5 15 16 17 18 19. It 's the same with Churches see the 2d and 3d. Chap. of the Revelations IV. Men should govern their Expectations and Fears according to the Conformity of their Hearts and Behaviour to the Rule of the Promise It 's Unbelief not to expect the Good promised when we answer the Condition of it It 's obstinate Hardness and Security not to expect the threatned Evil when we are guilty of the Sin or Neglect threatned There 's no grounded Hopes or Fears but this way all else are Enthusiastick The End of God in these Declarations of his Will are not otherwise complied with God often condemns all Hopes as vain that are not thus regulated and by this Rule the Servants of God governed themselves I need not cite Texts for things so plain V. God is better pleased with his People in the exercise of Grace and Holiness than when they neglect these and do the contrary What Notions have Men of God of Grace and Sin that they should need Proof for this Is it not by the Exercise of Grace and Holiness that we approve our selves to God 2 Tim. 2. 15 Is it not With such Sacrifices God is well-pleased Heb. 13. 16. Was it not by his Faith and Divine Walk that Enoch pleased God Heb. 11. 5. What meaneth the Apostle You have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God 1 Thes. 4. 1. The Saint's Charity is called An Odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing to God We are charged to walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing Col. 1. 10. Of the Obedience of Children he saith This is well-pleasing to the Lord. What great things of this Nature are spoken of Prayer Praises and other Good VVorks VVhereas God is fretted grieved vexed provoked to anger and abhorrence by our Sins and Neglects How can we apprehend that God is as well pleased with us when testifying our Enmity as our Love when rejecting his Authority as doing his Will Are the Fruits of the Spirit alike to him as the Fruits of the Flesh And can the Image of the Devil render us as grateful as his own Image and the Life of his Son Obj. It 's for Christ's Incense these are accepted Ans. But Christ's Incense will not be applied to our Sins but to our Graces and Duties and that shews they are more pleasing to God than our Sins be And again They are these Graces and Duties which are accepted for the sake of Christ His Incense will not be denied to them and thereby they are well-pleasing to the Lord and tend to render us so Davenant de Justitia Actuali and Others say much more VI. The Holiness Graces Perseverance Obedience and Good Works of Believers do them much Good and are profitable to them Read over what I have proved at large and canst thou doubt whether they benefit us when they are the VVay to Heaven the Means of Happiness c. A wise Man may be profitable to himself though not to God Job 22. 2. Godliness is profitable to all things having the promises of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. These Things are profitable to Men Tit. 3. 8. Not only to other Men but principally to our selves Though I have all Faith if I have not Charity I am nothing and whatever else I suffer yet without this it profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13. 2 3. Circumcision or Uncircumcision is nothing but keeping the Commandments of God 1 Cor. 7. 19. Sure that 's something In keeping these there is great Reward Psal. 19. 11. Glory Honour and Peace to every one that doth good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile for there is no respect of Persons with God Rom. 2. 10 11. Nehemiah and Hezekiah pleaded a false Plea if it were true there 's nothing to be gotten The Care of Saints to adapt their Actings to the Rule of the Promise is a very needless thing So run that ye may obtain 1 Cor. 9. 24. If a Man strive for Masteries yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully 1 Tim. 2. 5. The Galatians must be but little moved when told Ch. 3 4. Are ye so foolish c. Have ye suffered so many things in vain for all is in vain Is Peace of Conscience nothing Is inward Rejoycing nothing Yet how Paul came by these he tells you 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our Rejoycing is this The Testimony of our Conscience that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity not with Fleshly Wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World His Directions for inward Joy and Peace you have Gal. 6. 4. Let every Man prove his own Work and then shall he have rejoycing in himself alone I shall not trouble thee with Reasons to prove that Grace Holiness and Obedience are useful to prevent Evil. I leave it to thy Experience if thou art a good Man and referr it to what thou wilt feel hereafter i thou art a bad Man If there were no more these do prevent Sin which in Chap. 17. I hope to prove is not so innocent as to do us no harm Reader To summ up all I appeal to thee 1. Whether God doth require any more of any Sinners for Salvation than that they believe in Christ repent of Sin persevere in true Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works internal and external and if we do so can we perish hath not Christ provided all else and doth not the Promise secure Life upon doing these 2. If any Sinner believe not and repent not hath Christ ever promised to save him Will any decree or the Merits of Christ secure him Again if any penitent Believer shall apostatize prove ungodly and unfruitful hate God or neglect to love God and his Neighbour wholly c. Shall this Man be saved Hath not Christ determined the contrary Will his first Faith save him A Resolution of these two things according to the very Scope of the Word will decide the Main of this Controversie These assert the Rule of Christ's rectoral Distributions and the Decree comes not in opposition to the Methods of his Government by which we are to govern our Hopes and Fears TESTIMONIES The Assembly Confess Chap. 19. a. 6. and the Elders at the Savoy declare Chap. 19. a. 6. The Promises of the Law in like manner shew them God's Approbation of Obedience and what Blessings they may expect upon the Performance thereof although not as due to them by the Law as a Covenant of Works so a Man's doing and refraining from Evil because the Law encourageth to the one and deterreth from the other is no Evidence of his being under the Law and not under Grace Both the Assembly and the Elders say Chap. 15. a. 6. The Persons of Believers being accepted through Christ their good Works also are accepted in him not as though they were in this Life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in his Sight but
to intend God's Glory as our supream End in all our Duties and design therein the Expressing our Love and Gratitude to God for his Benefits with a great Regard to publick Good Yet we also lawfully may and ought to strive after Grace grow in it and perform holy Duties and Services with an Eye to and Concern for our own spiritual and eternal Advantage ERROUR No Man ought to propose to himself any Advantage by any Religious Duty he performeth nor ought he in the least intend the Profit of his own Soul by any Christian Endeavours it being vain and unlawful to do any thing with an Eye to our spiritual or eternal Good though in subordination to God's Glory in Christ. Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion What I have recited of the Doctor 's in the last Chapter will spare much Labour here I will add a few Words P. 150. There is nothing you can do from whence you ought to expect any Gain unto your selves c. Christ hath redeemed us that we should not henceforth live to our selves but to him that died for us c. The Scripture is plentiful in this that no Believer for whom Christ died should have the least Thought in his Heart of promoting or advancing himself or any End of his own by doing what he doth Obj. But sure he intends only to exclude a Design of Meriting or setting up our own Profit in opposition to God's Glory A. No He intends to forbid our intending our own Good though in subordination to Gods Glory and the laying no stress of meriting For he saith People may think here 's a marvellous Discouragement to Persons to do what God calls them to do when they shall have nothing for it I Answer When there is a Spirit of Ingenuity they shall be as industrious to glorifie God and to do good to Men as if they did it for themselves They shall do as much for Good already bestowed as if they were to procure it by their own Doing Now you cannot suppose Men can merit God's Glory by what they do And he argues that it is dis-ingenuous and vain to intend our own Good at all Saith he There is no Discouragement because you cannot propound to your selves any possible Gain but whatever is a Spur or Encouragement to Duty is already freely and graciously provided to your Hand c. When you fall on Humiliation Prayer and Self-denial What do you look for c. Saith one I get this by it Prevention of many great Evils hanging over my Head Another saith Peace of Conscience Joy in the Holy Ghost Assurance of Pardon of Sin these things would I get by attending on Ordinances by serving God Day and Night in that way he calls me out unto I tell you plainly there 's none of all these things that conduce a jot towards the obtaining of any of these Ends you propose to your selves P. 149. The World is grown to a miserable pass that Obedience Zeal and Seeking after God must be of no use at all except a Man himself be a Gainer by his Obedience c. I say except you will fall upon the Performance of Duties for the common Good and Benefit without having any such Conceits as what shall accrew to you thereby you are not Persons yet come to have that common Spirit and dead to the old Spirit as becomes Christians P. 425. When you labour by Prayer and seeking the Lord to prevail with God to take away his Displeasure c. and to procure such Good c. you serve not God now you serve your selves c. Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not whether we should principally aim at God's Glory in all we do 2. Nor whether we should aim at a publick Good with great Concern 3. Nor whether Gratitude to God deserves our utmost Service and Love to him should influence our Aims and Labours 4. Nor whether we ought to renounce every Thought of purchasing from God any Benefit for what we do 5. Nor whether Carnal Selfishness or seeking Pleasures Riches Honour c. above spiritual and eternal Good be the undoing Sin of the World All these I affirm Wherein the Real Difference is 1. Whether the spiritual Improving and saving our Souls may be a Motive with us to our Religious Duties and Endeavours This the Doctor denies and I affirm 2. Whether our Souls Advantage be not so joyned with God's Glory that we ought to intend them both as the Scope of our Life and Labours The Truth Confirmed 1. I have in the last Chapter proved that our Graces and Duties do benefit us and God hath appointed them to this End that thereby we may obtain those Benefits if so we then despise God's Ordination in not intending our obtaining the Benefits when we act those Graces and Duties and we obey his Will in doing them for that end 2. All Promises and Threats in the Word directed as Motives to Obedience are foolish if we must not intend our own Good by our Obedience How are they Arguments with the Will to perswade from our own Advantage if we must not aim at that Advantage in doing the Duty I am perswaded to thereby When Christ saith Come to me and I will give you Rest Mat. 11. 28. Must not I intend that Rest in coming to him God saith Turn to me and live Ezek. 18. 32. Must not I turn to him for Life or frustrate his Use of that Argument The Devil will soon prevail with us to sinful Neglects if he can thus enervate all the Pleadings of God with Men. The best Helps which God hath contrived for our Holiness and Diligence are rendred vain if we must have no Eye to the Advantages he hath promised to our Duties and Obedience How should a Crown of Glory engage Ministers to Faithfulness if they must not aim at it in their Labour 1 Pet. 5. 2 4. What Influence have such Pleas If we suffer we shall also reign with him if we deny him he also will deny us 1 Tim. 2. 12. What Encouragement is it to suffer if I must not suffer with an Eye to that reigning The very Substance of the Bible proves this Point Col. 3. 34 25. 1 Tim. 4. 16 c. 3. The Spirit of God approveth of holy Men's regard to their own Advantage Heb. 11. 26. Moses had respect to the Recompence of Reward And this is given as the very Cause why he esteemed the Reproach of Christ above the Treasures of Aegypt For he had Respect c. Paul governed himself by these Regards For if I do this willingly I have a Reward They do it to obtain a corruptible Crown but we an incoruptible 1 Cor. 9. 17 24. That is they are temperate who strive for an earthly Crown we are temperate and diligent to obtain an eternal Crown 2 Cor. 4. 16 17. For which cause we faint not c. for our light Affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Were all Doing for Life and an Eye to gain by Service such a legal and wicked thing as some represent it sure the blessed Jesus would have admonished his Disciples and not answer them as he doth Mat. 19. 27 28 29. Then answered Peter and said unto him behold we have forsaken all and followed thee What shall we have therefore And Jesus said unto them verily c. Ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel c. 4. The Doctor 's Argument from the Vanity of proposing our own Gain by Labour and Duties because all is fixed and given already is to make the Decree an effectual Means to overthrow the Government of Christ and brand all his Offers to Sinners with Weakness and Falshood Should not poor Sinners pray as they can abstain from Sin consider and apply the Word with an Eye to Conversion Why doth God call them to this Should not they wait and strive to believe and repent with an Eye to Forgiveness and escaping VVrath VVhy else should God encourage them with an Offer of these upon such Terms and tell the Unbelievers that they refuse these Mercies by new Forfeitures But by the Doctor 's Scheme the Elect may be idle and the Non-elect do best when they despair for there 's no Connexion between these Benefits and these Graces or Duties And so the Non-elect are in the same Case with Devils there being no serious Offer to them nay their Case is worse than Devils for these Offers are made to them for no other Design but to increase their Condemnation Nay every Sin of their's is the Sin against the Holy Ghost that is every Sin is alike the Unpardonable Sin and not only that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost To say no more Christ hath no Rule of distributive Justice but his own eternal Purpose and Men's Regards to his promised Benefits are all forbidden even when our Respect to them is that which subserves his Government and is supposed in all the Methods of it 5. And why should we intend the Glory of God the Service of Christ or the Good of others Are not these as determined as our own Good Hath not God fixed and secured his own Glory Doth Christ need our services more than our selves Shall any other Persons receive more Good than God hath already given and provided for them Why should we intend these in our Duties more than our own Profit the very same Reason excuseth from all and so we ought to intend nothing at all I could shew had I Room that we cannot sincerely aim at our Souls good but we therein aim at God's Glory Nor doth God ever require us to intend his Glory but in a Concurrence with an Eye to our own Salvation TESTIMONIES You have seen in the last Chapter the Assembly's and Congregational Elders Judgment and that we are not the less under Grace for being encouraged to do good by the Promises c. The Case is so plain that I shall only give the Judgment of the greater part of those Reverend Divines whose Names are set in the Front of Dr. Crisp's Works and interpreted by the VVeak to a contrary purpose than what they intended These Divines in the Preface to Mr. Flavel's Book against Antinomianism which they approve of inform us That to say Salvation is not the End of any Good VVork we do or VVe are to act from Life and not for Life were to abandon the Humane Nature it were to teach us to violate the great Precepts of the Gospel it supposeth one bound to do more for the Salvation of others than our own 't were to make all the Threatnings of Eternal Death and Promises of Eternal Life we find in the Gospel of our blessed Lord useless as Motives to shun the one or obtain the other It makes the Scripture-Characters and Commendation of the most Eminent Saints a Fault Had I seen this sooner it might have spared some of my Reasons The Grounds of the Doctor 's Mistake Because we ought not to do any thing from Carnal Self-love therefore we ought to do nothing from Rational and Spiritual Self-love Because Christ redeemed us that we may not live to our selves as our own Lords therefore we must not in obeying him regard the Rewards he promiseth us as he is our Lord. Because we must aim at God's Glory above all therefore we must not at all intend our own happiness in the enjoyment of this God Because we must aim at the good of others therefore we must not aim at our own good Because we should obey God from Gratitude and Love therefore we should not obey him from any Hope or filial Fear Because God hath engaged to give Life and Happiness to the Elect when they have finished their warfare and work therefore they must not intend the obtaining that happiness in any part of that work or warfare CHAP. XV. Of the way to attain Assurance TRUTH THe ordinary way whereby a Man attaineth a well-grounded Assurance is not by immediate objective Revelation or an inward Voice saying Thy Sins are forgiven thee But when the Believer is examining his Heart and Life by the Word the holy Spirit enlightens the Mind there to discern Faith and Love and such other Qualifications which the Gospel declareth to be infallible Signs of Regeneration And he adds such power to the Testimony of Conscience for the Truth and In-being of these Graces as begets in the Soul a joyful sense of its reconciled State and some comfortable freedom from those Fears which accompany a doubting Christian and according to the Evidence of these Graces Assurance is ordinarily strong or weak ERROUR Assurance is not attained by the Evidence of Scripture-Marks or Signs of Grace or by the Spirits discovering to us that he hath wrought in our Hearts any holy Qualifications But Assurance comes only by an inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are forgiven thee and our believing thereupon that our Sins are forgiven Proved that this is Doctor Crisp's Opinion P. 491. Would you know that the Lord hath laid your Iniquities on Christ you must know it thus 1. Is there a Voice behind thee or within thee saying particularly to thee in thy self Thy Sins are forgiven thee Dost thou see this Voice agree with the Word of Grace that is Dost thou see it held out to most vile and wretched Creatures as thou canst be and upon this Revelation of the Mind of the Lord by his Spirit according to that Word doth the Lord give thee to receive that Testimony of the Spirit to sit down with it as satisfied that upon this thou makest full reckoning thou hast propriety in this particularly to thy self If thou dost receive that Testimony according to that Word here is thy Evidence Thou hast thy Propriety and Portion in this On this Point the Doctor spends much time Serm. 15. is to prove That Love to the
the Prophets even Isaiah himself yea Christ and his Apostles were all Legal Preachers The Law in this sence is that which Converts Comforts Healeth Saveth c Whatever is spoken in Praise of the Word of the Truth of the Commandments of God and Christ are spoken of the Law in this sence And it is the same with the Gospel as I have proved chap. 20. And they are Enemies to Christ and Souls that disdain to be such Legal Preachers 2. But there is a Legal Preaching which is opposed to the Gospel and this indeed is a Crime the word being used as a Reproach this must be intended if Men understand what they speak of And to that this Chapter refers TRUTH Legal Preaching is to Preach the Law as a Covenant of Innocency or Works or to Preach the Mosaick or Jewish-Covenant of Peculiarity But it is not Legal Preaching to require and persuade to Faith Holiness or Duties by Promises and Threatnings according to the Grace of the Gospel and direct Men to fear and hope accordingly ERROUR Legal Preaching is to call People to act any Grace or do any Duty as a required Means of Salvation or inward Peace or to threaten them with Death or any Affliction to cause Fear if they commit the grossest Sins and backsside and fall away or to promise them any Blessing upon their Obedience to the Commandments of Christ or urge the Threatnings to persuade Sinners to believe and repent Proved that this is Doctor Crisp's Opinion P. 616. If Persons are not united to Christ and do not partake of Justification before they do believe c. then mark what will follow That there will be bringing to life again the Covenant of Works c. Obj. How doth this follow I Answer Thus you must of necessity press upon your selves these Terms or such like I must do that I may have Life in Christ I must believe there is no Life till I do believe Now if their be Believing first then there is Doing before Living P. 561 562. This likewise batters to the ground that way of urging Men to holiness which some hold forth That if Men do not these and these good Works and leave these and these Sins then they must come under the wrath of God c. The Love of God constrains the Faithful and not the Fear of Wrath a sense of being delivered from it not a fear of Wrath to come P. 559 560. Obj. Some will say The Preaching of the Terrours of the Law and the Wrath of God and Damnation and Hell-fire unto Men is a safer way to take Men off from Sin than to preach Gracc and Forgiveness before-hand c. A. I say If we preach Wrath and Damnation we must either make them believe they lyc under the Wrath and that Wrath shall come or we must make them believe that though there be Wrath yet it shall not fall upon them Now if we tell them of Wrath and Damnation and say they are secure from them and they belong not to them to what purpose do we tell them of Wrath we had as good hold our tongues c. And he shews how it 's bringing back the Covenant of Works to tell them that God will be angry with them if they commit Sin or do not such and such Duties Wherein the Difference is not 1. It is not Whether it is Legal Preaching to preach Duties or Holiness as if Men must perfectly believe and obey or they shall unavoidably perish 2. Nor That it 's Legal Preaching to denounce Wrath and Hell as Miseries from which there is no relief by Christ in the way of the Gospel 3. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to press Men to Faith Repentance and other Duties as if they were to be performed in their own strength without the Grace of Christ and Influences of the Spirit 4. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to promise Salvation to any Action if the Performer thereof be Unregenerate Unbelieving and Impenitent 5. Nor That it is too much Legal Preaching to be always pressing the Duties of the Law of Nature but to neglect Preaching Faith in Christ and Repentance Regeneration c. and so to neglect to make the Person Offices Sufferings and Intercession of Christ as also our Relation to him and Dependance on him as Mediatour with other Gospel-Mysteries known to their Hearers 6. Nor That it 's Legal Preaching to preach that our Faith Holiness or Good Works stand in the same place now as Perfect Obedience did under the Law viz. To render the Reward to be of Debt or be the Meritorious Righteousness for which we are Justified 7. Or That it is Legal to preach that our best Obedience doth not deserve Wrath by the Law as a Rule of Misery and Happiness Or That it doth not need Forgiveness or is any Supplement of Christ's Righteousness yea or to neglect to call Men to renounce all in themselves as any Atonement for Sin or Cause of Pardon and to look to Christ as the only Propitiation Purchaser of all our Blessings and Cause of the Acceptance of our Persons and Performances 8. Nor That it is Legal Preaching to omit to urge Men to Obedience by Gospel Motives as what Christ Suffered the Love of God in him the Benefits afforded by him the Helps he vouchsafes the Relations he admits us to and the like 9. Nor That it is Legal to shew Men their Misery and Sinfulness and not to inform them of the Gospel-way of Salvation 10. Nor That it is too Legal to neglect to improve holy Souls to an ingenuous Obedience from Love to God as well as a holy Fear 11. Nor that it is Legal to encourage such Fear as imports a Life of Torment destructive to our Hopes and Joy Or as if every Miscarriage should over-turn Assurance though the dominion of Sin be not justly suspected 12. Nor that it is Legal Preaching to assert Judaism or the Mosaic Pedagogie viz. to press Circumcision Sacrifices a Covenant of Peculiarity Jewish Priesthood Sabbath or an Abuse of the Law in Opposition to Christ our Saviour who is the End of all Types c. All these I affirm These indeed make up that Preaching of the Law which is opposed to Christ to Grace and to the Gospel The real Difference 1. Whether it 's Legal Preaching to require People to Repent and Believe that their Iniquities may be forgiven for Christ's sake This I deny and the Doctor affirms against the scope of the Gospel as I have proved chap. 8. 10 12 20 c. 2. Whether it be Legal Preaching to press Holiness and Gospel Obedience as necessary to the Salvation of a Justified Person This the Doctor affirms and I deny upon Reasons given chap. 8. 13. 17. 3. Whether it be Legal to threaten such Penalties as are short of Damnation against such Offences as are consistent with Sincerity and yet avoidable by serious care and diligence This the Doctor affirms and I deny for which see
chap. 13 c. 4. Whether it be Legal to preach Wrath and Damnation against prevailing Infidelity Impenitency Ungodliness Enmity against God Profaneness Apostacy and utter neglect of Good Works so that Wrath be urged as a motive to Acceptance of Christ and sincere Subjection to him and the Gospel-way of escaping these be discovered and persuaded to This the Doctor affirms and I deny being well assured that Christ and his Apostles preached thus and these Threatnings of God used since the Fall are otherwise vain as I have proved chap. 13 10 c. 5. Whether it 's Legal Preaching to excite good Men to an holy Fear of threatned Evils as far as they find just Cause to suspect the Dominion of Sin or Danger of Apostacy or the Power of Carnal Security This the Doctor affirms and I deny The Truth Confirmed Consult the 20th Chap. and those before-mentioned and thou wilt find that what the Doctor calls Legal Preaching is the Tenor of the Gospel and the Truth according to Jesus It 's what the Assembly affirm to be the Grace of the New Covenant and not the Covenant of Works It 's the method appointed to recover apostate Sinners and not to govern innocent Man I have nothing left to do except to vindicate That it 's the Will of God that we should excite a holy Fear of threatned Evils and this in good Men as well as bad during their Pilgrimage Obj. The Doctor allows a Fear of Reveverence towards God from the infinite distance between him and Creatures A. He doth so but it 's no more than will be in Heaven it self And therefore I add that we ought to preach so as to beget a fear of Caution and from the due Sense of Danger not indeed so as to extinguish just Hopes or Joy not to exclude Love or introduce a Spirit of Bondage or tormenting Amazement but to prevent Security and awaken Diligence till our Danger is past and our VVarfare be accomplished For. 1. Such Fear is our Duty by Gospel-Precept Heb. 4. 1. Let us therefore fear least a Promise being left us of entring into his Rest any of you should seem to come short of it It 's an Evil is to be feared here and Sense of Danger awakens it See Ver. 11. Least any Man fall after the same Example of Unbelief Mar. 13. 5. Take heed least any Man deceive you This Duty is annexed when the Safety and Comfort of our present State is most represented Heb. 12. 15. Looking diligently least any Man fail of the Grace of God And when he had finished the peculiar Liberties of the New Testament-Time he adds Ver. 25. See that you refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake from Earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven Ver. 28 29. Whereby we may serve God acceptably with Reverence and Godly Fear for our God is a consuming Fire Here is Awe impressed by Danger much more shall not we escape if c. say not the Saints shall not turn away for yet here 's an Awful Threat if he do and his Fear is the Means here intended to keep him from turning away Phil. 2. 12. Work out your Salvation with Trembling and with Fear Rom. 11. 20. Be not high-minded but fear Joh. 5. 14. Sin no more least a worse thing do befall thee 2. Without this Fear in sence of Danger many of the great Duties of Religion are excluded What 's a Tender Heart but a Heart impressed by a Mixture of Fear and Love Who is Contrite but he that trembleth at my Word Isa. 66. 2. Are not taking heed solicitous Cares and holy Watchfulness great Duties But if you exclude Fear of Danger are these possible Nay VVhen God calls us to these he doth it by representing Danger as what is to be dreaded and thereby begetting Fear Mar. 13. 5 35 36. Take heed least any Man deceive you for many shall come in my Name c. Watch ye therefore c. least coming suddenly he find you sleeping Luk. 21. 34 35 36. Take heed to your selves least at any time your Hearts be overcharged c. and so that Day come upon you unawares for as a Snare it shall come Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man Heb. 3. 12. 13. Take heed least there be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief in departing from the living God c. Least any of you be hardned through the Deceitfulness of Sin Rom. 11. 21. If God spared not the natural Branches take heed least he spare not thee Jam. 5. 9. Grudge not one against another least ye be condemned behold the Judge standeth before the Door Are not all these intended to beget Fear Are not the Motives from things that must strike an awe of Danger The Lord argues to a Fear of Apostacy Unpreparedness being rejected at Christ's coming being cut off and condemned and God is represented not only as great above us but as our Judge as a consuming Fire 3. This Fear is entertained by and approved of in the best Men. 1 Cor. 9. 27. I keep my Body under least that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a Castaway Was here no Fear in Sense of Danger Noah moved with Fear prepared an Ark Heb. 11. 7. David tells us Psal. 119 120. My Flesh trembleth for fear of thee I am afraid of thy Judgments Prov. 28. 13. Happy is he that feareth always It was the want of this that 's branded in the Virgins They all slumbered and slept Habakkuck's Tremblings and Faith were consistent Chap. 3. 16 17. 4. This fear is absolutely necessary to Saints in their Pilgrimage What Men should we be if Fear were extinct What would our Remains of Corruption our great Snares Heaps of earthly Diversions while eternal things are invisible reduce us to without Fear Would Back-sliders recover themselves without fear or Men in Difficulties hold out God knew our Frame when he saith 1 Pet. 1. 17. And if you call upon the Father who without respect of Persons judgeth accordingly every Man's Work pass the time of your sojourning here in fear This Text ill agrees with the Doctor 's Notion We have no Work to do for Eternity as if the Judgment-Day were past away with Fear of VVrath or Danger as if we were in Heaven already Good Men may fancy an ingenuous Life of Love exclusive of all Fear in this VVorld but though they could be safe and vigorous thereby it follows not that all other good Men can and we must preach the Mind of Christ to them But I fear they know not or observe not their own Hearts who pretend to this and if they fall into many gross Sins and Neglects and keep up to this Rule God calls them to fear their
Impenitent as the Penitent 2. VVhat I have stated as Truth doth acknowledge and exalt this Free Grace of God I have affirmed and would admit the fullest Expressions to testifie that in these is the Free Grace of God in Truth Of mere Grace he elected some certain Sinners to Life upon no moving fore-seen Condition but yet to obtain it through Sanctification of the Spirit to Obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Of mere Love to Sinners no way deserving it he gave his Son to die for them who also undertook to bring all the Elect to Salvation in the way appointed between the Father and him He without any thing in Man to deserve it gave his Gospel and thereby offereth in the virtue of his Son's Blood Pardon and Eternal Life to every one that will repent and truly believe and no penitent persevering Believer shall miss of Life by a failure of this Promise He freely and of mere Grace bestows Faith and Repentance yea gives his Spirit to create these and any other good VVork in worthless vile Sinners And though he will not forgive any that finally refuse to believe and repent nor save any ungodly barren apostate Man yet Pardon and Life are his free-Gift and no Grace or Duty merits them they being no more than the required Conditions or Means of our partaking them as the Gifts of God through Christ and so hereby he honours his own Government and no way indulgeth the boastings of Men. 3. The Opinions of Dr. Crisp as they differ from these Truths do not exalt the Free Grace of God His Notions may seem more to represent an unlimited Grace as blind and so more suitable to wicked foolish Men But it is not agreeable to the holy Nature nor just or wise Government or the revealed Will of God but greatly reflects on God's Grace beyond what I will mention Is it the honour of God's Grace that all the Graces of the Spirit should be needless to promised Benefits when he promiseth those Benefits to them Is it the Grace of an holy God not to esteem a Man filthy by the greatest Abominations and yet abhorr his own Image in his Saints as Dung Is it the Free Grace of God to account an Elect Person in the heighth of his VVickedness as pure and as lovely as a Saint in Glory and yet with-hold his Spirit from him many years Is it the Grace of God to leave his Precepts without any Sanction when he removed the Curse of the Law Never to express any displeasure when most provoked yea when he doth correct To have no regard to Good or Evil in Men in his judicial Distributions To leave Men so Imperfect in a VVorld of Temptations and State of Tryal free from all fear of Caution and to have nothing in them to influence their Perseverance and Holiness except a Principle of Gratitude though their Love be weak Can it be the Grace of God that his Subjects must have no Eye to his Rewards or Threats fear none of his Displeasure when they offend be confident of the Pardon of the worst Offences before they confess a Fault never fear a Rebuke for or Hurt in or by any Sin yea condemn any trouble on that account though he blame the contrary and his Spirit causeth these Relentings Is it the Free Grace of our God which renders him a Respecter of Persons in his judicial Acts as the Ruler and Judge of the VVorld because he bestows Grace as an Act of Sovereignty It cannot be his Free Grace who hath so wisely contrived the Kingdom of his Grace that he prevents Idleness and Neglect in Men as well as Boasting that he makes the Sinner speechless for being his own Undoer by wilfully refusing Christ as well as he secures the acknowledgment of his Free Mercy by all that are saved Can that Grace be his which nullifies all his Threats weakens the Authority of all his Commands turns all his Pleadings with Men into empty VVords nay direct Fallacies Is it the Grace of God that overturns the stated Order wherein Grace exerts it self becoming all the Perfections of God God's Grace first calls and therein unites us to Christ first quickens then dignifies first gives Faith then Forgives c. But by the Doctor 's Opinion this Order is inâ—erted all Privileges are applied to the Sinner before Grace hath made any Change on the Sinner It 's not the Grace of God which â—ets up his Decree in Opposition to his revealed VVill Acquits whom he declares Condemned Enervates the Ministry Seareth the Conscience Encourageth Spiritual Sloth Discourageth Obedience Reproacheth Godâ—iness gives Advantage to the Tempter Destroys the Rule of Judgment and Opposeth the general and plain scope of the Scripture the Experience of Saints and the Nature of Man as Rational as well as his Relation to God as a Subject in the way to an Eternal State It cannot be God's Free Grace which renders Men as safe for Eternity if they never heard the Gospel as by hearing of it for if they be united to Christ and pardoned in the Womb they need the Gospel only for Assurance but not for Title to change their Apprehensions but not their State How many more and some grosser Objections might be offered against that being the Free Grace of God which Dr. Crisp and his Followers speak of as Free Grace I desire to live adoring the Riches of that Grace that freely elected to Grace and Glory in Christ as the great Means of accomplishing this Purpose so many apostate Sinners that freely offers Life to the worst Enemies on Gospel-Terms with so much help as leaves the Blood of the Impenitent on their own Heads that freely bestows the Spirit to work the Dead and Ungodly to an Obedience to the Terms of the Gospel that freely gives by the Promise for Christ's sake Pardon to the penitent Believer and such amazing Dignity to such as he enableth to persevere in Faith and Holiness as the Rule of the Promise doth require This Grace I adore and own the best to merit nothing to forfeit all yea to deserve Hell by the Law of Works And I do renounce all that Saints have or do as any Atonement for Sin or Purchasing Price of the least Benefit much less of Salvation But yet I disown any Free Grace to be the Free Grace of God which overturns his Benefits from being Motives to Duty denies the total neglect of Duties with their contrary Evils from being a Barr to our Interest in those Benefits which by the Gospel he promiseth to those Duties and requires those Duties in order to this Rectoral Distribution of Blessings it being wisely provided for in the Dispensation of this Grace that he may Rule and Judge us according to his Relation to us and according to our rational Nature in a state of Tryal for a future Condition READER There are other Mistakes of Doctor Crisp's which I might instance as his Notion of the Nature of our
he looking upon them in his Son is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere although accompanied with many Imperfections Both also tell us Chap. 18. a. 2. That the Promises are made to Graces The Elders Chap. 15. a. 2. say That Believers Sinning are renewed through Repentance to Salvation Of the Necessity and Benefit of Faith I have given their Judgment before The Assembly and Elders Chap. 1. a. 7. tell us Those things which are necessary to be known believed and observed for Salvation are clearly propounded The Assembly's Large Catechism Q. How doth Christ execute the Office of a King A. Among other things they say In rewarding their Obedience and correcting them for their Sins Q. How is the Grace of God manifested in the second Covenant A. Among other things Requiring Faith as the Condition of their Interest in him c. Giving his Spirit to his Elect c. to enable them unto all holy Obedience as the Evidence of the Truth of their Faith and as the Way which he hath appointed them to Salvation Q. What hath God required that we may escape the Wrath and Curse c. A. That we may escape the Wrath and Curse of God c. He requireth of us Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus and the diligent Use of the Means c. You see they think Obedience and Good Works are rewardable that the Exercise of Graces do us much Good that Obedience is the Way to Salvation that we have much to do and that to escape the Wrath and Curse I shall transcribe part of the New-England Synod's Confutation of that Speech of the Antimonians If I am Holy I am never the better accepted of God If I be unholy I am never the worse This I am sure of be that elected me must save me To this the Synod answer This Expression imports that though a Man's Conversation be never so holy and gracious yet he can expect never the more Manifestation of Gods Kindness and Love to him Contrary to P. 50. ult and Joh. 14. 21. It implies That though a Man's Conversation be never so vile yet he needs not fear nor expect any Expression of God's Displeasure and Anger to break forth against him contrary to 2 Chron. 15. 2. And in a Word it imports That God neither loved Righteousness nor hated Sin and did take no Delight in the Obedience of his People Contrary to Psal. 45. 6 7. and 147. c. It 's true the Foundation of Election remaineth sure but it 's as true that whom he chooseth he purposeth to bring to Salvation through Sanctification of he Spirit 2 Thes. 2. 13 14. The 19th Errour of Mr. H. All Commands in the Word are Law and are not a Way of Life Errour 43. the Synod Confutes is The Spirit acts most in the Saints when they endeavour least Errour 48. Conditional Promises are legal Errour 50. It 's Poverty of Spirit when we have Grace yet to see we have none in our selves Doctor Owen Of Justif. P. 222. We grant that 1. God doth indispensibly require of him a justified Person personal Obedience which may be called his Evangelical Righteousness 2. That God doth approve of and accept in Christ his Righteousness so performed 3. That hereby that Faith whereby we are justified is evidenced proved manifested in the Sight of God and Men. 4. That this Righteousness is pleadable unto an Acquitment against any Charge from Satan the World or our own Consciences 5. That upon it we shall be declared righteous at the last Day and without it none shall be And if any shall think meet from hence to conclude unto an Evangelical Justification or call God's Acceptance of our Righteousness by that Name I shall by no means contend with them Where-ever this Enquiry is made not c. but how a Man that professeth Evangelical Faith in Christ shall be tried judged and whereon as such he shall be justified We grant that it is and must be by his own personal sincere Obedience P. 156. It is commonly said Faith and new Obedience are the Condition of the new Covenant c. If no more be intended but that God in and by the new Covenant doth indispensibly require these things of us in order to his own Glory and our full Enjoyment of all the Benefits of it it is unquestionably true P. 158. our whole Obedience through his gracious Appointment hath a rewardable Condecency with respect unto eternal Life P. 207. These Duties are so far necessary unto the Continuation of our Justification as that a justified State cannot consist with the Sins and Vices that are opposite unto them So the Apostle affirms If we live after the Flesh we shall die P. 208. If this be that which is intended in this Position That our own Obedience and good Works are the Condition of the Continuation of our Justification namely that God doth indispensibly require good Works and Obedience in all that are justified so that a justified State is inconsistent with the Neglect of them it is readily granted The Ground of Doctor Crisp 's Mistake He thinks because God eternally intended us all Benefits in the way he determined therefore he appoints nothing to Men as the Means of partaking of those Benefits Whereas this way Christ himself may as well be excluded by the Decrees he not being the Cause of Election but the Means of effecting it and all Endeavours for Life Health Estates c. may be as well prevented for God hath determined how long we shall live how rich we shall be c. Because a Sinner can obtain nothing by virtue of the Covenant of Works therefore what a Believer doth can avail nothing by the Grace of the new Covenant Because Christ hath merited all things as a Priest with a Right and Purpose to bestow them on the Elect therefore he can fix on no way to bestow them on his elect Subjects as Motives to obey him as a King Because he hath delivered us from the legal Rule of Misery and Happiness therefore he hath no Promises or Threats to govern us by in this State of Trial. Because Christ is the only Way of Atonement and Purchase therefore there can be no other way of his own ordaining to obtain the Effects of his Purchase Because we can merit nothing as of debt for doing therefore we can of Grace receive no Benefit by doing though God doth promise it Because we can do nothing for Life with a Thought of buying it therefore we may do nothing for Life as the End that moves us in the Use of indispensibly required Means Because God of his Mercy saves us at last therefore he shall not in the mean while duly govern us in order to Salvation Because we cannot merit Pardon therefore God can order no Grace or Duty to be through Christ rewardable with any other Blessing CHAP. XIV Of intending our Souls Good by Duties we perform TRUTH THough we ought