become most abominable as if God stood in need of something that we have To depart from Iniquity or to labour in Holiness in order to express our Thankfulness unto God for his Mercies in Jesus Christ is most grateful and most forcible Again Love unto God for all his Glorious Excellencies especially for his Mercy in Christ Jesus is the best Principle of Holiness and our departing from Iniquity and this Love is begun and flows from God's Love first He that Acts according to any of God's Commandments out of hope to Merit by them may Act out of Love indeed but it must be then Self-love to obtain as he vainly thinks by his Obedience Eternal Happiness Our Love of God should exceed Self-love as far as God himself exceeds which is Infinitely Our Love of God is a Vertue and the Foundation of the rest Our Love of our selves thus taken is a Sin a Mother Sin the cause of all the rest of our Sins c. I am mistaken if I find not this Doctrine of working for Life according to your sence exactly in the Council of Trent Decree XVI Grace proposeth to the Just the Exercise of Good Works by which Eternal Life is gained as Grace promised by the Mercy of God and a Reward due to Good Works by the Divine Promise And it concludeth This Doctrine doth not establish any Righteousness of our own refusing the Righteousness of God but the same is said to be in us and of God being infused by him for the Merit of Christ Calvin But Mr. Neonomian saith in his Reply It 's vain and false Mr. Antinomian that you say that you are only against setting Graces and Holiness in the place of Christ Antinom He that reads my Sermons must needs see the Truth of that Assertion I have nothing to say to such as only depend upon Mr. Neonomian's report Neonom He reckons they are put in Christ's place though they be affirmed but as Means and Conditions antecedently necessary by Divine Appointment to obtain any Blessing for the sake of Christ's Merits Antinom And well I may if Men must be gracious and holy antecedently to any Blessing for the sake of Christ's Merits and by vertue of that Antecedent Grace and Holiness do obtain Blessings for the sake of Christ's Merits I think you outstrip the Papists here in the Doctrine of Merit Neonom His Principles are That Faith is not so much as an Instrument whereby we are united to Christ or Justified P. 616. Antinom He speaks not there of Faith as an Instrument but he doth speak of it as such P. 597. where he saith Faith is not the Instrument Radically to unite Christ and the Soul together but rather is the Fruit that flows from Christ the Root being united before-hand by the Spirit to the Persons that do believe Neonom 2. That Christ brings us all good things when we are ungodly so it 's in vain to do any thing to obtain these P. 41. Antinom He speaks there of Justification by Faith alone without Works And we are delivered from Wrath before we step a step into Duties and we do not the Duty to be delivered but we do the Duty because we are delivered and seeing all these are settled by Christ for us of Free Gift all we do is for Christ himself I say that we do we do for Christ and not for our selves Neonom He saith Obedience is not the way to Heaven and Sanctification is not the way to a Justified Person Antinom No Sanctification is not the way of Justification he speaks of the way of Justification we are not according to his Divinity Justified by Inherent Holiness or Righteousness though we are according to yours And he tells you Sanctification is our business in Christ the Way for whatever Duty is performed acceptably must be wrought by Faith in Christ Jesus we are Sanctified in Christ Christ is the true way of Sanctification Neonom He saith He should not have the least Thought in his Heart of promoting or advancing himself or any end of his own by doing what he doth Antinom You know this thing is no new Doctrine It use to be one of the signs and marks of Truth of Grace when we Act in Duty singly for the Glory of God and not for selfish and sinister ends and designs but this is spoken to sufficiently before DEBATE XV. Of the Way to attain Assurance Neonom THE next Errour that I have to charge Mr. Antinomian with is his Doctrine of Assurance Errour Assurance is not attained by the Evidence of Scripture marks or signs of Grace or by the Spirits discovering to us that he hath wrought in our Hearts any Holy Qualifications But Assurance comes only by an Inward Voice of the Spirit saying Thy Sins are Forgiven thee and our Believing thereupon that our Sins are forgiven D. W. p. 161. Antinom What evidence do you bring of your Charge Neonom You say if you would know that the Lord hath laid your Iniquities on Christ you must know it thus 1. Is there a Voice behind thee in thy self Thy Sins are forgiven thee Dost thou see this Voice agree with the Word of Grace i. e. Dost thou see it held out to most vile and wretched Creatures as thou canst be And upon this Revelation of the Mind of the Lord by his Spirit according to that Word doth the Lord give to thee to receive that Testimony of the Spirit to sit down with it as satisfied that upon this thou makest full reckoning thou hast propriety in this particularly to thy self If thou dost receive that Testimony according to that Word here is thy Evidence thou hast thy Propriety and Portion in this Dr. Cr. p. 491. Calvin And do you Banter this Doctrine as Erroneous Stuff I would wish you to have a care it 's a tender Point Antinom I will acquaint you with a little of my foregoing Discourse Let us see what kind of evidencing believing gives it is not a Revealing Evidence Dr. Cr. p. 491. nor an Effecting Evidence these the Word and Spirit are but it is a Receiving Evidence or it is an Evidence as it doth receive that Testimony which the Spirit holds out applying it to the Heart as the Eyes receive the light and the Ears the sound and if we ask a Man how do you know such a thing he will say I saw it with my Eyes and heard it with mine Ears It is an evidence as an Officer in Court that speaks nothing of his own knowledge but produceth Records and testifieth the Authentickness of the Records The Life of Evidence is materially in the Records themselves but the Officer is an Evidence as he doth assert the Truth of such Records It is even so with Faith The Spirit of the Lord makes the Records and speaks the Records to the Heart Now Faith comes in and receives what the Spirit of the Lord hath written In brief Faith is an Evidence as it doth take Possession of
of what shall accrue to you thereby Dr. Cr. p. 149. you are not Persons yet come to have that common Spirit and dead to the old Spirit as becomes Christians Such Believers are acted more by a Spirit of Bondage than the Spirit of Adoption The Apostle saith They that are lead by the Spirit are the Sons of God and therefore so far as they are lead by the Spirit act not mercenarily 7. But to let pass your perverting my Sence you will have me to intend Works answering the Call of God to the Unregenerate and you say to this purpose they must be encouraged by Rewards of their Works Were it not rather to charge God as you say when he shall offer them upon the account of their Duties when the Spirit of God tells us they can perform none being Spiritually dead and that which they suppose they do cannot please God Rom. 8.8 therefore cannot obtain any thing from him You say must they not strive to Believe and Repent with an Eye to Forgiveness and Escaping of Wrath I say Not with an Eye to their Works of Believing and Repentance but to the receiving of Forgiveness and Escaping Wrath. Neonom By your Scheme the Elect may be idle and the Non-â—lect do best when they despair for there 's Connection between these Benefits and these Graces and Duties Antinom I pretend not to the making Schemes of the Gospel-Mysteries calculated to carnal Reason as you do I leave that to you that pretend to be so skilful in it But in answer to what you inferr I say I preach not to Men as Elect or not Elect but unto Sinners and I call them to look for the advantage of Life and Salvation in Christ and not in their Duties But yet as I told you I call them to Duty and to the acting of it from higher and nobler Principles than you do not from such a slavish mercenary servile Spirit as you would have them to act from And I think the Doctrine of Free-Grace is no ground of Idleness or Despair but the contrary the greatest Encouragement to Service and preservative against Despair in the World unless it be to such Scheme-makers as you be who charge God with Weakness and Falsehood unless he save Sinners in a way of a Covenant of Works And there 's no such Connection between Graces and Benefits as you plead for Neonom And so the Non-elect are in the same case with Devils there being no serious offer to them nay their Case is worse than Devils for these Offers are made to them with no design but to encrease their Condemnation Nay every Sin of theirs is a Sin against the Holy Ghost i. e. Every Sin is alike that unpardonable Sin and not only that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost Antinom This is the Arminian Plea for Universal Grace and what is this but the smoak of the Bottomless Pit I say Who art thou O Man that repliest against God You come now to prove your Charge of God for Weakness and Folly But if the Non-elect be in as bad a Case as Devils is God guilty of Weakness and Falshood A wiser Man than you did not think so when he said God made all things for himself the wicked for the day of evil Prov. 16.4 Neither was the Apostle Paul of your mind as plainly appears by Rom. 9.18 19 20. But let me return upon you Will you say that it was unrighteous with God to leave a part of Mankind under Non-election to eternal Life and Salvation What will you charge God with for leaving part of the Angelick Nature under it 2. You talk of an Offer to the Non-elect and that Offer you say must be serious and if it be not offered upon such a Condition as they can perform But I pray where 's any Offer of Grace in the Gospel to the Non-elect at all as such And shew me any Graces given or Gospel Duties required of the Non-elect or Benefits promised to the Non-elect upon their performance of Graces and Duties It would not be serious indeed to call for Graces and Duties or promise Life unto them or saving Benefits upon Performance of the said Duties after the Non-election was declared to them Now you will not own there can be any serious Offer made unless the Condition be equally performable by Elect and Non-elect and both be alike in the next Capacity of Salvation or else they are in the same case with the Devils And what it they be as eventually as unlikely to believe and be saved as the Devils why will you be presumptuous to charge God May not God have Mercy on whom he will and harden whom he will without giving an Account of any of his matters And what if the Non-elect be in as bad a case as the Devils is God bound to be any better to them than the Devils For say you God must offer to the Non-elect with the same Mind and Purpose of saving Non-elect as well as of saving the Elect or else God is not serious in his Offers I deny that Gospel-Offers are made to Elect or Non-elect but to Sinners as such and it 's made indefinitely that the Election might obtain and the rest are blinded Rom. 11.5 6 7. as it was with the Elect and Non-elect Jews so it is with the Elect and Non-elect of all Mankind And see there what God saith and that seriously At this present time saith God there is a Remnant of Jews to be saved but according to the Election of Grace What will you say but a Remnant How comes it to pass that the Offer was made to them that belonged not to the Election You 'll say God was not serious in his Offer to them when it was said Acts 3.4 Vnto you first of the Nation of the Jews God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his Iniquities If the Non-elect in this Nation cannot perform Works say you upon the condition of which they may have the Promise God deals falsly with them Whereas the Spirit of God gives us another Account of these things why notwithstanding this general and indefinite Offer but a Remnant was saved viz. The Election had obtained it ver 7. For saith he if it be by Grace then it is no more of Works nor of him that willeth or runneth but of God that sheweth mercy otherwise Grace is no more Grace but if it be of Works then it is no more of Grace otherwise Work is no more Works 7. What then Israel hath not obtained what he seeketh for or applying it to many Professors or others under a Gospel-Ministry such and such hath not obtained what they pretended to seek after but the Election hath obtained it The Grace of God not Works became efficacious through the Election And what became of the Non-elect You 'll say God mockt them No go you on to mock God with your carnal Reason and hearken
of Grace a Covenant of Legislation and so a new Law directly opposed to the Covenant of Promise as we do make appear Was not the condition appointed to Adam by God's Command and had antecedent Power given him to perform Is it not unreasonable to command the performance of a condition where the Commander knows there is no Power to perform Is it consistent with the Wisdom of God to command an Impossibility to his Creature as a Covenant-condition And is it just to deal with him upon his Non-performance according to the Sanction of a Law And you say His Duty no less by being made Terms c. You should have said Legally much more In stead of Terms of the Benefit you should have said Terms of the Covenant if you had spoken properly And as for the Grant you speak of it 's but conditional and there 's no Grant at all pleadable till the Condition be performed Neonom The Covenant tho conditional is a Disposition of Grace There 's Grace in giving Ability to perform the Condition as well as bestowing the Benefits God's enjoyning one in order to the other makes not the Benefit to be the less given D. W. p. 55. Antâ—nom In a conditional Covenant that is a Covenant of Works in the highest Sence there is always a Disposition of Grace to the Creature even in that by which the very good Angels stand and was in that made with Adam It 's Grace that God offers Happiness to his Creature upon any Terms when he is in a capacity to perform them It 's Grace to take his Creature into Covenant The Angels are saved by Grace and so would Man have been if he had stood and though he fell there was that Grace you speak of in giving Ability to perform the condition and giving it before he put the condition upon him which is not here for you 'll have the condition put upon a Sinner before the Disposition of Grace to give him Ability which makes it a harsh dealing and unreasonable and hence far from Grace and therefore this enjoyning makes not only less Grace but no Grace Neonom It 's a Display of God's Wisdom in conferring the Benefit suitably to the Nature and State of Man in this Life whose Eternal Condition is not Eternally decided but are in a state of Trial yea the Conditions are but a meetness to receive the Blessings Antinom Gross Divinity I had thought Christ in the Covenant had been the great display of God's Wisdom 1 Cor. 1. But you must have a pitiful condition an imperfect sinful Righteousness instead of him and a Covenant agreeable to the corrupt Nature and State of Men and indeed so is yours for there 's nothing suits more with our carnal corrupt Hearts than to seek Salvation in such a way as you pretend to And is not the State of Believers decided in this Life But is it still a contingent Axiom that John a true Believer shall be saved What miserable consequences will hence be inferr'd the conditions are still performing these Federal Conditions and Subjective Qualifications it may be the Man may not perform them all and then he perisheth Eternally there 's no certainty of Salvation here no Man can have any more than an Opinion of it shake hands with the Papists and Arminians Nay hence it seems that all the Grace given here is no part of Eternal Life but qualifying conditions to make them meet for it Federally and that in true English is to make them merit it Lastly All the Doctrine of Election is hereby overthrown you may tear out Eph. 1. and Rom. 9. and several other places of Scripture out of your Bible No Man's Eternal Condition is by the Eternal God decided The best Man is but upon his Tryal as Adam was whether he will stand or fall Neonom I will shew you the Reason why we use the word Condition 1. Because it best suits with Man's Relation to God in his presents Dealings with us as Subjects in Tryal for Eternity D.W. p. 55. Antinom I know not why you should make any Apology for using the word for undoubtedly it best suits with your System of Divinity though it would not have suited with Paul's conditions it will suit our Nature that are Dead in Trespasses without strength in the Flesh and cannot please God in the performance of any conditions and it suits his present Dealings you say in way of tryal for our Eternal Estate upon our good Behaviour in performance of after conditions as well as first conditions our Calling Election Justification Union with Christ the Promises of Perseverance all doth not decide our eternal Estate nothing but our final Performance of conditions Lord have Mercy upon us and our Ministers Where 's our Gospel Neonom Christ as Priest hath merited all Antinom He ought then to be content and not except against your Scheme you allow him enough Neonom But as King or Priest upon his Throne he dispenseth all he enjoyns the Conditions in order to the Benefits and makes the Benefits Motives to our Complivnce with the Conditions He treats with Men as his Subjects whom he will now Rule and hereafter Judge Antinom Now he comes to his Rectoral Rule of Government and gives forth his new Law I had thought Christ had been a King and exerted his Kingly Office upon the Cross as well as upon the Throne but now you say he acts as a King or Priest upon the Throne and as such either King or Priest you know not which he enjoyns Conditions in order to Benefits You should speak plainly you mean He sets up a new Law justifies or condemns Men by the Works of this Law and treats all the World as redeemed Subjects deals with them according to this new Law bringing them upon their Tryal for Eternity Your meaning is that Christ hath merited a Power to himself to exercise Dominion in the Earth and bring Men under his Tryal and Judicature in performance of Conditions and they that are saved shall be saved by his Regal Power It 's enough for his Priestly Office that it merited what he was to do as King But not all for the first Grace must not come from his Merits and now there 's but a little Use for his Priesthood all the rest depend upon our Conditions Neonom Now what word is so proper to express the Duty as enjoyned means of Benefits like this Word Conditions Antinom It seems you hug this Word Condition extreamly Neonom Yes I do There 's few Author's of Note even of any Perswasion but make use of this Word in my Sence viz. Twiss Rutherford c. Antinom Few of them understood the Word as you do or at least made use of it in your Sence But whether they understood it so or not it 's no great matter I would wish you to build a Condition-School where all Persons might resort to the hearing Condition-Lectures to sit them to understand your Terms of Art in
cannot Impute Sin to Christ and the Elect both yea he accepteth us in the Beloved Eph. 1.6 Loving the Persons of the Elect Rom 11.28 though hating their Sins and also their State under the Curse of the Law Rom. 6.14 Chap. 7.6 Eph. 2.3 The second is wrought at our Conversion when the Enmity of Nature is slain by the Infusion of Grace Neonom You ask But what doth Faith serve for D. W. p. 103. Dr. C. p. 85. You answer It serves for the manifestation of that Justification which Christ put upon a Person by himself alone Antinom Adding that he by believing on him may have a declaration and manifestation of his Justification Faith is the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 A Man is Justified and that by Christ alone but it is nâ—t known to him it is an unseen thing Well how shall he see this The Text saith Faith is the Evidence by Faith we apprehend it and rejoice in it as we apprehend it to be our own I tell you in another Discourse Whatever the Scripture speaks concerning Faith Justiâ—ying Dr. C. p. 596. it must of necessity be understood objectively or declaratively one of these two ways either Faith is said to be our Righteousness in respect of Christ only who is believed on and so it is not the Righteousness of its own Act of Believing Or else you must understand it declaratively i. e. Whereas all our Righteousness and all our Discharge from Sin flowing only from the Righteousness of Christ alone is an hidden thing that which in it self is hid to Men doth become evident by believing and as Faith doth make the Righteousness of Christ evident to a Believer so it 's said to justifie by it's own Act declaratively and no otherwise Neonom He saith We do not believe that we may be Justified but because we are Justified Antinom Yes we do believe that we may be justified declaratively I say there Tho' Faith it self cannot be called our Righteousness Dr. C. p. 86. yet in respect of the Glory that God ascribes to it that it seals to Men's Souls the fulness of Righteousness how can you consider a Person a believing Person and withall an ungodly Person When Persons are Believers they cease to be ungodly but if Men be not justified till they do believe Christ doth not justify the ungodly but rather we must believe on him that justifies the righteous But as I said we do not believe that we may be justifyed but we do believe and truly believe when we are and because we are Justified So that still it stands firm we are not justified we are not in Covenant we partake not in the Covenant by any Condition we perform till which Performance the Covenant cannot be made good unto us but we are in Covenant and Christ makes us to be in Covenant for his own sake without any Condition in the Creature God will have mercy on whom he will without any-thing in the Creature to partake first Neonom He saith God doth add never a tittle of Pardon it self more to him that is a Believer than to that Person not yet converted to the Faith c. D. W. p. 104. Antinom He still gives you but part of my Sence and Misrepresents it my words were these Beloved Dr. C. p. 578. for my own part I cannot conceive any other considerable difference between the plea of Christ for a Converted Person and the unconverted Elect but this Circumstantial difference namely that the value of his Blood is of equal force to Believers and Unbelievers being Elected saving that the Believers have this priviledge that the Lord Christ pleads for the Manifestation of this discharge unto this Converted Person but pleads not for the present Manifestation thereof unto the Unconverted Elect Person till such time as he shall be called to the Faith and by that Faith that thing be made evident which before was hid Now follows what he would blacken me with I say the Pardon of Sin by the Blood of Christ is as full for the Unconverted Elect Person as fully passed over in Grant to that Person as to the Believer himself God doth add never a Title of Pardon it self more to him that is a Believer than to that Person not yet Converted to the Faith in regard of the substance of the Pardon it self and this I clear as a great Truth if any will give themselves the trouble of reading it which I stand to Neonom He saith Faith as it takes hold on Christ's Righteousness it doth not bring this Righteousness of Christ to the Soul but doth only declare the presence of that Righteousness that was there even before Faith was and there denies Faith to be so much as an Instrumental cause of our Justification Dr. C. p. 597. Antinom I added That I did abhor to walk in the Clouds in a Truth of so high Concernment as you too much do Sir and that I knew I had many very catching Ears about me such as you are I said That Faith as it lays hold upon the Righteousness of Christ c. as he hath told you and the reason of that saying I gave in as plain words That there is no Person under Heaven Reconciled unto God Justified by God through the Righteousness of Christ but this Person is Justified and Rconciled unto God before he doth believe and therefore Faith is not the Instrument Radically to unite Christ and the Soul together but rather is the Fruit which follows and flows from Christ the Root being united before-hand to the Persons that do believe Shew me how any Person ununited to Christ can believe and how any one that is unjustified can be actually united to Christ as he must needs be before he can believe Neonom He tells you that Justification is from Eternity in several places Antinom You know that to be a false charge for I have told you a Man cannot be said to be Justified before he hath a Being I have often enough told you in what Sence I apprehend Justification to be before Faith but deny noâ— the Justification by Faith spoken of by the Apostles in the true Sence of it according to my best understanding I have told you that Justification is first in its provision is fully procured and provided and it 's first in Grant Gift and Application applyed unto us before we make Application of it by an Act of Faith whereby we do not bring it into the Heart but the Grace of God doth which we see behold and improve there by Faith manifesting and declaring our Justified Estate whereby our Consciences are freed from Guilt and Condemnation hence I call it Justification in Conscience in foro Conscientiae Mr. Rutherford Rutherford Exc. 1. c. 2. who wrote against the Antinomians saith There is a Justification in the Mind of God Eternal and a Justification in time terminated in the Conscience of a Believer Norton p. 315. That Justification
and Punishments in the way that you propose Tit. 3.4 5 6 7. After the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards Man appeared not by Works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy hath he saved us c. I 'll tell you what Mr. Beza saith upon the place Certainly not only the Works of the Ceremonial Law but all Works are at once excluded or else the Antithesis of Mercy would signifie nothing here But some will say It 's to be understood of Works preceding Faith and therefore Omnia opera preparatoria All preparatory Works are excluded and then tell us what it is to save whether this be nothing else than to ascribe a Faculty of deserving to a thing he that saith this doth manifestly wrest the Word of God For so the Benefit of our Salvation is taken away from the Righteousness of subsequent Works as well as of precedent which appears from the Opposition made between Works and Grace as also from our Regeneration and Justification by Grace in the two next Verses But you say the Covenant of Grace is a Rule of Distribution of Rewards and Punishments according to Works which you explain doing performing Actions on our parts which is to make the Covenant of Grace a Covenant of Works And you insinuate that Humane Nature stands in a state of Tryal for Salvation as if something were to be done and is expected to be done by the Natural Man in order to the obtaining of Grace Neonom What Reflection is it on Divine Wisdom and the glorious Platform of the Redeemers Work and Kingdom that he cannot purchase Benefits for Sinners unless he forbear to use them as Motives to Obedience Yea the whole of his serious Pleadings with men must be a Mockery rather than he must be allowed to bestow his Benefits in a Rectoral way Antinom What a Reflection is on the Wisdom Grace and Power of God that he cannot bestow his Benefits freely that he can act no way towards poor sinful and miserable Creatures but in a way of Justice in propounding Rewards to their Works and these must be the Motives to Duty that he will pay them well for their Duties And what Reflection on the whole Work of Redemption that all that Sinners have got by it is the Procurement of an Offer of Salvation in a Covenant of Works by offering them to live upon the condition of doing to allow him to have purchased Benefits but we must pay for them before we have them and not be out of Debt at the first payment neither Christ indeed you 'll say gives us the Buying and saith that he 'll get little or nothing by it He hath set a moderate reasonable Price upon them but we must pay in such Money as we have yea and all that we have And because we have not the Money to lay down at once he admits us to pay by Parts which is a Favour but if we make a Failure that we persevere not in sincere Doing out of Doors we must go Reprobate Silver shall we be called because the Lord hath rejected us Your meaning of a Rectoral way I take to be nothing else but in a way of Distributive Justice dispensing as King and Law-giver in the Covenant of Grace making and executing this Law Do and live for you will not have the Covenant of Grace to run in this Tenure Live and do Therefore he must act no otherwise than in a Covenant of Works Do and live and accordingly dispense Rewards and Punishments Neonom That you mistake me not When I speak of Holiness I mean all good Works internal external praying hearing exact walking Alms-deeds any Act of Obedience directed by the Word of God By Doing the same Actions are intended Believing in Christ is Doing it is an Action on our part c. D. W. p. 129. Antinom We ken your meaning better than you have declared and then why did you not plainly state your Question thus Whether that Christ offers to save Sinners and continue them in a state of Salvation on the Terms or Condition of Doing And you might have saved this labour of beating the Hedge to start the Hare Believing is Doing it seems and so it saves as a Work Neonom My Positions that I will prove then are as follow 1. Sinners have much to do in order to Salvation It 's the scope of the Bible since the Fall We have nothing to do in a way of Atonement and Purchase but in order to our Participation we must repent believe All the Revelations of God are Descriptions of Duty and Benefits but an Injunction of Duty in a Connection with benefits c. Antinom The whole Scope of the Scriptures is not a Revelation of a Covenant of Works or of many Covenants of Works but of one Law-Covenant of Works and of one Covenant of Grace made by way of Promise and executed by Free-gift the Righteousness thereof is the Gift of Righteousness for the Condition the Promise is performed in Gift The Gift of God is eternal life Rom. 5. You say nothing is required in a way of Purchase and Atonement i. e. in the way of the first Purchase But where Works are a prerequisite Condition it makes a second Purchase if but of Participation If I purchase a House for a Child or Relation and lay down the price of 100 l. and tell him he shall have this House if he gives me 20 Shillings of his own Earnings and this Contract brought into Covenants this Purchase will put him upon paying this Contract-Money and demand his Bargain and his Money is Purchase Money tho' it be not the first Purchase-money So that you help not the matter at all by saying in order to Participation and as to Atonement he needs none if he perform the Condition required no nor a Mediator for Christ in your sence should be only the Mediator of the Old Covenant but he is ill termed by the Scripture the Mediator of the New Covenant You say Revelations are Descriptions of Duties and Benefits I say Discoveries and Promise of Benefits and Duties You say an Injunction of Duty in a Connection of Benefits I say a Promise of Benefits rather with Connection of Duties But indeed the Covenant of Grace is an Offer and Gift of Benefits in Service and Enjoyments For Duty is one of the great Priviledges we are brought into by the Covenant and such is the Connection of promised Salvation unto Sinners There 's the Salvation of Faith and Holiness and all the connex Propositions that is made use of as that Rom. 10.9 and others import nothing but that he that is saved by Christ partakes of all his Salvation if in Justification then in Sanctification and Glorification but Christ never propounds Priviledges as Motives to Duty in your sence by way of Payment or Reward for the Duty done Neonom 2. There 's no one Saving Benefit granted a Sinner but upon Supposition of Duty
to forbid all intending our own good but rather act as one that now hath nothing to do in comparison as to the securing of Spiritual good things to my self Christ hath procured and settled all upon me I have a goodly Heritage Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all my days and from the sence of the greatness and fulness of Provision made for me in Christ I will glorifie him in Soul and Body and Spirit live to him serve him and my Generation not thinking that I can add any thing by my Duties to what Christ hath procured and obtained for me and in this sence it is I say that it is no discouragement because you cannot propound to your self any possible Gain i. e. over and above what Christ hath procured but whatever is the greatest and truest spur or encouragement to Duty is already provided to your Hand freely and graciously I illustrate my meaning thus There are some Children in the World that are very observant of their Parents Dt. C. p. 151. and their aim is that by reason of such compliance their Parents may settle an Estate upon them but when a Child knows an Estate is already settled upon him that it cannot be reversed and he is not able to add to it will such a Child propose to himself in his Obedience and Observance the obtaining that Good his Father hath already passed He knows it is passed already and cannot be by any thing he doth firmer and stronger He serves not now to get his Fathers Land but he serves to glorifie his Father that hath so freely settled his Land upon him Hence you see plainly that I mean in respect of Title not in respect of Possession and Enjoyment for so I say of Believers that have the temper of Christ's true-bred Children indeed They in the Gospel of Christ find all things that do appertain to Life and Godliness they find them all so passed over by God's Goodness and Free Grace to them Dr. C. p. 152. That the Lions shall want and suffer hunger before they shall want any thing that is good Must they now labour to gain these things as if they were in agitation or as if they were yet referred to their will or to their good and evil walking that as they shall walk so they shall speed This is to argue That God is yet to determine with himself how to dispose of those good things that he will bestow upon his People and that he gives good things according to their good or evil Carriage and so the goodness of God to his People must depend upon his Peoples goodness to him which is as the Morning Cloud and as Mens Works prevail with God so God will pour out his Bounty upon them Calvin Mr. Antinom gives us a very good account of his meaning and I wonder that Mr. Neonom you will offer to say he â—orbids the intending our own good though in subordination to God's Glory yea laying no stress of Meriting whereas he is express as to both these And by procuring and obtaining he plainly intends procuring or obtaining a Title to Heavenly Things But Mr. Antinom Did not Abraham in his Obedience unto God Heb. 11.9 10. look for a City which hath Foundations And had not Moses v. 26. in his Self-denial an Eye to the Recompence of Reward How is it then that we should not think to gain or procure any thing by our Duties and Obedience Antinom The great things that the Faithful mentioned in that Chapter did by Faith in the Promise surely Entitling them to those great things they looked for they did not esteem that their Obedience added one grain to their Inheritance by Promise any more than that the very Service of God it self and Enjoyment of him was of the Priviledges promised and they walked therein in Expectation of further performances Abraham looked for a City upon what ground Not of his Obedience but as being Heir already of the Promise of it Moses had an Eye to the Recompence of Reward not as procuring it by his Self-denial but as being Entitled to it by the Promise believed as already bestowed upon him by the Gift and Procurement of Christ and thence was carried forth to his Duty in Love to God and in Honour of his Free Grace as I have said thence it was that no difficulties of Affliction could discourage him nor Worldly Preferments and Riches allure him from his Duty My whole design in the Expressions mentioned by Mr. Neonom was to caution Believers against putting their Duties in the place of Christ in order to Life and Salvation And I have Mr. Luther for my President speaking in the like Case after the same manner The true Christ neither calleth thee to reckoning for thy Sins nor biddeth thee trust to thine own good Works Luth. on Gal. 5.4 but the false Christ i. e. the Devil in the likeness of Christ doth and the true Knowledge of Christ or Faith disputeth not whether thou hast done good VVorks to Righteousness or evil Works to Condemnation but simply concludeth after this sort If thou hast done good Works thou art not therefore Justified or if thou hast done evil Works thou art not thereby Condemned And I neither take from good Works their praise nor commend evil Works but in the matter of Justification I say we must look how we may hold Christ lest while we seek to be Justified by the Law we make him unprofitable to us for it 's Christ alone that Justifieth me both against my evil Deeds and without my good Deeds If I have this perswasion of Christ I lay hold on the true Christ but if I think that he exacteth the Law and Works of me to Salvation then he becometh unprofitable to me and I am utterly separated from him Neonom He saith When you labour by Prayer or seeking to prevail with God to take away his displeasure D. W. p. 154. Dr. C. p. 425. c. and to procure such good you serve not God now you serve your selves Antinom I was speaking against Selfishness in our Performances and said if you suppose you fast pray mourn or do any other Religious Services if you apprehend your own turns are not yet served there will be altogether a Selfishness in the performance of these Duties Selfish Ends and Motives will be your Load-stones and they shall draw up your Spirits in these Services As for Example when we labour by our Fasting and Prayer and seeking the Lord to prevail with God to take away his Displeasure c. and to procure such good things unto us do we serve the Lord or no And do we not serve our selves Nay you serve no God now you serve your selves when only your selves put you upon the performance of the Duty but you will say I must Fast and Pray to get my Sins pardoned A. It 's true that as long as Men think their Sins are upon themselves they cannot be atâ—est but