she loved Christ much how good was it to be possessed of a whole legion of such white Devils that breathed into the soul possessed such strong love of Christ But why then said Christ to her Thy faith hath saved thee ver 50. did her faith only save her but her love justifie her This is one piece of Mr. Baxters new Divinity and with him I leave it Let him learn modesty and truth from Soarez himself a Prelate among the Papists Oportet advertere in hoc quod dicitur quoniam dilexit multum non prius dilexisse multum magnam dilectionem causam fuisse tantae remissionis sed vice versa quoniam remissa sunt ei peccata multa ideo dilexisse multum Soarez in locum He addes Mat. 5. 44. Luk. 6. 27 45. Love your enemies c. That ye may be the children of your heavenly Father c. What will Mr. Baxter hence conclude but that our love c. is the cause or ground of our Adoption That we love God first and then he us afterward That not his grace but our righteousnesse makes us his Children and him our father But contrariwise Christ here exhorteth the children to be like the father directs his words to the already Adopted so to put on the image and resemble the nature and operations of their heavenly Father that they may be i. e. declare themselves to be the children of the heavenly Father Like that of Joh. 13. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye love c. And that of 1 Joh. 3. 10. In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill he that loveth not is not of God c. So love on our part doth not make but manifest us to be the children of God But remarkeable is his next quotation Joh. 15. 12 17. This is my commandement that ye love one another ergo love justifyeth as good as if I should argue Christ commanded Peter to angle and take a fish ergo Peters angling and catching a fish justifyed him As if whatsoever Christ commanded he commanded to justification And as full to his purpose is 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor ear heard c. what the Lord hath laid up for them that love him ergo my love was the condition of Gods laying up for me as if God had not laid up for me before I loved him How agrees this with that which after he annexeth Mat. 25. Inherit the Kingdome prepared for you before the beginning of the world and Rom. 8. 28. All things shall work together for good to them that love God who are they such as are called according to his purpose if called then justifyed and who denyeth the riches of Gods grace dispensing all things for the good of his justifyed ones that love him But what is this to loves justifying And rare logick from the next two Scriptures Grace be with them that love the Lord Jesus Eph. 6. 24. And he that loveth him not let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16. 22. Ergo love to Christ justifyeth in rank and life with faith when I make my love the ground or condition of Gods grace and cease to make the grace of Christ the foundation of my love to Christ then will I expect that Mr. Baxter will justifie me untill then I shall be in his account Anathema maranatha Again God hath promised the Crown the Kingdom to them that love him Jam. 1. 12. 2. 5. Ergo Justification is a Crown and Kingdom and love will then justifie when it brings us to the Crown and Kingdome untill then we are unjustifyed He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father Joh. 14. 21. Ergo our love to Christ begets love in the Father and ergo the love of the Father is our justification and what else Mr. Baxter will for he concludes quidlibet e quolibet I love them that love me and they that seek me early shall finde me Prov. 8. 17. Ergo God doth not love us untill we love him nor seek us till we seek him and so God is moved by us not we by him and perhaps justifyed for of this he speaketh by us before we are justifyed by him That I may cause them that love me to inherit substance and I will fill their treasures ver 21. Ergo our justification is in our chests and purses and our love prevails upon God and Christ to fill them up to the brim with this golden justification I know not whether I may lawfully follow him in his non sequiturs and playing with the sacred Oracles of God surely neither Lucian nor Corn Agrippa with his Asse could ever treat of holy things more ludibriously or expose the sacred word of God to more scorn then this man doth were it out of weaknesse that he doth it he were to be pittied But who knoweth not if Mr. Baxter knoweth not what validity or invalidity there is in every Argument to prove Where was conscience then in quoting so many Scriptures which are no more proper to prove that to which they are applyed then they are to demonstrate a world in the Moon he knoweth the most of them have neither sound nor shew that way and those that have some shew have but a shew and being thoroughly urged to his present purpose would neither prove what he would have here proved but contrariwise crush in pieces some of his former assertions which are the pillars of the whole structure made in this book and falling will necessitate the ruine of the whole fabrick All this he saw therefore stopped at the quotation without alleadging or applying the Scriptures quoted If the man were no more happy in in his Philosophy then in his Theology he should have very little thanks from Rome And it is to be doubted his esteem will be the lesse there for his pretending to be a Scripturist and over-turning or at least shaming with his fingering of Scriptures the specious frontispice which he had erected by his Sophistry Unlesse possibly this may advantage him that he shewes the same genius and spirit in arguing from Scriptures with those holy Fathers and Fryers for so profoundly do we find them arguing Thou art Peter and upon this rock c. Mat. 16. Ergo the Pope is Christ vicar and vicegerent c. Master or Lord Here are two swords Luk. 22. 38. Ergo the Pope hath both swords of Ecclesiasticall and Civill power committed to him God made two lights the greater to rule the day the lesser the night Gâ—n 1. Ergo the Popes power is so much more excellent then Kings and Emperors as the glory of the Sun surpasseth that of the Moon I beat down my body and keep it in subjection 1 Cor. 9. Ergo we must doe penance and whip and scourge our backs when there is occasion Every mans work shall be tryed by fire 1 Cor. 3. Ergo there is a purgatory of fire to be
justifyed if we beleeve our safety being as loose and uncertain then as before depending still upon the residence and abode of faith in us as before it did upon the possibility of its future ingeneration into us and acting in us and that we are no longer justifyed then while we beleeve and obey so that by beleeving and unbeleeving obeying and rebelling we may be justifyed and unjustifyed again a thousand times before we die and how often after himself expresses not I need not mention more these two differences are enough to declare that although here he speak in the same tone with some of our Divines yet his judgement no more agrees with theirs then the Pope with Luther and Calvine Elymas with Paul Simon Maguâ— with Peter or the Scribes and Pharisees with Christ In stead of speaking what might be further expected I shall onely content my self here to lay open some of the many monstrous absurdities and mischiefs that follow this doctrine 1. It proclaims mutability in God and alteration in his minde and will as swift and sudden as in mutable and sinfull man For if God justifie and unjustifie forgive and unforgive love and hate as oft as belief and unbelief obedience and disobedience do nod and succeed either after other in man through infirmity then is there no more stedfastnesse and consistency with himself in God then in man but rather God is swayed hither and thither in willing and nilling love and hatred by influx from man as the Sea by the influx of the Moon then man by influx from God Mr. Baxter sees this absurdity as well as his fellows the Arminians and goes about here and there by the Arminians Sophisms for lack of better to wipe off the stain telling us that the change is in man the object and not in God God hates Paul unbeleeving and persecuting but loves him beleeving and obeying the change is here in the object not in God No more then the Sun is changed by the variety of the Creatures which it enlightneth and warmeth or the glasse by the variety of faces which it represents or the eye by the variety of colours which it beholdeth pag. 174. But Aethiopem dealbat If God love to salvation and hate to damnation one and the same person and love succeeds into the place of hatred and hatred into the place of love and God that erewhile willed the salvation anon willeth the damnation and after that again the salvation of the same man c. as this kinde of Anti-Gospellers assert this is one and the same mutablenesse in God whether it proceed from a principle of inconstancy within or from the mutation of the object without him It denies not the Chameleons that change their colour from white to black and black to white to be mutable because these changes befall them from outward objects the divers coloured Carpets on which they are laid Or if he shall object as do the Arminians Here is no shew of change in God for God changeth not his purpose of saving because he had never but a conditionall purpose and will to save viz. if man will beleeve and obey and this conditionall intent remains in God still together with a conditionall intent to hate and damn him if he perform not the conditions I should answer him in the words of our Divines in answer to the Arminians and Mr. Baxter knows them to be beaten with shame out of this plea therefore to decline the strokes I finde him not yet adventuring to make use of this obiection 2. It denies in effect and substance the justification and remission of any man in this life for to forgive upon such a condition as no man hath power in himself to perform is but a verball not a reall forgivenesse And Mr. Baxter will not let out one gry or iote from his lips that shall give hope to the sinner yea to the believer of any dram of grace and power that the Lord will minister to the Elect more then to the reprobates for the supportation of their Faith and from themselves they have all propensivenesse to fall and no strength to stand In this respect therefore he makes the state of beleevers worse then the state of unbeleevers For Miserrimum est fuisse beatos To have had Faith yea Christ in hand and Heaven in hope and then to fall from all makes their case more miserable in the losse of it then it would have been if they had never had any thing in hand or in hope It utterly destroyeth all joy in beleeving all peace of Conscience all consolation in the holy Ghost while it sets the beleever in the arms of Christs love and participation of his merits and benefits as Dionysius placed Damocles at his table with all sumptuous provisions before him Musick attendance and whatsoever else was Majestical or delightful to cheer him but with a sharp sword hanging by a single hair over his head threatning him No other after Mr. Baxter is the state of a beleever in all his most spiritual enlargements and comforts in Christ there is but a single hair between him and hell fire Death is in the pot of all his contentments Fear of imminent vengeance gives him not leave to taste one of the sweet morsels upon or crums that fall from Gods table And this is a Gospel from hell contrary to the everlasting Gospel which Christ brought from heaven giving a joy that none shall take from beleevers Joh 16. 22. The foundation thereof the love of God in Christ remaining immutable impregnable I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom 8. 38 39. 4. Whereas there are three acts considerable about our Justification 1. Christs giving 2. Gods accepting the satisfaction given for us and 3. Gods justifying or declaring and evidencing us justified in and to our consciences for this satisfaction so given and accepted I would here demand of which of these Faith is a Condition If he say of Christs giving satisfaction this is a contradiction for Christ gave satisfaction before we beleeved or lived so that Faith which came after could not be the Condition of an Act that went before except he will say that Christ must so oft dye as sinners attain to beleeve If of Gods acceptance then more is ascribed to our faith then to Christs death for our justification and faith shall be more then collateral with the sacrifice of Christ to our salvation the sufficiency of satisfaction remaining only in Christs bloud but the efficacy thereof arising from mans faith yea and so Christ should have paid our debts and spilt his bloud for us at the feet of the Father without knowing whether he would accept it or no and so whether there should be the least fruit of his death for the justification of the beleevers before his death is but conditionall
saith nothing Yet because this still leaveth sub judice litem and certain Conclusions cannot be inferred upon premisses left uncertain I should answer secondly That the Curse pronounced and inflicted upon Adam related to him not as a private but publike person For so he fell and so was he sentenced As comprehending the Elect he had the blessing of the seed of the woman but as representing those that perish so he had the Curse But touching those things which he and the other godly do suffer the learned Sadeel Adver sus humanas satisfactiones answereth this Popish Argument here proposed by Mr. Baxter out of Augustine Posset aliquis dicere saith Augustine Si propter peccatum Deus dixerit homini In sudore vultus tui edes panem tuum spinas tribulos proseret tibi terra c. Cur fideles post peccatorum remissionem eosdem dolores patiuntur Respondemus saith Austin Ante remissionem esse supplicia peccatorum post remissionem esse certamina exercitationesque justorum i. e. Some one may say If for sin God said to man In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat thy bread and the earth shall bring forth to thee bryars and thorns c. Why do the beleevers after the remission of sinns suffer these sorrowes We answer saith Austin Before remission these are punishments of sinns after remission they are tryalls and exercises of the Righteous Whereunto Sadeel addeth Non sequitur si mors vitae praesentis aerumnae per se sunt peccati poenae quippe propter peccatum in mundum ingressae eas esse proptereà peccatorum paenas ipsis etiam fidelibus quibus peccata sunt propter Christum condonata i. e. It followeth not if death and the sorrows of the present life be in themselves the punishments of sinn because they entred into the world for or by means of sinn that they are therefore punishments of sinn to the very faithfull also to whom their sinns are forgiven for Christs sake But to do him a pleasure should we give him his Argument forgiving the unsoundnes of it what doth he conclude Thus much that the suspending of the rigorous execution of the sentence of the Law is the most observable immediate effect of Christs death that the redeemed of the Lord partake of By suspending the rigorous execution of the Law he means that he doth forbear an hour or a day or some short time to destroy their lives and cast their souls into hell But so that every moment they must stand in expectation of it and that to their greater torment at last as their sinns during the time of the suspension is increased Whosoever now of Gods redeemed ones receives comfort by this doctrine will I doubt not give his verdit for Mr. Baxter having so nobly and divinely resolved this question that He is a Divine indeed He tells us there be other effects of Christs death c. But he is not at leisure now to communicate them But if they have no more sweet and marrow than this let him keep them to himself we will not be inquisitive after them P. 68. B. To the second Quâ—stion The Elect before Conversion do stand in the same relation to the Law and Curse as other men though they be differenced in Gods Decree Eph. 2. 3 12. Very short yet not so sweet as short He saith it but he proves it not For the Scripture which he brings for proof doth onely declare what the Elect are by nature before conversion not what they are before God in relation to his Covenant of Grace But Mr. Baxter purposeth to speak more largely hereunto in another place which will give me occasion to enlarge my answer At present he is in travell with his answer to the third question and cannot be at rest untill he be delivered of so beautifull a Monster and thus it comes from him Bax. To the third question I confess we have here a knotty question The common judgment is that Christ hath taken away the whole Curse though not the suffering by bearing it himself and now they are onely Afflictions of Love and not punishments I do not contradict this Doctrine through affectation of singularity the Lord knoweth but through constraint of judgment and that upon these grounds following 1 It is undeniable that Christs taking the Curs upon himself did not wholly prevent the execution upon the offender Ge. 3. 7 8 10 15 16 17 18 19. 2 It is evident from the event seeing we feel part of the Curs fulfilled on us we eat in labor and sweat the earth doth bring forth thorns and brayars women bring forth their children in sorrow our native pravity is the Curs upon our souls we are sick weary full of fears sorrows and shame and at last we dye and turn to dust 3 The Scripture tells us that we all dye in Adam even that death from which we must at the Resurrection be raised by Christ 1 Co. 15. 21 22. And that death is the wages of sin Ro. 6. 23. and that the sickness and weakness and death of the godly is caused by their sins 1 Co. 11. 30 31. And if so then doubtles they are in execution of the Law though not in full rigour 4 It is manifest that our sufferings are in their own nature evils to us and the sanctifying of them to us taketh not away their naturall evil but onely produceth by it as by an occasion a greater good Doubtles so farr as it is an effect of sinn it is evill and the effect of the Law also 5 They are ascribed to Gods anger as the moderating of them is ascribed to his lâ—ve Psa 30. 5. and a thousand places more 6 They are called punishments in scripture and therefore we may call them so Lev. 26 41 43. Lam. 3. 39. 4. 6 22. Ezras 9. 13. Hos 4. 9. 12. 2. Lev. 26. 18 24. 7 The very nature of affliction is to be a loving punishment a naturall evil sanctified and so to be mixt of evil and good as it proceeds from mixt causes Therefore to say that Christ hath taken away the Curs and evill but not the sufferings is a contradiction becaus so farr as it is suffering it is to us evill and the execution of the Curs What Reason can be given why God should not do us all that good without our sufferings which now he doth by them if there were not sin and wrath and law in them Sure he could better us by easier means 8 All those Scriptures and Reasons that are brought to the contrary do prove no more but this that our afflictions are not the Rigorous execution of the Law that they are not wholly or chiefly in wrath but as the common love of God to the wicked is mixt with hatred in their sufferings and the hatred prevaileth above the love so the sufferings of the godly proceed from a mixture of Love and Anger and so have in them a mixture
of good and evill But the Love overcometh the Anger therefore the good is greater than the evill and so death hath lost its sting 1 Co. 15. 55 56. There is no unpardoned sin in it which shall procure further judgement and so no hatred though there be anger 9 The Scripture saith plainly that death is one of the enemies that is not yet overcome but shall be last conquered 1 Co. 15. 26. And of our corruption the case is plain 10 The whole stream of scripture maketh Christ to have now the disposing of us and our sufferings to have prevented the full execution of the Curse and to manage that which lyeth on us to our advantage and good but no where doth it affirm that he suddenly delivereth us We have here an Antiscripturall and an Antichristian Conclusion yea a conclusion that hath many Antichristian and Popish Conclusions involved therein Therefore Mr. Baxter being extremely ambitious that an assertion of that nature should stand hath pillared and propped it up with no less than ten Arguments delighted more as it seemes with number than with the waight and strength of them And that he may go orderly to work he forelaies such a stating of the question as may not disadvantage him leaving the question obscure and ambiguous still The Common judgment saith he i. e. The Consenting judgment of all the reformed Churches is that Christ hath taken away the whole Curse though not the sufferings by bearing it himself and now they are afflictions of love and not punishments Who can perswade the Serpent to be streight and ceas from Crookednes and winding in his motions He that mainteineth a good Caus needs no shifts simplicity ingenuity and plain dealing sufficeth him Shall we think that Mr. B minceth and maimeth the judgment of the Orthodox Divines but for the advantaging of the Popish Caus which he mainteins against them With a Counited Judgment they assert a totall freedome by Christ both from the Curs and the sufferings also as they have reference to the execution of the law yea from the law also as it threateneth and curseth them that are in Christ so that their sufferings are chastisements and tryalls flowing from the same grace love from which Christ himself and the redemption which we have by him have issued dispensed toward them by a gracious and reconciled father not inflicted upon them by an incensed and unreconciled Judge But Mr. B casteth a veil over their judgments and le ts but a corner thereof to appeare becaus if he had set forth their judgment at the full it would have marr'd most of his Arguments wherewith he fights against them CHAP. V. The question stated between Mr Baxter and the Papists and Arminians whom he followeth and the Protestants whom he opposeth Scriptures and Arguments from scripture produced by the Protestants to prove 1 That Beleevers are not subject to the Curse 2ly That their sufferings have not the wrath and hatred but the love of God in them are not vindicatory judgments but Chastigatory tryalls LEt us now a little more fully state the question by shewing wherein that which Mr. B calleth the Common judgment and that which is his own pretendedly at least private judgment do consent together and wherein they differ either from other and so we shall avoyd all impertinencies and strife about words which are besides the question It is agreed then on both sides 1 That the Curse is the penalty or the revenging Judgment or an effect of Gods revenging wrath by the execution whereof he taketh satisfaction to his justice upon Transgressors for the breach of his Law so Mr. B. makes it out p. 17. 2 That the justice of God is so fully satisfied by bearing this Curse or penalty as by a complete fulfilling of all the righteousness which the Law requireth p. 48 50. 3 That the Lord Christ hath undertaken and made full satisfaction to God for all the sinnes of beleevers bearing the curse due to them and paying if not the idem according to Mr. B. yet the tantundem that their debt did amount to 4 That God resteth as fully satisfied with this satisfaction of Christ as if it had been made personally by the beleevers themselves These two last Mr. B so frequently asserteth that there is no need to quote the places To which I may add 5 That Afflictions are incident to the beleevers as well as to the unbeleevers so that Love and hatred are not discernable to the lookers on by that which befalls men in this life Eccle. 9. 1. 6 That these afflictions have in them a smart and bitternes as they befall the very Saints so that oft-times in their apprehension the very wrath and curs of God seemes to be in them These two things we grant Mr. B so that hitherto the judgements consent Heb. 12. 11. The difference then betwixt him and us consists principally in these two things 1 Whether when Christ hath by doing their law paying their debt and bearing their curse satisfied the justice of God for the sinns of beleevers when God hath accepted the satisfaction given when the beleevers have by faith apprehended and laid hold on it They do yet remain liable to the curse of the Law in whole or in part to be inflicted upon them 2 Whether the afflictions which God inflicteth upon beleevers in this life are the effects of Gods revenging justice the Curse which the law threateneth and so consequently whether after that God hath taken ful satisfaction from Christ he doth in whole or in part require and take satisfaction from them also Mr. Baxter with the Papists and Arminians mainteins the affirmative of both these questions we the Negative He that 1 after Christ hath born the Curse of the law for beleevers they are liable to beare it in whole or in part themselves also And 2 that the afflictions which they suffer are from the revenging justice of God the effects and Curse of the Law vindictive punishments of sin full of the wrath of God as in this his answer to the 3 question he declares himself But we utterly deny both these propositions either that the beleever is any more after his union to Christ subject to the Curse or that the afflictions which he suffereth have the Curse of the law and revenging justice of God in them but proceed not from the wrath of an angry judge but from the tender grace and love of a most wise and indulgent Father Both these assertions we ground upon evident Testimonies of Scripture First that beleevers are no more liable to but wholly freed from the Curse we have the Holy Ghost affirming Gal. 3. 13 14. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the law being made a Curse for us c. that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith What can be said more cleer and full to the Confirmation
differunt have a vast difference from those which fall upon the ungodly Chastisements tend to the amending spirituallizing and perfecting of those that are exercised therewith as appeareth by the 11 verse of this Chapter But the judgments which proceed from the Law and revenging justice of God work to the tormenting and totall destruction of them upon whom they are inflicted 2 He affirmes them to have their rise from that new relation unto God whereunto by faith they are advanced viz. to be the Children of God They that are not Children undergo in their afflictions the vengeance of God But the Children are under the sweet discipline and loving Chastisements of a Father a most wise and most provident Father that seeks and in all his discipline worketh for the bettering not for the destroying of his Children judgeth i. e. Correcteth them and by correction holds them in from evill and apostacy that they may not be condemned with the world 1 Cor. 11. 32. 3 He pronounceth their troubles to the effects of Gods love whom he loveth he chasteneth c. but the Curse and revenging judgments of the Law proceed from his hatred The Law brandisheth its Curse against enemies whom God hateth 1 Tim. 1. 9. not against the Children of his bosom of his love Against these there is no law i. e. no power in the law to Curse and Condemn Gal. 5. 18 23. Or when the Holy Ghost Calleth the afflictions of beleevers Tryalls fiery tryalls such as is the tryall of the gold 1 Pet. 1. 7. 4. 12. doth he not denote a Contra-distinct difference between the afflictions of the beleevers and the unbeleevers Men cast wood and stubble into the fire to Consume them but the gold and silver into the fornace to try refine and purifie them that they may be of precious and honourable use to them The one they cast from themselves the other they fit for their use and service that they may never be lost Such difference is there betwixt the fire of the curse into which God casteth the wicked from himself to be devoured and the fiery tryall or fire of tryall into which he casteth his Saints for the further purifying and perfecting of their faith and sanctification that they may become vessels of honour in his house for ever And when the Scripture speaketh so oft of Rejoycing in afflictions pronouncing it the duty of Christians so to do as Mat. 5. 11 12. Col. 1. 24. 1 Pet. 4. 13. is it not implyed that their sufferings are altogether flowing from and dispensed by the grace and love of God For who can or ever was directed by the holy Ghost to rejoyce in the wrath of God or in the effects of Gods wrath against him such as are the curse and vengeance Or when the Lord Christ affirmes the eternall Father to be the Husbandman of his Vineyard the Church using his hook to cut off and cast away the fruitles branches i. e. the false Christians but his pruning knife to better perfect the fruitfull branches i. e. the true beleevers Joh. 15. 1 2. Doth not this declare his administrations to be in hatred and defiance to the one but in love and blessings to the other even when he pruneth and woundeth them And when the promise of God is gone forth in relation to the beleevers not to exempt them from but to support them in and bless unto them all their sufferings when they pass thorow the waters to be with them and thorow the Rivers that they shall not overflow them when they walk thorow the fire they shall not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon them Isa 43. 2. Surely these waters and fires are not the curse as the cause in which God wâ—â—l so accompany and perfect them but as his preserving them in it so his leading them into it is from his love and not from his hatred From all which we may boldly conclude that the sufferings which befall beleevers in this life are not the penalty or Curse of the Law or any part of it nor yet proceed from Gods revenging justice but fatherly Chastisements proceeding from the love and Grace of their heavenly Father CHAP. VI. Mr. Baxters ten Arguments for the contrary assertions examined and answered TO the ten Arguments of Mr. Baxter by which he goeth about to fortifie his two contrary assertions I answer in their order To the first drawn from Gods dealing with our first parents I have answered before He must first prove these two things first that they were beleevers which a meer and dark promulgation of a Saviour Gen. 3. 15. doth not evince for many thousands have had the Gospel more fully and cleerly preached to them yet have continued in unbeleef Secondly that the sufferings to which his quotations direct were inflicted upon them as a Curse by Gods revenging justice and untill he hath proved both these his Argument is besides the question It being not denyed by that which he calls the Common judgement either that unbeleevers are under the Curse or that beleevers are subject to sufferings though not to the Curse but a full answer to this Argument was given before out of Austin and Sadeel To the second I answer that it laboreth of the same fallacy with the former That the wicked feel all those sorrowes that he mentioneth and bear the curse and hatred of God in them is not denied But the godly have their part in the same sorrowes yet they bear not the curse and hatred of God therein This he was to have proved and untill he hath proved it he saith nothing but slides from the question which if he will but look an inch backward to his own words he thus stateth That the Common judgment is that Christ hath taken away the vâ—â—ole Curse being made a Curse for us yet exerciseth his own people with sufferings which unto them are onely afflictions of love c. Against this opinion he opposeth himself undertaking to prove that these also have not onely their sufferings but also the Curse of God in their sufferings Now the second argument which he brings to prove this is that the godly suffer the same things which are inflicted upon the wicked as a curse What is this to the purpose he doth herein but beat the ayr and fight against the winde and bark at the Moon comes not neer them whom he makes his adversaries in this question For they confess the sufferings but deny the curse He must therefore prove that the curse as the curse is inflicted upon the Saints els he comes no neerer the question than Ararim Parthus bibit aut Germania Tigrim For all that is here said denyeth not all the sufferings of the Saints to be chastisements and afflictions of love What the Apostle saith of one of them is true of the rest also viz. womens bringing forth of their children in sorrow Shee shall be saved by childbearing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim.
to be cast out of Gods favour and overwhelmed with his wrath and fury Not that it is so really For God hath forgiven their sinns Therefore after his forgiving to retain wrath and anger may be ascribed to malicious men whom we shall hear saying I will forgive but never forget him But in no wise to the most righteous God who so forgiveth the sinns of beleevers as that he will never more remember them To the sixth I will not fall into a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a strife and dispute about words and names Let Mr. Baxter agree with us in the matter and we will not stick to close with him in the name and words Let him deny all malignity and curse in the sufferings of the godly and to do him a pleasure we will call them punishments as he doth After that God had new named Jaakob calling him Israel he remained ever after indifferently called either Jaakob or Israel still the new name made it not a sin to make use of the old also So though the sufferings of the Saints which under the Law were usually termed punishments and judgments are now under the Gospel as it were baptized with new names which more set forth their nature such as are Chastisements and Tryalls yet is it no sin to use the old as well as the new names still for we see the penmen of the New Testament to have done it before us To the Seventh Mr. Baxter is here returned again to his evils and either I understand not what his meaning is or if I do understand him I find a pack of little sence and much arrogance a compound of absurdities and presumptions Absurdities in the Argument it self arrogance and presumption in that which he speaketh for the confirmation thereof First we have his absurd non-sense The very nature of affliction saith he is to be a loving punishment a naturall evill sanctified and so to be mixed of evill and good as it proceedeth from mixt causes Let him that can make sense and truth here meet together I cannot By evil I must needs conjecture he means the evill not of sin but of punishment For the evill of sin as sin cannot be mixt of evill and good being altogether evill By affliction ever since I understood words I have concluded to be meant any vexation trouble sorrow anguish or torment that a man hath inflicted upon him by God or the Creature If this be not affliction I never knew affliction If it be so it is a meer absurdity to affirm every affliction to be a loving punishment a naturall evill sanctified mixed of evill and good c. Pharaoh afflicted Israel and the Devill afflicted Job did either Pharaoh or the Devill mean or act love in afflicting or sanctifie the evill which they inflicted or had the evill which they inflicted either love or good in its own nature who but a man in a dream will affirm any of this gear It cannot be pronounced and concluded that the afflictions which are from the Creature as from the Creature to have such qualifications as Mr. Baxter ascribeth to them either from their own nature or from the will and infusion of the Creature inflicting them And no less absurd is it to attribute such qualifications to affliction universally as it proceeds from God either immediately or mediately by the Creature The torment of the reprobate men and Devils in Hell must be granted to be an affliction and that it is God which afflicts them To conclude hence because it is an affliction an affliction from God it is a loving punishment a sanctified evill mixt of good and evill as proceeding from mixt Causes is such an absurdity that although Mr. Baxter in words affirm it * Abhorret a sensu comuni ut benefiat ei a quo poenae sumuntur Cham. Panstr T. 3. l. 23. Cap. 6. Parag. 11. Monstrum judicij c. id ibid. Paragr 30. yet would he be as loath as any of the opposite opinion to try it If he had said Chastisements are in their own nature so qualified we should have born with it but he shunneth that word as a rock upon which he might have dashed the Curse against believers wherewith as with a treasure he hath laden the Barque of his disputation in this place From such false and absurd premisses therefore to inferr this Conclusion Therefore to say that Christ hath taken away the Curse and evill but not the suffering is a meer contradiction becaus so far as it is a suffering it is evill to us and the execution of the Curse is as fallacious as the premisses absurd Fallacious many ways 1 in jumbling in the execution of the Curs which was neither expressed nor implyed in the premisses 2 In couniting together evill and the curse as equipollent terms which are oft disparates No man besides Mr. Baxter will conclude every evill of suffering to be the Curse Christ mourned for the sins of Jerusalem Mat. 23. 37. Lu. 19. 42. Paul had continuall heavinesse and sorrow in heart for the unbelief of Israel Rom. 9. 2. Jeremy had his soul weeping in secret and his eyes running down with teares for the sin and afflictions of his people Jer. 13. 17. This mourning heavines and weeping were sufferings made impression of evill I mean with Mr. Baxter the evill of pain and sorrow upon them yet were not these sufferings the execution of the Curse upon them 3 In an implyed insinuation that we deny all evill of pain in the sufferings of believers so making them as stocks and stones insensible or as glorified persons impassible Which none ever held though Mr. Baxter would lay it as an absurdity upon all that dissent from him to make the truth which they maintein odious Now Mr. Baxter is not a Child he sees well enough these absurdities and fallacies and doth not either thorow ignorance or inadvertency commit them His use of them therefore doth insinuate to us two things 1 His abasing opinion of others in the superlative confidence that he hath of and in himself If he thought not almost all others to be meer Terrae filios Clods of clay in comparison of himself he would not thus shake out upon his very absurdities and grossest fallacies to be treasured up by us as Oracles becaus his 2 His suspending of conscience that while he pretends unto truth yet takes the reines by any absurd false tricks utterly to subvert it As for his arrogance against God in the Conclusion What reason can be given c. ut supra No marvell if he take the chaire to himself alone from thence to judge of all other Divines when we finde him here as it were usurping the throne of Heaven thence to sentence and censure the wisedome of God in his proceedings In answer to him I shall use no other but Mr. Pembles words against the like arrogance of the Papists Such Questions saith he are vain and curious prosecuted by idle and unthankfull men
Pilate I finde no fault in him and forthwith to whip and hang him for no fault Such divine mercy and Justice do these white sonnes of the Pope ascribe to the Father of Mercies and to his dear Son the purchaser and sluce of all Mercies Touching the doctrine it self I have answered Mr. Baxters Arguments But as to these arguments of the Papists I pass them by not having undertaken to answer them here any farther than Mr. Baxter is their mouth to dispute for them 2 The Papists teach according to the forementioned rule that Christ hath in part also satisfied for the punishment of sin as well as wholly for the fault And as far as Christ hath born and satisfied so far we are freed from the punishment But Christ hath satisfied onely for the infinite eternall punishment leaving us to bear the finite and temporary punishments and curse of the Law or to satisfie for it our selves So that by their doctrine Christ hath not at all by his merits freed us from the substance of the Curse penalty and vengeance of the Law but onely from the boundles measure and endles duration thereof What saith Mr. Baxter to this Christ saith he in reference to the punishment of sin hath suffered so much of what the Law did threaten as we our selves were unable to bear Thes 7. leaving to us to bear the greatest Curses of the Law but not in their full rigor and in their rigorous execution thereof p. 69. Arg. 3. p. 71. Arg. 8. What is this rigor and rigorous execution of the punishment and curse of the Law but the execution of the same in its infinite measure and endles duration which could not be as he confesseth born without the offenders everlasting undooing Thes 6. And thus he with the Papists makes the satisfaction which Christ hath given to his Fathers Justice effectuall to deliver us not from the substance of the Curse and vengeance but onely from the extent of its measure and duration So that if I understand my mother language and the equipollency of terms and words therein there is but the name and a Cardinals hat that puts a difference between a Bellarmine and a Baxter in this point both speak not onely the Tantundem but the Idem the very self same thing in matter substance to the diminution yea degrading of the merits of Christ to make way to set up mans satisfactions parallell with if not supereminent and above Christs With whom if I should enter into a Contest upon this Argument and dared as they to make the Scripture a meer Kickshose without substance and authority under the Charm of distinctions to be formed conformed deformed unto and into any sense at pleasure I could upon more probable grounds and with more plausible reasons argue that Christ hath satisfied for and we by his satisfaction are delivered from the finite and temporary part of the Curse and vengeance onely but are left to bear for ever the infinite and eternall torment thereof in hell than they bring for our deliverance onely from the temporary and not from the eternall Because according to Mr. Baxter Christ suffered the temporary and finite pains onely for us not the eternall but left these as it more probably seems to be suffered by our selves for our selves But as Mr. Baxter will not learn from Christ himself to oppose the Majesty power of the Word against Sophistry so neither dare I learn to oppose his Sophistry against Christ and his Word 3 The Papists teach that those punishments which come upon Christians unavoydably by the threat of the Law for the transgression of the Law viz. the temporall evills that are incident to their souls and bodies in this life as sicknes sorrow loss of friends credit or estates poverty tribulations persecutions trouble of Conscience c. if they be suffered willingly and with patience are satisfactions to God for sin but if unpatiently and unwillingly they are Gods revenge upon us So much the holy Councell of Trent doth even in express words affirm and determine What doth Mr. Baxter say in conformity or contradiction to this assertion He tells us that all temporall evills do necessarily invade beleevers and that by the force and Curse of the Law that when God sanctifieth the same to them he doth not thereby take away their naturall evill or their Curse but onely produceth by it as by an occasion a greater good What reason can be given why God should not do us all that good viz. which the Orthodox Divines attribute to his sanctified Chastisements without our sufferings which now he doth by them were there not sin and wrath and law in them Sure he could better us by easier means They are managed by Christ to our advantage and good These are Mr. Baxters words Pag. 69 70 72. Arg. 2 3 4 7 10. Let us a little examine them When we affirm that these sufferings as they befall beleevers are not from the Law as a Curse but sweet Chastisements of Gods love by which he mortifieth the flesh increaseth their self-denyall Conformeth them to Christ as well in his sufferings as in his graces and doings exerciseth and quickeneth all the gifts of his grace in them Crucifieth the world to them and them to the world and being in dispute with Papists mention many other precious ends and effects of his Chastisements Mr. Baxter Comes in with his Tush at all this Arg. 7. Cannot God do us all this good saith he without our sufferings and better us by an easier means What then Doubtles there is sin and wrath and law in these sufferings What can he mean by this but that first there is our sin as the merit of all these sufferings and secondly that God in executing them takes satisfaction from them and upon them for his law violated and his justice offended Let any man that hath not divorced his reason from him through prejudice pick out any other meaning of his words or deny his words in this meaning to be heterodox and Popish And when he saith that God doth by these sufferings produce a greater good to beleevers than their sufferings bring evill upon them Arg. 4. And that they are managed to our advantage and good what means he by this advantage and good Not our purifying and bettering c. as we hold For this as we have seen he shakes off as a singlesoled supposition with a kinde of Apage Nor any other good that his front hath yet taken boldnes to express for speaking thereof so oft in generall he would not have been so shie to speciallize it for our edification and comfort if there were any in it It must be therefore such a good and advantage that though he would have us know yet he will not speak it out plainly least his tongue and teeth should bewray him to be a professed Papist before such time as he hath Phariseelike c. depraved others that are unwary and made
the whole Law Christ is become of none effect to you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from Grace From these words must needs be deduced these Conclusions 1 That to be under the Law and to be under Grace are contraries and do exclude either the other so that it is impossible for the same person at the same time to be under both together If but circumcised if at all under the Law ye have saith the Apostle made Christ of none effect to you ye are fallen from grace and consequently if at all in Christ yee are not in the least part under the Law but free from the domination and Curse thereof 2 That whosoever yieldeth himself to be under the Law as a Covenant of Works in the least part hath his justification or damnation depending upon his perfect or unperfect keeping of the whole Law so saith th'Apostle if but circumcised c. ye are debtors to keep the whole Law How debtors viz. If ever ye will be justified and saved to keep it perfectly if ye fail but once to be damned for ever 3 That whosoever affirmeth whether he be a Bellarmine or a Baxter believers to be under the Law as a Covenant of Works the same by necessary consequence denyeth all actuall efficacy of Christs death that ever any soul was or shal be saved by his mediation and affirmeth all the Saints that have been are or shal be to be damned for ever For if at all under the Law then not at all under grace or in Christ but they must stand or fall according as they do or not do the whole Law which none doth ergo all must perish The same also may be gathered from Gal. 3. 10. but I have touched upon it before A noble Aphorist ye will acknowledg declaring a greater desire to bring the Saints under the Curse and damnation then there is force in his Disputes to prove them to be under it These Scriptures might suffice to satisfie every judgment that believers are not under the Law Yet I shall mention some few more to shew the copiousnes of the word in this point that there might be no doubting in this point Rom 7. 1-6 the Holy Ghost doth make out this truth as clear as the light The Law saith he hath dominion over a man onely during life as the husband hath power over his wife Let either the husband or wife dye the law or power which the husband had over the wife dyeth also If the wife dye he hath no power over the soul or ashes of his dead wife to exact under any penalty obedience from them If the wife be survivor she is no more bound to the dead ashes of her husband to fear either command or wrath thence but is wholly at liberty So also stands the relation between the Law and believers The Law in the height of its authority had power to inflict death but once upon man this death have believers suffered in Christ therefore are dead to the Law by the body of Christ have done their Law and suffered all that the Law had to inflict upon sinners in the body or humane nature of Christ suffering for them so that they are dead to the Law so far without the lists of further punishment or terrour of the Law as the Felon or Murtherer that is condemned hanged dead and buried is free from further punishment by the Law of the Land Yea the Law also is dead to them having spent it's sting and strength and life also on the naturall body of Christ and is thereby disabled for ever to re-assume the same against the mysticall body or any member thereof So that they are fully delivered from the Law All this doth th'Apostle speak out at the full in that place and no lesse in Gal. 3. 24 25. The Law was our School-master unto or untill Christ c. But after that faith is come we are no longer under a Schoolmaster This also he illustrateth Gal. 4. 1 c. by a similitude likening the Church before Christs coming to an Heir in his Minority by his fathers will put under Tutors and Governors so that though he be Lord of all yet differs nothing from a servant but is under his Tutors ferule and rod also to be constrained with fear when love becomes ineffectuall to move him to his duty such was the condition of the Church while in its minority and feeblenes of spiritual knowledge the Sun of righteousnes not being yet risen fully to enlighten them with the understanding of their liberty and glorious prerogatives During this time though they were Lords of all yet because of the weaknes of their knowledg they were kept Servant-like under hard Masters under the Commands and threats of the Law but resembling the Church under the Gospel to the same heir in his maturity of age now entred into the possession of his heritage and become rather Lord of his Tutors and Governours then any way subject or servile to their authority gently and generously accepting their wholsom Counsels but disdaining so to subject to their authority as to be brought under the rod of their power any more So also Gal. 5. 13 18 23. speaking of them that had been called to the liberty of the Gospel believing in Christ walking in the Spirit and bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit concludeth of them that they are not under the Law that against such there is no Law And 2 Cor. 3. 11. cals the Law as a Covenant of works that which was done away as he doth the Gospel as a Covenant of Grace that which remaineth Yea that the case might be so plain that no Jesuiticall distinctions might pervert it the Holy Ghost at once concludeth both negatively that believers are not under the terrours of the Law at all and affirmatively that they are wholly and onely under the sweet dispensation of grace Heb. 12. 18-24 Ye are not come to the Mount c. burning with fire nor unto blacknes and darknesse and tempest nor to the words and Covenants which could not be heard and born and to the terrible voyce which made Moses himself exceedingly to fear and quake These are the things done away in reference to believers But ye are come to Mount Sion to the City of the living God the heavenly Hierusalem c. to all the prerogatives and privileges of the Kingdome of Grace So also in the Epistle to the Galathians There are two Covenants saith the Holy Ghost the one from Mount Sinai where the Law was given which gendereth to Bondage the other from Hierusalem which is above and is free the mother of us all and concludes at last of all believers negatively that they are not the children of the Bond-woman i. e. under the Covenant of works and affiâ—matively But of the free i. e. under the Covenant of Grace Gal. 4. 24 26 31. Hence is that bold triumphant challenge of the Apostle Rom. 8. 33 34.
elswhere pronounceth of men that when they lay in their blood in their nakedness then hee made it the time of love sayd to them live spread his skirt over them and covered them entred into Covenant with them and made them his Ezek. 16. 6 8. God of his great love wherewith hee hath loved us even when we were dead in sins and trespasses hath quickned us c. Ephes 2. 4 5. God commendeth his love to us that when we were yet sinners when enemies we were justified by Christs blood and reconciled to God by his death Rom. 5 8 9 10. Here it is evident to all men that the love of God justifying and reconciling us to himself goeth before our Faith and Workes was then in its power and operation when wee were yet sinners in all our pollution enemies dead in sinne therefore without any spirituall motion or operation to our own cleansing or happiness I demand now when this love of God so justifying us beganne Not when we beleeved and first obeyed the Gospel for it went before it was then acted toward us when wee were enemies dead c. Or when wee beganne to be sinners Then it seems our sinne begat this love in God and then let the Atheists Aphorism stand as an impregnable Principle let our sinne abound that the grace and love of God may abound Or was there ever an hatred of us as a contrary affection in God before which is now expelled that love might succeed in its place And hath God now changed his hating of us to condemne us into a love to justifie and save us This were to accuse God of mutableness and change For God is Love 1 Iohn 4. 8. and the Love of God is God himselfe loving and to affirme where wee finde the Love of God at present that there was a time when this Love was not in God and a time when God beganne to love is no other but to affirme that there was a time when God yet was not and a time when he beganne to bee God the will of God being God himselfe And the volitions or willings of God being God himself willing And the acts of Gods Love and Hatred being acts of Gods Will yea of God himselfe and no more subject to change because immanent in God then God himselfe So that these Scriptures which affirme Gods love to us when sinners doe affirm also consequentially his love to us before we were either in being or just or sinners even from eternity Thirdly when the Lord saith to his people I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jerem. 13. 3. Doth hee not mean a love which is from everlasting to everlasting Or is there a Love of God to everlasting which was not from everlasting Or was it not the Love of accepting and approbation of them unto Righteousnesse and Salvation whereof hee there speaketh And when the Apostle Iohn tels us that the glory of Gods love doth herein shine forth Not that we loved him but that he loved us 1 John 4. 10. making not our love or any fruits thereof the foundation of Gods love to us but the love of God to us to goe before and prevent our love is not this a doctrin universally true of all the Saints that are or have been that Gods love to them prevented and was antecedaneous to their love toward him if so then consequently before mans being as well as before his loving and if before mans being then from eternity was this grace given us that we were loved of God in Christ to justification and salvation It is that which the Lord Christ speaketh and that not obscurely in his prayer before his passion where having interceded and craved sundry blessings for his Elect he adds this reason why he craved those blessings in their behalfe viz. That the world may know that thou hast sent me and that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jo. 17. 23. How is that in the next verse he explaineth himself thus Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world what doth follow hence but that as Christ so they that are Christs were loved of God unto life before the foundation of the world why will not Master Baxter acknowledge what Christ hath prayed that all the world may know Object 1. Or will it be objected that God loving the Elect in Christ before the foundation of the world is to be understood onely in this sense that before the foundation of the world God decreed in himselfe to love them in Christ afterward in time Then must we so conclude of Christ also that God loved Christ before that is decreed before the foundation of the world to love Christ in after time not that he loved him from eternity for as hee loved Christ so he loved them in Christ But he actually loved Christ as the head of the Church before the foundation of the World therefore also he loved the Elect in Christ as the body and members of Christ before the foundation of the world Yea to decree from eternity to love them afterward in time and untill the time came to hate them or not to love them in Christ was to decree mutablenesse and change in his own will i. e. in himselfe which is wholly repugnant to his nature that cannot change by receiving augmentation unto or diminution of the acts of his Will which were in him from eternity Object 2. But perhaps Master Baxter may object with his friends of the Netherlands the Arminians whose ghosts have much infested us within this Nation these many years that this love of God from Eternity that which he shed abroad upon the Elect when they were yet sinners enemies and dead in sin is to be understood onely of Gods universal common love his love to all the creatures which he hath made or at the uttermost his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his love unto mankind which he extends to all alike Making the raine to descend and his Sun to shine upon the just and unjust and fills the hearts of all with food and gladness Sol. But how then was Jaakob loved and Esau hated when Esau partaked more of this common love than Jaakob or was it a Common love by which God doth justifie and reconcile sinners to himselfe then all shall be reconciled justified and saved Or when the Apostle termes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the much or great love of God out of which when he quickned us yet dead in sinnes and trespasses Eph. 2. 4. was this the common love extended to all the Sonns and Daughters of Adam without difference Then also for God loved us as he loved Christ the love of God to Christ was a common love in nothing supereminent to the love wherewith he loved Cain and Judas Lastly when God saith I have not beheld iniquity in Jaakob nor seen perversnesse in Israel Num. 23. 21. it will I doubt not be granted that the meaning was that God did
of them that hath not at all times held and spoken the same things with Mr. Pemble And so pronounceth the faith of Christ to have been no where sound but within the confines of Rome and that the Protestant Churches are all hereticall and apostates have rejected the faith of Christ and sought righteousnesse and salvation by a Creed of their owne making 4 Neverthelesse his sincerity in the very next words after his such stout pleading for the Papists fals foul with them for making the Scripture a nose of wax to delude the simple with an opinion that he hath no confederacy with them Yet 5 Holds them fast by the hand telling us that he will joyn with them and follow James in their sense and interpretation to seek justification by works and not by faith only But let us come to the text it self and see whether St. James will be brought to dance after St. Bellarmine and Mr. Baxter with all their piping and charming and in this the sincerity of these two great champions in the interpreting of this Scripture will appear First for the scope of the Words who can better expresse it then the Author This himself declares to be the subversion of the false confidences of shadie beleevers who being destitute of true faith gloried in the meer shadow and profession of it as if it should justifie and save them though it never wrought to their Sanctification but left them to every good work reprobate Against this pernicious delusion he bends the whole drift of his dispute and proveth such a faith to be vain dead devillish and on the contrary that the faith which justifyeth is lively and operative in good works This will be manifested in examining the severall passages of the dispute specially to him that will take the labour of reading but some of the many hundreds of our Divines that have answered the Arguments of the Papists hence deduced either in their Commentaries upon this Epistle or in handling this Controversie against them And herein some of the learned among the Papists are more plyant to obey and lesse stubborn to resist the truth then Mr. Baxter The scope of the Apostle saith Cajetan is to shew quod non fide sterili sed foecunda justificâ—mur i. e. that we are justifyed not by a barren but fruitfull faith Thus do we finde James himself staâ—ing the question ver 14. What doth it profit though a man say he hath faith and hath not works shall his faith save him It is against the saying and false professing of faith that hath no force or life to bring forth good works and not against faith indâ—ed which worketh by love that the Apostle here argueth denying to it any efficacy to Justification this is the thing which we shall finde him prosecuting throughout his whole disputation and on the contrary part affirming faith which is living and active to good works to be also alive and effectuall to justifie This will more properly offer it self to be made out in the next place Let us then come to examine Mr. Baxters dispute from the authority of James Pag. 293. Br. In opening this I shall first shew the clearness of that in Iames for the point in question c. This he goeth about to doe by dashing in peeces all whatsoever hath been sayd by all or any of the Protestant Churches or Writers against the Papists in expounding this Text thus B. The ordinary expositions of St. James are these two 1. That he speaks of Justification before men and not before God 2. That he speaks of works as justifying our Faith and not as justifying our persons or as Mr. Pembles phrase is The Apostle when he saith works justifie must bee understood by a Metonymy that a working faith justifieth That the former exposition is false may appear thus This is his shewing the clearnesse of that in St. James viz. to anathematize all that any of the faithfull servants and Martyrs of the Lord Jesus within the Protestant Churches have spoken in the Exposition therof that it may bee embraced by all after the Catholick that is Romish interpretation Two things wee except against in this his clarifying passage 1. That being very good both at confounding and dividing as hee sees either to make for his turn hee doth heer by dividing seek to pervert as erewhile by confounding we found him to obscure the truth Why doth he make two opinions two expositions heer of that which is but one Hath he learned of Maâ—chiavel so to deal in spiritualls as hee prescribes in Politicks Divide impera Why els should hee set at division those that are united Or make them to fight one against another who speak the same things Or set in opposition Iohn against Calvin and Calvin against Iohn Or David against Pareus and Pareus against David And so other thousands when every of these gives both these expositions which he mentioneth in one Possibly as to some particulars in this question he may meet with some particular Writer urging the one onely but he knowes that most and those not the meanest make use of both as shal be shewed 2. Wee except against him that in alleadging theâ—e expositions he doth subtlely hide the grounds upon which the Protestants doe fix these their expositions And thus he exposeth them to the vulgar at least as groundless dreams shifting evasions wherof no reason can be given on our part That all the reason lieth on the Papists part with whom therfore he hath joyned Is this Christian or Jesâ—iticall dealing Would it not bee expected from him that professeth himselfe a Protestant and zealous Presbyterâ—â—n when â—e divides himselfe utterly from them all them of whose side hee professeth himselfe to be at least to set down their opinions and grounds thereof and to confute those grounds and not as hee doth deny and fight against the conclusion without speaking a word to the premisses What he therefore fraudulently omits I shall heer supply rendring the expositions as our Divines give it and the grounds of it and not as Mr. Baxter corrupts it We have found him acknowledging that if it be but some one phrase dissonant from the ordinary language of Scripture that one must bee reduced to the rest and not all the rest to that one pa. 297. So stands the case heer The ordinary language yea drift of the New Testament is to hold forth Justification by faith without works as wee have seen before and every one that will but consideratively reade as other the Evangelists so chiefly the Gospell written by Iohn the Apostle the Acts of the Apostles the Epistles to the Romans to the Galatians to the Ephesians Philippians Colossians and Hebrews especially and above the rest and withall from the rest it must needs appeare This one passage in one Epistle hath a sound of differing but a souÌ„d Must al be reduced to this or this to all According to the rule therefore allowed by Mr. Baxter
what to be certain of It were more tolerable and excusable for me to leave the grounds of one single man giving his private interpretation of this Scripture despised unexamined and unanswered than for him so to deale with all the Churches of Christ But I will not be a follower of him that followes not Christ in lowliness and his Precept in selfe-deniall His dispute here is two fold 1 to prove that Iames speaks not of the declaration of our justification before men 2. To prove that he speaks of our justification before God when he mentioneth justification by works To the former all that he saith is Sophisticall and Fallacious For if wee grant that by the World hee meanes the whole generation of men both good and evill which yet can hardly bee drawne from his dispute which to make our assertion odious would make it out as relating only to the wicked of the world that these must be the alone Judges Notwithstanding his whole Argumentation is a meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a waving the question with a false assumption that by Justification before men we meant a raising of a Tribunall upon earth in opposition to Gods in heaven there to set up men to be judges and to passe sentence of justification and remission of sinnes one upon another according to the evidence of every ones works The falshood wherof hee proves by the illegality of such a judicature and incompetency of the judges and evidence for it And what is this but a Devill of his own raysing and laying again For what one rationall man in any of the Reformed Churches ever dreamed of such a justification All that wee understand heerby is but a declaration and discovery of the tree by its fruits of the state of a man before God that he hath justified or not justified him according as we see the fruits of justification i. e. the works of sanctification following or not following the profession of faith And all this not by a judiciall sentence given for or against any nor by the judgement of infallible faith or knowledge but in the judgement of charity alone which hopeth all things beleeveth all things thinketh no evill except by strong evidence it bee drawn to it 1. Co. 13. 5. 7. In fighting against this doctrine Mr. Baxter fighteth against Christ against the Holy Ghost the Author of it not onely heer but elsewhere also By their fruits ye shall know them saith our Saviour Mat. 7. 16. By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if yee love one another Io 13. 35. that the World may know that thou hast loved them Io 17. 28. He that is of God heareth us he that is not of God heareth us not hereby know we the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error 1. Io 4. 6. Let your light so shine forth before others that they seeing your good workes may glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Ma 5. 16. I magnifie my office if by any meanes I may provoke my bretheren c. and save some of them Ro. 11. 14. By your orderly carriage c. the unbeleever shall be convinced fall downe worship God and report that God is in you of a truth 1. Cor. 14. 24. 25. That he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed having nothing evill to say of you Tit. 2. 8. Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speake evill of you they may by your good works which they see glorifie God 1 Pet. 2. 12. Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme 2. Sam. 12. 14. God hath begun and will perfect in you the good worke as it is meet for me to judge of you because c. Phil. 1. 6 7. I am perswaded of you things that accompany salvation because of your works and labours of love c. Heb. 6. 9 10. Wee give thanks to God for you c. since we heard of your Faith in Christ Jesus and love to all the Saints for the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven Col. 1. 3 4 5 To the Saints which are at Rome Corinth c. and hundreds of the like Scriptures which testifie the declaration such a declaration of the Faith Saintship Justification and salvation of others by the evidence of their works that we ought that it is a sinne in men by the judgement of Charity not to acquiesce therein And on the contrary part testifying the want of such an evidence to be an occasion given to all men to reject our Faith and justification in the profession thereof as spurious and vaine Against all these Mr. Baxter excepreth pronouncing that mans judgement herein is illegall incompetent and the evidence insufficient therefore to make use of any judgement or discerning in this kind is usurpative Doth he herein fight against men or against God Suppose that the event in any thing prove contrary to our judgement yet is there not sin in such judgement while we follow Christs Rule and to be deceived by Charity rightly ordered if it may be called a deceivednesse yet is it no sinfull deceivednesse What hee produceth from the Apostle Vnto me it is a small thing to be judged of you or of mans judgement c. 1 Cor. 4. 3. is nothing subservient to his turne For the Apostle there speaketh of their unjust Censures of him besides and against Christs Rule the Rule of Charity from which while they erred their judgement was not to be regarded and in relation to the future judgement which followes not mans but Christs owne knowledge of us Thus have we found one part of his arguing vaine and wide from the scope in going about to prove that James his Justification by works is not to be taken for the declaring of us to men to be truly justified His second dispute is to prove that this Justification by Works is to be understood of our justifying by works at Gods Tribunall His Reasons to prove it are partly in his words before transcribed partly in a new supply thereunto added The first Reason in the former is B. 1. It is such as Salvation dependeth on ver 14. Brevis esse laboro Obscurus fio No mans immoderate prolixity and tediousness hath ever so much troubled mee as this mans pretended affectation of conciseness and brevity By it when hee speakes nothing he gets the advantage to bee thought of fooles that he speaketh great and mysticall things Were it not that I regard such as are too apt to run after his whistle though they know not his tune I should rather kick at such Delphicke mystericall passages of his than take them up to looke on them If James here take not justifying and saving for the same thing then to use Mr. Baxters words I am not certaine what to be certaine off So that when he saith it is such a justification as salvation dependeth on it is one as if hee
From the attributes that he gives to the faith to which he denieth justification viz. a dead faith ver 17. 20. 26. A faith of Devils ver 19. But a dead and Devillish faith are not a true Gospel faith but at the best a figment and counterfeit thereof 4. From the similitude by which he illustrateth his disputation If a man in a pretence of charity speaks comfortable words to his hungry and naked brother Alas poor soul be cloathed be filled but ministreth nothing to him for his refreshing will any call that flourish of words true charity Is it any more then a paint therof So also of him that saith hee hath faith but evidenceth it not by its fruits c. The verball faith doth no more profit to justification than the verball charity to sanctification If one of these in the mind of the Author be true charity then according to the minde of the Author also the other is true Faith 5. From the object of that Faith which James excludeth from Iustification Mr. Baxter acknowledgeth that the object of justifying Faith is Christ Thes 66 -68 and their explication But let him shew that James doth here expresly or impliedly in any one passage of his dispute make Christ the object of that Faith which he excludes from justification or any other object than the Faith of a meer Heathen or Hypocrite may pitch upon viz. generall truths that there is a God c. else let him grant from his owne principles that it is not true Faith but an unprofitable Historicall Faith as some terme it which is here excluded Thus have our writers in answer to the Papists Cavills expressed the minde of James in this place or rather from him selfe declared what himselfe expresseth to be his minde and this they expresse not as Mr. Baxter perverts them by some one but by both of these interpretations viz. of the word justifying and the word Faith manifesting out of James himselfe that as oft as in this dispute he attributes justification to works he speaks of justification i e. the declaration or manifestation thereof to men As when vers 21 Abraham and ver 25. Rahab and ver 24. A man indefinitely are said to be justified by works he meanes they are so manifested and declared by their works to us This is a usuall phrase not only in Scripture but in our common expressions and our common talk I will justifie what I have spoken or done i. e. I will declare it make it appear to be all good true and just I will justifie him from all that is layd to his charge i. e. I will declare and prove him just and free from all that he is charged with Again where hee denieth justification to that dead faith that worketh not by love that by faith he means a false profession and counterfeit of and not the true justifying faith and who among us ever said that to say I have faith never expressing the power and fruits of it can justifie a man So there is nothing to be found in James crossing the Protestant yea Evangelicall and Apostolicall conclusion that we are justified in our consciences before God by faith alone without works i. e. by a living and working not a dead faith yet without works can we not be declared and manifested just unto men That which Mr. Br. hath spoken against the former part of this interpretation viz. justification before men we have found to be either less or worse than nothing To the other viz. the denying of justification to faith that is a counterfeit a false profession of faith hee saith nothing and why because hee hath not what to say Therfore he stifles it in darknes will not have his Reader hear of it for then actum est he must run to S. Francis or some other Saint S. James leaves him in the mire It is no lesse ludicrous than fallacious that he turns the state of the question another way and danceth round about it never comming to that which our Divines answer 1. Having devised pag. 294. that we say James speaks of works as justifying our faith not our persons he doth pa. 296. goe about to prove that works justifie the person not the faith only And who ever denied this position Doe not wee all say that the holy life declares the truth of faith and therin justifieth as to men the professor of it from all hypocrisie in making such a profession 2. pag. 297. he falls foul with the Ghost of sweet Mr. Pemble for saying that by Faith and works Iames understands a working Faith And after a sharp chiding without examining his Reasons the matter whereof I have before examined at length p. 298. fetching breath he offers him peace and friendship upon condition that he will arise from the grave say what Mr. Baxter saith But despairing of that and concluding if he should rise again from the dead he would still say with the Protestant Churches and Writers that Fides solùm justificat non autem fides sola Faith alone justifieth but not that Faith which is alone without works because that alone faith is not a true Faith he 3. Makes a transition to fall out with all Protestant Churches for attributing too much to Faith in making it instrumentall to Iustification that when Believers are said to receive Christ Io. 1. 12. and to receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of Righteousnesse Rom. 5. 17. wee will not say they receive this Christ this gift of his Righteousnesse to Iustification without any receiving instrument but make Faith the instrument by which we receive the same p. 299. A most pernicious Doctrine to Mr. Baxters Cause If it stand Mr. Baxters Iustification by workes in the same relation with Faith as its Concause must needs fall and tumble downe to hell for works will not be bowed into any instrumentality to co-operate with Faith in receiving Christ and his righteousness When contrariwise if we would say as he doth and which we must take his word without any further demonstration to bee true then in despite of Paul and the Holy Ghost our justification should be parted between faith and works and Mr. Brs. new Gospel stand the Gospel of Grace being wholly taken out of the way as unprofitable But in all that he saith hee diligently keeps off from speaking a word to what our Divines say in proving from James himselfe that he means not true faith when hee denies to the counterfeit or profession of it any efficacy to justifie and let the conscientious Reader judge whether he doth this in zeal for Christ or against him Let none except that possibly hee never read any of them that have thus expounded James What one of them hath he then read Nay I rather question what one of them hath he not read or with what one thing is he unacquainted that any of them hath written He is a stranger to Mr. Br. that will accuse him of little reading
obedience of Abraham which God had by promise made sure to him before ever hee offered his son or had the son to offer To this I might annex the harmony of Scriptures that testifying the kingdome of glory to be prepared for them that shall enjoy it from the beginning of the world purchased for them by Christs death Mat. 25. 34. Heb. 9. 15. That they were begotten to it by the seed of God begetting Christ in them 1. Pet. 1 3. 4 and are inrighted to it by their adoption yet notwithstanding God cals it the Reward of the inheritance and promiseth it to them for their works and faithfull service in the Lord Nor implying therby that the workes done put them into a worthiness or capacity to receive it For if a thousand times more were done and suffered by them that are not in Christ that are not adopted Children it should be nothing to salvation but for other very glorious and spirituall ends among which may be numbred these that follow 1. To declare the operation of the Spirit of Adoption upon the Saints that having the promise made and the hopâ— of this eternall inheritance begotten in them freely by Grace in Christ and the same witnessed and assured to them of meere mercy it doth not permit them to turn the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ into lasciviousness but stit encourage them to all doings sufferings for Christ by the intuition of the reward having their eyes-fixed upon the reward before them they are animated by it to do all things knowing that their labour is not vaine in the Lord to all sufferings concluding that all are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed to them to rejoyce in all having an eye to the recompence of the reward And so all their obedience is in a way of love and thankfulnesse for the right which is freely given them to the Kingdome not thereby to inright themselves to it 2. To declare Gods acceptance as well of the works as the persons of his adopted ones and thereby to hearten them to well doing when in every act and service of love which they perform in every suffering that they beare for his sake he still as it were meets them not only with his apples and flaggons but also with his Crown and Kingdome for this and for that service renewing still the promise of it This sets an edge upon their Love and sublimates their Spirits to more and greater undertakings What doth my Heavenly Father take notice of and accept so graciously these weak services renew the Covenant and as it were bring down Heaven and himselfe into mee upon such slender performances so that I walke and work and do and suffer not onely in the hope but even in the view and possession of blessedness what is there so high or low great or small to which I should not stretch or stoop to please so good a Father shall I receive so great a salvation so frequently set afresh before mine eye and new ratified to me without doing or rendring any thing for it 3. To manifest to the evill world that God in the midst of the riches of his grace is also infinitely righteous a Lover and Rewarder of purity piety holinesse righteousness and all the works thereof For to these his promises of life are extended and into these hee leadeth his children new creating them to the performance thereof having ordeined them to walke therein So that hereby the mouth of the enemies of Christ and blasphemers are stopped from crying out against the inequality of Gods wayes or charging Christ to be unjustly a friend of Publicans and sinners Seeing that although hee loves them even while they are such and pittieth them because they are such yet he loves them not as such much lesse glorifieth them as such But first purgeth them with his owne bloud and sanctifies them by his owne Spirit and leads them forth in his owne strength into all obedience both of doing and suffering encouraging them by his precious promises in all the way of their Pilgrimage and telling them that no least portion of all their labours or patience in the Lord shall passe unregarded or unrewarded and in the end of all their journey crownes them and their obedience with the eternall glory promised Yet so as that all the glory which was promised to them in that which some of the Fathers and the Schoolmen call the Viâ the Way and that is actually conferred upon them in Patriâ in the Countrey in Heaven was theirs by grace in Christ before the foundation of the World was laid much more before they did either good or evill and theirs in themselves and to their own apprehensibleness if not apprehension at their fiâ—st union unto Christ and adoption into Gods Family through Christ so that if we look to the foundation therof in God it is his free Grace and Love unto us in Christ or in our selves it is our union unto Christ and relation of Sonship towards God in Christ Yet so as usually works intervene and the promises of God both to the works and workers as for many other so for the reasons and ends heer expressed oft renewed Now let us attend Mr. Br. to hear from him what Scriptures or reasons he brings to prove his Assumption B. Heb. 5. 9. Christ is the Author of eternall salvation to them that obey him This Scripture makes against him not for him 1. If Christ bee the authour then is not our obedience the ground of it but wee should be authors therof to our selves at least hee should bee in part author of it by his and we in part by our obedience and so the honour therof should be parted between Christ and our selves But this Mr. Br. would have to bee set up as his doctrine 2. Therfore when he is sayd to be such to them that obey him it is the same as if it were sayd to them that hurling away as dung their own righteousness do beleeve in and receive him alone to salvation For so to obey Christ to obey the Gospel and that which Christ calleth the hearing and keeping of My word My commandements My sayings in so many places as that it is hard â—o number them are equipollent terms and hold forth the obedience to the doctrine of faith in opposition to the obedience which the Law or old Covenant prescribeth to salvation a seeking of salvation by the righteousness of Christ and no more by our own righteousness 3. If it were otherwise yet the persons that shall bee saved by Christ are heer described only and not a condition by which they are to be saved prescribed B. Ro. 2. 7. 8. 9. 10. He alleadgeth not the words and may bee ashamed to quote the place to prove the salvation which is by the Gospel to follow the tenour of works knowing that the Apostle there goeth about to convince the Jews that the Law cannot save them by shewing
once revealed to us and made ours in possession or in hope ought so to spiritualize us so to swallow us up into the spirit that we should no longer walk after the flesh but after the spirit to delight in the Law of God in all the holiness and righteousnes which the Law teacheth after the inner man He that seeks not so to doe hath hugd in his arms a dream of Christ not Christ himselfe hath had him possibly in his fancy never in his heart and conscience Hee that hath effectually met with God in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe and there tasted the love of God or rather God which is love hath suffered a Metamorphosis and is changed all into love hath so beheld God shining in Christ as in a glasse that he is transformed into the same image is or would bee wâ—olly configured to the likeness of God Yea we grant more that the truly justified and adopted ones of the Lord may perform these works of naturall righteousness which the Law commandeth with respect to and expectation of the future glory which shall be revealed to them and conferred on them for Christs sake as a reward of such their imperfect service yet not a reward of debt purchased by and due to their works but of free gift and grace from their indulgent father who of his infinite love and bounty is wont to recompence the mites of his dear childrens labours with the talents of his grace and bounty not because they are worthy but because he is gracious yea Grace and Love it selfe Ro. 4 4. 5. Goe ye into my vineyard and whatsoever is right or meet ye shall receive Mat. 20. 7. It must bee a boundless reward what such a father shall think right and meet to bestow upon his dear children Their reward shall bee proportioned not to the pittance of their poore service but to the riches of their fathers bounty and uncircumscriptiveness of his treasure The respect of such infinite treasure in their fathers hand and the riches of his love to bestow it in largest dimensions upon them with a gracious respect to their dutifulness and service should serve as a strong motive and attractive to them to be still doing for him When I was yet in my bloud hee loved and cleansed me Ezek. 16. 6 -9. When dead he quickned me Eph. 2. 1. When without strength to work when a sinner when ungodly when an enemy he gave his son to die for me and reconciled me to himselfe What will he now doe for mee so quickned reconciled washed and justified having attained strength if I employ that strength in his service Ro. 5. 6-10 Now wee are the sons of God but it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee onely wee know that when he appears we shall bee like him having therefore this hope we ought to purifie our selves as he is pure 1. Jo. 2. 25. 3. Thus are the saints to draw encouragement to obedience from the consideration of the reward or rather from the infinite love and bounty of the rewarder 3. That they which are out of Christ yet under the means of Grace and Ministry of the Gospel must performe all pure Gospel duties which the Law requireth onely in generall and implicitely but the Gospel specifieth expresly to the severall ends to which the wisdome of God hath severally related them some to justification some to sanctification by Christ Jesus It is their duty to hear learn study and meditate upon the doctrine of Grace and mystery of Christ duly to prize and value it to desire gasp cry and pray for the effectuallizing of it to themselves to embrace and receive Christ to repent of their long estrangedness from him to deny themselves and cast away all opinion of and confidence in their owne righteousness that Christ alone may bee embraced and the dung being cast out they may bee replenished with that which is indeed the Treasure and all this that they may bee justified and saved not by and for these duties so performed but by and for Christ to whom they seek and strive in all these duties to come into union All this the Gospel both tacitely implieth and expresly teacheth and the Law also in generall and inclusively commandeth as hath been sayd Thus the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force Here stil Christ is al to justification salvatioÌ„ Faith the alone instrument to receive him All the other actings are but subservient to Faith in this its instrumentall service to make way for it As when a treasure is offered by a munificent benefactor to a poor beggar the grace of the benefactor and pretiousnesse of the treasure is that which inricheth him and the hand the alone instrument to receive it yet must the eye guide him the understanding prompt him the wil move him the feet carry him and other actings of the minde and body bee subservient to him that the hand may rerceive that which inricheth him At length when all is done such a begger hath more apparent grounds of boasting that hee hath been and done somewhat to his owne enriching than the best of us that we have been or done any thing to our own Justification For though the Benefactor hath poured upon him freely of his own mercy not for or upon condition of his crying running to him emptying his hand of what was in it before and stretching it forth to bee filled with the treasure profered him yet the benefactor gave him neither a heart to desire nor wisdome to value nor light to guide him nor feet to carry him nor a hand to receive the treasure conferred It is otherwise in our Justification by Christ God freely gives it in Christ and all the power will actings and instruments by which we come into the possession of it Neither when we affirme all these to be our duty while yet unjustified doe we thereby affirme that all must be done before we can bee justified The grace of God oft prevents our operation in most of these justifying us by Faith before we have time to put our selves upon many of these operations In this sense I know none that denieth an obligation upon sinners to act and worke for their justification and salvation 4 They that are justified ought to be still active and industrious in all the duties of the Gospell tending to their confirmation in the Faith stablishment in Christ illumination in the misteries of the Gospell denyall of themselves and seeking to be wholly swallowed up into the Lord Iesus that they may be dayly more filled and ravished with fuller assurance and comfort of their justjfication salvation by him This we find the Apostle making his taske Phill. 3. 8 9 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. And hereunto tend the many memento's scattered by the holy Ghost in the Gospell watch pray take heed beware stand fast hold fast Run fight strive continew c. All which tend to the
and his glorying that they prove wee may act for salvation p. 81. which as generally posited by him no man ever denied there is no need of answering that which they are brought to prove being granted At length in the same pa. 81. of his App. he frameth an objection made against his doctrine thus B. Object But is it not the most excellent and Gospel-like frame of spirit to doe all out of meere Love to God and from thankefulnesse for life obtained by Christ and given us To this Objection he gives a three fold Answer Bax. Answ 1. If it come not from love to God it is not sincâ—re But is it sincere if it come from love to God Is there not aswell a naturall love as a naturall fear of God in the hearts of all both good and bad Or was there ever any that hated God as God and good Or that served him from hatred to him If such a Naturall or Morall Love for I finde not Mr. Baxter ascending any where higher suffice to make the obedience of men sincere and because sincere a perfect and sufficient righteousnes to justification and salvation Then all will more fitly cohere than the golden crowne with the golden pantofle a universall conditioning righteousness with a universall conditionall salvation All shall be saved except the Antinomian Paulites or Protestants if Mr. Baxters Gospel stand if he misse none else but they B. 2. Yet doth not the Gospel any where set our love to God and to our own souls in opposition nor teach us to love God and not our selves but contrarily joyneth them both together and commandeth them both The love of our selves and desire of our own preservation would never have been planted so deeply in our nature by the God of Nature if it had been unlawfull I conclude therefore that to love God and not our selves and so to do all without respect to our own good is no Gospel frame of spirit As home to the matter as his doctrine of Justification to the truth Where was conscience when will and wit alone shew themselves to beguile his Readers with meere opinions and imaginary suspitions Who ever opposed the ordinate love of God to the ordinate and subordinate love of our selves When he hath degraded us from being men yea into a state beneath Beasts and bruits telling the world that we doe not appetere bonum desire and move unto any thing that is good yea our chiefe good thenceforth hee thinks the world in stead of hearing will trample us as other stocks and stones that have no sensitive appetite Our doctrine is of another frame Wee oppose the love of God which is from the spirit of Adoption not from Nature to the servile feare which is from the spirit of Bondage following heerin the light and testimony of the Holy Ghost Ro. 8. 15. 1. Jo. 4. 18. And this I doubt not to be also the meaning of the Apostle Gal. 5. 6. where hee makes the all on our part to justification consist in Faith which worketh by love i. e. in faith which carrieth out the beleever to work no more in slavish fear and by a mercenary spirit but in the freedome and spirit of Love And whosoever will but vnwinde the Clew of Pauls disputation in the whole 4. Chapter especially from verse 21. and so forward to this 6. verse of Chap. 5. shall I think have the suffrage of his own Reason for this interpretation For the Apostle having disputed of the bondage discending from Hagar to Ismael and his Children from Mount Sinai to those that held themselves under the Covenant of Works Doe and live there given and withall of the Freedom discending from Sarah to Isaac and his seed viz. the seed of Christ then included in and typified by Isaac i. e. from the New and spirituall Jerusalem to all true Christians concludes of all such We are not the Children of the bond woman but of the free and in 5. Chap. verse 1. exhorting them to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free And forbidding and in the next 3 verses shewing the danger of returning againe under the servile yoke of the Covenant of works Do and live whereas by Faith and not by works the hope of Righteousness is to be expected he concludes in the sixth verse that neither circumsition nor uncircumsition i. e. neither workes nor any externall priviledges of the workers avail any thing to life and righteousnesse but Faith which worketh by love what is that but Faith which worketh by a new principle of filiall love and not from that olde principle of servile feare the proper adjunct of the Covenant of workes This is to be the Children of the free not the bond woman by the Faith of Christ alone to seek for righteousnesse yet to be still working from a principle of love not of feare to bring forth fruits of sanctification to him that hath freely justified us This man saith the Apostle hath entred into his rest as God hath entred into his rest Heb. 4. 10. As God having consummated the worke of Creation rested and ceased from his worke because all was perfect and needed no addition and Christ having offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat downe at the right hand of God ceasing from further sufferings because our redemption is fully perfected and nothing more needed to bee added Heb 10. 12. 14. So every beeleever in respect of the rest of Grace having received by Faith the righteousnesse which is by this one sacrifice of Christ for the purging of all his sins sitteth downe for ever at rest in the fruition and firme tenure thereof ceasing from his owne workes to perfect his justification because it is already compleated and nothing needeth to be added to it All his workings henceforth is to manage so great a salvation to the glory of the Author as God worketh hitherto and Christ worketh for the governing and disposing to their proper ends the Creatures made and elect men redeemed Mr. Baxter contrariwise teacheth men so to love themselves as with love to destroy themselves and so to seek for life as to be sure to lose it forbidding them to enter into their Rest of Grace and calling them back to the yoke of bondage againe not suffring them to cease from their owne workes nor to doe that worke of God Jo 6. 29. nor to act in the Sp. of love but of feare and bondage Is not he one of those hard Taskmasters from whose cruelty Christ calleth his Disciples Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavy laden with the yoakes and burthens which your legall Teachers impose on you and I will give you rest c. These will never permit you to have rest to your soules Mat. 11. 28 29. I conclude therefore that Mr. Baxters Conclusion of this his second Answer to the Objection is as patt to the purpose as an Oyster-shell to a hungry appetite and the love to
works and in opposition to works That this is Pauls doctrine and Pauls justifying Faith I suppose hath beene enough evinced before and shall God assisting bee more fully eleared in its due place when I come to examine the reasons which Mr. Baxter bringeth to proove his doctrine not to bee opposite to Pauls but the same with it Therefore in calling this Faith a soule couzening Faith hee proclaimes Paul yea Christ himselfe which revealed to Paul his Gospel a cheater and couzener learning this calumniation from that Jewish and Pharisaicall generation from which he hath derived his Doctrine Joh. 7. 12. But the testimony of the Holy Ghost runnes contrary to Mr. Baxters pronouncing them that joyne Works with Faith as necessary concâ—uses with it to Justification to bee the couzeners troublers and subverters of mens soules Col. 2. 4. Gal. 5. 12. Act. 15. 1. 24. But to vindicate the Doctrine of the Protestant Churches and therein also the doctrine of the Gospel both being one and one 〈◊〉 from having any thing in it that may give footing to this 〈◊〉 that we teach a soule-couzening Faith and to manifest that Mr. Baxter doth knowingly asperse the Doctrine of Faith and them that held it with this slander I shall collect into a few heads the doctrine which our Churches teach yea which Mr. Baxter knoweth they teach as to this Question First then they affirme That God hath layd up in one Christ alone all supplies for poore sinners to relieve them against all their spiritual wants of which supplies these 2 are principal ones righteousnesse to justification and the Spirit to Sanctification The one delivereth from guilt and condemnation the other from the domination of sin and impotency to acceptable obedience The former stateth the sinner Rectum in Curia righteous before God again having his sin pardoned and no more imputed the latter spirituallizeth quickneth and new formeth him again to the will and image of God in holinesse and righteousnesse 2 That whosoever receiveth one receiveth both these supplies from Christ none puts him on to justification but puts him on to sanctification also and so becomes a new creature as well in reality as in relation becomes inherently as well as imputatively righteous by him 3 That it is one and the same Faith which is instrumentall both to justification and sanctification though not by one and the same but by severall and different Acts. As my hand even the same hand is instrumentall both to feed and cloth me though not by the same but by different Acts. It is the will of my benefactor to hold my selfe to Mr. Baxters simily having ransommed me from Turkish thraldome and appointed me to honourable service in his house to leave open to me both his wardrop and his store house or promptuary of provisions with a command that I should pertake freely and richly of both that by the one I might be fitly habited and adorned by the other nourished and strengthened for honorable service to be done to him In both these my hand is instrumentall to serve and furnish me yet by severall Acts. It neither fetcheth meat from his wardrop nor clothing from his Pantry and Cellar but by several Acts from both and either what in both and either is laid up for me yet so as all is my Lords goods and by my pertaking thereof I am put into a capacity of dooing him faithfull and acceptable service I need not make the application every one can do it for himselfe The eternall King having layd downe the life of his owne son for the ransom of my soule hath opened to me all his treasuries in one the same Christ the treasury of his blood merits to purge me from the guilt of sin and obligation to judgement and vengeance so that having put on Christ crucified my Law is done my sin forgiven my nakednesse and filthinesse covered and I stand in Christ as perfectly righteous as if I had never offended the treasury of his spirit and spirituall gifts sufficient to turn my water into wine to renew my hart and to sannctifie me throughout that henceforth I shall hate sinn no lesse than hell and delight in the Law of God after the inner man taking no lesse pleasure in the holinesse than in the happinesse which are by Christ The eternall Father offers both together and neither without the other And the same spirit which drawes to one drawes to both The same Faith which apprehends one apprehends both is not a justifying except it be also a sanctifying Faith Yet by severall Acts and from severall treasuries in the same Christ the same Faith fetcheth justification from his satisfaction and new inherent righteousnesse from the spirit of sanctification 4 That as justification ought and doth declare it selfe to the person justified by its proper and immediate fruits peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost prizing Christ above all things soul contentation in him living and dwelling upon him selling all to enjoy him alone to righteousnesse and salvation counting all things dung and losse in comparison of him emptying our selves more and more of our owne righteousnesse of our owne-selfe confidence that hee may be made out all at Gods Tribunall repairing no more to Abanaâ— Pharfar no nor to Jordan it selfe but to the one fountaine of Christs blood there to Wash dayly and be cleane neither in this mountain nor yet at Hierusalem but in Christ alone to worship that we may be accepted So also sanctification doth and ought to shew it selfe to us and others by its fruits to our selves by the seeds and habits of love righteousnesse holinesse c. affecting the heart within To others by the fruits and workes of the spirit manifested in the practise without viz. all the Acts of love mercy goodnesse sanctity piety charity equity patience meeknesse c. as also in subduing the flesh by the spirit mortifying every evill affection fighting against every sinn that we may shew our selves a peculiar people of the Lord zealous of every good worke 5 That justification and sanctification by Faith in Christ do evidence either the other He that can finde himselfe truely justified may know himselfe to be no lesse truly sanctified by Christ because he that is in union with Christ so as to be pertaker of his justifying and saving righteousnesse by being so joyned to Christ is become one spirit with him saith the Apostle The spirit of sanctification discendeth and giveth influence from the head to the whole body and every member thereof So on the other side he that by being one spirit is sanctified by the same spirit of Christ may by this evidence know himselfe that Christ by the same spirit is made righteousnesse to him and is in the same relation to God with Christ being justified adopted c. a son and heir with him to all the inheritance Sanctification I say truly understood is such an evidence for none are sanctified but the justified and
all the justified by Faith are sanctified if it be sanctification indeede it may be made an evidence of justification 6 Yet neither all seeming peace and quietnesse of conscience or joy in expectation of salvation or hope that is made the ground of this joy and such other like seeming effects of Justification are alway sure evidences to a man that he is justified because not alway fruits or parts of sanctification they may proceed from another and baser principle viz. from the deceitfulnesse of their heart or self-love and self-advancing or from the spirit of slumber upon the conscience or from ignorance of Gods way and method of bringing many Children to glory Nor are all seeming holiness honesty meeknesse temperance patience and other like vertues either in their habite as they really affect the heart or in their act as they are with an ardent zeale for God brought forth into practice sure evidences of sanctification by Christ because these also may proceed from other and baser principles and not from the Spirit of Christ as from the abiding prints of the Law of Nature written in the heart or from the power and suggestions of a convinced and awaked conscience or from strong impressions made into the soule by a morall and vertuous education or other like sub-celestiall and unspirituall principles So that our certaine and known union to Christ and our justification and sanctification sensibly thence flowing may be properly and unfailingly made our sound evidence of the spirituall life and acceptablenesse of our vertues and works But these in themselves in no wise certaine evidences and demonstrations to us of our justification and sanctification by Christ Sanctification is one thing and a zealous endeavour to be in all things conformed to the will of God is or may be another The former is only from the Spirit of Christ and wrought only in them which are in Christ The later may proceed from morall principles and is incident even to them also that are aliens from Christ 7 Neverthelesse even these vertues and good works do so farr evidence that from the Negation of these a man is certainely denyed to be in Christ or to be justified or sanctified by the faith of Christ I mean that whosoever can allow himself in the habituall practice of any known sin or rejection of any known duty that man may know himself and be known of others to be an Alien from Christ Because whosoever is in Christ is a new Creature all things are become new not only in respect of his relation but of his manners and conversation also and in whomsoever the Spirit of Sanctification dwelleth it dwels in a state of reign not of bondage Withall these vertues and good works when they are found to flow from our union to Christ and the love of God shed abroad in our hearts through Christ and upon examination a man can truly say that he hath ceased to hew from any other Qâ—arrie or to dip from any other Fountain than from Christ that from his Spirit alone hee daily sucketh life as the branch from the root to bring forth fruit and from the sacrifice of Christs death a sweet odour to make himself and his fruit acceptable then they serve as good seconds to prove to his soul that he is justified and sanctified But so that his being in Christ must first prove his fruit to be good before his fruit can have any power to evidence him to be in Christ and the evidence of both his justification and sanctification consisteth not so much in the qualifications which he hath attained or works which he doth and hath done as in his continuall waiting upon Chrih from him alone to receive what hee ought to be and to do in all wel-pleasing before God and the love of God in Christ enabling to obedience 8 That although Sanctification and the fruits thereof do each in its own degree as aforesaid more or lesse evidence our Justification yet have they no concausality with Faith to the producing of it All that are in Christ are Saints in Christ yet their sanctity goes not before their being in Christ but is an immediate fruit thereof The forgiveness of sin and Adoption doth in order go before their doing of acceptable service to God and unacceptable service cannot justifie 9 The grace of God which bringeth salvation and justification teacheth men to deny ungodlinesse c. and to live soberly c. Cals upon all to stretch forth their Faith to apprehend to themselves in Christ both the imputed and the inherent righteousness so far is it from breathing a soul-cozening or a soul-corrupting faith Therefore is the justifying Faith called by the Holy Ghost a most holy Faith Jude 20. A soule purifying Faith Act. 15. 9. A sanctifying Faith Act. 26. 18. Implying its efficacy as well to sanctifie as to justifie and that there is no true sanctification but that which is instrumentally obtained or at least received by Faith Lastly that one chief end of our Justification is that we bring forth acceptable fruit to God here inchoate hereafter in perfect obedience to God and conformity with him And the Justifier doth and will attain his end in justifying therefore brings none to glory but such as have all vertues and good works at least in their root and seed while they are here and if after their effectuall calling they live to have time and opportunity do not unfeigâ—edly endeavour universally to declare the same in their practice So that to dream of any glorified man in heaven that was not actually a Saint upon earth is a dream from hell not from heaven All these things might have been largely proved both from the Scriptures and our Protestant Writers but that I esteem them all to be so known to be the consenting asserteons of all our Churches and by them so fully confirmed by the word that I should but abuse time to take it up in particularizing what is in this Case so generally written and read I have been the more large in expressing the doctrine of the Protestant Churches upon this Argument to wipe off the stain which Mr. Br. hath learned of the Papists to lay upon it in this and the former quere which are wholly framed to beguile the weaker sort having nothing in them to stagger the Judicious And now I leave it both to the strong and weak to judge whether the Accuser of the Brethren himself can possibly expresse more impudence and falshood in slandering the Churches of Christ than this man hath done or if he had not bound himself to speak after the Jesuits and Monks whatsoever they traducingly say whether there be any colour of reason for him to have layd upon us these two accusations To hold my self to that which I am now examining what is there in this Faith and Doctrine thereof which I have described deserving to be called a soul-cozening Faith And when he addeth That Faith which is by many
thirst if they do not arise work and fulfill their task We require first that the Rock be cloven with the Rod of God that the water of life may gush out in full Rivers and that the fainting souls be brought to drink thereof and then called upon in the life and strength which they have hence received to work and be doing Yea to come to this stream often to drink that their strength and spirits may be daily more revived that they may bâ—come daily more enabled for and more abundant in the work of the Lord. We have not with Mr. Br. yet learned the skill of preaching good works to make Christ ours but follow the rule of the Scriptures to preach Christ into the hearts of men to make them fruitfull in good works Neither doe wee count all formall obedience and righteousnesse of men though conscientiously and by the guidance of Naturall Conscience performed to be either sanctification or the fruit thereof That onely is sanctification which flowes from the heart of Christ and is infused by the Spirit of Christ For the attaiâ—ment thereof we call all men into union and fellowship with Christ so far are we from holding that Nothing is preaching Christ but the preaching him as Justifier and Saviour that we hold it an empty Preachment that preacheth any good thing without Christ or out of Christ of which men are not taught to make Christ the Alpha and the Omega We leave it to Mr. Br. and his brethren to urge works duties obedience c. and once in a Moon upon an auspicious Tropick thereof to remember Christ and grace and tell us that all must be done by the help of grace and without Christ we can do nothing Yet leaving us uncertain still whether it be the Grace and Christ of Pelagius or else of God reconciled to us that he speaketh I should be too long in expressing fully how we hold forth Christ whole Christ and only Christ to Adoption protection perseverance strengthening comforting perfecting c. In a word to all that is either good to be received or good to be done In him wee teach that God will have all his frâ—sh springs to reside that without him we are nothing can do nothing that in him and by him we have all and can do all things That therefore we preach nothing but Christ yet preach all that is to be preached in preaching him because in him it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell Col. 1. 19. even all fulness for us so that in him we are full out of him meer emptiness We would not have one beam of this Sun of Righteousness clouded but labour to discover to our people his full glory and Soveraignty to all those sacred ends to which God hath consecrated him that if any would have nothing of Christ to be preached but his pardoning and saving the sin may be wholly theirs not ours that they will receive the skirt of Christ and consequently refuse Christ when we preach to them whole Christ and all the benefits that are by him Nor 2 do we deny an ordinate and subordinate love to our selves as Mâ— Br. slanders us no lesse bitingly than secretly App. pa. 81 82. in teaching that it is the most Gospel-â—rame of Spirit to perform duty out of meer love to God without seeking by such duties wrought quasi opere operato remission of sins redemption from Hell and right to glory by the Merit thereof as he teacheth us to do thinking no doubt his glory shall be great if he can there perswade where all the suâ—tlest sons of Satan the Jesuits have not been able Nay we maintayn that none can regularly love himself who loveth not God above himself and seeks not Gods glory more than his own good That whosoever in a pretext of love to himself brings his fardle of trashie works at the feet of Christ by them to purchase to himself the benefits of his death is of all men the worst enemie to himself incurs rejection and expulsion from Christ and all the benefits of his death and resurrection For hee was sent to seeke oâ—ely that which was lost came not to call the righteous but sinners to repenâ—â—nce He loves himself indeed and spiritually that for his love to God denies himself The self-dejected Publican is acceâ—ted with God when the prating Pharisee is hurled with his mouth full of works out at the door Or is there any great difference between this and the Devils doctrine preached to our first Parents Ye shall be as Gods said the Devill Ye shall be all Christs Saviours Justifiers saith Mr. Br. Your righteousness and Christs righteousness shall jump together into the same kind of Causality to justifie and save you Our first Parents hearkned and seeking to become Gods became Devils or what is worse slaves to the Devill We have all felt the smart yet many and that of them which are termed Angels listen earnestly to the like hissing of the Serpent now again We can but mourn for them that in madd love to themselves will hasten up to heaven by climbing high Steeples that look fairly thither-ward but can never heave them up to it nay contrariwise can give them no such sustentation but that they fall thence and dash themselves into shivers Yet in our doctrine is contained a wise and ordinate love to our selves Though we use not works as waxen wings to soar aloft to kisse the Sun and settle our selves in the same Sphere with him yet wee make use of our qualifications and duties to the continuall encrease of our sanctification and to what greater good for himself can mans strongest love to himself aspire than to his full and real perfection consisting in his restitution to Gods image and conformity to his will and nature This shall be the Consummate blessedness which we shall enjoy above and it is a blessedness inchoate and increasing while we passe from strength to strength in it here Who are the self-haters and self-destroyers the Papists or we the success will at length evidence and such professed Divines and Christians among us as have not their eyes soyled with Kederminster dust and smoak can discern already Nor thirdly doth our doctrine tend to drive obedience out of the world So that we may answer Mr. Brs question Aphor. p. 325. If men once beleeve that works are not so much as a part of the Condition of our Justification will it not much tend to relax their diligâ—nce with the authority of the Apostle who having taught his Ephesians that we are saved by grace through faith not of works lest any man should boast Eph. 2. 8 9. Yet concludeth that as many as have learned Christ truly and heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus These all have learned to put off concerning the former conversation the old Man which is corrupt c. and to be renewed in the spirit of the mind and to put on
act absolved the conscience there followeth also the sense of our remission and justification So that besides this sense and apprehension there are two things in our justification by faith over and above that which was in our eternal justification in Christ viz. 1. A total diffidence and denyal of our own righteousnesse and a trusting and adhering wholly and onely to Christ for pardon and justification 2. Gods act upon our consciences declaring and assuring us that our debt is paid by Christ and we discharged upon the satisfaction which our surety hath made so that the obligation is cancelled and we depart with a full and general acquittance in our consciences Neither of these were there in the former justification i. e. in the justification in the former sense before mentioned and so that there is more than the bare knowledge of our justification in our being justified in the latter sense is evident Whatsoever else is conteined in the doctrine of the Protestant divines about this question we shall have occasion to adde in examining what Master Baxter saith here and afterwards to oppugn it But the chief thing is yet behind may some say viz. the proof of these positions by sound Arguments or by evidencing Scriptures and the main thing to be proved is that there is such a justification as is an immanent and eternal act in God It is Master Baxters lowd challenge pag. 93. Let all the Antinomians shew but one Scripture that speaketh of justification from eternity I will be so charitable as to conceive he expects not that we should produce Scriptures that say in those very words but that which is the Tantundem that say it in sense and substance else if he reject the matter and stick to words I shall challenge him to produce one sentence of all the sermons which Christ preached and in the whole doctrine that he personally delivered which speaketh at all of justification by faith But in words equipollent to Master Baxters the Scripture delivereth this doctrine which he opposeth viz. justification from eternity First What lesse is to be gathered from 2 Tim. 1. 9. God hath saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our workes but according to his purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the World began What can be said more fully to Master Baxters challenge He will not deny that the word saving doth include in it justifying for so should he both contradict himselfe and lose elswhere more than he can gain here by denying it It will then run thus that we are justified and called of God with a holy calling not according to our works these words destroy the end of Master Baxters opposing the eternity of our justification if our own qualifycation and workes may not come in collaterally with Christ to constitute us justified he little regards whether the act be immanent or transient but according to his purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began and that is from eternity See the grace of justification and salvation was given us in Christ from eternity Object Master Baxter may probably object that the grace was indeed given us in Christ from eternity that is God had decreed from eternity to justifie us in Christ when we should come to beleeve in him to justifie or save us in time as to call us in time For the grace here mentioned given us in Christ before times is as much affirmed to be the grace of our vocation or calling as of our saving and justifying But our calling must therefore our justification also must be in time And thus by the grace given must be understood Gods gracious purpose and decree to give us salvation and justification So Mr. Baxter I know God hath decreed to justifie his people from eternity But it is done in time page 93. Sol. 1. That Covenant justifying or the declaring of us in our own Consciences to bee accepted as just in Christ is not denyed to be an act accomplished in us in time Nor yet that God decreed from Eternity to declare us in our consciences Righteous when wee should beleeve But the granting of all this nothing advantageth Master Baxters cause For neither doth this Act of God in time terminate upon our conscience nor his eternal decree so to justifie us beleeving in our selves deny that wee were justified in God and in Christ from Eternity 2. It appears not that the Apostle here speaketh of our calling to the participation of Christ and of justification and sanctification by him in time but rather of that calling mentioned Rom. 4. 17. That God calleth those things that be not as though they were As he called Abraham the father of many Nations when he was yet either childlesse or at least was in reference to the strength of nature without having without hope to have that child from whom those nations should issue and accrew to him as their father So God is said to have called us with a holy calling i. e. to have called and reputed us in Christ his pardoned accepted and adopted children even before we had any actual being in our selves Dedit qui erat accepit qui non erat Quis antem hoc facere potuit nisi qui vocat ea quae non sunt tanquam ea quae sunt Aug. de verb. Apost Sect. 3. If by Calling it be pertinaciously maintained that we must understand that which is done by the Ministry of the Gospel yet all this helps not Master Baxter at all in regard of the exclusive clause following not according to our workâ— where our salvation and justification as well as our vocation are denyed to have any dependance upon our own workes and qualifications as conditions thereof And the whole end of Master Baxters dispute against justification as an immanent Act in God is because if that be granted there will be no place for footing our works and qualifications as necessarily precedent conditions of justification And these fall to ground as well as if we were justified without them though in time as if wee were justified from Eternity 4. But how and whether we can truly and properly be said to have received Grace in Christ before all worlds whereby we are saved and justified and yet not to be saved and justified in Christ before the world was will come to bee examined in drawing forth the sense of other Scriptures which I shall annex In the interim this remaines unquestioned that although the Apostle speak here of Justification in our selves in time yet he affirmes it to be according to the Grace given us in Christ before the world so it was in Christ for us before though not in our selves till we beleeve Againe when the Scripture speaking of the Sonnes of Isaac saith of them while yet unborn and consequently having neither done good nor evill Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Mal. 1. 2 3. Rom. 9. 11 13. And