either Positive in External Ordinances or Negative in Omitting cf Vices and Outward Wickednesses 4. Because they are not frequent and serious in asking the Strength they want or readily complyant with Power offered Isa 65.24 How often are we prevented with Convictions and Suggestions about good Resolutions that we don't kindly entertain as if they came Messengers from Heaven but throw them off with that Violence that we ought to do Temptations from Hell Should we be proud of that which is a Defect of our Nature and supposes a Defect in the Understanding that which we never did Good by that which all our Evil came by that which removes all Excusableness from our Evil I Insist more on this for the Use it may have than the need of it for an Argument for the Will being limited to the Understanding as shall be afterwards prov'd Ignoti nulla Cupido it is only indifferent about trifles or what the Understanding thinks so the Concerns of Salvation and Happiness are none of its Objects as such when God puts Life and Death that is the Means of them to our Choice we count them foolishness until God give an Understanding when we discern them of such a Concern indifferency is gone I come now to those Prerogatives falsely attributed to the Will of Man that is the Sink of all the Spiritual Pride and shamefull Boasting in sinfull Man I may reduce them to these four 1. A Freedom from all Necessity essential to the Will of Man 2. A Freedom from the Empire of God as to Fact though not Duty 3. A Freedom from the Conduct of the Understanding 4. Freedom to all kind of things whatsoever sensitive rational spiritual heavenly First That a Freedom from all Necessity or a Freedom of Indifferency is not essential to the Will of Man 1. That Liberty is only Essential to the Will of Man that renders him worthy of Reward or Punishment Praise or Blame by reason of his Actions but a Man is thus free and thus deserving in his most necessary Actions which admits of no indifferency for Man pursues his ultimate and Supreme Happiness necessarily nothing can desire to be miserable Enjoyment of God in the most intimate Fellowship we are capable of is our greatest Happiness and yet it is worthy of greatest praise to pursue this end when a Man's Self either Self-will Self-pleasure or Self-profit seems to him the last End he necessarily pursues it and yet is worthy of Reproof and Punishment for it Self-Denial is the highest Vertue and Self-seeking the greatest Sin Moreover when any thing appears either as an only or a necessary Means to obtain this great End being formally considered as such is as necessarily pursued as the End it self If our Understandings were Illuminated we would as necessarily and as fervently seek an Interest in Christ the Mediator as in God the End We are as much bent and determined to Food as to preservation of our Life 2 When all Necessary Causes are presupposed in Act the the Effect must necessarily follow Therefore if Divine influence and the attractive Power of the Object be set forth by the most clear Light in the Understanding the Will must be perswaded or else it must not be a perswadable Appetite if any reason can be given why it was not moved by these Arguments then all Necessary Causes are not in Exercise if none can be given the Will is not a reasonable Appetite but our Experience speaks the contrary that when we refuse a thing one day and embrace it another it is by more seriously weighing the Matter and find it appears more suitable to us 3. What is Essential to a thing is inseparable from it universally and perpetually agreeing to the whole Species but this Indifferency is not so to a Will for the Will of God is not indifferent to Good and Evil nor the Will of Christ whose Righteousness was Meritorious nor the Will of Angels who do most freely Praise their Maker 4. What is Essential to the Will as in other things is most visible when the Will is in its greatest perfections as hardness in a Marble not Lead whiteness in Snow therefore the Essential Perfections of the Will are most visible in God and Christ Angels and Saints that are most determinate in their Designs and Actions 5. What is Essential to the Soul is best known when it is most perfect for Defects make not up the Nature of any thing Christ was a Man tho not sinful therefore Sin is not a Necessary Property of Man Man is a reasonable Creature tho' there are many Fools or Mad-men and it is as reasonable to draw the Essentials of a Spirit from the Common Observations of a sinful Man Unregenerate as from the Common Observation of Fools or Mâ—d-men The Will is in its greatest Perfection when in exercise for Acts do perfect our Faculties and when the Soul acts most sweetly and fervently there is the least Indifferency for the Efficacy of the Action removes its languidness and the sweetness all its fluctuation and whenever the Will acts it is determined for Quicquid est quando est necessario est and much more determinate it is when in a State of Giory acting without Weariness and Intermission 6. What is Essential to the Soul is best known when in exercise about its proper and most principal Object the Eye about Light the Ear about Sounds the Intellect about Truth and the Will about Good We search the Nature of Sight rather in the Eye of an Eagle than of an Owl because it looks on the Sun the principal Object the other through its weakness sees with greatest ease in a Twilight So the Will is to be Considered rather as it Acts about its Ultimate End than about Means rather about a Chief Good than a Doubtfull Good rather about God in most Clear Vision than in this World where so much Darkness 7. That cannot be Essential to the Will that is Inconsistent with its other Properties in their Perfection but this Indifferency is inconsistent with a previous Judgment without all Fluctuation or Obscurity for what Aversion and Appetite is in the Will that Affirmation and Negation is in the Intellect the one bears the same respect to Good that the other bears to Truth Doubtfulness in the one and Indifferency in the other are both Defects Lastly That is not Essential to the Soul which it desires to be remov'd Eph. 5.19 No man ever yet hated his own flesh Indifferency is an Impediment and Hinderance to Action like the waving of the Scales which is no Principle to but an Impediment of Action We Love quod facilitat facere not what hinders us Time is consum'd in Deliberation Shall I Shall I does no Business we strive and struggle to come to a Determinateness therefore that must be the Perfection the other a Defect a Companion of Ignorance and Uncertainty 2 Prop. The Will of Man is not free from the Empire and Government
Estates and may forfeit the one sometimes without the other 7. There is a Priority in Justification to Adoption tho' not in Time yet in Order of Nature this follows consequentially from all the rest John 1.12 The right to Sonship follows Justifying Faith Tit. 3.7 being Heirs follows being Justified Rom. 8.17 We are first Children then Heirs and a Spirit of Prayer and Divine Conduct for a Holy Life answers Adoption First Life then Estate in Order of Nature The Arguments brought against it by the Learn'd Forbesius are answerable First To Adopt is the Act of a Father and the Acts of the Father in the Trinity are before the Acts of the Son and Spirit Resp That Order holds more in their Concurrence to one Act than in distinct Acts for Justification is the Act of the whole Trinity so is Adoption 2. That Order holds more in Antelapsarian than Sublapsarian Actions for in the latter Redemption which is Christ's Act is first for there Actions flow not from God immediately as God The Second What is first in Christ is first in us but Christ is a Son first before Justified as a Redeemer Resp This is true in the Order of Intention for we are first design'd Sons to be the Companions and Fellows of that only begotten but 't is not true in Order of Execution 3. We are Christs Brethren by Adoption Resp He is a Brother by Incarnation and fitted for being our Redeemer by it It is not our Brotherhood by Adoption fitted Christ for Redemption but his becoming our Brother by Incarnation The relation of the absolute Blessings Regeneration Sanctification c. may be understood by the following head A Second Help for more distinct Knowledge of this Blessing is what supplies the room or place of the Justificatory Sentence By Virtue of what Act of God upon the Arraign'd Person doth he become formally free from the Curse of the Law By what doth he publickly manifest such a particular Person pardon'd Resp There are four apparent Competitors for this place 1. The Voice of the Gospel declaring all that believe are justified Act. 13.39 but the Voice of the Law and the Voice of the Judge are of distinct Natures The Gospel is in room of the Law it 's the Constitution of Christ's Kingdom and it is also in room of the Records of a Court it shews in general what is Constitutive of Justification Rom. 5.19 By the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous and is Decisive of them that are Justified or to be Justified and them that are not or shall not be Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath Life and he that believeth not shall not see Life But the Judg's part is to make an Authoritative Application of this Law or Constitution to an individual Person this the Scripture doth not All that Christ dy'd for are Justifiable by the Gospel Constitution but they often live a considerable time before they be actually Justified 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you but you are sanctified but you are justified Mr. Baxt. Confes p. 40. There is a treble Pardon constitutive by God as a Law-giver declarative by God as a Judge determining our Right and Executive in not inflicting the Poenalty The Gospel doth the first the second is that in question There are others such as the Testimony of the Spirit in a Person 's own Conscience and the solemn Sentence at the Day of Judgment which I referr to the several Courts our Cause is try'd in That which I shall conclude on as bearing nighest resemblance to it is God's Act of Regeneration his first Gift of Saving Faith and Sanctifying Grace that beside its absolute Nature in Conforming the Soul to Christ and raising his Image in it it has a relative signification of Divine Favour that is better than Life God by that Deed or speaking Action says All thy sins are blotted out thy Iniquiâ—ies forgiven thou art a Freeman in the State 1. 2 Cor. 3.17 Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty Rom. 6.7 He that is dead is freed Orig. justifi'd from sin 2. As soon as ever man sinned Gen. 3. he became guilty and as soon as guilty the Punishment of spiritual Death followed so if as soon as sinn'd condemn'd as soon as Christ's Righteousness applyed he is justifi'd the receiving such a blessed Fruit of it as the Spirit is a sure Application of it there is as present and effectual Vertue in the Medicinal Potion for Life as there was in the Poyson to Death 3. Eph. 1.14 The Spirit of the Lord is an Earnest of the Inheritance wherever he is and since he ensures Adoption much more he ensures Justfication 4. Regeneration makes us Sons and the Priviledge of a Son is more than that of a Subject 5. Rom. 5.10 11. Whenever we are reconciled we are justifi'd for they are but different representations of the same Priviledge and Sanctification takes away the Enmity 6. When the Spirit is given to us we receive a great Trust many Talents and called to a great Office in Christs Kingdom to praise and glorifie him to propagate his Kingdom created unto all good Works Sir Walter Raleigh and with him all Lawyers judg'd his being put in a place of Office and Trust did virtually contain a Pardon in it It implies much weakness in Government or Governours to employ Traytors Rebels and Criminals in places of Trust who must strive for their Lives to hinder the just administration of the Government which would take away their own Life 7. Mat. 9.2 When Christ the Judge of the World verbally pronounces Forgiveness he signifies all imports one thing Arise and walk Eyes be ye open Be thou healed Or Thy sins be forgiven thee His gifts are in a comprehensive Cluster there is a strong Chain of connexion among them and he may name what is most easie hence are they so united and involved into one another by Scripture Titus 3.5.7 1 Cor. 6.11 Rom. 8.30 Act. 5.31 And 8. There is not only the Example of Christs Justifying but the Example of his being justify'd Who was justified in the Spirit 1 Tim. 3.16 All the Works of the Spirit on him and by him were God's justifying him His Resurrection was his declared Justification Rom. 4.25 It was the Pattern of ours besides other great Influences on ours By it was he taken from the Prison of the Grave and acquitted from the Judgment where try'd therefore our spiritual Resurrection Rom. 6.7 is call'd Justification 9. Ancient Custom shews that Authority did intimate their Sentence by symbolical Actions and things as well as words Ovid. Albis atrisque Lapillis The White Stone was sent as a Symbol of Absolution to the Person whose Name they wrote upon it Pierius in his Egyptian Hierogliphicks gives this Account of the Rights of a Slaves Manumission That he was Cloath'd in White Raiment and his Patron 's Ring put upon his Finger and did eat at his Master's Table The Scripture
makes use of all these as Symbols of our Freedom from the Bondage of Corruption and Servitude of Sin Luk. 15. The Ring is made mention of Revel 19.8 there 's the White Raiment Rev. 2.17 there 's the Manna the Food of our Lord's Table and the White Stone with our Names upon it This expressing of a Sentence by an Action is becoming of the Divine Majesty with whom to do and to say are the same his great Work of Creation requir'd no more to its production but God's saying Let there be a Light a Firmament c. and it was so This great Work of Regeneration it 's a begetting by his Word Hos 2.14 A speaking Comfortably to the Heart and frequently a Calling Whom he Call'd he Justified his Vocation put them in a Justified State 10. Sanctification or Regeneration removes a Punishment as well as a Crime the giving of a spiritual Life takes away a spiritual Death which is the worst of Punishments The Desertion by the Spirit is the greatest Curse and that is removed by the Gift of the Spirit and what takes away the Punishment does necessarily remove the Guilt or suppose it remov'd for the greater Mercy does comprehend the lesser Lastly From the Nature of Faith Isa 53.11 By his Knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many it may either be by the Gift of Knowledge or by the Act of Knowledge upon him for Heb. 11.1 Faith is the Evidence of things not seen it is no sooner in being than it is in exercise The Seed of Grace is not like Material Seed to need a Time of Corruption and intermixture with the Earth before it grow but like the Beams of the Sun that act as they are received The Gift of Faith is the Idea of Heavenly things suggested into the Soul and there manifesting themselves by their own Light so that we are Receivers of the Objects of Faith when we act Faith Isa 65.24 Before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear Hence Regeneration's being the Sentence does not pecede the Exercise of Faith as a Mean This might afford more Arguments for this Truth because then the Union between us Debtors and Christ as Surety is Compleated which is not 'till we apprehend him by Faith 2. Then the Soul actually Pleads and thereâ—ore it 's Term-time the acceptable Day of our Salvation the Court sits on our Case and all the Causes of our Salvation are Cloath'd with a forensical Form from this Exercise of Faith by which we look on God as our Judge on Christ's Righteousness as our Plea on Satan as our Accuser on Christ as our Advocate and his Spirit our Council on the Law as an Indictment drawn up against us and on its Constitution and Divine Justice as a Tribunal from which we Appeal to the Chancery of the Gospel founded on Goodness and Equity Object There are some Objections against this Doctrine 1. Sanctification is a gradual thing Justification is one Act. 2. That this would Confirm the Popish Error that Justification is not a forensical or relative Act but a Physical and Absolute one To both which I Answer 1. That the Sentence of Justification is not Justification but the Declaration of it and the Gift of the Spirit for Sanctification the Sign of that Faith is an Absolute Act by which we are justified but Justification is the relative Result of all the Causes and Foundations Fatherhood or Sonship are Relative things but to be Born or to be Begotten is an absolute thing 2. In all Similitudes there is somewhat of Unlikeness and so in this For 1. He who is Judge is both Law-giver and supream Governour too in other Cases in this 2. In others we have done with the Judge when the Sentence is past but not in this 2. In others we need but one Act because we can abstain from the like Crimes but in this we need a Continual Justification or Remission Hence we daily Pray Forgive us our Sins and we have daily Encouragement that if any Man sin there is an Advocate with the Father The Court constantly sits we are always on our Knees before the Bar our Faith perpetually Pleads and Christ's always interceding and he is always heard hence a constant continued Stream of Justification Dan. 9.9 call'd Forgivenesses and Revel 19.9 the Righteousnesses or Justifications for it is the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 5.19 is translated Justification and thus may be expounded Revel 22.16 He that is Justified let him be Justified still and in this very Chapter Rom. 4. Abraham is said to be Justified by Acts of Faith several Years after his first Conversion Gen. 15.6 it was at least Ten Years after his first Faith Our Case is a continued State of Justifying or Pardoning That which recommends this Opinion to me is not only its Appearance of Truth but its Medicinalness for Reconciling the different Opinions of Persons so lately on foot for the Subscribers Apology grants 1. That Faith and Repentance are absolutely given to the Ungodly for what is Man else before that Gift 2. That Faith and Repentance are only given to the Elect. Are they not then 1. The Gifts Blessings Tokens of special Favour Symbols of divine distinguishing Love though they may be long unintelligible to the Person under the Exercise of them as the Inscription of Mene Tekel on the Wall was to the Chaldeans yet ex Natura rei intentione Authoris it imports a Person 's being Reconcil'd to God Fellowship with Heaven is begun and two cannot walk together and not be agreed Effects alway signifie their Cause Rom. 5.15 2. Can a Person be under special Favour and not Pardon'd or Reconcil'd and not Pardon'd Call'd and not Justifi'd not under Wrath and yet under Guilt or else under Divine Love and Wrath at once or that the Punishment to wit want of the Spirit spiritual Death is remov'd and not the Guilt or lyableness to the Punishment although so remov'd as eventually never to return again from the Vigour of Divine Love fix'd on that Person Rom. 5. 6. the Apostle describes a State of Grace and Justification as necessarily united But I need not inferr this from them since the Reverend Mr. Baxt. Conf. p. 40. saith To Sanctifie is to Pardon that is executively because it takes away the greatest Punishment Spiritual Death and the Sentence of Pardon must go before the Execution And further our Pardon is subservient to our Renovation by Sanctity as imperfectly now begun for being imperfect the Defect of every Act deserves Condemnation and needs Pardon and yet this Pardon is a particular Pardon following the general Pardon of our Persons by which we escape Wrath and are capable of Acceptable Obedience for the future By this the Pardon of our Persons should precede every Act of Faith and Repentance for a following particular Pardon accompanies every Act of them But the greatest difficulty is how Faith and Repentance should
Action to the Physician or the Medicine tho' he own them Author and Cause of the Cure Mr. Sclater is large on this Subject against Bellarm. Resp. 3. Such a Special Gift as the Spirit is the Grace of Faith and Repentance is supposes the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness tho' such Gifts as Men in Common receive viz. A Reprieve from Hell and outward Benefits may not yet such as Spiritual Life cannot be given without it A Prisoner for Treason may have Conveniencies allow'd him and some Favours but Places of Trust cannot be bestow'd on him there is a necessary Connexion among all Spiritual Blessings in due order to be possess'd whereof Faith is the first and therefore the Argument is good from the first to the last if Faith Justification Adoption Eternal Life It is of Faith that it might be of Grace Thus Poieret argues It is not Consistent with our Soveraign Lord and Governour to forgive Impenitent Persons for that were to let them have all the Glory for by yielding he should lose his own Authority and it is as inconsistent to give the best of his Blessings to them to deal equally with Friends and Foes Rebels and Obedient Subjects but to give his Spirit is to give the richest Fruit of his Love How shall then Man be saved He Answers By providing a Mediator and granting to them an Interest in his Satisfaction therefore this Interest is first in order to be enjoyed Faith and Repentance are Fruits of his Death and inseparably united with the others The first Fountain is Mercy and Favour on the Mediators Account Pardon of our Sin follows Imputation of his Righteousness immediately therefore as soon as such Gifts are Pardon is Resp. 4. That Exercise of Faith needs a Pardon being imperfect and must first be accepted before it can render us acceptable It is common Doctrine That the Person must be justifi'd before the Actions The Tree must be good then the Fruits A Cause must be before the Effect so these two things prevents this Order the Posteriority and Pollutedness of our Actions Tho' Grace is pure as from the Spirit sinful Infirmity accompanies every Action of ours and so there must be an Interest in Christ antecedently for the Pardon of these Actions Resp. 5. This would make the Covenant of Grace a Covenant of Works for our Ability to obey was from God then as is mention'd Argument 5. before Obj. 2. That we may be justilled by Obedience to the Law of Faith without boasting Rom. 3.27 Resp 1. It is the Common sence of Interpreters that the word Law here is put in figuratively for Faith or the Doctrine of Faith because it comes in the room of the Law as Christ's Satisfaction is call'd a Righteousness because it comes in place of ours for suffering is a bearing of the Threatning of the Law and not properly Righteousness 2. Beside the Name of a Law being honourable in the Jews esteem and frequently in their Mouths as the Foundation of all their distinguishing Priviledges the Apostle in imitation of them calls Faith a Law 3. From the Likeness of Faith to a Law it being a powerful productive principle of Good Works On the same account we read of the Law of the Mind the Law of the Spirit of Life may be Faith is meant by both so we read of the Law of our Members which is Flesh or our fleshly Disposition Thâ—s Chrys and Theophil Ambros and Austin among the Fathers Expound it Among Modern Divines Philip. Melanct. Calvin Pet. Mart. Gr. Gom. Pisc Beza Willet Zaegerus Pareus who say Glorying is excluded by the Law of Faith because that is to be justified by anothers Righteousness to wit Christ's which Faith apprehends Wilson adds Faith is the hand by which we receive Christ's Righteousness it is the Gift received enriches not the stretching out of the hand the poor Leper may remain poor all his days tho' he stretch out his hand as long as he is able he may starve for want if nothing be given him The Gift and the Giver is to be Gloried in and not the extended Palm Sclater thus The Law of Faith is the Gospel Law and Christ's Righteousness is the Gospel Righteousness his fulfilling of the Law for us is our Gospel Righteousness So much for Authority But to come more particularly to the Text it being the Foundation of one of our Late Controversies I am willing to shew my self not unconcerned in Sions Afflictions and throw all the Water upon that Fire I can to extinguish the Heat not the Light that may be received from it The Text is thus The APPENDIX ROM III. 27. Where is Boasting then it is excluded by what Law of Works nay but by the Law of Faith ALL the valuable Translations agree with ours and all to the Original except the Vulgar Latin which adds Thy Where is Thy boasting then And the Ethiopick who read it thus Wherein shall ye Glory in what law shall ye work there is not another law but by Faith But these are of no value to oppose others The Syriack for excluded has Aethbatela useless in vain to no purpose the word is but once in the Old Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccl. 12.3 The grinders cease but often in the New Ver. 31. Is the Law made void It 's the same word there it 's an Emphatical Explication because Works afford a Ground for Glorying therefore if a Man be justified by the Law he would have Matter of boasting in it The Papists add thy because they think Glorying is only excluded from Works entirely our own the Fruit of our Free-will The sense of the Aethiopick seems to be that the Works of no Law will bring us to Glory but thro' Faith without Faith the Work of no Law is acceptable The Substance of the Text lyes in this Syllogism Major Sinful Man must be Justified in such a way as must exclude all Matter of Glorying The Minor is express'd by way of a Rhetorical Dialogism by which as Calvin says the Apostle insults over his Adversaries having demonstrated the Truth he thunders against Pride the Foundation of their Error Where is boasting then The Law of Faith not of Works does exclude boasting The Conclusion is in the 28th Verse That therefore a Man is justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law the very same Argument that is in the Text I have been treating of And because of the Affinity or rather Identity with the former I shall the more amply discourse of it and to begin with the Major Proposition I may call it the Fifth Principle of the Apostles accurately connexed Discourse the first is That Salvation Forgiveness of Sin Justification is a possible thing it is vain to preach what is not attainable Despair plucks up the very Roots of Diligence Hope is the very Spring to Vertue The second is that there is no Justification without a Righteousness God cannot be just and justifie the unjust too that is an
Law of Works Nay but by the Law of Faith So where-ever there is place for Works as the Condition of our Justification there is place for some boasting but the Scripture every where stops Man's mouth Rom. 3.19 That every mouth may be stopped and all the World may become guilty before God And it ascribes all the Glory to him Psal 115.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give Glory for thy Mercy and for thy Truths sake Eph. 1.6 To the praise of the Glory of his Grace 7. All kind of Works affords some Plea and pleading is a Glorying for it is a standing upon our own defence and this is another way of addressing God than either the Example of the Saints or the Rules of Holy Writ teach us Petition and Confession Deprecation and Lamentation with Praise and Thanksgiving on the Receipt of Mercies are the only ways we are taught to approach God The lowest kind of pleading is one of these four First By way of Comparison as when a Man can say I must have either done that or worse either to have neglected a Parent or a Wife either to have fled or suffered the Army to be cut off there was no room for this Excuse in Adam's Sin Secondly Relation when we throw the fault upon them that accuse us this did but aggravate Adam's Crime and add to the Sin when he said The Woman whom thou gavest me Thirdly When we remove the Evil of the Fact upon some other Person as Eve did the eating of the Apple upon the Serpent and Adam upon Eve Lastly A Purgation when we acknowledge the Fact but diminish it thrô some necessary Circumstances or Ignorance We do not find any of these ways usual or acceptable at the Throne of Grace but rather an aggravating of our own Guilt like Poreus when he was Converted from the Pelagian Error to the Catholick Truth What I shall first condemn in my self I know not wherein to excuse my self I know not Petition or Deprecation says the Learned Vossius out of Cicero is no pleading except for a Person whose former Actions have highly merited and therefore it becomes not a Court of Justice as Cicero for Ligarius before Caesar O Caesar I have brought many Pleas and that before thee when in Court where thy Honour and Authority was concerned but never as now when privately and before a Parent then I pleaded the Crime is a Fiction the Witnesses are false he never did it he never thought it But now O Father he has erred he has fallen he will never do the like But a Justifying Defence must be made before Authority Juridical I shall conclude this with Answering some Objections briefly that are brought as Arguments to prove that since no Works are excluded but what affords occasion of Glorying then some Works may have room for an Interest in our Justification For instance 1. God may freely first give Grace to work give Faith and Repentance and then justifie us for the Exercise of them whereof we cannot Glory because the Grace is receiv'd and they are the Fruits of Grace 2. God gives a Gracious Law a New Law the Law of Faith Rom. 3.27 that excludes Glorying and therefore we may be justified by the Works thereof 3. These Works come not in as the Meriting Cause of Justification but as the Condition of it Resp. In general this Contrivance of the Method of Justification is such a Fruit of Divine Wisdom that it is the special Glory thereof and therefore there is no wonder that the feeble Beam of our Light cannot show us the depth of it or pierce into all the Harmonies and Connexions of it's parts or their mutual Relations and Influence and consequently no wonder Divines do not agree about such things and the Disagreement ought to be born with Meekness Patience and mutual Endeavour to instruct one another I profess my self a Seeker and a Learner in many of these mysterious Points and I am never satisfied with a Sermon except I receive some Edification to my Understanding by it And if Divisions and bitter Language unbecoming Christians Scholars or Men were not the sad Fruits of these Disputants not the Disputes they ought to be encourag'd I bless God for the Sparks I have already receiv'd from them and I hope to receive more and that my Heart is as much united in Love to both Parties as ever and I am as much at a Loss as the poor Children when ask'd whether they Love Father or Mother best But in particular I shall begin with the first Objection Resp. 1. It is inconsistent with what I have before prov'd viz. that the Gift of absolute and distinguishing Grace the Spirit a New Heart c. that beside its absolute and sanctifying Vertue it is of a Relative Nature both to signifie and entitle as the Ring in Marriage or other Earnests and entitling Symbols Phil. Melanct. in his Annotat. on this Epistle in Comparison of which Luther says that Jerom and Origens Commentaries are but Merae nugae Ineptiae says Deus solus Justificat transfundens in nos Spiritum suum p. 17. We must either reckon him a Papist who was the first Protestant this Book I have is Printed 1522. or else say that Gift was the Sentence or its declarative Sign Mr. Baxter says When a Person is Converted the Angels rejoyce and therefore have some Notification of it and they who know our Conversion cannot be ignorant of our Justification which they cannot know without some Divine Manifestation A second part of the express'd or declar'd Sentence of our Justification he says is the illustration of our Minds with the Holy Spirit althò often obscure I think there is great Reason to unite these two in one thus The Angels who are so well acquainted with our Minds and the Language of Divine Operations know our Justification from the ruling of the Spirit in us after such a special manner Eph. 1.17 Who is the earnest of our Inheritance and so the Earnest of total and Compleat Pardon Now if Absolute Grace bear the Nature of a Title or Sentence the Exercise cannot be the Cause tho' it may be the Condition that is orderly Connexion for tho' it procure it 's own Confent it is not receiv'd except complyed with and yielded to Our Confession of Faith says We are not justifyjd until the Holy Spirit apply Christ to us and confirms it from Tit. 3.6 7. which Text seems to shew a greater Connexion between them than that of Time By the renewing of the Holy Ghost that being justified c. Resp. 2. All Glorying of boasting is not excluded by this half-workers should receive half-wages and half Credit Now when Grace is exercised the Work is ours Believing Repenting c. Tho' this is not Pelagian it is Popish Suppose a Man have a broken Arm or Leg and do some great or Heroick Act after it's Cur'd he will not ascribe the Glory of the