that there might be a Vindication of of the Holiness and Purity of the Salvation of Christ before Natural Conscience and against the Enemies of Grace Further so many Scriptures pressing to Holiness are Barriers that prophane and unholy Men who Hate to be Reform'd and Hypocrites may not presume upon an Interest in Christ and his Righteousness till they Find their Hearts chang'd But especially Scripture is so large in all these Methods of perswading Men to Holiness because They are serviceable to that Oeconomy of Grace that moves and acts upon the Intellectual Spirit of Man Rationally while it Supremely moves and Subordinates it thereby to its own operations And Secondarily These Abundant discourses of Holiness shew to Man his own Unrighteousness by his so Great Falls Failings and Imperfections even under the Covenant of Grace That Boasting in Regard of Sanctification under that Grace may be excluded and we may make mention of the Righteousness of the Lord and Glory in that Alone But then that so little Comparatively is spoken of the Righteousness of Christ Though very much and very Great is spoken of it is because All divine is simple clear One spoken of as it were at once and as the Being and Attributes of God though often spoken of need not many words at a time but are to be especially Meditated upon Even so though upon occasion the Righteousness of Christ requires larger Discourses as Rom. c. 3. c. 4. c. 5. Gal. c. 2. c. 3. c. 4. Ephes c. 1. c. 2. Philip. c. 3. Yet it is rather continually spoken of as our only Foundation and Hope and always imply'd This Righteousness then being Infinite Therefore Justification by it is Attributed to Faith without works because an Infinite Righteousness can be only Receiv'd and not Aided by our works it can only be believ'd in not help'd out by any thing in us If it be said the Apostle James seems to have decided the Point much otherwise by Asserting Faith does not nor can Justifie or save without Works And if so then it must follow Not the Righteousness of Christ only but Works of Sanctification under that are our Righteousness also and Conditions of our Justification as our Acts and Works And so this notion of the Righteousness of Christ being Infinite and giving Room to no other Righteousnes cannot Hold. To that I Answer To any Attent Considerer of that Apostles discourse It will be found He does not discourse of Faith and Works as Two distinct compleat things but as Two parts of one and the same Thing compleat viz. A compleat Faith As if we discourse of the Body and Spirit of a Man It is not a discouse of Two compleat Beings but of that one compleat Being Man compounded of Body and of Spirit Of this we may find Great proof in many Expressions and in the last verse the Key of All As the Body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without Works is dead also James 2. last Now in Faith there is the outward Profession or as we call it Confession of Faith which the Apostle Intimates in those words Thou believest There is one God with which Article Confessions of Faith generally begin and this Confession tho' the Body of Faith only the Apostle calls Faith as we Vulgarly speaking call the Body oftnest the Man But then there is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle Paul calls it the Work of Faith with Power 2 Thes 1.11 or as the Apostle James speaks the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the works viz. of Faith With which Faith Those Works of Faith are to be close connected and understood only of Faiths own Works And the difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Work in the Apostle Paul and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Works in the Apostle James makes no more difference then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Works and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Work in the Apostle Paul himself Rom. 11.6 in another case Now this Work of Faith with Power is such that when the whole Result shall be seen in the High Operation of True Faith in relation to Justification Sanctification and Glorification It will be seen to the Admirable Glory of God in Christ in his Saints and of their Glory in Him for the Holiness Wisdom and yet infinite Grace of all to the Admiration of All Angels and Saints and Confusion of Devils and wicked Men as v. 10. and 12. compar'd make out Now these Two the Confession of Faith and the Work of Faith are as I may call it Hypostatically or as it were Personally united Confession the Body Work and Power or Works the Spirit And when they are thus united The Confession Works with that Operation of Faith or Vis Effectrix that Spirit of Faith as the Body works with the Mind or the instrument with the Work-man and thereby the Confession of Faith is perfected into a compleat Faith by being thus united with the Works of Faith Now to shew This was the Apostles meaning He does not instance in the Works of a Holy Regular Conversation according to the Moral Law but in Two Solitary Single Eminent and Extraordinary Acts of Abraham and Rahab and such as the general Face of the Moral Law would rather Condemn then Justifie upon But as the First and Specific Act of Justifying Faith is Apprehending the Righteousness of Christ for whieh it is first Apprehended of Christ and so Justifies by this Righteousness of Christ Apprehended by this Operation From which Operation of Apprehending Christ if the Confession be divided it cannot Justifie because it misses the Righteousness of Christ. Even so the Apostle Instances in Acts of Abraham and Rahab's Faith that were nearly Related to Christ and as it were a Mirrour of Christ Apprehended viz. Abraham's offering Isaac so Great a Type of the Sacrifice of Christ and Rahab's Receiving the People of the Promised Messiah under whom she desir'd shelter from the common Wrath coming on her Own People So that Thread of Typical Scarlet Purifying Sin was given her as a Type of the Blood of Christ. Now the occasion of all this discourse Appears to be to make good that the True Faith of the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory that hath that First work of Seeing and Receiving Him so essential to it hath such a sight of him and of his Glory that it puts Glory on the meanest Christians so that Christ in them is highly Precious though without the Worlds Trappings of Glory because of Christ in them whieh Faith seeing Christ hath always in its Eye c. 2. v. 1. c. But if any One think this Explication too narrow though I am much perswaded deep Consideration will be satisfied and the rather because the Trembling of the Devils Confessionary Faith of God that hath no operation into the Mediator is oppos'd to the Rest a Justifying Faith in Christ gives Yet if any One think it too narrow He may enlarge it by considering that from the
Righteousness of Christ in his Death and Resurrection Justification and Sanctification Flow as in an Hypostolick Vnion So the Faith that receives the one Receives the other and That Faith which hath that Specific Operation of Receiving Christ By that Operation it hath Receiv'd therein can in All other Things Act like it self and as it Receives the Righteousness of Christ so it Receives the Image of it in which All Good Works lye Treasur'd Ephes 2.10 But seeing the Apostle Paul hath once so Fully and Expresly Asserted to Faith that it Justifies in Receiving Christ and the Abundance of Grace and the Gift of Righteousness from Him It can never be dismounted from that dignity but whatever is said to Justifie must be so Personally united with Faith Receiving Christs Righteousness as to Justifie only as it is so united to Faith and Faith to Christ For as Infinite Righteousness can have no Additions of any other Righteousness So there can be nothing added to Believing in it but what must fall into the Essence of Believing or Receiving in this point of Justification For else something must be added to the Righteousness it self which cannot be if it be an Infinite Righteousness without a Contradiction And even this Faith can not be Rais'd out of our selves but is from the Beams of that Righteousness shining about the Heart the Spirit Strengthning the Inner Man and drawing it to Christ that he may dwell in it I come then to the Conclusive point the Reconciling Dr. Crisps's Sermons with Mr. Baxter In order to which I make these observations 1. God gives to the Variety of his Servants a diversified poiz of Spirit In some it comes nearest to the Sons of Thunder In others to the Sons of Oyl or Consolation Thus the Apostle James in his Epistle is as a Son of Thunder the Apostle Paul in the Doctrine of Free Grace as a Son of Consolation But in both these Two Breathed One and the same Spirit Dividing to each as it pleased Him And so I doubt not in these Two Eminent Ministers of Christ The same Spirit hath wrought wherein their way of Preaching or Writing seems to differ most abating to each Humane Infirmity and not Attributing to either the Infallible Spirit that Guided the Writers of Scripture in their writing 2. I observe in Scripture the Spirit often in the Point it is upon moves strait forward and in a Stream like a Torrent and takes notice of nothing to hinder but hath in due place Ballanc'd every Truth one with another Thus the Apostle Paul moves on in the Doctrine of Justification of the ungodly by Faith in Christ without Works Rom. c. 3. c. 4. c. 5. and then c. 6. considers and Fore-prizes the bad consequences that may be drawn from it The Apostle James dictated to by the same Spirit even derides a Confession of Faith that hath not Works that is an effective Power of doing Things like it self as utterly Impotent to Justifie or Save because it Receiving none of the mighty Influences of the Righteousness of Christ it is thence Evident it hath not Receiv'd that Righteousness it self And herein the Spirit in the Apostle James runs so high as to offer a seeming Contradiction to it self in the Apostle Paul and Leaves to the Searchers of Scripture to find the True Key of the Intrepretation But herein was no Cause to either Apostle to be offended one with Another or for the Readers of either to be offended with either of them but they are to lay both together and thereby to deduce the whole Scripture Truth In the very same matter though not with so high a Deference to either of these Two Ministers of Jesus Christ All which They both have spoken according to the Truth of Christ is to be laid together and neither part to be consider'd principally as from them but as from one and the same Spirit Guiding both in each part of Truth according to his word and the Dispensation committed to each of them One singly and Solely exalting the Righteousness of Jesus Christ as our whole Foundation and Comfort and in Cases of Great difficulty and darkness to be Rested upon alone and yet always implying and many times Expressing and never contradicting that this Righteousness of Christ Flows out with all Holiness The other more insisting upon the Righteousness of Christ in its Impress of Mortification by Conformity to his Death and of Sanctification by the Power of his Resurrection The one most necessary when Conscience hath to do with God The other necessary in the Course of a Christian Conversation But it must be Acknowledg'd the Increated Righteousness of Christ being infinite and all Inherent Righteousness consider'd as ours and distinct from Christ's from which yet it can never be separated being Created and not only so but very Scanty and imperfect the Righteousness of Christ is most Radical and the Standard by which all Inherent Righteousness must in the discourse of it be Bounded and wherever the Righteousness of Christ is Receiv'd Holiness infallibly follows whereas a seemingly good Conversation often misses that Root But far be it to suppose Mr. Baxer in all his discourses pressing Mortification and Holiness hath not so Learnt and so taught as the Truth is in Jesus that His Righteousness is our alone Justification But I am much perswaded Dr. Crisp was rais'd up on purpose by God to Break that Box of Spikenard that sent out so High and Sweet a savour of Christ And I do not perceive He attain'd that Height of his Ministery till the latter end of it so I Collect from the Additional Sermons which are not of so Rich a Savour of those Good Oyntments And speedily after He attained that Height God Took Him even early out of the World For but a little of so Great a Cordial God Allotted the World And if any say why did not Dr. Crisp Ballance that Doctrine of Christ with the Treaty of other Scriptures pressing Holiness it may very well be Answer'd The Preaching of Christ was his peculiar Ministerial Lot and Talent Assign'd him by God as in the fore-nam'd differences of Holy Writers And He is not to be consider'd as alone in the Hand of Christ or as a single Star but with all the other Stars by whom the Holy Spirit hath Abundantly written what may Ballance his preaching of Christ so singly and wholly For tho' He and They are several Men to us and their preaching several yet They are All Stars together in the Hand of Christ and the Truth taken together one Though the Truth He preach'd was certainly of the Highest Orb and it shall be Remembred to his Honour when the Everlasting Gospel is Preach'd For I am much perswaded as the Preaching these Sermons was before a notable Breaking out of Gospel Light and Truth and a Dawn of the Kingdom of Christ in his Redemption Not concerning my self in the civil differences of that Time nor the miscarriges of wild opinions So I cannot but hope The Reprinting of these Sermons is order'd by Providence as a Fore-Running of a much Clearer opening of that Kingdom of Redemption in preparation whereunto the Song of Redemption shall be as it were a New Song set to a Higher Elah even when the Fourty Two Months of the Apostasie that now clouds it shall come to an end Let us then in Conclusion of the Matter magnifie the Ministry of the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus as Excelling in Glory 2 Cor. 3.9 Great was the Ministery that gave us his Great Sermon in the Mount his other most Powerful Sermons as the Voice of Thunder and that Prayer of the Kingdom we style the Lord's Prayer together with many High Emanations of the Spirit upon Him to Preach the Jubilee of the Lord But the Beloved Disciple gave us the more constant still Voice of his most Evangelical discourses and his Mediatory Prayer spreading it self over All. John 17. Great was the Ministery of the Apostle James who when He Appear'd as a Son of Thunder against a Liveless Confession of Faith as a Dead Body yet so gives the Working Spirit of Faith that He dares not describe it as in the Appearance of Works of the Moral Law least he should establish Works contrary to the Spirit in the Apostle Paul but in the Acts of Obedience as Extraordinary to the Moral Law as Imputation of the Righteousness of Another to us is to it Nor in a whole Conversation of Evangelical Obedience least He should seem to set up that in the place of the Works of the Law but in single Acts and those Acts looking to Christ Abraham seeing and Rejoicing in Christs day in Isaac Rahab looking on the Brazen Serpent and not Perishing with them that Believed not Heb. 11.31 and shewing in Aâ—l He did but Explorate by Works like it self for a Faith Reaching Christ in that Fundamental Operation of it as the Immanent Spirit of it * The Scripture was Fulfill'd which said long before Abraham believ'd c. And It was Imputed c. James 2.23 and therefore chooses the Operation of Abraham's Faith that God stay'd er'e it became a Full Transient Act or pass'd into Full Work that He might no way injure Infinite Righteousness And yet He who as the Chief of Forgiven Sinners Lov'd most Publish'd Free Grace more Abundantly then They All Yet not He but the Grace of God with Him Let us therefore learn with Him to Know nothing but Christ and Him Crucified Till in Robes wash'd in his Blood we sing that as it were new Song of Redemption as Kings and Priests to the Father on the Throne and to the Lamb to whom be Glory for Ever and Ever Amen FINIS Books sold by William Marshal at the Bible in Newgate-street THE Works of Dr. Crisp compleat in 52 Sermons some never before printed Many Works of Dr. Owen Of the nature of a Gospel Church and its Government in Answer to the Vnreasonableness of Separation Of the State of Protestant Religion lately publish'd The Catechism of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in the 1000 Years By the Author of this Conciliatory Judgment newly printed
A Conciliatoy Judgment CONCERNING Dr. Crisps's Sermons AND Mr. BAXTER'S Dissatisfactions in Them By T. Beverley London Printed and Sold by William Marshall at the Bible in Newgate-street where you may be supplied with the Scripture Line of Time and the other pieces of the same Authors 1690. A Conciliatory Judgment concerning Dr. Crisps's Sermons and Mr. Baxter's Dissatisfactions in them AN Interposal in this Case is Nice and Tender whether we consider the persons concern'd or the Case it self If we consider the persons They are Dr. Crisps in his Memory who being a Person Dissolv'd and as we have Great Reason to be assur'd with Christ in Spirit near these Fifty years and who being Dead yet speaketh His Memory ought to be precious to us and to be embalm'd with Honour On the other side is Mr. Baxter grown now in his excellent Ministerial Labours of all Kinds Such a one as the Aged Servant of Jesus Christ and a Father Great Estimation Reverence and Tenderest Regard are therefore due to Him If we consider the Case it self it Requires much Greater Caution For it is a seeming Controversie between the Justification and the Sanctification of the Gospel betwixt Justifying Faith and Good works Notwithstanding the Great Nicety and Caution necessary to be us'd I am yet most desirous to Contribute my utmost service to mediate betwixt a Dead and a Living Servant of Christ as also to fix the Scituation and order of Two so Great Points of Christian Religion and thereby to conciliate the Two Ministeries before us And certainly in the first place the so often calling the Righteousness of Christ by which we are Justified the Righteousness of God does without any more words determine it to be our supreme not only Righteousness but Holiness And no distinctions or Limitations can dethrone or confine it If it be divine It must be Infinite and Supreme And All Inherent Righteousness of Faith Repentance Sanctification or whatever names of Qualification of the persons who Receive it can be no more then the Wise and Holy Oeconomy of that Supreme Righteousness that so manages and fits the Person to whom it communicates it self to a Fitness and Agreeableness to so High a Communication If it be Divine and Infinite All must flow from it nothing can be Brought or Added to it Now that it is Divine is out of measure clear by Jesus Christ being styl'd Jehovah our Righteousness Jerem. 23.6 by the Apostle Paul's so often calling the Righteousness of Christ the Righteousness of God Rom. 3.21.22 2 Cor. 5.21 Phil. 3.6 This then being once declar'd fully determines the Case That this Righteousness is the Supreme Righteousness and Holyness also to whom soever it is a Righteousness And no Restrictions can be Receiv'd to the diminution of it nor can any Thing be spoken too High too Great too much of it For what is our Righteousness is also that Holiness by which we stand Accepted before God seeing Righteousness and Holiness are the same the Abundance of which we Receive by Grace and Free Gift Now that it can come to us upon us that we may be Found in Christ and have not our own but it that we are made the Righteousness of God by it that it is Imputed to us are all Scripture Expressions Assuring It may be made ours And whatever is divine where it Communicates to us it self is so Unitive that it is nearer to us then we our selves or any Thing of ours can be to our selves It nevertheless follows That this Righteousness prepares for it self by Humiliation by Faith by Repentance a Reception suitable to it self in the person who is to Receive it but so that these Things are not offered in Sacrifice to the Righteousness of Christ to encline or draw it but are wholly from it by Emanations Emissions divine Effluviums from it self winning Atracting and uniting that Spirit to it to which it is pleas'd to unite it self And where it is pleas'd so to be united it Prints and Enstamps its own Image upon the Heart and Life by Sanctification And These Things are All done by so Infallible and Inseparable an Efflux from Christ that a Thousand Times sooner may the Beams be cut off from the Sun the streams from the Fountain then the inward Holiness and Righteousness of Faith Repentance the new Creation and good works can be cut off from the Righteousness of Christ imputed to any Person But withal it is to be known that the Communication in this Life is but to such degrees and these so various and in the Best Leaving a Body of Sin and Death that as till the very Kingdom of Redemption There is not a perfect washing of the Robes of Saints in the Blood of the Lamb so there is not a perfect Communication of the Image of that Righteousness in Holiness So that That Righteousness depended upon by Faith and witness'd by the Spirit is our only Title to Righteousness and yet the Signatures of Holiness the clearer They are the Greater is the Evidence that Righteousness is ours and the more Cloudy they are the Greater Reason of doubt and fear It is not ours and therefore the more Earnest ought the Application to be that we may have the more lively Impresses of it self upon us And in that supposed Justification or Title to the Righteousness of Christ as ours made good by Faith and Holiness The Righteousness of Christ is still Supreme For the Image the Reflex or Reverse of that Righteousness imputed is Christs owning us as His and Justified by Him Hence is our humble Appeal to God in Him that it is so But Christ first owns his Servants Graces as Appears Mat. 25.35 I was an Hunger'd c. They plead His Righteousness only And even when this Righteousness is indeed communicated There is always Uprightness and Sincerity but still the Eye of a Mans Spirit is turn'd by the Spirit of God so to this Righteousness that when It is in Darkness and sees no Light It moves to it and against Hope believs in Hope and when it sees no other Light It Trusts in the Name of the Lord and Stays on its God which is certainly from the divine Witness of the Spirit of God to a Man's Spirit that He is Christs If it should be said the State of the Righteousness of Christ thus Communicating it self seems not to agree with so Great parts of Scripture insisting upon Holiness of Heart and Life And there are but some chosen places of Scripture that speak of the Righteousness of Christ Our great work therefore seems to be in minding inward and active Righteousness that we may be Righteous according to 1 John 3.7 Be not deceiv'd He that doth Righteousness is Righteâ—us even as He is Righteous It is very True a Greater Proportion of Scripture is taken up in Rules of Holiness Precepts Commands Promises Threatnings Exhortations Expostulations Reproofs pressing hereunto in regard of the variety of persons and of Cases herein concern'd and