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A66344
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A defence of Gospel-truth being a reply to Mr. Chancey's first part, and as an explication of the points in debate may serve for a reply to all other answers / by Daniel Williams.
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Williams, Daniel, 1643?-1716.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing W2646; ESTC R26371
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80,291
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59
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Argument I shall in the strength of Christ evidence that the Law of Nature or Works is not a hindrance to the Gospels being a Law but that the Gospel is another Law distinct in its Precept and Sanction and other respects 1. The Gospel is distinct in its preceptive part from the Law of Innocency Faith in Christ was never commanded by that Law To say Faith in God was a Duty is a vain Objection for Faith in Christ as a Saviour is specified from its Object and is distinguished into temporary historical saving c. The Faith that Mr. C. saith Adam was wounded in was meerly a Faith of Assent which the Devils have or a natural Trust in God as Creator But what 's that to a receiving of Christ or consent to him as Redeemer and relyance on him Of which more by and by Is it not strange that Mr. C. saith The Law never brings us to God then Faith doth not for it's part of the Law c. But let 's hear what others speak Mr. Hooker of New E. p. 337. saith I flatly deny that Adam if the Lord Jesus had been revealed to him was able to believe in him and so to rest upon him c. the Reason to confirm this Point that Adam had not this Grace of Faith is this this believing in the Lord Jesus is that which doth directly cross the Estate of Adam in his Innocency c. He to p. 343. proves it and answers Objections P. 338. to one he thus says I answer that not believing in the Lord Christ is not a Sin against the Moral Law but it is a Sin against the Law of the Gospel 1 Ioh. 3. 23. Rom. 3. 28. Mr. Bulkley p. 327. lays down this That Faith in Christ unto Justification and Salvation the Commandment enjoyning this Faith is no Commandment of the Law but of the Gospel which I prove by these ensuing Arguments This he doth by no less than nine Arguments and answers many Objections from p. 327. to 335. and thus concludes Thus far we are come that the putting of Faith as a Condition of Life in the Covenant of Grace doth no whit derogate from the freeness of Grace D. Goodwin affirms That Faith now is of another kind than the Faith of Adam As to the Principle Objects Light c. ours is supernatural his natural and as you may see at large proves by several Reasons that his was but natural as 1. All other things belonging to him were natural c. and therefore it would be strange that if the Principle of Faith in him which then was not of general use should be supernatural c. 2. For him to have a supernatural Principle of Faith as we have was in him superfluous and vain This he shews because Adam's Covenant would not have brought him to Heaven 3. It would not only have been of no use but it would have made him miserable 4. And therefore our way of Faith must needs be supernatural and altioris ordinis from his c. which he proves 1. in the respect of the Objects revealed to our Faith which his Mind should never have arrived at 2. in regard to the Light by which our Minds are acted and elevated 3. in respect of the way or manner of Knowledge or Assent raised up thereby I might add the Testimony of one whom Mr. C. honoured who gives this reason in the present Debate saying viz. If Consent to the Covenant was a Duty by the Law then the Law did bind to its own dissolution But I suppose this may serve to shew that Faith in Christ was no Duty by the Law of Nature and therefore either it is a Command of the Gospel-Law or it is no Duty at all The like I might shew of Repentance which Melancthon's Followers prove against Flaccius Illyricus Obj. If any one should object Did not the Law of Nature bind us to do whatever God should at any time require A. You must consider 1. the Law of Nature less properly as the Rule of Happiness in the Covenant of Innocency and so it was appropriated to that state and was a particular Law of Works If so considered the several Precepts of it were written on Man's Heart and God and the Creatures ministred Instruction to the innate Light which was inherent in our Minds and that in a natural way Some Ruins of both are still preserved to fallen Man Rom. 1. 19 20. Cap. 2. 14. In this sence Faith and Repentance could have no place at all in the Law for it was a Law to govern and save Innocent Man but not to recover Sinful Man To suppose our own Perfection to be the Condition of Life and yet to be obliged at the same time to repent of Sin or believe in an aâ—…oning Saviour to have our Abilities immediately from God as Creator and a Stock in our own Hands and yet be obliged to depend on Christ as Mediator for all Strength are utterly inconsistent 2. If you take the Law of Nature for the remaining Instincts and Notices of it in Man which ought to be perfect and assisted and directed by the Works of God sure the Gospel must be another Law or else Heathens are able to find out Christ by the Book of Nature and engaged to receive him and rely on him though he were never revealed to them The reason is this the Law of Nature in this sence binds all the Heathens and its Precepts are engraven naturally upon their Hearts and God and his Works consider'd naturally direct their Minds 3. The Law of Nature may be considered most generally viz. as it is an Obligation upon Man to believe and obey whatever God shall any way or time reveal and require and to suffer for Disobedience what God shall threaten In this sence indeed the Law commands all Duty in general but it doth not deny the Gospel to be a special Law for this indeed doth oblige us to obey all God's Laws when he makes them Laws but it doth not determine any one Law nor give a Being to one particular Precept It 's the Foundation of our Obligation to submit to God's Authority as Creatures but appoints not wherein we must instance that subjection It 's the same as an Obligation among men to Allegiance to the supreme Power which I hope prevents not the Ruler's Acts to be Laws This Law of Nature subjects us to God's Threatnings which he shall pronounce at any time for Sin but determineth neither the sort nor degree of the threatned Evils This Law is common to good Angels Devils innocent Man fallen Man yea damned and glorified Man for they are all engaged as Creatures to obey the Laws of God when he enacts them and suffer what he threatens if they obey not But is the Gospel therefore no Law or only this Law of Nature Then Angels Devils and the Damned are obliged to believe in Christ for Salvation Do not say
for which we are justified c. But yet I wonder 1. that any man dare say that God hath promised no beneficial Effects of Christ's Merits upon any Terms short of Perfection tho' not for them as the meriting Cause Ioh. 13. 17. If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them Mat. 8. 13 15. If ye forgive c. Mar. 11. 25. If we confess our sins 1 Ioh. 1. 9. He is just to forgive Rom. 10. 9. If confess with thy mouth and believe with thy heart thou shalt be saved What 's Repentance unto Life c It seems the meaning of these words is If thou confess and art sinlesly perfect God will forgive Or else tho' I promise thus yet I mean that it 's all as one whether thou confess or not believe or not repent or not it shall make no difference in thy Interest in the promised Forgiveness 2. It 's as strange that the most sincere Action or Grace is Disobedience or Sin because it is imperfect Iniquity cleaves to them but are they therefore Iniquity Is there no Gospel mitigation so as to admit sincere Grace to be true Grace tho' it be not perfect Grace It seems the Saints have weaker Vices but no Graces their Duties are something less Sins but no obediential Acts their Love is an abated Hatred but not truly Love they are meer Dung only they do not smell so strong Is not this to spit in the Face of the most of the Bible It speaks oft of an inherent Righteousness true Graces real Godliness and good Fruits it praiseth Saints for these but it seems we perswade People only to Disobedience when we call them to believe and they try themselves by their Sins when they try themselves by marks of Sanctification and there 's no specifick difference between the best and worst action they do all is Disobedience and but Disobedience 3. And where 's the strength of what is so roundly affirmed viz. No Law of God with a Sanction admits of the least Imperfection in the said Obedience Then if the Gospel as including Adam's Precepts commands Perfection it cannot forgive any Imperfection if it do not abate the Rule of Duty it cannot confer any degree of its promised Mercy But Sir you confound the extent of the Precept with that degree of Obedience to it which is made the Condition of its promised Benefit May not a humane Law command many things and yet confine its Sanction to one part yea and vary its Threaâ—…s or Promises by many different circumstances in the Offenders or Obeyers Doth he indeed think that whereever God enjoyns Duties he denounceth his Threatning to all degrees of neglect of what he makes a Duty or that it ceaseth to be a Duty at all if the Sanction reach not every degree of omission Mar. 16. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Is not it a Duty here to be baptized Yes sure But shall none be saved if they are not baptized thô they do believe The Sanction then falls not on all the Precept or none of the Unbaptized can be saved The unsoundness of this Principle will appear to thee in most practical Books thou readest and the Orthodox are positive in the contrary What more common than the difference between legal and evangelical Obedience It 's stated by Sedgwick on the Cov. p. 652. Dr. Iacomb Rom. 8. p. 23. Rutherford Ant. p. 8. Davenant on Colos. p. 17. Ames spends a Chapter to prove against Bellarmin that our Good Works are not Sins quoad essentiam Mr. C's Father p. 130. Neither is that Obedience which is required of Believers a strict and exact conformity to the Law as it doth in it self require and demand a legal Obedience but evangelical Obedience which stands in the desire resolution and endeavour to obey God's revealed Will. And p. 222. saith The imperfect Good Works that are done by the Faithful are accounted Righteousness or as Mr. Calvin saith are accounted for Righteousness they being dipped in the Blood of Christ i. e. they are accounted righteous actions and so the Faithful shall be judged according to their Good Works thô not saved for them Dr. Owens p. 72. God hath abolished the Covenant of Works by substituting a new one in the room of it because it could not expiate Sin nor could approve of such an Obedience as poor sanctified Sinners were able to yield unto God for it requires Perfection when the best they can attain to in this Life is only Sincerity c. and in this Covenant God hath provided for the acceptance of sincere tho' imperfect Obedience which the Law had no respect to Mr. C. p. 23. Christ our Redeemer gives Commands and exerts a Kiâ—…gly Power in Government of his Church and hath Iudgment committed to him but these are not the Gospel-Conditions of Life unto Sinners propounded in the Gospel God doth not require Obedience to the Laws of Christ in his Church as foederal Conditions of Eternal Life Such Obedience is part of the Life promised c. Repl. Not to expose the Passages before this as if because the Gospel in a large sence includes all the moral Precepts therefore taken in a strict sence it makes all those Precepts and perfect Obedience to them the Condition of its peculiar Benefits and as if Christ's Law did not bind a person morally impotent and that Men must be first pardoned before they are obliged to submit to Christ and that there is no difference between such a tast of Pardoning Mercy as assures us we shall have Pardon on Gospel-Terms and our actually having that Pardon before those Terms be yielded to At this rate he reasons throughout his Book but I mind greater things than the discovery of his Weakness therefore to his Principle I answer He gives Christ as Redeemer a poor Kingdom it 's a Kingly Power but it 's of a low sort 1. It s extent is small it 's bounded within his Church it seems then he hath no Authority over them that are without no not to command them to be Church-Members I thought tho' he be acknowledged King by his Church yet his Laws bind much farther I am sure he damns others for disobeying him But 2. by these words He is not such a King as can make Laws in his very Church He exerts a Kingly Power in governing of his Church This is distinguished by Mr. C. from giving Commands The sound of this Passage is He gives Commands as an Officer acting not in a proper Legislation 3. Allow what he prescribes to be His Laws in any sence yet there 's no Salvation depends upon obeying them Nothing He requires yea by his Revealed Gospel are any Conditions of Life He came to purchase Salvation but he hath no Authority to enjoyn the Terms of it Whereas I read that for this end he died that he might be Lord of the dead and of the living