Abraham which worship God in the SPIRIT in a true SPIRITUAL way of Worship and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no considence in the flesh which they the legal Worshippers have they are fieshly we are after the Spirit and worship God in the Spirit They have considence in the flesh we have none Now what is this confidence in the flesh which the Concision the Dogs and evil Workers had but the true Worshippers had not This the Apostle explains at large in the 4 5 and 6. verses For saith he if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might TRUST in the FLESH I more What is that of the Flesh wherein he might glory if he would He tells us ver 5. I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the Law a Pharisee or blameless so iâ— follows ver 9. as touching the righteousness which is in the Law blameless that is as touching the letter of the law Moral or Ceremonial This is the matter of fleshly glorying or boasting which you see is made up either of external Rites and Priviledges or the external obedience to the moral law That which he calls flesh is an external thing Now that fleshly and legal are Synonymous or words importing the same thing and so used by the Apostle is not onely clear in this Scripture but in other Scriptures for instance Gal. 3.3 Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit that is a Gospel-way are ye now made perfect by the flesh that is will ye end in a legal that is a fleshly way Fleshly and Legal are all one Now the way of the Flesh is an external way made up of outward Rites Ceremonies Priviledges and Performances therefore a legal way is a way in which men please themselves with external Priviledges and Performances I shewed before that those that are addicted to the way of works durst not pretend to an universal conformity to the law in a strict sense of it and yet do seek to be justified by Works therefore they must have some Works to glory in and to uphold their Spirits in a confidence of Divine acceptance Now therefore what can these Works be other then external conformities to the ceremonial or moral law and these ceremonies either as given by God or else superstiously invented by themselves I shall now a little further exemplifie what I then asserted and that by some assistance from the second thing premised in shewing that in all times the evil sort of Worshippers which because they are not Evangelical must be legal have done and do exceedingly please themselves in external Priviledges and Performances in doing which I shall avoid useless repetitions We find The first external priviledge which the Iews gloried in that the Jews who were as well to be condemned for Legality before the dayes of the Gospel as under it there having been always a fleshly and spiritual Seed were exceedingly taken with their being circumcised and of the Seed of Abraham and made a peculiar people to God in the Lump and Body of the Nation which did not hinder at all but for particular persons they might be wicked enough strangers to God and heirs of wrath Thus the Jews as Jews scorned the Gentiles called them Dogs and the sinners of the Gentiles or Nations whereas to be Jews born was nothing but an external Priviledge And therefore the Apostle when he comes to convince them of this folly and vain fleshly boasting he makes no more ado but to cut them off from this stump that they stood upon by that great distinction so frequent in his Epistles of Israel according to the flesh and the true Israel or the true Seed according to the Promise that is Believers All are not Israel that are of Israel saith he and he is not a Jew that is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God Rom. 2.28 29. Now that which amongst us may answer to such a fleshly boast as this was of the Jews for I chiefly aim at the usefulness of this Doctrine to our selves may be this viz the Name of Christians and the general Baptism that all amongst us can pretend unto Though this cannot be accounted so great a Priviledge to us now that Christendom is so large as Circumcision and being natural or proselyted Jews was to them who were a single Nation chosen for a peculiar people to God out of all the Nations of the World I come therefore to some other things They gloried also very much in their Temple The second external priviledge the â—â—ws gloried in there is an eminent place amongst many for this Jer. 7.4 Trust ye not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are THESE that is THESE BUILDINGS THESE COURTS pointing as it were with their singer at the Buildings of the Temple as much as if they had said See! we have the Temple of the Lord with us and his Worship and Service amongst us and therefore no evil can come to us whatever these Fanatick Prophets threaten us with Now see what a strange infatuation and besottednesse these men were under for they were as wicked as men could be by oppression and blood-guiltiness yea Idolatry it self as you may see in ver 10. Will ye steal murder and commit Adultrey and swear falsly and burn incense unto Baal and walk after other Gods whom ye know not and come and stand before me in this House which is called by my Name and say we are delivered to do all these abominations It this House which is called by my Name become a Den of Robbers in your eyes Behold even I have seen it saith the Lord. Here is a crew of Legal-Worshippers of Carnal-Worshippers that certainly could not pretend to Justification by the strict Law of God yet trusted in the Temple and Temple-Worship ver 8. Behold ye trust in lying words that cannot profit and what those words are you have seen in ver 4. Trust ye not in lying words saying the Temple of the Lord c. No saith the Lord. ver 3. Amend your wayes and your doings and I will cause you to dwell in this place Here is Mercy Grace Pardon here they are put upon the way of believing ver 5 6. For if ye throughly amend your wayes and your doings and if ye throughly execute judgement between a man and his Neighbour if ye oppress not the stranger then will I cause you to dwell in this Land that I gave to your Fathers for ever and ever But else never think that the Temple or Temple Worship can save you or deliver you Ver. 12. Go to Shiloh go unto my place which was in Shiloh
off their enemie Contempt which otherwise threatens to be upon them and make a prey and spoile of that which is honourable and might be usefull in them In the place cited the Holy Ghost prescribes unto Timothie this method for the healing of that weakness in men by reason whereof they were like to be injurious unto him and indeed unto themselves more in respect of his youth But be thou an ensample or the pattern 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of those that are faithfull in word in conversation in charitie in spirit in saith in purity meaning that by hearkening to this counsel he should impose a pleasing necessity upon men to make him his youth notwithstanding at least equall in honor reverence and respects with such persons who by maturity of years aâ—e invested with a natural right and title unto such Priviledges How the Author of the Discourse before thee hath quiâ—â—ed himself in the five particulars last specified by the Apostle Conversation Charity Spirit Faith Puritie in order to the vindication or balancing of his years I must referr both thee and my self unto those who have hâ—d longer time and more and larger opportunities to understand him in these then I have had although it be meet for us both 〈◊〉 judg that he hath seen Christianly provident even by these to way-lay that prejudice disparagement which his under-growth in age exposeth him unto But as farr as by word speech or writing a young man may secure his years from the imputation of inconsiderableness and purchase himself an equitable title to divide the heritage of Reverence and honor with men of a farr longer standing in the world he that hath befriended the world with the Treatise ensuing hath to the best of my understanding very substantially performed both Not to insist upon the stile which is grave and yet pleasant enough and at a due distance from affectation the argument or theme undertaken in the Book The Justification of a sinner is both of as important and necessary and of as sublime and difficult a contemplation at least in many of the veines or branches of it as any other subject within the circumference of Divinity or Christian Religion Yea whereas in the best and most serviceable of the years of my earthly Pilgrimage I have been by the providence of God occasionally engaged to wade somewhat farr in the deep waters of those two mysterious Articles of the Common Faith of Christians Justification and Predestination and so necessitated to inquire into and consider with the best of my understanding the respective natures of them both if I were now desired to give my sense concerning the difference between them in point of difficulty or whether of the two requires more of the reason and understanding of a man to come at any well-grounded satisfaction in all matters of moment relating to it I must award the precedeney herein unto Justification For though the Doctrines of Election and Reprobation be resented by many as points of a most abstruse and sublime consideration yet I really judge upon the credit of my unpartial diligence in making the comparison that the secret veins running along in and spreading themselves over the body of the Doctrine of Justification are both more in number and also of a more spiritual and hidden nature harder to be clearly opened than those that occurre in the other Doctrines Not having had time to peruse the Treatise since the printing of it nor any other knowledg of the contents of it but only what I gained by some broken communications about them with the Author when his leisure and mine could agree which was not very often whilest he was preparing it for the Press I am not able to give thee a steady account how farr he hath traversed his Subject or about how many of the arcana or difficult Queries relating to it he hath engaged his pen in the present Discourse I suppose it never came near his thoughts to interess so small a Tract in all the inquireable points about Justification nor do I know any man amongst those many that have served the Christian World in that argument that have raised the pitch of their Undertaking so high But I well remember he hath laboured very commendably and to the good contentment I doubt not of the consciences of those that shall conseientiously reade and minde what he hath written in sundry particulars very necessary to be understood by those that are desirous to know the whole counsel of God in that Great and most important Article of their most holy Profession I mean Justification He hath with a strong hand removed that stumbling Stone of Justification from eternity which the Spirit of Antinomianisme hath laid in the way of Christian profession and at which not a few learned and unlearned have stumbled This Error being so broad-fac'd and palpable had need have the countenance of some that are counted Pillars in the Christian Church to support it And were it 〈◊〉 so gross and easie of detection I might take the beldness with modesty enough to challenge and accuse it of a most malesique and dangerous influence upon the very life of Christianity For besides other threatning tendencies of â—t of this kinde both the face and heart of it are set to deprive the world of the spirit life and soul of all that the great Apostle Paul hath written in his Epistles in asserting the Doctrine of Justification by Faith against the Jews and all others opposing it which is a good part not to say the best or gredtest part of all the heavenly Legatie which he hath left in writing unto the world for that Love's sake which he bare in his life-time to the salvation of it For if the great contest between him and his Oppanents the Jews was not about Justification it self or about the means whereby it is to be obtained in the sight of God but onely about the manifestation or declarative of it and this before men which they must of necessity affirm that hold men really and actually justified by God from eternity then doubtless the Jews who pleaded for Justification by Works had the better end of the staff inasmuch as these have a greater declarative force at least in reference unto men of the state of Justification or of the acceptance of a person with God than Faith hath This not reason and experience onely but the Scripture it self supposeth from place to place still making waies and works of Righteousness and fruitfulness in well-doing the most unquestionable Characters and proofs of persons justified and in favour with God Places of this import and very pregnantly such might soon be drawn together in great numbers but I judg this needless by reason of the frequent and familiar occurrencie of such places Whereas Faith is here represented as in and of it self inevident and as standing in need of the light of Works to make it visible or manifest unto men Jam. 2.18 1
that they must not touch taste or handle Col. 2.22 The Laity amongst the Papists must not taste the Wine it is too good for them nor touch the Wafer which is superstitiously invented instead of Bread with their unhallowed hands but receive it into their mouths from the hand of the Priest and that upon their knees yea when the Host is carryed in the streets they must fall down upon their knees Thus I have dispatched this observation about superstitious mens shiness of God in his Worship that they have not that holy boldness they ought to have but a spirit of bondage and of slaves in the presence of God Superstitious men under any of the three notions of Superstition are under a spirit of bondage in the service of God I come now to the application of the Character And in this I shall proceed as I have done in other Characters first indeavouring hence to discover Predominant The application of the Character then Partial Legality or the mixtures of Legality in the Saints Now for Predominant Legality as the notions of Superstition have been severally given and explained Superstition alone may serve to discover where this great evil is As Mr. Smith gives the notion of Superstition it seems to me to be no other then the spirit of Bondage it self and I dare say if thou art superstitious in his sense thou art under a spirit of bondage Predominantly and so under Legality Predominant If thou lookest upon God as a Tyrant and yet servest him and that as such what higher description can there be of a spirit of Bondage Hither I might refer all the too-severe penances which the Papists inflict upon themselves in watching fastings and scourging of themselves as if the merciful God were taken with such crueties instead of true worship and devotion But because I have often touched upon these things already I shall forbear though this be the most proper head of this matter Neither yet am I an enemy to prudent penances if I may so call them that is means and trials of one's mortification and repentance so they be wisely directed to an end as for the Intemperate to fast to afflict his soul and body before God for those that are apt to be proud in apparel to deny themselves sometimes the ordinaryliberties of apparel and perhaps to wear very mean cloaths that they may break themselves of their proud humour I make no doubt if Saint Paul should give us the instances of his mortification when he kept under his body that is his whole self though it may be his body in especial manner and brought it into subjection 1 Cor. 9.27 the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dâ— Hâ—râ—moad I give my self black and blew eyes with beating my self and make my self a servant I say if he should tel us what courses he took in his mortification what liberties he denyed himself what tasks he might possibly impose upon himself I doubt it would make most of us condemn our selves severely for dastardly and effeminate Christians but yet stil I doubt not but his abstinencies and impositions were rational wisely directed to an end viz. to subdue or keep under some passion or the like end he did not sure satisfie himself or reckon that God was pleased with his sufferings further then as they were a reasonable service So again for the second notion of Superstition thou Idolater thou Papist that canst not come to the great God without a false Mediator through a fear and shiness I have no comfort for thee onely that I know not how merciful God may be to an erronious Conscience whenas the persons otherwise setting aside their error are sincere and cordial in their obedience and hold the Head that is Christ as the Apostles phrase is 2 Col. 19. Again for them that are superstitious in the last and lowest though I should think properest notion of the Word and are grosly so I take it as a very shrewd sign of a Spirit of Bondage and Legality predominant not onely for this reason that they plainly discover themselves to be very ignorant of the Gospel by which all the Ceremonial Law was at once laid aside and no other substituted by the Apostles nor as I should think left to be invented by their corrupter successors but for that other reason which I mentioned for that such men that are so much for invented Ceremonies which I reckon superstitious are not onely de facto strangers to a Spirit of Prayer which is all one with the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.16 Gal. 4.6 but must needs set upon the inventing or embraciag these superstitions for that they think certainly the great God observes as much the little circumstances which are not indeed to be despised as the substance of every action and that if you are not mighty exact in every punctilio the Lord will not accept the most sincere devotion and hence they came to serve out every action with so much pomp and ceremony as must needs hinder the performance of some other necessary duties besides that the inventions are many times sinful in themselves Or else there must be another reason of these superstitious inventions which Mr. Smith suggests and thereby methinks brings down his high notion of Superstition somewhat towards this last that we have given his words are That superstitious men think though God is apt to be angry yet that he is easily to be appeased again by some FLATTERING DEVOTIONS especially if performed with sanctimonious shews and a solemn sadness of mind and therefore saith he Superstition will alwayes abound in these things whereby this Deity of their own made after the similitude of men may be most gratified slasishly crouching to it And then quotes Plutarch taxing the Jews with their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their wallowings in the dust tumblings in the mire prosternations uncouth gestures and strange rites of worship the very things which we call Superstition bowing to the high Altar c. And again he tells us That this root of Superstition diversly brancheth forth it self sometimes into poedantical rites and idle observations of things and times What is it that the lave ages have called Superstition but this which here Mr. Smith acknowledgeth to be the effects or branches of Superstition But to let pass this criterion of Superstition as to the word but yet retaining the thing intended by it which is an over-timorous fear of God we may find out predominant Legality by this that follows Art thou engaged in the service of God ONELY through the fear of Hell What saist thou to that Scripture The sinners in Sion are afraid fearfulness harh surprized the hypocrites Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire Who among us shall dwel with everlasting burnings Isa 33.14 Not as if this principle were in it self unlawful no it is a Gospel-principle and the Apostle Paul himself as I have shewed makes use of it when he sayes I beat down
to explain the great term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he tells us That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies any virtue or goodness in a man whatsoever and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing else but to be approved as a good man or A doer of what is righteous and good and that BECAUSE he doth that which is good and righteous Having made this great observation of which I shall make more use anon I shall proceed with my Character That an affected ignorance of Christ is an infallible Character of a Legal Spirit I have given a Scripture for it viz. Phil. 3.7.8 to the 15. upon which I have so long insisted I shall give now the reason of it which is this For that all pardon of sins which is the greatest thing in Gospel-justification was ever by virtue of the death of Christ All the symbolical and vailed-Gospel of the old Testament pointed though darkly unto Christ The rock in the Wilderness was Christ the Serpent was Christ the Manna was Christ the Scape-Goat was Christ the Paschal Lamb was Christ and in the fulness of time Grace and the Truth of these types came by Jesus Christ Therefore those that are affectedly ignorant of Christ are affectedly ignorant of all that looked like Gospel and so of Gospel-Grace it self nothing can be a plainer argument of Legality then this And indeed we may almost adventure to say That most men so far as they are ignorant of Christ in these days of the Gospel they are affectedly ignorant I deferred this Character till the last because I would first put all those Characters together in which the faith of all the Old-Testament-believers and ours did agree All the Old-Testament Saints were more for spiritual heart-heart-worship than for the externals of Religion they were all in their degree humble and patient they were all in their degree quick lively and vigorous they had all a spirit of adoption in their measure they were all of a sweet meek and kind heart and spirit not of a persecuting principle but I cannot say they all knew Christ in his death resurrection ascension and intercession nay I should lye if I should say it these things are peculiar to faith under the dayes of the Gospel St. Peter and the other Apostles were all ignorant of these things Luke 18. from verse 31. to 35. Now I shall shew briefly the peculiar additionals of a Gospel-faith or rather a New-Testament Faith without which ours cannot be Evangelical enough and so not justifying and saving And without performing this part of my Work I should be guilty of a great absurdity for taking up so many pages in describing the Faith of the Old-Testament Saints or of justifying-faith which was common to us and them and in the mean time to pass by that which is proper to our selves and as necessary as any thing which hath been spoken to I affirm therefore that we are to know and believe in Christ as the PROCURING CAUSE of all our mercies and the DISPENSER of all good things to us These are the two great things which we are to know and believe concerning Christ to which we must add the meditation imitation of our Saviour as a pattern in his Life Death Resurrection and Ascension in all which our Faith hath a great usefulness and necessity and unless our Faith hath a great and very considerable respect unto Christ in all these three particulars we cannot justly put on the name of Christians That old Faith of Abraham and all the Saints of the Old-Testament which St. Paul disputes for and proves they were justified by it hath now a further Name and is called the Christian Faith having taken up that great Object Christ more explicitely and plainly then ever they received it I shall say somewhat but as briefly as I may unto all the three generals wherein our Faith is now necessarily to eye Jesus Christ that it may be of a right Gospel strain 1. We must believe in Christ as the great procuring cause of all our mercies 1. By his blood and offering Therefore a right New-Testament Faith eyes Christ as the procuring-cause of all our mercies and this in two respects viz. by his offering up himself a sacrifice and by his intercessions 1. By his dying for us and offering up himself he hath bought us Ye are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6 20. Thou hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood Rev. 5.9 His blood was the price of our redemption by shedding of this and offering it up to God he became a propitiation for our sins and we our selves are the purchase of this Price Acts 20.28 The Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood We are purchased and redeemed from the world Gal. 1.4 From our vain Conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 Yea Heaven it self is purchased by his blood for us for I doubt not but that is it which is called the purchased possession Eph. 1.14 Now see if we have not reason nay if there be not absolute necessity if we would be right Christians to know Christ and believe in him as the procuring-cause of all our Mercies and that by his Death and Blood and offering himself He hath by one offering perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Now our Faith as it eyes thus the death of Christ is called faith in his blood and Justification follows upon this Faith onely Rom. 3.24 25. Being justified freely by his Grace THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God Rom. 5.8 9. But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us much more then BEING NOW JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD we shall be saved from wrath to come I shall mention no more Scriptures to prove that Christ is the procuring-cause of all our mercies by his death and blood only I shall describe what this faith in his blood is and I shall express it thus It is a judging the death and offering of Christ either upon the Cross or in the holy of holies into which he entered by his own blood Heb. 9.12 to be the great propitiation of God who without this offering had decreed no◠to pardon sins by which he became propitious and appeased and for it receives all true penitents into his favour that is for the judgement or assent of faith to the dogmatical truth in this matter then for its affiance faith in the blood of Christ it is a not doubting but whilst I have the Gospel-condition of Justification what ever it be this blood will procure my pardon or thus in the way of holiness to rest upon God for pardon for the sake of Christ's blood-shedding and offering it to God Now this faith in the blood of Christ I look upon as an
God hath sent forth the SPIRIT of his SON into your hearts crying Abba Father Gal. 4 3 4 5 6. It is by Christ's coming that we are freed from that external fleshly way of serving God in a worldly Sanctuary and by carnal Ordinances It was almost impossible whilst it was the duty of the people of God to worship God with so much ceremonial service but they should dote too much upon those externals of worship But saith our Saviour â—he hour cometh and NOW is that is in the dayes of the Gospel that neither in this Mountain nor at Jerusalem shall men worship the Father but in spirit and truth John 6.21.23 and the reason was this for that Christ was the substance of those shadows which therefore vanished at his coming The truth is the great thing that we have to mind as Christians is the knowledge of Christ the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. And I have often thought that they who would study the Gospel aright should endeavour to find out what there is peculiar in the Gospel above whatever was before revealed for they shall find that in the Gospel there is the hidden wisdom of God revealed such mysteries of wisdom as were before hidden from ages and generations and I believe there is no greater prejudice to the advance of knowledge in Theology or the knowledge of God than that it is so generally presumed yea and assertedthat there is nothing in a manner new in the Go spel neither precepts nor promises but that the Faith of the Saints in all ages was the same that it is now onely they appreheuded the same things somewhat more obscurely then we do and so for the Precepts that they were always the same Now this presumption will unavoidably hinder all further enquiry and the New-Testament shall signifie no more to us then the old will do and so we shall necessarily put our selves again under the Legal instead of the Evangelical Administration serving God in the OLDNESS OF THE LETTER which is the Law and not in the NEWNESS OF THE SPIRIT which is the Gospel Rom. 7.6 Whereas to any diligent and unprejudiced enquirer it will appear that there are a thousand new things in the Gospel and all of them referring more or less to Christ I shall give but two Scriptures for this and so come to the application of the character The first is this in Col. 1.26 27. I am made a Minister saith the Apostle to fulfil the Word of God even the Mystery which hath been hid FROM AGES AND GENEEATIONS but NOW IS MADE MANIFEST TO HIS SAINTS to whom God would make known the riches of this Mystery amongst the Gentiles which is CHRIST IN YOU the hope of Glory Christ is all the Mystery all the mysterious things of the Gospel are to be more or less referred to Christ The second Scripture is Eph 3. of which I might transcribe more then half the chapter see ver 9. To make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mysterie which from the beginning of the world hath been HID IN GOD See Marlorat in loc who CREATED ALL THINGS BY JESUS CHRIST This saith Calvin Non tam de prima creatione interpretari libet quam de instauratione spirituali circumstantia enim loci postulat ut de renovatione intelligamus quae continetur in beneficio redemptionis That is This creation of all things by Jesus Christ is not so much to be understood of the first creation of the world as of the instauration and renovation or new Gospel-state of things into which God hath put them by Jesus Christ So the next verse unavoidably carries the sense ver 10 11. To the intent that NOW unto the Principalities and Powers in heavenly places MIGHT BE MADE KNOWN by the Church the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which he PURPOSED IN CHRIST JESUS our Lord What did not the Angels know the Mysteries of the first creation till the dayes of the Gospel Oâ— are they instructed by the Church in the Mysteries of the first Creation Are Christians as such so great natural Philosophers as that Angels may come and learn of them The sense therefore is plainly thus That in the dayes of the Gospel there is a quite new Model and new constitution of things by vertue of the Mediatorial Kingdom which Jesus Christ hath received of his Father and much of this the Angels learn from the Church Who therefore but a rank Legallist will study Jesus Christ I come now to the application of the Character The application of the Character first to the discovery of partial Legality And here I shall somewhat alter my method which I used in the application of the other Characters for here I shall begin with the discovery of partial Legality which may be found in the Saints from this Character and afterwards come to predominant Legality from it First of all then Is our New-Testament-Faith to act so much upon Jesus Christ yea upon him immediately for all things for pardon for strength of Grace for temporal deliverances c Then these Saints are much too blame and greatly guilty of Legality that go to God without Christ in any measure If men go to God in the daves of the Gospel and where the Gospel hath been preached 〈◊〉 for I have to do with none other at this time I say if such men go to God without Christ altogether they are not Saints at all cannot be Saints of these I shall speak â—non But there are a generation of Saints and perhaps the greatest number who do truly believe in Christ that yet go to God without Christ in a great measure they are Christians Doctrinally but yet they are not well versed nor practised enough in treating with Christ and with God through Christ but make their immediate applications to God almost in every prayer in every act of Faith they cannot speak in a Gospel Dialect but are as if they were still living in the daies of the Old Testament where that a man feared and believed in God was his great character of Saintship Nay I would adventure to make this censure of hundreds of Christians that are good and holy men that were it not for the doctrine of satisfaction to the Justice of God which hath an hold upon them they do not discover wherein they have any need or use of Jesus Christ at all either as King or Prophet of his people though indeed they wil consent unto all these things when they are preached therefore in charity must be conceived to have that respect unto Christ which is necessary even in these particulars also I think many Ministers are greatly to blame who are otherwise good men in that they preach no more of Christ unto their people That this is Legality where it is found I think there is no need of further proof this character sufficiently