Laws which the Author after mentions calling it a conformity to his nature the new creature is not the effect of Subjection or Obedience but the cause of it true Obedience is too pure a thing to issue out of an unregenerate heart before it can come forth Enchir. cap. 106. Ipsum liberum arbitrium liberandum est As St. Austin speaks Lapsed nature must be new-natured and its deadly wound healed by regenerating Grace First according to Scripture there must be a good tree and then good fruit De Eccles Hierar cap. 2. First a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Divine state or being as Dionysius calls it and then Divine operations issuing forth in a sweet connaturalness to the Heavenly principles within To this purpose let us hear our Church 2. Hom. of Almes As the good fruit is not the cause that the tree is good but the tree must first be good before it can bring forth good fruit so the good Deeds of men are not the Cause that maketh men good but he is first made good by the Spirit and Grace of God that effectually worketh in him and afterwards he bringeth forth good fruit As for such as are regenerate and new Creatures I acknowledge them to have the same temper of Mind with Christ and that every Grace in the new Man answers to that in Christ and morally unites to him but the Mystical Union is made by the holy Spirit and Faith which hath this above other Graces to receive Christ and incorporate us into him That place Phil. 2. of having the same mind with Christ holds out the same temper in both that in Matt. 4.11 calls us to an imitation of him that Gal. 4.19 expresses the State of the new Creature which is moulded after the Image of Christ But the other two places quoted by the Author prove the Mystical Union the one is that Rom. 8.9 If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his By Spirit is not meant an holy temper of Mind but the Spirit it self the very same which just before the words is called The Spirit of God and ver 11. The spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead and by which our mortal bodies shall be quickned This is that Spirit which unites us to Christ in such an admirable manner that Christ is said to be in us ver 10. St. Chrysostome on the words saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that hath the holy Spirit hath Christ himself the Spirit being present Christ nay the whole Trinity must be so The other is that 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit that is one and the same holy Spirit is in Christ and Believers mystically uniting them together This appears as well by the opposition of one spirit in this 17. Verse to one flesh in the 16. Verse For as the Learned Beza notes on the place Vt constet expositio exterioris corporum copulae nostrae cum Christo interoris spiritûs nomen usurpavit Apostolus as also by the after-words What know ye not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you ver 19. The holy Ghost is that one Spirit which unites Christ and Believers Hence the Reverend Vsher quoting this place among others concludes That the Mystery of our Vnion with Christ consists mainly in this that the self same Spirit which is in him as in the Head is derived from him into every one of his true Members There is yet a closer Vnion Mr. Sherlock which consists in a mutual reciprocal Love when we are transformed into the image of Christ he loves us as being like to him and we love him as partaking of his Nature he loves us as the price of his Blood as his own workmanship created to good Works and we love him as our Redeemer and Saviour I acknowledge there is a Moral Union between Christ and Christians by holy Love Answer but this Moral Union supposes a Mystical one made by the Spirit and Faith Where these are not there can be no such thing as Love to Christ Hence the Apostle Eph. 3.16 17. first lays down the Mystical Union with its two Bands the Spirit in the inner man and Faith whereby Christ dwells in the heart and immediately after adds the Moral one That ye may be rooted and grounded in Love Where-ever the Mystical Union is there is holy Love to Christ What the Author afterwards adds touching God's dwelling in the Church as his Temple is so far from opposing that it points out the Mystical Union especially seeing as the Author confesses Particular Christians are in Scripture stiled the Temple of the living God That place quoted by the Author Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 Cor. 3.16 is very emphatical Christians are the Temple of God and made so by the indwelling Spirit which is the bond of the Mystical Union Indeed the Author saith That the indwelling of the Spirit primarily refers to the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit which God in that Age bestowed on the Church this was the true Shechinah or divine Glory resting on them But I conceive the holy Spirit hath been in Believers in all Ages God dwelt in the Jewish Temple in Types and Symbols of his Presence but which was far more excellent than those outward shadows and appearances of Glory he dwelt even then by his Spirit in all true Believers The sweet strains of Devotion in David did plainly evidence that the holy Spirit was in him the spiritual Imbroidery or Needle-work in every Psalm tells us that the Finger of God was there The believing Israelites in Mannâ Christum intellexerunt saw Christ in their Manna and fed on the same spiritual Meat as believing Christians do which is a clear proof that the holy Spirit was in them The Son of God coming in the Flesh the holy Spirit was poured down in extraordinary Gifts and though those Epiphanies of divine Glory went off yet the same Spirit hath been and ever will be in Believers This our Church acknowledges 1. Hom. for Whitsunday Neither doth the holy Spirit think it sufficient inwardly to work the spiritual and new Birth of Man unless he do also dwell and abide in him And a little after our Church breaks out in an holy admiration O what comfort is this to the heart of a true Christian to think that the holy Ghost dwelleth in him The Apostle tells the Ephesians that they are builded for an habitation of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through the Spirit Eph. 2.22 Indeed the Author interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spiritual Temple in opposition to the material one which St. Peter calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spiritual house but I take it the Spirit it self is meant Thus Grotius as I have him quoted in the Criticks saith Non tantùm tota fidelium
do or may receive from Christ what he hath done or suffered for us but we must love his Person purely for himself without any other considerations to endear him to us This matter is gravely stated and determined by W.B. who tells us 1. That it is a good and lawful thing to love Christ in reference to his benefits This is a very liberal grant that Gratitude which hath hitherto been accounted a great and excellent Virtue is now owned as a lawful thing 2. It is our duty to love Christ's Person This is so true that those men who love Christ for his benefits love his Person 3. The Excellency of Christ's Person is not the Object of my Faith but Christ crucified 4. Though Christ crucified be the Object of my Faith yet the personal Excellencies of Christ are the Object of my Love yea it is a more excellent thing yet to love the Person of Christ than the Benefits of Christ to have my heart drawn out in love to the Person of Christ than to have it drawn out in love to him for his Benefits Now what can be the meaning of all this but that the Excellency and Perfection of our Love to Christ consists in loving him for no reason The proper object and reason of Love is Goodness to love that which is good for nothing is the folly and degeneracy of Love and it is as foolish and impossible a task to love a person who hath been good to us not because he hath been good but for no reason Now this is the case here for if you separate the Person and personal Excellencies of Christ from the consideration of his benefits his personal Goodness from the expressions of his Love and Goodness to our selves and others it can be no Object or reason of our Love for a Goodness which doth no good or never did any or which is all one is considered as doing none is so far from being the Object of our Love that it is not the Object of our Vnderstanding For we cannot understand what that Goodness means which never did any good God challenges our Love not upon account of an imaginary Goodness of Nature which never did any good but for the real and sensible Effects of his Goodness in the works of Creation and Providence and Redemption by Christ And Christ challenges our love for the like reasons because he hath loved us and died for us and now intercedes for us and will at the last day bestow a Crown of Glory and Immortality on us but never as I can observe requires such an abstracted and Metaphysical Love to his Person without any respect to his benefits We love Christ for his Benefits Answer these are the first impulsives of our Love but our love once kindled is afterwards blown up into a purer flame by those attractive Excellencies and ravishing Beauties which are in the Person of Christ we come to love Christ for himself The Spouse in the Canticles did not only love Christ for his Shadow and sweet fruits for the Graces and Benefits communicated from him but for himself his incomparable Person who is the chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely Neither is this Love to Christ for himself what the Author would have it to be a Love for no reason or a Love in its folly and degeneracy But it is a Love for the greatest Reason and a Love in perfection There is a greater worthiness and so an higher attractive of our Love in the Person of Christ than in his Benefits and therefore in all reason Love is in a more high and superlative measure due to the one than to the other All the Benefits of Christ are but as so many Mediums to draw up and attract our Love to the Person of Christ and our Love in its ascent up thither must not stay or take up its final rest in Means for this would be to pervert the nature of Means and transform them into Ends but it must terminate in Christ the great End and Center Should we love the Benefits more than the Person of Christ we should be lovers of our selves more than lovers of Christ our Love would then return and circulate into our selves and there rest and center ut in ultimo termino which is no less than Idolatry If we are truly espoused to Christ we will not love the Rings and Jewels more than himself nay nor so much The true noble Lover doth not acquiesce in other gifts but in Christ the Gift above all other gifts But saith the Author A Goodness which doth no good or never did any is so far from being the object of our Love that it is not the object of our Vnderstanding To which I answer It 's true if God had never done good that is had never created a Creature he could not have been the Object of any created Love or Understanding for there being no Creation there could have been no such thing as any created Love or Understanding however he had been an Object for a greater Love and Understanding than any created one even for his own infinite Love and Understanding Had he never created a Creature he would have been for ever happy by amatorious and intellectual Reflections upon himself and his own Perfections It is true that God calls for our Love upon account of Creation Providence and Redemption but it is due to him for himself for his Divine Excellency and All-sufficiency Could we imagine what is impossible that there were a rational Creature who never received any good from God upon such a supposal that Creature would be bound to love God for his intrinsecal Goodness and Excellency or else the Will of that Creature might which is very strange pass by the Supreme Good unsaluted But to leave that Supposition now we have God and many blessings before our eyes we are bound to love God above all as the complete and adequate Object of our Love Should we love any Blessings without or above him it would be Cupiditas Lust which is the formale of every sin and not Love I conclude with that of Bonaventure Li. 3. distinct 29. quest 2. Secundùm Charitatis legem impossibile est aliquid plus vel aequaliter Deo amare Charitas enim quia diligit Deum ut summum bonum diligit eum super omnia quia diligit Deum ut finem ultimum diligit eum propter se Blessings may be motives to us to love God but they are not to be loved as the supreme End or Good that is God only in his infinite Goodness and Excellency upon account of these all Worship and among the rest Love is due to him Indeed these men seem not to understand themselves Mr. Sherlock for when you enquire what this Person of Christ is which is the Object of our Love then they describe his Beauty and perfections the Comeliness of his Person the sweetness of his Disposition his great Riches that he
I may add unattainable by lapsed nature in it self but Grace elevates nature above it self to love Christ though not without a respect to Salvation yet above our selves and so in a comparative sence to hate our selves for him Indeed if love to our selves were as the Author would have it the foundation of our Love to God then it must be the measure of it too and by consequence we should not need love God above our selves and our love of God might for ought I see center and ultimately terminate in our selves But this cannot be allowed As long as God is God the supreme good and last end he must be loved above all and for himself that inclination which is in us to love our selves more than God is as Bonaventure well observes not the perfection but the corruption of our Natures But saith the Author he that doth not love or care for himself will not love God To which I answer If we do not care for our selves in a way of foolish neglect we are unnatural to our selves and want true love to God But if we care not for our selves in a Paroxism of holy Zeal for God as when Moses prayed to be blotted out of Gods book Or when St. Paul wished himself accursed from Christ then our love to God is very great and fervent if whilst we pay that debitum naturae love to our selves We subordinate it to the love of God loving God above our selves and in that sence comparatively not estimating our selves then our love to God is true and as it ought to be We need not make men hypocrites or desperate we need not break any of the sweet links duty and interest may well consist together our love to God and our love to our selves may stand in conjunction yet still our love must keep its decorum we must have a higher respect for Duty than for interest and our love to God must be superlative and above our love to our selves Thirdly Mr. Sherlock they oppose our love to Christ to our own Duties that is to the most proper and natural expression of our love to him Herein Dr. Owen places the chastity of our affections to Christ which you know is a great marriage duty in not taking any thing as our own righteousness into our affection and esteem for those ends and purposes for which we have received Christ and God forbid that any Christian should for our own Righteousness and Duties cannot be our Mediators and Advocates What then is the difference Why it is only this The Doctor places the Righteousness of Christ in the room of our righteousness to be not only the foundation but the condition of the Covenant of Grace and then makes it an expression of our chaste affection to Christ quite to thrust out our own righteousness and to allow it no place in our Religion He makes Christ all to us and leaves no room for any thing else and then warns us upon our vows of chastity not to take any thing into Christ's place Whereas as he has ordered the matter we must take our own righteousness into Christ's place or else cast it quite away for there is no other place left for it But is it not very strange that when our Saviour hath made our obedience the principal expression of our Love to him These men should make such a competition between our Love to Christ and our Obedience should put such jealousies into peoples heads What great danger there is of their own Duties and Righteousness lest they should prove like foolish Lovers Sincere Convert who when they are to wooe for the Lady fall in love with the Hand-maid Men dote upon Duties and rest in the naked performance of them that is in doing good which are only Hand-maids to lead to Christ Is not this to perswade people that our love to Christ consists in something more refined and spiritual than obedience Which will quickly teach them to love Christ without obeying of him and not run the hazard of doting on duties Doth the Doctor quite thrust out our own Righteousness Answer Doth he allow it no place in our Religion I have before noted what charge this is The Doctor in his Book doth assert That our Obedience is indispensibly necessary Commun fo 208 209 210 c. and that because of the Soveraign will of God the Father Son and holy Ghost because of the Fathers electing Love the Sons purchasing Love the Spirits operative Love because of the glory of the whole Trinity because Holiness is our Honour and makes us like to God our peace in communion with God our usefulness in our Generations because it stops the mouths of enemies tends to the conversion of others and profit of all because justified persons are accepted and admitted into Gods presence they are new Creatures and the new Creature is not to be stifled because holiness is the way to eternal life a Testimony and Pledge of Adoption a sign and evidence of Grace Now if this be not enough to answer that charge I must utterly despair that ever it can be cleared No man that I know of ever dreamed of an opposition between Love to Christ and Obedience I should as soon be perswaded that the Sun was fallen out with his Beams or that all the causes and effects of Nature were at a variance among themselves as conceit any such thing Yet Christ must be upon the Throne and Duties must stand at his Foot-stool The Homage which is in Duties proclaims the preeminence of the Lord we are not as Mr. Shephard hath it to rest in Duties in the naked performance of them Our Duties must not supplant Christ's Righteousness but pay a tribute of gratitude to it we must use them as Noah's Dove did her wings to carry us to the Ark even to Jesus Christ in whom only is the Sabbath of Souls But saith the Author is not this to perswade people that our love to Christ consists in something more refined than Obedience which will quickly teach them to love Christ without obeying To which I answer Love without obeying is to me an utter inconsistency If we indeed love Christ we do really will Christum Regem that he should be King and reign in and over us Love sets his Throne in the Heart and Obedience in the Life The expression of our Love to Christ is in Obedience Nothing is more refined within than Faith and Love nor without than Obedience it being as it should performed in a due manner in the actuation of Divine Graces for if it be only an outward naked performance it is but the shell and semblance of obeying without loving Let us now enquire Mr. Sherlock how they express their love to the person of Christ and that consists in preferring Christ above all they value him above all other things and persons above their lives above all Spiritual Excellencies and other Righteousness whatever he is their Joy Crown
AN ANSWER TO THE Discourse OF Mr. WILLIAM SHERLOCK TOUCHING The Knowledge of Christ and our Union and Communion with Him By EDWARD POLHILL of Burwash in Sussex Esquire LONDON Printed for Ben. Foster and are to be sold by most Book-sellers in London MDCLXXV TO THE READER IN that excellent Piece the Soul of Man which is too great for this lower World and in the very Frame of it aspires after an Infinite Good the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or uppermost Room is the Vnderstanding and among all the Truths which are the Furniture thereof none are so rich as those Theological ones which are drawn out of the Golden Mines of Scripture Arts and Sciences are in comparison but the Poor of the Mind the Riches and Treasures of Knowledge lie in Evangelical Mysteries these out-shine the Sun and out-weigh the Earth They have the highest Certainty as coming down immediately from heaven and withall the noblest Tendency as leading us thither Infinite Truth is the Fountain and infinite Goodness the Center of them These when in their Lustre make a spiritual Day and derive such a pure Influence upon the Hearts and Lives of Men as moulds them into the Divine Image and thereby makes them meet for the bliss-making Vision in Heaven No sooner can these be under an Eclipse but there will be a Night and a Chaos of confusions the Path of Life and Happiness will be wrapt up in darkness black Legions of Errors and Corruptions will creep forth and pious Souls will wish for the day I mean for a fresh Illustration of Truths from that sacred Spirit which at first breahed them out into the World and after all the Clouds and dark Veils put upon them can bring them forth in their Oriency and true Glory These to Believers are as Pearls and sacred Jewels dearer than the Apple of their Eye nay than their own Souls They build upon them by Faith espouse them by divine Love lay them up in a pure Conscience distil the Vertue of them into a holy Life and if it were possible they would have none of the sacred Light put out nor the least Jot or Tittle of those Truths fall to the ground O what a rate did the famous St. Austin and others set upon God's special Effectual Grace How highly did the heroical Luther value the Point of Justification Jacente articulo Justificationis jacent omnia saith he as if a Christians All were in it When such Truths are violated Christians how meek soever in other things must earnestly contend and not give place no not for an hour here if ever Luther's pia sancta pertinacia is in season Not to stay any longer on the excellencies and great Concerns of Evangelical Truths which no tongue of Men or Angels is able fully to express I shall now speak a little touching Mr. Sherlock's Book When I read it I thought my self in a new Theological World Believers appearing without their Head for want of a Mystical Vnion strip'd and naked for lack of imputed Righteousness the full treasures of Grace in Christ which have supplied all the vessels of faith emptied out of sacred his person transfused into the doctrine of the Gospel as if according to Pelagius all Grace were in doctrine only The holy Spirit the great Origen of Graces and Comforts in its Illumination seems to be superfluous in its Testimony to Believers an Enthusiastical Fancy and in the work of Regeneration if any at most but a partial Co-cause parting stakes with the Will of Man Faith in Abel and Enoch lying as low as Natural Principles in Noah and Abraham raised up a little to particular Revelations but not so high as the Messiah In Christians standing off and at a distance from Christ its dear Object not daring to lay hold on or so much as touch him to draw any Vertue from thence As if Socinus had hit it right when he said Christi apprehensio merum commentum inanissimum somnium est The immutable Love of God the only Cement of the Church seems to be turned off from Persons to Qualities and towards Persons to be as variable as the fickle Will of Man is and yet he is immutable still he loves for the same Reason or as Socinus saith Non sine causa mutat The Pontifician Thesis touching Justification by inherent Righteousness seems to be revived a fresh and that in a way less tolerable than among the Romanists They though they would have inherent Righteousness come in for a share yet allow the Imputation of Christs passive Obedience but in the New Scheme inherent Righteousness takes up all the room and leaves none for imputed The Drollery and sarcastical Reflections in the Book are but the Cover of it within there is a dark Eclipse upon many excellent Truths which hitherto have been owned in the Churches of Christ and particularly in our own Among other Truths none have had a greater share of suffering than those two touching our Mystical Vnion with Christ and the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us both which are to me very momentous The Mystical Vnion hath I suppose been generally received in the Church Indeed Gregory de Valentia once cavilled at it as if it were Mysterium Calvinisticum and yet he seems to own it when he saith Animum nostrum posse per fidem corpus Christi etiam ut in coelo existens atque adeo ut est extra Sacramentum manducare He that denies the Mystical Vnion cannot hold the head Jesus Christ from which all the body by joynts and bands hath nourishment ministred Col. 2.19 Take away that Vnion and Christ is a Head of no Influence the Joynts and the Bands which were made to convey divine Nutriture from him are but empty Titles and signifie no more than those Conduit-pipes do which are severed from the Fountain Again he that denies the Mystical Vnion must lose that piece of his Creed the Communion of Saints their Communion among themselves primarily depends on their Vnion with Christ the Head from whom the whole body is fitly joyned together and compacted as the Apostle tells us Eph. 4.16 All the Harmonies in the Body Mystical hang on its Vnion with the Head without this Believers could have no Communion one with another save in this only that they must all die one common death hy being severed from their Head The living Stones once off from their Foundation can hang no longer together in the spiritual Building but must totter down into a Chaos of Confusion Moreover he that denies the mystical Vnion must turn off the Believer from his true standing according to the Gospel the Believer is a man in Christ he is built on him as on a Foundation he subsists in him as the Branches do in the Vine he hath vital Influences from him as the Members have from the Head he is acted by his divine Spirit in all the pure ways to heaven and all this is his security his
the power of sin and that by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Thus the Author to which I answer God sent his Son indeed into the world that we might be sanctified by his Spirit but that was not all he sent him that we might be justified by his Blood and Righteousness to which purpose it will be worth while to consider that place Rom. 8. The Apostle in the first verse sets forth believers men in Christ by two excellent things first by Justification There is no condemnation to them no though there be reliques of corruption in them as is imported in the seventh Chapter there is none and then by Sanctification which is in conjunction with the other they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit And in the other verses he confirms both but inverso ordine first he confirms their Sanctification from the great Origen of it the holy Spirit The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death vers 2. The power of the holy Spirit hath subdued the power of sin and then he confirms their Justification from the sufferings of Christ with which his active obedience is to be taken in conjunction What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh vers 3. Their sins were condemned in the flesh of Christ there was an atonement made for them which certainly must relate to Justification from these sufferings of Christ with which his active obedience must be taken in conjunction the Apostle inferrs That the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us vers 4. The Law was not able to justifie us for want of a perfect obedience in us but God translated the impletion of the Law upon Christ Christ fulfilled all Righteousness for us Christ bore the wrath of God for us and these things being imputed unto us the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us But then the Apostle returns again to Sanctification and subjoyns Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit assuring us that those who are justified by the imputed Righteousness of Christ are also Sanctified and led by his holy Spirit This I take to be the meaning of the place But let us hear our Church treating upon this place in conjunction with other Scriptures r. Hom. of Salvation St. Paul saith Rom. 3. We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ And Rom. 10. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth And Rom. 8. That which was impossible by the Law in as much as it was weak by the flesh God sending his own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh by sin damned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us which walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit In these places the Apostle toucheth three things which must go together in our Justification upon Gods part his great mercy and grace upon Christ's parts justice that is the satisfaction of God's justice or the price of our redemption by the offering of his body and shedding of his Blood with fulfilling of the Law perfectly and throughly and upon our part true and lively Faith in the merits of Jesus Christ which yet is not ours but by Gods working in us So that in our Justification is not only Gods Mercy and Grace but also his Justice which the Apostle calleth the Justice of God and it consisteth in paying our ransom and fulfilling of the Law And so the Grace of God doth not shut out the Justice of God in our Justification but only shutteth out the justice of man that is to say the justice of our works as to be merits of deserving our justification And therefore St. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of man concerning his justification but only a true lively Faith which nevertheless is the gift of God and not man's only work without God and yet that Faith doth not shut out Repentance Hope Love Dread and the fear of God to be joyned with Faith in every man that is justified but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying so that although they be all present in him that is justified yet they justifie not all together These are the excellent words of our Church worthy without flattery be it spoken to be written in Letters of Gold but much more in the hearts of all true Christians We see here that there is in justification nothing on the behalf of man but Faith only no internal Holiness Repentance Hope Love Fear of God are in the justified but shut out from the office of justifying God's Grace and Christ's Righteousness are the great causes of justification But saith the Author Is there here any mention of Christ's Righteousness or the imputation thereof I answer Our Church surely thought so and we have his passive Righteousness expressed vers 3. and where that is expressed the active is implied This is clear when the Scripture saith That we are made righteous by Christ's obedience Rom. 5.19 It doth include his blood also and when he saith That we are justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 It doth include his active obedience also so that the Scripture because it expresses justification by both and because it must be consistent with it self in expressing the one includes the other When therefore Rom. 8.3 his sufferings are expressed his active obedience is also included both therefore are intended and withall an imputation without which they cannot be profitable to us But saith the Author The Law could not do it that is the Law could not deliver from the power of sin I answer The Law could not do it of it self and without the Spirit of Christ but if that divine Spirit take the Law into its hand and write it in the heart I suppose there will be a New Creature But the Author saith That the righteousness of the Law may be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit vers 4. How can imputation come in here What pretty sence will this make of the Apostles argument I answer The sence is very clear the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us by Christ's Righteousness imputed to us and withall we to whom that is imputed walk after the Spirit the one is our Justification the other our Sanctification Both the Apostle proves to be in Believers and both consist very well together as appears from the first verse There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit The No condemnation appertains to Justification and the walking after the Spirit to Sanctification and both stand very well together As to what the Author saith afterwards That there was no reason to abrogate Moses ' s
to say that which he cannot know and that against his own Soul and eternal Salvation Is there any such reprobation in Scripture as barrs out of Heaven such as by Faith venture upon Christ No surely Christ hath so far dyed for all men as to found for them that general promise whosoever believeth shall be saved This is a plain sure foundation for men to venture upon none that by Faith venture upon Christ shall be barred out of Heaven by any Decree of God because his Decree cannot clash with his Promise It is very irregular arguing to say I know not Gods Decree therefore I 'll neglect my duty St. Paul exhorts the Philippians to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling for it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. Might the Philippians have said how do we know what Gods pleasure is or what he will work in us Why should we work at such a venture or at the pleasure of another No the fear and trembling in the Text was enough to keep them back from arguing at that rate Suppose now that there were no such thing as Election will there not be a paucity and an hard venture still Our Saviour tells us that few find the way to life Matth. 7.14 And God whose prescience is immutable eternally foresaw that it would be so and what must we do now May we deny the truth of Christs words or of Gods prescience Surely we ought not or may we argue thus Few enter into life why should I venture It s an hard venture and great odds against me May I now cry out Good God what Merchant adventurers are poor sinners Surely it doth not at all become me I must look upon the Rule in the Word and endeavour to do my duty Duties belong to us and issues to God But to pass on according to Mr. Shephard it seems assurance it self cannot secure us to which the bare recital of Mr. Shephards words will be answer enough they are these The Call of Christ is the ground by which we first believe It is a constant ground of Faith For if you come to Christ because you have assurance or because you feel such and such Graces and heavenly Impressions of Gods Spirit in you you may then many a day and year keep at a distance from Christ and lye without Christ for the feeling of Graces and assurance of favour are not constant His meaning is very plain the Call of Christ is the ground of our first believing and it is a constant ground if by after renewed acts of Faith we come to Christ because we have assurance we may many a day live without Christ for assurance is no constant thing as the Call is The Author I suppose took out a little out of Mr. Shephard not to interpret him but to sport with him Afterwards we have the Author concluding from Mr. Shephards particular Call That the general Call signifies nothing that there is no foundation for our Faith in Christ but this particular Call To which I answer The general promises of the Gospel signifie Gods will to save Believers and therefore are a sufficient foundation for a man to believe in Christ for Salvation a greater warrant we cannot have for it then Gods own Charter sealed with the Blood of his Son Jesus Christ But that which works this Faith in us is a special Call or internal Grace which shines into the heart and calls forth Faith into being But though we know not how to get into Christ Mr. Sherlock it would be some comfort to know that we are in him But this is as impossible as the other As the only foundation of our Faith in coming to Christ aocording to these mens notions is a special call of the Spirit So the only infallible assurance that we are in Christ is the testimony of the Spirit The spirit of adoption which teaches us to cry Abba Father And yet God doth not afford this Testimony to all but suffers many good Christians to walk in darkness and hides his face from them for no other reason but because they are desirous of it and would be quiet if they should know it this is somewhat hard measure But suppose you have or think you have this testimony of the Spirit how can you be sure that it is not a cheat and delusion the imposture of the Devil or of your own self-flattering imagination to satisfie this we are directed to marks Thus this infallible assurance from the testimony of the Spirit must in its last resolve be founded upon some Moral evidence As it is with the Church of Rome who after a great noise and cry of infallibility are at last forc'd to resolve their Faith into some Motives of credibility or to dance round in an endless circle Well what are the marks of our being in Christ You must enquire whether you have the Spirit of Christ And it is just as easie to know this as whether you be in Christ But are you true Believers Is your Faith of the right stamp is it wrought by the Almighty Power of God Or is it such an easie common presumptuous false faith as that which is in the generality of men This is as easie to know as any of the former For if there be such a false presumptuous faith as takes Christ when he does not belong to us and rests and relies on Christ only for pardon and salvation and yet shall never have Christ How shall we know whether our Faith be true and genuine such as will make Christ ours and the answer to this brings us to that great mark of Sanctification You must consider the effects of Faith Dr. Jacomb pag. 65. doth it purifie the Heart overcome the World work by Love are you new Creatures Is the state of your person changed from a Child of wrath to an Heir of Grace which is the thing to be proved Or is your nature changed Do you walk in newness of life Have you crucified the flesh with its lusts Do you bring forth fruit That is you must prove your justification by your sanctification your Faith by your Works I am glad it is no worse that good works and an holy life may at least put in for marks and evidences of a justified state though the truth is this is a meer complement to Holiness and as they order the matter an holy life can no more be a sign of a justified state than it can justifie us It would be some comfort to know Answer that we are in Christ But this is impossible Thus the Author Impossible Nothing plainer in Scripture we read of the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 1.12 The sealing of the holy Spirit of promise Eph. 1.13 The witness of the Spirit with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 But God doth not afford this testimony of the Spirit to all
good men Very true he doth not a Saint of God may walk in darkness The face of God may be hid from him And that saith Mr. Shephard because there is in many an one an heart desirous of his Love and this would quiet them if they were sure of it The Author thinks this hard measure But Mr. Shephard goes on they never came to be quieted with Gods will in case they think they shall never partake of Gods love but are above that opposite resist quarrel with that the Lord therefore intending his favour for humbled sinners hides his face till they lye low And now I suppose the measure is fair it is very fit we should know our selves to be but receivers and withall unworthy of the Mercies we receive But how do we know that it is the testimony of the Spirit indeed and not a cheat or imposture To satisfie this we are directed to marks Thus this infallible testimony of the Spirit must in its lastiresolve be founded upon moral evidence So the Author To which I answer When the Spirit witnesseth with our spirit when Gods Spirit and Mans concurr and so heaven and earth agree in it one would think it might pass without further examination The Testimony of the Spirit is such that he to whom it made certainly knows that it is the Spirit of Truth it self which bears the Testimony otherwise the Spirit it self testifies and would not be believed by him to whom the Testimony is made that is he testifies and doth not testifie if he do not make a man sure who it is that testifies The Testimony is to make us sure that we are the children of God it is to make us with confidence cry out Abba Father It is to be an earnest and seal of our Salvation and how can this be if we know not who testifies Hence St. Chrystom upon the place saith The Spirit beareth witness and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What doubt can remain Hence reverend Dr. Ward saith Parum abest à blasphemiâ dicere De certitud Grat. 221. non esse certum illum cui testimonium perhibet Spiritus Sanctus utrum testimonium illud a Spiritu Sancto sit an à diabolo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By this it appears that the Testimony of the Spirit is not such as gives only a conjectural certainty but an infallible one But to proceed What are the marks of our being in Christ Have you the Spirit of Christ This saith the Author is just as easie to know as whether you be in Christ Yet this is a mark in the Apostle If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 Is your faith of the right stamp wrought by the Almighty Power of God This saith the Author is as easie to know as the former Yet the Apostle would have us examine our selves whether we be in the Faith that is whether we have a true genuine Faith 2 Cor. 13.5 True Faith where ever it is makes Christ to belong to him that hath it Doth Faith purifie the heart overcome the world work by love bring forth holy fruit These are as the Author confesses true marks but these men do but complement Holiness And now we must hear his reasons for it For first Holiness is not necessary to our Vnion to Christ Mr Sherlock and therefore can be no necâ—ssary sign of it We are united to Christ 〈◊〉 we are holy an unholy man may be united to Christ and how can Holiness be the only sure mark of our Vnion to Christ They tell us That Holiness doth necessarily follow Union But no man knows how long it may be before it follows yet all this while such a person is united to Christ at least this gives evidence but to one part of the question an holy life is an evidence of a man in Christ but the want of it is no evidence that a man is not in him This mark may be rejected by any one who hath no mind to it Nay secondly according to these mens principles we cannot tell whether we be holy or not till we know whether we be in Christ or not our Vnion to Christ must be an evidence of our Holiness not our Holiness an evidence of our Vnion till we are united to Christ we can do nothing to please God The best actions of christless men are but Splendida peccata glittering impieties appearing fair but odious to God because the person who does them is out of Christ Our persons must be first accepted in Christ and then our services we cannot judge of Holiness by the external performance of any duties nor by the inward sense of our minds but must first know whether we be in Christ whether our persons be accepted in him before we can tell whether any thing we do be good And this is a plain demonstration that Holiness cannot be an evidence of our Vnion to Christ because we must first know our Vnion before we can know that we are holy So much Holiness Mr. Sherlock as is included in true Faith is necessary to our Union to Christ an unholy man that is a wicked man cannot be united to Christ believers are not such but an unholy man that is one who yet hath not lead an holy life may be united to Christ and his after holy life is a sure mark of that Union because a necessary essect thereof But when doth the holy life follow that Vnion I answer immediately Thus our Church tells us in the twelfth Article That good works do spring necessarily out of a true and lively Faith insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit The want of an holy life in the very instant of believing is not an evidence that a man is not is Christ but soon after the want of it will tell him that his Faith was but a fancy and his being in Christ but a dream The best actions of christless men are I confess as our Church tells us in the thirteenth Article not pleasant to God nay they have the nature of sin without Faith it is impossible to please God in our persons or actions our persons must first be accepted in Christ and then our services the best actions of a man not in Christ are not acceptable to God Those actions cannot be acceptable to him whose defects are unpardoned and the defects of those actions are unpardoned whilst their Agent is so But the Author from hence concludes That Holiness cannot be an evidence of our Vnion to Christ because we must first know our Vnion before we can know that we are holy To which I answer Our Union to Christ cannot be known to be so without a knowledge of Faith nor an holy life cannot be known to be so without a knowledge of Faith because without Faith neither can be in reality when we see our Faith flowing out in an holy life we see
and miss of Heaven And yet when he was in a more gentle humour he told the poor doubting soul that desire nay that a desire only to desire at two or three removes was enough But I am zealous so was Jehu and Paul while a Pharisee in persecuting the Church and therefore an universal religious well-governed zeal for God can be no sign of Grace But I am constant and persevere in godly courses so did the young man all these have I kept from my youth only he left Christ for the sake of his riches and so did not persevere But I do all with a good heart for God so thou mayst think of thy self and be deceived And if this be an objection let a man have what marks he will the objection will still be good and so all evidences signifie nothing for after all a man may be deceived in it and think he hath those marks when he hath them not There is a way that seemeth right to man but the end thereof is death thou mayst live so as to deceive thy self and others and yet prove an hypocrite as if because some men may think themselves good who are in a bad estate no man could ever be sure that he is in the right And thus farewel all evidences There is reason to administer comfort to wounded Souls from the lowest measures of Grace Answer and no less to pluck down the proud Plumes of Hypocrites from the inward and pure spirituality of Religion Our Saviour doth both he gave out gracious Promises to mourners and to the poor in spirit and he poured out woes upon the Pharisees and upon all the pomp of their external righteousness But saith the Author they do so magnifie the attainments of Hypocrites that a sanctified man can do no more than an Hypocrite and so all the evidences of Sanctification are spoiled But how so do they paint the Hypocrite fairer than he is Do they attribute to him a jot or tittle more than what is true No surely an Hypocrite may be no Drunkkard or Swearer he may escape the pollutions of the World that is gross sins and though he be not entangled therein again and so a Swine in his outward converses yet he may be such inwardly his inward parts may be wickedness and uncleanness He may live a blameless innocent honest smooth life and yet be foul within He may fast pray hear read the Scriptures and yet his heart not right in the sight of God He may have some kind of sorrow or repentance some kind of love to good men and yet like the foolish Virgins have no Oyl in his Lamp no true Grace with his profession He may have a notional knowledge and yet not be Sanctified by the Truth He may keep a Sabbath in the outward decorum of it and yet want the Spirit and Life of it a delight in the Almighty He may have some kind of zeal and some desires after Heaven and yet not of the right stamp He may presume that he hath a good heart and a godly course and be deceived in both all this is true Now one Truth cannot oppose another The truth which concerns the attainments of Hypocrites cannot oppose that which concerns the evidences of Sanctification The outward reformation is an evidence not meerly as it is outward but as it flows from Faith and a pure heart Fasting prayer hearing reading are evidences not meerly in opere operato in the work done but in the doing of them in a Spiritual manner Faith and Hope and holy Love being actuated therein Keeping the Sabbath is an evidence not meerly in the outward observation of it But when it is filled up with Duties spiritually performed Knowledge Zeal Repentance Love to good Men are Graces when of the right stamp but meer notion which swims in the brain is not that sanctifying Knowledge which influences Holiness into the Heart and Life Every heat upon a Religious account is not true Zeal but that celestial Fire which rightly inflames the heart for the glory of God Every sorrow or pressure from the Law is not true repentance but that which melts the heart into tears for the sinfulness of sin Every respect to good men is not the right love but that which flows out of love to God and points to the Divine Image in them Desires after Heaven may be a mark of a good Estate but then they must be such as are vertually Grace and issue out of poverty of spirit A man may think he hath a good heart and a godly course and be deceived therein yet it follows not that we must bid farewel to evidences an holy life issuing out of a pure heart will still be an evidence to him who hath it But after all this Mr. Sherlock it would be worth while to know how to distingush a regenerate from an unregenerate man and that he tells us may be done thus An unregenerate man let him go never so far do never so much yet he lives in some one sin or other This now is very strange What go never so far and do never so much and yet live in some one sin or other what live a blameless innocent honest smooth life and yet live in some one sin or other Yet suppose he did a regenerate man may be in captivity to the Law of sin And pray what 's the difference But then an ungenerate man cannot be poor in spirit and so carried out of all Duties to Christ That is if an unregenerate man do good he is conscious to himself that he doth it If he have a good heart he feels a good heart in himself and in all he doth and therefore feels not a want of all good which is true poverty of spirit So that according to this discourse the surest mark of a regenerate man is either to have no good in himself or if he have any to be mistaken and think he hath none either of which I think is a very odd sign of Grace But then an unregenerate man comes to Christ but he never gets into Christ never takes up his eternal rest and lodging in Jesus Christ only I thought coming had been believing and that believing would have done the business And if so God forbid that any man should be damned for want of that other Metaphor of taking up his eternal rest and lodging in Christ Men in distress of conscience that 〈◊〉 unregenerate men under such distress If they have comfort from Christ they are contented If Salvation from Hell by Christ they are contented and I think they have some reason then to be contented But Christ himself that is without Comfort and without Salvation contents them not Now to be contented with Christ without comfort and salvation is so far from being the mark of an unregenerate man that I am not yet satisfied that it is the mark of an unreasonable man An unregenerate man Answer let him go never so far do
he be a Christian whether he heartily believe and obey the Gospel and herein consists our Vnion to Christ and fellowship with him let us then leave those other dim notions to men who can believe what no man can understand who despise every thing that can be understood as if it were no better than carnal reason The Author Answer who hitherto hath highly though without cause charged his opposites with violating the evidences of Christians doth now himself blast the highest of all evidences the Testimony of the holy Spirit which is so clealy asserted by the holy Apostle that the Jesuits themselves though hotly disputing against assurance never yet attempted totally to deny it The Testimony of the Spirit saith the Author concerns the general adoption of Christians not to testifie to any particular man It is not a private but a publick Testimony given to the whole Church But let us consider the Text it self in the Apostle The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 The Spirit the Apostle speaks not of the Spirit as shewing forth it self in Miracles and Tongues but as sanctifying and sealing Believers he speaks of the spirit dwelling in them vers 9. Mortifying the deeds of the body in them vers 13. Leading of them vers 14. Making them cry Abba Father vers 15. And then follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the self same spirit beareth witness Here is not one jot or tittle of Miracles or Tongues the testimony of the Spirit in Miracles or Tongues is an external one which runs into the senses But the Testimony of the Spirit in the Text is internal it beareth witness not to our senses but to our Spirits It is said to be sent forth into our hearts Gal. 4.6 The Testimony is not without in Miracles or Tongues but within in the heart The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit the Apostle saith not it beareth witness with the Spirit of the Church for there is one body and one spirit the Spirit of the Church Catholick is the holy Spirit which quickens the whole Mystical Body of Christ And these words The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit cannot be translated thus The Spirit beareth witness with it self but the plain meaning is It beareth witness with our spirit that is with the spirits and consciences of particular Believers And what doth it testifie The Apostle tells us That we are the children of God We particular Believers are so Thus in another place ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise Eph. 1.13 Ye particular Believers were so And again He hath sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 1.22 He hath dealt so with us in particular The Testimony of the Spirit in the Gospel is that all Believers are the Sons of God But the Testimony of the Spirit in our spirits is that we are Believers and so the Sons of God in particular This Testimony of the Spirit though so fully asserted in Scripture Nay and I will add though so sweetly experimented by the dear Saints of God that they have thought themselves in the very borders of Heaven in respect of it is yet with the Author no better than a dim unintilligible notion and as he speaks a little before a private Enthusiasm But why unintelligible cannot the holy Spirit so illustrate and irradiate the heart that the truth of Grace may appear to the Believer that he may certainly see in his own heart that this is precious Faith and that is love in incorruption and so of other Graces there Or what if it were unintelligible Shall we cast off the Divine Revelation because above our narrow reason What then must become of those Mysteries of the Trinity and hypostatical Union What of that peace of God which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 passing or transcending all understanding Phil. 4.7 Surely in such things reason must vail and do homage to Revelations Ephraem Syrus discerning an heretical propensity in his Disciple Paulinus gave him that excellent advice Vide Pauline ne te submittas tuis cogitationibus sed cum te perfecte comprehendisse Deum putaveris crede nec intellexisse We must not commit Divine Mysteries to the measures of Humane Reason but take them as they are in Scripture But this Testimony of the Spirit is but a private Enthusiasm saith the Author To which I answer We are now more afraid of Enthusiasm than they were of old Dyonisius would have the Hierarch to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De Eccles Hierarch to be a divine man and a kind of Euthusiast Ignatius in the Epistle to the Romans saith That he wrote 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secundum arbitrium Dei as if he had wrote by impulse and Inspiration And as Dr. Arrowsmith hath it in Suidas and Hesykius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enthusiasm is when the whole soul is irradiated by God And in this sence I wish with him Vtinam essemus omnes Enthusiastae Would we were all Enthusiasts It s true there is not now an Enthusiasm of gifts in an extraordinary way but sure there must be still in the use of the means an Enthusiasm of Graces in Regeneration and an Enthusiasm of comforts in the Testimony of the Spirit or else which is quite contrary to Scripture there must be no new Creatures but what are of Mans own making nor no Divine comforts for them but what are of Mans own gathering The Just need no longer live by Faith or in dependence upon the Divine Spirit but may have his being and well-being his graces and comforts all from himself CHAP. V. Sect. 1. CHrist hath reveiled the whole mind and will of God Mr. Sherlock in such a plain and familiar manner that every one may understand it who will but exercise the same reason in it that he doth to understand the Laws of his Prince Before the Author took away the witnessing Spirit now the illuminating one Answer A Man may according to him understand the things of God by the exercise of his reason Thus Episcopius Men may by meer natural perception without any supernatural superinfused light understand the Will of God After the same manner speak the Socinians The darkness for such are all the unregenerate Men may it seems comprehend the Evangelical light But the Apostle tells us That the natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.14 That flesh and blood doth not reveil these things but our Father in Heaven Matth. 16.17 Hence the Apostle prays for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation for the Ephesians Ephes 1.17 Hence our Church tells us 2. Hom. of Scripture That the Revelation of the Holy Ghost inspireth the true meaning of Scripture into us In truth we cannot without him attain true saving knowledge According to these Men Mr. Sherlock the love of Christ is a love to the person of a Believer without considering any
was in mans own hand and the stress of all lay upon his will miscarried and brought forth no happiness to man and can we imagine that the All-wise God who made the second Covenant as a secunda tabulae to repair the ruines of the first should frame it in that very same way in which the first miscarried May the stock be in mans hand again and his Bankrupt will trustee a second time Will God hang up all upon a meer posse in the Creature and expect it may do better in lapsed than innocent man Alas what miserable specimens hath Free-will given of it self in fallen Man The old World left to their own Free-will though I suppose according to the Author not without a posse all but one Noah desperately corrupted themselves till the Flood swept them away And for that one Noah it is not probable or indeed imaginable that he had he been left to himself only with the common Grace afforded to the rest should have done better than they nay it is a World against one man that he would have corrupted himself as they did After the flood and that was a startling warning-piece hath free Will with the common Grace done better All Nations have walked in their own ways that is in wayes of wickedness affording us a vast experiment in millions of men that free Will left to it self will miscarry and come to nought and withal a pregnant proof that nothing less than special effectual Grace could secure a Church or so much as a single Noah unto God These things being so I conclude that the design of a Church doth not only give a power to believe and persevere but Faith and Perseverance to those individual persons which make up a Church Hence our Saviour tells us that all that the Father giveth him shall come to him Joh. 6.37 that is shall believe and make up his mystical Body and withal that it was his Fathers will that none of them should be lost vers 39. that is that they should persevere unto the end Now after all this discourse if there be such a design of a Church that comprises in it those individual persons which shall make up a Church and secures Faith and Perseverance unto them then the love of God towards them can be no less than immutable pitching upon them in election and carrying of them through Faith and perseverance unto glory Having said thus much to establish the point I now shall attend the Authors objections first he tells us That sin it self cannot separate us from this immutable Love Very well I acknowledge it that immutable Love which gives Faith and Perseverance to his People preserves them so that sin any other than unavoida-infirmity shall not be at all or if it be shall not finally be in them They shall not sin such sins or if they do the divine Grace shall raise them up by Repentance They are as Dr. Owen hath it preserved from such sins for which a remedy is not provided in the Covenant of Grace that is not only as the Author glosses from the sin against the Holy Ghost but from final Impenitency too which is not remedied in the Covenant of Grace If they sin they shall not lie in it by final Apostacy Impenitency consequently they shall never fall under such threatnings against Backsliders and Apostates as that mentioned Ezek. 18. and in other Scriptures and what Antinomianism there is in this I know not neither can I see how that Love which preserves from final Impenitency should want Wisdom or Holiness The Author goes on Many wise learned men there are who contend for Perseverance but they found Gods immutable Love on their Perseverance To which I answer I know no such They who are for Perseverance do not found Gods immutable love on perseverance but perseverance on Gods immutable love which causeth the same Thus Fulgentius Deus Praedestinationè suâ donū Illuminationis ad credendum donū Perseverantiae ad permanendū donū Glorificationis ad regnandū quibus dare voluit praeparavit nec aliter perficit in opere quà m in sua sempiterna incommutabili voluntate habet dispositū Faith Perseverance Glory all are the effluxes of immutable Love But the Author further tells us That the Immutability of Gods love consists in this not that he always loves the same person but that he always loves for same reason he always loves true goodness and good men and never loves any other and so is unchangeable To which I answer God loves good men with a Love of Complacence he cannot love a wicked man with a Love of Complacence but may he not love him with a Love of Benevolence Then he cannot design the least good to any fallen Man in the World all being by Nature wicked and children of wrath If God love good men and never loved any other then he could not design to lapsed corrupt Man a Christ or a Gospel or any the least means of Salvation Goodness the only reason of Love being gone by the Fall nothing that is good can be intended to man This as the Author tells us would be the degeneracy of Love to love an undeserving object every man by Nature is no better It is saith the Author the greatest change of all to alter the reason of Love and therefore according to this Principle God as he would be a Self-preserver and not suffer a Change in himself having loved innocent Man was bound not to love fallen Man not to give him a Christ or a Gospel or any good thing But rather than run our selves into such Consequences I think we were as good say God's Love of Complacence is towards good men but his Love of Benevolence is towards men even before they are good and is the fontal Cause of all that after-goodness in them which is the Object of his Complacence As for that place Joh. 14.23 If a man keep my words my Father will love him the meaning is God will manifest himself unto him as it is ver 21 I will love him and will manifest my self unto him If God did not love him before whence came his Obedience It must be an odd independent Self-originated Obedience which came not from the Grace or Love of the great Donor SECT II. SOme men tell us That as Christ falls in love with our Persons Mr Sherlock so we must in requital to him love the Person of Christ This is as certain as any Demonstration in Euclide that if we love Christ we must love his Person for the Person of Christ is Christ himself and if we love Christ we must love him But this will not serve their turn they oppose our love to the Person of Christ to our love to him upon account of his benefits to our love to our selves and to our duties First we must love the Person of Christ in opposition to his Benefits that is we must not consider what advantages we
is a Good sutable to all our wants Now either all this signifies the benefits we receive by Christ or it signifies nothing and how then do these personal Excellencies differ from his benefits They teach us to use Christ much if we would love his Person Now this using must signifie his benefits and to love Christ much because we use him is to love him because we receive many benefits from him which is neither better nor worse than to love him for his benefits We love Christ for his benefits Answer and for himself too Hence these men describe Christ's Person by both they set out his Beauty and Comeliness in himself and withal his Suitableness to our wants The first rise of our Love to Christ is from his Benefits and afterwards our Love to him is for himself also the Excellency and Amiableness of his Person in himself calls for our love and must have it The Love we owe to God and Christ is no other than gratitude because God loved us first Mr. Sherlock and our Love is only a return of his Now thankfulness and gratitude includes in it a necessary respect to those blessings and benefits we have received It is peculiar to God who wants nothing and can receive nothing from his Creatures to love without any respect to benefits but the Love of indigent and dependent Creatures is a Love of thankfulness a grateful acknowledgment of those many blessings we receive from God Our Love to God and Christ is gratitude Answer It is for Benefits but is it only for Benefits No surely we are to love God and Christ for the infinite goodness and excellency which is in them if we ask what is the formal and adequate reason of Divine Worship No other answer can be given but that it is the infinite divine excellency and perfection which is in God Our love to God which is a part of Worship though possibly its first rise or motive may be from benefits yet it stays not in the benefits but in and by them ascends to God the ultimate Object and Center of Worship who is to be loved in and for himself Secondly Mr. Sherlock these men oppose our Love to the person of Christ to our love to our selves The first destroys the Reason and the Object of our Love and this destroys the principle of it It is made the character of a wicked man Shep. Sinc. Convert who wants an inward principle of love to God and Christ That though he seeks to honour God never so much yet all that he doth he doth out of love to himself self-credit self-ease self-content self-safety he makes himself a God Hence the same author exhorts sinners away out of your selves to the Lord Jesus take hold on him not with the hand of presumption and love to thy self to save thy self but with the hand of Faith and Love to honour him Here is the strongest difficulty of all to row against the stream to hate a mans self our own souls and eternal Salvation and then to follow Christ fully Now is it not an hard case that before we can love God and Christ as we ought we must root out the very principle of all love that we may learn to hate Salvation and Eternal Happiness before we can close with Christ for Salvation This is the strongest difficulty of all for indeed it is impossible Love to our selves is the foundation of our love to all other things even to God himself He that doth not love himself will love nothing else he that hates himself his own soul and despises eternal Salvation will not care for Christ or Salvation by him All the Motives and Arguments of the Gospel to perswade us to love and fear and obey God are founded on self-self-love for how is it possible that we should be affected with a due sense of Gods goodness to us That we should be excited and quickned by the hopes of such great rewards That we should be restrained and governed by the fears of punishment If we did not love our selves if we did not care what became of us whether we were happy or miserable for ever It is a vain thing to perswade a man not to love himself For this is as natural and necessary as it is for the Fire to burn or Sun to shine It is not matter of our choice it is not in our power to do otherwise all that such discourses as these can do is either to make men hypocrites to pretend to do what they cannot do or to make honest men who cannot thus cheat and delude themselves despair of their Salvation because they cannot find themselves contented without Salvation that Christ without Salvation cannot satisfie them It is true when men set up self in opposition to God when self-love teâ—â—â—â—s them to disobey God to dispise his Counsels to renounce their Faith and Religion This is a very vitious and mistaken self-self-love Such men neither love themselves nor God in a proper sence because it is our interest as well as our duty to obey God such men are Idolaters because they set up self above God and in opposition to him But when our love to our selves teaches us to love God and in all things to submit to his will and pleasure We do as we ought to do they who separate our love to God from our love to our selves from the care of our Salvation do plainly declare that they neither understand the nature of man nor the Gospel of Christ. Mr. Shephard speaks of a wicked man Answer who wants an inward principle of love to God and Christ that he doth all for himself he sleeps prayes hears speaks professes for himself alone that he commits the highest degree of Idolatry and makes himself a God And adds this reason For a man puts himself in the room of God as well by making himself his finis ultimus as if he should make himself primum principium And is there any question at all in this may not a wicked man not to say sleep which every man doth but pray hear speak profess No doubt can be made of it and if he do so it must needs be for himself he having whilst wicked no Divine Principle nothing of grace to elevate him above himself But Mr. Shephard would have men go out of themselves to Christ And this is hard to row against the stream to hate a mans self And saith the Author this is impossible this is to root up the very principle of Love Love to our selves is the foundation of our Love to all other things even to God himself To which I answer No doubt we are to love Christ for the purchased Salvation neither doth Mr. Shephard deny it but we are not to love him for Salvation only or supremely no but for himself his infinite goodness and perfection This is not to root up the principle Love but to rectifie it Indeed this is hard Nay
of a Church After he hath laid the Foundation of his Kingdom in his own blood must he enter precariously and at the Nod of his Subjects After the Authour hath gathered up all the Offices of Christ into his Royalty and proclaimed him Conqueror over minds and wills must all depend on the will of man It is a very hard case if any thing could be so to the Almighty Should such a thing be that of St. Austin must fall out fallitur Deus De Corrept cap. 7. vincitur Deus the Conquest and Royalty too must fail Christ signifies the Person invested with this Office and Mr. Sherlock which I take for a new Notion he saith in the Gospels he is alwayes called Jesus in the Epistles he is as familiarly called Christ I suppose this Notion cannot be made good Answer In the Gospels he is sometimes called Christ without Jesus Thus in the accounting of the Generations from Abraham Matth. 1.11 Thus in the enquiry touching his Birth Matth. 2.4 Thus in John's bearing of hi Works Matth. 11.2 and to name no more Thus it is in Peter's Confession Matth. 16.16 The matter is not great I suppose him in all the Offices to which he was anointed as Christ to be really a Jesus There can be no mistake in the Person as the Authour adds by what name he be called whether it belong to his Office or Nature or circumstances of his Life and Fortune if there be but one to whom that name belongs Fortune I wonder at that word St. Austin repented that ever he had used it Retract l. 1. cap. 1. Where Providence is Fortune is not Were Fortune tolerable among the little Gnats and Flies sure it cannot be so in the Great Concerns of Jesus Christ however it may be proper enough if the result of his Merits and Conquests finally hang on the Lottery of man's will Christ signifies the Gospel and Religion of Christ Mr. Sherlock as Moses signifies the Writings and Laws of Moses and the Prophets the Writings or Sermons of the Prophets Luke 16.29 and 31. and then he gives some Scripture-instances for it Possibly sometimes Christ may signifie the Gospel or Doctrine of Christ Answer but I shall a little consider the instances the first is that Gal. 6.15 In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature that is saith the Authour in the Gospel and Religion of Christ nothing is of any value to recommend us to the favour of God but a new creature a holy and virtuous life unto which I answer those words in Christ Jesus may be fairly construed to a man in Christ one who as it is in the former Verse is crucified to the World Thus judicious Calvin upon the Words Ratio est cur sit mundo crucifixus mundus illi quia in Christo cui insitus est solùm nova valet creatura and upon the parallel place in this Epistle In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love St. Jerome hath it His qui in Christo Jesu vivere volunt and St. Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that puts on Christ need not be curious in such things When the Author in his way saith Nothing recommends to God but a new creature I hope he doth not exclude the Merits and Righteousness of Christ and when afterwards he contradistinguishes the Gospel from the Law I hope under the latter the new Creature was requisite The next instance is Col. 2.8 After the traditions of men after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ where saith the Author after Christ is opposed to traditions and rudiments and so must signifie not the Person but the Gospel that is Have a care lest ye be corrupted with the opinions and superstitions of men which are inconsistent with the Christian Philosophy unto which I shall only say After Christ is as I take it after Christ himself the great Doctor of the Church in whom as the Apostle tells us are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge ver 3. and in whom as he speaks dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily ver 9. Quid igitur opus est extra hunc alia aut documenta aut adjumenta salutis quaerere saith the excellent Davenant such an admirable Teacher may well be opposed to all the Philosophers in the world Neither is the Author's Reason That Christ is here opposed to traditions and rudiments and so must signifie the Gospel of any value for if we observe what the Apostle saith ver 4. This I say lest any man should beguile you and what he saith in the beginning of this 8. vers Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy it is as clear as the light that the opposition is between Persons between the Persons of seducing Philosophers and the Person of Christ the great Teacher We may further observe That the Author who honours the Gospel with the Title of Christ doth somewhat degrade it by calling it Philosophy which I ever took to be but of natural Extraction and not as the Gospel of supernatural Revelation however it is more tolerable to call than make it so by introducing into the Christian Religion those Dogmata Philosophica touching Free Will and inherent Righteousness which as B p Davenant notes are drawn ex Ethicis Philosophi non ex Epistolis Pauli The next Instance is that in the 6. Verse of the same Chapter As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him By receiving of Christ is meant believing on him as appears Joh. 1.12 Bishop Davenant observes a great Emphasis in the words Non dicit accepistis Doctrinam Christi sed Christum Expos in Epist ad Col. per fidem enim non modò percipimus Doctrinam Christi sed vivificum nostrum Salvatorem recipimus in corda recondimus ad salutem By walking in Christ I understand with the same Author living juxta hanc fidem juxta ductum Spiritus Christi but saith the Author It is only to obey the Doctrine of Christ as you have been taught for the next Verse saith being established in the faith as ye have been taught I answer The next Verse saith not only established in the faith but rooted and built up in him that is in Christ and the teaching which is inward as well as outward was that they might adhere to Christ as well as to his Doctrine The last Instance is Eph. 4.20 21. But ye have not so learned Christ if so be ye have heard him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus Now what saith the Author can learning Christ signifie but learning the Gospel and how could they hear him in any other sence or be instructed in him as the Original carries it To which I answer Learning of Christ here is not a meer Notion but a Practical Knowledge of him such
further than Nature and that desperately corrupted and not knowing whether there were any such thing as Grace or Glory the Center of it As for Israel I wonder that any man should deny Gods special Love to that people What! did he call them his first-born his peculiar treasure the apple of his eye without special Love Did he sever them from other people to be his own Levit. 20.21 chuse them to himself above all people on the earth set his love upon them and that merely because he loved them Deut. 7.6 7 and 8. Verses and all this without special Love Were theirs the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Rom. 9.4 and all this without special Love He hath not dealt so with any nation saith the Psalmist To call this special Love partial fondness is to me a presumption not unlike that of the old Pelagians who charged a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or unjust Partiality upon Gods special Grace towards his own people upon whom St. Austin made some such tart Returns as these Tolle quod tuum est vade Annon licet mihi quod volo facere Li. 2. ad Bonifac. cap. 7. hic tota justitia est hoc volo O homo tu quis es qui respondeas Deo with a great deal more on God's behalf But saith the Author The end of all those particular favours was that all Nations might worship the God of Israel Suppose so if such particular favours to Israel above all other Nations argue not a special love to Israel what can do it God loves all Creatures as the Schools speak Vno simplici actu Voluntatis And if particular favours do not prove his Love special we must say that he loves Worms as much as Angels and Oxen whom comparatively he cares not for as much as Men upon whom his Love hath been set above all other Creatures Joh. 14.6 7. Jesus saith I am the Way Mr. Sherlock the Truth and the Life no man cometh unto the Father but by me If you had known me you should have known my Father and henceforth you have known him and seen him that is I alone declare the true way to Life and Happiness no man can thoroughly understand the Will of God but by learning of me Whoever knows me whoever is acquainted with the Doctrine and Religion I preach knows my Father also that is is thoroughly instructed in God's Mind and Will Christ is the Way Answer the Truth and the Life how so He declared the true way to Life and happiness Is this the all of it Is he only the Declarer and not the Author of Life Doth he not work it in us by the power of his Spirit and Grace Hath he not purchased a place in heaven for us by his Blood and doth he not consecrate a new and living Way thither through the Veil of his Flesh It cannot be denied Hear the Learned Bishop Wren against the Racovian Catechist Vidit Dives in inferno ubi sinus Abrahae erat sed monitus est de magno Chasmate intercedente nè possint congredi Via arboris vitae extabat sed ab acie versatilis gladii custodita Aeger ad Bethesdam positus diu jam vider at viam in stagnum sed movere se clinicus non poterat Nôrunt piae foeminae viam in sepulchrum Domini pariter nôrunt saxo obturari Ipsi denique Parenti horum Barjesu ostensa est à Paulo conversionis reconciliationis via verùm ille eò se caeciorem factum ducéque plus egentem indicavit Respondeat igitur an viam Christus quam ostendit aperuit an Pontem paravit trajiciendo Chasmati an versatilem avertit gladium saxum revolvit clinicum excitavit caecum collyrio beavit suo Reconciliationis hae primariae partes sunt sine his praeviis nihil est omnis conversio frustrà via omnis convertendi incassum omnis viae ostensio And afterwards speaking of Christ being the way he shews how he was so Non solùm quòd revelavit iis quae Deus volebat eos scire sed etiam quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luc. 2.14 vel eapropter constitutus quae ab hominibus sine ipso praestari non poterant pro ipsis praestiterit sanguinisque sui merito ità viam ad Deum Patrem perpurgavit communivit illustravit ut nos jam ab ipso veluntatem Dei edocti veréque ad Deum conversi per fidem in sanguine Christi Propitiatione eâ perfrui possimus Thus he very excellently .. I know no need at all for such an Interpretation as takes the Will of the Father for himself or the Doctrine of the Son for himself the thing is plain He that knows the Son in whom dwells all fulness of the Godhead bodily must needs know the Father also To know God is to know the Will of God concerning the Salvation of Mankind Mr. Sherlock to know Christ is to understand the declaration of Gods will that is the Gospel which he preached which is therefore called the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 that is that glorious manifestation God hath made of himself by Christ For the face of Christ signifies all that whereby he made himself known as a man is known by his face that is his Laws Religion and Miracles whereby it appeared that he was the Son of God In the knowledge of God and Christ Answer God and Christ are the Objects the Gospel is the outward Medium Hence it appears that to know God and Christ is in propriety no more to know the Gospel than the Object of Knowledge is the Medium properly we know God and Christ by the Gospel As for that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.6 I conceive he discourses of somewhat more than external Revelation even that of internal Illumination set forth there by the Creation of the first Light and shining in the heart which gives the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ that is in the Person of Christ who is God manifest in the Flesh God was seen in Christ Mr. Sherlock Joh. 14.9 He that hath seen me hath seen the Father that is in plain terms the Will of God was fully declared to the World by Christ upon which account too as well as with respect to his Divine Nature he is called the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express Image of his Person Heb. 1.3 And a little after he adds It is plain that in this sence Christ is called the Image of God 2 Cor. 4.4 Lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ which is the Image of God should shine unto them Where Christ's being the Image of God comes in very abruptly unless we understand it in this Sence That he is the Image of God with respect to the
who is the Mirrour of divine Perfections and the great Illuminator by his Spirit But saith the Author they such is their intolerable presumption shape Religion according to their Fancies and stuff it with an infinite number of Orthodox Propositions none of which are to be found in express Terms in Scripture but are pretended to be deduced from thence by such imaginary consequences from some little hints of things and is not this unpardonable in those men who cry down Reason as a prophane and carnal thing and yet lay the Foundation of their Religion on some little shews and appearances of Reason To which I answer The harsh Censure of Eccius made Vrban a German Divine cry out O infaelicem Urbanum Melch. Adam in vit Urb. si Eccii calculo caelum datur negatur Miserable were these Men if they were to stand or fall by the Authors Judgment These Men as the Author tells us pag. 98. abound with Scripture stuff their Books with it and talk of little else yet alas they shape Religion according to their Fancies If they urge express Scriptures they consider only the sound of words Pag. 2. If they urge Scripture-consequences they stand upon little hints and appearances of things Reason they cry down as a prophane and carnal thing and yet they found their Religion on little shews and appearances Oh unhappy Men But the best is all this to say no worse is but meer Accusation each of them can plead Not guilty to it and say as Vrban to Eccius Hominis judicium audio Christi tribunal expecto They are Men who desire to set every thing in its due place Fancy below Reason and Reason below Scripture upon which last as the unerring Rule they stand like the Karaei among the Jews so precisely that they are not willing to admit any thing in Matters of Religion which is not found there according to that of Origen Sicut aurum quod fuerit extra Templum non est sanctificatum sic omnis sensus qui extra Scripturam non est sanctus When men argue from the Nature of of God Mr Sherlock his Works and Providences from the Nature of Mankind and those eternal Notions of Good and Evil and the essential Differences of things that is from plain and undeniable Principles which have an unchangeable nature and so can bear the stress of a just Consequence this is carnal Reason I cannot imagine that they call or think it so Answer Principles of natural Theology carry a Divine Stamp on them yet I conceive these in Discourses if taken within their proper Sphere of Natural Light only may not wear that Crown set on the Head of the Gospel to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The ministration of the Spirit as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 3.8 Should a Man preach such Principles only without setting forth Christ and the regenerating Spirit he would scarce be worthy to be called a Spiritual Evangelical Divine But now the Author gives a Scheme of Religion deducible from an Acquintance with Christ's Person I am glad that he owns any such thing and shall not have much to say upon it When we consider Mr. Sherlock that this heavenly Ambassador and Mediator is no less than the Son of God by whom the Worlds were made we may reasonably conclude that he came upon no less Design than of universal Goodness for he can have no temptation to Partiality as being equally concerned in the Happiness of all men and we cannot imagine why he should lay a narrower design of Love in the Redemption than in the Creation of Mankind When in the first Creation he designed all for Happiness that in this new and second Creation he should design only the Happiness of some few is to make him less good in Redeeming than in Creating Mankind Christ in his Coming and satisfactory Sufferings had a respect to all Men Answer so far as to procure for them Salvation on Gospel-terms but he had not an equal respect to all it being utterly unimaginable that he should have as great a respect to those in the Pagan World who have no Christ no atoning Sacrifice no Promise of Life and Salvation revealed to them as he hath to those in the Church who have all these glorious Objects evidently set sorth before them Greater Donations argue greater degrees of Love or else which is very hard to believe God loves all Creatures alike notwithstaneing that he measures out his Goodness to them in a very various and different manner to some more and to others less But because the Author hath before laid down a good Rule That the Virtue and Efficacy of Christ's Death doth depend on God's Institution and Appointment and therefore can be known only by Revelation I shall apply my self only to the Scripture There as we find he died that he might gather together the Children of God that were scatered Joh. 11.52 He gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it Eph. 5.26 He gave himself that he might purifie to himself a peculiar people Tit. 2.14 He laid down his life for his sheep so as to bring them into his fold and make them hear his voice Joh. 10.15 16. He redeems some from among men Rev. 14.4 And out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation Rev. 5.9 All which Scriptures do emphatically shew that Christ had a special respect in his Death unto his own above others But further Christ by his precious Blood founded those Evangelical Promises of taking away the stony Heart writing the Law in the Heart and putting his holy Spirit there but did he found them for all men What for those whom God will harden Rom. 9 What for those Pagans who have not so much as the Law before them in the Letter nor that Gospel which is Vehiculum Spiritûs sancti How or which way or by what means can such Promises be made good to them How shall they be regenerate without the holy Spirit or have that without the Gospel It is not at all credible such special Promises in the Covenant founded by his Blood speak a special respect to his own Elect. The Author's Reason from Creation cannot hold good The lapsed Angels had their share of Goodness in Creation but none at all in Redemption God who is the Great Donor of his Son to the World may give him with what Respects and to what Intents he pleases and if he have special purposes in it no man may presume to say that he is partial or less good then he ought to be Christ's Death and Sacrifice for sin seals the Covenant of Grace and Pardon to all penitent and reformed Sinners Mr. Sherlock and seals the irrevocable Decree of Reprobation against all others God's Decree of Reprobation may be taken two ways Answer either for an Act of Preterition not giving men saving Grace but leaving them to final Sin or for a Decree of Damnation
it may be appears in a Threatning and the Heart trembles at the Word Heaven opens in a Promise and the Heart leaps up in the triumphs of Faith the Rayes of the divine Purity break forth in a Command and the holy Principles in the heart sparkle in a beautiful Correspondence thereunto and is not this Communion with God Who would not say God is here of a truth When God in Ordinances impresseth something of himself upon the Soul and draws answerable Affections of the Soul to himself there is Converse with God indeed Further a true Believer hath Communion with God in Providences If Providence pipe in Prosperity he dances before the Goodness of the Great Donor in whom are all the Springs of Happiness If it mourn in Adversity he complies in an holy Silence under the Will of that infinite Mind that orders all He looks upon himself as the excellent Mr. Shaw hath it not as in himself but in God Welcome to she Plague and labours to become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wholly God's and to live in the world only an Instrument in the hand of him that worketh all things according to the counsel of his own Will Nay I may add a Believer as far as he acts like himself and expresses the Purity of the divine Life hath Communion with God in every thing how low soever his Calling be therein he abides with God and the works that he doth are wrought in him he would not live a moment without God in the world but be ever receiving Impressions from him giving up himself to him After the similitude of a Plant that is influenced by the benign Beams of the Sun and in the Virtue of those Beams spreading it self towards Heaven as Mr. Shaw speaks As for the Authors Simile That a Poor man who begs of a Prince hath not Communion with him it is enough to say That Alms is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.26 God such is his condescending Grace takes us into Communion with himself notwithstanding that infinite distance which is between him and us incomparably greater than that which is between the greatest Monarch on earth and the poorest Almesman SECT II. NOthing more easie to be understood than our Vnion with Christ Mr. Sherlock and it had certainly continued so had not some men undertook to explain it who have made it more than mystical that is an unintelligible Vnion When we enquire what this Vnion is they answer in general that it is a mystical Vnion through the Spirit and Faith This Mystical is a hard word and therefore to explain it they tell us that it is an Vnion of Persons but no Personal Vnion Dr. Jacomb pag. 45. The Person of Christ is united to the Person of the Believer and the Person of the Believer is united to the Person of Christ as it must needs be where the Person of Christ is united to the Person of the Believer Which Union is made by Faith which receives the Person of Christ and therefore must unite to the Person of Christ I doubt that consequence is not good for men are not united to every thing they receive but yet what follows may help it out As it is in the Marriage-union which joyns person to person This is not very clear yet and therefore the same Author describes it thus This Mystical Union is that supernatural spiritual intimous Oneness and Conjunction which is between the Person of Christ and the Person of Believers through the Bonds of the Spirit and Faith upon which follows mutual and reciprocal Communion with each other This Oneness and Conjunction are hard words still and therefore to explain them you must observe that Christ and Saints are united how Why in respect of that Oneness and Conjunction which is between them This is as plain as one could wish they are one by their Oneness Vnion is Vnion and Christ is Christ and Believers are Believers and Oneness is Oneness and thus Christ and Believers are united by their Oneness But what are the Bonds of this Vnion though it had been convenient first to have understood the Vnion better Why they are the Spirit and Faith the Spirit unites Christ to us and Faith unites us to Christ And who can deny this to be a very Mystical Vnion But besides this mystical Vnion there is a Legal or Law-union between Christ and Believers as he is their Surety a Moral Union the foundation of which is Love And thus Christ and Believers are united mystically legally morally The design of these distinctions is to prove the Vnion of persons between Christ and Believers And because I find this Author hath bewildred himself I will help him out for it is a very plain case if Christ and Believers are united their persons must be so For the Person of Christ is Christ himself and the persons of Believers are Believers themselves I cannot understand how they can be united without their persons that is without themselves But then they are united by mutual Relations or mutual Affections or Common Interest not by a natural Adhesion of Persons Never did I like Scoptical Divinity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Almost every where in this Passage there is a flurt and a sting at worthy Dr. Jacomb who yet may comfort himself that Sadeel Zanchy Davenant Vsher Reynolds with many more are Co. sufferers with him all of them however the Author be so civil as not to name them hold the very same Mystical Union as Dr. Jacomb doth But what saith the Author Nothing is more easie to be understood than our Vnion to Christ Nothing how so St. Paul calls it a great Mystery our Church a marvellous Incorporation Bishop Reynolds one of the deep things of God not discernible without the Spirit and yet nothing more easie to the Author Only some men have made it as he tells us more than mystical that is an unintelligible Vnion More than mystical they have not made it yet the Learned Whitaker saith De Feâ—les Visib quest 2. it is Maximè mystica planè mirifica Neither do they make it unintelligible though they would have it received in Faith according to the measures of Scripture and not of meer Reason This latter in the Socinians cashier'd the Hypostatical Union in Christ because it could not pierce into the Vinculum Vnionis Racov. Cat. deperson Christi which tacks mortal and immortal eternal and temporal together in one Person and unless it be subjected to Scripture it may do as much in us touching the mystical one But the Dr. saith Faith receives Christ and so unites to him which consequence is not good for men are not united to every thing they receive But Faith receives Christ as spiritual Food and eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood as the Author tells us pag. 184. signifies the most intimate Vnion with him besides the Marriage union which might have prevented the Exception But Christ and Saints are
mercy enough in him and in very deed this is a comfort for sinners too high and sacred to be entertained with any other laugh than that of the joy of Faith But what now if the Divine Nature it self have not such an endless Mr. Sherlock boundless bottomless Grace At other times the Dr. tells us of the Naturalness of Vindictive Justice Though God be rich in Mercy he never told us yet that his Mercy was so boundless and bottomless He hath given a great many demonstrations of the severity of his Anger against sinners who could not be much worse than the greatest oldest stubbornest Transgressors But supposing the Divine Nature were such a bottomless Fountain of Grace how comes this to be a personal Grace of the Mediator For a Mediator as Mediator ought not to be considered as the Fountain but as the Minister of Grace God the Father ought to come in for a share at least in being the Fountain of Grace though the Dr. is pleased to take no notice of him But how excellent is the Grace of Christs Person above the Grace of the Gospel for that is a bounded limited thing it is a strait gate and narrow way that leadeth unto life there is no such boundless Mercy as all the sins in the world cannot equal its dimensions as will save the greatest oldest stubbornest Transgressors Smalcius denies God's Mercy to be infinite and immense Answer and the Author seems to hint some such thing But Christ is God and in his Divine Nature there can be no finite Attribute and what if Divine Justice be natural and infinite too Infinite Justice and Infinite Mercy may stand very well together or what if Divine Justice break out against sinners yet is Divine Mercy infinite for all that nay what if Divine Mercy had shewed it self in gracious Effects to no one man in the World yet still would it have been infinite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the divine Essence And what if the Author will not call this a personal Grace in the Mediator It is doubtless a Grace in the Person of the Mediator and what if Christ as Mediator be God's Servant yet is he really God and a Fountain of Grace and that without the least exclusion of his Father being such The Son made and upholds all things and yet I hope the Father did and doth the same and what if in the Gospel the Gate be strait and Way narrow yet the Grace is never the less infinite because it is dispensed in a way decorous to the Holiness of God infinite Grace stands open to the greatest Sinners and yet none shall partake of it but upon the holy Terms of the Gospel Thus the Love of Christ is an Eternal Love Mr. Sherlock because his Divine Nature is Eternal an unchangeable Love because his Nature is so a fruitful Love producing all things which he willeth to his beloved he loves Life Grace Holiness into us he loves us into Covenant loves us into Heaven This is an excellent Love indeed which doth all for us and leaves nothing for us to do we owe this discovery to an Acquvintance with Christ's Person or rather with his Divine Nature for the Gospel is very silent in this matter all that the Gospel tells us is that Christ loved Sinners so as to die for them and that he loves good men who believe and obey his Gospel so as to save them and that he continues to love them while they continue to be good but hates them when they return to their old Vices And therefore sinners have reason to fetch their comforts not from the Gospel but from the Person of Christ which as far excels the Gospel as the Gospel excels the Law The Dr. discourses of the Love of Christ as he is God Answer There is in God Amor Complacentiae a Love of Complacence whereby he delights in good men but is there not Amor Benevolentiae too a gracious purpose of bestowing good things on us All the good things Temporal in the World and Spiritual in the Church know no other Spring or Origen than this our Repentance Faith Grace Holiness unless we will blaspheme the great Donor and deny them to be Gifts are so many pregnant proofs of it Hence the Apostle tells us That God worketh in us to will and to do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 And is not this Love or gracious Purpose an Eternal one It can be no other all the divine Decrees are so His Works are in Time but his Decrees in the same Eternity with himself as being no other than Deus Volens Should his Decrees be made in time the Divine Will though it ever had an infinite Reason and Wisdom standing by it must yet hang in suspence and float in uncertainties touching things to come till its own Creature Time came forth into Being and then upon passing those Decrees a new Generation of Futures must start up which were never before and withal a new Prescience in God to look upon those novel Objects both which are impossible But this is a Love which doth all for us and leaves nothing for us to do Thus the Author Vsser de Cottesch The Semipelagians to blast the Doctrine of St. Austin touching God's Free Grace formed out of their own Brain a Story of the Praedestinatiani an odious Sect which as was pretended held such a Notion as rendred an holy Life altogether unnecessary But why the Author should charge the Dr. with any such thing I know not he never said or thought any such thing nay he hath again and again urged the Necessity of Obedience Neither do I see how there can be a more unnatural Consequence framed than this Christ loved us and therefore we need do nothing our selves Our Love to Christ is an excellent Principle of Obedience to him and to set it a working his Love to us is a divine Inflammative to ours But saith the Author All that the Gospel tells us is That Christ loved Sinners so as to die for them and that he loves good men who believe and obey the Gospel But sure this is not all Christ in his Love doth something to the Quickning and Conversion of men and something to the sanctifying and establishing of them This Last I suppose the Author allows not for he tells us That he loves them while they continue good and hates them when they return to their old vices But this is much after the rate of the Remonstrants who tell us That as soon as men believe there is a kind of incomplete Election such as rises and falls with their Faith and when they arrive at the full point of Perseverance it becomes complete and peremptory The Divine Will according to them must be successive and make its progress from an incomplete Election to a complete one and in its passage to that Completure it must all the way vary and turn about to every point
as the fickle Will of Man doth that standing there is an Election that falling there is none and so toties quoties as often as it pleases man to shew himself variable Election will be something or nothing as it happens This Opinion doth not ascribe Eyes and Hands to God as the gross Anthropomorphites did but it assimilates him to the filly turnings and windings of the Creature But to speak more directly to the Author God's electing Love antecedes all Goodness in in Men and if his elect Vessels fall into great sins as holy David did and this after their Conversion however the Light of God's Countenance be for a time suspended however their habitual Graces be weakned and their Consciences wounded yet the Foundation of God stands sure electing Love remains unvariable and will revive them again by Repentance When God elected a People to himself he did not as Mr. Shaw speaks in allusion to the words of the Apostle use lightness or purpose according to the flesh after the manner of men unsteady and wavering in their determinations no the foundation of God standeth sure the Lord knoweth those that are his But if the Love of Christ be infinite Mr. Sherlock eternal unchangeable fruitful I would willingly understand how sin and death and Misery came into World for if this Love be so because the Divine Nature is so then it was always so for God always was what he is and that which is eternal could never be other than it is now And why could not this Love as well preserve us from falling into Sin Misery and Death as love Life and Holiness into us for it is a little odd first to love us into Sin and Death that then he might love us into Life and Holiness which indeed could not be if this Love were always so unchangeable and fruitful as the Dr. perswades us For if this Love had always loved Life and Holiness into us how should it happen that we should sin and die The gracious Decree of Election is Answer as becomes the Divine Nature eternal unchangeable fruitful yet was it a free Act terminating upon what Object it pleased Hence God saith Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated he infallibly brings his Elect to Glory But no man may be so vain or presumptive as to limit the holy One or chalk a Way or Method for him to walk in who works all things according to the counsel of his own will But how then came sin and death into the World Why surely it came in by Man's Transgression and under God's-Permission But why could not this eternal unchangeable fruitful Love preserve us from falling I doubt not at all but God who is Almighty could have kept up Man and all his Posterity in their primitive station as well as he did the standing Angels but if you ask on Why did he not do it I have nothing to answer but that it was not his pleasure God loves no man into sin the Expression is too odd for a Christians Mouth or Ear but he suffers his very Elect to fall into sin yet is his Love eternal unchangeable fruitful towards them if I may allude to that of Hezekiah Isai 38.17 He loves them from the pit of corruption he fetches them out of the corrupt Mass of Mankind by his effectual Grace and though afterwards they have many falls and lapses yet electing Love sets to its hand again and revives them by a fresh Repentance shewing it self fruitful in their recovery and safe conduct to Heaven and all this is managed in a way of unaccountable Sovereignty Not that I deny that the Love of God is eternal Mr. Sherlock unchangeable fruitful that is that God was alwayes good and alwayes continues good and manifests his love and goodness in such wayes as are suitable to his nature which is the fruitfulness of it but then the unchangeableness of Gods love doth not consist in being alwayes determined to the same object but in that he alwayes loves for the same reason that is that he alwayes loves true virtue and goodness where-ever he sees it and never ceases to love any person till he ceases to be good and then the immutability of his love is the reason why he loves no longer for should he love a wicked man the reason and nature of his love would change and the fruitfulness of Gods love with respect to the Methods of his Grace and Providence doth not consist in producing what he loves by an omnipotent and irresistible power for then sin and death could never have entered into the world but he governs and doth good to his Creatures in such wayes as are most suitable to their Natures he governs reasonable Creatures by Principles of Reason as he doth the material World by the necessary Laws of Matter and bruit Creatures by the instincts and propensities of Nature After all the rest Answer the Author himself confesses that there is in God an eternal unchangeable fruitful Love how so There is a Love of Virtue and Goodness and is there not a Love of Persons too The Scripture is express in it St. Paul is a chosen vessel Act. 9. Jacob was loved and that before he was born or had done any good at all Rom. 9. The Lord knoweth those that are his 2 Tim. 2. He calleth his sheep by Name Joh. 10.3 Some are drawn of the Father Joh. 6.44 Some are called according to purpose Rom. 8.28 On some God will have mercy when he hardens others Rom. 9.18 All which places places prove that electing Love is of particular persons who as St. Austin hath it certissimè liberantur are certainly saved when others are left in massa perditionis Unless this be owned that great Design of a Church which is the Master-piece of Providence must be carried on in such a lame and imperfect manner as if God which is unworthy of him should say I would have a Church but I intend not who shall make it up Such a Jeofail is hardly to be found in a prudent Man But saith the Author The Vnchangeableness of God's Love doth not consist in being determined to the same Object but in that he always loves for the same Reason that is he always loves true Vertue and Goodness where-ever he sees it and never ceases to love any person till he ceases to be good he always loves for the same Reason where Goodness is there he loves where Goodness is not there he loves not This is the Author's meaning this is loving for the same Reason But if this had been so what could have become of Man corrupt lapsed Man in whom as our Church tells us there is not a spark of Goodness How desperate must his case have been Divine Love could not possibly have let out a drop of Mercy to such an one much less have shewed forth it self in such an unparalle'd Act as the Mission of his own Son for our Redemption there
being not in any Son of Adam naturally so much Goodness the only reason according to the Author of divine Love as might attract the least crumb of Comfort on Earth or the least moments Reprieve from Hell But saith the Author Should he love a wicked man the Reason and Nature of his Love would change He cannot love a wicked man with a Love of Complacence but cannot he love him in Design or with a Love of Benevolence Then though as the Author tells us pag. 88. he did passionately desire and design the Happiness of Man yet he could not design to him being in a lapsed corrupt Estate a Christ or a Gospel or any the least Means of Salvation Goodness the only reason of Love being gone by the Fall nothing that is good could be intended to him The Author acknowledges that God loves Goodness in Men but whence came that Goodness Was it a Donative of Divine Love or not If so then he loved them before they were such if not then may we say with the Pelagians A Deo habemus quòd homines sumus à nobis ipsis quòd justi sumus though God be necessary to our Being yet he is not to our Goodness Tract 81. in Joh. as St. Austin observes I shall add no more to this having spoken before touching irresistible Grace Christ being God and Man Mr. Sherlock made him an endless bottomless Fountain of Grace to all that believe Thus the Dr. upon which the Author glosses This he was as God as we were told before and his Grace was never the more bottomless for becoming Man The design of all this is to make the Person of Christ the Fountain of all Grace from whence we must drink Pardon and Mercy as long as we need any His Grace was never the more bottomless for becoming Man Answer yet as God and Man he is the Fountain of all Grace to us and unless he had been Man there would have been no Communication of Grace to us The most Reverend Vsher upon that Text He that eateth my flesh Imman pag. 52. and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him saith Three things 1. That by the mystical and supernatural Vnion we are as truly conjoyned with him as meat and drink is with us 2. That this Conjunction is immediately made with his Humane Nature 3. That the Lamb slain that is Christ crucified hath by that death of his made his flesh broken and his blood poured out for us to be fit food for the spiritual nourishment of Souls and the very Well-spring from whence by the power of his Godhead all Life and Grace is derived to us To the same purpose speaks the Learned Zanchy To begin with the Fulness of Christ Mr. Sherlock and the first place wherein we meet with it is Joh. 1.16 And of his fulness we all received and grace for grace Now what is meant by this Fulness we may learn from ver 14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth This Fulness which was in Christ is a Fulness of Grace and Truth and if we consult ver 17. we shall find that this Grace and Truth is opposed to the Law of Moses The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ So that Grace and Truth signifie the Gospel which is a Covenant of Grace and is expresly called the Grace of God Tit. 2.11 and conteins the most clear and perspicuous Revelation of the Divine Will in opposition to the Types and Shadows under the Law is Truth in opposition to Types and Figures this is the Fulness we receive from Christ a perfect Revelation of the Divine Will concerning the Salvation of Mankind which conteins so many excellent Promises that it may be well be called Grace and prescribes such a plain and simple Religion so agreeable to the natural Nations of Good and Evil that it may well be called Truth This Fulness dwelt only in Christ and from him alone we receive it for none of the Prophets who were before him did so perfectly understand the Will of God as he did No man hath seen God at any time but the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him v. 18. No man ever before had so perfect a knowledge of the Will of God which is here called seeing God because sight gives the most perfect knowledge but the Son who understood all his most secret counsels hath perfectly declared the Will of the Father to us and hence that Fulness we receive from Christ is explained by Grace for Grace which signifies the abundance of Grace manifested in the Gospel St. Austin expounds it Pro Legis gratiâ quae praeteriit gratiam Evangelii accepimus permanentem but this seems to be a forced sence for the Law is no where called Grace but Grace is opposed to to the Law in the next verse But however this they agree in that by the fulness of Grace and Truth they understand the Gospel that perfect declaration which Christ hath made to the World This Fulness was first in the Person of Christ before he could communicate it to us yet it is not this Personal Fulness we are to attend to but the Fulness and Perfection of his Gospel from whence we must fetch the knowledge of the Divine Will Joh. 1.16 And of his fulness we all received and Grace for Grace Arswer Upon this Text the only Quaere is Whether by Fulness is meant the Fulness of Christ's Person or the Fulness of his Gospel I conceive here is clearly meant the Fulness of Christ's Person it is in the Text his fulness his who is God the Word ver 1. his who was in the beginning with God ver 2. his by whom all things were made ver 3. his who is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world ver 9 his who was made flesh and dwelt among us ver 14. None of these his's can be attributed to the Gospel but they are all proper to the Person of Christ his fulness therefore must signifie the Fulness of Christ's Person from whence all Grace is derived as Light is from the Sun and Sense from the Head All true Believers receive from him grace for grace that is say some Gratiam cumulatissimam abundant Grace or as others Grace answering to the Grace in Christ as the Child receives from his Parents Limb for Limb or the Glass from the Face Image for Image It is further to be noted that the words are we received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of his fulness Had the Fulness meant here been the Fulness of the Gospel the words would have been We re-received of his Fulness even the whole Gospel but because here was intended the Fulness of Christ's Person the words are We received of his fulness that is
a very comfortable Notion for bad men and such as I would not part with for all the world did I resolve to live wickedly and yet intend to go to heaven but it is good to be sure in a matter of importance Christs Righteousness was not an imaginary imputed Righteousness Answer but inherent and personal thus the Author It was not imaginary but inherent very true but was it not imputed to him Then Christ would never have appealed to God as he doth Surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God Isai 49.4 God would never have accounted him as righteous or promised him a Seed Isa 53.10 he would never have said This is my well-beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Matth. 3.17 neither would he ever have exalted him and given him a name above every name Phil. 2.9 In a word if his Active and Passive Righteousness were not reckoned or accounted of by God then he could not be our Saviour or pay a Ransom or Satisfaction to divine Justice for us What follows in the Author That this Righteousness may be a comfort to wilful incorrigible sinners is as I have before manifested a meer Popish Calumny But before I proceed any further with the Author I shall crave lieve of the Reader a little to state and prove this point That we are justified before God by the Imputed Righteousness of Christ and then I shall proceed with the Author Justification may be considered in a double Notion there is Constitutive Justification whereby we are made righteous before God and Sentential whereby we are pronounced such at Judgment I chiefly aim at the first upon which the second follows as a consequent Christ's Righteousness is either Active such as fulfilled the Command of the Law or Passive such as bore the Curse of it I take in both The Imputation of Christ's Righteousness is either that Fundamental Imputation whereby it is so far reckoned or accounted unto men in general as to make them capable of Justification upon Gospel-terms or that after particular Imputation whereby it is so far reckoned or accounted to Believers in particular as to constitute them righteous before God The first Imputation severs men from lapsed Angels the second severs Men from Men Believers from Unbelievers The first we have in such Scripture-expressions as tell us that Christ died for us for unless his Death were in some sence accounted to us it was no more for us than for Devils The second we have in such Scripture-expressions as tell us that we are justified by his blood for his Blood justifies us not unless it be actually particularly made ours and made ours it cannot be without an Imputation We have both together Col. 1.20 21. He hath reconciled all things and a little after yet now hath he reconciled you all things in the first sence and you O believing Colossians in the second Reconciliation was actually particularly imputed unto them which was before applicable to all I intend the second particular Imputation in this discourse That which I assert is this That Believers are justified or constituted righteous before God by the Active and Passive Righteousness of Christ actually particularly applied unto them And first as is meet let us open our eyes upon Scripture which is the only infallible Rule there often occurrs that memorable phrase the righteousness of God which cannot but be of considerable moment in this matter And what doth it import our own inherent Graces or Christ's Righteousness Not our inherent Graces for these though they come down from Heaven are never called the Righteousness of God nay on the contrary they are called our own Hence the Fath of the Romans is called your Faith Rom. 1.8 the Love of the Corinthians your Love 2 Cor. 8.8 the Patience of Christ's Disciples your Patience Luk. 21.19 the Hope of the scattered Christians your Hope 1 pet 1.21 That which is called in Scripture the Righteousness of God is not the same with that which is called our own there but it imports the Righteousness of Christ which by Imputation is made ours This is called the Righteousness of God because it is the Righteousness of Christ who is God for so his Blood is called the blood of God and his Life laid down the life of God and not a Righteousness inherent in us And withal it is a perfect Righteousness which can consist before the Tribunal of God himself and in which the pure Eyes of the holy One can find no spot or blemish at all and not an imperfect one such as our inherent Graces are But that the Righteousness of God imports Christ's Righteousness will further appear by the places wherein that phrase is used Thus Rom. 1.17 For therein is the Righteousness of God reveiled from faith to saith In the precedent Verse he saith That the Gospel is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth and how so Why because it reveils the Righteousness of God which saves the Believer and delivers him from the wrath which in the subsequent Verse is declared to be reveiled from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men And can our inherent Graces expiate sin and avert wrath Oh no these such are their spots and imperfections must pass with God cum Venia with a pardon of their defects and under the Wings of Christ's Righteousness that that alone expiates sin and averts wrath no other but that can be the Righteousness of God within that Text. Thus Rom. 3.22 The Righteousness of God is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe Inherent Graces are not upon us but in us but Christ's Righteousness as that in the Text is not in us but upon us Inhererent Graces are not the matter of our Justification of which the Apostle there treats but of Sanctification Christ's Righteousness is not the matter of our Sanctification but of our Justification which is the very thing there treated of Hence it appears that the Righteousness of God in this place is that of Christ Thus Rom. 10.3 They submitted not themselves to the Righteousness of God and what was that The next Verse tells us For Christ is the and of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth and which way was Christ the End of the Law by imparting inherent Graces to the believer or by his own perfect Righteousness imputed to him Not by the inherent Graces alas these are so far from reaching the perfection of the Law that they are full of defects and every defect is no less than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a falling short of the Law Profectò illud quod minus est quà m debet ex vitio est saith St. Austin That which is less than it ought to be is so far sinful as it is less than it ought to be Nothing less than the pure Righteousness of Christ which answers the Law in every point can be the Righteousness
Law it might have availed to Salvation as well as the Gospel with the supplemental righteousness of Christ there might have been an imputed righteousness as well under the Law as under the Gospel I answer That I conceive that the Moral Law delivered by Moses obliges us Christians as I have before proved and I suppose our Church is of that mind too for I cannot imagine that she should in her Catechism instruct Children in an abrogated Law How there should be an imputed Righteousness without a Gospel I know not it pleased God to found the Gospel upon a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a satisfaction and that cannot be or be profitable to us without an imputation The impotency of the Law was as I noted before that it could not justifie us for want of perfect obedience But God translated the impletion of the Law upon Christ and his Righteousness being made ours by imputation the Law is said to be fulfilled in us To the same purpose the Apostle discourses Mr. Sherlock Rom. 7.4 5 6. Wherefore my Brethren you also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ who put an end to that imperfect dispensation by his death that you should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God for when we were in the flesh under that carnal and fleshly dispensation of the Law of Moses the motions of sins which were by the Law which grew more boisterous and unruly by the prohibitions of the Law vers 8. did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death That is did betray us to those wicked actions which end in death But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead in which we were held that we should serve in newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter So that the reason why the Law of Moses was abrogated was because it could not make men good it nursed them up in a ritual external Religion taught them to serve God in the Letter by Circumcision Sacrifices or external conformity to the Letter of the Law but the Gospel of Christ alone teacheth us to worship God in the Spirit to offer a reasonable Sacrifice to him to fulfill the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the internal Righteousness of which those legal Ceremonies were the Signs and Sacraments This is the plain meaning of the Apostles which can never be reconciled with imputed Righteousness which would make his argument foolish and absurd Therefore he tells us in other places what little reason we have to be so zealous for the Law of Moses since we have the perfection of it in the Gospel what need is there of the circumcision of the flesh which the Law required When in the Gospel we have the circumcision made without hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that fleshly circumcision What need of legal washing and purgations When they are all fulfilled in the washing of regeneration in the Gospel baptism Thus we are compleat in Christ who bath perfectly instructed us in the will of God and instiluted such a Religion as is the perfection of all Ceremonies Col. 2. We must now offer another Sacrifice than the Law of Moses commanded not the Sacrifices of dead beasts but of a living and active soul Rom. 12. The Apostle Answer Rom. 7. vers 4. Shews that we are dead to the Law by the body of Christ that is by Christ crucified we have remission and the holy Spirit and so are dead to the cursing and irritating power of the Law that we might bring forth fruits of holy works to God Before when we were in the flesh in our corrupt unregenerate estate the motions of sin which were accidentally irritated by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death that is to bring forth sinful actions which tend to death vers 5. But now saith the Apostle we are delivered from the Law from the curse and irritating power of it That being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in newness of Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter vers 6. That is in those new Divine Prinples which our spirits have from Gods not in the old nature which by the outward Letter of the Law is irritated unto sin This I think is the scope of the Apostle he discourses of the regenerate and unregenerate the one dead to the Law the other irritated by it he discourses not of the difference between those under the Old Testament and those under the New for the regenerate under the Old Testament were dead to the cursing and irritating Law they had internal Righteousness which the Author calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they had the circumcision of the heart Deut. 30.6 which in the Author is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the fleshly circumcision they had the law in the heart Psal 37.31 And by consequence they had true regeneration in which saith our Author all the legal washings and purifications are fulfilled they were not irritated by the Law but delighted in it as in their joy choice treasure hony-comb of sweetness and what not as appears in the Psalms They served in the newness of the Spirit in new Divine Principles which they had from the holy Spirit in the easiness of the New Creature to which the Will of God is natural Even in their Rituals and Sacrifices they knew all must be done in newness of Spirit in the exercises of internal Graces The very Heathens themselves thought that they were to Sacrifice Mente candidâ expurgatâ conscientiâ How much more did the servants of God under the Old Testament do so they knew that there were better Sacrifices than the outward ones Sacrifices of righteousness Psal 4.5 And sacrifices of a broken spirit Psal 50.17 They understood that the heart the truth in the inward parts was more than all the rest On the other hand the unregenerate under the New Testament they are in the flesh the motions of sin carry all before them they have nothing of internal Righteousness they are uncircumcised in heart as well as in flesh they are baptized yet want the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of regeneration they are irritated by the Law their inward malignity swells and rises against the holy commands which stand in Scripture as so many damms and bars to their impetuous lusts Whatever they do in Evangelical Ordinances they do all in the oldness of the Letter the Letter the outward Rule presses them to Duty but there is no inward acting of Faith no suavity of Love or holy Affections all is done in a dead dull flat manner nothing is minded but the opus operatum the meer external work By this we see clearly where the difference lies It s true the Ceremonials of Moses were abrogated by Christ but I suppose the Moral Law was not it s own intrinsecal Rectitude and Righteousness immortalizes it so
not please God nothing but an imputed Righteousness can though I should rather have concluded that nothing can But the truth is the Righteousness of the Law and of Works in the New Testament signifies only an external Righteousness which cannot please God and that internal Holiness which they call the Righteousness of the Law is that very Righteousness of Faith which the Gospel commands and which God approves and rewards and this imputed Righteousness is no where to be found that I know of but in their own Fancies The Righteousness of the Law and of Works in the New Testament signifies only an external Righteousness Answer Thus the Author And yet before the Author quoting that Text Rom. 8. That the righteousness of the Law might he fulfilled in us interprets it of internal holiness in us I confess it is not meant of our internal Holiness but neither doth it signifie external Righteousness only The righteousness of the Law Phil. 3.6 doth by the circumstances of the Text intend only an external Righteousness but the righteousness of the Law ver 9. reaches to an internal one for as I before noted the Apostles speech there is progressive and expresses more than it did before The Works of converted Abraham are excluded from Justification Rom. 4.2 and yet surely they were more than external shadows By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Gal. 2.16 not only the Pharisee with his external Righteousness but no flesh not the holiest man on earth shall be justified by the works of the Law The Law in the New Testament plainly calls for internal Holiness it is a holy just good spiritual Law forbidding Concupiscence the very first risings and imperfect births of Corruption Rom. 7. commanding the love of God with all the Heart Soul and Mind Matth. 22.37 And therefore it would be very strange if the Righteousness or the Works of this Law which is represented in the New Testament as a divine spiritual Law should in the same New Testament signifie no more than external Righteousness no more than the meer shell or outward superficies of true Sanctity and that too in Epistles written not to Jews or Pharisees who hung about the Letter of the Law but to the Romans Galatians Philippians who I suppose understood it better They could not but see some hints of inward Purity in the Books of Pagan Philosophers and it is inimaginable that they should look for less in the Law of God Though the Pharisees who had only an external Righteousness themselves construed that Law according to their Model yet why the believing Romans Galatians Philippians who had internal Graces in themselves should do so I see no reason Neither is it to me credible that the Romans who in the Epistle to them had the pure Spirituality of the Law set before them should ever construe the Righteousness or Works of the Law mentioned in that Epistle to be only external As for internal Holiness God indeed approves of it but not as that which is the matter of our Righteousness in Justification Let us now consider in what sence the Apostle opposes his own Righteousness to the Righteousness of God Mr. Sherlock and there is no great difficulty in this for the Apostle tells us that by his own Righteousness he means the Righteousness of the Law and by the Righteousness of God the Righteousness of Faith and what that is you have already heard Thus in Rom. 10.3 For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God Where their own Righteousness which the Jews so obstinately adhered to was the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of God which they were ignorant of and would not submit to was the Righteousness of Faith For this was the great Controversie between the Jews and Apostles which is the Subject of this Epistle Whether men were to be justified by the Law of Moses or by the Gospel of Christ by a Legal or Evangelical Righteousness as appears from Rom. 9.3 Israel who followed after righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousness wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law that is The Israelites who pursued so earnestly after Righteousness are excluded from Righteousness or forgiveness of sins and are under a Curse because they did not look for Righteousness and Justification in the way which God prescribed which is by Faith in Christ or by Christianity but by the observance of the Law of Moses Now the most obvious reason why the Righteousness of the Law is called their own Righteousness and the Righteousness of Faith Gods Righteousness is because this Legal Righteousness was a way of Justification not of Gods appointment but their own chusing God never designed that any man should be justified to eternal Life by observing the Law of Moses but yet they confidently expected Justification by that Law and for that reason rejected the Gospel of Christ But the Righteousness of Faith is a Righteousness of God's chusing this he approves and accepts of for the Justification of a sinner By this the Elders obtained a good report by this Enoch and Noah and Abraham were justified before God And therefore this may well be called the Righteousness of God because this he appointed and this he will own and reward Our own Righteousness is I confess Answer the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of God is a Righteousness by Faith or through Faith because Faith receives it but it is not Faith it self The righteousness of God is reveiled from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 Were Faith it self the Righteousness of God the words must amount to no more than this Faith is reveiled from Faith to Faith We are made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 and who ever construed those words thus We are made Faith in him Faith is inherent in our selves but the Righteousness of God is in Christ who is Jehovah our Righteousness The Jews went about to establish their own righteousness Rom. 10.3 but it doth not appear that that was a meer external one we find that they had a zeal of God Ver. 2. which surely was internal Zeal is a mixture of Love and Anger They had at least in pretence a love to God and his Glory and an anger at the Christian Faith as supposing it an enemy to God and his Law All the Jews were not Pharisees nor did they stick meerly in the Letter or husk of external Righteousness the Scribe could say That the love of God with all the heart was more than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices Mark 12.33 and some Jewish Rabbins say That the heart of man answers to the holy place there a place must be made for the Shecinah the divine Majesty to dwell in and it must be the holy of Holies No question the Jews at least some of them
gift of God hence it is called the fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 and Faith of the operation of God Col. 2.12 It is not of our selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 And such a gift it is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is freely gratuitously given Phil. 1.29 Seing then it is thus should we not submit to God for every crumb of bread drop of drink and moments patience because they are his gifts and must we not submit to him for Faith because it is such Had not God given a Jesus a Saviour to Men they could not have made a just complaint against him and now there being one that he is not known all the World over the Pagans may not open their lips against God and in the Church where Christ is known that all Men have no Faith no Man may question God about it Gifts are free and must be submitted for The Apostle asserts Gods Soveraignty clearly He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth Rom. 9.18 And if any dare repy or find fault the Apostle takes him up Nay but O Man who art thou that repliest against God If thou hadst but any sentiments of thy own nothingness or rayes of the Divine Majesty thou wouldest never dare to question or to implead thy Maker before whom thou art but a Worm a piece of Clay to be disposed of at his pleasures It is certain that God owes us nothing Though we are in the use of means earnestly to seek Christ Faith and not in a careless indifferent manner as without cause the Author would hint Mr. Shephards mind to be yet we must still adore Gods Soveraignty and lye at his feet for all his Gifts and particularly for Faith It was horrible insolence and presumption in him who prayed Redde mihi vitam aeternam quam debes And it would be no less for any one to pray Redde mihi fidem vivam quam debes Verbum debet venenum habet as Peter Lumbard hath it These things considered Mr. Shephards words need no more but only a candid Interpretation What then is to be done Mr Sherlock in order to our closing with Christ by Faith for hitherto there is no foundation for our Faith Why you must not catch at Christ but stay till God give him to you till God take you into his Arms that you may lean upon your Beloved you must stay till God give you a particular call to come to Christ and whether that will be ever or never no Man can tell Many a wounded Sinner will be scrambling from some general reports of him such as his Gospel makes before the day and hour of Gods glorious call Now for any Man to receive Christ before he is called is presumption I unpardonable presumption too to attempt impossibilities for no Body can come till he is called no man should come unless first called and therefore no crime to stay away as it is in calling to an Office so it is in our calling to special Grace No Man takes this honour but he that is called of God Heb. 5.4 It is a great presumption to usurp the Office of a Priest Prophet or King without a designation and so it is to be a good Man or Christian without a particular call For what hath any Man to do with Christ to make himself a Son of God and Heir of glory to take care to please God and to make himself happy but he that is called of God Well Sinner wait with patience till thou art called and so thy work is at an end for this time The Author laughs at Mr. Shephards particular call Answer let us therefore consider it there is a double call a general external call reaching to all in the Church and a particular internal call vouchsafed to some The first is a command a sufficient warrant to come to Christ The second is a special Act of Grace which infallibly produces Farth in those to whom it is given This distinction is clearly founded in Scripture all in the Church are called but all are not drawn of the Father all do not hear and learn of the Father Joh. 6.44 45. For these taught and drawn ones do all of them come to Christ which all Men in the Church do not all in the Church are called but all are not called according to purpose Rom. 8.28 for then all would love God as those called ones do and by consequence all would have that Faith which works by love We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness but to them which are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1.23 24. All of them had an external general call those to whom Christ was a stumbling block and foolishness had such a call for an unknown an unreveiled Christ could not be a stumbling block or foolishness But besides this call there is another an internal effectual call such as makes Christ the power and wisdom of God to Men such as works Faith and other Graces in Men Hence the Apostle saith That they are the called called with a more internal and efficacious call than other Men are These things laid down all things in Mr. Shephard are very easie all Men in the Church have an external call and so a sufficient warrant to believe in Christ it will be no presumption at all in them to do so The Object Jesus Christ is evidently set forth before their eyes but that they may believe in him indeed they must wait for a particular internal call for that Grace which works Faith in the heart if not the work of Faith must be their own they must believe of themselves And this I fear though the Object Christ be free for them would be presumption because the Scripture assures us that Faith is the gift of God All Men in the Church should come to Christ for the Evangelical command makes it their duty yet if we believe our Saviour there must be internal teachings and tractions from the Father to make us truly come to him All in the Church are by the Gospel called to be Believers so to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Royal dignity to be Sons of God Joh. 1.12 to the Divine Offices to be Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 But this believing is produced by that internal efficacious call which calleth things that are not as though they were I mean which calleth Faith into being where it was not before But then saith Mr. Sherlock The Sinner must only wait till he is called and so his work is at an end for this time To which I answer His work is not at an end because he is still to wait if the Scripture which makes Faith the free-gift of God be true there is no nearer passage to Heaven then by waiting upon God for Faith in the use of means The Saints
other qualifications than that he is such an individual person that is the excellency of Christs love consiss in this that he loves for no reason Now I confess this is a wonderful love but wherein the excellency of it consists I cannot see I am sure we account that Man a Fool who loves at this rate we who are reasonable Creatures think that we are bound to govern all our actions and the passions of our mind too by reason and we accouut it a reproach to a Man to act either against reason or without it to do any thing of which he cannot give a reasonable account And how that should come to be the perfection of the Love of God which is a reproach to Men is above my apprehension Indeed were this true it would undermine the very foundations of Religion For the great end of Religion is to please God and to procure his love and favour but if God and Christ love for no reason then it is a vain thing for us to think of pleasing God or procuring his love by any thing we can do Whether we obey him or disobey him it is all one in this case for if he please to love us without any reason our sins cannot hinder it and if it does not please him to love us our Holyness and Obedience cannot alter him When our Acceptation with God depends wholly upon a soveraign and unaccountable will nothing we can do can hinder or promote it and therefore all Religion is in vain The foundation of this mistake is a Philosophical nicety that God must act wholly from himself and therefore must not be moved by any external cause whereas should he love us because we are holy or hate us because we are wicked his love or hatred would depend upon an external cause viz. The holyness or wickedness of Creatures which unbecomes an independent Being to depend upon any thing else The sum of which reasoning is this that because God is the first cause of all things on whom all things depend and he on nothing therefore he must love or hate his Creature without any reason but his own unaccountable will For this is all the inconvenience they can Object that when God loves or hates rewards or punishes his Creatures the reason of this difference he makes between his Creatures must be fetched from the persons themselves whom he thus loves or hates and so it must of necessity be if he have any reason at all for the reason of love or hatred ought to be in the Object not in the Person who loves or hates and yet in propriety of speech God cannot be said to depend on his Creatures or any thing without himself for the reason of his love or hatred but his own Nature is the reason of it He is infinitely Holy and therefore loves holyness and hates sin and his natural love to holyness is the reason why he loves holy Men and his natural hatred to sin is the reason why he hates wicked Men his own holyness is the reason why he loves holy Men but the holyness of the Creature is the reason why he determines his love to any particular person And if they will call this a depending on creatures we must acknowledge that God does thus depend on his Creatures in the administration of his Providence in distributions of rewards and punishments and he should not be wise holy and just good if he did not that is if he did not put such a difference between things persons as their Natures require It is a strange notion of an independent Being that he must have no other reason for what he does but his own Arbitrary will which is so far from being a perfection that it destroys all the other perfections of the Divine Nature There is a double love in God Answer A love of complacence whereby he delights in his own Holy Image in the Creature where ever he finds it And a love of Benevolence whereby he designs to bestow good things on his Creatures The first points at goodness in the Creature the other is the great origen of all good things in the Creature The first Issues out of the perfect sanctity of his Nature The other proceeds according to his Soveraign will and pleasure But then saith the Author God loves for no reason or without reason To which I answer Gods love of Benevolence is no Caecus impetus there is summa ratio in it it is irradiated with infinite wisdom but the reason of it is not in the Creature but in himself only God would redeem fallen Men not Angels but surely the reason was not in the Creature for then all the Grace Mercy and Freedom of God in that work vanishes The whole of it must proceed from the Nature of God as it respects something in the Creature and by consequence it could not fall out otherwise because God cannot deny his Nature After the Fall it is strange how God did sever and pick out some to himself out of the rest of Mankind De Pâ—pâ—â—â— Hebr. 〈◊〉 Ex Adami liberis tantùm Sethus ex hujus stirpe Noachus ex Nochi Filiis Semus ex illius posteritate Abramus ac postremò ex numerosâ Abrami sobole unus Isacus placuit electusque est Cujus Familia Ecclesiae nomen at que dignitatem ineffabili ratione velut per successionem sibi vindicaret caeterae gentes tanquam prophanae spretaeque à numine sunt So the learned Cunaeus And it will be an hard thing to find a reason in the Creature for such a strange separation God chose and set his love upon his Children of Israel above all People in the Earth he severed them from all other Nations unto himself and was the reason in the Creature No surely they must not so much as say or mutter in their heart That they had the Land for their righteousness Deut. 9.4 No God tells them that they were a stiff-necked People vers 6. but he chose and loved them because he loved them Deut. 7.7 and 8. What he did was meerly out of his good pleasure and without any reason on their part God gives the Gospel to some Nations not to others and is the reason in the Creature No the Apostle tells us That God calls us not according to our works but according to his own purpose and Grace 2 Tim. 1.9 Christ was manifested to a Thief and not to a Socrates or Plato Impenitent Corazin and Bethsaida had a visible Deity before them in Christs Miracles when poor Tyre and Sidon much nearer to Repentance had it not Matth. 11.21 Here the reason cannot be in the Creature unless we will say with Pelagius Gratiam dari secundum merita That Grace is given according to works But to come to the Church there God gives Faith and Repentance to one Man not to another and is the reason in the Creature Faith and Repentance are the very first Graces in Men
therefore cannot be given to them for any precedent Grace in them or indeed for any reason at all in them unless which is very odd we presume them to be given to them for the goodness of their Nature The Scripture clearly resolves it into the Soveraign will of God He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy Rom. 9.18 He begets us of his own will Ja. 1.18 He begets us according to his abundant mercy 1 Pet. 1.3 He worketh to will to do of his good pleasure Ph. 2.13 Neither is it possible to be otherwise his love of Benevolence is the Fountain and great Origen of all the goodness in the Creature and how or which way shall the goodness of the Creature be the cause or reason of that love All the goodness in the Creature is but a donative of Divine love and if so then the Divine love was antecedent to that goodness in the Creature Now these things being clearly so in Scripture and reason I suppose there is little reason and less Religion to say That God loves for no reason or without reason that that Man is a Fool who loves at this rate that it is a reproach among Men so to Act with such other stuff which I pray God to forgive unto the Speaker If there be reason for any thing in the World there is for this That God the supream Donor should do what he would with his own That Man the poor Receiver should not expostulate with God or think to call him to an account for any of his matters That the regenerating Spirit should be at liberty and breath where it lists That all Gods gifts should be free and of his good pleasure there being in the Creature nothing that is good but what is a meer gift only But saith the Author This undermines the foundations of Religion if God love for no reason whether we obey him or disobey him it is all one if God love us our sins cannot hinder it if he love us not our holyness cannot alter him therefore all Religion is but in vain To which I answer This Argument runs upon two or three hypotheses which are untrue The Author supposes first that God's purpose or decretive love is what it is not the rule of our acting next that there is in God what indeed there is not some purpose or decree to bar some Men though never so holy out of Heaven And Thirdly That there is not what in truth there is a complacential love in God towards all holy Persons whoever they be Now these things are not so we say that God commands all in the Church to Repent and Believe that God hath made a general promise of Salvation to all that do so and withal that God hath a complacential love towards all holy persons whoever they be And these things considered surely Religion cannot be in vain or to no purpose As for the Philosophical nicety or verity rather if God be as he is a God and the supream Donor of all in reason all Creatures as Creatures must depend on him the Creator and as Receivers must depend on him the Donor And hence it is evident that all the grace and goodness in the Creature because a Creature must depend on him its Maker And because a gift must depend on him the Donor thereof Man though but a petty Benefactor is free in his gifts or else they would not be gifts how much more must God the supream Donor be so It is true when Men are good God such is the sanctity of his Nature doth take pleasure in them but to dispense grace or goodness to the Creature is his Royal prerogative he doth it according to the soveraign unaccountable pleasure of his will he was under no Natural necessity to give a Christ or a Gospel or a dram of Faith or holyness to any one fallen Man in the World what he gives he gives as he pleases out of meer Free grace It is true too when Men are good God such is his gracious promise will greatly reward them but it is he only who makes us good and so meet for the inheritance in light our goodness is of Grace and our reward is Grace upon Grace remunerating Grace upon sanctifying In a word the love of Gods Complacence respects goodness in the Creature but the love of Benevolence causes it and that freely in a way of unaccountable Soveraignty and this is so far from being a love without reason that without it it is impossible that there should be any goodness in the Creature Were there a goodness in the Creature antecedent to the love of his Benevolence it would be a beam without a Sun a gift without a Giver a strange independent self-originated goodness and that in the Creature which is as great an absurdity as can well be imagine Secondly Mr. Sherlock These Men tell us too that Christs love is immutable having once fixt his love upon us though without any reason he can never alter Sin it self cannot separate us from the Love of Christ If sin foreseen were not able to hinder him from planting his heart on us How then shall it that is sin committed be able to over-turn the thoughts of his heart when once they are fixed on us This is a strong fixed Love indeed which sin it self cannot alter But how wise and holy a Love it is let any man judge Herein Dr. Owen tells us the depth of Christs Love is to be contemplated that whereas his holy Soul hates every sin it is a burden an abomination a new wound to him and his poor Spouse that is sinful Believers are full of sin failings infirmities he hides all covers all bears all rather than he will loose them He adds indeed by his power preserving them from such sins as a remedy is not provided for in the Covenant of Grace I suppose he means the sin against the holy Ghost for there is a remedy provided for all other sins in the Covenant of Grace and all other sins a Believer it seems may be guilty of and Christ will hide all rather than lose him Now this is as down-right Antinomianism as ever Dr. Crisp or Saltmarsh vented There have been and are to this day a great many wise learned men who contend for the perseverance of the Saints that those who are once in a state of Grace shall always continue so But then they found this not on such an immutable Love as sin it self cannot alter for this is not reconcilable with the Holiness of the Divine Nature nor with those threatnings in Scripture against such back-sliders When the righteous man turneth away from his Righteousness and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that a wicked man doth he shall dye Ezek. 18.24 If any man turn back my soul shall have no pleasure in him which is a plain demonstration the truth of which is which is acknowledged by all sober Writers that if
such men can be supposed to relapse into a sinful state God will cease to love them therefore they found the immutability of Gods Love to them on their perseverance in doing good God loves all good men but if they cease to be good he also must cease to love Herein the immutability of Gods Love consists not that he always loves the same person but that he always loves for the same reason For it is no perfection to be so fixt in our kindness that where we love once we will always love whatever reason there may be to alter our affections for by this means we may love undeserving Objects which is the greatest degeneracy of Love but the perfection of Love consists in loving deserving Objects and in loving upon honourable reasons and the immutability of Love consists in loving always for the same reasons which is the only foundation of a virtuous immutability The reason of Christs Love to any person is Holiness and Obedience If any love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our abode with him Joh. 14.23 The unchangeableness of his Love is seen in this that he will continue to love while we continue to obey him If ye shall keep my Commandments that is continue to do so Ye shall abide in my Love I will continue to love you As I have kept my Fathers Commandments and abide in his Love Joh. 15.20 This is the immutability of the Divine Nature that God always acts upon steddy constant Principles that whatever changes there are in the World which may occasion very different administrations in his providence yet he is the same still and never changes Whereas should God always love the same person however he changed and altered God must change and alter too because though he still loves the same person yet he must love for different or contrary reasons or for none at all and that is the much greater change of the two to alter the reason than the Object of Love If God love a good man because he is good and continue to love him when he is wicked his love is a mutable thing which can love goodness or wickedness which can love for none or for contrary reasons But if God always loves true goodness and good men and never loves any other whatever change there be in Creatures God is the same still and unchangeable in his Love The Author admits an immutable Love in God towards goodness Answer but the Scripture asserts an immutable Love in God towards persons He hath chosen us before the foundation of the world Eph. 1.4 Electing Love is eternal and therefore immutable Non enim est vera aeternitas ubi orttur nova voluntas nec est immortalis voluntas quae alia et alia est An eternal choice must be ever the same and after one there cannot rise another The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his 2 Tim. 2.19 Election which is the foundation is sure and Gods fore-knowledge which includes invariable Love in it is the seal of it The Book of Life hath all the names of the Elect written in it and Gods Love is the Seal that confirms it whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified Rom. 8.30 This Golden Chain of Grace comprises in it certain individual persons as the words whom and them which fasten every link of it doth evidently import and that which holds all the links of it together is immutable Love Nay besides Scripture evidence reason will evince this immutable Love of the Elect without this there can be no design of a Church and without the design of a Church Christs blood must needs be shed irrationally or upon a meer peradventure I say without this there can be no design of a Church for the design of a Church must comprise in it those individual persons which shall make up a Church and undertake that they shall infallibly believe and persevere till they come to Heaven it must first comprise in it those individual persons which shall make up a Church or else it is lame and imperfect unworthy of the Divine Wisdom and Perfection running much after this rate as if God should say I design a Church but I care not of whom it consists which is much one as if God should design an Heaven and not what Stars should be in it or an Earth and not what Plants should be there All the members in mans body are written in Gods book Psal 139.16 And can any man imagine that those who should make up the Mystical Body of Christ as so many Members thereof are not certainly designed God calleth them by name Joh. 10.3 Your names are all down in the Book of Life Phil. 4.3 To design a Church and not who is too weak a thing for the all-wise Deity Again the design of a Church must undertake that those individual persons shall believe and persevere unless this be granted the design of a Church must be framed thus God gives a Saviour and a Gospel in common and over and above a power to men to believe and persevere and so though the issue hang upon mans will hopes for a Church But in Truth this is not to design a Church but the possibility of one there may be one as it may happen and there may be none And is this like that Divine Providence which is perfect in all things and especially in the great design of a Church Nay is it probable upon these terms that any should believe and persevere Innocent Adam and yet alas how soon was that Star shot was more likely to stand in his integrity than any man since upon those terms hath been to believe and persevere The disparity clears it The Divine principles in Adam sweetly inclined him to obedience But the power of believing in men doth not incline but only put the will in aequilibrio The Divine Principles in Adam were pure and without mixture But the power of believing hath in the same heart where it dwells an inmate of corruption which continually counter-works it In innocency the temptation stood without a courting the senses But after the Fall it makes nearer approaches as having a party within ready to open and betray every faculty These things considered methinks every one who with humble eyes looks on that glass of Creature defectibility which was made out of the broken pieces of fallen Adam should conclude it very improbable that any one in all the World upon those terms should believe and persevere it being no less than a proud thought for any to imagine that upon such great disparities he could act his part better than Adam did And is it reasonable that God should found the design of a Church upon such improbabilities The first Covenant in which the stock of Grace
Life Food Health Strength Defire Righteousness Salvation Blessedness The meaning of all is that they prefer the person of Christ which hath such a perfect righteousness for them and will save them without requiring any legal conditions of them infinitely before the Religion and Gospel of Christ before Obedience to his commands before the Love and Fear of God So that the foundation of their love to Christ is a fond imagination that he will save them by his Righteonsness without any Righteousness and Holiness of their own This makes them so fond of the person of Christ because they look on him as a refuge and sanctuary for the wicked and ungodly where the greatest oldest stubbornest transgressor may shelter himself from the wrath of God and I have some reason to think that Christ will not much prize such Devoto's as these nor their obsequious flatteries or praise They prefer Christ above all Answer and no wonder all the Saints and Martyrs have done so he is worthy of love in its height and tallest Statures A Believer may love other things but he loves Christ with a love more eminent and over-topping such as is congruous for an Object so altogether lovely and desirable he loves other things with reference to Christ But Christ for himself his infinite excellencie and perfection He loves Ordinances because they are the Banqueting-House of Christ he loves the Gospel because it is his Royal Charter he loves his own Graces because they are his love-tokens and bear his Divine Image After all the great center of his love is Christ himself But saith the Author the foundation of their love to Christ is a fond imagination that he will save them by his Righteousness without any Righteousness of their own that he will be a refuge and sanctuary for the wicked and ungodly To which I say That I have before noted this to be as it is a Popish Calumny and without any just ground at all for it when Grotius drew up such a kind of charge against the common Protestant Doctrine as if it were enough to say Credo justitiam Christi mihi imputari as if there were no need of true Repentance or holy walking Dr. Arrowsmith makes this return Quam nollem haec à te dicta vel ficta potius Tact. Sacr. fol. 141 Hugo doctissime cum nihil sit à praxi nihil à sensu nostro remotius Mr Sherlock The devotion of these men consists in admiring prizing valuing the person of Christ This is that Evangelical Righteousness we must gain by Duties more prizing of acquaintance with defire loving and delighting in Union with the Lord Jesus Christ a Moral man who rests in duties that is who does what God commands and expects to be saved by Christ may grow in legal Righteousness that is in true Holiness and Piety But this will not avail unless we grow in this Evangelical Righteousness Sincere Convert This is the great end of Duties to carry us to the Lord Jesus Hear a Sermon to carry thee to Christ fast pray get a full tide of affections in them to carry thee to Christ that is to get more Love of him more Acquaintance and Union with him sorrow for sins that thou mayst be more fitted for Christ and more prize Christ use thy Duties as Noah's Dove did her wings to carry thee to the Ark of the Lord Jesus As it is with a poor man that is to go over a great water for a treasure on the other side though he cannot fetch the boat he calls for it to carry him over to the treasure So Christ is in Heaven and thou on Earth He doth not come to thee thou canst not go to him Now call for a Boat though there is no Grace no Good no Salvation in a pithless duty yet use it to catry thee over to the Lord Christ when thou comest to hear say have over Lord by this Sermon when to pray say have over Lord by this Prayer to a Saviour c. So that it seems the whole business of our Love to Christ and Evangelical Righteousness consists in some flights of fancy and imagination in admiring and valuing the person of Christ in getting an acquaintance and union with him The business of all Religion is to have over to Christ that we may love and prize his Person and personal Righteousness above all things in the World It is not so much the business of Sermons to acquaint us with the Nature Attributes and Works of God to instruct us in our Duty and encourage us to it by the Motives of the Gospel as to have over to Christ The design of prayer is not so much to affect our Souls with a sense of the Divine Majesty to worship and adore him and to express our trust in him as to have over to Christ Sorrow for sin is not so much to imbitter sin to us and to strengthen us against it as to teach us to prize Christ The Nature of Religion is now changed from being the Homage and Worship of God the certain means of pleasing him and transforming us in to his likeness which is the natural end of Religion into a Cock-boat and Skuller to waft us over to Christ Here we see the true reason why these men do so despise Morality in comparison of those Gospel-duties of hearing Sermons Prayer Confessions Humiliation c. because as they handle the matter The practise of Moral Virtues cannot have us over to Christ cannot apply the righteousness and fulness of Christ to us nor ravish our fancies with glorious Images and Idea's of his person And since all the Duties of Religion are such pithless things which have no Grace no Good no Salvation in them but as they have us over to Christ poor Morality must needs be a worthless thing That we are highly to prize Christ Answer can be no question with Christians when he comes in his Glory he shall be admired of all them that believe 2 Thess 1.10 And before that coming we are as far as our Faith will carry us to admire him who is indeed an Object in whom Heaven and Earth are so admirably blended together that humane reason may well lose it self and stand in a maze at such an Union That Christ is to be highly prized by us we need go no further than the raptures and extatical passions of the Spouse in the Canticles which are a kind of Commentary on that Admiration which is the genius and communis sensus of Christians Nature it self reveils God to be the great Object of Worship but the Gospel assures us that there is no access no coming to God but by Christ That there is no Righteousness able to cover our persons and duties with the defects thereof but Christ's Righteousness That there is no doing Duties in a right and spiritual way acceptable unto God but by the Spirit and Grace of Christ and upon these strong important Reasons