CHAP. I. Of the signification and use of the word Justification; with a description of Justification it self.

THE design of the following discourse, is to state the great Doctrin of Justification, and so to represent it from the Holy Scriptures, as that it may be ad­apted and fitted to the capacity of the meanest Christian that is inquisitive in­to a matter of that grand importance, as his Justification before God is. And as a guide herein, I shall first enquire [Page 2]into the Notation and signification of the word, Justification. For the use of words being to convey to the mind the Idea and notion of things and the nature of them; it is but reasonable to govern our selves in our notion of the nature of Justification, by the sig­nification of such words and phrases, by which it is in Scripture exprest. Af­ter this is done, I shall enquire into the severals which operate to the produ­cing this great effect, Justification, and how they do it. By all which, I hope, any Christian of a very ordinary capa­city, shall be able to discern the true nature of justification, what it is and in what it doth consist.

The word Justification in Scripture, signifies either to make just, or to ap­prove as just, or vindicate and adjudge as just or righteous. The word is but sparingly used in Scripture as signify­ing to make just, but another word more commonly, which is Sanctificati­on. But to be made just is essentially or absolutely necessary to justification, as we shall see afterward: For God [Page 3]will not approve of or adjudge any man as just who is not so. But about the more ordinary and common signi­fication of the word, I find that learn­ed men are much of one mind and do conclude, that the word, generally in Scripture is used in a forensick or law sense, and does imply a legal proce­dure in a Cause or with a person, by a Judge, and according to some law. So the learned Dr. Hammond in his An­notations on Rom. 3.4. And so learn­ed Mr. Tho. Gataker (to name no more) in the Assemblies Annotations on Isa. 5.23. which I shall give you in his own words. To justifie, saith he, is not to pardon as some would expound it, in the doctrine of the Gospel: for the word is never found so used, either in the Hebrew or Greekwriters, Sacred, or pro­phane, nor in our common speech. Nor as it is a law-term doth it ever signifie to make just. But to justifie in a legal way, doth always signifie to defend, or to deem as just and guiltless, free from the offence wherewith the party called in question is charged. To defend as just, and so it is [Page 4]the office of an Advocate: to deem as just and consequently assoil from guilt, and so it is the part of a Judge. As also in pri­vate carriages, men are said to justifie others when they plead for them and avow their integrity and honesty against those that question it.

According to this usual sense and notion of the word when applied to God as Judge in justifying of men, it sig­nifies his approbation of such as are just in their Cause that is before him, to be so; his adjudging them to be righ­teous in the sense of that Lawby which they are tried. Thus for instance, we have it in King. 8.31, 32. If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before the altar in this house: then hear thou in heaven and do, and judge thy servants concerning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. Where to justifie the righteous, does not sig­nifie to make them righteous, but to appear for them in Judgment as those [Page 5]that are so, and to determine for them accordingly. To justifie the wicked, in Scripture-phrase, does not signifie to make them just, but to approve of them and appear for them, as if they were just. Prov. 17.15. Exod. 23.7. Isa. 5.23. And thus again (to give some instances in the New Testament) S. Paul saith, I know nothing by my self, yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judgeth me is the Lord, 1 Cor. 4.4. Where to be justified, and to have God to judge for him, signifies the same. So likewise Rom. 2.13. Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. The meaning whereof is, that not the hearers but the doers of the law, shall be approved of by God as just. So that to be justified by God and to be approved of by him as just, and so ad­judged, is all one. Wisdome is justified of her children, that is, approved of and defended against the accusations and quarrels of her adversaries. Lu. 7.29. The Publican went down to his house justified, that is, approved, rather [Page 6]than the Pharisee. Luk. 18.14. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, that is, approved of by God as a good and righteous man, as Abraham was, and not by faith only, Jam. 2.24. By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. By these as well as by other things persons are and will be adjudged by God to be good and righteous, or wicked and ungodly men, Matth. 12.37. Again Rom. 8.33, 34. It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? Where Gods approbation of his people, is opposed to others disapprobation of them; he approves of them as good, while their adversaries condemn them as bad: they charge them as bad, but God absolves and dischargeth them as good. And in this judicial sense is the word justification generally taken throughout the Scripture. By Sancti­fication men are constituted and made evangelically righteous: but in Justification they are approved of by God as such, and adjudged to be so: which is the proper difference be­tween [Page 7]Sanctification and Justification.

If then we make our estimate of evangelical Justification according to the usual signification of the word, as that implies in it the Cause of the party tried, the Act of God as Judge, and the law and rule on which the trial pro­ceeds and by which the cause is deter­mined for him that is justified; then Justification may be thus described. It is that whereby God for the sake and upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ, doth approve of a true believer, as one that hath perfermed the condition on which God in the Gospel, hath promi­sed pardon of sin and eternal life, and doth impute that performance to him for righ­teousness, and accordingly adjudgeth him to be righteous in the sense and according to the tenor of the law of Grace, and such an one as hath a Covenant, right and title to the blessings promised in that Covenant, pardon of Sin and eternal life. This description of Justification, as it best agrees with the use and signification of the word and phrase, so it does also with the doctrine of the Gospel, as we [Page 8]shall afterwards see. Which that we may the better do, I shall open the whole to you by opening it in its seve­ral parts, and so shall shew,

1. How the Righteousness of Christ doth operate to our Justification.

2. How the Covenant of Grace doth it.

3. How Faith doth it; and

4. How God himself doth it.

And thus to open the whole nature of Justification, by shewing the ope­ration of the several causes of it, is I conceive, the best and most likeliest way to come to the clearest know­ledge and best insight into it that we can attain unto. The want of which distinctness in proceeding, hath been, I conceive, an occasion in great part, of obscuring the doctrine of Justification, while the parts have been confounded, and the operation proper to one cause, hath been attributed to another.

The whole of the description which I have given of Justification, is the re­sult of the operation of the righteous­ness of our Blessed Saviour, of the Co­venant [Page 9]of Grace, of faith, and of the whole action of Gods dijudication in justifying true believers; to the open­ing of which I shall now proceed. And I shall begin with the righteousness of our Redeemer Christ Jesus, and shall enquire into the nature and operation of it in reference to our justification.

CHAP. II. Of the nature of the righteousness of Christ, and how it operates to our Justi­fication.

IN shewing what influence our Savi­ours righteousness hath into our Justification, two things will come under consideration.

1. What we are to understand by the Righteousness of our Saviour.

2. How it operates to our Justifica­tion. First of the former, what we are to understand by the righteousness of Christ. Righteousness is the conformity of a person to some Law or Rule. And [Page 10]therefore when we speak of the righ­teousness of Christ, it supposeth some Law, in his conformity whereunto this righteousness of his whereof we speak, doth consist. Which Law, is the Law of his Mediation, which he received from his Father, and which he voluntarily and most willingly un­dertook to observe and fulfil. The mutual agreement between the Father and the Son about this Law of Media­tion between God and man, and the Sons undertaking to fulfil it in order to our Redemption, Divines are wont to call the Covenant of Redemption. And as the great office of Mediator is peculiar to him alone, (for there is but one Mediator between God and man, even the man Christ Jesus, 1 Tim. 2.5.) So the Law of this Mediation was pe­culiar to him. And as the law and office of Mediation were peculiar to our Saviour, so is his righteousness which consisteth in his conformity to that law: it is a Mediatory Righteous­ness. The benefit of it belongs to be­lievers, as I shall afterwards shew, but [Page 11]the righteousness it self which is Medi­atorial, can be no more transferred to any other, than his office of Mediation can: for his righteousness consists in those acts of conformity to the Law of Mediation by which he doth execute his office of Mediation.

Now that there was such a Law of Mediation between God and man, gi­ven by God the Father to Christ his Son, and which he did most readily accept of, execute and obey, is plain­ly made known to us by our Saviour himself, by many of his sayings. As in John 6.38. when he says, I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And again, the Father which sent me, he gave me commandment what I should say and what I should speak. Whatsoever I speak there­fore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak, John 12.49.50. Our Saviour speaking of his laying down his life for his sheep, saith, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my self: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again: this commandment have I [Page 12]received of my Father (mark that) John 10.18. To fulfil this Law was the design of our Saviours coming in­to the world. Heb. 10.7. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of thy book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God, And of the fulfilling of this law, our Saviour spake, when in his prayer to his Father he said, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17.4.

These with other like Scriptures ac­quaint us with these two things. First, that there was a Law given by the Fa­ther and chosen by the Son, to be ob­served in managing the office and work of Mediator between God and man, which we call the Law of Mediation. Secondly, that our Saviour did exactly observe, obey and fulfil this Law. And if so, we may know what that Law was by what he hath done, spoken and suffered in the execution of his Media­torial office.

Now what he did, spake and suffer­ed in conformity to this Law, is that which we call his Righteousness, his Me­diatorial [Page 13]Righteousness. His coming into the world and his taking our na­ture upon him, was an act of obedi­ence to this Law. I am not, saith he, come of myself, but he that sent me, &c. John 7.28. A body hast thou prepared me, Heb. 10.5. What he did and preached here in the world, was in obedience to this Law. I can (saith he) of mine own self do nothing: as I hear I judge, and my judgment is just; be­cause I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me, John 5.30. Lo I come to do thy will, yea thy law is in my heart, Heb. 10.7. with Psal. 40.8. His conformity and obedience to the natural Law as a man, and to the Law of Moses as a Jew, was part of his Me­diatorial obedience. For he was made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law. Gal. 4.4, 5. His preaching the Gospel was an act of obedience to this Law. I do nothing of my self, but as my father hath taught me, I speak these things, John 8.28. I have not spoke of my self, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a command­ment [Page 14]what I should say and what I should speak. Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak, John 12.49, 50. His laying down his life was another eminent act of obe­dience to this law. He humbled him­self and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phil. 2.8. I lay down my life and I take it again, this commandment have I received of my Fa­ther. John 10.18. By these and other like acts of obedience and conformity to this law of Mediation, did our Sa­viour fulfil all righteousness. And by this righteousness of his we are made righteous and so justified. Rom. 5.19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners: so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. By these things we may know what we are to understand by the righteousness of Christ, which was the first thing I was to enquire into about it.

2. The next thing I am to enquire into is, how this Righteousness of Christ doth operate to our Justification. In doing of which I shall enquire into two [Page 15]things, by the understanding of which we may come to know how the righte­ousness of our Saviour operates to our Justification.

1. The reason and end of this law of Mediation, and of the acts of our Me­diator in conformity to it, from which this righteousness of Christ doth result.

2. Upon what the efficacy and opera­tive virtue of this righteousness doth depend, in reference to this end.

For the first of these. The end in general of the law of Mediation and of our Saviours obedience to it, was to deliver us from the wrath to come, and to bring us to everlasting life. The subordinate end was Reconciliation between God and men: And as a means to this end, the obtaining and granting a Conditional pardon for all the world: and a new Covenant con­taining that condition, and the pro­mise made upon it.

1. The first and last end next to Gods glory, of the law of Mediation and of the obedience of the Mediator to it, was to recover us from the dole­full [Page 16]condition into which our sin had brought us, and to restore us to a capa­city of enjoying everlasting life. When our Saviour had said, I have not spo­ken of my self, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak, (this we see was one part of the Law given to the Mediator) he pre­sently adds this; and I know that his commandment is everlasting Life: mean­ing, that to that end it was designed, and to that end it doth directly tend, John 12.49.50. And again, I am come, saith our Saviour, that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly; this was the great end of his coming, John 10.10.

2. The next end of it in subordina­tion and subserviency to the former, was to Reconcile us to God, by altering our nature, by altering the frame and temper of the mind and heart, and so of a mans ways and life, from carnal to Spiritual, without which there is no reconciliation wrought in us to God, nor consequently of God to us. For [Page 17]S. Paul saith, that the carnal mind is en­mity against God, because it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be Rom. 8.7. And he that is at enmity against God, is far from being recon­ciled to him, and from a capacity of being made happy by him. For ex­cept a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God, nor without holiness shall see God, till then he is no capable subject of such happiness. And therefore to effect this to make us capable of the former end, our Savi­our in obedience to the Mediatorial Law, gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purifie to him­self a peculiar people zealous of good works. Tit. 2.14. He suffered for us the Just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God, by way of return from our revolt. 1 Pet. 3.18. He loved his Church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctifie and cleanse it, that he might present it unto himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5.25, 26.

3. The next end of our Saviours Mediatorial obedience or Righteous­ness, and as a means to accomplish and bring about the former end last menti­oned, was the obtaining, the forming and granting of a Conditional pardon for all mankind, In him we have Re­demption through his blood, even the for­giveness of Sins. Eph. 1.7. He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the world, John 1.29. The propitiati­on for the Sins of the whole world, 1 Joh. 2.2. He gave his flesh for the life of the world, John 6. and himself a Ransom for all, 1. Tim. 2.6. I will not deny but that this giving himself a Ransom for all, and tasting death for every man, may in one respect be said to be abso­lute and unconditional, and did extend as far and to as many as ever the sin of Adam, did in its effects; and that is, in Redeeming all men from obnoxious­ness, to eternal misery, meerly upon the account of Adams sin, or the sin of any other, save their own personal sins. The soul that sinneth it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father in [Page 19]this respect, Ezek. 18.20. In respect of the extent and universality of this effect, of Christs death, Adam might be said to be the figure of him that was to come, Rom. 5. But otherwise and in reference to such as have contracted ill habits by their own actual sin, the pardon obtained by our Saviour for the whole world, or which he came to obtain, was but Conditional, it was upon condition of their being prevail­ed withal to be reconciled unto God. Otherwise, and if this were not so, all would have been saved, whether they believed and repented or no. Where­as our Saviour hath said it, he that be­lieveth not shall be damned, and that repenteth not shall perish. Though God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, yet he loved it but so as to promise salvation by him, only to those that believe, John 3.16. Now this pardon thus obtained and granted, upon account of our Saviours obe­dience unto death, but upon condition of mens being persuaded to be recon­ciled to God, and yet certain to be [Page 20]conferred upon that condition, is a most powerful motive and means to persuade men to be reconciled to God, when it comes to be divulged and made known, and when it is believed that pardon is certainly to be obtained this way and no way without it. And therefore the Scripture speaks of it as the Method used by God to reconcile the world to himself, 2. Cor. 5.19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses: that is provided they would not wil­fully persist in them.

4. Another end of the Mediatorial obedience of our Saviour subordinate to the former, (that last mentioned) and as a means to effect it, was the ob­taining and founding of a new Law of Grace, the new Covenant, promising both pardon and eternal life upon con­dition, and stating and declaring that condition, to be published to the world as Gods great instrument of pre­vailing with men to be reconciled to God in order to their obtaining par­don and Salvation. Upon which ac­count [Page 21]the Gospel which is this new Law of Grace, is said to be the power of God to Salvation to every one that be­lieves it. Rom. 1.16. Now all having sinned, no flesh living could be justifi­ed, but in a way of grace and mercy.

And therefore there was a kind of necessity of a new Law, a Law of Grace, by virtue of which men should be justified, if justified at all. But it did not seem meet to the divine wis­dom to make such a Law of Grace, but upon condition that some such thing should be undergone and suffer­ed by our blessed Saviour on our be­behalf, as would as well answer the end of the penalty of the original Law transgressed, as if that penalty had been inflicted on the transgressors of it themselves. But this being done by the sufferings of our Saviour, as I shall shew afterward, a fair way was there­by prepared for the Constituting a new Covenant, promising pardon and eternal life upon new terms and con­ditions, such as are not only possible, but also feisable as well as reasonable [Page 22]in our state and condition. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gen­tiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through Faith, that is, that we might receive the blessing and benefits of a new Covenant, Gal. 3.13, 14. And accordingly the Scripture frequently represents to us, that the new Covenant is made with mankind upon account of what Christ did and suffered for us. It was not only ratified and confirmed by the Sacrifice of his death, but also thereby procured. This I say, saith S. Paul, that the Covenant that was con­firmed before of God in Christ, &c. Gal. 3.17. And all the promises of God are in him, Yea, and in him, Amen. 2 Cor. 1.20. And the New Testament is cal­led the New Testament in his bloud, Mat. 26.28. and his blood the bloud of the Everlasting Covenant, Heb. 13.20. And when the Scriptures speak of Gods promising eternal life before the world began, Tit. 1.2. and of Gods [Page 23] purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began, 2 Tim. 1.9. they seem to refer to what God the Father promised Christ on the behalf of mankind upon his Mediatory un­dertaking for them, even then when this was resolved on and concluded by the Father and the Son, before the world began. For a conclusion of this matter, and to shew that the Cove­nant of Grace was granted upon the account of the righteousness of Christ, hear what S. Peter saith, 2 Pet. 1.1. To them saith he, that have obtained like precious Faith with us through the Righ­teousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Whether you take Faith here for the act of believing the Gospel, or the Gospel it self as the object of Faith, which seems most likely, or for both, yet this is given through or upon ac­count of the righteousness of him who is both God and our Saviour.

If you ask how the Mediatory righ­teousness of our Saviour in this subor­dination of ends doth operate to our Justification? I answer, Our reconci­liation [Page 24]to God by being renewed in heart and life, is the matter of our Evangelical Righteousness, upon which we are justified. For God justifies none that are not reconciled to him, nor which are not Evangelically righ­teous. But then our reconciliation to God, and our becoming Evangeli­cally righteous thereby, and our be­ing justified thereupon, as I shall after shew we are, are all owing to the Me­diatory obedience or Righteousness of Christ; for from that it is that they are what they are. And so far as these operate to our Justification, they do it in Virtue of Christs Mediatory perform­ance. And so do those two great mo­tives, the hopes of the forgiveness of sin and eternal life, by which we are persuaded to be reconciled to God and to become Evangelically righte­ous; for these also are founded in the Mediatorial obedience of our Saviour, without which we could have had no such hopes; and therefore Christ is well and worthily said to be our hope, 1 Tim. 1.1. And then for the new [Page 25]Covenant, as that operates to our Ju­stification, as it is a new Law constitu­ting a new Righteousness, and as it is the rule according to which we are ap­proved as righteous, and adjudged to be righteous, when God justifies us, so this operation receives its life, and be­ing, and virtue from another opera­tion, and that is from the operation of the Mediatorial obedience and righte­ousness of our Saviour, by which the Covenant it self was obtained. Indeed all that any ways operates to our Justi­fication and Salvation, depends upon our Saviours Mediatorial performance, except what God himself doth: and yet what he himself doth in relation thereto, is still done with reference to the undertaking and performance of his Son Jesus Christ for us. Christ is the foundation which God himself hath laid, which bears up the whole fabrick of our Redemption and Salva­tion, which indeed is built upon it. Isa. 28.16. Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a pre­cious corner-stone, a sure foundateon, [Page 26]saith God concerning Christ. All man­ner of spiritual blessings are in Scrip­ture said to be conferred on us through Jesus Christ, or by Christ, or in Christ. God reconciles us to himself by Jesus Christ: preacheth peace to us by Jesus Christ. The riches of his grace in his kindness towards us, is through Christ Jesus; we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The promise of life is said to be in Christ Jesus. And eternal life the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, The adoption of Chil­dren is by Christ Jesus; with many more the like in Scripture. All which betokens that Spiritual benefits of all sorts are vouchsafed us upon the ac­count of his Mediatorial performance: The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ, Eph. 1.3. But these things I shall more fully open in that which follows, to which I shall now proceed.

The second thing then which I pro­posed to be enquired into, is, upon what the efficacy and operative virtue of [Page 27]this Mediatorial righteousness of our Saviour doth depend in reference to our Justification, and indeed of all other saving benefits. And it seems to me to depend partly upon Gods Ordi­nation and appointment to the end he and our Saviour designed it for: and partly upon the Aptitude of it, as a means to such an end.

1. It depends upon Divine Ordina­tion and appointment. For our Lord Christ is made to us of God, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Re­demption, 1 Cor. 1.30. He is made Righteousness to us by God, in the ef­fects of his righteousness: God order­ing and appointing that so it should be. For this way of making us righteous by virtue of the righteousness of ano­ther, is wholly of Divine institution, and is supernatural, a way which the Law natural knows nothing of, nor we by it. When the Apostle had said, speaking in the person of Christ, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, Heb. 10.7. he presently adds, ver. 10. by the which will we are sanctified through the offering [Page 28]of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. It appears to be of Divine institution that the Mediatorial righteousness of Christ should operate to our Justifica­tion and other Spiritual benefits, be­cause the effect of it in the event is limited by God unto certain conditions: otherwise when Christ gave himself a Ransom for all, and tasted death for e­very man, all would have been justified and saved thereby as well as some. For the price of Redemption was sufficient for all as well as for some, if it had been as agreeable to the wisdom of God, that all should have been justified by his blood, as it is that those only shall who shall be persuaded to be recon­ciled to him. And the obedience of Christ is in it self as sufficient to deliver those who are reconciled to God, from temporal death which is the less evil, as it is to deliver them from eter­nal death, which is the greater, had not the wisdom of the Divine will made the difference. And we may well conceive that it is by virtue of the divine will, that Abel, Enoch, and [Page 29]other good men who lived towards the beginning of the world, should be justified and saved by virtue of this obedience of our Saviour to the Law of Mediation, thousands of years be­fore he actuated that obedience in the humane nature. The giving of Christ for us and the appointing him to the office and work of a Mediator, was an act of pure Grace. And in all dona­tions it belongs to the doner to deter­mine and appoint how far and to what ends the benefit of them shall extend, and upon what terms they shall be conferred and enjoyed. It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy, Rom. 9.16. That is, the terms on which the mercies are to be received, are not of the ordering and appointment of any other, but of God, whose the mercy is to bestow. The wisdom of God go­verns in all acts of his Grace. For he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Eph. 1.11.

2. The Operative virtue of the Me­diatorial righteousness of our Blessed [Page 30]Saviour in reference to our Justificati­on, depends in great part at least, upon the Aptitude of it as a means to such an end. There is a blessed apti­tude in what our Saviour hath done and suffered, to reconcile God and men, and so to procure mens Justifica­tion. The proper business of a Medi­ator, is to reconcile parties at differ­ence. And the Mediatorial acts of our Saviour conformable to the Law of Mediation, in which his righteousness doth consist, were most apt and proper to procure Reconciliation between God offended and men offending: Some of them having in them a great fitness to reconcile God to men; to atone him and to take off his displea­sure against sinners for what is past, provided they can be prevailed withal to lay down their arms of rebellion, humble themselves, beg forgiveness, and return to their duty: And some of them have on the other hand a great aptitude in them to reconcile men to God. And by such acts of our Savi­ours Mediatorial obedience as these [Page 31]two sorts consist of, is the great and happy business of reconciliation be­tween God and men brought about, and mens justification and pardon ob­tained. God never thought it fit to be reconciled to men, till they could be perswaded to be reconciled to him. And men will never be persuaded to be reconciled to God, till they have some good assurance that God will be reconciled to them upon their repen­tance, submission, and return. Now the acts of our Saviour's Mediatorial obedience serve very happily to both these ends.

1. They have an excellent aptness in them to reconcile God to men, up­on supposition of their compliance with those reasonable and easie terms upon which he hath declared himself willing to be reconciled to them. Our Saviours putting himself in our stead, and being content to suffer for us, to die for us, that we might not die eter­nally, and thereby to make reparation for the affront we have put upon God, his law and government, is called ma­king [Page 32]reconciliation for the sins of the peo­ple, by the Apostle, Heb. 2.17. and the making reconciliation for iniquity, by the Prophet, Dan. 9.24.

And the reason of the aptness of this act of our Saviour's obedience, to re­concile God unto us upon supposition still that we be brought thereby, and by other means, to be reconciled to God, is two-fold.

1. From the value of the ransome laid down; not silver and gold, but the precious blood of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 1.19. the Blood of one who is God as well as man: the Church of God is said to be purchased with his own Blood, Acts 20.28. which according to the Scripture account, is a valuable consideration for that which is designed to be obtained by it. Hence it is called a price, a price paid: ye are bought with a price, 1 Cor. 6.20. a purchase; that by which the purchase was bought and paid for: purchased with his own blood: A ransom, that which is satisfactory to God, as being content to release and discharge the ransomed upon that account, pro­vided [Page 33]they continue not in their rebel­lion: He gave himself a ransom for all, 1 Tim. 2.6. These metaphors being borrowed phrases from what is custo­mary among men, still signifie a valu­able consideration given for what is ob­tained thereby. When we consider that all Nations are but as the drop of the bucket or small dust of the balance in comparison of God, and that that per­son who hath given himself a ransom for us, is, God blessed for evermore, as well as man; we must needs conclude, that the dignity of his person, must needs add an infinite value to his suf­fering for us, and be in the sight of God of great price.

2. The other reason of the aptness of our Saviours suffering for us to re­concile God unto us, is taken from the congruity, analogy, or proportion that is in our Saviour's sufferings, to answer the end of God's punishing sinners themselves. His suffering for us an­swers Gods end in punishing sinners, as well, yea, better than if we our selves had suffered the demerit of our [Page 34]sins, who come to be pardoned there­by. We are not to think, I conceive, that when God makes sinners bear their iniquity themselves in suffering ac­cording to their demerits, that it is for their suffering-sake that he does it, as if he were pleased or gratified with their suffering, meerly as such, as re­vengeful men use to be in the suffer­ing of them on whom they revenge themselves: or as the Devil is, in the destruction of men for destruction sake: no certainly, God is only plea­sed with such sufferings of sinners themselves, as they serve to worthy ends and purposes. He hath plainly told us, that he hath no pleasure in the death of him that dies, Ezek. 18.32. nay, hath sworn as he lives, that he hath no pleasure, no not in the death of the wicked, but that he turn from his way and live, Ezek. 33.11. If he had taken pleasure in the suffering as such of the sinners themselves, we cannot imagine that ever he would have given a command to his dear Son as he hath done, to suffer death to redeem guilty [Page 35]sinners themselves from eternal death, when they were all justly obnoxious to the judgment of God. God seeks re­conciliation with us, 2 Cor. 5.19. which is an argument, that revenge dwells not in him; only as governor of the universe, he renders vengeance where the ends of Government call for it. Otherwise God saith, Fury is not in me, Isa. 27. God doubtless is only pleased with the suffering of wicked men them­selves, as those sufferings tend to wor­thy ends, and a publick good. For God, as a wise and good governour of his whole Creation of rational beings, designs the good of the whole by those punishments which he inflicts upon some that are contumacious. To punish such, is as necessary no doubt for the good of the Creation in general, as the cutting off delin­quents by the hand of publick Justice, is necessary to good order and govern­ment in a Commonwealth.

Now the ends of punishments in re­ference to the publick good of Gods [Page 36]Creation in general, are such as these.

1. To awaken and beget a sense in Gods Creation, of the turpitude of sin, how contrary it is to the holy na­ture of God, how hateful and displea­sing to him, and of how malignant a nature in reference to his creatures; that, wherever it fastens, it causes great disorders and disturbances, setting men against God their maker, and one man against another, yea, every sinner a­gainst himself; and that it is it which hath brought in all the misery and con­fusion that is in the visible and invisible world.

2. To maintain and keep up the Au­thority of God, and the honour of his Laws, by which he governs his Crea­tures. For punishments are the sanction of Divine as well as they are of Hu­mane Laws. If it were not for them the Laws of God would lose much of their strength, and of that awe and reverence which by means of them, is kept up in the minds of intelligent be­ings, to whom they are made known.

3. Another end of punishing some offenders for the good of the whole, is to deter others from falling into such a hardened state of rebellion against God, as for which final execution of Divine Justice passeth upon them. One great use of Gods visible Judg­ments here in this world upon notori­ous offenders, is for caution to the rest. Thus Gods Judgments upon the Isra­elites thousands of years before, were for examples unto us, and for our admo­nition, upon whom the ends of the world are come, 1 Cor. 10.6, 11. Sodom and Gomorrah in what befel them, are set forth for examples to the rest of the world, suffering the vengeance of e­ternal fire, Jude 7. And we do not know of what use to the invisible world of Gods Creation, the execution of Di­vine Justice upon incorrigible offen­ders is now or will be hereafter amongst them. We see what is befallen the Apo­state Angels in the invisible world, is made use of for admonition to those of this visible, 2 Pet. 2.4. Jude 6. And it's evident that the wise method of [Page 38]Gods proceeding in the matter of our Redemption, was designed as of good use to the invisible world; it was to the intent that now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church, the manifold wis­dom of God, Eph. 3.10. And it is not incredible, but that on the other hand, the punishment of obstinate transgres­sors in another world for what they have done in this, may be of good use among them of the invisible world.

4. This punishing of sinners in an­other world for impenitency in sin in this, is, when it is made known, as it is now, of great use, to bring men to re­pentance, when hope is given them, as there is, that they shall escape the like punishment upon their repentance, and not otherwise.

These and such like being the reason and ends of Gods inflicting punishment upon sinners themselves that are impe­nitent, I am now to shew that these ends are as well, yea in some respect much better, provided for, and secured by the sufferings of our Saviour for us, [Page 39]though we that are saved by his suffer­ings, do not suffer, than they would have been in case every sinner without redemption, had born his own iniquity, and suffered for himself the desert of his sin.

For in that, first, God would not spare his own Son when he espoused the cause of sinful men, not to justifie or defend them in it, but to suffer for them, rather than they should have no terms granted them of escaping suffer­ing themselves what they had deser­ved: I say, when in this case God would not spare his own dear Son, not­withstanding the dignity and transcen­dent worthiness of his person, and the exceeding great interest he had in his Fathers love, he did thereby sufficient­ly declare and manifest as well as by inflicting punishment on sinners them­selves, how odious a thing sin is in his sight, how contrary to his nature, and how irreconcilable he is to it. Sin was condemned for as vile a thing as it is, as well by our Saviour's suffering in the flesh for it in our stead, as it would [Page 40]have been by our suffering for it our selves, Rom. 8.3. he condemned sin in the flesh by being a Sacrifice for it.

2. By the Son of God's thus suffer­ing in the sinners stead for their trans­gressing the righteous Law of God, the authority of this Law is as suffici­ently maintained, and the goodness of it as sufficiently vindicated, as it would have been by punishing those sinners themselves, that are now saved by his sufferings. For when God would not so much as give any hopes of pardon to such as have transgress'd that law of his, no not upon condition of their re­pentance, without the suffering of such an one as his own dear Son; no crea­ture that knows this, can have any oc­casion or place left to despise or slight that Law, or the authority of the Law­giver, and not to be awed by it, nor to expect or hope for impunity in con­temning of it.

3. No creature can take any encou­ragement to commit sin, or to continue in sin, who considers how severely the Son of God himself was dealt with [Page 41]by his merciful and most loving Father, in delivering him up to be crucified by wicked hands, besides his other suffer­ings, when he put himself in the sinners place to undergo whatever his Father would please to inflict upon him, so that he might but thereby obtain a pardon for them, and that too but up­on condition of their reformation, and reconciliation to God.

4. As the end of inflicting punish­ment is either for the reformation of the persons themselves that suffer, or of others by their example of suffering, so this end of sinners suffering, was much better attained by our Saviour's suffering for our sins, than if we our selves, that are saved by his death, had suffered for them what we had de­served. And the reason hereof is, be­cause those that are saved by our Savi­ours death, are by his death first recon­ciled to God in their nature and life; they are reformed, and of rebels made loyal subjects, which they never would have been, if they had suffered them­selves the desert of their sin. And is it [Page 42]not much better that disloyal and dis­obedient subjects be made dutiful, loy­al, obedient, and useful, than to be cut off for obstinacy in rebellion? God had said concerning wicked men, that he had much rather that they should re­turn and live, than that they should die in and for their iniquities: and our Lord his Son hath answered him in the joy of his heart, in that by his suffer­ing for them in conjunction with other his performances on their behalf, he hath fulfilled his Fathers wish, and brought his desire to pass in reference to many such sinners. And most certain it is, that this is infinitely more pleasing and satisfactory to God, than if all mankind had suffered the pains of eter­nal death for their iniquities. This hath occasioned, and will still cause infinitely more joy in Heaven, and on Earth, and more triumphant thanksgi­giving unto God, than there would have been if every sinner had born his own burden. On this account, our Sa­viour's giving himself for us, was in­deed emphatically an offering and a sa­crifice [Page 43]of a sweet smelling savour unto God, as St. Paul calls it, Ephes. 5.1.

All these things considered and put together, it appears upon a very rati­onal account, that there was a very great aptitude in this act of our Savi­our's mediatorial obedience, to recon­cile God to men, when he delivered up himself to suffer for them on the terms he did, and so to operate to our Justification.

2. As there is an aptitude in our Blessed Saviour's Mediatorial Righte­ousness to reconcile God to men in or­der to their Justification; so there is in another respect an aptitude in it like­wise to reconcile men to God in order to the same end. And that act of Obedi­ence to the law of Mediation which hath an aptitude in it this way, consists at least very much in a faithful dis­charge of his Prophetical Office as Me­diator. For by a faithful discharge of this trust, and in obedience to this Law, he persuades men by the great argu­ments and motives of the Gospel, to be reconciled to God.

To this end he published the Gospel, which he brought down from Heaven, Prophetically called his declaring the decree, Psal. 2.7. And this was done in obedience to the Law of Mediation, given by his Father, as I have shewed from John 12.49. I have not spoken of my self, saith he, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a Command­ment what I should say, and what I should speak. As the Law was given in the hand of a Mediator, Moses, so was the Gospel by Christ, the Mediator of a better Testament. And he confirmed it to be from God, by many signs and wonders, and mighty deeds which ac­companied the publication of it by him and his Apostles, having sealed it with his own Blood. For after he had set it on foot himself, while he was on earth, and then sealed to it by his death, he afterwards, when he left the world and ascended up on high, left behind him by way of gift to the world, Apo­stles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers, to Minister the things of the Gospel in his name; which Ministry [Page 45]is called the Ministry of Reconciliation, and the Gospel committed to their trust, the Word of Reconciliation, and that which they were to do by it as his Ambassadors, was, to pray, beseech, persuade men in Christ's stead, to be reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5.18, 19, 20. This first done by our Saviour in his Ministry, is continued by his Ministers in his name, by persuading men to re­pentance, and amendment of life, and to become sincerely obedient unto God, in which their being reconciled to him doth consist. And the way and means used by our Saviour, and his Embassadors, to persuade men to be thus reconciled to God, was by pos­sessing them with a strong and vigor­ous Belief of three things especially, as great parts of the Gospel our Saviour brought from Heaven with him.

1. That God would certainly be re­conciled to all sinners, provided they would but be reconciled to him, and not still persist in their rebellion: that he will certainly pardon them, and treat them as friends, if they would desist [Page 46]from carrying it any longer as enemies to him. He hath sent them word by his Messengers, that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3.9. that he would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledg of the truth, 1 Tim. 2.4. And because guilt makes men full of fears, and jealousies of the avenger, and not apt to believe that such as they have highly affronted, injured, and provo­ked, can be reconciled to them, until they have avenged themselves on them, if they have power to do it: therefore our Saviour to assure sinners of the re­ality of God's desire and intention of being reconciled to them, and to par­don them, if they will but be reconci­led to him, hath not only given them his word for it, but a wonderful and great proof of it in what he hath done towards such a thing before ever any such favour was desired or sought for on their parts. God, he so loved the world, and was so unwilling to avenge himself on them, as that he hath given his only begotten Son, not only to tell [Page 47]them so, but also to suffer for them, to prepare the way of reconciliation be­tween them.

All this hath been done on God and his holy Sons part towards this recon­ciliation, before there was ever any in­clination on mans part of being recon­ciled to God. God hath commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, Rom. 5.8. In this was manifested the love of God to­wards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins, 1 John 4.9, 10. And doubtless this way of proceeding with enemies, if any, will make them willing to be reconciled to God: and it is indeed that which doth take with all but de­sperate contumacious wretches. We love him, saith St. John, because he first loved us, 1 John 4.19. Our thoughts and inclinations of returning to God, and of being reconciled to him, of any love or good will towards him, take [Page 48]their first rise from intimations, yea, more than so, from manifestations of Gods love to us first, and especially of such love as the giving of his Son for us bespeaks him to have to us. Hence the preaching of the Cross, the declara­tion not only that Christ hath suffer­ed, but upon what account he hath suffered, is said to be the power of God to them that are saved, that is, it is Gods powerful motive by which he per­suades men of his willingness to be re­conciled to them, and by that means prevails with them to be willing to be reconciled to him. The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God, 1 Cor. 1.18. All things, saith St. Paul, are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given unto us the ministry of re­conciliation (what's that?) to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespas­ses unto them; and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5.18, 19. This is, we see, Gods way and me­thod [Page 49]of reconciling the world unto himself, by making known to them, that upon account of his Son's under­taking and suffering for them, he is freely willing to pardon them, and not to impute their trespasses, but to be reconciled to them, provided they will be reconciled to him.

Hence it is that our reconciliation to God (and not only God's reconci­liation to us) is so frequently as it is, attributed in Scripture to the death of Christ. If when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life, Rom. 5.10. And that he might reconcile both (Jews and Gentiles) unto God in one body by the Cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace, &c. Eph. 2.16, 17. And again, having made peace by the Blood of his Cross, it pleased the Father by him to reconcile all things to himself. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, [Page 50]Col. 1.19, 20, 21, 22. By these and other like Scriptures we see, that one of God's great designs in giving his Son to die for us, was the reconciling us to himself, by assuring us, that upon condition of our being reconciled, we should not have any the least cause to question his willingness to be reconci­led to us, and that it is by this, that he procures a willingness in us to be re­conciled to him.

This great transaction between the Father and the Son in behalf of the world, the Father's giving, and the Son's undertaking to die for the world in order to this great work of recon­ciliation, is the great and certain se­curity unto men, that what was said in the Gospel touching Gods being re­concilable to sinners, and his forgiving them, provided they will be reconci­led to him, shall be really performed and made good to them. Hence it is, that in regard that Christ was made Priest by the Oath of God to offer himself in Sacrifice to expiate sin, and then in vertue of that Sacrifice to make [Page 51]intercession for us, that he is said to be made surety of the better Testament: that is, he by that means becomes a surety for God unto men, of the reali­ty of his proffers and promises in the Gospel to them, and of the perfor­mance of them upon the condition of their being reconciled to him, Heb. 7.20, 22. The Apostles inference is very natural and strongly conclusive when he says, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things, Rom. 8.32. Gods giving his Son to die for us, is more than the bestowing a pardon and eternal life upon us. And therefore he having done the greater already to procure our recon­ciliation to him, it is an earnest, and a pledg that he will not stick to pardon and to save us, which is a less matter for him to give, if we become recon­ciled to him indeed. If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life, Rom. 5.10.

This assurance which God hath gi­ven to the world of his willingness to pardon and save sinners by the death of his Son, as an earnest and a pledg of it, if they wilfully refuse not to be­come reconciled to him, is that which in the first times in which this was di­vulged to the wrrld, brought in a con­siderable part of it to Christ, who by him yielded up themselves to God. In prospect of which success of this graci­ous design of God upon the world by the death of his Son, it was that our Saviour said, John 12.32. And I, if I he lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. So powerful a motive to reconcile sinners to God, is God's de­claration by giving his Son to die for them, of his willingness to be reconci­led to them, if they will but answer him in their willingness to be reconci­led to him. This is the first of the three things I mentioned, which have a great aptness in them to persuade men to be reconciled to God, for which end, our Saviour does by the Gospel, as he is Mediator of the New Testa­ment, [Page 53]not only reveal this, but labours to possess men with a strong belief of it, without which it will not operate on them at all towards such an end as the reconciling them to God is.

2. Another of those motives by which our Saviour by setting the Go­spel on foot, seeks to reconcile men to God, is by giving them great assurance that God is so far from desiring to re­venge himself on them, notwithstand­ing all their provocations, if they were but as willing as he is to be reconciled, as that in case they will be but persua­ded to be reconciled to God by re­pentance for their former rebellion, and by becoming really obedient to their power for the future, as that then he will bestow upon them everlasting life, advance them to such a state of happiness, as that greater than which the heart of man cannot wish for or desire. And surely this, if it be through­ly believed, will, if any thing will, per­suade men to be reconciled to God. To this end, our Saviour hath brought life and immortality to light by the Go­spel, [Page 54]2 Tim. 1.10. And by this motive he doth almost every where in the Go­spel persuade to Faith, Love, Repen­tance, Obedience, and Holiness, which is the same, with persuading men to be reconciled to God; for in such things as these, doth our reconciliation to God consist. St. John speaks of this in a mag­nifying way, as the great motive to man to entertain and obey the Gospel: This, saith he, is the promise which he hath promised us, even eternal life, 1 John 2.25. And indeed it was this that did invite men to receive the Go­spel, to profess the Christian Religion at first, and which did animate them to suffer any thing rather than to re­nounce and forsake it, and the hope of eternal life, which they had received by it. They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves, that they had in Heaven, a better, and an en­during substance, Heb. 10.34.

3. There is a great aptitude in our Saviours setting the Gospel on foot, to reconcile men to God, because he thereby convinceth them, that if, after [Page 55]God's gracious offer of being reconci­led to them in case they will be recon­ciled to him: and if after all that hath been done by God, and suffered by his Son, to prepare the way for a mutual reconciliation between them, they shall yet obstinately refuse to be reconciled to God, and persist still in their rebel­lion and disobedience, That then God will be so far from being reconciled to them, and from pardoning them, not­withstanding all the willingness he hath declared to be reconciled to them, upon condition of their recon­ciliation to him: and notwithstanding all that Christ hath done and suffered to bring this about, as that this offer of God, and undertaking of Christ, shall turn but to their heavier doom, and greater condemnation in the next world. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men lo­ved darkness more than light, John 3.19. How shall we escpe if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord himself, and was con­firmed to us by them that heard him, [Page 56]Heb. 2.3. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, and for Tyre and Sydon, in the day of Judgment, than for them that have refused to be reconci­led to God, when by the Gospel sent to them, he hath offered to be recon­ciled to them, on condition that they would be reconciled unto him.

And lest any should flatter them­selves with vain hopes of being saved, from the goodness of the nature of God, and the death of Jesus Christ for sinners, who yet take a liberty to live in known sin without reconciling themselves to God, by leaving it off, and returning to their duty, as too many alas do: there are two or three things revealed by Christ, to take from them such vain hopes, and to put them upon a necessity of chusing either to reconcile themselves to God, or to be eternally miserable.

1. The first is taken from the nature of God. The nature of God is so pure and holy, and so contrary to sin, that it is as impossible for him to be recon­ciled to sin, or to sinners, while by it [Page 57]they are in open rebellion against him, as it is for him to change his nature, and cease to be God. This is the message (saith St. John) which we have heard of him (that is, of Christ) and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say, that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth, 1 John 1.5. So that, according to this message which Christ hath sent to sinners by his Messengers, it is as possible to recon­cile light and darkness, as God and such as walk in darkness, that is in wil­ful sin. And St. Paul would make men themselves judges in the case, and ap­peals to their own reason, saying, What communion hath light with darkness, and what concord hath Christ with Belial? 2 Cor. 6.14, 15. and plainly inti­mates, that if light and darkness are irre­concilable, and can have no commu­nion, so is Christ and Belial, or a law­less man.

2. He hath taken away such vain hopes from sinners, by declaring by his Gospel, That God without respect of per­sons, [Page 58]judgeth according to every mans work: that is, he will judg every man according to the right of his cause, without favouring or dis-favouring the persons of men against the nature and right of their cause: He that hath done good shall come forth to the resurrection of life, and he that hath done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. Even there where the Lord hath declared from heaven, that he is merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, trans­gression, and sin; even there he hath declared also, to the end men might not mistake, that he will by no means clear the guilty; no, by no means, not upon any account whatsoever will he clear such as are finally guilty, by per­sisting in rebellion, Exod. 34.6, 7. All such persons therefore as will not be persuaded to be reconciled to God, by becoming obedient to his govern­ment by his laws, have no more reason to hope that they shall be saved upon the account of God's merciful nature, or the merits of Christ's death, than they have to hope that God for their [Page 59]sakes will go contrary to all his decla­rations in his word, and contrary to the whole fixed frame of his government, by which he rules, and will judg the world. And what sinner is there that can but give himself the liberty to con­sider things, that is or can be so vain in his expectation, as to promise him­self any such thing, since our Saviour hath said, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away, Mat. 24.35. Those are the Ʋnbelievers which shall certainly perish, who will not believe God, who will not believe the Son of God, when they have spoken their mind fully and plainly, but will needs flatter themselves with hopes that they will be better than their words.

3. Our Saviour, to take away from men such vain hopes, and to convince them of the necessity of their being re­conciled to God, hath told them, that if they will not be reconciled to him, they cannot be reconciled to happi­ness; that their nature cannot be capa­ble of the happiness of the next world, unless they are reconciled to God in [Page 60]this. Except a man be born again, saith he, he cannot see the kingdom of God, John 3.3. Except such as have contra­cted ill habits by bad living, be born again, they are not capable of the hap­piness of that state. That is, in other words, except they put off the old man, and put on the new, Col. 3.10. or which is yet more plainly exprest, Ephes. 4.22, 23, 24. except they put off concerning their former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceit­ful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of their minds, and do put on the new man, which after God is created in righteous­ness and true holiness: except this be done, they cannot see the kingdom of God, i. e. they cannot enjoy it. He doth not say, they shall not, but that they cannot see it. And the reason is, because the happiness of the heavenly state is of such a nature, as between which and the nature of man, as vici­ated and corrupt, there is no congrui­ty. And that which hath a contrariety in it to the nature of a creature, is not matter of pleasure, but of tor­ment [Page 61]to it. The holy God, the holy Jesus, the holy Angels, and holy Men are the inhabitants of Heaven: And what felicity can unholy men take in such company? Solomon saith, the up­right are an abomination to the wicked, Prov. 29.27. And if they be so here, where they are but in part holy; how much more will they be so in the other world, when they are altogether so. What Communion, saith St. Paul, hath righteousness with unrighteousness? no more than light with darkness, 2 Cor. 6.14. They do not love God here as he is holy; nor is it pleasure to them to think of him as such; and therefore, unless they be sanctified and made so here, they are not capable of enjoying God in the next world; in the enjoy­ment of whom, the happiness of Hea­ven doth consist. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12.14. And they are such as are pure in heart, which shall see God, Mat. 5.8. Besides, those sinful lusts which wicked men carry along with them into the next world, will keep them from being happy in [Page 62]what place soever they are, when they shall be deprived of those carnal ob­jects to satisfie them, which they found in this world.

And lest any should think that God will be so merciful to them, as so to al­ter and change their nature, when they come into the other world, as that they shall be capable of the happiness of Heaven, though they are not changed in this; our Lord hath told them afore­hand to prevent such a conceit, that though many shall say unto him in that day, Lord, Lord, open unto us, for we have heard thee preach in our streets, have eat and drunk in thy presence, have prophesied and cast out devils in thy name, and done many wonderful works, yet they having lived and died unrefor­med, he will then say unto them, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I know you not, Mat. 7.22. Luke 13.25, 26. And St. Paul his Apostle hath told us also, that we must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive according to that he hath done in the body, whether it be good or [Page 63]bad. We must receive we see accor­ding to what is done in the body here in this life, before the separa­tion of soul and body by death, 2 Cor. 5.10. Now is the accepted time, now the day of Salvation, and those that out-stand this, it will be said unto them, as our Saviour doth in Rev. 22.11. He that is unjust let him be unjust still, and he that is filthy let him be filthy still.

By all these Revelations made by our Saviour, he hath (as any that will consider them may easily see) put men upon a necessity of being reconciled to God, unless they had rather chuse to be everlastingly mi­serable. And in this with the fore­mentioned Motives, there is a very great aptitude to reconciel men to God, as the reason of the thing shews, and the event hath declared.

And thus we have now seen how the Mediatory Righteousness of our Saviour, his obedience in executing the Law of Mediation, doth ope­rate to our Justification, in refe­rence [Page 64]both to God and men. By his sufferings he reconciled God to penitent sinners, by making satisfaction to his governing Justice, and by se­curing the ends of his inflicting punishment upon impenitent offen­ders, while he spares the penitent. And by the Gospel which he hath set on foot, the Holy Spirit con­curring, he reconciles men to God; that is, he reconciles their minds and wills, their lives and actions to Gods Holy Nature, Government and Laws, which is their Evangelical Righte­ousness, in which capacity, he de­livers them up to God to be Justi­fied and Pardoned, according to the tenor of the Covenant of Grace, which he likewise obtained for us, it being founded on his Media­tory obedience; of which Covenant I am now in the next place to speak.

CHAP. III. How and in what respect the Covenant of Grace operates to our Justifica­tion.

THE Covenant of Grace operates to our Justification in several respects. But however it doth this or in what respect soever; yet all that operation is owing to the Me­diatorial Righteousness or Obedience of our Saviour. For I have shewed in what goes before, that the Co­venant it self was obtained by and founded in the Mediatorial Righte­ousness of our Saviour; the obtain­ing of which, was one of the ends of the Office and Work of Christ as Mediator. And as it is one of the effects of our Saviours death, it is called a Testament, though in other respects it is called a Covenant, yea a Law. As its promises are made by God on condition of duty to be per­formed [Page 66]by us, so it is a pact or Co­venant. As it absolutely enjoyns that as duty, which is also the condition of our happiness, so it is a Law. But as it comes out of the hands of Jesus Christ, and is the Fruit of his death, so it is a Testament, because by that it receives its vigor and strength. A Testament, saith the Apostle, is of force when men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the Testa­tor liveth, Heb. 9.17. This being premised, I come now to shew in what respects this Covenant ope­rates to our Justification. And this it doth,

1. By reconciling the Natural Law to the terms of the Law of Grace in the behalf of Repentant sinners, in virtue of the death of Christ for them; whose Justification and Par­don the Natural Law was against, while they remained impenitent. By the Natural Law I mean, that eter­nal reason or wisdom by which Al­mighty God does always that which is fit and becoming him towards his [Page 67]creatures; and that by which his crea­tures do or ought to do what is fit and becoming them towards God, towards themselves and one another. And this is said to be the Natural Law, because its determinations and awards are suited to the nature of things. As when innocent creatures are used as such, and obstinate sinners dealt with as such, and repentant sin­ners treated as such; and when crea­tures are more or less punished or rewarded according as they have been and done more or less wic­kedly or worthily: or as when God does render to every one according to his works without respect of persons, as the Scripture speaks. Now to do according to the nature of things is to do according to right reason, and to do so is always well becoming the Agent, whether it be God or man, and cannot be other­wise. To this Law that of St. Paul refers when he saith, Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there be any virtue [Page 68]and praise, think on these things. Phil. 4.8.

This then being the Natural Law, it must needs be always against the Justification and Pardon of impenitent obstinate sinners and irreconcilable enemies; for it would not be ac­cording to the nature of things, not according to right reason, and so not becoming the Agent, if the bad should be treated as well as the good.

But then on the other hand, the Natural Law cannot be against the justifying and pardoning of such re­pentant sinners for whom Christ died; Because the case of such is quite dif­ferent from theirs who continue in their rebellion, and who have no share in the satisfaction which Christ hath made in the behalf of repen­tant sinners. Now the case of such being thus different, it would not be according to the nature and rea­son of things, and so not according to the Natural Law, if they should be no more pardoned than the im­penitent. [Page 69]Considering what our bles­sed Saviour hath done and suffered to atone God and to obtain par­don and happiness for repentant sin­ners; such as are greatly displeased with themselves for having displeased God; and that judg and condemn themselves as guilty of folly and wor­thy of death; that deprecate Gods displeasure, beg forgiveness and return to their duty; it cannot but be a­greeable to the nature and reason of the thing, and very well becoming so good a being as God is, for him, for Christs sake to pardon such, and to reward their future Faithfulness, and sincere obedience with everlast­ing happiness.

And so much the rather it is so, because by the death of Christ for such as return to God after their apostacy from him, the great and wise ends of Gods Government over all intelligent beings, which center in the publick good, are secured as well, yea better, as I have shewed before, than they would been by punishing [Page 70]repentant sinners themselves for their Offences. By the securing of which ends of Gods Government, the rea­son of the Natural Law is fully an­swered and satisfied. The publick good in Gods Dominions, is a great end of his Government: and this pub­lick good is promoted by Gods justi­fying and pardoning repentant sin­ners, for Christs sake, because by his doing so, sinners are prevailed with and persuaded to repent, amend, and reform, and of bad to become good, and of unprofitable and disservicea­ble, to become useful and profitable members in Gods Kingdom, to the increasing and multiplying of such in it, to the great joy and satisfaction of the whole. For which cause it's said, There is joy in heaven over every one sinner that repenteth, Luke 15.

Again, it must needs be agreeable to the Natural Law, for God, for Christs sake to justifie and pardon repentant and reformed sinners, be­cause it is agreeable to his own na­ture. For that which is agreeable [Page 71]to the nature of God, must needs agree to the Natural Law, because the Na­tural Law is founded in the Nature of God. Now for God to shew mercy to his creatures in all compassionable cases, is as natural to him as to do justly; mercy being as essential to God as justice or any other attri­bute of his is. And there is no op­portunity for mercy to shew it self but in compassionable cases. And if the case of repenting and reformed sinners, for whom Christ died, be­ing at first made but fallible, be not a compassionable case, I know not what is or where any will be found for God to exercise his mercy in.

Furthermore, the Law of Grace does not, nor indeed can, Cancel or Relax the Natural Law in any part (though I confess I with others have some time thought otherwise) and the reason is, because the Natural Law is naturally what it is and can­not be otherwise. That which is in it self fitest to be done, can never be otherwise under the same circum­stances [Page 72]in which it is so. The change or alteration is not in the Law when it favours the same persons at one time whom it disfavoured, yea con­demned, before: but the change is made in the persons themselves, and in the change of the circumstances of their Case, by reason of their in­terest in Christs performance for them, and of their interest in the promise of the Law of Grace, they having per­formed the condition on which their interest in the benefit of Christs death and in the promises of the Gospel, were suspended.

The Law curseth all transgressors of it as such: and they remain un­der it until they are redeemed from it, and removed from under it by Christs having born it for them. So that the Sanction of the Law is not Cancelled, but undergon by our Re­deemer for us. He hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being made a curse for us, not by altering the Law for us, Gal. 3.13. Our Sa­viour hath told us, that he which be­lieveth [Page 73]not is condemned already, be­cause he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God: be­cause he hath not received the remedy by which he might have been de­livered from that condemnation into which he was fallen. John 3.18. He was under the condemnation of the Law Natural, before as a trans­gressor of that, and is now under the condemnation of the Gospel, as a re­jecter of the Grace offered by that. But when such an one comes to be­lieve, he is no longer under the condemnation of either Law or Gos­pel, but both are reconciled to him through Christ, because by his be­lieving he is reconciled to them: not because they are in the least altered, but because the man himself is al­tered, and the circumstances of his case are altered upon the account of Christs performance for him.

We cannot say that the Natural Law was ever against the justification and pardoning of such repentant sin­ners for whom Christ undertook to [Page 74]suffer: for if it had, it would be so still now he hath suffered: for that Law is intirely unalterable and in­flexible. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, saith our Saviour until all be fulfilled, Mat. 5.18. Now if the Law were never against the justification and pardon of such pe­nitents as aforesaid, then there needed no alteration to be made in it to make way for their justification and pardon.

And as all this appears as we see from reasons taken from the nature of God, and from the nature of the Law it self as reconciled by the death of Christ to penitent sinners: So it appears also by express Testimony of Scripture. St. Paul speaking of such repentant sinners as in whom were found the fruits of the Spirit, saith, that against such there is no Law. Gal. 5.23. and if no Law, then not the Natural Law. And when in a­nother place the question is put, whether it may be said that the Law [Page 75]is against the promise of God? He rejects it with a kind of indignation, saying, God forbid. Gal. 3.21.

To conclude then, for God to justi­fie, pardon, and make men happy, when in vouchsafing this favour to re­pentant persons, upon account of the death of his Son, his Authority, Law, and Government, is not left unvin­dicated, nor the ends of his Govern­ment unsecured, nor any creature hurt by it, it is doubtless agreeable to the highest reason, and therefore congruous to the Law Natural, and infinitely becoming so good a being as God is. And it may very well be, that upon this account God is said to be just in justifying him that believeth in Jesus, Rom. 3.26. and faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 1 John 1.9.

And this doubtless is the satisfa­ction which God the Father receives by the suffering of his Son for our sins, about which there have been so many disputes in the world. It is doubtless infinitely satisfactory and well pleasing to Almighty God, that by [Page 76]means of his Sons suffering, he can now shew Mercy to repentant sin­ners in justifying, pardoning, and sa­ving them, without suffering the least dishonor or suspition of dishonor in reference either to his Nature, Law, or Government, and in full compli­ance with the immutable Law of Righteousness and Reason.

Nor will it follow from what hath been discoursed (as some perhaps may object) that the Natural Law, and the Law of Grace are all one. For although the Natural Law is not a­gainst the favour exhibited by the Law of Grace, upon the reason and the terms on which it is done: yet the Revelation of that reason which is the Mediatorial performance of Christ, is not made by the Natural Law, but by the Gospel or Law of Grace. For no man can merely by any natural light know it, but is knowable only by the Gospel Reve­lation or Law of Grace. The natural man cannot know the things of the spirit of God, because they are spiritually [Page 77]discerned: that is by means purely spiritual or supernatural. 1 Cor. 2.14. For this reason and by reason of all the honor which redounds to the Eternal Father and to our Lord Jesus Christ, and all the benefit which ac­crues to men, by this Revelation, which is exceeding great, it was ne­cessary that this Law of Grace should be constituted and published, as a Law distinct from the Natural Law.

But whereas the Scripture in some places seems to represent the Law and the Promise as inconsistent, so that if one take place upon a person, the other must in some sort give way, according as I my self have somtimes thought; I shall now look a little more narrowly into those Texts. In Rom. 4.14. i'ts said, If they which are of the Law be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of none effect. And again, Gal. 3.18. If the inhe­ritance be of the Law, it is no more of Promise: but God gave it unto Abraham by promise. For a right un­derstandnig of these and such like [Page 78]Scriptures, we must consider that the Apostle doth not in them represent the inconsistency of the Law and the Promise as they are in them­selves, and in their proper use, and rightly understood; but he therein represents the erroneousness of their opinion against whom he disputes, upon the account of the absurd con­sequence of it, as rendring the Law and the Promise inconsistent. For o­therwise when St. Paul speaks his own sense of the Law and Promise, he with great vehemency denies the Law to be against the Promises, when he says, Is the Law then against the Promises? God forbid. Gal. 3.21.

The case was this; the Pharisaical Jews, held Righteousness or Justifi­cation to be by the Law, in oppo­sition to its being by Grace. I do not frustrate the grace of God, saith St. Paul (meaning that he did not do it by his doctrine, as they did by theirs) for if righteousness come by the Law, saith he, then Christ is dead in vain. Gal. 2.21. They held their [Page 79]legal performances were of themselves a Righteousness that would of them­selves Justifie them before God. But St. Paul taught that it was meerly by grace and by virtue of Christs death, that the faith and sincere though other­wise imperfect obedience of such as have been once sinners, is imputed or counted to them for Righteousness. So that their opinion of Righteous­ness coming by the Law, if admit­ted, would have rendred the death of Christ to be in vain, and the Pro­mise of none effect or useless, which yet proceeded from Grace, and was in it self an act of Gods Grace. And if righteousness had been by works in their sense, then it would not have been of Grace, otherwise Grrace would have no more Grace, as St. Paul reasons. But if it was of Grace, as the Apostle af­firmed that it was, then it could not be of works in their sence, otherwise work would be no more work. Rom. 11.6.

So that the drift of St. Paul in his writings was to shew, that their opi­nion [Page 80]of Justification by the Law, was pernicious, for that it opposed the Law to the Promise, as render­ing the Promise useless: But that his doctrine of Justification by Grace through Faith, did not evacuate the Law nor make it useless in the mat­ter of our Justification, but rendered both very well consistent. Do we then make void the Law through Faith? saith he, God forbid: yea we esta­blish the Law. Rom. 3.31. The good men among the Jews under the Law, were Justified by Grace, even then when they were approved of for Righteous upon the account of their sincere obedience to the Law of Moses, and accordingly they depen­ded upon the Grace and Mercy of God for acceptation and approbation in their sincere observation of all his Laws. And therefore they from time to time stiled him a God keeping Covenant and Mercy with them that love him and keep his Commandments, or that walk before with all their hearts. And though the hearers of [Page 81]the Law were not just before God, yet the doers of Law were justified, when they depended upon the Grace and Mercy of God for acceptation in do­ing their duty. Rom. 2.13.

Conclude we then, that there is nothing in these Scriptures to prove the Natural Law and the Law of Grace, not to consist without the one being altered by the other.

And thus we see how the Law of Grace operates to our Justification, by reconciling the Original Law to us upon our repentance that was a­gainst us; it is reconciled to us, be­cause we are reconciled to it by the Law of Grace.

By the way then it is remarkable, how greatly it conduceth to the con­solation of all truly repentant sin­ners, and of how great a ground of their confidence towards God it is, that the Natural Law as well as the Law of Grace, is now on their side: it is not only not against them, but is made to be for them by the bles­sed undertaking and performance of [Page 82]our Saviour for them, when once they are persuaded to be sincerely for it.

2. The Covenant of Grace ope­rates to our Justification, as it is an act of Grace by which God doth in­stitute and ordain, that Faith as it is an operative principle of sincerity of repentance, of love to God and man, and of all holy obedience, shall be accepted and accounted for Righteous­ness, upon the account of our Sa­viours Mediatory Righteousness. And for our better understanding and satisfaction in this matter, I shall en­deavour these three things.

1. To shew that there is a Righte­ousness found among men, which the Scripture calls so, and calls those Righteous that have it, their having sinned notwithstanding.

2. To shew what it is and in what it consisteth.

3. How it comes to be such.

1. That there is a Righteousness found among men which the Scri­pture calls so, and calls those Righ­teous [Page 83]which have it, notwithstanding all the world stand guilty before God of unrighteousness, and are conclu­ded under sin, according to the first Law we were under. This is a thing so well known to those that read the Scriptures or hear them read, that it's needless to cite particular Texts to prove it. We shall find that good men such as are justified, are called the Righteous or the Just, no less I think than fourscore times in the Books of Psalms and Proverbs, besides so many other places, as are not easily to be numbered.

2. That which is more necessary is to shew what this Righteousness is, and wherein it doth consist. In general it consisteth in our confor­mity to the terms of the Gospel, the new Covenant or Law of Grace. As mans Natural and Original Righ­teousness stood in a conformity in his nature and actions to the Original Law of Righteousness, from which we are fallen: And as the Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ consisteth in [Page 84]his conformity to the Law of Medi­ation; so doth the Evangelical Righ­teousness of a Christian stand in his conformity to the terms of the new Law of Grace. And therefore as the Go­spel it self is frequently called the Faith, and somtimes the Law of Faith, as being both the Object and the Rule of the Christian Faith; so is a Christians conformity to it, frequently stiled likewise, the Righteousness of Faith and the Righteousness by Faith, and the obedience of Faith. Rom. 3.22. and 4.11, 13. and 9.30. and 10.6. Gal. 5.5. Phil. 3.9. Rom. 16.26.

Now this conformity to the Go­spel which God counts to us for Righteousness, doth consist in a hearty belief or firm persuasion that God up­on the account of what Christ our Mediator hath suffered and done for sinners, will receive such into his favour, pardon and save them, as upon such a belief do truly repent them of their sins, and seriously re­solve and sincerely endeavour to please [Page 85]God for the future, in the whole course of their lives; and in actual resolutions and endeavours suitable to this belief. This belief or persuasion when it becomes thus practical in operations proper to the nature of such a persuasion; as it is then the true Christian Faith, so it is then also the Christians Righteousness; for it is imputed, reckoned and counted to them for Righteousness, as the Scripture shews.

It's true, Abraham is said to have had this Righteousness (Rom. 4.11.) and Noah to be an heir of it, Heb. 11.7. And yet we cannot say that they had any such explicite Faith in reference to Christ the Mediator, as the meanest Christian has under the Gospel Revelation. And yet their Faith in the general nature of it, was the same then with the Christians now. For they had such Revelati­ons made by God one way or other, by which they did believe him to be reconcileable and propitious to all such as fear and love him, and sin­cerely [Page 86]endeavour to please him. And upon this Principle doubtless it was, that they and other good men in those elder times, lived such holy and virtuous lives, as hath procured them upon publick Record, honour and renown for Righteous men, unto all Generations. For so saith that sacred Author speaking of them Heb. 11.39. These all received a good re­port through Faith. Thus Abel ob­tained witness even from God himself that he was Righteous, by reason of his Faith in God, in conjunction with what he did by virtue of his Faith, Heb. 11.4. And when the Scri­pture saith (Jam. 2.) of some of these that they were justified not only by their Faith but also by their Works: the meaning I doubt not is, that they were approved of by God as Righteous men upon the account of both.

It's true indeed Righteous and Holy men are frequently described by their fear of God, and by their love and obedience to him, without [Page 87]mentioning their Faith; as at other times they are described by their Faith, without mentioning their fear, love or obedience. And the reason seems to be this, because where any one of these is in truth, there are the other also. No man truly fears God or loves and obeys him, but he that hath first Faith towards God that he is Gracious, Merciful and ready to forgive the repenting and reforming sinner: without which Faith, it is impossible to love him or reverence him with an awful love. There is forgiveness with him that he may be feared: feared with a fear mixed with love, as the right fear of God always is. Psal. 130.4.

Now this their fear of God, love to him and care to please him which grows out of their Faith, is as I say their Righteousness as well as their Faith it self more strictly considered; because their conformity to the Law of Grace, which is their Righteous­ness, consists in these as well as in that, and the same promises are made [Page 88]to these as to that. He that doth Righteousness is Righteoas. 1 Joh. 3.7. All his transgressions which he hath com­mitted, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his Righteousness which he hath done, he shall live, Ezek. 18.22.

And when I say that our confor­mity to the terms of the Law of Grace is our Righteousness, it is to be understood of such a conformity as is hearty and sincere, and in the in­ward man as well as the outward, though otherwise it be not indefe­ctive in respect of extent and degree. For therein lies the difference between the perfect Legal Righteousness, and the Evangelical. The Legal Righ­teousness stood in a perfect and inde­fective conformity to whatever God commanded or the Law of Nature required of man. But the Evange­lical Righteousness stands in a hearty and sincere desire, resolution and en­deavour in a man to conform to all that God requires, in conjunction with repentance for defects, and in affiance in Gods Mercy through Christ [Page 89]for forgiveness. Although the best man living does not perhaps keep any one of Gods Commandments in a Legal sense, yet the meanest sincere Christian keeps them all in an Evan­gelical sense; that is, in sincerity of resolution and endeavour. He pre­pares him self to doe his Masters will, as our Saviour speaks, Luke 12.47. by resolving and endeavouring to do it as well as he can, and by making use of all due means and helps to that end. And in this sense good men are in Scripture said to keep Gods Charge, his Commandments, his Statutes and his Laws, Gen. 26.5. 2 Sam. 22.22. 1 Kings 14.8. 2 Kings 18.6. Job 23.11. Psal. 119.22, 55, 56, 67, 68. Luk. 1.6. Not that they did so in the Legal sense: For so, there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not, Eccles. 7.10. But they are said to keep the Commandments in respect of the sincerity of their endeavour, doing as well as they can. They follow after Righteousness, and by this good men are described in Scri­pture, [Page 90]and God is said to love such as do so. Pro. 15.9. and 21.21. Isa. 51.1. They still labour to do and to grow better and better: and this sin­cerity of endeavour proceeding from a Principle of Faith, is it by which men in Scripture are denominated Righteous: for more than this I can­not-say is found in any man, and less than this I cannot say will denomi­nate any man to be a good tnd Righteous man.

Our endeavours do not indeed of themselves and without the assistance of Gods Holy Spirit, make us of unrigh­teous to become Righteous. But when ever men are persuaded in their own minds to begin with honest endea­vours to do their duty as well as they can, and to make use of Gods appointed means to help them there­in, they will be sure of the assistance of Gods Holy Spirit to carry the work through. For God will give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him. Luke 11.13. and will work in them to will and to do well, while they are work­ing [Page 91]out their own Salvation by their endeavours, Phil. 2.12, 13. To him that hath a heart thus to begin well in using his first Talents which he hath from God, to him more shall be given by the Spirit of God, and he shall have abundance, Mat. 25.29.

This kind of Righteousness which we call Evangelical, is mentioned in Scripture under several forms of speech, yet all signifying the same thing in the main, to wit, the truth and reality of Grace in the sight of God. It is called unfeigned Faith, godly Sincerity, holiness of Truth, a labouring to have always a Conscience void of offence toward God and to­ward men, uprightness of Heart, truth in the inward parts, integrity, perfect­ness of heart, and the like. And when we find in Scripture the promises of Pardon and Salvation made to Faith, repentance and obedience indefinitely, I think we may safely conclude, they are made to such in whom these are realy and indeed, though but in the lowest degree of sincerity; and con­sequently [Page 92]sequently that such are in the num­ber of Righteous persons.

But then though the truth and sincerity of Grace in the lowest de­gree, will denominate those that have it, Righteous men, yet that which is truly such, how weak soever it be in the beginning, is of a growing nature. And the reason hereof is evident, because where men do their best endeavours from time to time; use and exercise will make them more and more perfect in their way; the repetition of acts first begetting and then increasing habits, and both to­gether tending to more and more perfection in the Christian course. Just as it is with persons in their learning any Art or Trade: though the beginning be but small, yet the lat­ter end will greatly increase; to al­lude to that in Job. The Divine Principle of Grace, which is the seed of God in the Soul, which brings forth the Harvest of a good Life, be­ing in the nature of it contrary to fleshly lusts, will be still heaving at [Page 93]them to extirpate and drive them out, and aspiring after a perfect state in holiness, hungering and thirsting after Righteousness, upon which ac­count the way of the Just is as the shin­ing light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day, Prov. 4.18.

By the way then let it be observed how easie the Yoke of Christ our Sa­viour is, and how light his Burden, when he hath made the condition of obtaining the pardon of sin and Eternal Life, no harder than to re­pent, that we have been in Rebellion against our Maker to our own un­doing, and seriously to resolve and sincerely to endeavour to desist from all acts of disobedience for the fu­ture, and to do the best we can to please him in observing those reaso­nable Laws of his Kingdom and Government, that are ordained for our own good, for the peace and sa­tisfaction of our own minds, for the preservation of the health of our bo­dies, and for the innocent injoyments of other the comforts of this life: for [Page 94]the peace likewise, order and con­cord of publick Communities of men both in Church and State, while every one is thereby ordered to keep his own rank and to act in his own Sphere; and to prepare us by ob­serving them, for the enjoyment of a blessed immortality after all this: And likewise observe how unreaso­nable and void of all judgment and discretion it is for men to deprive themselves of all these advantages, and wilfully and desperately to run upon their own ruin, when all might so easily be prevented, as by sub­jecting to the easie Yoke and gentle Government of Christ, who reckons our hearty and sincere endeavours in obeying him, for obedience.

3. How this Righteousness comes to be such; to be accounted and accepted for Righteousness: and it is so upon a double account at least.

1. It is of the Grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ that it is so, it is by way of donation or free gift, without consideration had of any [Page 95]thing in us that should render us worthy of such a favour but the contrary. It doth not make the be­nefit the less of Grace to us, in that it is bestowed on us through Christ, or for his sake; nor the less of Grace in God, because the Righteousness of Christ his obedient suffering up­on account whereof this gift or grant is made us, was the effect of Gods gratious design of benefit unto us: It was by the grace of God that he tasted death for every man, as we are told, Heb. 2.9. and consequently all the good that does accrue to us by it, must be of Grace.

That the introduction of this Evan­gelical Righteousness we speak of, was of meer Grace and free gift, appears Rom. 5.17. where this effect of Gods Grace is called the gift of Righteous­ness. And in that Verse and in the Verse before and after, it is called the gift or free gift no less than four times. Not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one unto condemnation; but the free gift [Page 96]was of many offences unto justification. For if by one mans offence death reig­ned by one; much more they that re­ceive abundance of Grace and of the gift of Righteousness, shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the Righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto the justification of life. And in vers. 21. Grace is said to reign through Righteousness to life, as sin had reigned unto death. In these Verses St. Paul shews, that if the of­fence of Adam were of force to in­volve his whole Race in condemna­tion, that then the Grace of God and the gift by Grace through Christ the second Adam and upon account of his Righteousness, will be much more available to the justification and pardon of all men, upon suppositi­on they receive this gift of being Righteous with that Righteousness. And let it be noted, that the free gift here mentioned, and the Righte­ousness of one Jesus Christ, are not the [Page 97]same, but the one the effect of the o­ther: it is by the Righteousness of one Christ Jesus, that the free gift of Righteousness came upon all men unto justification of life. That is as I conceive, this free gift of account­ing men Righteous, if they receive it upon the terms of the giver, is granted unto all men otherwise sin­ners, upon the account of the Righ­teousness of Christ, Rom. 3.24. Be­ing justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Here also we see that it is of free Grace that God approves of men as Just and does adjudg them Righteous, which is his Justifying of them: it is freely of Grace though it be through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus or for the sake of his Mediatory obedience, Tit. 3.6. Be­ing justified by his Grace, &c.

And when this Righteousness of Faith is said as it is, to be a Righ­teousness imputed or a Righteousness that is accounted for such, it implies, nay argues, that it is so in a way [Page 98]of grace and favour, and not in stirct­ness of justice. As on the contrary not to impute sin when sin hath been committed, signifies to deal with such persons in a way of grace and fa­vour, and not according to the rigor of strict justice. 2 Sam. 19.19. 2 Cor. 5.19. As not to impute our trespasses to us when we repent of them and strive against them, though other­wise we are not without all sin, is purely an act of grace and of high favour in God: even so for him to impute Righteousness to us when we sincerely endeavour to be Righte­ous, though otherwise we be not without all sin, is an act of the same grace likewise. This Righteousness of Faith, it is not a natural Righte­ousness as Adams was while he kept his integrity, but it is so meerly in the account of grace and favour. It is a Righteousness by Divine insti­tution, not otherwise of it self so: its being so depends upon the grace and good will of God that hath ap­pointed it so to be, and to be ac­cepted [Page 99]and to pass in account for such. For which reason I conceive it is frequently called the Righteous­ness of God, Rom. 1.17. and 3.21. 2 Cor. 5.21. The Righteousness of God which is by Faith, Rom. 3.22. Phil. 3.9. as noting it to be a Righteous­ness of his ordaining, proceeding from his Grace, in opposition to mens own Righteousness, which is or is con­ceited to be a Righteousness Na­turally and of it self, as the Phari­saical Jews fancied their Righteous­ness of the Law to be. By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your selves, it is the gift of God, Eph. 2.8. That is, it is by Grace, and by virtue of the donation of God, that we are saved by Faith or the Righteousness of Faith, and that we have such a Faith or Righteous­ness of Faith to be saved by.

2. It is by the Gospel or Cove­nant of Grace, that this Righteous­ness of Faith is revealed and conveyed to us for such, and stated and settled for such as by a Law. This way [Page 100]of accounting men that have been and are sinners, to be Righteous up­on their believing, is not known by any Natural Light, because it is not a Natural Righteousness, but is purely matter of supernatural Revelation, as it is in it self supernatural Grace. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, saith St. Paul, For therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith, as it is written the just shall live by Faith, Rom. 1.17, And again, Now is the Righteousness of God manifested without the Law, to wit, by the Gospel, Rom. 3.21. It is by this Gospel or Covenant, that Faith is ordained to be our Righteousness, and settled for such as by a Law, which therefore is called the Law of Faith, Rom. 3.27. And the Gospel which conveys this Grace to us, is frequently called the Grace of God, the word of his Grace, and the Go­spel of the Grace of God. Tit. 2.11. Acts 14.3. and 20.24.

The Messias according to what was Prophesied, hath brought in ever­lasting [Page 101]Righteousness, by the ever­lasting Covenant, the everlasting Go­spel; which was not in the world after the fall, but by his bringing in, Dan. 9.24.

By all this it appears; that the Co­venant operates to our Justification, as it gives being from God and our Lord Jesus Christ, unto that Cove­nant Righteousness, which is the mat­ter of our Justification: it is that by which God doth institute this Righ­teousness: for it is a Righteousness by institution and not naturally such, as I have shewed. What it does in this kind, it does it by virtue of Gods designation of it to that Office, and not by its own innate virtue and in­trinsick worth or merit.

When I say this Righteousness of Faith is not naturally and of it self such; I do not mean that those fruits of the Spirit of which it doth consist, have not in them the true nature of goodness and holiness, for that they have; but that these are not in Righteous men themselves [Page 102](that yet are Evangelically Righte­ous) without all mixture of that which deserves not the name of ho­liness and goodness, nor they with­out unrighteousness, antecedent to this, and before they had repented: and therefore is not such a compleat Righteousness as would hold mea­sure according to the standard of the Law of innocency, if we were to be tried by that, to be Justified, or Condemned by that. In this re­gard the best of us have cause with the Psalmist to cry out and say, If thou Lord shouldst work iniquity, O Lord who shall stand? Psal. 130.3. It is indeed a growing Righteous­ness, that is by degrees growing up towards a perfect state: such in whom it is, are perfecting holiness in the fear of God. But before it is grown to this perfect state, it is in the account of grace and by way of favour and for Christs sake, accepted and ap­proved by God for such Righteous­ness, as unto which he hath promised the pardon of all past offences, and [Page 103]of all such after infirmities as are con­sistent with this Covenant-Righteous­ness in its lower degree, and also eternal Life it self. So that in a word this thing we call everlasting Righteousness by which we are Justi­fied, owes it self its very being such a Righteousness as it is, unto the Co­venant of Grace, or that Grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is put into a Covenant for us.

3. The Covenant operates to our Justification, as being the rule by which those are justified in judgment to be Righteous persons, such as to whom the promise of pardon and eter­nal life is made, that are justified at all. Righteousness as I have former­ly shewed, receives its denomination as it doth its nature, from its con­formity to some Law. And this Co­venant-Righteousness the Righteous­ness of Faith, receives its denomina­tion from its Conformity to the Co­venant of Grace, as being that qua­lification in the person, on conditi­on of which the promises of the Co­venant [Page 104]are made, and therefore eve­ry man that is Justified, is Justified by this Law to be such a person as to whom the promises are made. It is by this Law that such a per­son is Justified in his cause: if a man be not a Just and Righteous person in the sense of this Law, he will not be Justified by God; for he judgeth of men and their cause by this Law. Jam. 2.12. So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the Law of li­berty: that is the Gospel or Cove­nant of Grace. And our Saviour saith, The word that I have spoken, the same shall judg you in the last day, John 12.48.

4. The Covenant operates to our Justification, as an instrument of ma­king us to become Righteous, and so capable subjects of Justification. And this it doth by way of motive or per­suasion. The great and precious pro­mises made to men in this Covenant, of pardon of sin and eternal Life, on condition of the Righteousness of Faith, Sobriety, Righteousness and Godliness and not otherwise; [Page 105]they out of a desire and love to the benefits promised, are persuaded to imbrace the condition without which they cannot enjoy them, that is, to become Righteous. The Gospel mi­nistration is called the ministration of Righteousness, 2 Cor. 3.9. And it is so both as it ministers to us the know­ledg that there is another Righte­ousness than that which is of the Law, and also as it ministers to us powerful motives and assistances to follow after Righteousness, by which they become Righteous and so to be Justified. St. Paul saith, The Gospel is the power of God to Salvation, in as much as therein the Righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith, Rom. 1.16, 17. the terms on which God will account them Righteous, and the motives to make them so, these are revealed by the Gospel, by which it becomes the power of God to Salvation to those that believe it. The Gospel is a ministration of Righ­teousness and of Justification, as it is the ministration of Reconciliation, of [Page 106]reconciling us to God, of reconci­ling our nature to the holy nature of God, and to his holy Laws, by making us partakers of a Divine Na­ture, a God-like Nature, in Holi­ness and Goodness, which is done by the great and precious promises of the Gospel, of pardon and eternal Life, as powerful motives persuading men to become new creatures in or­der to the obtaining these great be­nefits promised and attainable only upon condition of such our reconci­liation to God, which puts us into a perfect capacity of Justification, that is, of being approved of as those who have performed the condition of the foresaid promised benefits. Thus the Gospel is called the word of reconciliation, which was committed to the Apostles and others, and their Ministry the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5.18.19. And by a practical knowledg and belief of these things re­vealed by the Gospel, men come to be justified, that is, approved of as those that have known, believed and obeyed [Page 107]the Gospel. By his knowledg, saith God concerning Christ, shall my righteous ser­vant justifie many, Isa. 53.11. That is, by the knowledg of him in what he is, hath done and suffered, revealed and taught.

What the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, as to free us from the Law of sin, and to bring us to that Righteousness which it did design but could not effect, that is now done by the Law of the spi­rit of Life which is in Christ Jesus, to wit, the Gospel. The Law with­out the Gospel, could not give us that assurance of Gods willingness to be reconciled to us, and of pardon upon repentance, which the Gospel does; much less of a glorious reward of new obedience. For the promise of pardon for Christs sake upon our repentance, the promise of the Re­surrection of the Body, and of the Celestial Glory, are brought to light by the Gospel, being matters of su­pernatural Revelation. Now it is the great assurance which the Gospel gives us of these things upon the account [Page 108]of Christs death, that is the power­ful motive of prevailing with men to be reconciled to God and to be­come Evangelically Righteous that they may be Justified. And there­fore the preaching of the Cross, is said to be to them that are saved, the power of God and for wisdom of God. 1 Cor. 1.18, 24. That is, it contains and lays open Gods most wise contri­vance of reconciling sinners to him­self, and by that means becomes his powerful motive of drawing men to it, that so they may be Justified, Pardoned and Glorified: The Law made nothing perfect, it is the bring­ing in of this better hope by the Go­spel that doth it. Heb. 7.19. The Law which laid a burden of strict obedience upon men, backt with se­vere threatnings in case of transgres­sion, prevailed little upon men, but to keep them under a spirit of bon­dage to fear, while they were unac­quainted with the rich grace and indulgence of the Gospel, by which the Yoke of Christ is rendered easie [Page 109]and his burden light. The Gospel prevails much more upon men when they heartily believe it, by pro­claiming pardon to all repentant sin­ners, and immense rewards to such as shall with honest minds give up themselves to Christ to be his Disciples to learn of him by his Doctrine and Example, how to live a sober, righteous and a godly Life: And by promising Divine assistance as well as vast rewards, and accep­tance of honest and sincere endea­vours; and by making allowances for such frailties and defects both in knowledg and practice, as will con­sist with uprightness of heart to­wards God. And thus I have shewn how the Gospel operates to our Justification, as a great and effectual means of bringing us to become Evan­gelically Righteous, without which we cannot be Justified by having that Righteousness imputed to us, and by being approved of as Righ­teous upon the account of it.

CHAP. IV. Of Faith and how that operates to our Justification.

THat Faith doth operate to our Justification, we are perfectly assured by the frequent and express notice thereof we have from the Scriptures, such as Rom. 3.30. and 5.1. Gal. 2.16. and others. And Faith operates to our Justification as it is the performance of that condi­tion upon which the great and pre­cious promises of the Gospel Cove­nant are made. For the Covenant consists chiefly of two parts, to wit, the promises which God makes of bestowing benefits on us through Christ, and of the condition upon which these promises are made; which con­dition is summarily comprised in Faith or believing.

But before I proceed further to speak of Faith, I think it not incon­venient [Page 111]here to premise to what is to be said about Faith, as the condition of the Gospel-Covenant, somwhat to shew that the promises of pardon and eternal Life, are conditional. The Gospel-Covenant is directly suited to that Mediatory undertaking of Christ, by which the Covenant it self was obtained, and on which it was foun­ded. Now I have shewed formerly, that Christ died for all men indeed, but yet it was but to obtain a con­ditional pardon for all men, and o­ther benefits consequent upon it. He did not die to procure that God should be reconciled to them that should always refuse to be recon­ciled to him, but to obtain their par­don and restauration to the favour of God, upon condition of their be­ing persuaded to be reconciled to him. And truly the Covenant of Grace holds an exact proportion to the Covenant of Redemption or Law of Mediation, by the fulfilling of which by Christ, the Gospel Cove­nant, as I said, was obtained. As [Page 112]our Saviour died for all, to put all into a capacity of being pardoned and saved, in case they should not persist finally in rebellion against God, so the Covenant of Grace promiseth pardon and salvation, just upon the same terms and not otherwise. For the Gospel denounceth a being punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power, against all those that know not God and which obey not the Go­spel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So that when we compare the general pro­mise, and threatnings in the Go­spel together, we are put upon a necessity of understanding the pro­mise in a conditional sense, otherwise the promise and threatning would be inconsistent.

And indeed the promise of those great benefits, seldom if ever are found without the condition annexed, either expresly or by plain intimati­on. The gracious declaration of the Gospel runs thus. And you that were somtime alienated and enemies in your [Page 113]minds by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreproveable in his sight, [if] ye continue in the Faith grounded and settled; and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel. Col. 1.21, 22, 23. If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live, Rom. 8.13. If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their tres­passes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses. Mat. 6.14, 15. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, then have we fel­lowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin, 1 John 1.7. These con­ditional particles [if] plainly ex­press the conditional nature of the promises, yea, and of the threatnings too. The promises are not made to such or such men by name, but to all men under such or such a quali­fication; [Page 114]as to those that believe, to those that repent, to those that obey the truth. Which qualification spe­cifies the condition on which, and so the persons to which such pro­mises belong. This is a thing so plain throughout the Scripture from end to end, that more need not be said of it.

Having premised thus much, I shall now proceed to shew how Faith operates to our Justification: and in order to our better understanding what influence Faith hath in our Justification, we will enquire into these particulars.

1. How it appears that Faith is the condition of the promise of par­don and eternal Life.

2. What that Faith is.

3. Why it is made the condition of the promises.

4. In what capacity men are to perform that condition.

5. How more particularly it ope­rates to our Justification.

1. That Faith is the condition on which pardon of sin and eternal Life are promised in the Gospel, is so plain that nothing more need to be said to make it evident, than only to point to the express letter of the Scri­pture in this case. For pardon of sin; this is promised on condition of believing, Acts 10.43. To him give all the Prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believes in him, shall receive remission of sins. And so is eternal Life promised on the same terms, John 3.16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlastiug Life. If these promises are made to believers as such, as we see they are, then believing must needs be the con­dition on which they are made. This is past contradiction, Jo. 3.36. Acts 16.31.

2. Consider we next then, what that Faith or believing is which is the condition on which the pro­mised benefits, remission of sin and [Page 116]eternal Life are suspended. And without all doubt it is not only a speculative, but a practical belief: It is a hearty assent of the mind to the truth of the Gospel, and a sin­cere consent in the will to live ac­cording to the Laws and Precepts of it. The same thing, the same Faith for substance, is in Scripture described by different Phrases. Somtimes it is described by a believing the record of God concerning his Son Christ Jesus, 1 John 5.10, 11. Somtimes by a believing Jesus to be the Christ the Son of God, John 20.31. 1 John 5.1.5. And somtimes by a believing of the Gospel, a believing of the truth, a believing of the testimony of the A­postles of our Saviour, Mark 16.15, 16. 2 Thes. 1.10. and 2.13.

And it is no marvail the same Faith should be thus diversly exprest, since a believing of any one of these, includes in it a belief of them all, and so does a belief of the Resur­rection of Christ, by which this Faith is also somtimes described, Rom. 10.9. [Page 117]For he that believes the Record of God concerning Christ, cannot but believe him to be the Son of God, because that is the thing which the Father Almighty hath more than once testified by a voice from Heaven Mat. 3.17. and 17.5. And he who believes Christ to be the Son of God, must needs believe his doctrine, which is the Gospel, to be true. As on the other hand, whoever believes the Gospel, must needs believe Christ to be the Son of God, because it testifies so much of him; and likewise be­cause it sets forth those many stu­pendious Miracles which he wrought, and how the ancient predictions of the Prophets concerning the Messias were fulfilled in him, and also his Miraculous Resurrection from the dead: by all which he is demon­strated to be the Son of God.

Now then whosoever rightly be­lieves the doctrine of our Saviour contained in the Gospel, and of his Apostles concerning him, do believe that he died for our sins and rose [Page 118]again, and that repentance or amend ment of life and obedience to the Precepts of our Saviour, are indi­spensibly necessary to the obtaining of remission of sin and eternal Life by his Death, Resurrection and In­tercession. And the reason hereof is, because these things are declared to be so in that Gospel which is so believed. And therefore whosoever does believe he shall be saved by Christs death from the wrath to come, though he does not truly and sin­cerely make it his business to amend his life according to the Precepts of our Saviour, believes not the Go­spel, but believes that which is a flat contradiction to it, and is like those of whom the Apostle says, they pro­fess that they know God, but in works they deny him. Tit. 1.16.

Or if any man should believe this amendment of life to be necessary to the obtaining Remission of sin and Salvation by the death of Christ: Yet what would this belief avail him, if he himself should not by this [Page 119]belief become a new man in holi­ness, righteousness, and sobriety of living? It is not any mans believing the most important and concerning truth, that will avail him before God, further than it tends to make him better, to make him a good man. The Devils we find confessed Christ, saying, thou art Christ the Son of God, Luke 4.41. the same form of words almost verbatim, in which the Apo­stles of our Saviour made confession of their Faith, John 6.69. And St. James saith, the Devils believe and tremble, Chap. 2.19. But what are they the better for it, so long as they retain the same devilish nature which they had before? Nor can we say that mens Faith will any more save them than the Devils Faith saves Devils, whatever it is which is be­lieved, unless that belief makes them better men in heart and Life. If a man believe aright and understands what it is he believes, he can hardly be any more careless of acting according to his belief, than he is careless of ob­taining [Page 120]the pardon of his sin and the Salvation of his Soul.

A right saving belief of the Go­spel then, hath in it the spirit and seed of a good life: it hath in it virtually and potentially, all pious and vertuous actions. And all pious and vertuous actions that proceed from Faith, are as I may so say, but Faith diversified in several acts, and are a part of Faith, as the fruit that grows upon a Tree, is part of the Tree. And to make this appear in some instances; all those noble and gene­rous acts of the Patriarchs and other Worthies mentioned in Hebrews the 11th. Chapter, did all grow out of their Faith, for by Faith they did them all. All the good report which they obtained upon account of their Heroick actions, is attributed to their Faith by which they did atchieve them: these all having obtained a good report through Faith, &c. Ver. 39.

More particularly, the Author of this Epistle to the Hebrews in Ver. 5. of this 11th. Chapter proves that it [Page 121]was by Faith that Enoch was tran­slated, because he had this testimo­ny, that before he was translated he pleased God (or walked with God, as his History relates it, Gen. 5.) which as he shews was impossible for him to have done, if he had not had Faith: for saith he, without Faith it is impossible to please God. So that we see the same thing is attributed to the Righteousness of his life in walking with God, as is to his Faith which produced that effect, viz. that thereby he pleased God. And so it is said of Noah, Ver. 7. that by faith he being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an Ark to the saving of his house, by which action of his in conjunction with his Faith, he became heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith. It is said of Abraham also, Ver. 17. that by Faith he offered up Isaac. And it is said by St. James that by this good work of his, the fruit of his Faith among others, he was Justified, Jam. 2.21. And not only so, but that [Page 122] therein the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for Righteousness, Ver. 23. which shews that when the Scripture saith, Gen. 15.6. that Abra­hams believing God was counted to him for Righteousness, it was meant of his Faith as it was a vital prin­ciple of sincere obedience to God in whatever he commanded him, else that Scripture would not have been fulfilled in Abrahams offering up Isaac, and in his being justified thereby as well as by his Faith. The like is said of Rahab, that by faith she peri­shed not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies in peace, Heb. 11.31. And St. James saith, that she was Justified by this work which was the fruit of her Faith, Jam. 2.25. So that we see in the Scripture-no­tion of Faith, to have Faith counted to us for Righteousness, and to have acts of obedience proceeding from Faith to be counted for Righteous­ness in conjunction with the Faith it self, is the same thing. And to be Justi­fied [Page 123]by Faith, and to be Justified by those acts of obedience which are the issue of Faith in conjunction with the Faith it self, is still the same thing in the sense of holy Scripture. All this is to shew what and what manner of Faith it is that is the con­dition on the which pardon of sin and eternal Life are promised in the Gospel-Covenant, and by which we are Justified, and which is counted for Righteousness.

And for our greater confirmation in this, and to shew further that no Faith can entitle us to the pro­mises of the Covenant, the promise of pardon and the promise of eter­nal Life, but such a practical Faith as I have described, consider these following particulars.

1. If none can be pardoned but such as repent, nor see the Kingdom of God, except they be born again, as the Scripture assures us they can­not: then no Faith can entitle us to Pardon and Salvation, as it is a fulfilling the condition of the pro­mises [Page 124]of the Covenant, but such as is a penitential regenerating Faith, such as works repentance and rege­neration in men, nor till it hath wrought these effects at least as be­gun. I cannot imagine what can be said with any shew of reason against this argument.

2. St. James argues, that Faith which hath not works cannot save, Ver. 12. and concludes his reasoning, Ver. 24. with saying, Ye see then how that by Works a man is Justified, and not by Faith only,

3. Faith and Obedience are so much the same, or at least so in­separable when saving, as that the same Greek word is indifferently translated to believe or to obey: and so on the contrary the same word is translated unbelief or disobedience. Instances of this nature you have in Acts 5.36. Rom. 11.30, 31. Ephes. 5.6. Heb. 4.11. and 11.31. in all which you have the same word tran­slated one way in the line reading, and another in the margin. And be­lief [Page 125]and disobedience are likewise op­posed to each other as contraries, as well as faith and unbelief are, and as well as obedience and disobedience are, as you may see for instance, in Rom. 10.16. 1 Pet. 2.7. 2 Thes. 2.12. By all which we may reasonably judg, that when Faith only is mentioned as the condition on which pardon and eternal Life are promised, yet then it is to be understood of a practical obediential Faith.

4. The same benefits, pardon of sin and eternal Life, are promised upon the condition of obedience in some Scriptures, which are promi­sed on condition of believing in o­thers. As for instance, If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin, 1 John 1.7. Here assurance is given us of being purged from the guilt of sin by the blood of Christ, in case we walk in the light as God is in the light, labouring to be holy as God is holy, [Page 126]in all manner of conversation. And Christ is the Author of eternal Salva­tion to all them that obey him. Heb. 5.9. And blessed are they that do his Commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter through the gates into the City, Revel. 22.14. Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Hea­ven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven, Mat. 7.21. Now if holy obedience be made the condition of the promise of Pardon and Life, as well as Faith, as we see it is, then none but an obedien­tial Faith, can be a performance of the condition of that promise. By an obediential Faith, I mean such a Faith as by which a man is moved and inclined, and in some sort ena­bled to do what is his present duty, so far as he understands it to be so. And in this sense a mans Faith and his obedience are of the same date, and commence together. And therefore it is no marvel that the same promise of the same benefits is [Page 127]made to the one which is made to the other, and that both are joyned in the condition.

5. In Heb. 8.10, 11, 12. where we have the tenour of the new Cove­nant declared, God promiseth to be a God only to such, and to forgive the iniquities only of such as have his Law put into their minds and written in their hearts. Where Faith is not at all mentioned as the con­dition of receiving those benefits, but the having the Law written in the heart. Though the having the Law written in the heart supposeth Faith, I grant, as a productive cause of it, yet we see it is not the condition of the promised benefits, otherwise than as it produceth such an effect, which effect is only here mentioned, and not Faith which is the cause.

6. When saving Faith is descri­bed by the nature of its operation upon a man himself, and not only as it acteth upon its object without him, then we are told it purifieth the heart, Act. 15.9. worketh by love, Gal. [Page 128]5.6. overcometh the world, 1 John 5.4. and sanctifieth the whole man, Acts 26.18. And therefore we have no good rea­son to think Faith is a fulfilling the condition of the promise only as it acteth upon its object by way of credence or assent, or affiance either, without its transforming operation upon the Soul.

3. The next thing to be enqui­red into, is the reason why Faith is made the condition of the promises of the Gospel-Covenant. And the reasons hereof seem to be such as these.

1. Faith is made the condition of the promise, that it might appear to be of grace that such promise is made, and made upon such a condition as faith is. St. Paul having spoken of the promise being made through the Righteousness of Faith, and not through the Righteousness of the Law, Rom. 4.13. He gives the rea­son of it, Verse 16. when he says, It is therefore of Faith that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might [Page 129]be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the Law, but to that also which is of the Faith of Abraham. In which words we have a general reason why Faith is made the con­dition of the Promise, and that is, that it might be by Grace. And another is given in a particular in­stance, viz. that the promise might be sure to all the seed.

There is a double reason why it must needs be of Grace that the great Promises of the Gospel are made to mens believing the Gospel. The one is taken from the nature of the thing, that is, of Faith it self in reference and relation to its object. For he that believes the Gospel, be­lieves that the great blessings and benefits promised therein, are pro­mised not for any merit of his to whom they are promised, but for the sake of another, to wit, Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth for a propitia­tion through faith in his blood, Rom. 3.25. And he that believes the Gospel according to what it reveals, be­lieves [Page 130]also that it was of Grace that he was thus made a propitiation: for it was by the Grace of God that he tasted death for every man. Heb. 2.9. Not by works of Righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. Tit. 3.5. And whoever be­lieves all this, exalts the grace of God in so believing. St. Paul, who believed and taught this in oppositi­on to the misbelieving Jews, who thought to be justified by the works of the Law, without the death of the Messias to obtain that and all o­ther benefits, said, I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain. Gal. 2.21. Thus he by his Faith and Doctrine, according to it, in believing and teaching Justificati­on by the death of Jesus Christ, did not frustrate but exalt the grace of God. Faith then in the very nature of it, does own the promise of all benefits to be of Grace, when made to such as by sin had forfeited all.

The other reason why it must needs be of Grace that the Promise is made upon condition of Faith, is this; because our believing that ano­ther, to wit, Christ, hath by his own suffering, and intercession for us, ob­tained pardon and life upon condi­tion of our being reconciled to God, cannot without believing a contra­diction be thought to merit these be­nefits; but that the Promise and the benefits promised, and their being promised on such a condition as an obediential Faith is, must needs be all of Grace, and cuts off all occasion of boasting; For Christ is made to us of God, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption, to the end that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord, 1 Cor. 1.30, 31. And it is by grace that we are saved through faith; and not of works, lest any man should boast, Ephes. 2.8, 9. Where is boasting then? It is excluded, by what Law? Of works? Nay but by the Law of faith, Rom. 3.27.

Again, the Promise is therefore of Faith that it might be by Grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed, as well of the Uncir­cumcision as of the Circumcision. The Promise of Pardon and Life to the Gentiles the greatest sinners, up­on condition of repentance, is secured and made sure to them by their be­lieving, because the Promise so be­lieved, is founded in the death of Jesus Christ, in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen. For no man can with the least appearance of reason imagine that the great God would ever ex­pose one so great and so greatly beloved by him as his holy Son is, to such sufferings as he underwent to procure Pardon and Life for re­pentant sinners, were he not fully and perfectly resolved to Pardon and save them upon their repentance, notwithstanding all their sins they were guilty of before, how hainous soever they may have been. Upon which account our Saviour thus given by the Father to such an end, is said [Page 133]to be surety of the new Covenant, Heb. 7.22. that is, he is the great secu­rity which the great God hath given to the world of performing what­ever he hath promised us upon his Sons account in that Covenant. God that spared not his own Son, but de­livered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Rom. 8.31. And now who sees not but that this is an act of exceeding rich Grace in God, not only to resolve to bestow upon the children of men such great things as he hath promised, but also to give them such a security for it as he hath done, by giving his Son to prepare the way for it?

Now the sense and comfort of all this Grace, and so our ascribing the glory of it unto God and our Lord Jesus Christ, depends upon our be­lieving these things. And therefore God hath entailed the Promise of be­nefits upon that Faith as a conditi­on, without which we can have no sense of all that grace of God ex­prest [Page 134]in the Promise. And there­fore well might the Apostle say, It is therefore of Faith, that it might be by Grace.

Besides, the Promise appears to be of grace in reference to the conditi­on on which it is made, whether we consider the vast disproportion be­tween the things promised and the condition on which they are pro­mised; or the easiness of the con­dition it self. Considering what by sin we have deserved; it would have been matter of Grace in God and great Grace too, if he had promised us no more but a deliverance from the wrath to come, and that upon any possible condition, though other­wise never so rigorous or hard to have been performed; as suppose it had been the greatest severity the nature of man could undergo, to be exercised by us on our own bodies. If this had been the case, yet herein there would have been as much grace and favour shewed us, as such tempo­rary [Page 135]severities would come short of eternal torments in Hell. And if this would have been matter of grace, as most certain it would; how much more doth it appear to be so, when God hath promised not only exemption from the vengeance of eternal fire, but also to exalt our nature and to prefer us to an immor­tal happiness and glory, far greater probably, than the happiness of an earthly Paradise would have been, in case we had never sinned at all; and yet all this too upon so easie a condition as Faith is. For easie it is in the attaining to it, if we con­sider what provision God hath made, and what assistances he is ready to afford, to enable us to believe. And it's easie in its exercise and work, if we consider what we are to do by vertue of it, which besides affiance in God and our Saviour, is but to abstain from that we had better be without than have, though we should not be concerned in a future state in another world; and to do no more, [Page 136]but what tends to the perfecting of our nature and the comfort of our lives, besides the future glory; ex­cept in the case of persecution for Righteousness sake. In such respects as these I have mentioned, it plainly appears that Gods making of Faith to be the condition upon which his great benefits are promised us, tends greatly to manifest the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and to fill us with a sense of it, for which cause we see he hath chosen it to that office of being the condition of pardon of sin and eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And one reason why God would have his own grace so manifest in all these his proceedings and dealings with us, and why he would have us possessed with so great a sense of it, is I conceive, because he knows this is the direct way of reconciling us to himself, of making us to have good and honourable thoughts of him, such as incline and dispose us to be reconciled to him. And this [Page 137]brings me to another reason why Faith is made the condition of the great and precious promises afore­said, which is this.

2. Such a Faith as I have described, does best accommodate Gods design of Grace towards us in reconciling us to himself by Jesus Christ, in or­der to our happiness; which may be another reason why Faith is made the condition of the promised be­nefits. There is a certain aptitude in Faith to reconcile us to God and to produce that in us which is the matter of our Justification, as well as of our reconciliation to God. And the reason hereof is, because the motives by which men come to be persuaded to be reconciled to God, receive their strength from Faith in one respect, as they do from the goodness of the nature of God and his veracity in another.

I have intimated before that it is from an apprehension which men have of Gods willingness to be reconciled to them, that inclines them to be [Page 138]reconciled to him. While men look upon God as a resolved irreconcilea­ble enemy to them; well they may dread him as the Devils do, but can­not love him nor be reconciled to him, no more perhaps than the Devils can. All the good thoughts of God, as of one that delights not in our destruction, but concerns himself for our salvation, and which any way incline us to be reconciled to him, take their rise from those declarati­ons which God hath made to us of his willingness and desire to be re­conciled to us upon supposition of our willingness to be reconciled to him. Hence it is that we are said to love God, because he first loved us (1 John 4.19.) and to be reconciled to God by the death of his Son, be­cause God thereby commended his love to us while we were yet sinners, and gave us an ample and full proof of his willingness to be reconciled to us, as making way thereby for it, Rom. 5.8, 9, 10. And thus God was in Christ reconciling the world unto him­self [Page 139]by assuring us of a readiness in him to be reconciled to us, and not to impute to us our trespasses; sup­posing still that we refuse not to be reconciled to him, 2 Cor. 5.19. By this declared willingness in God to be reconciled to us, and by his de­clared resolution not only to par­don us, but also to exalt us in im­mortal glory, provided we refuse not to be reconciled to him, but to punish us as obstinate rebels and irreconcileable enemies, if we do: I say it is by these motives that men are persuaded and prevailed withal to be reconciled to God; or to his nature, as when they become pleased with the same things which please him, and displeased with what is dis­pleasing to him: and to his Law and Government, as when they consent to the wisdom and goodness thereof, and accordingly submit to it as best.

But then it is by means of Faith that these motives do affect us and operate to our reconciliation to God. There is no other way to affect the [Page 140]soul with all the great things which God and Christ have done for us, and conditionally promised to us, but by means of this Faith. For we do not know that Christ is the Son of God, or for what end he died, nor that God will both pardon and give eternal Life to sinners upon conditi­on of their being reconciled to him, but by Divine Revelation: which Divine Revelation doth not affect us or operate upon us, further than it is believed. These motives not be­ing sensible objects, have no being in the soul and so no operation, till Faith give them a being there, by giving credit to that doctrine by which they are Revealed. For Faith is the substance or confidence of things hoped for, and the evidence or convi­ction of things not seen, Heb. 11.1. We know and believe the love that God hath to us, 1 John 4.16.

Faith, it is the great instrument of reconciling us to God, both as it acts upon its object, and as it acts upon its subject. Divine Revelation [Page 141]is its object, and by crediting that, the foresaid motives are received into the soul as real things. And then Faith acts upon its subject, the soul it self in which Faith dwells, by fixing the foresaid motives in the mind and working them into the will, by which the work of reconciliati­on and conversion unto God is wrought and brought about. In this way or in this respect, love to God, obedience to his Precepts, and all divine virtues and holiness of Life, flow from Faith. And therefore it's no marvel that Faith is mentioned in Scripture as the summary condition on which the Promises of the Gospel are made. Hence we may see the rea­son why sanctification is attributed to Faith, as it is, Acts 26.18. and more particularly the purity of the heart, love to God and men, and victory over the world, Acts 15.9. Gal. 5.6. 1 John 5.4. Yea the whole of Evan­gelical Righteousness of Godly sin­cerity both in heart and life, so often stiled the Righteousness of God, is [Page 142]said to be by Faith, as the next and immediate productive cause of it, un­der the operation of the Spirit of God, Phil. 3.9. Rom. 3.22. This Faith therefore having such an aptitude in it as I have shewed, to reconcile us unto God by renewing our nature and conforming us to him, without which Faith we could not by the great and precious promises them­selves, be made partakers of a di­vine nature, we may see reason enough why it is made the condition of the promises of the Gospel.

3. By affiance in God and in our Lord Jesus Christ, which is one special act of Faith, we give and ascribe un­to God, as much as in us lies, the glory of his attributes and the per­fections of his nature, his truth and faithfulness, power, wisdom and good­ness: which may be another reason why this honour is by God put up­on Faith, so as to be accounted to us for Righteousness, and to be made the condition of Gods making good to us the great promises of the Go­spel, [Page 143]forgiveness of sin and eternal Life. By this affiance we venture our selves soul and body, and our whole concern for all eternity, upon the truth of Gods word and promise, upon his faithfulness and power to perform it, and upon the all-suffici­ency of Christ Jesus to be our Sa­viour and Redeemer, when we com­mit our selves and the conduct of our lives wholly to his Rule and Government, out of a confident ex­pectation of having Gods promise made good to us, and of the suffi­ciency and prevalency of our Sa­viours performance for us. This trust and confidence, God is pleased to take as such a piece of honour done to him, as that the Scripture calls our receiving Gods testimony, a setting to our seal that God is true, John 3.33. a justifying of God a­gainst the jealousies and suspitions of men, and the reproach which their unbelief casts upon God, Luke 7.29. For he that believeth not the record which God hath given of his Son, [Page 144]hath made him a lier, 1 John 5.10. Thus Abraham gave glory to God when he staggered not at his promise through unbelief, but was fully per­suaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform, Rom. 4.20, 21. And in that he did thus give glory to God in believing, this in the next words is given as the reason why his Faith was imputed to him for Righ­teousness. Therefore, saith he, it was imputed to him for Righteousness, Ver. 22. And thus we see that God is pleased to honour that most in men, to wit, their Faith, by which they most honour him.

4. In what capacity those under the Gospel are, to perform the con­dition of the promise by believing. For Faith is mans act, what ever the assistances are by which he is enabled to perform it. With the heart man believeth unto Righteousness, saith St. Paul, Rom. 10.10. For our bet­ter understanding in what capacity men are of believing, it will be ne­cessary to consider, 1. What God [Page 145]hath done towards the working of Faith in men, antedecent to the act of believing. 2. What man himself can do through the antecedent Grace of God, towards his believing. 3. What subsequent Grace God does and will vouchsafe for the perfecting the work of Faith, and carrying it quite through, unto such as do not grosly neglect to do what they may and well can do, towards their own believing, by using and improving the antecedent Grace of God.

1. That which God hath done towards the raising of Faith in men antecedent to any act of Faith in them, or of any endeavours of theirs to­wards such a thing, is his vouchsafing unto them the Gospel, and the evi­dence of its Divinity, and by it to reveal to them the things which are to be believed. And this we call the objective Grace of God as well as the antecedent; and is that also which we call preventive Grace. And in these respects the Gospel is some­times stiled the Grace of God, and [Page 146]somtimes the Faith: for it is both the object of Faith, and a means to raise it in men: For Faith comes by hearing it, Rom. 10.17. In respect of this preventive antecedent Grace, God is said to have offered Faith to all men (so it is in the margent) in that he hath raised Christ from the dead; that is, to all to whom this is revealed by the Gospel, Acts 17.31. By this Revelation God hath vouch­safed unto all such as to whom it comes, means by which they may come to believe, if they be not greatly wanting to themselves.

2. Consider we next what men themselves can do towards the raising of this Faith in them by means of this antecedent objective Grace of God. 1. They can hear this Gospel as well as any other subject of discourse which is offered to their considera­tion, and this is one step towards their believing of it; for Faith comes by hearing, Rom. 10.17. 2. They can consider the things they hear from it, and that's another step to­wards [Page 147]believing. Thus the Bereans by considering of and searching into the things they heard, came to be­lieve, Acts 17.11, 12. They can con­sider whether they have not immor­tal souls to take care of as well as mortal bodies, and whether there be not a future state after this life: for of such things as these the Gospel treats. They can consider of such reasons when they hear them, as tend to satisfie the mind and reason of man, that there is such a future state. For Heathens by the Light of Na­ture without the Revelation of the Gospel, came so far as to be per­suaded of such a thing. And when by considering they come to be per­suaded either that there is such a future state, or that it's far more pro­bable that there is than that there is not, then they can hardly forbear to consider and think more or less, what is like to become of them in that future state. And upon suppo­sition that they are persuaded in their own minds that there is such a future [Page 148]state, they can no more put off a desire of being happy in it, than they can put off nature it self and cease to be men. They can discern a diffe­rence between moral good, and evil in very many things, and the diffe­rent tendency of them to their hap­piness or misery in the future state. They cannot, though they would, think that evil tends to the happi­ness, and good to the misery of that future state, but the contrary. They can consider and think on such things as by which the Holy Scripture di­rects to this happiness, as well as they can the Contents of other Books. Before men have debauched their natures by a custom of sinning, there is hardly any but have some such thoughts as these spring up more or less in their minds. And to what degree they do so, they have a ten­dency to bring men to a belief of the Gospel, and a good life, as I shall further shew afterwards,

3. The subsequent Grace of God and work of the Holy Spirit, is that [Page 149]by which the former considerations which had some tendency to Faith, are heightned, improved and carried on until such a Faith is produced in the soul, as is a believing unto Righ­teousness. And this seems to be done chiefly in some such way as this. First by presenting the objective Grace of God (the Gospel) more frequently to their consideration, and by hold­ing their thoughts more intently up­on the great and concerning matters contained therein, Secondly, by assist­ing the intellective faculties of the soul by more frequent and repeated con­siderations, to understand and discern the nature and import of the great doctrines of the Gospel, as containing Gods design of wisdom and goodness for the recovery of lost men from sin and destruction for sin, by Jesus Christ.

And by this means a greater light breaks into the soul, by which the evidence of the truth of what the Gospel reports, is better discerned than it was before, and so are a mans own great concerns for eterni­ty, [Page 150]which are therein laid open. And thereby also is the mind prevailed upon to assent to the truth of our Saviours doctrine in the Gospel, and the will to consent to act ac­cording to the great concerns of a mans soul. And therefore mens con­version is in Scripture, described by their being turned from darkness to light, by their being enlightned, and having the eyes of their understand­ing opened, and the like.

And somtimes this work of Faith or Grace in the soul, is ascribed to the former work of God upon the mind, viz. the holding the mind and thoughts unto a more close, serious and intent consideration of the great things of the Gospel, and a mans own great concerns therein. Thus in Jam. 1.25. Whoso looketh into the perfect Law of liberty and con­tinues therein (i.e. continues looking in­to it) he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Here we see one that continues his looking into [Page 151]the doctrine of the Gospel (which is meant by the Law of Liberty) and a forgetful hearer are opposed to each other, and so is a forgetful hearer and a doer of the work. By which it plainly appears, that the reason why the ones hearing ends in the doing of the work, and in being blessed in his deed, and the other does not, is for that the one con­siders and continues from time to time seriously to consider the weight and importance of what he hears, and of his own great concern in it; but the other does not, but is a forget­ful hearer; as little minds it, as if he were not concerned in it.

The same thing is doubtless meant by another Metaphor which the same Apostle had used, Verse 21. Where he calls the word which is able to save the soul, an ingrafted word. For if the word be able to save the soul but as it is an ingrafted word, then it becomes an effectual means of sal­vation, as it is fastened upon and let into the soul by serious considerati­on. [Page 152]on. For consideration answers the Metaphor of ingrafting here used. If the juice of a Cyon the Branch of a good Tree, turn the Sap of a Crab Tree Stock into it's own nature, and cause it to bring forth better fruit than before, it is by means of being let into it and bound fast upon it, that it does so. In like manner if the word turn the temper of the soul in­to its own nature by mingling with it, it is by means of consideration, which unites the word and the mind, and binds it upon the soul. For the word does not work after the manner of a Charm or Spell, but ope­rates in a way of rational conside­ration. For this is the way of the Spirits working by the word. When men with open Face behold as in a Glass the glory of the Lord, they are changed into the same image as it were by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. 3.18. The Holy Spirit works this change indeed, but it is by the Gospel, and by the Gospel looked into, beheld and well considered.

This considering temper of mind, seems to be signified by the good ground in the Parable, by which those are resembled, who when they have heard the word, keep it, to wit, in their minds and under consideration; in opposition to those other hearers of the Gospel, who for a total want of consideration, immediately lose all they hear, as those do who are re­sembled by the high-way on which some seed fell, where it had no co­vering at all: And in opposition to those who for want of much consi­deration, wither when persecution comes, like those resembled by the rocky ground on which some of the seed was sown, where there was not much earth to give it sufficient root­ing and nourishment: And also in opposition to those who through an insufficient degree of consideration, have the word driven out of their minds, or weakened in its operation, by the over-powering thoughts, cares, and pleasures of this present life, as those resembled by the thorny ground [Page 154]have; and so bring forth no fruit to perfection, but only the ear with­out the full corn in the ear, Luke 8.

In this thing, then which we call Consideration, seems to lie the diffe­rence between those who hear the Gospel so as effectually to believe it, and those other several sorts of hearers, who though they hear it, yet do not believe it to the saving of their souls. For which cause it may well be that the Author to the Hebrews, presseth the Christians who were in danger of withering like the Corn which had not much earth, through heat of persecution, to give the more earnest heed to the things which they had heard, lest at any time they should let them slip, viz. out of their minds, Heb. 2.1. David, no doubt, well knew of how great concernment it is to have good things kept warm upon the mind by often repeated consideration, when he prayed thus unto God: Keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts [Page 155]of the hearts of thy people, and pre­pare their heart unto thee. 1 Chro. 29.18.

We have seen now in part what men (by advantage of the Gospel which is the preventive Grace of God, antecedent to all endeavours of ours) can do towards their own believing: And likewise what that subsequent Grace is by which we are enabled to believe throughly and ef­fectually unto Righteousness and Sal­vation. There is yet one thing more to be taken into consideration, be­fore we can so well be resolved as then we may, in what capacity men are of performing the condition of the promise of pardon and Life: And therefore I shall add that one thing more, which is this.

4. We have assurance given us of having the subsequent Grace of God conferred upon us to enable us to believe unto Righteousness, if we do not grosly neglect to do what we can do towards our believing, in using and improving the antecedent [Page 156]Grace of God. See this clearly proved by that of our Saviour, Mark 4.24, 25. Where he speaks to his followers and hearers thus. Take heed what you hear: with what ineasure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. By which our Saviour seems to mean, that men shall receive be­nefit by the Gospel, according as they attend to and consider their own great concerns handled in it: And that if by thus doing they do not neglect but use and improve this antecedent Grace, that then more shall be given; to wit, more means and more help to believe; which is the subsequent Grace I have been speaking of, by which men are tho­rowly enabled to believe unto Righ­teousness, and so unto Pardon and Life.

These words of our Saviour, which according to our translation we read, [Page 157] Take heed what you hear, are rendred by Dr. Hammond, Consider what you hear. So that it seems, Take heed what you hear, does in this place signifie, Take heed to what you hear, or to give heed to it as those do who consider of it and weigh the import of it, as whether they are concerned in it, and if yea, then how far. And the reason which our Saviour adds to inforce this Precept and direction of his, shews this to be the sense of it. For he says, With what measure we mete, it shall be measured to us, to wit, in the bles­sing and benefit designed us by send­ing the Gospel to us, which is to bring us to believe unto Righteousness, that so we may be saved. And he adds again, that to those that hear, viz. that thus hear, more shall be given, and backs this also with that general rule mentioned five times in three of the Evangelists: for he that hath, to him shall be given, and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. Now what can [Page 158]the measure be which is meted in hearing the Gospel, to which the promise of receiving more is made? but an attentive consideration who it is that speaks, what he speaks, and of what concernment it is. And what can that measure be which is meted in hearing, which is threat­ned with a remanding of what had been deposited in their hands, but a not minding, regarding, or con­sidering the weight of what is spo­ken, nor how they are concerned in it?

If this then be the meaning of our Saviour, as I doubt not but it is; then we see the promise of Divine assistance is made to such endeavours of ours, as we are capable of using, through that providence of God by which mans faculties are sustained and assisted to operate according to what is proper to the nature of them. So that if any man who enjoys the Gospel, perish, it is through his own neglect to do what he was able to have done towards his own belie­ving: [Page 159]It is indeed for his not be­lieving, but then the reason of his not believing and the fault of it, is imputable only unto him and lies wholly at his door. Because he might have believed and would certainly have been enabled to be­lieve, if he had not grosly neg­lected to do what he could and might have done towards it.

If this were not so, that men might as certainly believe, repent and make themselves new hearts (if they can but be persuaded to do what they can do towards it) as if they had all the power requisite thereto in their own hands; then to what purpose are they required by God in Scripture as they are, to believe, to make themselves new hearts, and to repent and turn themselves from all their transgressions, to circumcise their hearts, to wash their hearts from wicked­ness, to cleanse themselves from all fil­thiness of flesh and Spirit? or why and in what respect else can men be said to save themselves? Which [Page 160]yet they are, 1 John 3.23. Ezek. 18.30, 31, 32. and 14.6. Deut. 10.16. Jer. 4.14. 2 Cor. 7.1. 1 Tim. 4.16. It is from the certainty of Gods cooperating with mens endeavours to the producing of these effects, if men fail not to do what they well may do, that these effects are ascribed to men as well as unto God; though God be indeed the principal Agent beyond all comparison, and men but in a very inferior degree the sub­ordinate. Though salvation be of the Lord, and that besides him there is no Saviour, in a sense proper to him, yet in a sense proper to mens endeavours, St. Paul disdained not to assure Timothy, that if he took heed to himself and to his doctrine, and continued therein, that then in so doing he should both save himself and those that heard him. 1 Tim. 4.16.

It is a common thing in Scripture where several free Agents concur to the producing of the same effect, to attribute the effect to both, though [Page 161]the Agency of the one of them be never so inferiour to the other. Thus though God is said to give a new heart and a new spirit, and to circumcise the heart ( Ezek. 36.26. Deut. 30.6.) yet men are still sup­posed to be in some capacity to make themselves new hearts, and to circumcise their own hearts, in as much as they are required to do it, as I have shewed: That is, they are supposed to be in a capacity to do somthing towards it, though very little in comparison of what is done by God therein, when it is done in­deed. Thus again men are required to work out their own salvation, when yet it is God that worketh in them both to will and to do of his good pleasure, Phil. 2.12, 13. Which is not so to be understood as if God did work in them to will and to do exclusive of all endeavours of theirs: for if that had been his meaning, he would thereby have rendred his own exhortation and the reason of it useless, in persuading [Page 162]them to work out their own salva­tion for that reason, because it is God which worketh in them both to will and to do of his good plea­sure. Nor yet is it so to be under­stood on the other hand as if men could do all of themselves which is necessary for the working out or carrying the business of their salva­tion quite through, without super­natural assistance. But his meaning then seems to be, that it is the good will and pleasure of God to work in such men both to will and to do to the saving of their souls, who do endea­vour through the preventive and concomitant Grace of God, to do what they can do towards it. When the work of Grace in man is ascri­bed to God and Christ, it is not to be understood exclusively of all endeavours of men. When our Sa­viour speaking of his Disciples bring­ing forth fruit, saith, without me ye can do nothing; he does not say nor mean, that with him they could do nothing. When it was said to the [Page 163] Israelites, Deut. 8. it is God that giveth you power to get wealth, their own endeavours in that acquisiti­on, were not excluded, but the mean­ing was, I suppose, that the means, the opportunities and advantages on that behalf, were of God, and the ordering of his good providence to­wards them. Though Solomon says in one place, The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, yet he saith in another, The diligent hand maketh rich. Though it be but very little which man doth towards his believing in comparison of what God doth, yet the effect of that doing, the act of believing, is still from place to place ascribed unto men; for it is they are ascribed unto men; for it is they that are said to believe. How much soever God doth in pro­ducing Faith in men, yet therein still mans faculties are preserved in such a free use and exercise, as is proper to such a creature as God hath made man to be, and from thence it is de­nominated his act, as I have said.

Now then if this were not so, that God hath by advantage of the Gospel where it comes, given so much power unto men of acting to­wards their own believing, and so much assurance of his further assistance to enable them to believe unto Righ­teousness, if they grosly neglect not to do what they can do towards it: I say if this were not so, how can it possibly stand with the infinite goodness of the nature of God, for him to damn men for not believing, or with the sincerity of such sayings of his in which he hath declared, That he is not willing that any man should perish, and that he would have all men to be saved, (2 Pet. 3.9. 1 Tim. 2.4.) How will God be justi­fied in this in the sight of Angels and men, and in the consciences of condemned sinners themselves, if their unbelief and perishing for it, were not through their own neglect? And how else could mens destructi­on be said, as it is, to be of them­selves? Hos. 13.9.

We see then from the nature of the thing and the honor of God, as concerned in it, as well as from the evidence of Scripture, what rea­son we have to hold that all men under the Gospel, are in such a ca­pacity of performing the condition of the promise of Pardon and Life by believing, as that if they do it not, it is through their own gross and wilful neglect to do what they might have done towards it. And for any to make God so the Author of mens destruction, as to affirm that he never put them into a capacity of pre­venting it by believing, is a daring undertaking, whoever ventures up­on it, and tends to tempt men to think dishonorably of the goodness of God, and of the truth and sin­cerity of his declarations in his word.

To say, God did give such men power in Adam, will not salve the business. For we cannot say that any such power was given to Adam himself before his fall, much less that all his Posterity had such a power [Page 166]in him. We cannot say that Adam had power to do more than what was necessary to continue him in that state in which God created him, and consequently we cannot say that God gave him power to repent when he had no occasion for it, or power to believe the Gospel, when there was no Revelation of it, nor occasion for such a Revelation. No, this power depends upon an after-work of Grace through our Blessed Re­deemer.

Nor is this doctrine touching the power which God hath given unto men of acting towards their own believing, at all contrary to that where men are said to have believed through grace, Acts 18.27. or to that where Faith is said to be the gift of God. For it is through the preven­tive and antecedent Grace of God, as I have said, that they are enabled to act towards their believing. For though what they do towards their own believing, is by a free use of their natural faculties, yet it is by [Page 167]means of the preventive and ante­cedent Grace of God, to wit, the Gospel, that those faculties act any thing towards their believing the Go­spel. For without such an object of Faith as the Gospel is, mens fa­culties could act nothing towards the believing of it. And then further, though men do exercise their na­tural faculties upon the objective Grace of God, and thereby act som­thing towards their own believing; Yet in that hereupon more power is given them to believe h [...]lie, ef­fectually and fully to Righteousness and Salvation, this power is from the subsequent Grace of God. So that the whole business of believing from the beginning to the end of it, is of Grace; first of Grace antece­dent, and then of Grace subsequent.

There is only so much of man in raising Faith in him, as belongs to the free use of his natural powers and faculties. The Grace of God in working Faith, does not put new faculties into man, nor destroy that [Page 168]freedom which is proper to the will as such: It only rectifies and regu­lates the motions and operations of the will in reference to its objects. So that the change is not natural, but moral. And this moral change in rectifying and regulating the acts and motions of the will, is made partly by opening the understanding and enlightening the mind better to discern the nature of things, and whereto they tend. And this is done partly by holding the thoughts more frequen [...]y and more intently upon things that concern the soul and a­nother life: and partly by assisting and strengthening the understanding in making a right judgment of things. And then the will is prevailed upon to chuse the right end, and the way to it, by having the great mo­tives of the Gospel kept upon it, by a more frequent and constant consideration. For by that more fre­quent consideration, and by the il­lumination of the mind about the great motives of the Gospel, the [Page 169]power and force of those motives is better felt by the Will. So that as a man comes to have other ap­prehensions of things by illuminati­on of the mind, so he comes to have other affections for them in the acts and motions of his will. This change thus made in the mnid and will, is called the renewing of the Holy Ghost, because it is his work upon and by both, Tit. 3.5. and a being renewed in the spirit of the mind, Eph. 4.23. It is a restoring the natural faculties that were depraved in their opera­tions, to their right use and exercise for which they were made, which was to act for the honor of their maker and for their own happi­ness, and not contrarywise as they do, when perverted by the power of sin. This renovation in the na­tural faculties therefore tends to the perfecting of our nature. For which cause perhaps men thus renewed, are in Scripture stiled perfect in the favourable sense of Grace. This one thing is further to be noted, That [Page 170]whatever is done upon the natural faculties of mind and will by the Gospel, or by the Spirit of God, to change and renew them, is also done by those faculties. Men are not made to understand or believe the Gospel which they did not before, otherwise than by exercising their mind and will about it.

By all this then it appears, I hope, that what is ascribed unto man in acting towards his own believing, is no ways contrary to Grace, unless you will say an effect cannot be of Grace, if the natural faculties have any thing to do in the producing of it, as they must, if it be mans act.

I might shew how that the Go­spel by the giving of which God hath been aforehand with us and prevented all endeavours of ours, is of it self and in the very nature of it, so apt to work upon the human faculties, and to incline men to em­brace it, if they would but a little attend to it and consider it, (which one would think they might easily [Page 171]do, if they would, before their na­tures are debauched by a custom of sinning) I say, it is so apt to gain upon them, that it hardly fails to do so more or less, but where it meets with such as wilfully call off their natural faculties from attending to it and the things it treats of, and that imploy them about objects of another nature, as those did who in the Parable of our Saviour are said to be invited to the Supper which a King made for his Son, when they made their several excuses. This is well represented by our Saviour when he says of such, that they closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted and I should heal them, Mat. 13.15. These are words which seem to sig­nifie more than a bare omission or neglect, and denote a kind of opposi­tion, a striving with themselves not to think upon or to be affected with things of that nature, as those [Page 172]of a spiritual concern are. And such people do not only not incline their ears to hear, nor give ear to hear, as the Scripture speaks, but they turn away their ear from hearing: they reject the word of the Lord, and the counsel of God against themselves.

We do not therefore attribute any such great matter unto men, when we say that they by the advantage of the Gospel, may do so much to­wards their own believing, if they will, as would through the help of Gods Holy Spirit (who is always ready to assist mens honest and good endeavours) issue and end in an ef­fectual believing. Nay, there is so much of the Grace of God vouch­safed towards the calling of men by the very sending of the Gospel to them, as will in all probability prevail upon them, if they do not much oppose, resist and strive against its prevailing upon them, as I have shewed: For the Gospel is the power of God to Salvation.

Now then if this be true, that [Page 173]God by means of his antecedent Grace, hath given such power unto men, of acting towards their believ­ing unto Righteousness, as hath been said there is; then there is very great reason this should be made known to them, and that they should not be made believe that they have no more power of acting towards their own Salvation, than there is in a dead man to raise himself to life. I say there is great reason for this, because their Salvation or Damnation are much con­cerned in it. For to persuade men that they have no power to act to­wards their believing, is the direct way to take them off from the use of means tending thereto. For what greater discouragement can be given unto men to attempt a thing, than to persuade them that they have no power of accomplishing it if they do. As good never a whit as never the better, as the Proverb runs.

The quite contrary is doubtless to be done by such as would not betray mens souls to destruction, nor [Page 174]lay a stumbling block in their way, nor cramp their endeavours in seek­ing to be saved. They should be throughly acquainted with what pow­er God hath put into their hands of being saved if they will, by having given them his Gospel and power to hear and consider the terms of Salva­tion that are therein offered to them, and the powerful motives that tend to persuade them to believe and obey it. They should be brought to a great sense that God is not nor will be wanting to them in his Grace and assistance, nor in the matter of their salvation, if they be not greatly wanting to themselves in not doing what they may and can do towards it. That God hath set life and death before them and persuaded them to chuse life, and that he hath given them power to do so much towards it, by the helps wherewith he hath prevented them, as that he will not fail to give them so much more as shall put them into an immediate ca­pacity of salvation, if they will but [Page 175]make such use as they may and can, of that which he hath already given them: And that therefore if they perish, it is of their own choice, be­cause they judg themselves unworthy of everlasting life. And that for this cause they will be left without all excuse if they perish, and that God will be justified in their condemna­tion, in that he hath done that which was sufficient on his part to have pre­vented it.

It was not the manner of our Saviour to persuade men that they could do nothing towards their own salvation, but complains of them say­ing, ye will not come to me that ye might have life: how oft would I have gathered you as a Hen ga­thereth her Chickens under her wings, and ye would not; and expostulates the matter with them, saying, yea and why even of your selves judg ye not what is right: And from time to time cryed to them in his doctrin with an extended voice, saying, who­soever hath ears to hear let them hear: [Page 176]meaning, that if they would make use of their teachable and conside­rative faculties in any thing, then about those things he preached a­mong them. And upbraided those that would not, when they had eyes to see, and ears to hear, other things wherein they were nothing so much concerned as they were in his do­ctrine, saying, they seeing, see not, and hearing, hear not, neither do they un­derstand. And can any man that thinks well of our Saviour, wisely think also that he upbraided them for not doing that which they had no power to do.

Nevertheless although it be Gods ordinary declared method of pro­ceeding with men in reference to their salvation, to add a subsequent power to enable such to believe un­to Righteousness, who had not grosly neglected to use and improve the an­tecedent power and Grace which had been vouchsafed them before: yet doubtless God always reserves unto himself a liberty of acting ex­traordinarily [Page 177]in a way of Grace to­wards men, where and when and to what degree he pleaseth, though they have not improved, but grosly neglected their first talents. Several instances of this nature there have been in men whose natures and lives have been debauched with a cu­stom of sinning, who yet have been surprised as it were on a suddain, and their consciences awakened and let loose upon them, either by a Sermon, or some great affliction, or some other providence, and such a change presently wrought, that they have afterward become very good men. And so God hath been found of those that sought him not, as the Prophet speaks; as he was by the extraordinary Conversion of those of the Gentile Nations upon the first going out of the Gospel among them, many of whom till then had lived without God in the world, as the Apostle speaks.

Now this liberty of shewing more Grace and favour to some than to [Page 178]othres, God may well make use of, and yet no man have cause to com­plain that he does so, so long as he is not wanting to the rest in that which is sufficient unto their Salva­tion, but puts it within their own power to be saved, if they will. So that if they perish, it is through their own wilful neglect to do what they might have done. Indeed God can no more wrong one creature than another, because he cannot but do right to all: But in dispensing fa­vours, it is nowise unbecoming his wisdom and goodness, to do more for one creature than for anotheer; no more than it was in the work of Crea­tion, when he did not make all Men Angels, nor all Brutes Men. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thy eye evil because I am good? saith the Housholder in the Parable, to him that murmured for that he that laboured but one hour in the Vineyard, had as much as the hire of another for a whole day came to, Mat. 20.15.

Since then it is but Gods unusual and extraordinary way to convert some such men by surprising them with the mighty operations of his Grace, as had in a manner wholly neglected the improvement of their first Talents, the antecedent Grace of God: And since he hath made no promise of doing so for any man, but rather on the contrary threatened to take away from such that which they had received before; It remains then that no man presume or take any encouragement to neglect Gods ordinary and prescribed way and means of attaining to Grace and Sal­vation, in hope that God should go out of his usual way to meet with them and to convert them in a way and manner that is unusual and ex­traordinary. No man in his wits will act by such measures in things pertaining to this present life and the outward man. Some men we now and then see have strange and fortunate hits in the world, Estates conferred on them unexpectedly with­out [Page 180]any labour or industry of theirs. But will any man in hopes it may so fall out with him, neglect to la­bour in his calling for a lively-hood? To be sure no man worthy the name of a man will. What folly then is to be compared with that which such men commit, that despise their own souls in taking less care for them, though of eternal durati­on, than for this short and transitory life?

But yet although God hath not promised that any shall have, but those that ask, nor find except they seek, nor have it opened to them, unless they knock; to the end that none might promise themselves an obtaining without so doing: And although God vouchsafeth unto men the Gospel as a means sufficient of it self to persuade them to consider their eternal concerns, and to look after them more than any thing that concerns only this present life, and to learn them without all excuse if they do not: Yet when I consider [Page 181]the exceeding riches of the good­ness of God, and how full of com­passion he is, and how unwilling he is that any should perish; I cannot, I confess, but think that he does more to prevent the destruction even of those that do perish, than what is absolutely necessary and barely suf­ficient to prevent it, if men did not through their own obstinacy and wil­fulness receive such Grace of God in vain. I cannot but think that God does more to bring men to re­pentance, both those that do and those that do not actually and even­tually repent, than what he ever promised or engaged himself to do, by his spirits striving with them by many inward and secret motions and operations upon their minds and con­sciences, until by long and obstinate resistance, the good spirit is caused to withdraw his applications; by which withdrawing that which they before had, is taken from them, ac­cording to what is threatned to such as will not improve their Talent, [Page 182]and they delivered up to a repro­bate mind to be hardened. Why should we not think but that God is as ready by his Holy Spirit to ex­cite and stir up men to that which tends to their happiness, as evil spi­rits are to tempt them to that which tends to their destruction? When all the methods whereby God seeketh to bring men to repentance are thwarted and withstood, the Holy Ghost is in Scripture then said to be resisted: Which shews, that the Holy Ghost is much concerned in those me­thods.

I doubt not but that when the Scripture saith that God would have all men to be saved, we may safely conclude, that he useth all means both internal and external to effect it, so far as is agreeable to his per­fect and unerring wisdom, when all circumstances in the case are weighed and considered; and that it is really better and will appear so one day, that such men should perish which do perish, rather than any more [Page 183]should be done by God to prevent it, than he hath done before destru­ction befal them. And it is better, not because God takes more plea­sure in the damnation than in the salvation of such as perish, simply and in it self considered: For he himself hath told us, and sworn it, lest we should not firmly believe it, That he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live, Ezek. 33.11. But it is better in reference to the publick good of his Creation in general, the peace and good order whereof is thereby secured, which otherwise was and still would be disquieted and put into confusion by them, as it is now by the Devils, while they are not shut up in Prison, as hereafter they will be. This reason of the punish­ment of such as have neglected their own Salvation, as it refers to this publick good, is implyed in those words of our Saviour, Mat. 13.41. Where he says, The Son of man shall send forth his Angels, and they shall [Page 184]gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and in those likewise, Ver. 49. where he says, so shall it be at the end of the world: the Angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just. And another reason among others of such mens punishment referring to the publick good, is, That virtue and goodness on the one hand, and wickedness and vice on the other, might the better appear to be what they are in their own nature, by their sensible effects, and so be loved or hated according­ly; which we cannot conceive they would ever be so effectually as now they are and will be, if they were not attended with rewards and punish­ments by the wise ordering of the Author and Governor of all beings. It was by the sensible effects of eat­ing of the forbidden Tree, that Adam had that knowledg of evil as differing from good, which he had not before. Now such knowledg of the the difference between good and evil by rewards and punishments, is [Page 185]of great use in the universal King­dom and Government of God. And if it were not better in reference to the general good, that men should perish for their wilful neglect and refusal to make use of such means to prevent their destruction, as God hath vouchsafed them, and by the use whereof they might have pre­vented it if they would, we could not well conceive how there should be any such thing as the destruction of wicked men, other than what lies in the very nature of their sin it self, (it putting the course of nature into disorder, confusion and torture) so long as God takes no pleasure in their destruction for their destructi­on sake.

So much may suffice to shew in what capacity men are of perform­ing the condition on which the par­don of sin and eternal life are pro­mised; which performance is of ab­solute and indispensible necessity to their justification. And if in doing this I have said more than was barely [Page 186]necessary to this end, yet perhaps not more than was necessary to pre­vent mens misunderstanding misinter­pretation and misimprovement of what was necessarily said on that head of discourse; considering how apt some of weak minds are, to suspect, if not to cry out Pelagianism, where any ability in men to work out their own salvation, is mentioned, though there be not the least ground for it.

5. The last thing I proposed to inquire into concerning Faith, is how we may conceive that Faith does more immediately operate to our ju­stification. And what hath been said already touching Faith in the fore­mentioned particulars, may with a little reflection upon them, satisfie us in this enquiry. For such a Faith as I have described, a Faith that is a vital and vigorous principle of Re­generation and of a holy life, does Operate to our Justification as it is our Covenant-Righteousness, as it is the performance of the condition on [Page 187]which pardon of sin and eternal Life are promised. For as it is such and as it comprehends in it its proper effects, it doth constitute those in whomsoever it is found, Righteous persons according to the tenor of the Gospel-Covenant, and so quali­fies them to be so adjudged by God against all accusations to the con­trary by what or by whomsoever. It is that which makes their cause good when they come to be tried and judged by the Law of Liberty, be­cause it is all which that Law re­quires to denominate them Righteous, and to entitle them to the benefit of that Law. This Righteousness of Faith is the essential matter or ma­terial cause of our Justification, with­out which no such thing could be, and supposing which, it cannot but be, so long as the Gospel-Covenant stands in force. It makes those that have it, the proper subjects of Justi­fication: for as God will condemn the wicked, so he will most cer­tainly Justifie the Righteous, such as [Page 188]are made so by his own Grace: without respect of persons he judg­eth acocrding to every mans work and the nature of his cause. In these and the like respects doth the Righ­teousness of Faith operate to our Justification. These things stand pro­ved in what hath been said before in opening the nature of the Co­venant of Grace, and the nature of Faith and the reason of its designa­tion by God to its Office and work. And may be yet further confirmed by those Scriptures where Faith is said to be counted and imputed to us for Righteousness, as it was to Abra­ham, Rom. 4.3, 6, 11, 22, 24. Gal. 3.6. Gen. 15.6. Jam. 2.23. For if God count it to us for Righteous­ness, then it is our Righteousness: for God accounts of things but as they are when they are what they are of his own making, as this Righteousness of Faith is. And if this Faith be our Righteousness in Gods account, then they must needs be Righteous in his account that are [Page 189]Righteous with this Righteousness, and be approved of and adjudged such by him. And thus Faith ope­rates to our Justification as it is the essential and intrinsical matter of our Justification.

CHAP. V. How God himself operates to our Ju­stification.

I Come now in the last place to enquire in what respects Justifi­cation is attributed to God, and what his operation is in producing this great effect of Justifying such as have been sinners. That he doth Justifie believers by some acts pro­per to him, is no Christians doubt. It is one God which shall Justifie the Circumcision by Faith, and the Ʋn­circumcision through Faith, Rom. 3.30. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? it is God that justifieth, Rom. 8.33.

Now God may be said to Justifie in several respects, some more re­mote, and some more proximate and immediate. God is the Author, Spring and Fountain, and principal efficient cause of all other causes that any way concur or cooperate to our Ju­stification. Christ himself which is the foundation stone in this building, by virtue of whose Mediatorial Righ­teousness we are Justified, he is made to us of God, Wisdom and Righteous­ness, 1 Cor. 1.30. It is also God which hath given being to the new Covenant which is the Covenant of his Grace, by virtue of which also we are Justified. And the Righteousness of Faith which is the matter of our Justification, is of Gods working in us by his Spirit. Whence it is that both our Sanctification and Justifica­tion, are attributed to the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 6.11. But ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

But that which we have now principally to consider, is, what that [Page 191]last act is or those last acts are by which God Justifies us. And his operation herein is judicial; for he Justifies as a Judg, and therein pro­ceeds by his own Law of Grace, as the rule of judging of men and their cause. And Gods judicial Justifica­tion of men, doth stand I conceive in these two things principally.

1. God in justifying of men ap­proves of them for such as have per­formed the condition, on which he in the Covenant of Grace promised pardon of sin and eternal Life: That is, he approves of them for true be­lievers and such as have given up themselves to obey the Gospel, to live according to the doctrine of their Saviour, and adjudgeth them to be such.

2. Those whom God approveth of as true and sincere observers of the new Law, the Gospel or Cove­nant of Grace, those he adjudgeth to be Righteous persons, and that Faith of theirs by which they have ful­filled it, to be their Righteousness. [Page 192]True believers and such as have gi­ven up themselves to obey the Go­spel, they are Justified by the Go­spel; that is, they are Righteous in the sense and meaning of that Law. For that practical obediential Faith of theirs, is their conformity to this Law of Christ the Gospel, and there­fore it must needs be their Evangelical Righteousness. But there is this dif­ference between being justified by the Gospel, as it is the new Law of Grace, and by being justified by God: The Gospel-Covenant pro­nounceth all true believers in Gene­ral to be Righteous persons, but doth not determine whether this or that person in particular be a true believer, and so a Righteous man or woman. But God in justifying men determineth and adjudgeth this and that man in special to be a true be­liever, and therefore a Righteous man in the sence of the Law of Grace. It is the work of a Judg to apply the Law as a general rule, to the special cases of particular men, and [Page 193]to justifie or condemn men in par­ticular in reference to their particular cases, by and according to the ge­neral rule of the Law. And so doth God the Judg of all, in the case be­fore us. He knows and considers every man in particular, whether he be a true believer or not: And those whom he finds to be so, those he adjudgeth to be Righteous ac­cording to the tenor of the Go­spel, which is his justifying of them.

Now that God justifieth men this way and after this manner, does I conceive plainly and fully appear by those Scriptures which tell us, that God doth justifie us by Faith, and that he doth impute or account Faith to us for Righteousness. One vein of Scriptures acquaints us that God justifieth us by Faith and through Faith, Rom. 3.28, 30. and 5.1. Gal. 2.16. and 3.8. By another vein of Texts we are told, that God im­putes, accounts and reckons Faith to us for Righteousness. Gen. 15.6. Rom. 4.3, 5, 11, 22, 24. Gal. 3.6. [Page 194] Jam. 2.23. Now these two veins of Scripture put together, the sense that results out of them is I think plainly this, That God justifies us by accounting our Faith to us for Righ­teousness. This is so plain, as that I know not what can well be plai­ner. In the one vein it's said that God justifieth us by Faith: in the other that he imputes and reckons Faith to us for Righteousness. And for God to account Faith to us for Righteousness, and to reckon and adjudg us to be Righteous upon the account of our Faith, signifies I think, the same thing.

That God justifies men by ap­proving and adjudging them to be Righteous by being true believers, and therein conformable to the terms of the Gospel, on which the pro­mises of it are made, will further appear, if we consider Justification in a notion opposite to condemna­tion. In condemnation or when men are condemned by God, they are convicted of a double guilt. [Page 195]First, of a guiltiness of fault; that they are guilty of such transgressi­on of the Law by which they are tryed, as is damnable in the sense of that Law. Secondly, of the guilt of penalty, upon which they are adjuged and sentenced to suffer that penalty: The guilt of fault of which they are convicted and for which they are con­demned to suffer the penalty, is final infidelity, impenitence and wilful diso­bedience to the Gospel.

Now God in justifying men, does as Judg vindicate and defend them against all accusations, from being guilty of such unbelief, impenitency and disobedience; which vindicati­on and defence, is the same thing with his adjudging them to be true believers, penitent, and such as have delivered up themselves sincerely to obey the Laws of their Saviour, which is his justifying of them.

And now having thus endeavoured to open and explain the doctrine, the nature and notion of Justifica­tion in its several causes; I shall now [Page 196]recapitulate or rehearse in a few words, the sum and substance of what hath been more largely discoursed about it; to the end the whole of it may come under our view at once.

The obedience of Christ to the Law of Mediation in dying for us does operate to our Justification, by obtaining terms of Gods being re­conciled to us: and his obedience to the same Law in publishing the Gospel, does operate to the same end, by persuading us by it to be reconciled to God in observing those terms, upon the observation of which, we become justified by God as well as reconciled to him, and justified be­cause reconciled.

The new Covenant operates to our Justification, by virtue of the death of Christ by which it was ob­tained, as it is a new Law of Grace, stating, setling, and setting forth the benefits therein promised; par­don of sin and eternal Life, and also the terms on which these benefits are [Page 197]to be conferred and received, to wit, a vigorous and operative Faith: and this Covenant further operates to our Justification, as by the pro­mise of the foresaid benefits, it is Gods great instrument to persuade men to observe and perform those terms or that condition in believing, on which they are promised, which performance is that which qualifies us for the blessing of being Justifi­ed.

Faith operates to our Justificati­on as it is the performance of the condition on which the promise of the Pardon of sin and eternal Life is made through Christ: and as that Faith is the new Covenant-Righ­teousness, and so the matter of our Justification.

Almighty God himself operates to our Justification, as he reckons, imputes, and counts this Faith to us for Righteousness, and as he does approve each one that hath this Faith as a Righteous person accord­ing to the tenor of his own Law of [Page 198]Grace, and as he doth adjudg him to be so.

Having as I conceive now com­petently proved that Gods judi­cial Justifying of us, stands in his adjudging us to have performed the condition on which he hath pro­mised Pardon of sin and eternal Life, in that we have believed the Go­spel and delivered up ourselves to the conduct of it; and likewise in accounting this Faith to us for Righ­teousness, and in approving of us as Righteous hereupon: I shall now proceed to shew somewhat of the difference that is between Justifica­tion and Remission of Sins, at least as I apprehend it.

CHAP. VI. Of the difference between Justification and Remission of sin.

THere is doubtless such a thing as a real difference between Ju­stification and Remission of sin. For when St. Paul saith that Christ is made to us of God Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption, 1 Cor. 1.30. he certainly means somthing else by Redemption than he doth by Righteousness. That by Righteousness in this place he means Justification, I think none will deny. By Re­demption doubtless he means a de­liverance first and last from all the evils and miseries we suffer or have deserved by reason of sin: deliver­ance and exemption from which, is properly pardon in act. And indeed St. Paul in another place explains Re­demption by Pardon, when he says, in whom we have Redemption through [Page 200]his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Col. 1.14. We see then that St. Paul did reckon Justification and Remis­sion of sins to be two distinct things, benefits of a different nature. I shall now name to you some of those things wherein they differ.

1. Justification is Gods adjudging us to have performed the condition in believing, on which he hath made promise of Pardon. But Pardon it self is his conferring that benefit up­on us which he conditionally had pro­mised. By the one God approves of us as having done our part and duty in keeping Covenant with him: By the other he keeps Covenant with us in performing what he promised. And therefore Justification and Re­mission of sin seem to differ as much as Gods adjudging us to have per­formed the condition on which he promised Pardon, differs from actual Pardon it self; and as much as his adjudging us to have kept Covenant with him, differs from his keeping Covenant with us.

2. By Justification we are acquitted and absolved from being guilty of infidelity, impenitency and insincerity of obedience: But we are not thereby ac­quitted and absolved from being guilty of all other sins, but come to be dis­charged from them by way of Par­don, whether they be sins against the Law or against the Gospel, whether wilful and presumptuous sins before conversion, yea former infidelity and impenitency, or of human frailty and infirmity after, together with all de­fects and imperfections of duty to­wards God and towards man. A pardon of all these is promised on condition of that Faith with its ef­fects, by which God Justifies us and approves of us as Righteous and good men, according to the tenor of the Gospel or new Covenant. But then Gods pardoning these sins, and his Justifying us as not guilty of pre­sent infidelity, impenitency, and in­sincerity of obedience, on which he promised Pardon, are things greatly different.

Some because they cannot under­stand how we can be justified by any Righteousness but such as is commen­surate and adequate to the demands of the Law: and because there is none to be found in any man but in our Saviour himself; therefore they think we cannot be Justified any o­ther way than by having his personal numerical Righteousness transferred to us and so made ours, as that we by it may be accounted to have fulfilled the whole Law and answered all the demands of it. But such should con­sider that we do not come off from the charge that lies against us for not answering the demands of the Law, by our fulfilling it by another, but by being Pardoned by virtue of Christs atonement, and by virtue of the new Law of Grace which he hath obtained by his obedience, we per­forming the condition, on which Par­don is procured and promised; which performance, God according to his Grace in the Gospel, counts to us for Righteousness.

3. That Righteousness of Faith by which we are Justified, qualifies us for the positive happiness and glory of the next world: but so does not Re­mission of sin as such. That opera­tive Faith by which God Justifies us, renews our nature and makes us in­herently Righteous, without which we cannot suppose that God would adjudg us Righteous; without which neither can we so much as see the Kingdom of God or be capable of enjoying the heavenly state. But now this renovation in our nature, is not made by Remission of sin. That makes a change in a mans state in­deed, but the change which is made in our nature by which we are made capable of the heavenly glory, is by that Faith and the Righteousness of it, by which we are Justified. And therefore there is a great difference between the Righteousness of Justi­fication and Remission of sin in this respect also.

By reason of which difference, I cannot understand how it can be truly [Page 204]said, That Justification by Remission of sin (as some phrase it) will stand us in as much stead before the Tribu­nal of God, as Justification upon a perfect justice would do. For if it could be suppposed (as it cannot upon good ground) that Remission of sin might be had without any in­herent Righteousness in our nature, yet we could not thereby be so much as capable of being partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light, for which they are made meet by that change which is made in their nature through Faith, which God in Justi­fying of us, reckons to us for Righ­teousness.

4. Pardon of sin, as it does not qualifie our nature for the heavenly glory, so neither does it at all enti­tle men to it, as the Righteousness of Justification by Faith does. We that forfeited the first right which man had to happiness, by our Apo­stacy from God, can now have no right or title to it but what God of his own Grace through Christ is [Page 205]pleased to give us, or by gift or grant to make over to us. And this right which he has given us, de­pends partly upon a conditional pro­mise of his; and partly upon Gods adjudging us to have performed that condition mentioned in that promise. Now God in his new Law of Grace, upon account of what our Saviour hath done and suffered to obtain it, hath made promise of eter­nal Life to us upon condition of our believing and obeying the Gospel. Which condition being performed by us, our initial right to eternal Life accrues to us from this promise of God founded in our Saviours Me­diatory performance. But then our compleat right to it accrues to us from a judicial act of God, which is his adjudging us to have performed that condition on which eternal Life is promised. The one is as a right in Law, the other as a right by act of judgment grounded on Law. Which judicial act of God, is that by which he Justifies us, as that [Page 206]Judg to whom it belongs to judg, whether the terms of his own Law of Grace be performed or no, before he confers the benefit promised there­in. And whenever he doth adjudg us to have performed those terms; that judgment and determination of his for us, gives us an immediate and compleat right and title to the heavenly happiness.

But now Remission of sin or im­punity, was never made the condi­tion of the promise of heavenly glory, nor is it mans act but Gods, and so not capable of being made a condi­tion of such a thing: And therefore it cannot in virtue of any promise, give us that which I call our initial right to the heavenly glory, which right accrues to us by virtue of Gods promise, upon our performance of the condition of it. Nor can this Remission give us that immediate and complete Right to the heavenly glory, which flows to us from Gods adjudging us to have performed the condition on which he hath pro­mised [Page 207]it; because this Remission is no condition of Gods promise to us, nor act of our performing. Here then is a manifest difference between Re­mission of sin and Justification, in re­spect of the right we have by the one which we have not by the other, to the heavenly glory.

Some have indeed argued that Par­don of sin will stand us in as much stead as to our restauration to hap­piness, as a perfect legal Righteous­ness would have done to have con­tinued us in it. Because as they reason, the punishment of loss is by Pardon taken off, as well as the punishment of sense: and that as by Pardon we are delivered from the one, so by it we are also restored to our title to the other, to what we lost and so to a title to eternal Life. The force of which arguing depends upon a supposition which will not be granted, nor as I con­ceive ever be proved. And that is, that if Adam and so his posterity had continued in their integrity, they [Page 208]would thereby have had a right and title to the Celestial happiness and glory of the upper world. Where­as St. Paul tells us, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, and that the first man was of the earth earththy, 1 Cor. 15.47, 50. So that Adam himself should he have continued in that perfect state in which he was created, yet would not for all that have been capable of the Celestial glory, unless he had put off flesh and blood, or else should have had his body transformed from natural into spiritual. Which who­soever affirms that he should, will doubtless be wanting in his proofs. It is far more probable that the de­sign of Christs undertaking as Medi­atour, was to advance the nature of man to a more glorious perfection and happiness than that which was na­tural to him in pure nature. He was made a little lower than the An­gels, though he was crowned with glory and honor. Psal. 8.5. But they that shall be accounted worthy to [Page 209]that other world and the re­surrection from the dead, are equal to the Angels: Which cannot be meant in respect of immortality only; for Adam who was made lower than they, would have been equal to them in that, had he never sinned. Luke 20.35, 36. But our blessed Saviour came that we should have life; and that we should have it more abundantly; a life surpassing that which was lost by the fall, John 10.10. And he hath taught his Disciples and followers in hope of this Celestial glory, to set more light by this world, than perhaps Adam would have been obliged to, had he never fallen, and hath given several other precepts, which per­haps transcend the natural Law it self, as to what Adam was obliged to by it before his fall, and all to qua­lifie them for a higher state.

I might further shew how that our title to the heavenly inheritance ariseth out of our adoption to it as joint-heirs with Christ, and from Gods free and bounteous donation, [Page 210]as eternal Life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord, and from our performance of the condi­tion on which it is promised: Bles­sed are they that do his Command­ments that they may have right to the Tree of Life. From all which Re­mission of sin differs and is another thing.

5. Our right and title to Remissi­on of sin it self, depends upon the same terms as our right to glory does, and yet that depends upon our Ju­stification: For God first Justifies whom he after glorifies. Rom. 8.30. And if our right to Remission of sin depends upon the same terms as right to glory does, then Remission of sin can be no more the same thing with Justification, than glorification is, but depends upon it as an effect upon a cause without which none can receive it.

Our right to Remission of sin de­pends upon our believing, as the condition on which God hath pro­mised it, as well as our right to [Page 211]glory does. To him give all the Pro­phets witness, that through his name whosoever believes in him shall receive Remission of sins, Acts 10.43. And this right to Remission of sins, de­pends as much also upon Gods ad­judging us to have performed the con­dition on which he hath promised Pardon, as our right to glory does. For God does no more actually Par­don any, then he glorifies them, un­til he first adjudgeth them to have per­formed the condition on which he promised Pardon, which dijudication of his, is his Justifying of them. And therefore Remission of sin does as really differ from Justification as Glorification does, and is as certain­ly subsequent to it, as Glorification is, and therefore cannot be the same thing properly and strictly consider­ed.

6. God does not forgive all a mans sins at once nor before they are committed and repented of, but multiplies Pardons as his servants multiply sins of infirmity and their [Page 212]repentances and petitions for Pardon. And if so, and if God do not mul­tiply as many Justifications as he does Pardons to the same person, then here is another difference between Justification and Remission of sin.

7. Justification is Gods imputing Righteousness to us or our Faith for Righteousness. But Pardon of sin is his non-imputation of sin to us. God by not imputing sin to us, does not reckon us not to have sinned, nor not to have deserved eternal de­struction: but he then does not im­pute sin, when he does not inflict the punishment deserved by and due for sin. But when he imputes Righ­teousness or Faith for Righteousness to us, he adjudgeth us to have an­swered the terms of his new Law of Grace by believing, by which Law that Faith becomes our Righteous­ness. Now there is a great diffe­rence between Gods adjudging us to have answered the terms of his new Law, and his not inflicting the de­served penalty of the Old; between [Page 213]his awarding us a recompence of our sincere conformity to the one, and his not exacting of us what we had deserved to suffer for transgressing the other. And yet so much dif­ference there is between Justification and Remission of sin.

As for those who place Justifica­tion in Gods pardoning of sin, they may please to consider, that the benefit of Remission of sin, does not signifie the less by being called only by its proper name, Pardon or Forgiveness, and not Justification, if by Justification be meant only Re­mission of sin, as they hold it is who limit Justification only to that. And if Remission of sin signifie no more when we call it Justification, then it does when we call it Par­don or Forgiveness. I see little reason why two or three or some small number of Texts of Scripture which speak of Justification fomwhat ob­scurely, should be so much strained as they are, to make them seem to mean only Remission of sin, when they [Page 214]may be fairly understood in another sense, and that too perhaps with more congruity to the signification of the word Justification, and to the nature of the thing, and to the Scriptures themselves elsewhere. Nor can I discern what would be gained by it, if it should be granted that Remissi­on of sin were Justification, and Justi­fication Remission of sin. For yet then the same thing, the same bene­fit would signifie no more when we call it Justification, than it does when we call it only Remission of sins, as we all agree the Scriptures doe.

Nor does the placing of Justifi­cation in Gods Judicial act in ap­proving and adjudging men to be Righteous in a Gospel sense, who have performed the condition on which Pardon of sin and eternal Life are promised, make the priviledg of having our sins forgiven, the less be­neficial to us, or the less of Grace from God and our Lord Jesus Christ. For Gods approving us to be Righ­teous in a Gospel sence, does not [Page 215]suppose or imply that we stand in no need of Pardon, nor of that mercy of God and merit of Christ from which Pardon flows: it only supposeth us to be Righteous with such a Righteousness of Faith, on conditi­on of which the promise of Pardon of all our sins is made through the blood of Christ. But Gods Justify­ing of us or his approving of us to be Righteous in such a sence, does not make our sins to become no sins, nor is it I conceive Gods Pardon­ing act; but yet it is that which doth judicially qualifie us for Pardon, and which as it were opens the door and lets us into the possession of it. For Pardon is the next and immediate act, that in order fol­lows Gods adjudging us to have per­formed the condition on which he promised us Pardon.

Having said this much of the dif­ference between judicial Justification and Remission of sin, it seems re­quisite to make some enquiry into the sense and meaning of those Scri­ptures [Page 216]on which some ground an as­sertion limiting Justification to Re­mission of sin only. And those Scri­ptures which above all others seem most to countenance such an asserti­on, and which are most relyed on by those of that persuasion are, Acts 13.39. Rom. 5.16. and 4.6, 7. To an enquiry into the meaning of which I will only premise this: That if we should find cause to think that it may be proved from these or any other Scriptures, That we are pardoned by being Justified; yet we can have no good reason thence to conclude that we are Justified only by being. Par­doned; no nor yet in the properest sense neither, when we consider how express the Scriptures are elsewhere for a judicial Justification, to wit, Gods Justifying us by Faith and by accounting or adjudging Faith to us for Righteousness or for a perfor­mance of the terms of the Gospel; our conformity whereto is as truly our Evangelical Righteousness, as our conformity to the terms of the Law [Page 217]would have been a legal Righteous­ness, if it had been found in us.

To begin now with Acts 13.39. the words are these, And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses.

To be Justified from sin, some­times signifies to be freed from the power and dominion of it. Thus in Rom. 6.7. St. Paul having said in Verse 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, adds in Verse 7. for he that is dead is Ju­stified from sin. For so it is accor­ding to the marginal reading; and so the Dutch Translation Englished reads it; though in our Translation it is rendred freed, instead of Justi­fied from sin. And in this sense St. Austin understood this Acts 13.39. as I find him quoted. And to this sence of the word Justifie, agrees the reading of Revel. 22.11. which some upon occasion use. Let him that is [Page 218]filthy be filthy still: and he that is Righteous, let him be Justified still. To the same sence of the word Ju­stifie, some alledg Rom. 8.30. Tit. 3.5. compared with Verse 7. and 1 Cor. 6.11. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God. Where Justifica­tion seems to be ascribed unto the Spirit of God in one respect, as to the Lord Jesus in another. And doubtless Justification is the effect of the operation of all the Blessed Tri­nity, though the manner of their ope­ration be different.

Now that to be Justified from all things from which ye could not be Justified by the Law of Moses, may be understood in this sense, there are two things to be said to render it probable. The one is the good a­greement which this sence has with other places of Scripture, which shew that men are freed from sin through Christ by his Gospel, so as they could not be freed from it by the Law [Page 219]of Moses. Thus Heb. 7.18, 19. There is verily a disannulling of the Com­mandment going before, for the weak­ness and unprofitableness thereof. For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did. And again Rom. 8.2, 3, 4. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the Law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be ful­filled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. So likewise Rom. 6.14. Sin shall not have domi­nion over you: for ye are not under the Law, but under grace. By all which we see that the Law of Mo­ses could not Justifie men from sin, as Christ by the Gospel-dispensation does, if by being Justified from sin we understand a being freed from sin it self as to its dominion.

The other thing which may in­cline us to understand the words un­der consideration in this sense, is what may be observed from the con­text. St. Paul had said in Verse 38. the words immediately before, Be it known to you men and brethren, that through this man (Christ) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Now then if in Verse 39. he should mean no more by being Justified, than a being Pardoned, he would seem but to say over the same thing again in other words, which he had said be­fore, which is not usual with him.

But if this should not be the mean­ing of those words: and should we suppose that by being Justified from all things from which they could not be Justified by the Law of Moses, should be meant a being Justified from the guilt of sin, as that signifies a be­ing freed from the punishment de­served by it; yet let us consider whether it will necessarily follow that the Apostle in those words, de­fines Justification by Remission of [Page 221]sin; or whether rather he does not thereby only set forth the subse­quent benefits that would accrue to them by being Justified by belie­ving, which could not be obtained by their observing the Law of Mo­ses. And if so, then the meaning would be only this, That by their being Justified by their believing, they should be delivered from or secured against the evil effects of their sin, from which they could be not se­cured by observing the Law of Mo­ses. Now that to be Justified by be­lieving by vertue of the blood of Christ, and to be freed from the punishment of sin, which is Pardon, are two different things, seems to be very plain from those words of St. Paul, Rom. 5.9. where he saith, much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. He infers the certainty of their being Pardoned or saved from wrath, from their being Justi­fied: and the inference and that from which it is made, are doubt­less [Page 222]two things. We see then that men may be Pardoned by vertue of their being Justified, and so be Ju­stified from sin, and yet not Justified by their being Pardoned. It will no more follow that because by Justifi­cation we are Pardoned, that there­fore Pardon is our Justification, than it will follow, that because by be­lieving we are Pardoned, that there­fore our Pardon is our believing and our believing our Pardon.

And now if we should understand the words Justified from all things from which ye could not be Justi­fied by the Law of Moses, in both the forementioned sences, for a be­ing delivered both from the guilt of sin, and from the power and pollu­tion of it, I know no inconvenience in it, both being true. But if we do so, yet we do not thereby necessa­rily conclude Pardon of sin to be Justification, but only that Pardon of sin is by Justification, as depending upon it. For Gods adjudging of us to have performed the condition in [Page 223]believing on which he promised Par­don, which is his Justifying of us, together with his imputing that Faith to us for Righteousness, intervenes, comes between our believing and our being actually Pardoned, and is that which gives the immediate right to it, as I shewed before.

What hath been said then may suf­fice, I suppose, to shew that in all probability no such thing can be concluded from those words in Acts 13. as that we are Justified by be­ing Pardoned.

The next Scripture I shall enquire into, is Rom. 5.16. the words these. Not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one or by one offence to condemnation; but the free gift is of many offences unto Justification. That which is first necessary to be done here, is to con­sider the Translation; because these words, the free gift of many offences unto Justification, seem as we have them in our Translation, a little un­couth and somwhat unintelligible. I [Page 224]have seen the matter in this part of the Verse Translated from the Ori­ginal thus. But the free gift is unto Justification from many offences, not of many offences. Dr. Hammond ren­ders it thus: But the mercy was by oc­casion of many offences unto Justifica­tion. Agreeable to this reading is that note of Grotius upon the place in these words: Occasion being taken from many sins: and so is that of Pis­cator and Simplicius, in these words: Occasion being taken not only from the sin of Adam, but also from the proper sins of all believers. So that the sense of the place according to this ren­dering of the words, seems to be to this effect. That from the sad con­dition into which men were fallen, not only by the one offence of Adam, but also by their own many perso­nal offences, God took occasion to manifest his own Grace and Mercy through Christ, to miserable men, in giving and granting them new terms, by which they might attain unto Ju­stification, or a being approved of by [Page 225]God as Righteous, their many offen­ces notwithstanding. And this in Verse 17. is called the gift of Righ­teousness; and in Verse 18. the free gift unto Justification of life, through the Righteousness of one, to wit, Christ. And accordingly the grant which God hath made us of being saved by Faith in Jesus Christ, is said to be of Grace and to be the gift of God. By Grace are ye saved, through Faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Ephes. 2.8. Now according to this rendering of the words by all these great men of Learning, there is not the least appearance of any such thing as that Justification is by Re­mission of sin.

None of those worthy persons a­bovementioned do say the free gift is of many offences, but all of them say it is from many offences. So that if we read it thus according to the Translation I first mentioned, the free gift is unto Justification from many offences; the sense will be this, I conceive: That through the free gift, [Page 226]we are by Justification secured from suffering the desert of our many of­fences; and is the same in sense with the interpretation of Acts 13.39. last suggested. Where was shewed that though Remission of sin is by Ju­stification; that is, a benefit accruing to us thereby; yet we cannot there­fore say that Justification is by Re­mission of sin. The terms are not convertible: we cannot so well say that Justification is by Remission of sin, as we can that Remission of sin is by Justification.

The other Scripture which is much insisted on to prove Remission of sin is Justification, or that Justification stands in Remission of sin, is Rom. 4.6, 7. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. In which words, as it is argued, Justification is described by Gods forgiving iniquity. But then it is counter-argued, that this [Page 227]description by David, seems not to be a description of the Justification of the man to whom God imputeth Righteousness without works, but a description of his happy state and con­dition in having his sins Pardoned. St. Paul doth not say even as David describeth the Justification of the man to whom God imputeth Righteous­ness, but the Blessedness of the man. Now the blessedness of having sin Pardoned, is a benefit consequent up­on a mans believing, and so of his being Justified by that belief: for Pardon is promised but on that con­dition, Acts 10.43. And the pro­mise and the condition of the pro­mise cannot be the same. Which very consideration, if there were no more, were enough to shew that Ju­stification is not described by For­giveness of sin.

It appears at first sight that these words of the Psalmist were brought to prove somwhat said by St. Paul a little before. And if they should be brought to prove that Faith is [Page 228]counted to a man for Righteousness, which was the thing St. Paul had asserted in the next precedent Verse, then they could not be brought to prove that Forgiveness of sin is coun­ted to him for Righteousness; for Faith and Forgiveness of sin, are two different things. By this it appears already, that these words of David were not alledged to prove Justifi­cation to be by Remission of sin, as it will further appear by and by.

To the end then we may the bet­ter understand for what purpose these words of David are here recited by St. Paul, we will consider his words in the two next precedent Verses. Now to him that worketh (saith he) is the reward not reckoned of Grace but of Debt, Verse 4. In which words St. Paul seems to have stated the opi­nion of the Pharisaical Jews, against whom he disputed. They held, as it seems, that the reward, to wit, all the benefit, all the happiness they expected from God, to be due to them as a debt for their observing [Page 229]the Law of Moses. They did not expect that their obedience should be accepted or counted to them for Righteousness for the sake of ano­ther and upon the account of the Death and Sacrifice of the Messias: for they held that he, when he should come, should never die, John 12.34. and that therefore their sin was not to be expiated by the Sacrifice of his death, but by their own legal Sa­crifices, and that the blood of Bulls and Goats did take away sin, Heb. 10.4. and that those Sacrifices with their other legal observances were of themselves their Righteousness, and that upon account hereof, Justifica­tion and Life were due to them in the nature of a debt in opposition to Grace; and that the Gentiles were ungodly and uncapable of Righ­teousness and Justification, until they were Proselytes to their way of wor­ship. This is that St. Paul calls their own Righteousness in opposition to that which is of God by Faith of Jesus Christ, Phil. 3.9. By all which [Page 230]they rendred the death of Christ of none effect, and Justification to be of Works and not of Grace, as ap­pears by Gal. 2.21. and 5.4. In Verse 5. St. Paul asserts the contrary, to wit, That to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his Faith is counted to him for Righteousness. Which assertion of St. Paul if true, proves the reward to be of Grace and not of Debt, whether by Reward you understand only Justification, or also the bene­fits subsequent to it. For if God count such mens Faith for Righte­ousness which work not, which have no such works as by which to reckon the reward to be of Debt and not of Grace, yea such mens Faith for Righteousness, which had been un­godly; then the reward must needs be of Grace and not of Debt. This being a self-evident truth, That after a man by sin hath once made a forfeiture of all to God, whatever good he after receives from him, must needs be of Grace. Which made [Page 231]St. Paul say, All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being Justi­fied freely by his Grace, and that too through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, Rom. 3.23.24.

These words of David then in Verse. 6, 7. seem to be alledged by St. Paul by way of confirmation of his aforesaid doctrine, and to prove out of one of the sacred Books owned by his adversaries, that their wor­thy Ancestors, such as David, whom they could not deny to be Justified men, acknowledged themselves sin­ners, such as stood in need of Par­don, and such as counted it their great happiness to be Pardoned; and that therefore they could not be looked upon as receiving the re­ward of Debt, but of Grace. For when he says, even as David also de­scribeth the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth Righteousness with­out Works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, &c. it thereby appears that he looked up­on those words of David to be fully [Page 232]agreeable to his own doctrine asser­ted in Verse 5. in opposition to his adversaries conceit and opinion touch­ing the rewards being reckoned of Debt and not of Grace. And indeed how could St. Paul think better to convince them of their error, and to shame them out of their conceit of meriting the reward by observing the Law of Moses, then by shewing them that their famous Ancestors who observed the Law of Moses as well as any, were yet so far from claiming the reward of their obe­dience as a Debt by way of Merit, that they acknowledged themselves sinners, and therefore undeserving, and counted it their great felicity to be Pardoned through the great mercy and favour of God.

We will yet consider this matter a little more particularly and di­stinctly. The thing St. Paul asserts against his misbelieving adversaries, is as I have said, that the reward is of Grace and not of Debt, which he makes out two ways. 1. From the [Page 233] nature of that Righteousness which is rewarded. 2. From the nature of that reward it self. First, from the na­ture of the Righteousness that is re­warded; and this is described by the condition or quality of the person in whom this Righteousness is found, he that worketh not; that is, though it be one that hath not observed the Law of Moses in being Circum­cised and the like. And that he means such an one by him that worketh not and yet may be Righ­teous, appears by the instance he gives in Abrahams case, who was Righteous with the Righteousness of Faith, before ever he was Cir­cumcised, Verse 9, 10. 2. It is de­scribed by the nature and property of that Faith which is the Christians Righteousness; it is a believing in him, that Justifieth the ungodly upon his repentance and belief in the Lord Jesus. Which very belief contains in the nature of it, a firm persuasion that Gods Justifying of such a per­son must needs be of Grace and not [Page 234]of Debt. 3. It is described by that act of God by which such a Faith becomes a mans Righteousness, and that is by way of imputation or ac­count: his Faith is counted to him for Righteousness, which argues it to be of Grace and Favour, because he to whom it is so imputed, is other­wise a sinner ungodly and upon that account cannot merit it. Now then if the Righteousness it self which is rewarded, be of Grace, then the re­ward of that Righteousness must needs be of Grace. This we see is one way by which St. Paul makes out the re­ward to be of Grace and not of Debt.

Secondly, the other way is from the nature of the reward of that Righteousness. And this I call ano­ther way of proving the reward to be of Grace and not of Debt. For when St. Paul saith Verse 6. even as David also describeth, &c. that word also, seems to signifie an addition of proof of his assertion, by ano­ther medium. And this medium is taken from the nature of the reward [Page 235]of that Righteousness which God im­putes to men in Justifying them, as his former was from the nature of the Righteousness it self. And the Apostles argument or proof is to this effect. The reward of that Righte­ousness by which God Justifies men, must needs be of Grace and not of Debt, because in great part it con­sists in Remission of sins, and Re­mission of sin is an act of Grace in the natural notion of it and in the common sense of mankind.

And that St. Pauls design in al­ledging this saying of David, was not to shew that Remission of sin is the Righteousness by which men are Justified, but the reward of it, ap­pears by the very tenor and purport of his words. For he doth not say that David describeth the Righteous­ness or Justification of the man to whom God imputeth Righteousness, as we have cause to think he would have done if he had known or thought that Remission of sin had been mens Righteousness or Justification; but he [Page 236]says, he describes the blessedness of that man to whom God imputeth Righ­teousness. Now what doth blessed­ness in Scripture import, when ap­plied to men, but some happiness vouchsafed them as an effect of Gods Grace, yet so as by way of reward also of the performance of their du­ty? Thus, Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. Bles­sed are they that do his Commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and the like. So here, the blessedness of that man to whom God imputeth Faith for Righteousness, seems to signifie the happiness that does accrue to such a man as a re­ward of that Faith which is im­puted for Righteousness, or of that Righteousness which is imputed: and the happiness here specified which does accrue to such a man, is the having his sins Pardoned.

Now to understand St. Paul here in this sense, does fully agree with his scope and design in hand, which [Page 237]was to prove the reward to be of Grace and not of Debt. After he had opposed the Righteousness of Faith to the Pharisaical Jews Righ­teousness by works of the Law; then he shews the reward of this Righ­teousness to be of Grace and not of Debt, because it stands in Remission of sin. And whereas he does not use the word reward here, but the word blessedness, which yet signifies the same thing, it was probably but to accommodate his speech to Da­vids dialect, whose words he recites. And as the sense I have insisted on, corresponds fully with the Apostles scope and design here. So it does also with the tenor of the Covenant of Grace and the Scriptures else­where, which promise Pardon of sin on condition of that Faith which is imputed for Righteousness, as a re­ward of it and motive to it.

And if this sense now represented be the sense of St. Paul in these Verses, or much what the same (and you see what reason there is to think [Page 238]it is) then his intent here was not to shew that we are Justified by be­ing Pardoned: he does not say it is Pardon of sin which is imputed for Righteousness, but Faith: Nor does he say that David describes the Righ­teousness of the Justified man in say­ing, Blessed are they whose iniquities are Forgiven, but the blessedness of that man, or the reward of his Righ­teousness.

And by this time I am thinking, much more need not be said touch­ing the difference between Justificati­on and Remission of sin, nor to show that Justification does not stand only in Remission of sin. For whatever is the right in this matter, there is the less need of contending about it, since those who place Justification in Remission of sin, do hold an effe­ctual operative Faith, the necessary condition of obtaining it, as well as they do, who place Justification in the Righteousness of Faith. The one placeth the matter of our Justificati­on in the performance of the same [Page 239]condition necessary to Justification; upon which performance the greatest stress is to be laid in this matter: because those who perform the con­dition of the promise of the Gospel, shall be sure to be Justified, whe­ther their judgment about the na­ture of Justification be right or no: whereas without this performance they cannot, though their notion of the nature of Justification should be never so orthodox and sound. But although the difference seems to be of no great moment, yet in as much as there is Divine Wisdom in fitting means to ends, and in appointing such or such a thing to such an use and not to another or rather than to another; and that those which he hath pitch'd upon, are in some re­spect or other better for the pur­pose than any we can substitute in their room; it follows then that if God hath placed the matter of our Justification in the Righteousness which is by Faith, rather than in Remission of sin, that then we should [Page 240]not confine it to Remission of sin only.

And to speak plainly, I cannot think it a matter of such indifferency whe­ther we hold Remission of sin our only Justification, or Gods adjudg­ing us Righteous upon the ac­count of the Righteousness of Faith, but that it is well worthy our best en­deavours to find out which of these opinions hath the Holy Scripture on its side, if it were but for this rea­son, if there were no more.

1. The notion of Justification by the Righteousness of Faith, is a more ready and more effectual way to detect the opinion of error and mi­stake, which placeth Justification in the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ to us in it self and not only in its effects, than the notion of Justi­fication by Remission of sin is. For so long as the Scripture doth so plen­tifully and expresly testifie as it does, that it is a Righteousness by which we are Justified, it is nothing so easie to satisfie the reason of mens minds, either from the Scripture or from [Page 241]the nature of the thing it self, why Remission of sin should be stiled our Righteousness rather than the Righ­teousness of Christ imputed to us; as it is to convince them that neither the one nor the other is in Scripture stiled our Righteousness in their sense, but that it is the Righteousness of Faith that is so stiled there. While the question is only, which is coun­ted to us for Righteousness, whe­ther the Righteousness of Christ im­puted, in the sense usually opposed, or Remission of sin; the competiti­on is nothing so unequal in respect of evidence from Scripture and from the nature of the thing, as it is when the question is, whether the Righ­teousness of Christ imputed, or the Righteousness of Faith by virtue of his Righteousness, is counted to us for Righteousness; because the Scri­pture is express for this, but not for either of the other. Let this then be but once well proved, that it is Faith it self, as the principle of Evan­gelical Righteousness, that is the thing [Page 242]which is imputed to us for Righte­ousness, and that it is by it that God Justifies us; and the opinion of being Justified by the imputation of Christs Righteousness in the sense usually impugned, will soon fall to the ground. If the former notion be but well seated in the mind, the later will of it self fall out of it.

Considering then the dubiousness of both the foresaid opinions, there is the less reason to wonder that the controversie should continue so long as it hath done, between those who place Justification in the imputation of Christs Righteousness, and those who place it only in Remission of sin. For although the reasonings are (as I think) unanswerable which the one use against placing Justification in the imputation of Christs Righ­teousness in the sense in which they oppose it: yet while their arguings have not perhaps been so irrefraga­ble for placing it in Remission of sin, it hath doubtless made the other the more tenacious in their opinion, [Page 243]unless they could see better ground for that opinion which has been of­fered them in exchange for theirs, than hath been tendered them. Where­as had Justification been placed in the Righteousness of Faith and sin­cerity, instead of being placed in Re­mission of sin: and had those Scri­ptures been duly opened and applied, by which it may with great strength and clear evidence be proved, that it is Faith or the obedience of Faith which is imputed to us for Righteous­ness, and by which we are Justified by God; the controversie would have been managed with greater advantage for the convincing of those of opposite opinion, than it hath been by asserting that we are Justified by being Par­doned; and would sooner have in­clined them in all probability, to have exchanged their own notion of the Righteousness of Justification, for this. And the reason hereof is this; because the Scripture is express and plain for this, whereas so far as I can find, there is no one Text in all [Page 244]the Bible, that doth expresly affirm that Pardon of sin is our Righte­ousness, or that it is counted to us for such, no more than there is that the Righteousness of Christ is in it self im­puted to us for Righteousness, and for­mally and not only vertually made ours.

2. Besides all this, it is to be con­sidered, whether the doctrine touch­ing the imputation of the Righte­ousness of Faith to Justification, does not tend more and more directly to work in mens minds a sense of the necessity of a personal inherent Righ­teousness in order to their being ap­proved of as Righteous, than that does which teacheth that men are made or accounted Righteous when Justi­fied, by having their Unrighteous­ness forgiven. For there seems to be more occasion and room left by the one notion than by the other, for such as have a mind to be happy without being truly Righteous, to hope that they may be so. For when they apprehend that they may be­come Righteous by having their Un­righteousness [Page 245]Pardoned, they will probably be more apt and prone to presume through the abundant mercy of God to be made or accounted Righteous this way upon their spe­culative Faith, though not truly inhe­rently Righteous, then they would or could be, were they but convinced that nothing less will pass for Righteous­ness in the account of God in Justify­ing of men, then that which is real per­sonal inherent Righteousness indeed.

We find in Scripture how apt and ready men have been, to hope to be Justified and Saved by Faith without works or inherent Righte­ousness, upon the account of a spe­culative or notional Faith, Jam. 2. Aagainst which deceitful notion St. John also warned the Christians, when he said, Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doth righ­teousness is righteous, 1 John 3.7. as if he should have said, you will be deceived if you suffer yourselves to be persuaded to think you may be Righteous any other way, without [Page 246]doing Righteousness. Those deluded people it's probable, were willing to interpret the doctrine concerning Faith when but generally and inde­finitely exprest, to a sense which would indulge them in a life not truly holy; as alas too many do at this day, who upon a general inoperate belief of the Articles of the Christian Faith, doubt not but they shall be Justified by being Pardoned, or by having Christs Righteousness so im­puted to them as to be Righteous with his Righteousness. And al­though they be told that such a Faith as works by love, is necessary to their Justification as a condition of it, yet so long as Justification is de­fined by that which is esteemed in­trinsically essential to Justification, without such a Righteousness of Faith; and so long as they appre­hend there is a way of being ac­counted Righteous by being Par­doned; they will not so easily, as o­therwise they would, be brought to a due sense of the necessity of a perso­nal [Page 247]inherent Righteousness unto Justifi­cation. Whereas were they but con­vinced that God will account none Righteous upon any account whatso­ever, nor Pardon their Unrighteous­ness, who are not Righteous indeed with a personal inherent Righteous­ness, they would be left without all hope of being Righteous or of being accepted as Righteous any way, with­out this inherent Righteousness. And by this means they would come under a more sensible obligation of be­coming inherently Righteous indeed, as ever they hope to be Justified as Righteous in one respect, or Pardo­ned as sinners in another. And it is a good rule, that in all controver­sies about points of Christian doctrine which have an influence on practice, as all generally have, it is still safest to adhere to that sense which most obli­ges men to their duty, and most di­rectly and indubitably tends to their happiness; as this touching Justificati­on by the Righteousness of Faith, ra­ther then by Remission of sin, I con­ceive does.

3. Moreover to place Justification in Pardon, disagrees to the natural notion which men have both of Pardon and Justification. Pardon in the natural notion of it supposeth guilt: as on the contrary, Justification in the natural notion of it, supposeth Guiltlesness or Righteousness in refe­rence to the matter or cause wherein a person is Justified; unless when the word Justification is used in an a­busive seuse to signifie the perverting of justice by Justifying the wicked. To say a person is Justified when we thereby only mean that he is Par­doned, gives an uncertain sound in common sense, and Ministers occasion for the notion of Justification to lie uneven and to remain unfixt in the mind. What I recited out of Mr. Gataker in my first Chapter, may here again be remembred; who saith, To Justifie is not to Pardon; for the word is never found so used, either in the Hebrew or Greek writers, sacred or prophane, nor in our common speech. And if so, why should it be made [Page 249]use of to signifie Pardon, contrary to the use not only of Prophane but of Sacred Authors, and common speech? Nor can I conceive upon supposition of the truth of Mr. Gata­ker's assertion, but to use the word Justification to signifie Pardon, or the word Pardon to signifie that thing which is Justification, must needs con­vey the true notion of Justification to the minds of men with disadvan­tage, as tending to obscure it, if not to drown the proper notion of it.

4. Furthermore, to place Justifica­tion in Remission of sin, is to con­found things of quite a different na­ture, for so Justification and Remis­sion of sin, I conceive, are. The sub­ject matter of a mans Justification, is his Righteousness; but the subject matter of his Pardon, is his Unrigh­teousness. The subject matter of a mans Justification, is his present con­formity to the terms of the Law of Grace; but the subject matter of his Pardon, is his past nonconfor­mity to that Law and what other [Page 250]Law of God soever he hath transgres­sed. It also confounds Gods Justi­fying act and his Pardoning act, as if they were both one. Nay more then so, it excludes that which is most properly Gods Justifying act, and introduceth his Pardoning act in the room of it. For it supposeth God to account or to make a man Righ­teous by pardoning his Unrighteous­ness, instead of his adjudging him Righteous in that he hath performed the terms of the Gospel, on conditi­on of which he promised him Par­don.

5. Lastly, the notion of Justifica­tion by Remission of sin, does not, so far as I can see upon the most serious consideration, at all agree with St. Pauls stated notion of Evangeli­cal Justification, in opposition to the Jewish notion of Justification by the Law or works of the Law. For he doth not represent the difference of the notion of Justification which he asserts, and that which he opposeth, to lie in this, that the one stands in [Page 251]a pretended Righteousness, and the other in the Pardon of mens Un­righteousness, but in the different kinds of Righteousness, the one stand­ing in the Righteousness of Faith or by Faith, the other in the Righteous­ness of the Law or by the works of the Law. The Gentiles, saith he, which followed not after Righteousness, have attained unto Righteousness, even the Righteousness which is of Faith. There is the Christian Justification. But Israel which followed after the Law of Righteousness, hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness, wherefore? because they sought it not by Faith, but as it were by the works of the Law: and there is the Jewish Justi­fication, Rom. 9.30, 31, 32. Not having mine own Righteousness, which is of the Law, but the Righteousness which is by Faith, Phil. 3.9. Know­ing that a man is not Justified by the works of the Law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ, Gal. 2.16. The for­mal difference we see which St. Paul makes between the two notions of [Page 252]Justification, lies in the different kinds of Righteousness. The Christian or Evangelical Righteousness consisting in a belief of and obedience to the doctrine and precepts of the Gospel, but the Jewish Righteousness as they conceited in their conformity to the Law of Moses. But St. Paul and the Jews both held Justification to be by a Righteousness. Now to say we are Justified by being Pardo­ned, does not at all agree with St. Pauls notion of being Justified by an Evangelical Righteousness of Faith: because Pardon of sin is no such Righteousness: it is neither a believing of the Gospel, nor act of obedience to it; but is part of the reward promised to such a Righte­ousness. And as such it is somtime al­ledged indeed to prove Justification by Faith to be of Grace and not of debt, as I have shewed from Rom. 4. but never throughout the whole Scri­pture, stiled Righteousness, that ever I could find. And if any think it is im­plyed in such Scriptures where the re­ward [Page 253]of Righteousness is stiled Righ­teousness by a Figure; yet if it should be so, it would no more prove Remission of sin to be Justification, than it will prove Glorification to be Justification; which yet in St. Pauls account is quite different from it. For he says, Whom he justified, them he also glorified, Rom. 8.30.

And now for these reasons I hope it will not be thought unnecessary nor unprofitable to have endeavoured to shew that there is a difference be­tween Justification and Remission of sin: however what hath been done herein is submitted to the consideration and judgment of the judicious Reader.

But there is another opinion which I but now mentioned of worse con­sequence, as I apprehend it, of which I have said but little. And that is the opinion of those who place our Justification in the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ to us; not only in its effects as we all hold, but in it self, as if it were so transferred to us, that we were Righteous with the [Page 254]very same personal and numerical Righteousness wherewith he himself is Righteous, and that it is so reckoned ours, as if we had wrought it in our own persons; yea that indeed we have wrought it in and by him. The nakedness of which opinion hath been plentifully exposed by others; and I shall not concern my self with it now further than what I have al­ready done in these papers. Wherein I have shewed that the Righteousness of Christ operates to our Justification, in quite another way: And likewise that it is the Christian Faith as ope­rative and practical, that is imputed to us for Righteousness, and that by virtue of Christs Righteousness and Gods act of Grace upon the account of it. But then this, which yet is the plain doctrine of the Holy Scri­pture, is quite another thing than the transferring of Christs Righte­ousness it self to us.

Indeed, this opinion excludes and shoulders out the Christian Evange­lical Righteousness, from the office [Page 255]and use to which God hath design­ed it, and is attended with several dangerous consequences and absurdi­ties otherwise, as hath been set forth at large in several Books which treat of this subject, which I shall forbear to repeat. For my design in these papers, was not to treat of Justification in a way of contro­versie, nor so much to detect what is to be avoided, as what is to be imbraced and held fast in this mat­ter. For I reckon, that if that which is the truth be received into the mind upon satisfactory grounds, that which is its contrary, will fall off of it self.