Tongues People and Nations but some out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation which he hath loved and redeemed to God by his blood And now to make some Vse of both these Truths together Vse 1. And first The World as Christ terms Vnbelievers and Reprobates will certainly be grievously offended at this Doctrine when they shall hear that they have no part nor lot neither in the special Love nor in the special Redemption of Christ But this we cannot help nor be false witnesses of the minde of God which he hath so clearly revealed in his Word For they are not of God neither hath Christ loved or redeemed them neither do they much prize this Special Love and Redemption But the Sins they have they love them and live in them and do alwayes resist and oppose Christ and his Spirit and so as they are rejected of God so also they perish in their own sin and obstinacie Vse 2. 2. The faithful may learn hence that our Happinesse and Salvation in the first cause of it doth far surmount the utmost capacitie of the highest reason of all men and Angels seeing it is builded on no reason or ground of reason in any Creature but upon the meer will and good pleasure of the Creator which is not moved directed or ruled by any thing that is in the Creature but by it self alone and that freely fully and unchangably Which good pleasure of his as it is the Rule of all his works towards the Creature so this also is to be the Rule of all reason in the Creature and with this the Creature is to rest satisfied without farther questions and demands otherwise it blasphemes at the highest rate when it will needs be replying against God and not rest satisfied with his good pleasure Wherefore Christ himself speaking of this special Grace of God to the Elect gives him thanks for his good pleasure which was the first Fountain of all saying Matth. 11.25.26 I thank thee Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of understanding and hast opened them to babes Even so Father because thy good pleasure was such Which shews us that the good will of the Father is the Fountain and first Original of our Salvation unto which the will and pleasure of the Son is fully conformed and the Reason and Prudence and Knowledge and Understanding of man have no Place nor Vse here Vse 3. 3. The free and special Love and Redemption of Christ apprehended and felt by Faith tends to the great Refreshing and Comfort of the Faithful and that in the midst of the greatest sense of sin and wrath That the Lord even the Father and Son should by the Spirit thus single them out of all mankind and that the Father should freely set his love on them and give them Christ to give himself for them and should manifest the truth and certainty of all this to them by the Spirit which only is the Faithful witness of the mind and counsel of God to all his people I say the true and Spiritual sense of this Special Love and Redemption of God and Christ to them cannot chuse but fill their hearts with joy unspeakable and glorious So that the Soul cannot chuse but say Lord what is thy poor servant that thou shouldest deal thus with me That thou shouldst in thy deep and unsearchable counsel and in thy most hidden but most righteous Judgements passe by so many thousands and millions of people in every age and generation and should set thy love on me together with Christ and all his Saints being in my self so wretched and unworthy a Creature And this choiceness and speciality of thy love the more endears it to me and hath ravished and overcome my heart After this manner yea and beyond all expression must the Soul needs be affected that is truly sensible of the Special love and redemption of Christ ANIMADVERSION 19. A THese words speak of Faith as an act of Believers towards Christ regarding and apprehending in him his infinite love and the incomparable fruit of it according to the old Protestant doctrine agreeing with the Scriptures which I think cannot be brought into any good accord with the description of the nature of Faith set down by Mr Dell Sect. 17. A B This is old good and acknowledged doctrine firmly believed by those who are wholly unsatisfied in much of Mr Dels former doctrine as having no affinity with what is here delivered SECT XX. ANd this for Vse Object Now if any say If Christs Love and Redemption belong but to a few why is the Gospel commanded to be preached to all Nations in the World Answ I answer That in all the world among all Nations it may find out the Elect of God and bring them to the true knowledge and enjoyment of what God of his free grace hath done for them in Jesus Christ and when that word cometh they hear the Joyful Sound and believe and according to their Faith so is it to them And so I proceed to the third point which is Faith 's particular application of this special love and redemption of Christ to believers who loved me and gave himself for me A It is the nature of true Faith to apply Christ and all his Works to the believer and to make them his own for faith puts on Christ and cloaths us with Christ yea it eats and drinks him who is the Son of the living God and so makes Christ its own indeed Through faith Christ is formed in us and we again are formed in him and Christ and we are so made one another through faith that Christ Appropriates us to himself and we again appropriate Christ to us Other men content themselves with a General conceit that Christ loved them but a Christian hath a Particular faith Other men believe that he loved Paul and Peter and John such eminent Saints but true faith saith in our hearts he loved Me even Me together with them and that with the self same love and gave himself for Me as he did for them Quest But some will say Had not Paul a special Revelation of this love of Christ besides faith Answ I Answer Paul had a special Revelation of this love but yet no other then all believers have who have received the Spirit as the same Apostle shews 1 Cor. 2.12 where he saith We have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit that is of God that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God So that the Spirit of God within us shews us the things that God hath freely given us among which Christs Love and Redemption are the chief And the same Apostle prayes for the Ephesians that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and Revelation to know Christ. Now this spirit of Revelation doth not only shew us that there is a Christ and what he is but also that
this Christ is Ours whatsoever he is and that he hath loved Vs and given himself for Vs And this Revelation all the Faithful have together with Paul Vse 1. B And thus having answered this Objection we shall proceed to make some Use of this Point also And first we may observe what an excellent apprehension and vision of Christ true faith hath namely it looks on Christ not as a Severe Judge or Law-giver but as one who hath truly loved us and given himself for us And such a Discovery and Vision of Christ as this will uphold our souls mightily in all our saddest and darkest hours and will preserve us that we be not swallowed up of Despair Yea when we see Christ thus nothing is so sweet lovely and desirable to us as He is Now Satan and our evil Consciences will ever be representing Christ otherwise to us to make him Dreadful and Terrible to our Souls as Luther reports of a certain Doctor in his time who apprehended that Christ stood at the right hand of his Father accusing him for his sins and with the very horror and agony of this apprehension he pined away and died Wherfore let us not see Christ as Satan and our evil Consciences represent him in the hour of Temptation but as the Gospel holds him forth and then we shall see him to be such an one who hath loved us and given himself for us And such a knowledge of Christ will support and establish us again in the worst assaults that sin and death and hell can make against us Vse 2. 2. We may learn That faith carries nothing to Christ of its own but it goes empty and naked to him and expects to receive all things from him Faith saith Christ loved me and gave himself for me when I did not love him nor give my self for him yea when I was an Eenemy to him and Crucified him Faith saith I have no righteousnesse nor wisdom nor goodnesse nor any worth at all to carry to Christ but I expect all from him being in my self poor and miserable and blind and naked Vnbelief is altogether looking at what we have done for Christ but faith is altogether beholding what Christ hath done for us Vnbelief would fain bring something to Christ for which Christ might accept it but faith brings us unto Christ destitute of all good and full of all evil and even then casts us with confidence and assurance on his free love and mercy Vnbelief when it finds no good in it self dares not go to Christ nor trust in him but faith can trust in Christ in the midst of all sin and evil as well as in the midst of all graces and vertues for else no flesh could be saved And thus unbelief makes void the Gospel but faith establishes it For when a man would first find in himself a love to Christ and readiness to give himself for him eâ—re he can conceive any hope that Christ did love him and gave himself for him this man abolishes the Gospel and makes Christ void who came to save sinners and to justifie the ungodly But now he that feels nothing but sin and death and hell in himself and all manner of evil and enmity against God and yet notwithstanding all this can go to Christ by faith and can believe that Christ hath loved him even in this condition and given himself for him this is the man that magnifies the Gospel and hath the right understanding and knowledge of Christ Yes this is the man that gives God the greatest glory that any creature on earth can give him yea greater then all the Angels in Heaven can give him for they being full of the righteousness of their first Creation believe the Love of God to them but for men that have lost all that righteousnesse and are besides filled with all manner of sin even then to believe the love of God in Christ this is the precious faith of the Gospel and the greatest glorification of God that can be Wherefore Paul saith here he loved me and gave himself for me as if he had said he found in me no Free-will or Natural abilities no good desires affections or ends but he saw me wholly estrayed from God wicked abominable and the captive of the Devil and yet such was his goodness that notwithstanding all this he loved me and gave himself for me And this was the victory and triumph of Pauls faith Now by this that hath been last said we may perceive that every man naturally would find something in himself to bring to Christ to make him acceptable unto him and that very few can believe That he loves Vs whilst we are sinners and that whilst we are yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly Vse 3. 3. In that Christ loved us and gave himself for us we may hereby come to understand how strong mighty and unconquerable our sin was even so mighty that the whole world and all the creatures were unable and unsufficient to take it away but the Son of God must give himself for it and must become a Sacrifice for it or it had remained upon us for ever Wherefore let us know that our Free-will and Natural abilitise and works and duties were of no force at all to take away our sin but Christ must do that by giving himself for them And insomuch as Christ the Son of the living God hath given himself for them we rest assured that they are done away for ever and that none can lay any thing to our charge if do we believe in him Vse 4. 4. Let us labour for this particular faith and assurance in our hearts that Christ hath loved us and given himself for us There is nothing that the Devil does more labour to hinder us from then this particular application For he well knows that if we once truly believe that Christ hath loved us and given himself for us then we cannot chuse but forthwith love him again and give our selves for him and also be most ready and resolved to do or to suffer any thing for Christ the Spiritual sense of this special love is so constraining Wherefore as it is the great policy of the Devil to labour to hinder us from the sense of Christs special Love so it must be our especial care to endeavour to attain unto it For the true and Spiritual attainment hereof will be of great concernment to ut in all things For first the Spiritual taste of this Special Love will make us forward to do any thing for Christ as I said it will make us fruitful and abundant in his work and we can never be Idle when we shall comprehend with all Saints what is the height and breadth and length and depth and shall know this Love of Christ which passeth knowledge 2. It will make us ready and forward to suffer any thing for Christ any reproches slanders oppositions persecutions prisons torments nothing being bitter or grievous to that soul
where the Love of Christ is tasted 3 The Spiritual taste of this Special Love wil sweeten all the mercies of God which he gives us to enjoy in this world which would not be truly sweet if we did not taste his special love in them yea the taste of this love will make every ordinary mercy extraordinary and every small blessing a great one for nothing is ordinary or small where the special love of God is tasted 4. And lastly this spiritual taste of the special love of God will cause us constantly to put our trust in him seeing God who hath given us Christ and Christ who hath given us himself can afterwards deny us nothing nor suffer any thing to do us any prejudice Wherefore let these considerations move us to labour for this particular faith that we may believe that Christ hath loved us and given himself for us Yea let us known that such is Christs love to his Elect that he would not have refused to have given himself for any one single person of them and to have suffered the same things for any one of them as he hath done for all of them that each of us may know that we are as much engaged to be thankful to Christ as if he had given himself for us onely seeing each Christian by true faith may say with Paul he loved me and gave himself for me And this is all the hope and comfort we have in this World and we desire to live and dye with this faith rooted in our hearts ANIMADVERSION XX. A THis is a very good discovery of the nature of right saving faith which how it can consist with Mr Dels former description of the nature of faith Sect. 17. A I see not B The doctrine delivered by Mr Del in the following uses which he maketh of the point before him is old sound and good and needs not any new notions to support or inforce it If that passage following faith can trust in Christ in the midest of all sin and evil as wel as in the midst of all graces and vertues be understood with some grains of Gospel salt which it much needeth as intending that when a man seeth nothing in himself but sin and evil he may yet and should then being burdened come to Christ for rest and trust on Christ for life as much as if he saw himself in the middest of all graces and vertues saying with the Apostle This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of which I am chief It may then as I conceive be admitted for a truth which yet had need be delivered with much caution and many Gospel provisoes lest otherwise it might occasion in men a boldnesse to continue in sin that grace may abound which is a dreadful abuse of the Gospel noted and renounced by the Apostle Rom. 6.1 I think that much of that reproach of Antinomianism which many have drawn upon themselves in our dayes hath proceeded from an Antinomian liberty of language which they have affected and taken to themselves holding to no ordinary rule or law of words in their expressions but loving to deliver old and sound doctrines in new and dangerous terms and forms of words which have no doubt misguided multitudes into wicked and wretched errours which I am apt to conceive their leaders did not as their disciples do apprehend to be Scripture truths It would be very happy if at the length that Apostolical rule might obtain amongst us both in words and deeds Let us not judge one another any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way Rom. 14.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quicunque ista lecturi sunt non me imitentur errantem sed in melius proficientem August Retract FINIS
much the author of peace and righteousnesse of purity in doctrine and worship amongst such as are called by his Name as in the dayes of old And it is most evident that the godly Magistrates of Judah laid out themselves with Gods special approbation in the suppressing of open corruptions and corrupters in point of divine worship and acted zealously as Magistrates for the well ordering of affairs immediately concerning God and his kingdom amongst the people the histories of Asa Jehoshaphat Hezekiah Josiah and Manasseh after his repentance plainly evidence so much And who can shew when God razed that branch of the divine commission by which these servants of God were guided and warranted in their actings out of the grant which Christian Magistrates have now from him for their authority Doubtlesse neither Great Constantine and those other Christian governours whom the Lord made glorious in the Primitive times by being instrumental to introduce and settle Christianity in the world who oft-times called and presided in councels for the well ordering of matters of religion both in doctrine and practise nor any of those Christian Princes by whom the Lord hath in later times graciously demolished Antichristianity and restored Gospel truth and worship in several places of Europe ever heard of any such thing which had it been discovered unto them would have bound up their hands from that blessed work wherein they travelled as Gods vicegerents upon earth for the good of his Church and the glory of his Name And I confidently believe that his eyes will fail whosoever looks after it before he find it in the book of God Whereas some go about to put off the argument which is taken from the actings of the Magistrates of Judah in things immediately concerning God and his kingdom from concluding a like authority upon Christian Magistrates by saying that those magistrates were types of Christ and therefore that their actings in the things of God are to be looked upon as typical and determinable at the death of Christ Before such men boast much of and rest in this their answer they should well consider 1. Whether admitting the Magistrates of Judah as the Magistrates of that peculiar people to have been types of Christ to come reigning over the house of Jacob for ever Magistracy in general became thereby legally typical and determinable at the death of Christ for if it did not as all knowing men acknowledge but Magistracy retained the nature of a perpetual ordinance in the hands of typical Magistrates so also their Magistratical actings might and did retain the nature of perpetual moral duties in general though in the particular discharge of them by such persons they were some way typical 2. Whether those Magistrates of Judah who unquestionably were types of our Saviour in his regal soveraignty as David and Solomon were not representative figures of him as well in their righteous actings towards men as in their religious actings towards God The Scripture is most plain that they were Psal 72,1,2,3,4 Esay 32.1 Jer. 23.5 and therefore their being types of Christ doth no more take them off from being a cloud to conduct Christian Magistrates in their righteous eminent exemplary actings in the things of God then in those which appertain to men wherein all of understanding look upon them as obliging presidents to Christian Magistrates This being considered sheweth that their answer who would not have Christian Magistrates obliged by the divinely approved practise of Godly Magistrates amongst the Jews to mind and act for God according to the mind of God revealed in his word in all things immediatly concerning him and his kingdom when they say that the Magistrates of Judah were types of Christ and therefore are not to be looked upon by Christian Magisrrates as presidents to which they are to conform themselves in their Magistratical actings is but a blind put before the eyes of the weak who are not able to discern a moral duty under a typical use and application of the same which understanding Christians may easily do Upon the whole I cannot but apprehend that Christian Magistrates in their place have a special part belonging to them in the honourable discharge of that command of our Saviour for the good of his Church Song 2.15 Take us the foxes the little foxes which spoil the vines for our vines have tender grapes And I believe that if any prevailingly intice or terrifie Christian Magistrates by fair or menacing words from the conscience of yielding obedience to this command of Christ they will not be their sufficient advocates at the bar of the Lord Jesus when they shall be there impleaded for sinful neglect of that their duty towards God to his dishonour and the damage of his people I can therefore as yet judge no otherwise of their attempt but as very pernicious and antiscriptural who that they may not seem to idolize Magistrates stick not to make meer idols of them as to all things immediately respecting God and his kingdom not suffering them though they have eyes and ears and feet and hands to see or hear or stir or act any thing magistratically for God in such affairs as immediately concern himself and his kingdom If such studious obstructers of magistratical administrations in the things of God according to truth charity and righteousness do look for thanks from God or men for their attempt I am greatly mistaken if they be not greatly disappointed of their hope when they look with strongest expectation to have it accomplished unto them Besides if as Mr Dell here affirms the Lord is alwayes immediate moderatour and governour himself in all such affairs as immediately concern himself and his kingdom then not only civil magistrates but all Churches and Church officers whatsoever are discharged from attempting under God in Ecclesiastical ways to protect the truth and worship of God and endeavouring the suppression of what is contrary to the same which is certainly very dissonant from the judgement and practise of the Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 1. vers 3 4. and vers 19 20. D It is a known maxime Calumniare audacter They who are zealous of the honour of the Law as an outward divine light unto the feet of Gods people do certainly know other restraints from sin then the Law of Moses even the love of Christ 2 Cor. 5.14 the grace of God Tit. 2.11,12 the spirit of life Rom. 8.2 their love towards God 1 John 5.3 the hope of heavenly glory 1 John 3.3 and the like Mr Dell therefore should have bethought himself of a truer charge to lay in against those who are so zealous of the Law that they love not to hear that the new Law is given us to make us quite dead to the old if he would needs be their accuser E It is understood how confident soever Mr Dell be of the contrary and believed by those who are zealous of the honour of the Law of God as an outward divine light unto our feet
called forth to witnesse the truth with their lives have at first for fear and dread of the outward crosse abjured the truth to save their lives But afterwards when the Word and Spirit within them had truly and fully crucified them they would then come forth again of their own accord and willingly offer up their bodies to fire and death And thus also I have declared what is our crucifying with Christ E Paul saying here I am crucified with Christ because his sins were subdued and his nature conquered through the living word and Spirit of Christ dwelling in him F Now that both these things are so in truth and that they are no fond notions speculations and glosses of mine own devising I will yet make it more evident by some few other plain Scriptures as by that of Paul in Rom. 8.10 where he saith If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin that is the presence of Christ that is the living Word of God within us is the killing and crucifying of the body to all sin And in Gal. 5.24 The same Apostle saith That they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts of it and ver 25. he shews that this crucifying of the flesh of Christians is not brought about by any outward sorrows and sufferings but by the presence of the Spirit in it saying if we live in the spirit let us also walk in the spirit and verse 16. of the same chapter he saith This I say then walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh and Rom. 8.13 If ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live So again Rom. 6.5 If we have been planted together in the likenesse of his death we shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection Now all believers without exception are planted with Christ into a likenesse of his death which is not so to be understood as if all should be crucified on a material Crosse as he himself was but that all of them are buried with him by Baptism into his death that is by the baptism of the spirit and the baptism of the Spirit is the death of the flesh it is the death of our flesh with Christs for thus was Christs flesh made dead to it self to sin and the world to wit through the Baptism of the spirit and thus also is ours wherefore Paul adds vers 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin So that it is plain that the destruction of sin in our bodies by the living Word and Spirit of God is our crucifying with Christ. And verse 11. the Apostle would have those that are thus crucified with Christ to reckon themselves dead to sin for as the Word and Spirit of God in Christ made him wholly dead to sin and sin had no place in him So likewise as far as the same Word and Spirit of Christ prevail in us they will make us dead to sin for the time past and present and for the future will preserve us from sin And now we shall make some Vse of this point Vse 2. G First Then let us know that it is not enough to Salvation to believe That Jesus Christ according to his humane nature was outwardly crucified on a crosse for us at Jerusalem except we also our own selves be crucified with him through his living Word and Spirit dwelling in us through which we must be powerfully planted into a true likenesse of his death in such sort that we must be dead unto all sin whatsoever even to all our own corruptions and lusts and to all the Corruptions that are in the world through lust and we must be dead to our selves to our own fleshly reason understandig will desires ends and to our whole humane life and we must be dead to the world and to all that is in it and of it to all the pleasures profits and honours of it we must thus truly be dead with Christ ere we can live with him And with this kind of crucifying must whole Christ be crucified from the Head to the lowest members thus also must we be crucified with him if we will have any part in him I say we must have fellowship with him in his sufferings and be made conformable to him in his death ere ever we can attain to his Resurrection from the dead ANIMADVERSION 6. A I Take it that by the word of Christ is here intended the Word the Son or Godhead of our Saviour which was made flesh If so I demand a Scripture which teacheth that the Word or Godhead of our Saviour is otherwise in his people then in and by his Spirit the holy Ghost which dwelleth in them As for the holy Ghost the spirit which without measure of operation was in our Saviour as the head of his Church John 1.33 and 3.34 called therefore the spirit of Christ Rom. 8.9 that it is in several measures of operation shed forth by and through our Lord Christ upon all his who are by faith united unto him 1 Cor. 6.17 Gal. 3.14 and that it is in them the powerful and only root of mortification or crucifying of the flesh Rom. 8.13 is very well known and acknowledged by those whom Mr Dell slighteth as ignorant of the mysteries which he hath discovered were so much spoken in usual words it would appear no unusual doctrine But if Mr Dell decline this sence of his words I believe the doctrine comprised in them hath no footing at all in the Scripture B That faith hope and love together with other fruits of the spirit of Christ in believers are real crucifyings that is real originals of the mortification or crucifying of the flesh in them is a plain truth of it were plainly expressed Neither do these fruits of the spirit suffer a believer to live to himself or the lusts of men 1 Pet. 4.1,2 which is no doubt the true crucifying of the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof This Scripture doctrine is full of comfort and is neither new nor strange C The Scripture ascribeth the mortification or crucifying of the flesh to the spirit of Christ which dwelleth and whereby he dwelleth in believers This is plain and old truth But where is this spoken of as the work of the living Word or God-head of Christ any otherwise dwelling in them thâ—n by the Spirit That Scripture would be shewed D Where is the living word and spirit in believers called their crosse Scripture language is most proper for Scripture doctrine 1 Cor. 2.13 the sufferings of Christians are in the Scripture called their crosse Mat. 16.24 But the living Word and Spirit in them is never expressed by that name that I know And how should we dare to speak of the things of God otherwise then as we are taught by the word of God E
ability to do good works Rom. 7.15,18 and pointed at the same impotency in the believing Galathians Gal. 5.17 And me thinks to affirm that a Christian as naturally and necessarily doth the works of God as the fire burneth and the Sun shineth which creatures we know have no seeds of opposition against their native operations in them is plainly to make a Christian perfectly spiritual and holy free from all reliques of native corruption opposing in him the willings of grace And if any such Christian be to be found according to Mr Dels doctrine he must needs exceed the measure of the Apostle Pauls holinesse which I think no true humble Christian will pretend unto SECT XVIII BY all which we may perceive that true faith is a greater matter then the most are aware of A For men usually think that when they hear the Gospel in the outward Ministry and assent to it that it is true that this is Faith and that then they do believe but the true faith of Gods elect is a greater matter then so for through that we are truly made one with the Son of the living God and do abide and live in him for ever B And so this right faith is a most high and precious grace and is the first manifestation of the Fathers eternal love to the Soul and the first grace whereby we have entrance into the Kingdom of God it is the Sabbath of Sabbaths it is the greatest and highest worship of God C it is infinite and everlasting righteousnesse it is the mortification of the flesh the quickening of the spirit our mighty victory over the Law Sin Death Hell the World and Devil it is the first and last and all in all in the Kingdom of the Son And he that believes as the Scriptures have said is already truly passed from sin to righteousnesse from death to life and from Satan to God So that right faith is a most precious grace and is found in very few of the common Professours of the worldly Church So that Christ himself makes this question The Son of man when he comes shall he finde faith upon earth And therefore it concerns all to inquire and try Whether we partake of this Faith or no And whether the life we live in the flesh be in the Faith of the Son of God otherwise we must know that as he that believes shall be saved so he that believes not shall be damned It follows ANIMADVERSION 18. A MAster Dell I suppose whatever he intimateth in these words cannot but know that the generality of Protestant Divines place the nature of saving faith not in a bare assent to the Gospel but in an act of the whole heart receiving Jesus Christ according to the Gospel John 1.12 And as for such men who wrest the nature of saving faith short of the receiving of Jesus Christ with their whole heart their doctrine is as unsatisfactory to the generallity of understanding Protestants as to Mr Dell. B If true faith be a most high and precious grace as is here affirmed by Mr Dell How then is Christ in believers truly all grace which is asserted by him Sect. 14. B Is Christ a believers right faith too That were very strange C The praise of a right faith is very great in the book of God But to say of faith that it is infinite and everlasting righteousnesse and again that it is the first and the last and all in all in the kingdom of the Son is no Scripture expression and these positions seem to trench very far upon the glory of the Lord Jesus of whom alone these high things are and can be truly affirmed Jer. 23.6 Rev. 1.11 Colos 3.11 SECT XIX Who loved me and gave himself for me THe Apostle having shewed that all true Christians are truly crucified with Christ and are also truly quickned with him by the same living Word and Spirit of life which crucified them and so do receive a Spiritual and Divine life instead of their humane and carnal life and having also shewed the Means by which they attain to this blessed death and blessed life and that it is by faith in the Son of God A Here he proceeds to shew us two main and chief things which faith regards and apprehends in Christ to wit his infinite love and the incomparable fruit of it saying who loved me and gave himself for me And so in these words I shall take notice of these three things 1. Of Christs special and peculiar Love to his Elect from these words who loved me 2. Of his special and peculiar Redemption being the fruit of his special love in these words and gave himself for me 3. Of Faiths particular Application of both these speciall Graces to a Believer The first thing here considerable is Christs special love to some above others Who loved me Most certain it is from the word of the Gospel which is the truest and clearest light that ever shone in the Church of the faithful that Christ doth not love all Mankinde alike but he loves some and not others There is indeed a general and common love of Christ wherein he comprehends all Mankinde alike which he manifests to them in making as he himself saith Matth. 5.24 his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sending his rain on the just and on the unjust and as Paul saith Acts 14.17 He doth good to all Nations though they walk in their own wayes giving them rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling their bodies with food and their hearts with gladnesse and supplying them with the common things of this life sutable to their Humanity But he hath a special love to his Elect to the Church which is his Body these he loves as his own flesh yea as partakers of the same Divine Nature with himself and according to this love he communicateth to these of all that very fulnesse of God which he hath received from his Father Now with this special love he loves not all Mankinde alike but onely some passing by the rest The Grounds and Reasons of which special love of his to some and not to others are these 1. Because the Son as he is of the same Nature with his Father so he is also of the same operation with him and so he only doth that which his Father doth first as Christ himself testifieth of himself John 5.19 saying Verily verily I say unto you the Son can do nothing of himself but whatsoever he sees the Father do For whatsoever things he doth these doth the Son likewise For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doth So that the Father sheweth to the Son all those whom he loves and whom the Son sees the Father loves those also doth He love and whom the Father doth not love neither doth the Son love them because he can do nothing of himself but what he sees the Father do So that the Sons love is full
and hell by Christ Rom. 3.21 Heb. 10.1 Mr. Dells unlimited position therefore in this place needs some limitation or explication that it may obtain a general approbation B The Law cannot give commands to a dead man as far forth as he is dead that is in the case before us to a believer as to the seeking of righteousnesse by the Law But notwithstanding this death yet believers are alive as to the doing of righteousnesse according to the will of God expressed in his law Rom. 6.11 Mark 3.35 1 John 3.7 1 Thes 4.2,3 Yea they alone can do aright the works of the Law as Mr. Dell hath before acknowledged And therefore as to divine direction the Law of God can give commands to believers as to living men C This is a voluntary sense of those words having no footing in the text The former interpretation of the words given by Mr. Dell is sound and proper being not overstrained Quum exitium nobis minitetur nihil nobis relinquat praeter desperationem hoc modo nos expellit à sui fiducia Calvin Seeing it scil the Law threatning destruction to us leaves nothing but desperation for us by this means it drives us from all dependence on it self The new Law mentioned here by Mr. Dell is never under the name of the Law spoken of in this Epistle it seems therefore very unwarrantable to force that sense of the Law upon this text only D What doth the Law of the spirit make men dead to the Law without all distinction Was David as to all intents dead to the Law when he wrote The law of thy mouth is better to me then thousands of gold and silver Psal 119.72 or Paul Rom. 7.22 yet had both these the Law of the Spirit of life in them Me thinks Mr. Dell should have some exceptions from this general position here laid down by him if he pleased to expresse them or else if this must stand unlimitedly for true that which Mr. Dell hath before affirmed will prove unquestionably false namely that they who are first made righteous can do aright the works of the Law E It is true that when a believer hath in him the Law of the Spirit the Law of the letter hath no more power over him as to 1. malediction Gal. 3.13 2. Condemnation Rom. 8.1 3. Slavish compulsion 1 Tim. 1.9 4. Powerful irritation of sin Rom. 7.5 5. Justification to life Rom. 10.4 6. In the time of the Gospel carnal and temporary commands Heb. 9.10 Col. 2.20 but not as to divine regulation and direction in perpetual duties of righteousnesse and holinesse Luke 1.75,76 1 Cor. 9.8,9,21 Ephes 6.1.2 Prov. 6.23 which last and lasting use of the Law Mr Dell here confidently affirmeth believers to be dead unto through the Law of the Spirit and fastneth the reproach of carnal ignorant Christians upon all those who shall dare to say that there is any danger at all in this his Doctrine but of this let understanding and spiritual Christians judge by that word of Christ by which we shall be all judged Persons and Doctrines at the last day Iohn 12.48 F But no further Then belike a believer is in some degree under the power of the Law still which Mr Dell seemeth to deny earnestly throughout this book G If he that is free from the Law keeps and fulfils it through the Law of love as is here affirmed and I fully believe then can I not see how there can be any danger at all in this doctrine That believers are the only men on earth dead to the Law as to justification and alive to the Law as to the outward regulation of them thereby according to the inward rule of love which is in their hearts from the spirit of Christ Rom. 13.8,9,10 Iames 2.8,9 And this I believe upon trial will be found all which they teach or believe whom Mr Dell afterwards reproveth or rather reproacheth as Jewishly zealous of the honour of the Law SECT III. That I might live unto God THat is He that through the Law of Grace is freed of the Law of the letter is not set free from the Law that therby he may have opportunity and liberty to live to sin and himself but that he may thereby live unto God And when a man is born of God A and lives the life of God from the nature of God there is no danger at all in declating this man to be free from the Law of Moses by the Law of Christ B For how otherwise should he come to know the high priviledge of the Gospel and the excellent prerogative of the sons of God and the glorious liberty and freedom into which Jesus Christ hath exalted him Now this One Thing rightly understood doth administer to us just cause to reprove two sorts of People who swerve from the truth in this particular The first sort are they who would be dead to the Law that they might live unto sin and not unto God who would have no Law that all things might be lawful though never so wicked and abominable and never so contrary both to the light of Grace and Nature And these are the true Antinomians and Libertines who would be free from the Law of Moses they not being under the Law of Christ who would take away and quite abolish the Law of the letter they not being under the Law of the Spirit and so would be free from all Law both Old and New both of Moses and Christ that they might live as they list and take their full swinge in all their lusts Now such Libertines and Licentious persons as these are to be restrained and punished by the Civil Magistrate and the Powers that be of God in the world when they transgresse in any matter wickedly and presumptuously against their neighbour and against civil society C and in other things that are more secret and inward or that are of their own notions and apprehensions though concerning the things of God they are to be left with other unbelievers and misbelievers to the righteous judgement of God who is alwayes present in the world and immediate Moderator and Governour himself in all such affairs as immediately concern himself and his Kingdom 2. The other sort to be reproved from this point are such who are so Jewish and so zealous of the honour of the Law that they will by no means indure to hear that the Gospel of the Son of God comes to abolish it or that the new Law is given us to make us quite dead to the old For they think that such Doctrine as this will open a flood-gate to all manner of wickednesse and licentiousnesse D For such men being carnal themselves and knowing no restraint from sin but the Law of Moses do verily think that if that curb be taken out of the jaws of men they must needs rush headlong into all manner of evil as the horse into the battel and this is true enough where men free
as large as the Fathers but no larger seeing both love with the same Spirit For if the Father should love such onely and the Son love others over and above or if the Father should love more then the Son or the Son love more then the Father this would breed a difference in God which cannot be imagined without highest blasphemy And therefore those whom the Father loves with this special love the Son loves likewise and none but these 2. As the Son loves those only whom the Father loves so he loves them only upon this account because they are the Fathers as Christ himself saith John 17. Thine they were and thou gavest them me and all that are mine are thine and all that are thine are mine and so Christ owns no more then are the Fathers and those which are the Fathers he takes them as his own and loves them as the Father loves them 3. As Christ loves them only with this special love whom the Father loves and loves them because they are the Fathers so he loves them as dearly as the Father loves him Now Christ saith of these to his Father Thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me Again he saith That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them And so as God loves these as he loved Christ and he doth not love all Mankinde so so Christ loves them as he loves himself yea he seems to love them more then himself for he loves them and gives himself for them And so having spoken of Christs special love I proceed in the next place to speak of the wonderful fruit of it which is his special Redemption And gave himself for me B Christ could not love his as his Father loved him even with the Infinite and most tender love of God and still suffer them to remain under the Law and Sin and Death and the power of the Devil but he being the Son of God and so able the love of God within him made him willing yea even constrained him to redeem them And this Redemption he could no otherwise bring about then by giving himself for them And so he gave himself for them indeed even to be made Sin for them and a Curse for them yea he gave himself up to all the sorrows of Death and pains of Hell for them and to endure to the very utmost the whole wrath of his Father for them And this was the greatest manifestation of the special love of Christ that could be as John saith Herein was love not that we loved him but that he loved us and laid down his life for us Now further we must know that as there is a general love that Christ bears to all Mankinde So also there is a general Redemption proportionable to that general Love which is nothing else but this the saving or rescuing of the fallen and lost world for a time from the execution of that death and damnation into which it had inwrapped it self through Sin but this is rather a Reprieve then a Redemption and if it be called a Redemption it is but the common and temporary Redemption of the World during the patience and long suffering of God towards the Vessels of Wrath prepared for destruction But after the determined time of Gods Patience is expired the wrath of God breaks forth upon them and death and hell swalloweth them up But the special Redemption of the Church is a full perfect and eternal Redemption of all the Elect of God from sin and death and hell by the Righteousnesse life and Salvation of the Son of the living God communicated unto them And this Special Redemption begins here in this life as soon as ever Christ dwells in our hearts by faith and it is perfected at the day of the Revelation of the Sons of God Now this Special Redemption extends it self no further then the Special Love of the Son and of the Father as may appear thus Because the Special Redemption of Christ extends it self no further then the Fathers Election as the Fathers Election extends it self no farther then his Good pleasure or the Counsel of his Will which doth limit the Infinitenesse both of his Goodnesse Mercy Wisdom and Power in all his outward Actions towards the Creatures both in their Creation and Government as also in the Dispensations of all blessings towards them both bodily and spiritual So then as the Fathers Election is limited by his Love and good pleasure so the Sons Redemption is limited by the Fathers Election and so the Sons redemption is full as large as the Fathers election but no larger for Christ himself saith That he came not to do his own will but the will of him that sent him Now the Fathers will was that Christ should redeem all that he had Loved and Elected and Given to him but no more And so we must necessarily know the latitude and extent of Christs Redemption by knowing the Fathers love will in his election And so Christ Redeems no more with his Special Redemption then those he loves with this Special Love and thus he loves no more then the Father loves 2. Christs Special Redemption of those whom he loves with this Special love may be farther evidenced out of John 17. where Christ distinguisheth all Mankinde into these two sorts viz. The World and they that were given him out of the World and tels us that his intercession was not for the former but onely for these latter saying vers 19. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for those that thou hast given me out of the world Now we must know that the Priestly office of Christ consisteth of two parts His Oblation and Intercession For first he Offers himself a Sacrifice for his people and then after that he prayes for them whom he had Redeemed by his blood And his Intercession is founded on his Oblation and he never prayes for any but for those whom he hath first Redeemed and whom he hath not Redeemed he prayes not for and whom he prayes not for he Redeemed not And so Christ not praying for the world it is evident he never died for the world for he of course and necessity performs the second part of his Priestly office his Intercession for all those for whom he hath performed the first part of his Priestly Office his Oblation or Sacrifice And for whom he doth not perform his Intercession it is most certain that he never performed his Redemption for them and this is so sure and certain a Truth that the foolish and vain Reasonings and Discourses of men shall never be able to prevail against it nor yet the very Gates of Hell And thus you have seen manifested to you the Special Redemption of Christ as well as his Special love both which he extends not alike to all Man-kinde as the Hereticks say but only to those whom his Father hath given him which are not all Kindreds
that the law of grace and of the spirit within us is infinitely more powerful to keep us from sin then the Law of Moses without us and that the love of righteousnesse put into our hearts by the spirit is infinitly more able to make us to do righteousnesse and avoid sin then any outward commands or threatnings whatsoever which yet have their subordinate place in this work If this be all Mr Dell contends for he will not find an enemy amongst his despised brethren But if by saying that the coming of the new law is a sufficient discharge from the old he intend that all who receive the spirit to be in them the root of obedience are sufficiently discharged from taking the outwardly revealed Law of God to be unto them the rule of obedience It is true that the brethren whom he glanceth at do not understand or at least do not believe that but are very confident that when the Law of the Spirit comes into the heart the heart is brought to delight in the outward Law of God and to chuse it for a light to a mans feet and a lamp to his path Psal 119.97 and 105. F Our Lord Christ in his humanity did know and acknowledge the written Law of God for a law and â—ule unto him and did fulfil it Mat. 4.4,7,10 and 5.17 how confident soever Mr Dell â—e of the contrary G That is not the tenour of the Covenant according to Mr Dells words I will be in their hearts for their law but I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts Jer. 31.33 It is dangerous tampering with the Covenant of God when the words thereof are plain That the Lord is the Law-giver I have often read Esay 32.22 but that he is the law of his people I never saw affirmed in Scripture SECT IV. I am Crucified with Christ c. I Am crucified with Christ who through this new Law was dead to the old For Christ our brother of the same flesh and bloud with us having the living word and law of God within him A he owed nothing to the law of Moses by way of debt neither was he justified by the works of the Law but by the righteousnesse of the eternal Son or Word of God that dwelt and wrought in him and he again in it B And this living Word and Spirit of God that dwelt in the flesh of Christ was the true crucifying of his flesh and in this crucifying of Christs flesh all his Saints partake with him as Paul here saith I am crucified with Christ. C Now this cannot be understood of Christs outward crucifying upon the material Cross for thus Paul was not crucified with him neither are all the Saints But this is to be understood of Christs inward and spiritual crucifying through the Word of righteousness and life that dwelt in him and according to this all the faithful through all ages are crucified with him indeed And now here it wil be needful to speak something more fully both touching Christs own crucifying and the crucifying of all his Saints with him on the same crosse And the rather because as men generally in the outward Church have a carnal understanding of all the things of Christ so also of his Crosse and Death And not the Papists only but many among our selves who greatly adore the outward cross and crucifying of Christ are yetignorant of the true cross and crucifying of Christ and his Christians with him whereby they are truly crucified and dead to themselves to sin to the world D and to whatever is not God himself And so under the open profession of the outward crosse and death of Christ do live in all manner of sin and wickednesse equally with the very heathen amongst whom the Name of Christ hath not been named Wherefore to remove this gross ignorance from all that love the light I shall speak something first of Christs own crucifying and then of our crucifying together with Christ ANIMADVERSION 4. A VVHat did not Christ owe something to the Law so much as for us How then was he made under the Law Gal. 4.4 Did not his submitting of himself to Circumcision make him a debter to do the whole Law Gal. 5.3 Did not our Lord Christ by submitting himself to the state of a servant in relation to his Father become obliged to fulfil all his righteous commands It seems to me that those two Scriptures joyned together prove so much Esay 42.1 Mat. 3.15 Again did not we owe to God perfect obedience to his Law and full satisfaction for our disobedience against his Law And did not our Saviour as our surety transfer and take upon himself our whole debt It would be ill with us if he had not done so me thinks Dr. Vshers words in his Sermon of the Incarnation hath much light and strength in them namely Our Mediator took upon him the part of an advocate to plead full satisfaction made by himself as our surety unto all the debt wherewith we any way stood chargeable Now the satisfaction which our surety bound himself to perform in our behalf was of a double debt the principal and the accessary The principal debt is obedience to Gods most holy Law if this stand true as I believe it will then Christ did owe the debt of obedience to the Law at least in our stead B Where doth the Scripture speak this language Doth not that Scripture speak otherwise 1 Pet. 3.18 which ascribeth not the crucifying but quickning of Christ to the spirit C Why may not the Apostle when he wrote that he was crucified with Christ be understood of Christs outward crucifying on his material crosse Is not the vertue of Christs outward crucifying applyed to all believing Saints is not the flesh in the Saints crucified through the power of that redemption which our Saviour finished on his material crosse and by participation of that redemption finished on the Crosse are not all believers crucified and dead with him what else do those Scriptures teach Rom. 6.5,6,7,8,9,10,11 1 Pet. 2.24 and 4.1,2 Tit. 2.14 It is very strange to me that Mr Dell should here so peremptorily deny that Pauls crucifying with Christ could be understood in relation to his outward crucifying since in Sect. 5. K he confesseth very truly that there was an infinite worth excellency and efficacy in our Saviours outward crucifying which unquestionably is imparted to those who believe and was imparted to the Apostle Paul who might therefore truly write as he did that he was crucified with Christ in reference to Christs outward crucifying on his material crosse D Are Christians dead to the Scriptures both to the Law and Gospel and to all Gods outward ordinances of none of which it can be affirmed that they are God himself I hope Mr Dell hath some limitations in store to make this strange assertion of his that believers are dead to whatsoever is not God himself passable or else SECT