regenerate and Justified and indued with true Faith and regarding the Order of Nature it follows Faith and Justification O these are strong battering Rams against setting up mans Righteousness and in fol. 468. he gives account whence this new Doctrine of repentance having a hand in our Salvation comes viz. from Rome and saith thus The Church of Rome hath Corrupted the Antient Doctrine of Repentance saying That a Sinner hath in him a Natural disposition which being stir'd up by God's preventing Grace he may and can work together with Gods Spirit in his own Repentance But indeed all our Repentance is to be ascribed to Gods grace wholly Eph. 2.4 The Soul of man is not weak but stark dead in sin and therefore it can no more prepare it self to repentance than the body being dead in the Grave can dispose it self to the last Resurrection O these are weighty words and O that they might prevail in the hand of the Spirit of God to weaken mans apprehensions of something practicable in and by himself in order to bring about his Salvation that so we might all put our Mouths in the dust and give glory to God for of him and through him especially in the matter of our Salvation and to him be all things to whom be glory in the Churches for ever thus much for Mr. W. Sanction of the Gospel giving pardon on our Conformity to the Rule of the Promise In the next place Mr. W. asserts a profound benefit by Gospel grace and yet it carries Poyson in it I fear Hence by Gospel grace there is a great difference between imperfect Faith and utter Vnbelief The Poyson in the head of this Snake I fear is that this imperfect Faith is intended to be the upshot of Gospel Grace A little to descant upon this I would offer That if so mean a Lover of the Lord Jesus as I am should have been telling the World the benefit of Gospel Grace I should have flown a little higher in celebrating the Love of God therein than to say by it imperfect Faith differs greatly from utter Vnbelief which without Gospel Grace any Child of four Years Old will grant That can tell there is a great difference between a little mess of Milk and none at all I should have said By Gospel Grace there is a great difference between our Lord Jesus freely given us and with him all things even himself to be our Wisdom Righteousness c. And being slaves of Satan sold under sin without this gospel grace I should have invited the World to rejoyce in this Benefit by Gospel Grace That Christ was made sin for us that he might be made righteousness to us or become the Lord our Righteousness And that by Gospel Grace God comâ—s to justify the Ungodly to save Sinners of whom the Apostle saith He was chief and a Pattern of them who should afterward believe to everlasting life this is right gospel grace worthy of the Father Son and Spirit to give Purchase and Communicate I should scarce have flamm'd the World off with such a dead Carcass of Divinity as to say If you look for the glorious Priviledge and Benefit of Gospel Grace which the Father Son and Spirit have been contriving and rejoycing in from all Eternity and which the Eternal Blessed Son of God took Man's Nature for and for which he was under the Curse of God and died for which all the Angels and Saints of God for ever adore him It was that this should be published That there is by the Gospel Grace a great difference between imperfect Faith and utter Unbelief or which is much at one between an Essentiality and a Nullity between something and nothing there is so great difference as is between Heaven and Hell and this difference is eternal and so would have been without any thing of the Gospel I suppose Mr. W. means though he is unhappy in not expressing it that by Gospel Grace imperfect Faith is accepted for perfect Obedience that is to say if it be joyned with sincere Holiness true Repentance and Perseverance c. but this is still wide from the mark of Gospel Grace for the Apostle saith It brings Salvation and teaches Godliness But Mr. W. will make the World amends it may be hoped in the next Benefit by Gospel Grace which take as follows By gospel grace there is a great difference between sincere Holiness and formal Profaneness or Wickedness one would wonder how gospel grace comes to be hookt into this Difference which all the World would own to be infinitely different without any grace of God in the Gospel Did our Lord Jesus shed his Blood for this Notion to be asserted which was as true without any grace of the gospel as with it but it may be he means that by gospel grace there is a Purchase made that sincere Holiness shall stand instead of perfect Holiness which Wickedness could not do And this he must mean or nothing and if he means this he perfectly overthrows the gospel and if he do not mean it he abuses the World with an Amusement The next is True Love to God and prevailing Enmity There is by Gospel Grace he saith great difference between these But this is another great mistake which I am confident he will he ashamed to own What hath the gospel to do to make this great difference By the law is the Knowledge of sin and the gospel shews grace but to say the gospel makes this difference is to roh God of the Holiness of his righteous Law But supposing this Nonsense to be current Divinity with some that by gospel Grace there is great difference between God and the Devil or Love to God and prevailing Enmity What is this to the point Mr. Williams is labouring to make good that there is to be a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise in the person to be pardoned for proof of which he saith There is great difference between Love of God and prevailing Enmity Would he have his meaning to be that love of God is conforming to the Rule of the Promise therefore an ingredient to Pardon which Enmity is not I answer Love of God is as much conforming to the Rule of the Law as of Gospel grace and so his Argument faces had he said the Law commands us to love God and the Gospel promiseth to write this Law in our hearts though not as an ingredient to our Pardon there might be some Edification by it but to assert there is a difference between these two which was ever so is of no more force for his Argument than to say Black and White differ or I and Doctor C. dâ—ffer His next is like the three former Differences viz. by Gospel grace there is a great difference between in perfect spiritual Duties and Rebellious Negleâ—ts Now he hath spun a fine Thread here 's the end of his Gospel grace it hath made this difference and would not this difference have been if
of Grace as I do ye I doubt not but I should be highly recompensed for this labour of love and should find refreshment under many rufflings from the Lord on my Person and Family Thus beseeching the Lord to pour out abundance of his Spirit on you all and the unhappily engaged Mr. Williams whom I truly love and respest That the people may be prepared for the Lords glorious appearance now hastning To him I recommend you and subscribe Your Servant and an unworthy Son of Dr. Crisp S. C. Clapham January 21st 1692 3. Christ alone Exalted IN Dr Crisp's Sermons Partly Confirmed in Answer to Mr. Williams Preface to his Gospel Truth stated and Vindicated by Comparing some of his unfair Accusations of the said Doctor with the Scripture and the Doctrine of the Gospel Established by Law in the Homilies c. WHEN Peter who seemed to be a Pillar was come to Antioch I withstood him to the Face because he was to be blamed saith the Apostle Gal. 2.9 10. And if an Apostle who seemed a Pillar might Err in Ceremonies and be blamed so may our seeming Pillars some of them Err in Substance conjoyning our Gospel Holiness with Christs Righteousness and be blamed Now I perceiving what I suppose will appear a great Error in the Preface of Mr. Williams to his Arraignment of Gospel Truths in Dr. Crisp's Sermons and supposing none will mind the Preface that design to Answer the Book but pass it over as a Cursory Discourse I think it not ungrateful to studious Christians to animadvert on the brief Systems of Religion which Mr. Williams hath there given the World in opposition not so much to Dr. Crisp as to the plain express Scripture and the sound sense thereof held out by the great Orthodox Divines that were Staunch against Aâ—minianism upon our first coming out of Popery when Zeal for Christ alone in Salvation was warm Wherein I beseech the Lord so to guide my Thoughts and Pen that I may mind only his Glory in and through our Lord Jesus The Meek he will guide in Judgment which meekness I beg of the Lord though a Golden Calf of Mans Gospel Holiness to be set up in the place of Christs Righteousness would provoke a Moses Yet I hope to retain as well Meekness as Integrity till I die It is beyond all doubt Man since the Devil deceived him that upon eating he should be as God doth think with himself he can tho' dead do something which is proper only to God that is he can quicken his own dead Soul he can Convert himself he can be a God to himself hereupon there is a great Outcry against any that assert That our Lord Jesus Christ is all in all in the Salvation of poor Sinners and Dr. Crisps Sermons because fuller than ordinary of the free Grace of God in Jesus Christ are singled out to be battered and with them the Gospel of our Salvation is run down into terms utterly Forreign to the Scripture and because the Doctor adheres and sticks close to the Scripture terms of our being dead dead dead in sins and our sins our very sins Christ bare in his Body on the Tree as the Apostles Peter and Paul expresly say he is exclaimed against And that this great Champion might appear compleatly armed in opposing Dr. Crisp he puts on the great shield of being solicited to this Work by several worthy Ministers and that this may appear true he hath emblazoned his honour in this great Atchievement by the Hands of several indeed worthy Ministers who are most of them in my Experience eminent Servants of our Lord Jesus however their Zeal for Gospel Holiness may have been imposed upon to countenance Mr. Williams making Christ's Righteousness to be our Gospel Holiness Though I have a great honour for all those of them whom I know yet I suppose they will not think themselves dishonoured to say I think most of them were imposed upon in getting their subscribing to what they never throughly examined I am sure one of them tho' next the first yet nulli secundus for a sweet Christian Spirit among them said a few Weeks before Dr Crisps Sermons were reprinted to an Eminent Mininister in a great Company If Dr. Crisp be an Antinomian so am I and I am sure he said in a Sermon December 12. 1669. We are first made active by Christ in order to his bringing us to God and September 24. 7. 1672. Christ hath brought the Law to its end it hath no more to require be is the abolishing end the Law is quite out of doors as to justify plant a Crab-Tree in the best Soil it brings forth crabs till planted in Christ so that there must be Vnion to Christ by Gods planting us in Christ before any good Fruit. So this Gentleman and so Doctor Crisp in his Faith the Fruit of Union contrary to Mr. Williams and yet this excellent person is by Mr. Williams Art taught to say with the rest We judge our Reverend Brother hath in all that is material fully and rightly stated the Truths and Errors mentioned as such and do account he hath in this work done considerable Service to the Church of Christ and so will I say when by it he hath ingaged Able Pens to vindicate the truth from Sophistical Glosses that he hath done considerable service against his will I reckon this Preface is the marrow of his Book and I shall begin with as great a point as any I know of in the Bible next to the Deity of the Lord Jesus and yet 't is that which is the chief Fruit of his Deity which is his Righteousness as God-Man made ours by Faith by Mr. Williams his treating this he discovers his whole Soul concerning Justification that great Article stantis vel cadentis Ecclesiâ—â— of the standing and falling of that Church that holds it as Luther said in that a little Leven here leveneth the whole lump Here Mr. Williams hath made very bold with the expression of the Apostle Paul in Phil. 3.9 That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by Faith here Mr. Williams instead of extolling this righteousness of Christ and the rich Grace of God to impute this to us he runs Counter to the stream of the Gospel and dashes to pieces all the comfort that thousands have found in this Scripture as signifying Christs Righteousness our cloathing before God and gives his Romish gloss upon it in these words I exclude not this Righteousness Christs imputed when I affirm that the Righteousness of God Phil. 3.9 Principally intends the Gospel Holiness of a Person Justifyed by Christs Righteousness which in plain Words is this When I Daniel Williams say in the preceding words his Righteousness imputed is the cause for which we are justifyed and saved when we do answer the Gospel Rule now I explain
in no sense it can hurt him and that it is not a sting and terrour to the Conscience even of a Believer while his Faith is unactive and under a Cloud he wrongs him for he saith in fol. 512. The Torments of Hell is the merit of the least sin in the World I speak not to Extenuate any sin such as look upon these sins as uncancelled So long these sins may work an horror and trembling in Persons and Mr. Williams will not say but this is harm to a poor Souls peace and comfort and this Dr. Crisp holds nay he saith in fol. 513. Before Men come to see the light of the Gospel of Christ their sins stare in their Faces seeming to spit fire at them and is this no harm and this is to the Elect till they believe so that this is no good charge of Mr. Williams But if Mr. Williams mean 't is an error of Dr. Crisp to say there is no sin the People of God commit can possibly do them any hurt if it be taken in the sense the Doctor expresses calling it real hurt in fol. 510. This may be matter of debate but will doubtless issue on the Doctors side or rather on the Apostle Paul's who saith all things work together for good to them that love God If so then the Affliction that the Lord chastens withal for sin doth not argue that sin brings a real hurt If sin could do real hurt to a Believer such as to take away his Title to Heaven or cause him totally to fall from Grace then Christ did not for ever by one Sacrifice of himself save us and wash us from our sins in his Blood and perfect those that are sanctified but if he did make an end of sin and brought in everlasting righteousness for all that the Father gave him then he having purged our sins by himself on the Cross nailing them there never to be able to rise in Condemnation to those that are in Christ then this stingless Serpent sin will never do real hurt to Believers as the Doctor saith But if Mr. Williams mean that sin doth hurt even Believers because it brings natural death the Wages of sin being Death to Believers yet the sting of that being taken out by our Lord Jesus that is so far from real hurt that it is the Inlet to Eternal glory and if that be hurt the Lord grant Mr. Williams and I may be so hurt or rather Blessed with it in our exits Several other such hurts come by sin not from its own Nature but from Gods Ordination as that where sin abounds grace much more abounds not that any should think sin the less dreadful and terrible and as sin hath reigned to death so Grace reigns to eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord and yet still sin is to be avoided as the greatest horridest evil in the World but notwithstanding this the Apostle encourageth poor Souls when they do fall into sin not to be afraid of their sins but to flie for Refuge to the Mercy-Seat the hope sure and stedfast set before them saying if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and thus I hope this grand Cavil is evaporated and that it appears groundless for any to think Dr. Crisp had slight thoughts of sin when he saith it cannot do a Believer any real hurt yet he saith the Torments of Hell is the merit of the least sin and they will work an horrour and trembling till we see them Cancelled The next is Nor can God afflict them for any sin saith Mr. Williams against the Doctor This expression is no where quoted but inferred from the Doctor and it is put here contrary to the Doctor 's sense in which he speaks of Affliction and seems harsh Mr. Williams might see that what the Dr. saith is spoken by way of punishment that all the Afflictions that God lays on his People are in love and not by way of punishment for their sins seeing their sins were laid on the Lord Jesus and he bare them and all punishment due for them and if those that scruple saying Christ bare the very sins of the Elect will yet allow he bare the punishment for them sure then they must grant that God doth not lay affliction on his People by way of punishment God saith indeed you only have I known therefore will I punish you for your Iniquities but this cannot be taken properly for punishment unless Men will make God worse than the foolish Servant who made him a hard Master viz. an unjust Oppressor to punish sins on his Son and to punish them also on the sinner and besides that affliction which a man bears in this life be it never so great is so far from punishment proper for sin the least of which deserves as Doctor Crisp saith eternal Hell Torments that it is not so much as a flea-biting compared with a stab at the Heart but I take the ground why persons will call afflictions on God's Children punishments for sin is on this double account First they would make God an easie tender-hearted Judge that will commute Penance and for a great Crime as every sin is he will take a small amends as a little temporal Affliction and next they will be as kind to our Lord Jesus Christ and reckon he bears the less if the sinner bear part with him but without any mincing this must be owned that all afflictions on Gods people are in love all I love I rebuke and chasten and 't is for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness and it is fatherly to deter from sin I do not mean that sin hath no hand in many Afflictions for as the Apostle said of the disorderly Corinthians for that cause many were sick and weak But what the Dr. insisted on was that Affliction for sin was not proper punishment but pure love to their Souls though I cannot see but afflictions are a Fruit or effect of sin in many yet I may not from thence conclude that those Afflictions are from Wrath in the Father or for punishmenr proper on the Child but the effects of a Fatherly love for if ye be without Chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye Bastards and not Sons so that this Exception against the Doctor is a small one but because it hath some seeming harshness to say God doth not afflict the Elect for sin therefore it must be hookt in to fill up the Charge though the Charge in the Preface be varying and harsher then it seems Mr. Williams could lay in his Book for there is no such word as nor can God afflict them for any sin Mr. Williams having laid the Charge in the next words he comes with a deadly thunder-clap conclusion full of Indignation saying All the rest of his Opinions follow in a Chain to the dethroning of Christ which if true then say I let his memory for ever perish and his
they will bring it to at last or they say nothing Obstructing the great Design of Redemption A virulent Charge but unless obstructing man's Righteousness from eclipsing Christ's Righteousness be the Crime nothing of this can be laid to the Drs. Charge how inconsistent is this Charge with the great cry against him that Christ saves the worst of sinners that come to him even when in their blood and filth which he freely asserts and yet presses not to live in sin but to glorifie God in all holy Conversation If by the design of Redemption Mr. williams means that we are redeemed or created in Christ Jesus to good Works and Charges the Dr. to obstruct that design what can be more contrary than that in the Doctors Sermons when he saith fol. 556. The belief of this that Free Grace abounds doth certainly and effectually teach and produce an hatred of sin and a love of holiness and in fol. 557. If there be any such as say let us sin that Grace may abound let me deal plainly with them for my part I must account them the greatest Monsters upon the Face of the Earth the greatest Enemies to the Church that ever were and I say of such dishonourers of the Church and disturbers of the Consciences of Gods People that they are Carnal Sensual and Devilish they are the greatest Enemies to the Free Grace of God and the greatest Subverters of the Power and Purity of the Gospel and the greatest hinderers of the Course of it under Heaven No persons in the World do so wound the sides of Christ as he who doth profess the Gospel and yet live Wickedly and if there be any such here let me tell them their Faith is no better than the Faith of Devils for they believe and tremble and that Christ will have a heavier reckoning and account for such when they come to Judgment than for any Persons under Heaven besides Now can Mr. Williams in cold blood say this Doctrine obstructs the design of Redemption that this opposes the scope of the Gospel Next he Apoligizes for the Doctor That he had not entertained these Opinions if he had considered that God's Electing Decree is no legal grant nor a formal promise to us I suppose it may be gathered that the Doctor considered God's electing Decree as much as his Opposer when the Dr. lays all the stress of Mans happiness upon the absoluteness and irreversibleness of it and if others had as great an honour for the veracity and stedfastness of those Mountains of Brass they would not make mens Salvation that are elected so uncertain a thing as many do As for the Decree not being a legal grant Mr. Williams hath erected a new term of Art what he means I know not but if he means 't is a grant not good in Law or that 't is such a grant as no man can plead at the Barr of God either in our own Conscience or at the great day of Judgment to say Lord thou hast elected me therefore I must be saved This I suppose I may flatly deny and say provided I know my Election as the Apostle saith 1 Thes 1.4 Knowing Brethren your Election or as Christ bids us rejoyce that your Names are written in the Book of Life when this comes to be known it may be pleaded or else there would be little ground of joy in it and it may be pleaded as a grant good in Law for the discharge of every one to whom it belongs not that the Dr. or any considerate Christian is for Election going alone without Justification and Sanctification no not in Children in the Womb that are Elected and die there So that though Election be not a formal promise yet in this sense it must be a legal grant or a grant good in Law But there may be a snare in Mr. Williams his electing Decree If he means God's decreeing to Elâ—ct that 's one thing and God's act of Election that 's another 't is the last I insist on I cannot reach what he means by electing Decree but God's act of Election or God's actual choosing us in Christ before the Foundation of the World carries in it the Vertue of a legal grant or it is a frustrable Election which it is abominable to say of Gods act and yet some mens laying the stress of all Mens Salvation upon mans Holiness must reduce Gods election to The Decree includes the means and the end granted most freely yea more than Mr. Williams saith for the Decree not only includes the means and the end but the means is as well of the essence of the Decree as the end is which I suspect Mr. Williams denies for he saith in the next words willing the first in order to the last that is God wills the means in order to the end or God wills sanctification in order to Salvation But if by only willing the means he doth not make it a decreeing the means he falls short of the truth and makes election not infallible for God is spoken of often in Scripture of willing things to be done which are not done as How often would I have gathered you and you would not if he means only such a willing the means which Men may frustrate by not complying with his will then the Decree of the end which is eternal salvation that must fail and so God's Election is made a conditional one and not absolute that is God Elected such and such to eternal Life if they would repent and believe and obey the Gospel and not that he Elected them that they should repent and believe and obey the Gospel and this repenting and believing is left to the freedom of mans will so that God may be frustrate of his whole decree by their so stating Election and I thought it would come to that at last so that with Mr. Williams God's Electing Decree is only to the end Salvation and he wills the means Sanctification which will of God is rejected or obeyed as man's Free-will resists or complies with the motives offered to it and If Mr. Williams thinks the Dr. did not thus consider God's Election and therefore was led into false Opinions he bewrays his own misapprehension of Election and doth not at all invalidate the Drs. Positions concerning the Elect. His next words which he asserts concerning Election seem to make good my former suspicion that he makes Gods Election depend on man's will and for not considering which he blames the Dr. and they are these And as it the Decree puts nothing in present being so it barrs not God as a Governour to fix a connexion between benefits and Duties by his revealed will Here must be a great mistake of this learned and acute Gentleman in saying God's Decree puts nothing in present being what the Decree puts nothing in present being sure the Decree puts somewhat in present being the Decree puts the Decree in present being and is God's eternal unalterable Decree which the Father
cannot but own they believe him a holy Person and well they may if they compare his Sermons on Free Grace teaching to deny Ungodliness with his other Sermons on our sins laid upon Christ in the last side of which Vol. fol. 444. the Dr. saith For my own part I abhor nothing in the World so much as this namely a licentious undertaking to continue in any sin because that such fulness of Grace hath abounded and I shall recommend to them if any such be here the reading of the Epistle of Jude where they may see the fearful wrath of God upon such persons as abuse the Grace of God to sin O Beloved let not the love of the Lord God in Jesus Christ thus manifested be so basely requited at your hands seeing the Lord hath so freely loved you and given Christ to you that you might be to the Praise of the Glory of his Grace in a Godly and Christian Conversation whereunto you are Ordained for you are Created in Christ Jesus to good Works that you should walk in them and I beseech you always to remember that you cannot answer the free love of God toward you any other way but by shewing it in a fruitful Conversation in the World and considering that one end for which the Lord did redeem you was that you might be a peculiar people to himself zealous of good Works Titus 2.24 Thus ends the third Volume To stop the mouths of Gain-sayers especially Mr. Williams who accuses the Dr. to be for Licentious Doctrine but because our holiness must not come in to concur to our Justification this is to enervate Christs Laws But to our purpose again The Homily saith as to the respect Christs sufferings have to the Pardon of our sins though his sufferings be not a formal pardon as saith Mr. Williams as a piece of nonsense charged upon Dr. Crisp yet his Sufferings are tant-amount to a Pardon in the Account of those holy compilers of the Homilies who say in fol. 178. His Passion is the Ransom and whole amends for our sin If so then with submission I may say this whole amends for sin is in the Eye of a just and gracious God tant-amount to a Pardon for God cannot but acquit where amends is made though the Person acquitted is never the better for it as to his Conscience till he believe in the Lord Jesus no more than a Criminal in New-gate condemned for Treason is the more at peace in his mind when his Friend hath got a Pardon for him in his Pocket till he see it or believes it but will any man in his senses say this Criminal is not really benefited by the Pardon his Friend got him till he see and plead this Pardon much less may Mr. Williams say that an Elect person is not benefited by the Justification by Christs Resurrection because 't is not applyed to him till believing They go on in fol. 185. and say Christ being perfect God and the Son of God gave his Body to be bruised and broken on the Cross for our sins this Mr. Williams will grant but they go on and say our Saviour Christ hath delivered us from sin this Mr. Williams must temper with ifs and Connexions they proceed Yet not so that we shall be free from committing sin but so that it shall not be imputed to our Condemnation So they have allowed a benefit to Believers before they believe though Mr. Williams questions it and affirm Christ on the Cross delivered from sin bearing it away so as it shall not be imputed to them and whether this be not more than a bare foundation of our Pardon it being a real making amends for sin a real justification a real saving our Souls in these great mens account and in the Nations account let Mr. Williams ponder and not conclude that Dr. Crisp entertained these Opinions which dethrone Christ as he calls it by not animadverting that Christs sufferings were barely a foundation of pardon and let him muse what his vilifying this Doctrine of the Church of Englamd will amount to To proceed he saith that the sins of the Elect They are not forgiven immediately upon nor meerly by his enduring those sufferings this is directly contrary to the Doctrine in the Homily 177. which saith In this death of Christ standeth our continual Pardon I hope he will allow that Christ did put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself because God saith it without any Trope or Ifs or Connexions Heb. 9.26 Also he will allow that before Christ sat on the right hand of God he purged our sins by himself Heb. 1.3 And that at the end of seventy Weeks he made an end of sin and brought in everlasting righteousness Dan. 9.24 and bare our sins in his Body and was the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the World John 1.29 If so that sins be satisfyed for and if put away and if purged and made an end of and born away and took away then what will remain to be forgiven even nothing and yet still neither the Dr. or any I know of hold that the Conscience of a sinner is acquitted hereby or at all by Christs death till Christ be applyed by Faith with all his Benefits to the Soul so that though with Mr. Williams our sins be not forgiven immediately upon Christs death as pertaining to the Conscience of the Elect sinner dyed for yet by Mr. Williams leave God is not so hard a Creditor to keep the Debt upon Record when he is satisfied for it and when 't is blotted out by the Blood of Christ sure he will allow that in the Court of Heaven the Book is crost and no debt appears against the Elect after Christ made payment sure this will not be gainsaid but by those who deny Christs satisfaction which many will nibble at tho' 't is too plain Popery to say downright that Christ did not make full satisfaction to God by his Death for the sins of all the Elect. Sins are not forgiven meerly by his enduring Sufferings W. What is our Gospel Holiness to help our Faith Holiness c. Yes for saith he There were to intervene a Gospel Promise of pardon the work of the Spirit for a Conformity to the rule of the Promise in the person to be pardoned and a Judicial act of Pardon by that promise on the Person thus conformed to the Rule thereof here 's a tedious lesson for a poor terrified Soul to get by heart when the Spirit of God hath convinced him of his miserable condition by sin when he cries to a Gospel Minister good Sir for the Lords sake tell me how I may get a pardon into my Bosom I have heard may he say God saith there is forgiveness with him 't is now ready by him that he may be feared I have heard that when the Jaylor cryed out What shall I do to be saved The Apostle bid him only believe in the Lord Jesus and thou
shalt be saved I have heard and read that in Ephes 1. and Col. 1. the Apostle saith in him we have Redemption through his Blood forgiving of sins so that as soon as I have him by faith I have forgiveness and I am bid to fly for Refuge to the hope that is set before me which I take to be Jesus my City of Refuge and not my Gospel Holiness Now good Sir may this poor Soul say what shall I do under the load of my sins may I take the Apostles words and Christs call Come to me and you shall find rest for your Souls as soon as ever you find your selves weary and heavy laden or must I stay till I find by a long seven or ten or 38 years lying at the Pool searching if I can find Mr. Williams draught agree with me that I have attained to a full compleat answering the Rule of the Gospel which he calls conformity to the rule of the promise Must I stay till I can understand Mr. Williams School terms of a Judicial Act of Pardon by that promise to the Person thus conformed to the Rule that is to say must I stay till I can love my Enemies they being my Neighbours as well as my self till I can turn my left Cheek patiently to him that smites me on my right till I can having two Coats give one to him that hath none till I can hate Father Mother sell all and follow Christ and in every thing conform to Gospel Rule in a word till I am perfect as my Father which is in Heaven is perfect before I may dare believe my sins are forgiven Or may I satisfie my self with Dr. Crisps quotation Look to me and be ye saved as the Serpent was only lookt to for healing I say if a poor Soul should put this to a Gospel Minister would he not answer the plain short Scripture way is best hearken to Jesus saying come take the Water of Life freely this is the work of God that ye believe in him the Father hath sent If you have me you have Life as many as receive me that is believe on my Name are Sons of God As for Mr. Williams distinctions Connexions Judicial act of Pardon he may please the Schools with them but there is more nourishing food in one calâ— of Christ Come to me come come buy Wine milk and honey without money without price in such a promise well prest than in a thousand of Mr. Williams distinctions Next I must attack an odd expression savouring of God's dispensing with the breach of his righteous Law without satisfaction which is the back door of Arminianism wherein creeps in mans free will and his good works concurring to his salvation the expression which I cannot digest is this Mr. W. saith a continuance in a state of death with a bar to the blessing are not threatned in the Gospel against every degree of sin as the Covenant of Works did This is Mr. Williams sense of the Gospel and its differing from the Law or Covenant of Works viz. the Law condemned for every sin but there are some degrees of sin the Gospel allows or doth not threaten Death for which I suppose without wronging him I may instance thus The Law condemned a Man for killing his Brother and for hating his Brother and for ill will to his Brother but the Gospel hath compounded the matter and made God reconcileable through Faith in Christ for a mans murdering his Brother but God will take no notice of a man's ill will to his Brother that degree of sin there is no threatning of Death for if this be his sense I take it to be far wide of the Apostles sense when he said the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin that is to say there is as real need of the vertue of the blood of Christ to cleanse from a vain thought as from murder though I do not say both are alike heinous yet both need the blood of Christ to wash them away or there is no standing Justified at God's Bar. Oh we should have a care of letting this poyson down that any sin can be pardoned but by the blood of Christ cleansing it for he that is guilty of one sin is guilty of all so that to say there is any degree of sin under the Gospel against which death is not threatned will amount in the conclusion to render the blood of Christ not needful to take away that degree of sin O sin sin how small soever must not be so treated for if the grain of Mustard seed small faith but true will grow to a great Tree and reach to Heaven this grane of Henbane the smallest degree of sin if not accounted for in the Gospel by the blood of Christ will grow to a vast depth even the Regions of darkness and Hell Upon this dangerous position of Mr. Williams That a continuance in a state of death and a bar to the Blessing are not threatned against every degree of sin as the Covenant of works did Mr. Williams propounds a splendid question Can any doubt this to be the grace of the Gospel Promise O profound grace of the Gospel promise it doth not bar from blessing nor continue in a state of death for every degree of sin a Heaven-born Soul that lives day by day on the Blood and Flesh of Jesus and feasts on the infinite love of God in Jesus would have thought that an eminent Minister of the Gospel a Gentleman of great parts supported by some of the greatest names in our Israel would havâ— thought that when Mr. Williams was rescuing the Lord Jesus as he intimates from the dethroning Principles of Dr. Crisp as he pleases to call them and when he is bringing back the Lord Jesus to his Throne one would think I say when Mr. Williams is celebrating the glory of the Grace of the Gospel promise he should have called for the aid of the holy Spirit to help him and have said somewhat to this purpose O the heighth and depth O the superlative Excellency of the Love of God in Christ that he should love us and wash us from our sins in his blood that the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin that he hath blessed us with all spiritual Blessings in heavenly places in Christ Thus our Lord Jesus is to be enthroned though it comes too near Dr. Crisp his way of dethroning Christ no this is not his Clue or way to raise Monuments of Glory to our Blessed Lord but thus he celebrates him by sniping off a Lap of his Garment as David did Sauls can any doubt but this the not being in a state of Death for every degree of sin is the grace of the Gospel promise If he had said this is a grace of the Gospel it had been a degree of modesty in Mr. Williams to the Gospel though it were not a truth but to say 't is the Grace and so the grace that none can doubt of it
this needs a remark and the chief that I shall make is that I will beg of God and now do that I and Mr. Williams also may have the grace of the Gospel promise in a more full stream than that a continuance in a state of Death and a bar to the blessing are not threatned against every degree of sin as the Covenant of works did but that we may swim in the Rivers of infinite Love that God chose us in Christ before the World and gave us to the Lord Jesus that no sin should pluck us out of his hand and that by one offering he hath for ever perfected those that are sanctifyed so that now there is no more conscience of sin because where sin abounds grace doth much more abound and yet still for every sin and for every degree of sin we may not think our selves freed from Condemnation for it by vertue of the Gospel promise relaxing the Covenant of Works but I beg that he and I may for our cleansing our Consciences from the least degree of sin make use of the Apostles remedy If any man sin be it in any the least degree we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous who is the propitiation for our sins ay that 's the business that 's it we must trust to he is the propitiation for our sins of sin in the least degree it must have this participation or wo unto us this I implore of God in the name of Jesus that I and Mr. Williams may by a daily applying to this propitiation get our Consciences free from every degree of sin Before I leave this clause I reflect that the greatest Grammarian may make blunders which I note that Mr. Williams in the next Edition may mend this that so the World may not think Mr. Williams allows false Grammar as this Clause gives suspicion or I must go to School again The false Grammar in this clause is in these words At the Covenant of Works did which follows these words And a continuance in a state of death with a bar to the blessing are not threatned against every degree of sin as the Covenant of Works did so that the sentence in brief by Mr. Williams ordering runs thus Death and a Bar are not threatned as the Covenant of Works did and if this be sense or Grammar it must be by some Outlandish Figure and Rule I suppose he means thus Death and the Bar are not threatned as in the Covenant of Works they were and not as the Covenant of works did Mr. Williams next makes his Queries to confirm â—is assertion that every degree of sin is not threatned under the Gospel with Death and for confirmation of it saith Doth it the Gospel promise Life to all men however vile and impenitent they be I confess this rimes like brains and stairs he propounds that every degree of sin doth not bar the blessing of the Gospel and Confirms it by this the Gospel don't promise Life to the vilest and impenitent If it don't promise life to the vilest and impenitent doth it follow that any degree of sin can be so small as not to deserve death under the Gospel A strange Inference and stranger Doctrine as if he had said thus there are some sins under the Gospel do not deserve death because the Gospel doth not promise life to the vilest and most impenitent But to leave the Illogicalness of his Argument I 'll consider his Question as a positive Assertion single and by it self The Gospel doth not promise Life to all men however vile and impenitent they be saith Mr. Williams and I never heard of any that ever said it did that all men of all Nations since the World began to the end of it had promise of Life by the Gospel and then Mr. Williams rambling Question supposes some such Universalians there are but to help and amend the question it may be Mr. Williams intends thus Doth the Gospel promise Life to all that hear it however vile c. I answer none that he opposes ever asserted it as I see they with every good Christian say it promises life to all that truly believe in the Lord Jesus nay it promises life to all the Elect But the grand Question is still if it promise Life to the Elect however vile and impenitent they be this I take to be Mr. Williams Question now if he mean that the Gospel do not promise life to those that continue vile and impenitent to those that are never effectually called by the grace of God I am satisfied he must fight with the Air for none disputes him in that point but if he mean that the Gospel doth not promise Life to the chief of sinners to thâ— most vile and most impenitent which cannot be worse than the chief of sinners if they be elected chosen Vessels if he asserts this he mistakes but I will not question his Integrity to the Gospel in this point I fear there lies somewhat at the Bottom that wiâ—â—â—â—t bear the standard or touchstone of the word that is that God promises Life and Salvation upon our repentance and growing from vile to good for he doth not promise it to the vile and impenitent If this be his meaning that there is no promise of life to an Elect person till he return from vileness and till he repent this is as near Arminianism as four pence is to a groat and as far from the scripture as the West is from the East for that saith in Titus 1.2 In hope of Eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the World began so that I conclude against Mr. Williams with the Apostle that the Gospel promise was before the foundation of the World for Life and Salvation to all the Elect according to the Promise of God though they be the chief of sinners however vile and impenitent they are till the Gospel comes and turns them from darkness to light from dumb Idols to serve the living God and the Gospel promise when it first touches their Hearts by the Spirit of God though it finds them so vile and impenitent it does not leave them so but first puts in a new spiritual life and carries it on in sanctification more and more every day and in this sense I give my Judgment the Gospel promises life to all men that are Elected that is all that are by vertue of their Election effectually called which promise was before the World began this cannot be too much insisted it because it is for the praise of the glory of his grace and hath no tendency to lessen the true value of the blessed graces of Repentance and new obedience which flow from and do give life to the promise His next Question is or doth it the Gospel threaten damnation or a continuance of it on any true Penitent believing Godly man because he is imperfect This is as wild a question as the former that was doth the Gospel
we had never heard of the Gospel What Riches of grace is this in Mr. Williams's gospel the sum whereof is It hath made a difference between Faith and Unbelief Holiness and Profaneness Love and Enmity Duty and Rebellion O what Encomiums must the World raise to such a Discoverer of that which Nature without either Law or Gospel teaches every man But some hidden Treasure must lye under this Rubbish of Divinity 't is not for nothing that Gospel grace is dignified with procuring these four Blessings therefore Mr. W. must mean that Conformity to the Rule of the Promise is in our imperfect Faith sincere Holiness love of God and spiritual Duties and these are the Conditions on which the gospel promiseth pardon now how correspondent Mr. Williams gospel is to the Prophet Isaiah's Account the world may judge from Isaiah 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for mine own sake This is the Rule for Pardon in the sense of Doctor Crisp and of all that love the Lord Jesus for obtaining this gospel grace and for those that differ I beseech the Lord to open their Eyes and subdue their Hearts to the simplicity of the gospel that they may lay down their strong Reasonings which indeed are foolishness not only with God but to every Child of seven Years old that hath learnt his Assemblies Catechism But now I think on 't Mr. Williams hath slur'd that by his new unsound one come we next to his Conclusion of his great point of our Conformity to the Rule in order to obtain pardon wherein he saith thus God in dispensing of gospel promised Blessings doth judicially determine a conformity to THIS Rule of the Promise We must observe that decisive word this Rule no gospel Blessing without a Conformity to this Rule that is the four Pillars of his Babel to build Pardon upon our imperfect Faith our sincere Holiness our love of God our spiritual Duties which include every Precept Counsel and Direction in the Bible as much as to say Stand by blessed Jesus I have heard of thy pretious Blood a Ransom I have heard of thy saving to the uttermost all that come to God by thee I have heard of thy passing by when poor Sinners lay in their Blood dead in Sins and saying Live I have heard thou didst say Publicans and Harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you Pharisees that justify your selves Mâ—â—h 21 3â— But there is risen up in this last Age a Generation of strong Reasoners that say Our formal Pardon is not in thy Blood but we must get it as it were by the VVorks of the Law by Faith Holiness Perseverance Love Spiritual Duties and this Doctrine O Jesus I must adhere to or I shall be accounted a Dethroner of thee and an enervater of thy Laws though there is not one word either in the Law or Gospel that enjoyns these as Conditions to obtain Pardon But thy Righteousness is by them interpreted to be our gospel Holiness and upon this they ground our obtaining Pardon not by the one work of the Law Thou shalt love the Lord with all thine heart but by the many works of the gospel O that ever mens Learning and Parts should be so vitiated as to decry the simplicity of the Truth as it is in Jesus Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved set up their Scheme of a gospel Promise of Pardon upon a Conformity to this prescribed Rule of Duties innumerable besides Repentance Faith Love sincere Holiness Perseverance Obedience and when all this is mentioned there comes in a boundless c. O to the Law and to the Testimonies let t is say which directs us plainly Look to me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth come unto me and ye shalt find rest for your Souls After all this Pudder Mr. Williams comes to himself and also Doctor Crisp and though he had been setting up his Connexions and Conformity in Faith Holiness Obedience c. At last he comes to Bellarmins's Tutissimum to the Sheet Anchor To the alone true Gospel way of Salvation true uniting Faith in Christ I was in an Amazement to find that God extorted this Confession from him after his long Deviation That true uniting Faith was the Wedding Garment This is like a Minister of the gospel of our Lord Jesus if he can stay here but alas the next Page throws this good Mist down however we will make much of this for here he Centers with the choicest Christians when he saith thus God upon a View of his guests he cast out him that had not on the Wedding Garment viz. true uniting Faith Then I quaere What 's become of the Long Bed-Roll of Spiritual Duties Faith Love Repentance Holiness Obedience c. If true uniting Faith be the Wedding garment sure this Wedding garment was not worn without Pardon of Sins through the Blood of Christ washing them off from this guest if this were by true uniting Faith and nothing else was lookt after by the Master of the Feast but that his Guests owned him by wearing him their Righteousness by Faith then avoid the Scheme of our holy Performances from having any thing to do in our being admitted to fit with the King at his round Table But what shall we say unstable as water Reuben was no sooner hath Mr. Williams writ clear gospel that nothing but true uniting Faith kept a Man from being cast out but the next Clause brings in persevering Holiness with the Train of all spiritual Duties to give admittance to the wise Virgins so that one while we are justified by Faith another while by persevering Holiness If you are to go to the Wedding Feast you are to put on true uniting Faith If you are to enter with the Bridegroom to the Marriage then 't is the Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness gains you admittance these are his words As by keeping out the foolish Virgins for not having Oyl in their Lamps viz. the Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness so by admitting the wise Virgins he judicially declared they had a Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness Here 's not one word of Faith or of Christ or of his Righteousness for these poor Virgins to get into the Wedding House by not one syllable of being justified by Faith But according to his sense they said to Christ Lord we have the Spirit of grace and persevering Holiness we have prophesied in thy Name against too much exalting Free Grace we have done many wonderful Works we have persevered in our Holiness till thy coming But will Christ give them admission on this Plea of a Spirit of grace and holiness without a word of Faith in our Lord Jesus No sure he will say I know you not you would not know me to be your Righteousness You come in your gospel Holiness I know you not This is to make the gospel yea and nay 'T is yea to day true uniting
is wholly shut out there is to be no boasting and 't is shut out by the law of Faith by that Faith I just now mentioned all you have to do in the point of Justification is Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved Do these Men seek a Law here 's the Law this is his Commandment that you believe in the name of the Lord Jesus John 3.23 when they said What shall we do that we might work the works of God Jesus answered and said unto them This is the work of God that ye believe in him whom he hath sent so the Apostle here do you seek a Law that excludes from boasting I 'll tell you the Law 't is the law of Faith to believe on him that is just and the justifier of the Ungodly upon his believing and yet this Mr. W. brings for confirmation of his sincere holiness that God regards in his giving pardon But thus it pleaseth God to confound the wise by quoting a Text in order to adulterate it when in the Issue no Text is more sharp upon him A farther Confirmation of his setting up works for concurring to pardon is in the next words thus And it the gospel specially insists on that sincerity of grace and holiness which the rule of the Promise makes necessary in its description of the Person whom it makes partaker of its included Benefit sure never was the free grace and love of God to Man so fetter'd and obscured by dark expressions had any Sophister industriously set himself to vitiate the true meaning of Gods Love in these words God so loved the World that he gave his only beloved Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life he could not possibly I think have done it worse than to explain hem in Mr. W. expressions of the gospel insisting on grace and that sincere and on holiness and that such as the rule of the Promise makes necessary and that rule of the Promise is in its description of the Person to be benefited by it which description must needs be the whole word of God and when this person hath all that holiness that we find the word of God recommends then this person by this rule with this holiness is partaker of an included benefit God of his rich mercy pour out his Spirit and grant his Servants may be inabled to deliver his clear plain Scripture offers of life and Salvation by Jesus Christ with clearer Evidence than this Is this the way of confuting Dr. C. who asserts Gospel Grace in plain Gospel Terms That Christ came to seek and save the lost that he seeks and finds his lost sheep and brings them home upon his Shoulders that he carries the Lambs in his Arms and gently leads those with young and instead of such Soul-saving encouragements to poor sinners to put them off with our grace and holiness and not a word of Gods saving them in Christ but our coming up to the rule which the promise makes necessary And who shall be able to say when he hath done all that he comes up to Mr. Williams rule of believing c. his Obedience c. his persevering c. from such stating of Gospel Truth O Lord deliver thy People Now we come to the Use Mr. Williams makes of his premises of salvation from our conformity to Gospel rule of new obedience c. which he summs up in few words viz. And the main of our Ministry consists in pressing men to Answer the Rule of the Gospel Promise But the main of the Apostles was to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and to press men to be found in him and so Mr. W. once did when he preach'd that Christ indured the utmost God bated him nothing the atonement was so compleat that God can demand no other from Christ or from any Soul this Atonement is applyed to This he deduced from this Doctrine The reconciling of sinners to God is effected by the concurring influence of the Priestly and Kingly Office of Christ Well then Christ hath effected this reconciliation what remains for poor man to do but accept it and be thankful not to come in with his Gospel Holiness for God to have regard to in our reconciliation to God But it seems this stream of Gospel grace must not run so clear now in his Book here must be conformity to Gospel Rule before we have any benefit by Christ which consists in Repentance Faith c. to all the rest and now this is prest and the main of our Ministry consists in this whereas the main of the Apostles was to beseech Men to be reconciled to God because God was in Christ and when upon the Cross reconciling the world to himself when by one Offering he for ever perfected the Work and cryed out it is finished and then after Union after engrafting into Christ after being in a blessed state of Salvation secured so as never to fall away then the Apostle presses to walk worthy of this Gospel of this free Salvation by Jesus Christ Mr. Williams proceeds viz. We call men to be reconciled to God upon which we know God will be at peace with them This I thought it would come to at last First we must come to God and be reconciled to him and then God will be at peace with us which is just contrary to the Apostle when we were Enemies we were reconciled Rom. 5.10 But when Men will be pampering with our holiness for God to look to in our acceptance in Christ they will fall into a Covenant of Works and call it Gospel Grace that our works are accepted in order to our Justification and Salvation we must first be reconciled to God saith Mr. W. that is we must first comply with the gospel rule of not only Faith but Holiness Repentance and perseverance in new Obedience and having thus brought our selves to that reconciled posture then God will be at peace is this fulfilling Christs commission Go Preach the gospel to every Creature he that believeth shall be saved Is this proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord When thou wast in thy Blood I said to thee Live and for mine own Name sake I will remember their sins no more God waits to be gracious knocking at the Door of poor sinners hearts crying Open to me let me come in I bring my Supper I bring my Son only let him in only receive him by Faith God don't say my Son and I will be at peace with you after you have washt you and made your selves clean but he comes to tell you he loved you and washt you from your sins in his blood on the Cross and you that believe in me are the Persons I was reconciled to you then and am come now to offer it to you and beseech you to be reconciled to me Thus with these words of his first love he draws poor sinners to be reconciled to him and do not damp
their Comforts by telling them I will be at peace if you be reconciled to me but revives their hearts by telling them that the peace is already wrought in God and for sinners by Christ at his death for that he made peace by the Blood of his Cross and by him reconciled all to himself Col. 1.20 Christ did not stay till we were reconciled to him as Mr. W. seems to intimate when he calls men to be reconciled to God upon which he knows God will be at peace with them This I take to be setting the Cart before the Horse to invite Men to be reconciled thereby to get God to be at peace whereas the sweet heavenly strain of the gospel is Come for all things are ready come to Jesus who is already made of God to you that come Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption who is the Author and finisher of your Faith O Jesus thus draw and we will run after thee and thus he hath drawn thousands by the Prophets and Apostles preaching and his faithful Servants after him to come to God and to holy Obedience in Love whereas the legal drawing of walking holily and then God will be at peace keeps poor Souls in perpetual doubts and works the Soul but to a Spirit of Bondage Next comes the Top-stone of this New system of gospel Truth which looks as if it were hewed and squared at Rome with only a little Varnish at Amsterdam viz. These things Gods promising life by forgiveness and yee insisting on some Degree of Obedience will help thy Conceptions still remembring that the merit of Christ are the cause of this gospel Ordination Can any spiritual inlightned mind read this and not blush for Mr. W. and think he is hard put to it to support his cause of laying our salvation on our gospel holiness joyned with Christs righteousness when he flies to such an Assertion as the Papists have been forced to forsake being beaten out of that Trench by our great Divines That Christ merited that we should merit this they asserted but found it would not hold water therefore Bellarmin flies to his Tutissimum and saith in his Book de Justif l. 5. ch 7. pro. 3. Propter incertitudinem propriae Justitiae periculum inanis gloriae Tutissimum est totam fiduciam in sola Dei misericordia benignitate reponere Because of the uncertainty of our own righteousness and the danger of vain glory it is safest to put all our trust in the alone mercy and bounty of God Here the Jesuit flies from the gospel Ordination that Christ merited that God should have regard to our gospel holiness and our conformity to gospel Rule for obtaining gospel promise this chimed well with him in his long arguments for Justification by works but upon his review of his strong reasons he flies from it and betakes himself to Gods meer mercy and bounty which must be in Christ and so I hope the great opposer of Dr. Crisp will do But in regard this is so broad and wide a gap to let in the whole body of self Justiciaries with their good works to come in for sharing with Christ in salvation I must make some opposition to it both from Scripture and sound Protestants The merits of Christ saith Mr. W. are the cause of this Ordination that is that our answering the gospel rule obtains us interest in the gospel Promise or which is all one Do and live Christ merited that if we do we shall live the only difference is the first doing and live was perfect Obedience to the Law and this doing and live of Mr. VV. is sincere obedience to the gospel in all its commands counsels c. which every true Christian trembles to think on Is this the upshot of Christs Death to merit that our Gospel Obedience should be the ground of our obtaining Benefit by Christ then I say again it must come to this that Christ merited that we should merit for there can be no benefit to a Sinner but by merit Christ did not absolutely merit the Benefit for us say they but merited that we doing so and so should obtain the Benefit then our doing so and so must merit it for it is injustice of God to himself and his Righteous broken Law to give a Sinner that deserves Hell any good unless that good be merited and this is left to the Sinner to obtain by Gospel Obedience which therefore must of necessity be from merit So that here it must rest or we make God unjust to himself and so say Christ purchas'd this that we should do so is Nonsense Mr. Williams can hardly assoyle himself from this Charge till he retract this Assertion That the merits of Christ are the cause of that Gospel Ordination he had laid down As for the Scriptures that oppose this Divinity those already mentioned are abundantly more than sufficient to throw down the House built on this Sandy Foundation as that God so loved the World that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Here is nothing required but believing to everlasting life So the Apostle Acts 16. Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Here 's complying with no other Gospel Rule for Salvation but believing in the Lord Jesus To which I may add the whole Stream of the New Testament to come and take the Water of Life freely Rev. 22. They that hunger and thirst after this Righteousness of Christ they shall be filled If God by his grace have begot a true hunger a true desire after it they shall have it Come to me if weary if laden cast your self on me and you shall find rest for your Souls But the great Scripture is Not to him that worketh not to him that thinks to obtain gospel Benefits by complying with gospel Rule of walking in holy Obedience to obtain pardon by it but to him that believes on him that justifies the Vngodly This Scripture is enough to confound the whole Scheme of the new fashion'd stating of gospel Truth The Apostle states gospel Truth thus Not to him that worketh no Works at all must come in in the business of our Salvation as concurring to it Thus the Apostle held saith Mr. Williams This lets in Licentiousness I have found a better way of staring gospel Truth that is To him that worketh to him that complies with gospel Rule to him that is godly not his Faith alone but his Faith with sincere Obedience That is his gospel Holiness which the Apostle intends when he speaks of being found in the Righteousness of God by Faith this gives right to gospel Benefits O what heart touched with love to the Lord Jesus and poor Souls but must ake to see the gospel thus mangled and the Crown upon our gospel Obedience jointly with Christ If this be not Evacuating and Invalidating the compleat Mediation and Atonement of the Lord Jesus then what can do it For he will not have any
denies 'T is not of Works only of Faith that it might be by grace not Gods grace in us working holiness but his grace to us in Christ The next is that which is the ground work of all Mr Wâ—â— building 〈…〉 that glorious Text which I so often have harped upon and which I must again say somewhat to now in its course for that I am not able to bear that such an outwork should treacherously be delivered up and say that this Text in Phil. 3.9 Is allowed by all sound Protestants to be meant as 't is said that the Righteousness of God that the Apostle desired to be found in by Faith is only the imputed Righteousness of Christ and not at all concerns our Gospel Holiness nay this Gospel Holiness thus put in the room of Christs Righteousness is a term Foreign to Scripture Language and is brought in to jostle out Gospel Grace 'T is Holiness we are to walk in but 't is Grace we are to be saved by which grace is this that the Rigâ—â—â—â—â—ness of Christ is made ours wrought out by Christ for us and imputâ—â—◠〈…〉 to us without any thing of that which men call our Gospel Holinâ—â—◠〈…〉 to do therein Now if the Church of God will be content to lose 〈…〉 â—f Phil. 3.9 and suffer a Disputer to make this breach in our Bank agâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Popish Sea of Justification by Gospel Holiness all the rest of our Banks and â—arriers will soon be run down Then they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness shall be filled must be interpreted of our Gospel Holiness If we be hungry for holiness in conformity to Gospel Rule our Souls shall be filled with eternal happiness and then if we take to us the Brest Plate of Righteousness that is a holy walking with God that will defend us from all Temptations of the Devil as for Faith in Christ that must come after our own Righteousness by this Doctrine whereas the Apostle in that place Eph. 6. Brings in that Breast Plate as our chief first piece of Armour after Truth when the Soul is enlightned with the knowledge of God's love to give Jesus Christ for us The first thing he doth is he puts on Christ's Righteousness as his Breast-Plate Alas if the Soul puts on his own Righteousness the Devil's Darts would soon pierce through it but every sensible Soul will say with Job Though I were righteous yet would I not answer I would make Supplication to my Judg. I suppose Job had as much to say for his close holy walking with God as any that now call for Gospel Holiness to make us partakers of Christ's purchase yet he renounces all and saith farther for the confounding our new Grotian Divinity If I wash my self with Snow Water of the best Gospel Holiness that ever meer Man had and make my hands never so clean with close walking with God yet shalt thou plunge me in the Ditch of self Condemnation and eternal misery and mine own Cloaths of self righteousness shall abhor me O what clear gospel grace had this good man acquaintance with when he flies from all the trash of his being clean to make way for his justification and betakes himself to his Days-Man his Redeemer who though he had not actually taken flesh yet was then living and living as his Redeemer For I know that my Redeemer liveth though he slay me I will trust in him If I justifie my self with my close walking or Gospel Holiness in part or in the whole mine own mouth would condemn me nay though I were perfect yet would I not know my Soul Here was a right gospel Spirit like the Apostle Paul concerning the Law blameless yet my Righteousness is Dung so Job If I be righteous I will not lift up mine head Job 10.15 I will not glory in my Breast-Plate of mine own Righteousness Again if with Mr. Williams the Righteousness of Christ by Faith be our own gospel Holiness why may not Esa 45.24 In him have I Righteousness and strength he our gospel Holiness too and Jer. 23.6 Jehovah our Righteousness be the same and then Have not submitted to the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 shall have the same usage and mainly intend our Gospel Holiness though the Apostle brings it in in opposition to our own righteousness But blessed be God if Mr. W. or an Angel should undermine these Foundations of a sinner's salvation yet on this Rock God will build his Church that Christ was made sin for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him I say in him not in our gospel holiness and if on this foundation any man builds hay and stubble as our gospel holiness compared with Christs Righteousness his work shall be burnt and he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved so as by fire it being a dangerous thing to mingle our gospel holiness with Christs Righteousness Again if Christ Righteousness Phil. 3.9 be our gospel Holiness Mr. W. may as well say by the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all Men to justification of life Rom. 5.18 doth principally intend not so much the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us as the gospel holiness of every one of us If we give this Inch he may take an Ell but we are bid earnestly to contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints of which this is as great a part as any I know next the Deity of our Lord Jesus therefore we must not part with it to let in a sham Model of Schematical Divinity of God's regarding our holiness as a ground to justify us we complying with the Gospel Rule of sincere Obedience to qualify us for Christs Righteousness to be Imputed to us By this unsavory gloss of Mr. W. any Judicious Person may see how unmeet he is to Arraign and by his Arguments to come in Evidence against the Doctrine delivered by Dr. C. If he would have convinced him he must do it with stronger and better Reasons than Human even with opposite Scriptures if his Bible have any such as are repugnant to the plain force of express Scriptures that the Dr. insisted on such as the Lord laid on him the Iniquity of us all to prove sin really translated on Christ and the Children being yet unborn having done neither Good nor Evil he said Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated to prove that God loves us and imputes the Righteousness of Christ to his Elect without respect of good or Evil done by them But he having no Scriptures to overthrow those Maxims he may not think to do it with plausible Sophistry of the suitableness of it to God's holiness to justifie none but the Holy when the Scripture saith expresly he Justifies the Ungodly and so I beseech the Lord to do to him as well as to my self else woe unto us Next comes the exact Copy of Paul a Pharisee thus The grace of God is hereby stated as free as is consistent