as the fickle Will of Man doth that standing there is an Election that falling there is none and so toties quoties as often as it pleases man to shew himself variable Election will be something or nothing as it happens This Opinion doth not ascribe Eyes and Hands to God as the gross Anthropomorphites did but it assimilates him to the filly turnings and windings of the Creature But to speak more directly to the Author God's electing Love antecedes all Goodness in in Men and if his elect Vessels fall into great sins as holy David did and this after their Conversion however the Light of God's Countenance be for a time suspended however their habitual Graces be weakned and their Consciences wounded yet the Foundation of God stands sure electing Love remains unvariable and will revive them again by Repentance When God elected a People to himself he did not as Mr. Shaw speaks in allusion to the words of the Apostle use lightness or purpose according to the flesh after the manner of men unsteady and wavering in their determinations no the foundation of God standeth sure the Lord knoweth those that are his But if the Love of Christ be infinite Mr. Sherlock eternal unchangeable fruitful I would willingly understand how sin and death and Misery came into World for if this Love be so because the Divine Nature is so then it was always so for God always was what he is and that which is eternal could never be other than it is now And why could not this Love as well preserve us from falling into Sin Misery and Death as love Life and Holiness into us for it is a little odd first to love us into Sin and Death that then he might love us into Life and Holiness which indeed could not be if this Love were always so unchangeable and fruitful as the Dr. perswades us For if this Love had always loved Life and Holiness into us how should it happen that we should sin and die The gracious Decree of Election is Answer as becomes the Divine Nature eternal unchangeable fruitful yet was it a free Act terminating upon what Object it pleased Hence God saith Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated he infallibly brings his Elect to Glory But no man may be so vain or presumptive as to limit the holy One or chalk a Way or Method for him to walk in who works all things according to the counsel of his own will But how then came sin and death into the World Why surely it came in by Man's Transgression and under God's-Permission But why could not this eternal unchangeable fruitful Love preserve us from falling I doubt not at all but God who is Almighty could have kept up Man and all his Posterity in their primitive station as well as he did the standing Angels but if you ask on Why did he not do it I have nothing to answer but that it was not his pleasure God loves no man into sin the Expression is too odd for a Christians Mouth or Ear but he suffers his very Elect to fall into sin yet is his Love eternal unchangeable fruitful towards them if I may allude to that of Hezekiah Isai 38.17 He loves them from the pit of corruption he fetches them out of the corrupt Mass of Mankind by his effectual Grace and though afterwards they have many falls and lapses yet electing Love sets to its hand again and revives them by a fresh Repentance shewing it self fruitful in their recovery and safe conduct to Heaven and all this is managed in a way of unaccountable Sovereignty Not that I deny that the Love of God is eternal Mr. Sherlock unchangeable fruitful that is that God was alwayes good and alwayes continues good and manifests his love and goodness in such wayes as are suitable to his nature which is the fruitfulness of it but then the unchangeableness of Gods love doth not consist in being alwayes determined to the same object but in that he alwayes loves for the same reason that is that he alwayes loves true virtue and goodness where-ever he sees it and never ceases to love any person till he ceases to be good and then the immutability of his love is the reason why he loves no longer for should he love a wicked man the reason and nature of his love would change and the fruitfulness of Gods love with respect to the Methods of his Grace and Providence doth not consist in producing what he loves by an omnipotent and irresistible power for then sin and death could never have entered into the world but he governs and doth good to his Creatures in such wayes as are most suitable to their Natures he governs reasonable Creatures by Principles of Reason as he doth the material World by the necessary Laws of Matter and bruit Creatures by the instincts and propensities of Nature After all the rest Answer the Author himself confesses that there is in God an eternal unchangeable fruitful Love how so There is a Love of Virtue and Goodness and is there not a Love of Persons too The Scripture is express in it St. Paul is a chosen vessel Act. 9. Jacob was loved and that before he was born or had done any good at all Rom. 9. The Lord knoweth those that are his 2 Tim. 2. He calleth his sheep by Name Joh. 10.3 Some are drawn of the Father Joh. 6.44 Some are called according to purpose Rom. 8.28 On some God will have mercy when he hardens others Rom. 9.18 All which places places prove that electing Love is of particular persons who as St. Austin hath it certissimè liberantur are certainly saved when others are left in massa perditionis Unless this be owned that great Design of a Church which is the Master-piece of Providence must be carried on in such a lame and imperfect manner as if God which is unworthy of him should say I would have a Church but I intend not who shall make it up Such a Jeofail is hardly to be found in a prudent Man But saith the Author The Vnchangeableness of God's Love doth not consist in being determined to the same Object but in that he always loves for the same Reason that is he always loves true Vertue and Goodness where-ever he sees it and never ceases to love any person till he ceases to be good he always loves for the same Reason where Goodness is there he loves where Goodness is not there he loves not This is the Author's meaning this is loving for the same Reason But if this had been so what could have become of Man corrupt lapsed Man in whom as our Church tells us there is not a spark of Goodness How desperate must his case have been Divine Love could not possibly have let out a drop of Mercy to such an one much less have shewed forth it self in such an unparalle'd Act as the Mission of his own Son for our Redemption there
that it stands faster than the Pillars of Heaven and Earth and must be so as long as God is God and Man Man The Reason of Man must be bound in duty to point to God as the Primum Verum and the Will of Man to resign to him as the Primum Amabile these are Foundations never to be shaken The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law amounts to so much more than the inherent Righteousness of all Saints put together that it is no were to be found but in the perfect spotless obedience of Christ neither can that be made ours but by imputation Hence Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Sher-Jock the end of the Law the perfection and accomplishment of it for Righteousness to them that believe Rom. 10.4 That is the Gospel of Christ requires that Rightcousness of us which the Law did only typifie and represent that holiness and purity of mind which is the perfection of all legal Righteousness For that Christ should be the end of the Law by imputation of his Righteousness to us hath no foundation in the Text. The Apostle explains what he means by this in the following verses where he gives us a description of the righteousness of the Law and the righteousness of Faith The righteousness of the Law is an external conformity to the letter of the Law the man that doth them shall live in them that is shall enjoy all the Temporal Blessings of Canaan which were promised to the observance of the Law But the Righteousness of Faith is a firm and stedfast belief of the Divine Authority of Christ that he is the Lord and more particularly a belief of his Resurrection from the dead as the last and great confirmation which God gave to the divinity of Christ's Person and Doctrine This is that Faith that overcometh the world and purifies the heart and transforms us into the likeness of God which is the perfection of all the ritual righteousness of the Law Vpon this account Christ is said to be made to us Righteousness 1 Cor. 1.20 He of God is made to us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption He is our Wisdom as he is our great Prophet who instructs us in true Wisdom our Righteousness as we are justified by Faith in him by a sincere belief of his Gospel which is the only Righteousness acceptable to God our Sanctification because the law of the spirit of life in him makes us free from the law of sin and death our Redemption as by these means he bath delivered us from the bondage of the Jewish Law from the idolatrous Customs of the Heathens and the tyranny of wicked Spirits and the wrath of God which is the merit of sin Christ is the end of the Law Answer even of the Moral Law and what did that call for Not external Conformisty only but all Holiness and Righteousness and that in pure sinless perfection this our Faith or inherent Graces because imperfect can never amount to The Law therefore hath its end only in the perfect spotless Righteousness of Christ and that being made over to Believers by Imputation Christ is truly said to be the end of the Law for righteousness to the believer The man that doth them shall live in them Rom. 10.5 that is saith the Author shall enjoy the temporal blessings of Canaan Indeed the Racovian Catechist will go no further Nusquam in Lege Mosis reperies vitam aeternam promissam saith he But we find the Saints in the Old Testament fixing their Faith upon eternal Life My Redeemer liveth and I shall see him saith Job Job 19.25 and 27. Abraham desireth a better country that is an heavenly Heb. 11.16 The just shall live by his faith Hab. 2.4 which is interpreted of eternal Life Rom. 1.17 Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Joel 2.32 that is with eternal Life as it is applied Rom. 10.13 Paul said no other things than the Prophets and Moses did Act. 26.22 and yet surely he spake of eternal Life Moses and the Prophets are frequent in promising the Messiah and in him all the Promises are contained Do this and live is meant of eternal Life a Curse that is eternal Death is threatned to the violaters of the Law Gal. 3.10 therefore Life and that eternal is promised to the keepers of it When the Lawyer asked What shall I do to inherit eternal life our Saviour answered him that he must keep the Law Luk. 10.25 28. If the Law did not promise eternal Life then it did not threaten eternal Death and by consequence Christ who redeemed us from the Curse of the Law redeemed us only from a temporal one But to pass on Christ of God is made unto us righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 that is saith the Author we are justified by Faith in him by a sincere belief of his Gospel That we are justified by Faith in Christ I acknowledge but not in the Authors sence he makes Faith properly and as an Act to justifie he makes the nature of Faith to consist only in a firm assent But I have before proved that Faith justifies as it receives Christ and his Righteousness and that justifying Faith over and above assent includes in it a fiducial Recumbency Christ is made to us righteousness one of these two ways either by the Graces of his holy Spirit imparted to us or else by his perfect Obedience imputed to us He is not made Righteousness to us by the Graces of his Spirit imparted to us for with respect to these he is made Sanctification to us and Sanctification and Justification must not be confounded As we have holy Graces from him to sanctifie us so we have Righteousness from him to justifie us He is therefore our Righteousness because his perfect Righteousness by Imputation becomes ours Bellarmine speaking of this place at sâ—â—â—interprets it of the inherent Righteousness in us which comes from Christ but afterwards as convicted of the truth De Jusiâ—â— 11.2 cip 10. he saith Nobis imputari Christi justitiam merita cùm nobis donentur applicentur ac si nosipsi Deo satisfecissemus That the Righteousness and Morits of Christ are imputed to us when they are given and applied to us as if we our selves had satisfied God Further our Author upon this Text saith That Christ is our wisdom as he is cur Prophet our Righteousness as we are justified by believing the Gospel our Sanctification as we have the Law of the Spirit of life and our Redemption as by these means he hath delivered us I see not what room is left here for the redeeming Blood of Christ nevertheless I suppose the Author meant to include the same This is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Sherlock the foundation of all other mistakes that by the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Works most men understand an internal Holiness and then conclude That if this Righteousness will
so we are made righteous by his obedience ver 9. His Third Reason to prove Answer that Christ fulfilled all Righteousness for us is from the absolute necessity of it For this is the Term of the Covenant Do this and live Life is not to be obtained unless all be done that the Law requires we being unable to do this it is necessary that Christ our Mediator and Surety should fulfil the Law for us This Argument is to prove that it ought to be so not that it is so but we must not prescribe methods to God The sum of the Argument is that there never was nor never can be a Covenant of Grace that God still exacts the rigorous perfection of the Law from us that we must not appear before him without a complete and perfect Righteousness of our own or of another Now this is the thing in question Whether we must be made righteous with the perfect Righteousness of Christ imputed to us or whether God will for the sake of Christ dispense with the rigor of the Law and accept of a sincere and Evangelical Obedience in stead of a perfect and unsinning Righteousness so that he only confidently affirms what was in dispute and this goes for an Argument We must not prescribe methods to God Answer Nor may we deny those he hath set down and reveiled to us The Scripture tells us that Justification under the Gospel is in a way completive and perfective of the Law so that the Law is established Rom. 3.31 and hath its end or complement Rom. 10.4 and this cannot be without a perfect Righteousness And withal the Scripture tells us where that Righteousness is Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to us Rom. 10.4 and We are made the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 The Righteousness of Christ is made ours by Imputation that answers the Law in every point But then saith the Author there can be no covenant of Grace If the perfect Righteousness were to be done by us in our own persons there could be none indeed but may there be none if that Righteousness be fulfilled by Christ and imputed to us The Papists use to blast imputed Righteousness with many ugly names as if it were putative an imaginary Fiction a Spectrum of Luther's Brain and the like but I never before heard that the Righteousness of Christ made ours by Imputation did overthrow the Covenant of Grace Sure the Passive Righteousness of Christ doth not overthrow it and if the Active be joyned with that as it ought no evil can ensue but we may in the conjunction of both as in a Glass see the admirable Wisdom of God which hath framed the Covenant of Grace in such a manner that we who have no perfect Righteousness of our own are yet justified by the complete Righteousness of Christ our Surety so that the Law though not fulfilled by us hath its perfect completion It 's true that God accepts of our sincere Obedience but not in Justification not in the room of Christ's perfect Righteousness but in its own proper place having its defects covered with Christ's Righteousness The Doctor makes a great flourish with some Scripture-phrases Mr. Sherlock that there is almost nothing that Christ hath done but we are said to do it with him We are crucified with him dead with him buried with him quickned with him c. But he is quite out in the reason of these expressions which is not that we are accounted to do the same things which Christ did but because we do some things like them Our dying to sin is a conformity to the death of Christ and our walking in newness of life a conformity to his Resurrection I know no Divine who interprets those Phrases of being crucified Answer dead buried quickned with Christ of imputed Righteousness neither do I suppose that the Doctor ever intended any such thing those Phrases belong to Sanctification Then we are crucified with Christ when we feel the power of his Cross in our Mortification then we are risen with Christ when we feel the power of his Resurrection raising of us up to the divine Life and Likeness The Doctor cites that Text Mr. Sherlock Gal. 4. 4 5. God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law and here he stops but I shall take confidence to add That we might receive the adoption of Sons Now by being made under the Law he tells us is meant being disposed of in such a condition that he must yield subjection and obedience to the Law well suppose this and this was all to redeem us and therefore our redemption is by the obedience of Christ imputed to us Fairly argued but can his obedience to the Law contribute no otherways to our redemption but by being reckoned as done by us But the truth is this us is not in the text it is not to redeem us but to redeem them that were under the Law that is the Jews who were in bondage under the Mosaical Law from which Christ redeemed them by abrogating that Law and introducing a better covenant the adoption of sons For in this Epistle nay in this chapter the Law is called a state of servants and of an heir under age but the Gospel is the adoption of sons puts us into such a free and manly state as that of an heir at age and therefore is called the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 So that the meaning of this Text is this that God hath put an end to the dispensation of the Law which is called redeeming them that are under the Law in a state of servitude and bondage and hath established a better Covenant in the room of it which as much exceeds the Law as the adoption of Sons doth the state of Servants and this God brought to pass by sending his Son made of a woman made under the Law For the understanding of which words we must consider what influence Christ's appearing in the world had on the abrogation of the Law and that was that he accomplished all the Types and Figures of the Law in his own Person and when all those Types were fulfilled they grew out of date So that his being made under the Law most probably signifies his being made such a Person as should exactly answer all the Types and Figures of the Law and so to put an end to it as of no further use Thus the Temple was God's House but now the Shechinah or divine Glory rested on Christ When Christ the great High-Priest came and offered himself all legal Priests and Sacrifices were of no use Thus by his being under the Law and accomplishing all the Types of it he put an end to all those beggarly rudiments and delivered the Jews from the bondage of the Law for though the Gentiles too are redeemed by Christ yet they were not redeemed from the Law of
Moses under which they never were God sent forth his Son made of a woman Answer made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons Thus the Apostle Gal. 4. 4 5. The Son of God was made of a woman in his Incarnation made under the Law under the rule of it in his active obedience under the curse of it in his passive and the end of all was that he might redeem us that we who were captives under the wrath of God might be redeemed ones And further that we might receive the adoption of sons that we who were children of wrath might be sons of God and so heirs of eternal life and that it may be thus indeed that Christ's being under the Law his active and passive obedience may procure such a redemption and adoption such an exemption from wrath and title to heaven for us His obedience must be applyed to us and become ours which cannot be but by imputation But saith the Author This us is not in the Text it is not to redeem us but to redeem them that were under the Law that is the Jews But was not Christ a Redeemer of the Gentiles also Or is he not their Redeemer within this Text Yes surely observe the words of the Apostle To redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons The Apostle alters his phrase and turns them into we which takes in the Galatians into the adoption and by consequence into the redemption too and to make it more clear he alters his phrase again and turns we into ye in the next verse which hangs upon the former And because ye are sons vers 6. ye Galatians ye Gentiles are sons and ye Galatians ye Gentiles are redeemed ones within the Text Otherwise which is very strange the Apostle should argue from the Redemption of the Jews only to the Adoption of the Gentiles But to go on Christ saith the Author redeemed the Jews from the bondage of the Mosaical Law that is I suppose the Ceremonial Law and introduced a better Covenant the adoption of sons To which I answer Christ did indeed redeem from the bondage of Mosaical Rites and Ceremonies But is this all the Redemption within the Text If we stop here we fall in with the gloss of Socinus who understands only a freedom A jugo legis De servat part 2. cap. 24. ut Spiritûs servilis loeo filialem spiritum adipiscerentur The Redemption here is not to be restrained to a freedom from Mosaical Ceremonies only Christ was made under the whole Law and the Redemption which must be parallel to his being under the Law must not only be a Redemption from the Bondage of the Ceremonial Law but a Redemption from the curse of the Moral of which the Apostle had discoursed but a little before Gal. 3.13 Our Saviour was never made under the whole Law to redeem from a part of it only Again Redemption from the Ceremonial Law was peculiar to the Jews But the Redemption here spoken of reaches as far as the Gentiles also who as I before noted have a share in the Adoption of Sons as well as the Jews The Redemption here spoken of is not a part or piece of Redemption but Redemption in its fulness and excellency Christ by coming into the flesh introduceth a better Covenant that is the beams of Evangelical Light were purer and the effusions of the holy Spirit larger than before But still we must remember that the Covenant of Grace was for substance one and the same under both Testaments Under the Old Testament true Believers had the Law in their heart the Adoption of Sons the free Spirit and a true title to eternal Life And on the other hand under the New Testament unbelievers have the Law and Gospel too but in the Letter their bondage is far greater than that of beggarly Elements The unclean spirit dwells and works in them and the dreadful wrath of God abideth on them Christ's being under the Law saith the Author is his being such a person as should exactly answer all the Types and Figures of the Law Unto which I add His being under the Law is his being such a person as should exactly answer all the demands of the Moral Law in its mandatory and minatory parts I shall now examine what influence the Sacrifice of Christ's Death Mr. Sherlock and the Righteousness of his life have upon our acceptance with God And all that I can find in Scripture about this is that to this we owe the Covenant of Grace that God being well pleased with the obedience of Christ's Life and the sacrifice of his Death for his sake entred into a new Covenant with mankind wherein he promses pardon of sin and eternal life to those who believe and obey the Gospel This is very plain with reference to Christ's death Hence the Blood of Christ is called the blood of the covenant Heb. 10.29 And Christ is called the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls through the blood of the everlasting covenant Heb. 13.20 And the Blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling which speaks better things than the blood of Abel Heb. 12.24 which is an allusion to Moses his sprinkling the blood of the Sacrifice whereby he confirmed the Covenant between God and the children of Israel Heb. 9.19 20 21. For when Moses had spoken every Precept to all the people according to the Law when he had declared the terms of this Covenant to them he took the Blood of Calves and Goats with Water and scarlet Wool and Hysop and sprinkled both the Book and all the People saying This is the blood of the testament which God hath ordained to you Thus the Blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling Because by his Blood God did seal and confirm the Covenant of Grace as the sprinkling of the blood of beasts did confirm the Mosaical Covenant Hence we are said to be justified by the blood of Christ Rom. 5.9 that is by the Gospel-Covenant which was confirmed with his Blood Christ is called a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 that is by a belief of his Gospel Hence the Scripture uses these phrases promiscuously To be justified by Faith and to be justified by the faith of Christ and to be justified by Christ and to be justified through Faith in his blood to be justified and saved by grace Nay by believing that Christ is the Son of God Joh. 20.31 And that God raised him from the dead Rom. 10.9 All which signifie the same thing that we are justified by believing and obeying the Gospel for faith or faith in Christ signifies such a firm belief of the Gospel as brings forth all fruits of obedience and the Grace of God is the Gospel of Christ expresly so called Tit. 2.11 As being the effect of Gods Grace and Faith in the Blood of Christ
as the Apostle mentions That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death Phil. 3.10 And whence had they this Learning they heard him and were taught by or in him not from the personal Preaching of Christ in the flesh but in and by his Ministers and holy Spirit I add his holy Spirit because the Gospel alone cannot do it which made St. Austin say De Praed Sanct. cap. 8. Cùm Evangelium praedicatur quidam credunt quidam non credunt sed qui credunt praedicatore forinsecùs sonante intùs à Patre audiunt atque discunt qui autem non credunt foris audiunt intùs non audiunt neque discunt that such is the Learning meant here appears from the after words As the truth is in Jesus Truth is in the Gospel notionally but in Christ practically all Graces being exemplified in him and the true learners are conformed to his Image and as the Apostle hath it in the next Verses they put off the old man and put on the new and so are assimilated to his Death and Resurrection It is acknowledged by all Mr. Sherlock that Christ sometimes signifies the Church which is his Body Thus we must understand those Phrases of being in Christ engrafted into Christ and united to Christ It is acknowledged by all Answer that Christ sometimes signifies the Church how then can he charge those whom he opposes that where-ever they meet with the word Christ in Scripture they always understand by it the Person of Christ pag. 4 As for the Phrases of being in Christ c. I shall reserve them till I come to the Mystical Union To what the Author infers from the various significations of the Name Christ That such mistakes have been occasioned thereby that some are very zealous to advance Christ's Person to the prejudice and reproach of his Religion I shall only say It is not so Instead of the substantial Duties of the Love of God and Men Mr. Sherlock and an universal Holiness of Life they have introduced a fanciful Application of Christ to our selves and Vnion to him set off with those choice Phrases of closing with Christ and embracing Christ and getting an interest in Christ and trusting and relying and rolling our selves on Christ Fanciful Answer alas that a Christian a Divine should let drop such a reproachful word on so sacred a thing as the Application of Christ Without this the excellent Scripture must I fear labour under very odd Glosses such as these A Believer may be in Christ and out of him he may put him on and off at the same time he may have Communion with him without Union and feed on him without so much as reception Christ may dwell in the Believer at a Distance and abide in him without the least approach Which are such kind of Absurdities as a man would hardly name for fear of grating pious Ears and Hearts But this is not all Without this true Faith which as Learned Dr Ward observes is uppropriativa Christi must forfeit its Nature unless it can appropriate without Application and Christ its precious Object must lose the Vertue of his Blood and Merits unless they can heal at a distance For what shall we say May an unapplied Christ be in us the hope of Glory or may his unapplied Obedience make us righteous or his unapplied Blood justifie us or his unapplied Death reconcile us to God It is not for ordinary Capacities to apprehend it However if Application fail may the Universal Holiness of Life which the Author speaks of consist Our Saviour tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate from me ye can do nothing Joh. 15.5 In which words the Melevitan Fathers observe a great Emphasis Non dicitur sine me difficiliùs potestis facere sed sine me nihil potestis facere And how any man should either not be separate from an unapplied Christ or lead a Life of Universal Holiness in such a statu separato I cannot imagine But what speak I of Universal Holiness Never any man off from that divine Root of Grace hath since the Fall bore so much as a Blossom of true Sanctity Instead of Obedience to the Gospel and Laws of Christ Mr. Sherlock they have advanced a kind of Amorous and Enthusiastick Devotion which consists in a passionate love to the Person of Christ in admiring his personal Excellencies Fulness Beauty Loveliness Riches c. the foundation of all which Riddles and Mysteries is that they may make the Person of Christ almost the sole Object of the Christian Religion To slight the Fulness Answer Beauty Loveliness Riches of Christ is very hardly tolerable among Christians and to question why they so passionately love such an one is as the Philosopher told him who asked why men were so taken with outward Beauty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a blind man's question none but the spiritually blind can wonder at the loving of one altogether lovely But these men are for an Amorous and Enthusiastick Love Amorous all Love is so but what in a gross and carnal way No it is far from those Men who are not at all a kin to Castalio who as is said called the Song of Solomon an obscene Ballad not relishing that divine Love between Christ and the Church which all along is pourtraied therein in Allegories and beautiful colours Enthusiastick why so possibly because it is a thing inspired from the Spirit it is so Scriptures and Fathers will own such a blessed Enthusiasm Ipse nobis fidem amorem sui inspirat saith the Arausican Council But which is the fundamental mistake they make the Person of Christ almost the sole Object of the Christian Religion I confess and it is no shame to say so they esteem themselves compleat only in Christ they trust in him they love and obey him their acceptance is in his Merits therir assistance from his Spirit their Graces hang on him as Beams on the Sun their good Works are perfumed with his sweet-smelling Sacrifice they look on him as their great All and do all they do in him and for him Quicquid oratur docetur vivitur extrà Christum est Idololatria coram Deo peccatum said Luther CHAP. II. THose men who talk so much of the Person of Christ Mr. Sherlock frequently without any Sense and Generally without any just Ground from Reason or Scripture are very clamorous and alarm the world with strange jealousies and fears as if there were a Party of men started up who design to make Christ useless What! without Sense Reason Answer and Scripture too Alas poor inconsiderable Creatures What need such strong impetuous opposition be made against them or how are such men likely to alarm the World with fears But for the thing it self I hope the Author designs not to make Christ useless but what he doth towards it in denying
the Mystical Union let Bishop Davenant say Exp. in Col. Quicquid de obtentâ Gratiâ sanctificatione de obtinendâ vitâ aeternâ homines sperant merum ludibrium insomnium est si non sint in Christo Christus in illis jam verò Christus in nobis nos in illo sumus cùm vinculo Spiritûs Fidei per Spiritum impressae in cordibus nostris unimur huic capiti nostro What in denying Imputed Righteousness the Church of England tells at large in the Homily touching the Salvation of Man I shall quote but one passage Christ is now the Righteousness of all them that truly believe in him he for them paid the Ransom by his Death he for them fulfilled the Law in his Life so that now in him and by him every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the Law forasmuch as that which their infirmity lacked Christ's Justice hath supplied Which plainly implies a necessity of Imputed Righteousness What in bringing in internal Holiness into Justification the reverend Hooker saith The Church of Rome in teaching Justification by inherent Grace doth pervert the Truth of Christ There are other things but I leave them to the Reader 's observation in the After-discourse All Religion is founded on a belief of God's Goodness Mr. Sherlock Natural Religion was founded on those natural Evidences of the divine Bounty and Goodness in making and governing the World The Mosaick Religion on those miraculous Deliverances God wrought for Israel and that particular Providence which watched over them The Christian Religion on the Incarnation death and Resurrection of the Son of God The Christian Religion is founded so but dated much sooner than the Incarnation Answer it was in Essence though not in Name under the old Testament all along there hath been but one Faith one Mediator one Name under Heaven one Foundation of Salvation The Gospel was preached to us as well as unto them Heb. 4.2 Through the grace of the Lord Jesus we shall be saved even as they Act. 15.11 They all drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rook was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 He is that Petra vnde omnes credentes salutem hauriunt as one glosses on those words Salvation streams from him yesterday to day and for ever he that will seek any other Fountain of Life must be saved Platonicè or Catonicè which to say is to depreciate the Christian Religion and render it as cheap as any other He is our Saviour in no other sence than as he is our Mediator Mr. Sherlock and he mediates for us as our Priest that is in vertue of that Covenant which he sealed with his blood He sealed the Covenant with his Blood Answer but did not turn over his Mediatory Office to it he mediates in vertue of his Blood and Merits being not as Socinus would have it a meer Internuncial Mediator but a Redeeming atoning and Reconciling one He ratified the Covenant by his Blood but so that we have redemption through his blood Eph. 1.7 peace through his blood Col. 1.20 and cleansing from sin in his blood 1 Joh. 1.7 Hence as the learned Lubbertus hath observed the Blood of Christ differs from other in a way of transcendent excellency other blood hath been used in confirming Covenants but Christ's confirms the Covenant and besides expiates and purges away sin There is one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.5 and how he mediates the next Verse tells us Who gave himself a ransom for all The blood of Christ purges the Conscience saith the Apostle Heb. 9.14 and then adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that he might purge away our sins What the Author afterwards subjoyns These men trust in the person of Christ without any Promise nay in contradiction to it they quit his Promise and rely and roll upon his Person is utterly denied till proof be made of it The good men opposed are far from believing that they shall have any thing without a Promise neither do they quit his Promise when they rely upon his Person and Blood And yet that Reliance is as I have before shewed a Faith far higher than that dogmatical one which believes the Gospel and is distinct from Obedience When the Author summs up the Terms of the Gospel only in believing and obeying he falls short in omitting that Faith of Recumbency required therein under the Command of Faith which is more than a dogmatical Faith and distinct from Obedience which is the fruit but no part thereof CHAP. III. Sect. 1. WHen God chose Abraham 's Posterity Mr. Sherlock to be his peculiar People he did not design to exclude the rest of the World from his care and Providence and all possible means of Salvation as the Apostle argues in Rom. 3.29 Is he the God of the Jews only is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also Which Argument if it have any force in it must prove Gods respect to the Gentiles before the preaching of the Gospel as well as since because it is founded on that Natural Relation God owns to all Mankind as their merciful Creator and Governour which gives the Gentiles as well as Jews an Interest in his Care and Providence This plainly evinces that all those particular favours which God bestowed on Israel were not owing to any partial fondness and respect to that People but the Design of all was to encourage the whole World to worship the God of Israel What the Author means by all possible Means of Salvation Answer I know not Surely God could have given as great Means to all other Nations as he did to Israel who was exalted above them all in Laws Revelations Miracles Protections Symbols of the Divine Presence in so signal a manner that the Jews doubt not to say That the seventy Souls that went down with Jacob into Egypt were worth as much as the seventy Nations of the World As for that of the Apostle Rom. 3.29 Is he the God of the Jews only Is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also The Apostle in the precedent Verse concludes that the only way of Justification is Faith in this he shews that the one way of Justification was open to Gentiles as well as Jews in the next Verse he infers that it is one God who justifies both of them in a way of Faith He speaks not of being the Gentiles God in respect of Care and common Providence but in respect of extending this way of Justification to them upon their coming in to Christ who was that blessed Seed of Abraham in whom all Nations were to be blessed However till the Gospel came to them they sate in darkness and in the shadow of death aliens from Israel strangers from the Covenant without God without Christ without hope seeing no
opening of it all vanishes into nothing God's holy Ordination was his pleasure but Man's Sin is hateful and provocative of wrath This cannot be strange to any one versed in Scripture The Assyrian Tyrant was the Staff and the Rod in Gods hand sent by him against his people yet when the work was done God would punish the fruit of his stout heart and kindle a fire under his Glory Gods Hand and Gods Counsel was in the Crucifixion of Christ and yet what an horrible tempest of wrath came down on the Jews for it The other Expression is this This falls hard upon those miserable wretches who without any fault of theirs were left out of the Roll of Election To which I answer It is very hard if God may not have his Royal Prerogative of putting in or leaving out whom he pleases in the Book of Life the Apostle is clear He will have mercy on whom he will whom he will he hardens Rom. 9. And if any murmur he must hear Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God As if the Apostle had said If thou hadst O Man but any Sentiments of thy own Nothingness or true Rayes of the divine Glory thou wouldst never dare to implead thy Maker Thou wouldst not endure to see a little Fly or Ant had it Reason enough to draw an Earthly Prince into question and wilt thou do so to the great Lord of Heaven and Earth There is no Commune Jus or Common Measure between him and thee to warrant such a presumption This is not enough Mr. Sherlock said the Doctor that we are not guilty we must also be actually righteous not only all sin is to be answered for but all righteousness is to be fulfilled Now this Righteousness we find only in Christ we are reconciled to God by his Death and saved by his Life that actual Obedience he yielded to the whole Law of God is that Righteousness whereby we are saved we are innocent by virtue of his Expiation and righteous with his Righteousness Upon which words the Author infers This is a mighty comfortable discovery how we may be righteous without doing any thing that is good or righteous but the Gospel tells us that he is righteous who doth righteousness that without holiness no man shall see God that the only way to obtain pardon of sins is to repent of and forsake them The only thing that gives a right to the promises of future Glory is to obey the Laws and imitate the Example of our Saviour and to be transformed into the Nature and likeness of God The Doctor is no enemy to Holiness Answer but cannot assign it an Vbi in Justification no more doth our Church who in the Homily touching the Salvation of Man saith All men are sinners and breakers of the Law therefore can no man by his own Acts Works and Deeds seem they never so good be justified and made righteous before God but every man is constrained to seek for another Righteousness which afterwards is declared to be Christ's fulfilling the Law and making satisfaction In Justification no other Righteousness can take place but that Active and Passive one of Christ which answers the pure and righteous Law in every point He that doth righteousness is righteous that is his doing shews but doth not make him righteous in Justification Repentance is an Evangelical Condition but no Cause of Pardon Holiness and Obedience are the way to Glory but not the Cause of it A Transformation into God's Image makes us meet for Heaven but the Righteousness of Christ alone purchased a Title for us As to what the Author adds Though our Obedience be not perfect if it be sincere we shall be accepted for the sake of Christ I answer Our Obedience is accepted but not to be the matter of our Justification Christ's Righteousness alone is that which answers the Law for us The third part of our Wisdom is to walk with God Mr. Sherlock saith the Doctor and to that is required Agreement Acquaintance a Way Strength Boldness and aiming at the same Ends and all these with the Wisdom of them are hid in the Lord Jesus The sum of which saith the Author in short is this That Christ having expiated our sins and fulfilled all righteousness for us though we have no personal righteousness of our own but are as contrary to God as darkness is to light and death to life and an universal polution to an universal holiness and hatred to love yet the Righteousness of Christ is a sufficient nay the only foundation of our agreement and upon that of our walking with God though St. John tells us If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth Christ the sufficient and only Foundation Answer No doubt he is so who can who dares lay any other Had not he satisfied divine Justice there could have been no room for agreement or walking with God but as cursed Exiles we must have gone to our own place in the lowest Hell But what Foundation is he Is he such an one that prophane persons contrary to God as Darkness to Light Death to Life Polution to Holiness and Hatred to Love may whilest such agree or walk with God Is he such that such wicked ones walking in darkness may have fellowship with him contrary to that of the Apostle Or that such may as the Authors phrase is become bold and look Justice in the face and whet their knife at the Counter-door all their debts being discharged by Christ Doth the Dr. say so or mean any such thing No surely hear what he saith not in remote places but upon this very point God is Light we darkness he Life we dead sinners he Holiness we defiled he Love we hatred surely this is no foundation of agreement or upon that of walking together nothing can be more remote than this frame from such a condition The foundation then of this is laid in Christ he is our peace he slew the Enmity in his Body on the Cross he made an atonement with God God lays down the Enmity on his part and proceeds to slay the Enmity on ours We receive the Atonement lay down our Enmity to God and have access unto the Father Christ gives us an Vnderstanding to know him that is true he consecrates a new and a living way into the holiest of all and this way is no other but himself he is the Medium of communication between God and us all influences of Love Kingness Mercy from God to us are through him all our returns of Love Delight Obedience to God are all through him nay all our Strength is from him by the Spirit of life and power he bears us on Eagles Wings in the paths of walking with God and in him we come to have an aim and design at Gods Glory Thus and much more saith the Dr. in that place his excellent
In this latter God looks on Men as final Sinners and reveils his Justice in their Condemnation In the former he doth not look on men as final Sinners but pass them by and leave them to themselves to become such and in this he shews forth his infinite Sovereignty in dispensing Grace as he pleaseth This made the Divine Goodness so restlesly zealous Mr. Sherlock and concerned for the recovery of mankind various ways he attempted in former ages but with little success but at last God sent his own Son our Lord Jesus Christ into the world to be the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls to seek and to save that which was lost Various ways attempted Answer what distinct and separate from Christ Was not Christ in the first plot and design of our recovery Was not he the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world Immediately after the Fall he was promised in the Seed of the woman and after that first Gospel the light was still a breaking out in a succession of Promises and Sacrifices Various ways saith the Author were attempted to little Success what was it to any success at all Was ever any one lost son of Adam saved without a Christ without a Satisfaction No Christian ears will endure such an opinion however God having a design in those ways as the Author imports why did not those plots take effect and save Christ the labour of coming in the flesh May it become his infinite wisdom to attempt this and that and at last light upon the right way Or may it comport with his infinite power to be posed and nonplust and that in so great a concern as Man's recovery To think so is as S. Austin saith To hazard the first Article of our Creed Euchir cap. 96. Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem And if in those various ways there could be an obstacle to the Almighty what might it be Was it for want of a satisfaction No according to our Author that was not necessary God might have pardoned without it or was it because the corrupt obstinate Will of man did frustrate those designs Very well after that last greatest design by Christ may it not do the same According to our Author God as passionately desirous and restlesly jealous as he is in this matter affords yet no higher than suasory resistible Grace and let any judge how reconcileable such opinions are with infinite wisdom or power or indeed with the Scripture which tells us That he doth whatsoever he pleases Psal 115.3 It 's true the great Grotius glosses on that place thus Ideò homo libertatem habet quia Deus voluit which is true within the Text but if that liberty be of so vast a latitude that it may frustrate so great a design as that of Salvation by Christ the truth of the Text cannot possibly consist Those sins which are not expiated by the Sacrifice of Christ as none are Mr. Sherlock till we repent and reform shall certainly be expiated by the death of the sinner I conceive that Christ expiated our sins upon the Cross Answer but that expiation avails us not till it be applied by faith He gave himself a ransom for all 2 Tim. 2.6 But all do not repent and believe such as continue in their hardness and unbelief cannot have the benefit of that ransom but fall into death eternal ever suffering but never able to satisfie or expiate their sins If our Faith in Christ have reformed our lives Mr. Sherlock and rectified the temper of our minds and made us sincere lovers of God and goodness though we are not acquainted with those artificial methods of repentance have not felt the workings of the Law nor the amazing terrors of Gods wrath nor the raging despair of damned Spirits and then all on a sudden as if we had never heard any such thing before have had Christ offered heard his woings and made a formal contract and espousal with Christ and such like workings of a heated fancy and religious distraction though our Conversion be not managed with so much art and method we are never the worse Christians for want of it Certainly it is very sad Answer saith a worthy Divine That scoffing at the doctrines of repentance and humiliation which was wont to be a badge of prophaness should be adopted into religion The Author tells us a little before Christ and his appearance were not designed to cause tempests and earthquakes in our minds without such artificial methods of repentance saith the Author our lives may be reformed and minds rectified but what saith the Scripture Our Saviour preached up repentance S. Paul tells us of a spirit of bondage going before the spirit of Adoption S. James would have sinners be afflicted and mourn and weep and to turn their laughter into mourning and their joy to heaviness and to humble themselves in the sight of the Lord that they may be lifted up And what saith Reason Sin of all things in the world calls for sorrow sorrow was made for sin if for any thing at all sin is so intimately in us that it will not easily come out being contracted with joy it must be dissolved with sorrow The hard heart unless melted by the fiery Law will not run into the Gospel-mould nor will the proud heart unless bowed down under the weight of sin and wrath ever stoop under the Divine command the new creature is not born without pangs nor the inward Circumcision which cuts off the dear but corrupt flesh of the heart done without some anguish self-judging ushers in justification before God and despair in our selves a lively hope in our Saviour On all hands we are summoned to methods of repentance the groaning Creation shames us into that posture and the indwelling sin presses us into it the broken Law calls for a broken heart and the storm of wrath black in the threatning for a trembling one a crucified Christ asks a mourning eye and an exalted one gives it Why the Author should call these penitential acts artifices or effects of ignorance or think them unnecessary or improper under the Gospel I see no just reason at all for it SECT IV. THese men abound in Scripture Mr. Sherlock but they accomodate Scripture-expressions to their own dreams and fancies being possest with Schemes and Ideas of Religion whatever they look on appears of the same shape and colour wherewith their minds are tinctured if any word sound like the tinkling of their own fancy it is no less than a demonstration that that is the meaning of the spirit of God every little shadow confirms them in their preconceived opinions As Irenaeus observes of the Valentinians that they used one artifice or other to adopt all the speeches of our Saviour and Allegories of Scripture malè composito phantasmati to the contrived figment of their own brain These acquaintances of Christ first contrive their religion and possess
collectio sed fideles singuli rectè appellantur Templum quia in ipsorum mentibus Spiritus Dei habitat Mr. Sherlock Eaptism and the Lords Supper represent and signifie both our external and real union to Christ Baptism doth signifie to all baptized an admission into the Church Visible Answer and to Believers it seals the Mystical Union with Christ Thus the Apostle speaking of Believers such as are the children of God by faith in Christ Gal. 3.26 saith As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ you are mystically united to Christ and Baptism seals up that Union to you The Lord's Supper doth import to all receivers a Communion with the Visible Church and to Believers it seals the Mystical Union hence the cup is the Communion of Christs blood and the bread is the Communion of Christ's body 1 Cor. 10.16 The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and why was it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Chrysostome upon the words answers Because the Apostle would shew something more even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great Conjunction with Christ Baptism signifies our profession of becoming new men Mr. Sherlock of Conformity to Christ in his Death and Resurrection We are buried with Christ by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life Rom. 6.4 Baptism signifies our dying to sin and walking in newness of life He that is baptized into Christ hath put on Christ Gal. 3.27 that is hath engaged himself to be conformed to Christ's image and likeness Baptism signifies our profession of Conformity to Christ very well Answer But first of all it signifies our Union to him without which there can be no participation of his Death and Resurrection nor conformity thereunto In that place Gal. 3. putting on of Christ imports an Union with him and in that Rom 6. after that discourse of Conformity to Christ's Death and Resurrection the Apostle immediately raises up himself to the Fountain of that Conformity and tells us that we are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implanted in the likeness of his death and resurrection ver 5. Aptissimâ translatione arctissimam illam nostri cum ipsa Christi substantiâ conjunctionem vivificam illam virtutem inde in nos manantem expressit saith Beza on the place The Apostle by that Metaphor of a Plant expresses our intimate Conjunction with the very Substance of Christ and the quickning virtue flowing from thence unto us to assimilate us to his Death and Resurrection Thus the Lord's Supper is a spiritual feeding on Christ Mr. Sherlock eating his flesh and drinking his blood which signifies the most intimate Vnion with him that we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone Eph. 5.30 That as we are redeemed by his death and so taken out of his crucified Body so by this spiritual feeding on Christ we are transformed into the same Nature with him as much as if we were of his flesh and bones This is eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ when the visible figures of his death and sufferings affect our minds with such a strong and passionate sense of his love to us and excite in us such a firm hope in God as transforms us into a divine Nature And this is our real Vnion to Christ In the Lord's Supper all true Believers feed upon Christ Answer Those words of our Saviour He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him Immanuel 52. Joh. 6.56 declare as the most Reverend Vsher hath it That by a mystical and supernatural Vnion we are as truly conjoyned with him as the meat and drink we take is with us And what this Mystical Union is the same Author tells us That it is made by the Spirit and Faith But saith our Author This spiritual feeding on Christ is when we are transformed into the divine Nature But I take it that transformation cannot possibly exist without a Mystical Union to Christ who is the great Treasury of Grace nor without the Spirit and Faith which are the bonds of that Union Therefore our Saviour tells us He that eateth me shall live by me Joh. 6.57 Spiritual Life follows after eating or Union to Christ No man saith the Reverend Vsher can participate in the benefits of Christ Serm. before the Commons 1620. except he first have comunion with Christ himself We must have the Son before we have Life and eat him we must that is as truly be made partakers of him as of our food if we will live by him The Apostle tells us how the divine Transformation comes Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord we are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 The heavenly Change is from the two bands of the Mystical Union that is from the Spirit which is called the Spirit of the Lord and from Faith which is set forth by a transformative View of Christ Excellent is that of Calvin and by him quoted out of St. Chrysostome Inst l. 4. c. 17. Vinculum istius conjunctionis est Spiritus Christi cujus nexu copulamur Et quidem veluti canalis per quem quicquid Christus ipse est habet ad nos derivatur The Spirit of Christ is the Bond of Vnion between Christ and us and the Chanel of derivation whereby Christ and all that he hath is conveyed to us 1 Joh. 1.3 Mr. Sherlock That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ Observe that our fellowship with the Father and Son is first founded on our fellowship with the Christian Church 1 Cor. 1.9 God is faithful by whom ye are called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord where the fellowship of Christ can signifie no more than the fellowship of the Christian Church whereof Christ is Lord and Head and therefore the Apostle adds in the next Verse Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing that there be no divisions or schisms among you but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment Where he argues from the nature of their Faith in Christ to the Obligations of Peace and Vnity which plainly evinces that this fellowiship with Christ is that relation we stand in to him as Members of the Christian Church whereof he is Head The true Notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is plain 2 Cor. 6.14 where the Apostle disswades from fellowship with heathen Idolaters where we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all which Expressions decypher to us the Nature and Foundation of Fellowship The
being not in any Son of Adam naturally so much Goodness the only reason according to the Author of divine Love as might attract the least crumb of Comfort on Earth or the least moments Reprieve from Hell But saith the Author Should he love a wicked man the Reason and Nature of his Love would change He cannot love a wicked man with a Love of Complacence but cannot he love him in Design or with a Love of Benevolence Then though as the Author tells us pag. 88. he did passionately desire and design the Happiness of Man yet he could not design to him being in a lapsed corrupt Estate a Christ or a Gospel or any the least Means of Salvation Goodness the only reason of Love being gone by the Fall nothing that is good could be intended to him The Author acknowledges that God loves Goodness in Men but whence came that Goodness Was it a Donative of Divine Love or not If so then he loved them before they were such if not then may we say with the Pelagians A Deo habemus quòd homines sumus à nobis ipsis quòd justi sumus though God be necessary to our Being yet he is not to our Goodness Tract 81. in Joh. as St. Austin observes I shall add no more to this having spoken before touching irresistible Grace Christ being God and Man Mr. Sherlock made him an endless bottomless Fountain of Grace to all that believe Thus the Dr. upon which the Author glosses This he was as God as we were told before and his Grace was never the more bottomless for becoming Man The design of all this is to make the Person of Christ the Fountain of all Grace from whence we must drink Pardon and Mercy as long as we need any His Grace was never the more bottomless for becoming Man Answer yet as God and Man he is the Fountain of all Grace to us and unless he had been Man there would have been no Communication of Grace to us The most Reverend Vsher upon that Text He that eateth my flesh Imman pag. 52. and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him saith Three things 1. That by the mystical and supernatural Vnion we are as truly conjoyned with him as meat and drink is with us 2. That this Conjunction is immediately made with his Humane Nature 3. That the Lamb slain that is Christ crucified hath by that death of his made his flesh broken and his blood poured out for us to be fit food for the spiritual nourishment of Souls and the very Well-spring from whence by the power of his Godhead all Life and Grace is derived to us To the same purpose speaks the Learned Zanchy To begin with the Fulness of Christ Mr. Sherlock and the first place wherein we meet with it is Joh. 1.16 And of his fulness we all received and grace for grace Now what is meant by this Fulness we may learn from ver 14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth This Fulness which was in Christ is a Fulness of Grace and Truth and if we consult ver 17. we shall find that this Grace and Truth is opposed to the Law of Moses The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ So that Grace and Truth signifie the Gospel which is a Covenant of Grace and is expresly called the Grace of God Tit. 2.11 and conteins the most clear and perspicuous Revelation of the Divine Will in opposition to the Types and Shadows under the Law is Truth in opposition to Types and Figures this is the Fulness we receive from Christ a perfect Revelation of the Divine Will concerning the Salvation of Mankind which conteins so many excellent Promises that it may be well be called Grace and prescribes such a plain and simple Religion so agreeable to the natural Nations of Good and Evil that it may well be called Truth This Fulness dwelt only in Christ and from him alone we receive it for none of the Prophets who were before him did so perfectly understand the Will of God as he did No man hath seen God at any time but the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him v. 18. No man ever before had so perfect a knowledge of the Will of God which is here called seeing God because sight gives the most perfect knowledge but the Son who understood all his most secret counsels hath perfectly declared the Will of the Father to us and hence that Fulness we receive from Christ is explained by Grace for Grace which signifies the abundance of Grace manifested in the Gospel St. Austin expounds it Pro Legis gratiâ quae praeteriit gratiam Evangelii accepimus permanentem but this seems to be a forced sence for the Law is no where called Grace but Grace is opposed to to the Law in the next verse But however this they agree in that by the fulness of Grace and Truth they understand the Gospel that perfect declaration which Christ hath made to the World This Fulness was first in the Person of Christ before he could communicate it to us yet it is not this Personal Fulness we are to attend to but the Fulness and Perfection of his Gospel from whence we must fetch the knowledge of the Divine Will Joh. 1.16 And of his fulness we all received and Grace for Grace Arswer Upon this Text the only Quaere is Whether by Fulness is meant the Fulness of Christ's Person or the Fulness of his Gospel I conceive here is clearly meant the Fulness of Christ's Person it is in the Text his fulness his who is God the Word ver 1. his who was in the beginning with God ver 2. his by whom all things were made ver 3. his who is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world ver 9 his who was made flesh and dwelt among us ver 14. None of these his's can be attributed to the Gospel but they are all proper to the Person of Christ his fulness therefore must signifie the Fulness of Christ's Person from whence all Grace is derived as Light is from the Sun and Sense from the Head All true Believers receive from him grace for grace that is say some Gratiam cumulatissimam abundant Grace or as others Grace answering to the Grace in Christ as the Child receives from his Parents Limb for Limb or the Glass from the Face Image for Image It is further to be noted that the words are we received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of his fulness Had the Fulness meant here been the Fulness of the Gospel the words would have been We re-received of his Fulness even the whole Gospel but because here was intended the Fulness of Christ's Person the words are We received of his fulness that is
only Name Jesus is not named the holy Spirit the Fountain of all Grace is not heard of the holy Ordinances the Chariot of the Spirit are wanting and how can we think of the Influences of Grace there The Fathers in the fourth Council of Carthage would have every Bishop believe Crab. Concil Tom 1. that Extra Ecclesiam Catholicam nullus salvetur I therefore conclude with Camero Vult Apostolus omnem plenitudinem esse à Christo non vult omnes participes esse hujus plenitudinis Thus saith the Author the fulness of Christ Eph. 4.13 signifies the fulness of the Church the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ is the explication of the perfect man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the age and stature of a man the fulness is to be understood of the Christian Church I confess this Text may well be construed as Eph. 1.23 ought to be of the Church only whereas there the Apostle speaks of the Churches being the Body of Christ here he speaks of its growing to ripeness and full perfection which is chiefly accomplished above in Glory But we must still remember that the Churches being Christ's Fulness doth not deny but suppose a personal fontal Fulness in Christ who silleth all in all Let us now consider in what sence Christ is called our Life Mr Sherlock he is called Life with respect to his Doctrine he preached the Word of Life and brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel In him was life and the life was the light of men Joh. 14.6 that is he preached the Word of Life which enlightneth the dark Minds of men it is not imaginable how Life should be Light in any other sence Christ tells his Disciples I am the way the truth and the Life Joh. 14.6 that is I declare the true way to Life Thus he calls himself the bread of life Joh. 6. with respect to the Doctrine he preached ver 33. and with respect to that Sacrifice he offered for the Life of the World The bread I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world ver 51. Christ is also our Life because he hath power to bestow immortal Life upon all his sincere followers Joh. 11.25 I am the Refurrection and the Life Joh. 5.25 The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live He first raises those who are dead in sin to a new spiritual Life by the power of his Doctrine and then hath Authority to raise them to an immortal life Thus Col. 3.3 4. Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory That is you profess your selves dead to the world in conformity to Christ's Death and though that immortal Life which you expect to enjoy with Christ who is now risen again from the dead be at present concealed from your view yet when Christ who is the Author of Eternal Life and hath power to raise us up from the dead shall appear the second time to judge the world then shall ye appear with him in glory We must not dream of fetching Life from the Person of Christ as we draw water out of a Fountain but we must stedfastly believe and obey his Gospel which is a Principle of divine Life in us and then we may expect a Resurrection and immortal Life Christ preached the Word of Life Answer he brought Life and Immortality to light that is in a more illustrious manifestation of it Immortality which did but dawn and glimmer under the Law breaks forth in Lustre and Glory under the Gospel That Joh. 1.4 The life was the light of men speaks not of Christ's Doctrinal Word but of his Creative which lighted up an excellent Reason in Man This is clear from the Series of the Evangelist's speech which in this place makes its progress from a state of Creation unto Darkness or the amission of Light and from thence to the instauration of it Christ is the life Joh. 14.6 not only declaring the Way to Life but inspiring that Spiritual Life which is a Seed of Eternal He is our Life with respect to his Sacrifice Joh. 6. but then that Sacrifice must be applied to us by the quickening Spirit which unites to Christ and by Faith which feeds on him He raises up those that are dead in sins to a new spiritual Life Joh. 5.25 Not by his Doctrine only but by his Regenerating Spirit and when he hath raised them up he is their Life still by the supplies of the Spirit and influences of Grace Hence St. Austin upon the 26. Verse As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself observes That Christ hath Life in himself but the Believer hath not Life in himself but in Christ living but as a part or piece of Christ and ever in dependence on him Christ is called our life Col. 3.4 that is he is the Fountain of the glorious Life in Heaven and withal of those Graces which are the first-fruits and buddings of it After all this the Author concludes thus We must not dream of fetching Life from the Person of Christ as we draw water out of a fountain This is durus sermo indeed we must not fetch Life from Christ he calls us to come to him nay charges the unbelieving Jews for not coming to him for Life Joh. 5.40 yet we must not fetch life from him St. Paul did all things through Christ strengthening him Phil. 4. 13. and did not live himself but Christ lived in him Gal. 2.20 yet we must not Christ is in Scripture an Head who gives all vital Influences to his Members 2. Hom. of Mans misery and in our Church-Homily a flowing and most plenteous Fountain of whose fulness we all receive yet we must not And what then must we do We must believe and obey the Gospel which is a Principle of divine Life in us so the Author But is Christ and his Gospel at odds indeed If we fetch Life from Christ may we not believe and obey the Gospel Or if we believe and obey the Gospel may we not fetch Life from Christ What strange inconsistencies are these The Ephesians tusted in Christ and yet heard the Gospel of Salvation Eph. 1.13 they were for the great Purchaser and Fountain of Life and yet cast not away the Charter The Jews searched the Scriptures and yet should have gone to Christ for Life they thought they had Eternal Life in the Scriptures and which was their folly they thought they had it there in a way separate from Christ but he told them that the Scriptures if they had digged deep enough in them would have testified of him unto them and so have pointed out unto them the Fountain of Life in Christ Joh. 5.39 40.
of God in this place Thus 2 Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him The Apostle doth not speak of a Righteousness in our selves but in him not of a Righteousness inherent but imputed Christ's Righteousness is made ours as our sins were made his and that is only by Imputation St. Austin pithily expresses it Ipse ergo peccatum Enchirid cap. 41. ut nos justitia nec nostra sed Dei simus nec in nobis sed in ipso sicut ipse peccatum non suum sed nostrum nec in se sed in nobis constitutum similitudine carnis peccati in qua crucifixus est demonstravit Thus Phil. 3.9 That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith By the Righteousness which is of God cannot here be meant inherent Graces those words that I may be found in him have a tacit relation to the Judgment of God and before that Tribunal no Saint on earth can can stand in his own Righteousness Job could not If I justifie my self my own mouth shall condemn me Job 9.20 David could not Enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Psal 143.2 Danicl could not O Lord righteousness belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of faces The Righteousness which is of God is not the same with inherent Graces which because inherent are our own and so stiled in Scripture neither is it the same with Faith it self The Apostle saith not that it is Faith but that it is a Righteousness through the Faith of Christ a righteousness of God by faith It is therefore no other than Christ's Righteousness which Faith receives and God imputes But there is one place behind which in terminis calls the Righteousness of God the Righteousness of Christ 2 Pet. 1.1 To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Observe it is not through the Righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God and of our Saviour Christ as noting two Persons but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God and our Saviour as betokening one as Reverend Bishop Downham hath observed like that Tit. 2.13 The glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour where one Person is intended Hence it appears that the Righteousness of God is the Righteousness of Christ who is God Neither can inherent Graces be here meant for Faith the first Radical Grace of all is said to to be obtained through this Righteousness Thus far it appears that the Righteousness of God is the Righteousness of Christ Now it is evident that this Righteousness is imputed to us or else it could never arrive at those glorious Effects which are ascribed to it how should it profit us unless it were applied and become ours Or how should it become ours but by Imputation Being the Righteousness of another it cannot be ours subjectively and inherently and if it at all become ours it must be so by Imputation Without the first fundamental Imputation it could not render us justisiable or savable any more than it doth render Devils so without the after particular Imputation it cannot justifie or save us Unless this Righteousness be imputed it cannot save or avert God's wrath Rom. 1. It cannot be upon the Believer to justifie him Rom. 3. It cannot be the end of the Law for Righteousness to him Rom. 10. We cannot be made the Righteousness of God in Christ 2 Cor. 5. We cannot have the Righteousness of God to make us stand before God's Tribunal Phil. 3. The virtue of all depends upon Imputation Thus much touching that excellent Phrase The Righteousness of God so often mentioned in Scripture I now proceed to other Scriptures To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness Rom. 4.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is reckoned or imputed for Righteousness Now is Faith taken here properly absolutely in it self or is it taken relatively with respect to its Object the Righteousness of Christ Properly absolutely in it self it is a Work the Apostle opposes believing to working ver 5. and speaks of a Righteousness without Works ver 6. Faith therefore is not here taken absolutely for so Faith is a Work and believing working Faith absolutely taken is our own hence we meet with those Phrases Thy faith and My faith Jam. 2.18 But that which justifies us is not our own but the Righteousness of God the Righteousness which justifies is through Faith Phil. 3.9 and not Faith it self Faith is the hypostasis of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 but the justifying Righteousness is not the hypostasis but the very thing hoped for We by faith wait for the hope of righteousness Gal. 5.5 That Righteousness which justifies us is the Righteousness which is imputed to us but we are justified by Christ's blood Rom. 5.9 we are made righteous by his obedience Rom. 5.19 these therefore are imputed to us for Righteousness It is not Faith in it self is our Righteousness but its Object the Blood and Obedience of Christ Another famous place we have Rom. 5. there Adam and Christ are set forth as two Roots Adam conveying to the Branches naturally in him Sin and Death and Christ conveying to the Branches spiritually in him Righteousness and Life As by the offence of one judgment came upon all to condemnation so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous ver 18 19. Here the Apostle speaks of Justification Justification of Life is opposed to condemnation Christ's Righteousness is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it hath a virtue in it to justifie others and is opposed to Adam's Transgression which had a power to involve others in condemnation By the obedience of Christ we are made or as the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implies constituted righteous And how can Christ's Obedience being not inherent in us make us righteous This I confess is above Philosophy but the Apostle clears it Adam's Transgression was not inherently ours yet was it imputed to us to Condemnation in the same manner Christ's Obedience is not inherently ours yet was it imputed to us to Justification of Life Hence St. Bernard expostulates thus Cur non aliunde justitia Epist 190. cùm aliunde reatus Alius qui peccatorem constituit alius qui justificat à peccato An peccatum in semine peccatoris non justitia in Christi sanguine And indeed it would be very strange that Adam's Sin should be imputed to us as the Church hath ever acknowledged against Pelagians and yet Christs
this Righteousness with this Name we may without fear appear before the King executing Justice If any here reply we are Christians the Moral Law delivered by Moses obliges not us I answer I conceive it obliges all Christians the Scripture urges it upon them St. Paul presses the Romans though no Jews to love as the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.8 9. and the Ephesians though no Jews to honour their parents because it is a commandment with promise Eph. 6.2 St. James in his Epistle which is general to Gentiles as well as Jews would have them fulfil the Royal Law according to the Scriptures Jam. 2.8 The Matter of the Moral Law is perpetual and why should God put a temporary obligation upon it If the Moral Law bind us not then all the excellent Morals in the Prophets which are but as so many Commentaries on the Moral Law do not belong unto us and what a door will this open to overthrow the Old Testament I conceive therefore the Moral Law delivered by Moses obliges us Christians and I take it that our Church is of the same mind for I am sure she is too wise to command us to Eccho to an abrogated Law in such a devotional Prayer as that Lord have mercy upon us encline our hearts to keep this Law But however this opinion be touching the Moral Law as Mosaical without doubt whatsoever is Moral Naturall in it whatsoever is the pure Primitive Law of Nature must reach unto all and bind all all must answer to it and because it calls for finless Perfection nothing can answer it but the perfect righteousness of Christ and that made ours by Imputation 4. It is evident that the Passive Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us In Scripture the blood of Christ justifies us Rom. 5.9 purges the corjcience Heb. 9.14 cleanses us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 washes us from our sins Revel 1.5 And how can it doe these great things for us unless it be applied and made ours in particularâ— or how can it be made ours but by a particular Imputation sanguis Christi non haeret in nobis it is not subjectively in us but what ever it doth for us in Justification it doth as imputed to us Hence Christ is called a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 2.25 Faith receives the atoning Blood and God imputes it If there had been no first fundamentall Imputation of that Blood to us it could not have been said that Christ dyed for us more than for Devils That Blood shed could not have rendered us pardonable or justifiable upon Gospell-terms And if there be not an after particular Imputation of that Blood to us upon believing it cannot be said actually to justifie and wash us from our sins As shed for us it makes us pardonable and justifiable but no more till there be a particular imputation Without this it doth not actually justifie and wash us because it is not particularly applied and made ours Should we be justified or pardoned without this Imputation we should be justified or pardoned without that Blood made ours and by consequence without a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Satisfaction made ours in particular that Satisfaction without this Imputation being only in common to all pardoned or unpardoned and particularly applied to none Bellarmine himself confesses the Imputation of Christ's Passive Obedience Solus Christus saith he pro peccatis nostris satisfecit D. Justifiâ—◠〈…〉 illa satisfactio nobis donatur applicatur nostra reputatur cum Deo reconciliamur justificamur And why he might not as well have allowed the Imputation of the Active Obedience I see not save only because he would leave for our inherent Graces a room in Justification But because he allows not the Imputation of the Active Obedience Bishop Andrews is bold to tell him Sermon of Jâ—stisie That he spoils Christ of one half of his Name that is of that Name Jehovah our Righteousness And withal the Bishop urges thus against the Papists By what proportion do they proceed They cannot counterpoise an infinite sin but with an infinite Satisfaction and think they can weigh down a reward every way as infinite with a Merit to say the least surely not infinite Why should there be a recessary use of Christs death for the one and not an use fâ—â—â— as necessary for the Oblation of his Life for the other And again he saith This nipping at the Name of Christ is for no other reason but that we may have some honour our selves out of our Righteousness Hence Bellarmine saith Magìs honorificum est habere aliquid ex merito Rather than they will lose their honour Christ must part with a piece of his Name Thus that Reverend Man Let us therefore confess that all Christ's Righteousness Active as well as Passive is made ours by Imputation His Obedience like his seamless Coat all woven together of Love and Philanthropy from his first breath of Holiness on Earth to the last gasp upon the Cross should not be rent or divided but preserved entire for our Justification and Salvation 5. When we are justified before God it must be by a Righteousness either that of inherent Grace or that of Christ imputed to us We are not justified by the first our inherent Graces have all their spots and wrinkles of imperfection how faultring is our Faith How fluctuating our Hope How cold our Charity How much is there wanting of what ought to be in every one of them All of them are but in part and as it were in their first Lineaments none of them in plenitude or full measure answering to the Law they dwell not alone but alas there is a sad Inmate of Corruption a body of Sin dwelling under the same roof so that the purest actions of the Saints on earth come forth ex laeso Principio out of an Heart sanctified but in part and in their egress from thence gather a taint and tincture from the indwelling sin Quotidie stillamus super telam justitiae nostrae saniem concupiscentiae nostrae saith one Our concupscence like putrid matter is ever dropping upon the web of our weak little holiness If we walk not post concupiscentias it is very well Non concupisces which is a greater thing we cannot reach in this Vale of sins and sorrowes still the Flesh will be lusting and Corruption bubling up in the heart and can we think that such imperfect Graces should be the Matter of our Justification Again we have contracted many Guilts and every even the Least of them have a kind of Infinity in them because against an infinite Majesty and can our inherent Graces which are but finite things ever expiate or blot out those guilts No surely they cannot cover their own spots and blemishes but must pray in aid from the Grace and Righteousness of Christ to have them done away and is it imaginable that those Graces which want a pardon and
imputation and who ever heard of a Mediator made such by imputation or by that Righteousness which another performed for him The Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us but what Secundum totam latitudinem to all intents and purposes whatsoever Oh no it is not imputed to us to do that which is impossible to make us Mediators or the Efficients of it but so far only as to make us Righteous before God by the imputation of it we are justified and saved but we are not Mediators and Saviours The Righteousness is formally Christ's the one Mediators but materially it becomes ours by imputation so far forth as to justifie us The Righteousness it self is one thing and the manner of application another Bellarmine himself who made the objection can say in another place passiones Christi quae sunt infiniti pretii De Indulgent l. ◠cap. 4. applicari per indulgentias finiso modo So say I the Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us not to all intents and purposes not to translate a Mediatorship upon us but in a limited manner to justifie and save us who are the receivers of it It is imputed to every Believer but it makes never an one of them God-man and no man that is a meer man or less than God-man can be an expiating and saving Mediator or if he could he could not be such without a Divine Call or Ordination which no Believer can pretend to The Mediatorship is totally solely Christ's but the Righteousness which he performed is so far imputed to us as to justifie and save us The satisfaction of Christ's death is made ours and that by imputation or else we must be pardoned without a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet that imputation doth not make us satisfying Mediators Our Church tells us 1. Hoim of Salvation Christ is the Righteousness of them that believe he for them paid the ransom by his death he for them fulfilled the Law in his life So that now in him and by him every true Christian may be called a fulfiller of the Law And yet our Church never dreamed of any such thing as that such an imputation would turn a Believer into a Mediator there is therefore no ill consequence but an infinite comfort in this assertion that the Righteousness of Christ our Mediator is imputed to us The Doctor tells us Mr. Sherlock That Christ was under no obligation to obey these Laws himself And to make this appear he discourses particularly of the Law of our Creation and the Ceremonial Law given to the Jews And for the first the Law of Creation that comprehends those eternal Laws which result from the essential difference of good and evil which all mankind are bound to observe by the very frame of their natures Now he dares not deny that Christ was bound to obey this Law for himself but then his obedience was voluntary And what of that For so the obedience of every good man is for by voluntary he tells us he doth not mean That it was meerly arbitrary and at his choice whether he would obey or not but on supposition of his undertaking to be Mediator it was necessary it should be so but he voluntarily and willingly submitted to it and so became really subject to the commands of it And is it not very plain now that Christ was not obliged to obey those Laws because he willingly submitted to them but he means somewhat more by this voluntary than he could tell how to express and all that I can guess is that whereas we are bound to obey these Laws antecedently to our choice it was not so with him for his obligation was consequential upon his being born and becoming man which was his own choice and yet even then as he tells us As he was Mediator God-man he was not by the institution of that Law obliged to it being as it were lifted up above that Law by the hypostatical Union Now this is very profound reasoning for the meaning of it is this That Christ had not been bound to live like a man unless he had become man and yet I can grant something more that it was impossible that he should have lived like a man without being man But when he chose to be man he was bound to discharge all the duties of a man for himself But how could he be exempted from this Law by being Mediator God and Man When the Doctor acknowledges that upon supposition of his being Mediator it was necessary it should be so that is that he should obey now not to be obliged by the Institution of the Law as Mediator and that it should be necessary for him to obey as Mediator are at so great a distance that it may serve for another trial of skill to reconcile them Christ Answer when he assumed the humane Nature was as man subject to the Law of Creation for his humane Nature was but a Creature and its will not being Supreme in it self was under the Divine Will but Christ freely and voluntarily became man and so put himself of his own accord into the state of subjection and as he was not made man for himself but for us So neither was he made under the Law for himself but for us Hence the Apostle joyning both these together He was made of a woman made under the Law Gal. 4. 4 5. Superadds as the end common to both that he might redeem us he assumed humanity and with it duty neither for himself but both for us that he might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fulfil the Law Matth. 5.17 for us not only doctrinally by opening the pure Spirituality of it but practically too by fulfilling all the Righteousness thereof Christ as man was bound by the Law but this hinders not but that his obedience may be for us and may be imputed to us in justification No sooner was that Divine Decree which put a must upon Christ's sufferings made known to him as man but he was bound to dye and yet his death was a sweet Sacrifice for us and a propitiation for our sins And as the Blood of Christ was the Blood of God so the obedience of Christ was the obedience of God being stamped with his Deity it amounted to an infinite summ enough for himself and a world besides Christ was in some sence as it were exempted and lifted up above the Law by the hypostatical Union he might have carried up the Humane Nature into heaven in the very first instant of its assumption he need not have performed the Law in such a debased manner for such a space of time and in such a place as earth he was not simply and absolutely bound to it in himself but upon supposition that he took upon him the Mediatory Office he was bound to fulfil the Law for us as he did Though we suppose Mr. Sherlock that Christ as man was bound to yield obedience to the Law of Creation yet the
him That is Christ died as a Sacrifice for our sins that we might be reconciled to God So that our Righteousness as well as Innocence is owing to the death of Christ to that Sacrifice he offered for our sins his Blood had a great vertue in it to make us righteous to purge our consciences from dead works that we might serve the living God and our righteousness and accceptance with God is wholly owing to that Covenant which he purchased and sealed with his Blood I suppose the Author to be a very unfit man to put in this accusation Answer Who attributes most to that Blood the Author or these men is a very short issue and will soon he tried Christ's Blood sealed and confirmed the Covenant this is the all of it saith the Author These men though they do not stint it with an All yet they freely own That Christ's death did seal and confirm the Covenant evidently therefore they attribute as much to Christ's blood as the Author doth But do they stay here No they say with the Apostle That we are justified by Christ's blood Rom. 5.9 And doth the Author do so No surely We are justified by his blood that is by the Gospel-Covenant which was confirmed with his blood Thus the Author Now if justifying and confirming the Covenant be one thing then the Author allows justification by Christ's blood But justifying and confirming the Covenant are not one thing Christ's blood according to the Author confirmed the Covenant for all but it doth not justifie all Hence it appears that the Author allows not justification by Christ's Blood and yet he charges these men with being injurious to it to which they attribute remission or non-imputation of sin But for the matter it self I conceive that the Obedience and Blood of Christ are to be taken in conjunction both together are the completure of the Law both are imputed to us both justifie us unto life eternal Hence I conceive where one is expressed in Scripture the other is implyed when the Scripture saith That we are justified by Christ's blood Rom. 5.9 It doth include his Obedience and when it saith That we are made righteous by his obedience Rom. 5.19 it doth include his Blood also Hence our Church takes in both into justification 1. Hom. of Salvation He paid the ransom for them by his death he fulfilled the Law for them in his life so that in and by him every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the Law But though our pardon and justifieation be attributed to the Blood of Christ Mr Sherlock yet I could never perswade my self that this wholly excludes the perfect Obedience and Righteousness of his life For the Apostle tells us That we are accepted in the beloved Eph. 1.6 Whatever rendred Christ beloved of God did contribute something to our acceptance For because he was beloved we are accepted for his sake No man will deny that God was highly pleased with his perfect Obedience We know how many blessings God bestowed upon the children of Israel for the sake of their Fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob who were great examples of Faith and obedience which made them very dear to God and no doubt God was more pleased with the Obedience of Christ than with the Faith of Abraham and therefore we ought not to think that we receive no benefit by the Righteousness of Christ when Abraham 's posterity was so blessed for his sake But then Christ's Righteousness and Death serve not two such different ends as these men fancy but they both serve the same end to establish the Covenant God was so well pleased with what Christ did and suffered that for his sake he entred into a Covenant of Grace with man As Abraham 's Faith was not imputed to his Posterity as their act but for Abraham 's sake God entred into Covenant with them and chose them for his peculiar people Here we have the Author acknowledging Answer that the obedience of Christ did contributé something to our acceptance with God The children of Israel were blessed for Abraham 's obedience and why may not we for Christs The confequence is undeniable but there is a vast disproportion between Abraham's obedience and Christs Abraham's was but the obedience of a man and of an imperct man but Christs was the obedience of God His Blood is called the blood of God and for the very same reason his obedience may be stiled the obedience of God Abraham's had not a jot or tittle of merit in it he had nothing to glory in before God But Christ's was so richly meritorious as to purchase the Blessings of both Worlds Abraham's was not imputed to his Posterity it was little enough and without Christ's Righteousness to cover its defects too little for himself But Christ's is imputed to us and is long enough and broad enough to cover a multitude of Believers and to justifie them before God The Covenant made with Abraham was the very Covenant of Grace The Gospel was preached to Abraham Gal. 3.8 And Abraham saw Christ's day and rejoyced Joh. 8.56 And hence it appears that the Covenant with Abraham was not founded in Abraham's Righteousness but in Christ's and therefore the Apostle tells us expresly That it was confirmed before of God in Christ Gal. 3.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before confirmed The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tells us that the Gospel was in Abraham's time The obedience of Christ's life was one thing Mr Sherlock which made his Sacrifice so meritorious which was the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and spot And this is the most that can be made of Rom. 5.18 19. As by the offence of one judgement came upon all to condemnation So by the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all to justification of life For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous There is no necessity of expounding this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obedience of the Righteousness of Christ's life for it may well signifie no more than the obedience of his death notwithstanding the Doctors distinction that doing is one thing and suffering another For the Apostle tells us That he became obedient unto death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2.8 And his offering himself in Sacrifice is called doing God's will Heb. 10.9 10. And whether this be properly said or not I will leave the Doctor to dispute with the Apostle It is plain that in this Chapter there is no express mention made of any act of obedience and righteousness whereby we are reconciled to God But only his dying for us in vers 8. the Apostle tells us That Christ dyed for us In vers 9. That we are justified by his blood In the 10. That we are reconciled by his death which makes it more than probable that by his Righteousness and Obedience here the Apostle understands
his death and sufferings because this was the subject of his discourse but yet these expressions His righteousness and obedience seem to take in the whole compass of his obedience in doing and suffering the Will of God and the meaning of the words is this That as God was so highly displeased with Adam's sin that he entailed a great many evils and miseries and death it self upon his posterity for his sake So God was so well pleased with the obedience of Christ's life and death that he bestows the rewards of Righteousness on those who according to the rigor of the Law are not righteous that for Christ's sake he hath made a new Covenant of Grace which pardons our past sins and rewards a sincere though imperfect obedience For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be made righteous is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be justified That is treated like righteous persons So that Christ's Righteousness is not the formal cause of our justification that very Righteousness whereby we are righteous But it is the meritorious cause of that Covenant whereby we are declared Righteous and rewarded as Righteous for the Apostle tells us in vers 17. who those are who are thus justified by Christ and shall reign with him in life not those who are Righteous by the imputation of Christ's Righteousness But those who have received abundance of Grace and the gift of Righteousness that is who by the Gospel which is the abundant grace of God are made holy and righteous as God is which Righteousness is called a gift because it is not owing solely to humane endeavours but is wrought in us by supernatural means We are made righteous by the Righteousness of Christ not that his actual obedience is reckoned as done by us which is impossible But because we are made righteous both in a proper and forensick sence by the Gospel-Covenant which is wholly owing to Gods Grace and Christ's Merits and Righteousness So that the Righteousness of Christ is our Righteousness when we speak of the foundation of the Covenant by which we are accepted but if we speak of the terms of the Covenant then we must have a righteousness of our own for the Righteousness of Christ will not serve the turn Christ's Righteousness and our own are both necessary to our Salvation the first as the foundation of the Covenant the other as the condition of it We are now arrived at that famous place Answer as by the offence of one judgement came upon all to condemnation so by the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all to justification of life as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Rom. 5.18 19. The Apostle here uses two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Righteousness and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Obedience both these signifie the doing of God's Will which doing for its rectitude is called Righteousness and for its subjection Obedience neither of them do properly signifie suffering Meer suffering which is not spirited with a right and subjective mind is not Righteousness or Obedience The Apostle here speaks of Righteousness in general and Obedience in general and who may pare off ought and say it is not all Christ's Righteousness or Obedience but some especially when that some the passive I mean is less properly such than the active and what necessity or cogent reason is there for doing so The Antithesis in the Text evinces the contrary Act is here set in opposition against Act Christ's Obedience against Adam's Disobedience Now for what the Author alledges I say it is true that of Christ's being obedient Phil. 2.8 reaches down to his death but it takes in all the Obedience of his life and that of Christs doing Gods will Hebr. 10.7 extends to the Sacrifice of himself but it comprises all the righteousness of his life too It is true that the Apostle in this 5. Chapter to the Romans doth first speak of Christ's Death and Sufferings but his active and passive Obedience are so near in conjunction that the Apostle may in his discourse easily pass from the one to the other Nay as I before noted when the one is expressed in Scripture the other is implied so that the Apostle doth not indeed pass from one thing to another but only vary his Phrase The Author himself confesses That those expressions his righteousness and Obedience seem to take in the whole compass of his Obedience in doing and suffering the will of God And how doth the active and passive righteousness of Christ justify us or make us righteous Why these procured that Gospel Covenant whereby we are declared righteous and rewarded as righteous Now this Interpretation may stand good when justifying and procuring the Covenant shall be what they can never be one and the same thing Christs active and passive Obedience according to the Author procured the Covenant for all Men But surely they do not justify all Men. The whole Obedience of Christ may be confidered two wayes either as it is procurative of the Covenant and so it renders us justifiable or as is it received by Faith and so it actually justifies us But neither of these can be without a Divine imputation without that first fundamental imputation which is implied in such Scripture expressions as tell us that Christ died for us the Obedience of Christ could not have rendred us justifiable any more than it doth Devils and without that second particular imputation which is implied in such Scripture expressions as tell us That we are justified by Christs Blood that we are made righteous by Christ's Obedience the Obedience of Christ could not justify us for it justifies us not as it procures the Covenant that is done according to the Author for all Men and all Men are not justified but it justifies us as it is particularly made ours and made ours it cannot be without an Imputation According to the Author the Apostle must be interpreted thus By the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all unto Justification of life that is by the righteousness of one the Covenant was procured and so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous that is by the obedience of one the Covenant was procured But this Interpretation is so harsh and strange that I suppose few will be able to receive and own it But the Author tells us That the Apostle in ver 17. acquaints us who the justified are not those who are righteous by imputed righteousness but those who by the Gospel which is the grace of God are made righteous as God is But by the grace of God vers 17. is not meant the Gospel but the rich mercy of God and by the gift of righteousness there is not meant inherent graces but the righteousness of Christ which is made over to us by a gracious imputation the very same righteousness which is called the