only with other things which the following Tract insists on These he had oft in his own place preached and long endeavoured to make our Ministry hateful to his Hearers yet that I was silent under But serious Thoughts of the Design and Tendency of his open Attempt at Pinners-Hall forced me in my next Turns in that Lecture to preach the Principal Heads of the following Sermons which I enlarged in four Discourses at my own place Yet I had that regard to Peace that as I forbear all Indecent Reflections so I took no notice that any one asserted what I determine against and had never published them except that he had Printed his and that with the Scandalous Name he intends us to be called hereafter by viz. Semi-Socinian Sober Men justly cry out against these Debates but I appeal to their Consciences where the Blame must be laid Can we be Faithful to Christ to our Ministry to Souls that need our help or to our own Name as Ministers if we lye down with these Calumnies and Misrepresentations Though did they only plead for their own Whimsies I should for Peace disregard them but to make it their daily work to Prejudice the People against the Faithfulest Ministry and run them into Confusion of Mind for a Factions sake calls I think for an Industrious Opposition If you ask what in us is it they so exclaim against I answer It 's 1. That though we own Christ's Righteousness is truly imputed to us yet we deny that God esteems us to have done and suffered what Christ did 2. Though we own that God requires nothing of us to be a meriting legal Righteousness or Atonement for Sin yet we say that God in a way of governing Grace requires some Duty to be performed on Man's part to which he enableth us whereupon he applies to us the Beneficial Effects and Fruits of Christ's Righteousness according to the respective Gospel Promises and thereby incourageth us to those Duties governs our Fears and Hopes And that 's the Heart of the Controversie for they think no Duty as a Duty is ordained a means to any Benefit They own no Law but the Law of Works which admitted nothing short of perfect sinless Obedience And because we cannot perform that as the Meriting Condition of Life in the Adjustment of Iustice therefore Men must do nothing as a Condition of enjoying any Benefits in Christ's Right by the Adjustment of Grace in a way of Authority Since we cannot be wholly Sinless it 's all as one whether we are Sincere or no. 3. We own that it is Faith alone is the receiving Condition of Iustification yea I add That it 's the only express'd Condition of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness in order to Pardon but all is in vain because we say that Repentance is necessary to our actual Pardon Mr. M. falsly pretends that their Notions are the Truth in the Churches Possession since the Reformation But I have proved the contrary by many Quotations in my Defence of Gospel-Truth and the very Iâ—dicious and Learned Apology of the Subscribers of my Book hath added a greater Number I will of Hundreds I could produce give two Testimonies Mr. Perkins 's Order and Causes of Salvation c. Cap. 36. Quest. Whether is Justifying Faith commanded in the Law Ans. It is commanded in the Law of Faith namely the Gospel but not in the Law of Works that is in the Moral Law Rom. 3.27 The Reasons are these 1. That which the Law revealeth not that it commandeth not but the Law is so far from revealing Justifying Faith that it never knew it 2. Adam had fully before his Fall written in his Heart the Moral Law yet had he not Justifying Faith which apprehended Christ. He then proceeds to answer the Objections against the Gospel being a Law Mr. Anth. Burgess in his Doctrine of Justification Part 1. P. 161. denies that Repentance is in a Man as a Sign only that God hath Pardoned But saith We must go further and say it 's the Means and Way which God hath appointed antecedently to Pardon so that where this goeth before the other followeth after This he proves by six Arguments and the Book was Printed at the Desire of the London Synod Calvin oft owneth the Gospel to be a Law and in his Commentaries on Jonas Cap. 3.10 P. 359. saith Forgiveness is Free and yet as oft as God proposeth Forgiveness to Sinners this Condition is still added therewith viz. That they Repent He gives the Reasons of it and calls it a Law by which God so commands Repentance in order to Pardon though not as a Cause of Pardon I have in this Book endeavoured to put the Doctrine of Iustification in a plain Light though I wonder why our Brethren still say I mean what is quite contrary to what I say I suppose it 's because they have so long thought and represented some of our Principles contrary to what they be that they cannot think it possible that they should be what indeed they are or at least they will suspect us Fools and Lyars rather than seem to own that they could be so long mistaken I request therefore that if Mr. M. will reply to me he would cite my words fully and give the Page as I have done for hitherto my own words would have put their Calumnies to Shame Him while God spares me I will attend to He saith That he is not far from the place where the Weary are at Rest and the Wicked cease from Troubling I wish him Repentance of the Wound he hath injustly given so many fitter to serve their Generation than him or me and whilst he is spared which I desire for Service may be long that he may be less unwearied in hindring and breaking that Blessed Union which promised so much Good though I am sorry he boasts of his own Quietness whilst he createth Broils and Disquiet to so many some known to us both he 'll meet in Glory who were comforted by the above Consideration whilst less able to bear up under his Assaults than by Grace I have been long strengthened to do Nevertheless whilst Conscience binds me to some Sharpness against his Attempt to destroy so many Ministers as to what 's more valuable than their Lives I do from my Heart forgive him and would rejoyce to find him convinced of his Mistake and Misrepresentation of our Principles that we might peaceably concur in promoting the Kingdom of Christ and our common Good and not be the Scorn of such as Glory in our Weakness Reader It 's worth thy notice that there is more Safety in our way than in the contrary for we trust in Christ's only Righteousness for all those Things and Vses it is appointed to even for Satisfaction to Iustice the Pardon of all our Sins and Defects the Acceptance of our Persons and all Performances the Merit of all Good yea and our Legal and Prolegal Righteousness renouncing every Grace and Work
his and the Fathers Pleasure it was us he was to Buy but it was he alone stood obliged to Pay He engaged to die for us but that is not engaging for us as Principals that he would die a thing which we never were obliged to He did not engage we should not Sin nor if we sinned that we should make satisfaction but he engaged that he would satisfie God that we might not die for our Sins even one Christ for all of us once to die instead of our eternal Death 2 R. Were Christ a proper pecuniary Surety in his Death and Obedience there would be no room for God's Forgiving us any Sin or giving us any Mercy as of Free Gift unless he forgave us more than Christ satisfied for or bestowed what he did not merit This is evident for if my Surety be bound with me to a Creditor for a Thousand Pounds if my Surety pay as my Surety this Thousand Pounds the Creditor forgives me nothing I pay him all So as to Merit If I buy a Jewel for an Hundred Pounds and give Bond for it with a Surety bound with me for that Sum if my Surety shall pay that â—undred Pounds can the Seller be said to give me that Jewel No. I in a Law-sense paid him because my Surety did it Whereas the Gospel lays the Stress of our Felicity upon Forgiveness Rom. 4.8 Acts 13.38 And though Justice do not suffer as having received Glory by Christ yet that is not to exclude Forgiveness but to make way for Forgiveness in a Consistency with his Perfections And further God no more sells us any Blessing notwithstanding Christ's Merits than Christ sells them to us Whereas he must sell all Benefits and forgive no Faults if he be considered as a Creditor and Christ our Money Surety Obj. God may be said to forgive us being he admitted Christ to be a Pecuniary Surety though we pay by him Ans. That goes a very little way towards Forgiveness yea and to refuse it in Money-Matters is hardly admittable by the Rules of Equity It sounds low to hear a Creditor say You were bound to me for a Thousand Pounds which I was paid by one that I allowed to be your Surety and because I would take it from you by him I forgave it you though I got from you legally by your Surety every Farthing of your Debt This is not Forgiving and such a Change whilst the very Debt in kind is paid is not an Abatement Obj. God procured Christ to be our Surety and therefore he forgave us Ans. In Solution of Money this will not amount to Forgiveness If one owes me Ten Pounds for which I cast him in Prison and finding him Insolvent do I forgive him if I get one that wisheth him well to pay it for him I befriend him but am paid all my self even by him in his Surety without forgiving I know nothing more Suspicious to be an Error than what tends to overturn the Doctrine of the Forgiveness of Sins which is the great Support of a poor Sinner and of this the Notion of strict Money-Suretiship whereby we paid all to God is guilty whereas if you consider God as Ruler and Christ as Mediator making Satisfaction for Criminals by enduring Punishment in their stead we avoid all the Difficulties which that of Money-Debts perplex the Work of Redemption with The Socinians main strength lies in Objections from Sin being as a Money-Debt and Christ's Death being the Payment of a Debt even the Idem This is perceived and therefore denied by our best Authors against the Socinians as Lubbertus Essenius Turretin Owen Stillingfleet c 3 R. Were Christ a proper Pecuniary Surety in the same Law of Works with them then every Believer would be entitled to the same Reward as Christ is entitled to yea and as much or more than Christ. This is evident for if I Covenant with another that in Consideration of my paying a Thousand Pounds I shall enjoy such an Estate of Fifty Pounds a Year I have a Surety engaged with me for the Payment of that Money I by my Surety pay the Thousand Pounds upon which I have the Legal Right to that Estate rather than my Surety but at most my Surety can have a Right to no more than that Fifty Pounds a Year in common with me by those Covenants 〈◊〉 here be other Covenants between me and 〈◊〉 wherein I engage to repay him that or mâ—â—e in those Covenants he is not my Surety but a distinct Party Hence it follows that we are entitled to be exalted over all and have a name above every name to see our Seed to be regarded as Saviours at least to be Satisfiers to God for our selves and our own Redeemers in Law-sense Obj. Christ paid all Personally and not we and therefore he hath peculiar Rewards and Honour Ans. The Principal and Surety is one Legal Person and therefore if the Law reckon we satisfied in Christ the Reward promised on that Satisfaction is common to us with Christ The Law gives the Honour as it receives the Tribute and distributes the Recompence as it estimates the Obedience One Person in Law made up of us and Christ alike obeyed in Law-sense and then one Person in Law made up of him and us must be alike rewarded as we are reckoned to do all so we are adjudged to have a Right to have all due upon that doing I shall say more of this presently 4 R. If Christ be a strict Pecuniary Surety I think it will be impossible to confute many very erronious Opinions which naturally are deduced therefrom What can be said against our being Justified actually before we believe For if we satisfied the Law in Christ How can our Justification be suspended till we believe unless there be some other Law The Law acquits us as soon as the Condition is performed by us Obj. We do not apply Christ to our selves before Faith Ans. 1 But God by the Law applies him to us if we have satisfied it and he hath applied him already in making him our Money-Surety the Law will execute it self whether we apply or no. 2. When the Conditions are performed by us it 's against the Law to deny us the Reward or at least to continue us under its Curse a Moment yea or to injoyn any Terms on us for possessing the Reward besides its own Conditions which are fulfilled by us The laying of Guilt on our Persons any time is unjust Obj. We are not Christ's Seed till we Believe Ans. All will not own that but if we ever satisfie in Christ it must be when he satisfied it is not to be done now when the Act of Performing the Atonement and Paying the Debt is over Can we by becoming his Seed now be esteemed to pay what he paid so many Years since if we did not pay it then Or can he be our Money-Surety by whom we pay now when he hath done paying and not then when he was
are so strong That the Image of God is so little restored God so much dishonoured and offended still by us c. will this reasoning perswade you Because I shall be kept by Christ's Righteousness out of Hell therefore I am as righteous as Christ though still subject to many Penal Effects of Sin and know not how much greater I may yet be subject to 5. Doth the Plea formed in this Objection fit the Mouth of any true Believer Lord I do not now need thy Forgiving me any thing nor ever was indebted to thee for abating me ought I bore the Punishment legally before I offended and paid the Debt before I contracted it Be but just towards me and I fear no Advantage thou canst have against me Let me be and do what I will or can I am out of thy reach I have in the eye of thy Law suffered what can be inflicted nay I am as righteous as Christ himself and that in equality therefore thou mayest as well and as much be offended with him as with me yea may'st as justly deny him the Reward of his Obedience as deny me any part of that Reward for I performed the Conditions in the Eye of the Law as much as he and have a right equal to his I am equally righteous with him Are these the Apprehensions of an humble broken Heart These things are as unreasonable as if Millions of Persons were liable to die for Robbery and the King and his only Son should agree that the Son should die in the room of these Millions of Criminals that they owning humbly his Kindness might be released and honoured and the Son to have the Glory of being their Redeemer and have Homage done him as such Would it not appear strange if one of these should after his escape by the Prince's Death say to the King I owe you nothing for my Life I paid you in your Son 's dying for me And to say to the Son I have done and â—uffered as much in the Eye of the Law to â—ave my Life as you did and deserved it as much as you and have as much Honour due â—o me for dying in you as you have for dying for us Millions the King and the Law look on me and all should judge me as Just a Man as your self I doubt such a Man might forâ—eit his Claim to Freedom for want of humble Thankfulness and for denying the King's Son â—he Glory of being his Redeemer Exh. With Sobriety of Mind keep an humâ—le Sense of your distance from Christ under â—he highest Privileges he advanceth you to â—dore his Grace that through his Blood you â—re Righteous as pardoned Believers but â—read comparing with him He will and it's 〈◊〉 he should In all things have the Preheminence Col. 1.18 and sure to be more righteous than us in all respects is one of those things What can be a tenderer part of his â—rerogative 11 Pro. Neither Faith nor any Work of Believers are any Righteousness that have any Share or Place with Christ's Righteousness in Justification as this is before described Our Graces do neither make Atonement nor merit Pardon of the least Sin or the conferring of the lowest Benefit No Acts of ours are a jot of our Righteousness or right to Pardon or Glory in a way of Justice Justice could not allow them that place they being Imperfect and the Actions of Sinners God hath no Eye to our Works as any procuring cause of his imputing Christ's Righteousness or of his Pardoning Absolving or Accepting us Reader Because my Enlargement on this Head is long that it may be better comprehended I shall divide it into several Heads 1. I have already told you that Justification is that Act of God whereby he imputes Christ's Righteousness to a Believer and thereupon Pardons Absolves from Condemnation Accepts and Adopts him whereby he hath a right to Glory and sentenceth him one free from Condemnation as if he had not sinned and an Heir of Glory as if he had obeyed the whole Law This is to make us Righteous as in Justification 2. In Justification thus considered the Righteousness of Christ is that which is regarded by God and influential into all as the only Merit and procuring cause his Obedience Active and Passive is the only legal Consideration on which God Pardons Absolves Adopts or gives a right to Glory yea it is Christ's very Right wherein God doth Pardon Absolve c. 3. Justification as including these Benefits stands entire as to its causes antecedently to a Believer's Interest therein it 's a Blessing purchased by Christ it 's offered to Sinners and included in the Promise a Justifying Righteousness wherein or whereby a Sinner is to be pardoned and entitled to Glory is not to be wrought out by Men it 's already fulfilled by Christ and these Effects of it are lodged in the Gospel as Christ's Deed of Gift with his Title To be applied to all that are made Partakers thereof 4. To be Justified Actually is to be made Actual Partakers of a Gospel-right to these Immunities and Privileges in Christ's Righteousness as it is imputed to us by God in the Applicatory Sentence of the Gospel-Promise We have for Christ's Obedience a right to Pardon c. given us and thereupon are pardoned and to be dealt with and defended as such 5. God in and by the Gospel hath described and determined who shall be thus actually Justified and this by descriptive Qualifications they are Sinners condemnable by the Law hence called Ungodly Rom. 4.5 but not Unbelieving Impenitent Sinners for God Justifies none but whom by the Gospel he promiseth to Justifie Now if the Gospel promised Justification to all Sinners as such or to all Impenitent Unbelieving Sinners then all Sinners all Impenitent Unbelieving Sinners would be Justified as soon as they are such and cease to be Justified when they cease to be Unbelieving Impenitent Sinners But God by his Word hath positively declared that such he will not Justifie whilst they are such but leaves them under Condemnation and the Wrath of God abides on them Iohn 3.38 God's purpose of a better State for any doth not prevent their being at present in this worser State it is his Justifying Act that changeth their Condition from a liableness to Condemnation to a Right to Impunity from destructive Evils As it was his condemning Act which altered their State from a Right to Impunity to an Obnoxiousness to ruin this Condemning Act was by the Law that Absolving Act is by the Gospel 6. Therefore whatever God by his Gospel makes necessary in a Person whom he promiseth to Justifie all that and nothing but that is absolutely necessary in the Person who shall be Justified I do not speak of what is necessary in a Person after he is Justified but what is necessary in him on whom God's Justifying Act doth terminate We may judge what is made necessary in the Person to be Justified Thus Whoever God promiseth
to Justifie as described by any Personal Character such as a Believer c. whatever God promiseth Pardon to as Repentance whatever is contrary to that for which he declareth that he will notwithstanding Gospel-Grace continue the Sentence of Condemnation on Sinners and deny them Mercy As when he saith If the Wicked turn not he shall die thereby Conversion is necessary By these Rules we may know what kind of Person he must be whom God by his Gospel doth Justifie God will not deny it to whom the Gospel promiseth it he cannot by the Gospel grant it to him whom he declares he will deny it to yea on whom he still more binds Condemnation 7. Faith in Christ hath a peculiar Aptness and is more especially honoured in the first Application of God's Justifying Act upon a Christian though nothing can be wanting which God hath made necessary in him whom he will Justifie This acknowledgeth Christ and his Righteousness and by it we return to him as the way to the Father Heb. 7.25 and own his Authority which is the Reward of his Mediation Iohn 5.23 This is our conjugal Consent and Band of Union on our part with Christ as our Husband Head and entire Saviour 2 Cor. 11.2 it includes all of that regard which is appropriated to Christ as Redeemer and therefore we are said to be Justified by Faith and not by any other Grace as I remember Rom. 5.1 But yet Forgiveness and pardoning Mercy is promised to other things especially to Repentance and we are called to repent with this Promise That our Sins shall be forgiven upon it and we turn to God that we may receive Remission of Sin Acts 26.18 Luke 13.3 When I have considered that we are said still to be Justified by Faith and yet Repentance is so absolutely required to the Pardon of Sin I have been apt to think that the Spirit of God seems to instruct us that Justification in the first part of it viz. The Imputâ—â—â— Christ's Righteousness and investing us in his right to Pardon and other Blessings is especially applied to Faith and yet our enjoying actual Pardon upon our Investiture in Christ's right is promised to Repentance As if God would ascribe the first Application of Christ's Righteousness to that Grace which more especially acknowledgeth the Redeemer whose Righteousness it is by which we are Justified and yet that Sin which is Treason against God should not be forgiven even for Christ's sake without Repentance wherein God is more especially acknowledged as our God and rightful Law-giver whence the Sum of our Ministry is made Repentance towards God and Faith towards the Lord Jesus Acts 20.21 If there be any weight in this which I only offer to Consideration then Faith is more especially made the Condition of the first part of Justification viz. The Application of Christ's Righteousness And yet Repentance also made the express Condition of the second part of Justification viz. Actual Pardon that great Privilege possessed by us with a right to what this Pardon entitleth to Hereby the Dignity of the Law-giver and the Honour of the Redeemer are distinctly provided for in the Justification of a Sinner yea the Gospel-order is preserved for by Christ we come and return unto God whom we had by Sin forsaken Yet remember that Repentance is still a Concomitant of Faith whatever Priority as an exprest Condition I assign to it for no utterly Impenitent Person can put forth an Act. of Saving 〈◊〉 Justifying Faith 8. Our Blessed Lord exerts a Governing Authority in a way of Grace or Grace in a way of Governing Authority in the appointing and requiring what he makes necessary in the Person to be Justified He commands Men to believe with a Promise that they shall be Justified if they do believe which is the Scope of the Gospel He plainly threatens all that will not believe that they shall not be Justified if they continue in Unbelief Iohn 3.18 36. He hath appointed Ministers to use the Blessing of a Justified Estate as a Motive to Mens Believing or coming to Christ. Thus it is as to Repentance in order to Pardon c. here 's the Authority of a Law-giver yet the Grace of a Redeemer here 's a Law in the obliging Power of the Command and the certain Connexion between the Duty and the promised Benefit and yet here is Grace meer Grace in the Adjustment of the Sanction as to the Matter it contains and Merit it refers to This as to us is Governing Grace and not Governing Iustice it 's not Justice that adjusts the Benefit with respect to the Duty as Meritorious thereof here 's nothing as of Debt to us for Believing yet a certainty of being Justified upon Believing here 's no Pardon as a Debt for repenting yet a Pardon sure upon repenting Divine Justice was honoured in Christ's fulfilling the Law of Works where God displayed Justice in Government yea it 's honoured with respect to Christ in God's giving all Benefits in Christ's right and as Christ's proper Reward But as to us it 's of Grace that a Believer should be thus sure to be Justified But though Grace be thus advanced in the Matter given yet here 's Authority expressed in the manner of giving and Divine Government maintained according to the present State of redeemed Sinners Some Obedience shall be yielded though perfect Obedience is become impossible there shall be the Reins of a Sanction on our Necks though the Sanction of the Law of Works hath and must condemn us if Christ relieves not from it Fear and Hope in us shall not be useless to us though we were by the Fall in a Case as to our selves utterly desperate and as to Election and Christ's Undertaking eventually Safe There shall be a Law of Faith to Judge and Save us by though we daily Transgress the Law of Works and by every Transgression are liable to the Curse Rom. 3.27 Gal. 3.10 I might had I time easily prove what I have asserted and give you the great Usefulness of this Point that the Gospel by which the Blessings of Christ are dispensed is a Law or a Display of Grace in a way of Authority and Government but I 'll only glance 1. Hereby the Gospel is said to be obeyed and disobeyed Rom. 10.16 2 Thess. 1.8 2 Cor. 9.13 2. Men become culpable as Rejecters of its Benefits Acts 13.38 41 48. 3. All Gospel-Benefits become fit and strong Motives in Gospel-Duty Acts 2.38 4. The Benefits are Suspended Infallibly till the Conditions be performed Luke 13.3 5. They that obey the Gospel may be sure of the promised Benefits and know how to try their Interest and conclude it Heb. 5.9 6. The Gospel-Blessings may be truly offered to all and all charged to accept of them by complying with the Conditions Acts 13.38 7. The Conditions hereby are described stated urged and not left uncertain 1 Cor. 13.2 8. A Rule of Judgment is hereby fixed whereby God is justified in
Saving some and Damning others who yet had the very same Offers Invitations and Calls Rom. 2.16 9. They that disobeyed the Gospel are justly liable to sorer Punishments and Vengeance than would have fallen on them for their first Apostasie Matt. 11.24 10. Here is an apt means to excite Diligence Watchfulness Faith Repentance and Holiness and to prevent Sloath Despair Presumption and Disobedience I appeal to the Consciences of Men whether fallen Men are liker to be governed by telling them You are under no Law but the Law of Works which requires all Graces and Duties alike and all to be done perfectly without Sin or you must eternally Perish though it 's true if God please to justifie you by Christ's Righteousness then you have legally fulfilled this Law and you are justified by it and you shall go to Heaven But God requires no Duty or Care on your part in order to be Justified by Christ's Righteousness nor doth he command you to act any Grace with a Promise of any Benefit upon that Act nor threaten you with any Damage whatever Sin you commit so that you have Faith as a Sign but not a Condition of your Pardon nor ought you to obey any Command as a means of Good to you but only in Gratitude that Christ hath done all for you Or else this way God hath set down this Authoritative Rule to give Sinners the Beneficial Fruits of Christ's Death and commands you to obey it that though you are Lost yet if you believe and repent you shall be pardoned if not the Wrath of God will abide on you Turn to God and you shall Live iâ— not you shall Die Fight the good Fight if you overcome you shall be Crowned and reap if you faint not but if you draw back God will have no Pleasure in you Be Fruitful for if you be Barren you are nigh to Cursing and your end is to be Burned Use your Talents for if you improve them God will reward you with greater Blessedness but if you hide them in a Napkin you shall for your Unprofitableness be cast into the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone Subdue your Lusts for if Sin reign in you you shall Die but if you Mortifie the Deeds of the Flesh you shall Live c. O then attend the means of Grace look to Christ be earnest with God watch and strive as for your Lives Whether I say is liker to Influence Men to the Design of Redemption and Obedience to God the first or this last And I am sure this last is the way God chuseth for it 's his Words though we are not by this way excluded from adding Arguments that may also excite Gratitude But are not these words of Authority the Dictates of a Ruler and yet not the Law of Works which promiseth nothing of Good to the Imperfect and bindeth Death for the lease Sin 9. The Gospel enjoineth nothing on Men for the impetration or purchasing of Justification or any other Benefit but that they may receive Justification and every Benefit as the Effect of Christ's Merits Christ hath Bought all by his Obedience and by the Gospel prescribeth the way how he in his own right will give what he hath acquired As the Gospel is his Testament he describeth his Legatees as it 's God's Covenant our Consent to it is necessary to it's Blessings 10. The use of Faith in order to Justification is that it renders the Sinners the ordained Objects of God's Justifying Act and Gift according to his own Gospel Rule Justification brings the Righteousness by which we are pardoned but God promiseth to Justifie him that hath Faith and saith he will not Justifie him that hath not Faith Doth not Faith distinguish him that hath Faith from another that hath not Faith And doth not God declare he will deal very differently with him that hath Faith and him that hath no Faith he 'll justifie the one and still condemns the other And it 's the same as to any other Condition of any other promised Benefit The Condition is not that for which the Benefit is given but it renders the Man the Person to whom God hath promised to give that Benefit in Christ's right 11. All endeavours after Faith are endeavours after Justification and all neglects of Faith are neglects of Justification This is plain for if the Object of God's Justifying Act be the Believer then whatever tends to make him a Believer tends to bring him into a Justified State and whatever tends to hinder him to Believe tends to keep him out of a Justified State It 's the same as to all other Promises made to any Grace or Duty though all the Promises are made and performed in Christ's right Yet when he describes the person by any Grace â— Duty who shall receive the good promised we pursue that good promised by following after that Grace or Duty to which the Promise refers Therein we look to Christ's Righteousness with just Hope when we look to him in his Promise and follow that which he hath assured the Fruits of his Righteousness upon 12. God now doth and will hereafter more solemnly Judge Mens Faith and Men by their Faith as far as he hath made that Faith necessary to any Blessing 1. God says in his Gospel I will in and for Christ's Righteousness forgive him that Believes and no other yea all unbelievers shall be still condemned because they believe not Ioh. 3.16 19. Christ's Righteousness shall not be applied to them for Pardon And 2. If the Gospel hath described what this Faith in Truth is and warned us of all false Faith as vain and insufficient to our pardon Iam. 2.14 17. Gal. 5.6 if those two things be true Can you imagin 1. That God doth make no Judgment of that Faith whether it be true or false Are all sorts of Faith alike in his Account 〈◊〉 Dead Faith and a Living a feigned Faith â—â—d an unfeigned Faith Doth he give and execute the Pardon without any regard to their being such Believers as his Gospel appoints Surely he that says be watchful and strengthen the things that are ready to Die for I have not found thy Works perfect before God Rev. 3.2 doth distinguish between the Faith the Promise is made to and the Faith which the Promise is not made to nay which he threatens as Hypocritical 2. Or can you think that God makes no Judgment concerning a Man's Interest or no Interest in the promised Pardon with any regard to his having true Faith or his not having it The Question is not What Righteousness that Pardon is founded on for that is Christ's and the Pardon connotes it but the Question is Is this or that Man the Person to whom God hath promised to give that Pardon Doth it by that Promise belong to this Believer or that Unbeliever I ask then Will not God Judge this Man by having true Faith to be the very Man the Pardon by that Promise belongs to
and that the Pardon doth not belong to the other Man for want of true Faith nay that because he hath not Faith he is subject to the threatnings denounced against Unbelievers God's present dealings with Souls according to his Gospel is a kind of virtual Sentence but at the great day he will solemnly judge according to the Gospel Rom. 2.16 Mat. 25. The Work of that day will be to Sentence Mens Faith true or false upon full evidence of its truth or falshood and to convince the World that God hath pardoned all Believers and none but Believers and to condemn publickly all Unbelievers and solemnize before all the happy State of those pardoned Believers The Case is the same as to every other Grace or Duty to which God hath promised any Benefit in the Gospel As far as God makes any Duty a necessary Condition of any Benefit by the Gospel he will Judge us according to that Duty and if we totally want it that Benefit will be with-held He that did not repent shall be denied the blotting out of Sins at that day Acts 3.19 13. Hence Men can be said to be Justified by Faith as a sort of Work no otherwise than thus That Christ adjudgeth a Man to be a Believer who is so and his Faith a true Faith and that he is to be dealt with as a true Believer according to the Gospel Promise Justification in this sense is quite another thing than Justification by Christ's Righteousness or by Faith as it connotes that Object This is not Pardoning Absolving and Accepting a guilty undone Sinner which must be upon a Righteousness adequate to the Law and satisfying to Justice no no It is but a determination of a particular Cause viz. He is a true Believer and not an unbelieving Hypocrite and yet it is of great importance to our main Cause being that God hath said Christ's Righteousness shall be imputed to none but the true Believer And if we must be judged whether we be Believers or no we must be sentenced to be Believers or Unbelievers and if we be sentenced to be Believers we are so far justified by Faith as a sort of Work and if our Faith be tried by our Words or other Works our Faith is justified by those Words and Works and we are Justified as to this Cause in trial by those Words and Works i. e. We are adjudged not to be Vnbelievers nor to be meerly such Believers whose Faith was not evidenced by such Words and Works Mat. 12.37 Iam. 2-17 21 25. The matter is the same as to any thing the Gospel indispensibly requireth and concerning which we must be judged 14. In the like manner Faith can be called our subordinate Righteousness no otherwise than as it is the performed Condition which the Gospel requireth in the person whom God promiseth to Impute the Righteousness of Christ to for Justification or actual Forgiveness and Absolution It is not the legal Righteousness the Law would Condemn any Man notwithstanding his Faith if he had not Christ's Righteousness Imputed to him It is not the Righteousness that is Imputed for Justification as that in the right whereof Pardon and Acceptance is promised or stands It is not the Merit that God regards either in making or applying the Promise It is not a Righteousness by Acceptilation which the Socinians call it that is it is not reckoned instead of a Legal or Perfect Righteousness which were to exclude Christ's Satisfaction and set it instead of his Righteousness It is not a Righteousness that makes up Christ's Righteousness or at all serves to the same End It 's not a Righteousness by or for which God justifies us i. e. God doth not Pardon or Accept us for this But Christ having a full Righteousness and promising to Impute it for Justification to all that will Believe sincerely and requiring and commanding Sinners to Believe in him with this Promise That if they will Believe they shall be justified by his Righteousness and if they Believe not they shall not be justified by his Righteousness but Die in their Sins notwithstanding the full Righteousness that is iâ— him and the Offers made to them I say a far as this Promise gives a Believer a right to the promised Benefit his Faith is that upon which he receives that right and so far the Gospel makes him Righteous by his Faith i. e. He is the Man whom the Gospel assures that Benefit to which it gives the Unbeliever no right to but directly excludes him So that this Faith is no Righteousness that is any part of Justification which is the Benefit promised and subsists entirely in its own Causes But what Righteousness it is depends wholly on the Authority Tenure and Truth of the Gospel as the instrument whereby God applies Christ's Righteousness to us for our Justification If the Gospel doth not promise to Justifie one that hath true Faith though it be imperfect then indeed Faith is no Condition nor at all a Conformity to the Gospel as defining the Condition and if the Gospel doth not by its Pormise or Sanction give any Right to the Benefit promised upon performing the Condition then indeed Faith must not be called a subordinate Righteousness But if the Gospel assures to every true Believer Justification by Christ's Righteousness then true Faith is the performed Condition and thereupon the Gospel gives him an infallible Title yea this Gospel is his Title by God's gracious will to his partaking of Justification by Christ's Righteousness yea to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness for Justification but still it 's Christ's Righteousness that justifies and only that though it be thus assuredly applied to him that believes 15. Faith it self much less any other Grace or Work is not the Righteousness or any Part of the Righteousness wherein a Believer is accepted pardoned or glorified or stands in before the Justice of God or is it pleadable against the Law of Works or Charge of Sin It 's Christ's Righteousness alone that pleads for Believers in all these respects this answers the Law and for this we are released from the Curse By this Righteousness our Pardon and Heaven were purchased and for it they are given That there is a Pardon that there is a Glory for fallen Man is owing to Christ and that Believers have those given to them is also in Christ's Right though his Gospel assures them to Believers Yea it 's for Christ's Righteousness that the Spirit works Faith in any Person Faith puts in no Claim of Merit nor can it stand before governing Iustice nor admit a Trial before God as Creator as what entitles any to his Rewards But to the Praise of divine Grace and Wisdom our blessed Redeemer will own true Faith as that which he hath ordained to be a Means of investing us in his blessed Righteousness and what renders a Sinner certain of the Fruits of his Merits The Believer hath a Right by the Gospel to plead all Christ's
the Heart of Stone and gives a heart of Flesh renewing their Wills and by his power determining them to that which is good and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ Conf. Cap. 10. A. 1. Q. 2. Man is altogether Passive therein until being quickned by the holy Spirit he is thereby enabled to answer this Call and to embrace the Grace offered and conveyed in it Large Cat. A. 73. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God not because of those other Graces which do always accompany it or of good Works that are the fruit of it Here we see that there is a quickning regenerating Work and Change on the Heart and Will in order to the Act of Faith and that there is no Faith unaccompanied at any time by other Graces and that by good works they intend not such Graces c. Did not Mr. M. tell us p. 60. that in effecting our Vital Vnion there is a Vital touch as I may say between Christ and us and a Clasping on each other Is there a Vital Touch before Life or a Clasping while we are Dead Doth the Mind see Christ whilst it 's Blind or the Will embrace him whilst it 's morally dead impotent unperswaded and averse Do we consent to Christ and Covenant with him whilst Satan Sin and Enmity Reign in our Faculties or open the Door to Christ whilst these keep the Keys God saith the natural Man receiveth not the things of God because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 but Mr. M. saith yea it 's while they are natural that they see Christ and close with him Here 's a knowledg of an ignorant Mind here 's a coming and receiving without Life Here 's a Faith the Gospel Covenant never promiseth for it 's not included in God's Writing his Laws in the Heart The whole stress of Salvation is laid by him on an Act of a dead unregenerate sinner and Men are justified while the Soul is not turned from darkness to life nor from the power of Satan unto God Acts 26. 18. it were worth asking hâ—m whose Act this Act of Faith is It 's not a Humane Act unless you can suppose the Mind and Will can Act without any Vital Principle yea against it's own prevailing Principle Here then must be a force and unactiveness too in our very acting and it 's a strange Clasping of what we hate and abhor I doubt here may come in again Christ's believing for us However he must think 1. That our Faith after we are alive is either a Faith specifically distinct from that which justified us or it 's still an Act not effected by a regenerate Principle but is somewhat either below Life or above Man even when he is spiritualized he seems to bid at both His Simile is for the first the Spirits which he saith are Corporeal Clasp about the Soul for Life so it seems our Faith is a dead thing always never made Life or Living any more than those Spirits are made Soul otherwise it loseth its Clasping meetness as they would do in ceasing to be Corporeal Yet other times he makes it look like a Divinity Clasp about us 2. I do now see a little why the Man is so against God's giving us any saving Benefit in any way of Reward though not of Debt It 's because Faith is the only thing ordained not required as a Physical means on our part and this is so low a thing that a dead sinner may act or so sublime as not to be a Humane Act. 3. Again I see why he doth still confine our Justification to the end to the first Act of Faith yea and deny the immediate influence of Faith on our Justification for if you should bring it among Duties or to be under the Notion of a Duty all is spoiled No it must be a meer Physical Band of Union not enjoined by God as our Ruler but appointed as the Corporeal Spirits for Ligaments I dare not touch the Philosophy part of that lest if I name Embrio he should Curse me anew 4. I know now at last why he thought me a Pelegian the selfish reason why he writ it to London I knew long since because I in a Printed Sermon put the Act of Faith after spiritual Life it seems I should have said with him That in Vnion with Christ as one mystical Person which is by the efficient causality of Faith we are brought into a state of Spiritual Life Relative in our Iustification and Adoption and then and thereupon Qualitative c. p. 60. His Proofs for Faith before Life because Christ promiseth Life upon believing are contemptible as if further spiritual Life and Pardon and Eternal Glory be not Life as well as Hell is Death ' and some sinners twice dead 4. The Faith he so much insists on hath not all the Essentials of a saving Faith I know many Worthy Men distinguish between Faith quae justificat and qua justificat and no doubt the Soul hath an especial respect to Christ as Priest and his Righteousness in order to Justification But our Discourse is of the Faith quae justificat What that Faith is he tells us p. 62. Faith is a going out of our selves unto Christ for all And p. 40. The Hearts acting towards this Object in its believing is most properly in a way of trust and dependance and affiance Rep. 1. We have just seen it wants a Vital Principle as it is the Act of an unregenerate dead Soul Now this brings it in the Judgment of most Divines to be no saving act at all no saving Faith because the Act of a Natural and Dead Sinner 2. I need not mention that it is no obediential Act And note That when our Divines deny that Faith is not Imputed as an Act of Believing or as an Evangelical Act of Obedience they say it 's not as such imputed as our justifying Righteousness which I grant But they positively affirm that the Faith by which Christ's Righteousness becomes imputed is an Act of evangelical Obedience Confess Chap. 11. A. 1. Again 3. I will not insist how far the Assent of this Faith is limited as to its Object as well as its Nature 4. I do grant That by Gospel-faith we trust in and depend on Christ as our only Saviour and that by it we go out of our selves to Christ for all Attonement Merit Causality of Acceptance of all we do and Strength and Grace to enable us to all 5. Yet see how much more the Assembly includes in saving Faith Confess Chap. 14. A. 2 By this Grace Faith a Christian believeth to be true whaever is revealed in the Word for the Authority of God himself speaking therein and acteth differently upon that which each particular Passage thereof containeth yielding Obedience to the Commands Trembling at the Threatnings and embracing the Promises of God for this Life and that which is to come but the principal Acts of saving Faith are accepting receiving and restin
〈◊〉 tâ—â—â— all hâ—ve 〈…〉 4 Pro. That the Glory of Governing Justice might not suffer by the saving of Sinners there must be a Satisfaction for the Offence they committed and a Meritorious Price for the good to be dispensed to them Gods Government must not be Arraigned before Angels or Men as weak Nor would the Justice of God seem an approver of Rebellion by admitting Sin to pass unpunished nor admit such an occasion of Disobedience to his Government By Satisfaction I mean that which fully vindicates the Reputative Glory of Justice so injur'd by Sin and secures the ends of Government By Merit I intend that which Governing Justice adjudged proportionable to the Benefit to be conferred on the Sinners 5 Pro. Sinners being utterly incapable for this God our Lawgiver did Ordain and Admit Christ with his Consent to be the Redeemer and Saviour of lost Sinners by making Satisfaction for Sin and Meriting the forfeited Blessings and much greater for them Hâ—b 3.2 he was appointed This was an act of the Lawgiver as above the Law but it was not by the Law of Works Yea God dispensed with the Law of Works in admittiâ—g Christs Sufferings and Obedience to be Satisfactory and Meritorious for Offendors That Law knew no vicarious Obedience or Punishment The Soul that Sins must Diâ— â—â—d nâ—â— another for it was the Language of the Law Divine Grace and Sovereignty â—erâ— exert themselves to answer the Eâ—ds of the Law by substituting a Saviour of lost Souls 6 Pro. It was in the Covenant of Redemption wherein it was adjusted and agreed what should be thus Satisfactory and Meritorious and so effectual to save Sinners Is. 53.10 11 12. Ps. 40.6 7 8. Zeâ—h 6.13 Ioh. 17.4 The Parties in this Covenant are the Father and Spirit on the one part and the Son on the other Whatever Christ suffered in time and all the Obedience he yielded were terms proposed to him and accepted by him In that Volume were Recorded what his Work and Rewards were to be and of the later the Salvation of his Members is a part What he herein submitted to he became obliged as an act of Faithfulness to perform Whatever was herein promised him he had a right to receive and did accordingly Claim By this Compact he agreed to be a Subject and Servant and hence the Law of Mediation did Commence as Binding By this Compact his Obedience and Sufferings became a Satisfaction that otherwise had been Uneffectual Satisfaction imports a Refuseableness antecedently to an Agreement And hence we may perceive that though what Christ paid was a â—ull equivalent yet it was not in all things the same in kind as Man was obliged to True Justice took care that all was inserted into this Covenant as Christs Work which was necessary to the Reparation of its Glory And hence the great Essentials of the Law of Works were inserted as Articles to be performed by Christ viz. Sinless Obedience aâ— a Man which is the Sum of the Precept and Death the substance of the Threatning and these to be done and suffered in the Human Nature Nevertheless some things in the Threat were incompetent to him as Spiritual Death the Hatred of God c. Many Precepts were not agreeable to his Circumstances all which were omitted Nay many things which the Law of Works never injoyn'd on Men were necessary to be done by the Redeemer and therefore were superadded From this Covenant ariseth the immediate Obligation of Christ to all his Obedience as well as the Rule and Measure of it And from this his Title to all the Reward much of which the premiant Sanction of the Law of Works never contained and could never give a right to No doubt that in this Covenant were adjusted the terms of the application of Redemption to Men which the Gospel Covenant doth enjoyn which I suppose the Assembly mean when they join the Covenant of Redemption and the Gospel Covenant together and say it was made with Christ as the second Adam But they cannot intend that Christ obliged himself to perform Personally all the Terms of the application of his purchased Benefits to us as he did the Terms of the Impetration of those Benefits He bound not himself to Repent and Believe for us tho' he did to Die for us yea and as Surety of the Gospel Covenant he engaged that the Elect should Repent Believe and Persevere But yet the Benefits should be applied to Men upon their Personal Believing and they are required by the Gospel so to Believe and become themselves federating parties in the Gospel Covenant This runs throughout the Assemblies Confession and Catechisms As when they say Faith is required by the Covenant as a Condition to Interest us in Christ large Catechism Q. 32. And they say Q. 153. That we may escape the Wrath and Curse of God due to us by reason of the Transgression of the Law God requireth of us Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus and the diligent use of outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the Benefits of his Mediation You have the same in the lesser Catechism And they oft tell us of Promises made to Graces c. by which and much more its plain that Conditions are required of Men. 7 Pro. Satisfaction being to be made for innumerable Sins committed and not only forfeited â—â—essings but even greater to be Merited and that for many the Obedience of Christ must exceed what the Law of Works injoyned on Mankind as the condition of its Reward What was necessary from every single Man for himself could not by Legal Justice be sufficient from one Man for all others that omitted it Now the Law required Obedience to its Precepts from every single Man That could not Merit the Reward for Sinners which was but necessary to an Innocent Mans Title to the Reward But what the Law requir'd was necessary to Innocent Mans obtaining the Reward though he had not Sinned before That which was by Governing Justice adjudged but proportionable to a less Reward could not Merie a greater Reward But whatever the Law of Works required was but proportioned to its lesser Rewards Lesser I call them though I allow them to be an Eternal Felicity in another World yet these were not Union with Christ nor such a degree of Conformity to his Glory c. much less did they include the Rewards promised to Christ for his Obedience as a Name above every Name all Iudgment and Authority with many more all which are the Reward of Christs Obedience As to Expiation of Sin by Punishment for Reconciliation with the offended God the Law enjoins no such Duty nor hinted such a thing It s Threatning was Eternal Death As Eternal Eternity was an ingredient into the Misery of every Sinner and can be removed by nothing but the Law-givers dispensing therewith upon Considerations equally Vindicating the Glory of Justice as this Eternity of Sinners Torments would do And it must be equivalent
effects be produced in a different manner We must not limit our being made Righteous by Christ's Obedience below our being made Sinners by Adam's Disobedience as far as Adam made us Sinners so far Christ makes us Righteous or the reddition is improper We are as truly absolved by Christ's Obedience as we were made guilty by Adam's Disobedience And we are as truly Regenerated by Christ's Obedience as we were Depraved by Adam's Disobedience In the first we are made free from the Curse of the Law due to us as Sinners in the later we are preserved from being impenitent ungodly Infidels to whom the Gospel doth not give a freedom from the Curse but leaves such under the Law 's Sentence yea denounceth greater punishments against them By the first we have a full Righteousness to stand before God in notwithstanding the exactness of the Law of Innocency and all our Faults and Defects By the second we are render'd the Objects or Subjects of that full Righteousness according â—o the Gospel promise which is the Instrument whereby God bestows it But hereof more fully in due place I shall insist most on the first point 1. To be made Righteous by Christ's Obedience is to be made Free from Condemnation as if we had not Sinned and to be Entitled to Acceptance with God and Eternal Glory as if we had kept the whole Law and both for the sake of Christ's Righteousness imputed to Penitent Believâ—â—s for Pardon and Adoption I can in the shortest way Comprehend the Nature and Parts of this Particular by the following Propositions 1 Pro. All Men are unrighteous by nature Rom. 3.10 There is none righteous no not one We are all Transgressors and therefore each is liable to Vengeance Rom. 3.19 All the world is become guilty before God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he might have arrested and Executed Judgment upon all of us When Innocency ceased the Sentence of the Law took place and obnoxiousness to Misery inevitably followed This includes a forfeiture of Right to Happiness by the Law of Works Be sure if it condemns us by its Threats it cannot reward us by its Promise Disobedience putting us past a possibility of perfectly obeying which was the Condition of its Reward Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified for by the law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 God can never speak peace by it to the Sinner nor acquit the Offender because by it he condemns for the least Sin and promiseth Life to none but the perfectly Obedient By this Law Sin is not only known to be Sin but Sin is known to bring Damnation and to bar us from Happiness Hence though Christ's Obedience was perfect according to the Law yet it is not by the Law that God pronounceth the Believer just but by the Gospel Righteousness comes not by the Law Gal. 2.21 No Man is justified by the Law Gal. 3.11 Exh. Be affected with that Unrighteous State wherein you all once have been and the Impenitent still remain Is it a small thing to have been Rebels against the holy Law of your Maker Can you make a light account of being under the Curse which comprehends the utmost Misery Gal. 3.10 This as a flaming Sword keeps thee from the Tree of Life and with irresistible power binds Vengeance on thee whilst thou art Christless Divine Wrath points to thee as the Obnoxious Person and in the mean time thou hast no Claim to God's Favour no Title to God or any Saving Blessing In this State the best of you once were Eph. 2.12 And what Grace was it that refâ—ued you out of this extremity Who can enough adore it But what is the stupidness of such among you that can quietly sleep in an Unrighteous State yea so long despise and refuse Deliverance from it Hell is your due every moment and should you die in this condition as you may without farther warning neither the Mercy of God nor the Merits of Christ will prevent Eternal Torments 2 Pro. God is so Righteous and Jealous of the Glory of his Government that his richest Mercy admits the Pardon of no Offender nor Saving Benefits to such as in the least fail in their Obedience but on the account of a Righteousness at least exactly adequate to what strict governing Justice did enjoin and prescribe It must be a Righteousness of Obedience as perfect as the Law Precept required of Men it must be a Righteousness of Satisfaction by bearing a Punishment equivalent to what the Law Threatning denounced against Sinners And because this Law in its Precepts and Threats was a Law to Men and they were Men that transgressed therefore Justice required that the Obedience should be yielded and the Punishment suffered by and in the Humane Nature Hence even the Son of God must take our Flesh if he would be a Redeemer The Satisfaction must yield as much glory to Justice as the Sin forgiven did injure it The Merit must be proportioned in the Scale of Justice to the Benefit to be conferr'd and that upon Offenders which render'd what was appointed to Christ to be above what the Law required of Men. Of which I have spoken somewhat already and shall have reason again to enlarge Rom. 3.26 His Righteousness is declared and he appears just when the Justifier of him that believes in Jesus Sin must be condemned in the flesh of Christ by his dying a Sacrifice for it that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.34 Exh. Adore the Authority and Justice of God notwithstanding Pardoning Mercy The Atonement speaks it neither is it debased by all the Displays of Grace We are as subject to God as if he had never spared us and he is still as just as if all Mankind were to be damned If you despise his Dominion you shall find the edge of his Sword if you reject the Atonement the Severity of his Justice will instance it self upon you See then that you provoke not the Lord to jealousie Deut. 29.20 3 Pro. No Grace nor Act of the best Saint can be a Satisfaction for the least Fault or a Righteousness Meritorious of the least Benefit All Saints have sinned yea Sins and Defects adhere to their best Duties Our exactest actions cannot atone for a past Crime because they are no more than what 's at present due from us Imperfect Duties cannot merit because they are not in the estimate of governing Justice proportioned to the lowest Benefit A Reward of Debt can be to none below him that never sinned and perfectly obeyeth Rom. 4.4 though a Reward of Grace is promised to the Upright Ps. 50.11 When we have done all we now can do we are unprofitable Servants and by the Law of Works the iniquity of our holy things were enough to bring us under condemnation Exh. See your need of a greater Righteousness than your own and submit to the
as free from Condemnation as if they had never sinned and accepted and entitled to eternal Glory as if they had kept the whole Law Rom. 8.1 There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit These are in that State wherein the Curse is restrained from arresting them Yea they are Heirs joynt heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 the Gospel-Covenant is their Charter of right which is secured by the Death of Christ the Oath of God and Sacramental Seals The Death of Christ is to be considered not only as what purchased the Covenant-Blessings of which I have spoken before but also as what ratifies the Covenant to our Faith by Death its irrevocable as a Testament and it must be sure or the Lord of Glory had never died to secure the ends of it his Death is too great a thing to admit a doubt of the certainty of that Charter by which the Effects of that Death are granted Christians being thus free and thus accepted and entitled proclaims them Righteous Exh. Be comforted notwithstanding your Faults and Weaknesses whilst your Hearts are upright in God's Covenant What is not a just Challenge to the Sincerity of thy Faith ought not to make thee conclude thy self Accursed or quit thy hopes of Glory Failings may cause Mournings that we are so Imperfect when they ought not to perplex us as if we were in a lost Condition The same Mouth that delivered the Curse against Sinners in the Law hath published Forgiveness and applied Redemption to Believers though Sinners by the Gospel Gal. 3.13 14. If your Faults be objected Christ hath answered them If the Weakness of Graces be objected Christ hath made up that If the Greatness of Gospel-Benefits be objected it 's Christ hath purchased them and they are bestowed not for thy Graces but for Christ's Obedience though it be to such as even thou art if a sincere Penitent that they are given for the Gospel-Rule doth only appoint the Persons who receive the Benefits but not ordain us to make the Satisfaction for the Sin to be pardoned or to purchase the Glory to be received Wilt thou not let Christ appoint his own Legatees to his own Bequeathments and rejoyce in the Gifts whilst thou art the Person to whom he declares they belong If he had promised Heaven to a meer Sinner as such thou oughtest as a Sinner to expect it with Joy But he hath promised it to all believing Saints however imperfect and must not thou with Comfort look for it and not quit thy hopes till thou cease to be a believing Saint Yea he hath ministred further to thy Joy That he will influence thy Soul by his Warnings against Apostasie by Sacraments and by constant Supplies so that thou shalt Persevere 10 Pro. Christians become thus Righteous upon believing by the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them in their Justification and by the continuance of this Imputation they remain Righteous Upon our first believing we are justified Rom. 3.29 and there is a constant Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to the Believers for his continued Justification Did Men cease to be Believers God would cease to impute the Righteousness of Christ to them Did God cease to impute Christ's Righteousness Men would cease to be justified and did we cease to be justified we should be subject to Condemnation But blessed be God he will cause the true Believer to persevere in Faith and so he shall remain in a justified State God will preserve the Habit of Faith enable him to frequent Acts of Faith and still prevent damning Infidelity he will keep thee from a prevailing distrust and rejection of Christ as a Saviour Luke 22.32 and from reigning Disobedience to him as thy Lord. I shall explain this great Truth of Justification by the imputed Righteousness of Christ which may be conceived of according to the following Heads 1. There is a making us Righteous as it is a giving a Believer a right to Pardon Absolution from the Curse Adoption and Acceptance which is by imputing the Righteousness of Christ to the Believer We must be made Righteous before a just God can pronounce us so or deal with us as such there must be a right to Pardon e're God will Pardon this right to Pardon is given by God's imputing to us the Righteousness of Christ and the effect of that imputing Act seems to be the first Consideration in the Change made in our State as justified For the better apprehending of this you may remember I have before informed you that Christ's Righteousness may be considered 1 As the full Performance of the Conditions of the Covenant of Redemption which included a full Conformity to the Law of Works yea and morâ— 2 An adjudged Right to the promised Reward for his performance of those Conditions Now both these are imputed to the Believer in this first Consideration Of giving a Believer a right to Pardon c. 1. The Righteousness of Christ as it was the Performance of the Conditions of our Salvation is mediately imputed to the Believer God adjudgeth that what Christ did and suffered for the actual Remission of Sinners was really done and suffered for us it belongs to us we are the designed Objects of that actual Remission to procure which for us that Obedience was rendred Iohn 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting Life Here we see that God gave his Son to do and suffer what he did that Believers thereby might not Perish but eternally Live Now by Grace beinâ— Believers that we may have a right not uâ— Perish but Live we have what the Son â— given did and suffered reckoned and accounteâ— to us God looks on what Christ did as donâ— for us and esteems us Believers them whom his Son did that for and therefore by his gracious Ordination we are the very Persons thaâ— have a right to Pardon of those Sins for whicâ— we were liable to Perish and excluded from Life I say Christ's very Performance of the Conditions is imputed mediately in this manner If one give me my Liberty which he voluntarily purchased for me at a dear Rate he mediately gives me what he paid for my Ransom though immediately I receive my Liberty and a right thereto whereas the redeeming Price was paid to my Detainer in whose hands I was Captive So it was to God that Christ made Satisfaction and yielded the Meriting Price yet it is applied and reckoned so to the Believer that he receives the same Blessings thereby as if himself had rendred it because it was for his Title to those Benefits that it was rendred by Christ. Yea by this Imputation it becomes his Security for all saving Benefits and pleadable with God by him with respect to what is purchased for Believers thereby as if he had endured and performed the things Christ did Since God
in Justification and upon this the rest depend Hereby we are made Righteous in Christ's Righteousness Though we be not personally Innocent yet Christ's Righteousness which fully answered the Law is judicially applied so as to give us a sure right to be dealt with as to Eternity as if we had been Innocent and Perfect which is what we principally need and as much as we are capable of considering we are Sinners and that we did not provide the Ransom nor substitute him that became so 2. God hereupon actually forgives adopts and gives the Earnest of Glory to Believers thus invested in the Righteousness of Christ and on the account of that Righteousness This is Executive Justification in part and indeed all Benefits peculiar to the Members of Christ are conferred in a way of Execution hereof unless as we may consider such Benefits as follow Pardon and Adoption to refer to Justification as including an additional Right resulting from Gods pardoning and adopting Acts. The reason why I add this is that Pardon gives a Right to impunity and Adoption gives a Right to the Privileges of Children and so with respect to Forgiveness and Adoption a Believer may be called Righteous and frequently in Scripture is called so though inclusively of Christ's Righteousness because it 's for that we are so forgiven and adopted Forgiveness is of so great importance in Justification that upon the account hereof we are said to be Blessed Yea it 's put frequently for the whole of Justification Rom. 4.6 7 8. it 's so in the Lord's Prayer Luk. 11.4 yea it 's so put in our Creed 3. God judicially sentenceth the Believers thus made partakers of Christ's Righteousness and thereupon pardoned and adopted to be them who have a Right to Impunity Favour and Glory and accepts them as such notwithstanding all challenges and accusation Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right Hand of God who also maketh intercession for us This doth not only obviate the Accusation of Persecutors against such as are chosen to suffer but it answers all Challenges against every Believer gathered out of the World by the Spirit pursuant to God's Eternal Election for against the unconverted Elect God himself hath much to Charge and he lays it to their Charge by his Law-condemning Sentence But as to the Converted here 's a general defiance and a large enumeration of what tend to their defence God justifies them and this for the sake of Christ's Death and that the Death of him who is risen and being risen is enthroned and being enthroned intends their Security by his Intercession It 's true if they be charged to have been sinners they must own it as a true Charge But what then must they Dye for their Sin No God declares they are pardoned and this upon a Righteousness more then adequate to the Law of Works and they have no lower a safety from their Guilt than Christ's Title who died that Believing Sinners might not Dye but Live Indeed if the Charge be That these are not Believers then God Acquits them another way of which hereafter This is Sentential Justification which is Virtual now and will be solemnized at the great Day 4. It is the Gospel whereby God justifieth us as his Instrument God in his his Word having declared that he will Iustifie him that Believes Rom. 3.30 and that we are justified by Faith Rom. 5.1 and Commanding us to Believe with a Promise That we shall be Justified if we Believe He doth by this very Declaration of his Will Justifie the Believer This promise effects what it includes assoon as the Object is answerable to the Tenure of the Promise By this he Imputes Christ's Righteousness to the Convert and so makes him Righteous declares him Righteous and treats him as Righteous in for and by Christ's Righteousness and this assoon as he Believes There needs no more to express it now than this Word of his Mouth unless as we may add the Sacramental Seals and also such influences and acts of Power whereby such Benefits are conferred as are Executive of the Justifying Sentence and so far are a Divine Declaration of our State as Justified 5. The Object of God's Justifying Act is the living humbled converted Believer who by Faith cometh to accepteth of and rusteth in Christ as an entire Saviour The promise of this Mercy being to such yea confined to such and Unbelievers declared to have God's Wrath abiding on them especially when this Gospel is that Word of the Lord whereby we are Justified Gal. 3.22 Ioh. 3.36 and 8.24 Rom. 10.4 We must then Believe but it is not Faith unless it be a coming to accepting of and trusting in a Christ it is not a Christ if he be not a whole Saviour When will we Believe if we be not convinced and humbled How can we Believe if we be not quickned by the Spirit Yea of what sort of Faith is it if we are not purposed in our Heart to turn from all Sins Self and Idols to Christ and to God by him Which turning is oft the Word by which the Spirit oft expresseth Faith it self Ezek. 18.21 30.1 Pet. 2.25 Acts 26 18. By what is said you may Answer the main Enquiries that occur to your Mind concerning Justification Qu. Who Justifies us Ans. God as our Ruler Qu. What doth God do for us or on us when he Justifies Ans. 1. He Imputes Christ's Righteousness to us whereby we have his Right to our Pardon Absolution c. 2. He actually forgives absolves and adopts us in Christ's Right and for the sake of his Obedience And by this forgiveness absolution and adoption he further gives us a Right to Impunity the in-dwelling Spirit Perseverance and Eternal Glory 3. He pronounces us free from all Accusation and Challenges that would import a present liableness to Eternal Death or bar to Eternal Glory we having Christ's Righteousness and thereby our Pardon Absolution from the Curse and our Adoption for our Plea and Defence Qu. What is our State by being thus Justified Ans. We are accepted with God free from Eternal Condemnation and entitled to Life as if we had not sinned but kept the whole Law to this time Yea we have some greater Benefits than we forfeited as Union with Christ the in-dwelling Spirit and Perseverance whereby we are secured from forfeiting Eternal Life for the future Qu. By what Instrument or Sign of his Will doth God Justifie us Ans. By the Gospel-promise Quest. Whom doth God Justifie Ans. The true Believer whether he know himself to be so or no and no others Yea God in Justifying a Man doth as far declare him to be a Believer as he declares him to be Justified Qu. When doth God Justifie a Sinner Ans. Assoon as he is a Believer and not before
Righteousness who chuse that word They think that because a Principal may be said in Law to pay to the Creditor the very same Money as the Surety pays and in Law equally with the Surety therefore all Sinners for whom Christ Died and Obeyed did then Equally Die and Obey as Christ himself or as others wheâ— they believe God doth account that they Died and Obeyed Equally with Christ and in Law Sense they fully answered the Law of Works and they are Justified by that very Law being truly and legally Innocent by the Satisfaction they have made and Obedience they as one Legal Person with Christ yielded And so they are Righteous as Christ not in Similitude but in Equality But though I grant that the Righteousness of Christ's for which we are Justified be a Righteousness adequate to the Law yea supra-legal as well as in substance truly Legal yet I deny that to be a Suretiship Righteousness in a sense that can infer us Equally Righteous as Christ. 1 R. I have fully proved that Christ was not a Money-Surety with Sinners or Believers in the Law of Works though he Died in their stead and his Death secured their Release and Happiness because the Law-giver in the Covenant of Redemption admitted and promised this and the Gospel doth proclaim this and assure Christians that they shall be treated as Believers yea and as if themselves had Obeyed and Satisfied viz. As to all the Blessings promised to Believers But all this doth not infer that we paid the Price of Heaven that we Legally endured the Wrath of God there 's no Suretiship that amounts to this and therefore no Suretiship Righteousness that connotes it Christ was not our Money-Surety in the Law of Works in performing the Law of Redemption and therefore we cannot be said to do and suffer what Christ did Equally with him nor consequently to be as Righteous as he in Equality Obj. Christ was made under the Law to Redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Gal. 4.4 5. Ans. 1. I might shew how the Context doth confine to the following sense viz. Christ was made under the Jewish Law as delivered Four Hundred Years after the Promise which could not give Life nor the Spirit under which Law the Jewish Believers were shut up and it their Schoolmaster and they as Servants in Bondage under the Elements of this World i. e. The Ceremonies and far from the designed Liberty of adopted Sons But Christ was made under this Law to Redeem and Rescue those Jewish Believers from this Bondage and to bring the Gentiles as well as they and at one instant with them to the Gospel Freedom and Liberty called the adoption of Sons even a Liberty from the Jewish Yoak and Bondage which many were still fond of Consult Chap. 3. and 4. In this sense it 's not the Law of Innocency as a proper Covenant of Works that 's meant by the Law under which Christ was made The Law of Innocency or Works had not in it these Ceremonies Ordinances and the like 2. I grant that Christ in taking our Nature became a Servant and subject to the Law of Innocency to its Precepts and its Punishments as a Mediator according to the Terms adjusted in the Covenant of Redemption 3. But how follows it that because he obliged himself in the Covenant of Redemption that he would be in our Nature subject to the Law for our Redemption that therefore he was such a Surety in what he did as that we Legally did what he did and that in the Estimate and Sentence of that Law as a Law of Works It 's so far from concluding this that it concludes the contrary we did it not because he did it he did it to Redeem us we were to do it to prevent the need of Redemption and had we done it there had been no room for his doing of it And Obeying alone would have serv'd our turn before Sin and neither our obeying nor suffering have served the turn after Sin Further 4. Christ did not then become a Surety or Undertaker to Die for us by being made under the Law but he was made under the Law because he had undertaken to Die for us His very being made under the Law of Works was but a performance of a previous Engagement to to the Law-giver this being one Article in the Covenant of Redemption That he should take our Nature be a Servant under the Law and make his Soul an Offering for Sin Heb. 10.9 Isa. 53. Can any infer then that because Christ was made under the Law in performance of his Prior Engagement to Redeem lost Sinners to which Engagement these Sinners were never obliged that therefore these Sinners did truly do and suffer whatever Christ did and suffered to Redeem and Save them It 's true but for Sinners and the Law and Divine Justice Christ needed not to enter into any Obligation that he would be under the Law and Die for Sinners and Obey to make the Law Honourable But what is this to make us Principals in that Bond whereby hâ— became obliged to come under the Law and Die for us The Law is Honoured and Justice Satisfied but not by us though for us because he stood alone obliged by his Bond to Honour the Law and Satisfie Justice It was not from any Obligation the Law of Works had upon him that he become obliged to be a Subject or if he became a Subject that he must Die whilst he was an Innocent Person Nor was it the Law of Works that gave him a right to his Reward if he should Obey and Die this Law never promised his Death would be a Ransom for all and he be Glorious as a Redeemer the Law of Works hath nothing of this Christ had to do with a higher Law before he submitted to this A Law wherein he was Principal transacting without us though for our Recovery I 'll give you an instance There is a Law made that he that Commits High Treason shall Die a Thousand Persons Commit High Treason in various degrees and are Condemned But the Law-giver or absolute Supreme Ruler makes a Law that if such a great Monarch will become his Subject and Die to Expiate this Treason those Condemn'd Traitors shall be forgiven and released in such a time and way as is agreed between the Law-giver and this Monarch This Monarch becomes a Subject and Dieth to Expiate the Treason and deliver the Traitors Now here the Law-giver is satisfied the End of the Law is answered the Monarch Dies in the stead and place of the Traitors and they in a fit time and way are released But yet they cannot be said to Die nor pay a Ransom for their Lives much less to say that they paid as much as the Monarch 2 R. We did not equally with Christ perform the Legal Conditions of Redemption otherwise we equally vindicated the Honour of Divine Justice as Christ did
a way of Satisfaction Impetration Merit or Intercession it were true but as he words it it may be very Erronious and it is to Scrue an Error he doth thus express it Hence because he finds Repentance and Faith are so necessary to our Salvation he hath in his Pulpit endeavoured to inform Men how Christ repented and that he repented for us and though he doth not-publish it in this Sermon as he did elsewhere That Christ believed for us yet you 'll see presently how much he endeavours to convince us that he did so for if he believed whilst humbled it was for us and it 's imputed to us as he oft in this Book affirms Had I Mr. M's liberty what would I call this Error for though it 's in Christ's Strength and Grace that we Repent Believe turn to God and do good Works yet if we do not these as our Personal Acts Misery will be our Portion If you not I believe not you shall die in you Sins John 8. 24. Except you not I repent you shall all perish saith Christ Luke 13. 3. I say Except your Righteousness not mine exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matt. 5.20 Had Mr. M. been an Auditor he had not said Lord thou understandest not the Gospel it 's thou art to do these things this is the deep Counsel of God however legally thou speakest He might as well say it 's thou Christ shall perish as thou Christ art to repent 2. Faith is a prime and principal part of our Being conformable to the Image of Christ c. He is the first Pattern and original Copy of Believing P. 62 63. Reply Is Christ's Faith the Pattern of Faith in Christ I remember somewhere Dr. Goodwin speaks of God's trusting Christ till he was Incarnate and of Christ's trusting the Father since the time of his Sufferings Yea we may easily grant that Christ believed God's Promise and as a Man depended and relied on God's Power and Truth But this is no other Faith than Adam in Innocency acted than the Law of Works directed to By this account we may think better of the State of Pagans than most do for without Gospel-Revelation they may believe in God trust him and depend on him But what is this to the account the Scripture gives of Faith in Christ Did Christ come to himself as a Saviour Did he receive himself as a Crucified Redeemer Did he eat his own Flesh and drink his own Blood for Eternal Life Did he plead his own Merits and rely on his own Righteousness for Pardon and restored Peace Did he consent to be married to himself Did he look to himself for Healing Or to use Mr. M's account of Faith in this very Page Did he go out of himself unto himself for all Yea take part of his Description of Faith in Christ p. 39 40.1 The Subject of Faith is the Heart of a convinced broken-hearted Sinner c. The very Nature of Faith and the acting of the Soul in it is such as doth imply and include a Sight and Sense of Sin and Misery and a lively heart-influencing Conviction of utter Helplesness in a Man's self and unworthiness to be helped by God c. Reader Doth Christ's Faith in the Nature of it imply a Sense of utter Helplesness and Unworthiness in himself or of his Sin and Misery The Reason he gives for Justling out such as Abram and setting up Christ for the original Copy of believing in himself is this The Humane Nature of Christ lives and subsists in the second Person leaning on the Eternal Deity of the Son of God it hath its Subsistence in the Bosom of the Godhead c. and hath the Eternal Power of the Deity clasping about it P. 63. The Apostle did not know this Faith when he said that Charity was greater than Faith Well as Sublime as this Reason seems to be I will venture to say This is not that Faith in Christ which the Gospel requires of Sinners 1. I will give you a Reason of Mr. M's which besure is none of the best P. 7. Christ's dwelling in our Nature is no part of the Punishment of Sin for then the Divine Nature only is punished and not the Humane at all nor the Person It 's a bad one for what he brings it since that Assuming the Nature and dwelling in it differ and I have answered it before and it needs a great Allowance to keep it from But if the Sufferings or Acts of only one Nature be not the Sufferings or the Acts of the Person of Christ then the acting of Faith of the one Nature on the other Nature is not acting of Faith upon the Person of Christ and consequently not Gospel-Faith which is to be acted on the Person of Christ here the Humane Nature believes but that is not with him Christ that believes it believes on the Divine Nature and that with him is not Christ who is believed on What now is become of Christ's Believing even by his own Reasoning 2. The Object of Faith in Christ is God-Man Mediator a Crucified Christ c. but the Deity of the Son of God abstractedly considered is not God-Man Mediator c. Truly if our Gospel-Faith is specified by this I see not the need of Christ's Incarnation or Death yea or regard thereto 3. This leaning and especially to the purposes assigned to this Act of Christ's Humane Nature is not all that which is Essential to the Faith in Christ which the Gospel requires But why should I Scribble the little Paper left It 's like the Reasons he gave for Christ's Repenting viz. The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me and he was a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief 3. He plainly discovers his Mind to be that Faith is an Act of the Soul whilst spiritually dead and unregenerate P. 61. He joins with such as say Faith is the means and way of our being made spiritually alive rather than our acting Life as being already brought into a state of Life as the Bodies Clasping hold on the Soul by the animal Spirits which are Corporeal things is rather the means of Life than an act of Life c. P. 62. Suppose that the principle of Grace begotten and created in us in Regeneration contain in it the Habit of Faith which I will not now call in question Yet c. P. 32. All our new Obedience and all the Graces of the Spirit comprized under that one word Love are the Effects and Fruits of our being justified P. 60. In Vnion by Faith which is the cause of this Union we are brought immediately into a state of Spiritual Life first Relative then Qualitative c. Repl. Here with the Arminians he denieth the habit of Faith necessary to the actings of Faith He is contrary to the Assembly of Divines who tell us That God in effectual Vocation takes away
the Objects of the respective Effects thereof as the Gospel determines the Distribution of them His Notion of legal Union between Christ and the Elect from Eternity as being one legal Person is an unscriptural Notion which I have confuted though I acknowledge Christ from Eternity undertook to Redeem and Save the Elect but that is far from one legal Person being that we are not reputed to Redeem or Save our selves alike ungrounded is one Mystical Person It 's time to put an end to my Remarks on his Story made up of Steps which I wonder he hath acquired no better Skill in relating than to represent the Counsels of God in a manner so inconsistent with nay reproachful to the Glory of the Blessed God 9. I shall not take notice of such things as these all your Obedience to the Law avails no more to justifie you than your worst Sins the not failing of Faith is not a means of our continuing justified Repentance is the effect of Pardon and not necessary thereto These and the like being already insisted on in this Book and elsewhere neither shall I demonstrate as I might it must be his Judgment that all our Sins are pardoned at once even past present and to come and that God cannot be displeased with or afflict Believers for their Sins c. 10. He vainly supposeth many things possible to be in Unbelievers which are certain Evidences of true Faith Effects of Faith yea they are the Execution of the Consenting Act of Faith and without them if Men have time all his Faith is but a Dead Faith that will never Save I will admit that no Act of Grace or Godliness can Save us without Faith But I as positively affirm That there is no one Act of real Grace or Godliness without true Faith nor yet any true Faith without Acts of other Graces Why then should he put the Graces of the Spirit into a War and tell us of mending our Ways and reforming our Lives and our Hearts too so as never more to Sin and live as a Saint dropt down from Heaven c. yet they are not Faith and the Righteousness of Christ would not be upon thee P. 67 68 c. Can Mens Hearts be changed and their Lives thus reformed in Obedience to the Call of Christ's Gospel and not accept of Christ and trust in him No. And I ask If any Man go out of himself to Christ for all and yet never repent nor have his Heart and Life changed nor love God Would that Man have the Righteousness of Christ upon him for Salvation Yet this is as possible as the other yea and more easily mistaken 1 Thess. 1. from 5. to 10. you 'll see the Spirit of God makes the things concur which Mr. M. would set at so great an Opposition To me it 's evident that Christ's Righteousness extends it self through all the Benefits and Privileges of a Saint as the Sole Meriting Cause whatever be the Condition And all the after-gracious Acts and Godliness of a Believer are the Operations of Faith they are his first Conjugal Consent executed as well as the Effects of his Dependance on Christ for new Supplies 1. Faith as it acts upward towards Christ still Craves Prays Hopes Trusts Expects with Affection Adheres and renews Self-dedication and Consent 2. As it looks into the word it finds Motives Excitements Directions c. to urge and apply to it self from invisible things realized 3. As it acts under the Power of both the former with respect to External and Internal Effects it Purifieth Melts Loves Quickens Strengthens to Duty and against Temptations Comforts Reclaimeth Recovereth Guardeth Watcheth c. So that our renewed Act of Repentance Love and Fear c. our Godliness Reformation Zeal and all sincere Obedience is the Operation of Faith and the Obedience of Faith Faith is in them and they are in Faith not formally but in the way above expressed Whence I conclude it 's a false Faith that omits Obedience to Christ in all these as it is a false Obedience which excludes a Dependance on Christ in or by any of those 11. Mr. M's Criminations of his Brethren are intolerable becoming neither an honest Man nor a true Believer and much less a Gospel-Minister more wicked Malice and Falsehood hardly any Man can be guilty of than his Accusations and Insinuations are justly chargeable with unless they proceed from real Ignorance which Charity prompts me to hope I have instanced already how he hath perverted my words but had he confined his Reproaches to me I should not think my Resentments so fit to be expressed but he spares not the Dead he strikes at the Body of our Usefulest Ministers alive and at their Ministry too Who or what could excite any Man to render the Labours of so many Ministers useless when so adapted to promote the Kingdom of Christ in the World Who will dare to attend their Labours or avoid being filled with Jealousies Prejudices and Abhorrence that believe this fiery Man when he saith They hold Soul-damning Errors if there be any in the World P. 46. That they have a Dislike and Heart-hatred of standing in the Righteousness of Christ imputed and it only that lies at the bottom in these Oppositions to our being as Righteous as Christ P. 76. and the Devil by them laboureth to Forestall and shut up Mens Hearts against what he calls the Blessed Truths nay his Malignant Spirit riseth so high as to call them oft Semi-socinians and studiously brands them with that name as what he would have them called by in his Preface as well as Socinians in his Sermons and that the Gospel of our Salvation is Craftily and Insolently assaulted by them in the very Vitals and Fundamentals of it And this and much more as an Apostasie from the Truth he fixeth on Old and Young even many of the rising Generation not only among Conformists but Dissenters also Reply The Angel said The Lord rebuke thee when he durst not bring railing Accusation sure he knoweth not what Spirit he is of nor who doth instigate him to these things any more than Holy Peter did whose Design was better After long working at this Trade under Ground he proclaims it when he comes into open Air and hides not his Spirit or his Purpose I hope others injured so deeply will joyn with me in forgiving him and Praying for his Repentance that the Blood of Prejudiced Souls may not be required at his hands nor these Injurious Reproaches be imputed to him I shall make a few Remarks on the Names he give us 1. He of all Men seems least allowed to give us any Name for we are not the Children of his Church-Members and others he will not Baptise he pleads that the Ancient Church called the Off-spring of Pelagius his Heresie Semi-Pelagians May therefore one that utterly denies a Catholick visible Church pretend to it yea who thinks he ceaseth to be a Minister when his Relation