Good Life this very thing argues a particular respect otherwise God might have made them fetch the Rules of Good Life from others He might have made them the Borrowers and others the Lenders some respect above others God then had undoubtedly for them 2. Upon what account had God this particular respect for them And here we agree with our Author in the Negative It was not out of partial Fondness We would deliver him from that fear that he may sleep the better and that for these Reasons 1. Partiallity and Fondness are words of a harsh sound they grate upon our Ears with such unpleasingness that they can be no ways ascribed to the Glorious God For God stands not in that Place or Relation to his Creatures that he can be Partial In matters of mere Grace and Favour due to neither and therefore without Injustice may be denied to either or both as we please Partiality has no place If two Persons be equally worthy I may give that to one which I will not to the other In two Persons justly condemned the pardoning of the one is no Impeachment of Royal Justice though the other suffer under his Sentence If God gave any thing more to the Iew than the Gentile The former could not boast it was Grace the latter could not murmur they had no wrong If God denied the Gentiles his Gospel He was not their Debtor they owed him more for their Beings than they could ever pay and it might have been expected they should have cleared their old Obligations before they desired to be Trusted for more and run into new Arrears 2. Then it was upon a most glorious Project that he might secure to the World the Promised Seed and have him forth-coming in the fulness of time Hence is it that when that People seem'd to be at the brink of final Ruine to be swallowed up of Destruction Gods great Cordial was the Reminding them of this That the Messiah was not yet come but he must assuredly come and therefore no possibility of Internecion and utter Extirpation of that Nation Root and Branch to which Design of God had they attended by Faith they had Lived more above slavish fears than they did Isa. 7. 1 2. VVhen Rezin King of Syria and Pekah King of Israel were in Confederacy against Iudah the News discomposed them The Heart of Ahaz was moved as the Trees of the Wood are moved with the Wind and what way Does the Lord take to calm his Tumultnating Spirit ver 14. A Virgin shall Conceive and Bear a Son and shall call his Name Immanuel VVhy but may not we be all Dead and Rotten by that time No if Christ must come of the Tribe of Iudah of the Family of David That Tribe that Family cannot perish till they have served Gods Design and Glorious Ends in handing down a Messiah and then they shall be thrown into the Common Box and retreat to the Gross of the World under the ordinary Care of Gods general Providence Till then they might say with Him Fear not Caesarem vehis fortunam Caesaris Christ and the Concerns of Christ are all Ventured in this Bottome But our Author I perceive does by no means like this Reason But The Design of all was to Encourage the whole World to Worship the God of Israel This was a Design indeed but not the only Design He himself assures us of that p. 28. It was one great and principal Design And then we must not strain things too far for fear they break Our Author must have it Encouraging the whole World or Nothing every Nation upon the face of the Earth But I doubt the sound of the Jewish Deliverances did not reach the whole Creation and Habitable World we see Sounds grow faint and languish by degrees and at last Expire It 's evident that the Gentiles had Inoculated what they heard of the Iews great Salvations into their own Stock and all was involved in Fables and Superstitions VVhat they heard of Moses and Mount Sinai some turn'd into their Bacchus and his Mount Nysa Sampson was grown Hercules and Noah became Deucalion so that Converts to God upon the account of the Fame of these things were very rare one Naaman in an Age or so perhaps an Urijaâ—… or a few more Totidem tibi sunt Numero quot Thebarum Portae vel divitis Ostia Nili VVhat then our Author Quotes Psal. 98. 2. for I cannot tell unless to prove that Jesus Christ should come into the VVorld to the unspeakable Rejoycing and Reviving of the rational Creature Of which this Psalm is a plain Prophesie And so is Psal. 102. 15. The Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy Glory And his Practice upon the place is Visible turning shall into might which needs no trouble to discover The 96. Psal. 4 5. shews the Excellency of Jacobs God above all the Idols of the Heathen and all within the Call of this Psalm are Invited to come to Joyn themselves to Gods People and Church ver 8. Bring an Offering and come into his Courts and both this Psalm and the 98th very evidently have their Completion in the Saviour of the VVorld both concluding thus For he cometh for he cometh to Judge the Earth Verified in Him whose Title was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and who affirms of Himself John 9.39 For Judgment am I come into the World But let us hear more As God set up the People of Israel as a visible Demonstration to all the VVorld of his Power and Providence so he committed his Laws and Oracles to them from whence the rest of the VVorld when they pleas d might fetch the best Rules of Life and the most certain Notices of the Divine VVill. Fair and softly 1. These other Nations are supposed by our Author to have had already good Rules of Life though not the very best and certain Notices of the Divine Will though not the most certain He tells us p. 29. God instructed them by the Light of Nature and then Quid quaeram foris cum domi habeam No need to look out if they had sufficient at Home they might save Shooe-leather and spare their pains 2. But what if these best Rules of Life were not so easily fetcht as he imagines It was a huge way for men to Travel from the Remotest parts of the Habitable world to Traverse from the Tropicks and beyond to Ierusalem and when they came there had no assurance they should not come of a Sleeveless Errand and lose their Labour or at best have nothing but their Labour for their Pains For I do not find that they were under any Command of God to deliver a Copy of the Law to every one that would Whistle for it or hold up the finger It Border'd pretty near upon Christs Time e're the Pentateuch was Translated into Greek by the Septuagint and Ptolomy with all his Interest had enough to do to make
about the Necessity of Good Works For says he when they are pressed with those Scriptures that urge the Necessity of Good Works What do they then Nay that he could not tell but carries on a suspended Sence for almost two whole Pages and in the end leaves it unintelligible Nonsence But however let us hear those Texts that are so pressing for Good works and a holy Life Why VVithout Holiness no Man shall see God The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all Unrighteousness and Ungodliness of Men. Truly these Scriptures do press upon our Consciences and Practices but not upon our Principles Well then there are others that assert Our Acceptation with God depends upon a Holy and Vertuous life I promise you that presses indeed But it does not press me Our Acceptation with God depends upon a Holy life as the Qualification but it depends upon Christ for Procurement But the places are Acts 10. 35. God is no Respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him Well let us examine whom this Text does press most The Apostle Peter in that excellent Discourse ver 43. tells us To him Christ give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth in Him should receive Remission of sins Whatsoever of acceptation with God then they that fear God and work Righteousness do obtain still it 's through the Name of Christ. The Text then presses not us he must call for more weight if he designs to Press us to Death But as I remember pag. 44. our Author with much Confidence would bear us down that the Iews who knew nothing at all of Christ yet undeâ—…stood God to be a Sin-pardoning God And yet the Apostle assures us 1. That all the Prophets gave witness to Christ. 2. That their Testimony was this That they were to expect Remission of sins through the Name of Christ. 3. That the Means of acquiring the Remission of sins through Christ was by believing in Him And now let him ask his own Shoulders whether this Text does not press him But there is another Scripture that will break their bones Mat. 5. 20. Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And what was their Righteousness Why he tells us They were a company of Immoral Hypocrites who placed all their Righteousness in observing the Ceremonies of the Law without the purity of their Hearts and Lives Well and we think a Man may Travel a great many Leagues beyond such Debauches and never come near the Kingdom of Heaven Let them then Groan under the weight of it who place their Religion in Ceremony and prophane Drollery it presses not them who professing Faith in our Lord Iesus Christ and Repentance from Dead works subject themselves to his Gospel Well but there is one more that will Grind them to Powder ver 19. He that breaks the least of these Commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven And this will certainly press them who Renouncing their part in the Satisfaction given to God by Christ trust to their own Imperfect repentance wherein there are so many Flaws as will amount to the breach of some Commandment and then our Author has quite shut them out of the Kingdom of Heaven To conclude this Section our Author has one round Fling at Doctor Owen and it is ex Officio no doubt I suppose he may hold some fair Estate by this Tenure That he Persecute the Doctor with Fire and Faggot as far as a pair of Shooes of a great price will carry him The Question is What necessity there is of Obedience The Doctor had said That Universal Obedience and good Works are Indispensibly necessary to Salvation by the sovereign appointment and Will of God To this our Author answers This is not one syllable to the purpose Why then It 's the end of the Fathers electing Love That 's not one syllable to the purpose It 's the end of the Sons redeeming Love That 's not one syllable to the purpose It 's the end of the Spirits sanctifying Love That 's not one syllable to the purpose Well but it 's necessary to the Glory of the Father Son and Holy Ghost That 's not one syllable to the purpose neither If neither the Sovereignty of God over us the Love of God to us nor the Glorifying of God by Us be to the purpose of Obedience let our Author speak to the purpose So he will God hath commanded Obedience but where 's the Sanction of the Law Will he Damn all that will not Obey for their Disobedience Where 's the Sanction of the Law I am sure that Question is very little to the purpose It 's the Command it self that makes a Duty that creates a necessity The Authority of the Law-giver lays the Obligation upon the Subject It 's our Interest to Obey upon the account of the Sanction but it 's our duty to Obey upon the Command it self But not to hold him in suspense God will Damn all those that will not Obey for their Disobedience Our Author has now quite run himself a Ground and is Pumpt dry of his Drollery and therefore turns Catechist and Persecutes us with Impertinent Queries I have heard some say that an Ideot may tye more Knots in an Hour than a Wise-man can untye in a day But however though we might plead it's Coram non Iudice yet for once let him suppose himself in his Desk and his poor Catechumens humbly waiting upon his Foot-stool Quest. Will God Damn those who do not Obey for their disobedience Answ. Yes and it please you Sir Qu. But will he save and reward those who do Obey for their Obedience An. He will reward their Obedience but not save them for their Obedience Qu. But will the Father Elect none but those that are Holy An. Yes and it like your good Learning he Elects them that they may be Holy but not because they are Holy Ephes. 1. 4. Ephes. 2. 10. Qu. But wil the Son Redeem none but those that are holy An. Yes indeed Sir a great many for a Redeemer supposes them to be sinners and Captives under sin Qu. But will he reject and Reprobate all that are not Holy An. God has not Reprobated all that were or are not holy for then he had Reprobated all the World but he will reject all that continue unholy to the Death Qu. But tell me Doth this Election and Redemption suppose Holiness in us or is it without any regard to it An. Neither the one nor the other It 's Fallacia plurium Interrogationum They neither presuppose Holiness in us nor are they without all regard to Holiness it is a necessary Effect but not a Cause of Election and Redemption Qu. Dost thou stand chopping Logick with thy Betters If we be Elected and Redeemed without regard
Father of the faithful if Abraham's Faith and theirs differ toto Genere Those things that differ in their special Nature may yet agree in their common Nature but those things that are of divers kinds wherein shall they agree But all this is but a scandal thrown upon the Apostle who proves from Abraham's way of being justified the way of Christians being justified Rom. 4. As Abraham was justified without Works so are we Vers. 2. As Abraham had a Righteâ—…sness imputed to him even so have we Vers. 11. That Righteousness might be imputed to them also As Abraham's Righteousness was a Righteousness of Faith even so is ours Vers. 11. A Seal of the Righteousness of Faith As Abraham was justified by free Grace so are we V. 5. To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly Thus was his Righteousness the patern of ours his Faith the patern of ours And is it not a strange Copy that differs in kind from its Idaea That 's a huge way off from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if you should propound a House for your patern and draw a Horse to sample it Once more look into Gal. 3. 8. The Scripture fore-seeing that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preach'd before the Gospel to Abraham Now if Abraham had not our Faith what needed he to have our Gospel The end of preaching the Gospel is to beget Faith and it was an equivocal Generation if it begat a Faith of one kind in Abraham another in Christians What needed this circumspect Caution of Providence that Abraham should have the glad tidings of the Gospel preach'd to him which made him rejoyce and be glad if a Faith of a lower size would serve his turn for Justification Again vers 13. That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Iesus Christ. If we have his blessing surely he had our Faith Or could Abraham get the blessing without Christ but Christians no other way but in Christ But thus has our Author vindicated the Apostles Reasonings as if he had secretly design'd as he openly professes of the Wriings of others to expose them to contempt It may be now seasonable to examine his Definition of a Gospel-Faith viz. Such a stedfast belief of all those Revelations which Christ hath made to the World as governs our lives and actions If this be to define put but a company of Letters in a bag shuffle them well together then shake them out and they will tumble into as good a Definition as this comes to But thus did Atoms by dancing in Infinite and Eternal Spaces justle one another so long till at last they produced this beautiful Fabrick of Heaven and Earth I except against it 1. Because the whole Priestly Office of Christ is excluded by it Propitiation Atonement Expiation of sin are shut quite out of all consideration and the Death and Sufferings of Christ of no regard unless perhaps they may come in by way of Motive to believe his Doctrine as a Prophet And if this be his Faith I must profess I would not venture my Salvation in his Church for the hopes of all the good or fear of all the evil this World can either flatter or affright me with however I beg Grace from God that I may not He that has but half a Christ had as good have no Christ and he that takes him not wholly into the Definition of his Faith may as safely leave him wholly out As half a heart in God's account is no heart so half a Saviour in Faith's esteem is no Saviour 2. I except against it because it may be found in Hypocrites They may so far believe the Revelations of Christ as to govern their lives and actions and yet their hearts never be purified by that Faith 3. It pretends to define Faith and yet gives us no Genus of it Faith is such a Belief as governs our lives and actions that is Faith is Faith that governs our lives and actions But the Question is What is that Faith that will so govern our lives and actions For it describes not any direct influence of Faith upon our Iustification but our obedience And whereas he pretends to assign some differences that may distinguish it from all other Faith true or false yet in plain terms they do nothing less 1. It 's a belief of those Revelations Christ has made to the World Now unless he can prove that those Revelations which Christ has made to the World are essentially distinct from those which God before made to the World their being revealed by Christ makes no essential difference For Christ came in his Fathers name under the New-Testament and the Spirit came in Christs name under the Old-Testament All Christ's Revelations in order to the governing our lives and actions may be reduced either to Precepts or Promises Now though some have been tampering at it I cannot find that Christ revealed either a new Moral Law or added any thing to the old Self-denial Taking up the Cross Praying for our Persecutors c. were Old-Testament duties though not met with in New-Testament phrase As a Rule of obedience Christ medled not with it all he did was to vindicate it from the corrupt Glosses the Scribes and Pharisees had put upon it As to Promises Christ has revealed no other Heaven no other Glory no other Salvation only he has cleared up these given us more light into them poured out more Grace that we might live more in fellowship with God and hopes of Glory But this and much more will make no essential difference in the Revelation 2. It 's such a Belief as governs our lives and actions But such a Belief was Enoch's Abel's Noah's Abraham s their 's govern'd their lives and actions too and somewhat more their Hearts and Consciences This therefore will make no essential difference 4. I except against it that it mentions not God as the proper Object of Faith For though Christ who is God be in the Definition yet not as God there 's nothing supposes him to be so no employment that necessarily requires it should be so assigned to him only he is allowed Revelation-work which a meer man instructed with God's Commission might have done And now once again he will reassume his Argument If by the Righteousness of Faith you understand the Righteousness of Christ apprehended by Faith and imputed to us you utterly destroy the Apostle's Argument for our Iustification by Faith for Abraham and all the good men of old were not justified by such a Faith as this is They never heard of Christ's Righteousness imputed to us c. Now how does it follow that because Abraham was justified by such noble and generous Acts of Faith therefore we shall be justified by Christ's Righteousness imputed But whoever overthrows the Apostle's Argument I have some things that will overthrow and utterly overthrow our Author's 1. That he begs and most shamefully begs the
his Death His Death confirmed his Doctrine His Doctrine was he that believes and obeys shall be justified and saved Hereupon we believe it to be true and in process of time come to obey it our obedience justifies us and therefore the Blood of Christ may be said to justifie us And whereas Iudas his Covetousness the Jews Herod's Cruelty Pilates Flattery had a direct tendency to the Death of Christ why we may not be properly said to be justified by them also at this rate I profess I cannot apprehend Religion is fallen into most cruel and unmerciful hands in this latter Age who to give a â—…aint colour to any little sorry fancies of their own care not to interpret Scripture in such ways as shall certainly open a dore to elude the plainest Truths God is said to have made the World Now if any has a mind to eternize his Name which without some rare discovery cannot be let him take our Author's Course and he is secure of a Monument That is indeed a Scripture phrase but if you examine it throughly it signifies no more than that God made a company of Atoms and put them in Motion and then let them alone they will dance you so long in infinite spaces till they jostle themselves into that form wherein you see things at this day And thus here 's a fair Account how God may be said to have made the World because he made that which made the World and the Cause of the Cause you know may be said to be a Grand-Father-Cause of the thing Caused But this is infinitely beyond what our Author will allow the Blood of Christ of Causality in our justification for it 's only a Confirming Cause of the Promise and that in Commission with other things and they have a greater stroke in the business than it self then when we come to believe that Promise and that belief proves strong enough to perswade us into Obedience then we are justified for the sake of that Obedience But 5. The Consideration of the Text it self Rom. 5. 9. is enough to discredit this idle conceit for ever for Christ is said to dye for us and in order to our justification in the same sence that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of old 〈◊〉 who laid down Life for Life Blood for Blood Body for Body v. 6. Christ dyed for the â—…ngodly v. 7. For scarcely for a righteous Man will one dye yet peradventure for a good Man some one would even dare to dye v. 8. But God commendeth his love to us that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us v. 9. Much more then being now justified by his Blood c. 2. Christ says he is called a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood that is by a belief of the Gospel Covenant Rom. 3. 25. But how short this comes of the Apostle's design is obvious from the place Christ is set forth by God to be a propitiation through faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believes in Iesus But is God ever the more declared to be a just God demonstrated to be a Righteous God because Christ has confirmed his Doctrine and we believe and obey it The obedience of most men is so imperfect that when they have done all they will need mercy and that will declare one of God's attributes But what provision is here made that God may be declared Righteous and Iust All that he has assigned to the Blood of Christ turns not away the least of God's displeasure against sin or the sinner Christ dyed to confirm the Doctriâ—…e Well but still God is displeased with sinners for what Reason is there why God should be less displeased with them because Christ dyed to confirm his Doctrine Well but hereupon Man believes this Doctrine to be true but yet God's Anger is never the more turned away from the sinner because he believes what God says is true For what Reason is there why God should be less displeased with him who believes the Truth and yet will not obey his Commands So that neither the Blood of Christ nor Faith neither do reconcile God to us or propitiate him for us well at last Man gives obedience to the Commands and then God is propitiated and reconciled So that the true Scripture should have been had our Author had the pâ—…nning of it God hath set forth Man to be his own propitiation through his own obedience And why might it not have been said that God set forth the Martyrs to be a propitiation through Faith in their Blood For they willingly and chearfully shed their dearest Blood to confirm the Truth of the Gospel and upon their Confirmation of it some have believed it and upon their believing it have obeyed it and then by that obedience are reconciled to God And thus may Paul be said to have dyed for our sins and Peter to have been Crucified for us and both of them to have been set forth by God to be a propitiation through Faith in their Blood Nor let any say that the Death of the Martyrs was not so strong a confirmation of the Gospel as the Death of Christ For if we believe the Truth and obey it upon more infirm Evidence yet if that evidence produce a strong Faith and that a vigorous obedience such an obedience will not find less acceptance with God because it was begotten by weaker Motives 3 The Scripture says he uses these Phrases promiscuously to be justified by Faith and to be justified by the Faith of Christ and to be justified by Christ and to be justified through Faith in his Blood and to be justified and saved by Grace Nay by believing that Christ is the Son of God John 20. 31. And that God raised him up from the dead When our Author has a design upon any great Truth of the Gospel then the clearest expressions the wisdom of God's Spirit shall use are Phrases allusive figurative metaphorical tropical forms of Speech But the Scripture uses not these expressions promiscuously only our Author confounds them craftily Each of them have indeed something in common with the rest and no wonder all the Offices the Active and Passive Obedience of Christ the whole work of the Spirit the actings of Faith and every saving-Grace meet in this one great Project the glorifying of God the Electing love of the Father the Redeeming Love of the Son and the Sanctifying love of the Holy Spirit in the Iustification and Salvation of a Believer But yet each of these expressions carries in it something peculiar to it self for the Scripture abhors to speak at his dull and cloudy rate who by diversifying one and the same thing in twenty several shapes can vend it for so many several things when 't is but the same notion disguised in a new-fashioned expression One denotes the interest of Faith another speaks the concern of him who is Iehovah
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
his Prophetical Office subtract offering himself a Sacrifice from his Sacerdotal Office and then Governing the Church raising the Dead and judging the World c. from his Regal Office and when you have done compute the clear Remainder and I suppose at the foot of the Account you will have three great Cyphers without one poor figure to give them the least significancy or value I know he will say He does but onely place them upon other Bottomes and so long as we find them what 's matter where they are found But then say I they will have but a praecarious station in any other place and he that removes them from their proper and true grounds can with a wet finger jostle them from that false Basis whereon out of meer good Nature he had for a season set them But to come closer home to our Author There are two small faults I charge this Discourse with Confusion and Falshood First Here 's a great deal of Confusion As your old dull Philosophers use to tell us that Cold did congregare Heterogenea Unite things that were of differing Names and Natures so has our Author glazed over his discourse with Ice which has so united things of various Natures that its hard to find sure footing in his Expressions Christ pardons sin upon one Account governs his Church and raises the Dead upon another The former he does by his Sacrifice the other by his almighty power And yet some of these things in one respect belong to one Office of Christ and some of them to another he purchases Grace as a Priest he dispenses and gives forth that Grace as a King he offers Sacrifice for sin as our High-priest yet he applyes the pardon of sin to us as a King But Secondly I find as much Falshood as Confusion in these Expressions and that 1. In denying that these are truely appropriated to Christs kingly Office For if Governing the Church raising the Dead Iudging the World do not speak a king never talk more of a Kingly Office in Christ but make that Metaphorical too as you make the rest and so the Tree is cut up by the roots 2. In that these are assigned only as the Reward of his Death and Suf ferings For we find Christ invested with an Authority to execute and actually executing these Powers before his Death saving in one or two particulars where the Nature of the Thing did exclude the perfect and compleat exercise of them at that time It may be worth the while to run over the particulars 1 For governing the Church he gave Laws to it set up new Institutions of Worship for it Baptism and the Lords Supper to continue to the end of the World sent out his Apostles to preach the Gospel and we have good and sufficient warrant for it under our Authors own hand just on the other side of the Leaf That his preaching the Gospel was the exercise of his Regal Power and Authority in publishing his Laws 2 For sending his Spirit that is in an extraordinary way pouring out the gifts of Miracles 't is true the full and abundant effusion of these Gifts was reserved for the day when the Son of Man should be glorified Yet it is clear beyond Contradiction that Christ had the Power and delegated the Power too before his death The Gift of speaking with Tongues there was no need of and Christ never used to bestow extraordinary Gifts without an extraordinary and pressing Reason The Apostles were sent to their own Countrey-men and could dispatch their Errand and deliver their Message in their Vernacular and Mother-tongue Math. 10. 5. Goe ye not into the way of the Gentiles and into any of the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not but goe rather to the lost Sheep of the house of Israel But as to other miraculous Operations of the Holy Spirit he had Authority to make it over to others v. 8. Heal the sick cleanse the Lepers raise the Dead cast out Devils Nay the Seventy Disciples had an extraordinary power in their Commission as it appears Luke 10. 17. And the Seventy returned again with joy saying Even the Devils are subject to us through thy Name That is We produced thy warrant and authority and the very Devils could not resist it 3 As to forgiveness of sins there needs no other proof that Christ had the power than that he exercis'd it Matth. 9. 2. Son be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee I know there are some who will allow Christ a Power to forgive sins even here on Earth but then it 's such an odde kind of Forgiveness as never was heard of Volkel lib. 3. de verâ Relig. cap. 21. Non diffitemur quidem eum viz. Christum cùm in terris degerit divinissimâ potentiâ praeditum fuisse quam ipse peccatorum in terrâ condonandorum id est terrena ab hominibus supplicia propulsandi potestatem appellat We deny not that Christ even when he was upon Earth had a most divine power which he calls a Power to forgive sins that is to drive away from men temporal and bodily punishments A very liberal concession truly to cure a Fever or an Ague must be pardon of sin when these mens Necessities require it should be so 4 That Christ did dispense Grace and supernatural assistances at any time we are glad to hear owned and as sorry that they vanish again into smoke and nothing when our Author is out of the good Mood but let them signifie what he will for once he dispensed them before his death he conquered Errour and Ignorance destroy'd the Kingdom of darkness by the brightness of his Appearing erected a Throne in the Hearts and Consciences of men by the power and evidence of Truth And I suppose he will allow Christ to do no more now he is risen from the dead 5 That Christ raised the Dead needs no other Confirmation than to call over the Instances of Lazarus the Widows Son of Naim the daughter of Iairus but whether he did it with or without Authority I list not to dispute till I hear the Gentleman endeavour to disprove it 6 That he answer'd Prayers will need no proof I think it would puzzle the most froward Caviller to instance in one Case where-ever he denyed Mercy to any that with Faith or Importunity craved it for themselves or others 7 That the power to judge the World was committed to him we have his own words Ioh. 5. 27. The Father hath given him authority to execute judgement because he is the Son of Man And the ground of this Power entrusted with him is not assigned because he had merited it by his death and sufferings but because he was the Son of Man And though it be true that the General Judgement be yet to come yet Christ was furnisht with ample Power to execute it whenever it should come Say the same of his bestowing immortal Life on all his Disciples Now concerning all
these it is acknowledged once for all that though he had the Original and Radical Power the plenary Commission to put in Execution all these matters during the state of his Humiliation and in some pregnant particulars did accordingly exert and put forth that Authority yet the way and manner the degree and measure of his Acting therein was in much wisdom suited to that dispensation wherein he was to appear in the form of a Servant The more illustrious august and solemn exercising thereof being reserved for the State of Exaltation when he should Appear like himself cast off the Cloud which had eclipsed the rayes of his Deity and sit down on the right hand of the Majesty on high But 3ly I must repeat my charge of Falshood against his Doctrine in that he sayes All this is called his Intercession p. 6. That Government of the Church Raising the Dead Judging the world c. should be called Christs Intercession looks as like Non-sence as ever I saw any thing in my life For Intercession has God for its Object as Intercessor he deals with his Father though on the behalf of Men 1 Ioh. 2. 1. We have an Advocate with the Father and he is the propitiation for our sins I should wonder to hear that an Advocates Office should be to plead with his Clyent and not with and before the Iudge on the behalf of his Clyent but because Intercession is the other great Branch of the Sacerdotal Office and some are deeply concerned that he should not offer up a Proper sacrifice to God they judge it Reason that one part of the same Office should not fare better than the other The High-Priest under the Law when he had offered Sacrifice upon the Altar upon the Feast of Expiation he goes into the Holy place with the blood carrying on his Breast and on his shoulders the Names of the twelve Tribes to signifie that he went in to intercede with God for the whole Church what He did typically Christ has done really Hebr. 9. 12. for when he had obtained eternal Redemption for us by his blood he goes to Heaven there to Appear before his Father and our Father his God and our God on our behalf and this is indeed called his Intercession the benefits we have thereby comprize some or all of those things before mention'd but I think it 's reasonable to distinguish between a thing and its proper effects and fruits but these are nothing but the Socinian Coleworts twenty times â—…oyled till they are rank poyson So Volkel lib. 3. de verâ Relig. p. 148. Primò illud occurrit quod seipsum pro nobis in Coelo offert vel quod idem reipsa est pro nobis coram Deo astaâ—… seu apparet atque interpellat quae omnia verba ad Christi Regnum translata sunt per similitudinem ab illorum Pontificum Officio ductam quod erat omnia modò enumerata in terrestri illo Sanctuario propriè verèque perficere This we take notice of in the first place that Christ offers himself for us in Heaven which is all one stands or appears and intercedes for us before God all which words are applyed to the kingdom of Christ by a Metaphor taken from the Office of those High-priests which was properly and really to perform the things fore-mentioned in that Earthly Sanctuary So that now according to this mans Sentiments the typical umbratile Priests under the Law did that really and properly which Christ the onely True and proper High-priest performs but in a shadow And I do the more wonder at the Confidence of the Man who could to this purpose quote Hebr. 7. which Chapter plainly sets Christ's ever living to make Intercession for us upon this bottome that he hath an unchangeable Priesthood But p. 149. he comes close up to our Authors apprehensions Itaque consequens est Interpellationem nequaquam propriè sed per translationem quandam Christo tribui nihilque reverà aliud ejusmodi loquendi formis significari quam Christum divinitùs sibi concessâ potentiâ omnia quae ad salutis nostrae Rationem pertinent summo studio perficere Hence it followes that Intercession is not at all properly but by Allusion ascribed to Christ and that nothing else is signified by those forms of speech but that Christ by a Power granted him from God doth very earnestly perform all things that belong to the Business of our Salvation And how sweetly does our Author syncretise with him Government of the Church sending the Spirit are called his Intercession And his Reason is as pretty as his Doctrine because like the Intercession of the High priest under the Law it 's founded on his Expiation and Sacrifice The strength of this Argument if it has any will be easily seen If Christs Intercession be founded on his Expiation then his Governing the Church is called his Intercession But the former is as true as what 's most so Ergo the latter is True also The Assumption is but a meer Presumption one part of Christ's Priesthood is not founded upon another but both are equally founded in his Unction and that Authority which he received from his Father but it 's the Consequence of the former Proposition which I would see a little more clear for methinks they hang untowardly together Suppose Christs Intercession were founded upon his Sacrifice for what I can discover his governing the Church sending his Spirit raising the dead may be Acts of his Kingly Power as they have alwayes been Let this whole matter be layd even with the type Aaron did not only offer Sacrifice to God upon his Altar but he went into the most holy plâ—…ce to make intercession for the people Was his Intercession founded on his Oblation or both his Power to Offer and Intercercede grounded upon his Office that he was High-priest Intercession then signifies not the Administration of a Mediatory Kingdome which has Men for its immediate and proper Object but the Administration of an everlasting Priesthood which has God for its Object though managed on the behalf of Men so it has signified this sixteen hundred years and so it is like to doe till we see stronger Engines to unfix the Notion of it Hitherto of the Nature of Christs Offices which he sayes is a true Account of his Mediatory kingdome but I say it 's the most false absurd and Idle account that ever was given by any but our Author and his partizans of the Socinian misbelief and is neither reconcileable with the Truth nor with it self one instance whereof we have in this last Paragraph That sayes he to which we commonly appropriate the Name of Regal power is his Intercession Commonly indeed but not truely so called and yet in the close he tells you that Intercession signifies the Administration of a Kingdom which how it should doe and not pertain to his kingly Office I cannot make out And now from the Nature of Christs Kingdome he proceeds to the
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
1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined not to know any thing amongst you save Iesus Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even him Crucified The Person of Christ under that consideration as Crucified and the Reasons are as Cogent as the thing is clear For 1. In the Knowledge of Christ that very Christ whom the Father sent into the World consists Eternal Life This is Life Eternal to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent 2. VVe are Commanded to love this Iesus another great fault our Author finds with these Men but how to love him and not to be acquainted with him may be reckoned amongst the Impossibilities 1 Pet. 1. 7. At the appearing of Iesus Christ whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with Ioy unspeakable and full of Gloâ—…y The Apostle commends their love to and faith in an unseen Saviour whence it 's easie to conclude that it was the Person of Christ they loved for the Scriptures they had seen the Gospel the Church they had seen an Office I confess they could not very well see and yet they are praised for loving him that was not seen 3. VVe are commanded to Worship this Jesus to give Divine Honour to Him Iohn 5. 23. That all should Honour the Son even as they Honour the Father And accordingly we read that the Disciples did Worship Him Luke 24. 52. Nay the Command is given to the Angelical Nature Heb. 1. 6. Let all the Angels of God Worship Him But it 's a strange kind of Worship that we give Darklings One of the smartest Rebukes Christ gave the Samaritans was that they Worshipped they knew not what but We says Christ know what we Worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVe must not only know who He is but what He is whom we worship 4. It 's our plain duty to acquaint our selves with God that we may be at peace Iob 22. 21. But Christ is true God very God witness the Athanasian and Nicene Symbols 5. VVe are in particular commanded to believe in Him John 14. 1. Ye believe in God believe also in me And it concerns us to know by what authority he Imposes his Commands upon us what is his Varacity that we may depend upon his Promises and what is his Power to carry us through the difficulties that ever attend conscientious Duties to Eternal Life I am the more for acquaintance with Christs Person because it 's so great a Venture to trust the unknown This Prudence all men will be sure to exercise in Common affairs much more where Souls and Eternal Life lie at stake and such did the Apostle Practise 2 Tim. 1. 12. I know whom I have believed 6. The whole Design of the Scripture leads us to an acquaintance with the Father Son and blessed Spirit Hence was the Apostle so Zealous that the Colossians might come unto all Riches of the full assurance of Understanding to the acknowledgment of the Mysterie of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even of the Father and of Christ in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge VVhich are those Provoking words that have so often Ruffled our Authors thoughts into Disorder 7. The whole of the Scripture is an unaccountable Riddle without the Knowledge of Jesus Christ VVe are told there how God has been atoned by the Sacrifice of Oxen Sheep what a sweet smelling savour he has sented in the burned Flesh of the Holocaust which without Consideration of the Person of Christ and Reference to Him is Irrational To speak of the Death of Christ himself as reconciling God and man is also wholly Unintelligible without due regard to Him as Mediator what Office he bore what Place he filled in whose Stead he stood what that Covenant was that between the Father and his Son was agreed upon For according to our common apprehension of Things God should rather have Destroyed the World for Crucifying his Son than have been Reconciled and Propitiated by his Death Now I know well our Author will Reply that he good Man is no Enemy to acquaintance with Christs Person provided always we do not VViredraw New Doctrines from it and Extract greater and deeper Mysteries thence than are to be found out in the Gospel To which we Rejoyn That it 's not Christs Person that teaches us the Doctrine but the Doctrine that Acquaints us with his Person We study not the Person of Christ to find out Gâ—…spel Mysteries but to resolve them Not to Discover the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of New Truths but to Demonstrate to us the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Old But if after all that can be said our Author will be Clamorous we must be Content and Satisfie our selves with this that it 's the Nature of the Creature and some things we know are so untractable by their Constitution that though you Bray them in a Morter amongst Wheat with a Pestle yet their Crabbed Froward Awkward Tempers will not depart from them CHAP. III. Sect. 3. How unsafe it is to found Religion upon a Pretended Acquaintance with Christs Person I Foresee this Section will certainly prove Unanswerable the Comfort is it 's the onely one that appears to be such in the whole Book The Reader will judge with me that he must needs have a hard Task on 't and perhaps equal to any of Hercuâ—…es his Labours that shall maintain it safe To found Religion upon Hypocrisie and yet this must be his lot who will defend That it 's safe to build Religion upon a pretended Acquaintance with Christs Person Some report that that Goodly Beast which for Honours sake we will call a Porcupine keeps alwayes Two Avenues to her Cell that let the Wind sit where it will it shall never blow full in the Dore and let her Enemies besiege her how they can she has a secret Sally-port to creep out at With the same wisdom has our Author provided for his own Retreat in this Section For if any shall be so fool-hardy as to assault him with an Argument That it 's our Duty to be acquainted with Christs Person and for that end to search the Scriptures which testifie of him direct and lead us to him that so upon the Person of our Redeemer we may build our Faith as upon that Rock against which the Gates of Hell shall not prevail he can readily reply upon you True but it 's onely a Pretended Acquaintance with Christs Person that I so zealoâ—…sly declaim against I perceive it 's no small advantage in all Disputes to have the Priviledge to state the Question to our own good liking and he that has once got a Faculty for it is out of Gun-shot unless he be so incorrigible a Coxcomb as not to be aware of his own Interest That the Religion of Sinners is built upon a Mediator as the Religion of the Innocent was upon the Being of a God That this Mediator is the Lord
that he hath appointed an Atonement for us and given no less Person than his own Son for our Ransome The Reader cannot but observe that he is there giving us Another Scheme of Religion from an Acquaintance with Christs Person without Scripture and then when he comes to take the Matter in hand he can from the Person of Christ demonstrate Gods good Will his pardoning Mercy and what not when others indeed venture upon Conclusions without Scripture they give some uncertain conjectures get some feeble hints some dim appearances and smattering Iâ—…cklings of the Matter but to Us it speaks nothing less than Apodictical and great Demonstration 2. The Reader will observe how perfectly he Overthrows the very design he would exalt for undertaking to prove How unsafe it is to found Religion upon a Pretended acquaintance with Christs Person and assigning this for a Reason that this is to build Religion upon uncertain Conjectures which we acknowledge to be Cogent When he comes to wind up his bottomes he tells us Though we had seen Christ in the flesh we could never have ghess'd at the End and Design of it had not he Christ Acquainted us with it So that the short and long of this great Demonstration is this That it 's uncertain to found our Religion upon Christ's Person because we could have known nothing of Religion unless we had been Acquainted with him He will lift himself off this flatt by replying that he means nothing but Christs acquainting us in and from his Gospel and we rejoyn that that which will bring him off will bring off his Neighbours for who ever affirm'd any more 3. He has herein at unawares stabb'd his main Cause to the heart For if there be no necessary connexion between the Person of Christ his Death and Suffering and the Salvation of Mankind but that as he assures us the End and Design of Christ in dying must be known onely by Revelation then it will unavoidably follow that Christ dyed for some greater Ends than to give us an Example of Patience and Submission to the Will of God to Confirm what he Preach'd seeing we needed no Revelation to acquaint us that a holy man is to be imitated in all holy things living or dying and that he thought at least his Doctrine was true or else he would never have exposed and layd down his Life to justifie it Now it 's plain however our Author does now and then humour us with Propitiation Ransom Atonement Expiation these are all reducible by his Engine to Christs confirming what he preach'd Pag. 320. All that I can find in Scripture concerning the Influence that the Sacrifice of Christ's Death hath upon our Acceptation with God is that to this we owe the Covenant of Grace which is Nothing else in his sence but God's Promise of saving us if we obey his Laws 4. He is slipt into the very same guilt with which he loads though unjustly his Adversaries viz. The Dividing the Person and Gospel of Christ. He was of a good Mind once p. 3. if he could have kept him in 't That the Person of Christ is not at oddes with his Gospel and that Christ and his Religion were well agreed but he has quitted his Post and dogmatically asserts That whosoever would understand the Religion of our Saviour must learn it from his Doctrine and not from his Person And why not from his Person in or by his Doctrine It 's a harder matter than our Author is aware to hear a Sermon preach'd without a Preacher and almost as difficult to believe it without good warranty that the Preacher has good Authority for what he delivers All the Authority of the Scripture is resolved into the Authority of Christ and therefore it concerns us to fetch our Religion from Christ by his Word 5. I must needs observe to the Reader one piece of cleanly conveyance and Legerdemain which our Author is forced frequently at a standing pull to serve himself of to draw Dun out o' th' Mire and that is to shew you a fair round Tester and then fob you off with a Counter to shew you a Horse in the Premises and pass to an Asse in the Conclusion He has pasted and posted it up in the Title of this Section How unsafe it is to found Religion upon a Pretended acquaintance with Christs Person but when he addresses himself to prove his Thesis he falls a persecuting the old thing of Learning Religion from an Acquaintance with Christs Person He who has the famous Art of Arguing from the essential Differences of things can he find no accidental difference at least betwixt Principium essendi and Cognoscendi Betwixt the Foundation of our Religion and the Means of conveying the Knowledge thereof unto us A thing may be first in Knowledge which is last in Being there has been some such Distinction in former Ages There was a time when the old World learnt it's Religion from Angels as our Author thinks from Prophets from the Government of the World will he say that the Religion of those dayes was founded upon any thing short of God upon Angels Men Sun Moon Stars Say the same in our Case Jesus Christ has revealed what we are to know and believe of the Father Son and Spirit in his Word he has reveal'd it yet our Faith Hope Love Obedience is founded on and ultimately terminated in God alone by Christ He that believes a Promise obeyes a Precept does believe the veracity of Christ in that Promise and obey the Authority of Christ in that Precept That Credit we give to Letters Patents praemunited with the Royal Seal is resolved ultimately into the Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Obedience we give to a Law is founded upon the Authority of the Legislator We learn our Duty from a printed Act of Parliament from a Proclamation but that which is the formal Reason of our Duty is the Relation wherein we stand to our Prince So childish is our Author in his Reasonings he begins to make a Cauldron and tinckers up a sorry kettle Amphora coepit institui currente rotâ cur urceus exit He undertook to prove the unsafeness of the Foundation of our Religion but he 's glad to come down a button-hole lower and prove onely the danger of learning of our Religion from a pretended acquaintance with Christs Person without Scripture-Revelation 6. He tells us there is not a Natural and Necessary connexion between the Person of Christ his Death c. and the Salvation of Mankind Very discreetly worded Not a natural and necessary connexion What 's matter if it be not Natural if it be Necessary Let it be owned Necessary any way that 's fair and honest and let him choose whether it shall be necessary by Nature or no. If our Author understands himself here it 's very well I am sure some others do not Does he mean therefore of all Mankind that there 's no natural connexion betwixt Christs Person
that Rhimes pretty well to your own Conceits But rather work up your Imagination to the prospect of some dreadful Dungeon where nothing but Ratling of Chains Blowing of Bellows Hissing of Serpents and the Yellings of Griesly-people strike a Horror into your Mind and then to be sure you shall purchase our Authors good word and never be Taxed for Interpreting by the Sound and Clink of words Thus if you meet with that Expression the Son of God be sure you do not understand a Person but a Thing and if at the long Run you should chance to Interpret it into No thing it will do best of all For then you may lay your Life on 't you have not Interpreted Scripture by the sound of words Now as much as our Author pleases himself with his Humour in this thing the truth is he did but Steal or to make the best on 't Borrow it from one of those he hopes to wound with it And well might the Eagle sigh to see her self shot through with a Dart which had borrowed its Feathers from her own Wing I will only burden him with one Passage The Papists having hatched that monstrous Figment of Transubstantiation upon the discovery of any Expressions amongst the Antients though made use of to another end cry out and Triumph as if they had found the whole Fardel of the Mass in its perfect Dress and their Breaden God in the midst of it Iust so says he it is in the case of Episcopacy Men of these latter Generations from what they saw in being and the usefulness of it to their Desires and Interests searching Antiquity not to Instruct them in the Truth but to Establish their Opinion whatever Expressions they find that fall in as to the sound of Words with what is now Insisted on instantly they cry out Vicimus Iö Poean And now either our Authors guilty Conscience or his Acumen will tell him to whom he stands Indebted for Observing to him the Danger of Interpreting by the sound of words And let him take this Caution along with him to forbear using that way of Reasoning which serves any mans turn as well as and most mens better than his own It will be now time to descend to Particulars that we may reduce his Rule into Practice And he has singled out these Expressions of knowing Christ Christ's being made Wisdom to us Having the Son To give us an Experiment what Wonders his Rule will work And 1. For the Knowing of Christ. They that Interpret Scripture by the sound of words Interpret the Phrase of Knowing his Person and all his Personal Excellencies and Beauties Fulness and Preciousness c. And so has the Expression been used Iohn 17. 3. This is Life eternal to know thee the only True God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent Where the Person of the Messiah under that Personal Excellency of being sent of God Anointed and Appointed by him to Reveal and procure Eternal Life is made the Object of our Knowledge Again Iohn 1. 33. I knew him not but he that sent me to Baptize with Water the same said unto me upon whom thoushalt see the Spirit descending the same is He and I saw and bare Record that this is the Son of God Where to Know Christ is Interpreted by knowing Him to be the Son of God And all the fault of this Interpretation is that it comes a little too near the sound of words But that Learned Doctors practical Interpretations who interpreted Iesus by Iudas would have pleased our Author infinitly because it was more modest and durst not come so near the sound of the word Well But how does the Man himself expound the Phrase Nay as to that he is in a brown study and says never a word and that I assure you is a safe way to avoid the Odium of Expounding it by the sound of words But 2. Christ is said 1 Cor. 1. 30. To be made Wisdom to us And amongst many others I find Beza thus expounding it Datus est nobis a Deo ut in ipso omnem sapientiam consequeremur quae quidem eo nomine verè digna sit quum in Uno possumus Deum ejus Arcana contemplari quae ne suspicari quidem unquam cautissimi homines potuerunt He is given to us of God that in him we might attain Wisdom that truly deserves the Name seeing that in Him alone we may behold God and his Secrets which the most discerning Men otherwise could never have Ghessed at Let this Interpretation because it comes too near the sound of words only serve for a Foyle to set off the Lustre of our Author Some duller men says he can understand no more by it than the Wisdom of those Revelations Christ hath made of Gods Will to the World But I fear it 's more their Sullenness than their Dulness that they can see no more of Wisdom in Christ than a meer Ravelation of Gods Will. For had they not worn Racovian Spectacles they might have seen Satisfaction to Divine Justice in his Death as well as a Declaration of Gods Will to us issuing from his Mouth But then 3. Here 's another great Controversie What having of the Son should signifie But before we fall upon that we must deliver our selves from an Ambuscado secretly laid for our utter Ruine When men have Learnt says he from an acquaintance with Christ to place all their hopes of Salvation in a Personal Union with Christ c. He might for his Credits-sake have produced his Vouchers to make good his Charge I do indeed believe that as the Person of the Husband is related to the Person of the Wife and yet there is no personal Union made though they are one Flesh yet they continue two distinct Persons or Subsistences so Christ and Believers are Personally related each to other in the Covenant of Grace and are one Mystical Body one Spirit and yet they are not taken into Personal Union with Christ. Nay our Authors Conscience was fast asleep when he wrote this Twang For pag. 198. He Quotes these words from Doctor Iacomb This Mystical Union is an Union of Persons but yet no Personal Union And if our Author know not how to Distinguish these two Expressions he 's sadly Accoutred to Manage this Controversie And being now freed from all Danger in the Rear let us Advance to the Question What this having of the Son should mean 1 Iohn 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son hath not Life Now the clearest way to resolve this Doubt that I can think on at present is to Examine who or what is meant by the Son and when we have Settled and well Fixt the Notion of that to try what further Light we may get into the Phrase of Having the Son For the former Who or what the Son is I know no more Hopeful and Promising way than to look into the Chapter to see if peradventure
to our being Holy our Election and Redemption is secure whether we be Holy or no. An. Good Sir excuse me we are Elected to Grace as well as to Glory and he that appoints to the end appoints to the necessary means leading to the end Qu. But is holyness necessary on our parts An. Yes indeed Sir that we be so but it 's necessary also that Grace make us so unless we can make our selves so Qu. But how can Obedience be for the Glory of the Father Son and Spirit when the necessity of Holiness is so destructive to free Grace An. Obedience in its proper place and for its proper end is not destructive to free Grace But when Hypocrites will assign it a room which God has not appointed as to justifie us before a righteous Iudge and give us a proper right to Heaven then it crosses the design of free Grace Qu. But how can Holiness be for our honour in making us like God when the perfect Righteousness of Christ would be more for our honour An. Good Sir be not angry and I l'e tell you Inherent Righteousness is much for our honour being compleat in its kind but Imputed righteousness is more for our honour being absolutely compleat Qu. But you say Holiness is for our Peace Must we then at last fetch our peace from our Duties and Graces is not this to renounce Christ An. Pray Sir be not so hasty we have our Reconciliation with God and Security from his Wrath by the Blood of Christ but we have our inward peace in the Conscience from the evidence of our Sanctification Qu. But does not Doctor O. say That we must not set about correcting our Lives for by the deeds of the Law no man is Justified and that if God should mark what is done amiss there 's no standing before him An. Yes indeed does he That we must not set about correcting our Lives in order to Justification before the Righteous Judge of all the Earth Qu. But how can Holiness serve for the Conviction of Enemies when it is not Essentially necessary to his Friends An. Indeed Sir if you will believe me it 's Essentially necessary to all his Friends and I pray it may prove more serviceable to the Conviction of his Enemies Qu. Wilt thou dare to Contradict me I tell thee I am resolved they shall hold that Holiness is not necessary to Salvation An. Nay pray Sir do not force them to that And if you can make any shift Rail at them upon some other account Qu. But how can Holiness be necessary to the Conversion of others when men may be Converted without it An. Ay indeed if your Worship can Inform us how to conceive of Conversion without Holiness you shall be owned for the Wisest man in all the Parish Qu. But why cannot the Righteousness of Christ keep the Judgments of God from others more effectually than the Holiness of men An. Because visible Holiness honours God most before men and therefore he will honour it most with visible Mercies Qu. But how can Obedience be necessary to the state of justified Persons when they are cloathed with the Robes of Christs righteousness which is the only Foundation of our Communion with God An. Very well Sir for though Christs righteousness be the Foundation of our Communion yet Holiness and Obedience give us a meetness and fitness for the exercise of that Communion Qu. But how can Holiness be neâ—…essary to Sanctification An. Holy Obedience is necessary to Sanctification because the new Creature is Nourisht by suitable Acts of Obedience even as all other things are fed by those things of which they are made Qu. But is not this Idem per Idem An. No I assure you Sir for the Vital Principle of Obedience and the Living Fruits of it are really two distinct things Qu. But yet I cannot see any necessary Obligation to Holiness from those mens Principles what should be the Reason An. I can soon tell you that Sir do younot remember you almost Pored out your Eyes in the second Section Qu. I have one question more answer me that and take all Is Holiness necessary to Salvation as a means to an End Now speak to the purpose An. Really Sir it is absolutely and indispensibly necessary Qu. This is indeed Home Pertinent and somewhat to the purpose bút yet I have a question or two more I am sure will Choak you Come on your ways young Man What say you What Holiness necessary to Eternal Life and yet neither the Cause Matter nor Condition An. Sir I perceive you have a frail Memory for you quoted the Doctor just before saying It was neither Matter Cause nor Condition of our Iustification And now you put the question about its being the Cause Matter or Condition of Eternal Salvation Qu. Did you spie that An. Do you think your Readers have all pored their Eyes out as well as your self Quest. Well hold your peace I will now Irrefragably prove Holiness to be a Cause at least Causa sine quâ non of Eternal Life What say you to that An. Pray spare your pains lest you spoil the Cause for if you can prove it no better a Cause you had as good let it alone for Causa sine quâ non non est Causa we allow it to be both the Condition and the Matter also of Eternal Life It 's the Condition for the Doctor has owned expresly That none shall come to the end who walks not in the way And it 's the Matter too for Grace is Glory begun and Happiness is Holiness perfected Qu. Well I will not Dispute about words I am content it should only be a necessary way to Eternal Life But what becomes of Christ then who is the only way An. Take you no care for that Christ is the only way of Merit Purchase and Procurement but Holiness is a way of Means preparatory Meetness and Fitness for Eternal Life I suppose you sometimes read the 11th Aâ—…t of the Church of England which acquaints you that we are Justified only for Christs Merits and yet justified by Faith only There may be several Only's in the same Effect and yet each the Only one in suo genere Qu. But is not the Righteousness of Christ able to save us without an additional righteousness of our own An. No Sir for the Righteousness of Christ being made ours by the appointment constitution and free Gift of God we must enjoy the benefits of it in that Method it pleases the Donour to Ordain It 's reason the Giver should dispose of his own Gift And yet it 's true the Righteousness of Christ is able to save us without any of our own employed for that special end for which the righteousness of Christ is used Qu. But do the Active and Passive Righteousness of Christ both free us from Guilt and Punishment and give us an actual Right and Title to Glory and yet can we not be saved without
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
in Christ be improved for Obedience That his Love to us may so powerfully constrain our hearts that we may wholly live to him that dyed for us and rose again who is also at the right hand of God making Intercession for us To him be Glory Amen CHAP. IV. Sect. 1. Of our Union to Christ and Communion with him OUR Author will not in Courtesie or cannot for Shame deny that the Scripture does mention such a Relation between Christ and Christians as may be express'd by an Union and that these Phrases of Being in Christ and Abiding in Christ can signifie no less Now this Union to Christ being a very suspicious Phrase he is deeply concern'd to mollifie it with some such Healing Explication that it may not prejudice or however not utterly destroy his main design To interpret it according to the sound of words is to blow up himsels with his whole Cause and therefore it is judg'd a safer way to accommodate the Expression if it will be tractable or to force it if it proves obstinate to a Complyance with his own espoused Notions and preconceived Opinions And now we see that the True Reason why he so zealously declaimed against that way of Interpreting Scripture in the last Section was that he might without suspition serve himself of it in this Some do not like his Tottering and Staggering way of wording his Matters It may be express'd by an Union and it can signifie no less than an Union A form of speech invented doubtless to let us know how unable he is to deny and yet how loath he is to confess the plainest Truth I have not forgot that he told us p. 108. That the Scripture describes the Profession of Christianity a sincere Belief and Obedience to the Gospel by Having Christ and Being in Christ but now he is graciously pleased to Mount them a little higher and is gently content that they should signifie no less than an Union with Christ. Four Notable Observations he makes to us in this one Section 1 That those Metaphors which describe the Relation between Christ and Christians do primarily referre to the Christian Church and not to every Individual Christian. I am sorry that it must still be my great unhappiness to dissent from him but seeing all Accommodation is desperate we must bear the shock of his Reasonings as well as we can Christ says he is called a Head but he is the Head of his Church which is his Body as the Husband is the Head of his Wife No particular Christian is the Body of Christ but onely a Member in this Body This indeed would do pretty well but that it wants two small Circumstances Truth and Pertinency which being so inconsiderable we may well spare in any of His Writings And 1. Methinks I want that sorry circumstance of Truth in his Argument Christ is the Head of his Church as the Husband is Head of his Wife but the Headship of the Husband over the Wife will not exactly measure the Headship of Christ over Believers we must call in assistance from another Similitude that of the Head in the Natural Body over the Members Christ is a Head of Influence as well as Authority he communicates Grace to Obey as well as commands Obedience And this is that the Apostle would teach us Eph. 4. 15 16. The head even Christ from whom all the Body fitly joyned together and compact by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the Body to the edifying of it selâ—… in love Here 's an effectual Operation in every part the Growth and Increase of every individual Member by virtue of that Influence which the Head communicates to it And now to make the Husbands headship over the Wife to represent the whole of Christs Headship is craftily to seduce us from the Consideration of that Grace which from Christ we receive to help us in time of need The Holy Ghost has singled out the most per and perspicuous Metaphors that outward things would afford to instruct us in the Nature of that Union and Relation that Believers have to Christ the Priviledges and Advantages which they receive thereby and those Duties which indispensably arise from thence and yet such is the incorrigible and untractable Nature of all outward things such is their shortness poverty and narrowness that they do not yield a Similitude that will adaequately and commensurately express the total of Christs Grace Mercy and Authority or of our mutual Obligations and Duty Much of the Poverty and Beggarliness of the Mosaical Types lay in this those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 4. 9. that they could not represent Jesus Christ to the life whom yet it was their design in some measure to shadow out And when I have named a shadow I have given a sufficient Reason of my Assertion for though a shadow may describe the general Lineaments of its Body yet it will not paraphrase upon the Complexion To supply this defect it has pleased the Wisdom of God to institute that numerous train of Types that so what could not be express'd by any one might yet in parcels be described by Another Hence is it that one Type represents the Death of Christ as a Sacrifice for Sin as the Goat of the Sin-offering Lev. 16. 15. Another the Intercession of Christ at the right hand of the Father as Aarons appearing in the Most Holy place upon the Feast of Expiation The same Wisdom has it pleased the Spirit of God to exeâ—…cise in describing to us the Union and Relation betwixt Christ and Believers for seeing that no one single Metaphor however borrowed from the nearest and most intimous Relation upon Earth could possibly convey to our understandings all that Mercy Grace and Love which from Christ issues to all that are in Covenant with him nor all that Reverence Love and Duty which from Believers is due to a Redeemer therefore has he chosen out many that so by putting together the Mercy and Duty which is comprehended in each we might spell out the Meaning of what is wrapt up in that Relation wherein we stand to him But 2. It wants Pertinency as well as Truth For what if no particular Christian be the Body of Christ. yet is he a Member of that Body and Christ as Head of that Body is related in particular to him without the Intervention of the Body A Body is nothing else but the result of all the Integral parts put together in their due Scite and proper Order and the Church is nothing else but the aggregate of many Christians united under their proper Pastor And as the Head in the Natural Body is immediately related to all the parts so is Christ immediately related to every true Christian. If then he will argue thus No particular Christian is the Body therefore Christ is primarily related to the Body any one with as much honesty may inferre
carries a sound to a mere English Ear very like to Union but if we examine either the Synonymous word Communion or the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are rendred Fellowship and Communion and how those words are used in Scripture we may abundantly satisfie our selves that they signifie something very distinct from Union or Relation Fellowship and Communion are words of the same import and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indifferently render'd by either of them 1 Ioh. 1. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And truely our Fellowship c. And v. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 3. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Communion of the Holy Ghost and the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is once translated Fellowship 2 Cor. 6. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For what Fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness Now what the general Nature of Fellowship Communion or Participation and Communication is the Apostle will clear up to us Phil. 4. 15. Now ye Philippians know That no Church communicated with me as concerning Giving and Receiving but ye onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he explains if there be need of that v. 16. Ye sent once and again unto my necessity Communion therefore or Communication is the Mutual bestowing of those good things which are in each others power grounded upon some Union and Relation between the Parties And this is more fully expressed by that Scripture phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To have hold exercise or maintain Communion or Communication of all those good things which may be expected from each other in a Relation 1 Ioh. 1. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I must profess my self therefore wholly dissatisfied with our Authors New Notion of Communion That it signifies the same thing with Union That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Terms adequately Measuring each other There must be first a Relation before there can be a communicating of those good things which presuppose the Relation Thus the Love of a Father to his Child his Care over him his Bounty to him is founded in his Relation to him as his Son and the Child 's filial Love Duty Fear are all bâ—…tomed upon the Relation which he holds to his Father Thus we conceive first a Real Union between the Head and the Members before we can conceive the Head should communicate spirits to all the parts to quicken them to Motion And this the Apostle expresses Col. 2. 19. That they who do not Hold the Head that are not united to Christ can never receive from him those supplies or Communications of Spiritual Nourishment that they may encrease with the encrease of God And thus must there be an Union between the Husband and the Wife before there can be a Communication of what is in each others power That is they must give what they are before they can give what they have And this Order and Method is well observed in the Liturgy though our Author is pleased to make himself very merry with it where the Man first takes the Woman to be his wedded Wife and then assigns or makes over what he has to her Use with all my worldly Goods I thee endow For he that gives Himself will never stick at a'l the Rest. And thus the first thing that God gives to his in Covenant is Himself Heb. 8. 10. I will be their God and then follows the Communication of all his Covenant Mercies v. 12. I will be mercifull to their Iniquities and remember their sins no more And in the same Order the Soul proceeds in its Restipulation with God 2 Cor. 8. 5. First gave their â—…wn selves to the Lord. Now as the Union or Relation is for kind so also are the Communications that flow from or follow upon the Relation and Union If the Union be a more general Union the Relation a more common Relation the Communications in due proportion will be more general and Common we are Related to all men none are so remote but they are our Neighbours but yet we have a more special and peculiar Relation to all Christians And hence is it that the Apostle apportions out to us the Nature of those good things that we ought to commuicate to both Gal. 6. 10. Doe good to all but especially to them that are of the houshold of Faith The great God as Creator is Related to all and therefore does good to all Psal. 36. 6. Thou preservest Man and Beast Yet as he stands more nearly related as a Father to some than others so he commnicates more choyse and peculiar Favours to them Hence is that Prayer of David Psal. 106. 4. Remember me O Lord with the favour thou bearest to thine own People O visit me with thy Salvation that I may see the Good of thy Elect ones And because the Electing Love of the Father and the Redeeming Love of the Son are exactly parallel therefore has Christ a general 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as a special 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 4. 10. He is the Saviour of all men specially of them that Believe It was never doubted but the Relation of a Master to his Servant ought to produce suitable Communications to that Relation And yet those of a Fatheâ—… to his Child are of another and sweeter Nature those of the Husband to the Wife yet more endearing and those of the Head to the Members still more intimous and intrinsecal Now that Communion is a Communication of Good things flowing from Union the Apostle will not suffer us to doubt Gal. 6. 6. Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in All Good things Where the Relation between the Teacher and the Disciple is the Foundation of that Communication of all good things but if indeed our Author will abide by his Notion That Union and Communion are both one Then if his Parishioners do but hear him preach they may spare the Impertinency of Tythes it is but Actum Agere and Commuâ—…ion is satisfied in the Notion of Union so that they have here a general Release of all Minute and Praedial Tythes under his own hand from the beginning of the World to this Day The Sophistry of our Authors Argument from 1 Joh. 1. 3. we have already considered and discovered He leads us now to 1 Cor. 1. 9. God is faithfull by whom ye are called into the Fellowship of his Son Jesus All the advantage he can expect from these words is upon a presumption of his Readers Simplicity that he will not spye small faults to be called into fellowship with Christ cajouls the Ear into a Conceit of Union But that which spoyls all is our Translation reads unto the Fellowship or Communication or Participation of his Son and the Mischief on 't is the Greek reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But let us see however how
his body and of his flesh and of his bones And for this cause says the Apostle vers 31. a man shall leave Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife and they two shall be one flesh But now says he that which I have discoursed to you will seem very abstruse and as some will phrase it mystical non-sense and unintelligible Drollery but I speak concerning Christ and his Church For however this be true That the Husband and Wife are but one flesh in the eye and consideration of the Law yet it 's more eminently true concerning Christ and his Church who in the consideration and eye of God are but one Spirit All Metaphors and Similitudes taken from outward things come infinitely short and cannot decypher that mystical Union which is between Christ and all true Believers Your Political Union is but a new-invented Bawble your Natural Union is lean and hungry your Civil Union is low and flat it is a Mystical Union Ay but this Paul was an obscure Author and writes very darkly But yet he may comfort himself the better under this hard Censure since God himself cannot escape the Lash of Virulent Peâ—…s emboldned with an Imprimatur whose Institutions are reproached to be of Obscure Signification to aw the Childish Minds of men into Veneration And then that the internal Ligaments of this Union are the Spirit and Faith as the Scripture is free in affirming so our Author is shy in denying only he throws away a little scornful Drivel upon 't This Mystical is a hard word Let it be so Dr. Iacomb shall explain it on Rom. 8. p. 42. And first says the Doctor There is an Union of three Persons in one Nature 2. There 's the Union of two Natures in one Person 3. There 's an Union of Persons where yet Persons and Natures are distinct Concerning which he observes 1. Here 's an Union but no Transmutation Commixtion or Confusion Here 's an Union of Persons but no Personal Union Say you so Doctor then I promise you here 's one has made bold with some of your names for page 103. he tells his Reader and me amongst the rest That these men place all their hopes of Salvation in a personal Union with Christ. But pray Dr. go on The Person of Christ is united to the Person of a Believer and the Person of a Believer to the Person of Christ But for this our Author has a dry flam As it must needs be where the Person of Christ is united to the Person of a Believer Silly Man the Doctor observes that Christ is united to a Believer by the Spirit and a Believer united to Christ by Faith Though the Terms of the Relation are the same in Christ's Union with a Believer and a Believer's Union with Christ the Bond that unites them is Distinct. A Father is related to his Son and a Son to his Father yet Paternity is one thing and Filiation another and the Foundations of these Relations differ The Foundation of the one is to beget of the other to be begotten But says the Doctor Faith is the uniting Grace and this Faith receiving Christ 1 John 13. it must also unite us to the Person of Christ But of this our Author doubts because men are not united to every thing they receive Alas-a-day yet when a Master receives any one to be his Servant that Reception is the bottom of his Relation If a Woman receives a person to be her Husband that Reception creates an Union But I had rather the Reader would give himself the satisfaction to peruse the Doctors Book where he shall find these things laid down with Modesty backed with strength of Reason Scripture and the suffrage of Learned Christians And if our Author thinks that a few Squirts and Flashes which he is resolved to call Wit be a sufficient Confutation he shall enjoy the Contentment of admiring his own Excellencies without any Rival Again This Union says the Doctor may be thus described ' T is that Supernatural Spiritual Intimous Oneness and Conjunction between the Person of Christ and the Persons of Believers through the Bonds of the Spirit and Faith upon which there follows mutual and reciprocal Communion each with other I will not conceal from the Reader my thoughts I really expected that our Author should have highly commended the Doctors Modesty who in a subject so Sublime as might well exercise the Tongues of Angels should draw his Description with a Peut estre it may be described And the rather because by that means he has not excluded our Authors greater Abilities from travelling in the subject but left room enough for his Defining Faculty But instead of that I sâ—…e he 's Angry still though impotent This Oneness and Conjunction are hard words So they are indeed It 's hard to say Whether they will prove Arabic or Syriac or Welsh or Wild-Irish But to be sure they came but lately into England and are not yet made Denizons to purchase our Author's favour The great danger is lest we should mistake this Conjunction for one of the Eight parts of Speech Oh Sirs what inextricable perplexities has this one lewd word involved the Nation in since it landed The old Shiboleth was an innocent Chrysom to it Political Union and Machine are sorry Sneaks to it Indeed Tetrachymagogon and Syncategorematical come pretty near But Oh Conjunction This Conjunction is not to be tolerated in a Land professing the Seven Liberal Sciences And yet after all this I dare venture an even Wager That as many understand Conjunction as Opposition and more than know what to make of Antithesis and yet that never choak'd our Author but he could swallow it without making any Bones of it or a Vespasian face at it p. 264. But if some small splinter should stick in his throat the Doctor will be that charitable Crane to pluck it out for he adds Believers are said to be joyned to the Lord 1 Cor. 6. 17. Now if no words will down with him but such as melt in the mouth let him substitute Ioyning for Conjunction and that will serve for a Vehicle with a spoonful of Syrrup of Mulberries to supple the passage Our Author finding that the Doctor has bewildred himself will endeavour to help him out It 's a plain case says he if Christ and Believers are united their Persons are united too for the Person of Christ is Christ himself and the Persons of Believers are Believers themselves and I cannot understand how they should be united without their Persons but then they are united by mutual Relations as the Person of a Prince and his Subjects of a Husband and his Wife are united by mutual affections This I confess a surpassing kindness and therefore that frequent reckonings may make us long Friends I shall call some small Follies to account ere they be forgotten 1. I am more confirm'd in my old Observation That our Author writes only from hand to month He has
and only watch for the Creep-hole of a bare Possibility If they intended honestly they would lay things together as well as they can labour to find out the meaning of God's Spirit with Sobriety and Humility and never strain their Wits and vex and torture the Scripture with utmost Possibilities The Text tells us that the namâ—… whereby Christ shall be called is the Lord our Righteousness Now it 's granted that this was not designed to be his Praenomen or Cognomen that which should distinguish him in Common Discourse from other persons and therefore He shall be called is no less than He shall Really be our Righteousness Thus 1 Iohn 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called that is that we should become the sons of God Isa. 9. 6. His name shall be called i. e. he shall Really be Wonderful Counsellor The Mighty God the Everlasting Father The Prince of Peace The true intent and meaning of which place I know how some have attempted to elude by this fine device of the Possibility of another meaning and whether our Author sharpned his weapon at their forge he knows best But 3. He returns an Answer worse than both the other Righteousness in Scripture is a word of a very large sense and sometimes signifies no more than Mercy Kindness Beneficence and so the Lord our Righteousness is the Lord who does us good But 1. Is it not vainly supposed That for Christ to do us good is inconsistent with being our Righteousness 2. Though Christ be a Redeemer of Mercy Kindness and Beneficence yet he is no-where called The Lord our Mercy The Lord our Kindness The Lord our Beneficence Which clearly proves that when he is called and really is The Lord our Righteousness the expression implies more than an Imparting or Communication of good things to us Hence some would say That if our Author's Conscience were not larger than the sense of this word he had never given so stretching an Answer But says he Righteousness signifies that part of Iustice which consists in relieving the oppressed Isa. 54. 17. Their Righteousness is of me saith the Lord which is a parallel expression to The Lord our Righteousness and signifies no more than that the Lord would avenge their Cause and deliver them from all their Enemies So that all the benefit we are to expect from Christ is Temporal Salvation and Deliverance To which I answer 2. That the Reason of Christ's glorious Name The Lord our Righteousness assigned by the Prophet that in his days Iudah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely is interpreted by the Angel Matth. 1. 21. to be this He shall be called Iesus for he shall save his people from their sins And the end why God raised up his Son Jesus in the World is expresly assigned to be To bless his people in turning away every one of them from their iniquities Acts 3. 26. Thus Rom. 11. 26. Out of Zion shall come the Deliverer and he shall turn away ungodliness from Iacob To turn away iniquity from us and to turn us away from iniquity is I hope something of a more useful import than to relieve the injured and oppressed and deliver them from their Enemies I do not at all envy our Author therefore the glory of his discovery that for God to justifie good men is to deliver them from the violence and injuries of their Enemies And I would gladly hope that all good men have something better wherein to glory In Ier. 33. 16. the Church is called The Lord our Righteousness because she only glories in the Righteousness of Christ her Head and Husband to whom being so nearly related and with whom being so closely united his Righteousness is her Righteousness and therefore she who upon the account of the imperfection of her Inherent Righteousness can find no not the least matter of boasting before God yet has whereof to Triumph in Christ her Saviour Isa. 45. 24. Surely shall one say In the Lord have I Righteousness In the Lord shall all the seed of Iacob be justified and shall glory Now the Apostle whom I take to be a competent Interpreter of Scripture assures us that God has taken special care that in his dispensing of Grace to sinners No flesh shall glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1. 29. which he has well provided for ver 30. since Christ is made unto us of God for Righteousness and therefore he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord Which is exactly parallel to that of Isa. 45. 24. In the Lord shall all the seed of Iacob be justified and shall glory Come we now to our Author's Interpretation of Isa. 61. 11. which is of the same leaven with the former I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God For he hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation and covered me with the robe of Righteousness c. This Text one may perceive struck cold to his heart and he gives us as cold an Answer that 's ready to freeze between his lips The Garments of Salvation says he and the Robe of Righteousness signifie those great Deliverances God promised to Israel Signifie I would our Author would write a Dictionary of the Signification of words We use to say A bad Answer is better than none Reform the Proverb for shame for such an one is worse than none 1. It 's evident that the Triumph of the Church was upon the view of Jesus Christ vers 1. Anointed to preach Good-Tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound To proclaim the acceptable Year of the Lord Which our Saviour Christ applies to himself Luk. 4. 18 19. when he was far from working out for the Iews those great Deliverances by improbable means which should make them glorious in the eyes of men 2. The Virgin Mary quotes this very place Luke 1. 46 47. My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour where the joy of her heart broke out at her lips in Contemplation of that Eternal Redemption wrought out by him in whom she could more seriously glory as her Saviour than as her Son And it 's a wonder to me then men can patter over their Magnificat every day and not observe it 3. It 's observable that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render Decketh signifies to Adorn as a Priest and implies that Christ as our High-Priest shall present us acceptable to God upon his Account 4. There 's nothing more familiar with the Spirit of God than to clothe Evangelical Mercies in a Mosaical Dress and to express New-Testament Salvation in Old-Testament Phrase Thus Gospel-Believers are understood by Israel the Church by the Temple Evangelical Ministers by the Legal Priests and the covering of Sin by the covering of Nakedness and by
as a secondary Use some surly ill-conditioned People would conclude that it was not used to confirm a Covenant because the other half was not imployed for that use 2. Another use of the Blood of the Sacrifice sprinkled was to procure the favour of God 2. Chron. 29. 21 22. where we read 1. That all these Lambs Bullocks Rams Goats were offered to God at the Altar Hezekiah commanded the Priests to offer them on the Altar 2. That when the Blood had been shed at the Altar it was afterwards sprinkled on the Altar 3. To shew that the great operation of the Blood even as sprinkled was by vertue of his having been once shed at the Altar The two Goats of the Sin-Offering were only slain by the Priests after they had laid their hands on them and thereby laid the sins of the People upon them in their Typical way but their Blood was not at all sprinkled upon the Altar and yet the greatest efficacy is ascribed to them as the Sin-Offering 4. The design of all these Sacrifices their Offering upon the Altar the shedding and then sprinkling of the Blood is said to be v. 24. to make Reconciliation with their Blood upon the Altar and to make Atonement for all Israel 5. And that none might harp upon the old humour that surely the People were fallen out among themselves were all in Mutiny and Civil-Wars and this Blood was to reconcile them and make them friends We are told It was for all Israel for the Kingdom the Sanctuary for Iudah for Church and State Prince and People All had offended God and this was the Typical way of recovering his favour and regaining a Communion with him in his Temple 3. The Blood was sprinkled also for Purification and Cleansing Lev. 14. 5. Answerable hereto God has promised in the Covenant of Grace that he will sprinkle his people with clean water and from all their Idols and Abominations will be cleanse them Ezek. 36. which he effects by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the Blood of Iesus Therefore are Saints called elect according to the foreknowledg of God the Father through the Sanctification of the Spirit uâ—…to obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Iesus Christ. 1 Pet. 1. 2. 4. The Blood was sprinkled before the Mercy-Seat Lev. 16. 15. When the Priest had shed the blood of the Sacrifice at the Altar and offer'd it to God he carries in some of the Blood into the most Holy place and by that Blood intercedes with God for the People Thus our Lord Jesus when by the once offering of himself he had made an Atonement with God for sin discharges the other great part of 〈◊〉 Priesthood becomes our intercessor at the throne of Grace and in the merit and vertue of that Blood which was once shed for the reconciling of God and procuring his favour he lives for ever to make intercession for us And now I suppose it may be left to all indifferent Persons to judg whether our Author has not most barbarously Murdered the Death of Christ it self and trampled his sacred Blood under his feet allowing no other end or use to it but that oâ—… confirming a Covenant whereas considered as the Blood of sprinkling it has far greater and higher ends and yet the Blood as sprinkled comprehends not the whole design of that Blood § 4. But yet supposing That all the ends of the Death of Christ were wrap't up in that one expression the Blood of sprinkling and supposing also that the Blood of the Sacrifices as sprinkled had no other end or use but the confirming of a Covenant yet how will this prove his main Assertion That we owe the Covenant of Grace to the Death of Christ All that will follow is that we owe the Confirmation of the Covenant to it and only the Confirmation of the Covenant and then another thing will follow too that we do not owe the Covenant it self to it unless he can prove that procuring and confirming are Terms of the same importance The advantage our Author has got by this way of Reasoning is that he has found out a way how to own all Scripture-Expressions and yet accommodate them to his own preconceived Opinions 1. Hence says he we are said to be justified by the Blood of Christ Rom. 5. 9. That is by the Gospel-Covenant which was confirmed and ratified by his Death To which I Answer 1. If we may be said to be justified by his Blood because his Blood confirmed the Covenant then we may be said more properly to be justified by his Miracles for they indeed had a proper direct immediate and sufficient evidence in them to confirm the Doctrine which he Preacht and it 's a Miracle almost as great as any of them that the Scripture should never once intimate that we are justified by Miracles which directly and properly confirmed his Doctrine and yet constantly affirm it of his Death which directly and properly confirmed it not 2. Then also with the same propriety of Speech we may be said to be justified by the Blood of the Martyrs which was a convincing Testimony that they believed their Doctrine to be true and then the old Popish Rhime will come in fashion again Tu per Thomae sanguinem quem pro te impendit Da nos Christe scandere quo Thomas ascendit 3. If the Blood of Christ contribute no more to our justification than as it confirmed the Truth of this proposition amongst others He that Believes and obeys the Gospel shall be pardoned and saved then it 's possible to be justified without the Blood of Christ God has given us many Arguments to confirm the Truth of the Gospel If then I believe the Truth of what Christ preached upon those Arguments which are suited to its confirmation as upon the evidence of Miracles c. and accordingly obey all its Commands It were very hard if I should miss of Pardon and Life for not believing it upon one single Argument and that but a probable one neither What if I Believe the Promise upon nine of God's Arguments and hit not upon the Tenth obey upon nine of God's Motives and want only that single String to my Bow shall my Faith and Obedience be rejected because not grounded upon every particular Reason that may possibly be Muster'd up to confirm them 4. It will be in vain ever to speak or write again if such far-fetcht Consequences be allowed to interpret what is spoken and written There are no two things in the world so remote each from other but they have some kind of Relation and Affinity and if this way will salve all there will hardly be found that thing in the World if it may but be conceived to have had any Relation as an Argument to our Faith and Obedience but we may be said to be justified by it We are said to be justified by the Blood of Christ True But how Why thus The Blood of Christ signifies