wherein I except my self Mr. M. hath done more to favour Socinianism than all those whom he accuseth 1. By calling such Semisocinians whose doctrin and Principles will approve themselves to most Men to be Orthodox Many will abate their prejudice against the real Socinian as not being so bad as the word imported 2. He falls in wholly with the Socinians in denying Christ's Incarnation to be a part of his Humiliation and deprives us of the force of one of the greatest Texts for the Deity of Christ Phil. 2.6 7. 3. He supports the Socinian Cause and one of their strongest Topicks against the Satisfaction of Christ by speaking still of God as a Creditor Sin as a Debt the Law as a Money Bond Christ as a Money Surety whereas all our Divines find it impossible to defend that Doctrin without denying this Metaphor and therefore plead that God is to be considered as a Rector Sin a Crime Sinners Criminals Christ a Sponsor in consistency with his being Redeemer Mediatour Saviour Sacrifice and Priest c. For if Sin were a Money Debt why could not God forgive it without Satisfaction as well as other Creditors do c. 4. He grants the absurdity in the sense objected by the Socinians and still opposed by our Divines viz. That we are as Righteous as Christ in equality Turretin Instit Theol. p. 714 715. proves that licet c. though we are justified by Christ's Righteousness imputed non sequitur nos non minus justos esse quam Christum it doth not follow that we are no less Righteous than Christ So doth Dr. Owen of Iustif. p. 509 510. All our celebrated Opposers of Socinianism do the same Mr. M. may say as well of these as he doth of us for denying it as they do They have a heart-hatred of standing in the Righteousness of Christ. 5. The Socinians have their whole Cause favoured against the Deity of Christ or at least the Arrians by what he asserts concerning the Person of the Son of God He makes him such a God as was capable of a real Glory to be added to him that as God he might be under God's frowns and displeasure might quit and forgo the actual enjoyment of that Love Glory and Inheritance which as Son of God he was entitled to and possessed of before his Incarnation not in a way of manifestation nor as to his Humane Nature but in reality and as to his Divine Nature in which alone he acted before his Incarnation a God capable of an acquired Right superadded to his natural Right to those very Riches Love and Glory which he enjoyed before he was Son of Man And also that the Humane Nature belongs to the Constitution of the Person of the Son of God as it is now p. 8. c. Are not these bold Strokes which I have before fully proved to be his Assertions Though Charity binds me to acknowledge that I think he designeth not to oppose the Eternal Deity of the Son of God by Assertions so unsuitable to the Divine Essence and so mistaketh what God is rather than who he is 6. I might add he blasts all the opposition made by our best Authors against Socinianism by branding even them as Semisocinians To say nothing of his representing the Doctrin of imputed Righteousness in a manner not defensible and tempting to most Mens being Socinians unless they have a better Notion of it Few will believe that we did legally do and suffer what Christ did that we are as Righteous as Christ and that the Gospel enjoineth no Duty as a Condition on us for obtaining the blessed Effects of Christ's Merits which be the only ground of his quarreling thus hotly with us Men of his suspicious temper will judge he designeth to favour Socinianism by calling us Semisocinians 12. Mr. M. Attempts to instruct us how to Preach but with an evil insinuation and in some things very contrary to Apostolical Preaching Thus your Teachers should instruct and lead you This is the Apostles direction to Titus that he should teach them that have believed to be careful to maintain good works not to teach and press sinners in their Vnbelief to fall to doing of good works first and overlook believing wholly or to postpone it after them p. 69. Repl. 1. Which teacher of his Hearers doth teach any to postpone Faith or overlook it wholly or delay it at all If by Believing he means a due accepting of a whole Christ yea do not they direct them to expect all from God through Christ and look to Christ as he in whom all fulness is But our Author is one of them who think Christ is never Preached unless his Name be mentioned and that as a Priest too His revealed Truths and enjoined Laws c. are not Preaching Christ. 2. But may one call Sinners to no Duty till they are Believers Must they not be prest to examin themselves pray read the Word hear it Preached fear God teach their Families love their Wives meditate consider strive with their Hearts resist Temptations believe the Scriptures nor relieve the Poor till they be Believers Peter was to learn of our Author to Preach for though he knew Simon Magus to be in the gall of bitterness yet he bids him then repent of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee Acts 9.22 perhaps he 'll say he believed true in such a manner as I fear some that pretend high to Faith exceed not Paul gives such an account of much of his Ministry at first to Jews and Gentiles Acts 26.20 That they should repent and turn unto God and do works meet for Repentance the Baptist was an ill Teacher and Christ's Sermon on the Mount Mat. 5. and Paul's at Lystra Acts 14.15 16. needed Mr. M's direction Paul saith to unbelievers We are Men of like Passions with you thus far he 'll agree and Preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God that made Heaven and Earth c. a good Work is pressed before they believed Here Mr. M. would have told him you Paul should not teach thus But what are his Reasons 1. They that believed in God should be charged to excel in good works therefore they that believe not in Christ should not be pressed to endeavour to set upon doing any good Work Hos. 5. 4. They must not so much as frame their doings to turn unto the Lord. 2. A few words after through Faith that Righteousness will be upon you and being upon you it will produce good Works Here it seems as I have oft heard it urged Ministers should not urge you nor you strive and labour after good Works this Righteousness will produce them but are all that I hope have Faith so abundant therein as not to need Spurs Do all that pretend to it shew that they have it by it's Fruits and how can we know them And is its being upon us the
Man made Righteous BY Christ's Obedience Being two SERMONS AT Pinners-Hall With Enlargements c. Also some REMARKS ON Mr. Mather's Postscript c. By DANIEL WILLIAMS LONDON Printed for I. Dunton at the Raven in the Poultry 1694. IN a Paper signed by G. Griffith T. Cole N. Mather I. Chancy R. Trail Ri. Taylor and since Printed by Mr. Chancy Neonom Vnmask'd pa. 3.p.96 they Charge me He teacheth That the Righteousness of Christ is imputed only as to effects with a purchase of a Conditional Grant viz. this Proposition He that believeth shall be saved gospel-Gospel-truth p. 39. My words there are these The difference is not 4. Whether Christ by his Righteousness merited for all the Elect that they should in his time and way be certainly partakers of its saving Effects and did not only purchase a Conditional Grant of those Effects viz. that Proposition He that believeth shall be saved 5. Nor whether besides those Effects being made ours the very Righteousness of Christ is imputed to True Believers as what was always undertaken and designed for their Salvation and is now as effectual to their actual Pardon and Acceptance to Life yea is pleadable by them as their Security and is as useful to their Happiness as if themselves did and suffered what Christ did All these I affirm p. 39 40. Can any thing be more contrary They say I affirm what I do expresly deny and that I deny what I expresly affirm Mr. M. saith my damning Error is He is one that makes Vnion to Christ our having this Righteousness upon us and our being justified by it to be given us in way of Reward of something done by us My only words to which he twice refers are these Gospel-benefits are no reward of Debt and yet they are given in a way of Reward the Benefits are given not for our Faith yet upon Believing not upon it as a meriting Consideration yet upon it as that the presence whereof is made necessary by the Gospel this having required Faith and confined the Benefit to him that Believes Defence of gospel-Gospel-Truth p. 25. These and other Imputations I have spoke to You see I say only Benefits indefinitely the thing done by us here is only Believing In way of Reward is only a performance of a Gospel-promise made to encourage and move Sinners to Believe To the READER It is fit that God whose we are should use us to his own Purposes however unagreeable to our Inclinations the Work is or Mysterious the Design of Providence be at present I am sure Peace is my delightful pursuit though unreasonable Men force me to Debates as part of my Employ The several Books written and Sermons studiously preached for Antinomianism had not engaged my Pen at first if the Leaven had not spread to the open Censure of the usefulest Ministry as legal the Hazard of the Souls and Peace of our Congregations and the common Reproach of the Dissenters When a Testimony by Gospel-Truth stated was published I resolved to cease any further Progress in this Affair being assured it was sufficient to inform such as were not given up to those Delusions against which only it was designed But Mr. Chancy's Notorious Misrepresentation of my Principles necessitated my Defence of Gospel-Truth when his Billingsgate Language would have been wholly slighted Since then he hath published three Books unworthy of my regard being he was resolved to persist in mistaking the Matters in Debate and must argue in a way I was sure the Iudicious would Contemn and only such Simple ones be confirmed thereby who had no List or Patience to read an Answer He was followed by one Mr. Edwards a Man even of far less Iudgment and equal Violence two Pages of whose Book assured me that reading furthâ— was only to view an Emblem of Hell viz. Hot Fire and thick Darkness His Name-sake the Learned Author of Crispianism Unmask'd treated his Answer thereto with the same due Pity as I have done The War among the Angels also was written with an Air of such Falshood and Profaneness as cautioned any from answering it who had not the like Freedom to form an Antinomian Prayer That Vnchristian Spirit all these Men discover is convictive that Christ employs them not The Fury and Arts of the Promoters and Abetters of their new Gospel without Precepts or Threatnings appearing a publick Damage as they unseasonably divided the Nonconformists rendred me Industrious to allay the Heats but I soon found that such as opposed the Union at first would not quit the occasion they had framed to keep up a Faction opposite thereto Hence though we got them to Subscribe with us an Agreement in Doctrines and therein we mutually engaged to be at Peace and not expose each other it was not three Weeks e'er new Books were published and their Pulpits without any Provocation on our parts filled with the former Railings reckoning it seems themselves at Liberty because they judged we thought our selves obliged by our Subscriptions to be silent I for the Publick Good connived at this and at Mr. Cole's violent Censures and Misrepresentations of our Iudgment at Pinners-Hall near twelve Months without the least return till at last in a Sermon there he proclaimed That gospel-Gospel-Truth stated was just the Case of the Parable of the Pharisee I thought it my Duty to shew in my next Turn in the calmest words that Gospel-Truth stated agreed in nothing with the Pharisee and was quarrelled with only because it urged the Imitation of the Publican in his Penitent Humiliation as necessary to Forgiveness which that Brother constantly exclaims against and I urged the Necessity of an end to Contentions I medled not again and forbore exposing his Mysterious Nonsence which his Books as well as Sermons ministred sufficient Advantage for though alas he and his Party I know not why judge once Vindicating our selves from false Aspersions is an intolerable Crime in me when his frequent and weak as well as passionate Outcries are very Iustifiable even though he still Imputes to us what we Abhor For some time we were quiet and it was my hope we should continue so but Mr. Mather the great Enemy to the Union finding he could no longer instigate others to blow the Flames finds an occasion to get into Pinners-Hall upon the Sickness of one of the six Lecturers and there as he owneth in his Preface studiously and of purpose renews the Debate Mr. B. and I were oft as good as named by him and the very Body of our Ministers arraigned as Socinians and by him charged as holding Soul-destroying Errors if there be orâ— ever were any in the World Enemies to Christ's Righteousness at Heart worse than Papists with the like envenomed Reproaches And with the rest of his Stuff he under the Pain of Damnation required the People to believe that Christ's Incarnation was no part of his Humiliation and every Believer was as Righteous as Christ in Equality and not in Similitude
do his Commands that they may have right to the Tree of Life Mr. M. saith you are gone if you expect it Christ saith Luke 21.36 Watch and Pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man Mr. M. tells you he thinks it Inconsistent with Faith to do so 11. They effectually strike at Christ's Government in one of the Principal Means he hath pitched on to administer it by in our present State for with them it 's Damnable to be excited to Duty by hope of any good upon Obedience or by fear of missing that Good if we obey not And so in Truth Promises and Threats are Nullities as to God's Government Hence Mr. M. resolves all the Reasons of Obedience into Motives of what God hath done for us Page 70. Indeed they are Motives but they are not the only Motives nor the chief Motives that God makes use of nor what are fittest to impress Mankind yea or Christians whilst they be so Imperfect and encompassed with Sâ—ares We see they restrain not Wrath Malice Faction c. in too many How dare Men say Is it Damning to submit to such Arguments which God so often useth from future Rewards and Punishments because he sometimes moves us from past Privileges or present Decencies Yea though you should add the Authority of the Precepts whilst you divest them of all Promises and Threatnings to invigorate Mens Compliances therewith We say Frustra est praecipere quod impune potest negligi Christ saith Iohn 13.17 If you know these things happy are you if you do them John 12 48 He that rejecteth me and receives not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken that shall judge him Gal. 6.7 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked what a Man soweth that shall he reap For he that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life Everlasting I might transcribe the greatest part of the Bible to prove this 12. They dreadfully Contradict themselves in all the profitable Sermons they preach Mr. M. saith it 's a Damnable Error in me to say that God gives any Benefit in a way of Reward or Encouragement upon Believing though not as a Debt or as if Faith merited ought yea and it 's in and for Christ's Righteousness that it is given Yet hear himself Page 68. Oh get Faith see that you Believe for in this way it will come to pass that the Righteousness of Christ shall be upon you If a Man should ask him Doth God command me to believe Ans. Yes But doth God by you perswade me to believe by this Argument That Christ's Righteousness shall be upon me Ans. Yes sure or it 's a meer Delusion Q. Well but shall I have it upon my Believing A. Yes it is in this way But will it be upon me if I believe not Ans. No I have told you Page 66. Your Souls shall go down into Hell Qu. Do you intend that I may tell my own backward Heart If thou wilt believe thou shalt have an Interest in this Blessed Righteousness and so urge the Worth of this and the Necessity of Believing upon my Soul I suppose Mr. M. must here suspend But if I ask may I expect assuredly when I am through Grace enabled to believe that upon this God will put the Righteousness of Christ upon me and make good the word wherein he caused me to hope viz. That if I did Believe the Righteousness of Christ should be upon me Here Mr. M. by his Principle must cry out O No this is to follow a Soul-destroying Error if there be any in the World Page 46. But Sir I will not plead my Faith as any Merit but only plead the Promise God is pleased to make to my Faith and rely on that word now that I have Faith Mr. M. yet that 's Damnable for then it comes in a way of Reward Then I ask again If that be Damnable Pray why did you use this Motive in the name of Christ to perswade me to believe How could it be a Motive to Faith if I was not to expect it upon believing And if I was to expect it before I believed in case that I would believe Why may not I expect it now that I do believe I know not what Answer Mr. M. will make unless 1. It 's something done by Man Or 2. God will be still at liberty to perform or not perform the Benefit though he did promise it Or 3. He will not perform it in the way he promised it that is He promised it as an Encouragement to you if you would believe but he will not accomplish it as an Encouragement now thaâ— you do believe nor seem so much to approve of your Faith The first were Silly because it was a Man was perswaded to do this eveâ— to believe for I hope it 's a Humane Act though by the Spirits Power The second is to impeach the Truth of God's Word The third is a weak Foppery as if it were a Dishonour to God to give the Benefit in the way he chose to use it as a Motive to the Duty especially when as Mr. M. owneth it 's by the Gospel-word that God puts this Righteousness on us which is the very same Word whereby he urgeth this Benefit as a Motive to Man's Believing If I again ask Why Mr. M. would by this Motive thus perswade Sinners to Believe He would I hope say This is the way God hath ordained to convert them to the Faith But why dare he Preach thus when it implies what he calls a Damning Error or else it 's a meer Mockery I 'll answer for him He had a mind to venture a Contradiction rather than be wholly useless to those People whom he designed to frighten from the Ministry of others as Damnable that he and his Party might be more considerable Reader Would'st thou know whence comes this Confusion I 'll tell thee it is Because they consider not 1. That though the Gospel be not a Law wherein Governing Justice displays it self in the Adjustment of Benefits to the Duty yet therein there is a Governing Authority in a way of Grace suitable to the State of Men in the dispensing of the Fruits of Christ's Death 2. That a Reward of Grace is quite another thing than a Reward of Debt 3. That all Gospel-Benefits are given in Christ's Right and are the Effects of his Righteousness applied to all that partake of them 4. That all Gospel-Precepts and Promises do Authoritatively appoint and describe the Persons that are Parâ—â—kers of Benefits for the sake of Christ's Righteousness but not their own and not put Men on purchasing these Benefits 5. Yet these do fully distinguish them that shall partake of the Benefits from others that shall not partake of them The Gospel doth hereby fix a
a great Means of their Perseverance which Divine Wisdom hath appointed Obj. Christ's Righteousness upon us keeps our Faith Ans. And yet keeping our Faith through God's Power keeps that Righteousness upon us to Salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 And know that Christ's Righteousness is applied in Correspondence with the Gospel-Rule It is not upon the Apostate to give him a Right to Salvation but upon the Persevering Believer It is on the Believer for his present Right but it is in Christ for to be still applied to the Persevering Believer for his continued Right Obj. The Believer will not fall away Ans. It is not naturally Impossible but it 's by Grace that he shall not fall away But then God's Helps and Means must be used by him of which these Cautions are not the least and the Connexion between Apostasie and the loss of Salvation is never the less true and so Mr. M's Principal never the less false for if ever he draw back my Soul shall have no Pleasure in him and truly you may as well infer that Faith is not necessary to our justification at first as that Perseverance is not necessary to our continuing so For it was as sure of the Elect. even before they believed that they should be justified It 's sure of the Believer before he persevere that he shall be saved But yet if Faith be necessary to the first so Perseverance is by as express Testimony necessary to the last 2. It is not blamably legal Fear for Believers to be sollicitously cautious in resisting Temptations and sâ—riving in Christ's Strength to persevere and this lest they eternally perish hold fast that which thou hast that no Man take thy Crown Rev. 3.10 was a fit Means to beget Care in holding fast Heb. 4.1 is a Caution the Apostle comprehends himself in Let us fear left a Promise being left us any of us should seem to come short of it any appearing challenge from within themselves was matter of Fear for on Christ's Part there 's no Suspicion It 's a divine Charge Phil. 2.13 Workout your own Salvation with Trembling and Fear not only begin it so but so work it out Nay in no span of Time on this side the Grave is the best Saint exempted Pass the Time of your sojourning here in Fear and the Reason is If you call upon the Father who without respect of Persons judgeth according to every Man's Work 1 Pet. 1. 17. These Men now tell us There is no judicial Process of Believers no Judgment by a Gospel-rule It will not be asked you what Sin you have committed or forsaken or Duty you have omitted or Good you have done but are you in Christ As if these were of no Use to determine whether we are in Christ truly or no and as if a Privilege were the proper matter of a Judicial Trial. Mr. M. may know whose these are Oh Christians Is our Race as yet run our Fight already fought or our Dangers past Are we still in Via or in Termino 3. A Man that hath once believed if he should fall under the reigning Power of Sin and Corruption ought to suspect that he is not in a State of Salvation Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if ye mortifie the Deed of of the Flesh by the Spirit ye shall live was a Truth directed to all the Saints at Rome and let me tell you the Dominion of Sin is a more sure Evidence that Men are now out of a State of Salvation than the Knowledge of their Consciences that they formerly believed is of their ever being in a State of Salvation For this may be a mistaken Knowledge but the other is the divine Word These Conceits are obviated Ezek. 33. 13. when I say to the righteous he shall surely live if he trust to his own Righteousness and commit Iniquity all his Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his Iniquity that he hath committed he shall surely die for it i. e. If because he began to do well and because he hath done so for a Time he ventures to give up himself to a Course of Sin he shall certainly perish for it This is the plain Sense of the Place notwithstanding Mr. M. forced Perversion of it against our expecting any Benefit upon performing any Duty The Apostle Paul thought not himself above this Rule 1 Cor. 9.11 24. I keep my Body under lest when I have preached to others I my self should be a Cast-away What a damning Sentence would Mr. M. pass on Turretin Perkins Mr. Anthony Burgess and most of our old Divines who jointly assert That if David had died before he had repented of the Murther of Vria he had been damned Nay that comfortable Text Rom. 8.1 brands his Position there 's no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit whence it 's evident That if they now walk after the Flesh they shall be condemned at least from its being inconsistent with their present being in Christ whatever they think of their former believing I will not retort damning on Mr. M's Opinion yet to such Souls who credit his Notion That whatever thy Corruptions now be if thy Conscience know that thou hast believed formerly they Salvation is safe I must in pity say thou mayest eternally perish by it For thou canst not judge now it was a true saving Act but according to the Sentence of Conscience and they Conscience may be mistaken yea if thy Corruptions now have Dominion over thee and continue so God warns thee Let no Man eeceive you with vain Words for these things the Wrath of God comes upon the Children of Disobedience Eph. 5.6 3 Charge And whether he do not in Truth disown the Imputation of our Sins unto Christ and of his Righteousness unto us It is like if he live the World will see more fully for he hath given such pregnant Indications thereof as do amount to at least just Cause of Iealousie Repl. 1. Is it come so low as a Jealousie now When he was one that under his Hand affirmed thus of me He teacheth that the Righteousness of Christ is imputed only as to Effects with a Purchase of a Conditional grant viz. This Proposition He that believeth shall be saved and they cite for it though in contrary Words Gospel Truth p. 39. where my Words are these I affirm That Christ by his Righteousness merited for all the Elect that they should in his Time and Way be certainly Partakers of its saving Effects and did not only purchase a conditional Grant of those Effects viz. That Proposition He that believeth shall be saved And besides these Effects being made ours the very Righteousness of Christ is imputed to true Believers as what was always undertaken and designed for their Salvation and is now effectual to their actual Pardon and Acceptance to Life yea is pleadable by them as their Security and is as useful to
of ours to any of these Purposes and this is all they pretend But if it prove that Christ never intended his Righteousness to be instead of true Faith and Repentance Sincere Love to God and Men and Perseverance in True Holiness and Fruitfulness And that Christ will judge us according to these as things he required to our actual enjoying of promised Benefits in his Righteousness They who pursue and by Grace have these will be safer than such as neglect them yea Mr. M. owneth P. 67. Such are thy bounden Duties and God will Damn thee for neglecting them It were easie to shew how these Men contradict each other as well as themselves but I forbear exposing them That the Faâ—her of Light and Love would guide all of us into the way of Truth and Peace is the unfeigned Prayer of Thy Servant in the Kingdom and Patience of Christ Daniel Williams THE Errata's are such as may easily be Corrected Any who consider what Men I have to deal with will excuse my frequent Repetitions and sometimes less accurate words as object for subject when I would most plainly distinguish between Justifying Righteousness with its Causes and the Person partaker of it SERMON I. Of Christ's Obedience Rom. 5. the last part of the 19th Verse So by the Obedience of One shall many be made Righteous THE Text represents to us First A saving Priviledge and Dignity Made Righteous It supposes us Unrighteous ere we are made Righteous and so subject to the Curse till we are Absolved as well as Disobedient to the Gospel while Unconverted The Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oft though not always denotes an act of Authority as Mat. 25.21 Luk. 12.14 42. Act. 6.3 c. thus it s properly enough applicable to the Matter before us We are constituted Righteous Juridically and all other Benefits included here in the term Righteous are Authoritatively Conferred and this according to a Divine enacted Constitution of which hereafter Secondly The sole procuring Cause of our being made Righteous It s by the Obedience of One This One is the Lord Jesus He alone was capable to make fallen Men Righteous by his Obedience and it s by his Obedience that Sinners are constituted Righteous Mercy prompted the recovery of miserable Man Wisdom contrived this as a way sufficient effectual and congruous to that End God as our Judge and Ruler admitted and accepted this and in his adjusted way applies it for our Pardon and Adoption Faith is the Moral Instrument or Condition of that Application the Gospel Promise is the express Sign of the Divine Will or the Instrument whereby God doth apply it But the different Interest of each of these prevents not the appropriation of all the Causal Merit to this Obedience God justifies regenerates and saves but it s with an Eye to this as the only procuring Cause Thirdly The Subject actually partaker of this Blessing Many they are Men and not Devils Fallen Men and not Innocent Many and not simply few nor yet all though it s for final Impenitency and Unbelief that any of the Sons of Men remain Condemned These many are equal to the number of Godly Believers in all Ages Fourthly The futurity and certainty of many being made Righteous both which the Future Tense imports Shall be made Righteous it notes Futurity With respect to the effect of Adam's Sin it 's said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were made Sinners That Guilt is entailed on all his Seed and Filth derived to them as soon as they subsist yea its true they were all Offenders and Corrupted in Adam as being Seminally in him But by Christs Obedience it s affirmed many shall be made Righteous i. e. when it is applied and not before The Elect since Christs time remain Unrighteous whilst Unbelievers notwithstanding that Christs Obedience is long since finished as well as all Believers before Christs coming were made Righteous by this Obedience tho' it was not then actually performed Heb. 11.14 15. The Reason of both is the same viz. That we are made Righteous not immediately in the moment of Christs Obeying nor meerly on the Acts done but upon Gods applying this to us by the Word of his Gospel and Work of his Spirit Therefore believing Abraham was made Righteous many Ages before Christ Obeyed Rom. 4.22 And the Elect Corinthians were unjustified all the time of their Infidelity though Christ had finished his Work before 1 Cor. 6.11 The Gospel Promise confers Righteousness for Justification on all Believers and none but Believers tho' Christs Obedience be that for which alone when they believe any are justified This Righteousness is offered to all Hearers on the terms of the Gospel Its designed Infallibly for all the Elect but neither offer nor design constitutes any Man Righteous There must be another act even imputation and that terminates on no other object but the Believer 2. The Words denote certainty q. d. many shall eventually be made Righteous by it A may be made Righteous if they will believe is a Mercy to Mankind above Devils But a meer may be is too low a reward for Christ and incongruous to an Obedience so Astonishing Strange were it that the Lord of Life should Die for Sinners and it remain contingent whether any of them should Eternally speak his Praises or be happy by his Merits But my Text is an unerring Prediction which will be still accomplishing till Christs shall Judge the World His Seed he shall see whom by his knowledge he will justifie Is. 53.11 He will not violate the Gospel Constitution by justifying the Unbelievers because he is Elected but the Elect shall believe that they may be justified by his Obedience The Eternal Counsel shall be executed in the way enacted by Governing Grace 5. The Redditive Note which refers to the first clause in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So The Apostle had said As by the Disobedience of one many were made Vnrighteous So c. He principally intends hereby to affirm That by Christs Obedience all his Regenerate Seed shall as certainly be made Righteous as Adam's Natural Seed were made Sinners by his Disobedience Christs Obedience is as effectual to the one as Adam's Disobedience was to the other Adam is said to be the Figure of Christ v. 14. They were two publick Persons in this respect All Men were made Sinners by Adams fall all Men that ever are made Righteous are made so by Christ's Obedience This is the main scope of the Apostles reasoning in the Parellel between the First and Second Adam but he intends not to infer a Similitude in all things between Christ and Adam who in so many things differ Nay in this Chapter you have sundry instances of that difference given Doct. By the Obedience of Iesus Christ GodMan our Redeemer many shall be made Righteous Good News to a lost World that thô we are undone as Adam's Posterity yet help is laid on Christ who is mighty to save Psa.
paying Obj. He being given by God to be our Surety and not appointed by us to die God may suspend giving us the Benefits of his Death until we Believe Ans. If God made him a strict Money-Surety with us in the Law of Innocence he either did change the Law or precluded himself from a Right of suspending the Benefits at least the Restauration of his Image and Freedom from the Reign of Sin the Curse and Wrath of God till we Believe for the Law is changed if it say thou shalt be Free from the Dominion of Sin and the Guilt thereof but not till thou Believe in Christ though thou hast already legally performed all the legal Conditions If it be not changed it immediately entitles to the Reward and must be violated if at least any Punishment lie upon the perfect Performer of the Conditions for it 's a punishing us after the Debt is legally paid by us Now though there is hardly a Truth more plain in the Word of God than that The Wrath of God abides still upon all Vnbelievers notwithstanding Christ's Death yet you see how this Notion of Money-Suretiship shakes it I might instance others as we ought not to confess our Sins nor pray for Forgiveness God afflicts only from Sin but not for Sin at all God will Judge and Justifie us only by the Law of Works and we are Saved by that Law If God charge us with Sin we may charge him with Unrighteousness David was as acceptable to God whilst he murthered Vriah as when he obeyed God most God requires nothing from us to escape his Wrath and Curse for Sin we must not propose any Benefit to our selves by any Duty or acting of Grace nor are we the better a Jot by them These and the like spring from this very Opinion That we satisfied the Law fully and perfectly obeyed it in Christ as a pecuniary Surety with us in that Law To say nothing of the advantage the Socinians have thereby These things may Caution us in our Conceptions especially when the considering of Christ as a Pecuniary Surety of the Law of Works paying Debts to a Creditor is not necessary to any one Gospel End neither the Glory of Christ the Government of God the Salvation of the Elect the Spiritual Comfort of Believers or promoting of Holiness All which are more clearly subserved by this word as Surety of the New Covenant joined with other words frequently used by the Holy Ghost as Mediator Redeemer Saviour Ransomer and the whole Oeconomy of Redemption plainly stated thereby 5 R. Christ's being a strict Money-Surety would be a very great loss to us If he be our Surety in the Covenant of Works then we can have no Claim to any Benefit but what the Covenant of works promiseth whereby we shall lose Union with Christ the in-dwelling Spirit and whatever degree of Glory is to be expected by Christ above what Adam was to enjoy in case he had not fallen of which I have spoken before The reason is if I have a Surety in a Bond wherein I have certain Immunities upon paying a Sum of Money if my Surety pay that Money I can thereby have a Right to no more Immunities than that Bond contains 6 R. Christ where he is called a Surety was a Surety of the better Testament and therefore not of the Law of Works which enjoined Obedience and inflicted Death on sinners Heb. 7.22 The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes rendred Testament sometimes Covenant and well it might be rendred a Legal Disposition But call it which you will this Testament or Covenant of which Christ is Surety here cannot be the Covenant of Works It was not the Covenant that obliged us to die for Sin or perfectly Obey in a way of Merit that here he is called Surety of Is the Law of Works that better Covenant or Testament Or must Christ be a Surety for us in the Covenant of Works because he is Surety of the better Covenant which is not the Covenant of Works If you doubt whether this better Covenant be not the Covenant of Works consider the whole Context This better Covenant is opposed to the Iewish Covenant as the Priesthood of Christ is opposed to the Levitical Priesthood which Priesthood of Christ the Apostle proved to be higher and better than the Levitical by many Arguments As Christ was a Priest after the Order of Melchisedeck who was greater than Abram or Levi He succeeded the Levitical Priesthood as it was unable to attain the great Ends of Priesthood His Priesthood is unchangeable because he ever lives and those Priests were Mortal Christ was made Priest by an Oath they without an Oath And to add no more Christ was Surety of a better Testament which is again expressed Heb. 8.6 He is the Mediator of a better Covenant or Testament and ver 7. If the first Covenant had been faultless there had been no place for a second The better Covenant or Testament in Chap. 8.6 must be the same as this better Testament or Covenant in this Chap. 7.22 the word there and here is the same And there you have a full Account what this better Covenant is It 's the New Covenant wherein forgiveness of sin among other Blessings is promised Heb. 8.9 to 13. At most it's the Covenant of Grace as in the last Edition Of which Covenant but on different Accounts Christ is called the Mediator the Surety the Testator And the betterness of this Edition of the Covenant is founded on the betterness of Christ's Priesthood who by his Blood purchased it with all its Benefits confirmed it by his Death and by his intercession secures the great ends of it q. d. By how much he had a better Priesthood By so much he was made a Surety of a better Testament Heb. 7.22 and repeats it Heb. 8.6 He hath obtained a more excellent Ministry By how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which was established upon better Promises Was this the Covenant of Works Surely no for the Law of Works pronounced the Curse this the Blessing The Law of Works bindeth guilt this Assures us that God will be merciful to our unrighteousness and our sins and iniquities he 'll remember no more The Law of Works is a killing Letter By this Covenant of which Christ is Surety God writes his Law in our Hearts and is to us a God and we to him a People Yea â—â—rseverance is secured Our Lord Jesus is a Surety of this blessed and better Covenant he will see it kept by all the parties he undertakes to have its Ends accomplished and it fulfilled Believers shall persevere New Testament Saints shall generally have freer Access to God Fear and Know God more and be Holier than Old Testament Saints Yea I grant all the Elect shall be brought into this Covenant and be saved by it As Mediator of this Covenant he died for the Redemption of Transgressions even those under the
Saving some and Damning others who yet had the very same Offers Invitations and Calls Rom. 2.16 9. They that disobeyed the Gospel are justly liable to sorer Punishments and Vengeance than would have fallen on them for their first Apostasie Matt. 11.24 10. Here is an apt means to excite Diligence Watchfulness Faith Repentance and Holiness and to prevent Sloath Despair Presumption and Disobedience I appeal to the Consciences of Men whether fallen Men are liker to be governed by telling them You are under no Law but the Law of Works which requires all Graces and Duties alike and all to be done perfectly without Sin or you must eternally Perish though it 's true if God please to justifie you by Christ's Righteousness then you have legally fulfilled this Law and you are justified by it and you shall go to Heaven But God requires no Duty or Care on your part in order to be Justified by Christ's Righteousness nor doth he command you to act any Grace with a Promise of any Benefit upon that Act nor threaten you with any Damage whatever Sin you commit so that you have Faith as a Sign but not a Condition of your Pardon nor ought you to obey any Command as a means of Good to you but only in Gratitude that Christ hath done all for you Or else this way God hath set down this Authoritative Rule to give Sinners the Beneficial Fruits of Christ's Death and commands you to obey it that though you are Lost yet if you believe and repent you shall be pardoned if not the Wrath of God will abide on you Turn to God and you shall Live iâ— not you shall Die Fight the good Fight if you overcome you shall be Crowned and reap if you faint not but if you draw back God will have no Pleasure in you Be Fruitful for if you be Barren you are nigh to Cursing and your end is to be Burned Use your Talents for if you improve them God will reward you with greater Blessedness but if you hide them in a Napkin you shall for your Unprofitableness be cast into the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone Subdue your Lusts for if Sin reign in you you shall Die but if you Mortifie the Deeds of the Flesh you shall Live c. O then attend the means of Grace look to Christ be earnest with God watch and strive as for your Lives Whether I say is liker to Influence Men to the Design of Redemption and Obedience to God the first or this last And I am sure this last is the way God chuseth for it 's his Words though we are not by this way excluded from adding Arguments that may also excite Gratitude But are not these words of Authority the Dictates of a Ruler and yet not the Law of Works which promiseth nothing of Good to the Imperfect and bindeth Death for the lease Sin 9. The Gospel enjoineth nothing on Men for the impetration or purchasing of Justification or any other Benefit but that they may receive Justification and every Benefit as the Effect of Christ's Merits Christ hath Bought all by his Obedience and by the Gospel prescribeth the way how he in his own right will give what he hath acquired As the Gospel is his Testament he describeth his Legatees as it 's God's Covenant our Consent to it is necessary to it's Blessings 10. The use of Faith in order to Justification is that it renders the Sinners the ordained Objects of God's Justifying Act and Gift according to his own Gospel Rule Justification brings the Righteousness by which we are pardoned but God promiseth to Justifie him that hath Faith and saith he will not Justifie him that hath not Faith Doth not Faith distinguish him that hath Faith from another that hath not Faith And doth not God declare he will deal very differently with him that hath Faith and him that hath no Faith he 'll justifie the one and still condemns the other And it 's the same as to any other Condition of any other promised Benefit The Condition is not that for which the Benefit is given but it renders the Man the Person to whom God hath promised to give that Benefit in Christ's right 11. All endeavours after Faith are endeavours after Justification and all neglects of Faith are neglects of Justification This is plain for if the Object of God's Justifying Act be the Believer then whatever tends to make him a Believer tends to bring him into a Justified State and whatever tends to hinder him to Believe tends to keep him out of a Justified State It 's the same as to all other Promises made to any Grace or Duty though all the Promises are made and performed in Christ's right Yet when he describes the person by any Grace â— Duty who shall receive the good promised we pursue that good promised by following after that Grace or Duty to which the Promise refers Therein we look to Christ's Righteousness with just Hope when we look to him in his Promise and follow that which he hath assured the Fruits of his Righteousness upon 12. God now doth and will hereafter more solemnly Judge Mens Faith and Men by their Faith as far as he hath made that Faith necessary to any Blessing 1. God says in his Gospel I will in and for Christ's Righteousness forgive him that Believes and no other yea all unbelievers shall be still condemned because they believe not Ioh. 3.16 19. Christ's Righteousness shall not be applied to them for Pardon And 2. If the Gospel hath described what this Faith in Truth is and warned us of all false Faith as vain and insufficient to our pardon Iam. 2.14 17. Gal. 5.6 if those two things be true Can you imagin 1. That God doth make no Judgment of that Faith whether it be true or false Are all sorts of Faith alike in his Account 〈◊〉 Dead Faith and a Living a feigned Faith â—â—d an unfeigned Faith Doth he give and execute the Pardon without any regard to their being such Believers as his Gospel appoints Surely he that says be watchful and strengthen the things that are ready to Die for I have not found thy Works perfect before God Rev. 3.2 doth distinguish between the Faith the Promise is made to and the Faith which the Promise is not made to nay which he threatens as Hypocritical 2. Or can you think that God makes no Judgment concerning a Man's Interest or no Interest in the promised Pardon with any regard to his having true Faith or his not having it The Question is not What Righteousness that Pardon is founded on for that is Christ's and the Pardon connotes it but the Question is Is this or that Man the Person to whom God hath promised to give that Pardon Doth it by that Promise belong to this Believer or that Unbeliever I ask then Will not God Judge this Man by having true Faith to be the very Man the Pardon by that Promise belongs to
dangerous to exclude the Holy Ghost from an Efficiency in framing Sinners for the participating of Blessings in Christ's Right as it is to exclude Christ from the sole Impetration Many little think what a Dishonour and Offence they are to the Holy Ghost in denying an Authoritative Connexion between Duties and Benefits and allowing him no hand in making them the Objects to whom Gospel Benefits are appropriated by its Sanction The Language of such to the Spirit is We are without any Operation of thine on us the Persons entitled to all Benefits Christ hath not only a Right to all these Blessings but we also are fully and constantly invested in that Right without any dependance on thee or Obligation to thee though we own thou workest some of those things after we have a full Right to them and because we have that full Right yet we are at no time indebted to thee for any ways rendring us the Persons to whom that Right is applied or belongs the vilest Wretch in Hell oweth thee as much Thanks on that account I would tremble to hold a Principle whereof this is the Native Language when I see that though the Promises are made in Christ's Right and the Benefits contained in them are his Purchase yet as they require Conditions in such as shall be Partakers of Christ's Right to those Benefits to the Glory of the Son and of the Father who gave his Son so there is a wise Contrivance for the Honour of the Holy Ghost also as it is he who enableth Men to perform those Conditions for a Gospel-Interest in those Benefits A REPLY TO Mr. Mather's Postscript I Shall first consider the Errors Mr. M. chargeth me with and then his Defence of his own The Errors he loads with no lighter Epithets than Damning and Blasphemouâ— Terms agreeable to his long known Temper and Charity He introduceth his Charge with an Ecee This is he he is the Man Would he infer that I am the only Man No the body of Divines except Antinomians affirm as I do And in his Preface it 's his Moan the Number is so great Is it that I am the Man that eminently defend these Alas I can shew him Volumes of the Dead and many are yet Alive whose Defence of my Positions is so Nervous as renders mine truly Inconsiderable as his Opposition thereto Contemptible Sure then it 's either to leave a Mark that his Factious Design may more succeed or to point me the Person designed by him in his Sermons Page 22.64 in words indeed too blunt for a Man of his own Sagacity to need another Comment Yet after all his labour to make the Man sure he hath assigned the Charge so falsly that an Ingenuous Reader will sooner charge him for a base Trick in his Insinuations than me the Patron of the Opinions he would ascribe 1 Charge He is one that makes Vnion to Christ our having this Righteousness upon us and our being Iustified by it to be given us in way of Reward of something done by us Reply My words which he refers to here and Page 46. are these Gospel-Benefits are no Reward of Debt and yet they are given in a way of Reward The Benefits are given not for our Faith yet upon Believing not upon it as a Meriting Consideration yet upon it as that the Presence whereof is made necessary by the Gospel this having required Faith and confined the Benefit to him that believes If a Man saith I 'll give you a Thousand Pounds if you will come to my House and fetch it It is not a Free Gift though the Poor Man must come if he will have it and the Giver is yet bound by his Promise to give it if he come and not bound to give it if he refuse to come Defence of gospel-Gospel-Truth P. 25. These are my very words he pretends to mention and no where in my Books can he find the least shadow for more You see 1. I mention only Gospel-Benefits and not Union with Christ or Justification 2. It 's Faith only which I mention and not something done by us by which he would insinuate that other good Works are meant 3. I say it 's upon Believing and not for Faith upon it not as a Meriting Consideration but upon it as that the Presence whereof is made necessary by the Gospel Doth not this sound lower than his Reward of something done by us Vpon it as a thing present and of it as a thing Meriting are very different 4. The occasion of my using these words was this to prove that God by the Gospel injoyns Faith as a Condition of our having those good things which yet he freely gives and that Christ shews his governing Authority in his displays of Grace and excites to Duties by Motives from Benefits freely given and that Gospel-Conditions have no Merit of Condignity or Congruity And 5. I laid the Vmbrage of the way of Reward wholly on the Gospel-Promise and not upon the least Dignity of the Act done God who is our Ruler commands Faith and promiseth as a Motive to Faith the Benefits purchased by Christ as good things Here 's the whole of this Damning Error as far as he could justly call it mine And by this time you 'll discern as little Danger to me by my Opinion as to him by his False and Malicious Attempt to expose my Ministry and Person not to say truth it self yea and the generality of Ministers and Christians who will not stoop to him as Dictator 2. I shall descend into the Merit of the Cause truly stated which is resolved into two Questions 1 Q. When may a Benefit be said to be given in a way of Reward when yet it is not in a way of Debt or Merit or a Reward for the thing done Ans. A thing is thus given in a way of Reward when a Benefit is given in a way of Encouragement of something required yea or desired to be done however small or unvaluable the thing done is or however great the Benefit is If you say to your Child If you 'll make a Bow and Thank me I 'll give you such an Estate When you give him such an Estate upon his so Bowing and Thanking you do give it him in a way of Reward It 's a Gift because that Bow and Thanks deserve not that Estate it 's yet given in a way of Reward since you promised it in a way of Encouragement to his Bow and Thanks Indeed all Gospel-Conditions are but a meet receiving of the Benefits 2 Quest. Whether God doth give Gospel-Benefits in a way of Encouragement to our performing of any Gospel-Duties Ans. Can any one read the Bible and not cease to doubt that the Scope of it were vain in its Proposals and Promises if the thing be otherwise For 1. Are not the Promises of the Gospel Motives to Duty Acts 13.19 Repent and be converted that your Iniquities may be blotted out Matt. 11.28 Come unto me and I
certain Rule of Judgment and doth infallibly direct Mens Hopes Fears and Expectations Also it governs Mens Endeavours after Graces and Duties as the certain Means on our part of coming at the respective Benefits graciously promised in and by Christ to or upon those Graces or Duties But these things I have before largely insisted on This Damning Error comes to no more at last than this The Gospel-Covenant is Conditional not as to the first Grace but as to the subsequent Benefits and so that God requires us to believe and repent that we may escape the Wrath of God and that there are Promises made to Graces All which the Assembly of Divines in plain words assert therefore how many are undâ—â— Mr. M's Condemnation Nay it 's well if 〈◊〉 was Innocent when he Prefaced Mr. 〈◊〉 Book called The Blow at the Root for there all that I assert in this Point is affirmed 2 Charge He is the Man that makes the State of Believers to be undecided and in Suspence during this Life This is my Second Damning Error Reply He is very unfair in wording this who would not infer either 1. That I affirm that all true Believers are not in a State of Salvation Or 2. That an Elect Person that is brought to believe Savingly will Apostarize and Eternally Perish 3. Or that a Believer during this Life may not be assured of his Eternal Happiness But he knows in his Conscience that I do often in the plainest words assert the contrary to each of these Take a few Instances out of my Book I affirm that we are Justified the same Moment as we truly believe in Christ and the Blessing is not Suspended for any time longer And an Elect Person once Justified shall by Christ's Care be kept in a Iustified Stated gospel-Gospel-Truth stated p. 104 105. Again I affirm That Assurance is attainable in this Life as the Effect of Faith Page 74. I affirm that a Penitent Believer shall be Saved if he die before he hath time for further Obedience Again The Essential Blessings of the Gospel become the Inheritance of a Believer as soon as he is united to Christ Page 125 126. Do not say the Elect Believer will not fall away I think the same yet is it the less true that even he should Perish if he fall away Nay Doth not God by these Threats contribute to keep hi◠〈◊〉 Apostasie P. 138. See Defence P. 9. 2. I 'll give thee the Ground upon which he wordeth this Charge P. 55. I said the Reason why I use the word Condition is because it best Suits with Man's Relation to God in his present Dealings with us as Subjects in trial for Eternity And P. 136. How unsuitable is it to the present State of Mankind that Christ should govern us without Promises and Threatnings He is a King and we are his Subjects and we are 1. his Subjects in a State of trial for another World 2. We have great Remains of Sin within us and Temptations without us These are the places that give him the greatest Umbrage Now where is here that a Believer's Case is undecided 3. Let us briefly examine where the very true Difference between him and me consists for certainly therâ— is one though he thinks it the best Defence of his own Opinion to misrepresent mine or else he had gained little by calling it Damning The Difference is not 1. Whether all true Believers are in a State of Salvation 2. Whether they shall Persevere 3. Whether it be by the Influences of Christ through the Spirit that they do Persevere 4. Nor whether the Influences of the Spirit and Perseverance and the Certainty of their Salvation thereupon be the Effects of Christ's Righteousness and purchased by his Obedience All these I affirm But the real Difference is 1. Whether God require Believers to Persevere in Faith and Holiness as the means of their continuing in a State of Salvation 2. Whether it be a blameably legal Fear to be Solilicitously Cautious in resisting Temptations and striving in Christ's Strength to Persevere least we Eternally Perish 3. Whether if a Man have once believed yet if he should fall under the reigning Dominion of Sin and Corruption he ought to suspect that he is not in a State of Salvation These three I affirm and Mr. M. denies or I can make nothing of his words which thou must joyn together P. 50. If thou hast indeed believed with the Faith of the Operation of God and they Conscience knows it thou mayst then conclude assuredly That whatever thy Sins have been or whatever thy Defects and Corruptions now be yet this Righteousness of God is upon thee thou hast it and dost stand in it Reply The Faith is an Act past the Conclusion is at present whatever a Man's Corruptions be the only Evidence of the past Faith is â—he Knowledge of Conscience which is not Infallible And by the way I can prove That by his Opinion as that first Act is before Regeneration so no other or after-Act of Faith is necessary to continue our Justified State Again He exposeth such P. 63. as hold that we stand in it this Righteousness by our own Faith And P. 64. their Continuance in Obedience and the not failing of their Faith is one of the Privileges of their State and the Effect and Fruit of their having this Righteousness of Christ upon them and not the Means or Cause thereof You see the not failing of Faith is not so much as the Means of our continuing to have this Righteousness on us for of its first being on us he makes Faith a Cause P. 51 52. I need not shew how oft he calls all Fears about this Perseverance in our State Legal I have not time to argue these therefore shall only touch on each 1. God doth require Believers to Persevere in Faith and Holiness as a Means of their Continuance in a State of Salvation Rom. 11.20 22. Because of Vnbelief they were broken off and thou standest by Faith Be not high-minded but fear Towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou shalt be cut off 2 Cor. 1.24 By Faith ye stand How Conditionally is it proposed Col. 1.22 23. Now to present you Vnblameable in his sight If ye continue in the Faith and be not moved away from the Hope of the Gospel Here our Unreprovableness and Reconciliation in the Body of Christ's Flesh through Death as to Continuance is stated on this If you continue in the Faith Heb. 10.35 to 39. Now the Iust shall live by Faith but if any Man draw back my Soul shall have no Pleasure in him But we are not of them that draw back to Perdition but of them that believe to the Saving of the Soul It 's by Faith we live this Believing is to Salvation as drawing back is to Perdition How many are the Promises of Salvation to Perseverance and Threatnings of Death against Apostasie And these uttered to Believers Yea are
a way of Satisfaction Impetration Merit or Intercession it were true but as he words it it may be very Erronious and it is to Scrue an Error he doth thus express it Hence because he finds Repentance and Faith are so necessary to our Salvation he hath in his Pulpit endeavoured to inform Men how Christ repented and that he repented for us and though he doth not-publish it in this Sermon as he did elsewhere That Christ believed for us yet you 'll see presently how much he endeavours to convince us that he did so for if he believed whilst humbled it was for us and it 's imputed to us as he oft in this Book affirms Had I Mr. M's liberty what would I call this Error for though it 's in Christ's Strength and Grace that we Repent Believe turn to God and do good Works yet if we do not these as our Personal Acts Misery will be our Portion If you not I believe not you shall die in you Sins John 8. 24. Except you not I repent you shall all perish saith Christ Luke 13. 3. I say Except your Righteousness not mine exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matt. 5.20 Had Mr. M. been an Auditor he had not said Lord thou understandest not the Gospel it 's thou art to do these things this is the deep Counsel of God however legally thou speakest He might as well say it 's thou Christ shall perish as thou Christ art to repent 2. Faith is a prime and principal part of our Being conformable to the Image of Christ c. He is the first Pattern and original Copy of Believing P. 62 63. Reply Is Christ's Faith the Pattern of Faith in Christ I remember somewhere Dr. Goodwin speaks of God's trusting Christ till he was Incarnate and of Christ's trusting the Father since the time of his Sufferings Yea we may easily grant that Christ believed God's Promise and as a Man depended and relied on God's Power and Truth But this is no other Faith than Adam in Innocency acted than the Law of Works directed to By this account we may think better of the State of Pagans than most do for without Gospel-Revelation they may believe in God trust him and depend on him But what is this to the account the Scripture gives of Faith in Christ Did Christ come to himself as a Saviour Did he receive himself as a Crucified Redeemer Did he eat his own Flesh and drink his own Blood for Eternal Life Did he plead his own Merits and rely on his own Righteousness for Pardon and restored Peace Did he consent to be married to himself Did he look to himself for Healing Or to use Mr. M's account of Faith in this very Page Did he go out of himself unto himself for all Yea take part of his Description of Faith in Christ p. 39 40.1 The Subject of Faith is the Heart of a convinced broken-hearted Sinner c. The very Nature of Faith and the acting of the Soul in it is such as doth imply and include a Sight and Sense of Sin and Misery and a lively heart-influencing Conviction of utter Helplesness in a Man's self and unworthiness to be helped by God c. Reader Doth Christ's Faith in the Nature of it imply a Sense of utter Helplesness and Unworthiness in himself or of his Sin and Misery The Reason he gives for Justling out such as Abram and setting up Christ for the original Copy of believing in himself is this The Humane Nature of Christ lives and subsists in the second Person leaning on the Eternal Deity of the Son of God it hath its Subsistence in the Bosom of the Godhead c. and hath the Eternal Power of the Deity clasping about it P. 63. The Apostle did not know this Faith when he said that Charity was greater than Faith Well as Sublime as this Reason seems to be I will venture to say This is not that Faith in Christ which the Gospel requires of Sinners 1. I will give you a Reason of Mr. M's which besure is none of the best P. 7. Christ's dwelling in our Nature is no part of the Punishment of Sin for then the Divine Nature only is punished and not the Humane at all nor the Person It 's a bad one for what he brings it since that Assuming the Nature and dwelling in it differ and I have answered it before and it needs a great Allowance to keep it from But if the Sufferings or Acts of only one Nature be not the Sufferings or the Acts of the Person of Christ then the acting of Faith of the one Nature on the other Nature is not acting of Faith upon the Person of Christ and consequently not Gospel-Faith which is to be acted on the Person of Christ here the Humane Nature believes but that is not with him Christ that believes it believes on the Divine Nature and that with him is not Christ who is believed on What now is become of Christ's Believing even by his own Reasoning 2. The Object of Faith in Christ is God-Man Mediator a Crucified Christ c. but the Deity of the Son of God abstractedly considered is not God-Man Mediator c. Truly if our Gospel-Faith is specified by this I see not the need of Christ's Incarnation or Death yea or regard thereto 3. This leaning and especially to the purposes assigned to this Act of Christ's Humane Nature is not all that which is Essential to the Faith in Christ which the Gospel requires But why should I Scribble the little Paper left It 's like the Reasons he gave for Christ's Repenting viz. The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me and he was a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief 3. He plainly discovers his Mind to be that Faith is an Act of the Soul whilst spiritually dead and unregenerate P. 61. He joins with such as say Faith is the means and way of our being made spiritually alive rather than our acting Life as being already brought into a state of Life as the Bodies Clasping hold on the Soul by the animal Spirits which are Corporeal things is rather the means of Life than an act of Life c. P. 62. Suppose that the principle of Grace begotten and created in us in Regeneration contain in it the Habit of Faith which I will not now call in question Yet c. P. 32. All our new Obedience and all the Graces of the Spirit comprized under that one word Love are the Effects and Fruits of our being justified P. 60. In Vnion by Faith which is the cause of this Union we are brought immediately into a state of Spiritual Life first Relative then Qualitative c. Repl. Here with the Arminians he denieth the habit of Faith necessary to the actings of Faith He is contrary to the Assembly of Divines who tell us That God in effectual Vocation takes away
next principle of good Works for though it be the Meriting Cause of all as it is in Christ yet holy habits are the next Principle with the Spirits influence And above all must we cease to declare the whole Will of God to all that hear us till we know is Christ's Righteousness upon them Yea is it because they are dead in Sin before Faith that we must not press them to repent fear and love God c. The same reason will hold against pressing them to saving Faith which of themselves they can as little perform And if it be by the Word that God regenerates our Hearers Why may not the Spirit infuse Life by calling Men to Repent c. as well as to Believe and a true Principle of Life will act duly though I think not in the same order of discernable Actings in every Convert But however it 's certain that if by preaching Repentance the Spirit quickens a Soul that Soul is as sure to believe when quickned as it is to repent when it believes And so our Author makes but a spiteful Flourish when he would induce our Hearers to think we teach them amiss because we learn not of him SInce the Printing of my Answer to what Mr. M. calls my Second Damning Error viz. That I make the State of Believers to be Undecided and in Suspence during this Life I have found the word Vndecided in my Gospel Truth Stated P. 55. which I then was Ignorant of though I cast my Eye on the bottom of that very Page My words are The Covenant though Conditional is a Disposition of Grace there 's Grace in giving Ability to perform the Conditions as well as in bestowing the Benefits God's enjoyning one in order to the other makes not the Benefit to be less of Grace but it is a Display of God's Wisdom in conferring the Benefit suitably to the Nature and State of Men 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 Blessing But as I have in my Answer shewed that I oft in Gospel Truth stated affirm That the Elect shall Persevere in Faith and that every true Saint is now in a State of Salvation So I shall only add 1. I do not here mention Believers but Men in general yea rather Unbelievers 2. By Eternally decided any Man may see that I had an Eye only to God's Iudicial Decision at Death and the more Solemn Sentence at the last Judgment when we Die our Warfare is finished and our State as Viatores is at an end 3. What meaneth all the Scripture Cautions even to Believers such as Watch c. Pass the time of your Sojourning here in Fear c. If all our State be decided so while we have many Years Temptations and Persevering Work before us as it will be beyond the Grave Alas how many are long deceived by the meer Form of Godliness and they that are Godly are called to Caution and Care on this very Consideration that they are to be judged 1 Pet. 1.17 which were useless to such as are in termino 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Rev. 2.10 See more in my Answer The Point of the Embrio was not fit for my large insisting on or I could have proved that an Embrio is not an unformed unorganized Mass or Lump c. FINIS The Five following Books have been lately published by the Author of this Discourse Printed for John Dunton at the Raven in the Poultry 1. GOspel Truth Stated and Vindicated wherein some of Dr. Crisp's Opinions are considered and the opposite Truths are plainly Stated and Confirmed The Second Edition 2. A Defence of Gospel-Truth Being a Reply to Mr. Chancy 3. The Vanity of Childhood and Youth wherein the depraved Nature of Young People is Represented and Means for their Reformation proposed Being some Sermons Preached at the Request of several Young Men. 4. A Discourse shewing that Repentance of National Sins God requires if ever we expect National Mercies 5. Man made Righteous by Christ's Obedience Being two Sermons Preached at Pinners-hall with Enlargements c. Also some Remarks on Mr. Mather's Postscript c. AN Essay upon Reason and the Nature of Spirits By Dr. Burthogg Heads of Agreement assented to by the United Ministers in and about London The Fourth Volume of the Morning Exercise There will also be Extant in a few days The Second Volume of the French Book of Martyrs Published by her Majesties Royal Priviledge There is in the Press Remarks upon Bishop King's late Book concerning the Inventions of Men in the Worship of God By the Reverend Mr. Iohn Boyse Malbranch's Search after Truth will also be published in a few Weeks