before And here 's a long stride made from one of the Poles of Impossibility to the other of Certainty and Necessity 2. And when we consider that this Heavenly Ambassadour and Mediator is no less than the Eternal Son of God by whom the worlds were made we may reasonably conclude that he came upon no less Design than of universal Goodness for he can have no temptation to partiality as being equally concern'd in the Happiness of all men And we cannot imagine why he should lay a narrower Design of Love in the Redemption than in the Creation of Mankind c. Here are proportions indeed but whether justifiable by the Rules of Vitruvius or the Propositions of Euclide is more dubious The proportion fancied here is betwixt Christs coming his manner of coming and universal Redemption Now to justifie the regularity of his Superstructure upon its Foundation he offers us several things As 1. That Christ came upon a design of Universal Goodness Well but it must be equal Goodness to do his Business 2. He says Christ can have no temptation to Partiality True but differing Kindnesses where none are due may consist very well with Impartiality That he shewed Kindness to any was more than he owed them that he vouchsafed more to some than others was no wrong to the rest They who have the benefit must ascribe all to his Grace they who are left in the same plight their own sins had brought them into have no cause to complain 3. He goes a step higher in his Proportions Christ was equally concerned in the Happiness of all men And this he gathers reasonably from the Behaviour of Christ towards the World But I doubt he has taken false measures of Christs concernment for mens Happiness The best way I should think would be to view how he carried it towards them with whom he did converse and there are some shrewd suspitions that he was not so equally concern'd for we read Ioh. 17. 9 that there were some he prayed for and others for whom he prayed not some to whom he immediately dispatcht his saving Gospel others to whom he at present suspended that Favour Matth. 10. 5. Goe not into the way of the Gentiles and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not but goe rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Nay in Fact it 's clear 〈◊〉 not his Gospel to all places of the habitable World equally to some sooner to others later with some it continued longer with other Nations less while to some it was preach'd in more purity clearness and power to others with less And if he sent it not at the same minute to every individual Person it will not argue an equal Concernment in the Salvation of all men for it 's possible thousands might and certain thousands and ten thousands dyed in Ignorance or as our Author expresses it pag. 30. under Gods ineffectual Wayes before the Gospel came unto them and if this Gospel stayed a day longer in one Nation than another still here 's no equal concernment for the Salvation of all for what becomes then of those poor Wretches who without any fault of theirs let me borrow an Expression from our Author were left out of Gospel times because their Fathers had eaten sowre Grapes and now the childrens teeth are set on edge 4. But he assigns a Reason of all this wherein we hope to find more exact Proportions We cannot imagine why he should lay a Narrower design of Love in the Redemption than in the Creation of Mankind That when in the first Creation he design'd all men for Happiness in this New and Second Creation he should design onely the Happiness of some few which is to make him less good in Redeeming than in Creating Mankind The summe of it is thus much Christ Redeemed all that he Created but he Created all men therefore he Redeemed all men And he cannot Imagine how it should be otherwise But 1. Leave out that one word Mankind and let the Proposition reach all rational and intellectual Creatures made capable of Everlasting Happiness and then let him try how his Proportions will fadge We cannot Imagine how Creating Love and Redeeming Love should be of different Latitudes why in the first Creation he should design the Happiness of all his Creatures capable thereof and yet in the Second and New Creation leave out some and take others into his favour The Creating Love of Christ was extended to Angels he made them glorious Spirits and had Christ been tempted to Partiality was he less concerned for their Happiness than that of poor men Did he lay a Narrower design of Love in Redeeming his capable Creatures than in their Creation Or why in the first and Old Creation did he design Angels for Happiness and yet in the Second and New Creation design the Happiness only of Mankind One Angel might have done Christ more Service brought him more glory than a thousand such wretched Worms as Man And yet not one Angel recovered not one fallen Spirit raised redeem'd and brought back to its Original Happiness 2. What he therefore addes is most Vain that this would make him less good in Redeeming than in Creating though Creation cost him no more than the Exercise of his Power but Redemption the Expence of his Blood For 1. One Soul redeemed argues more Love than many created which is proved by that very Reason which our Author has brought to overthrow it because to Redeem one Soul cost more than to create many But 2. What warrant he has to measure betwixt Redeeming Love and Creating Love I cannot tell This I know they are both beyond our reach yet I think that the Blood of Christ as a Man separated from that consideration of it as satisfactory to Gods Iustice cannot be said to be of more worth or dignity than the Creating Power of God But to conclude God made Man righteous there was his Creating Love he qualified him thus made for the Service and Enjoyment of his Maker If now he shall voluntarily loose his fitness and leave his relation to God and thereby make himself lyable to the Curse whenever this Creator shall please to undertake a Recovery I suppose he may without impeachment of Partiality do with his own Grace what he pleases and bestow it where he pleases and not fear to be called to Account by every Malapert Caviller And Now he clenches the Nayl with a sure stroke No sure his Goodness did not become less infinite and boundless when he became Man This is indeed somewhat Amazing for how to find out the Proportion the exact and regular proportion betwixt a greater and lesser Infinite may puzzle our brains as much as to find out the just proportion betwixt finite and infinite which when it shall be made out will doubtless equal the invention of that Prosipotion in Euclide which deserved a Hecatombe In pag. 208. he tells us Though God be rich in Mercy yet he
his Abilities in the Bud or to Blemish so promising a Work in the Frontispiece Our Author having once oblig'd us by discovering the Origen of this Mistake is resolv'd to load us with a second obligation by rectifying it For which purpose though he has many wayes to the Wood yet the very best way of All is to Examine the various significations of this Name Christ in Scripture First he assures us that Christ is Originally the Name of an Office The Name of an Office and Originally the Name of an Office too To which I onâ—…y whisper softly in his Ear It 's neither the one nor the other not the Name much less Originally the Name of an Office The Hebrew word Messiah to which the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exactly answers denotes a Person Anoyntâ—…d and thereby set apart for some special work or service And I dare be judg'd by this Gentleman himself if it be not so For in the same sentence with the same breath wherewith he had told us that Christ is Originally the Name of an Office he immediately addes which the Iews call the Messias or one Anoynted by God And now sure the Controversie will be brought into a narrow compass Whether He whom the Iews call the Messias or one Anoynted of God be a Person or an Office that is Whether a Person be a Person or no but it 's not for me to determine so weighty a Point And therefore the Gentleman himself who is a fair Disputer and no imperious Dictator shall give you a Reason why he contradicts his own Assertion wherein he is the rather to be believed because he speaks with so becoming a proof of credibility that to confirm a Truth he confutes himself For saith he under the Law their Prophets Priests and Kings were invested in their several Offices by the Ceremony of Anoynting them with Oyl Not to mention what a profound Observation he has made becoming his Good Learning nor how little need he had to Transcribe it from Volkelius lib. 3. de ver â Relig. c. 2. p. 41. Propteâ—…eà quod Olim tum Sacerdotes Vatésque tum Reges per Unctionis Religionem â—…tque Ceremoniam muneribus suis initiabantâ—…r All Ordinâ—…ry People would conclude that Kings Priests and Prophets signifie not Offices in the Abstract but Persons very Persons real errant Persons as any are under the Sun vested with their several and respective Offices in the Concrâ—…te as your systematical men love to speak And therefore if our Authors Reason reaches the Thing it pretends to evince Christ the Messiah will not signifie an Office but a Person authorised by his Office for the discharge of those Employments his Eternal Father had anoynted and appointed him unto But how shall we know whom or what the Iews called the Messiah The very best way that I know is to single out those Places in the Old Testament where Messiah or the Anoynted one is found and let the Gentleman practise upon them with all the critical skill and cunning he is guilty of and see how he can wire-draw Office out of them Ps. 2. 2. The Rulers take Counsel against the Lord and against his Anoynted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Against his Messias or against his Christ It would be harsh to Render it against his Office Whatever it was it is called Gods King v. 6. and Gods Son v. 7. and whether it was a Person or an Office that will bear those Titles I shall referre to his determination Dan. 9. 25. Messiah the Prince 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 V. 26. The Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself was it an Office that was cut off though not for Himself So that this New Notion dwindles away into a fine New-Nothing which is a thousand pities It would doubtless have served his turn at many a dead lift in the ensuing debates however it was advisedly done and upon mature deliberation that he favour'd us not with one single Text to prove that wherein the Scripture professes a deep silence It has been accounted very ominous to stumble at the Threshold and whilest he layes it down as a superliminary Maxim That All Errour has some yet to instance in One which has No Appearance of Truth But because our Author has so courtâ—…ously discover'd to us the Ground of that dreadfull mistake That Christ will save some whom his Gospel condemnes and as you know One good Turn deserves another that we may not be behind hand in returns of Civility I look upon my self engaged in all the bonds of honesty and Ingenuity to shew him the Ground of his gross Mistake That Christ is Originally the Name of an Office The Man had seen or read somewhere an Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is something more a kin to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than Chalk is to Cheese or Milk to Mustard and because that word signifies Unctio an Anoynting and so perhaps at two or three removes an Office the Good-man dream't that Messiah must needs be of the same import Quod miserè volumus id facilè credimus and this might possibly Trepan him into that critical Soloecisme yet if I have not hit the Nail on the head he has the liberty to assign the True ground of his Mistake and in the mean time I shall live as well as I doe But having given us such a Notable Specimen of his Charity he is as willing to improve this gratefull Occasion to Bless us with his Admirable Divinity and to Illuminate our Understandings as Dionysius the supposed Areopagite expresses it with a Beam of Darkness Two things he is resolved we shall be his Debtors for First to inform us of the precise time of Christs Anoynting to his Offices Secondly of the Nature of the Offices themselves 1 For the Time he tells us Jesus received the Divine Unction at his Baptism when the Spirit of God descended on him like a Dove Well seeing 't was no sooner I am glad it was no later and if it will not be allow'd from his Birth and Incarnation it 's some Comfort that it was before his Death or Crucifixion But in good earnest was not Jesus The Christ before then I see All wise men are not of one mind For those three of the East Matth. 2. 2. came to seek and worship One Born King of the Iews And the Angels preacht other Doctrine to the plain Shepherds Luke 2. 11. Unto you is Born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord and v. 46. at Twelve years of Age we find him engaged in his Fathers business and we are loth to censure that he ran before he was sent or acted before he had a Call or executed his work before he had a Commission because we cannot tell as times goe what ill use some might make on 't But now to give some Appearance of Truth though never so little to this Errour we are turn d over to Acts
Righteousness It was given out by God himself for that end it contains the whole Obedience that God requires of the Sons of Men It has the promise of Eternal Life annext to it Do this and Live But there are two things that discover the Vanity of seeking Righteousness in this Path 1. That they have already sinned and come short of the Glory of God Rom. 3. 23. So that though they should for the time to come fulfil the whole Law yet there is a Score upon them already they know not how to answer for 2. That if former Debts were blotted out yet they are no way able to fulfil the Law for the future many other Devices men have found out but in the Issue the matter comes to this They look upon themselves 1. As sinners obnoxious to the Law of God and the Curse thereof so that unless that be satisfied it 's in vain from thence to seek after an appearance before God 2. As Creatures made to a Super-natural end and therefore bound to answer the whole Mind and Will of God Now both these being beyond the Compass of their own endeavours it 's their wisdom to find out a Righteousness that may answer both these to the utmost now both these are to be had only in the Lord Christ who is our Righteousness Who 1. Expiates former Iniquities 2. Fulfils the whole Law by his active Obedience Rom. 5. 10. We are saved by his Life And now the Doctor has told you the short of his Story But our Author confutes him much shorter and without Cicumlocution replies This is a mighty comfortable Discovery how we may be Righteous without doing any thing that is good or Righteous I 'le warrant you a whole Cart-load of Books hath been Written of this Subject all which with Laconick Brevity our Author has blown away with one Puff And is not this a Compendious way of Dispatching Controversies out of the World It is a Truth that none is Righteous but he that doth righteousness and as great a Truth that None is righteous before God because he doth righteousness Without Holiness no man shall see God and without something more than his own holiness no man shall see God or it were better he had never seen him But more distinctly 1. It 's seasonable to enquire what is the Mind of the Church of England in this Matter and She speaks freely Art 11. We are accounted righteous before God only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works Pray ask her then Whether we may be Righteous without doing any thing that is Righteous for which we are so accounted in the sight of God And whereas he says with a Scoff This is a mighty comfortable Doctrine The Church in that very Article determines in earnest Wherefore that we are justified by Faith only is a most whole some Doctrine and full of Comfort Either then that Article Confutes his Assertion or his Assertion confutes the Article Again Art 13. Works done before the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of the Spirit are not pleasant to God for as much as they spring not of Faith in Christ. And for that they are not done as God hath Commanded them to be done no doubt but they have the Nature of sin Hence it were easie to argue against our Author Those works which are not pleasant to God which have the Nature of sin cannot justifie the doer of them But all works done before the Grace of Christ the Inspiration of his Spirit which spring not from Faith are such therefore they cannot justifie the doer of them before God Either then we must never be justified or else we must be justified without good Works as that for which we are justified at least though the Article would conclude something more It 's very uncomely to see ill taught Children to spit in their Mothers face and we account that an evil Bird that defiles its own Nest. 2 It will be no less seasonable to enquire into the mind of the Spirit also And the Apostle Paul seems to speak high Rom. 4. 5. To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness And more modesty would become him than to quip the Apostle and tell him This is a comfortable discovery how a man may be righteous without doing any thing that is righteous Again In the business of Election the Apostle argues thus Rom. 11. 6. If it be by Grace then it is not of Works otherwise Grace is no more Grace but if it be of Works then it is no more Grace otherwise Work is no more Work 3. It 's seasonable to enquire whether our Author had not better have understood the Doctor better before he had undertaken to answer him For when he asserts that we are justified by Christ he excludes not the way and means that God hath appointed to make the righteousness of Christ to become ours He that saith we are justified by Christ doth not deny we are justified by Faith and therefore not without doing something that is good Nay he excludes not Inherent righteousness from the Soul nor Gospel obedience from the Life only he excludes them as too defective and imperfect to make us stand before God in the judgment And herein he seems a more dutiful Son of the Church of England than our Author let the 12th Art judge Albeit Works which are the fruits of Faith and follow after Iustification cannot put away our sins and endures the severity of Gods judgment yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a Tree discerned by the fruit Whence it is obvious That if our good Works which are the fruits of Faith which follow Iustification cannot endure the severity of Gods judgment What shall become of those that are only the fruits of Nature and go before Iustification Again If those Works which are pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ yet cannot endure the severity of Gods Iudgment Where then shall those appear that being done before Iustification have the Nature of sin and are not pleasant to God As the 13th Art determines To whomsoever then this is comfortable Doctrine I am sure it was once so to our Author who by Subscribing these very Doctrines got a Living of very comfortable Importance and might have had the Civility with them of Ephesus to have owned By this Craft we get our Living But if our Author like not the Doctors way let him prescribe his own only let him be sure it be a better and safer way That he will The Scripture tells us expresly he is righteous that doth righteousness and without Holiness no man shall see God that the only way to obtain the pardon of our sins is to repent of them and forsake
than the Gofpel allows The Question then shall never be stated by me thus Whether we must Obey or no Keep the Commandments of Christ or no And that upon Peril of Eternal Damnation But whether out of this Obedience of ours may be gathered that righteousness in which we may safely venture to appear before the Iudge of all the Earth in the great day as that which we resolve to stand and abide by venturing our all upon it This is that the Doctor thinks the Apostle reproved Rom. 9. 31 32. Israel which followed after the Law of righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousness because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the Works of the Law Where the Apostle Intimates that though we do not directly seek a righteousness by the Works of the Law yet to do it Obliquely and Indirectly is destructive and that the Doctor intends no more no other than this is evident from the words our Author calls in And though I would have walkt according to my own mind yet now I give up my self to be wholly guided by thy Spirit This Netled our Authors Conscience and he takes Sanctuary in the most wretched Subterfuge that ever betrayed it's Confider What a pretty Complement does the Soul make to Christ We are now sheer gone from the Truth of the Principle to the Truth of the Heart in receiving it If it proves a Complement in the Mouth of an Hypocrite yet in Thesi its a Truth That whoever receives Christ upon his own Terms does renouncing his own will and way give up himself wholly to be ruled by the Spirit speaking in the Scriptures At this wiâ—…d rate I have often heard a silly Quaker answer this Proposition Iesus Christ that Died at Jerusalem is the Saviour of the World Ay says he but doest thou witness that from the Light within 2. Others make Obedience necessary upon the account of Christs Fulness But this he says makes it no otherwise necessary then as we are necessarily passive in it However if it be necessary upon any account it 's enough to make him blush that flatly Charges it upon them to say it 's not necessary But to be passive in our Obedience is all the Soul means in giving up it self to be ruled by the Spirit of Christ. Then the Soul means Nonsence For to give it self to be ruled by the Spirit has something of Activity in it Our help and asistance to give up our selves is from the Spirit but the giving up is an an act of the Souls 'T is the Believer that obeys and yet the ability to obey is from the Holy Ghost It 's the Creature that works and yet its God that works in him to will and to do of his own good Pleasure Phil. 2. 13. It 's the man that believes and yet he believes according to the working of Gods mighty Power Ephes. 1. 19 20. What is it else that he prays to the Spirit for O God the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son have Mercy upon us miserable sinners But all this might have been Superseded had our Author duly Recollected what he has Subscribed and openly given his Assent and Consent to in the 10th Art of the Church of England We have no power to do Good works acceptable to God without the Grace of God preventing us that we may have a good Will and Working with us when we have that good Will Allow but the Doctor the Benefit of the Clergie and he will need no more to bring him off though that very Article would prove our Authors Neck-verse In the Work of Grace the Spirit Acts according to the Nature of the Subject which is here the Rational Creature He gives not new Natural Powers but a new Moral ability to Exercise them he bestows not a new Will Physically but enlarges it from its Fetters discharges it from its Slavery and powerfully though Gently enclines it to Gods Testimonies not destroying its radical self-determining Power and hence I conclude our Author is but sorrily Skilled in the true meaning of souls when they Profess a subjection to Christ. The Soul meant honestly she had no Mental reservation none of these Quirks and Tricks but plainly and sincerely Designed to give up her self in all Obedience to her Lord and Saviour She in her Text intended very singly but our Author has Commented upon it Knavishly I said so indeed in haste another would have said perhaps Foolishly for what more Idle Chat could he have Learn't from the good Women his Neighbours at Billings-gate than a willingness to obey against ones Will. This is all our Author is willing to own of the Grounds of our Obedience but I shall help his weak and frail Memory a little though to his great Regret Doctor O. Com. pag. 212. Obedience says the Doctor is necessary as a Means to the End N. B. God hath appointed that Holiness shall be the Means the Way to that Eternal Life which as in it self and Originally is his Gift by Jesus Christ so with regard to his Constitution of our Obedience as the Means of attaining it is a Reward and God in bestowing of it a Rewarder though it be neither the Cause Matter nor Condition of our Justification yet it is the Way appointed of God for us to walk in for the obtaining of Salvation And therefore he that hath hope of Eternal Life Purifies himself as he is Pure and none shall ever come to that End who walketh not in that Way for without Holiness it is impossible to see God The bare Repitition of which words are as plain and full a Rebuke to all our Authors Dirty Nasty Reflections as a reasonable Creature can desire But these things we shall meet withall anon and therefore here they shall lie ready in Banco till our Authors Leisure shall call for them I had now eased my self and my Reader of any further Vexation in this Section had I not unhappily overseen one Passage in Mr. Watson from which our Author thinks he has some Advantage The words are these Evangelical Truths will not down with a Natural Heart such a one had rather hear some quaint Point of some Vertue or Vice stood upon than any thing in Christ c. Which he thus Canvasses Such sanctified Souls and Ears loath all Dull Insipid Moral Discourses which are perpetually Inculcating their Duty on them and Troubling them with a great many Rules and Directions for a good Life which he is pleased to call the Quaint Points of Vertue and Vice Good Sir be not angry have but a little Patience and all will be well to your Hearts Content Mr. Watson does not Inveigh against your Poynant Invictives against the one or your most Elaborate Encomiums of the other Run down sin at the highest rate of Zeal and Fervency you can render Prophaneness as Odious and expose her for a Fulsomè sâ—…urvy Baggage if you please Invent new Names for her
his Death c. and the Salvation of all Mankind I presume the man 's either unborn or long agoe dead that ever asserted that there was any Connexion either Natural or Necessary between Christs Death and the Salvation of every individual Person that should be upon the Earth Does he mean any one of all Mankind I then do affirm and will abide by it that upon supposition the Son of God was incarnate took our Nature upon him and in that Nature dyed a cursed Death there is a Necessary connexion betwixt the Death of the Son of God and the Salvation of some at least of Mankind It 's very unconceivable that Christ should submit to such a Dispensation and have no fruit of his Labour But to put him out of fear that he may sleep at hearts ease we do not fancy any natural connexion of these things that Bond that tyes them together is the compact betwixt the Father and the Son that upon his Souls being made an Offering for Sin he should see his seed and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand Isa. 53. 10. The Total is this The Concurrence of the Sons Will with the Fathers good Pleasure gave the Death of Christ a necessary Connexion with the Salvation of some at least of Mankind But to talk at this loose Rambling rate is tedious All this while you see but very little into our Authors Design For as your great Politicians have their Causae justificae which they Hang out to view but the Causae suasoriae lie deep and are not to be Exposed to and Prophan'd by common Eyes Thus however our Author makes a Flourish and Vapour about the Connexion of Necessary causes and Necessary effects as if we see Fire we know it burns something and if we see Smoak we may safely conclude there is some Fire Which poor Reynards Experiment would have Confuted Notwithstanding I say all this Ostentation of Mysterious Philosophy there was something lay nearer his heart than this Bombaste and how to bring it upon the Stage handsomely required good Deliberation In plain Terms it was nothing but to state a Parallel betwixt the Rational and your Systematical Divine and to Demonstrate the excellency of himself and those of his exalted Intellectuals above those low Spirited Phlegmatick Tigurine Doctors who Trade all in gross Bodies and unweildy Systems of Divinity For these latter they Dull-men shape all Religion according to their Phancies and Humours and stuff it with an infinite Number of Orthodox Propositions such as the 39 Articles But now for your Rational Men They Argue the Nature of God his Works and Providences from the Nature of Mankind and those eternal Notions of Good and Evil from the Essential differences of Things from plain Principles which have an Immutable and unchangeable Nature and so can bear the weight and stress of a just Consequence Which singular Happiness may sooner be Envyed than Mistated Indeed it would do any man good at Heart to hear with what Nerves and Sinews of Brawny Reason they will Argue how they Drive all before them how they will Trounce a poor amazed Auditor into As. and Con. and force the most Obstinate herds of Contumacious Animals into good Behiavour by Duress In a word all their Discourses are Muscle and Cartilage And in one of these you shall have the Marrow and Pith the Quintessence and Elixir of your Profound Irrefragable Subtile Angelical Seraphical Doctors But I Chide my self for comparing them to the School-men who are Systematical Theölogues Let the Reader content himself with a short Specimen of their Abilities And 1. They argue from the Nature of God How Facile is he to Pardon sin all sin without any Compensation or Satisfaction made to his Justice For seeing Justice is but a secondary Attribute a mere Instrument or Tool of Government He may spare or punish as he sees Reason for it without being unjust in either For though the Scripture has told us Iosh 24. 19. That God is a jealous God who will not forgive Transgression nor sin and that He is of purer Eyes than to behold Evil and cannot look upon Iniquity Hab. 1. 13. And also that the wages of sin is Death which is the Religion of the Scripture yet now one of these familiar acquaintance of Gods Nature can inform you better that there was there was no necessity of Christs Death to declare the Righteousness of God that he might be Iust but that as he Pardoned the Old World for Four Thousand Years together who knew nothing of Christ 〈◊〉 he might have done for one poor Sixteen Hundred Years more and as much longer as it shall continue That Caution which he Hints to others pag. 76. he has as much need of himself That we be wary in drawing conclusions from Gods Nature since 't is so seldom we have any good Assurance those Inferences are Genuine Thus when he argues pag. 43 from Gods Long-suffering and Patience towards the World and the various Methods God uses to reclaim them that therefore he is as ready to Pardon sinners as a kind Father is to receive a penitent Prodigal I would have him Cautious lest he should over-run the Constable for God stands not related to sinners in the state of lapsed Nature as a Father but as an Enemy and our Son-ship and Adoption comes in by Jesus Christ and this may perhaps a little disturbe the Connexion of his Antecedents and Consequents And this for distinction-sake may be called his New Religion of Gods Nature from whence we learn those greater and deeper Mysteries whereof the Scripture is so silent And then 2. They argue with marvellous Success from the Works and Providence of God As how pag. 44. Those Natural Notions the Heathens had of God and the Discoveries God made of Himself in the Works of Creation and Providence did assure them that God is very Good and that 't is not possible to understand what Goodness is without Pardoning-Grace For you may be sure they cloud not see the Sun shine but presently they must conclude that the Light of Gods Countenance would shine upon them also nor have a showre of Rain but it did Demonstrate that God would wash away their sins nor forbear them a day but He would acquit them for ever But then 3. From the Nature of Mankind they Reason with incomparable Judgment As for Instance That because Man was Created upright therefore he is so still how Vegete Sprightly and active mans Nature is that without the Subsidiary assistance of effectual Grace working both to will and to do it can fulfil all Gods Commandments and that to talk of our own Impotency to Spiritual performances is to suppose us to be acted like Machines by an External force and the irresistable Grace and Spirit of God And further 4. They make admirable work from the eternal Notions of Good and Evil That God may punish sin if he pleases and if he sees good he may
his little Glosses Why they offend against his great standing Rule Interpreting things by the sound of words For says he what better proof can you desire for all this than Express words Really the Laws upon which we must be permitted to discourse with our Author are very severe for p. 78. he laid it down as a Law of the Medes and Persians that none must dare to Draw one Conclusion from the Person of Christ which his Gospel hath not expressely taught Well we accepted the Tearms and have brought him expresse and expressely express words and do speak as Volkelius commands us dilectis luculentissimisque verbis and yet we are never the nearer for now we offend in trusting to the sound of words Just thus did Procrustes entertain his Guests wracking out them that were too short and lopping off their feet that were too long for his Bed All men I perceive are awake to their Concerns in this Rule as well as our Vigilant Author When it is urged that Christ is called expressely God the True God He that was in the beginning by whom were all things made who upholds all things by the Word of his Power the Socinians have now a compendious Answer Ay this is to interpret Scripture by the sound of words And the Atheist has an inckling of it too he can subscribe all the Scriptures as True but when you urge him that God created all things out of Nothing that he is the Owner Governour Iudge of the whole World they are provided with a short Answer Yes this is interpreting Scripture by the sound of words And whether every Drunkard Swearer Adulterer all the Rakehells and Rakeshames upon Earth may not in time make their advantage of it I cannot tell That Ministers do but fright them with a sound of words Thus have some dealt with the Sacerdotal Office of Christ He is a Priest they confess he offer'd a Sacrifice was a Propitiation made an Atonement did expiate sin but have a care you do not interpret these things as the words sound he did indeed something like a Priest offer'd something like a Sacrifice but truely and properly he was nothing did nothing of All this It had been therefore more plain-heartedly and ingenuously done had our Author written a Confutation of the Scripture proving that the Spirit did not speak intelligibly but All in good time he has Materials ready for the work P. 100. The wildest and most extravagant Opinions that were ever yet vented under the Name of Religion have pretended the Authority of Scripture for their Patronage And yet he knew how first to break its head and then make it a Playster This famous Rule of our Authors may be applyed to all things under the Sun but there are two Principles onely that he will examine by it at present 1. The spiritual Impotency of all men without grace to perform that which is Acceptable to God This says he they prove wonderfully from our being dead in trespasses and sins and therefore as a Dead man can contribute nothing to his own Resurrection no more can we towards our Conversion I wonder when the Scripture will be able to speak so plain that deaf men will understand it One would have thought the Spirit of God should never have chosen that Expression of being Dead in trespasses and sins to signifie what mighty power and abilities the Creature has to Obey But we are instructed better from this usefull Caveat not to interpret Him by the sound of his words for now we must understand by Being dead Being Alive and proportionably by Sins and Trespasses we must understand Duty and Obedience and then to keep close to our Instructions and far enough from the sound of words To be Dead in Sins and Trespasses is to be Alive to all Duty and Obedience And thus that other vexing place Rom. 5. When we were without strength in due time Christ dyed for the ungodly must be Paraphrased When we were strong and Active and had no need of Christ he dyed for the godly And this I think if that be good for ought is very remote from grating our Ears with the unpleasant sound of words Ay but says our Author This is true of Natural Death but will be hard to prove of a Moral Death Hard to prove Methinks we want his wonted out-facing Confidence But why so hard to prove Has not the Spirit of God selected those words borrowed from the Condition of one Naturally dead to instruct us in the true Condition of one Morally dead It 's true of a Natural and therefore not of a Moral Death Nay it 's therefore true of a Moral Death because it is so of a Natural Death What wild Similitudes would he impose upon the Holy Scriptures Even as one that 's Naturally dead can contribute Nothing to his Resurrection just so one that 's Morally dead can contribute something to his Conversion This is the great Illustrator of dark Metaphors But wherein doth this Morall Death consist Oh says he In the prevalency of vicious habits contracted by long Custom which was the Case of the Heathens whom the Apostle there speaks of which do so enslave the Will that it 's very difficult though not impossible for such Persons to return to the love and practice of Vertue But who can tell whether by enslaving the Will which is a Luscious Metaphor our Author would not have us understand enfranchising the Will lest we should border too near upon a sound of words But I am not illuminated with our Authors Reasonings For 1 Moral Death doth not consist in the prevalency of vicious Habits it is the general Condition of all men born into the world who are privatively Dead in respect of that Life we all once had in the first Adam and Negatively Dead in respect of that Life which is attainable by the second Adam And in those dayes when men studyed not Aequivocations to subscribe every thing and believe Nothing it was not question'd in the Church of England Art 10. The Condition of Man since the Fall is such that he cannot Turn and prepare himself by his Own Natural Strength and good Works to Faith and calling upon God wherefore we have no power to doe good works pleasant and acceptable to God without his Grace preventing us that we may have a good Will and working with us when we have that Will. But 2 Supposing that this Moral Death did consist in the Prevalency of vicious Habits contracted by long Custom yet such may be the prevalency of them into such a slavery may the Will be brought that it may be not onely diâ—…ficult but impossible without the effectual assistance of the Spirit for the Sinner to return to God Ier. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also doe good that are accustomed to doe evil Whence the Prophet shews that such is the prevalency of a vicious Habit contracted by long Custom
but the working of heated Fancy and Religious Distraction that to speak of Christs beauty loveliness fulness and preciousness are but Romantick Descriptions of him That is All is Fancy that comports not with his own extravagant Whimsâ—…y The Knowledge of Christ informs our Judgements affects our Hearts reforms our Lives and it will argue little love to our Redeemer if we entertain meaner thoughts of him by loud Clamour and impotent Reflections upon him 2. It moves their Passions and if we be a little passionately affected with the love of our Redeemer it 's a pardonable Errour When our Author would curry favour with his Reader and perswade him that for all his scandalous Expressions he was no Enemy to Christ he could say as much as that came to p. 184 185. This is a Sacrament wherein we celebrate the Love of our dying Lord and express our most passionate Love to him Here is Love passionate and most passionate Love and yet others Passions must not be moved for fear they set the Town on fire 3. They find great breakings of heart I would we experienc'd them more upon Condition we were ten times more reviled for them but I cannot well conceive how the Heart should be broken from sin that is not broken for sin and though this is grown so despicable a Matter in his eyes yet we have this Relief that a broken and contrite heart God will not despise 4. But they melt and dissolve into Tears when they remember what their Lord suffer'd for them They are content he should be called their Lord if others renounce him they are willing to own him It 's better to be reproached in this World that they have a Saviour than condemned in the next World because they have none and let it be their and all our Cares that Men may not hate us for professing Christ and God too because we do but profess him But is it so heynous a Crime to weep at the remembrance of what Christ suffer'd for us We pray that God would fulfill upon us that Promise Zech. 12. 10. That he would pour out his Spirit upon us that we may look upon him whom we have pierced and mourn over him and for him as one mourns for an onely Son and we say with Holy Herbert If thou hast no Sighs nor Tears Would thou hadst no Sins nor Fears Who hath These Those ill forbears But 5. They see him hang upon the Cross and have all his Agonies and dying groans in their ears Well if Faith represents to us a crucifyed Christ the Galatians were not called foolish upon that Account When we read that Christ was amazed and sore troubled that his Soul was exceeding sorrowfull even to death that it express'd from his Body clods of Blood all the Question is whether we ought to Read these things between sleeping and waking or get the most lively and powerfull Impressions of them upon our Souls The Primitive Church used to pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 libera nos Domine And the Present Church of England By thine Agony and bloody Sweat by thy Cross and Passion good Lord deliver us 6. They Curse their Sins that nayled him there The truth is they do not bless their Sins for crucifying Christ though he was a Person above our Authors scorn that used that Hyperbole Foelix Peccatum quod peperit Christum But sin has proved so dishonourable to our God so wounding to Christ so grievous to the Spirit so bitter to the Conscience that we would say the worst by it we can on this side Cursing And this we have good Authority for pag. 185. The Memory of what Christ has done and suffered excites in us a just Hatred of our sins So that were we but Masters of his Regular Proportions could we but find the just Measure of the Hatred of sin and Nick it exactly betwixt too much and too little hatred of sin we might escape the severity of his Censure Hitherto we have been taught That the just Measure of loving Christ is to love him without Measure and the just Measure of the Hatred of sin is to hate it without Measure but our Author good Man is very solicitous least we should over-love Christ or over-hate our iniquities 7. They tremble at the Thoughts of the Naturalness of Gods vindictive Iustice to him And if they doe consider God as one of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity if they do view his Holiness and in the sense of their own vileness cry out Woe is me for I am undone because I am a Man of unclean lips As good as they or he have trembled at 〈◊〉 sight of this Glorious Holy and Righteous Judge 8. But they feel all the Horrors and Agonies of damned Spirits I knew we should have a Rapper before we had done Is this the Fruit of Acquaintance with Christ I question not but a Cain a Iudas a Spira may have felt in this Life something of the horrours of the Damned The Apostle denounces some such dreadfull vengeance against Renegadoes from the Christian Faith Heb. 10. That there remains no more Sacrifice for sin but a certain fearfull looking for of Iudgement and fiery Indignation to devour the Adversaries v. 26 27. But these despairing horrours proceed not from an experimental Knowledge of Christ as our Author either ignorantly dreams or maliciously calumniates but from an Ignorance of him the true design of his Death in Reconciling God and Man This is one of their Extreams for at other times they are ravish'd with his Love charm'd and captivated with his Beauty refresht and ravisht with his Comforts c. It is easie to observe that our Author alwayes writes pro re natâ just as the present occasion invites him for he will tell you p. 396. That the Soul many times feels such great and Ravishing delights in all the Acts of Religion as infinitely excell all the pleasures of Sense they relish great Pleasure and Satisfaction in the sense of Gods Goodness P. 397. They must needs feel sometimes such divine Touches and Impressions as are the Effects if I may so speak of a mutual Love and Sympathy And had these men but the Happiness to have express'd themselves in his very words and Syllables they might have said either the worst or best of Religion they had pleased without Rebuke But all this he tells us may be no more than the working of a warm and Enthusiastick Fancy but then if it should prove the work of the Holy and Blessed Spirit which he ascribes to Fancy and Conceit how near it may come to the sin of those who ascribed that to Beelzebub which was effected by the Finger of God I must leave to his serious Consideration Enthusiasm is much reproached and little understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enthusiasme is when the Mind is wholly enlightned by God In which sence I pray God make us all Enthusiasts And let the End of all that Ioy and Satisfaction that we have
prevent Objections It 's evident says he from the Chapter that Christ when he speaks in the First Person I and in Me cannot mean this of his own Person but of his Church Doctrine and Religion But where lies the Evidence of this great Demonstration Why Christ says I am the true Vine and ye are the Branches He that abideth in me and I in him bringeth forth much Fruit for without me you can do nothing Well what of all this Why our Author would willingly Learn what sence can be made of all this if we understand it of the Person of Christ And I will as willingly Teach him if he be not too proud to Learn I Iesus Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant am very fitly compared to a Vine and ye my Disciples are as fitly compared to the Branches of a Vine Now he that really abideth in me by a true lively faith and I in him by the Quickening Operations of my Spirit the same bringeth forth much Fruit of holy Obedience for without derivation of Grace from Me your Root you can do nothing that is truly good and acceptable to God Oh! but he has two or three formidable Objections against this Interpretation 1. It 's not very Intelligible How we can be or abide in Christs Person No more it is If we bring Capernaitical understandings along with us who Puzled their Heads with a gross Notion of Carnal eating the Flesh and drinking the Blood of Christ. If by being in Christ were understood a Local Physical or Natural being in Him it were somewhat Unintelligible but when no more is meant by it but that every true Believer is by Constitution of the Covenant of Grace one Person morally with Christ so considered and dealt with by God there 's no more insuperable Difficulty than what unbelief will create in the clearest Truths of the Gospel But 2. It 's more unintelligible still How we can be in the Person of Christ and the Person of Christ at the same time be in us Which is a new piece of Philosophy called Penetration of Dimensions But there 's no great danger in that Christ may dwell in us by his Spirit and we in him by Faith and yet Faith and the Spirit never disturb each other in their Motions but what the Dimensions of the Soul in its actings of Faith or of the Spirit in it's working of Grace are this I confess is to me unintelligible And that a Christian should be in the Church and the Church at the same time be in a Christian had been equally Unintelligible and as much danger of the Penetration of Dimensions But that our Author stumbled upon a happy Expedient that I should signifie a Doctrine and Me a Church to heal the Contradiction 3. That our Fruitfulness should depend on our Union to Christ is as hard to my understanding Truly I cannot help that I have no Medicine to cure Crazed Intellectuals He that cannot understand that Believers do receive Actual assistance from Christ by his Spirit to help them in the way of their Duty and to encourage them against the Difficulties they meet withal in their Duties cannot I presume understand very many Lines in the Gospel 3. Our last Task is to Examine what improvement he has made of this Interpretation and in short it is this That the Union of particular Christians to Christ consists in their Union to the Christian Church And now I am abundantly satisfied that our Author is a very Philomel Vox praeterea nihil One whose Volubility of Tongue and Pen supplies the place of Argument and Demonstration I hope our Author will not meet with many Readers who have so far parted with their Memories as not to remember what that was he Propounded to himself to Evince viz. That the Union of particular Christians to Christ is by means of their Union with the Christian Church And yet now when he comes to cast up his Accounts we have gotten another Conclusion That the Union of particular Christians to Christ consists in their Union to the Christian Church Surely the Purblind will espie some small difference Eating is a means to Living yet none but a Swine of Epicurus his Stye will say that Living consists in Eating The High-road is a means to bring the Traveller Home yet it will be hard to perswade us that being at Home consists in Travelling Trading is a mean to Riches yet Riches do not formally consist in Trading The end may possibly be separated from the Means but nothing can be separated from that thing wherein it consists But let that pass If he has proved either the one or the other I am content he be reputed an Artist The thing he has a good will to prove is That the Union of particular Christians to Christ is either by means of their Union to the Christian Church or else that it consists in it Now for the Proof of this He has told us That the Church is the Body of Christ The Church is the Temple of Christ The Church is the Spouse of Christ The Church is the Flock of Christ. And had it been referred to a thousand Persons not one but would have thought that that Christ who is the Head of that Body is a Person He that is the Husband of that Spouse is a Person He that is the Shepheard of the Flock is a Person and He that Dwells in that Temple is a Person But things are not so far gone but our Author shall have his Opinion and choose what he will abide by for my part I am much unconcern'd let him please himself he shall not displease me at all Say then Shall it be Christs Doctrinal or Christs Ecclesiastical that is the Head of this Body The Husband of this Spouse The Shepheard of this Flock I can rest satisfied But then the Sence runs thus A Doctrine or a Church is the Head of the Church A Doctrine or a Church is the Husband of the Church A Doctrine or a Church is the Shepheard of the Church If this does not please him let him try the other way and allow it to be a Person that is all these A Person that is the Head Husband and Shepheard of the Church And now I must plainly acquaint him That he has Entangled his Affairs in such confusion that he will never be able to Extricate them For 1. If the Person of Christ be here intended then it seems at last whatever the means be of that Union yet there is an Union to the Person of Christ and whereinsoever that Union consists yet such an Uunion there is How absurd would it be to enquire whether our Union to Christ's Person consists in our Union with a particular Church If Union to Christs Person be a Non-entity Or Whether our Union with a particular Church be the means to our Union with Christ If there be no such thing And then 2. He is as much concern'd as his poor Neighbours to salve the
Doctrine and a wide Gap to all Rebellion What a pitiful plight were Princes in if the Foundations of Government the Essential reasons of the Peoples subjection were to be Discanted upon by every Churchman The Childs relation to his Father does not consist in his filial Obedience but is the reason of it The Subjects relation to his Prince does not consist in Subjection but is the true Ground of it The Wife her relation to her Husband does not consist in her submission to her Husband but is the Spring of it A disobedient Child is a Child still he cannot shake off the relation a rebellious person though he deserves not the honourable Title of a Subject yet he is a Subject and cannot put off that relation An untoward Wife is a Wife still and every act nay many acts of Disobedience cannot dissolve the Copula For otherwise the way to be rid of a relation would be to Violate the Duties of it and then all future Disobedience would be no sin Because when the union is once Null and the relation dissolved there 's no Foundation upon which the Superiour can build a claim to Duty and this would be a short Cut and save abundance of time and Charges in sueing out a Divorce For let but the Wife disobey and the union which consists in Obedience Vanishes A little Divertisment will now be seasonable both for our Author and his Readers and therefore he will give us a plain Account of the only cause that can justifie Separation In the mean time it seems there is a Cause though but one only Cause that will justifie it and separation will not always argue Sâ—…hism And now all you that would know the one the only one Cause in all the World that can justifie a Separation from a true Church draw near and give your attention 1. When any Church prevaricates in the Laws of Christ. Prevaricates How many thousands of Schismaticks will shrowd themselves under the Covert of that one Word He has opened a Gate at which three Coachful of Separatists may Drive all-a-Brest If then a Church shall pretend to give us the Laws of Christ in Scriptis such was the Knavery of a Cardinal in the Consistory before the Conventicle of Trent and yet by Preaching and Practice destroy those very Laws or the Ends of them if the Church of Rome shall talk Big words of Holy Mother Church and yet embrace in her arms as her Children the vilest Varlets and shut out none but the Good unless now and then an old Fornicator or some such like Vermine that want Money to Buy off or Commute for Penance this is an unworthy Prevarication and if it shall certainly appear will justifie a separation 2. When it corrupts Religion And this will go a great way I promise you in some particular Churches Corruption may be by Addition Substraction Multiplication or Division The end of the Keys may be perverted those shut out whom Christ would receive and they admitted whom Christ would exclude It may strike with the back of the spiritual Sword when it should use the edge and wound with the edge when it should sleep in the Scabbard Christs Religion may be corrupted by mingling our own inventions with this pure and plain institutions and then we have a cause or a piece of a cause that paves our way for separation as broad as that by which Israel departed out of Egypt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 five in a rank 3. When it undermines the fundamental design of Religion which is to make men good and vertuoùs So that though they do not openly assault it by battery and escalado yet if they shall secretly undermine Godliness by denying the office of the holy spirit in Creating men to good and vertuous works and teach men to trust to their own natural strength and shall craftily oppose the Doctrine of the Scriptures and the Church of England That the condition of man after the fall is such that he cannot turn by his own natural strength without the Grace of God preventing him that he may have a good will or if they shall disown the satisfaction of Christs death upon the cross to Gods holiness and his justice founded thereon which is the bottom of our return to God and of our holy walking with him why then farewell as far as the shooes of the Gospel will carry you 4. When we cannot obey our spiritual rulers without disobeying the Laws of Christ when Christs commands and they forbid when he forbids and they command then we have our pasport to be gone and travel to the utmost ends of the Earth These are those four things all in one that will justifie a separation from a particular society and if our Authour would preach this Doctrine to his Parishoners he might leave it to them to make the Application But now on the otherside if the Church we live in acknowledges the Authority and submits to the Laws of Christ we are bound to live in Communion with it Very true but not true for our Authors Reason because this Unites us to Christ which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but go on when nothing is made the condition of our Communion which is expressely forbidden by the Laws of the supreme Lord we acknowledge his Authority in our subjection to our spiritual guides Now here are many things might be opposed 1. Let it be considered whether an implicite prohibition from the supreme Lord be not sufficient to make a condition of Communion unlawful and I cannot but wonder that our Authour in this case is all for an expresse prohibition when perhaps that may signifie a Command if he follows but his own rule not to interpret phrases by the sound of words But 2. In submitting to such conditions of Communion as are not expressely forbidden the Question is whether herein we submit to Christs authority and this I confesse I stick at And the Reason of my doubtful hesitation is this Because it supposes an acknowledgment of Christs Authority where he has not interposed his Authority supposes him to speak where he is silent and to Command obedience where he commands nothing nay where he has forbidden though not expressely forbidden that condition Now as I am not bound to obey an inferiour Magistrate unlesse his particular command be warranted by his Commission though it be not forbidden in his Commission so it seems I am not bound to Obey a particular Church in a particular imposed condition if not authorised by Christs instructions though it be not forbidden there at least no such refusal of obedience can be interpreted to be a disowning of Christs Authority because he is supposed to have determined neither Pro nor Con. If we turn back to p. 164. Our Authour has these words No man can be said to submit himself to his prince who denies subjection to those subordinate Magistrates who act by his Commission so no man can be said to resist his Prince who
gives subjection to all inferiour officers in all things wherein they act by his Commission for he may passe for a very tolerable good Subject who does all things that are commanded him so in this case no man can be said to Obey Christ who denies subjection to the Pastors of the Church who act according to their instructions from the supreme Lord of the Church nor any be said to resist Christs authority though they refuse complyance in those things to the Officers of the Church wherein they act besides their Commission But let us a while wholly set aside the consideration of the lawfulness or unlawfullness of these new conditions of Communion yet still me thinks there 's a great deal of disingenuity in the Pastors of a Church to make new Terms of Communion with them for if it be so necessary as is pretended to our Union with Christ that we be United to the Church and then again so necessary to our Salvation to be United to Christ and then further so necessary to our Union with the Church to submit to those conditions that the Pastors shall appoint every new condition is a Bar to and a Clog upon our Salvation We must come up to the condition e're we can be United to the Church and we must be United to the Church e're we can be United to Christ and we must be United to Christ e're we can be saved That condition therefore how small soever it be in it self how indifferent soever in its own Nature is thereby made necessary to Salvation because indispensably required to that which is so Now I will not clamour and make a noise at this as an evil thing but yet methinks it does not look as if it had over much good Nature in 't for a Church to deal thus with the people The Church received a Religion from Christ at first that had no incumbrance upon it and that the Church should leave it deeplyer engaged than she found it I think is not very handsome if the Church found the door wide open why does shee set it on half-charrs when she could march in with a full body why should others be forced to crowd in and wedge themselves through a narrow wicket sidelings why should the Pastors bind heavy burdens on others fhoulders when Christ laid none upon theirs or why should they raise the Markets so high in the latter age when they had it so cheap in the primitive times It was a good plain saying of King Iames to the pragmatical Spalatensis when he would be new modelling affairs at Winsor Extraneus es Relinque res sicut eas invenisti Come Reader there 's no false Latine in 't had former Ages heard and taken the advice we could have been content with the Primitive light though we had wanted sumptuous Candlesticks the power of Religion had made amends for its plainnesse and golden Officers recompensed woodden chalices Thus far at our Authors invitation we have step't out of the way and are now ready to return with him into it The next thing considerable wherein he ingages is a description of the New nature whereof the Holy Ghost makes frequent mention as that from which all new Obedience must proceed This New Nature says he the Scripture represents under several Notions 1. By the subjection of our minds and Spirits to Christ. 2. By a participation of the same Nature which is the necessary effect of the subjection of our minds to him If a man would study to be cross all his days and resolve to trade in no figure but Hysteron Proteron he might hardly hope to equalize our Author in this discourse For 1. What subjection of mind and Spirit can be given to Christ without a new Nature from whence that Act of subjection should proceed the most inward Acts of Obedience are yet but Acts the most spiritual and refined workings of the soul are still but works and have alwayes for their root and principal a good and an honest a new and a renewed heart and Nature Thus we see 't is in Nature there must be a principle of motion before there can be natural motion all the rest is violent and against the hair And this order our Saviour has described in the most plain and familiar way to gratifie our understandings that they could desire Math. 12. 33. Either make the tree good and the fruit good or the evil and the fruit evil and Math. 7. 17. 18. Do men gather Grapes of thornes or Figs of Thistles Even so every good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit and a corrupt Tree brings forth evil fruit But our Authour has found out a way called Transmutation of species to make a Thorn become a Vine and to Transubstantiate a Thistle into a Figtree I know the Reader has a grudging of the old curiosity to see the experiment The operation therefore is this teach a Thistle to produce Figs for one seven years and you shall see it become as very a Fig-tree as any is in the world thus let the natural and unregenerate man perform multiplyed Acts of the best obedience he can and without any efficacious working of the Holy Ghost he shal acquire a new heart which I shall believe at the same time when I see a thousand Cyphers give themselves the significancy of one figure Our Blessed Saviour has long ago determined this to our hand John 3. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh Let the Egyptian Pollinctors practise upon it let them sweeten perfume and season it with the spicery of India and all the balm of Gilead it will be but flesh still all its operations carnal 2. It will be of good use in this matter to enquire wherein lay the Image of God in Adam what relation it had to his obedience and thence perhaps we may get some light what order the Image of God in us observes That it mainly consists in righteousness and true holinesse no man can doubt that reads the Apostles description Eph. 4. 24. but now it is evident that Adam did not procure this Image of God by repeated Acts of obedience it was not the result of many particular duties it was no acquired habit but it was concreated with him as a condition due and meet for a Creature made to such sublime and glorious ends as the enjoyment of his God and from this Nature this Image of God proceeded all that Obedience which he payed all that which God required and accepted And if this be so it 's evident that all who are renewed who are born again who are Created unto good works go through the same method So the Apostle Col. 3. 10. And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that Created him The order of Gods working is conformable to his promise we may be sure he will do both what and how he has promised Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart also will I give you
he was pleas'd to institute a great many Ceremonies and many of them of very obscure Signification iâ—… the Iewish Worship to aw their Childish Minds into a greater Veneration of his Majesty Now let the Reader substract A many out of A great many and the Remainder will inform him just How many of God's Institutions had Any light in them Had this Divinity faln into some mens fingers they would perhaps have made desperate work with it For 1. Some might say Nay then if God's own Ceremonies were invented to aw Childish Minds we can never hope for better from Humane Ceremonies but that they should fright the Churches Children out of their wits 2. Others would censure it as guilty of horrid Prophaneness to assign such a Reason for God's sacred Institutions as must imply That he was forced to go subtly to work with his people and to use the Artifice of Mormo's and Scarce-crows to fright them into Reverence as women terrifie their children with Robin with the Raw-head and Bloody-bones And 3. Some would not stick to say That surely some prying pate or other would have discovered the design and then instead of conciliating more Reverence it would certainly have exposed his Ordinances if not the Author of them to contempt But they who had seen Mount Sinai all on flame and smoak they who had heard the sound of that dreadful Trumpet who felt the Earth-quake without and a greater Heart-quake within at the presence of the Almighty God were convinced that God needed not to have recourse to those little slights of Ceremonies to aw their Childish Minds into a Veneration of his Majesty 4. Others expect when our Author should make God himself a Ceremony contrived to manage this bulky and unruly World with more ease For some it seems have got it by the the end that Primus in Orbe Deos fecit Timor 5. But all agree in this That this Doctrine argues our Authors gross ignorance in the true end of those Ceremonies All which had a fair and clear Prospect towards a Redeemer Col. 2. 17. They were a shadow of good things to come but the body was of Christ. But men may speak their pleasure our Author has determined against them That God's Institutions were to fright Children But now says he in these last days God sent his Son to make a plain easie and perfect Revelation of his Will to publish such a Religion as may approve it self to our Reason Well! whatever we have gained I am sure Religion has got no great mattâ—…r by the Bargain For then their Reason was to crowch to God's Religion though in an obscure Ceremony but now poor Religion must stoop to Reason must appear before the Tribunal of Reason and if it does not acquit it self well and give a Rational and Satisfactory account of its Tendries it must be bored through the Tongue with a red-â—…ot Iron for an Heretick And which is the worst on 't this Reason holds its Consistory in our Authors brain so that if he be but 〈◊〉 with a Rheumatism the droppings of his Nose must be imposed upon us for Twice distilled Reason Nor yet can I perceive wherein Religion does more approve it self to our Reason than formerly to theirs For 1. As to the Moral part of Religion that was as agreeable to Natural Light then as ' â—…is now Murder Adultery Stealing were equally condemned by the Sentiments of all Mankind in all Ages 2. For the Ceremonial part which depends upon the mere Authority and Sovereign pleasure of the Legislator they had as good Reason for their obedience as we can claim for ours There was as fair Reason pleadable for Circumcision as for Baptism for the Passover as the Supper the first Reason from which all instituted Worship springs being the Will and the last Reason into which all is resolved being the Glory of the Supreme Law-giver 3. The Perfection of Christ's Revelation above that of God to the Iews lies not in giving us a new Moral Law or adding any thing to it but in exhibiting Himself as the Substance of their Ceremonial Law who was revealed though less clearly revealed to them in Types and Figures And now Dr. Owen shall have a short truce and respite from Persecution whilst the storm falls upon Dr. Iacomb Some cavilling spirits have made a Qâ—…estion How the Air and Earth could afford sufficient Matter for Rain to make an Universal Deluge But I more wonder whence our Author could furnish himself with such a vast stock of sâ—…olding Materials and Utensils as might maintain such a constant Tenor of Fury and Rage against these men What Cistern or Receptacle is able to hold such a body of Rancor as may feed that stream which perpetually turns his Mill Some thought surely these Doctors had a great hand in burning the City or have rob'd the Temple at Delphos or however that of Tholouse But I relieved my self against that Suspicion by a seasonable Consideration That it 's not the custom to hear ill but for doing well And therefore my thoughts began to reel to the other side Whether possibly they had not club'd together to build or endow some Hospital or Colledg or had bought in all the Impropriations and laid them to the Church because it must be some glorious Work that could purchase our Author's Indignation and at no lower rates could they entitle themselves to his severe displeasure At last with much beating about I found that they had both zealously and strongly engaged against the Socinians for the Doctrine of the Church of England and then no Penance shall ever expiate their Guilt or procure an Indulgence for such Delinquenâ—…y But then the Difficulty recurred upon me Why he should slip his Hold of the one and fasten upon the other Yet I considered that Nature is much delighted with Variety And I have heard some that pretend to know something in those matters say That it 's not Policy to fight long with one Enemy for in a while they will understand our manner of fighting and become as good at our Weapon as our selves But now attend When we enquire says he what this Union between Christ and Believers is They answer It 's a Mystical Union through the Spirit and Faith And truly they answer pretty well For that it is a Mystical Union they produce the Apostle Paul for their Voucher Ephes. 5. 32. This is a great Mystery but I speak concerning Christ and his Church The Apostle is there discoursing of that intimous Oneness good Sir be not angry that is between the Husband and the Wife That the Wife is the Husbands own self vers 28. He that loveth his wife loveth himself Now covertly the Apostle with one and the same labour will shew us how mystical and intimous that Union is which is between Christ and his Church v. 29. No man ever hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord the Church For we are members of
God might have held us close and tyed us up to the Terms of the Old Covenant and righteously have exacted of us a Personal compleat Obedience to every jot and tittle of the Law as the Condition of Justification but though he has not abated of his Law yet he has admitted a Surety called therefore the Surety of the Covenant not only because he has undertaken for God but for us also for a Mediator is not of one Gal. 3. 19. And our receiving this abundance of Grace is not the Receiving of inherent Grace into us but our accepting by Faith this New Gospel-Law or Constitution of God with the whole Man closing with this gracious way of Justifying a Believer by Christ. But here our Author unhappily crosses me the way with one of his id est's That is says he Those who by the Gospel of Christ which is called Grace the abundant Grace of God are made Holy and Righteous To which I say as I have sometimes said That the Gospel as he describes it is not the Grace of God but a real Doctrine of Justification by Works blanch'd a little to make it vendible 2. The Gospel as it is a Revelation of Grace is not the whole of the Grace of God the Gospel reveals more Grace to be in God in Christ in the Holy Spirit for us than the Revelation of it There is an Operation of Grace upon us a Constitution of Grace with us as well as a Revelation of Grace to us but this he will grant us That Righteousness is called a Gift so far good But is it really a gift or onely called so as Christs is called a Redeemer called a High-Priest called a Sacrifice I doubt this will prove nothing but Phraseology at last He answers 1. Negatively It 's called a gift because it is not owing solely to Humane Endeavours Not solely But then it may be almost and very near altogether owing to Humane Endeavours The Grace of God may come in for a share though a poor pitiful share as he would not exclude the Righteousness of Christ wholly totally from having any concernment in our Iustification so out of his generosity he will not shut out Grace wholly from interposing in our Sanctification Haerebit in aliquâ saltem parte Well commend me to the memory of honest I. G. who though a high trotting Arminian would allow Free-grace ninety nine parts in the Conversion of a sinner provided always and upon Condition nevertheless that Free-will might have one in a hundred But what a Company of Rigid Bigots are these Calvinists that will not abate one ace not forgo a single Unite in a Hundred but they pretend they have no Commission to compound between Free-grace and Free-will and that God will not put his Right to arbitration and indeed it were hazardous for what sad terms had our Author made for the Rich effectual Grace of God had the determination been put into his hands Righteousness is not owing solely to Humane endeavours Natural strength free-will humane ability shall have ninety nine parts in the Dividend and Grace that deserves all must be content with one single lot and perhaps a smaller pittance And now what if this will not denominate it a gift just so much as you add to these Humane Endeavours you substract from free-grace and whether that little that very little concern that grace has in this work shall denominate it a Gift or that much that very much which Humane Endeavours have in it No gift must stand to the Courtesie of the Criticks and great Masters of Language 2. Affirmatively It is wrought in us says he by supernatural means by those powerful arguments and motives and Divine assistances which God in infinite Love hath afforded the World by Iesus Christ. I cannot express the transport of my mind at the first sound of these words supernatural means powerful arguments Divine assistances I began to suspect our Author was turn'd Calvinist as he suspected Dr. Owen was turned Arminian and with equal Reason for I presently found my Errour The word Grace has a Considerable Name and carries a good repute in the Scriptures and therefore our Author will behave himself as decently towards it as he can afford But what is the meaning of these supernatural means Why to speak liquidly Means of Supernatural Revelation at best but of no supernatural Operation Some arguments suggested which the light of Nature could not discover and some institutions which depend meerly on the will and pleasure of God for his powerful arguments and Divine assistances they are such Motives as being given by God externally are left to the self-determining power of that great Idol Free will For when all is done 't is the man who Converts himself but this and a great deal more will not satisfie the claim of effectual Grace in the Conversion of a Soul to God Who by the same power whereby Christ was raised from the dead works Faith in the Soul Eph. 1. 19 20. Who works in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. Who gives us the new Heart and causes us to walk in his Statutes Ezek. 36. 26. Who takes away the resistibility of the Soul the stony heart and Circumcises the Hearts of his People to Love the Lord their God with all their heart Deut. 30. 6. But with such Cantings did Pelagius cover his abominations talking of ineffable grace wonderful grace when all was but Revelation or Grace the Name suborned to destroy Free and effectual Grace the thing it self After all these windings and turnings our Author will give us a fair account How we may be said to bâ—… made Righteous by the Righteousness of Christ I hope it shall be an honest account as well as a fair one and then it 's welcome but whose hopes could have been so vain as to flatter him he should live to see an account and a fair account too given by our Author of such a Paradox But we attend Not that his Actual Obedience is reckoned as done by us which is impossible There 's the Negative And this seems to go a great way in the Account How we may be said to be made Righteous by anothers Righteousness Because it 's impossible we should be righteous by anothers righteousness But why is this so impossible There 's no more impossibility in it than that Adams Disobedience should be reckoned as mine which if it be not let men shift and evade with all their cunning they shall never be able to justifie Gods procedure with his Posterity in entailing evils many evils and Death it self upon them for Adams sake if they be not guilty of the Crime Suppose we had been in Adams place had committed his sin eaten the forbidden Fruit in his stead in our own Persons what had the penalty been in our Authors Judgment but evils a great many evils Death it self And what in the Apostles account but Iudgment unto Condemnation
Salvation in the House of his Servant David as he spake by the mouth of his Holy Prophets which have been since the world began ver 72. To perform the Mercy promised to our Fathers and to remember his holy Covenant the Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham where the firm Oath and Covenant of God to Redeem his People is assigned as the Reason of his giving Christ to be a Redeemer The places are too many to be insisted on that confirm this Truth Iohn 3. 16. 1 Iohn 4. 9 10. 2. Sect. Free grace is given as the true Reason of the Covenant of Grace Heb. 8. 8. For finding fault with them he saith behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel c. They were a faulty an undeserving an ill-deserving People yet Free grace will make a Covenant with them Nor is there any opposition between Free-grace and Christs Merits in this Case if we consider that Free-grace is the Original Reason of Gods designation and purpose to bestow the good things of the Covenant and the Righteousness of Christs Life and the Sacrifice of his Death the way of recovering these Mercies which by sin had been forfeited and lost 3. Sect. The Scriptures give us no intimation that Christ is the Foundation of Gods making this Covenant or the Original Reason of Gods design to bestow the Mercies of the Covenant though it abounds with Testimonies that Christ is the way of procuring for us and conveying to us these intended mercies and in those things which depend upon mere good pleasure Revelation must be our onely guide In this case we may conclude Negatively Non credimus quia non legimus And we may shrewdly conjecture that there is no pretence from Scripture for this Figment of our Authors because it 's the Foundation of all his mistakes and yet he has not so much as attempted the perverting of one Scripture to give colour to it which may be reckoned amongst the Admiranda Nili 2. His other Assertion is this Our own Righteousness is the condition of the Covenant which with his former Assertion is obtruded upon us without proof and therefore I suppose he intends they must both be maintained at the Charges of the Parish Now 1 It is agreed for ought I know that an inherent righteousness is a necessary condition of eternal Salvation Heb. 12. 14. Without Holiness no man shall see God It is a Condition in the Covenant though not of the Covenant such a Condition as is due to every Person in a Covenant-state it doth necessarily attend that state though it be not allowed as antecedent to a Covenant-state 2. As to the Constitution of the Covenant in Gods purpose and Counsel I know no condition at all They that talk of the right use of free-will future Faith or good works fore-seen as the Reason of that purpose talk without book and onely intimate what a rare Covenant they would have made for us had they had the modelling and Contrivance of it like him that boasted that if he had stood by God when he formed Man he could have told him how to have made him more commodiously Rom. 9. 11. The Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil Where those words neither having done any good or evil must necessarily exclude all respect to the future good or evil they should do as the Reason of the purpose of God according to Election because it 's evident by the form of speech That they deny something more concerning the Children than the former words being not yet born and yet even they exclude Having done good or evil Actually 3. The Question then is whether An inherent Righteousness be the Condition required of us and in us antecedent to our first Covenant-state And I durst leave this Matter to be determined by the Church of England if our Author would do so too Art 17. Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the Foundation of the World was laid he hath constantly decreed by his Counsel secret to us to deliver from Curse and Damnation those whom he hath chosen out of Mankind in Christ and to bring them by Christ to everlasting Salvation whence we are taught 1. That Election is not of all Mankind but of some out of Mankind 2. That this purpose of God was from everlasting 3. That it is a fixed constant decree 4. That the Design of it is to deliver those chosen out of Mankind from the curse under which Mankind was fallen and to bring them to everlasting Salvation 5. That the Reason of this eternal Election was his own counsel 6. That the Execution of this Decree is in and by Iesus Christ and the manner of it follows Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a benefit be called according to the purpose of God working in due season by his Spirit They through Grace obey the calling they be justified freely they be made the Sons of God by Adoption they be made like the Image of his onely begotten Son they walk Religiously in good works and at length by Gods mercy they attain everlasting felicity Whence we are Instructed 1. That the calling of the Elect to a Covenant-state is from Grace as the reason and by Grace as it's efficient 2. Their obeying that call of God is by Grace 3. Good works necessarily follow effectual calling See also Art 10. 12 13. 4. Religious walking with God in good works is a necessary condition of eternal Felicity 5. That there is such a firm connexion in this golden chain of Salvation that no one linck can possibly be broken They are Elected freely called effectually justified freely Adopted graciously Sanctified gradually walk Religiously and at length by the mercy of God are saved eternally which the Apostle gives us more concisely Rom. 8. 30. Moreover whom he did Predestinate them he a so called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also Glorified I conclude then that our own righteousness is not the condition of the Covenant of Grace neither of the designment of the Father nor the procurement of the Son nor of the effectual Operation of the Holy Spirit nor of our Covenant-state nor of our Covenant-right nor of the first Covenant-mercy but of many after-mercies and of Eternal Salvation it is the condition 1. Sect. That is not the Condition of the Covenant required of us on our part which God promises to work in us on His part but God has promised to work in us Inherent-righteousness both Root and Fruit Ezek. 36. 26 27. A new Heart also will I give you and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Iudgments and do them 2. Sect. That which God in Covenant bestows cannot be the Condition of a Covenant-state but God in Covenant bestows the new Heart for