Sinner to perform The Judgment-Day is past and a State of Tryal is over when-ever this is proved These things I have premised that if possible I may remove the Mistakes which govern the Minds of some well-meaning people The Truth TRUTH I shall express it in the words of the Assembly The Grace of God is manifested in the Second Covenant in that he freely provideth and offereth to Sinners a Mediator and Life and Salvation by him requiring Faith as the Condition to interest them in him promiseth and giveth his holy Spirit to all his Elect to work in them that Faith with all other saving Graces and to enable them unto all Obedience as the Evidence of the Truth of their Faiâ—h and Thankfulness to God and as the way which he hath appointed them to Salvation Large Catech. Quest. How is the Grace of God manifested in the Second Covenant 1. Thou canst not but observe that the Assembly did judge 1. That though God hath provided a Mediator for Sinners yet they have no interest in him till they believe 2. That the Covenant is Conditional They scruple not to call Faith the Condition of our Interest in Christ and of Salvation by him 3. That Christ and Salvation are offered to all Sinners on the same Condition though God effectually enable the Elect to obey the Condition ERROUR The Covenant of Grace hath no Condition to be performed on Man's part though in the strength of Christ Neither is Faith it self the Condition of this Covenant but all the saving Benefits of this Covenant are actually ours before we are born Neither are we required so much as to believe that we may come to have an Interest in the Covenant Benefits Proved that this is Doctor Crisp 's Opinion The Doctor spends more than a Sermon to prove this And saith P. 81. There is not any Condition in this Covenant Mark what I say I know I shall go against the Strain of some c. P. 82. Observe I pray you and you shall plainly perceive that Man hath no Tye upon him to perform any thing whatsoever on his Part as a Condition that must be observed on his Part and there is not one Bond or Obligation upon Man to the fulfilling of the Covenant or partaking of the Benefits of it P. 84. He puts this Objection Though Works be not the Condition of the Covenant yet we hope you will yield Faith is the Condition of the Covenant He answers I must needs tell you directly that Faith is not the Condition of the Covenant But the Reader may suppose the Doctor only means there be no meritorious Conditions No he excludes all things wrought by Men or in Men as necessary to their Interest in the Covenant Blessings For he tells us P. 81. That after we are in Covenant with God he will bestow these things upon us as Effects of the Covenant And P. 83. The Covenant in the actual Substance of it is made good to a Man before he can do any thing i. e. from Eternity and in the Womb. Elsewhere he says Before our Eyes be opened c. P. 600. c. Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether God hath promised and Christ engaged in the Covenant of Redemption that the Elect shall believe and possess Christ c. This I affirm 2. Nor whether there be any Duty on Man's Part as a Condition of Christ's Undertaking or of the Certainty of the Things undertaken in that Covenant This I deny 3. Nor whether the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace be performed in our own Strength or be uncertain as to the Elect. This I deny 4. Nor whether the Performance of the Conditions move God to enact offer or appoint this Covenant whereby the Grace of Christ is applied This I deny and add That God enacted this Covenant before we were born and offers an Interest in it on its proper Terms to Men when Sinners 5. Nor whether the Performance of the Conditions of the Covenant be a purchasing Price or meritorious of the Benefits promised on such Conditions This I deny for Christ alone paid the Price and it 's the Covenant Promise gives the Interest in the Benefits to such as perform the Conditions 6. Nor whether the first Grace by which we are enabled to perform the Condition be absolutely given This I affirm though that be dispensed ordinarily in a due use of Means and in a way discountenancing idleness and fit Encouragement given to the Use of Means 7. Nor whether all the Conditions of the Covenant be of the same Use to the same Purpose or alike compleat Terms of the principal Benefits This I deny for Faith is supposed to all other Conditions and by Faith we are united to Christ c. 8. Nor whether upon Performance of the Conditions the Covenant Grant become not as absolute and the Right to the Benefit no longer suspended This I affirm for the Promise conveys the title as soon as the terms of the Grant are answered The real Difference 1. Whether the Elect have an actual Interest in the saving Benefits of the Covenant of Grace while they live in Unbelief This the Doctor affirms and I deny Of which see Chap. 10 11 12. 2. Whether God doth not offer the saving Benefits of the Covenant upon official Terms as believe and thou shalt be saved This I affirm and the Doctor denies 3. Whether the beneficial Privileges of the Covenant be not suspended on Terms of Duty as Doth not God forbear to pardon us till we believe This I affirm and the Doctor denies 4. Whether God doth engage to bestow the promised Benefits of the Covenant on all such who through Grace perform the Conditions This I affirm and the Doctor denies All may be reduced to this Whether our believing Confent to the Covenant of Grace be absolutely necessary by God's Command and Promise to our Interest in the saving Benefits of that Covenant This the Doctor denies and I affirm The Truth Confirmed 1. Each of the Benefits of the Covenant are offered to Men on condition and not absolutely in relation to God as his People is so Lev. 26. 3 12. If ye walk in my Statutes and keep my Commandments I will walk among you and will be your God and ye shall be my People That this refers to the New Covenant Relation is plain by 2 Cor. 6. 16. So is Union to Christ with a Communion in the Benefits proceeding therefrom Mat. 22. 2 3 9 10 11. They must come to the Wedding-Supper or have no share in it So is it of Pardon of Sin Acceptance to Life Adoption and Salvation Rom. 10. 9. If thou shalt confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jelus and shalt believe in thine Heart c. thou shalt be saved Rom. 4. 25. To whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord. Gal. 3. 7. They which are of Faith are the Children of Abraham See more of this in
Rom. 9. 6. 1. If it terminate on the natural Jews it 's the strongest Text for the Conversion of that People and describes the Extent of it viz. to all The Manner of it viz. by an immediate Influence for the most part and forgiving their Iniquities refers to their Sin in crucifying Christ for which that Blindness came upon them that is here removed If you take it in this Sence yet here is a Law written in the Heart which includes Faith in order to God's being their God and the Remission of their Sins 2. If true Believers or they that are inwardly Israel be meant as Rom. 2. 9. then it 's plain that there is Faith in all such who are the Parties with whom God makes this Covenant They are the Children of Abraham by Faith Gal. 3. 7. and no Unbelievers are Israel in this Notion If you take it thus the Text imports Perseverance great Sanctification and high Improvements in Holiness and Knowledge great Nearness to and Amity with God c. as the Benefits secured and reserved for the New-Testament-Times and all these to multitudes 2. It cannot be inferred from this Scheme of the new Covenant that as the Doctor would have it God doth not require any Duty as the Condition of the Benefits which he promiseth to give for here 's Gods Law written in the Heart before our Relation to him as his People or the Pardon of Sins and though this Text includes the Effects and Materials of the Covenant yet it doth not describe the whole Form of the Covenant for in other Places God requires the new Heart as a Condition of Life Ezek. 18. 31. Cast away from you all your Transgressions and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will you die O House of Israel But turn and live Jer. 7. 23. c. Yea our Ministry which is the Ministry of the New Testament 2 Cor. 3. 6. is to preach Faith and Repentance for the Remission of Sin We are to promise the Benefits of the Covenant to all that submit to the Terms of it and to declare that all who refuse the Terms shall therefore be excluded from the Benefits as you 'll see Chap. 10 11 12 21. Testimonies You have already seen that the Assembly say the Covenant of Grace is conditional and Faith is a Condition of our Interest in Christ and Salvation and these are offered to Sinners on that Condition The Congregational Elders at the Savoy affirm as much Chap. 7. a. 3. The Lord was pleased to make a second Covenant commonly called the Covenant of Grace wherein he freely offers Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ requiring of them Faith in him that they may be saved You see they think there 's in the Covenant an Offer of Life if Men will believe and God requires Faith that we may obtain this Life The New England Synod confutes Errour 28. which was this To affirm there must be Faith on Man's Part to receive the Covenant is to undermine Christ. This the Synod say is contrary to Mar. 16. 16. Errour 38. was That there can be no closing with Christ in a Promise that hath a Condition expressed The Synod say this is erroneous and contrary to Isa. 55. 1. Mat. 11. 28. Mar. 1. 5. and adds If the Gospel it self be laid down in a conditional Promise if the Apostles and Prophets laid hold on such Promises to help to Union then there may be a true closing with Christ in a Promise that hath Qualfications and Conditions expressed So they brand as Errour 48. That conditional Promises are legal And Errour 81. Where Faith is held forth by the Ministry as the Condition of the Covenant of Grace on Man's Part c. there is not sufficient Bread which the Synod thus confutes This Position seems to deny Faith to be a Condition at all or at all active and so if Condition in this place signifie a Qualification in Man wrought by the Holy Ghost without which the Promises do not belong to Men. This is contrary to Joh. 6. 48. Doctor Owen saith Treat of Justif. P. 264. That Christ undertook that those who were to be taken into this Covenant should receive Grace enabling them to comply with the Terms of it fulfill its Conditions and yield the Obedience which God required therein How frequently doth he assert that our Interest in the Benefits of the Covenant depends on our answering the Terms of the Gospel 270 303 c. 351. He informs us A Covenant doth not operate by meer Sovereignty it becomes not a Covenant without the Consent of them with whom it is made Wherefore saith he no Benefit accrues unto any or Freedom from the old Covenant by this Constitution unless he hath actually complied with it hath chosen it and is interessed in it thereby Mr. Norton Orth. Evang. 172. affirms That the Gospel holds forth Salvation before Faith indefinitely not definitely Generally not Particularly Conditionally to every one not Absolutely to any one Hence this indefinite Proposition Whosoever believeth shall be saved containeth a Command and a singular or particular Conditional Promise c. He often proves Faith to be the First Condition See Turretin Instit. Theol. pars 2. p. 203. where he proves the Covenant of Grace to be Conditional How poor is the number that denies it The Ground of the Doctor 's Mistake He thinks every thing is a Price to buy a Benefit which is a compliance with the way God hath ordained to bestow the Gift whereas there 's a buying without Price which is our Acceptance of Life upon the Terms of God's Offer Isa. 55. 1. He thinks because God hath promised to Christ That the Elect shall believe therefore God cannot make Faith a Condition of any other Blessing which he resolves to bestow in order after Faith He thinks because Christ is given to be a Covenant that is he is appointed as a Surety to see the great Ends of the Covenant accomplished and secured therefore there is nothing required from Men as the way of their Interest in the Benefits of the Covenant though under the influence of Christ. He thinks because Christ is appointed to work Faith in order to Union and other Benefits therefore we must have an actual Interest in Christ and those Benefits before this Faith is wrought He thinks because all Grace after Union comes from Christ as our actual Head therefore Christ by his Spirit can work no Grace in us as our designed Head He thinks because God sovereignly decreed what Benefits he would bestow therefore he hath as our Ruler stated no rectoral Method of bestowing those Benefits Because the Covenant is everlasting as to future therefore he judged there can be no Condition on Man's part not remembring that the Covenant secures our perseverance in performing those Conditions CHAP. IX Of the Nature of Saving Faith TRUTH I Shall express this in the words of the Assembly and Congregational Elders at the Savoy Confes.
believing it P. 436 Though such Persons do act Rebellion yet the loathsomness and abominableness and hatefulness of this Rebellion is laid on the back of Christ he bears the Sin as well as the Blame and Shame c. And that 's the only reason why God can dwell with those Persons that do act the thing because all the filthiness of it is transacted from them on the back of Christ. He puts an Objection How should God know every sin the Believer doth commit and yet God not remember them He Answers after many words Though God remembers the things thou hast done yet he doth not remember them as thine c. for he remembers perfectly they are none of thine and when he pass'd them over to Christ they ceased to be thine any longer P. 364. The Lord hath not one sin to charge upon an Elect Person from the first moment of Conception to the last moment of Life no nor Original Sin is not to be laid upon him the Lord hath laid it on Christ already P. 365. Every Elect Vessel of God from the first instant of his being is as pure in the Eyes of God from the charge of Sin as he shall be in Glory P. 298. It 's the voice of a lying Spirit in your Hearts that saith That you that are Believers have yet sin wasting your Consciences and lying as a burthen too heavy for you to bear c. Obj. Was not David a Justifâ—â—â— Person and did not he bear his own sin My sins are gone over my head c. After several things he Answers I must tell you all that David speaks here he speaks from himself and all that David speaks from himself was not truth c. David might mistake that God should charge his sin upon him c. P. 213. In a word Before a Believer doth confess his sin he may be as certain of the pardon of it as after Confession I say there is as much ground to be confident of the Pardon of Sin to a Believer as soon as ever he hath committed it though he hath not made a solemn Act of Confession as to believe it after he hath performed all the Humiliation in the World c. A Believer may be assured of Pardon as soon as he commits any Sin The Sins he speaks of are Adultery and Murther P. 215. But you will say All the Promises of Pardon do run with this Proviso In case Men humble themselves In case Men do this and that then Pardon is theirs but otherwise it 's none of theirs Take heed of such Doctrine P. 52. There is nothing but Joy and Gladness Obj. But some will say Believers find it otherwise there is not such joy and gladness but they are often oppressed with sadness and heaviness of Spirit I Answer There is not one Fit of Sadness in any Believer whatsoever but he is out of the way Christ c. I say the Soul is first satisfied of Forgiveness of Sins before there is that real kindly mourning in those that are Believers P. 15. God doth no longer stand offended nor displeased though a Believer after he is a Believer do sin often And it 's no wonder for he saith a few lines after Except God will be offended where there is no cause to be offended which is Blasphemy to speak he will not be offended with Believers For I say he hath no cause to be offended with a Believer because he doth not find the sin of the Believer to be his own sin but he finds it to be the Sin of Christ. See more p. 413 416 418 419 425 c. Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not VVhether a Believer doth by new Sins fall from a Justified state 2. Nor whether God doth upon new Crimes judicially charge the Christian with those Sins he had pardoned before though he may present to his view some former Sins for his further humblings 3. Nor whether a Believer ought to question his Justified state upon any Sins that do not give just Suspicion that Sin hath dominion over him or his Faith was not true 4. Nor whether any past Sins and Sins present at his first believing be unpardoned 5. Nor whether renewed Acts of Faith Humiliation Repentance Fasting or Reformation do merit Pardon 6. Nor whether a Principle of Life given at our first Conversion will finally fail to exert it self in due Humblings for repeated Enormities and in holy Resolves 7. Nor whether the same degrees of Humblings be necessary for all Crimes and in all Persons and in all Times 8. Nor whether any gross Miscarriage should cause a Saint to condemn all past Experience and conclude his Graces to be Counterfeit Each of these I deny 9. Nor whether a Sense of Pardon ought not to affect and melt the Heart 10. Nor whether some true Penitents may not sometimes be too much dejected and overwhelmed with Sorrow for Sin 11. Nor whether a general Exercise of Faith and Repentance do not answer the Gospel-Rule of Forgiveness as to Sins of Ignorance Infirmity and Surprise These three last I affirm The Real Differences 1. Whether an Elect Sinner be at any time a guilty Person in God's Esteem This the Doctor denies and I affirm I have proved in Chap. 1 3. 7 12. 2. Whether the Remains of Sin defile us This I affirm and the Doctor denies against all Protestants who prove it of Original Sin against the Papists 3. Whether a justified Person falling into gross Enormities is defiled thereby and contracts Guilt upon himself thereby This the Doctor denies and I do affirm 4. Whether God esteems the repeated Abominations of Believers not to be their own Crimes and they not to be the Sinners but they are Christ's Sins This the Doctor affirms and I deny which I have cleared Chap. 3. and 4. and 7. 5. Whether a justified Person upon new Provocations is charged by God and ought to charge himself as guilty and defiled so as in God's appointed way to repent believe renew his Covenant and be earnest with God for Forgiveness This the Doctor denies and I afirm 6. Whether all Sins past present and to come are actually pardoned at once This the Doctor affirms and I deny 7. Whether God hath required new Exercises of Faith and Repentance for their actual Pardon This the Doctor denies and I affirm 8. Whether a Believer ought to be as assured of the Forgiveness of his repeated Provocations just when he hath committed them and before he hath humbled himself renewed Actings of Faith on Christ repeated his Covenant and prayed for Pardon for Christ's Sake as after he hath thus done This the Doctor affirms and I deny The Truth Confirmed I have said so much Chap. 3. 4 8 10 12 13. that tends to clear this Point that I shall single out now only the Substance of what was least insisted on 1. God doth see and charge a Believer with his new Enormities as his Sins and not Christ's 2
any holy Qualification or Endeavour Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion Page 159. The more the Light and Glory of he Gospel shineth in the true Intention of God tohis People the more should they have Joy and Gladness Why may not then a Believer say The Lord hath been bountiful to me God hath done every thing in Christ and taken away all things that can disturb my Peace and Comfort P. 186. Here is first Deliverance then Service is the Fruit of Deliverance not Deliverance the Fruit of Service The Tenour of the Law runs thus First do then live The Gospel saith First live then do c. Do not think God gives Christ upon Condition P. 554. Man will be mincing of this Truth and tell you if you will keep close to God and if you refrain from Sin especially from gross Sins God will love you and then you may apply these and these Promises unto your selves but God speaks plainly before they had done Good or Evil Jacob have I loved the Grace of God is passed over to Men as they are ungodly c. This is the Grace of God revealed and he hath exhibited it thus freely to Men Hath the Lord given us Commission to preach this Gospel P. 124. The Free-man of Christ hath this Freedom Christ doth all his Work for him as well as in him c. Christ doth all for them that God requires to be done See more in the next Chapter But most of these Heads I have proved to be his Opinion in several Chapters at large Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether we must reveal Christ in his Person Natures Offices Sufferings Intercession and whatever describes his Glory Suitableness Use c. 2. Nor that we must teach that Christ hath purchased all saving Benefits and that Men must look to him as the Author of Salvation and Giver of that Grace whereby we obey the Terms of Life 3. Nor that we must declare the free Grace of God in giving his Son for us and his Spirit to call us and all Benefits we do receive on our Obedience to that Call 4. Nor that we must describe Salvation in all the Parts of it for the Comfort of Saints and Persuading of Sinners 5. Nor that we must make Offers of Christ and his Benefits to the worst of Sinners on Gospel-Terms assuring them nothing shall hinder their happiness by him but their refusal to accept of him in all his Offices 6. Nor whether we should inform them that God hath elected a certain Number whose Obedience to the Terms of Life our Lord hath undertaken for and so the Gospel shall not be in vain to all But yet that the Case of no Hearer is made so desperate by this Election of some as that if he do repent and believe he shall not be saved for God will judge all of us by his revealed Will and not by his Decrees 7. Nor That we must teach the best Man to renounce all the Grace he hath and Good he performs as if being the least Atonement for Sin or least Purchase of Life or any Addition of Merit to a Christ or sharing in what is peculiar to him All these I affirm The Real Difference 1. Whether the Gospel requires any Grace or Duty in order to our actual Interest in saving Benefits This the Doctor denies and I affirm and have proved in several Chapters 2. Whether it 's Gospel-Preaching to tell Men that they had the same Interest in Christ Pardon and Life while most wicked as any godly Man hath and that their Happiness doth not at all depend on what Grace they act or sin they commit This the Doctor affirms and I deny being assured whoever preacheth thus opposeth the Gospel of Christ and the plain Truth as I have proved at large Chap. 1. 3 4 7 8 10 11 12 13 15. 3. Whether Christ doth do all for a Believer that God requires of a Believer This the Doctor affirms and I deny though I grant he works all in us or enables us to do what God requires 4. Whether the main Scope of Gospel-preaching is in Christ's Name to perswade and with Authority require Sinners to seek and act those Graces which saving Benefits are promised to assuring them of Salvation if they comply and declaring that it is impossible they can be saved yea that their Condemnation shall be aggravated if they refuse This I affirm and the Doctor Denies The Truth Confirmed 1. Christ doth not do all for a Believer as well as in him He doth not repent for us nor obey the Gospel Terms for us nor accept of or rely on himself as a Saviour for us He never is said to do so we are enabled and required to do these as our own personal Acts or perish It is impossible Christ should do these things as being inconsistent with his Person Can he change his Mind come to himself and turn to God whom he had left alter his Purposes and reform his Life all which are included in Repenting Christ will save none meerly as Christ but as Christ believed on Joh. 6. 52 53 54. Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you Whoso eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath eternal Life But can Christ thus eat his own Flesh Doth he mean If I be not thus fed on by Men they shall dye That is If I do not feed on my self Christ will be saved for them while themselves are damned who trust to let Christ believe for them whiles they continue in Unbelief He doth all for us which belongs to him as Redeemer but we must do all in his Strength which he requires of the Redeemed 2. Gospel-preaching is what I have described and because the most Exception will lye against what I have said of the Conditional Proposals of Benefits on Terms of Duty I shall prove that it 's Gospel-preaching to call Men to believe and repent and tell them if they do so God will for Christ's Sake forgive them if they do not so their Sin will remain And also to perswade them to love fear and obey God in true Holiness when in a State of Pardon and profess the Faith And if they persevere in doing so they shall be saved by Christ and if they do the contrary they shall be miserable I have proved that these are Gospel-Truths and therefore to preach them is to preach the Gospel Some one part of the Gospel being Gospel doth not argue that other Parts are not so too But I shall annex a few more Reasons 1. Thus Christ and his Apostles appointed the Gospel to be preached That the Spirit of Christ thus directed the Prophets in the Old Testament to preach none can deny that use to read the Bible Christ on Earth prescribed this way Mar. 16. 15. And he said unto them Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature he
sinful and vain and no Saving Benefit is dispenced to any of us by this Rule 2. The Gospel includes the Moral Preceptive part of the first Law with some additional Precepts which suppose our Apostate state as Faith in an atoneing Saviour and Repentance for Sin These could not be enjoyned as Duties on innocent Man by a Rule of Happiness and Misery nor could they be necessary to his Right to Life because they would suppose him a Sinner The Gospel is taken in a large sence when I say it includes all the Moral Precepts but yet the Gospel doth so and they are the Commands of Christ as Redeemer to whom all Judgment is committed as well as the Law of the Creator 3. The Gospel hath another Sanction to the Preceptive part of the Law than the Covenant of Works had Though nothing be abated in the Rule of Sin and Duty yet Blessings are promised to lower degrees of Duty and a continuance in a state of Deuth with a barr to the Blessing are not threatned against every degree of Sin as the Covenant of Works did Can any doubt this to be the Grace of the Gospel-Promise Doth it promise Life to all Men however vile and impenitent they be Or doth it threaten Damnation or a Continuance of it on any true penitent believing godly Man because he is imperfect This Change of the Sanction supposeth the Death of Christ and his honouring the Law by his perfect Obedience wherein God hath provided for his own Glory while he promiseth Life by Forgiveness to imperfect Man and yet he insists on some degree of Obedience to which of his mere Grace he enableth us This the Covenant of Redemption secures to the Elect tho' the Grant therein is pleadable only by Christ as the stipulating Party for us and our personal Claim depends on the Gospel-Covenant whereof Christ is Mediator 4. This Gospel-Sanction determines as certain a Rule of Happiness and Misery as the Law of Works did though it be not the same For while it promiseth Pardon to all believing repenting Sinners and declares a barr to pardon to the impenitent Rejecters of Christ and Gospel-Grace it fixeth true Repentance and Faith unfeigned to be the Terms of Pardon So when it promiseth Heaven to the sincerely holy persevering Believer it fixeth sincere Holiness and perseverance in Faith as the Terms of possessing Heaven Hence the Use of Faith Holiness c. to these Benefits is not from their Conformity to the Precept but their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise Our applying Christ's Righteousness and relying on it would no more Justifie us than our sincere Holiness would Save us were it not for this Gospel-Promise That God will Justifie for Christ's sake all such as believe 5. Hence by Gospel-Grace there is a great difference between perfect Faith and utter Unbelief between sincere Holiness and formal Profaneness or Wickedness True Love to God and prevailing Enmity imperfect spiritual Duties and rebellious Neglects c. By the Law of Works nothing was Holiness but what was perfectly so c. But read the Bible if thou doubtest whether there is not a true Faith Holiness Love c. which be short of Perfection 6. God in the dispensing of Gospel-promised Blessings doth judicially determine a Conformity to this Rule of the Promise When he forgives he judicially declareth a Man hath true Faith when he admits into Heaven he judicially declares a Man sincerely Holy and Persevering As upon a view of his Guests he cast out him that had not on the Wedding-Garment viz. True-uniting Faith so he judicially determined That they who were not cast out but admitted to share in the Marriage Feast viz. made Partakers of Union with Christ and the Benefits thereof had True Faith and not a mere Profession As by keeping out the foolish Virgins for not having Oyl in their Lamps viz. the Spirit of Grace and persevering Holiness so by admitting the wise Virgins he judicially declared they had a Spirit of Grace and persevering Holiness Can any think that Forgiving Adopting Glorifying or the conveyance of every other promised Benefit given on God's Terms are not judicial Acts of God as Rector If so doth he dispence these blindly and promiseuously without any regard to our being Believers c. or no Or whether our Faith be true or no Any one would blush to affirm it With respect to what 's above declared the Gospel is called a Law of Faith a Law of Liberty c. and it especially insists on that sincerity of Grace and Holiness which the Rule of the Promise makes necessary in its Description of the Person whom it makes Partaker of its included Benefit And the main of our Ministry consisteth in pressing Men to answer the Rule of the Gospel-Promises and disswading Men from those things which the Gospel threatens shall hinder their Interest in all or any of its Benefits with an Aggravation of their Misery if they be final Rejecters of its Grace We call Men to be reconeiled to God upon which we know God will be at peace with them These things will help thy Conceptions still remembring that the Merits of Christ are the cause of this Gospel-Ordination His Righteousness imputed is the cause for which we are justified and saved when we do answer the Gospel-Rule And I exclude not this Righteousness when I affirm That the Righteousness of God Phil. 3. 9. principally intends the Gospel-Holiness of a Person justified by Christ's Righteousness both which by Faith in Christ all his Members shall be perfect in The Grace of God is hereby stated as free as is consistent with his Government and Judicial Rectoral Distribution of Rewards and Punishments and none need the Riches of Grace more than I. Reader Note That in this Book I still speak of the Adult and not Infants When I say The Difference is not I state my own Concessions and mean not that the Doctor is in all these of my mind Thou must expect to take up my full sence by a view of several Chapters and not only one because sundry Chapters referr to the same Points more or less And forget not That though the Doctor oft in his Book speaks to Men as Believers yet every thing is true of the Elect viz. They have as much a Title to all Saving Blessings only they do not know it This was his Judgment I have carefully avoided any Reflexion on Reverend Dr. Crisp whom I believe a holy Man and abstained exposing many things according to the Advantage offered if by any means this Book may become useful to such as most need it That the Father of Lights would lead us into all Truth and Love is the Prayer of thy Servant in the Gospel London May 4. 1692. D. Williams ERRATA PAge 3. Line 7. add 365. p. 5. l. 8. for ew r. we p. 8. l. 15. for 289. r. 274. p. 10. l. 17. r. Propogation p. 28. l. 4 for Chaist r. Christ p. 38.
that it runs as a Line through all his Discourses and is the foundation he builds most upon P. 298. I say all the Weight and all the Burthen and all that very Sin it self is long agone laid upon Christ and that laying of it upon him is a full Discharge and a general Release and Acquittance unto thee that there is not any one Sin now to be charged upon thee See p. 375. 281 285. and hence he shews that the Elect are justified before they do believe otherwise till such Believing the Person of the Elect doth bear his own Transgression and is chargeable for his own Transgressions p. 616 617. See more Ch. 9. Wherein the Difference is not The Difference is not 1. Whether Christ made a full Atonement for sin 2. Nor whether that shall in time be applied to the Elect for their actual Remission as the Effect of it 3. Nor whether we be so far released thereupon as that God can demand no Atonement from any who shall submit to the Gospel-way of the Application of it 4. Nor whether the Law be answered and God's Honour so vindicated thereby that the sins of Men cannot hinder an Offer and Promise of Forgiveness and Life 5. Nor whether when we are pardoned the whole meritorious Cause of Pardon be that Atonement and what is required of Sinners is only a Meetness to receive the Effects of it 6. Nor whether this Atonement was the only way of Forgiveness which we can apprehend All these I affirm The real Difference The real Difference is 1. Whether the Elect were actually discharged of all their sins at the time that Christ made Atonement This the Doctor affirms and I deny 2. Whether that very Act of God's laying Sins upon Christ on the Cross be the Discharge of the Elect from all sin This the Doctor affirms and I deny The Truth confirmed The first point of Difference thou mayst find handled in Chap. 1 9 11 12. the last I do refer to in this Chap. viz. that the very Act of laying of Sin on Christ upon the Cross is not the actual immediate Discharge of the Elect from sin 1. It was not the Will or Purpose of God or Christ that the laying of our sins on Christ should be the immediate Discharge of the Elect. I suppose thou wilt grant that if it was not the Will of God or Christ that this should discharge them then it did not discharge them And it 's plain God did not will it should be so For we have a full Account that it is the Elect when he is a Believer that is to be discharged Joh. 6. 40. This is the Will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting Life The Decree it self adjusted this Order 1 Pet. 1. 2. Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto Obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Christ. This is further evidenced elsewhere even in all such Places as be produced to prove that Faith and Repentance is required to our actual Remission and that declare the Impenitent and Unbelieving to be unpardoned For we cannot suppose that Christ's revealed Will in his Word is repugnant to his Purposes when dying or that he should add other Requisites to the Pardon of the Elect if they were immediately pardoned on his Death 2. This overthrows the whole Scheme so wisely contriv'd for the Distribution of the Effects of his Death Things are so adjusted that forgiving the Elect should be an Effect of Christ's Kingly Office as well as his Priestly Office He is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sins Acts 5. 31. The Holy Ghost is to influence in the Application of Christ's Merits for Forgiveness 1 Cor. 6. 11. But you are washed but you are sanctified but you are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Hence the Design of the Gospel-Ministry is to open mens eyes and turn them from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive Forgiveness of Sin Act. 26. 18. It 's a Mercy received in this Order which is quite overturned if the Elect be discharged when Christ died 3. By the opposite Errour the Elect would have been discharged if Christ had never risen again For if meer laying our Sins on Christ did acquit the Elect let Christ never have risen we were rid of them they ceased to be ours and so could not condemn us by returning upon our Persons tho' Christ had continued dead yea his continuing dead had been the surest Release Whereas we are said to be begotten to a lively hope by Christ's resurrection 1 Pet. 1. 3. and saved thereby 1 Pet. 3. 21. 4. Yea if taking sins off from the Elect and laying them on Christ was their Discharge they would be discharged before the sufferings and Death of Christ This appears for they were laid on Christ before he suffered and according to the Doctor 's Scheme were taken off us to lay on Christ and their being laid on Christ made the Sufferings of Christ to be just From which it must follow that the Elect were eased of their Burthen before Christ suffered yea it would be easily proved they were released tho' he had not suffered 5. If this Errour hold the Gospel-Notion of Forgiveness by the Blood of Christ is destroyed Forgiveness denotes the Person guilty and it 's a judicial Act of God as a Rector acting by the Gospel-Rule and this supposeth the full and perfect Atonement made by Christ and the Grant made in the Virtue thereof But in the Doctor 's Opinion the Person is never guilty for sins were laid on Christ before we were born and therefore they were never upon us A judicial Act by a Rule there is none for the Gospel-grant of Pardon is not to the Elect as elect but as penitent Believers neither is the Atonement of Christ supposed to our Forgiveness For the Doctor owneth that our sins being laid on Christ is before the making of the Atonement and without our sins lay on Christ he could not justly be punished So that our Discharge being a Transferring of sin from us to Christ and this being done before Christ made Atonement we are discharged not for the Atonement of Christ nor by an Act of Forgiveness for the sake of this Atonement I need not add that by this Notion Heathens may be in a pardoned state and there 's no need of the Gospel or Knowledge of Christ to bring them out of a state of Wrath. Testimonies Thou hast read before Ch. 1. How the Assembly and the Elders at the Savoy declare We are not justified before the Spirit apply Christ to us in our effectual Vocation They both agree in Conf. ch 8. a. 1. That God from Eternity gave Christ a People to be his Seed and to be by him in time redeemed
of Faith ch 14. a. 2. Declarat ch 14. a. 2. of Saving Faith By this Grace a Christian believeth to be true whatever is revealed in the Word for the Authority of God 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 Resting upon Christ alone for Justification Sanctification and Eternal Life by virtue of the Covenant of Grace Reader weigh this sound Account of Faith Which if it were regarded and no Essential part of it excluded when Faith is considered as a Condition of any Gospel-Benefit How much vain Disputes would be prevented as well as Danger to poor Souls And one would think no Man need prove That it is not Saving Faith when any Essential part of it is wanting And that it must be Saving Faith when we mention Faith as the Condition or Moral Instrument of any Saving Benefit ERROUR Saving Faith is nothing but our Persuasion or absolute Concluding within our selves That our Sins are pardoned and that Christ is ours Proved that this is Doctor Crisp 's Opinion The Doctor tells us pag. 493. The whole Essence of Faith is nothing else but the Echo of the Heart answering the foregoing Voice of the Spirit and Word of Grace Thy Sins are forgiven thee saith the Spirit and Word of Grace My Sins are forgiven me saith Faith And the Soul that can assume thus from the Spirit and Word of Grace hath the whole Essence of Believing When the Doctor pag. 107. puts a Man on examining his Faith he hath these words How do I know I believe in Christ He Answers Do I rest my Heart upon this Truth Do I receive it as a Truth that I do believe Or do I reject it and will not receive it Then I do not believe But if you sit down and rest upon this Truth and receive it and do in reality believe it then you may absolutely conclude Christ is yours And pag. 296. If the Lord I say again give to any to believe this Truth That it is his Iniquity the Lord hath laid on Christ God himself cannot charge one Sin on that Man And pag. 158. he makes the difference betwixt a strong and weak Believer to consist in the Degree of this Persuasion See more in chap. 10 11. Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether Assurance be attainable in this Life as the Effect of Faith 2. Nor whether a Sinner ought to apply yea doth personally apply the general Offers of Christ and Life by his own Compliance with the Terms of the Gospel For upon a true Acceptance of a whole Christ he is mine in virtue of the Gospel Promise which God will perform in giving Christ and Life to all that accept of him as he is proposed for our Acceptance 3. Nor whether a convinced Sinner hath at first a more especial regard to Christ's Priestly Offices and Sufferings as what are more sensibly fitted to his guilty State 4. Nor whether every thing recorded in the Scriptures must not be dwelt on with the same regard concern and assurance as the Essentials of the Covenant of Life 5. Nor whether Faith contain in it a reliance on Christ as the only Saviour and on his Satisfaction and Merits as what alone purchased our Pardon and Acceptance as well as it includes the realizing Assent to the Truth and unfeigned fiducial Consent to and Acceptance of a whole Christ in all his Offices All these I affirm The real Difference 1. Whether the whole Essence of Saving Faith consists in an Inward Persuasion or Assurance that our Sins are pardoned and Christ is ours This the Doctor affirms and I deny yea I deny that it is at all of the Essence of Saving Faith 2. Whether Saving Faith include not in its nature that powerful efficacious Assent to the Word and fiducial consenting Acceptance of Christ as Prophet Priest and King with a Reliance on his Merits and obediential Regards to God as the TRUTH above-mentioned doth express This the Doctor denies and I affirm The Truth confirmed 1. Faith is not an Assurance or Inward Persuasion That Christ is ours and our Sins are pardoned For 1. Men may have this Persuasion who do not savingly believe They in Mat. 7. 22. had this when they cried Lord Lord open to us Neither did the foolish Virgins seem without it Mal. 25. 1 2. Yea it's what the most profligate Sinners grow secure by to their own Destruction and this upon the general Word of Grace 2. Many true Believers have not this Persuasion let common Experience be consulted 3. Such as have had Assurance do by the Doctor 's Opinion fall into the Sin of damning Unbelief whenever they doubt their Interest in Christ and especially if they conclude that they have not this Interest A sad Doom on many pious Souls 4. This Persuasion should suppose an Interest in Christ and doth not give it It 's a false Conclusion That Christ is mine before he is so And must the great term of Life be a Lye We are to examine our selves whether we be in the Faith and so whether Christ be in us before we assure our selves that he is in us 2 Cor. 13. 5. And where hath God made this Proposition My Sins are laid upon Christ to be the Object of Saving Faith This Proposition is not God nor Christ nor any part of the Scripture unless you suppose a General Redemption and that to the actual Pardon of every Sinner And as the Word of Grace promiseth Pardon to none but a Believer so the Spirit speaks it to none but to the Believer as a Believer 2. Saving Faith includes the Essentials expressed in the above-mentioned Truth as Assent Trust Consenting Acceptance of Christ Reliance c. This appears 1. Faith can be no less than the Soul's Answer to the Call of God in our effectual Vocation And to this all those things are necessary 2 Pet. 1. 3. 2. The Scriptures describe Saving Faith by all these Acts It 's the Evidence of things not seen and Substance of things hoped for Heb. 11. 1. It 's a Receiving of Christ Joh. 1. 12. which must be as God gives him and that is a Witness a Leader and Commander of the People Isa. 55. 4. Acts 3. 26. to bless us in turning every one of you from his iniquity Rom. 15. 12. In him shall the Gentiles trust Isa. 44. 5. One shall say I am the Lord's and another shall subscribe with his Hand unto the Lord which express consent 3. Christ cannot be received as a Saviour nor as the Way of a Sinner to God if Faith include not these Great things He is not a Saviour if you exclude any of his Offices and as an intire Saviour we must receive him Mat. 1. 21. Can any Man receive
Heathen through Faith Must not Faith be at least present It 's impossible to exert an Act by a Thing when that Thing is not 2. Faith is enjoyned as an indispensible Means of Justification by Christ and complied with by All Converts to that End Act. 16. 30. Believe and thou shalt be saved Rom. 10. 9 10. If thou believe with thine heart thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth to righteousness not to Assurance only To be Justified was a Benefit which Paul and the other Converts had an Eye to in Believing Gal. 2. 16. We have believed That we may be justified by the faith of Christ. The Blessing of Justification is limited to a Believer and extended to such by such conditional and indefinite Clauses as these Rom. 4. 23 24. To us it shall be imputed for Righteousness if we Believe on him that raised up Christ from the dead Act. 10. 43. Whosoever Believeth in him shall receive Remission of Sins What a gross Notion would it create That Faith should be required by God in order to a Benefit and this Faith acted by the guidance of the Spirit as a Means to partake of that Benefit and this Benefit proposed and limited to all under an express respect to that Faith and yet that Benefit is ours before Faith hath a Being 3. The Gospel denounceth and declareth All Condemned till they do Believe It declares they are so and denounceth they shall be so Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth not on the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And ver 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already Here 's the Case of all Men by the Fall They are Condemned and under Wrath. Here 's the way of Relief A Christ believed on And they that believe their Condemnation is revers'd Here 's the Case of every Man that believeth not Wrath abideth on him The Condemning Sentence remains and Men are distributed into Condemned or Justified and this as Believers or Unbelievers Oh! that any can think all this Wrath that abides is no more than want of an Assurance that we are Justified Sure it 's more danger Joh. 8. 24. If you believe not you shall die in your sins Mark 16. 18. He that believeth not shall be damned Then they must be liable to Damnation whilst in Unbelief or they could not be Damned for Unbelief To be Condemned and Justified are Opposites at once none can be both Nor can God Justifie a Man whom he then and still Condemns 4. Unbelief is the cause why Men are barred from Justiâ—â—cation and remain obnoxious to Misery Joh. 5. 40. Ye will not come to me that ye may have life What undid the Jews Heb. 3. 18 19. They could not enter because of Unbelief And ch 4 6 7. And if Unbelief did not obstruct Life and a Right to it the Apostle would oddly inferr ch 4. ver 1 2 3. Let us therefore fear lest a Promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it c. for we which have believed do enter into rest How easily might I argue this Point from the Nature of Justification as it 's a judicial Act of God by a Gospel-Rule supposing Christ's Satisfaction As also from the immediate Effects of Justification which are all suspended as to Unbelievers God in all his Carriage not executing the Justifying Sentence on them but the contrary he leaves them many years Slaves to Sin and Satan void of his Spirit admitting them to no Communion with him rejecting their Prayers barring them from his Table suffering them to blaspheme and dishonour him he suffers them to remain Curses and Plagues to other Souls c. Doth God deal thus with the Justified What short of Hell is the Execution of the Curse if these be not Reader I leave it to thy self to judge whether all these things make Faith of no more use than to shew us the goodness of our state which we were as much possessed of before only we did not know it Is that all the change on believing which such great Expressions import Is our being now washed and justified 1 Cor. 6. 11. no more than we now know it Is Assurance all the motive we can honestly use with Sinners to believe Or the want of it all the Danger we have to threaten them with to any beneficial purpose against their abiding in Unbelief TESTIMONIES You have already heard the Assembly and the Congr of Elders at the Savoy Confes. chap. 11. a. 4. saying The Elect are not Justified until the Holy Spirit doth in due time actually apply Christ to them See ch 1. Of the State of the Elect Where I cited this Lesser Catech. Q. What Benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this Life A. They that are effectually called partake of Justification Adoption c. You see that the Assembly do suppose our Calling to our being Justified and Justification is a Benefit flowing from it In the next Answer they tell us We are Justified by receiving Christ's Righteousness by Faith alone So not before Faith The New-England Synod p. 18. thus confute that Speech of the Antinomians viz. To say we are Justified by Faith is an unsafe Speech we must say We are Justified by Christ. The Synod fully prove this is false and add To say a Man is Justified before Faith or without Faith is unsafe as contrary to the language of the Scripture Dr. Owen in his Treat of Justif. p. 299. saith It must be remembred that we require Evangelical Faith in order of Nature antecedently unto our Justification by the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ unto us which also is the Condition of the Continuation of it This is as plain as can be and this he oft proves p. 306 c. The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake Because God Justifies the Ungodly that is the Man who the moment before he believed to Justification was ungodly yea and who still remains ungodly in the Eye of the Law of Works needing daily Forgiveness by Grace therefore God Justifies him who continueth wholly ungodly fifty years after Because Christ alone Justifies as he whose Satisfaction and Merits are the only Righteousness for which we are Justified therefore he thinks there is nothing else present in our Justification not considering that God Justifies the Spirit Justifies the Gospel-Promise Justifieth in sences distinct from Christ And so doth Faith though not as what meriteth yet as what the Promise requireth in all whom God will Justifie for the sake of Christ's Merits Because it 's Christ the Object of Faith Justifies therefore Faith in that Object is not requisite to Justification though it 's as plain as the Word of God can speak it 's a Christ believed on which Justifies It 's not Faith without a Christ can do it and Christ without Faith will not do it but on
our Believing he will not fail to do it Because we must in order to Assurance of Pardon believe our Sins are actually pardoned therefore our actual Pardon is the Object of the Faith by which we obtain Pardon and so he sets our Pardon instead of God Christ and the Gospel-Promises which are the Scripture Objects of Justifying Faith Because Faith is the Evidence of Invisible Realities still remaining Invisible therefore it 's whole Use is to manifest our Pardon before our Pardon hath a Being Object The Doctor lays great stress on Ezek. 16. 6 c. and very often builds this and other of his Opinions upon it Answ. He doth so and without the least Ground For 1. That Chapter doth not describe the Dealings of God with a particular Soul in order to Salvation but with Israel as a Political Body in a peculiar Covenant It shews how mean and idolatrous their Original was how graciously God singled them out and dignified them above the rest of the World by many Privileges and among the rest by making a Covenant of Peculiarity with them But this Covenant is not the Covenant of Eternal Life For ver 59. it was a Covenant they broke And ver 61 62. it 's called Thy Covenant as opposed to My Covenant Dare any Man say that all the Jews were Washed Quickned Justified c. Yet each of these were true of the whole Body in this Chapter See what a Character is given of their Temper and Carriage after all this is said of them and sure it cannot agree to a Justified Soul or a Soul decked with Grace See from ver 14. to ver 23. And had the Doctor considered this Chapter he would find most of his Opinions baffled on the same grounds as he thinks a Verse or two can serve him Ver. 3 4 8. In the day they were born they were unwashed unloved out of the Covenant Where is Justification c. from Eternity or from the time of Conception Ver. 23. When after they were washed and in Covenant God denounceth Woe woe unto thee for their wickedness May not Wrath then be preached to an elect Person Ver. 27 38 43. I 'll judge thee and give thee blood in fury and recompence thy ways upon thy head Doth Sin do a Believer no harm Is there no displeasure in God against the Elect for Sin When God saith Thou hast fretted me c. when v. 58. thou hast born thy lewdness and thy abominations can it be true That no Elect Person bears his own Sin Nor ought he to charge himself therewith Or doth not God charge him with it 2. Admit that the Birth of a Child was a resemblance of Israel's first becoming God's Covenant-People in Abraham or at Mount Sinai and admit that this People's becoming the Lord's were an Exemplar of every elect Person 's Recovery yet all that can be inferred is That an Elect Person is vile miserable and guilty when God comes effectually to call him When thou wert in thy blood I said unto thee Live But what 's this to Justification before Faith Doth God quicken a Soul before he wash it and doth not that Soul believe What Life can there be that excludes Faith A quickned Soul believes as soon as quickned and the Text shews you that it 's quickned before it 's washed A Digression concerning the Necessity of Repentance to Forgiveness The Doctor judging we are Justified before we Believe it 's no wonder he tells us we are forgiven before we confess sin p. 255 c. or repent But my business in this Digression is with Men of more Orthodox Principles who yet seem to be doubtful in this Point I shall therefore state the Point between these Wherein the difference is not 1. It is not VVhether Faith or Repentance be any part of the Meriting Righteousness for which we are Justified 2. Nor VVhether the Habits of Faith and Repentance be wrought at the same time and included in the Regenerating Principle 3. Nor VVhether Convictions of a lost State and some degree of Humblings and Sorrow are necessary to drive a Soul to Christ 4. Nor VVhether there must be an Assenting Act of Faith before there be any Exercise of Repentance under the power of the VVord which must be believed in some degree before it operate to these effects 5. Nor VVhether ingenuous Sorrow for Sin in the sence of actual Pardon be after that Pardon 6. Nor VVhether Repentance as it consists in Fruits meet for it as External Reformation a Fruitful Life and the like must follow Pardon it being against the Tenor of the Promise that Forgiveness should be suspended so long after a Man believes and repents with his heart 7. Nor Whether Justification be equally ascribed to Faith and Repentance For we are said to be Justified by Faith which imports that Repentance is but a disposing Condition and Faith the receiving Condition Repentance without Faith is unavailable as Faith without Repentance is impossible Faith seems to compleat all and in a manner comprehend all These things Orthodox Divines are agreed in The seeming Difference VVhether a sincere purpose of Heart to turn from Sin and Idols to God be absolutely necessary to Forgiveness of Sin The other parts of Repentance are excluded out of the Question by what you have read before And this is that part of it which the word lays a great stress on from hence Repentance is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 2. 8 c. A change of mind or purpose And Conversion refers to this as the principal part of it Proved that Repentance as it lies in a sincere purpose to turn from Sin and Idols to God is necessary to Forgiveness 1. The Repentance God so commands in order to Forgiveness can include no less than this Act. 3. 19. Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out And Act. 2. 38. Repent and be baptized in the name of Christ for the remission of sins To preach Repentance and Remission is Christ's Charge to his Ministers Luk. 24. 47. And none can doubt that before the Person of the Messias became the disputed Truth in the VVorld the chief Subject of God's message to Men was a Call to Repentance 2. Repentance is a Grace to which Pardon is promised and upon the working of it Forgiveness is given And Impenitency continues Guilt where-ever it reigns How much of the Bible must I transcribe if I quote all places that prove these Ez. 18. 30. Act. 3. 19. Act. 26. 18. To turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sin c. Mark 1. 4. And preach the Baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins Luk. 13. 3. Except you repent you shall all perish Christ was exalted to give Repentance and Remission of Sins Act. 5. 31. Nay the Sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable because it 's impossible to bring the Committer of it to repentance Heb.
as increase of Peace returns of Prayer Joy c. Truth Though neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works do make any Atonement for Sin or are in the least the meritorious Righteousness whereby Salvation is caused or for which this or any Blessing becomes due to us as of Debt yet as the Spirit of Christ freely worketh all Holiness in the Soul and enableth us to sincere Obedience and good Works so the Lord Jesus hath of Grace and for his own Merits promised to bring to Heaven such as are partakers of true Holiness perform this sincere Obedience and do these good Works perseveringly and appoints these as the Way and Means of a Believer's obtaining Salvation and several other Blessings requiring these as indispensible Duties and Qualifications of all such whom he will so save and bless and excluding all that want or neglect them or live under the Power of what 's contrary thereto viz. Prophaneness Rebellion and utter Unfruitfulness Errour Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation nor is Sanctification a jot the way of any Person to Heaven nor can the Graces or Duties of Believers no nor Faith it self do them the least Good or prevent the least Evil nor are they of any Use to their Peace or Comfort yea though Christ be explicitely owned and they be done in the Strength of the Spirit of God And a Believer ought not to think he is more pleasing to God by any Grace he acteth or Good he doth nor may Men expect any Good to a Nation by the Humiliation earnest Prayer or Reformation of a People Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion P. 41 42. The Doctor tells us Seeing all things are setled by Christ for us of free Gift all we do is for Christ himself I say that we do we do for Christ not for our selves If we do it for our selves we do but labour in vain if a Man will run a hundred Miles for Money if that Money be proffered to him before he step out of his House at his Door his Journey is in vain seeing he might have had it before he stept out of Door c. Christ comes and brings Justification loving Kindness and Salvation he lays them down presents them delivers them to the Heart when we are ungodly he enters into Covenant that we should become his What needs then all this Travel for Life and Salvation seeing it is here already But seeing we get nothing by it c. Obj. But sure the Doctor intends only That nothing we do can merit but not that they are not required as the requisite Means and VVay to obtain these Blessings A. The Doctor satisfies us he intends the last as well as the first P. 45. 46. I will note one thing before I go on to make clear this thing It is a received Conceit among many Persons that our Obedience is the Way to Heaven and though it be not say they the Cause of our Reign yet it is the Way to the Kingdom c. This he disapproves saying I must tell you all this Sanctification of Life is not a jot the Way of that justified Person unto Heaven c. The Truth is since Redemption is managed by Christ the Lord hath pointed out other Ends and Purposes for our Obedience than Salvation Salvation is not the end of any good Work we do P. 151 152. he puts this Objection We had as good sit still He that works all day and gets nothing more than he had in the Morning he had as good sit still and do nothing He answers Let me tell you the Prevention of Evil if there be reality of Evil in it and the obtaining of Good if there be reality of Good Peace of Conscience Joy in the Holy Ghost Pardon of Sin the Infallibility of Miscarriage the Light of God's Countenance All these I say which you aim at are abundantly provided for you and established firmly on you by the mere Grace of God in Christ before you do perform any thing whatsoever To what purpose do Men propose Ends to themselves which Ends are accomplished before their Proposition And to what purpose then do we propose to our selves the gaining of that to our selves in our Labour and Industry that is already become ours before we do a jot c. Must they now labour to gain these things as if it were referred to their well or evil Walking that as they shall walk so they shall speed c. The Lord doth nothing in his People upon Conditions in his People c. The Lord intends not that by our Obedience we shall gain something which in case of our Failing we shall miscarry of c. That they are to do they are not to do with any Eye to their own Advantage that being already perfectly compleated to their Hands before they do any thing but simply with an Eye to glorifie God and to serve their Generation and therein to serve the Lord c. When you do yield Obedience to God you go to Prayer and fall to Fasting to Weeping and Mourning and Self-denial Keeping the Sabbath Dealing righteously c. What is it you aim at in all this that God may do you good that God may be gracious that God may speak Peace to your Spirits then it follows that Life is that in your Eye that puts you on that which you do c. This is the Righteousness of the Law P. 13. Let Subduing of Sin alone for Peace P. 73. While you labour to get by Duties you provoke God as much as in you lies Obj. But though Holiness or Obedience do not profit us as to saving Good may they not bring us some Good or other Ans. The Doctor tells us No P. 150. I must tell you there is not any Duty you perform when you have attained the highest Pitch that hath any Prevalency and Availableness to produce to bring forth any though the least Good to your selves I say it again there is nothing you can do from whence you ought to expect any Gain to your selves by doing it The Doctor speaks the same as to the Uselessness of Reformation to a Kingdom P. 235 236. But if a Soul get under full sail filled with a stiff Gale of the Spirit when Floods of Meltings flow from it if they can cry mightily and be somewhat exact in observing practical righteous Means to mourn and pray lustily being helpt by the Spirit therein then such Exercises will do Wonders hereby Persons shall get Pardon settle Spiritual Civil and Natural Healings with National such Courses some will think will turn away Gods Wrath c. But he tells us in that Page though these be done by Persons being in Christ though thus assisted by Christ's Spirit though Christ be explicitely owned as the Author of such Assistance the Righteousness so assisted hath no efficacy at all to obtain any thing of the Lord c. So P. 425 426 124 125 24. His common Phrase is
man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of their souls Heb. 10. 38 39. Is this a Threatning or not VVill not Christ deal with Men according to it Is it not true of all Persons Do not say the elect Believer will not fall away I think the same but yet is it the less true that even he shall perish if he fall away Nay Doth not God by these Threats contribute to keep him from Apostacy Ask thy self Is not this Threatning such as should govern our Expectations if we should turn Apostates So Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. This is used as an Argument to persuade us to follow Holiness and can you suppose it argueth at a lower rate than this Be Holy or you shall never see God's Face Unholiness will keep you from God's Presence Consider such places as For these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience Eph. 5. 6. If you live after the flesh you shall die Rom. 8. 13. 2. Salvation is promised to Perseverance True Holiness Sincere Obedience or Good Works And the Accomplishment of these Promises to these is called an Act of Righteousness These are Gospel-Promises because Salvation is promised on Terms so below Perfection The Texts are innumerable that include these Promises Rev. 2. 10. Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge will give me in that day Rom. 18. 3. If you mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit you shall live Heb. 6. 10. God is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love c. 2 Thes. 1. 6 7. The Righteousness refers to the Truth of the Promise not the Proportion of the Work Obj. These describe the Men whom God will save Ans. True but not as mere Natural Signs but as Moral instituted Signs They are Qualifications which God appoints as Pre-requisites to the Blessings They are not Meritorious but they are made by the Promise Necessary to our partaking of these Gifts and the Neglect of them would exclude our Interest in the Blessing Obj. These are Concomitants of them thâ—â— shall be saved Ans. The same Answer thaâ— is given to the last will serve to this And I add They are not instead of Christ they cannot add to what is proper to a Christ nor will they suffice without Faith or an Interest in Christ or without Pardon But they still signifie more than such Concomitants as some esteem them They are not like the Place of one's Birth or our Names or ouâ— Parents or Death c. All which are Concomitants of a Man that is saved but theâ— are Characters designed by the Promise theâ—â— are things without which the Gospel-Rule will exclude Men from Heaven and condemn Men into Hell let their Pretences be what they will Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are that that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in for without are dogs Mat. 5. 20. Except youâ— righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes c. 3. Consider the respect to Glory which ouâ— Good Works have in Scripture-dialect They are as Seed to the Harvest Gal. 6. 7 8 9. As 〈◊〉 Way to one's proposed place Eph. 2. 10. As Means to an End Mat. 5. 8. As Work to one's Wages Mat. 20. 1 7. Foundation to 〈◊〉 Building 1 Tim. 6. 19 c. The Gospel declares no less a Connexion between Good Works and Glory though they merit nothing 4. God declares the Obedience and Works of Believers as rewardable of Grace through Christ. They shall walk with me in white for they are worthy Rev. 3. 4. Great is your Reward in Heaven Mat. 5. 12. If I do this willingly I have a Reward 1 Cor. 9. 17. Col. 3. 24. Rev. 22. 12. Come ye blessed of my Father c. For I was an hungry and ye gave me meat c. Mat. 25. 34 35. It 's true it 's a Reward from the Benignity of a Father not from the Dignity of the Work It 's from the Ordination of the Promise which is owing to the Merits of a Christ and not any Claim of the Performance And so tender is God of the Honour of his Goodness herein that the Second Article of our Creed must be That he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. 5. By perseverance in these Exercises we are to work out our Salvation Phil. 2. 12. We lay hold of Eternal Life 1 Tim. 6. Lay up a treasure in heaven Luk. 12. 33. We run the race for the prize 1 Cor. 9. 24. VVe fight for the Crown c. And is it as good sit still as to be doing thus for to help us Heaven-ward Reader Lay these things to heart and canst thou account persevering Holiness and Obedience useless things Are they so indifferent to Happiness as the Doctor represents them How much of the Bible must be expunged ere his Opinion deserves credit Though I know our corrupt part too well likes a Dispensation from striving to enter in at the strait Gate III. The Third thing I should prove is That many other Blessings besides mere Eternal Life are promised to the Exercise of several Graces and Performance of Duties This is so easie a Task that I would leave it to the most ignorant but to read the Bible with his own Eyes VVhat mean such places The effectual fervent Prayer of a righteous man availeth much Jam. 5. 16. VVill no Prayer or cold Prayer avail as much If these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ 2 Pet. 1. 8. VVill the want or scanty degrees of Grace do the same So 2 Pet. 1. 10 11. Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure c. for so an entrance shall be administred to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of Christ. May one be assured without diligence Or shall we enter Heaven with the same full sail though we be negligent and unassured 2 Cor. 9. 6. He that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully he that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly But then shall we reap as liberally if we sow not at all or sow sparingly VVhere shall I stop when the Scriptures are so full of Instances And sure I need not prove that Repentance and earnest Prayer contribute to preserve a Nation when God so many times urgeth these to this end when he hath promised and performed Deliverance hereupon when he complains so oft that he must destroy for want of these and lays the Destruction of places always on neglect of these Jer. 18. 7 8 9 10. Isa. 1.
5 15 16 17 18 19. It 's the same with Churches see the 2d and 3d. Chap. of the Revelations IV. Men should govern their Expectations and Fears according to the Conformity of their Hearts and Behaviour to the Rule of the Promise It 's Unbelief not to expect the Good promised when we answer the Condition of it It 's obstinate Hardness and Security not to expect the threatned Evil when we are guilty of the Sin or Neglect threatned There 's no grounded Hopes or Fears but this way all else are Enthusiastick The End of God in these Declarations of his Will are not otherwise complied with God often condemns all Hopes as vain that are not thus regulated and by this Rule the Servants of God governed themselves I need not cite Texts for things so plain V. God is better pleased with his People in the exercise of Grace and Holiness than when they neglect these and do the contrary What Notions have Men of God of Grace and Sin that they should need Proof for this Is it not by the Exercise of Grace and Holiness that we approve our selves to God 2 Tim. 2. 15 Is it not With such Sacrifices God is well-pleased Heb. 13. 16. Was it not by his Faith and Divine Walk that Enoch pleased God Heb. 11. 5. What meaneth the Apostle You have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God 1 Thes. 4. 1. The Saint's Charity is called An Odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing to God We are charged to walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing Col. 1. 10. Of the Obedience of Children he saith This is well-pleasing to the Lord. What great things of this Nature are spoken of Prayer Praises and other Good VVorks VVhereas God is fretted grieved vexed provoked to anger and abhorrence by our Sins and Neglects How can we apprehend that God is as well pleased with us when testifying our Enmity as our Love when rejecting his Authority as doing his Will Are the Fruits of the Spirit alike to him as the Fruits of the Flesh And can the Image of the Devil render us as grateful as his own Image and the Life of his Son Obj. It 's for Christ's Incense these are accepted Ans. But Christ's Incense will not be applied to our Sins but to our Graces and Duties and that shews they are more pleasing to God than our Sins be And again They are these Graces and Duties which are accepted for the sake of Christ His Incense will not be denied to them and thereby they are well-pleasing to the Lord and tend to render us so Davenant de Justitia Actuali and Others say much more VI. The Holiness Graces Perseverance Obedience and Good Works of Believers do them much Good and are profitable to them Read over what I have proved at large and canst thou doubt whether they benefit us when they are the VVay to Heaven the Means of Happiness c. A wise Man may be profitable to himself though not to God Job 22. 2. Godliness is profitable to all things having the promises of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. These Things are profitable to Men Tit. 3. 8. Not only to other Men but principally to our selves Though I have all Faith if I have not Charity I am nothing and whatever else I suffer yet without this it profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13. 2 3. Circumcision or Uncircumcision is nothing but keeping the Commandments of God 1 Cor. 7. 19. Sure that 's something In keeping these there is great Reward Psal. 19. 11. Glory Honour and Peace to every one that doth good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile for there is no respect of Persons with God Rom. 2. 10 11. Nehemiah and Hezekiah pleaded a false Plea if it were true there 's nothing to be gotten The Care of Saints to adapt their Actings to the Rule of the Promise is a very needless thing So run that ye may obtain 1 Cor. 9. 24. If a Man strive for Masteries yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully 1 Tim. 2. 5. The Galatians must be but little moved when told Ch. 3 4. Are ye so foolish c. Have ye suffered so many things in vain for all is in vain Is Peace of Conscience nothing Is inward Rejoycing nothing Yet how Paul came by these he tells you 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our Rejoycing is this The Testimony of our Conscience that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity not with Fleshly Wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World His Directions for inward Joy and Peace you have Gal. 6. 4. Let every Man prove his own Work and then shall he have rejoycing in himself alone I shall not trouble thee with Reasons to prove that Grace Holiness and Obedience are useful to prevent Evil. I leave it to thy Experience if thou art a good Man and referr it to what thou wilt feel hereafter i thou art a bad Man If there were no more these do prevent Sin which in Chap. 17. I hope to prove is not so innocent as to do us no harm Reader To summ up all I appeal to thee 1. Whether God doth require any more of any Sinners for Salvation than that they believe in Christ repent of Sin persevere in true Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works internal and external and if we do so can we perish hath not Christ provided all else and doth not the Promise secure Life upon doing these 2. If any Sinner believe not and repent not hath Christ ever promised to save him Will any decree or the Merits of Christ secure him Again if any penitent Believer shall apostatize prove ungodly and unfruitful hate God or neglect to love God and his Neighbour wholly c. Shall this Man be saved Hath not Christ determined the contrary Will his first Faith save him A Resolution of these two things according to the very Scope of the Word will decide the Main of this Controversie These assert the Rule of Christ's rectoral Distributions and the Decree comes not in opposition to the Methods of his Government by which we are to govern our Hopes and Fears TESTIMONIES The Assembly Confess Chap. 19. a. 6. and the Elders at the Savoy declare Chap. 19. a. 6. The Promises of the Law in like manner shew them God's Approbation of Obedience and what Blessings they may expect upon the Performance thereof although not as due to them by the Law as a Covenant of Works so a Man's doing and refraining from Evil because the Law encourageth to the one and deterreth from the other is no Evidence of his being under the Law and not under Grace Both the Assembly and the Elders say Chap. 15. a. 6. The Persons of Believers being accepted through Christ their good Works also are accepted in him not as though they were in this Life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in his Sight but
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Were all Doing for Life and an Eye to gain by Service such a legal and wicked thing as some represent it sure the blessed Jesus would have admonished his Disciples and not answer them as he doth Mat. 19. 27 28 29. Then answered Peter and said unto him behold we have forsaken all and followed thee What shall we have therefore And Jesus said unto them verily c. Ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel c. 4. The Doctor 's Argument from the Vanity of proposing our own Gain by Labour and Duties because all is fixed and given already is to make the Decree an effectual Means to overthrow the Government of Christ and brand all his Offers to Sinners with Weakness and Falshood Should not poor Sinners pray as they can abstain from Sin consider and apply the Word with an Eye to Conversion Why doth God call them to this Should not they wait and strive to believe and repent with an Eye to Forgiveness and escaping VVrath VVhy else should God encourage them with an Offer of these upon such Terms and tell the Unbelievers that they refuse these Mercies by new Forfeitures But by the Doctor 's Scheme the Elect may be idle and the Non-elect do best when they despair for there 's no Connexion between these Benefits and these Graces or Duties And so the Non-elect are in the same Case with Devils there being no serious Offer to them nay their Case is worse than Devils for these Offers are made to them for no other Design but to increase their Condemnation Nay every Sin of their's is the Sin against the Holy Ghost that is every Sin is alike the Unpardonable Sin and not only that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost To say no more Christ hath no Rule of distributive Justice but his own eternal Purpose and Men's Regards to his promised Benefits are all forbidden even when our Respect to them is that which subserves his Government and is supposed in all the Methods of it 5. And why should we intend the Glory of God the Service of Christ or the Good of others Are not these as determined as our own Good Hath not God fixed and secured his own Glory Doth Christ need our services more than our selves Shall any other Persons receive more Good than God hath already given and provided for them Why should we intend these in our Duties more than our own Profit the very same Reason excuseth from all and so we ought to intend nothing at all I could shew had I Room that we cannot sincerely aim at our Souls good but we therein aim at God's Glory Nor doth God ever require us to intend his Glory but in a Concurrence with an Eye to our own Salvation TESTIMONIES You have seen in the last Chapter the Assembly's and Congregational Elders Judgment and that we are not the less under Grace for being encouraged to do good by the Promises c. The Case is so plain that I shall only give the Judgment of the greater part of those Reverend Divines whose Names are set in the Front of Dr. Crisp's Works and interpreted by the VVeak to a contrary purpose than what they intended These Divines in the Preface to Mr. Flavel's Book against Antinomianism which they approve of inform us That to say Salvation is not the End of any Good VVork we do or VVe are to act from Life and not for Life were to abandon the Humane Nature it were to teach us to violate the great Precepts of the Gospel it supposeth one bound to do more for the Salvation of others than our own 't were to make all the Threatnings of Eternal Death and Promises of Eternal Life we find in the Gospel of our blessed Lord useless as Motives to shun the one or obtain the other It makes the Scripture-Characters and Commendation of the most Eminent Saints a Fault Had I seen this sooner it might have spared some of my Reasons The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake Because we ought not to do any thing from Carnal Self-love therefore we ought to do nothing from Rational and Spiritual Self-love Because Christ redeemed us that we may not live to our selves as our own Lords therefore we must not in obeying him regard the Rewards he promiseth us as he is our Lord. Because we must aim at God's Glory above all therefore we must not at all intend our own happiness in the enjoyment of this God Because we must aim at the good of others therefore we must not aim at our own good Because we should obey God from Gratitude and Love therefore we should not obey him from any Hope or filial Fear Because God hath engaged to give Life and Happiness to the Elect when they have finished their warfare and work therefore they must not intend the obtaining that happiness in any part of that work or warfare CHAP. XV. Of the way to attain Assurance TRUTH THe ordinary way whereby a Man attaineth a well-grounded Assurance is not by immediate objective Revelation or an inward Voice saying Thy Sins are forgiven thee But when the Believer is examining his Heart and Life by the Word the holy Spirit enlightens the Mind there to discern Faith and Love and such other Qualifications which the Gospel declareth to be infallible Signs of Regeneration And he adds such power to the Testimony of Conscience for the Truth and In-being of these Graces as begets in the Soul a joyful sense of its reconciled State and some comfortable freedom from those Fears which accompany a doubting Christian and according to the Evidence of these Graces Assurance is ordinarily strong or weak ERROUR Assurance is not attained by the Evidence of Scripture-Marks or Signs of Grace or by the Spirits discovering to us that he hath wrought in our Hearts any holy Qualifications But Assurance comes only by an inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are forgiven thee and our believing thereupon that our Sins are forgiven Proved that this is Doctor Crisp's Opinion P. 491. Would you know that the Lord hath laid your Iniquities on Christ you must know it thus 1. Is there a Voice behind thee or within thee saying particularly to thee in thy self Thy Sins are forgiven thee Dost thou see this Voice agree with the Word of Grace that is Dost thou see it held out to most vile and wretched Creatures as thou canst be and upon this Revelation of the Mind of the Lord by his Spirit according to that Word doth the Lord give thee to receive that Testimony of the Spirit to sit down with it as satisfied that upon this thou makest full reckoning thou hast propriety in this particularly to thy self If thou dost receive that Testimony according to that Word here is thy Evidence Thou hast thy Propriety and Portion in this On this Point the Doctor spends much time Serm. 15. is to prove That Love to the
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned And as this Grace under this Sanction of Life and Death was to be urged so it 's added Mat. 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you Among which no doubt is included what he told the Apostles when first commissioned Mat. 10. 14 15. Whosoever shall not receive you and hear your Words when you depart out of that House or City shake off the Dust off your Feet Verily It shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in that Day of Judgment than for that City Ver. 32 33. Whosoever shall Confess me before Men him will I confess before my Father which is in Heaven But whosoever shall deny me before Men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven Ver. 37. He that hath loved Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me 38. He that taketh not his Cross and followeth me is not worthy of me 41. He That receiveth a righteous Man in the Name of a righteous Man shall receive a righteous Man's Reward These are part of Christ's Speech to his Apostles when he first sent them to preach and so from Heaven he taught Paul to preach Act. 26. 18. See how Paul instructs Timothy to preach 1. He enumerates very many Duties which he was to urge and exhort 2. He frequently requires him to back these Exhortations with Promises in case of Obedience and Threatnings in case of Disobedience I shall instance a few 1 Tim. 4. 8 9. Godliness is profitable unto all things having the Promises of this Life and that which is to come This is a faithful Saying and worthy of all Acceptation What are the Promises of the Life to come to Godliness Yea though it 's now with some no true Saying Ver. 16. Take heed to thy self and thy Doctrine for in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hears thee Here 's pressing to doing with a Promise of Life 1 Tim. 6. 6 9. Godliness with Content is great Gain But they that will be Rich fall into Temptation and a Snare and into many foolish and hurtful Lusts which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition Ver. 17. 18. Charge c. that they do Good willing to Communicate laying up in store for themselves a good Foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal Life 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. It is a faithful Saying for if we be dead with him we shall also live with him if we suffer we shall also regin with him if we deny him he will also deny us Can any Man think we ought not to plead with Men and Preach as Christ and his Spirit charge us Or would he appoint us to preach what is not his own Will or Gospel 2. In this manner did Christ and his Apostles preach the Gospel Read Christ's Sermon on the Mount Mat. 5. Are not Graces urged by promised Blessings and denounced Threatnings the first none can doubt the last is as evident Ver. 13. Good for nothing but to be cast out 19. Least in the Kingdom of Heaven Ver. 20. Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Ver. 22. In danger of Hell-Fire 26. Thou shalt not come out thence 30. If thy Right Eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee for it 's profitable for thee that one of thy Members should perish and not that thy whole Body should be cast into Hell See the Parable of the Seed of the Talents Virgins Marriage Supper Was it not he that declared He that believeth not the Wrath of God abideth on him If you believe not you shall dye in your Sins If you repent not you shall all likewise perish Vain World that think they can out-preach Christ or that theirs is Gospel which obstructs the very things that his Ministry was designed to He that knew the Scheme of Truths used his Satisfaction as the great Motive to Obedience but not as what made it needless in its own place The Apostles obeyed and imitated Christ. The first Sermon of Peter includes this Act. 2. 38. 40. Repent and be baptized every one of you for the Remission of Sins c. for the Promise is to you and to your Children and as many as the Lord shall call And with many other Words did he testifie and exhort saying Save your selves from this untoward Generation Read his Epistles and see how he moves by Threatnings and Promises and preacheth Duties The Apostle Paul giveth the Sum of his Ministry to the Ephesians c. Act. 20. 21. Testifying both to the Jews and Greeks repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus ver 26 27. I am pure from the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God It 's he that saith If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be an Anathema Maranatha What a man soweth that shall he reap He will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on all that know not God and obey not the Gospel What he saith of FreeGrace and Christ's Righteousness in Opposition to Man's Merits doth not clash with what he saith of the Necessity of Graces and Duties as the required Terms of such Blessings as God promiseth to them The Apostle James is as express as can be read his Epistle and Doubt and it seems to be written against some Libertines who perverted the Doctrine of Grace delivered by Paul And Peter expresly speaks of these Mens wresting Pauls Epistles in this very Point as I could fully prove 2 Pet. 3. 16. Read the Epistle of Jude and he agrees with the rest in arguing for Holiness from Threats and Promises 3. When the Gospel is said to be preached you 'll find that then Graces and Duties were preached under a Gospel Sanction Act. 15. 7. The Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel What this was see Act. 10. from ver 34. to 44. Of a truth I perceive that God is no Respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him The Word which God sent unto the Children of Israel Preaching Peace by Jesus Christ He is Lord of all c. he commanded us to preach unto the People and to testifie That it is he which was ordained of God to be Judge of Quick and Dead To him gave all the Prophets witness That through his Name whoever believeth in him shall have remission of sins Rev. 14. 6 7. I saw another Angel in the midst of Heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them c. saying with a loud Voice Fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his indignation is come and worship him that made Heaven and Earth So Act. 147 15 17. There
the Prophets even Isaiah himself yea Christ and his Apostles were all Legal Preachers The Law in this sence is that which Converts Comforts Healeth Saveth c Whatever is spoken in Praise of the Word of the Truth of the Commandments of God and Christ are spoken of the Law in this sence And it is the same with the Gospel as I have proved chap. 20. And they are Enemies to Christ and Souls that disdain to be such Legal Preachers 2. But there is a Legal Preaching which is opposed to the Gospel and this indeed is a Crime the word being used as a Reproach this must be intended if Men understand what they speak of And to that this Chapter refers TRUTH Legal Preaching is to Preach the Law as a Covenant of Innocency or Works or to Preach the Mosaick or Jewish-Covenant of Peculiarity But it is not Legal Preaching to require and persuade to Faith Holiness or Duties by Promises and Threatnings according to the Grace of the Gospel and direct Men to fear and hope accordingly ERROUR Legal Preaching is to call People to act any Grace or do any Duty as a required Means of Salvation or inward Peace or to threaten them with Death or any Affliction to cause Fear if they commit the grossest Sins and backsside and fall away or to promise them any Blessing upon their Obedience to the Commandments of Christ or urge the Threatnings to persuade Sinners to believe and repent Proved that this is Doctor Crisp's Opinion P. 616. If Persons are not united to Christ and do not partake of Justification before they do believe c. then mark what will follow That there will be bringing to life again the Covenant of Works c. Obj. How doth this follow I Answer Thus you must of necessity press upon your selves these Terms or such like I must do that I may have Life in Christ I must believe there is no Life till I do believe Now if their be Believing first then there is Doing before Living P. 561 562. This likewise batters to the ground that way of urging Men to holiness which some hold forth That if Men do not these and these good Works and leave these and these Sins then they must come under the wrath of God c. The Love of God constrains the Faithful and not the Fear of Wrath a sense of being delivered from it not a fear of Wrath to come P. 559 560. Obj. Some will say The Preaching of the Terrours of the Law and the Wrath of God and Damnation and Hell-fire unto Men is a safer way to take Men off from Sin than to preach Gracc and Forgiveness before-hand c. A. I say If we preach Wrath and Damnation we must either make them believe they lyc under the Wrath and that Wrath shall come or we must make them believe that though there be Wrath yet it shall not fall upon them Now if we tell them of Wrath and Damnation and say they are secure from them and they belong not to them to what purpose do we tell them of Wrath we had as good hold our tongues c. And he shews how it 's bringing back the Covenant of Works to tell them that God will be angry with them if they commit Sin or do not such and such Duties Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not Whether it is Legal Preaching to preach Duties or Holiness as if Men must perfectly believe and obey or they shall unavoidably perish 2. Nor That it 's Legal Preaching to denounce Wrath and Hell as Miseries from which there is no relief by Christ in the way of the Gospel 3. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to press Men to Faith Repentance and other Duties as if they were to be performed in their own strength without the Grace of Christ and Influences of the Spirit 4. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to promise Salvation to any Action if the Performer thereof be Unregenerate Unbelieving and Impenitent 5. Nor That it is too much Legal Preaching to be always pressing the Duties of the Law of Nature but to neglect Preaching Faith in Christ and Repentance Regeneration c. and so to neglect to make the Person Offices Sufferings and Intercession of Christ as also our Relation to him and Dependance on him as Mediatour with other Gospel-Mysteries known to their Hearers 6. Nor That it 's Legal Preaching to preach that our Faith Holiness or Good Works stand in the same place now as Perfect Obedience did under the Law viz. To render the Reward to be of Debt or be the Meritorious Righteousness for which we are Justified 7. Or That it is Legal to preach that our best Obedience doth not deserve Wrath by the Law as a Rule of Misery and Happiness Or That it doth not need Forgiveness or is any Supplement of Christ's Righteousness yea or to neglect to call Men to renounce all in themselves as any Atonement for Sin or Cause of Pardon and to look to Christ as the only Propitiation Purchaser of all our Blessings and Cause of the Acceptance of our Persons and Performances 8. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to omit to urge Men to Obedience by Gospel Motives as what Christ Suffered the Love of God in him the Benefits afforded by him the Helps he vouchsafes the Relations he admits us to and the like 9. Nor That it is Legal to shew Men their Misery and Sinfulness and not to inform them of the Gospel-way of Salvation 10. Nor That it is too Legal to neglect to improve holy Souls to an ingenuous Obedience from Love to God as well as a holy Fear 11. Nor that it is Legal to encourage such Fear as imports a Life of Torment destructive to our Hopes and Joy Or as if every Miscarriage should over-turn Assurance though the dominion of Sin be not justly suspected 12. Nor that it is Legal Preaching to assert Judaism or the Mosaic Pedagogie viz. to press Circumcision Sacrifices a Covenant of Peculiarity Jewish Priesthood Sabbath or an Abuse of the Law in Opposition to Christ our Saviour who is the End of all Types c. All these I affirm These indeed make up that Preaching of the Law which is opposed to Christ to Grace and to the Gospel The real Difference 1. Whether it 's Legal Preaching to require People to Repent and Believe that their Iniquities may be forgiven for Christ's sake This I deny and the Doctor affirms against the scope of the Gospel as I have proved chap. 8. 10 12 20 c. 2. Whether it be Legal Preaching to press Holiness and Gospel Obedience as necessary to the Salvation of a Justified Person This the Doctor affirms and I deny upon Reasons given chap. 8. 13. 17. 3. Whether it be Legal to threaten such Penalties as are short of Damnation against such Offences as are consistent with Sincerity and yet avoidable by serious care and diligence This the Doctor affirms and I deny for which see
we submit to the VVord as it brings every Thought into subjection 〈◊〉 Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5. Are guided by his Teachings Eph. 2. 20. VVe are the Glory of Christ when we labour in his VVork and walk worthy of his Name 2 Cor. 8. 23. He is all in all when Jews and Gentiles put on the New Man which is created after him in righteousness and true holiness c. Col. 3. 11 12. VVhen we live and die to him as our Supreme Lord and submit all our Actings to his Glory as our End Rom. 14 11 12. These places express that Christ is hereby Exalted consult them and thou wilt find it so 2. The Truths I have stated do tend to the Exaltation of Christ in this manner and none can doubt but they lead to his Glory as he is King All that can be objected is Whether I do exalt him enough as Priest To which I say I have spoken as the Word directs and I am willing to own any thing that lays Man low and exalts Christ as the only Atonement the only Purchaser of all our Blessings the only Procurer of our Acceptance the Author and Finisher of all Grace Nothing can add to his Satisfaction or Fulness Pardon Peace Life all are the Effects of his sole Merits We must do all in his Name act in his Strength daily live on him for all Supplies and look to him for Acceptance without whose Incense the best Man and the best Action were an Abomination What I contend for is his Government so wisely contrived to apply his Blessings to Men in a state of Tryal 3. The Opinions of Doctor Crisp as opposed to these Truths cannot exalt Christ yea by the above Description every one of them cast a Reproach upon Christ. I 'll ask thee Is Christ exalted when he is made the very Blasphemer and loaded with the filth of Sin and thereby odious to God till he sweat it out P. 51 c. Is he exalted in making Sin so Innocent to the Elect when they commit it that though they do the Fact yet the filthy Form of it is not theirs but Christ's and therefore they are not defiled thereby but are as holy as Christ as lovely as Christ even when they Murther c. Is Man debased and Christ exalted when there is a Change of Person between Christ and them we as Righteous as Christ and he as Loathsom as we and we should not charge our selves with Sin when the greatest Enormities are committed Is Christ exalted as King when all his Commands are made mere Counsels He is a King but hath neither Promises nor Threats annexed to his Laws He hath no Right to Chastize for Sin He offers Blessings on Terms pleads earnestly sends his Spirits and Ministers to strive but all this while his Spirit nor Word do nothing to save us our Compliance with his Calls yields no Benefit our Rejection of them puts no Hindrance our grossest Villanies should not be bewailed in order to Pardon nor himself believed in to that end Our Sins can do us no harm at all nor is Holiness though so oft urged by him a jot of our way to Heaven Is Christ exalted as a Head that hath actual Members oft sixty years Slaves to the Devils Enemies to himself and Life and People without his Spirit or a Line of his Image and publick Curses c. Is he honoured as Mediator that Men are invested in all his Covenant-Blessings washed and adopted before they so much as own that God to whom he is a Way or renounce his Enemy the Devil or confess their Sin purpose any amendment see their need of him or desire to fear or love him yea do resolve the contrary Is Christ exalted as a holy Redeemer by being represented so intent on our mere Impunity as to contrive so little for our Holiness he repents and believes for us and requires no such things from us as a Means of Benefits the Holiness he here improves the best to is but Dung and Filthiness though he pretends to encourage expostulate and reprove yet indeed he governs his Elect as Brutes neither Hope nor Fear must influence them he hath no Rule to Judge them but the Decree of Election though he warns us so oft of the Solemnities of the Last Day No Man must intend his own good in any Duty he performs though he speaks so much of his Reward yet they have no respect at all to what we do they will be as much ours for the greatest neglects The Comforts of Assurance it self depends on no Signs of Renovation but concluding in our selves upon an inward Voice that our Sins are pardoned and this all that Faith which the Gospel speaks so much of How many more might I instance which represent Christ inglorious and reflect on the Truth Wisdom Holiness and Justice of his nature The Platform of his Government the Divineness of his Purposes in Redemption and the Substance and Scope of his Word and Gospel CHAP. XXIII Of the Honour of the Free Grace of God I Shall briefly consider whether Dr. Crisp's Opinion or the described Truths do most exalt the Free Grace of God To this end I shall touch on these Heads 1. We must be sure it is the Free Grace of God we speak of This is the Love Mercy and Benignity of God to Sinners To conceive aright of this Note That it is not every thing that Man can fancy to be Free or Grace or Free Grace that is the Free Grace of God No it must be a Grace free becoming the Nature of God suitable to all his other holy Perfections consistent with his Dominions executing it self in the VVay and Instances appointed by his VVisdom limited to the Objects both for Number and Qualifications as described by his VVord and serving all it's glorious Purposes of Redemption This is the Free Grace of God The Grace of God in Truth Col. 1. 6. The true Grace of God which Peter had at large described 1 Pet. 5. 12. This Grace consists with an Atonement made by Christ with the Threatnings denounced in the Gospel with the Ruine of all unbelieving apostate ungodly Sinners with God's peremptorily insisting on Gospel-Terms in the Distribution of Benefits or else it would clash with his VVord c. It 's not less the Free Grace of God because it is not so free as we may dream it is As some do fancy it would have been more Free Grace if he had not exacted a Dying-Sacrifice or if it had alike extended to all sinful Men as well as some or included Devils as well as Men or made the Elect perfectly holy and happy as soon as born excluding all Labour Pain Sin and Sorrow But we see such Free Grace is not the Free Grace of God though it seems more Free or more Grace to vain Surmisers it is not Free as if it dispensed Privileges by no certain Rule and that God is as free to forgive and save the
Impenitent as the Penitent 2. VVhat I have stated as Truth doth acknowledge and exalt this Free Grace of God I have affirmed and would admit the fullest Expressions to testifie that in these is the Free Grace of God in Truth Of mere Grace he elected some certain Sinners to Life upon no moving fore-seen Condition but yet to obtain it through Sanctification of the Spirit to Obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Of mere Love to Sinners no way deserving it he gave his Son to die for them who also undertook to bring all the Elect to Salvation in the way appointed between the Father and him He without any thing in Man to deserve it gave his Gospel and thereby offereth in the virtue of his Son's Blood Pardon and Eternal Life to every one that will repent and truly believe and no penitent persevering Believer shall miss of Life by a failure of this Promise He freely and of mere Grace bestows Faith and Repentance yea gives his Spirit to create these and any other good VVork in worthless vile Sinners And though he will not forgive any that finally refuse to believe and repent nor save any ungodly barren apostate Man yet Pardon and Life are his free-Gift and no Grace or Duty merits them they being no more than the required Conditions or Means of our partaking them as the Gifts of God through Christ and so hereby he honours his own Government and no way indulgeth the boastings of Men. 3. The Opinions of Dr. Crisp as they differ from these Truths do not exalt the Free Grace of God His Notions may seem more to represent an unlimited Grace as blind and so more suitable to wicked foolish Men But it is not agreeable to the holy Nature nor just or wise Government or the revealed Will of God but greatly reflects on God's Grace beyond what I will mention Is it the honour of God's Grace that all the Graces of the Spirit should be needless to promised Benefits when he promiseth those Benefits to them Is it the Grace of an holy God not to esteem a Man filthy by the greatest Abominations and yet abhorr his own Image in his Saints as Dung Is it the Free Grace of God to account an Elect Person in the heighth of his VVickedness as pure and as lovely as a Saint in Glory and yet with-hold his Spirit from him many years Is it the Grace of God to leave his Precepts without any Sanction when he removed the Curse of the Law Never to express any displeasure when most provoked yea when he doth correct To have no regard to Good or Evil in Men in his judicial Distributions To leave Men so Imperfect in a VVorld of Temptations and State of Tryal free from all fear of Caution and to have nothing in them to influence their Perseverance and Holiness except a Principle of Gratitude though their Love be weak Can it be the Grace of God that his Subjects must have no Eye to his Rewards or Threats fear none of his Displeasure when they offend be confident of the Pardon of the worst Offences before they confess a Fault never fear a Rebuke for or Hurt in or by any Sin yea condemn any trouble on that account though he blame the contrary and his Spirit causeth these Relentings Is it the Free Grace of our God which renders him a Respecter of Persons in his judicial Acts as the Ruler and Judge of the VVorld because he bestows Grace as an Act of Sovereignty It cannot be his Free Grace who hath so wisely contrived the Kingdom of his Grace that he prevents Idleness and Neglect in Men as well as Boasting that he makes the Sinner speechless for being his own Undoer by wilfully refusing Christ as well as he secures the acknowledgment of his Free Mercy by all that are saved Can that Grace be his which nullifies all his Threats weakens the Authority of all his Commands turns all his Pleadings with Men into empty VVords nay direct Fallacies Is it the Grace of God that overturns the stated Order wherein Grace exerts it self becoming all the Perfections of God God's Grace first calls and therein unites us to Christ first quickens then dignifies first gives Faith then Forgives c. But by the Doctor 's Opinion this Order is inâ—erted all Privileges are applied to the Sinner before Grace hath made any Change on the Sinner It 's not the Grace of God which â—ets up his Decree in Opposition to his revealed VVill Acquits whom he declares Condemned Enervates the Ministry Seareth the Conscience Encourageth Spiritual Sloth Discourageth Obedience Reproacheth Godâ—iness gives Advantage to the Tempter Destroys the Rule of Judgment and Opposeth the general and plain scope of the Scripture the Experience of Saints and the Nature of Man as Rational as well as his Relation to God as a Subject in the way to an Eternal State It cannot be God's Free Grace which renders Men as safe for Eternity if they never heard the Gospel as by hearing of it for if they be united to Christ and pardoned in the Womb they need the Gospel only for Assurance but not for Title to change their Apprehensions but not their State How many more and some grosser Objections might be offered against that being the Free Grace of God which Dr. Crisp and his Followers speak of as Free Grace I desire to live adoring the Riches of that Grace that freely elected to Grace and Glory in Christ as the great Means of accomplishing this Purpose so many apostate Sinners that freely offers Life to the worst Enemies on Gospel-Terms with so much help as leaves the Blood of the Impenitent on their own Heads that freely bestows the Spirit to work the Dead and Ungodly to an Obedience to the Terms of the Gospel that freely gives by the Promise for Christ's sake Pardon to the penitent Believer and such amazing Dignity to such as he enableth to persevere in Faith and Holiness as the Rule of the Promise doth require This Grace I adore and own the best to merit nothing to forfeit all yea to deserve Hell by the Law of Works And I do renounce all that Saints have or do as any Atonement for Sin or Purchasing Price of the least Benefit much less of Salvation But yet I disown any Free Grace to be the Free Grace of God which overturns his Benefits from being Motives to Duty denies the total neglect of Duties with their contrary Evils from being a Barr to our Interest in those Benefits which by the Gospel he promiseth to those Duties and requires those Duties in order to this Rectoral Distribution of Blessings it being wisely provided for in the Dispensation of this Grace that he may Rule and Judge us according to his Relation to us and according to our rational Nature in a state of Tryal for a future Condition READER There are other Mistakes of Doctor Crisp's which I might instance as his Notion of the Nature of our
Union with Christ as if we were One Natural Person with him His Difinition of the New Creature as if it stood only in our New Relation to Christ. P. 90. The strange difference he makes between the way of Salvation before Christ's time and since P. 254 255 256 258. Their Sins were pardoned on Condition of Doing not given for all Sins at once much Dust left and they were subject to Lashes for Sin but now the Covenant is contrary in all these respects How contrary to the Sense of the Assembly and Elders at the Savoy ch 11. a. 6. The Justification of Believers under the Old Testament was in all these respects one and the same with the Justification of Believers under the New Testament He forgets that most of his Proofs be fetch'd from the Old Testament as Ezek. 16 c. Jacob loved in the Womb c. and seems not to distinguish the Covenant of Grace and that of Peculiarity But these with other Errours I pass by THE APPENDIX I Shall here repeat what I delivered in Pinners-Hall-Lecture which some Persons seemed greatly to resent and I leave it to any impartial Man to judge from what I have described as Dr. Crisp's Opinion whether I charged Men of his Persuasion with Falshood After I had fully acquitted Men of my Judgment from Pelagianism Socinianism and Arminianism which the Antinomians accuse us of I added with these Men It 's not enough that we hold That we were from Eternity elected to Grace and Glory unless we add That we were actually United to Christ and Justified from Eternity and in the Womb. It 's not enough that we say Christ did in the Covenant of Redemption undertake to save the Elect in his appointed way and time unless we add That there is no other Covenant for the Application of Christ's Benefits wherein God requires Faith and Repentance as the indispensible Means of our Pardon It is not enough that we own That Christ absolutely Redeemed the Elect so as to purchase Saving Graces as well as Benefits to be infallibly theirs unless we add That all others are in state of Devils as having no real Offers of Life on Gospel-Terms nor is their Salvation possible if they will repent and believe It will not please them that we affirm The Punishment of our Sins yea the Guilt of them as an Obligation to Punishment were laid upon Christ our Sponsor unless we add That our Sins themselves in their blot and filthiness were also transacted on Christ. It is not enough that we own That the Righteousness of Christ avails us as much as if it were personally our own yea was always intended for us and is so imputed to us as to be the Foundation of and Security for our Pardon and Right to Life and no Atonement for Sin or purchasing Price of Life can be demanded from us unless we also add That God esteemed us to have done and suffered what Christ did and suffered It sufficeth not that we say That we are Justified only by Christ's Merits as the sole procuring Cause or Righteousness for which we are Justified unless we deny That Faith and Repentance are the indispensibly required Conditions or Qualifications of those Persons to whom the Merits of Christ are applied for Justification It will not serve that we assert That Justifying Faith must be a Reliance on Christ as Priest and sole Atonement unless we deny That Faith must be also a fiducial Acceptance of a whole Saviour i. e. of Christ as Prophet Priest and King It 's not enough that we say We are upon Repenting and Believing put into a Justified state hefore any other Work unless we add That our Obedience to particular Precepts do not benefit us and that God doth not judicially approve of our sincere Actings as according to the Rule of the Gospel-Promises of those Benefits It is not enough that we say The absolute Promises are made to Christ for the be nefit of the Elect and pleadable by him unless we deny That the Gospel is an authoritative Command on Men to Believe and that under the Gospel-Sanction of Life and Death So that he that believes stall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned It will not please that we say That Christ purchased all Grace for us and by his Spirit worketh all Grace in us unless we add That he Believed Repented and did all for us so as we have nothing to do in order to Salvation It 's not sufficient that we own The Grace by which we do any Duty is from Christ and the Good promised to any Duty is for the sake of Christ unless we deny the ordained Connexion betwixt that Duty and that Benefit They say We set up Man's Righteousness if we tell Men that they must be holy and do good and take comfort therein as an Evidence of Grace and of their Title to Christ and as answering the Rule of the Gospel-Promises though we assert They must be Members of Christ and accepted through him or they cannot partake of any Saving Benefits thereby It is not right that we say God sees no Sin in Believers so as to cast them out of Covenant nor out of a Justified-state for it unless we add That God sees no Sin at all in them as theirs when they most offend It 's not enough that we affirm That Sin committed shall not eventually damn a Believer because he shall by the Spirit be brought to Repentance unless we add God is never angry with Believers for Sin nor ever corrects them as guilty of it With these we are Legal Preachers if we urge Faith and Repentance in order to Pardon though we declare that Faith and Repentance are the Gifts of Christ and Pardon is not the Effect of these Graces but of the Promise in the virtue of Christ's Blood or of his Blood applied for Forgiveness by the Promise We are Legal Preachers if we perswade to Holiness as the way of Salvation by the Ordination of Christ though we affirm that it is no way out of Christ nor but with a respect to Christ for whom it is accepted as what answers the Rule of the Gospel-Promise How are we decried as Legal if we urge Threatnings though as Motives to close with Christ and to walk in him Which being used to this end and the threatned Evil being avoidable on Gospel-Terms and pressed on fallen Man for his recovery they are Gospel and not Legal Threatnings It 's not enough That we assert and press Assurance unless we affirm That Justifying Faith is nothing but Assurance It 's not enough we say That we need the Spirit to discover to us our inherent Grace and to assist Conscience in it's Sentence That Grace is inherent unless we add That we must not try our State and conclude of it by Gospel-Marks of Sanctification but depend on an inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are forgiven which we must believe if it agree but to the general Word viz. Christ came to save Sinners and believing this is all that Saving Faith the Gospel speaks of Herein I have in part described the state of the Case between them and us It 's true there are some small Differences among the Orthodox in Wording some of these things But shall we hereby give Advantage to such Errours as overturn the Gospel and Dominion of Christ under the abused Pretext of Exalting Christ and Free Grace Bear with this which for the sake of Christ and dying Religion I have ventur'd to declare not for the Irritation of any but the Edification of all especially some mistaken well-meaning People Conscience binds me not to palliate though I fore-see Reproach from some who would do well to remember the Caution the Spirit of God thought needful to such as boasted of a Faith without Works and still it appears too pertinent If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this man's rereligion is vain Jam. 2. 26. SOME General Heads THE Elect are Children of Wrath till effectually called Page 4 The filth of Sin not transacted on Christ p. 10 The Act of laying Sins on Christ is not the discharge of the Elect p. 17 Mens Sins their own and not Christ's Sins p. 25 Our Sins laid on Christ before he was nailed to the Cross p. 29 Christ not abhorred by the Father p. 33 No change of Person between Christ and the Elect p. 41 Christ's Mediatorial Righteousness not subjectively in us and how imputed p. 42 Believers not as Holy as Christ p. 46 The Covenant of Grace explained and what a Condition is p. 53 57. The Covenant of Grace Conditional p. 63 Faith not a Perswasion that my Sins are pardoned c. p. 75 Prevailing Enmity a Hindrance to our present Interest in Christ p. 85 The Elect not united to Christ without Faith p. 93 What Union with Christ is p. 100 Justification not before Faith p. 105 Repentance necessary to Pardon p. 114 Sinners have much to do to be saved p. 129 The Gospel hath Threats and Promises p. 133 Holiness and Good Works necessary to Salvation p. 139 They are profitable and God pleased c p. 142 143 144 Our own Good should be intended p. 155 Assurance by Gospel-Marks and not by an inward Voice p. 165 God Chargeth Sin on Men and they should repent for repeated Pardon p. 175 Sin may hurt Believers p. 184 God afflicts for Sin p. 192 Sincere Holiness not Dung p. 199 102 Christ doth not repent c. for us p. 211 Conditional Proposals of Benefit on terms of Duty Gospel-Preaching p. 213 To excite Fear in sense of Danger not Legal Preaching p. 228 Christ more Exalted by the former Truths than by Dr. Crisp's Opinions p. 235 The Free Grace of God not honoured by Doctor Crisp though more Freeness be asserted by him than by these Truths p. 239 Part of a Sermon at Pinner's-Hall Anno 1691. The Edition of Dr. Crisp's Works I refer to is the last Anno 1690. FINIS
it was when his Body was in the Grave Luk. 23. 43. Alas how can any bear to think that as the Doctor affirms he never saw God's Face all that while Where was he Yea What tormenting Agitations of Soul must he be under even after Death in the unseen State The Papists indeed tell us he was in Hell but they assign Purposes more becoming Christ's being there than the Doctor 's Position imports It was the height of Hell for Christ to be banished from God's Face and be under his very Wrath and Abhorrence all that time and his Mind tormented with the Filth of sin made his He never would have been a Saviour on Terms so inconsistent with his Person But the whole Notion is contrary to Scripture for under the greatest Abatements of Comfort he owns God's Presence and Relation My God My God Matth. 27. 46. and just upon his loud Cry he said Father into thy Hands I commit my Spirit and having said thus he gave up the Ghost Luk. 22. 46. Was there a Separation or Abhorrence when he thus addresseth himself to God as his God and his Father Did he never come near God all that while when God received his Spirit or rejected his Prayer which God never did reject Joh. 11. 42. Me thou hearest always See Ps. 69. 13 14 15 17 18. Ps. 22. 18 19 20 24. Heb. 5. 7. He was heard in that he feared which refers to this time Testimonies The Opinion I oppose is such that I will only instance the Words of Doctor Owen of Justif. P. 286. There was no reason why God should hate Christ for his taking on him our Debt and the Payment of it And suppose a Person out of an heroick Generosity of Mind an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for another so as to answer for him with his Life Would the most cruel Tyrant under Heaven that should take away his Life in that case hate him And then the Doctor shews here and P. 287. the Word Hate signifies either an Aversion or Detestation of Mind or only a Will of Punishment In the first Sence saith he there was no ground why God should hate Christ on the Imputation of Guilt unto him sin inherent renders the Soul polluted abominable and the only Object of Divine Aversation But Christ was undefiled c. The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake The Doctor doth not distinguish between the Affects of VVrath and the Effects of VVrath Because God forsook Christ as to the usual Degrees of Comfort he thinks Christ was separated from God Because he that is formally a sinner is odious to God therefore he thinks Christ was odious to God who had on him the Punishment of sin with the Guilt or Obligation to bear this Punishment by his own Consent neither of which have any thing of the Loathsomeness of sin I know not why he thinks Christ came not near God from the time of his Death to his Resurrection unless because of his Conceit that the Loathsomeness of sin being on him God could not bear the sight of him till he had sweat it out a Reason too horrid for me to say more to and indeed inconsistent with the Notion of a Mediator for the sins of others CHAP. VII Of the Change of Person between Christ and the Elect and their being as Righteous as he Truth THE Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ is so imputed to true Believers as that for the sake thereof they are pardoned and accepted unto Life eternal it being reckoned to them and pleadable by them for these Uses as if they had personally done and suffered what Christ did as Mediator for them whereby they are delivered from the Curse and no other Atonement nor meriting Price of saving Benefits can be demanded from them Nevertheless this Mediatorial Righteousness is not subjectively in them nor is there a Change of Person betwixt them and Christ neither are they as righteous as he but there remain Spots and Blemishes in them untill Christ by his Spirit perfect that Holiness begun in all true Believers which he will effect before he bring them to Heaven Errour Every Believer or elect Person is as righteous as Christ and there is a perfect Change of Person and Condition betwixt Christ and the Elect he was what we are and we are what he was viz. perfectly holy and without Spot or Blemish Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion P. 270 271. The Doctor saith Mark it well Christ himself is not so compleatly righteous but we are as righteous as he nor we so compleatly sinful but Christ became being made sin as compleatly sinful as we Nay more we are the same Righteousness for we are made the Righteousness of God that very Sinfulness that we were Christ is made that very Sinfulness before God So that here is a direct Change Christ takes our Person and Condition and stands in our stead we take Christ's Person and Condition and stand in his stead What the Lord beheld Christ that he beholds the Members of Christ to be c. So that if you reckon well you must always reckon your selves in anothers Person and that other in your Person And P. 180. God gives his Son Christ c. God gives the Person of Christ to Men as much as to say God gives Christ to stand in the room of Men and Men stand in the room of Christ. So that in giving Christ God is pleased as it were to make a Change and all the Loveliness the Person of Christ hath that is put upon us and we are as lovely with him even as the Son himself And P. 158. Here is a Person in Blood in a loathsome Condition but for all this as loathsome as the Person is in himself and in his own Nature yet here is Perfection of Beauty c. On the account of this he saith P. 428. We appear before God perfect in Holiness And P. 419 420. Christ draws up and exhales that Impurity which Men live in c. and when Men are without Spot and all fair God falls in Love with them c. The Church hath no Blemish at all no Imperfection See more of this in Chap. Of Union Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether the mediatioral Righteousness of Christ habitual active and Passive be a Righteousness sufficient to and designed for the Salvation of the Elect. 2. Nor whether our Justification and all other Benefits when we are made Partakers of them be the Fruits of this Righteousness as the only meritorious Cause of them 3. Nor whether Christ's Sufferings and Obedience were so in our Stead that God cannot exact from us any other Atonement for Sin or meriting Price of any Gospel-blessings 4. Nor whether Christ by his Righteousness merited for all the Elect that they should in his Time and Way be certainly Partakers of its saving Effects and did not only purchase a conditional Grant of those Effects viz. That Proposition He that believeth shall be
saved 5. Nor whether besides these Effects being made ours the very Righteousness of Christ is imputed to true Believers as what was always undertaken and designed for their Salvation and is now effectual to their actual Pardon and Acceptance to Life Yea is pleadable by them as their Security and is as useful to their Happiness as if themselves had done and suffered what Christ did 6. Nor whether Christ by his Righteousness merited and by his Spirit doth renew the Hearts of his Members and will in time so communicate of his Grace to them as that they shall be perfectly holy even without Spot and Blemish 7. Nor whether the Spots and Blemishes remaining in a godly Man do consist with his justified State and shall not cast him out of God's Favours All these I do affirm The real Difference The Difference lies in these Points 1. Whether there be a Change of Person between Christ and the Elect yea or betwixt Christ and Believers This the Doctor affirms and I deny 2. Whether the Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ be subjectively in us This the Doctor affirms and I deny though as it is in Christ I grant it is imputed to the saving Advantages of all his Seed as much as if it were in themselves 3. Whether we are as righteous as Christ is a proper or safe Speech This the Doctor affirms and I deny though I yield that we are for the Sake of his Righteousness delivered from the Guilt of Sin and entitled to Life yea accepted with God against all excluding Bars 4. Whether because Christ is perfectly holy can we be said to be perfect in Holiness upon the Account of any Imputation of his Holiness to us or are we so esteemed by God This the Doctor affirms and I deny 5. Whether the Elect Believer before he is perfectly holy is wholly without Spot Filth and Blemish This the Doctor affirms and I deny though I grant that for the Sake of Christ these Spots Blemishes and Filth shall not subject them to the Curse and VVrath of God nor forfeit saving Benefits The Truth Confirmed My designed Brevity prevents Enlargement on so many Points and therefore I shall only glance at each 1. There is not a Change of Person betwixt Christ and the Elect For Christ was the Saviour and never ceased to be so VVe are the Saved and not the Saviours Christ was still the Redeemer and never the Redeemed we are the Redeemed and never the Redeemers Christ was he who by his own Merits forgives us but never was forgiven we are forgiven and never had Merits of our own to forgive our selves or others Eph. 5. 25 26 27. It 's prophane Arrogance for us to pretend to his Prerogatives and it 's Blasphemy to debase him among their Number who were Enemies without Strength and Sinners for whom he was the dying Sacrifice Rom. 5. 6 8 10. It 's enough that he reserving the Peculiars of a Redeemer should agree to suffer for our Sins it 's enough that we are pardoned and adopted for his Sake when we deserved endless VVoe and are never capable of making the least Atonement 2. The Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ is not subjectively in us I do not speak now of our inherent Righteousness of which he is not only the Pattern but also is the Cause and VVorker Phil. 3. 9. The Discourse is only of that Righteousness which belongs to the Person of Christ on the Account of his fulfilling the Law of his Mediation and his Title to the Rewards promised to him as Mediator for fulfilling that Law which he did to every Iota This Righteousness is accounted to be for us and to deliver all the Elect was the end of all his Undertakings Nevertheless it is not subjectively in us because 1. It is inconsistent with the Nature of Gospel-Imputation To impute to one what is suffered by another is to esteem the one undertaken for in the Sufferings of the other and to deal with him as if himself had suffered the same things yea and had never deserved to suffer but it is not to judge that he did in his own Person suffer for that were false and a Derogation to the Honour of him who endured the Sufferings especially if he freely suffered in another's Room and for his Advantage as our Lord did Heb. 9. 15. Gal. 1. 4. Much less is Imputation an Infusion of Christ's Righteousness into us or a Putting it subjectively in us 2. The Soul in all Actings of Faith on Christ's Righteousness ought to look at this Righteousness as in Christ and not in himself who believeth 2 Pet. 1. 1. 1 Joh. 2. 12. VVould it not be strange Language to say I trust for new Pardon or Comfort to the Righteousness that was once in Christ but is now in me in me is the meritorious Cause of my Pardon In me is the Fountain to which I must look for VVashing and Healing not as it is in Christ to whom I am united but as it inheres in me as the immediate Subject of it But the Gospel directs to look to him and be saved Isa. 45. 22. Faith owns the Foundation of our Plea to be in Christ from whom are derived to us that Pardon and Right to Life which are the Effects of his Righteousness For this we are justified for that Righteousness which is in Christ we are acquitted and adopted The efficient Merit is in him the Effect of the judicial Absolution for that Merit is in us The Righteousness is still in Christ for the Sake whereof we are absolved or justified God hath for Christ's Sake forgiven us but not for the Sake of what is in our selves Eph. 4. 32. Had not he obeyed and suffered for us we could not have been absolved for the Sake of his Obedience and Sufferings And now being absolved or made righteous in a Law Sence we have as much Matter of glorying in him as absolved acquitted Sinners can have VVe are justified by his Righteousness that is for that we are forgiven and also entitled to Life which we had forfeited our selves but we are not made Innocent nor so esteemed we are not accounted them who made the Atonement VVe still take hold of or acknowledge and approve with Reliance on and Submission to the Terms of its Application of Christ's Righteousness that we by it may be forgiven and this is our Blessedness Rom. 4. 7. and our Gospel-Righteousness which all such refuse who reject redeeming Love from a Conceit of their own Merits or refuse the Terms of the Gospel which by the Promise do make us capable of being justified and saved for the Merits of Christ. Yet these still remain his Merits though thus beneficial to us in their Application as the procuring Cause of all our Good 3. If the Mediatorial Righteousness be subjectively in us we must grant all those Absurdities which the Enemies of Gospel-Imputation object and the Orthodox deny If it be in us then we may be as truly