and suffering in our stead We judg that God was always pleased with Christ both in his Person and Execution of all his Offices which is exprest most particularly in that of his Priestly Iohn 10. 17 18. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my Life and no otherwise displeased than as having a dispassionate Will to inflict upon him the Punishment of our Sins which he had undertaken to bear that God might without Injury to his Justice or Honour pardon and save penitent Believers for his Satisfaction and Intercession founded thereon Note It was declared that by the words under any Denomination we exclude all Righteousness from being meritorious or atoning yea or a procuring Cause of these Benefits none is at all so but the Righteousness of Christ But we intended not to exclude what the Gospel requireth in order to our Interest in those Benefits given for the sake of Christ's Righteousness We also in 1697 delivered our Iudgment in this Proposal to our Brethren 1. That Repentance towards God is commanded in order to the Remission of Sins 2. That Faith in Christ is commanded by the Gospel in order to the Justification of our Persons before God for the sake of the alone Righteousness of Christ. 3. That the Word of God requires Perseverance in true Faith and Holiness that we may be Partakers of the Heavenly Glory 4. That the Gospel promiseth Pardon through the Blood of Christ to the Penitent Justification before God to the Believer and the Heavenly Glory to such as persevere in Faith and Holiness and also declareth that God will not pardon the Impenitent justify the Unbeliever nor glorify the Apostate or Unholy 5. That justifying Faith is not only a Perswasion of the Understanding but also a receiving and resting upon Christ alone for Salvation 6. That by Change of Person is meant that whereas we were condemned for our Sins the Lord Jesus was substituted in our room to bear the Punishment of our Sins for the Satisfaction of Divine Justice that whoever believes on him may be acquitted and saved but it is not intended that the Filth of Sin was upon Christ nor that he was a Criminal in God's account 7. That by Christ being our Surety is meant that Jesus Christ our Mediator obliged himself to expiate our Sins by his Blood and to purchase eternal Life for all that believe and Faith and every saving Grace for the Elect but it 's not intended that we were legally reputed to make Satisfaction or purchase eternal Life 8. That by Christ's answering for us the Obligations of the violated Law of Works is intended that whereas the Law obliged us to die for our Sins Christ became obliged to die in our stead and whereas we were after we had sinned still obliged to yield perfect Obedience Christ perfectly obeyed the Law that upon the account of his Active and Passive Obedience Believers might be forgiven and entituled to eternal Life but it is not intended that the sense of the Law of Works should be that if we or Christ obey'd we should live and if Christ suffered we should not die tho we sinned nor that Believers are justified or to be judged by the Law of Works but by the Gospel altho the Righteousness for the sake of which they are justified be as perfect as that Law of Works required and far more valuable CHAP. III. The State of Truth and Error published in the Congregational Ministers Declaration against Antinomian Errors about December 1698. Error 1. THat the eternal Decree gives such an Existence to the Justification of the Elect as makes their Estate whilst in Unbelief to be the same as when they do believe in all respects save only as to the Manifestation and that there is no other Justification by Faith but what is in their Consciences Error 2. That the Elect considered as in their natural Estate or as in the first Adam are not under the denunciation of Wrath by the Law as well as other Unbelievers and impenitent Sinners Truth 1. That there is a difference between the state of the Elect whilst in Unbelief and when Believers besides what is manifestative to their Consciences p. 13. Truth 2. That before they believe they are not personally and actually justified in the Court of Heaven p. 13. and none may expect to be pardoned in a state of Unbelief and Impenitence p. 47. Error 3. That pardoned Sin is no Sin and therefore God cannot see Sin in his People to be displeased
Life yet these with all other saving Benefits were merited by Christ. Note The Socinians are as much for absolutely unlimited free Grace as even our Antinomians would pretend to be if not more Error 2. Faith in Christ is accepted under the Gospel as a perfect Righteousness for a perfect sinless Obedience And as this Faith expresseth it self in our Works our Justification is in it self firmer and surer Crell vol. 1. p. 110 612 613. 474. Truth 1. Tho true Faith be a Gospel Righteousness yet it is not accepted for sinless Obedience nor doth the Gospel entitle us to Salvation upon our believing as the Law did upon a perfect sinless Obedience for the Law entitled us to Life as of Debt for our Obedience as the immediate Merit of that Reward by the adjustment of governing Iustice. Whereas the Gospel of meer Grace tho in a way of Government entitles the Believer to Life as what was merited by the Lord Jesus and not by our Faith or Works Truth 2. Tho a dead Faith cannot justify us and our believing Consent must be executed if we survive it yet are we as truly and firmly justified and in Christ's Right entitled to Glory when we first believe as when those genuine Fruits of it are produced which are contrary to that Barrenness Ungodliness and Apostacy that would subject us to Condemnation We shall provide against Limborg's and some other Arminians Notion of Justification tho it be none of the five Points which constitute Arminianism and that we in the former Papers opposed each of the said Points in concurrence with our British Divines in the Synod of Dort Error 3. By Faith being imputed for Righteousness is meant that God graciously for Christ's sake will account our Obedience which we yield him by Faith as if it were perfect tho it be imperfect As if a Creditor having a Debtor who ows him 1000 Gilders should upon this Debtor's paying him 100 forgive him the rest and graciously impute to him this part of Payment for the Payment of the whole Lib. 6. cap. 4. § 39. 17. Truth Tho we are justified by Christ believed on and Faith in him be accounted a Gospel-Righteousness as it is the performed Condition upon which we are by the Gospel-Promise adjudged to have the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us as our pleadable Security against the Curse of the Law by which Righteousness of Christ alone our Right to Pardon and eternal Life wherein we are personally invested by the Gospel is merited as well as the Blessings themselves Nevertheless our Faith in Christ is no part of the Debt we owed to God by the Law of Innocency nor is it or our sincere Obedience proceeding from it either in themselves or Divine Acceptance a full Conformity to the Gospel Precepts much less doth God impute to us this Faith or that Obedience for the payment of the whole Debt owing by the Law or Gospel tho he grant us thereupon that Pardon Favour and Acceptance Christ hath procured so as to deal with us as righteous Persons and these he doth not suspend until Faith produceth the said Fruit of Obedience but grants them upon our first true purpose to turn from Sin to God and our acceptation of and trust in Christ for doing this and for obtaining all Salvation by him The common POPISH Notion of Justification as stated by Andradius in his authorized Explication of the Decree of the 6th Session of the Council of Trent whereto Bellarmine and the generality of the Papists agree Error 4. The first Justification is the Renovation of an ungodly Man by the infused habit of Love the infusion of which is merited by Christ. The second Justification is this habit of Love producing goods Works by the Merit whereof we are further justified and ex condigno deserve eternal Life but neither the first nor second Justification consists in the forgiveness of Sin Note By preparatory Work the Council intend with the School-men that our Wills moved by the Spirit do by their natural Power prepare themselves to obtain the habit of Grace and ex congruo merit the Infusion of it which Habit is that justifying Righteousness for the Merit whereof the Sinner is at first absolved from Guilt and accepted to eternal Life Truth 1. Neither this first nor second Justification is the Justification described usually in the Gospel which is not the Conversion of a Sinner or the progressive Holiness of a Convert but a forensick Act viz. God's judicial absolving us from the Curse due for Sin and adjudging us entitled to Glory for the Merits of Christ according to the Gospel Truth 2. It is not true that preparatory Works do any way deserve from God the Habit of Grace at first infused tho ordinarily the Divine Spirit doth by Knowledg and humbling Convictions abate the Obstacles to Grace in our Hearts and put us upon seeking help from Christ all which are as truly owing to his more common Operations as saving Grace is to his special Truth 3. Neither the first infused Habit of Grace nor its Acts do merit further Grace or Holiness nor yet any degree of that Pardon or Acceptance which by Divine Ordination ensue thereupon Error 5. Christ hath merited that the Habit of Love should by its virtue extinguish Sin in us by good Works and we by these Works merit Reconciliation with God Forgiveness of Sin and eternal Glory as what do appease his Anger satisfy for our Guilt and are part of the Price of eternal Glory Note The Popish Error concerning Satisfaction leads them to this Error about Justification and when Justification is considered in a Protestant sense viz. as a forensick Act the true Controversy between the Papists and us is about the Doctrine of the Merit of good Works Truth Neither Repentance Faith Love nor any good Work proceeding therefrom do in the least merit Reconciliation Pardon or eternal Life neither did Christ merit that we might merit But Reconciliation Pardon and eternal Life were merited only by Christ's atoning satifying and meriting Sufferings and Obedience And therefore the Righteousness of Christ is accepted and reputed the only meriting Righteousness in God's justifying Act altho this Act terminates on none Adult besides the penitent Believer and on all such by the Ordination of the Gospel Note 1. It 's one thing for Christ to merit that we might by our Works merit Salvation it 's another thing for Christ to merit that Salvation it self which he gives and applies to Men on Gospel-terms the first is Popish the last is Protestant Doctrine 2. It 's one thing what our Judg in his justifying Act accounts to be the thing which appeaseth his Anger for Reconciliation makes Compensation to Justice for Pardon and to be the meriting Price of eternal Life to which Reconciliation Pardon and eternal Life he now adjudgeth the penitent Believer to be entitled Now the thing which our Judg accounts to be that which appeaseth his Anger c. is
without what it confineth its promised Absolution or Benefits to seeing the Lord our Judg doth sentence us as this revealed Rule takes hold of us § 5. I find nothing plainer than that on the one hand we are made righteous by Christ's Obedience Rom. 5. 19. 2 Cor. 5. 21. and accepted in the Beloved Eph. 1. 6 7. and washed from our Sins in his Blood Rev. 1. 5. and we receive the Atonement Rom. 5. 11. And on the other hand that Faith is imputed for Righteousness Rom. 4. 9 11 22 24. and we are justified by Faith Rom. 5. 1. chap. 3. 30. and by our words Mat. 11. 37. and by our Works Iam. 2. 24. and Men are called righteous with respect to their Graces and Actings short of Perfection and that Christ's judicial Proceedings are upon Mens Temper and Behaviour Mat. 22. 25. chap. 10. 32. and Promises of Pardon and Life are made still to Repentance Faith and Perseverance and the Gospel denounceth Death against impenitent Ones Luke 13. 3. Infidels Iob. 3. 36. Disobedient Rom. 2. 8. Barren Heb. 6. 8. Apostates Heb. 10. 38. and Workers of Iniquity Luke 13. 27. Nor can it be overlook'd that Perfection is not intended in what the Gospel-Promise is made to nor is the Gospel threatning of Damnation levell'd against any Offences consistent with Sincerity Hence I conclude that when God justifies a Sinner the Rule by which he judgeth requires a judicial regard to inherent Faith c. § 6. By one Rule of Judgment the same justifying Sentence in all respects could not be pronounced upon Christ's Righteousness and upon that of a believing Sinner unless that one Rule did either 1. Originally promise Life to perfect Legal Obedience and also to that which was not a perfect Obedience to the Law But if I suppose this I must admit that the Law did not denounce Death for the least Sin for to condemn to Death for the least Sin and to promise Life to imperfect Obedience consist not yea I must then consider God to enact that Rule of Judgment as in his first relation to innocent Man viz. as Creator governing by virtue of his absolute Propriety in Man as his Creature But if God be considered only in that relation it was inconsistent with his Perfections to enact a Rule of Judgment which promised Life to any thing short of perfect Obedience to the Law he delivered and which Man was originally capable to obey And moreover we find in the Rule of Judgment by which he now justifies Men a direct respect to many things which that first Law was inconsistent with as the Death of a Redeemer for our Sin Faith in this Redeemer Pardon of Sin and Absolution from the Curse which condemned us as Sinners c. 2. Or unless that one Rule of Judgment were the Gospel-Promise of the Redeemer viz. He that believeth shall be saved Hereby indeed the justifying Sentence would directly pass upon Man as a Believer and adjudg him to a right in whatever the Gospel promised to Believers qua such And considering the chief design of the Gospel is to induce fallen Sinners to believe upon a supposition and assurance given that Satisfaction is already made by our Redeemer and not now to be made or adjusted Many are apt to confine their thoughts of Justification to this as the alone Rule of Judgment and the account of the final Judgment generally states it in this manner nor can I deny but this is in some respects a safe as well as easy method But I cannot agree that the justifying Sentence is by this Rule so abstractedly taken For 1. This would too much confine the Influence of Christ's Merits to the mere procuring of the Gospel-Promise whereas we find it more immediately and fully connected with Pardon and all other saving Benefits 2. We must be made righteous by Christ's Obedience in some way less remote than this 3. The Satisfaction of Christ is not hereby sufficiently acknowledged nor applied in our Justification Many other Reasons might be given why I am convinced that when God ustifies a believing Sinner the Sentence respects him under some further judicial Consideration than merely a Believer and consequently the Rule of Judgment extensively taken required somewhat more to constitute him a justifiable Person § 7. I therefore take the Rule of Judgment to be the Gospel-Law in a subordinated Connexion with the Law of Mediation wherein the Honour of our Creator governing us by the Law of Works is provided for and the Ends of that Law fulfilled and so the Sentence will respect the imputed Righteousness of Christ and the Righteousness of Faith too the first as satisfactory and meritorious with our injured creating Lawgiver the latter as the performed Condition of the Redeemer's Grant of the blessed Effects of Christ's Satisfaction and Merits and whereby this Man who believes is discriminated from such who rejected the Offer of Salvation In the first Justice is satisfied that a Rebel should be absolved and glorified in the last the Rule enacted by governing Grace is answered by the Believer so that the Judg is no more a Respecter of Persons in applying these Benefits as Redeemer than he was regardless of governing Justice in the Condition upon which they were procured by our Saviour § 8. The Rule of Iudgment then must be this That the Believer tho a Sinner whose Absolution Pardon Acceptance as righteous and Salvation were promised to Christ by the governing Creator in reward of his Obedience and Sufferings and promised to himself for the sake of Christ in the Gospel upon his believing with that Faith which it appoints is to be absolved pardoned accepted as righteous and saved From this Rule of Judgment is easily inferr'd that justifying Sentence on which our State is changed viz. Thou art that true Believer whose Absolution Pardon Acceptance as righteous and Salvation were promised to Christ in the Covenant of Redemption and to thy self personally in my Gospel and therefore thou art adjudged absolved pardoned accepted and an Heir of Glory by virtue of that Promise made to Christ and the Gospel-Promise made to thy self and hast a Title to plead Christ's perfect Obedience and Sufferings for thy certain enjoyment thereof which will also be continually pleaded by Christ thy Advocate In like manner we see Constitutive Justification is our being made such Believers through the Influence of the Spirit of Christ as fall under the foresaid Promise made to Christ in the Covenant of Redemption and the Gospel-Promise made to our selves and so are conformed to the Rule of Judgment but yet considered as not judicially sentenced according to it Again Passive Iustification is no other than our Persons and State considered as affected by that Sentence as already past upon us viz. absolved pardoned accepted as righteous and intitled to Glory Finally Executive Iustification is no other than God's dealing with us as Persons so absolved pardoned accepted and entitled to Glory and his performing
repeat 1. Our Testimony against Dr. Crisp's Errors when so many were indangered by his reprinted Books 2. Some part of our former Declarations against Popish Socinian and Arminian Errors when our Brethren accused us thereof for subscribing the foresaid Testimony against Crispianism 3. We shall give an account of our Congregational Brethrens Declaration against Antinomian Errors 4. We shall evidence that this taken together and examined with Candor ought to be acknowledged a sufficient Vindication of the Approvers thereof from all hurtful Antinomian Errors 5. We shall add our further Testimony against Errors about Christ's Satisfaction and Justification If Peace at least must not be allowed us after this we must bewail a judicial stroke and expect to be despised by such who perceive our common hurt from these Debates but have not Judgment to distinguish between the injured Seekers of Peace and the injurious Fomenters of Trouble CHAP. I. The State of Truth and Errors subscribed by near fifty of us drawn up and published by Mr. Williams in a Book called Gospel-Truth stated and vindicated first Edition Anno 16. 1692. Truth 1. IT is certain from God's Decree of Election that the Elect shall in time be justified adopted and saved in the way God hath appointed and the whole meritorious Cause and Price of Justification Adoption and Eternal Life were perfect when Christ finished the Work of Satisfaction Nevertheless the Elect remain Children of Wrath and subject to Condemnation till they are effectually called by the Operation of the Spirit Error The Elect are at no time of their Lives under the Wrath of God nor are they subject to Condemnation if they should die before they believe yea when they are under the Dominion of Sin and in the Practice of the grossest Villanies they are as much the Sons of God and justified as the very Saints in Glory Truth 2. Tho our Sins were imputed to Christ with respect to the Guilt thereof so that he by the Father 's Appointment and his own Consent became obliged as Mediator to bear the Punishments of our Iniquities and he did bear those Punishments to the full Satisfaction of Iustice and to our actual Remission when we believe nevertheless the Filth of our Sins was not laid upon Christ nor can he be called the Transgressor or was he in God's account the Blasphemer Murderer c. Error God did not only impute the Guilt and lay the Punishment of the Sins of the Elect upon Christ but he laid all the very Sins of the Elect upon Christ and that as to their real Filthiness and Loathsomness yea so that Christ was really the Blasphemer Murderer and Sinner and so accounted by the Father Truth 3. The Atonement made by Christ by the Appointment of God is that for which alone the Elect are pardoned when it is applied to them But the Elect are not immediately pardoned upon Christ's being appointed to suffer for them nor as soon as the Atonement was made nor is that Act of laying Sins on Christ God's forgiving Act by which we are personally discharged Error The very Act of God's laying Sins on Christ upon the Cross is the very actual discharge of all the Elect from all their Sins Truth 4. An Elect Person ceaseth not to be a Sinner upon the laying of our Sins upon Christ that is he remains a Sinner as to the Guilt till he believes if Adult He is a Sinner as to the Filth of Sin till he be sanctified He is a Sinner as to the charge of the sinful Fact he commits and that even after Pardon and Sanctification Nevertheless he is free from the Curse when he is pardoned and shall be purged from all the Filth of Sin when he is perfect in Holiness And tho Christ did bear the Punishment of our Iniquity yet it never was Christ's Iniquity but ours Error The Elect upon the Death of Christ ceased to be Sinners and ever since their Sins are none of their Sins but they are the Sins of Christ. Truth 5. The Obligation of suffering for our Sins was upon Christ from his undertaking the Office of a Mediator to the moment wherein he finished his satisfactory Atonement The Punishment of our Sins lay upon Christ from the first moment to the last of his state of Humiliation Error The time when our Sins were laid actually on Christ was when he was nailed to the Cross and God actually forsook him and they continued on him till his Resurrection Truth 6. The God testified his threatned Indignation against Sin in the awful Sufferings of Christ's Soul and Body in his Agony and suspended those delightful Communications of the Divine Nature to the Human 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 abhor him because of the Filthiness of Sin upon him Error Christ was on the account of the Filthiness of Sins while they lay upon him separated from God odious to him and even the Object of God's Abhorrence and this to the time of his Resurrection Truth 7. The Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ is so imputed to true Believers as that for the sake thereof they are pardoned and accepted unto Life eternal it being reckoned to them and pleadable by them for these Uses as if they had personally done and suffered what Christ did as Mediator for them whereby they are delivered from the Curse and no other Atonement nor meriting Price of saving Benefits can be demanded from them Nevertheless this Mediatorial Righteousness is not subjectively in them nor is there a Change of Person betwixt them and Christ neither are they as righteous as he but there remain Spots and Blemishes in them until Christ by his Spirit perfect that Holiness begun in all true Believers which he will effect before he bring them to Heaven See the 2d Truth and note it is only Dr. Crisp ' s Change of Person is denied viz. a perfect Change which makes us as righteous as he c. but not Christ's dying in our stead which in this Book is oft asserted Error Every Believer or elect Person is as righteous as Christ and there is a perfect Change of Person and Condition betwixt Christ and the Elect he was what we are viz. as sinful as we and we are what he was viz. perfectly holy and without Spot or Blemish Truth 8. I shall express it in the words of the Assembly The Grace of God is manifested in the second Covenant in that he freely provideth and offereth to Sinners a Mediator and Life and Salvation by him requiring Faith as the Condition to interest them in him promiseth and giveth his holy Spirit to all his Elect to work in them that Faith with all other saving Graces and to enable them unto all Obedience as the Evidence of the Truth of their Faith and Thankfulness to God and as the way which
he hath appointed them to Salvation Note Reader that these Divines do here join together the Covenant of Redemption with Christ and the Gospel-Covenant whereby are dispensed to us the Benefits impetrated by Christ which two distinguished would lead to clearer thoughts Error The Covenant of Grace hath no Condition to be performed on Man's part tho in the strentgh of Christ Neither is Faith it self the Condition of this Covenant but all the saving Benefits of this Covenant are actually ours before we are born Neither are we required so much as to believe that we may come to have an Interest in the Covenant Benefits Truth 9. I shall express this in the words of the Assembly and Congregational Elders at the Savoy Confes. of Faith ch 14. 2. Declarat ch 14. a. 2. of saving Faith By this Grace a Christian believeth to be true whatever is revealed in the Word for the Authority of God speaking therein and acteth differently upon that which each particular Passage thereof containeth yielding Obedience to the Commands trembling at the Threatnings and embracing the Promises of God for this Life and that which is to come But the principal Acts of saving Faith are accepting receiving and resting upon Christ alone for Justification Sanctification and Eternal Life by virtue of the Covenant of Grace Error Saving Faith is nothing but our Persuasion or absolute concluding within our selves that our Sins are pardoned and that Christ is ours Truth 10. Christ is freely offered to be a Head and Saviour to the vilest Sinners who will knowingly assent to the Truth of the Gospel and from a Conviction of their Sin and Misery out of Christ are humbled and truly willing to renounce all their Idols and Sins denying their own carnal Self and Merits and accept of Christ as offered in the Gospel relying on him alone for Justification Sanctification and Eternal Life Error Christ is offered to Blasphemers Murderers and the worst of Sinners that they remaining ignorant unconvinced unhumbled and resolved in their purpose to continue such they may be assured they have a full Interest in Christ and this by only concluding in their own Minds upon this Offer that Christ is theirs Truth 11. Every Man is without Christ or not united to Christ until he be effectually called but when by this Call the Spirit of God enclineth and enableth him willingly to accept of Christ as a Head and Saviour a Man becomes united to him and Partaker of those Influences and Privileges which are peculiar to the Members of the Lord Jesus Error All the Elect are actually united to Christ before they have the Spirit of Christ or at all believe in him even before they are born yea and against their Will Truth 12. Tho Faith be no way a meritorious Cause of a Sinner's Justification yet God hath promised to justify all such as truly believe and requires Faith as an indispensible Qualification in all whom he will justify for Christ's Merits declaring that Unbelief shall not only hinder Mens knowing that they are justified but that it is a bar to any Person 's being justified while he continues an Unbeliever Error The whole use of Faith in Justification is only to manifest that we were justified before and Faith is no way necessary to bring a Sinner into a justified State nor at all useful to that end In a Digression there about Repentance is added Truth Altho neither Faith nor Repentance be any part of the meriting Righteousness for which we are justified and the Habits of both are wrought at the same time and included in the Regenerating Principle and there must be an assenting Act of Faith before there be any exercise of true Repentance And Repentance as consisting in the fruits meet for it viz. an external Reformation and a fruitful Life must follow Pardon as doth also an ingenuous Sorrow for Sin in the sense of Pardon Nevertheless Repentance as it consists in some degree of Humblings and Sorrow from Convictions of our lost State and the Evil of Sin with a sincere purpose of Heart to turn from our Sin and Idols to God is absolutely necessary in order to the forgiveness of Sin Error Our Sins are forgiven before any Repentance and Believers ought not to complain or mourn or sorrow for the Sins they have committed Truth 13. Tho neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works do make any Atonement for Sin or are in the least the meritorious Righteousness whereby Salvation is caused or for which this or any Blessing becomes due to us as of Debt yet as the Spirit of Christ freely worketh all Holiness in the Soul and enableth us to sincere Obedience and good Works so the Lord Jesus hath of Grace and for his own Merits promised to bring to Heaven such as are Partakers of true Holiness perform this sincere Obedience and do these good Works perseveringly and appoints these as the Way and Means of a Believer's obtaining Salvation and several other Blessings requiring these as indispensible Duties and Qualifications of all such whom he will so save and bless and excluding all that want or neglect them or live under the Power of what 's contrary thereto viz. Profaneness Rebellion and utter Unfruitfulness Error Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation nor is Sanctification a jot the way of any Person to Heaven nor can the Graces or Duties of Believers no nor Faith it self do them the least Good or prevent the least Evil nor are they of any use to their Peace or Comfort yea tho Christ be explicitely owned and they be done in the strength of the Spirit of God And a Believer ought not to think he is more pleasing to God by any Grace he acteth or Good he doth nor may Men expect any Good to a Nation by the Humiliation earnest Prayer or Reformation of a People Truth 14. Tho we ought to intend God's Glory as our supream End in all our Duties and design therein the expressing our Love and Gratitude to God for his Benefits with a great regard to publick Good Yet we also lawfully may and ought to strive after Grace grow in it and perform holy Duties and Services with an Eye to and Concern for our own spiritual and eternal Advantage Error No Man ought to propose to himself any Advantage by any Religious Duty he performeth nor ought he in the least to intend the Profit of his own Soul by any Christian Endeavours it being vain and unlawful to do any thing with an Eye to our spiritual or eternal Good tho in Subordination to God's Glory in Christ. Truth 15. 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 thee But when the Believer is examining his Heart 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 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 the Soul a joyful sense of its reconciled 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 Error Assurance is not attained by the Evidence of Scripture-Marks of Signs of Grace or by the Spirit 's 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 Truth 16. The Sins of Believers have the loathsomness of Sin adhering to them which God seeth and accounteth the Committers guilty thereby and they ought to charge themselves therewith so as to stir up themselves to Repentance and renew their Actings of Faith on Christ for Forgiveness Nevertheless they ought not thereby to fear their being out of a justified State further than their Falls give them just cause of suspecting that Sin hath Dominion over them and that their first believing on Christ was not sincere Error God seeth no Sin in Believers tho he see the Fact neither doth He charge them with any Sin nor ought they to charge themselves with any Sin nor be at all sad for them nor confess repent or do any thing as a Means of their Pardon no nor in order to assuring themselves of Pardon even when they commit Murder Adultery or the grossest Wickedness Truth 17. It 's true of Believers that if Sin should have Dominion over them they would thereby be subject to Condemnation 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 great hurt upon 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 common Guilt Error 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 Truth 18. Tho God is not so angry with his People for their Sins as to cast them out of his Covenant-favour yet by their Sins he is so displeased as for them to correct his Children tho he speaks Instructions by his Rebukes Error None of the Afflictions of Believers have in them the least of God's Displeasure against their Persons for their Sins Truth 19. Tho the present sincere Holiness of Believers be not perfect according to the Precepts of the Word nor valuable by the Sanction of the Law of Innocency nor any Atonement for our Defects and we still need Forgiveness and the Merits of Christ for Acceptance thereof yet as far as it prevails it's lovely in it self and pleasing to God and is not Dung or Filth Error The greatest Holiness in Believers tho wrought in them by the Holy Ghost is meer Dung Rottenness and Filthiness as in them Truth 20. Gospel-preaching is when the Messengers of Christ do publish to fallen Sinners the good News of Salvation by Christ to be obtained in the way which he hath appointed in his Word freely offering Salvation on his Terms earnestly perswading and commanding Men in the Name of Christ to comply with those Terms as ever they would escape the Misery they are under and possess the Benefits he hath purchased directing all to look to him for Strength and acknowledg him as the only Mediator and his Obedience and Sufferings as the sole Atonement for Sin and meriting Cause of all Blessings instructing them in all revealed Truth and by Gospel-Motives urging them to obey the whole Will of God as a Rule of Duty but especially to be sincere and upright pressing after Perfection Error Gospel-Preaching is to teach Men they were as much pardoned and as acceptable to God always as when they are regenerate and while they were ungodly they had the same Interest in God and Christ as when they believe neither can Sin any way hinder their Salvation or their Peace nor have they any thing to do to further either of them Christ having done all for them and given himself to them before any holy Qualification or Endeavour Truth 21. Legal Preaching is to preach the Law as a Covenant of Innocency or Works or to preach the Mosaick or Jewish Covenant of Peculiarity But it is not Legal Preaching to require and perswade to Faith Holiness or Duties by Promises and Threatnings according to the Grace of the Gospel and direct Men to fear and hope accordingly Error Legal Preaching is to call People to act any Grace or do any Duty as a required Means of Salvation or inward Peace or to threaten them with Death or any Affliction to cause Fear if they commit the grossest Sins and backslide and fall away or to promise them any Blessing upon their Obedience to the Commandments of Christ or urge the Threatnings to perswade Sinners to believe and repent CHAP. II. A Renunciation of sundry Errors Anno 1696. A Paper called The second Paper 1696. A Proposal made by us 1697. ALtho we hoped the Caution used in the foresaid State of Truth and Error would prevent the Imputation of Socinianism and other hurtful Errors yet finding our Brethren dissatisfied we subscribed with them Anno 1692. about seven Months after the State of Truth was published certain Doctrinal Propositions collected out of the Assembly's Confession which we printed Anno 1693. with this Title An Agreement in Doctrinals c. but that being too long to be here inserted we shall confine our selves to the more material Parts of what further Account we have given of our Judgment concerning the Doctrines of Satisfaction and Iustification which may be seen at large in our Answer to the Report p. 3 11 27 33 c. Anno 1694. In a Paper sent to our Congregational Brethren it 's thus declared We the united Ministers in and about London do renounce and testify against these following Opinions 1. That there is no definite number of Persons elected from all Eternity whom God will by his appointed Means certainly save and bring to Eternal Life leaving the rest who fall under a just Condemnation for their Original and Actual Sins especially for their Neglect and Contempt of the Means of Salvation 2. That Christ died equally for all Men not intending the final Salvation of some more than others 3. That Men have in their own Power by the use of the natural Faculties of their Reason and Will unassisted by the special Light and Grace of the Holy Ghost to perform all that is necessary to Salvation or that his special efficacious Light and Grace is not necessary to their Conversion Perseverance and final Salvation 4. That any of them whom God hath
with them for their Sins nor doth God express his Fatherly Displeasure against them by any Afflictions laid upon them Truth That pardoned yea mortified Sins are truly and properly Sins and God seeth the Sins of his own People and is displeased with them for their Sins Error 4. That Believers are not bound to confess or mourn over Sin as committed by them or pray for pardon of Sin in making a daily acknowledgment of a need of it because it was pardoned before committed and pardoned Sin is no Sin Truth That when Believers do sin it is their Duty to humble themselves confess their Sins and pray for Pardon p. 19. Error 5. That Believers ought not to be afraid of committing Sin because their Sins can do them no hurt Truth The Sins of Believers do hurt them and they should be afraid to commit them seeing they impair their Graces and Comforts harden their Hearts wound their Consciences hurt and scandalize others grieve God's holy Spirit expose to his Fatherly Displeasure and bring temporal Judgments upon them p. 22. Error 6. That they must do no good Work or Duty for their own Benefit or with an Eye to their own Salvation Truth That Believers must do good Works expecting Blessings in the performance thereof p. 24. Error 7. Believers not having in themselves an Ability to do good Works are not bound to perform any good Duty unless excited thereunto by a special motion of the Spirit Truth Tho Believers Ability to do good Works is not at all in themselves but wholly from the Spirit of Christ yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent as if they were not bound to perform any Duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the Grace of God that is in them p. 27. Error 8. That Sanctification evidenced by the Spirit of God to their Consciences is not a Sign Mark or Evidence of their Justification and that Marks and Signs for the trial of a Believer's Faith are of no use for Faith lying in a full perswasion and assurance that their Persons were actually justified and pardoned in Christ it is a Sin to question Whether they do savingly believe or no Truth Saving Faith lieth not in a full perswasion and assurance that our Sins are actually pardoned but Marks and Signs for the trial of our spiritual Estate are useful and to be sought after and Sanctification evidenced by the Spirit of God to our Consciences is a certain sign and mark of Sanctification p. 28 29. Error 9. That Gospel Ministers are not to preach the Law in its Commands and Curses to convince Men of their need of Christ nor are Believers obliged to regard the Law as delivered by Moses nor as externally propounded nor are they bound when they commit Sin to look to the Law for further Discoveries and Convictions of the remaining Corruptions that are in them because by the Gospel its Obligations are dissolved Truth That the Law delivered by Moses continues in its Commands and Curses undissolved and it 's still of use to convince of Sin that we may see a need of Christ and therefore is to be preached and externally propounded and we are to look unto it p. 36. And tho there is no Sin so small but it deserves Damnation yet there is no Sin so great that it shall bring Damnation to them that truly repent which makes the constant preaching of Repentance necessary Error 10. That Ministers of the Gospel ought not to propound the Offers of Salvation unto all those to whom God calls them to preach seriously inviting them to improve the Means of Grace that they may be saved and assuring them in the way of their Ministerial Duty of the Salvation of all such as believe in Christ because they want Ability to close with the Offer and all shall not be saved Truth That tho Men want Ability to believe savingly yet it 's the Duty of Gospel-Ministers to make the Offer and testify unto them that whoever believes and repents shall be saved and that it 's the Peoples Duty to make use of their natural Faculties with such external Means and workings of the Spirit as God affords them that they may believe repent and be saved p. 41 42. Error 11. That by God's laying our Sins upon Christ he became every way as sinful as we and we every way as righteous as he and that therefore Persons may expect to be pardoned whilst they continue in a state of Unbelief and Impenitence and that continued Repentance and Holiness are not in the nature of the thing nor by the Constitution of the Gospel necessary to our being possessed of eternal Life Truth Our Sins were not laid upon Christ so as to make him every way as sinful as we and we are not every way as righteous as Christ and none may expect to be pardoned in a state of Unbelief and Impenitence and continued Repentance and Holiness are necessary to our possession of eternal Life p. 46 47 48. CHAP. IV. It 's made evident that this Declaration of our Brethren taken altogether and examined with due Charity and Candor ought to be acknowledged a sufficient Vindication of the Approvers thereof from all hurtful Antinomian Errors TO this end 1. We think that Christian Charity and Candor oblige us to judg of what they have declared by these following Rules and we expect the same for our selves from them 1. That the omission of any Points unmentioned is not to be attributed to a mistaken Judgment concerning them and far less when the things expressed are granted to be Truths or Errors upon a reason that alike infers what is omitted 2. That the Approvers do truly intend for substance what is declared 3. That in a Body of Subscribers some few may be more narrow in their Conceptions and therefore to avoid a Breach must be accommodated in the phrasing of some Points beyond what the others if at full liberty would either need or chuse 4. If any thing be a little darkly or suspiciously worded in one part and more expresly and fully in another the latter must be the Index of their Judgment upon which account we cite not only their State of Error and Truth but refer to the Pages containing their Explications and approved Authorities some of which will be mentioned afterwards 5. That they ought not to be charged with the Consequences of any occasional Passages which they disown 2. These just Rules being admitted we shall enumerate the hurtful Antinomian Errors as Antinomianism is described in the last Age which in many things differs from what was so called at first and under each refer you to the places besides the above-mentioned State of Error and Truth wherein the Brethren have so laudably vindicated themselves by their Declaration The dangerous Parts of Antinomianism are reducible to these general Heads 1. As it renders the Ministry unapt to its proper Ends. 2. As it tends to
Libertinism in Practice 3. As it hinders a well-grounded Assurance and encourageth Presumption 4. As it reproacheth Christ our blessed Redeemer Against each of which our Brethren bear their Testimony 1. The hurtful Antinomian Errors which render the Ministry unapt to its proper Ends are 1. Unduly limiting the Offers of Salvation and decrying Arguments to excite Sinners to use their Endeavours under the Assistance of Gospel Means and common Grace Against this see Error 10. and from p. 41 to 47. 2. Forbidding and branding as legal the preaching of Duties and Threatnings and the applying of promised Benefits as Motives to Faith and other Duties whereto those Benefits are promised Against which see Error 9. and p. 36 39. Error 6. and p. 25 26 45. 3. Denying that the Elect whilst unconverted are under the Curse of the Law and affirming they are united to Christ and justified before God and pardoned whilst impenitent Infidels Against which see Errors 1 2 11. and p. 12 to 18. and 47 58. 2. The hurtful Antinomian Errors tending to Libertinism in Practice besides the Impediments to a Sinner's Conviction and Conversion under the fore-mentioned Head of the Ministry are such as these 1. That God seeth no Sin in his People accounts them not their Sins but Christ's and is not displeased with his People nor afflicts them for their Sins Against which see Error 3. and p. 19. 2. That Repentance is not necessary to Forgiveness nor are Believers to mourn for Sin or to beg Pardon nor to confess it unless it be to shew for Christ's Glory how many the Sins are which are become his Against which see Error 4. and p. 19 20 21 47 58. 3. That their Sins can do Believers no hurt Against this see Error 5. p. 22 23. 4. That we ought not to intend our own Benefits by our Duties neither are bound to perform Duties unless excited thereto by the Spirit nor are any Acts of our Obedience rewardable and that continued Repentance and Holiness are not by the Constitution of the Gospel necessary to our being possessed of Eternal Life Against this see Errors 6 10 11. and p. 25 26 27 47 58 59. 5. That justifying Faith is a Perswasion that Christ is mine and that my Sins are pardoned in Christ. Against this see Error 8. and p. 30 31. 3. The hurtful Antinomian Error which hinders a well-grounded Assurance and Peace and also encourages Presumption is that besides the last description of Faith we are not to try our State by marks and signs of Sanctification Against this see Error 8. and p. 32 33 34. 4. The hurtful Antinomian Errors reproachful to Christ our Redeemer are such as these that Christ is as sinful as we and we are as righteous as Christ. Against which see Error 11. p. 48 57. If the Reader consult these places and compare them with our State of Truth and Error in the first Chapter he cannot but rejoice in our Brethrens Agreement with us in a Testimony against Antinomianism CHAP. V. SOCINIAN Errors concerning Christ's Satisfaction Also LIMBORG's with some other ARMINIANS concerning Christ's Satisfaction SOCINIAN Errors as to Justification LIMBORG's with some other Arminian Errors about Justification With a state of Truths opposite to each of these as also to Popish Errors FInding our Brethren suggest in the Preface to this Declaration that after all we have said in Cap. 1 and 2. yet still we ought to do more to discharge our selves from hurtful Errors about Christ's Satisfaction and our Iustification we shall to promote Peace renounce several more Errors about those two Doctrines wherein we are suspected and tell them what we think to be Truths Error 1. Punitive Justice against Sin is no Property of God but only an Effect of his Will and therefore there was no need of any Satisfaction to be made by Christ for Sin nor is it less than ridiculous to say God was at once just as well as merciful in bringing about our Salvation by Christ Socin opera Theol. Tom. 1. Praelect cap. 16. Tom. 2. de Servator par 1. cap. 1. Prael cap. 16. Wolzog. in Mat. 19. 28. Crel Resp. ad Grot. cap. 1. Truth God is essentially just and so zealous for the Honour of his Law when enacted and his Government that Sin must not go unpunished and therefore if Sinners be saved from the Punishments threatned by the violated Law for Christ their Mediator's sake it was necessary that he made Satisfaction to Punitive Justice by enduring the Penal Effects of God's Wrath. Error 2. Jesus Christ is not the true eternal most High God of the same Substance Authority and Power with the Father Socin Tom. 2. Respons ad Iac. Vujeki cap. 1 c. Truth Jesus Christ is the true eternal most High God of the same Substance Authority and Power with the Father and in time assumed the Human Nature and remaineth God-Man for ever more Note This Article is inserted because the Value of Christ's Obedience and Death for Satisfaction and Merit was deprived from the Dignity of Christ's Person as God And therefore tho the Socinians faintly argue that if Christ were the eternal God it would not render his Death a Satisfaction yet it 's evident their great Concern in denying Christ's Satisfaction is to prevent the unanswerable Argument this would be for his Deity The like is also to be seen by their Notion of the Lord's-Supper Error 3. Christ did not by his Blood acquire or purchase the Gospel-Covenant nor was his Death an impulsive Cause of God's promising to Men the Blessings of that Covenant nor did it move him to make such Promises But Christ was only the Mediator that is Sponsor of it who assured Men that God would accomplish it and who in God's Name and by his Command performed such things as belonged to the confirming and executing of the said Covenant Socin Tom. 2. 168 199. Crell Vol. 1. p. 612. and Vol. 3. Resp. ad Grot. p. 19 128 171. Vol. 1. 612. Truth Christ did not only confirm the Gospel-Covenant to Men and do such things as belonged to the execution of the Gospel Promises but God as Governor made those Promises in consideration of the Death of Christ as what vindicated the Glory of his Government in offering and promising such Blessings to condemned Sinners altho as our absolute Lord and Proprietor he freely purposed within himself that those Blessings should be granted in what method he judged fit Error 4. Christ was for no other cause a Mediator nor so call'd but that he was appointed by God a middle Person between himself and Men not that he should appease God towards Men but that he should declare God already pacified to them and most evidently confirm the same by himself And as for Men who were Haters of and Enemies to God them he was to reconcile to God i. e. convert and be our eternal Lawgiver and faithful Interpreter of the Divine Will to them by whom they might
as a metaphorical Redemption Christ's Death was an Expiatory Sacrifice i.e. metonymically and synechdocically called so and it chiefly signifies what by God's Decree followed upon it viz. his Entrance into Heaven Many more might be heaped of this kind Socin de Servat par 2. cap. 2. Crell vol. 1. in Rom. 3. 24. vol. 3. Resp. ad Grot. cap. 8. par 3. p. 198 189. Socin Tom. 1. Praelect cap. 20. 4. They sometimes state the Difference between themselves and others and there are some things they still adhere to and secure however they perplex this Controversy with their seeming Grants and equivocal Expressions 1. Socinus states this Question and denies it Are our Sins blotted out by any Compensation or Satisfaction or else by Forgiveness Most think they are blotted out a Satisfaction intervening but we think they are blotted out by simple Forgiveness or a Pardon absolutely free Prael cap. 15. p. 565. He also states the Difference with Covet and puts this for the Position held by his own Party I judg and think this to be the Orthodox Determination That Jesus Christ is therefore our Saviour because he hath made known to us the way of eternal Life and in his own Person both by the Example of his Life and rising from the dead hath given assurance of it and made it evident as also that he will give eternal Life to us who believe him But I affirm that he neither satisfied Divine Justice by which we Sinners did deserve to be damned nor was there any need that he should satisfy it Socin Tom. 2. de Servat cap. 1. 121. Crellius states this Question Did the Redemption wrought by Christ include his Payment of a true Price to God for our Sins which he calls Satisfaction Resp. ad Grot. cap. 8. This he denies and he and others of them take great advantage of Covet's making use of Creditor Debtor and Debt to express their Judgment in this Controversy Other Instances might be given 2 The principal things they adhere to are 1. That Christ did not appease God's Anger towards Sinners 2. That what Christ did and suffered had no meriting Virtue and so did not merit from God our Pardon Acceptance and eternal Life or properly move God to give or promise them These are the Heart of Socinianism as to the Satisfaction of Christ and they do exclude what Christ performs in Heaven as well as his Death on Earth from any proper influence Godward as to these things tho to effect what they call Expiation they ascribe more to Christ's abiding on God's Right-hand taking care of the Church than to his Resurrection and more to his Resurrection than to his Death these two last being but the decreed intervening way of coming to the other which they call the Expiation it self Hence they always deny any proper redeeming Price and say God quitted his right to punish us without any respect to Christ and distinguish of Expiation on God's part which they call his own Act and on our part which is say they Christ's giving us eternal Life wherein as contain'd a full deliverance from the Punishment of Sin As to Expiation on God's part that 's in no wise by Christ's inclining God to forgive our Sins by his Sacrifice yea Socinus tells us God alone expiates Sin And when CRELLIVS blames Grotius for making Socinus to confine the Efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice to Sins future for Prevention or Pardon and excluding the Forgiveness of Sins past otherwise than as it begets Faith and so turns us from Sin What greater expiating Virtue doth he ascribe to it under the Notion of an expiating Sacrifice it's this it takes away the Guilt and Punishments of all Sins tho past before Conversion and however great But how and wherein He answers it 's partly by declaring and granting us a right to that thing and partly by actually taking away Divine Punishments But is that Right or Pardon at all properly procured by this Sacrifice No by no means that he had denied and abides by the Denial here and in the following Sections The sum is a crucified Saviour his being exalted and in Heaven taking care of our Salvation assures us that we shall be partakers of the Pardon appointed and promised before by the meer Mercy of God without respect to Christ and Christ as the authorized Sponsor on God's part conveys it and assisted with the Divine Power fully removes the Punishments or rather God himself doth it Nay by their Scheme you cannot well see them allow less expiating Virtue to Mens Prayers than the legal Sacrifices yea the yearly for fay they we expiate our own Sins by those Prayers and scarce more to Christ's Sacrifice than the Legal except as to more sorts of Sin and its greater aptness to disswade us from Sin by the Love of God and strong grounds of hopes of higher Rewards being more evidenced and assured by this Sacrifice of Christ than by those of the Law For this Sacrifice of Christ is no other than an intervening Means which being performed that Discharge follows by the Divine Decree which the self-inclined God unmoved by any thing Christ was to do or suffer resolved freely to bestow of his meer Mercy To add no more they carefully distinguish between the Impetration of Pardon c. with respect to the Divine Will and the means of the application of that Pardon to the Sinner From the former they exclude Christ's Satisfaction and Merits and confine their Virtue truly altogether to the latter The thing it self is unprocured as from God the Sinner's obtaining it is subserved by Christ by what he perfoms to make us meet for it and possessing us in the Effects of it according to the way decreed and that only because decreed Socin Tom. 1. Praelect cap. 27. 21 22 23 24. Tom. 2. de Serv. cap. 4. Crell Resp. ad Grot. cap. 8 9 10. 5. It 's very obvious that the Socinian Controversy lies not in those things wherein some are induced to place them because of certain Phrases sometimes occurring in Debates concerning the Doctrine of Christ's Satisfaction To Instance a few 1. It 's not whether the Sufferings of a Sponsor in the stead of the Sinner be in so strict a sense a proper Punishment as the Sufferings of the Delinquem himself would be this is nothing with them for their Question is Were Christ's Sufferings such an Instance of God's rectoral Hatred against our Sins and Anger against Sinners as that thereby the Honour of his Justice and injured Government and Law was provided for and vindicated and Sinners to be deterred from Sin by God's insisting upon such a penal Compensation before he would be reconciled to us Punishment under this Notion they expresly dispute against 2. Nor is it about the Phrase Commutation of Persons between Christ and Sinners they grant it admit a Surrogation of the typical Sacrifice instead of the Sinner and a Substitution of Christ in our place Their Point
way we apprehend an ascribing much more to Faith than we dare because it makes Faith efficacious from its natural Aptitude and Activity without a Divine Ordination of it to that end by any Promise The Reason of any Debate concerning these Expressions lies in this Our Brethren consider all the Gospel-Duties and Benefits as a mere physical Order of Blessings decreed by God to the Elect and so one is given before the other according as the Gospel describeth that Order We grant the said Order and should insist on no more were not the Benefits offered to more besides the Elect and still used as Motives to induce Men to submit to those Duties and this by Promises of the Benefits if the Duty be performed and Threatnings of withholding the Benefits with additional Misery to be inflicted if they be not performed with an account of judicial Proceedings towards Men with respect to their performance or non-performance of the said official Terms But things being thus and so very apparently the Indications of governing Methods and the Aptitude of our Ministry for Conversion and Perseverance so much depending upon the affecting of Mens hopes and fears we are forced to own that the Gospel is not only a description of the foresaid Order but that it is a Law of Grace subordinate to the Covenant of Redemption Yet that none may suspect the difference above what it is I shall recite what our Brethren grant in their Declaration They say p. 13. We are true Owners of Iustification at the instant when we believe P. 15. It must be said that even in foro Dei in God's Court and according to the Iudgment in that open Court which God hath set up in his Word and according to the Proceedings of his Word which is the Rule he professeth to judg Men by and therein he keeps to the Rule of his Word as Christ saith I judg no Man but the Word that I speak shall judg you Ioh. 12. 47 48. God doth judg and pronounce his Elect ungodly and unjustified till they believe All these are the words of Dr. Goodwin which they approve of and note that he in vol. 2. of the Creatures lib. 2. cap. 7. p. 51 to 63. proves at large that Faith in Christ is of another kind than the Faith required by the Law of Works They also say p. 46. God in the Covenant of Grace freely offereth unto Sinners Life and Salvation by Iesus Christ requiring of them Faith in him that they may be saved Note the Assembly of Divines in Westminsier larger Catech. Q. 32. add requiring Faith as the Condition to interest them in Christ. And less Cat. to escape the Wrath and Curse of God due to us for Sin God requireth Faith in Iesus Christ Repentance unto Life c. And in the Savoy Confession as well as theirs Cap. 18. S. 2. The true Believer's Certainty of Salvation is not a bare conjectural and probable Perswasion grounded upon a fallible hope but an infallible assurance of Faith founded upon the Divine Truth of the Promises of Salvation the inward Evidences of those Graces unto which these Promises are made c. Of all which our Brethren have approved To add no more they declare p. 47. it 's an Error That continued Repentance and Holiness are not in the nature of the thing nor by the Constitution of the Gospel necessary to our being possessed of eternal Life And may it not be supposed that nor is put for and Also that necessary by Constitution of the Gospel as distinguished from necessary in the nature of the thing Some of them may mean an authoritative or rectoral Constitution i. e. this Order is appointed by Christ as our Ruler wherein he hath enacted this Connexion and requireth our Compliance These things being put together must acquit our Brethren from the imputation of rendering Faith Repentance or Holiness needless or useless to Salvation tho they scruple to call it a Gospel-Righteousness and we hope it may encline them to a forbearance towards us who think these Concessions contain for substance all that we intend by the Terms Condition and Gospel-Righteousness which we make use of as 〈◊〉 do more exactly comprehensively and to some purposes more safely express what we conceive to be the true import of these Passages when connected and which we approve of Yet to put things in a fuller Light I shall represent the matter as it stands by the forecited Passages to all which they declare their Assent p. 63. The Brethren affirm God in his Covenant offering Life and Salvation to Sinners and requiring Faith in him that they may be saved and this Faith in a Mediator commanded by the Gospel and not by the Law of Works as Dr. Goodwin saith with Gospel-Promises of an Interest in Christ and his Benefits and these are made to this Faith as a Condition saith the Assembly of Divines and this in such a manner that the Believer may have an infallible assurance of the Benefits upon an inward evidence of his having this Faith as that Grace to which the Promise was made wherein the said Benefits were included And also that this Gospel includes that Word which is the Rule of Iudgment by which Rule God judgeth that Man tho Elect who hath not this Faith to be a Christless unpardoned Child of Wrath and him who hath this Faith to be a true Owner of Christ and Pardon Also that Repentance is of such necessity to all Sinners that it as well as Faith is required that they may escape and none may expect to be pardoned in a state of Unbelief and Impenitence yea continued Repentance and Holiness are necessary to our possession of eternal Life And all this to be necessary not only from the nature of the thing but also by the Constitution of the Gospel I apprehend this Account is so equivalent to a Gospel-Law of Grace for all its great purposes that I shall not be offended at what name they please to give it and did not a fear of offending them prevent me I would prove it to be all the Law of Grace which we assert especially if they would allow that when they say God requireth Faith that Sinners under Offers of Life may be saved it 's upon his Throne tho a Throne of Grace that God in Christ requireth it and from thence directs his Offers of Salvation to Sinners and thence sentenceth them who live under Gospel-Offers by their asserted Rule of Iudgment However we have no reason to contend especially when both agree the Debate is about the Instrument of Donation and the Qualification of the Subject to receive a Gift and not about any thing that meriteth the Gift freely bestowed on God's part and thankfully and humbly received on our part A low degree of Charity would make allowances on both hands when the Difference is so minute They seem jealous of the Honour of Free-Grace yet owning Christ's Merits we are for Free-Grace in opposition to
atoning Righteousness 2. They who say it 's by Faith alone that we apply this Righteousness do also grant that Faith is not alone in the person to whom God applies the Righteousness of Christ and when they apply it to themselves Repentance Love c. are Concomitants with Faith And they who think we are justified by Works as they think its God's applying Christ's Righteousness to us and not our applying it to our selves that is the great justifying Act so they grant God justifieth us as soon as we repent and believe with the heart and suspends not a justified State till Works meet for Repentance or the Effects of Faith are produced yea should a man dy then he would be certainly saved 3. They who say it s by Faith alone acknowledg that justifying Faith will certainly produce good Works and if good Works and persevering Holiness do not follow it was a dead Faith and because dead it never was a justifying Faith however men flatter'd themselves Also that Mens Faith tho not their Persons is justified by their Works yea the most Judicious own that if Sin should reign in Believers and they apostatize they would be condemned tho the Promise of Perseverance make that impossible and therefore persevering Holiness and good Works so far continue their justification as they prevent what would bring them into Condemnation and Faith is the Condition of the Continuation of Justification See Dr. Owen of Iustification p. 207 208 306. On the other hand they who say we are justified by Works do account Works to be no more but the executing the foederal consenting Act of Faith and so its Faith exerting it self by various occasions and considering that the Believer's not only forgiving his Enemies but his persevering in Faith and Holiness are plain Conditions in many Promises made thereto and God pronounceth to Believers that he will have no pleasure in any Man who drawerh back and he shall die if Sin reigneth in him Heb. 10. 38. Rom. 8. 13. Mat. 6. 14 15. They conceive that by Perseverance in Faith and true Holiness they are kept from being chargeable with final and total Apostacy and from Obnoxiousness to the Evils denounced by the Gospel against Apostates as such and are adjudged to be under the Influence and Safeguard of the Promises made to Believers as persevering nevertheless they abhor a thought that Perseverance in Faith and Holiness or any good Work is any meriting Righteousness or the least Compensation for Sin or entitling Price of the least Benefit nor exclude they the need of multiplied and continued Pardon or make they any Blessing due of Debt but they rely wholly on Christ's Merits for these things as the only procuring Cause tho they are affected and governed by these places of God's Word which are directed to Believers as part of his Rule of Iudgment well knowing that whatever Sentence the said Words pass in this Life God executes in part now and more at Death but at the great Day it will be solemnly pronounced and perfectly executed These respective Concessions duly weighed secure those who say we are justified by Faith alone from the danger of Licentiousness and those who say we are justified by Works also from detracting from the Honour of Christ's Righteousness as having the sole meriting atoning Virtue and Efficacy in Justification and do not only grant Perseverance but think these conditional Promises and Comminations are apt and designed means of it in Subjects capable of moral Government and whose Warfare is unaccomplished However such different Sentiments may appear to others I lay so little stress upon them that I had not thought it worth my labour to have printed a Sheet against any man who confessed the necessity of saving Faith as described in the Gospel to Justification Repentance and Love still accompanying that Faith in the Object on whom God's justifying Act doth terminate and the Uneffectualness of Faith to save any who neglected to perform good Works and to persevere in Faith and Holiness Such as granted but these things I had never wrote against for scrupling the conditional respect of them to the Gospel-Law But Dr. Crisp's Notions I apprehended dangerous and they so greatly prevailing my Brethren thought my confuting them necessary at that time whereas I had no purpose when I wrote against Dr. Crisp to intermeddle with these other points but some Congregational Brethren in their Attempts against my Book did from a very few occasional Expressions therein accuse us of Socinianism Arminianism and Popery and that they might have some pretence to fix that Charge they turned the Controversy into these lesser Matters whereby I was necessitated either to insist on them however against my Will or else abide under the foresaid severe Imputation to the prejudice not only of my own Ministry but also of most of my Brethren CHAP. VIII An Attempt to accommodate the difference between such as say Christ's Righteousness is imputed only as to Effects and not in se and those of us who think it is imputed in se. FOreseeing an Objection that will be improved against a peaceable Forbearance towards a number however small and that Rigidness may include in that number whomever the Objectors shall disaffect it 's of use to state it Object Granting the forementioned Points to be reduced below a Cause of Dissention yet the Difference cannot be compromised between such as say the Righteousness of Christ is imputed in se for Justification and them who say it is not imputed in se but quoad effectus Answ. I think it may be accommodated at least so far as to cut off just Pretences for hereticating and dividing from each other To which end I will consider these several Opinions and then reduce the difference First Among them who say Christ's Righteousness is imputed in se there be two Opinions most noted and whereto all others are reducible Of both these I have already treated so much that little more is needful 1. Some think the Elect are judicially according to the Law of Works accounted to have done and suffered in Christ all the Law demanded both as the Punishment of Sin and the Merit of eternal Life Such must hold that Christ's Death and Obedience are the formal Righteousness of the Elect and the formal Cause of Justification and that from the first moment of their personal Subsistence yea and except making Christ to be their Representative without any Gift of that Righteousness it being imputed not of Grace but of Legal Iustice as Adam's Obedience had been if he had finally obeyed and his Offence now is upon his sinning There are others who are for this judicial reckoning Sinners to obey and suffer in Christ but they hold they are not adjudged to have done this till they are Believers and then they are legally just before God and as such entitled to eternal Life These speak more safely but less consistently they limit the time from a Conviction that the
interest They also abhor a thought that our Faith can be presented to God as any Righteousness in Satisfaction to Justice Atonement for our Sin or the meriting Price of our Salvation withal they grant there must be such a Righteousness and that this was Christ's Righteousness and that our Sins are satisfied for we receive the Atonement are reconciled and obtain the Salvation so purchased Now is it possible that things should stand thus and Christ's Righteousness not be imputed to us Can our righteous Judg declare himself satisfied atoned and reconciled to us Sinners for the Righteousness of Christ and not impute to us that Righteousness in se as what he accounts a Plea for us in his account Can we enjoy the merited Effects of Christ's Death and that Death not be reckoned what secures to us those Effects against the Challenges which the Merits of it were designed to answer Finally Do not these Divines oft rest on and plead with God the Merits of Christ more immediately and directly than a denial of Imputation will admit when they rest on Christ's Righteousness and plead it with God for Pardon tho it's true we could not expect Pardon for it were not Pardon promised for the sake thereof I think their Minds oft act more directly and fully towards the Righteousness of Christ than to intend it thus viz. I trust in Christ's Merits for Pardon as that Pardon is the Effect of that Justification wherein our Faith is accounted through Christ's Satisfaction a Righteousness according to the Gospel-Covenant which Covenant was procured by the Merits of Christ's Death I. grant there may be use of this progressive manner of arriving at Christ's Death for support of our Faith as we confine its regards to the Gospel-Covenant and examine our Interest thereby as a Rule of Judgment But I humbly think that when we plead with God for Pardon for the sake of Christ's Merits we have a more direct Eye to the Covenant of Redemption wherein a Pardon was promised to Christ for Believers in reward of his Death and which the Gospel distinctly expresseth in this viz. That Pardon is granted for the sake of Christ's Death as what procured it in se as well as what merited the Gospel-Covenant which is the Instrument of the Donation of it And so by keeping our Eye on the Covenant of Redemption we plead Christ's Right as more immediately imputable and by keeping our Thoughts on the Gospel-Connexion between Pardon and Christ's Death as the procuring Merit of it we plead Christ's very Performances mediately imputed viz. as our pleadable Security for our certain obtaining and safe enjoying the said Forgiveness 6. The Reasons why these venerable Persons are so intent to deny an Imputation of Christ's Righteousness in se are 1. An apprehension that there 's no such Imputation unless we are accounted by God to have done and suffered what Christ did which would unavoidably induce the Antinomian Scheme as most consistent But that I deny to be the only import of that Phrase for when that Righteousness it self is imputed relatively to the special Effects of it it 's truly an Imputation of it in se and whereas they of the other Extreme say that its being a pleadable Security for our Pardon is but an Effect I answer This Righteousness it self being that Security is an Effect of the Compact between the Father and the Son and it 's not this Effect is imputed but the Righteousness it self as such and by the same Rule as they can deny it to be imputed in se because it 's imputed as a pleadable Security they may better say it 's being imputed for Justification and for Atonement c. would make it to be no Imputation of it in se for those are but Effects and that by virtue of the same Compact 2. A Zeal for the Gospel-Righteousness of Faith But that is very consistent with the imputed Righteousness of Christ and tho both meet in our Justification yet it 's under very distinct Considerations of which afterwards Nor can I forbear again to inform the World that both Extremes arise from too much disregard of the one or the other Covenants wherein the Salvation of a Sinner is adjusted These Brethren forgetting the Covenant of Redemption to which the Gospel-Covenant is subordinate too little mention the Righteousness of Christ the other Brethren overlook the Gospel-Covenant and darken a Gospel-Righteousness of Faith Whereas a distinct respect to the Rule of Satisfaction and Impetration on the one hand and to the Rule of the Application of impetrated Benefits on the other hand would put a Period to their principal Disputes From this Representation of the several Sentiments of the Brethren concerned in the Point before us a mutual Forbearance seems no unjustifiable thing between them who differ most and no considerable Disagreement remains between the others 1. They who think the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness in se is God's reckoning we did and suffered what Christ did claim a tender regard from them who say it 's imputed only as to Effects for they disown the Antinomian Consequences of it and abhor all Abuses of it to carnal Boasts and profane Libertinism of which before How unreasonable then were it to perpetuate Contests about this Point from the ill Consequences of it when those Consequences are denied On the other hand it appears too like uncharitable Rigidness for them to condemn as intolerable such who say Christ's Righteousness is imputed only as to Effects For whatever is the sound of their words they ascribe nothing to Faith or Works which belongs to Christ's Righteousness nor do they detract from the Honour of Christ's Righteousness any thing which these Brethren ascribe thereto and are Orthodox in the Doctrine of Satisfaction against Socinianism and Popery When they say Faith is an accepted Righteousness mean they that it 's a Satisfaction either to atone for Sin or merit Life No they abhor it and confine both to Christ's Righteousness entirely But they do not say Christ's Righteousness is imputed that 's not true for they say it is imputed Ay but not in se. But should that be so would not it be far from a Christian Spirit to be implacable for not using a Phrase which the Spirit of God makes no use of who surely knew how to express Truth as properly as fallible Men should pretend to Yea but the Scriptures speak what amounts to this Phrase And so do they in granting Christ's Righteousness to be the only Atonement and meriting Cause of Pardon and Life and Acceptance with God as righteous Persons But do not they think we stand before God only in this Righteousness of Faith and not of Christ No they assure us that what Righteousness Faith is it 's so by Christ's Sacrifice and Merits and it 's only a Righteousness as a performed Condition of the Gospel describing the Persons who obtain that Salvation which is the Effect of the Righteousness of Christ and whose