contradicting Humour I despise nothing more it argues those in whom it is observable to have attained to no solid judgment or sense of things and besides there is a deal of conceitedness and pride in it and too much ordinarily of a cross-graind and ill nature But amicable Disputes sometimes meerly in order to the finding out of Truth can have no other than a good effect and moreover they add much to the pleasure of Conversation And therefore let the Professors of Christianity labour for the true spirit and temper of Christians and it will be as well with the Christian World as if we were all of the same mind I mean let us not magisterially impose upon one another and be so charitable as to believe well of Dissenters from us that live good lives are of a modest and peaceable deportment and hold no Opinions that directly oppose the design of the Christian Religion and of making men like to God and then we shall see that there will be little reason to desire an Infallible Judge of Controversies to make us all of one Opinion So that by this pleading for one the Case standing as it doth there is no hope of having an end put to them but by this means as you said well is there another Controversie added to the rest and this alone except it were more plainly decidable than it is may cause as much wrangling as the Church is now disturbed with So that Philalathes those Friends of ours cannot but judge it a piece of Tyranny too near of kin to that of the Cruel Procrustes for any to endeavour to force others to be just of their pitch and size in Opinions and to approve of their Sentiments Philal. And well they may For by this means though men may make Hypocrites and cause some to profess what they do not believe yet they can never make any sincere Converts but rather so much the more alienate Dissenters both in their Judgments and Affections from their Religion Theoph. There cannot be a more effectual Course taken so to do than this is And though men of some Tempers may not be able to contain themselves from over-much warmth in managing a Dispute yet it is no less unreasonable to malign our Brethren because they are not in every thing or in several things of our Judgment than to quarrel with each other upon the account of the unlikeness we observe in our Faces and Constitutions Philal. 'T is surely utterly unwarrantable and most unaccountable to Censure and Condemn those Persons as Hereticks that dissent from us in any matters not very clearly revealed in Scripture for no other reason but because they do so It being very evident that where its sence is doubtful we have a liberty of thinking one way or other and that we are not so much as Culpable in misunderstanding such places as are capable of various Interpretations if we are not wanting to our selves in our endeavours to understand them If we suffer not our selves to be lead by Parties Prejudices and the like in our Enquiries after Truth Theoph. Our understandings are not free as are our wills but the Acts of them are natural and necessary Nor can they judge but according to the Evidence that is presented The Understanding is like the the Eye which cannot apprehend the Object but as it offereth it self nor can it otherwise judge of Objects than the nature of the Reasons that are offered will endure Philal. But Theophilus though that faculty can never properly deserve blame when it is deceived yet mens Wills may and I fear often do and that many suffering them to lie under the power of prejudice and to be governed by some inordinate affection are by that means careless of providing their understandings with due helps for making a true judgment Theoph. You say well but this no man can be a competent Judge of in any one that doth not declare it by unwarrantable practising upon his Opinions and therefore to be incensed against men meerly for not being of our mind and not having the same thoughts that we have in uncertain points may be to find fault with the make of their Intellectuals and to condemn them for that which they cannot help Philal. If our Saviour had laid such great weight as too many nowadayes do on such things if he had made a right understanding and belief of them a necessary condition of Salvation we may be assured that the love he beareth to man-kind would have caused him to speak most plainly and to have taken a course that his Apostles should do so likewise where it is of such infinite importance not to mistake his meaning Theoph. There is no doubt to be made of it Now then I say Philalethes that those Divines from these Considerations and such like are not at all forward to conclude any man an Heretick or erring damnably that is of a Perswasion contrary to theirs supposing his Opinions do not so evidently contradict the Scriptures as that it is unimaginable how any should not see it that do not purposely shut their eyes And can hope well of any one notwithstanding his mistakes if they be not inconsistent with true Goodness and have no bad influence upon his Practice They are so perswaded of the graciousness of the Divine Nature that they verily believe that simple Errors shall be destructive to none I mean those which men have not contracted by their own default and that where mistakes proceed not from evil affections and an erring judgment from a corrupt heart through the goodness of God they shall not prove damnable But that he will allow and make abatements for the weakness of Mens Parts their Complections Educations and other ill Circumstances whereby they may be even fatally inclined to certain false Perswasions Philal. I remember to this purpose a good saying of the Learned and Pious Chillingworth in his excellent Book against the Papists I am saith he verily perswaded that Errors shall not be imputed to them as sins who use such a measure of industry in finding Truth as humane Prudence and ordinary Discretion their Abilities and Opportunities their Distractions and Hindrances and all other things considered shall advise them to Theoph. 'T is a saying like one of that brave Persons who had he lived till these dayes would most assuredly have been branded with the hateful long Name as he was before his death with those of Papist and Socinian and which adds to the wonder for the sake of that his Book Philal. I scarcely ever more admired at any thing then at the Character I have read of that Piece Theoph. As vile a Book as not only all Papists but some also that would be thought no Friends to them think it I am sure he would do a very excellent piece of Service which all good Protestants would have cause to thank him for that would take the pains to translate it into
considered the three or four first verses of the 13 th Chapter of Deuteronomy where God by Moses saith thus to the children of Israel If there arise among you a Prophet or a Dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a signe or a wonder and the signe or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee saying Let us go after other gods and let us serve them thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet or that Dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul c. Theoph. That place is to very good purpose quoted by you and these two things are plainly to be gathered from it First That we are to consider the Doctrine it self before we believe it to be of God as well as the means of its confirmation Secondly That God for certain Reasons may suffer wonders to be wrought that is such things as no man can give account how they should be effected by natural means for the confirmation of a false Doctrine And you have from thence rationally concluded what I now said viz. That the goodness of the Doctrine is necessary to go along with the consideration of the Miracles whereby it was confirmed to make them such an Argument as we may reasonably desire to induce us to entertain it as coming from God and to receive him as Gods Son that brings it By the goodness of the Doctrine I mean at least its negative goodness and say that we ought to see that there be nothing in it that is plainly unworthy of God to revele or that containeth a manifest contradiction to any of his Attributes but when positive goodness is also therein observable that is a high congruity and agreeableness with the Divine perfections such Doctrines make Miracles a more abundantly strong argument that the Preacher of them is no Impostor but that he came from heaven upon Gods Message Philal. But there are Learned men that distinguishing betwixt Miracles and Wonders assert that the former are sufficient motives of Credibility though not the latter Theoph. Though these two ought to be distinguished yet I conceive that distinction will signifie very little when applyed to this matter For I cannot question but that it may lie within the compass of Evil Spirits power to play such Feats as no mortal man though they should be but Wonders can be sagacious and quick-sighted enough to discern them from real Miracles But when a person doth not onely perform most marveilous works but also delivereth the most excellent doctrine we have the greatest assurance that can be from both together that he came on Gods errand and that the Religion he brought with him hath the Majestie of Heaven for its Author We have reason to be no less assured of it than that God is good it being utterly unconceivable that he should lay before us such an invincible Temptation to believe a Cheat and Falsity Philal. But there are those you know that seem by their discourse to lay no weight either upon the Miracles or excellencie of the Doctrine and are heard to cry up onely the Testimony of the Spirit as an Argument of the truth of Christianity and of the divine Authority of those Books that contain it Theoph. There are so Philalethes but why do they distinguish between Miracles and the Testimony of the Spirit They are one and the same without all doubt for were they not performed by the power of the Holy Ghost And therefore they were his Testimony or attestation to the truth of the Gospel Philal. But they mean an internal Testimony or a secret powerful perswasion wrought immediately in the souls of men by the Holy Ghost Theoph. But those that say that Credit cannot be given to the truth of the Gospel without this make the Devils greater Unbelievers than we are from Scripture assured they are And moreover they seem to me to assert that Christ and his Apostles might have spared their mighty works for who will deny that the Spirits immediate testimony is alone abundantly sufficient for that purpose But besides those that talk thus do apparently run in as gross a Circle as that we accuse the Papists of For as they prove the Scriptures by their Church and their Church by the Scriptures so these prove the Scriptures by this Testimony of the Holy Ghost but then cannot prove so much as that there is any such person but by the Scriptures And once more if there be any truth in this opinion there is nothing to be done for the conviction of Infidels for this internal Testimony can be an Argument to none but those that have it Philal. This I once urged to a certain Divine who stiffly maintained that Conceit and was angry with those that went about to prove the Authority of the Scriptures the other way and he readily replied that he knew no means to be used for the conviction of unbelievers but praying for them Theoph. I commend that Gentlemans ingenuity in that concession but nothing could be said more dishonourable to our excellent Religion or that tends more to expose it to the scorn and contempt of those that bear no good-will to it Philal. But Theophilus do you think then that there is no such thing as this inward Testimony Theoph. All I think as to this matter I will briefly tell you I say that the external and rational Motives of Credibility are as sufficient to give unprejudiced persons an undoubted belief of the truth of our Religion as any rational Arguments are to perswade a man of the truth of any thing he desireth satisfaction concerning But yet because our Grand Adversary useth all Arts to make it as much suspected as may be and to shake our faith therein and we are moreover in regard of the Contrariety of our Religion to our carnal and fleshly interests very apt to be strongly prejudiced against it and we are not easily brought fully to believe what we would not have true God is ready without all question to assist our weakness by his grace and Spirit in this as well as other particulars when humbly sought to but we have no reason to think that he doth this ordinarily in an immediate manner but by blessing the use of means i. e. the consideration of the motives he hath given us to believe And that he confirms our Faith by giving us to see such strongly-convincing demonstration in those Arguments and by so closely applying the evidence of them to our understandings as that they come to be even perfectly over-power'd and against all opposition to have full assent and such as hath a powerful influence upon our practice as it were even forced from them But if all the external motives will not make one sufficient Argument to perswade to assent how could they render the unbelieving Jews inexcusable as our Saviour several times assured them they would
the merciful for they shall obtain mercy To works or sincere obedience Iames 2. 24. A man is justified by works and not by faith onely Where Faith is taken in a more strict sence and Works suppose Faith That is A man is justified by an effectual working faith and not by faith without works And again vers 21. saith he Was not our father Abraham justified by works who yet according to S. Paul was justified by faith But whereas Justification is mostly attributed to faith the reason is because all other graces are vertually therein contained and that is the Principle from whence they are derived Philal. I pray inform me next Theophilus what influence it is that those Preachers tell their people Faith hath upon Justification or how it justifieth Theoph. I should not have forgotten this though you had not minded me in the least of it for it is of as great importance to be spoken to as most of the heads of our past discourse Observe therefore That Faith sometimes signifieth in Scripture the Doctrine of faith or the Gospel so it is to be understood Gal. 3. 23 25. and in several other places But it ordinarily signifieth the vertue or duty of believing and so it is variously expressed as by believing on the Son of God and the record that God gave of his Son 1 Joh. 5. 10. Believing the word or words of Christ Joh. 5. 47. Believing Christ to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the world Joh. 8. 24. Joh. 11. 26 27. Receiving of Christ Joh. 1. 12. All which are to be understood in a practical sence For as the Scriptures scarcely ever call any other the knowledge of God but that which hath the end of knowledge viz. obedience so do they make nothing true believing but that which hath the ends of faith or causeth men to do those things for the sake of which it is required Now as Faith is put for the Doctrine of faith so those Preachers are content it should justifie as an instrument viz. as it containeth the Covenant of grace and holdeth forth pardon to sinners and so it justifieth as the Law condemneth As it signifieth the vertue or duty of faith so it justifieth as it is the condition of the new Covenant wherein forgiveness of sin is offered God the Father is the principally efficient cause of our Justification and so it is said that it is God that justifieth Jesus Christ justifieth as the onely meritorious or procuring cause the Gospel as the instrumental cause and faith therein as the condition without which we cannot be justified and to which that priviledge is assured The new Covenant offereth pardon of sin and eternal life to us upon the condition of believing in Christ So God loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life He that believeth shall be saved c. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall die in your sins Philal. This is a very easie account of Faiths justifying Theoph. Nothing seems to me to be more plain as obscure a business as 't is made Philal. But what cannot the wit of men make difficult Theoph. First there is nothing more evident as we said than that the new Covenant is conditional and that God doth not therein promise absolutely pardon of sin and the consequent blessings Philal. The great place that is produced against the conditionality of the Covenant of grace is that which you said you would speak to viz. that quotation out of Ieremiah that we finde in Heb. 10. 8. where God seemeth in his Covenant to promise to do all in order to our eternal happiness and to require nothing of us Theoph. It is in a good hand I pray do you answer that Objection Philal. Were I duller than I am I think I could easily enough apprehend a satisfactory answer to it viz. That a condition is there implied for the meaning of those words I will put my laws into their hearts and write them in their inward parts cannot be I will do all for them they need do nothing at all this would make all the precepts of the Gospel most wretchedly insignificant nor indeed do any assert this but some very monstrously wildebrain'd people nor yet as appears from many other Scriptures can this be the sence I will sanctifie their natures and so cause them to keep my laws without their concurrence in that act but I will afford them my Grace and Spirit whereby they co-operating therewith and not being wilfully wanting to themselvs shall be enabled so to do Or I will do all that reasonable creatures can reasonably expect from Me towards the writing of my laws in their hearts putting them into their inward parts Whatsoever God may do for some persons out of his superabundant grace doubtless this is all that he either here or elsewhere engageth himself to do for any Theoph. This exposition of yours is a very good one most agreeable with the analogie of Faith and fully answers the forementioned Objection But there are very judicious Expositors that are led by the consideration of the verse following thus to interpret this place viz. This is the Covenant that I will make in the times of the Gospel I will in stead of those external and carnal ordinances which the house of Israel hath for a long time been obliged to the observance of give them onely such precepts as are most agreeable to their reason and understandings and such as wherein they may discern essential goodness and by this great expression of my grace to them as also that which is expressed in the 12 verse namely assurance of pardon to all reforming sinners of all past wickednesses whatsoever and all present frailties and weaknesses I shall not onely convince them of their duty but also strongly encline them to the chearful performance of it And then it follows very pertinently to this sence in vers 11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest i. e. There shall be no need of such pains in teaching men how they must obey the Lord and what they are to do as there was under the Law of Moses which consisted in observations that were onely good because commanded and had no internal goodness in them to commend them to the reason of men and which might cause it to prompt them to them but the precepts now given shall be found written by every man in his own heart so that none need be ignorant of what is enjoyned for the substance of it that will but consult the dictates of their own natures For a confirmation of this sense see Deut. 30. 11 12 13 14 vers Moses having in the later part of vers 10. put the people upon turning to the Lord their
God with all their heart and with all their soul and before shewed that it was their duty to love the Lord their God with all their heart and soul which you know containeth the substance of what is enjoyned in the new Covenant and was no part of that which was required by the Law that is called in a strict sence the Iewish Mosaical which as the Apostle saith was added because of transgression till the seed should come to whom the promises were made not as any new condition whereby they were to attain to the promises but that they should till they were fulfilled be restrained and kept under a strict outward discipline backt on by temporal rewards and punishments I say having over and above his own Law exhorted them to the observance of those duties wherein the substance of those commanded in the Gospel consisteth and which may be found sprinkled up and down in the other Prophets as well as his writings and doubtless were more compleatly delivered to them by tradition from their fathers he thus saith in the 11 verse and the three following For this commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off it is not in heaven that thou shouldest say Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it Neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayst do it By the word in their heart at least we are certainly to understand the forementioned spiritual and essentially good precepts for so is it interpreted by S. Paul Rom. 10. 6 7 8. Philal. I am hugely pleased with the Paraphrase you have given and must needs say that of these two considering the context it seemeth the most natural Theoph. But however their interpretation of this place that endeavour to prove from it the nonconditionality of the new Covenant is by no means to be endured it being of so very ill consequence and also so flatly contradicting the apparent sence of multitudes of Scriptures as it doth whereby we are assured that God expects that the working of his and our own spirits should go together and be conjunct causes co-operating one and the self-same effect Philal. If men have no power as those people say to co-operate at all with the grace of God in the mortification of their lusts or the renovation of their natures S. Iames did very strangely forget himself when he said Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded Theoph. The truth is the Scripture seems one while to give all to God in the work of Regeneration and Conversion and another while to make it wholly mens own act And as in that place to the Hebrews it may seem at first sight that all is to be done by God so doth God in other places express himself as if man were to do all in this work as Cast away from you all your iniquities Make you a new heart and a new spirit turn your selves and live ye Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well And you know that I could tire you with sayings to the same purpose Philal. Therefore we must interpret such places so as to reconcile them to each other Theoph. And to this end we must go in a middle way and avoid the extremes on both hands or we shall never do so I mean that where God speaks as if he did all in this great work we are to judge that he supposeth mens endeavours and where he speaks as if men were to do all that he supposeth the concurrence and assistance of his own grace But as I said that nothing is more evident than that the new Covenant is conditional so secondly there is nothing more plainly or frequently expressed than that Faith is the condition of it and therefore I shall not need to insist upon it Philal. You said that those Preachers are accused by many Hot men for this doctrine as persons Popishly affected and holding Justification by works and therefore enemies to the freeness of Gods grace Theoph. I foresaw that in this part of our discourse you would put me upon vindicating them from this high charge and therefore when I had occasion given me to do it I chose as you may remember to defer it longer because this is the properest place for it Philal. But suppose the consequences of this doctrine were so very foul as those men think they are would it not be notwithstanding very uncharitably done of them to censure the Preachers of it so highly upon that account Theoph. Yes verily Philalethes this would not excuse them at all from unchristian uncharitableness for they ought to hope seeing they profess to magnifie free grace no less than themselvs and concern themselvs to confute the Papists as much as any not to say more that they do not understand the evil consequences of their Doctrine and that if they did they would most willingly and freely renounce it Philal. If those Preachers should retaliate as I hope they are better Christians than to do so they might call these their censurers worse than Papists I mean Libertines and Ranters for they are as strongly perswaded that their notions about justifying Faith and some other lead to Looseness and Libertinism as these are that theirs lead to Popery Theoph. But they dare not I hope so much as suspect that those of them that seem to make any conscience of their ways are at all aware of the Poison that is in some of their Opinions but judge that their meaning is much better than their Faith Philal. I for my part can truly say that I think not at all hardly of them for the sake of their false Tenets so long as I do not observe that they practise upon them but I am sometimes very shrewdly tempted to fear upon the account of the Reviling and Censuring not a few of them are guilty of that they are no better than meer pretenders to Religion as great a profession as they make of it For S. Iames hath taught me that He that seemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue that mans Religion is vain Theoph. But perhaps they may mean as honestly in the one as in the other and 't is possible that their angry expressions may not be the effects of malice but of a certain kinde of zeal Philal. Well Theophilus I will endeavour after more of your charitable temper If you judge too well of those people it is a safe and good extreme Charity I confess hopeth all things and believeth all things even there where are too great temptations to the contrary