perform c. Rom. 7. Ye cannot do the things that ye would Gal. 5.17 A second Limitation is that the Will is accepted according to what a Man hath he must do what he can else the Will will not be accepted for the rest From these Texts the fault is not laid on the weak degree of the Will but on other Powers A Fifth Argument for Natural Impotence is from the Oneness and Unitedness of Soul The Soul is a Natural principle in the Man and there is Impotence in every part therefore if in one If Impotence in the Will is call'd Moral from the Subject the Will being so why not Natural by being in the Understanding or whole Soul If that be Natural which is born with us this Impotence is so If the Texture and Frame of Essential Properties be Nature as we say Nature will do the Cure Nature is strong or weak this is Natural if that be Natural which is Universal this is so Universal in every Man and part of Man if all be polluted all is weak Sin is a Rust and Dust in the Wheels Gal. 3.22 All under Sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 5.23 Soul Body and Spirit need Sanctification Spirit is Judgment Conscience and Soul Affections or Passions Heb. 4.12 Soul and Spirit are compar'd to Joynts and Marrow the Animal Spirits are seated in the Marrow but gross Joynts and Bones of the Body are without from this Oneness of the Soul the Argument for Moral Impotence alone appears strong if a Mans Will were right all were right This is true because it cannot be sanctified or cured alone It is as true if a Mans Understanding were Cur'd all were Cur'd therefore its Cure is reckon'd the greatest Mercy Col. 1.12 13. 2 Tim. 2.25 It 's the summ of Conversion Eph. 5.8 14. Jam. 1.18 to open their Eyes and turn them from Darkness to Light is the summ of the Gospel It 's the summ of the Covenant Jer. 31.34 They shall all know me A sixth Argument for Natural Impotency is from the Devils Potency over our Souls he uses a Natural or Physical Efficiency to hinder our Conversion Eph. 2.2 he works effectually with an Energy and there is need of such an Energy to remove him and his influence Moral Swasion will not Chain Satan he would become very good if perswasion would make him leave off tempting Gal. 2.8 He that wrought effectually in Peter the same was mighty in me Before Man's Fall Satan stood without and used only Moral Swasion which Man could have resisted and dissented from but now his Operation is of a superior Kind than by Humane Converse Eph. 6.12 it s called Heavenly We wrestle against wicked Spirits in heavenly's so the Marginal reading is the Text shows its the manner of Operation that is call'd heavenly as well as the subject about which he sits on the Imagination as a Spider on his Web he can bridle our ruling Faculties as a Man a Horse and spur him in the most tender and unguarded part as a Mans way of Conduct is superiour to that of a Horse another Horse cannot do so so Satan is in a superior Order and Rank of Creatures to us he knows where our Helm stands and can lay his hand upon it and turn us at pleasure we may see it in Lunaticks whom the Scripture calls possess d and yet Possession is a more External way affecting more the Body for I believe possess'd Persons may be in a State of Grace it 's more an Affliction and Punishment than a Sin Heb. 2.14 Satan has the Power of death Heb. 2.14 for any thing I know that Scripture intimates that he has an active Influence on the Death of every Man We call it a Natural Death but it is the Devil with as active Causality as if the Executioner cut our Throat And if Man could resist him either in punishing Soul or Body he were not a fit Executioner of Divine Wrath Tho' his influence is inferior to the Operation of the Holy Spirit for Eph. 6.12 13. in the power of his might we can resist him tho' in that only and tho' Temptation is by way of presenting Objects yet since he is a powerful Spirit abides and works within us we cannot limit it to Objective Influence nor deny all Physical Influence to Objects since Satan can even paint them upon the Imagination and from thence throw his Bombs into the very Soul and prevent our attending any thing that may divert our Thoughts If one more strong than I set an Object before my Eye or Ear and keep my Eye-lids open or not suffer me to stop my Ear I cannot prevent the Influence of the Object it 's got within the guards but when Satan is in our imagination he is much nigher and intimate 7. The Naturalness of this Impotency may be drawn from the Object or necessary Way of Divine Operation in Curing this Distemper which is by presenting the true Image of God and Divine things to the Understanding before ever the Will can be affected with them If the Free-will of Man were advanced as high as the Pelagians would have it that is without receiving the least crack or flaw from Man's Fall it 's Power is only to admit or reject choose or refuse what 's brought within it's ken or what Objects are proposed in the Understanding Now no Man can have any Knowledge of heavenly things except a Heavenly Being proposeth the Idea of them to the Mind No Man can learn any thing by meer words and those Metaphorical too and such are the Scriptural Expressions of heavenly things Our Mind must be some way acquainted with the thing it self before it can know it A Book cannot make a Man an Astronomer without his Globe nor the Globe either without an immediate contemplating the Stars If a Traveller had learnt his Geographical Map with the greatest Accuracy and Exactness he finds his Idea of the Countrey a meer mistake as soon as he views it with his Eye God has made our Souls a Mirror wherein his own Image may be represented as a Looking-glass Water or polished Brass represents the Image of Bodies but they can never do it except the Person immediately approach before them So God must draw nigh to the Soul before it can discern him He by his presence produces his own likeness on the Soul Psalm 17.15 When I shall awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness David knew this by some earnest of it this made his Soul pant and thirst so for it under the want of it Psalm 42.2 My Soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before him This Likeness or Spiritual Image is what the Apostle Paul so much travelled for Galat. 4.19 Of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you For it seems to be the Knowledge of Christ from Verse 9. After that ye have known God or rather are known of God Our Knowledge saith
makes use of all these as Symbols of our Freedom from the Bondage of Corruption and Servitude of Sin Luk. 15. The Ring is made mention of Revel 19.8 there 's the White Raiment Rev. 2.17 there 's the Manna the Food of our Lord's Table and the White Stone with our Names upon it This expressing of a Sentence by an Action is becoming of the Divine Majesty with whom to do and to say are the same his great Work of Creation requir'd no more to its production but God's saying Let there be a Light a Firmament c. and it was so This great Work of Regeneration it 's a begetting by his Word Hos 2.14 A speaking Comfortably to the Heart and frequently a Calling Whom he Call'd he Justified his Vocation put them in a Justified State 10. Sanctification or Regeneration removes a Punishment as well as a Crime the giving of a spiritual Life takes away a spiritual Death which is the worst of Punishments The Desertion by the Spirit is the greatest Curse and that is removed by the Gift of the Spirit and what takes away the Punishment does necessarily remove the Guilt or suppose it remov'd for the greater Mercy does comprehend the lesser Lastly From the Nature of Faith Isa 53.11 By his Knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many it may either be by the Gift of Knowledge or by the Act of Knowledge upon him for Heb. 11.1 Faith is the Evidence of things not seen it is no sooner in being than it is in exercise The Seed of Grace is not like Material Seed to need a Time of Corruption and intermixture with the Earth before it grow but like the Beams of the Sun that act as they are received The Gift of Faith is the Idea of Heavenly things suggested into the Soul and there manifesting themselves by their own Light so that we are Receivers of the Objects of Faith when we act Faith Isa 65.24 Before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear Hence Regeneration's being the Sentence does not pecede the Exercise of Faith as a Mean This might afford more Arguments for this Truth because then the Union between us Debtors and Christ as Surety is Compleated which is not 'till we apprehend him by Faith 2. Then the Soul actually Pleads and thereâ—ore it 's Term-time the acceptable Day of our Salvation the Court sits on our Case and all the Causes of our Salvation are Cloath'd with a forensical Form from this Exercise of Faith by which we look on God as our Judge on Christ's Righteousness as our Plea on Satan as our Accuser on Christ as our Advocate and his Spirit our Council on the Law as an Indictment drawn up against us and on its Constitution and Divine Justice as a Tribunal from which we Appeal to the Chancery of the Gospel founded on Goodness and Equity Object There are some Objections against this Doctrine 1. Sanctification is a gradual thing Justification is one Act. 2. That this would Confirm the Popish Error that Justification is not a forensical or relative Act but a Physical and Absolute one To both which I Answer 1. That the Sentence of Justification is not Justification but the Declaration of it and the Gift of the Spirit for Sanctification the Sign of that Faith is an Absolute Act by which we are justified but Justification is the relative Result of all the Causes and Foundations Fatherhood or Sonship are Relative things but to be Born or to be Begotten is an absolute thing 2. In all Similitudes there is somewhat of Unlikeness and so in this For 1. He who is Judge is both Law-giver and supream Governour too in other Cases in this 2. In others we have done with the Judge when the Sentence is past but not in this 2. In others we need but one Act because we can abstain from the like Crimes but in this we need a Continual Justification or Remission Hence we daily Pray Forgive us our Sins and we have daily Encouragement that if any Man sin there is an Advocate with the Father The Court constantly sits we are always on our Knees before the Bar our Faith perpetually Pleads and Christ's always interceding and he is always heard hence a constant continued Stream of Justification Dan. 9.9 call'd Forgivenesses and Revel 19.9 the Righteousnesses or Justifications for it is the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 5.19 is translated Justification and thus may be expounded Revel 22.16 He that is Justified let him be Justified still and in this very Chapter Rom. 4. Abraham is said to be Justified by Acts of Faith several Years after his first Conversion Gen. 15.6 it was at least Ten Years after his first Faith Our Case is a continued State of Justifying or Pardoning That which recommends this Opinion to me is not only its Appearance of Truth but its Medicinalness for Reconciling the different Opinions of Persons so lately on foot for the Subscribers Apology grants 1. That Faith and Repentance are absolutely given to the Ungodly for what is Man else before that Gift 2. That Faith and Repentance are only given to the Elect. Are they not then 1. The Gifts Blessings Tokens of special Favour Symbols of divine distinguishing Love though they may be long unintelligible to the Person under the Exercise of them as the Inscription of Mene Tekel on the Wall was to the Chaldeans yet ex Natura rei intentione Authoris it imports a Person 's being Reconcil'd to God Fellowship with Heaven is begun and two cannot walk together and not be agreed Effects alway signifie their Cause Rom. 5.15 2. Can a Person be under special Favour and not Pardon'd or Reconcil'd and not Pardon'd Call'd and not Justifi'd not under Wrath and yet under Guilt or else under Divine Love and Wrath at once or that the Punishment to wit want of the Spirit spiritual Death is remov'd and not the Guilt or lyableness to the Punishment although so remov'd as eventually never to return again from the Vigour of Divine Love fix'd on that Person Rom. 5. 6. the Apostle describes a State of Grace and Justification as necessarily united But I need not inferr this from them since the Reverend Mr. Baxt. Conf. p. 40. saith To Sanctifie is to Pardon that is executively because it takes away the greatest Punishment Spiritual Death and the Sentence of Pardon must go before the Execution And further our Pardon is subservient to our Renovation by Sanctity as imperfectly now begun for being imperfect the Defect of every Act deserves Condemnation and needs Pardon and yet this Pardon is a particular Pardon following the general Pardon of our Persons by which we escape Wrath and are capable of Acceptable Obedience for the future By this the Pardon of our Persons should precede every Act of Faith and Repentance for a following particular Pardon accompanies every Act of them But the greatest difficulty is how Faith and Repentance should
Abomination next to the Condemning of Innocent Thirdly No Man has any inherent Righteousness of his own whether Jew or Gentile Fourthly That all Righteousness is by a Law on this Subject he shews there is a Tripple Law The Natural Law and it's Righteousness from Chap. 1.17 to Chap. 2.17 he excludes both the Law and it's Righteousness from any Ability of this kind 2. The Mosaical and Moral Law from that Verse 17. to the 21st of the third Chapter he also excludes that Law and it's Righteousness from being able to justifie Sinners From Verse 21. he begins positively to assert and explain a third Righteousness which he calls the Righteousness of God or Righteousness of Faith and a third Law a Law of Faith All which is Evangelical for in the beginning of the Epistle he had described the Gospel and his own separation to the Office of preaching it and laid down this Doctrine Chap. 1.16 17. That it was the Power of God unto Salvation to every Believer and the Reason it is so is because therein is the Righteousness of God revealed This Righteousness after having excluded the Law with it's Works he most accurately explains from Verse 21. to the Text where he begins a Discourse which is a Conclusion from the former and a Proposition to the latter part of the Context built upon this fifth Axiom That there is a Necessity of the Justification of Sinners being in such a Method that may utterly stop their Mouth from either Glorying or Boasting God has his Glory for his ultimate End in all his Actions but there is a particular Reason that the Glory be entirely his in this great Action for a Sinner is Gods Enemy there is a Controversie between them if the Peace or Reconciliation should be so made up as Man should have any thing to brag of God were so far the Yielder and conquer'd party Man were the Victor and Triumpher in this Affair whatever Glory we ascribe to Man we derogate so much from God This may be clearly illustrated by the Transactions of Peace between Armies Nations Besiegers and Besieged they contend as much for having the Glory of the Peace on their side as for having the Victory of the War on their side And we find the Scripture punctual in ascribing the Glory to God in all the particular parts and points of this great Contrivance 1. Election Eph. 1.4 2. Permission the very letting of Man fall in Sin Strangius says Sin is none of Gods Mediums but the Permission of Sin is Rom. 11.22 Gal. 3.22 3. The Calling of Man Tit. 3.5 4. The sending of the Son into the World 5. The ordaining of such weak Ordinances for means of Conversion and Edification 6. The Calling of Men when they stand at greatest disadvantage for Conversion and so all the other parts of this whole Project and likewise we find the Scripture in nothing more punctual than in describing Man's Guilt and Impotency his Wickedness and his weakness and every thing that may contribute to humble and vilifie him in the sight of God And Satan is in nothing more diligent than to propagate this Lust of Pride it was his own first Sin and the Foundation of his Kingdom and he maintains it as the principal Pillar thereof Carnal Pride is a very strong Hold in his Kingdom it is a very difficult thing to be denied to Credit Honour and Reputation among Men But Spiritual Pride is a more subtil Sin and not easily discernable far less conquerable And if Satan can maintain this one hold we are never like to be sound about this Doctrine of Justification whatever may be our Speculative Opinions in Profession if we retain a Practical Sentiment of a Self-distinguishing Work we run a very great Danger as to our Souls Therefore as ever we would obtain this incomparable Priviledge we would endeavour to walk humbly with God and to get Self-abasing Sentiments of our Selves I come now to the Minor Proposition or second Doctrine which the Text expresses by way of Dialogism What is not and what is the way of Justification that excludes Glorying I shall begin with the Negative part viz. That Glorying is not excluded by the Law of Works The Sence of it is That if a Person can be justified by Works he doth not want Matter of Glorying for God doth not require Humility of a Man beyond his due if his own Works can answer for him before the Tribunal of God he has in Justice viz. Distributive merited his Life and where there is Matter of Merit there is Matter of Glory There are a great many attempts to diminish this Proposition viz. If a Man be justified by Works he has Matter to Glory by the Law of Works 1. Some say it is only the Ceremonial Law and it's Works 2. Others say it is only the Judicial Law and External part of the Moral which made up the Jews Civil Law 3. Others say only the Moral Law is excluded so far as obeyed without Grace 4. Others say it 's the Mosaical Law in the Pharisaical sense thereof 5. Others say 'T is the Law as requiring Perfection 6. Others as Meriting But 7. It has been the most Universal Sentiment among Protestants that all Law is excluded and all Inherent Works in sinful Men as Righteousness or being conformed to that Law It is more easie to fix upon this Question Whether or not the Evangelical Law and it's Works be excluded yea or not For though all these six Ways differ in what Law is excluded yet they generally agree that the Evangelical Law with it's Evangelical Obedience are not here excluded but put in opposition to the former and comprehended under this Notion of the Law of Faith The first thing Needfull is to enquire into the Nature of this Evangelical Law which is the Influence of the Gospel upon the Law The Moral Law and the Gospel are the two Ingredients whereof our Christian Religion is Constituted and being thus Compounded have an Influence one upon another and the Law by reason of the New Modes and Relations it receives from this blessed Yoak-fellow in the Covenant of Grace is called a New Law and a New Commandment and an easie Yoak and light Burden The New Constitution of the Law that we are under is one of the blessed Fruits of Christ's Death and this makes the Preaching of the Law Gospel to us for the Gospel strictly taken Rom. 1. to the 17. v. and Rom. 3. from the 21. to the 26. v. is a Narrative of Christ his Nature Person Offices States with the blessed Fruits thereof to us and the Manner of Application to us by the Power of the Holy Sprit But in particular the Moral Law is by the Gospel a New Law that is a Renewed Law after Man's Fall Jure the Law was quite Obliterated but he who is the Light that enlightens every one that comes into the World has re-wrote some Fundamental Parts of this Law in their Consciences
exercise of Faith on Christ his Solicitude and Care least he should be found with a wrong Plea at the Day of Judgment that I may be found He had once been deceiv'd by trusting to a Righteousness It can hardly be thought he was jealous of his Relapse into Pharisaism But there is a greater Danger of relying on Evangelical Righteousness that needed more Watchfulness and Care least he should over-value what he ought to Value 5. This Experience and Care he expresses to be a Pattern and Example to the Philippians V. 17. Be ye followers of me Every Man is apt to value himself on the Righteousness he has Rom. 10.3 the Pharisees in theirs and the Christians to whom he wrote in theirs it allures the Eyes of every Creature and Act. 10.35 is accepted of God according to the measure of its Conformity In every Nation he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted 6. The Apostle would hardly dignifie Pharisaical Righteousness now since Conversion with that Name for the Pinnacle of it Persecuting the Church was a sin and he diminishes it when speaking of it he calls it a blamelesness that is before Men so Bishop Downam 7. Ver. 9. All the Properties and Epithets of Christs Righteousness imputed by God and apply'd by Faith to us for our Justification are here express'd 1. A Righteousness by Faith and thorough Faith not of Faith as Fruit of the Tree 2. By the Faith of Christ a Righteousness that comes from Christ thorough Faith the Righteousness is Christs and the true Office of Faith in Justification is described 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God this Word added as distinct from Christ by Divines is Interpreted of God the Father this Righteousness is by his Gift his Contrivance his Imputation he is the Spring and Fountain of it Christ is made of God unto us Wisdom c. He set him forth to be a Propitiation God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself 8. The Native Analysis and Coherence of the Apostles Discourse in this Chapter further proves it which is always to me an Argument of great Moment and the Members of Division are here as evident as in any Writings of this Apostle and suitable to his Custom and Way of Writing After an Introduction in the 1st ver in the 2d ver there is a Caution given about some bitter Enemies of the Gospel and a Triple Character of them Dogs Evil-workers Concision by which it seems they were the old Enemies the Pharisees 2. In Opposition to them ver 3. there is a Character of a true Christian in three contrary Epithets 1. They Worship God in the Spirit 2. Rejoice in the Lord. And 3. Have no Confidence in the Flesh This triple Character to the 15. ver he enlarges and illustrates by the Example of his own Person in a retrograde Order 1. That he had no Confidence in the Flesh ver 4 5 6. 2. That he rejoiced in the Knowledge of the Lord Jesus and thô he put this in its proper Place it was the Principal thing in his aim ver 1. his last Use and Application from the Character of Christ in his Humiliation and Exaltation finally my Brethren rejoice in the Lord and might as the Principal Subject given Method to the Chapter as Branches to flow from it But then one harmony would have been lost the Character of Christ in the second Chapter and Character of a Christian in the third yet when he comes to it it becomes on this account a new Spring to all that follows for he divides the Reasons of our Rejoycing in the Knowledge of Christ and highly valuing it under these two Heads 1. Justification ver 7 8 9. And 2. Sanctification ver 10 11 12 13 14. For ver 10. he repeats the Knowledge of Christ as Root to another Blessing the former was from the value of his Death this from the Power of his Resurrection So in this 10th ver the Third Member of the Christians Character begins Their Worshipping God in the Spirit their inward Holiness but treated with a likeness to its Relation to the second Member or Character to which it was immediately United from the 15th ver follows the Application pressing and exhorting the Philippians to true Christianity as exemplifi'd by and in him And I think they who would jostle Christs Righteousness out of this Discourse may with as great Confidence attempt to jostle it out of the Bible and out of the Christian Doctrine The hard Names and rough Language given to the Adversaries is no sufficient ground of concluding they profess'd not Christianity but rather the contrary for 2 Cor. 11.13 he calls the false Apostles who preach'd Christ Deceitful Workers and compares them not only to Dogs but Devils who had chang'd themselves into Angels of Light their shining Lustre lay in this They preach'd Free Grace Christs Meritorious Death but the Satanicalness was in a Merit of their own praerequisite to an Interest in it Their Light lay in denying Pharisaical Righteousness alone but the Devil lay in placing a legal Right in their Gospel Obedience Hence v. 14. it 's said they transform'd themselves into Ministers of Righteousness they did exalt Holiness and Righteousness more highly than Paul did and afford it a more honourable Office viz. the giving a right to Justification Adoption and Glory 2 Cor. 11.4 This was a departing from the Simplicity that is of Christ they preach'd not a simple but double Righteousness one of Christs another of their own and hence room for this Currish and Doggish Temper barking against the Apostle as an Enemy to Holiness They were Ministers of Righteousness not He and They preach'd the Spirit the Gospel and Christ as well as He but a greater value They put on inhaerent Righteousness than He. And thus as the Serpent that incarnate Devil deceiv'd Eve so These did the Corinthian and Philippian Churches they were a Concision the Word signifies Renters they made Schisms in the Church by this New Doctrine about Inhaerent Righteousness 5 Arg. Is from the Order of receiving Divine Blessings and the Equality in the freeness of the Gift For the first There is a common saying of Austin's Bona opera sequuntur Justificatum non praecedunt Justificandum Good Works follow a justified Person they do not go before in him to be justified according to Rom. 4.5 But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the Vngodly Mat. 7.18 A good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit. John 15.5 The Branch must be in the Vine before it can bring forth Fruit. As to the second There is no Reason why Justification and Glorification should not be as freely given and Grace as much glorified in the Gift as Sanctification which is own'd to be an absolute Gift necessary Connection or Posteriousness in Order does not derogate from Freedom But when the Posteriousness is by a depending Suspension on our Performance there is a Derogation Election is Free without