believe c. Answ I am sure he knows that many famous Protestants assert this as well as I and we shall see proof sufficient of it in due place and of the last also that none were to have any benefit by the death of Christ till they beleeve But Mr. Eyre takes special notice of one passage in this Argument §. 38. wherein I say that neither Justification in conscience nor before men are of much worth in the Apostles judgement 1 Cor. 4. 3. To this he gives a large answer § 11. which I am apt to think he would have taken no notice of but to acquaint the world with his good wishes concerning me He refers me to some texts of Scripture to learn what account the Apostle had of Justification before men and in conscience though I cannot learn what account he had of the former from any of the texts mentioned But be it what it will be I give him this brief reply That in comparison of Justification before God neither the one nor the other are much worth though they may be of some worth in these inferiour Judicatories Not only children but grown persons for ought I know may be saved without being justified of men or of their own consciences And I will never beleeve that that Justification is worthy of those many glorious commendations which are every where in Scripture given to Justification by faith which one may live and die without and yet be saved Who will prove to me convincingly that a Christian may not live many years and die at last in melancholy or madnesse under which distempers the judgement of men or of conscience is not much valued and yet be saved or that a soul may not for some grievous sin go with sorrow and darknesse to the grave and never see light till it be carried up to him that dwelleth in light CHAP. V. An Answer to Mr. Eyres ninth Chapter whether faith be the condition of Justification The Affirmative proved from Scripture Mr. Eyres Arguments to the contrary all invalid SECT I. TO Mr. Eyres Argument That if we were justified by §. 1. faith we were not purely passive in our Justification I gave this answer That to beleeve is a formal vital act of thesoul in genere physico but the use of it in Justification is to qualifie us passively that we may be morally orderly capable of being justified by God or though physically it be an act yet morally it is but a passive condition by which we are made capable of being justified according to the order and constitution of God As the reading of the book or acceptance of a pardon amongst men is a condition without which an offendor is not pardoned Hereupon Mr. Eyre disputes largely that faith is not the condition of Justification wherein I do the more gladly joyne issue with him because upon this assertion of ours doth he take occasion to asperse the received doctrine of Protestants with the reproachful names of Popery and Arminianisme Here therefore I shall shew three things 1. What a condition is 2. That faith according to Scripture is the condition of Justification 3. That all Mr. Eyres Arguments §. 2. to the contrary are most miserably inconclusive A condition then is diversly described by divers Authours Some describe it thus a Navar. Enâ—hâ—r page â—8 Conditiâ— est suspensio ali cujus dispositioniâ— tantisper dum aliquid futurum fiat Others thus b Baldus apud Joh. Baptist in verb Conditio est adjectio quaedam per quam dispâ—situm habet in sui esse pendentium existentiam vel defectum Others thus c Pet. de Perus ibid. Est verbâ—rum adjectio in futurum suspendentium secundum quam dâ—â—ponens vult dispositum regulari d In L. 1. F. de â—oud demonstr Bartolus thus Conditio est quidam futurus eventus in quem dispositio suspenditur Any of these will serve my turn these things being agreed 1. That it pertaines to him that disposeth of any thing to propound upon what condition his will is that it be disposed of or not disposed of 2. That the nature of a condition consists mainly in suspending the actual obligation of the disposer until the condition be performed 3. That it is the will of him that makes the condition which is the cause of the obligation that comes upon him when the condition is performed of which we shall see more anon Now that faith is the condition upon which God hath suspended §. 3. his actual donation of righteousnesse to a sinner is so plain and evident to me that I confesse I cannot but wonder that men acquainted with the Scriptures should so much as question it Several expressions there are taken notice of by e Vide Bartelum late in L. 1. F. de cond Demonstr Azor. Inst Moral par 3. l. 4. c. 24. Civilians and Moralists as signes or notes of a condition and scarcely one can I finde which the Scripture doth not use somewhere or other in describing the order and habitude of faith to our Justification But I shall instance but in one or two I begin with that Rom. 10. 6 9. The righteousnesse which is of faith speaketh on this wise That if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleeve in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved That salvation here includes Justification appears from the very next words ver 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousnesse And I appeal to common sense whether the particle If in this place be not a manifest signe of a condition upon which Justification is suspended or whether it be possible for mortal men to invent any words that can more plainly expresse the matter of a condition Try it by comparison with other Scriptures Gen. 43. 4 5. If thou wilt send our brother with us we will go down but if thou wilt not send him we will not go down and Gen. 34. 22. Only herein will the men consent to us If every male amongst us be circumcised Herein will they consent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is upon this condition will they consent as we render that word 1 Sam 11. 2. on this condition will I make a Covenant with you See Gen. 18. 26. 28 30. Exod. 4. 23. Prov. 2. 1 4. Jor. 18. 8 10. and hundreds of other places In all which the particle If is manifestly conditional nor upon the strictest observation which I have made in reading the Scriptures am I able to espy so much as one place wherein the said particle hath any other use when it supposeth to any thing that is future by vertue of a Promise Indeed Mr. Eyre did f Chap. 5. §. 6. before mention two places wherein he will have the particle If not to propound the condition by which a benefit is obtained but only to describe the person to whom it belongs viz. 2
righteousnesse as our natural being in the first Adam to our partaking in his condemnation Yea. 3. It is a great deal more necessary and therefore I deny §. 6 Mr. Eyres consequence for though it were yielded that condemnation comes on men only by the Law of Adam yet will it by no means follow that Justification descends to us from Christ as the immediate effect of that Law or Covenant by which himselfe was justified The reason is plain because Adam represented all mankind as virtually in the same obligation with himself b Vide Paul Ferrium scholast Orthod spe c. 20 §. 3. and his offence was the act of the whole humane nature though it be not imputed to particular persons till they begin to exist and his condemnation was so far forth the condemnation of all mankinde it being the very same sentence that condemneth both him and us But Christ Jesus represented no man as in the same obligation with himselfe either in his obedience or Justification otherwise we are justified by works or he by grace for we must be acknowledged to have satisfied Gods justice in him and to have merited eternal life in him in the very same propriety of speech as we are said to have sinned and dyed in Adam which I will never beleeve while I live because it excludes grace altogether from having any hand in the justification of a sinner The grace of our justification is usually placed in these c See the Assemb confes cap. 11. §. 3. two things 1. In that Christ was given freely of the Father for us 2. And his obedience and â—â—tisfaction accepted in our stead But in neither of these is there any grace at all if we have merited and satisfied in him as we are said to sin and die or be condemned in Adam For the Law it self will allow us to make satisfaction if we are able for it inflicts the penalty but in ordâ—r to satisfaction and the punishment of sinners is not eternall but because they cannot satisfie by bearing it But if we have satisfied in Christ it seems we were able to do it â—b esse ad posse valet consequentia And justice it self will accept of satisfaction being performed And as God deals not more rigorously with us in condemning us then he did with Adam in condemning him so neither doth he deale any whit more mercifully with us in justifying us then he did with Christ in justifying him if his satisfaction and justification be ours in the same sense in which Adams sinne and condemnation is ours How much safer is it to say with the Scripture He is the propitiation for our sinnes 1 Joh. 2. 2. and that he hath obtained eternall redemption for us Heb. 9. 12. then to talke of our being in him a propitiation for our owne sinnes or of purchasing in him redemption for our selves The conclusion is the Law that justified Christ cannot justifie us though the law that condemned Adam were yeelded to be the only law that condemneth us which yet I have already denyed Ergâ— there must be some other Law according to which sinners are justified and that is that Law of grace preached in the Gospel whosoever beleeveth shall be saved called the law of faith Rom. 3 27. and the Law of righteousnesse Rom. 9. 31. 4. No saith Mr. Eyre those places are to be understood of the §. 7. new covenant made with Christ not of the conditionall promise as I would have it Rep. Which is spoken after the old rate of Mr. Eyres disputing that is dictating I acknowledge my selfe unworthy to be compared with him in any respect yet the truth if he think himself in the truth is worthy of a more laborious defense then a frigid so 't is or 't is not so though I may not be worthy of a better answer I am perswaded himself will acknowledge that the propriety of the phrases favours me and he doth not so much as pretend to any Argument hat may compell me to understand them improperly 1. For the law of faith it is expresly opposed to the law of works Where is boasting then it is excluded By what law of works nay but by the law of faith The law of works is the law that requires us to performe works that we may be justified Ergo the law of faith is the law which requires faith unto justification even that doctrine which manifesteth the righteousnesse of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ without the works of the law as he had before described it v. 21 22. Thus Beza Evangelium vocat legem fidei id est doctrinum quae salutem propâ—nit sub conditione si credideris opposâ—tam doctrinae quae justitiam salutem proponit cum conditione si omnia feceris To the same purpose Paraeus Aretius Hemmingius c. And therefore the Apostle having said that the law of faith excludes boasting he addes immediatly v. 28. we conclude therefore that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law To put faith for Christ is such a piece of boldnesse as I dare not adventure upon as much as Mr. Eyre challength me for my forehead The reasons are mentioned before 2. And as for the law of righteousnesse Rom. 9. 31. it is called the righteousnesse which is of faith in the very next foregoing verse v. 30. And I would Mr. Eyre would tell us how we may otherwise make sense of the Apostle when he sayes the Gentiles attained it by faith v. 30. and the Jews fell short of it by stumbling at Christ through unbelief v. 31. And a few verses below chap. 10. 6. the Apostle calls it the righteousnesse which is of faith and v. 8. The word of faith which we preach the voyce and tenour of which he describes v. 9. If thâ—u shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleeve in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved and all this in opposition to the righteousnesse of the law which the Jews sought after the summe of which is comprehended in these words The man that doth them shall live by them v. 5. Hence it is manifest that the law of righteousnesse is that by which only righteousness is attainable and that is the Gospel-promise of justifying them that beleeve in Jesus though they be not able to fulfill the Law of Moses SECT II. IN the next place Mr. Eyre offers us some Arguments to prove §. 8. that justification is not the discharge of a sinner by that signall conditionall promise of the Gospel he that believes shall be saved Let us try then for whereas he censures that saying of mine every man is then condemned when the Law condemnes him I stay not to answer him he might have seen if he would that I intended no more then that whosoever is condemned is condemned by a Law What then are the Arguments The first is crambe bis shall I say or
proved in my Sermon in these words If the tenour of the first Covenant do this and live by the consent of all people and Nations Jews and Gentiles will undeniably evince that works were necessary Antecedents of justification in that covenant why then should not Beleeve in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved which is the tenour of the New Covenant Rom. 10. 6 9. plead as strongly for the like necessity of the Antecedency of faith to justification in this Covenant Mr. Eyre answers That Beleeve and thou shalt be saved is not the tenor of the new Covenant for 1. It 's no where called so 2. In Jer. 31. and Heb. 8. The new Covenant runs quite in another straine That Text Rom. 10. 6 9. is not the tenour of the new Covenant for that requires confession as well as faith The Apostle there describes the persons that shall be saved they are such as do beleeve and professe the truth His scope is to resolve that question how a man may know that he shall be saved c. Rep. The stresse of the Argument lies not at all on this that Beleeve and thou shalt be saved is the tenor of the new Covenant as Mr. Eyre supposeth I think that he may the more colourably wave an answer If I had left out the word Covenant in the Argument and proofe of it yet had the Argument been the same as to its principall intent Do this and live by the consent of all the world proves undeniably that works were to go before justification according to the purport of that saying Ergo Beleeve and thou shalt be saved will as necessarily inferre that faith is to go before justification though we do not at all dispute whether that were the tenor of the Covenant of workes or this of the Covenant of grace Now judge Reader what weight there is in Mr. Eyre's answer The tenor of the new Covenant saith he is not Beleeve and thâ—u shalt be saved Suppose it yet is it that which the Apostles preached v. 8. and one would think should be as plaine to prove the antecedency of faith as the other of workes to justiâ—â—cation 2. And that this is the tenor of the Covenant of grace appears 1. That which the Apostle calleth the righteousnesse which is of the Law v. 5. is the tenor of the Covenant of workes Ergâ— that which he calls the righteousnesse which is of faith v. 6. is the tenor of the Covenant of grace and that is this If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved v. 9. 2. The doctrine whereof the Apostles were the special Ministers is the tenor of the new Covenant 2 Cor. 3. 6. But Bâ—leeve in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved is the doctrine whereof the Apostles were special Ministers c. Rom. 10. 8 9. The word of faith which we preach that if thou shalt believe and confesse c. This it seems is the summe of what the Apostles preached and that according to the commission and call they had received from God v. 14. And that faith and repentance and salvation thereupon was the summe of the Apostles Ministry appears also from other Texts of Scripture Act. 20. 21. Luk. 24. 47. Heb. 6. 1. c. 3. The Gospel and the Covenant of grace is all one But this is the summe of the Gospel Beleeve and thou shalt be saved Mark 16. 15 16. Go preach the Gospel to every creature He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved 4. Beleeve and thou shalt be saved are words that have the forme of a Covenant Ergo they are either the Covenant of the Law or of grace or some third Covenant Not the Covenant of the Law for the Apostle expresly opposeth them against that Covenant Rom. 10. 5 6. a third Covenant they cannot be Ergo they are the Covenant of grace Let us now see upon what grounds Mr. Eyre denies these words §. 11. to be the tenor of the new Covenant 1. Saith he they are no where called so Ans Nor doth the name of the Covenant of workes appeare in Scripture nor of the Covenant of grace neither is it therefore a sufficient ground to deny that do this and live is the tenor of the Covenant of workes 2. If it be not called by the name of the Covenant yet is it called by names of equipollent signification as when it is called the Gospel the word of faith the righteousnesse of faith the Law of faith Rom. 3. 27. the Law of righteousnesse 9. 31. the promise Heb. 4. 1. Gal. 3. 22. 3. But neither is the name wanting Gal. 3. 15 16 17. If it be but a mans Covenant no man disannulleth or addeth thereto Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made And the Covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ c. Compare these expressions with v. 22. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe And v. 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith And v. 9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham Hence the Argument is The promise of blessednesse through faith is the summe and substance of the new Covenant Beleeve in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved is the promise of blessednesse through faith Ergo it is the summe and substance of the new Covenant or of the Covenant of grace These two tearms I use as of the same import to expresse that Covenant which is opposed to the Covenant of workes strictly so called The Minor is past denyall The Major stands upon this foundation That the same inheritance and blessing which was given by promise to beleeving Abraham which promise is called the Covenant is now proposed to all the world Gentiles as well as Jews to be obtained by the same faith that Abraham had and given to them when they believe As to Mr. Eyres second Argument that when the new Covenant is mentioned Jer. 31. and Heb. 8. it runs quite in another straine I must desire thee Reader to have patiâ—nce till thou come to the particular debate of those Texts which thou shalt meet with below wherein thou shalt see it fully proved that there is nothing spoken in them but what doth confirme the truth of that which I here assert I referre thee thither purposely that I may forbeare tautologies But Mr. Eyre hath a speciall reason why this Covenant Rom. 10. §. 12. 6 9. cannot be the Covenant of grace because it requires confession as well as faith and so justification by the new Covenant would be justification by confession as well as by faith Rep. The Apostle answers this fully v. 10. With the heart man beleeveth unto
righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Hence it is manifest that faith and faith only is requisite to justification but confession also is required of them that are justified unto salvation according to what our Lord himself speaks whosoever shall confesse me before men him will I also confesse before my Father but whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father Matth. 10. 32 33. Luk. 12. 8. Indeed our compleat and final justification at the day of judgement is no small part of our salvation but the Apostle here distinguishing justification as a thing going before from salvation as a thing following after teacheth us to understand him of our initial justification or of the first right to the inheritance of life which by the promise is given a man as soone as he believes which yet is to be understood not as if confession were of as universal and absolute necessity to salvation as faith it self for if a man believe in the very last moment of his life when he hath neither opportunity nor ability of body to make confession he shall be saved notwithstanding but that it is k Vid. Amâ—s Cas Con. l. 4 c. 3. q. 2. necessary in its time and place but faith only absolutely universally and indispensably necessary as the Apostle also intimates in his proofe subjoyned v. 11. mentioning faith without confession whosoever beleeveth on him shall not be ashamed Even as our l Chaâ— pâ—nstrat de Baptis l. 5. c 9 §. 3. Spanhâ—â— dub evang part 3. dub 96. pag. 493 494. Protestants argue against the Papists that though it be said Mark 16. He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved yet is not Baptisme hereby made as necessary to salvation as faith it self because it is not mentioned in the negative proposition presently added He that beleeveth not shall be damned Not he that is not baptized shall be damned Nor finally is confession required as by it self and in coordination with faith but as in subordination thereunto being indeed the natural effect thereof and that wherein the truth and life of faith doth exert it self To what is added that the Apostles scope is to answer that question §. 13. how a man may know that he shall be saved and that he doth describe the persons that shall be saved by two markes or characters faith and confession I reply we have been too often imposed upon by pretended scopes and Mr. Shepheard is falsly alledged as a witnesse that the Apostles scope is to answer the foresaid question for he saith it not but is purposely arguing in that very place which m Sound beleev p. 230. Mr. Eyre referres to out of this very Text that we are not justified before we beleeve Yet is it most true that a man may come by faith to know that he shall be saved and the ground of it is because faith is appointed of God to be medium fruitionis a means of obtaining salvation and therefore cannot be denied to be medium cognitionis a means by which a man may know that he shall be saved Even as the same Law which made workes the means of life do this and live if a man had kept it would have also bred the assurance and knowledge that he should have lived But 1. As it is not the knowledge of life simply but life it self which is promised in those words for it were too grosse to paraphrase them thus do this and thou shalt thereby know that thou shalt live so it is not simply the knowledge of justification and salvation but salvation it self which is promised in these beleeve and thou shalt be saved The righteousnesse which is of the Law sayes thus do this and live v. 5. But the righteousnesse which is of faith sayes this if thou beleeve thou shalt be saved v. 6 8 9. What can be more plaine 2. When it is said v. 10. with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse and with the moutâ— confâ—ssion is made unto salvation must we read it thus with the heart man believeth unto the knowledge of righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto the knowledge of salvation What will become of the Scriptures if men may interpret them after this rate 3. And here to see how it falls out Mr. Eyre is forced to contend that the Apostle mentioneth faith as that which evidenceth justification as a mark or character which way of evidencing he could by no means approve of when I urged it p. 77. § 3. and 4. of his book 4. If thou beleeve thou shalt be saved That these words propound §. 14. the condition or means of salvation and not only describe the persons that shall be saved we have proved n chap. â— sect 1. before by several Arguments And according to my promise there I shall adde something here that if it be possible Mr. Eyre may suspect the truth of that notion which he cannot defend but by turning the Scriptures into a nose of wax And 1. I say that if the foresaid words do only describe the persons that shall be saved then are they here used otherwise then the like words or manner of speech is used any where else in Scripture Mr. Eyre hath not yet produced us one place where such phrase of speech is a bare description of a person at least unlesse we will take his bare word that so it is meant And though it be hard to be peremptory in such a nicety and deny universally that there is any example in Scripture of such phrase of speech used in such a sense yet upon the most diligent and critical observation which I have made on purpose to discover it I can find none neither in the Old nor New-Testament and therefore shall deny it till Mr. Eyre not only say it but prove it For if the foresaid words If thou beleeve thou shalt be saved do only describe what manner of persons they are that shall be saved then do they not suspend salvation upon the act of beleeving but their meaning is this If thou be one of those who be or shall be believers thou shalt be saved Shew us the like in all the Scriptures And hence 2. It follows that these words do not present believers as such reduplicativè as the objects of salvation but only Specificativè the men that are believers but under some other respect and notion For example Peter gives a legacy to Simon the Tanner that lives in Joppa by the sea side The messenger that carries the legacy knows not the man but tells him if he be the Tanner of Joppa this legacy is his Which words do not indeed propound the condition but the description of the Legatee from his place and profession and the legacy is not given him in respect of either of these circumstances but immediately as the person whom these circumstances describe or it is not given the man Quatenus he
the consequence because though Christ merited nothing for himself it being unworthy to rank him amongst such mercinary servants to whom nothing is due but for their labour in which sense are our Divines to be understood when they deny him to have merited for himself yet what he did and suffered was necessary for himself at least as a condition without which he had not obtained that advancement which now he hath viz. power of sending the Spirit Act. 2. 33. dominion over Angels in short all power both in heaven and earth as our Divines do liberally grant Which promises are not made to us but to Christ though instrictnesse of propriety he did not merit them And therefore though I do not find that he is called his own mediatour yet he was his own way unto the father Joh. 14. 4 6. forasmuch as not without the rending of his flesh and the shedding of his own blood he entred into the holy place Heb. 9. 11 12. Mr. Eyre proves his consequence in these words Christ is the mediatour of the new covenant Heb. 12. 24. Faith is bestowed upon us by virtue of that covenant whereof Christ is Mediatour Now Christ is the Mediatour of the covenant made with us not of a covenant made singly and particularly with himself for a man is not properly a Mediatour for himself Answ Which words if they had stood by themselves as an argument directly proving the maine question viz. that faith is given us by virtue of the covenant made with us they had been of more strength then all that Mr. Eyre hath said for it besides But as they now stand for a proof of the foresaid consequence I cannot imagine into what forme to cast them though I have toyled my self about it more then enough Therefore leaving it to Mr. Eyre to shew how they prove his consequence let us consider them as an argument by themselves the forme whereof is this What is given us by virtue of that covenant whereof Christ is Mediatour is given us by that covenant which is made with us the reason is because Christ is the Mediatour of the covenant made with us not with himself But faith is given us by virtue of that covenant whereof Christ is Mediatour Ergâ— I cannot guesse what strength the argument looseth in this forme if it loose any Mr. Eyre must thank himself for speaking no plainer my answer to it is this faith may be said to be given by virtue of the covenant in a double respect 1. Operatione â—fficacia foederis by the operation and efficiency of the covenant working faith in the soul by the power of the Spirit accompanying it In this sense I deny the proposition because what is given us by the efficiency of the covenant doth not suppose us to be in covenant before our receiving it forasmuch as the working of faith it self by which we are brought into covenant is the effect of the covenant or 2. Ex obligatione faederis and so that is given by virtue of the covenant which we by the covenant have a right to receive and God by the same covenant hath obliged himself to us to bestow upon us In this sense which onely is proper to our Argument I deny the assumption because there is no covenant whereof Christ is Mediatour which gives any man a right to the receiving of faith or makes it due to him that faith be given him as I shall farther shew by and by when I come to examine Mr. Eyres answer to my explication of Heb. 8. 10. And that faith is given us by the righteousnesse and merits of Christ will never prove that therefore it is given us as unto a people in covenant with God What may not Christ merit faith that thereby we might be estated in the covenant though I will also tell Mr. Eyre that the three places he mentions viz. 2 Pet. 1. 1. Eph. 1. 3. Rom. 8. 32. to prove that we obtaine faith by the merits of Christ would never convince me if I were contrary minded The third argument proceeds thus If faith be given us by virtue §. 9 of that covenant whereby justification sanctification perseverance and glory are bestowed upon us then faith is given us by virtue of that covenant which is made with us But the first is true Ergo so is the last In the same covenant wherein God promiseth to cleanse us from our filthinesse to cause to walk in his ways c. he promiseth to circumcise our hearts to make us beleeve c. Ezek. 36. 25. c. Jer. 31. 34. Answ I deny the assumption if understood according to the foregoing distinction of what is given by a covenant obligation Till I see better proofe then any I meet with in Mr. Eyres book which I beleeve I never shall it will never enter into my heart that God is as much bound to give faith to sinners and rebells as he is to give righteousnesse and salvation to beleevers As for the proofe out of Ezek. 36. and Jer. 31. I deny that God doth give righteousnesse or glory by virtue that is by the obligation of the covenant there mentioned The reason which shall be farther explained by and by is because those texts do not expresse the forme and tenor of the covenant of grace but onely the matter and particulars wherein God would make the said covenant as administred in the days of Christ to excell it self in its administration before his coming As for example that it shall have greater efficacy in giving ability to fulfill it and to conferre more excellent spirituall and eternal blessings to them that do fulfill it But he that declares that his purpose is to establish and enact such a covenant by and according to which such excellent blessings shall be given doth not by such a declaration oblige himself to give them it is the covenant it self enacted and established which enduceth the obligation Wherefore the texts mentioned do indeed declare that the effects of the new Covenant that is of the Covenant in its new administration shall be farre more excellent then of the old but they do by no means declare that the said Covenant shall produce these effects in one and the same way or manner It produceth faith by its reall efficacy as I may so call it for it is the new Covenant which administreth that Spirit by which faith is wrought and having thus brought souls within the bond and made them to take hold of it self it produceth justification perseverance and salvation by its legall efficacy inasmuch as it makes these and all other blessings due to them that beleeve The fourth argument succeeds Faith is given by virtue §. 10. of that Covenant which was made with Abraham and his seed Ergo it is given by virtue of the Covenant made with us Answ I deny the antecedent The reason is because the seed of Abraham according to Scripture are they that do beleeve Rom. 4. 11 16.
and Glorification But Justification in conscience is the act of conscience reasoning and concluding a mans selfe to be just and as for the expression of Justification terminated in conscience let me here once for all declare against it not only as not being Scriptural but as not being very rational For that upon which Justification is terminated is that which is justified But it is the man and not his conscience which is justified Erge it is the person and not the conscience properly upon which Justification is terminated Passio as well as Actio is propriè suppositi SECT IV. ANother text which doth manifestly hold forth Justification to §. 10. be consequent to faith is Rom. 4. 24. Now it was not written for his sake alone that righteousnesse was imputed to him but for our sakes also to whom it shall be imputed if we beleeve Mr. Eyre answers that the particle if is used sometimes declaratively to describe the person to whom the benefit doth belong as 2 Tim. 2. 21. If a man purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour And Heb. 3. 6. Whose house are we if we holdfast our confidence and the rejoycing of hope c. Rep. Which observation is here misplaced for I am not yet disputing the conditionality but meerly the antecedency of faith to Justification Now suppose the particle if be used sometimes declaratively yet is it alwayes antecedent to the thing which it declares or rather to the declaration of that thing As suppose which yet I do wholly deny that a mans purging himself do only manifest and declare that he is a vessel of honour yet surely his purging of himself is antecedent to that declaration or manifestation As the holding fast our confidence is also antecedent to our being declared to be the house of God Yea and Mr. Eyre himself interprets the imputation of righteousnesse in the text of our knowing righteousnesse to be imputed to us of which knowledge himself will not deny faith to be the antecedent yea and more then an antecedent even the proper effecting cause And therefore to tell us before-hand that the particle if doth not alwayes propound the cause when by his own interpretation it must signifie the cause which is a great deal more then a meer condition or antecedent was a very impertinent observation His sense of the text he thus delivers His righteousnesse is imputed to us if we believe q. d. Hereby we may know and be assured that Christs righteousnesse is imputed to us if God hath drawn our hearts to believe Rep. To whom righteousnesse shall be imputed if we beleeve saith §. 11. the Apostle We shall know that righteousnesse was imputed to us before we believed saith Mr. Eyre for that is his sense though I do a little vary the words This is an admirable glosse Whereas 1. Our knowledge that righteousnesse is imputed to us is our own act but the imputation of righteousnesse in the text is Gods act not ours ver 6. Yea saith Mr. Eyre himselfe page 87. § 13. it is the act of God alone and that in opposition to all other causes whatsoever whether Ministers of the Gospel or a mans own conscience or faith But it is like when he wrote that he had forgotten what he had said before in this place 2. Nor doth the text say righteousnesse is imputed to us if we beleeve as Mr. Eyre renders the words but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quibus futurum est ut imputetur To whom it shall come to passe that it shall be imputed if we beleeve 3. And that this imputation of righteousnesse cannot signifie our knowing it to be imputed should methinks be out of question with Mr. Eyre He disputes against me a little below that when the Apostle pleads for Justification by faith the word faith must be taken objectively for Christ because otherwise faith could not be opposed to works forasmuch as faith it selfe is a work of ours And saith the Apostle in this chapter ver 4. To him that worketh the reward is not imputed of grace but of debt Hence it follows that that imputation is here meant which hath no work of ours for its cause But faith is clearly the cause of our knowing righteousnesse to be imputed and that as it is a work of ours Ergo the imputation of righteousnesse here spoken of is not our knowing or being assured that it is imputed 4. To impute righteousnesse in this verse must have the same § 12. sense as it hath ten or eleven times besides in the chapter and particularly when it is said that Abrahams faith was imputed to him not for righteousnesse as we render it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto righteousnesse ver 3. 9 22 23. and unto every son of Abrahams faith ver 5. 11 24 Now what is it to impute faith unto righteousnesse I know that learned and godly men give different Expositions I may be the more excusable if I am mistaken I conceive therefore that to impute faith unto righteousnesse is an Hebraisme and signifies properly to reward the believer with righteousnesse or more plainly i Vid. R Sol. Jarchi in Gen. 15. 6â— Maymon more Nevoch 3. 53. Oâ—cum in Rom. 4. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et Tertull advers Marcion lib. 5. 3. Abraham Deo credidiâ— deputatum est justitiae aâ—que exiâ—de Pater multarum Nationum meruit nuncupaâ—i Nos autem credendo Deo magis proinde justificamur sicut Abraham vitam proinde consequimur to give the believer a right to blessednesse as his reward the word Reward being taken in that more laxe and metaphorical sense in which the Scriptures use it when they call Heaven by glory and eternal life by that name And as the whole salvation of believers is expressed by its two termes to wit They shall not perish but shall have everlasting life John 3. 16. so in Justification there is a right given to deliverance from punishment which is the terminus à quo in which respect it is called the pardon and non-imputation of sin of which the Apostle gives an instance out of David ver 6. 7 8. and a right to the more positive blessings of heavenly and eternal life by the Promise which is the terminus ad quem in which respect it is called Justification of life Rom. 5. 18. of which also he giveth us an instance in Abraham ver 13. for the Promise that he should be heire of the world c. In reference to which part or terme of Justification it is in special manner that Abrahams faith is said to be imputed to him unto righteousnesse for though those Promises were things which in the letter were carnal yet in substance and signification they were spiritual and so did he understand them Heb. 6. 12 13 14 15. and 11. 12 13 14 15 16. Now that this is the true notion of the phrase imputing faith unto righteousnesse namely a
Tim. 2. 21. If a man purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour and Heb. 3. 6. whose house are we if we hold fast our confidence unto the end As to the former place it should have been proved and not said only that the particle If is not a note of a condition if to be a vessel of honour be to be glorified in heaven Or if to be a vessel of honour do signifie a man specially and eminently serviceable unto God sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work as the Apostle in the same verse expounds it then the particle If is a note of more then a condition even of a true proper cause of an effect that follows naturally and not by Promise for the more a man purgeth himself from spiritual defilements and defilers the more prepared and disposed he must needs be to every spiritual employment The next place Heb. 3. 6. is nothing to the purpose if the particle If be there granted to be meerly a description of the person because the consequent part of the Proposition is not promissory but simply affirmative The text saith not whose house we shall be if we hold fast but whose we are if we hold fast Neverthelesse g Parall l. 3. in loc Junius upon ver 14. which in sense is much the same with this doubts not to affirme the holding fast of our confidence to be a condition A nobis verò conditionem unicam desiderat scil Christus nempe ut maneamus in ipso atque hanc conditionem nâ—tat Apostolus his verbis siquidem principium illius subsistentiae c. which testimony I quote the rather that Mr. Eyre may know that Junius was no enemy to faiths being a condition as he doth somewhere represent him yea and on this verse he is expresse that continuance in the faith is the condition of our continuing to be Gods house §. 4. And that the words Rom. 10. 9. If thou beleeve with thine heart c. cannot be a description of the person meerly I prove largely below in a particular debate of that place I have here only one word to speak against it Either it describes the person from his faith to signifie that as such that is as a believer he is the subject of Justification and then faith must needs be antecedent to Justification and if it be antecedent as an act required of us in point of-duty to a blessing consequent by vertue of a promise then is it antecedent as a condition Or it is a meer description of the person shewing that that is the man that shall be justified though his faith have no order nor tendency to his Justification but may as well follow after it as go before it But 1. This cannot be current sense if Justification be either from eternity or immediately in the death of Christ or at any time before this description be made for example Is it sense to say If thou be the man that dost or at any time shalt beleeve thou shalt be elected or Christ shall die for thee when both election and the death of Christ are long since past or if a man should say If thou shalt be glorified thou shalt be justified would not such a speech suppose that the person to whom those words are spoken was as yet not justified though the Scripture is not wont to speak after this manner in any place 2. Let us take some parallel place and see how it will accord with it As the words of Christ to the father of the childe that was possest Mark 9. 23. If thou canst beleeve all things are possible to him that believeth Or the same words to his disciples Matth. 17. 20. If you have faith as a grain of mustard-seed nothing shall be unpossible unto you If faith do here only describe the person and not propound the condition then whether the father had at present believed or no his childe must have been presently healed notwithstanding supposing him to be a person that at any time should believe and whether the disciples beleeve or no at present all things are possible to them presently they being the persons whose property it is to believe some time or other But more of this hereafter Another note of a condition is the particle if not or except which §. 5. we finde also used in Scripture in this matter for men are threatened that they shall not be justified except they beleeve John 8. 24. If you beleeve not or except you believe you shall die in your sins when men are threatened with damnation except they believe are they threatened absolutely or conditionally if the first then all the men of the world shall be damned for this is to be preached to all men that if they believe not they shall be damned If conditionally then faith is the condition of deliverance from damnation And is not God to be thus understood in all his speeches of like nature Gen. 44. 23. Except your youngest Brother come down with you you shall see my face no more Josh 7. 12. Neither will I be with you any more except you destroy the accursed from amongst you Can the Sun shine more bright in the firmament then it is clear from hence that their destroying the accursed from amongst them was a necessary condition of their enjoyment of Gods Presence Acts 27. 31. Except these abide in the ship you cannot be saved See also Luke 13. 3 5. Rev. 2. 5 22. and multitudes of other places In all which the same particle is a note of a condition unlesse we shall have the modesty to think that the Scriptures were penned on purpose to puzzle and confound our understandings All those texts of Scripture which promise remission of sins to §. 6. them that believe prove the same thing particularly Mark 16. 15 16. Go preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten sonne that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life and 6. 40. This is the Will of him that sent me that whosoever seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life with many places of like nature To all which I guesse what Mr. Eyres answer will be by what he saith of the last of these chap. 13. § 14. pag. 135. This text saith he and others like it do only shew who have the fruition and enjoyment of the benefits of Christ to wit They that beleeve Many such cathedral determinations we have from him without §. 7. so much as a pretence to proof especially in his answers to Scriptures alledged against him yet might he very well think that we would expect some solid reason for this his perpetual wresting and abuse of words from their obvious and common sense 1. It
ruv. var. Resol l. 1. c. 14. in continenti presently If he say this right is given them sub termino or in diem as if I give Titius ten pounds when he comes to the age of twenty one so God gives ungodly men a right to heaven but they cannot enjoy it till they beleeve yet even thus it must be acknowledged that they have more right when they beleeve then they had before as Titius hath more right to what I gave him at the age of twenty one then he had before for he had before but a remote right jus ad rem and at that age he hath an immediate right But neither will this which Mr. Eyre must stick to or to nothing salve the sore partly because the day when a wicked man shall repent and beleeve is in it self contingent and uncertain in its self I say because it is known to God but Gods knowledge alters not the nature of things he knows what events shall come to passe contingently and what necessarily Now dies incerta aequiparatur conditioni what is given upon an uncertain day is all one as if it were given upon condition according to the determination of the z I. Stipulatio ista §. inter certam ff de verb. oblig Civil Law as if I promise ten pounds to Titius upon the day of his marriage it is all one as if I promised it upon condition he marry and if God promise ungodly men to give them heaven when they beleeve it is all one as if he promise it on condition they beleeve which Mr. Eyre cannot away with Partly and principally which also is my second Argument for proof of the consequence because the right which is given a man to the Kingdome by Justification according to Scriptures is independent upon time so that if he die the very next moment that he is justified he shall and must be saved yea such an immediate and necessary dependance there is of the Kingdome upon Justification that nothing more is required to make a man morally and immediately capable of inheriting the Kingdome but that he be justified Rom. 8. 30. Whom he justified them he glorified See also Rom. 5. 9 10 17 18 21. Tit. 3. 7. and other texts before mentioned all importing such an immediate connexion between Justification and the inheritance that though no other change be made in a mans state yet being justified he shall be saved Ergo if the elect have right to heaven while they are ungodly they must be saved whether ever they be converted to the faith of Christ or no. No saith Mr. Eyre it will not follow because Christ hath §. 24. purchased faith and God hath purposed to give it as well as glory Rep. Both which I grant in thesi but if Mr. Eyre will take in the hypothesis too and tell us that God did purpose and Christ did purchase faith for a people that had right to heaven before I shall desire him to prove it for I am not like to beleeve it Yet I am out of doubt that God never purposed faith to any such person but to such as are aliens strangers and forreigners that they through faith might partake in the rights and liberties and immunities of his Kingdom Eph. 3. 5 6 9 11. For 2. Give me leave to ask To what end should God purpose to give faith if men have right to the Kingdom without it It must be purposed either as a means to the obtaining of righteousnesse and life and then I have what I would for then no man hath a right to heaven but by faith and if any man hath right without it the gift of faith as to them in order to that end is utterly needlesse and superfluous or it is purposed as part of the natural essential perfection of mans nature unto which he is restored by Christ and this I deny at least I am very doubtful of it and desire it may be proved a Vide 〈◊〉 in Sent l. 4 dist 14 ◠19. ad 3. There are some things which in themselves are perfections of mans nature as love to God and our neighbour and all the vertues pertaining to the first or second table that faith which Adam had in his innocency and the frame of righteousnesse in which he was created Other things are no vertues at all but upon supposition of sin and do alwayes imply imperfection as shame for sin brokennesse of heart repentance and faith in a Mediatour as it signifies an abnegation of our own righteousnesse and a dependance upon another for righteousnesse These of the latte◠sort are no part of the essential perfection of man yea they do essentially suppose imperfection for faith in a Mediatour is at an b Vide Aquin. 1. ◠ae q. 9◠art 3◠o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ◠end when we shall be perfected in glory 1 Pet. 1. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 7. there being no farther use of it nor object for it for even Christ himself as it seem◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cease to be a Mediatour after he hath brought all his redeemed ones unto God 1 Cor. 15. 24 27 28. though the vertue and effects of his Mediatourship abide for ever Faith it selfe therefore being no part of our inheritance nor meanes of obtaining it upon Mr. Eyres supposal that it is no meanes of obtaining right to it it remaines that it is not necessary to any mans salvation and then what should hinder but that men may be saved without it 3. If this be the true reason why the elect in their ungodlinesse cannot inherit heaven though then they have right to it namely because they have not that as yet which God is purposed to give them before they go to heaven then their incapacity of heaven even while they live in all manner of wickednesse is not at all privative or positive but purely negative that is they are therefore uncapable of heaven not because the Law or sin or any thing they do deprives them of the possession of heaven but because God hath not done what his purpose is to do in all whom he intends to glorifie Wilt thou see Reader what are the issues of this Gospel 1. Hereby sin is made of a like necessity to the enjoyment of Heaven as faith for he that purposed to bring the elect to heaven purposed also that they should be sinners ipso permittente by his permission And so for example Adam and Eve while they were innocent had a right to heaven but they could not enjoy it till they had sinned because he that purposed to give them heaven purposed also to permit them first to sin 2. Yea so far was sin from being their hindrance that it was their furtherance rather for having sinned the more was over and past of those things which God had appointed should go before their salvation and so by their sin they became nearer heaven then they were before 3. And on the contrary the purpose of giving
purchase See Exod. 19. 5. We shall cleare all this by a distinction at the end of Mr. Eyres Arguments Mr. Eyre proceeds fourthly We receive faith it self upon this §. 6. account because we are Gods people Ergo God is our God before we believe The antecedent he proves Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba father So. Isa 48. 17. I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profâ—t Answ I deny the Antecedent The proof is such as I never expected to have met with from a Scholar and a Divine To Gal. 4. 6. I deny that the Spirit of the Sonne there mentioned is to be understood of faith but of that Spirit of prayer which includes that boldnesse liberty and confidence spiritual which God gives to them that are his Sonnes by faith For we are the Sonnes of God by faith in Jesus Christ saith this Apostle not farre before chap. 3. 26. and receive the Spirit of the Sonne through faith ver 14. a Spirit given to believers not a Spirit given to make men believers Joh. 7. 38 39. Rom 8. 14 15. for we are believers before we are Sons Joh. 1. 12. as to the other text Isa 48. 17. I consent to Junius that the meaning is Praesto quod mearum est partium not that they had actually believed which sense the very next ver contradicts but as Piscator in his Scholia upon the place because he had taught them ea quae apta vel comparata sunt ad prodessendum those things which if they had observed would have been very much for their profit and advantage Fifthly saith Mr. Eyre None do or can believe and repent §. 7. but they to whom the Lord doth manifest this grace That he is their God Ergâ— the Lord is our God before we beleeve and repent Answ This is strange Divinity that the soul must be assured by revelation that God is his God before he can believe or repent If this be true souls are in worse condition after they have repented and believed then before many faithful souls are groaning all their daies after this manifestation of God to be their God But what is the proof We châ—se and love him because he chose and loved us first Joh. 15. 16. 1 Joh. 4. 10 19. Hâ—â— 2. 23. And Burroughs Rivet and Zanchy are quoted to prove what That God begins with us first and makes us his people before we owneâ— him for our God Alas the thing to be proved is not that God gives faith and repentance of which there was never anâ— question between Mr. Eyre and me but that he is our God and we his people before he give it us we have shewed from Scripture that he gives faith that he may be our God and we his people And if God make us his people viz. by giving us faith and repentance before he be our God which is the sense of the Authours whom Mr. Eyre quotes have they not fairely proved his proposition viz. That none can believe and repent but they to whom God hath manifested himselfe to be their God His sixth and last Argument is They to whom God is a Father §. 8. and a Shepheard have the Lord for their God But God was our Father and Shepheard before we believed All the Elect are the sheep and children of Jesus Christ before they believed Joh. 10. 16. Isa 53. 10. Heb. 2. 13. Jer. 3. 19. Answ I deny the assumption Indeed the Elect are called the sheep of Christ Joh. 10. 16. not that they were his sheep at present for none of the qualities of sheep mentioned or not ment oned in that Chapter a gree to men dead in sinne and ungodlinesse and much lesse to men that are not and a shepheard actually there cannot be where there are no sheep but proâ—eptically from what they should be of which manner of speech we have given many instances before from Scripture Thus saith Abraham to his servant Gen. 24. 4 38. Thou shalt go unto my kindred and take a wife unto my Son Isaac Not that she was his wife or any mans else before he took her but because she was to be made his wife or she whom God had appointed for him ver 44. and if Abraham knowing Rebeckah had said to his man as is usual to be said amongst our selves in like cases I have a wife for my son in such a place it would have argued no more then that he had an intention if he could to make such a one his sonnes wife Thus a Qâ—est super Lâ—vâ—t cap. 23. Hieron in Ezâ—k 30. Augustine observes that before the ordination and sanctification of the Priests they are yet called by the name of Priests Exod. 19. 22. Non quia jam sacerdotes erant sed quia futuri erant hoc eos jam tunc Scriptura appâ—llavit per anticipationem sicut sunt pleraque talium locutionum Nam filius Nave Jesus appellatus est cum longe postea hoc nomen ei Scriptura narret impositum As to Isa 53. 10. and Heb. 2. 13. We have spoken to them often It should be proved and not only said that the seed and children there mentioned are meant precisely of the Elect. As to Jer. 3. 19. But I said how shall I put thee among the children and give thee a pleasant land and I said Thou shalt call me my Father and shalt not turn away from me Deodate gives the true sense viz. my will indeed is firme to re-establish you but true conversion is the only means and necessary condition of it God according to the order of government he hath established cannot give the inheritance of children to any but those whom he hath converted and made his children Junius upon the place to the same purpose Upon the survey of this whole dispute I have onely two things to §. 9. observe 1. That whereas I have proved the words of those covenant I will be their God and they shall be my people to be a promise made to them that beleeve of the many places in Scripture where those words are used Mr. Eyre cannot find us so much as one wherein they are applyed to men that are not converted unto God 2. His arguings from such passages of Scripture wherein men are sometimes said to be the Lords or to be Gods or the Lord thy God and the like conclude nothing till it be proved that such expressions imply as much and the same with those words in the Covenant I will be their God c. forasmuch as men may be said to be his and he theirs sometimes in some other sense then those words in the Covenant signifie All the earth is Gods and all the fullnesse thereof Psal 50. 12 10. 11. All men are his Ezâ—k 18. 4. generally whatsoever is made by him or used to his glory or subject to his government or separated more immediately
may be justified faith goes before Justification here as works before it there And this was plainly enough expressed in the Argument to any one but Mr. Eyre As to all the Arguments he hath against it they are such grosse non-sequitur's that I know not whether it will be worth while to answer them yet out of civility I will take some notice of them First saith Mr. Eyre works were meritorious of eternal life §. 8. faith is not Rep. Very true though the former part about the meritoriousnesse of works Mr. Eyre himself contradicts in terminis page 190. but that 's common and therefore we compare not faith and works in point of worth and value but only in point of place and order or we compare them in the general nature of a condition wherein they agree not in the special nature or in what is accessory to either wherein they differ as much as buying with money Rom. 4. 4. and buying without money Isa 55. 1. If a commodity may be had for taking or buying he that takes it hath as sure a title as he that buyes it yet taking is not buying A genere ad speciem non valet Argumentum affirmativè Mr. Eyre 2. Works in the first Covenant are the matter of our §. 9. Justification faith is not Answ This is all one with the former If it were not it would only shew another difference between faith and works notwithstanding their agreement in point of place and order and in the geneneral nature of a condition in their respective Covenants Works were such a condition as that withal they were that very righteousnesse for which a person was justified but faith is the condition of our being justified by the righteousnesse of a Mediatour Mr. Eyre 3. If faith hath the same place in the second Covenant as works in the first then must God account saith to be perfect righteousnesse which is contrary to his truth and justice Ans I deny the consequence What manner of Readers did Mr. Eyre promise himself when he puts down such sayings as these without one word or pretence of proof that which made works man's perfect righteousnesse was not the place and order which they had by the Covenant to his Justification but their own essential natural perfection as being a punctual and exact conformity to the rule of his Creation the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that rule of Divinity which by Creation was implanted in the frame of mans nature That it was the condition of his Justification was ex accidenti by vertue of the Covenant promising a reward of life upon the doing of such works May not therefore faith have the same place and order that is be in like manner the condition of the Justification of a sinner because it is not mans natural perfect righteousnesse Titius will let Sempronius have a farme if he will give him to the worth of it He lets Maeveus have another if he will ask him for it Here asking is the condition there the payment of the full price both have the same place and order to the obtaining of the farme yet surely begging is not the payment of the full price Mr. Eyre 4. Then is the second Covenant a Covenant of works §. 10. seeing faith is a work of ours Answ 1. We have already shewed at large that the grace or act of faith is perpetually opposed to works in Scripture-language 2. However this Argument is inconsequent for it will by no means follow that if faith have the same place and order in the New Covenant as works in the old then the New Covenant is a Covenant of works Suppose God had made the world a promise of pardon upon the condition of the existence of some contingent event v. g. That if Paul be converted within seven years after Christs Ascension all the world shall be justified Pauls conversion in this case would have the very same place and order to the Justification of the world as workes had in the old Covenant though it be not a condition of the same nature and quality yet surely this latter promise could not therefore be proved to be a Covenant of workes M. Eyre 5. This assertion makes faith to be not of grace because not from the Covenant of grace seeing the Covenant it self depends on it Ans 1. This assertion supposeth that nothing can be of grace which is not by the Covenant of grace Was not the Covenant it self of grace 2. Of the dependance of faith upon the Covenant of the Covenant upon faith we dispute purposely below Here we speak only of one blessing of the Covenant namely justification And as soon as ever Mr. Eyre hath proved that faith cannot be given us of grace if it be the condition of justification I will write a book of retractations as long as Augustines if I live to it In the mean time he deals not like a disputant to charge such a consequence upon us and never go about to prove it And whereas he suggests to his reader that my proposition is contrary to all Protestants 't is a vaine and empty flourish to speak the best of it He that hath any acquaintance in their writings cannot but know it to be so Of all Protestants Mr. Eyre quotes two in his margine Calvin and Pemble of which the former in that very h Instit l. 3 c. â— sect 2. place which Mr. Eyre refers to speaks as plainly to the overthrow of what he is brought to prove as can be Nam quum dicit Apostolus c. For when the Apostle saies with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation he shews that it is not enough if a man beleeve implicitly what he understands nâ—t nor makes any search into sed explicitam requirit divinae bâ—nitatis agnitionem in quâ consistit nostra justitia but he requires an explicit acknâ—wlâ—â—gement of the divine goodnesse in which consists our righteousnessâ— This is somewhat more then is any where said in my Sermon Pâ—mblâ— also is as expresly against him as I think is possible and that very frequently I shall transcribe but i Of justâ—â— sect 4. c. 1. p 1. 7 â— one place of multitudes From hence saith he we conclude firmly that the difference between the Law and the Gospel assigned by our Divines is most certaine and agreeable to Scriptures viz. That the Law gives life unto the just upon condition of perfect obedience in all things the Gospel gives life unto sâ—nners upon condition they repent and believe in Christ Jesus Mr. Eyrâ— the is out or Mr. Pemble when the one sayes this is the judgement of our Divines and the other sayes it treads Antipodes to the current of all our Protestant writers SECT IV. THe proposition namely that faith hath the same place and order §. 10. to justification in the covenant of grace as workes in the covenant of workes was
the absolutenesse of the New Covenant is any way inconsistent with this preaching Because to preach the Gospel is no more then 1. To publish that the Sonne of God is come to save men from their sinnes 2. To presse and exhort all men to beleeve on him 1. With the assent of their minds 2. With the embraces of the heart to trust rely and rowle themselves upon him for all the purchases of his death and in so doing confidently to expect the fruition of them Rep. Here are words enough but whether they tend I can scarcely see I must therefore crave leave of Master Eyre to be better satisfied in the following Quaeres 1. Whether there be any promise of life and salvation made to every man If there be nâ—t what covenant of grace it is which is preached to every man It is a strange Covenant which promiseth nothing the Covenant of grace consists essentially in this that it is the promise of the inheritance Gâ—l 3. 18. If there be whether that promise be absolute or conditionall If the former every man shall be saved if the latter the cause is yeelded If Master Eyre would put his assertions into the forme of promises we might understand him better If I tell a man then that Jesus Christ is come to save men from their sinnes do I promise him any thing or no If I do le ts know what it is for my part I professe I cannot imagine if not I would ask 2ly Whether we require men to trust and rely on Christ or whether saith be required as a means to enjoy the purchases of Christs death if we do we presse men to the performance of a condition for a means used by us to obtaine a benefit by anothers promise is a condition as we have often observed if not whether the soul do not beleeve it knows not why nor wherefore Paul gives a better reason of his faith Gal. 2. 16. We knowing that a man is not justified but by the faith of Jesus Christ we have beleeved But more of this by and by In the meane time I perceive the reason why we were told so carefully that the Gospel consists neither in precepts nor promises and that after so long a dispute that it is an absolute promise I said in the minor that every man is pressed to fulfill the conditions §. 4. of the Covenant that he may obtaine the blessings of it and so saies the Apostle Heb. 4 1. a promise is left us of entring into his rest let us feare lâ—st we fall short of it viz. by unbelief v. 2 3. No says Mr. Eyre The words are an exhortation to sincerity and perseverance in our Christian profession by a similitude taken from foolish racers c. Râ—p As who should say it is not faith but sincerity and perseverance which is the condition of the promise The promise mentioned is of such constitution as that our obtaining or not obtaining it is suspended upon our beleeving or not beleeving so that if we beleeve we obtaine it v. 3. if we beleeve not we loose it as the unbeleevers in Israel lost Canaan v. 2. and chap. 3. 19. If a racer lose the Crowne because he gives over before he comes to the goal then his running to the goal was the condition of his obtaining the Crowne if it be obtained by virtue of anothers promise The major I cleared by severall questions 1. Whether there be §. 5. an absolute promise made to every man that God will give him grace No saith Mr. Eyre yet the generall promises of the Covenant are a sufficient ground for our faith forasmuch as grace therein is promised indefinitely to sinners Rep. 1. The promise of giving faith can be no ground of the first act of faith because faith doth not receive it self But the covenant which is to be preached to every man is the promise of that good which faith receives for the covenant and the promise are all one in Scripture Gal. 3. 17 18 21. Ergo the absolute promise is not the Covenant I asked 2ly Whether it be sense to exhort men to take hold of Gods Covenant or to enter into Covenant with God if the Covenant be only an absolute promise on Gods part Mr. Eyre saies yes For to lay hold of the Covenant is to take up those gracious discoveries which God in his Covenant hath made of himself to sinners and to resolve not to be beaten off c. Rep. To take hold of the Covenant in Scripture language is to joyne our selves to the Lord which is done internally by faith Isa 56. 4 5 6. hereby do we obtaine the promises there mentioned for by faith we obtaine the promises Heb. 11. 33. and 6. 12. But our joyning our selves to the Lord were not to take hold of his Covenant it his Covenant did not require â—s to joyne our selves to him much lesse could we be said thereby more then by any other act to obtaine the promises of his Covenant if the said Covenant did not require this our joyning as a means for that end It is not onely presumption but naturally impossible for a soul to resolve not to be beaten off from God without a promise and a command to lay hold of it But neither can men by faith lay hold on that Covenant which it self promiseth to give the very first act of faith nor can they be commanded so to do As to the other phrase of entring into Covenant Mr. Eyre understands it of mens visible giving up themselves to be the Lords people But that giving up of a mans self to God is surely an act of the heart though a man may also with his mouth professe it and hereby we are admitted not into a Covenant of our own but into Gods Covenant Ergo his Covenant cannot be an absolute promise because we cannot by any act of our owne be admitted into that I asked farther whether if the Covenant be an absolute promise §. 6. men can be accused and damned for unbelief and rejecting the Gospel was it ever known that men should be counted worthy of death for not being the objects of an absolute promise Mr. Eyre answers The condemnation of Reprobates doth inevitably follow upon their not being included in that Covenant which God made with Christ Rep. That this is nothing to the purpose himself acknowledgeth in his next words Their exclusion from this Covenant is but an antecedent and not the cause of their destruction We seek therefore an answer That 's this formally the cause of their damnation is not their non-being the objects of Gods absolute promise but their disobedience to the command of God viz. of beleeving Rep. But doth the Covenant command them to beleeve If it doth it is not an absolute promise if it doth not their unbelief is no rejecting or violation of the Covenant in which yet the Apostle placeth the heynousnesse of the sin Heb. 10. 29. and therefore is not