We must not work for Life but from Life Obj. But we may suppose the Doctor saith this only of external Duties but not of the Actings of Grace Answ. No I could shew you how he saith the same of all Graces but it 's enough to instance in that of Faith P. 326. That is the proper Work that God hath given to Believing not to effect any thing to the Good of a Man but only to be the Witness of that Good to the Spirit of a Man and so give light to that which was hidden before Obj. But is not God pleased with us the more for Grace c. A. The Doctor informs us P. 429. If you have more Ability than others in doing let it not come into your Thoughts as an Inducement to think better of your selves as if you were more accepted of God or pleasing in his Sight Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether God hath decreed that the Elect shall be holy and obedient and so partake of saving Blessings 2. Nor whether every VVork will fail to save a Christless Unbeliever 3. Nor whether Christ hath paid the Price of Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Blessings 4. Nor whether the essential Blessings of the Gospel become the Inheritance of a Believer as soon as he is united to Christ. 5. Nor whether it 's from the Influence of the Spirit that we are Holy Obedient and enabled to every good VVork 6. Nor whether it is for the Sake of Christ's Merits and Incense and of Free-Grace that any Grace of Duty of ours is rewarded or becomes the Means of any Benefit Each of these I do affirm 7. Nor whether an Holiness internal or external any Obedience VVork or Duty do at all merit the Promise or is the meritorious Cause or Righteousness for which any promised Mercy is bestowed This I deny and own that all is of Gift though given in an Order suitable to our Condition as Subjects in a State of Trial. 8. Nor whether the Law be a Rule of Duty This the Doctor affirms as I also do though he denies any Threatning or Promise to back God's Law as to the Elect. 9. Nor whether the Elect ought to be Holy and will be Holy This the Doctor owns but he placeth it wholly on the Decree and Christ's Care denying that God hath required it as indispensibly necessary to our inheriting any Blessing promised to the Elect and judgeth Christ hath done all for us and injoyneth nothing on us to do in order to any good thing 10. Nor whether a penitent Believer shall be saved if he die before he hath time for further Obedience This I affirm The Real Difference 1. VVhether Faith and Repentance be indispensibly required of us that we may be justified for the Sake of Christ's Righteousness This I affirm and the Doctor denies Of which I have treated Chap. 12. 2. VVhether Holiness and sincere Obedience and Perseverance are the way to Heaven and are required of the Elect as the Conditions of their obtaining Salvation or is Heaven promised to them if they persevere in Holiness and sincere Obedience and the Loss of Heaven threatned in case they continue wicked and disobedient or after Grace turn Apostates This the Doctor denies and I affirm 3. VVhether the good Works of a Believer are rewardable of Grace for Christ's Sake This I affirm and the Doctor denies 4. Whether by the Gospel as a Rule of Judgment whoever is unholy utterly disobedient and altogether wilfully neglective of good Works shall be condemned This I affirm and the Doctor denies 5. Whether God hath promised several Blessings distinct from mere eternal Life to the Exercise of several Graces and Performance of sundry Duties as more Grace to the Improvement of less gracious Returns to fervent Prayer Peace of Conscience to a lively Frame and exact walking his Presence to a conscientious Attendance on Ordinances diverting threatned Judgments on Repentance and Reformation filling the Hungry with good things c. This the Doctor denies and I affirm 6. Whether upon the Acting of such Graces and upright Performing such Duties a Christian may not in the Virtue of such Promises expect such Blessings and fear the Neglect thereof as a Bar thereto This the Doctor denies and I affirm Yet allowing that God may sometimes exert his Soveraignty in giving some Blessings to a Believer not answering these Rules and a while suspend them from the disposed Soul to try his Patience or if the Blessing be of a lower Nature he may exchange it into a greater But yet this I affirm is the stated Rule of our Expectations and Fears and the ordinary Method of God's Dealings with Men. 7. Whether God is not more pleased with a Man in the Exercise of Grace and Holiness than when he neglects them and doth the contrary This I affirm and the Doctor denies The Truth confirmed The Points are too many to admit Enlargement and most of them carry that Evidence that the whole Scope of the Bible must be forgotten when they are denied Can two or three wrested Texts overturn the constant Language of the Scriptures And is it not strange that all Religion and the Humane Nature it self in a State of Trial should be so fully struck at from a gross Conceit that the infinite God cannot foresee and purpose Events unless it must null his Government over reasonable Subjects and prevent his Distribution of Rewards and Punishments by a stated Rule What a Reflexion is it on the Divine Wisdom and the glorious Platform of the Redeemer's Work and Kingdom that he cannot purchase Benefits for Sinners unless he forbear to use them as Motives to Obedience Yea The whole of his serious Pleadings with Men must be a Mockery rather than he must be allowed to bestow his Blessings in a rectoral way He shall merit nothing as a Priest if he dispense it as a King nor be estemed to enable Sinners to act if he appoint them any thing to do in order to a Reward Having occasion to mention some Words which I would prevent thy Mistake of know that by Holiness I mean the inward Renovation and Devotedness of the Soul to God with the Expression thereof in holy Actings By Good Works I mean all the inward Actings of Grace in a sincere Conformity to the Will of God as our loving God our fearing God trusting in Christ godly Purposes and Resolves c. These are good Works called internal There be also external good Works as Praying Hearing exact Walking Alms-deeds and any other Act of Obedience directed by the Word proceeding from Faith and a renewed Principle and intended to glorifie God and save our Souls By Doing the same Actings are intended and so loving God is Doing yea Believing in Christ is Doing it is an Action on our Part even when it accepts of Christ though it is by Divine Ordination made the effectual Means of Receiving or partaking of a promised Christ. Having premised these things I
man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of their souls Heb. 10. 38 39. Is this a Threatning or not VVill not Christ deal with Men according to it Is it not true of all Persons Do not say the elect Believer will not fall away I think the same but yet is it the less true that even he shall perish if he fall away Nay Doth not God by these Threats contribute to keep him from Apostacy Ask thy self Is not this Threatning such as should govern our Expectations if we should turn Apostates So Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. This is used as an Argument to persuade us to follow Holiness and can you suppose it argueth at a lower rate than this Be Holy or you shall never see God's Face Unholiness will keep you from God's Presence Consider such places as For these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience Eph. 5. 6. If you live after the flesh you shall die Rom. 8. 13. 2. Salvation is promised to Perseverance True Holiness Sincere Obedience or Good Works And the Accomplishment of these Promises to these is called an Act of Righteousness These are Gospel-Promises because Salvation is promised on Terms so below Perfection The Texts are innumerable that include these Promises Rev. 2. 10. Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge will give me in that day Rom. 18. 3. If you mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit you shall live Heb. 6. 10. God is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love c. 2 Thes. 1. 6 7. The Righteousness refers to the Truth of the Promise not the Proportion of the Work Obj. These describe the Men whom God will save Ans. True but not as mere Natural Signs but as Moral instituted Signs They are Qualifications which God appoints as Pre-requisites to the Blessings They are not Meritorious but they are made by the Promise Necessary to our partaking of these Gifts and the Neglect of them would exclude our Interest in the Blessing Obj. These are Concomitants of them thâ—â— shall be saved Ans. The same Answer thaâ— is given to the last will serve to this And I add They are not instead of Christ they cannot add to what is proper to a Christ nor will they suffice without Faith or an Interest in Christ or without Pardon But they still signifie more than such Concomitants as some esteem them They are not like the Place of one's Birth or our Names or ouâ— Parents or Death c. All which are Concomitants of a Man that is saved but theâ— are Characters designed by the Promise theâ—â— are things without which the Gospel-Rule will exclude Men from Heaven and condemn Men into Hell let their Pretences be what they will Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are that that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in for without are dogs Mat. 5. 20. Except youâ— righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes c. 3. Consider the respect to Glory which ouâ— Good Works have in Scripture-dialect They are as Seed to the Harvest Gal. 6. 7 8 9. As 〈◊〉 Way to one's proposed place Eph. 2. 10. As Means to an End Mat. 5. 8. As Work to one's Wages Mat. 20. 1 7. Foundation to 〈◊〉 Building 1 Tim. 6. 19 c. The Gospel declares no less a Connexion between Good Works and Glory though they merit nothing 4. God declares the Obedience and Works of Believers as rewardable of Grace through Christ. They shall walk with me in white for they are worthy Rev. 3. 4. Great is your Reward in Heaven Mat. 5. 12. If I do this willingly I have a Reward 1 Cor. 9. 17. Col. 3. 24. Rev. 22. 12. Come ye blessed of my Father c. For I was an hungry and ye gave me meat c. Mat. 25. 34 35. It 's true it 's a Reward from the Benignity of a Father not from the Dignity of the Work It 's from the Ordination of the Promise which is owing to the Merits of a Christ and not any Claim of the Performance And so tender is God of the Honour of his Goodness herein that the Second Article of our Creed must be That he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. 5. By perseverance in these Exercises we are to work out our Salvation Phil. 2. 12. We lay hold of Eternal Life 1 Tim. 6. Lay up a treasure in heaven Luk. 12. 33. We run the race for the prize 1 Cor. 9. 24. VVe fight for the Crown c. And is it as good sit still as to be doing thus for to help us Heaven-ward Reader Lay these things to heart and canst thou account persevering Holiness and Obedience useless things Are they so indifferent to Happiness as the Doctor represents them How much of the Bible must be expunged ere his Opinion deserves credit Though I know our corrupt part too well likes a Dispensation from striving to enter in at the strait Gate III. The Third thing I should prove is That many other Blessings besides mere Eternal Life are promised to the Exercise of several Graces and Performance of Duties This is so easie a Task that I would leave it to the most ignorant but to read the Bible with his own Eyes VVhat mean such places The effectual fervent Prayer of a righteous man availeth much Jam. 5. 16. VVill no Prayer or cold Prayer avail as much If these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ 2 Pet. 1. 8. VVill the want or scanty degrees of Grace do the same So 2 Pet. 1. 10 11. Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure c. for so an entrance shall be administred to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of Christ. May one be assured without diligence Or shall we enter Heaven with the same full sail though we be negligent and unassured 2 Cor. 9. 6. He that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully he that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly But then shall we reap as liberally if we sow not at all or sow sparingly VVhere shall I stop when the Scriptures are so full of Instances And sure I need not prove that Repentance and earnest Prayer contribute to preserve a Nation when God so many times urgeth these to this end when he hath promised and performed Deliverance hereupon when he complains so oft that he must destroy for want of these and lays the Destruction of places always on neglect of these Jer. 18. 7 8 9 10. Isa. 1.
he looking upon them in his Son is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere although accompanied with many Imperfections Both also tell us Chap. 18. a. 2. That the Promises are made to Graces The Elders Chap. 15. a. 2. say That Believers Sinning are renewed through Repentance to Salvation Of the Necessity and Benefit of Faith I have given their Judgment before The Assembly and Elders Chap. 1. a. 7. tell us Those things which are necessary to be known believed and observed for Salvation are clearly propounded The Assembly's Large Catechism Q. How doth Christ execute the Office of a King A. Among other things they say In rewarding their Obedience and correcting them for their Sins Q. How is the Grace of God manifested in the second Covenant A. Among other things Requiring Faith as the Condition of their Interest in him c. Giving his Spirit to his Elect c. to enable them unto all holy Obedience as the Evidence of the Truth of their Faith and as the Way which he hath appointed them to Salvation Q. What hath God required that we may escape the Wrath and Curse c. A. That we may escape the Wrath and Curse of God c. He requireth of us Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus and the diligent Use of the Means c. You see they think Obedience and Good Works are rewardable that the Exercise of Graces do us much Good that Obedience is the Way to Salvation that we have much to do and that to escape the Wrath and Curse I shall transcribe part of the New-England Synod's Confutation of that Speech of the Antimonians If I am Holy I am never the better accepted of God If I be unholy I am never the worse This I am sure of be that elected me must save me To this the Synod answer This Expression imports that though a Man's Conversation be never so holy and gracious yet he can expect never the more Manifestation of Gods Kindness and Love to him Contrary to P. 50. ult and Joh. 14. 21. It implies That though a Man's Conversation be never so vile yet he needs not fear nor expect any Expression of God's Displeasure and Anger to break forth against him contrary to 2 Chron. 15. 2. And in a Word it imports That God neither loved Righteousness nor hated Sin and did take no Delight in the Obedience of his People Contrary to Psal. 45. 6 7. and 147. c. It 's true the Foundation of Election remaineth sure but it 's as true that whom he chooseth he purposeth to bring to Salvation through Sanctification of he Spirit 2 Thes. 2. 13 14. The 19th Errour of Mr. H. All Commands in the Word are Law and are not a Way of Life Errour 43. the Synod Confutes is The Spirit acts most in the Saints when they endeavour least Errour 48. Conditional Promises are legal Errour 50. It 's Poverty of Spirit when we have Grace yet to see we have none in our selves Doctor Owen Of Justif. P. 222. We grant that 1. God doth indispensibly require of him a justified Person personal Obedience which may be called his Evangelical Righteousness 2. That God doth approve of and accept in Christ his Righteousness so performed 3. That hereby that Faith whereby we are justified is evidenced proved manifested in the Sight of God and Men. 4. That this Righteousness is pleadable unto an Acquitment against any Charge from Satan the World or our own Consciences 5. That upon it we shall be declared righteous at the last Day and without it none shall be And if any shall think meet from hence to conclude unto an Evangelical Justification or call God's Acceptance of our Righteousness by that Name I shall by no means contend with them Where-ever this Enquiry is made not c. but how a Man that professeth Evangelical Faith in Christ shall be tried judged and whereon as such he shall be justified We grant that it is and must be by his own personal sincere Obedience P. 156. It is commonly said Faith and new Obedience are the Condition of the new Covenant c. If no more be intended but that God in and by the new Covenant doth indispensibly require these things of us in order to his own Glory and our full Enjoyment of all the Benefits of it it is unquestionably true P. 158. our whole Obedience through his gracious Appointment hath a rewardable Condecency with respect unto eternal Life P. 207. These Duties are so far necessary unto the Continuation of our Justification as that a justified State cannot consist with the Sins and Vices that are opposite unto them So the Apostle affirms If we live after the Flesh we shall die P. 208. If this be that which is intended in this Position That our own Obedience and good Works are the Condition of the Continuation of our Justification namely that God doth indispensibly require good Works and Obedience in all that are justified so that a justified State is inconsistent with the Neglect of them it is readily granted The Ground of Doctor Crisp 's Mistake He thinks because God eternally intended us all Benefits in the way he determined therefore he appoints nothing to Men as the Means of partaking of those Benefits Whereas this way Christ himself may as well be excluded by the Decrees he not being the Cause of Election but the Means of effecting it and all Endeavours for Life Health Estates c. may be as well prevented for God hath determined how long we shall live how rich we shall be c. Because a Sinner can obtain nothing by virtue of the Covenant of Works therefore what a Believer doth can avail nothing by the Grace of the new Covenant Because Christ hath merited all things as a Priest with a Right and Purpose to bestow them on the Elect therefore he can fix on no way to bestow them on his elect Subjects as Motives to obey him as a King Because he hath delivered us from the legal Rule of Misery and Happiness therefore he hath no Promises or Threats to govern us by in this State of Trial. Because Christ is the only Way of Atonement and Purchase therefore there can be no other way of his own ordaining to obtain the Effects of his Purchase Because we can merit nothing as of debt for doing therefore we can of Grace receive no Benefit by doing though God doth promise it Because we can do nothing for Life with a Thought of buying it therefore we may do nothing for Life as the End that moves us in the Use of indispensibly required Means Because God of his Mercy saves us at last therefore he shall not in the mean while duly govern us in order to Salvation Because we cannot merit Pardon therefore God can order no Grace or Duty to be through Christ rewardable with any other Blessing CHAP. XIV Of intending our Souls Good by Duties we perform TRUTH THough we ought
Impenitent as the Penitent 2. VVhat I have stated as Truth doth acknowledge and exalt this Free Grace of God I have affirmed and would admit the fullest Expressions to testifie that in these is the Free Grace of God in Truth Of mere Grace he elected some certain Sinners to Life upon no moving fore-seen Condition but yet to obtain it through Sanctification of the Spirit to Obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Of mere Love to Sinners no way deserving it he gave his Son to die for them who also undertook to bring all the Elect to Salvation in the way appointed between the Father and him He without any thing in Man to deserve it gave his Gospel and thereby offereth in the virtue of his Son's Blood Pardon and Eternal Life to every one that will repent and truly believe and no penitent persevering Believer shall miss of Life by a failure of this Promise He freely and of mere Grace bestows Faith and Repentance yea gives his Spirit to create these and any other good VVork in worthless vile Sinners And though he will not forgive any that finally refuse to believe and repent nor save any ungodly barren apostate Man yet Pardon and Life are his free-Gift and no Grace or Duty merits them they being no more than the required Conditions or Means of our partaking them as the Gifts of God through Christ and so hereby he honours his own Government and no way indulgeth the boastings of Men. 3. The Opinions of Dr. Crisp as they differ from these Truths do not exalt the Free Grace of God His Notions may seem more to represent an unlimited Grace as blind and so more suitable to wicked foolish Men But it is not agreeable to the holy Nature nor just or wise Government or the revealed Will of God but greatly reflects on God's Grace beyond what I will mention Is it the honour of God's Grace that all the Graces of the Spirit should be needless to promised Benefits when he promiseth those Benefits to them Is it the Grace of an holy God not to esteem a Man filthy by the greatest Abominations and yet abhorr his own Image in his Saints as Dung Is it the Free Grace of God to account an Elect Person in the heighth of his VVickedness as pure and as lovely as a Saint in Glory and yet with-hold his Spirit from him many years Is it the Grace of God to leave his Precepts without any Sanction when he removed the Curse of the Law Never to express any displeasure when most provoked yea when he doth correct To have no regard to Good or Evil in Men in his judicial Distributions To leave Men so Imperfect in a VVorld of Temptations and State of Tryal free from all fear of Caution and to have nothing in them to influence their Perseverance and Holiness except a Principle of Gratitude though their Love be weak Can it be the Grace of God that his Subjects must have no Eye to his Rewards or Threats fear none of his Displeasure when they offend be confident of the Pardon of the worst Offences before they confess a Fault never fear a Rebuke for or Hurt in or by any Sin yea condemn any trouble on that account though he blame the contrary and his Spirit causeth these Relentings Is it the Free Grace of our God which renders him a Respecter of Persons in his judicial Acts as the Ruler and Judge of the VVorld because he bestows Grace as an Act of Sovereignty It cannot be his Free Grace who hath so wisely contrived the Kingdom of his Grace that he prevents Idleness and Neglect in Men as well as Boasting that he makes the Sinner speechless for being his own Undoer by wilfully refusing Christ as well as he secures the acknowledgment of his Free Mercy by all that are saved Can that Grace be his which nullifies all his Threats weakens the Authority of all his Commands turns all his Pleadings with Men into empty VVords nay direct Fallacies Is it the Grace of God that overturns the stated Order wherein Grace exerts it self becoming all the Perfections of God God's Grace first calls and therein unites us to Christ first quickens then dignifies first gives Faith then Forgives c. But by the Doctor 's Opinion this Order is inâ—erted all Privileges are applied to the Sinner before Grace hath made any Change on the Sinner It 's not the Grace of God which â—ets up his Decree in Opposition to his revealed VVill Acquits whom he declares Condemned Enervates the Ministry Seareth the Conscience Encourageth Spiritual Sloth Discourageth Obedience Reproacheth Godâ—iness gives Advantage to the Tempter Destroys the Rule of Judgment and Opposeth the general and plain scope of the Scripture the Experience of Saints and the Nature of Man as Rational as well as his Relation to God as a Subject in the way to an Eternal State It cannot be God's Free Grace which renders Men as safe for Eternity if they never heard the Gospel as by hearing of it for if they be united to Christ and pardoned in the Womb they need the Gospel only for Assurance but not for Title to change their Apprehensions but not their State How many more and some grosser Objections might be offered against that being the Free Grace of God which Dr. Crisp and his Followers speak of as Free Grace I desire to live adoring the Riches of that Grace that freely elected to Grace and Glory in Christ as the great Means of accomplishing this Purpose so many apostate Sinners that freely offers Life to the worst Enemies on Gospel-Terms with so much help as leaves the Blood of the Impenitent on their own Heads that freely bestows the Spirit to work the Dead and Ungodly to an Obedience to the Terms of the Gospel that freely gives by the Promise for Christ's sake Pardon to the penitent Believer and such amazing Dignity to such as he enableth to persevere in Faith and Holiness as the Rule of the Promise doth require This Grace I adore and own the best to merit nothing to forfeit all yea to deserve Hell by the Law of Works And I do renounce all that Saints have or do as any Atonement for Sin or Purchasing Price of the least Benefit much less of Salvation But yet I disown any Free Grace to be the Free Grace of God which overturns his Benefits from being Motives to Duty denies the total neglect of Duties with their contrary Evils from being a Barr to our Interest in those Benefits which by the Gospel he promiseth to those Duties and requires those Duties in order to this Rectoral Distribution of Blessings it being wisely provided for in the Dispensation of this Grace that he may Rule and Judge us according to his Relation to us and according to our rational Nature in a state of Tryal for a future Condition READER There are other Mistakes of Doctor Crisp's which I might instance as his Notion of the Nature of our
and certainly possess Salvation Yea as that Covenant was not made with the Elect though for the Elect so they have nothing to do as a Condition of this Covenant And to this all absolute Promises and Prophecies of Grace are reducible they being a Transcript hereof This Dr. Owen makes to be a distinct Covenant from the Covenant of Grace See his Treatise of Justif. pag. 268 269. 2. By Covenant of Grace I mean the way that God hath ordained to apply to Sinners that Salvation which is prepared by Christ and which he will enable the Elect to comply with Q. 2. What is intended by Condition A. I shall answer in the words of worthy Mr. Flavel Discourse of Errors pag. 248. An Antecedent Condition signifies no more than an Act of ours which though it be neither perfect in every degree nor in the least meritorious of the Benefit conferred nor performed in our own natural strength yet according to the Constitution of the Covenant it is required of us in order to the Blessings consequent thereupon by virtue of the Promise And consequently the Benefits and Mercies granted in this order are and must be suspended by the Donor or Desposer of them till it be performed such a Condition we affirm Faith to be Some call this a Consequent Condition but they mean not Consequent to the Benefit promised but Consequent to Christ's undertaking to enable us to do it Reader I would have thee note 1. The Conditions do not merit the Blessings promised 2. The Conditions are not uncertain for Christ hath undertaken that the Elect shall perform them 3. They are performed by Grace and not by Natural Power 4. They are performed by Men and not by Christ though it is by Christ that any are enabled to perform them It 's not Christ repents or believes in a Saviour but Men themselves 5. It 's from God's Will in the Promise that they are made to be Conditions he connected the Benefit and the Duty though he chose Conditions that were fit yet their fitness would not have availed to our interest in the Benefits unless he had promised that they should so avail A penitent Believer had not been saved but for the Promise though it 's unlike a God to have saved any that were not such 6. These Conditions are our Duty by God's Command and not less so by being made Terms of the Benefit in the Divine Grant 7. The Covenant though Conditional is a Disposition of Grace There 's Grace in giving ability to perform the Condition as well as in bestowing the Benefits God's enjoyning one in order to the other makes not the Benefit to be less of Grace but it is a display of God's Wisdom in conferring the Benefit suitably to the nature and state of Men in this Life whose Eternal Condition is not eternally decided but are in a state of Tryal yea the Conditions are but a meetness to receive the Blessings 8. The reason why we use the word Condition is because it best suits with Man's Relation to God in his present dealings with us as his Subjects in tryal for Eternity Christ as a Priest hath merited all but as a King or a Priest upon his Throne he dispenceth all He enjoyns the Conditions in order to the Benefits and makes the Benefits Motives to our Compliance with the Conditions He treats with Men as his Subjects whom he will now Rule and hereafter Judge Now what word is so proper to express the Duties as enjoyned Means of Benefits like this word Conditions The word Conditions is of the same nature as Terms of the Gospel There be few Authors of Note even of any Persuasion but they make use of this word in my sence as Ames Twiss Rutherford Hooker of New-England Norton Preston Owen Synod of New-England the Assembly of Divines c. And I know none have reason to scruple it except such as think we are United to Christ and Justified before we are Born To such indeed all such Terms are improper because they deny God's dispensing of Saving Benefits in a way of Government Q. 3. What is intended by the Benefits of the Covenant A. The good Things or Privileges promised to such as by Grace are enabled to comply with the Terms of the Covenant especially whatever is essential to our felicity Q. 4. Wherein do the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace differ from Conditions in the Covenant of Innocency or Works as vulgarly called For both lie in doingsomething though not the same thing nor to the same ends A. 1. The Conditions of the Covenant of Grace are performed by the Grace of Christ freely given to Sinners The Conditions of the Covenant of Innocency were performed by a strength due to and inherent in our innocent Nature 2. The principal Conditions of the Covenant of Grace express the guilt and misery of them that perform them Repentance owns our Filth and Guilt and Faith in a Redeemer expresseth our sinful and lost State neither of these could have place in our legal Righteousness as being utterly inconsistent with an Innocent Condition Nor can they have much room in Heaven where we shall be perfect whereas the Terms of the Covenant of Works implied nothing but Innocency and Happiness 3. The Conditions of the Covenant of Grace make us capable of no Happiness except what Christ hath bought and prepared for us his Blood is the Price of all But the happiness granted to sinless Obedience was immediately from the Creator and knew no Atonement or Mediator 4. The Blessings promised on the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace are meerly of Grace They be for another's sake and not our own they are given to such as are condemned by the Covenant of Works and that are still condemnable by the Law for the Imperfection of the performed Gospel-Conditions yea it 's Forgiveness which renders these Persons blessed Rom. 4. 7. whereas the sinless Obedience of innocent Adam made the Reward to be of Debt Rom. 4. 4. which we as being happy by Pardon must renounce 5. The Use and Interest of Gospel-Conditions is not from the conformity of them to the Preceptive part of the Law though in a degree there be that but from their Conformity to the Rule of the Grace of the Promise The Promise of Pardon through Christ being to the penitent Believer and no other Repentance and Faith become necessary and useful Conditions of this Pardon by the Order of God in that gracious Promise But by the Covenant of Works the meer Work gave an Interest in the Reward as it was Obedience to the Precept by a Sanction that had Goodness but no such Grace in it On these accounts I shall never fear that the Conditionality of the Covenant of Grace should turn it into a Covenant of Works till I see it proved That God can promise and apply no Benefit purchased by Christ to a poor Sinner upon the Condition of any Action he commands and freely enableth the
6. 16. Are all these things consistent with Pardon before Repentance Can I be subject to perish and pardoned at once Can God command Repentanee under a Promise of Pardon and yet suppose I must be pardoned before Is the turning of the Heart from the power of Satan to God urged and directed to this end that I may receive forgiveness and none follow my turning but all be before it 3. There 's no Saving Faith that includes not this purpose in it Can I fiducially consent to Christ and not intend to leave my wickedness Dr. Owen well proves That Justifying Faith cannot be without a purpose of heart to obey God in all things Treat of Justif. p. 40. And adds Neither is it possible that there should be any exercise of this Faith but where the Mind is prepared disposed and determined unto universal Obedience See the Assemblies and Elders Account of Saving Faith ch 9. 4. Without this Purpose we do not accept of Christ as the Way to God It would be strange that the great Term of Life should terminate in Christ who is the Means without any respect to God who is the End Whereas Christ is able to save such as come to God by him Heb. 7. 25. and others he will not save Act. 20. 21. God was not thus over-looked when Paul testified Repentance towards God and Faith towards Christ. And indeed without this purpose the Soul never answers God's Call and so must be Pardoned before effectually Called 5. We cannot receive Christ as King without this Repentance of Heart To receive him as King is to renounce all Usurpers and resolve Obedience to his Will And we must receive him as King or Lord or it is not the Christ we so receive Col. 2. 6. As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord. God gives him a Leader and Commander Isa. 55. 4. And so must we take him or never hope for Forgiveness by him 6. Without this purpose of Heart no Man accepts of Christ for Sanctification The Assembly and Elders at the Savoy tell us Conf. chap. 14. a. 2. That Saving Faith accepts of Christ for Sanctification I am sure God gives Christ to bless you in turning every one of you from his iniquities Act. 3. 26. And can that Soul believe to Forgiveness that thus receives him not Or can any one thus receive him who intends not to turn from Sin to Holiness 7. A resolved purpose to continue in Sin and Rebellion against God is Damning let Men pretend what they please I hope I need not prove but one of these Purposes must have place in every Heart when it is dealing with Christ about Salvation And I think I have proved That a Resolution to continue Rebels will bar any Man from a possessing of Christ. See chap. 10. 8. It 's not to be allowed that it should not be necessary to renounce our Sins with our Hearts in order to Pardon when it is necessary to renounce our own Merits or Righteousness Is the one opposite to Christ and is not the other so Will one make us backward to accept of Christ and will not the other do the same Is the one inconsistent with a true Approbation of a Saviour The other is no less For Christ is to save from the Power of Sin as well as the Guilt and he that submits not to him with a desire of both duely accepts him for neither I might further evidence this from the necessary fitness of Repentance for Pardon It is very unsuitable to the Nature and Government of God to pardon a Sinner that resolves to rebel and not to return This seems too low a Provision for his Honour c. Nay it would render our Faith a meer selfish thing and all our Compliance to be a meer concern for our own Impunity whiles Sin is still resolved and God's Dominion rejected and Christ's Design of restoring the Image of God slighted and opposed It were easie to shew that Repentance and Faith are so near to and inclusive of each other that one is put for the other and the Call to one is a Call to each The Judgment of others The Assemb Confes. ch 16. a. 3. say Although Repentance be not to be rested in as any Satisfaction for Sin or any Cause of the Pardon thereof which is the act of God's Free Grace in Christ yet it is of such necessity to all Sinners that none may expect Pardon without it You see though they justly exclude the Merit and Causality of Repentance yet they affirm and by many Texts prove the Necessity of it to Pardon and forbid any Expectation of Pardon without it And in their Directory of the Visitation of the Sick they advise a seasonable propounding of Christ and his Merits for a Door of Hope but it is to none but to every penitent Believer The Elders at the Savoy tell us ch 15. a. 5. There is no Sin so great that shall bring Damnation on them who truly repent which makes the constant Preaching of Repentance necessary Dr. Owen tells us That before the first Act of Justifying Faith there be Convictions Shame Fear Sorrow and other afflictive Passions and hereon a Resolution doth ensue utterly to abstain from Sin with sincere Endeavours to that purpose c. Treat of Justif. p. 299. he tells us That without this in the order of the Gospel an Interest in it i. e. Christ's Righteousness is not to be attained c. And again Justifying Faith includeth in its Nature the entire Principle of Evangelical Repentance so that it is utterly impossible that a Man should be a true Believer and not at the same instant of time be truly Penitent And therefore are they so frequently joyned in Scripture as one simultaneous Duty Yea the Call of the Gospel unto Repentance is a Call to Faith acting it self by Repentance c. And then tells us The First Act of Faith respecting the Grace of God in Christ is not conceived in order of time to precede its actings in Self-displicency Godly Sorrow and Universal Conversion from Sin to God See p. 300 301. These things Dr. Owen asserts though he ascribes no Causality of Pardon to Repentance Which will offend none who deny any Grace in Man to be a Cause of Forgiveness among whom I own my self See Mr. Anthony Burgess's Reasons for the Necessity of Repentance to Forgiveness True Doct. of Justif. lib. 1. p 157. Thus I have done with this Debate which lies I hope more in words than some unthinking Men imagine And the generality of Divines affirm as I do CHAP. XIII Of the Necessity and Benefit of Holiness Obedience and good Works with Perseverance therein REader Note that whatever is spoken in this Chapter of any Act of Grace except penitent believing refers not to the Forgiveness of Sin or the Sinner's Admission into a justified State The Benefits I here treat of are the not Forfeiture of Pardon the Possession of Heaven and some other particular Blessings
as increase of Peace returns of Prayer Joy c. Truth Though neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works do make any Atonement for Sin or are in the least the meritorious Righteousness whereby Salvation is caused or for which this or any Blessing becomes due to us as of Debt yet as the Spirit of Christ freely worketh all Holiness in the Soul and enableth us to sincere Obedience and good Works so the Lord Jesus hath of Grace and for his own Merits promised to bring to Heaven such as are partakers of true Holiness perform this sincere Obedience and do these good Works perseveringly and appoints these as the Way and Means of a Believer's obtaining Salvation and several other Blessings requiring these as indispensible Duties and Qualifications of all such whom he will so save and bless and excluding all that want or neglect them or live under the Power of what 's contrary thereto viz. Prophaneness Rebellion and utter Unfruitfulness Errour Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation nor is Sanctification a jot the way of any Person to Heaven nor can the Graces or Duties of Believers no nor Faith it self do them the least Good or prevent the least Evil nor are they of any Use to their Peace or Comfort yea though Christ be explicitely owned and they be done in the Strength of the Spirit of God And a Believer ought not to think he is more pleasing to God by any Grace he acteth or Good he doth nor may Men expect any Good to a Nation by the Humiliation earnest Prayer or Reformation of a People Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion P. 41 42. The Doctor tells us Seeing all things are setled by Christ for us of free Gift all we do is for Christ himself I say that we do we do for Christ not for our selves If we do it for our selves we do but labour in vain if a Man will run a hundred Miles for Money if that Money be proffered to him before he step out of his House at his Door his Journey is in vain seeing he might have had it before he stept out of Door c. Christ comes and brings Justification loving Kindness and Salvation he lays them down presents them delivers them to the Heart when we are ungodly he enters into Covenant that we should become his What needs then all this Travel for Life and Salvation seeing it is here already But seeing we get nothing by it c. Obj. But sure the Doctor intends only That nothing we do can merit but not that they are not required as the requisite Means and VVay to obtain these Blessings A. The Doctor satisfies us he intends the last as well as the first P. 45. 46. I will note one thing before I go on to make clear this thing It is a received Conceit among many Persons that our Obedience is the Way to Heaven and though it be not say they the Cause of our Reign yet it is the Way to the Kingdom c. This he disapproves saying I must tell you all this Sanctification of Life is not a jot the Way of that justified Person unto Heaven c. The Truth is since Redemption is managed by Christ the Lord hath pointed out other Ends and Purposes for our Obedience than Salvation Salvation is not the end of any good Work we do P. 151 152. he puts this Objection We had as good sit still He that works all day and gets nothing more than he had in the Morning he had as good sit still and do nothing He answers Let me tell you the Prevention of Evil if there be reality of Evil in it and the obtaining of Good if there be reality of Good Peace of Conscience Joy in the Holy Ghost Pardon of Sin the Infallibility of Miscarriage the Light of God's Countenance All these I say which you aim at are abundantly provided for you and established firmly on you by the mere Grace of God in Christ before you do perform any thing whatsoever To what purpose do Men propose Ends to themselves which Ends are accomplished before their Proposition And to what purpose then do we propose to our selves the gaining of that to our selves in our Labour and Industry that is already become ours before we do a jot c. Must they now labour to gain these things as if it were referred to their well or evil Walking that as they shall walk so they shall speed c. The Lord doth nothing in his People upon Conditions in his People c. The Lord intends not that by our Obedience we shall gain something which in case of our Failing we shall miscarry of c. That they are to do they are not to do with any Eye to their own Advantage that being already perfectly compleated to their Hands before they do any thing but simply with an Eye to glorifie God and to serve their Generation and therein to serve the Lord c. When you do yield Obedience to God you go to Prayer and fall to Fasting to Weeping and Mourning and Self-denial Keeping the Sabbath Dealing righteously c. What is it you aim at in all this that God may do you good that God may be gracious that God may speak Peace to your Spirits then it follows that Life is that in your Eye that puts you on that which you do c. This is the Righteousness of the Law P. 13. Let Subduing of Sin alone for Peace P. 73. While you labour to get by Duties you provoke God as much as in you lies Obj. But though Holiness or Obedience do not profit us as to saving Good may they not bring us some Good or other Ans. The Doctor tells us No P. 150. I must tell you there is not any Duty you perform when you have attained the highest Pitch that hath any Prevalency and Availableness to produce to bring forth any though the least Good to your selves I say it again there is nothing you can do from whence you ought to expect any Gain to your selves by doing it The Doctor speaks the same as to the Uselessness of Reformation to a Kingdom P. 235 236. But if a Soul get under full sail filled with a stiff Gale of the Spirit when Floods of Meltings flow from it if they can cry mightily and be somewhat exact in observing practical righteous Means to mourn and pray lustily being helpt by the Spirit therein then such Exercises will do Wonders hereby Persons shall get Pardon settle Spiritual Civil and Natural Healings with National such Courses some will think will turn away Gods Wrath c. But he tells us in that Page though these be done by Persons being in Christ though thus assisted by Christ's Spirit though Christ be explicitely owned as the Author of such Assistance the Righteousness so assisted hath no efficacy at all to obtain any thing of the Lord c. So P. 425 426 124 125 24. His common Phrase is
shall proceed to the Proof of the Truth which is comprehended under these Heads 1. Sinners have much to do in order to Salvation There be few Leaves in the Bible but argue this It 's the Scope of all the Revelations of God to Men since the Fall It 's true we have nothing to do in a way of Atonement or Purchace but it is as true we have much to do in order to our Participation of what Christ hath purchased We must repent that our Sins may be blotted out Act 3. 19. We must believe that we may be saved c. Our Lord is express if you know these things happy are you if you do them Joh. 13. 17. All Gospel-discoveries are made known for the Obedience of Faith Rom. 16. 26. And Christ will take Vengeance on all them who obey not the Gospel neither Christ nor Gospel will secure them 2 Thes. 1. 8. The Revelations of God to Men are not a bare Description of Duty and Benefits but an Injunction of Duty in a Connexion with Benefits Rom. 10. 9. If thou confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and believe with thy Heart thou shalt be saved 2. I could shew there 's no one saving Benefit granted to a Sinner but on supposition of his Doing See much of this Chap. 8. 10 11 12. and Ch. 21 22. Christ never intended the Application of his Merits for our Privileges without ordering them as Motives to Duty on our Part. 3. The Influences of the Spirit of God and God's Institutions have no Causality in our Salvation if Men have nothing to do in order to be saved It 's plain that Salvation is ascribed to the Spirit and also to the Means of Grace Neither of them are the Atonement or Price of Salvation therefore they must save as they operate on the Soul in order to its Actings Rom. 1. 16. 1. Cor. 1. 21. And this must be as it answers the way appointed for our Participation of Life 4. On what account is it said that we believe to the saving of our Souls Heb. 10. 39. and Repentance to Salvation is the Expression of the Spirit of God 2 Cor. 7. 10. What Sence can be affixed to these and the like Phrases as they are opposed to their Contraries as destructive if Men do nothing towards their Salvation See Jam. 2. 14. Can Faith save him Yea and I may ask 5. What meaneth the Holy Ghost when he saith In so doing thou shalt save thy self and them that hear thee 1 Tim. 4. 16. Sure the Argument is not strong if it be true we can do nothing for Salvation 6. The Destruction of Sinners under the Gospel is still laid on not Doing they are condemned by the Law but they remain condemned and their Ruine is fixed and so they are twice dead for want of doing somewhat Ye will not come to me that you might have Life Joh. 5. 40. How oft is the Ruine of Souls laid on not Turning not Repenting c. 7. If Men have nothing to do for Salvation then Christ hath no Rule to judge them who lived under the Gospel I hope none will say the judicial Sentence will pass on Men as elected or not elected Doth it agree to the Proceedings of that Tribunal at that Day to say Thou shalt be damned because thou wert not elected Is this the Account the Scripture gives Doth it not proceed on the Difference in Mens Carriage and Tempers See the Parable of the Talents They who improved their Talents were saved he that hid it in a Napkin was therefore damned Mat. 25. 21 24 28. Consider any Description of the last Day and you 'll find God saves and damns with a Respect to Mens Neglects and Compliance with his Gospel 8. I could easily demonstrate that if Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation the Ministery of Christ and his Apostles the Ministery most apt and most blessed to Souls to this very day is all a Vanity and Falshood they are cold Pleadings with Sinners that are not backed with Life and Death Remove saving Benefits and undoing Dangers from being Arguments to Compliance with the Will of Christ and any Man may read the Success of such a Ministery and to use these Arguments to persuade Men to repent and believe if we have nothing to do for Heaven is a manifest Falshood and Trifling It 's awful to consider how inconsistent some Mens Application is with their Doctrine though it 's well their Uses to the Unconverted have so much Truth in them 2. True Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works and Perseverance are the Way to Heaven and so necessary to the Salvation of a Believer that without them he cannot be saved and continuing in them he shall be saved This might be evidenced by many Reasons 1. It is not saving Faith which is not operative to these Effects It ceaseth to be true whenever it wholly fails of purifying the Heart and working by Love Many affirm That all Graces are seminally in Faith as in their Principle Such must grant that as Faith justifies us at first in receiving and relying on Christ so it continues to justifie us by continuing those Acts and exerting it self in those other Operations which are essential to its Nature And thus some expound Jam. 2. 20 24. 2. Obedience good Works and Perseverance preserve us from those contrary Evils which do subject Men to Condemnation I keep my Body under least by any Means when I have preached to others I my self be a cast-away 1 Cor. 9. 27. I shall add to this in some following Heads 3. The Gospel-Constitution doth by its Promises and Threatnings make Persevering Holiness Obedience or Good Works the necessary way to Heaven These are not only a Natural but a Moral meetness for Heaven That this Point may be clear I shall 1. Shew that the Gospel-Constitution contains Promises and Threatnings which affect all of us as a Rule of Happiness and Misery it 's so to the Elect yea Believers as well as others 2. That by this Constitution Persevering Holiness Sincere Obedience or Good Works are necessary to Salvation 1. The Gospel-Constitution contains Promises and Threatnings which affect all of us as a Rule of Happiness and Misery By these God governs Men and Mens Hopes or Fears should be directed by these as their Rule Dr. Crisp not observing this hath run into those Mistakes which open a door to all Licentiousness though he intended it not His whole Scheme implies That Christ doth not distribute Blessings or Punishments by any Rule that referrs to the Actings of Men. I have proved the contrary chap. 8 c. For if the Covenant of Grace be Conditional and Faith and Repentance are Necessary to Forgiveness c. the Substance of this must be granted But I add a few Reasons more 1. Most of the Promises and Threatnings in the Bible that referr to the State of Souls are Evangelical Promises and Threats They are not the Sanction of the
Law of Innocence but of Gospel-Grace Who can doubt this if they consider 1. That the Covenant of Innocency promised Life to nothing below sinless and perfect Obedience 2. The Threatnings of the Covenant of Innocency admitted no Repentance or After-Relief to the Guilty They did fix the Curse irrevocably in case of any Transgression 3. No Overture of Life or Door of Hope or Argument to Conversion with Hopes of Acceptance could be framed out of those legal Threats or Promises to any Man that is a Sinner Turn ye Turn ye why will you die was not the Language of that Covenant No if a Man is once a Sinner the Law could speak no lower than this Thou art undone whether thou turn or no. Things being thus I would intreat thee to consider all the Calls of God in Christ to Men since the Fall VVeigh the Promises and Threats wherewith God strengthneth those Calls See if any one of the Calls to Faith or Repentance or Holiness thus back'd with Promises and Threats be not Evangelical 1. Doth God in those Calls promise Life to nothing below sinless perfect Obedience Or doth he threaten Eternal Death in those Calls against whatever is short of perfect Obedience 2. Do the Threats annexed to those Calls exclude all after-Repentance See Ezek. 18. 21. Is that Gospel or no But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed c. he shall surely live his transgressions shall not be mentioned 3. Are not these Calls with the Promises and Threats directed to Sinners for their Conversion and Recovery Is it not to Sinners God speaks in them and is it not for their healing and Salvation Are not the Promises an Offer of Relief Are not the Threatnings intended to awe and warn Sinners against Refusal of these Offers They be not uttered to bind the Curse but to deliver from it by urging our Compliance with the Commands of a Redeemer To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation c. Heb. 3. 7 8. 4. 7. Every Threatning used by God as an Argument to Conversion is a Gospel-Threatning 2. What kind of Government can Men assign to Christ if there be no Sanction to his Precepts Dr. Crisp oft tells us That the Sanction of the Law of Works is removed the Curse is gone as to the Elect. This is true if he mean that sinless Obedience is not now the Way of Life and that all below it shall not bind Death upon us so as to hinder our Relief by the Gospel But what then hath the Redeemer no Promises and Threatnings to rule Men by And is their Obedience or Disobedience an indifferent thing as to their Happiness or Misery Must he save all or damn all or else be a Respecter of Persons in his judicial Distributions Is this the Language of God to Sinners since the Fall Did Christ preach at this rate when on Earth Or doth he so speak now from Heaven Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvatian which at first began to be spoken by the Lord c. Our Lord assures us Mens Sins are aggravated and their Damnation grows greater by a Rejection of his Call to Sinners through Impenitence and Unbelief Joh. 8. 24. Ye shall die in your sins Heb. 10. 29. Of how much sorer punishment c. It 's a precarious Dominion that Christ exerciseth if he hath neither Rewards nor Punishments to induce Mens regards to his Authority Read the Scriptures or wait the Judgment-day and you 'll find it otherwise 3. How unsuitable is it to the present state of Mankind that Christ should govern us without Promises and Threatnings He is a King and we are his Subjects And we are 1. Subjects in a state of Tryal for another World 2. We have great remains of Sin within us and Temptations without us 3. We have still in our Nature Hope and Fear which are the things which all the methods of Christ's Government suppose and are suited to Each of these would furnish me with Arguments beyond all rational Contradiction for the Proof of this Point whereas the opposite Errour implies That either Men are Machines or Brutes or Infants at best or else the Judgment-day is past already Yea how vain are the Expostulations Warnings Reproofs and Encouragements which the Word is filled with The Divine Being and all the Methods of Grace are strangely exposed by Conceits so sordid He calls us to fear lest we should seem to come short of the Promise Heb. 4. 1. Be not high-minded but fear Rom. 11. 20. Work out your salvation with trembling Phil. 2. 12. He that ploweth should plow in hope 1 Cor. 9. 10. We are saved by hope c. Rom. 8. 24. What are all these if our state be in no suspence as to what we shall be or do 4. I hope I need not prove that these Gospel-Promises and Threatnings are the Rule by which Christ dealeth with Men To doubt it would inferr a heavier Charge than any good Man would sustain It 's enough to calm us that he saith Be not deceived God is not mocked that which a man soweth that shall he reap Gal. 6. 7. This is spoken to Believers and true of the Redeemed II. By this Gospel-Constitution persevering Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works are Necessary to Salvation He that made Faith necessary to Justification hath made Obedience necessary to Salvation He hath as well promised Heaven to the Godly Man as Pardon to the Believer And our perseverance in Holiness and Obedience is as truly our Way to Glory as the Scriptures can describe it Nothing of these merit Heaven but he that merited Heaven hath peremptorily appointed these to bring us thither Heb. 6. 10 11 12. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love c. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end that ye be not sloathful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises Every word is forcible to argue this Truth But I shall offer a few things more 1. Christ in the Gospel declares they shall miss of Heaven and eternally perish who are Apostates Ungodly Disobedient and Unprofitable and that for being such This Doom is not the Doom of the Law of Innocence for it is not denounced against every Backsliding but Apostacy It 's not against every Imperfect degree of Godliness but Ungodliness It 's not against every Defect of Obedience but Disobedience It 's not against every Neglect of Fruitfulness but such Unprofitableness as argues a dead and barren state Reader art thou so unskilful in the Word as not to remember If any
5 15 16 17 18 19. It 's the same with Churches see the 2d and 3d. Chap. of the Revelations IV. Men should govern their Expectations and Fears according to the Conformity of their Hearts and Behaviour to the Rule of the Promise It 's Unbelief not to expect the Good promised when we answer the Condition of it It 's obstinate Hardness and Security not to expect the threatned Evil when we are guilty of the Sin or Neglect threatned There 's no grounded Hopes or Fears but this way all else are Enthusiastick The End of God in these Declarations of his Will are not otherwise complied with God often condemns all Hopes as vain that are not thus regulated and by this Rule the Servants of God governed themselves I need not cite Texts for things so plain V. God is better pleased with his People in the exercise of Grace and Holiness than when they neglect these and do the contrary What Notions have Men of God of Grace and Sin that they should need Proof for this Is it not by the Exercise of Grace and Holiness that we approve our selves to God 2 Tim. 2. 15 Is it not With such Sacrifices God is well-pleased Heb. 13. 16. Was it not by his Faith and Divine Walk that Enoch pleased God Heb. 11. 5. What meaneth the Apostle You have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God 1 Thes. 4. 1. The Saint's Charity is called An Odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing to God We are charged to walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing Col. 1. 10. Of the Obedience of Children he saith This is well-pleasing to the Lord. What great things of this Nature are spoken of Prayer Praises and other Good VVorks VVhereas God is fretted grieved vexed provoked to anger and abhorrence by our Sins and Neglects How can we apprehend that God is as well pleased with us when testifying our Enmity as our Love when rejecting his Authority as doing his Will Are the Fruits of the Spirit alike to him as the Fruits of the Flesh And can the Image of the Devil render us as grateful as his own Image and the Life of his Son Obj. It 's for Christ's Incense these are accepted Ans. But Christ's Incense will not be applied to our Sins but to our Graces and Duties and that shews they are more pleasing to God than our Sins be And again They are these Graces and Duties which are accepted for the sake of Christ His Incense will not be denied to them and thereby they are well-pleasing to the Lord and tend to render us so Davenant de Justitia Actuali and Others say much more VI. The Holiness Graces Perseverance Obedience and Good Works of Believers do them much Good and are profitable to them Read over what I have proved at large and canst thou doubt whether they benefit us when they are the VVay to Heaven the Means of Happiness c. A wise Man may be profitable to himself though not to God Job 22. 2. Godliness is profitable to all things having the promises of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. These Things are profitable to Men Tit. 3. 8. Not only to other Men but principally to our selves Though I have all Faith if I have not Charity I am nothing and whatever else I suffer yet without this it profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13. 2 3. Circumcision or Uncircumcision is nothing but keeping the Commandments of God 1 Cor. 7. 19. Sure that 's something In keeping these there is great Reward Psal. 19. 11. Glory Honour and Peace to every one that doth good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile for there is no respect of Persons with God Rom. 2. 10 11. Nehemiah and Hezekiah pleaded a false Plea if it were true there 's nothing to be gotten The Care of Saints to adapt their Actings to the Rule of the Promise is a very needless thing So run that ye may obtain 1 Cor. 9. 24. If a Man strive for Masteries yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully 1 Tim. 2. 5. The Galatians must be but little moved when told Ch. 3 4. Are ye so foolish c. Have ye suffered so many things in vain for all is in vain Is Peace of Conscience nothing Is inward Rejoycing nothing Yet how Paul came by these he tells you 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our Rejoycing is this The Testimony of our Conscience that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity not with Fleshly Wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World His Directions for inward Joy and Peace you have Gal. 6. 4. Let every Man prove his own Work and then shall he have rejoycing in himself alone I shall not trouble thee with Reasons to prove that Grace Holiness and Obedience are useful to prevent Evil. I leave it to thy Experience if thou art a good Man and referr it to what thou wilt feel hereafter i thou art a bad Man If there were no more these do prevent Sin which in Chap. 17. I hope to prove is not so innocent as to do us no harm Reader To summ up all I appeal to thee 1. Whether God doth require any more of any Sinners for Salvation than that they believe in Christ repent of Sin persevere in true Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works internal and external and if we do so can we perish hath not Christ provided all else and doth not the Promise secure Life upon doing these 2. If any Sinner believe not and repent not hath Christ ever promised to save him Will any decree or the Merits of Christ secure him Again if any penitent Believer shall apostatize prove ungodly and unfruitful hate God or neglect to love God and his Neighbour wholly c. Shall this Man be saved Hath not Christ determined the contrary Will his first Faith save him A Resolution of these two things according to the very Scope of the Word will decide the Main of this Controversie These assert the Rule of Christ's rectoral Distributions and the Decree comes not in opposition to the Methods of his Government by which we are to govern our Hopes and Fears TESTIMONIES The Assembly Confess Chap. 19. a. 6. and the Elders at the Savoy declare Chap. 19. a. 6. The Promises of the Law in like manner shew them God's Approbation of Obedience and what Blessings they may expect upon the Performance thereof although not as due to them by the Law as a Covenant of Works so a Man's doing and refraining from Evil because the Law encourageth to the one and deterreth from the other is no Evidence of his being under the Law and not under Grace Both the Assembly and the Elders say Chap. 15. a. 6. The Persons of Believers being accepted through Christ their good Works also are accepted in him not as though they were in this Life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in his Sight but
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Were all Doing for Life and an Eye to gain by Service such a legal and wicked thing as some represent it sure the blessed Jesus would have admonished his Disciples and not answer them as he doth Mat. 19. 27 28 29. Then answered Peter and said unto him behold we have forsaken all and followed thee What shall we have therefore And Jesus said unto them verily c. Ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel c. 4. The Doctor 's Argument from the Vanity of proposing our own Gain by Labour and Duties because all is fixed and given already is to make the Decree an effectual Means to overthrow the Government of Christ and brand all his Offers to Sinners with Weakness and Falshood Should not poor Sinners pray as they can abstain from Sin consider and apply the Word with an Eye to Conversion Why doth God call them to this Should not they wait and strive to believe and repent with an Eye to Forgiveness and escaping VVrath VVhy else should God encourage them with an Offer of these upon such Terms and tell the Unbelievers that they refuse these Mercies by new Forfeitures But by the Doctor 's Scheme the Elect may be idle and the Non-elect do best when they despair for there 's no Connexion between these Benefits and these Graces or Duties And so the Non-elect are in the same Case with Devils there being no serious Offer to them nay their Case is worse than Devils for these Offers are made to them for no other Design but to increase their Condemnation Nay every Sin of their's is the Sin against the Holy Ghost that is every Sin is alike the Unpardonable Sin and not only that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost To say no more Christ hath no Rule of distributive Justice but his own eternal Purpose and Men's Regards to his promised Benefits are all forbidden even when our Respect to them is that which subserves his Government and is supposed in all the Methods of it 5. And why should we intend the Glory of God the Service of Christ or the Good of others Are not these as determined as our own Good Hath not God fixed and secured his own Glory Doth Christ need our services more than our selves Shall any other Persons receive more Good than God hath already given and provided for them Why should we intend these in our Duties more than our own Profit the very same Reason excuseth from all and so we ought to intend nothing at all I could shew had I Room that we cannot sincerely aim at our Souls good but we therein aim at God's Glory Nor doth God ever require us to intend his Glory but in a Concurrence with an Eye to our own Salvation TESTIMONIES You have seen in the last Chapter the Assembly's and Congregational Elders Judgment and that we are not the less under Grace for being encouraged to do good by the Promises c. The Case is so plain that I shall only give the Judgment of the greater part of those Reverend Divines whose Names are set in the Front of Dr. Crisp's Works and interpreted by the VVeak to a contrary purpose than what they intended These Divines in the Preface to Mr. Flavel's Book against Antinomianism which they approve of inform us That to say Salvation is not the End of any Good VVork we do or VVe are to act from Life and not for Life were to abandon the Humane Nature it were to teach us to violate the great Precepts of the Gospel it supposeth one bound to do more for the Salvation of others than our own 't were to make all the Threatnings of Eternal Death and Promises of Eternal Life we find in the Gospel of our blessed Lord useless as Motives to shun the one or obtain the other It makes the Scripture-Characters and Commendation of the most Eminent Saints a Fault Had I seen this sooner it might have spared some of my Reasons The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake Because we ought not to do any thing from Carnal Self-love therefore we ought to do nothing from Rational and Spiritual Self-love Because Christ redeemed us that we may not live to our selves as our own Lords therefore we must not in obeying him regard the Rewards he promiseth us as he is our Lord. Because we must aim at God's Glory above all therefore we must not at all intend our own happiness in the enjoyment of this God Because we must aim at the good of others therefore we must not aim at our own good Because we should obey God from Gratitude and Love therefore we should not obey him from any Hope or filial Fear Because God hath engaged to give Life and Happiness to the Elect when they have finished their warfare and work therefore they must not intend the obtaining that happiness in any part of that work or warfare CHAP. XV. Of the way to attain Assurance TRUTH THe ordinary way whereby a Man attaineth a well-grounded Assurance is not by immediate objective Revelation or an inward Voice saying Thy Sins are forgiven thee But when the Believer is examining his Heart and Life by the Word the holy Spirit enlightens the Mind there to discern Faith and Love and such other Qualifications which the Gospel declareth to be infallible Signs of Regeneration And he adds such power to the Testimony of Conscience for the Truth and In-being of these Graces as begets in the Soul a joyful sense of its reconciled State and some comfortable freedom from those Fears which accompany a doubting Christian and according to the Evidence of these Graces Assurance is ordinarily strong or weak ERROUR Assurance is not attained by the Evidence of Scripture-Marks or Signs of Grace or by the Spirits discovering to us that he hath wrought in our Hearts any holy Qualifications But Assurance comes only by an inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are forgiven thee and our believing thereupon that our Sins are forgiven Proved that this is Doctor Crisp's Opinion P. 491. Would you know that the Lord hath laid your Iniquities on Christ you must know it thus 1. Is there a Voice behind thee or within thee saying particularly to thee in thy self Thy Sins are forgiven thee Dost thou see this Voice agree with the Word of Grace that is Dost thou see it held out to most vile and wretched Creatures as thou canst be and upon this Revelation of the Mind of the Lord by his Spirit according to that Word doth the Lord give thee to receive that Testimony of the Spirit to sit down with it as satisfied that upon this thou makest full reckoning thou hast propriety in this particularly to thy self If thou dost receive that Testimony according to that Word here is thy Evidence Thou hast thy Propriety and Portion in this On this Point the Doctor spends much time Serm. 15. is to prove That Love to the
of Christ can reach him Because some good Men are some times humbled and awakened by Sin as it 's an Evil therefore to them it is not an Evil. CHAP. XVIII Of God's Displeasure for Sin in the Afflictions of his People TRUTH THough God is not so angry with his People for their Sins as to cast them out of his Covenant-Favour yet by their Sins he is so displeased as for them to correct his Children though he speaks Instructions by his Rebukes ERROUR None of the Afflictions of Believers have in them the least of God's Displeasure against their Persons for their Sins Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion He affirmeth P. 15. Except God will be offended where there is no cause to be offended he will not be offended with Believers For I say he hath no cause to be offended with the Believer because he doth not find the Sin of the Believer to be his own Sin but he finds it the Sin of Christ. P. 19 10. But are not the Afflictions of Believers for their Sins I answer No Afflictions are unto Believers from Sin not for Sin that is God doth not intend to punish them as now laying on them the desert of their Sin for that 's laid upon Christ but he doth afflict them to preserve them from sin c. So God afflicting a Believer hath no respect unto sin as if he did afflict for sin c. I say in respect of the sins committed which he thus suspects there is not the least drop of the Displeasure of God nor the fruit of such Displeasure comes near him Which he endeavours to prove The like you 'll oft find P. 170. At that instant God brings Afflictions on thee he doth not remember any Sin of thine they are not in his Thoughts P. 561. Christ being chastized for our sins there is nothing but peace belongs to us c. P. 559. If we tell Believers c. Except they perform such and such Duties Except they walk thus and thus Holily and do these and these good Works they shall come under Wrath at least God will be Angry with them What do we in this but abuse the Scriptures We undo all that Christ hath done we injure Believers we tell God Lies to his Face Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not Whether God ceaseth to love a Believer when he sinneth 2. Nor whether the Afflictions that befall a Believer proceed from the Vindictive Justice of God as an Enemy These I deny 3. Nor whether God can bless the sorest Judgments for Sins to the future good of a Believer This I affirm though were it not for our Sins God would effect that Good a milder way And I doubt whether every good Man may be said to get profit by all sorts of Affliction for every degree of Good is not equivalent to the Hurt and sometimes God punisheth Sin with Sin 4. Nor whether some sensible Calamities may fall on a good Man not so much in a way of Rebuke for Sin as to try his Graces prevent Sin or bring Glory to God by a Testimony to the Truth This I affirm Yet I believe the very Martyrs did not so glory in the joyful Cause of their Sufferings as always to neglect an humble Reflexion on what Sin of theirs might then Justifie God as a hidden cause of their Hardships The Real Difference 1. Whether God be at all displeased with Believers for their Abominations This I affirm and the Doctor denies 2. Whether God at any time or by any Afflictions expresseth his Displeasure against his People for their Sins This I affirm and the Doctor denies The Truth Confirmed Reader Know that there 's none of all this but Dr. Crisp meaneth it of the Unconverted Elect For their Sins are on Christ and off from themselves as much as Believers Their Sins do them no hurt nor is God angry with them though God saith he is angry with the wicked every day But let us consider the Points as they referr to Believers 1. I affirm God is displeased with Believers for their Abominations If he is displeased at all with them it must be for their Sins And that he is displeased yea and chat for Sin he oft affirms it he forceth his People to own it and they with bitterness bemoan and acknowlege it Psal. 60. 1 3. O God thou hast cast us off thou hast been displeased O turn thy self to us again Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made us drink the wine of astonishment 2. Sam. 11. 27. That David had done displeased the Lord. And you may read how he threatned and punished him Was not his Anger kindled against Moses Exod. 4. 14. Against his People Isa. 5. 25. 12. 11. Moses saith The Lord was angry with me Deut. 4. 21. The Lord was very angry with Aaron Deut. 9. 21. Christ was oft displeased with his Disciples How oft is God's Anger said to be provoked by his People and kindled against them He is said to turn away from his fierce anger Is it not his Anger against them which is but for a moment and to be turned away I hope the Doctor would own that it never ceaseth against Sin it self Nay his very Fury and Wrath be oft mentioned against his own Servants Read the Sixteenth of Ezekiel a Verse or two whereof is so abused by the Doctor Thou hast fretted me in all these things c. Cannot good Men grieve the Holy Ghost What doth the Church intend when she saith I ll bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Mic. 7. 9. 2. God doth by many Afflictions express his Displeasure against his People for their Sins I have in the last Chapter proved that Sins do hurt a Believer and all there spoken proves this as far as the Hand of God is in our Rebukes Besides those things Consider God is oft said to rebuke and chastize his People for Sin They are not the less Chastisements of a Father if at present grievous though afterwards they bring forth the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness The Great Promise of the Covenant doth not prevent this Psal. 89. 30 31 32 33 34. If his children for sake my law c. then will I visit their transgressions with a rod and their iniquity with stripes nevertheless my loving-kindness will not I utterly take from them c. Are not these Stripes for Sin Are not these Stripes Corrections Yea and so much from God's Displeasure that it is but a not utterly that God will not take away his Loving-kindness and that it riseth no higher is for the Covenant sake How oft doth God tell us that he punisheth his Church because of their Sins committed and gives this as the Therefore What is God's visiting the transgressions of his people Was it for an innocent thing that Christ rebuked Peter Mark 8. 33. And was it not for luke-warmness that he rebuked and chastned those Laodiceans whom he
the Prophets even Isaiah himself yea Christ and his Apostles were all Legal Preachers The Law in this sence is that which Converts Comforts Healeth Saveth c Whatever is spoken in Praise of the Word of the Truth of the Commandments of God and Christ are spoken of the Law in this sence And it is the same with the Gospel as I have proved chap. 20. And they are Enemies to Christ and Souls that disdain to be such Legal Preachers 2. But there is a Legal Preaching which is opposed to the Gospel and this indeed is a Crime the word being used as a Reproach this must be intended if Men understand what they speak of And to that this Chapter refers TRUTH Legal Preaching is to Preach the Law as a Covenant of Innocency or Works or to Preach the Mosaick or Jewish-Covenant of Peculiarity But it is not Legal Preaching to require and persuade to Faith Holiness or Duties by Promises and Threatnings according to the Grace of the Gospel and direct Men to fear and hope accordingly ERROUR Legal Preaching is to call People to act any Grace or do any Duty as a required Means of Salvation or inward Peace or to threaten them with Death or any Affliction to cause Fear if they commit the grossest Sins and backsside and fall away or to promise them any Blessing upon their Obedience to the Commandments of Christ or urge the Threatnings to persuade Sinners to believe and repent Proved that this is Doctor Crisp's Opinion P. 616. If Persons are not united to Christ and do not partake of Justification before they do believe c. then mark what will follow That there will be bringing to life again the Covenant of Works c. Obj. How doth this follow I Answer Thus you must of necessity press upon your selves these Terms or such like I must do that I may have Life in Christ I must believe there is no Life till I do believe Now if their be Believing first then there is Doing before Living P. 561 562. This likewise batters to the ground that way of urging Men to holiness which some hold forth That if Men do not these and these good Works and leave these and these Sins then they must come under the wrath of God c. The Love of God constrains the Faithful and not the Fear of Wrath a sense of being delivered from it not a fear of Wrath to come P. 559 560. Obj. Some will say The Preaching of the Terrours of the Law and the Wrath of God and Damnation and Hell-fire unto Men is a safer way to take Men off from Sin than to preach Gracc and Forgiveness before-hand c. A. I say If we preach Wrath and Damnation we must either make them believe they lyc under the Wrath and that Wrath shall come or we must make them believe that though there be Wrath yet it shall not fall upon them Now if we tell them of Wrath and Damnation and say they are secure from them and they belong not to them to what purpose do we tell them of Wrath we had as good hold our tongues c. And he shews how it 's bringing back the Covenant of Works to tell them that God will be angry with them if they commit Sin or do not such and such Duties Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not Whether it is Legal Preaching to preach Duties or Holiness as if Men must perfectly believe and obey or they shall unavoidably perish 2. Nor That it 's Legal Preaching to denounce Wrath and Hell as Miseries from which there is no relief by Christ in the way of the Gospel 3. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to press Men to Faith Repentance and other Duties as if they were to be performed in their own strength without the Grace of Christ and Influences of the Spirit 4. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to promise Salvation to any Action if the Performer thereof be Unregenerate Unbelieving and Impenitent 5. Nor That it is too much Legal Preaching to be always pressing the Duties of the Law of Nature but to neglect Preaching Faith in Christ and Repentance Regeneration c. and so to neglect to make the Person Offices Sufferings and Intercession of Christ as also our Relation to him and Dependance on him as Mediatour with other Gospel-Mysteries known to their Hearers 6. Nor That it 's Legal Preaching to preach that our Faith Holiness or Good Works stand in the same place now as Perfect Obedience did under the Law viz. To render the Reward to be of Debt or be the Meritorious Righteousness for which we are Justified 7. Or That it is Legal to preach that our best Obedience doth not deserve Wrath by the Law as a Rule of Misery and Happiness Or That it doth not need Forgiveness or is any Supplement of Christ's Righteousness yea or to neglect to call Men to renounce all in themselves as any Atonement for Sin or Cause of Pardon and to look to Christ as the only Propitiation Purchaser of all our Blessings and Cause of the Acceptance of our Persons and Performances 8. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to omit to urge Men to Obedience by Gospel Motives as what Christ Suffered the Love of God in him the Benefits afforded by him the Helps he vouchsafes the Relations he admits us to and the like 9. Nor That it is Legal to shew Men their Misery and Sinfulness and not to inform them of the Gospel-way of Salvation 10. Nor That it is too Legal to neglect to improve holy Souls to an ingenuous Obedience from Love to God as well as a holy Fear 11. Nor that it is Legal to encourage such Fear as imports a Life of Torment destructive to our Hopes and Joy Or as if every Miscarriage should over-turn Assurance though the dominion of Sin be not justly suspected 12. Nor that it is Legal Preaching to assert Judaism or the Mosaic Pedagogie viz. to press Circumcision Sacrifices a Covenant of Peculiarity Jewish Priesthood Sabbath or an Abuse of the Law in Opposition to Christ our Saviour who is the End of all Types c. All these I affirm These indeed make up that Preaching of the Law which is opposed to Christ to Grace and to the Gospel The real Difference 1. Whether it 's Legal Preaching to require People to Repent and Believe that their Iniquities may be forgiven for Christ's sake This I deny and the Doctor affirms against the scope of the Gospel as I have proved chap. 8. 10 12 20 c. 2. Whether it be Legal Preaching to press Holiness and Gospel Obedience as necessary to the Salvation of a Justified Person This the Doctor affirms and I deny upon Reasons given chap. 8. 13. 17. 3. Whether it be Legal to threaten such Penalties as are short of Damnation against such Offences as are consistent with Sincerity and yet avoidable by serious care and diligence This the Doctor affirms and I deny for which see
chap. 13 c. 4. Whether it be Legal to preach Wrath and Damnation against prevailing Infidelity Impenitency Ungodliness Enmity against God Profaneness Apostacy and utter neglect of Good Works so that Wrath be urged as a motive to Acceptance of Christ and sincere Subjection to him and the Gospel-way of escaping these be discovered and persuaded to This the Doctor affirms and I deny being well assured that Christ and his Apostles preached thus and these Threatnings of God used since the Fall are otherwise vain as I have proved chap. 13 10 c. 5. Whether it 's Legal Preaching to excite good Men to an holy Fear of threatned Evils as far as they find just Cause to suspect the Dominion of Sin or Danger of Apostacy or the Power of Carnal Security This the Doctor affirms and I deny The Truth Confirmed Consult the 20th Chap. and those before-mentioned and thou wilt find that what the Doctor calls Legal Preaching is the Tenor of the Gospel and the Truth according to Jesus It 's what the Assembly affirm to be the Grace of the New Covenant and not the Covenant of Works It 's the method appointed to recover apostate Sinners and not to govern innocent Man I have nothing left to do except to vindicate That it 's the Will of God that we should excite a holy Fear of threatned Evils and this in good Men as well as bad during their Pilgrimage Obj. The Doctor allows a Fear of Reveverence towards God from the infinite distance between him and Creatures A. He doth so but it 's no more than will be in Heaven it self And therefore I add that we ought to preach so as to beget a fear of Caution and from the due Sense of Danger not indeed so as to extinguish just Hopes or Joy not to exclude Love or introduce a Spirit of Bondage or tormenting Amazement but to prevent Security and awaken Diligence till our Danger is past and our VVarfare be accomplished For. 1. Such Fear is our Duty by Gospel-Precept Heb. 4. 1. Let us therefore fear least a Promise being left us of entring into his Rest any of you should seem to come short of it It 's an Evil is to be feared here and Sense of Danger awakens it See Ver. 11. Least any Man fall after the same Example of Unbelief Mar. 13. 5. Take heed least any Man deceive you This Duty is annexed when the Safety and Comfort of our present State is most represented Heb. 12. 15. Looking diligently least any Man fail of the Grace of God And when he had finished the peculiar Liberties of the New Testament-Time he adds Ver. 25. See that you refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake from Earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven Ver. 28 29. Whereby we may serve God acceptably with Reverence and Godly Fear for our God is a consuming Fire Here is Awe impressed by Danger much more shall not we escape if c. say not the Saints shall not turn away for yet here 's an Awful Threat if he do and his Fear is the Means here intended to keep him from turning away Phil. 2. 12. Work out your Salvation with Trembling and with Fear Rom. 11. 20. Be not high-minded but fear Joh. 5. 14. Sin no more least a worse thing do befall thee 2. Without this Fear in sence of Danger many of the great Duties of Religion are excluded What 's a Tender Heart but a Heart impressed by a Mixture of Fear and Love Who is Contrite but he that trembleth at my Word Isa. 66. 2. Are not taking heed solicitous Cares and holy Watchfulness great Duties But if you exclude Fear of Danger are these possible Nay VVhen God calls us to these he doth it by representing Danger as what is to be dreaded and thereby begetting Fear Mar. 13. 5 35 36. Take heed least any Man deceive you for many shall come in my Name c. Watch ye therefore c. least coming suddenly he find you sleeping Luk. 21. 34 35 36. Take heed to your selves least at any time your Hearts be overcharged c. and so that Day come upon you unawares for as a Snare it shall come Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man Heb. 3. 12. 13. Take heed least there be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief in departing from the living God c. Least any of you be hardned through the Deceitfulness of Sin Rom. 11. 21. If God spared not the natural Branches take heed least he spare not thee Jam. 5. 9. Grudge not one against another least ye be condemned behold the Judge standeth before the Door Are not all these intended to beget Fear Are not the Motives from things that must strike an awe of Danger The Lord argues to a Fear of Apostacy Unpreparedness being rejected at Christ's coming being cut off and condemned and God is represented not only as great above us but as our Judge as a consuming Fire 3. This Fear is entertained by and approved of in the best Men. 1 Cor. 9. 27. I keep my Body under least that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a Castaway Was here no Fear in Sense of Danger Noah moved with Fear prepared an Ark Heb. 11. 7. David tells us Psal. 119 120. My Flesh trembleth for fear of thee I am afraid of thy Judgments Prov. 28. 13. Happy is he that feareth always It was the want of this that 's branded in the Virgins They all slumbered and slept Habakkuck's Tremblings and Faith were consistent Chap. 3. 16 17. 4. This fear is absolutely necessary to Saints in their Pilgrimage What Men should we be if Fear were extinct What would our Remains of Corruption our great Snares Heaps of earthly Diversions while eternal things are invisible reduce us to without Fear Would Back-sliders recover themselves without fear or Men in Difficulties hold out God knew our Frame when he saith 1 Pet. 1. 17. And if you call upon the Father who without respect of Persons judgeth accordingly every Man's Work pass the time of your sojourning here in fear This Text ill agrees with the Doctor 's Notion We have no Work to do for Eternity as if the Judgment-Day were past away with Fear of VVrath or Danger as if we were in Heaven already Good Men may fancy an ingenuous Life of Love exclusive of all Fear in this VVorld but though they could be safe and vigorous thereby it follows not that all other good Men can and we must preach the Mind of Christ to them But I fear they know not or observe not their own Hearts who pretend to this and if they fall into many gross Sins and Neglects and keep up to this Rule God calls them to fear their
Union with Christ as if we were One Natural Person with him His Difinition of the New Creature as if it stood only in our New Relation to Christ. P. 90. The strange difference he makes between the way of Salvation before Christ's time and since P. 254 255 256 258. Their Sins were pardoned on Condition of Doing not given for all Sins at once much Dust left and they were subject to Lashes for Sin but now the Covenant is contrary in all these respects How contrary to the Sense of the Assembly and Elders at the Savoy ch 11. a. 6. The Justification of Believers under the Old Testament was in all these respects one and the same with the Justification of Believers under the New Testament He forgets that most of his Proofs be fetch'd from the Old Testament as Ezek. 16 c. Jacob loved in the Womb c. and seems not to distinguish the Covenant of Grace and that of Peculiarity But these with other Errours I pass by THE APPENDIX I Shall here repeat what I delivered in Pinners-Hall-Lecture which some Persons seemed greatly to resent and I leave it to any impartial Man to judge from what I have described as Dr. Crisp's Opinion whether I charged Men of his Persuasion with Falshood After I had fully acquitted Men of my Judgment from Pelagianism Socinianism and Arminianism which the Antinomians accuse us of I added with these Men It 's not enough that we hold That we were from Eternity elected to Grace and Glory unless we add That we were actually United to Christ and Justified from Eternity and in the Womb. It 's not enough that we say Christ did in the Covenant of Redemption undertake to save the Elect in his appointed way and time unless we add That there is no other Covenant for the Application of Christ's Benefits wherein God requires Faith and Repentance as the indispensible Means of our Pardon It is not enough that we own That Christ absolutely Redeemed the Elect so as to purchase Saving Graces as well as Benefits to be infallibly theirs unless we add That all others are in state of Devils as having no real Offers of Life on Gospel-Terms nor is their Salvation possible if they will repent and believe It will not please them that we affirm The Punishment of our Sins yea the Guilt of them as an Obligation to Punishment were laid upon Christ our Sponsor unless we add That our Sins themselves in their blot and filthiness were also transacted on Christ. It is not enough that we own That the Righteousness of Christ avails us as much as if it were personally our own yea was always intended for us and is so imputed to us as to be the Foundation of and Security for our Pardon and Right to Life and no Atonement for Sin or purchasing Price of Life can be demanded from us unless we also add That God esteemed us to have done and suffered what Christ did and suffered It sufficeth not that we say That we are Justified only by Christ's Merits as the sole procuring Cause or Righteousness for which we are Justified unless we deny That Faith and Repentance are the indispensibly required Conditions or Qualifications of those Persons to whom the Merits of Christ are applied for Justification It will not serve that we assert That Justifying Faith must be a Reliance on Christ as Priest and sole Atonement unless we deny That Faith must be also a fiducial Acceptance of a whole Saviour i. e. of Christ as Prophet Priest and King It 's not enough that we say We are upon Repenting and Believing put into a Justified state hefore any other Work unless we add That our Obedience to particular Precepts do not benefit us and that God doth not judicially approve of our sincere Actings as according to the Rule of the Gospel-Promises of those Benefits It is not enough that we say The absolute Promises are made to Christ for the be nefit of the Elect and pleadable by him unless we deny That the Gospel is an authoritative Command on Men to Believe and that under the Gospel-Sanction of Life and Death So that he that believes stall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned It will not please that we say That Christ purchased all Grace for us and by his Spirit worketh all Grace in us unless we add That he Believed Repented and did all for us so as we have nothing to do in order to Salvation It 's not sufficient that we own The Grace by which we do any Duty is from Christ and the Good promised to any Duty is for the sake of Christ unless we deny the ordained Connexion betwixt that Duty and that Benefit They say We set up Man's Righteousness if we tell Men that they must be holy and do good and take comfort therein as an Evidence of Grace and of their Title to Christ and as answering the Rule of the Gospel-Promises though we assert They must be Members of Christ and accepted through him or they cannot partake of any Saving Benefits thereby It is not right that we say God sees no Sin in Believers so as to cast them out of Covenant nor out of a Justified-state for it unless we add That God sees no Sin at all in them as theirs when they most offend It 's not enough that we affirm That Sin committed shall not eventually damn a Believer because he shall by the Spirit be brought to Repentance unless we add God is never angry with Believers for Sin nor ever corrects them as guilty of it With these we are Legal Preachers if we urge Faith and Repentance in order to Pardon though we declare that Faith and Repentance are the Gifts of Christ and Pardon is not the Effect of these Graces but of the Promise in the virtue of Christ's Blood or of his Blood applied for Forgiveness by the Promise We are Legal Preachers if we perswade to Holiness as the way of Salvation by the Ordination of Christ though we affirm that it is no way out of Christ nor but with a respect to Christ for whom it is accepted as what answers the Rule of the Gospel-Promise How are we decried as Legal if we urge Threatnings though as Motives to close with Christ and to walk in him Which being used to this end and the threatned Evil being avoidable on Gospel-Terms and pressed on fallen Man for his recovery they are Gospel and not Legal Threatnings It 's not enough That we assert and press Assurance unless we affirm That Justifying Faith is nothing but Assurance It 's not enough we say That we need the Spirit to discover to us our inherent Grace and to assist Conscience in it's Sentence That Grace is inherent unless we add That we must not try our State and conclude of it by Gospel-Marks of Sanctification but depend on an inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are forgiven which we must believe if it agree but to the general Word viz. Christ came to save Sinners and believing this is all that Saving Faith the Gospel speaks of Herein I have in part described the state of the Case between them and us It 's true there are some small Differences among the Orthodox in Wording some of these things But shall we hereby give Advantage to such Errours as overturn the Gospel and Dominion of Christ under the abused Pretext of Exalting Christ and Free Grace Bear with this which for the sake of Christ and dying Religion I have ventur'd to declare not for the Irritation of any but the Edification of all especially some mistaken well-meaning People Conscience binds me not to palliate though I fore-see Reproach from some who would do well to remember the Caution the Spirit of God thought needful to such as boasted of a Faith without Works and still it appears too pertinent If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this man's rereligion is vain Jam. 2. 26. SOME General Heads THE Elect are Children of Wrath till effectually called Page 4 The filth of Sin not transacted on Christ p. 10 The Act of laying Sins on Christ is not the discharge of the Elect p. 17 Mens Sins their own and not Christ's Sins p. 25 Our Sins laid on Christ before he was nailed to the Cross p. 29 Christ not abhorred by the Father p. 33 No change of Person between Christ and the Elect p. 41 Christ's Mediatorial Righteousness not subjectively in us and how imputed p. 42 Believers not as Holy as Christ p. 46 The Covenant of Grace explained and what a Condition is p. 53 57. The Covenant of Grace Conditional p. 63 Faith not a Perswasion that my Sins are pardoned c. p. 75 Prevailing Enmity a Hindrance to our present Interest in Christ p. 85 The Elect not united to Christ without Faith p. 93 What Union with Christ is p. 100 Justification not before Faith p. 105 Repentance necessary to Pardon p. 114 Sinners have much to do to be saved p. 129 The Gospel hath Threats and Promises p. 133 Holiness and Good Works necessary to Salvation p. 139 They are profitable and God pleased c p. 142 143 144 Our own Good should be intended p. 155 Assurance by Gospel-Marks and not by an inward Voice p. 165 God Chargeth Sin on Men and they should repent for repeated Pardon p. 175 Sin may hurt Believers p. 184 God afflicts for Sin p. 192 Sincere Holiness not Dung p. 199 102 Christ doth not repent c. for us p. 211 Conditional Proposals of Benefit on terms of Duty Gospel-Preaching p. 213 To excite Fear in sense of Danger not Legal Preaching p. 228 Christ more Exalted by the former Truths than by Dr. Crisp's Opinions p. 235 The Free Grace of God not honoured by Doctor Crisp though more Freeness be asserted by him than by these Truths p. 239 Part of a Sermon at Pinner's-Hall Anno 1691. The Edition of Dr. Crisp's Works I refer to is the last Anno 1690. FINIS