by Christ on us and as used by us towards Christ as the Mediator Faith in Christ is to kindle in us the holy love of God and obedience to him Love therefore as the final and everlasting Grace is preferred by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. last v. and 13. throughout 5. Even our Faith in Christ and our Obedience to the Gospel in Preaching Sacraments and such like are neither only of natural nor only of supernatural Obligation but mixt Christ and his Ordinances are supernaturally revealed but being once revealed with the Evidence of Divine Authority natural Revelation then telleth us that it is our Duty to believe and obey 6. That which is of Natural Revelation and Obligation must be performed by supernatural Grace Though Nature prove that all Men should love God as God it is Grace that must dispose and enable them to do it 7. We call Grace supernatural not only because it is not essential to Nature no not to Adam in innocency but because in our lapsed state it is not conveyed to us by Natural Generation but Nature in the state of pravity is deprived of it and because God worketh it by the free gift of his Spirit in a manner beyond the search of man and by it as an effect of his love doth make us lovely in our union and relation to Christ who sanctifieth and justifieth us it being his Image on the Soul which no meer Natural Causes without this operation of God's Love and Spirit can effect But yet 1. We all agree that Holiness is Nature's health or rectitude and therefore sutable to it as its perfection as health is to the Body 2. And that the Spirit of God doth ordinarily make use of his appointed means and especially his Word for our sanctification And these being second Causes which have their proper Natures may so far be called natural Causes And that thus far Grace may be said to be Natural 8. This Holy Love being the final Act on God the final Object and so being man's felicity it self it followeth that all men have so much happiness constitutively as they have holy love to God and Goodness and that no man can be damned that hath the said predominant holy Love while such And that such have no cause to fear damnation any farther than they should fear lest by forfeiting Gods Grace they should lose that love 9. The Mediation of Christ and our Faith in him who is the Glass the Messenger and the great Gift of the Fathers Love are the Means appointed by God to sanctifie us by the effecting of this Love with all its Concomitants and Fruits 10. Therefore as God is called All in All so Christ is called All in all Col. 3. 11. to Believers as being the Way the Truth and the Life 11. Therefore they that would bring men to the holy and felicitating Love of God must preach Jesus Christ and his Grace to them as the means and bring them to believe in him and to take it for their Wisdom to know Christ crucified and glorified and to learn of him and obey him and trust in him and daily to use him as their Mediator for access to God acceptance with him and communication from him 12. To preach up the blessedness of Saints and excellency of holiness without teaching men how to attain it by Christ is but to commend health to the sick without directing them to the Physician and the Remedies And to hear of a Sanctity and Felicity not attainable is to be tormented by despair And to think to obtain it by our works or endeavours without a Mediator and his Grace or by any other Mediator than Christ is the way to lose it by false presumption and neglect of the necessary means It being Christ that is made of God to us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 13. As Christ on Earth did purchase us this Salvation by his meritorious Righteousness and Sacrifice and is now in Heaven our Head and Intercessor and the Treasury of Grace and Life to Believers so he sanctifieth us by his WORD and SPIRIT and herein differeth from all other Teachers that ever were in the World 1. That his Gospel Doctrine Precepts and Covenant-promises are singularly suited to this sanctifying work 2. That he sendeth forth his Spirit with it to work the Souls of men to that which he teacheth and commandeth that so they may be effectually taught of God Without the Spirit of Jesus no word or means will sanctifie and renew a Soul 14. Therefore all Preachers must jointly preach GOD and holy LOVE trust obedience and delight in him as the END and CHRIST and faith in him and learning of him and obeying him in the use of his healing Remedies as the MEANS This being life eternal to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Joh. 17. 3. 15. And though the End must be preached as more excellent than the Means yet the Means must be preached as more mysterious and above meer natural Revelation Experience telleth us that all men quickly learn to confess that they should repent of sin and love God as God but they are hardly taught to understand the Mystery of Redemption the Person Incarnation Works Office and Grace of the Redeemer and therefore have here need of longer teaching The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Spirit must be the Preachers subject as it is the Christians benediction and felicity 16. There are things in Aristotle's Ethicks and in the Ethicks of the Stoicks and and some other Philosophers of great worth and use to Christians to shew us what by natural evidence may be discerned But they are all poor defective spirit-less Doctrines and Precepts in Comparison of the Gospel of Christ though to carnal wit they seem to excel it in Method Language and several Curiosities And the Writings of Christians who do but expound and apply Christ's Doctrine do far excel all the Heathens Ethicks 17. We have no reason to think that any of the Heathens understood all that Nature it self by way of proving-Evidence revealeth Yea or that any Christians perfectly understand it because natural evidences are exceeding numerous and none can say that he seeth them all and they are of various degrees some plain and some obscure and even natural verities as they arise from the great Branches into innumerable Partitions as smaller Sprigs are not perfectly discernable by a mortals Eye 18. Therefore no knowledge of Man much less any Heathens Writings are the certain measure of natural verities in Morality by which the number and certainty of the obscurer Particles may be known 19. Though Heathens know and teach that we must Love God and Goodness above all And all that sincerely love God and Goodness shall certainly be saved Yet this Confession will but more condemn them that have not and practice not what they teach but when they profess to know God
hoped that we had differed but in lesser things from our Accusers we do find our selves so far mistaken as that some of them who have thought it worth their labour to write vehemently for our reproach and increased sufferings do differ from us in the Vitals of our Religion even of our Belief our Love and Practice We mean such as hold That all the Obligations of Scandal proceed purely from that extraordinary height of Charity and tenderness of good Nature that is so signally recommended in the Gospel But if it proceed from humour or pride or wilfulness or any other vitious Principle then is the Man to be treated as a peevish and stubborn Person and no Man is bound to part with his own freedom because his Neighbour is froward and humorous and if he be resolved to fall there is no reason I should forego the use of my liberty because he is resolved to make that his Stumbling-block Ecclesiast Polit. page 231. Because this is contrary to that very Religion in which only we hope for Salvation we take the boldness to put these few Questions to them who thus judge Q. 1. Is not Love the fulfilling of the Law and the End of the Gospel and Faith working by Love the Sum of Christian Religion Doth not the Law of Nature oblige us to love our Neighbour as our selves Q. 2. Doth not God beneficently love his Enemies even the sinful the humorous the proud and the peevish Did not Christ come to seek and save them Is there not joy in Heaven for their Repentance Doth not God welcome such Prodigals when they return Luke 16. and call invite and intreat them to return Q. 3. Are we not Commanded to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful and to love even our Enemies and pray for Persecutors that we may be like him And is not this a Natural Common Duty Q. 4. Hath not God sent out his Ministers to preach home such sinners and commanded them to do it instantly in season and out of season reproving and exhorting and with meekness to instruct opposers if God peradventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth And must we not labour hard and suffer much for to win such Souls Q. 5. Should not every thing be valued according to its worth And are not the Souls of such as you call humorous peevish or wilful worth more than some of that which you call your Liberty Are they not worth more than a Pipe of Tobacco or a Cup of Sack or a Stage-play or a needless Ceremony which you account part of your Liberty Would you deny none of these to save many Souls Q. 6. Would you not deny your Liberty in a Cup of Drink or a Pipe of Tobacco to save the Life of one that in humour would destroy himself or his House who would set it on fire Q. 7. If not doth this Religion of yours much commend it self to the Nature of Mankind Or is he that writeth this fit to report us of the other mind unfit for subjection or Humane Society Can Christians be of your Religion Q. 8. Are not Souls more worth than Bodies And should not the Soul of a Sinner be as compassionately saved by us as his Body as far as we are able and at as dear a rate Q 9. Is that Man like to profit his Hearers or be taken for a faithful Pastor or an honour to the Church of England who would tell them I would not forsake a Pipe of Tobacco or a lawful sport or jeast to save any of your Souls who are vitious humourous or peevish Q. 10. Doth not this doleful Doctrine tell Men consequently that they should seek to save the Soul of no Sinner in the World For if you 1. Except all that have humour pride wilfulness or any other vitious Principle 2. And that but so far prevalent as to be resolved to make a Stumbling-block of some liberty of anothers What Sinner almost is not here excluded from your Charity Who is it that hath not as great sin as some humorous or peevish stumbling at some lawful thing or who is it that hath no pride no peevishness no humorousness or at least that hath no vitious Principle at all Is not that Man perfectly holy 3. And if to save such an one you would not so much as deny any of your liberty for him what would you do for him at all Who can expect that you should bestow any great labour or c 〈◊〉 st to do good or save a Sinner that would not lose a Cup of Sack to save him Q. 11. Do you not thus reproach Christ that set a higher price on Souls when you value them not at the price of a Cup of Drink Would you have it believed that they are purchased by his Blood Q 12. Would you have God care no more for your soul and value it at no higher a rate Doth he believe the immortality of Souls who will say so Q. 13. Should God give such a Law to all his Creatures for their acting towards your self and one another q. 〈◊〉 D 〈◊〉 ny not so much as a lawful Jeast or Sport or Ceremony to win and save any one in the world that out of any vitous principle will stumble at your liberty what Family or Common-wealth could subsist under such an inhumane privation of love Q. 14. If you loved your Neighbour as your self and did as you would have others do to you would you deny no lawful thing to save his Soul though he had some vitious principle Q. 15. What will people say of such men as you if you shall ever preach for Love and Good Works and would make people believe that its you that are for them and we against them when they compare this Doctrine with your words Q. 16. Why do such men call us Puritans as if we succeeded the old Catharists or Perfectionists and the Novatians when we are so far from so vilifying sinners that have a vitious principle and sin against some lawful thing by taking it for unlawful that we know none in the world that hath no vitious principle and is not to be helped at a dearer rate And seeing we find such real difference in our very Religion it self from such as this we cannot wonder if men of such Principles use us and the Nation no better than they do But we crave their solid resolving of these Doubts if they will lose so much of their Ease and Liberty for the convincing of persons judged so unworthy Pr. 50. For our parts we must profess that we take it to be our duty not only to deny a lawful thing or our liberty therein for the saving of Souls that have vitious principles and humours but to bestow our labours and endure poverty reproach persecution imprisonment and when God calls us to it death it self to serve Christ in the saving of such Souls Pr. 51. We suppose that Christ and his Apostles were
28. and 13. 9. Col. 3. 16. and 4. 6. Eph. 4. 7. 29. and 3. 8. Gal. 2. 9. 2 Cor. 8. 6 7. and 9. 8. Joh. 1. 16. c. II. The words MORALITY and MORAL have also divers significations I. In the first most comprehensive and most famous sense MORALITY as distinguished from meer Naturality or Physicks doth signifie the Relation of the Manners or Acts of an Intelligent free Agent to the Governing Will and Law of God And so Actus morales and Actus humani are used in the same sense and all Morality is distinguished into Moral Good and Moral Evil Virtue and Vice II. Some have used MORALITY in a narrower sense unfitly for so much of Man's duty as is revealed by the meer Law of Nature and as is of common obligation to lapsed Mankind And so it comprehendeth the relicts of the Law of Innocent Nature to love God and obey him c. and the additional Law of Lapsed Nature to Repent and use all possible means for our recovery and thankfully improve the Mercies which we receive And thus it is distinguished from Duty known by supernatural Revelation and especially the Mysteries of Redemption by Jesus Christ III. Some use the word improperly also for all that Duty which is of perpetual Obligation whether by natural or supernatural Revelation And so it is distinguished from Temporary Duties And thus the Lords-Day Baptism the Lords-Supper a Gospel Ministry Scripture to be used discipline are said to be Moral-Positives distinct from meer Natural Duties and from Temporaries IV. Lastly Some yet more unaptly confine the sense to the Duties of our common Conversation towards man as distinct from Holiness or our Duty to God And so they distinguish a meer moral honest man from a godly or religious man Though we wish that the needless use of words improperly were not the common Fuel of vain Contendings yet we being not the Masters of Language must take words as we find them used and leave all men arbitrarily to use them as they please so be it they will but tell us what they mean by them before they lay any stress on them in disputing In reference to these various senses of these words we suppose that we are all agreed as followeth I As to MORALITY in the first and most famous signification we are agreed 1. That all proper Humane Acts are moral that is morally Good or Evil And all Duty and Sin Virtue and Vice in Habit and Act Positive and Privative Vice are parts of Morality moral Good directly and moral Evil reductively and consequently 2. Holiness to the Lord or the Love of God as God is the chief part of Morality and what Duty soever is Evangelical and spiritual is also moral 3. Nothing is morally laudable or rewardable but Moral Good and nothing is punishable but Moral Evil. 4. All Morality is seated primarily in the Will but is secondarily as flowing thence in the imperate Acts of the Intellect and inferior Faculties 5. All truly moral Good in lapsed man is 1. From God's Efficient Grace 2. And exercised on some Objective Grace And 3. Is it self Subjective Grace either special or common 6. The Good called Moral in Infidels and all other ungodly unsanctified men is such but secundum quid and not simpliciter nor in the full or properest sense Because bonum est ex omnibus Causis essentialibus And a good Principle Rule End and right Object especially the formal Object are all essential to a truly good moral Act But every ungodly man in every Action doth want at least some one of these And an Act is denominated in Morality from that which is prevalent in it and not from every conquered deprest ingredient We say not that he that killeth his Father or Prince with the reluctancy of better thoughts and inclinations doth therein do a good work though that reluctancy was good So he that hath some Love to God and Goodness but more Hatred and more love to sinful pleasure doth not a work properly Good which proceedeth from such a mixed Cause But the evil Principle and End is predominant in all ungodly men 7. But materially and secundum quid bad men may do Works that are morally good and physically very good to others as Governing and Protecting Common-wealths and Churches building Cities and Temples and Hospitals relieving the Poor preaching the Gospel expounding Scripture defending Truth promoting Learning and in good Nature Patience Meekness Temperance Chastity Wit and Industry they may be commendable and exemplary and their Precepts and Practice may conduce much to the good of others 8. Whatever good is found in Heathens or Infidels or ungodly Men is to be acknowledged and praised proportionably according to its real worth it being all from God who must not be robbed of his praise 9. A Man that hath but Common Grace is better than he would be if he had none and it is the usual preparatory for special saving Grace Though many civil temperate persons by overvaluing Common Good are hindred from seeking Special Grace that is not caused by the Good but by their abuse of it objectively And though God take occasion from some mens great sins to affright their Consciences to Repentance and Reformation that is not caused by the sin but by Gods Mercy Sin as remembred is not sin in the act of remembring nor sin as repented of in repenting but before in the committing God may Convert Paul in the act of Persecuting But Persecuting is not the way or means of Conversion Special Grace must be sought in the use of Common Grace and not in a way of negligence contempt or wilful sin II. Of MORALITY in the second sense as taken for Natural Duties which all Mankind is obliged to by Natural Revelation of God's Will we are agreed as followeth 1. The sum of this Natural Morality or Duty is to love God as God for himself and all things else for him even as being of Him and through Him and to Him to obey God and make it our chief care to please him and therein to place and seek our Happiness even in everlasting mutual love To love others as our selves and do all the good we can to all for Soul and Body especially to the most publick Societies to do justly and as we would be done by to use our Bodies as the Servants of our Souls and Soul and Body as the Servants of God And to hate and avoid all that is contrary to these This Natural Evidence will prove to be the Common Duty of Mankind 2. This Love to God and Man before described is true Holiness that is The Soul's separation and devotedness to God 3. All the Evidence which Nature affordeth us herein is not seen by all men that are of natural Wit or Industry no more than all that is revealed by the Scripture is known to all that read the Scripture or that believe it 4. Holiness is the End of Medicinal Grace as used