Scriptures for it that are now urged and by those Fathers but especially by Origen you shall find them answered And by this means it was that the first Fathers were so express in declaring themselves in this matter Philal. Those Gnosticks as ancient as they were are but a slender Credit to that Cause they are found Friends to Theoph. They were as I can largely shew you the most monstrous Hereticks that ever the Christian Church was infested with from its first Plantation to this very day as many other vile ones as there have been And they were as horribly prophane Devils also as ever the Earth bore And the Doctrine of Men's being under an irresistible Fate of being wicked and miserable or good and happy was their great Encouragement so to be as appeareth by their being so concerned for the propagation of it Nor were they so meal-mouthed as to stick at declaring the too natural sequel from it that all good men abominate viz. That God is the Author of sin As also that other which all such must abominate also that understand it viz. That all Vertue and Vice are made so by arbitrary Laws and founded in the Divine Will that is that they are meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only imaginary things and nothing in themselves Well Philalethes it is high time to have done with this we are gotten into a large field and scarcely know how to get out of it The truth is I did not think when we entered on this Discourse to be held in it one quarter of this time but one word hath insensibly drawn on another and indeed we may as easily persist in it twice thus long Let us therefore bethink our selves and proceed to what remaineth Philal. I shall only desire first to mind you of a passage I have read in the Life of the most Judicious and Pious Mr Ioseph Mede written by the Learned Dr Worthington and affixed to his Elaborate Works which is this If at at any time as it was said of St Paul at Athens his Spirit was stirred in him it was when he observed some to contend with an unmeasurable confidence and bitter zeal for the Black Doctrine of Absolute Reprobation upon which occasion he could not forbear to tell some of his Friends that it was an Opinion he could never digest being herein much of Dr Jacksons mind that generally the Propugners of such Tenets were men resolved in their Affections of Love and Hatred both of which they exercised constantly and violently and according to their own tempers made a judgment of God and his Decrees Several more passages relating to the same matter you may if you have not already there also read which shew his judgment in this particular as much a Calvinist as he was accounted Theoph. He therein shewed himself to be of his Mother the Church of England's temper who injoyns us in Her 17 Article To receive Gods Promises in such wise as they are generally set forth to us in Holy Scriptures And now let us return to those Sons of Hers that were the occasion of all this Talk And take notice that as in this last so in divers other of those Points about which there hath been so great a Contest and which have raised such Feuds and Animosities betwixt Protestants their moderation is very remarkable For they have not as hath been too general a practice Endeavoured to run as far from their Adversaries as possibly they could but carefully observing what truth may be found in their Opinions and heedfully separating it from what they conceive Erroneous in them they have I say in some more which with too great heat have been Controverted among us steered a middle Course which time will not admit me now to inlarge upon and therefore I will not so much as instance in them Philal. Therefore it is no great wonder that it fares with them as usually it doth with those that endeavour to part a fray that they are beaten on both sides and exclaimed against by the hot men of the several extreams Theoph. But whomsoever they dissent from there are none they can worse brook than the Monopolizers of Truth to a Party or those that make the judgments of such as they most admire the Standards of it Nor will an ipse dixit be admitted by them as a sufficient Argument to prove any Doctrine by if it be understood of any but God himself They not thinking the wisest and best of men or Churches either as priviledged from a possibility of being deceived They therefore look upon it as very unreasonable for any to go about to knock down their Adversaries with humane Authorities and to deprive each other of their liberty to judge for themselves Philal. This is so great a fault that it is not possible any Protestant should be guilty of it and not contradict his own professed Principles For do we not all most highly condemn the Practice of the Roman Church in erecting an infallible Chair for the Judicial deciding of Controversies in Religion and to give men the true sense of Scripture Theoph. And upon the same grounds that all Protestants complain of that Corrupted Church these Persons greatly blame those whose practice is in this particular like to theirs and that while they inveigh against the Pope make Popes of themselves or of the Masters of their several Sects and so intrench as he doth upon God's Authority Philal. But I perceive there are those among our selves that seem by their talk to lay no less weight upon the Judgment of the Church than the Papists themselves do Theoph. But I would gladly hear them speak out and tell us what Church they mean Surely they cannot mean the Church of England for if she be infallible it is more than she knows or believes her self for whoever reads her Articles may swear she renounceth all claim to Infallibility But if she did not how miserably would she be baffled out of her Pretence thereto by her Sons Arguments against the infallibility of the Church of Rome Philal. I suppose they mean the Truly Ancient Catholick and Apostolick Church Theoph. Very good But where shall we look for her Decrees If it be said in the Writings of the Apostles we will cry up the Churches infallibility and believing as she believeth as much as any But then who shall judge of the true sense of those Writings in matters disputable Philal. Surely they say more than so Theoph. Will they say That the Churches Judgment is to be found in the Ancient Fathers But we are like to be but sorrily helped by that means too they differing so much among themselves as 't is well known they do and there being but few things if any besides such as are most plainly revealed wherein they are all unanimous And in such points why may not We also be unanimous and that as well without their help as with it Philal. But there are some that
considered the three or four first verses of the 13 th Chapter of Deuteronomy where God by Moses saith thus to the children of Israel If there arise among you a Prophet or a Dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a signe or a wonder and the signe or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee saying Let us go after other gods and let us serve them thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet or that Dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul c. Theoph. That place is to very good purpose quoted by you and these two things are plainly to be gathered from it First That we are to consider the Doctrine it self before we believe it to be of God as well as the means of its confirmation Secondly That God for certain Reasons may suffer wonders to be wrought that is such things as no man can give account how they should be effected by natural means for the confirmation of a false Doctrine And you have from thence rationally concluded what I now said viz. That the goodness of the Doctrine is necessary to go along with the consideration of the Miracles whereby it was confirmed to make them such an Argument as we may reasonably desire to induce us to entertain it as coming from God and to receive him as Gods Son that brings it By the goodness of the Doctrine I mean at least its negative goodness and say that we ought to see that there be nothing in it that is plainly unworthy of God to revele or that containeth a manifest contradiction to any of his Attributes but when positive goodness is also therein observable that is a high congruity and agreeableness with the Divine perfections such Doctrines make Miracles a more abundantly strong argument that the Preacher of them is no Impostor but that he came from heaven upon Gods Message Philal. But there are Learned men that distinguishing betwixt Miracles and Wonders assert that the former are sufficient motives of Credibility though not the latter Theoph. Though these two ought to be distinguished yet I conceive that distinction will signifie very little when applyed to this matter For I cannot question but that it may lie within the compass of Evil Spirits power to play such Feats as no mortal man though they should be but Wonders can be sagacious and quick-sighted enough to discern them from real Miracles But when a person doth not onely perform most marveilous works but also delivereth the most excellent doctrine we have the greatest assurance that can be from both together that he came on Gods errand and that the Religion he brought with him hath the Majestie of Heaven for its Author We have reason to be no less assured of it than that God is good it being utterly unconceivable that he should lay before us such an invincible Temptation to believe a Cheat and Falsity Philal. But there are those you know that seem by their discourse to lay no weight either upon the Miracles or excellencie of the Doctrine and are heard to cry up onely the Testimony of the Spirit as an Argument of the truth of Christianity and of the divine Authority of those Books that contain it Theoph. There are so Philalethes but why do they distinguish between Miracles and the Testimony of the Spirit They are one and the same without all doubt for were they not performed by the power of the Holy Ghost And therefore they were his Testimony or attestation to the truth of the Gospel Philal. But they mean an internal Testimony or a secret powerful perswasion wrought immediately in the souls of men by the Holy Ghost Theoph. But those that say that Credit cannot be given to the truth of the Gospel without this make the Devils greater Unbelievers than we are from Scripture assured they are And moreover they seem to me to assert that Christ and his Apostles might have spared their mighty works for who will deny that the Spirits immediate testimony is alone abundantly sufficient for that purpose But besides those that talk thus do apparently run in as gross a Circle as that we accuse the Papists of For as they prove the Scriptures by their Church and their Church by the Scriptures so these prove the Scriptures by this Testimony of the Holy Ghost but then cannot prove so much as that there is any such person but by the Scriptures And once more if there be any truth in this opinion there is nothing to be done for the conviction of Infidels for this internal Testimony can be an Argument to none but those that have it Philal. This I once urged to a certain Divine who stiffly maintained that Conceit and was angry with those that went about to prove the Authority of the Scriptures the other way and he readily replied that he knew no means to be used for the conviction of unbelievers but praying for them Theoph. I commend that Gentlemans ingenuity in that concession but nothing could be said more dishonourable to our excellent Religion or that tends more to expose it to the scorn and contempt of those that bear no good-will to it Philal. But Theophilus do you think then that there is no such thing as this inward Testimony Theoph. All I think as to this matter I will briefly tell you I say that the external and rational Motives of Credibility are as sufficient to give unprejudiced persons an undoubted belief of the truth of our Religion as any rational Arguments are to perswade a man of the truth of any thing he desireth satisfaction concerning But yet because our Grand Adversary useth all Arts to make it as much suspected as may be and to shake our faith therein and we are moreover in regard of the Contrariety of our Religion to our carnal and fleshly interests very apt to be strongly prejudiced against it and we are not easily brought fully to believe what we would not have true God is ready without all question to assist our weakness by his grace and Spirit in this as well as other particulars when humbly sought to but we have no reason to think that he doth this ordinarily in an immediate manner but by blessing the use of means i. e. the consideration of the motives he hath given us to believe And that he confirms our Faith by giving us to see such strongly-convincing demonstration in those Arguments and by so closely applying the evidence of them to our understandings as that they come to be even perfectly over-power'd and against all opposition to have full assent and such as hath a powerful influence upon our practice as it were even forced from them But if all the external motives will not make one sufficient Argument to perswade to assent how could they render the unbelieving Jews inexcusable as our Saviour several times assured them they would
the Gospel our Saviour having given a sensible demonstration of it by his own Resurrection and Ascension as well as in the plainest terms preached it Now you need not be told that several of the Learned Heathens have by Arguments drawn from the nature of humane souls made that Doctrine highly probable and that even the more Brutish sort of them had generally if not universally a sense of a life to come You know also that the Doctrine of a day of Judgment they were no strangers to Iustin Martyr truly tells the Greeks in his Oration to them That not onely the Prophets and other Divine persons of the Old Testament but also those that were accounted wise among the Heathens both the Poets and Philosophers did acknowledge a judgement to come after death And their Poets tell us of three persons whose Office it is to judge men in the other world viz. Minos Rhadamanthus and Aeacus And mens being adjudged to rewards and punishments in the other suitable to their actions in this world was a Doctrine that accompanied that other and as generally received Nor are you ignorant what excellent Discourses divers of the Philosophers have of the nature of true happiness The forementioned Iustin saith That it seemed probable to him that Plato had entertained the doctrine of the Resurrection of the body but I must leave him there because I finde that he gives an insufficient reason for that Conjecture Nay even the Doctrine of the Trinity was as to the substance of it embraced by the Pythagoraeans and Platonists Several other instances of this nature may be produced And there are other Particulars I might present you with of notions the Heathens had resembling several other Doctrines reveled in the Gospel which are not less generally known than the forementioned As they held a Doctrine somewhat like that of the divine Conception of our Saviour for it was their opinion that divers of their eminent Benefactors were born of more than Humane race and that they were ex stirpe Deorum and accordingly gave Divine honour to them Their sacrificing of men for the attoning of their Gods shewed that they believed what is somewhat of kin to the Doctrine of Satisfaction or Christs reconciling us to God by offering himself up as a Propitiatory Sacrifice As Grotius among others hath fully shewn in his Book of Satisfaction They had another opinion that beareth resemblance to our Saviours Mediatorship for they held the intercession of Daemons of which Mr Mede hath discoursed in his Apostacie of the later times and I finde that Celsus calls our Saviour the Christians Daemon Philal. By these instances it should seem that the Heathens did of their own accords give credit to as strange Doctrines as any our Saviour requires our belief of and that several of the strangest of them are so far from sounding like uncouth and absurd ones that they are rather gratifications of the natural propensions of Mankinde Theoph. That the Learned Dr. More hath well observed in his Mystery of Godliness Though no question the Fathers did upon good grounds conclude that the Heathens received many Notions from the Jews and some from a more ancient Tradition and therefore we have no cause to judge that all the forementioned were the products of their own reasoning yet that makes not at all against the assertion that occasioned these instances but on the contrary clearly proves it For I did not say that many of the weightiest Points of meer belief may be certainly concluded from principles of Reason or that without the help of Revelation men might have been acquainted with them but that they are suitable to the Reason of mens Mindes being reveled and several of them very taking too which appeareth by the Heathens being so tenacious of some and so readily catching at others upon the first news of them Philal. I give you my heartiest thanks Theophilus for the full satisfaction you have given me concerning those Friends of ours endeavours to perswade men of the Reasonableness of Christianity Which doth much adde to my esteem of them though I know many are offended with them upon this account and by way of contempt call them The Rational Preachers for this Subject is most necessary to be handled in this our Age especially wherein Atheism and Irreligion are to the grief of all good men gotten into the Principles as well as Practices of very many And I hope that I shall be better able for the future to vindicate them than I have been when I hear them reproached for bringing so much Reason into points of Faith I must desire you now to proceed to inform me of other things that are in their Preaching most worthy of observation Theoph. I think it not amiss Philalethes to let you understand in the next place that they affect not Bâ—mbaste words trifling Strains of Wit foolish Quibling and making pretty sport with Letters and Syllables in their Preaching but despise those doings as pedantick and unmanly But on the contrary they use a Style that is very grave and no less significant Philal. This undoubtedly must needs be best pleasing to the more understanding part of our Congregations and to all incomparably most profitable As much as that pretty toying is cryed up by many as a most rare Accomplishment and conciliates to the most dextrous in that Knack the repute of the Ablest Preachers and makes them greatly plausible Theoph. But certainly it can do so among none but very little-soul'd and childish people and such as whose judgement in Sermons no wise man will make any account of I will adde also that it is their endeavour to make the Doctrines of the Gospel as easie and intelligible as well they may wherein none have been more successful They are far from those mens untoward genius that delight to exercise their Wits in finding out Mystical and Cabalistical sences in the plainest parts of Scripture and in turning every thing almost into Allegories Philal. I am greatly apt to fear that those men are far from being hearty friends of our Saviour and his Religion and that some not daring openly to decry the Gospel take this course to undermine it and to make a meer Trifle of it Theoph. They give us great cause for such a suspicion Observe moreover that those Preachers are no less averse to their temper who most admiring that which they least understand and thinking there is very little in that which is quickly intelligible please themselvs exceedingly with making Mysteries of the easiest points of Faith and such Mysteries too as they tell us no man though he be master of never so clear a Reason can have an insight into without the special illumination of the Holy Ghost That because the Apostle saith Great is the mystery of godliness would make every thing so that the Gospel hath reveled and that so high as was now said whereas in those words S. Paul means no more than
imputed righteousness but they are ready to make an ill use of it by taking from thence an occasion to entertain low and disparaging thoughts of an inward real righteousness I have too good reason to suspect this So that to deal freely with you I think it would be well if it were never used except when there is an opportunity of also explaining it Philal. What you say is considerable but is it not a Scripture-phrase And I have heard you say that you could wish that points of Faith were used to be expressed as they are in Scripture Theoph. It would ordinarily be to very good purpose if they were and therefore these Divines preaching the Doctrine of Remission of sins through the bloud of Christ do preach all that is true of the Doctrine of Christs imputed righteousness in Scripture-language For as a Learned Divine saith If you prescind it from remission of sins through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross this phrase of Imputative righteousness hath no signification at all and that therefore there is no damage done to our Religion if it be not accounted a distinct Article from the remission of sins in the bloud of Christ. For it cannot afford any true and useful sence distinct therefrom nay I may say any that is not very mischievous and dangerous and such as tends to that loathsome and pestilential errour of Antinomianism Thus far he But take notice moreover that this expression Christs imputed righteousness or the imputation of Christs righteousness is not to be found in all the Bible Nor in any of the places where we finde the word imputed relating to righteousness is the righteousness of Christ at all to be understood but onely an effectual Faith which is the very same with inherent righteousness which as I said is that Moral righteousness onely that those Preachers may be justly charged with altogether insisting upon Phil. I wish we had time before we go farther to consider those places Theoph. There are but two Chapters in all the New Testament where we finde the word imputed mentioned as relating to righteousness One is the Fourth to the Romans and the other the Second of S. Iames. In the Fourth to the Romans we have it four or five times and it is most evident that there still it is to be interpreted as I said For the Apostles defigne in that Chapter is to prove against the Jews that the observance of the Mosaical Rites whereof Circumcision was the chief is not necessary to mens justification or acceptance with God and this he proves by the instance of Abraham who was accepted and also very high in the divine favour even while he was in Uncircumcision Now in several verses his Faith which we know was not idle but very operative is said to be imputed unto him for righteousness in his uncircumcised estate i. e. it was of the same account with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was reckoned as in two verses it is there translated or it was valued by God at as high a rate as if it were complete righteousness And in like manner the Apostle assureth the Romans two or three several times that all that believe in Christ whereby we are to understand such a Faith as Abrahams was their Faith shall also be imputed for righteousness to them without the addition of the works of the Law as his was to him And then we have the phrase again Iames 2. 23. But there is onely a repetition of the same that S. Paul had said concerning Abraham viz. that he believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness which is a quotation out of Genesis 15. 6. Now this place of S. Iames will farther explicate that of S. Paul S. Iames saith vers 21. that Abraham was justified by works that is as appears by the next verse an obediential Faith or Faith expressing and exerting it self by good works And then it followeth Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness Nothing can be plainer than that this is the Apostle's meaning This working faith of Abraham was accounted or accepted by God for righteousness For as it was the designe of S. Paul in the forementioned Chapter to prove against the Jews or Judaizing Christians that Justification was to be had without the meer external works of the Mosaical dispensation and that these could have no influence into it so is it S. Iames's in this Chapter to prove it is like against the Gnosticks who were Ranting Antinomians the absolute necessity of new obedience in order to mens being received into Gods favour and that justifying faith must be productive of good works Now as S. Paul proved what he designed by shewing that Abraham was justified by faith without the works of the Law so S. Iames proveth his designe by shewing that the faith Abraham was justified by was such as discovered it self by obedience to Gods commands and instanceth in the highest act of obedience too viz. his offering Isaac upon the Altar Philal. All this is as clear as can be But Theophilus is that place of S. Paul Philippians 3. 9. to be understood of inherent righteousness where he saith that he chiefly desires to be found in Christ not having his own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith Theoph. There can be no other there intended by this later righteousness For we learn by the preceding verses that by his own righteousness which is of the Law he meant that which consisted in the observance of the Jewish Law which he calleth his own as being that which before his conversion he gloried in or rather as being that which he could obtain by his own natural power it consisting of meerly external performances And it is as evident by the verse following that by the righteousness which is of God by faith which he opposeth to his own and that which is of the Law he means the righteousness of the new creature wrought in him by Gods holy Spirit and is an effect or fruit of believing Christs Gospel For see how he goes on That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death i. e. That I may experimentally know him and the power of his resurrection in raising me up to newness of life and of his death in killing and mortifying all my corrupt affections Well Philalethes considering what hath been said is it not matter of wonder that any but arrant Hypocrites should desire to have more told them than that God is so pleased with the Active and Passive obedience of his Son Jesus as that for his sake he will reward those that accept of him for their Lord and Saviour though they are very weak and imperfect as if they were altogether spotless and sinless persons And is it not every
is time to have done with the First Advantage that I told you is gotten by having the Reasonableness of the precepts of the Gospel demonstrated to us viz. That it is no small confirmation of our faith in the truth thereof Secondly Another Advantage we get hereby is that by this means we learn the incomparable excellencie of our Saviours Religion not to say above the Heathen Gods impositions on their worshippers their Religion being for a great part not onely most ridiculous but also full of unnatural villainy and filthiness such as a modest tongue would find it difficult to utter and chaste ears to hear Witness the Rites of Cybele the Feasts of Bacchus Flora Venus and Priapus and likewise 't was full of Cruelty and bloudy Tyranny I say passing by the Religion of the Heathens as not worthy to be named on the same day with that of the Gospel we do by this means understand the incomparable excellencie of our Saviours Religion even above that given by God himself to his own people the Israelites under the Mosaical dispensation For we know it consisted of almost innumerable Injunctions the reason of which is not at all obvious We may see our way before us in obeying Gospel-Precepts they are enjoyned because good whereas these were good onely because enjoyned And though we may guess at reasons for Gods giving those people such a kinde of Religion in the general yet we can say nothing for most of the particular instances of obedience but that it was the divine will to make choice of them They were in themselvs of a perfectly-indifferent nature and neither good nor evil nor had they any thing I say that we know of to commend them and set them off but the meer Legislators pleasure Now except we understand the vast difference betwixt the Law and the Gospel and how greatly the later especially in this point of Reasonableness excels the former we shall be insensible of that much larger share we have in the Goodness of God than the Iews had and so want a most exciting motive to chearful obedience to him in the present notices of his will we are under the obligation of Philal. What you say is too evident to be denied or so much as disputed but I pray inform me more particularly what you mean when you say that the Precepts of the Gospel are highly reasonable Theoph. You have less need Philalethes than most I know to ask me that Question but yet because I am gotten into a vein of talking I will satisfie you for discourse sake in that demand I mean that they are such as our Reason tells us are highly fitting and becoming us considering what kinde of creatures we are and the Circumstances and Relations we stand in to God our selvs and each other Nay they are so becoming us that our Reason will also assure us that the contrary are no less unworthy of us Philal. But before you proceed farther give me leave so far to interrupt you as to desire a clear description of Reason from you Whatever I do I can scarcely think that the great Decryers of it do distinctly understand what it is Theoph. If they did I cannot imagine what should incline them to such extravagant and strange prattle as is heard from them But to your Question Reason is that power whereby men are enabled to draw clear Inferences from evident Principles And therefore when the Preachers we are discoursing of and others demonstrate the reasonableness of the Precepts of the Gospel they prove that there are those self-evident Principles from whence what the Gospel requires may be inferred to be our duty although God had never declared his minde concerning them Philal. But surely they cannot think that there are no precepts in the Christian Religion but what are such what say you to those that enjoyn the two Sacraments Theoph. I will in short tell you all that I think is necessary to be said in this matter in these two Propositions First All those things wherein doth consist the substance of the Christian Religion are good and necessary in themselvs to be done and the contrary evil and necessary in themselvs to be avoided Those are such as it would be a contradiction to suppose them not our duty considering as was said what creatures we are and our several Circumstances and Relations and so would it be to suppose these not disbecoming us and unworthy of us Our Saviour you know sums up our whole duty in the love of God and our Neighbour the substance of which as is easie to be shewn by enumerating particulars is reducible to these two Heads nay to the former namely the love of God And there is no Principle we do more naturally assent to than that he in whom we live move and have our being from whom we receive all we enjoy and expect all that we can hope for of good should be beloved by us nay and made also the object of our chief love And an imitation of all Gods imitable perfections is a necessary consequent of such a love of God such as his Holiness Justice Goodness Hierocles hath told us that whom a man loves he will as much as lyeth in him imitate and that therefore it is necessary that there should be not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the knowledge of Gods nature and essence but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All possible likeness thereunto Now the imitation of the Divine Nature is the whole designe of the Christian Religion which St. Gregory Nyssen makes to be its very definition as no one that consideratively reads the Books wherein it is contained can at all doubt Secondly The other duties of the Gospel which are but few are imposed as helps to the performance of those forementioned They are not required for themselvs but for the sake of the great Essentials of Religion And it may be easily made good that there are none of them of a meerly positive nature except the two Sacraments which yet are appointed for very great ends and purposes and are most excellent helps to the attaining of true holiness and that wherein the power and life of Religion consisteth and not onely tryals of obedience Meditation Prayer Reading and Hearing Gods Word the observation of the Lords day good Conference c. are in themselvs helps and Baptism and the Lords Supper are so through the divine ordination And indeed to speak properly they are no less our priviledge than our duty as being Seals of Gods Covenant and Pledges to assure us of the divine grace for which we are no less obliged to him than we are for his gracious Promises Philal. But what think you of believing in Christ Jesus for the Remission of Sins could Reason ever have prompted this as mens duty Theoph. Yes as soon as any thing enjoyned in the Gospel when once it was demonstrated that him hath God exalted to be our
Heathens give Rules for the regulation of mens thoughts and affections as well as words and actions Theoph. Why do you ask me that Question For you very well know that they abound with them as ignorant as you are pleased to make your self Philal. I was I confess guilty of great inconsiderateness in putting that Question to you Theoph. And you are not to learn that divers of them lead men to good ends in their vertuous actions And that placing mans supreme happiness in the enjoyment of God they teach us to make that our great designe Philal. I have much observed it and especially in the Writings of the Platonists And moreover that in their Moral discourses they tell us that it is our duty to perform good actions out of love to Goodness and condemn base ends and particularly some of them even that of applause and a great Name as much as some others allow of it and commend it too But have you found that any of them teach men to act our of Love to God and to make his Glory their last end Theoph. These two you ought not to have distinguished from each other Now though I do not remember the later in any of them as you word it yet the former I do The forementioned Hierocles speaking of Piety or Love to God hath this saying With this every thing is pleasing to God but without this nothing And he brings in Apollo speaking thus to one that offered an Hecatomb to him but with no pious minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thine hundred Oxen I less kindly take Than Poor but Pious Hermions Barley-cake But I need not trouble you with instances to this purpose for there is nothing more plainly agreeable to Reason than that we ought to act principally out of love to God our obligations to him being beyond all expression and conception great Any man may see this that hath not lost all sense of Gratitude which Principle how any should quite extirpate out of their souls I cannot understand it being I think not much less deeply rooted there than that of self-love and observable in Brutes as well as men Philal. But yet I conceive that to act out of love to God and out of love to Goodness are much the same Theoph. Materially they are Goodness being the very nature of God But 't is certain that nothing argueth a man to be so like to God as doth doing vertuously from this principle of love to Goodness Philal. Nor do the holy Scriptures seem to me to make any nice distinction between designing the enjoyment of God as our supreme happiness and making his glory our last End Theoph. No surely they do not and I wish that no good people were more Critical in so doing than the Scriptures are by this means would many free themselves from a great deal of needless trouble they are apt to cast themselvs down with Philal. I have sometimes wondered greatly how Heathens should come by such excellent notions in matters of Religion but I should now be tempted to account it matter of Admiration should they all have been ignorant of them Theoph. Truly Philalethes I do really think that it is so far from being difficult to conceive how those that never law the Bible should have such conceptions that it would be rather so how those of them that through the goodness of God were emerged out of those gross notions of the Deity into which the generality of Mankinde were sunk and that made use of their intellectuals and were considerative should not have them Philal. But doth not what hath been said tend to disparage the Gospel and make it the very same excepting in two or three precepts with a meer Natural Religion Theoph. I would rather impose an eternal silence upon my tongue and pluck it out by the roots too than once utter a syllable to such a mischievous purpose But I am so far from being conscious to my self that what hath been said doth tend to the debasing of the Christian Religion that I know it highly conduceth to its commendation But whereas you asked whether to assert that there are scarcely any duties therein enjoyned but what mens Reason alone were it well consulted might suggest so to be be not to make it a meer Natural Religion To that I answer that you did not consider that the Gospel is not made up altogether of agenda or things to be done whereas these you know are but a part of it There are besides relations of matters of fact and many things to be known and points of meer belief which yet have an influence upon practice too There are abundance of Promises as well as Precepts and stupendious expressions of Gods love to Mankinde therein declared all which we are beholden to Revelation alone for the knowledge of But in short I assert these two things concerning the Gospel which do highly tend to the magnifying of it infinitely above any Religion that was ever embraced by the sons of men First That it containeth all those excellent Precepts that are scattered here and there very thinly among much Trash and Rubbish in other Books some in one and some in another and moreover that there is found therein whatsoever may be discovered by Reason to be becoming and worthy of Mankinde which are all there expressed one where or other in a most plain and intelligible manner And were there no more in the Gospel than this we should be infinitely obliged to God for it in that what the Heathens took pains for and by the exercise of their discursive faculty were or might have been acquainted with we have laid before our eyes and the knowledge thereof need cost us no more pains than Reading the Scriptures will put us to Lest we should either be too slothful to acquire the knowledge of our whole duty by drawing inferences from premises and gathering one thing from another or any of us too weak headed to do this successfully God hath out of his abundant kindness assured us thereof from his own mouth which we have all great cause to esteem as a most exceedingly great Priviledge But this is but little in comparison of what is next to be said Secondly The Gospel gives far greater helps to the performance of our duty and enforceth its precepts with infinitely stronger and more perswasive Motives and Arguments than were ever before made known Such as the unconceivable love of God in giving his onely begotten Son to take the humane nature and to be an Expiatory Sacrifice for Lost Sinners his excellent Example here among us his declarations of Free pardon to the vilest of Sinners upon their Repentance and Faith in his Gospel His proffers of grace to assist us in well-doing and his readiness to work in us by his Spirit an inward living principle of holiness if we will not resist and quench it his promises of the most transcendently-glorious reward in the life to come to sincere
jot as high a favour and as great an expression of the Divine grace to be dealt with as if we were perfectly righteous as to be so judged and esteemed Philal. I should think him as blinde as a Beetle that doth not see it is But though I said the Antinomian notion of imputed righteousness is of dangerous consequence yet now I remember me the defenders thereof have a way to evade it for they say that though a real inward righteousness is no qualification required to this imputation of Christs righteousness and so to our justification yet it will follow of it self by way of gratitude and therefore will be found in men before their Salvation Theoph. I will answer you to this in the words of an excellent Doctor This is like to prove but a slippery hold when it is believed that gratitude it self as well as all other graces is in them already by imputation What Reply they can make hereunto I am not able to imagine Philal. I am not like to help you To say the truth it is a most sottish and mischievous Doctrine and must needs do a world of hurt among people that are glad of any pretence for their carnality and disobedience Theoph. I know too many that make use of it to patronize their ungodly practices and no question it is the grand support of most if not of all hypocrites A very worthy person preaching some time since upon the words of Zacheus the necessity of Restitution where there is ability in case of fraud one of his Auditors was heard to say as he was going out of the Church If the Doctrine now taught us be true how are we beholden to Iesus Christ And multitudes I fear of our meerly imputatively-righteous men think what that Gentleman had the face to speak Philal. You may well fear it for there is no consequence more natural from any Doctrine than is this from those mens viz. That real righteousness or inherent holiness is a needless thing in order to eternal happiness Theoph. The light at noon-day is not clearer than is that inference for if a person may have in his unregenerate or sinful state Christs righteousness made his and so be esteemed by God as perfectly righteous what should hinder but that in the same state he may be admitted to enjoy the reward of a righteous man If an ungodly man may be justified and declared righteous why may he not also be saved and made happie Philal. But they will tell you that it is expresly asserted by S. Paul That God justifieth the ungodly Theoph. I cannot conceive why it may not be admitted that the word that signifieth to justifie is in divers places to be understood for making really just or sanctifying for because it is sometimes to be taken in a forensick sence it doth not therefore follow that it must always be so But I will willingly grant that it is to be so understood here if that by the ungodly may be meant those that were once so that is before not at the same time when they were justified For to say that God can pronounce a person just righteous that is unjust and unrighteous is the greatest contradiction imaginable to his own justice his own righteousness This makes him to pronounce a perfectly false sentence and to do that which Prov. 17. 5. he himself had declared an abomination Nor can we entertain a more unworthy thought of the Holy God than to conceive that he hath no greater antipathy against sin than to make him that alloweth and liveth in it an object of his complacential love Philal. But Theophilus to say the truth I have observed that those men make such a thing of sin as that it may become God well enough to reconcile himself thereunto as well as to him that lives in it For they make it a meer indifferent thing in it self and to depend onely upon arbitrary laws the evil of which is founded upon the alone will of God as you gave me an intimation at our entrance on this Discourse Which account of sin doth plainly as you said undermine all Religion and therefore the Antinomian opinion of imputed righteousness as absurd and of as wretched consequence as it is may if that be so very well be true Theoph. It may with as great shew of reason be questioned whether God be essentially good as whether sin be intrinsecally evil And I admire what those men have done to themselvs to enable them once to doubt the later more than the former Philal. I hope they will call it Blasphemy to deny Gods essential goodness yet in acknowledging no vertue or vice independent upon all will they dwindle it away to a perfect nothing Theoph. I have not a more undoubted assurance of mine own being than of the truth of what you say Well Philalethes those whose stomacks can digest such filthy stuff and such as I can shew you even Heathens did nauseate need not stick at swallowing the Phancie of imputed righteousness in that gross sence as absurd and dangerous as it is but we that know how contrary sin is to the Nature as well as the Will of God cannot question that no man that is in love with it can by vertue of anothers Righteousness be esteemed or dealt with by God as righteous Philal. When I can once see a diseased or lame man made well and sound by anothers imputed health and soundness I may imagine a wicked man made righteous by the imputation of anothers righteousness but before I cannot as well knowing that wickedness is as really a moral as sickness or lameness is a natural evil Theoph. If you don't fancie it till then to be sure you never will Philal. They are both alike contradictions But I pray Theophilus now I think on 't how can those that hug and are so fond of this ill-favoured notion have any opinion of Christs Expiatory Sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins for how can there be any sin to be pardoned where a perfect and most complete righteousness is imputed Theoph. That question is put by the last mentioned Doctor but I believe he will wait long enough for a satisfactory answer to it Philal. Is it possible think you that there should be any good men of this Perswasion Theoph. As apt as I am to censure and condemn some doctrines I would be as backward to pass sentence on the persons of those that hold them And I must tell you I verily hope that there are pious men of that opinion we are now perstringing but know too that those of them that are so are so weak as not to understand the true consequences of their Doctrine and so honest as at first hearing to abhor them And were led to like well of it not out of a designe to gratifie any base lust but because it seemed to them to have a shew of humility and self-denial and to advance Gods grace Philal.
being forbidden is now called wickedness and by that means make it Holiness But if this doth not raze and overturn the foundation of all Religion no opinion in the world tends so to do Philal. If Abraham was of that minde he strangely forgot himself when he said to his Maker Shall not the Iudge of all the earth do right And whether he was of that minde or no if the Doctrine be true he was guilty of a monstrously-absurd impertinence in so saying and yet which is more strange he had no check for it Theoph. Nay did not God himself appeal to mens innate notions and so confute that doctrine when he said to the Rebellious Jews Are not my ways equal and your ways unequal Can those men think that he onely meant Are not my ways such as I please to fancie and yours such as it is my pleasure to dislike Who would dare to fix such an expostulation as that on the infinitely-wise God Philal. Well I am clearly sensible that nothing reveled by God can possibly contradict those principles that are impressed in as I think indelible characters upon the souls of men and therefore whatsoever places may seem to speak mens being necessitated to be either sinners or miserable must be understood in another sence especially seeing that God hath so often declared that mens ruine is of themselvs and that their help is to be found in him and that he willeth not their death but the contrary and therefore much less can he will their sins as he hath also as plainly as can be declared And moreover affords them means whereby they may obtain happiness which who will not say that all that enjoy them are greatly beholden to God for and expresseth his grace and good will to them all without any exception Theoph. You have put me in minde of a passage I have met with in a Sermon of a most pious and learned Divine now in heaven which when I read it did greatly affect me It is this Consider impartially with your selvs what an unreasonable horrible thing it is seeing there are so many several frequent expressions of Gods general love and gracious favour to Mankinde inforced and strengthened with such protestations and solemn oaths that the cunningest Linguist of you all cannot in your whole lives study conceive or frame expressions more full and satisfactory I say is it not desperate madness for a man to shew such hatred and abomination at the comfortable and gracious promises of God that he can be content to spend almost his whole age in contriving and hunting after interpretations utterly contradicting and destroying the plain apparent sence of those Scriptures And will be glad and heartily comforted to hear tidings of a new-found-out gloss to pervert and rack and torment Gods holy Word Philal. Me-thinks this passage should affect any good man But Theophilus what should induce so many to be led by a few Scriptures against such a torrent of others to cry up such strange Doctrine Theoph. You love to ask me Questions which you can answer as well your self You know they pretend that this is the onely way to advance Gods grace in mens conversion and salvation And this no doubt is the onely motive that prevaileth with all the truly good men among them to go that way It sounds as harsh in many at least of their ears as it doth in ours as I have great reason to be assured And Calvin himself in the 608 page of his Institutions calls Absolute Reprobation Horribile Decretum And the President of the Synod at Dort said it was materia odiosa and therefore declared to the Remonstrants that that Controversie should be waved and said that they would onely hear their Arguments against Absolute Election for that was materia suavis As I finde in their Letters called Epistolae Ecclesiasticae c. I say it is very harsh doctrine to many of them as well as to us but because they cannot otherwise than by admitting it magnifie as they think they ought the divine grace to Gods elect they force themselvs to swallow the bitter Pill as much as their stomacks nauseate it and therefore as those that drink down loathsome Potions stop their noses so do these their ears to the clamours of their own Reason against it and will not sedately advert to but violently suppress the natural dictates of their understandings Have you not several times observed that the good-natured people of that way complain more than others of Blasphemous thoughts I am sure I have and have found when I have discoursed with them that this doctrine was the occasion of them So that whether they will or no their Reason or innate sense of their Souls call it which you please suggests to them the dreadful consequences of it which they would fain believe to be the devils temptations Philal. But don't you believe that the men of this opinion are also induced to it because they are not able to interpret in any other sence those places of Scripture that seem to make for it Theoph. I do not think that the Learned men are For I cannot imagine that those should think that such Scriptures are unintelligible in any other sence than that they understand them in that know how few and therefore how ambiguous the original words of the Hebrew Tongue are as also that there are different sences of the same Verb in several Conjugations and that there are strange Idioms and Proprieties of speech in that Language which are also imitated in the Greek Testament and lastly that the occasions of several passages do frequently make another sence necessary to be imposed on them from that which at first sight and considering them simply and absolutely and as entire propositions without relation to any other thing offereth it self Philal. I have sometimes thought that those need never despair of understanding the places they produce to serve their Hypotheses in a different sence from that they are so fond of who can invent a Figure to make All men nay and every man too to signifie but some few and can reconcile I will not the death of a sinner with I desire the death of most sinners and He will have all men to be SAVED with He will have the generality of men to be DAMNED and many the like Propositions which sound in my ears as contradictory one to the other as any I have ever heard or can invent So that Theophilus it must needs be as you said their desire to magnifie Gods grace to the Elect that alone prevaileth with those of them that are good-natured truly-pious people to go that way But yet I wonder that they should no more consider that to magnifie Gods grace to some few so as to deny it to all others and so to advance his mercy as to rob him of his holiness truth and justice is to take ten thousand times more from him than is given thereby to him Theoph.
they are condemned by some who without any reason take themselves to be the only Sons of the Church as false Friends to her And that as by acknowledging no more they anger that extream so by granting so much they no less displease the other But to proceed These persons are not more for obedience to all lawful Commands of Authority than desirous that Mercy and Indulgence should be shewn towards those whose Consciences will not permit them to comply with the Will of their Governours in some things disputable Philal. But do they not conceive it to be most unfit that Seditious Practices should pass unpunisht Theoph. Yes that they do And do believe that those Dissenters from the establisht way of Religion ought not to be esteemed or dealt with as men of tender Consciences who are not quiet and peaceable modest and charitable in their behaviour towards those that are not of their Way and Mind And that think it not enough not to obey but they must needs be likewise confronting Authority and refuse to yeeld Obedience in those things against the lawfulness of which there can be no pretence that carrieth any shew of Reason Philal. I suppose they cannot but look upon it as extreamly desirable that if our Governours shall see it good the tearms of Communion with the Church of England and likewise of exercising the Ministerial Function therein may be so inlarged as to take in all that are of any Reason Sobriety and Moderation Theoph. I wonder that all wise men should not it being so very plain a case that this would tend exceedingly to the Churches security and the strengthening of her hands against unreasonable ill-minded and wild-headed men of divers sorts who would rejoyce in nothing more than in her utter Ruine and are ready to catch at all advantages to effect it And for that end I presume they would be very glad if our Church Doors were set wider open I mean if some things that most offend were taken out of the way and that no such weight may be laid on any little things as that they should be insisted on to the endangering those of an higher nature and hazarding the Churches prosperity and peace And particularly that there might be no Expressions in our Forms of Prayer that contain disputable uncertain Doctrines and so give occasion to those that are dissatisfied concerning the truth of them to refuse to joyn with us in those Forms And in a word that there might be nothing in our Ecclesiastical Constitution that may give any plausible pretence for Separation or Non-conformity This I say they cannot I am perswaded but heartily desire but with submission to the wisdom of their Governors And now Philalethes I have performed my promise of giving you an impartial Representation of those our Friends and I pray tell me your thoughts in a few words upon the whole matter Philal. From the account you have I thank you given me I cannot but confidently conclude that were many more tongues let loose against them than there are there would need no other Solution of the Phoenomenon than that of the Philosopher A wise man is the greatest Prodigy And I believe them the only sort of men that are in any likely-hood of or qualified for the repairing of our present dangerous Breaches and curing our very ill presaging Animosities Theoph. For my part I must profess to you that I could scarcely perswade my self once to hope that there may be any prevention of our utter Confusion but that it hath pleased the Divine Providence to raise up among us so considerable a number of such good spirited and generously minded Persons the thoughts whereof are my best Antidote against Despondence Philal. That they chiefly design the propagation of Truth and true Goodness and not any private selfish interest from what hath been said I have cause to conclude For the Practices and Principles that distinguish them from other men have never yet in any times been the way to raise any but the contrary Theoph. 'T is certain they have not And the great reason why the Bigots of our several Parties do chiefly set themselves against them must needs be because they are aware that of all their other Adversaries there are none that do them so much disservice as do these by shewing that those things they raise such a dust about and make such a hideous stir and noise signifie nothing what ere they pretend to the promoting of true Religion the advancement of Christ's Kingdom and the real and true welfare of his Church but are available only to the carrying on of such little narrow and low designs as the making strengthning of Sects and Parties and gaining to themselves Greatness and Popularity Those high and hot Gentlemen know very well that if these persons Principles should once get good footing among the People they must either grow more cool in those matters that do most exercise their Zeal or there will be little for them to do Philal. The truth is those men trouble themselves most about matters which as an excellent Person saith are neither Religion nor the Body of Religion nor scarcely the Garment of the Body of Religion but are rather the Fringes of the Garment of the Body of Religion They are Things or rather Circumstances and manners of things wherein the Soul and Spirit are not at all concerned Theoph. But yet as great an Antipathy as those kind of men profess against these Persons I observe there are Prudent and Moderate Men in some of the Parties that have a reverend esteem of them and look upon them as men very valuable Which Sober Persons are no less honoured and loved by them also between whom the difference in Opinion is so inconsiderable that it is pity there should be any distinction of Names between them Philal. And if the generality of each of our Parties were as true to the Cause of Christ Jesus and so self-denying as to prefer his Interest before their own I question not but that they and their Principles would find incomparably more Friends among them than they do now Enemies Theoph. But whereas I now spake of the distinction of Names I must desire you to take notice that if others were not better at Coining them than these our Friends are they would be known by no other than the good old Antiochian one viz. Christians or if they must have one that is more discriminating Obedient Sons of the Church of England Philal. To which Church I cannot better express the sincerity of my affection than by wishing that all those who are ambitious of being accounted her most genuine Off-spring were of the Temper and Principles of these here Children if they were I doubt not but that her Circumstances would be far less sad than now they are Theoph. Nay it is not at all then improbable but that in due time her condition as seemingly desperate