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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97232	Chonoyterion he Sion. The refinement of Zion: or, The old orthodox Protestant doctrine justified, and defended against several exceptions of the Antinomians, methodically digested into questions, wherein many weighty and important cases of conscience are handled, concerning the nature of faith and repentance, or conversion to God: of his eternal love, and beholding of sin in his dearest children: of justification from eternity, of of [sic] preparations to the acceptance of Christ, of prayer for pardon of sin, and turning to God: of the gospel covenant, aud [sic] tenders of salvation, on the termes of faith and repentance. For the establishment of the scrupulous, conviction of the erroneous, and consolation of distressed consciences. By Anthony Warton, minister of the word at Breamore in Hampshire.	Warton, Anthony.	1657 (1657)	Wing W987; Thomason E914_2; ESTC R207476	171,315	250

of thy justice Psal 6.1 unlesse we shall say as Zanchius and Polanus do that he prayeth that God would not execute the threatenings of his word upon him So also whereas the Lord saith I will not execute the fiercenes of mine anger Psal 11.9 I will not return to destroy Ephraim By the fiercenesse of Gods anger here we may either understand the severity of his revenging justice or his heaviest judgments or else those terrible threatenings which he had denounced against the ten Tribes for their Idolatry and other sins And in the same sense he speaketh Hos 13.11 I gave thee a King in mine anger and took him away in my wrath Again by the anger of God in other places of the Scripture we are to understand the effects of Gods revenging justice on the wicked and of his correcting justice on his own Children both denounced in his word and executed in his punishments and corrections Thus when Moses told the Israelites that the Lord was angry with him for their sakes he spake this because the Lord had reproved him for the words which he by their instigation spake hastily at the waters of Meribah and told him that he should not enter into the Land of Canaan And when the Lord saith that he sware unto the rebellious Israelites in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest by his wrath here is meant that destruction which he had denounced against them Now by the anger of God in other places are meant the effects both of Gods revenging justice executed on the wicked and of his correcting justice on his own Children An example of the former we have in the unbelieving Jews of whom St. Paul saith wrath is come on them to the utmost that is 1 Thes 2.16 Isa 54.8 extremity of punishment And of the latter in the believing Jews In a little wrath I hide my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse I will have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer Thus have I briefly shewed what the Protestants do hold and what they do teach concerning the anger of God against which I presume Mr. D. will not reply No cause hath he therefore to find fault with us for praying that God would be mercifull unto us and turn away his wrath and indignation from us and from the whole Land unlesse he will say that it is not lawful for us to speake Tropically or Figuratively in our prayers as the Scripture doth SECT II. How Gods wrath is Pacified THe next thing which I am to clear is how God can be said to be pacified and appealed by fasting and prayer For Christ onely hath pacified his Fathers wrath by that propitiatory sacrifice of his which he offered unto him for the sins of all the elect If any therefore shall take upon them by their prayers or by their fasting and teares to turn away Gods wrath from themselves or from the Land instead of pacifying him they shall provoke him so much the more by robbing Christ of the glory that is due unto him This is another thing as I conceive which Mr. D. in those words of his which I alledged at the beginning of this Question doth intend to charge us with But hereunto I answer briefly that Gods wrath may be said to be appeased two manner of wayes 1. Stricté et proprié in a more strict and proper sense by satisfaction made to his justice Answ for the sins whereby he is provoked Now thus only hath Christ pacified his Fathers wrath Rom. 3.25 Eph. 2.14 Col. 1.20 Rom. 5.10 and reconciled us unto him by his death We do willingly therefore acknowledge that both the Papists and all other that do think to satisfie God for their sins and so to pacifie his wrath by their prayers fasting and weeping and afflicting of themselves with any such p●nall workes or sufferings do take upon them Christs Office and rob him of his glory But the Protestants are not guilty of this but do condemn it and speak against it as their works and writings do bear witness Secondly Gods wrath may be said to be pacified laté et improprié in a large in an improper sense when such duties are practised and performed upon the doing whereof God doth turn away his indignation that is removeth his judgments not for the merit of the works that are done or as if by them his justice were satisfied but for Christs sake who hath merited pardon for such as * Heb. 5.9 obey him in doing the things which he requireth to whom therefore God hath promised that he will be gratious and favourable Thus is God through Christ pacified towards sinners when they repent and turn unto him and pray and humble themselves before him according to his gratious promises which he hath made unto them Therefore also now saith the Lord turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting Joel 2.12.13 and with weep●ng and with mourning and rent your hearts and not your garments and turn to the Lord your God For he is gratious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the evil And Jer. 18.7 8. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to plucke vp to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have denounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thuought to do not them See also Zach. 1.3 1 Cor. 11.13 1 Kings 8.33 The summe of all that hath been said is this Gods wrath is pacified upon our humiliation repentance prayer and faith in Gods promises not for these acts or workes of ours but for Christs sake in whom we do believe and whom we do obey or else thus Gods wrath is not pacified By our fasting and repentance to speake properly for then we should be justified by works but When we repent and pray and turn unto him for as long as we live in sin we are under Gods wrath SECT III. Objections Answered Having thus finished what Mr. D. hath given me accasion to say concerning this Question before I do proceed unto the next I have thought good to answer certain Objections which I find urged by one to prove that God neither is nor can be angry with any of his Children which if it were true then indeed the Children of God should have no need to pray at any time or other that God would turn away his anger from them or if they pray so they shall take Gods name in vain The first of these Objections is this God seeth no iniquity in his people he cannot therefore be angry with them for nothing offendeth him nor causeth him to be angry but sin Now to prove that God seeth no iniquity in his people these Testimonies of holy Scripture are alledged He hath not beheld iniqu●ty in Jacob Num. 23.21 neither hath he beheld perversenesse in Israel At

Covenant do bind our selves to believe in Christ and to glorifie him and his Father for the work of our Redemption That the Covenant of the Gospel is thus made not only with Christ our head and our surety but with us also that are his members is most evident from those words of the Lord wherein both the persons with whom the Covenant is made and the form thereof is related and expressed This is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel Jer. 31.34 32 33. Heb. 8.8.9 10 11 12. saith the Lord with the spiritual Israel of all Nations not the carnal Israel after those dayes I will put my Lawes into their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people c. We see here with whom this new Covenant of the Gospel is made with the house of Israel now the house of Israel is not persona singularis one individual person as Christ is sed totum aggregatum but a multitude united together as the Church of God is 2. The Lord also Ezech. 16.8 9. telleth us that he entred into Covenant with the Israelites when he found them defiled in their filthiness which cannot be spoken of Christ and then washed their blood from them which must be understood of the Covenant of grace not of works The Covenant of grace therefore was not made with Christ only but with all his members also who in their natural condition are such as were the Israelites here described 3. We read also Gen. 17.7 Gen. 17.9 That the Covenant of grace was made with Abraham and all his seed It was not made therefore with Christ only Yea which is more God said unto Abraham Thou shalt keep my Covenant thou and thy seed after thee in their generations This Co●enant therefore was not only a gratious promise of salvation on Gods part but Abraham and his seed were also bound by it to do something that is Gen. 17.1 to believe in the promised Messiah and to glorifie God for their salvation by him But here it will be said Object the Covenant which Abraham and his seed were commanded to keep was that all their males should be circumcised the eighth day It is true Answ but that outward circumcision did bind them inwardly to circumci e their hearts for the Circumcision of the flesh was not commanded for it self barely but in regard of the mystical signification thereof whereupon the Lord spake unto the Israelites who were circumcised in the flesh and said Circumcise therefore the fore-skin of your heart and be no more stif-necked Deut. 10.16 Where this spiritual Circumcision was neglected the Covenant whereof it was a token was not kept but broken as that complaint which the Lord taketh up concerning the carnal Israelites plainly sheweth All these Nations to wit all the Heathen Nations there reckoned up are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel Jer. 9.26 are uncircumcised in their heart The Apostle also telleth us that that is not circumcision which is outward in the flesh but which is in the heart Rom. 2.28 29. 4. When David also saith All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal 25.10 And again The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness Psal 103.17 18. justitia promissionum his righteousness in fulfilling his promises unto Childrens Children To such as keep his Covenant and to those that remember his Commandements to do them I would know of what Covenant and of what testimonies and commandements it is that David here speaketh Doubtless not of the legal Covenant for that is not a Covenant of mercy but of justice that exacteth all that is required in it without remitting any thing or shewing any mercy unto those that do transgress it Deut. 27.26 It is of the Evangelical Covenant therefore that David speaketh when he saith that God will be merciful unto those that keep his Covenant Now I cannot conceive how we cannot be said to keep this Covenant and the Testimonies and Commandements thereof if the Covenant of the Gospel were made only with Christ and we were bound to nothing nor nothing were required of us by it as a part of this Covenant belonging to us For were it so then we could be said neither to keep it nor to break it no more then mankind can be said to keep the covenant that God made with Noah Gen. 9.11 that he would no more destroy the Earth with a Flood Gods absolute promise to Noah concerning this his mercy is here called his covenant It is God himself therefore who faithfully performeth and keepeth this covenant throughout all generations But it cannot be said to have been kept by Noah or any of his posterity who by this Covenant were bound to nothing 5. To these former Testimonies may be added those words of the Lord to the Israelites Exod. 19.5 where after he had told them what great things he had done for them he subjoyneth Now therefore if ye will obey my voyce indeed and keep my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the Earth is mine And ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests and an holy Nation Here the Lord hath promised great things unto his people but it is upon condition that they obey him and keep his Covenant If it be said That this was spoken to the carnal Israelites and therefore belongeth not to us I confess indeed That it was spoken not only to the Elect but to the whole Nation of the Israelites Answ but how verily as they typified or as they analogically repre●ented the spiritual Israel of God or the called of God of all Nations whence it followeth that believers now under the Gospel are confederate with God and therefore are to keep the covenant of the Gospel that they may be a peculiar people and a royal Priesthood unto God 1 Pet. 1.9 for so St. Peter applyeth this promise unto all true believers as unto those to whom all the blessings of the covenant do belong Nec enim alios quam faederatos faederis conditionem servantes decrevit Deus beatitudinis facere participes for neither hath God decreed to make any other partakers of blessedness than those that are confederate with him and that keep the condition of the covenant as saith the most learned and judicious Rivetus writing on these very words of the Lord unto the Israelites 6. I do also reason thus As the Law is the covenant of works or at least wise as the covenant of works is revealed in the Law So the gospel revealeth and maketh known unto us the covenant of grace or of salvation by the meer mercy of God through Jesus Christ As the Law therefore binding us to the perfect obedience thereof if we will

the brazen Serpent though never so weakly was through Gods Ordnance as perfectly cured as he that saw and beheld it most clearly and most evidently so Faith in the least degree through Gods Ordinance is as effectual to interest us in Christ and to make us partakers of salvation by him as the strongest Faith that is Thus I have shewed the cause or the reason why a weak Faith can give us an interest in Christ and the salvation which he hath purchased for us although it cannot so firmly assure us hereof But whereas he holdeth That Faith when it is increased and grown stronger by an addition of more degrees than it had at the first doth only give us a greater manifestation and assurance of salvation by Christ but no interest in him I cannot assent unto him in this for the interest which we have in Christ and his merits at the first by believing in him is continued by perseverance in the same Faith and therefore John 1.12 Eph. 3.17 as we are said to receive Christ by Faith so he is said to dwell that is to remain and make his abode in our hearts by Faith Consonantly whereunto the Apostle telleth us Heb. 3.14 that We are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end And on the contrary he saith Heb. 10.38 If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Thus Faith not only in the first act or beginning of it but in the continuance also and greatest height or strength thereof doth interest us in Christ and as the Apostle saith maketh us partakers of him as well as it doth evidence unto us and assure us hereof Here therefore I would know whether it be not a manifest contradiction to say as Mr. S. doth Christ is ours without Faith but we cannot partake of him as ours but by believing Thirdly he objecteth also and saith If Christ should be ours by Faith in this sense that is actually then when Faith ceaseth shall we cease to be justified Whereunto I answer That no such thing followeth hereupon but the contrary For upon our Faith and Repentance our sins are pardoned and forgiven us not for a time but for ever Ezek. 18.22 They shall never therefore be mentioned unto us that is imputed and laid to our charge any more no not when Faith ceaseth Neither needeth this to seem strange to Mr. S. or any other that Faith which is but temporal should obtain an eternal pardon for a salve which by its own inherent vertue doth in a few days heal a wound needeth afterwards to be used no more much less will there be any need of Faith in Christ or of repentance for the continuance of the remission of our sins and of our justification in the world to come seeing by Christs Promise and by his Ordinance which hath more force in it then the most Soveraign or precious balm or salve upon our repentance and Faith in Christ we are for ever acquitted and absolved from all our sins Whereas then Mr. S. in his next words demandeth and asketh Shall Faith begin our interest here and not be able to continue it hereafter John 3.46 I answer him No it shall not For he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life His Faith indeed shall cease with this corruptible life of his 2 Cor. 13. but he himself shall be raised up by the power of Christ and not dye any more forever John 11.26 Fourthly Mr S. proceedeth and asketh Can a sinner be too soul for a Saviour and too wounded for a Physitian to heal and too filthy for a fountain opened to wash To all which several demands of his I will answer severally First Whereas he asketh whether a sinner can be too foul for a Saviour I answer No if he will carefully and conscionably practise and observe the means of salvation which he doth prescribe him which are Repentance Faith and new Obedience For as the Apostle telleth us Christ being in his passion made perfect he became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 On the contrary therefore whosoever he is that doth not obey Christ but doth wilfully contemn or carelesly neglect the means of his salvation as many do it is in vain for him to look for salvation by Christ for as St. Augustine saith elegantly De verbis Apostoli Ser. 15. Qui fecit te sine te non te justificat sine te He that made thee without thee doth not justifie thee without thee His next demand is Can a sinner be too much wounded for a Physician to heal Surely no. Not for Christ our heavenly Physician but then he must take his Physick and observe such a Dyet as he prescribeth him that is he must receive Christ and his merits by Faith and live orderly according to his Gospel that is as St. Paul setteth it down He must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly Tit. 2.12 and righteously and godlily in this present world On the contrary therefore as long as infidelity or incredulity possesseth his heart and lyeth putrifying and rotting in his carnal lusts it is in vain for him to think or to perswade himself that he is healed by Christ Lastly Whereas he asketh Can a sinner be too filthy for a fountain opened to wash Surely no not for that fountain of which Zachary speaketh That is opened to the house of David Zac. 31 12. and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleaness But did he ever hear that a fountain though never so limpid and clear did cleanse any unlesse they did wash themselves with the water of it And even in like manner shall none be purifyed and cleansed from their spiritual filthyness and uncleanness until they do by Faith-sprinkle their souls with the bloud of Christ For as we have heard St. Peter tell us Christ purifieth the hearts of sinn●rs by Faith As long therefore as Faith with the inseperable effects thereof are wanting it is in vain for any to imagine that he is purified from his sins Fifthly He that offereth Christ saith M. S. offers all the conditions in him both of Faith and Repentance for Christ is exalted to give repentance unto Israel Acts 5.31 Gal. 2.21 And Faith is called The Faith of the Son of God Here first of all it is to be observed that he acknowledgeth Faith Repentance to be conditions required of us in the Gospel that we may be saved by Christ which elsewhere he denyeth Secondly he saith That God in offering Christ doth offer these conditions in him Which words of his may receive a double construction or understanding First that Repentance and Faith are not in our power but that Christ hath merited these graces for us and that he doth work them in us by his spirit when the Gospel is preached This the places of

ones we are by sinners whom Christ professeth that he came to call to understand contrite and broken hearted sinners that being terrified with the judgements of the Law do acknowlege that they stand in great need of Christ the heavenly Physician and of every drop his blood which he shed for them But of this I have spoken enough before Object 7. He goeth on and saith All that ever received Christ Object 7 Corinthians Ephesians Colossians received him in a sinful condition when they were unwashen darkness dead in sins enemies in their minds by wicked works Answ Here also Mr. S. setteth up an adversa●y unto himself of his own devising and then dischargeth fiercely and furiously upon him For no Protestant teacheth that those that are only prepared for the preaching of the Gospel by the terrours of the Law are washed from their sins and do live the life of grace but on the contrary they hold That as yet they are dead in sin and if they proceed no further shall perish everlastingly Object 8. Object 8 Lastly He thus also objecteth God offereth Christ in time as God gave him God before all times gave him to us because we were sinners and now he is but offered as he was given Answ Hereunto I answer First That God neither before time gave Christ in his eternal decree because we were sinner nor in time doth he give us him because we are sinners For there is no cause in us at all of our salvation it is to be ascribed wholly to Gods grace As for sin it is in it self a cause of damnation not of salvation But if his meaning be that God before time considered us as sinners when he gave us Christ there followeth nothing more from hence but that God in time offered Christ unto us when we were sinners which we willingly grant But we add further that God before all time decreed not only to give Christ to sinners but that those sinners should by the power of his Spirit be brought in time to acknowledge their sins and spiritual misery and woful condition under sin and so be driven out of themselves and be made to fly unto Christ Seeing therefore whatsoever God decreed before time shall be fulfilled and accomplished in time hereupon therefore it followeth not that all sinners absolutely but that those only who do acknowledge their sins and their eternal misery by sin are they to whom Christ is offered in the Gospel and that do come unto him SECT 6. Two Objections of Mr. D. answered THere are two Objections of Master D. which I formerly passed over at my first reading of his Book whereunto I have thought good now to return an answer First Object he reasoneth thus against any qualification or preparation or other to be wrought in us before we be justified Reconcil of God to man pag. 16. Let us hear the Lord speaking of his own work upon the Creature Isa 57.18 He went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heale him I will lead him also and restore comforts to him and to his mourners Whom wilt thou heale O Lord Whom wilt thou restore Even him whose wayes I have seen What are those wayes Even frowardnesse and perversnesse He went on frowardly in the way of his heart See again Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my owne sake and will not remember thy sins Whose sins will the Lord blot out Look we back unto the 22. vers Thou hast not called upon me O Jacob thou hast been weary of me O Israel Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities verse 24. See Thou hast been weary of me Yea thou hast wearied me This is Iacobs qualification This is Israels preparation Then follows I even I am he that blotteth out thy trangressions As if the Lord should say unto his people as he speaketh by the prophet Ezek. 36.22 Say unto the house of Israel Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for my holy names sake which ye have prophaned among the heathen whither ye went See also Deut. 9.6 Isa 48.9 alleadged by him And then his conclusion is This is all the qualification we bring unto God to win his love and mercy Answer But I answer whereas the Lord saith he went on frowardly in the way of his heart c. This is not Jacobs qualification but a description of his perverse disposition being considered as he was in himself to the magnifying of Gods most rich mercy and superabundant grace towards him in pardoning his sins His qualification precedent to his justification was his humiliation and abenegation of himself wrought in him by Gods Spirit opening his eyes to see his sins and the great wrath that was due unto him for them This was that which through the gracious working of Gods Spirit drew him unto Christ the promised redeemer of his people when he was offered unto him that he might be saved through faith in him But it was not this nor any thing else that Jacob did or could do that merited the pardon of his sins or that moved made God to justifie him for we acknowledge that our justification is wholly of grace yea that this preparation is also of grace yet not necessitating our justification as if it did alway follow it But of this enough hath been said before Yet Mr. D Dr. C and others do so represent our doctrine as if we taught precedent qualifications to win Gods love to procure him to have mercy upon us to forgive us our sins Object Master D. second Objection against precedent qualifications not onely to our justification but to our Conversion and Sanctification Reconcil of God to man pag. 31. is this John Frith whose Learning was by his adversarie commended whose constancy and patience in his Martyrdome was admired writeth to this effect Thou maist preach Hell Damnation and the rendering of a terrible account to a severe Judge seven years together and yet not make one good Christian He that would make a good Christian let the love of God be the first stone which he layeth for the foundation Answ That which this holy man saith I acknowledge to be most true A minister may preach not only seven but seventy time seven years together and yet if he preach nothing else but Hell and Damnation not convert one soule For it are not the terrours of the law but the glad tydings of Salvation by Christ in the preaching of the Gospel whereby the Spirit of God worketh faith in us to our conversion and salvation and stirreth us up to love and thankfulness towards God Notwithstanding the terrours of the Law are necessary by way of preparation hereunto For how can a man se of apprehend the great love of God to him in giving his Son to death for his Redemption if by

by the practice of other vertues as well as of Faith and consequently giveth us to understand that assurance of salvation is to be had not from Faith only but from charity also and from brotherly love and all those other Vertues and Graces that are joyned with it and by the Apostle in that place particularly rehearsed and reckoned up For it must needs be granted that those who are assured of their election are thereby also assured of their salvation seeing it is not possible that any of the Elect should perish Math. 24.24 For Gods decrees are immutable his counsel shall stand and he will do all his will and pleasure Isa 46.10 SECT VI. Objections answered and Doubts resolved THere remaineth nothing now but that I answer certain Reasons of Mr. D. which I have not yet touched whereby he goeth about to prove that our works of piety or charity cannot possibly assure us of salvation when faith lyeth hid that we cannot see that we believe by the inward testimony of our Conscience Object Convers J. Baptist p. 51. The first of them is this That which maketh me doubt of my Faith will make me doubt of the sincerity of my works No it will not for the cause many times lyeth hid when the effect discovereth it self and is obvious to sight and sense Answ 1 He that is shut up in a Dungeon or in a dark house cannot see the Sun when it is risen yet notwithstanding he may assure himself that it is not night but day and that the Sun is risen by those beams of light which do dart into the house through some little crevises or chinks that are in the wall and even so in like manner when a mans faith cannot be seen being over-clouded with tentations yet by the lively effects thereof by his love to God and to his word and Children and by the opposition which he maketh against all sinful lusts and tentations and by his constant purpose desire and endeavour to obey God and to please him in all things he may gather that he is not destitute of Faith though he cannot so clearly see it nor behold it directly and immediately in it self or in its own proper acts Again whereas he saith That which maketh him doubt of his faith will make him doubt not of his work but of the sincerity of it Answ 2 I further answer That there is a two fold sincerity the one agentis seu operantis of the person that doth the work the other operis of the work that is done 1. The sincerity of the person consists in the true intention of his minde or heart and so it is opposed to hypocrisie Now whether a man doth his works in sincerity and truth or but in hypocrisie his own Conscience will tell him 2. The sincerity of the work is when it is true and real and not imaginary or counterfeit Now if sincerity be taken in this sense there is apparent reason why many a believer doubteth more of the sincerity of his faith then of his works to wit because his faith is assaulted with strong yea and now and then with hideous and with fearful tentations which do shake it and make him to doubt of the truth of it whereas he may have no such cause to doubt of the truth of his works Even as though not the same man yet some other for the same cause may doubt more of the truth and sincerity of some of his vertues actions and works then of others As for example of his chastity rather then of his liberality and justice because lascivious thoughts do now and then rise in his minde although he taketh no delight in them but resisteth them and grieveth and condemneth himself for them Whereas he is not so assaulted in the exercise of other vettues which maketh him lesse to doubt of the truth and sincerity of them Lastly Whereas he saith That which maketh me Answ 3 doubt of my faith By retorning the Objection will make me doubt of the sincerity of my works I must tell him That if this reason of his be any thing worth then neither will his faith give him any assurance of his salvation when he doubteth of the sincerity of his works or of his love to God and Man Gal. 5.6 for the true justifying and saving faith worketh by love But contrary hereunto he telleth us as you heard before that when the soul is loaden with the burthen of sin and sense of misery it is sufficient for our assurance to believe God in his promises according to that Act. 16.21 Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Object A second Reason of his is this How is it possible I should judge my works sincere when I cannot see I believe Whatsoever is not of faith is sin Answ To this I answer It is one thing to be without faith another for a man to want the sense and sight or feeling of his faith No works in deed are any thing worth where faith is altogether wanting for without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 But as fire on the hearth cannot be seen when it lyeth covered under ashes so is the faith of Gods dear Children many times so covered by reason of doubts that arise in their minds or the dimness of their spiritual eye-sight that they cannot see it Yet I hope Mr. D. will not say that all their works in this case are unsound or that they or others shall do well to think so of them as long as their Consciences do tell them that whatsoever they do they do it in sincerity and in the singleness of their hearts and not as time-servers or men-pleasers Object Lastly He asketh What works are done in faith that the same acts may not be done in the spirit of bondage Answ I answer him That though the same acts that are done in faith may be done in the spirit of bondage He that is acted only by the Spirit of bondage doth love sin still and whatsoever good he doth Act. 15.9 it is only for fear and not out of love to God Heb. 9.14 that he may glorifie him quoad materiale according to the matter of them yet not quoad formale that is according to the purity and sanctity of them for it is faith that purifieth the heart as St. Peter saith And as another Apostle telleth us It is faith in the blood of Christ that purifieth the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Men in deed may be restrained from acting sin for a time by the terror and fear of Gods judgements which the spirit of bondage worketh in them but when that fear is gone or when it is but forgotten as usually it is in their mirth and meriments then they break out again and commit the same sins which they did before with greediness The sum of all then is this it is faith and the filial fear of God and not the