THERE is a Book of Sermons not long since re­printed, which is in many Peoples Hands, and finds no small acceptance with them; but I must be bold to tell them, that it is as dangerous and pernicious a Piece as hath appear'd in Print in this Age; and it is the more so, because it is in other parts so good and excellent: For the Author of it hath spent a great part of this Work in exalting Free Grace and Christ's Righteousness: He sets forth the transcendent Love of God to Sinners; he admira­bly extols the unmerited Favour and Philanthropy of Heaven; he is very pathetical in expressing the astonishing Love of Jesus, in undertaking the Redemption of Mankind; he hath well deci­pher'd the excellent Nature of this Redemption and Reconciliation by Christ, shewing how Mercy and Truth have here met together, and how Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other; how di­vine Justice and Goodness are equally discovered in the Satisfa­ction made to God by his Son. This he hath shewed very plain­ly and demonstratively. And his Undertaking also is laudable, when he depresseth Good Works and Holy Duties so far, as they are made Ingredients of Justification. To this end, he well sets forth [Page 2]the Weakness and Sinfulness of Mens best Performances, and the Impossibility that they should satisfie God's Jutice, or merit any thing on our behalf; in short, our Services and Duties are not our Saviours. This Book is extremely useful and commendable so far, as it teacheth us to give Christ the Preeminence in all things, and to exalt and magnifie his Righteousness, so far as it directs us to fix our Hope and Trust only in him, so far as it con­vinceth us, that all our Works, Duties, and Services, are insig­nificant, as to our Justification before God. Besides, it is very useful as to this, that it often represents to us the free Grace of God, as a genuine Motive to Gospel-Obedience: For certainly there is no Motive like this; this free and undeserved Kindness of God towards us, is the most powerful Attractive to Holiness, the strongest Obligation to a religious Life, the most effectual Engine to draw us off from the Commission of Sin and Vice. This Grace of God which bringeth Salvation, teacheth us to deny ungod­liness and worldly Lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present World. Thus far this Writer hath very laudably acquitted himself. Had he gone no farther, his Sermons would have de­serv'd the Applause of all good Men, rather than their Censure.

But behold! Whilst he seems to vindicate God's Honour one way, he shamefully abuseth it in another: For his Zeal for Christ's imputed Righteousness, makes him vilifie, and almost exclude an internal Righteousness of our own. Whilst he is running from the Popish Doctrin of Good Works, as merito­rious Causes and Procurers of our Salvation, he lasheth out too far, and runs into another extreme, representing all our Graces and Duties, all our religious Exercises and Performances, as use­less, in order to Salvation, and thereby discouraging all our En­deavours and Enterprizes in Religion, and even stifling a holy Life. This Doctrin is the more pernicious and fatal, because the Author hath blended it with so many wholsom things, as Poyson proves the worse when 'tis mixed with our Food and Drink; for then, being not sensible of it, we greedily take it down, and consequently send it with greater force into those Pas­sages of our Bodies, where it will do us most harm. So it is in the present Case; the fatal Venom of these Opinions and Per­suasions will be the more effectually transmitted into Persons, because they are embibed with other Doctrins which are sound and good, and are of indispensible Use in the Lives of Christians. The consideration of this, and this alone, hath prevailed with me [Page 3]to expose these Reflections and Animadversions to the World, that you may, with Caution and Prudence, examin the Doctor's Tenents, and not take down Poyson and Food together, but that you may carefully and wisely distinguish between the one and the other, and resolvedly avoid the former, whilst you, with great eagerness embrace the latter. If it were a Book that were in the hands chiefly of the Learned, I should not have concerned my self, because Men of Judgment are able to correct the Mi­stakes and Errors they meet with. But when I saw that the Book was bought up, and read, and (which is more) applauded by the common Readers, I thought it was time to do the World a kindness, in discovering the erroneous and dangerous Doctrins contained in these Sermons; and I have used all Plainness, be­cause I would be fully understood by those for whom these Re­marks are designed. Nothing could have invited me to this Un­dertaking, but the unfeigned desire I had to undeceive the World. The Searcher of Hearts knows that I write nothing out of any sinister and base Principle, out of a love to find fault with other Mens Writings. I undertake this Task, not because I delight to oppose any Man, or because I am desirous to expose any Man's Principles and Notions: But that which I do, is wholly from that Sense which I have of my Duty in this Affair, to obviate the growing Evil and Mischief of the Doctrin of Antinomianism. I say nothing out of pike or groundless Disgusts, much less out of Hatred and Ill-Will; for I heartily wish the Good and Sal­vation of those whose Errors I detect: And that is the true Spring of this present Enterprize. I do it out of mere kindness to the Souls of Men, out of Compassion to those Persons I see are seduced. Be not deceived with vain Words and empty Profes­sions and Pretences. Though the Author of these Sermons often attempts to persuade you that he is no Antinomian, i.e. that he is not against the Law of Righteousness and Holiness; that he is no Discourager of Faith and good Works, and the several Du­ties of Religion; yet nothing is more evident than this, that he is a professed Enemy to these, and useth all the Art he can to make others so too. Nothing is more manifest than that he se­parates Justification from Sanctification, which the holy Scriptures always joyn together. I will, from his own Words, (which I will truly and faithfully set down) demonstrate to you, that he makes it his business, in most of his Discourse, to slight and disparage, yea, to explode and condemn all the Graces and Vir­tues [Page 4]of the holy Spirit in Believers, all their internal and external Holiness, all those religious Acts which are performed, either by their inward or outward Man. He vilifies, he laughs at, he beats down and destroys all these, as will appear from these following Particulars.

I. Though he seems to be an extraordinary Admirer of the Grace of Faith, and advanceth it above all others; yet notwith­standing this, he refuseth to give Faith its due, and will not ascribe that to it which the blessed S. Paul so often doth; that is, he will by no means allow of Justication by Faith. This is the first thing I take notice of in his Sermons. Though he tells us all along, that he makes it his business to exalt Christ; yet here, in the very first place, he denies that we are justified by Faith in Christ. This stumbling at the Threshold is very ominous; this faultering in this principal and leading Point of Christian Reli­gion, is too certain a sign that he will fail in most of the rest: Of the Truth of which you will be convinced afterwards. It is his firm and setled Opinion, That a Man may be justified, yea, and that he is justified by God, and thereby hath a Part in Christ, though he have no Faith, notwithstanding the Apostle saith we are justified by Faith. That you may know his Mind the fuller in this Point, he expresseth himself by way of Objection and Answer, thusVol. I. Serm. 7. page 98., Some may be ready to say to me, Though God be never so free in giving Christ unto Men, yet they may never have a part in him, except they have hands to take and receive him. I answer perem­ptorily, That though Men have no Hands to take Christ, yet may they receive him, i. e. though they have no Faith, yet they may receive Christ, and have a Part in him. And again, he is at his Questions and AnswersVol. I. Serm. 7. page 100., You will ask (saith he), Is not Unbelief a Bar to have a Part in Christ? Answer, It is a Bar to hinder the Manifestation of Christ in the Spirit, but it is not a Bar to hinder one from having a Part in Christ. Here you see he asserts that Christ may be received, and that a Man may have a Part in him, though he be destitute of Faith. And what is this but to be justified without Faith? For, to have a Part in Christ, is to be ju­stified by him; therefore if a Man may have a Part in him with­out Faith, he may be justified without Faith; though this be con­trary to the plain decision of S. Paul: He is sensible of this, and [Page 5]therefore he is concerned, in the next place, to shift off the Apo­stle, and to make void what he saith, if it be possible. It is worth your observing what odd Fetches he hath, what strange shufling he useth; or in plainer Terms, what pains he is at to wrest and pervert the Word of God.Vol. II. Serm. 6. pag. 325 You will say, (saith he) The Apostle Paul saith in the 5th Chapter to the Romans, that being justified by Faith, we have Peace with God: And since the Holy Chost saith we are justified by Faith, we must not dispute against it. Any Man would think so indeed. But now to an­swer this Objection, and baffle S. Paul, observe what Course he takes: First, he flies to Beza upon the place. He (saith he) ren­ders the Words without any stop, thus, Being justified by Faith we have Peace with God. Whereas, the English Irastators put a Comma in the middle of the Words, thus, [Being justified by Faith, we have Peace with God] this most sincere Renderer of the Original (so he calls him) doth not make any stop from the beginning to the end, and therefore the Words may as well be rendered thus, [Being justi­fied, by Faith we, &c.] and so ascribe Justification to Christ, as a thing done before, and let Faith have reference to our Peace: Being justified by Christ, by Faith we come to have Peace with God. Thus the Doctor. But after this rate a Man may make fine Work of Scripture: If he may make Stops as he pleases, and that only to patronize his own Opinion and Conceit, he may easily bring the Text to speak what he thinks fit. The Doctor here, to make S. Paul speak for him, takes upon him to correct the Copy of the Greek Testament, and that by the Example of Beza, who often­times pretends to mend the Text of Scripture, and is blamed for it by all sober Men. Perhaps this is the only considerable thing which is faulty in that worthy Man's Annotations: He is frequently altering the reading of the Words, and Dr. Crisp, it seems, is taken with that daring and presumptuous Practice of his. But behold, when this is done, he is never the nearer to the effecting his Design; for though he thinks to evade this Text of S. Paul, yet there are others that he cannot thus mend and alter, as that in Rom. 3.28. We conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law: Galat. 2.16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of jesus Christ; and Chap. 3.8. The Scripture fore-seeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith; and v. 24. The law was our school­master, to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. In [Page 6]all these places there is no possibility of altering or inserting an advantageous Comma, or of making new Stops or Pauses, which may be serviceable to the Cause. Beza cannot help him here; neither Criticism nor Logick will favour his Design. We are justified by Faith, or through Faith; there is no evading of it in these four places of Scripture.

But from what he hath offered, we may see the miserable shifting of the Man, and at the same time his gross Forgetfulness and Incogitancy. One would think he should have considered that there are other Texts of this Apostle, besides that which he quoted, which it is impossible to evade by that ARtifice he useth. But it appears that he was intent upon that Text alone, which he saw was absolutely contradictory to his Doctrin; and therefore his only care was to stifle this, not thinking what would become of the others. This is a palpable Argument of the Doctor's Blindness and Stupidity. Unless he could have dealt with other Texts as he did with this, it was in vain for him to shew his Skill in wresting it. He is here then justly suffered by God to discover his Weakness, not to say his Wilfulness and Pervers­ness: Truly this his Enterprize upon this Text might be suffici­ent to convince any Man that he hath not only a Faculty of wre­sting the holy Scriptures, but that he purposely gives his mind to it. But in the next place, supposing this Interpretation or Read­ing of the Text will not be accepted of, he hath an other way to evade the WordsPage 325., We are (saith he) to di­stinguish in Faith of two things; there is the Act it self of believing, and the Object on which we do believe, and so the Words may be understood thus, Being justified by the Righteousness of Faiht, or by the Righteousness of Christ, which we do believe, we have Peace with God, and so ascribe our Justi­fication to the Object of our believing the Righteousness of Christ, and not to the Act of believing. Thus he thinks to get off with this Distinction of the Act and the Object, which might be made use of, perhaps, in some other place where Faith is mentioned; but here it is of no use at all, but is wholly brought by him to pervert a plain and manifest Text of Scripture: Which I prove thus, If this Distinction be to be made use of here, then it is to be used likewise in those places where we have the very same Words; for doubtless, to be justified by Faith, hath the same Sense and Meaning in one place of S. Paul's Epistles that it hath in ano­ther; otherwise we could not tell what the Apostle's Menaing is, [Page 7]we could not tell what to make use of this Point which is now in Controversie: Nothing could be decided about it, and we should be wholly left in the dark. We must grant this then, that when in divers places he saith We are justified by Faith, his Meaning is the same in all; and if so, then we cant't apply the foresaid Di­stinction here, because it can't be applied in the other places; as in Gal. 3.24. The law was our school-master to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by Faith: Where you see the Act and Ob­ject are distinguished, and made two different things; and there­fore one is not put here for the other, as this Writer imagins. The law, saith the Aposlte, brings us to Christ, or to his righteousness, (which is the same thing) that we might be justified by faith, by our believing in Christ, and apprehending his Righteousness. The Apostle's making here this plain difference between Christ and Faith, between the Object of Faith and the Acting or Exerting of Faith, may convince any rational Man, that the Act of Faith is not to be confounded with the Object of it, and consequently that we are justified by our Faith, as it is an Instrument whereby Christ's Righteousness is apprehended and applied: Therefore though it be our Faith, it is called in one of those fore-mentioned places, the faith of Jesus Christ, i. e. that Faith whereby we believe in an receive Christ: Whence further it is evident, that the Act of Believing is not put here for the Object of it; but is really and truly distinct from it, which is a Confutation of the Doctor's As­sertion, and proves, that he hath not answered that Text, Being justified by faith, we hve peace with God.

But if this Distinction will not serve the turn, he hath an other, which is thisPag. 325, 326., There is a double Justification in Heaven, and in a Man's Conscience or Spirit. Justification in Heaven is God's Act alone, but that in the Consciences of Men is the Manifestation of the Act of God to Mens own Spirits. But doth not every un-byassed Mind perceive that this is a mere Collusion? For, 'tis most apparent, that the Apostle speaks not of any Manifestation of God's Act of Justifying, but of something done by us, We being justified by our Faith, have thereby Peace with God. Faith here is some Act of ours, because (as I have said) to be justified by Faith, is to be understood here as it is understood in other places of this Apostle; for it is certain he doth not vary from himself, especially in so great a Point as this is: Now you may observe, that in the fore-going Texts, Faith is generally oppos'd to Works. The Apostle concludes, that a man [Page 8]is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law; and again, he de­termins, that a Man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. And this is the Antithesis which the Apostle makes throughout his Epistles to the Romans and Gala­tians: He constantly opposeth Faith to Works in Justification, that is, an Act of ours to some others of our own; not an Act of ours to one of God's, as this Author would have us think. The Opposition which you may observe in S. Paul's Writings of Faith to Works, is sufficient to persuade you, that it is but a Dream of the Doctor, that to be justified by Faith, is to have in our Spirits the Manifestation of God's Justification. This hath no relation at all to what the Apostle so often saith; but the plain and clear design of this inspir'd Writer, is to shew, that Works have no­thing to do in Justification, and consequently, that Faith it self, consider'd barely as an Act or Work, is excluded from Justifica­tion; but that Faith, as it is an Instrument or Hand wherewith we receive and lay hold on Christ and his Righteousness, is made use of in Justification. This is the true and only means of being justi­fied by Faith, according to the Sentiments of the generality of those for whom these Papers are chiefly design'd: For 'tis well known who are the Persons among whom the Antinomian Controversie is agitated at this day. Therefore I say this here once for all, That I take it for granted by those Persons, that this is the right Notion of justification, and that the Apostle's Words are to be understood thus. But our Author stifly opposes it, and you have heard with what slight Weapons he doth it. We are justified by faith, saith the infallible Apostle; and he repeats it over and over again, meaning it in the plain and obvious Sense of the Words. We are not justified by Faith, saith D. Grisp; forVol. I. Serm. 6. page 85. Christ (saith he) doth justifie a Person before he believes; and in another place he saithVol. III. Serm. 7. pag. 596., Whatever the Scripture speaks concerning Faith justifying, it must of necessity be understood ob­jectively or declaratively; that is, in short, Faith is no Instrument in Justification. All his crafty Fetches and Distinctions, all his Art and Sophistry tend to this, viz. To explode that known and fa­mous Doctrin of the Reformed Divines, Justification by Faith. You see what a do he makes, rather than he will say Faith is some way made use of in Justification, rather than he will acknowledg, that Faith is an Instrument whereby we apprehend Christ and his Merits to the Justification of our Persons; nay, rather than he [Page 9]will own the express Words of S. Paul, and those five or six times repeated. Yea, you may observe, that he wilfully leaves this Clause out when he cites the Text. He had occasion to quote it twiceVol. II. Serm. 14. pag. 440. he omits those Words [by Faith] as if it were no part of Scripture; or as if the Apostle had inserted something which was need­less and superfluous, and therefore might be omit­ted. Mark (which is his usual Word, and there is reason now for me to use it); Mark, I say, that if any thing in the Bible be against his Notion, it must be left out, it is no Scripture with him; and yet this is the Man that so often tells his Auditors, That he founds all his Doctrin on the revealed Will of God, and bids them not re­ceive any thing from him, unless it carries Evidence with it from Scripture. Here you see is Scripture, plain Scripture, and that of­ten repeated in the same Words; and yet this Man is so far from embracing it himself, or persuading others to receive it, that he laboriously attempts to disprove it, and render it null and void.

I earnestly request and beseech all those who peruse this Author's Writings, that they would seriously think of this, and guide them­selves accordingly. They deal with a Man that makes the Word of God of no effect (as the Pharisees of old did) by his corrupt Glos­ses. They are concerned therefore to read with great caution, lest they, after his Example, run into a Contempt of Holy Scripture, and set themselves against the clear Discoveries of it. Let them be warned by the Failings of this Person, and never be so hardy and presumptuous, as to trample upon the Word of God, and to study how they may baffle the received Truths contained in itActs 13.38.. Be it known unto you, men and brethren, saith the Apostle, that through this man (even God-Man, Christ Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him, all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses. And the same Apostle, concerning himself and his Fellow-Christians and Con­verts, satih, Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, but we might be justified by the faith of Christ, Gal. 2.16. I ask, Is this Scripture, or not? You will be loth to say the latter; therefore, if you hold it to be Scripture, you cannot deny these two Truths (which are so strenuously contradicted by this Writer) viz. That Justification is not separated from Faith; for the Apostle declares, That all that believe are justified by Christ, and that he and others did believe in Je­sus Christ, that they might be justified. Hence it is undeniably evi­dent, [Page 10]that Believing goeth along with Justifying. No man can be justified that doth not at the same time believe. This is an unan­swerable place of Scripture; this Text alone is enough to silence and confound the Doctor. And the second Truth which is built on these Texts is this, That we are justified by Faith: For this is ne­cessarily included in the former place, where the Apostle acquaints us, That all that believe are justified, and 'tis more than included in the latter Words, where 'tis plainly expressed, that we are justi­fied by the Faith of Christ, i. e. as the preceding Clause explains it, by the believing in Jesus Christ. And if we are justified by Faith, then there is no Justification without it; for if we may be justified without it, why doth the blessed Apostle so often tell us, that we are justified by it? Or, are we justified by it, and no by it? i.e. Are we sometimes justified by it, and sometimes not? No Man of Sense can imagin the Apostle meant any such thing, because he so often inculcates this, that we are justified by Faith. But if a Man could ima­gin any such thing, yet the Doctor will not admit of this; he stands to this general and indefinite Proposition, which you often find in his Sermons, that Christ doth justifie a Person before he believeth. If he be justified before he believes, then he is not justified by Faith; that is a plain case. But who sees not that it is a flat contradicting S. Paul? This may suffice, I conceive, for the proof of the first thing I undertook, viz. That Dr. Grisp disparages the principal Grace of Christians, and robs it of that Honour which God and the holy Scripture had confer'd upon it, namely, that it should be instrumental in our Justification. Here you see is a very bad be­ginning; the first thing we observe in him is no less than a plain and peremptory denying of the Apostle's Doctrin of Justification by Faith, which is held by all the orthodox Christians in the World. This Man, who condemns other Professors as Papists (as you shall hear afterwards) and looks upon himself as a Protestant of the first rate, renounceth that Article of Religion, which those who esteem themselves the most reformed of the Protestants, embrace as a main Criterion of Protestantism and sound Belief. And withal, he opens a Gap to all Presumption and Licentiousness; for if a Man may be justified, and yet have no Faith, then Unbelievers and unregene­rate Persons are in as good a condition (for there is no better than that of being justified) as those that believe and are born again. If Justification and Faith be separated; if at the same time that a Man is justified, he is an Unbeliever, then we need not be con­cerned whether we have Faith, or any other Virtue and Grace of [Page 11]the holy Spirit: Which shews the absolute Tendency of this Do­ctrin to Licentiousness, which yet the Doctor, and other Antino­mians, considently deny.

II. This Writer asserts and defends that Doctrin, which is the Bane of all godly Fear and Dread, of all Suspicion of our selves, of spiritual Watchfulness, and a wary and cautious Behaviour; which yet are Graces and Duties much commended in holy Scripture, and greatly practised by the Servants of God. Yea, according to this Author, there is no such thing as Fear in Christianity. All the busi­ness is done to our hands, he saith, He holds (as you have heard) that a Man may be justified by God without Faith, and consequently that Sanctification (of which Faith is a part) may be separated from Justification; therefore an unsanctified state is as good and safe as a sanctified one; for a Person may be justified and accepted of God, and have a part and Interest in him though he be unsancti­fied. And hence it follows, that whether a Man hath Faith or not, whether he be regenerate and sanctified or not, it is all one; the Person is as safe and secure in one condition as in the other; and therefore it is Folly to entertain any Fear or Distrust. Many good Christians, as we think, yea, and as the holy Spirit of God, in the Scriptures, not only thinks but openly declares, are wont to suspect themselves, and to be afraid of Dangers that encompass them, and to think their spiritual Condition is in some hazard; but this bold and fearless Man laughs at such filly Creatures as these, and looks upon them as very sorry Christians, nay, not deserving the Name of Christian. He merrily brings in such a one com­plaining thusVol. II. Serm. 8. pag. 345., I have neglected the day of my Visi­tation; I had once the Opportunity, the Presence of the Spirit of God: Alas! My fear is, that that was the day of God's Grace to me, but I have let it slip, and now there is no more hope left for me: Which Words (as you'll find) he speaks in way of Mockery: And in several other places you will find him deriding such whining timerous Christians as these, representing them as Persons of shallow Understandings; and of a Temper not becoming the Gospel. But let us hear what the infallibe Scripture of Truth saith, Happy is the man that feareth always, Prov. 28.14. Thrice happy is he who guards and secures himself (as much as in him lieth) by this pious Fear in his Brest. Happy is he that hath this blessed Inmate there; by which he is stirred up to a constant Vigilancy, and taking heed to his ways. But by the Principles of [Page 12] Antinomianism, which are those of our present Author, all Watch­fulness, as well as all Fear, is taken away; for if there may be Ju­stification without Faith and Sanctification, (which the Doctor main­tains) then there is no need of examining whether we have Faith and other Graces of the Spirit; we need not be sollicitous and care­ful in this matter; we may cast away all Fear and Suspicion, and give over watching. Where there is no Danger, 'tis a vain and unnecessary thing to watch. Being justified we have Peace, and 'tis not material whether we are sanctified or no. Accordingly, you never hear the Doctor call upon his Auditors to watch, which was the Advice that our Saviour so often tender'd to his Disciples. You never hear him inculcate S. Paul's Counsel, Watch and stand fast, 1 Cor. 16.13. He never drops any such holy Caution as this in his Sermons, Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God, Heb. 3.12. Who can find in his Writings any thing like that Advice of the Apostle? Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, Phil. 2.12. Not once doth he leave among his Hearers such a seasonable Word as that, Let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it, Heb. 4.1. He never uses them to such Language as that, Be not high minded, but fear, Rom. 11.20. He never is the Man who saith any thing that comes near to the Apostles Caveat, Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall, 1 Cor. 10.12. No such Exhortation comes from him, as that of S. Peter, Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear, 1 Pet. 1.17. Such wary dealing as this our Author despiseth; for his Principles (which I have before mentioned) bid them banish all Fear of Danger, and be confident of the Goodness of their Condition, and rest satisfied without either Suspicion or Vigilan­cy; for these are perfectly useless (according to him) when a Man is once in Christ, and hath a part in the free Grace of God.

And as this Man hath, and must needs have no fearful apprehen­sions of his State, so, according to him, there is no fear of God in such a Person; for he holds (as you shall hear afterwards) that God s not displeased, is not angry with a justified Person, but takes all things well at his hands, even when he commits the most abomi­nable and notorious Sins. Indeed, if this be true, the Man hath no reason at all to be afraid of God; because, if God be pleased with him, he hath no ground of Fear. Is it not irrational to be afraid of him who takes every thing (yea, the most heinous Enor­mities) in good part? And this God always doth, and therefore he [Page 13]is not the Object of our Fear. You cannot but see that this is the natural and genuine Consequence of this Doctrin, it destroys all Fear of God. It is impossible any Man should cherish this in his Heart, or so much as find it there when he is throughly persuaded that God cannot be offended with him, though he commits never so great a Sin, and continues a long time in the practice of it. How can he be afraid to displease and anger God, when he firmly believes and maintains that he never is displeased or angry with him and never can be? There is no possibility, I say, of such a Man's entertaining any such thing as the Fear of God in his Soul. And yet how excel­lent and necessary a Grace this is, we may learn from a most innu­merable places of Scripture, both in the Old and New Testament, where we are commanded and exhorted to practise this Virtue, where it is urged upon us with great earnestness, and where we find this divine Grace commended and extoll'd. Fear the Lord, ye his Saints, Psal. 34.9. saith the holy Psalmist; from whence you may guess what Saints the Doctor sets up in his Sermons, Saints that have no Fear of God before their Eyes, Saints that never have any Apprehensions of the divine Displeasure, Saints that never tremble at his Judgments, Saints that are careless and heedless, and say, God cannot be displeased, no, though they live in the great­est Excess of Riot, and commit Sins of the most heinous and fla­gicious nature. Again, the Psalmist describes God by this Epither, He that ought to be feared, Psal. 76.11. But the Doctor's Disciples are taught on the contrary, by his Principles, that God ought not to be feared; there is nothing in him, and nothing that he doth which calls for that Passion. The same Royal Prophet assures us, that God taketh pleasure in them that fear him, Psal. 147.11. But this Writer is quite of another strain, and would persuade us, that this Fear is displeasing to God, it being no Duty that he requires of us. The Royal Preacher hath acquainted us, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning (or, as it may be render'd, the Head) of wisdom, Prov. 1.7. that is, it is the principal part of it, the main thing that constitutes divine and heavenly Wisdom. But this Preacher represents the Fear of God as a foolish thing, as a vain and useless Exertment of the Soul, as an Operation of the Mind very unwor­thy of a Christian Man. And in the Evangelical Writings, as well as those of the Old Testament, this excellent Grace is commended to us, I will fore-warn you whom you shall fear, saith our Saviour, Fear him, who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, fear him, Luke 12.5. He speaks to his Disciples, as [Page 14]you may see, v. 1. And besides, you may partly know he speaks to these, because he calls them his Friends, v. 4. His very Friends must fear him; which is quite contrary to the Doctrin of this Wri­ter. We are taught by the great Apostle S. Paul, that we ought to serve God with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire, Heb. 12.28, 29. Observe it, Our God, saith the Apostle, though he be our God, though we have a Portion in him, and consequently though we are Elect and Believers, yet he is a con­suming fire, and he must be feared. It is true, all Fear that ex\cludes Faith and Reliance on God; all Fear that is disingenuous and slavish; all Fear that shuts out a Principle of Love, is unlaw­ful, and therefore forbidden, which is the meaning of our serving him without Fear, Luke 1.74. But there is a godly Fear which is consistent with Faith and Love, and is not servile but filial; it is a Fear of God's Majesty, a Fear of his Judgments, a Fear to offend him; and this is an inseparable Qualification of all Believers and holy Men, and one of the greatest Advancers of Piety and Righ­teousness that the Gospel commends to us; and that is the reason why it is both in the Old and New Testament a Word for all Religion and Holiness. The Fear of God imports universal San­ctity. One that fears God in Scripture-stile, is one that is a very religious and holy Person. HOw destructive then to Holiness are some of the Doctor's Sermons, wherein the true Fear and Awe of God, i. e. a fearing to displease him, and a trembling at his Wrath and Judgments, are utterly overthrown? For they must needs be so, when a Believer (as he often asserts, and therefore 'tis needless to set down the Pages here) cannot possibly displease and offend God; and when there are no such things as Judgments and Punishments to be feared by him. Let any impartial Man judge, whether this doth not destroy that godly Fear which the holy Scripture recom­mends to us, and which the Saints of God have endeavour'd to che­rish in their Breasts, and consequently whether this be not a great hindrance to Religion and a holy Life, and promote a Spirits of Se­curity and Stupidity; in a word, whether it may not be gathered from the strain of his Discourses, that his design is to render Men void of Fear and Care, as to any thing that concerns their Salva­tion. And is it fitting then that these Sermons should be in the hands of good Christians? Is this Doctrin suitable to the Professors of the Gospel? Will not such Discourses be very pernicious to Christianity?

[Page 15] III. He that hath imbib'd the Principles and Doctrin of this Au­thor cannot pray. This so much celebrated Duty of Christianity must of necessity cease, according to his Notions of things, yea, according to his own plain and express Words, which are theseVol. II. Serm. 9. pag 370., When People pray for any Grace, all their Prayer is, That God would manifest and make them perceive that God hath given them that Grace, that he hath done that thing for them in special; so that all our Prayers begets (beget it should be) no new thing of God that he hath not done before; only the Lord is pleased when People do pray to him according to his own mind, to meet with them in that Ordinance, and then to manifest to them what secretly he hath done before for them. If any Man believes this, it is impossible he should give himself to Prayer, and be frequent and ardent in his Addresses to Heaven: For what should he pray for, when there is no obtaining any good at all by it? As for Example, 'tis in vain to pray for the Conversion of him­self, or any other, or to petition for Faith or Humility, or any other spiritual good thing; for Prayer comes too late here, all is done already. These things are not to be had by Prayer, yea, they are always had without them; therefore Prayer is of no effect here, Here is only some Manifestation of what is past and done, but there is no obtaining any present Blessig, nor any hopes of getting any thing for the future. This is his avouched Doctrin, and he ex­plains it more particularly in his Answer to an Objection raised from that Petition in the Lord's Prayer, Forgive us, &c. Christ bids us here pray for Forgiveness of Sins; therefore, it seems (as one would think) to be a well-grounded Assertion, that Prayer is one means of attaining, by the divine Blessing, the Remission of our Sins; and also that God is pleased to bestow upon us some new Favours and Blessings, when we earnestly beg them of him, that he will vouchsafe us some Grace or Benefit which we were not Possessors of before, as namely, this of Forgiveness of our Trespas­ses. But hear his AnswerVol. II. Serm. 9. pag. 369., To pray for the For­giveness of Sins, is no more, but to pray that God would manifest to us, that he hath forgiven our Sins, and that it may clear to us that God hath forgiven our Sins. This is after his usual way of evading plain Texts of Scri­pture; and if he takes this course, he may make what he will of the Bible. But I ask this, Is there any reason why this Peti­tion should be interpreted, in a manner, different from all the rest, [Page 16]which you cannot but acknowledg are direct Addresses for pre­sent or future Mercies, and not for the Manifestation of past ones? We do not pray that God would make it manifest to us that his Name is hallowed, and that his Kingdom is come, &c. but we dire­ctly pray for the things themselves, as they are things that are now to be granted to us: And why then should we not understand this Petition that Forgiveness of Sins in the same way? Again, I ask this, Is it not clear of Forgiving of Sins, and the Manifestation of that Forgiving, are two things? And if they be, then 'tis impertinent and irrational to put one for the other. Moreover, that the for­mer of these, viz. Actual. Forgiveness of Sins is spoken of here, may be concluded from the Words following in this Petition, as we forgive them that trespas against us. We are obliged to for­give other Mens Trespasses against us, and that actually: This is an indispensible Duty incumbent on us, and is a thing really dif­ferent from the manifesting of it; for sometimes there may be an entire forgiving of our Brother's Offences, when there is no occa­sion to make it open and manifest. So then, as Forgiveness of Tres­passes is understood in this latter Clause, in the like manner it must be in the former, and consequently a down-right actual Pardon of Sins is there meant, and we pray that God would graciously vouchsafe this unto us, and give us a present Discharge from the Guilt of all our Transgressions. This is no other than that grand Privilege which is the Subject of one of the Articles of our Greed, We believe the forgiveness of Sins, we believe that God will con­fer this singular Blessing upon us, for the sake of his Son Jesus, by whose Merit alone it was procured, and therefore we pray for it, as our Saviour here enjoyneth us. We pray that God would per­form his gracious Promise of Remission of Sins, that he would make good his Decree and his Word to us concerning it. And he certainly will, if we pray in Faith, and persevere in it; for it is one of the Characters and Attributes of God given him by the Psalmist, He that heareth Prayer, Psal. 65.2. This is sufficient En­couragement to us to call upon Go, and to implore his Mercy and Favour. Whence you may take notice of the Impiety of those Assertions before set down; which, if any Person fully embraceth and maintaineth, he can have no Encouragement to put up his Petitions to God; for he holds that God cannot hear and an­swer him, i. e. do according to what he desireth, because all that it is possible for God to grant, is granted already; he hath done all long before, and there is nothing to be done now. To what purpose then doth any Man pray?

After he had started this ObjectionVol. II. Serm. 9. pag. 369., You will say, the Servants of God are heard when they pray; he returns this Answer, I say, Christ is only heard when he prays. What do you think of this Do­ctrin? Doth this Man design to encourage Prayer? ir do you think he remembers his own Words in another place, which are theseVol. III. Serm. 3. pag. [...]61., If any Man can produce one Scripture against what I have said; if any Man can shew in all the Book of God, that it is any otherwise than I have delivered, for my part I shall be of another mind, and willingly recant my Opinion. Then he must recant; there is no helping of it, unless he will blot these Texts out of the Bible, Psal. 34.17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth. Psal. 50.15. Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee. The deliver­ing is promised upon calling on God, and the delivering was grant­ed upon hearing that calling: So that it is plain, that the Servants of God are [...] when they pray, which yet the Doctor denieth. Ag [...] 6.33 The Lord heareth the poor. Psal. 145.18, 19. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that sear him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them. Prov. 15.29. The Lord heareth the prayer of the righteous. Here is not only one Scripture pro­duced against him, but many; yea, and many more might be added of the same import, which flatly contradicts what he hath deli­vered. Dr. Crisp saith, Christ is only heard when he prays; but the Word of God saith the quite contrary, assuring us, that others are heard when they pray. The result then is, whether we ought to be­lieve this Doctor or the Bible? We can shew in the Book of God, thatExod. 32.11, 14. Moses was heard when he prayed, thatJos. 10.12, 13, 14. Josuah was heard, that1 Sam. 7.9. Samuel was heard, that1 King. 17.1.18.28, 42, 45. 2 Chron. 20.5, 22, Isaiah 37.15, 37. Jon. 2.1, 10. Elias, Jehosophat, Hezekiah, Jonah, and others were heard when they prayed to God. In the New Testament we could instance in2 Cor. 12.8. S. Paul, and others, and God heareth all the Saints when they cry unto him; and how then is Christ only heard when he prays? If he saith, Christ only was heard for his own Merits, but we are heard for his; this is that which we all grant, and no Protestant ever denied it, and there­fore that cannot be his meaning: But we may guess his design was to disparage and vilifie Prayer, as he doth all other Duties of Religion. He lets us know that Prayer is nothing worth; [Page 18]Prayer can do us no good; and how indeed can it, when it is not heard, according to him? Yea, all our Prayers bring down a Curse rather than a Blessing. Judge now, whether this strain of Preaching doth not stifle all Praying both for our selves and others. Pray we never so earnestly, we can bring no Advantage to our selves; and we can do our Brethren, our Neighbours, our Kins­folks, our Friends no good at all by praying for them; for all the good that God intended them is done them already; therefore we had better sit still, and not lose our Labour. What think ye now of these Sermons which are lately dispersed up and down the Nation? Is such Preaching orthodox that damps all Praying; that is, all Petitioning at the Throne of Grace (for, as for Thanking of God, which, according to him, they are capable of doing, it is Praising rather than Praying)? If Mens Minds be thus corrupted and debauched by false Notions in Religion, what may we ex­pect will be the result of it? Are we no like to have a good Generation of Men, that are taught not to pray, or have Argu­ments put into their Minds why they should not?

IV. The Doctrin contained in these Sermons strikes at all godly Sorrow, Contrition, Humiliation, Confession, and Lamenting of Sin, and Repenting of it, and renders them useless and insignificant in the Life of a Christian. But on the contrary, it is certain that these are of great use in Christianity; for they were design'd by Heaven to be Instrumental towards the kindly softning of Mens Hearts, by the effectual Grace of the holy Spirit accompanying them, to prepare the way of the Lord, to be subordinate Means whereby Sinners should be fitted for the reception of Grace and Mercy. For it is God's Pleasure and Appointment, that these should either be the Fore runners or Concomitants of divine and saving Grace: More especially in times of great Danger and Ca­lamity they are found to be Means of diverting the Wrath of God, and of deriving Blessing on a Nation. When God's Judg­ments are abroad in the Earth, and his Hand is lifted up in a more severe way than ordinarily, against a Peo­ple, thenIsa. 22.12. The Lord calls to weeping and to mourn­ing in a more signal manner: And shall we not obey his Call? Shall we not humble our selves before the Lord, and lie in the Dust, and with fasting and weeping, and the deep­est remorse of Soul, bewail our manifold Transgressions, and most earnestly intercede with God in behalf of our selves and the Com­munity? When oru Hearts are loaded with our Iniquities, shall [Page 19]we not unburthen them before the Lord? Shall we not, as it were, evaporate our Sins by mournful Sighs and Groans? Shall we not wash them away with penitential Tears? Shall we not ease our throbbing Hearts? Shall we not pacifie our disquiet Minds, by casting out that filthy load of Sin which lies upon them, viz. by a hearty Confession and Acknowledgment of all our sinful Do­ings, and by a sincere renouncing of them? And the greater our Sins have been, the greater ought our Sorrow and Repentance to be; the more heinous our Transgressions have been, the more remarkable Tokens ought we to shew of our abhorring of them. This certainly will not be denied by any Person that understands his Duty aright, and is acquainted with the holy Scriptures, which prescribe his Duty. Yet hear what our Author saith,Vol. II. Serm. 6. page 317., Usually it is taught among us, by those who would be accounted the greatest Protestants, and the greatest Haters of Popery, that the proportion of Re­pentance, and Tears, and Sorrow, and Fastings; I say, the proportion of these answerable to the Latitude and Height of such Transgressions; this is that which gives ease, this takes away the Burthen, this lays the Soul at rest, and quiets it. Thus he makes Tears and Fasting, Sorrow and Repentance, Matter of his Derision. These are thought to be fine things, saith he, by some Professors, these are their sweet Lulliabies, these they think will quiet their childish Souls, and lay them asleep. If they can but sob and sigh, fast and weep, and re­pent of their Sins, they conclude they have done great Feats: But I must tel them, saith he, this smells rank of Popery, though they would be thought, forsooth, to be the greatest Abhorrers of it. Observe it, all are Papists that are not Antinomians. But he goes on in his scoffing Vein, by way of Objection, thusVol. II. Serm. 6. page 319., God cannot but melt, will some say, to see the Tears of his People, and the bitterness of their Spirits; and their crying, and their Earnestness, and their Sorrows cannot but prevail with him to have Compassion on them. To which he replies in these Words, I know this is the general Conceit of too many in the World: But, beloved, let me tell you, there is nothing in all Creatures in the World that hath the least prevalency with the Lord, let them do what they can. All our Prayers, all our Tears, all our Fastings, all our Mournings, all our Reluctancy and Fighting against our Corruptions, they move God not a jot to lay our Sins upon Christ. This last Clause is a wild Fancy of his own, which he often repeats, as if it were said by some sort of sober Men, that our Duties and Performances cause God to la our Sins [Page 20]upon Christ. Here he wilfully misrepresents those who, he saith, would be accounted the greatest Protestants; for no such thing was ever said by them, therefore he leaves this out at some other times, and absolutely saith, these foresaid Performances of holy Men move God not a jot. He goes on thus, I ask, Is there any Good or Evil in any thing which Men do? Which is a very strange Que­stion, and such as no considerate Man would start; for moral and religious Actions of that high nature, were ever concluded to be either good or evil There is not a Man of any tolerable Sense, that doubteth of this: And he himself, almost with the same breath (for 'tis but three Lines after) expresly voucheth, that these Performances are Evil. This Man, who had said, Is there any Good or Evil in any thing Men do? Presently adds thisPag. 320., No Man can deny, but there is abun­dance of Iniquity in the best Performances. But they are neither good nor evil, he saith, in their own Nature. Yes, the nature of these Duties and Acts before named is good, because they are in themselves the proper Concern of rational Creatures and dependent beings, therefore they are intrinsically good. Prayer and Humiliation, &c. are consonant to the Nature of Mankind, and are suitable to our Condition; thus they are good in themselves. And though Infirmity and Sin be mixed with them, yet they are acceptable to God; because, for Christ's sake the Infirmity and Sin are over-looked. This is consonant to Rea­son and Scripture, and the Suffrage of all sober Divines: And therefore 'tis no wonder that our Antinomian Doctor, swerving from all these, runs himself into Absurdities and Contradictions, and first tells us, that these religious Duties are neither good nor evil, and then soon after proclaims them to be really evil and sinful.

V. And so concerning all other religious Duties and Services he pronounceth alike: There is no good in them, they have no Pre­valency with God, and a Man is never the better for themVol. I. Serm. 9. pag. 140, a Man gets nothing by all the Righteous­ness he performs. This he very much enlargeth upon, and in his usual scoffing Language tells us, That 'tis the general Practice of Professors (which, by the way, you must know, is a Word that he often useth, and applies it as the Quakers at this day do, who deridingly call all those Pro­fessors, who are sorber and zealous Asserters of the Christian Truth, and who devoutly serve God in the way which is approved of by [Page 21]the holy Scriptures, and by the Practice of all the primitive Saints, Martyrs, and Confessors) to give themselves to Praying and Fa­sting, and then to persuade themselves, that Sin is subdued by this Course, that this will prevail with God to remove his Judg­ments, or to confer Mercies and Blessings upon them. He repre­sents their Thoughts and Words thusVol. I. Serm. 9. pag. 136., To fast Sin out, to pray it out, to mourn it out; this is that which must bring you Tidings that God will be pa­cified towards you; that God will turn away his An­ger from you, if you do but fast spiritually, if you can but mourn bit­terly, if you can but pray zealously with strength of Spirit, this is that which shall overcome God. Good Lord! That any Man who calls himself A Minister of Christ, should scoff after this manner! And in the same place he most irreligiously and scoffingly pro­ceeds thus, What mean all your Complaints upon the defects of your Fastings, and from the defect of your Humiliation and Self-denial, and the subduing of your Corruptions? That is it which pulls down the Wrath of God upon us. Is not this common (i. e. commonly said) among us, that as long as Men do not mend, there is no hope that God will mend? And if every Man would mend one this is the way to redress the Evil of the Times. Who would imagin that so serious a Preacher as he pretends to be, would talk thus light­ly? Is he delivering the Word of God, or is he jesting and play­ing? Surely Free Grace is turned into Wantonness here. And so you must needs conclude, if you read his following Words, (Words so unsavoury and irreligious, that I trem­ble at the transcribing of them)Vol. II. Serm. 1. pag. 235., If a Soul get under full Sail, fill'd with a stiff Gale of the Spirit of Christ, when Floods of Meltings flow from it, if they can cry mightily, and be swift to hear, and be greedy in suck­ing in divine Truths, and be somewhat exact in observing practical righteous means, to mourn and pray lustily (could any thing be said more rudely and prophanely by him?) being helped by the Spirit herein (here again he derides the Assistance of the holy Spirit), then such Prayers, Mournings, and other divine Exercises will do Wonders (I, that they will): Hereby Persons shall get Pardon, set­tle spiritual, Civil, and natural Healings, with national: Such Cour­ses, some think, will turn away God's Wrath, and reconcile him to a Person or People. Some very good People have thought so in­deed, that is, they have looked upon these religious Duties, per­formed by the help of the Spirit, as Means appointed by God him­self, in the right use of which, Grace and Favour, Mercies and [Page 22]Blessings, both personal and national, are convey'd unto them. But he, it seems, is of another mind; for in another place he speaks in this peremptory mannerVol. I. Serm. 10. pag. 150., When you fall upon Yumiliation, Fasting, Prayer, Weeping, and Self-denyal, what do you look for? In the diversity of Judgments, saith one, I get this by it, Prevention of many great Evils hanging over my Head: An other saith, Peace of Conscience, Joy in the Holy Ghost, Assurance of the Pardon of Sin, Assurance of Reconciliation with God: These things would I get by attending upon Ordinances, by serving God day and night in that way he calls me out unto. I tell you plainly, There is none of all these things that you do, that conduce a jot towards the obtaining of any of these Ends you purpose of your selves. All you do gets not a jot, nay, doth not concur in it. And that you may know he continues in the same mind and resolves to do so, he repeats the same againIbid., I must tell you, saith he, and that freely, There is not any Duty you perform, when you have attained the highest pitch, that hath any Prevalency and Avail­ableness to produce, to bring forth any, though the least good, to your selves. Thus again and again he lets you know his Opinion, as to this matter. The Sum of it is, That neither Prayer nor Humi­liation, nor Repentance, nor any other Duties whatsoever, though they be done most sincerely, fervently, and zealously, though the Persons that do them be helped by the holy Spirit therein, are means of procuring any Blessing from God. No Person or People were ever the better for them. They never prevent any Evil or Dan­ger, they cannot divert God's Wrath and Displeasure, they con­duce not a jot to our Peace and Joy of Mind, to our comforta­ble Walking, they afford us no hopes of the Forgiveness of Sin and the Favour and Love of God, and (as you shall hear after­wards) they cannot be made use of as Signs or Tokens of the goodness of our Condition.

Now, is not here a Door open to a neglect of all holy Duties and Exercises of Religion, to a Contempt of fasting and Humi­liation, to an utter Omission of Prayer and daily Calling upon God, to a disregard of all Mourning and Repenting for our Sins, and in short, to a general Licentiousness and Prosaneness in our Lives? Who would pray, when 'tis so poor and useless a thing? Who of this Man's Auditors (and now of his Readers) may not be tempted to lay aside this Duty wholly, and to look upon it as unnecessary in Religion, when they hear or read those things which he saith of it, when they perceive how he vilifies and disgraces [Page 23]it? I know, and I declare I know that these Sermons of his have damped and cooled some Mens Devotions, by infusing into their Minds such sorry Thoughts of this holy and religious Exercise. When the godly and zealous performance of this Duty is called by him Praying lustily; do you think that his constant Readers and Followers have any great Opinion of Praying, though for some cer­tain Reasons (which I will not mention now) they frequently use it? Can you believe that they make and Conscience in discharging this Duty? No, no. Such Preaching, if it be imbib'd, choaks all Praying, and it hath the same effect, as to all other Offices and Performances of Religion. Can it enter into your Thoughts, that a Man will addict himself to holy Fasting and strive to humble and debase himself, and promote a godly Mourning for his Sins, and beg for Mortification and Self-denial, and endeavour, by the Assistance of Heaven, to live uprightly and circumspectly, and conform his Ways to the divine Will in all things, if he be once baptized into this Opinion, That the most sincere endeavouring af­ter these things, is no whit regarded by God, and that, as to our selves, they conduce not a jot (for that is the word) towards any Good or Advantage that we may have by them, which is the avowed Judgment of this Doctor, as you have heard from his own Mouth or Pen? And in other places (which I have not tran­scribed) he resolutely owns and maintains the same Sentiments, and tells us it is in vain to look that Duty should bring any thing. Vol. I. Serm. 9. page 42. Fasting, Praying, and Mourn­ing, do us no good; he saithVol. I. Serm. 5. pag. 73., We can get nothing by Duties. Now, if God doth not regard these our Services, yea, though they proceed from his own holy Spirit; and if we our selves have no Good by them, to what purose should we be concerned in them? If God cares not for them, why should we? Nay, if he wholly disregards and abhors them, as being ever evil and sinful, we have no reason to be sollicitous about them. This is the natural result of such Preach­ing, such Printing: And I question not, but Hundreds (to speak modestly) of those who have embraced the foresaid Doctrin, have made these Inferences to themselves, and have been incited and encouraged thereby to despise the Services of Religion, and to live in a gross neglect of them. Indeed the Inferences from the Pre­mises are genuine, and no other could be expected to be made. Wherefore as long as such Propositions are entertained, we must look for no other Deductions and Conclusions. But if you would have any made of another Nature, you must alter the Premises, [Page 24]and fix upon new Propositions, that is, you must believe and hold that there are certain Means and Ways of God's own Institution, in the consciencious use of which, we may expect that God will bestow Grace, and all good things upon us, and that when we make use of these Means, and are employed about them according to his Will, we shall never fail of a Blessing. These are of Vir­rue and Efficacy, namely by the Appointment of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to promote a Kingdom of Grace in Mens Hearts and Lives, and to further their Salvation and Happiness. Is it requisite I should prove this? Is not the whole Volume of God's Word one continued Proof and Assurance of this? have Faith and Repentance Vol. I. Serm. 1. pag. 12. nothing to do in Salvation? as this Gentleman teacheth, when you find the Apostles Answers to those Questions [What shall we do, and what must we do to be saved?] are theseActs 2 38.16.31. Repent, and be baptized: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. The Answers are to no pur­pose, unless we grant, that Repenting and Believing are Ways and Means of Salvation. Why are they bid to do these in order to their being saved, if the doing of them be not some way avail­able to their Salvation? Are we not told by S. Peter, that as1 Pet. 1.5. Believers are kept by the mighty Power of God unto Salvatio, so they are kept unto it through Faith? Can it be deny'd then, that Faith is conducible to our Salvation? Yet our Doctor, as soon as he had quoted this place, immediately addsPage 12. 13., that Believers are kept in Holiness, Sincerityk, and Simplicity of Heart, but all this hath nothing to do with the Peace of his Soul, (their Souls, he should have said) and the Salvation and Justifica­tion thereof. As to this last indeed, we most readily grant that he is in the right; we are not justified, i. e. we are not accounted righteous before God, and have our Sins pardoned for our Holiness, Sincerity, and Simplicity of Heart, but for the alone Righteous­ness and Merits of Christ Jesus: But these Qualifications and Gra­ces, and the rest which are required to Sanctification, have some­thing to do (to use his own Expression) with those other two things which he mentions, viz. the Peace of the Soul, and the Sal­vation of it. And 'tis very strange and surprizing that he should deny this; for this is a downright opposing and contradicting of the Text which he had before quoted, where the Apostle acquaints us, that Believers are kept, as by the Power of God; so on their part, through Faith, and consequently through the rest of the Graces [Page 25]of the Holy Spirit, unto Salvation. These Graces, according to this Apostle, are appointed by God to be our Preservatives, or to be the Means and Helps of our spiritual Preservation. And why then should we be backward to acknowledg what the Word of God acquaints us with, and to own that they are conducible to our greatest Good, even the Salvation of our precious Souls?

And doth not the Scripture assure us also of this, that the Prayer of Faith, and a hearty Confession of our Sins, and being deeply humbled for them, and our sincere abandoning of them are prevalent with the Al­mighty? Do we not read what strange things Prayer bath done? By this the holy Patriarch Jacob was said to wrestle with God, and not to let him go till he had blessed him, Gen. 32.25, 26. For which his Pre­valency with God, he gain'd the Name of Israel, Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel; for as a Prince hast thou power with God (as well as with Men) and hast prevailed, v. 28. To which Passage the Prophet Hosea referring, saith of this prevalent Patri­arch, By strength he had power with God, yea, he had power over the Angel (so God is called, because he appeared in the form of an An­gel), and prevailed, Hos. 12.3, 4. What would Dr. Crisp have said to this? How would he have been able o evade these Texts? Just as he doth some others, by perverting the genuine Sense of them. But he could never fairly and rationally reconcile these with what he maintains in more places than one, viz. That neither Prayer, nor any other holy Duty is prevalent with God. Is not this diametri­cally opposite to what you read here, that the believing praying Pa­tiarch had power with God (was a Prince with God, according to the Hebrew, which amounts to the same Sense, and signifies he was ve­ry potent) and prevail'd? The same we read of another holy Man,Deut. 9.14. Let me alone, said God to Moses, that I may de­story this People, implying that Moses's Prayers which he was then putting up, hindred the Execution of God's Wrath against that People, and the Event shewed that they did so. It cannot be denied then, that his earnest Prayers had Pre­valency with God, and diverted hi Ange and Indignation which were kindled against that ungrateful and rebellious People. This is that which S. James remarks to us, and assigns as an unspeakable Encouragement to this DutyJam. 5.16., The effectual servent Prayer, saith he, of a righteous man availeth much, [...], it is of great Forde and virtue, pre­venting and disappointing many Evils which hang over our Heads, and bringing down many good things instead of them. The like may be said of all other religious Services and Duties, Endowments [Page 26]and Graces; the holy Scripture abundantly testifies that they prove beneficial to us, they advantage us both as to our Souls and Bodies, both as to this Life and an other. Besides, the Experience which God's own People have had of this, you may be informed of the truth of it from the Heathen Ninevites, who attending to the Preach­ing of the Prophet Jonas, humbled themselves with Fasting and PrayingJon. 3.8., Crying mightily unto God (the Doctor calls it Crying lustily), turning every one from his evil way. Upon which Repentance of theirs God repented; for so 'tis expresly saidVerse 10., God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them, and he did it not. Who then hath the face to say, that All our Righteousness getteth us no good, that our Duties are of no prevalency with God; that they are no ways serviceable or instrumental towards removing those Evils and Judgments which we are afraid of, or which we labour un­der, and towards procuring those Mercies which we stand in need of? This Dr. Crisp faith, and saith it often. But it was never said before or since by any Man of a sound Judgment, and who was not inclined to corrupt the Scriptures. What course should we take to pre­vent the Judgment of God, and keep it from us? SaithSermon of the Churches Visitation. Dr. Sibbs; and his Answer is, Labour to meet God by speedy Repentance before any Decree be perem­ptorily come forth against us. And innumerable more such Passages there are in the same Author, and others, whose Names and Memories the Doctor and his Friends pretend at least to reverence: They all agree that this is the way appointed by God to keep off Judgments from us, and whereby Mercies of all kinds are confer'd upon us. Is that in Prov. 28.13. part of Holy Scripture, or is it not? Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy: Or is that in 1 John 1.9. a part of that infallible Book? If we con­fess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; then we are sure that a sincere Confession of Sin (which is always joyned with true Contrition, godly Sorrow, and unfeigned Repentance) brings with it the greatest Benefits that we are capable of receiving. Hence S. Peter exhorteth his Auditors by Repentance, to seek Forgiveness of their Sins, and Salvation in Christ Jesus, Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, Acts 2.38. And again, Repent ye, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, Acts 3.19. In both these places you see that Pardon of Sin is entailed upon Repentance: And so it is upon Faith in sundry places of Scripture, which is one reason [Page 27]why Believing is said to be attended with Joy; for there is no true Joy without Pardon of Sin: In whom believing ye rejoyce with joy un­speakable and full of glory, 1 Pet. 1.8. And an other Apostle thus, The God of peace fill you with joy and peace in believing, Rom. 15.13. Faith produceth this transcendent Joy and Peace by its Office it hath in Justification, viz. By being instrumental in applying the meri­torious Righteousness of Christ, which is the only Basis of For­giveness of Sins. And I might proceed to the consideration of other Evangelical Graces and Duties, and shew you what Good accrues to us by them. I do not say this Good accrues to us upon their own account, or that it is for the sake of these, that any Advantage comes to us. No, this cannot be asserted by any one that understands the Tenour of the Gospel, wherein it is evi­dent, that God's free Grace, and the merciful Undertakings of his Son Christ Jesus are the only Source and Fountain of all the spiri­tual Benefits which we are Partakers of. I, even I am he that blot­eth out your transgressions for my names sake, Isa. 43.25. The blood of Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin, 1 Iohn 1 7. It is through God the Father's gracious Appointment, and for the sake of his only be­gotten Son, in whom he is well pleased, that we receive any Ad­vantage by our Duties and Endeavours. Therefore when we have done our utmost, we must renounce all Merit, and acknowledg the Weakness and Sinfulness which accompany our best Actions, and rely on the Mercy of God, and the Righteousness of the blessed Je­sus. But then, this is that which I offer, moreover, that though these be the Original and Spring of all the Blessings and Benefits we receive, yet there are certain Channels is which they are conveyed to us, there are particular Means and Methods which the divine Wis­dom hath instituted for the transmitting of these good things to us. They are no other than those which I have before mentioned, viz. Prayer, and the rest of the Exercises and Duties which God hath commanded. When these are rightly performed, i. e. according to the Will of God, and when they are the Products of that divine As­sistance which the holy Spirit vouchsafed to afford, they convey in­numerable Benefits to us, they avail much; and both these and the Persons that use them may truly be said to prevail with God, and even to move him, who is a God of infinite Compassion. This is the thing which I contend for, and which, I conceive I have sufficient­ly proved from the facred Writings both of the Prophets and Apo­stles.

And though the Doctor is carried with a stiff Gale against this, through the greatest part of his Book, yet you'll find him at last [Page 28]sailing with a more gentle and complying Wind, as his custom some­times is. You may observe, that it is his general way to confute himself at the long run; which had almost saved me the labour of these Remarks, because he hath done it so well himself. Thus after he had in several places asserted, that we get nothing by Duties, that they do us no good, he grantsVol. II. Serm. 1. pag. 236., that our Righteousness, rightly qualified, doth instrumentally obtain some good, doth procure us what we desired: And afterwards he yields, that Faith and Prayer, Humiliation and Fa­sting, and the like religious ExercisesVol. III. Serm 2. pag. 546. are Chan­nels or Pipes through which the Spirit of the Lord brings from God himself this Spring, these Riches, and conveys the same into the Spirit of a Man. And in the close of his Discourse he speaks very well of the outward Ordinances and Means of Salvation, he having (as you may gather from some part of that Sermon) been taken notice for his former Doctrin, and perceiving (it is likely) it might prove scandalous, he now resolves to qualifie it, that it may not seem to run counter to the received Opinion of all Orthodox Christians throughout the World. And as to what he often saith, That God is not moved with our Prayers, that nothing we do is any Motive with God to do any thing for us, he doth in a manner recant this too; for he grants, that God hathGod did blot out our Trans­gressions that we might be hap­py by it; but yet this is but the subordinate End of God, and stands in subordination to as higher End, his own Glory, Vol. I. Serm. 11. pag. 172. subordinate Ends, as well as higher and supreme ones in what he doth: And if so (which is very true), he may have subordinate as well as supreme Mo­tives; for there is no reason to deny the latter if he grants the former. This then is the true stating of the Case; there is, it is true, no principal and supreme Motive with God, but his own Free Grace and Love, the meritorious Undertakings of his Son, and his own Honour and Glory; but be hath other Motives besides these, viz. subordinate and lower ones, and these are the humble and sincere Addresses of his Servants, their importunate Prayers, their deep Sighs and Groans, &c. These move God to shew Mercy, these stir up his Bowels of Compassion; whence you read of the sounding of his bowels, and of his mercies towards them, Isa. 63 15. and bence 'tis said, his bowels are troubled for them, Jer. 31.20. These are secondary Motives with God, but his own blessed self is the first and chiefest of all. So then holy Men and their Services prevail with God, not as primary but secundary, not as supreme but subordinate Movers: Wherefore in the stile of Scripture they are said to have power with God, and to [Page 29]prevail. There is no reason then to boggle at the Language of the Holy Ghost in Scripture; there was no reason for the Dr. to vent such strange Notions and Expressions as you have heard; there was no reason to use such Language as this, (which you meet with fre­quently in his Sermons) that the Duties and Services of the most ho­ly Men are superfluous and vain, in respect of any Power they have with God, that all our religious Exercises and Actions do us no good.

VI. Whereas it hath been the laudable practice of the zealous Professors of Religion, to try themselves by certain Marks and To­kens, whether they be in a state of Grace or no, whether they be the Children of God, and Heirs of eternal Salvation: Whereas they are wont to produce their Evidences, to gather together their Experi­ences, and by these to take an account of themselves and of their State, and of the Favour of God to them; here comes a Preacher, who laughs at all these things as sorry and vulgar,Vol. II. Serm. 15. pag. 446. The common way of People, saith he, is to try them­selves by Signs and Marks. And he had said before,Vol. II. Serm. 14. pag. 432. They lay it down for a Position with themselves, that till they can find themselves sanctified, and those Graces of Sanctification, by which they will try themselves, till they can find these Graces (as they call them) in themselves, they conclude that none of the Grace of Christ belongs to them. Mark this Expression of his, Graces, as they call them; as if they who called them so, call'd them not by their right Name; and yet the holy Scripture it self calls such divine Qualifications Graces, in 2 Cor. 8.7. and seve­ral other places. The Language of the Holy Spirit will not please him, you see; he is for a higher Stile, and more exalted way of speaking; as he is above the Doctrin, so he is above the Lan­guage of Scripture. These Graces, as they call them, these Fruits of the Spirit of Sanctification are pitiful mean Evidences in his Opi­nion: No Man can know by these, whether he have a part in Christ or no. But if you would know what is the only Evidence, he tells you, in these following wordsVol. I. Serm. 7. pag. 106., I must tell you, there is no better way to know your Portion in Christ, than, upon the general tender of the Gos­pel, to conclude absolutely he is yours; and so, without any more ado, to take him as tendered to you, on his word: And this taking of him on a general tender is the greatest security in the World, that Christ is your Christ. And immediately after, Set down thy rest here, saith he, question it not, but believe it; it is as good security as God can make thee. God hath promised; venture thy Soul upon it, [Page 30]without seeking a farther security. Observe it, a bare naked Faith is the only security a Man can have of his being a Child of God, and being in the state of Grace. A very good security indeed! A dead Faith (for so S. James calls a bare naked Faith stript of good Works) is an admirable Mark or Evidence of Pardon of Sin,Ch. 2. v. 17, 20. and being reconciled to God. This is the presumptuous licentious Doctrin of our new Divine. Do but persuade your selves that you are in Christ, and the business is done. You need proceed no farther; for this Per­suasion is all the Evidence you are to look after. And yet 'tis worth observing too, that though he had said, This is as good Secu­rity as God can make us, this is the greatest Security in the World, and we need not seek any further; yet in another place he saithVol. II. Ser. 16. pag. 462., There is other Security besides this, the Spirits Testimony. But passing by such Over­sights as these, let us consider the present Matter before us, that which he calls The common way of People, the Try­ing the goodness of their Condition by the Graces (as they call them) which they find in themselves. Though this Author contemns this Course, yet S. John the Divine (who, as this Per­son acknowledgethVol. III. Serm. 3., had the greatest Manifesta­tion of Free Grace, and the profoundest insight into the Riches of the Gospel) approves of it, and spends the greatest part of his First Epistle in acquainting us what are the Marks and Evidences whereby we may try and know our spiri­tual State, whereby we may be assured that we are born of God. He lets us know in the First Chapter, that walking in the light, i. e. Holiness of Life is a Testimony and Mark of our fellowship with God, and of the forgiveness of our sins by Christ's Death. In the next Chapter he more particularly declares, that not loving the world, but loving our brethren, and keepign God's commandments, and doing righteousness, are Evidences to us of our being in the light, of our continuing in the Father and in the Son, and of our being born of God. In the following Chapter he chiefly insists on these two great Signs which he had mentioned before, viz. Doing righteous­ness, and loving our brethren; in this the children of God are mani­fest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother, v. 10. And in v. 14. We know we are passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. S. John thought this to be a good Mark, though 'tis true he adds likewise, Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the spirit which he hath given us, v. 24. And again, Hereby we know that we dwell [Page 31]in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his spirit, Ch. 4.13. which may be meant of the saving Gifts and Graces of the Spirit; and so 'tis the same Mark which he had mentioned before: Or we may understand it of the Testimony of the Holy Ghost in the Hearts of Believers, which is an Evidence that all true Christians expe­rience at one time or other. But this doth not exclude the other Evidences, yea, S. John, who names this, insisteth most largely upon those, and repeats some of them over very often, thereby acquainting us, that these are the more standing Marks and Eviden­ces of our new Birth. Thus S. John was one of those that approv­ed of this common way of the People, as our Dr. calls it, viz. The trying themselves by these spiritual Graces and Endowments. But what saith the Doctor? There are no such Marks and Evidences, saith he, as S. John and these People talk of, there is no universal Obedience, no love of the brethren, no sincerity of heart. He takes a great deal of pains, in almostFrom p. 447. to p. 465. twenty Pages to­gether, to prove that there are no such things. I will only mention what he saith of Sincerity Vol. II. Ser. 15. pag. 453., No Man (Waith he) under Heaven can find that Since­rity in his Heart that may comfort him. Thus Crisp; but S. Paul, on the contrary, tells us, that he had found it, Our rejoycing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our Conversation in the World, 2 Cor. 1.12. The Apostle could not have made his sincere Walking the ground of his Rejoycing, if there had been no such thing as Sincerity. And here we see, that a Man's reflecting on his sincere and holy Con­versation in the World, is that which administers Joy and Com­fort to him. The Testimony and Sense of this in the Conscience, yields real matter of Rejoycing; our Rejoycing is this, &c. saith the blessed Apostle, which is contrary to the professed Doctrin of our Antinomian Divine; for he declares, that a Man gets nothing (and consequently not Comfort) by all the Righteousness he performs, that all this hath nothing to do with the Peace of the Soul, that no Man under Heaven can find that Sincerity (and consequently any other Grace) in his Heart that may comfort him: And all Antinomians, as well as the Doctor, proclaim it for a great and unquestionable Truth, that Christians cannot, must not endeavour to take Comfort from their Graces. Is not this a Contradiction to the Apostle's Words, Our rejoycing is this, &c. Truly I wonder that our Author doth not look upon this Text as Apocryphal, I wonder that he doth not quarrel with it as he doth with that other, Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. You may imagin a Person of Antinomian [Page 32]Principles to reflect on the foresaid Text, and the Apostle himself, after this manner. Indeed, indeed, Paul, you are besides the busi­ness; if you had liv'd till Dr. Crisp's time, he would have taught you better; or if you had been so happy as to have been an Au­ditor of some Preachers at Pinners-Hall, or the Merchants Lecture in Broad-street, you would have been of another Judgment; nay, if you had been but so happy as to be acquainted with the Doctor's Son, the Merchant, he would have told you what the Hebrew Words Chattah and Asham signifie, which would have been a great light to you; though you were an Hebrew of the Hebrews, yet he would have taught you the Tongue a little better. How now, Paul, do you say that your rejoycing is this; That your Conscience testifies to you, that you have walked in Simplicity and godly Sin­cerity in the World? This is ill said of you; you should have said this only, This is my rejoycing, that Christ hath taken my Sins, and laid them on himself, that all my Sins are pardon'd through free Grace. You should have said, that you rejoyce in Christ fesus, Phil. 3.3. as you say in another place: This had been said like an Apostle indeed; but to talk of Simplicity and godly Sincerity, when there is no such thing and no Man ever attain'd to it, this is mere Non-sense: To say you have any ground of Comfort and Rejoycing from your Conversation, from your holy walking, this is going back to the Covenant of Works, this is trusting in your own Performan­ces, this is Legalism, this is Arminianism, yea, this is down right Popery, yea, this is no more than what is to be found inThis is the Doctor's Son's own Language in his Christ made Sin. the Jewish Synagogue or the Turk­ish Alcoran. Do you talk of your Conversation in the World? is this magnifying of Free Grace? Fle for shame, Paul, you have cast off Christ, you are fallen from Grace. Thus an Antinomian, thus Dr. Crisp himself would have treated S. Paul, after this manner he would have handled the good Apostle. He could have done no otherwise, because it is his avowed Opinion (as 'tis of the whole Party) that there is no Com­fort arises from a holy Life, that a Believers conscientious and up­right discharge of his Duty, affords no ground of Rejoycing. But you see this Doctrin runs counter to that of the blessed S. Paul, and therefore the Abettors of it must be forced to treat him after the rate before mentioned, yea, and to call him a Lyar, when they assert their own Opinion.

All this proceeds from a mistaking of Scripture, and from a par­tial interpreting it; for these two are consistent, viz. Comfortable Reflections on Christ, and on our Graces which are wrought in us [Page 33]by Christ: Whereas the Doctor's Friends constantly set these against one another, and tell us they are incompatible. But what saith the inspir'd Apostle? I rejoyce in Christ Jesus, saith he; and also, This is our rejoycing, &c. for these two are not inconsistent, nay, where one of them is, the other is never absent. To this purpose a worthy Man saith wellDr. Sibbs's Souls Conflict, Chap. 3. p. 31, 32., We must re­member, though the main Pillar of our Comfort be in the free Forgiveness of our Sins, yet if there be a neglect in growing in Holiness, the Soul will never be soundly quiet, because it will be prone to question the truth of Justification, which can be known only by Sanctifica­tion, together with the Testimony of the Spirit. Presently after he adds, Where is not a pure Conscience, there is not a pacified Con­science; and therefore, though some, thinking to salve themselves whole in Justification, neglect the cleansing of their Natures, and ordering of their Lives, yet in time of Temptation they will find it more troublesom than they think. For a Conscience guilty of many Neglects, and of allowing it self in any Sin; to lay claim to God's Mercy, is to do as we see Mountebanks sometimes do, who wound their Flesh to try Conclusions on their own Bodies, how sovereign the Salve is; yet of­ten-times they come to feel the Smart of their Presumption. So God will let us see what it is to make Wounds to try the preciousness of his Balm. A Christian is a new Creature, and walketh by Rule, and so far as he walketh according to this Rule, Peace is upon him. You see they are but Quacks and Mountebanks in Religion, that seek for Peace and Comfort in Justification without Sanctification, that rejoyce in Christ, and yet are wholly regardless of a sincere and godly Con­versation. What God hath joyned in his holy Word, let not us put asunder, lest we shew our selves as faulty as the Doctor, who makes these Texts inconsistent, and consequently makes the Apo­stle contradict himself: And all this is done to maintain this As­sertion, That there are no Marks and Evidences of Salvation which can administer any Comfort to a Man. Obedience, Charity, Since­rity, are no Signs of our being in the state of Grace; nay, as for Sincerity, he particularly tells usPage 496., that it is a Qua­lification or Mark that may be sound in an Enemy of Christ. Reader, stand and pause a little here: He that had said, that there is no such thing as Sincerity, and that it is not to be sound in the best Men, yet here declares, that it may be found in one that is an Enemy of Christ. What shall we think of such Doct in as this? Is this Gospel-Preaching? May Re­probates he sincere? Yes, he persists in it, and undertakes to prove [Page 34]it, and to that purpose brings the Instance of the Jews, who (as the Apostle saith) had a Zeal of God, Rom. 10.2. But doth not the Apostle there tell us, that that zeal was not according to knowledg, and so was no right Zeal, no sincere Zeal, and consequently was not the Zeal of regenerate and believing Persons, and which could be made a Mark of their Regeneracy and being in the Favour of God. Cer­tainly no Man that ever attain'd to any true knowledg in the Scri­pture or Divinity affirm'd the contrary. Guess then what this new Coiner of Theological Notions is, who first proclaims to the World, that there is no such thing as Sincerity, and then, that a wicked Man, a very Reprobate, may have as much Sincerity as any elect Person and Believer. Was there ever the like asserted by any Divine before? I appeal to the Reader, whether he ever met with such Divinity in the Writings of any Man that pretended to sober Thoughts and Consistency of Mind. Whence it appears, that I had reason to make some Reslections on these Sermons, which are stuffed with such vile Notions as these. The Doctor's Son saith in his Preface to his Fa­thers Sermons, that he was accounted none of the least of those who were called Puritans; but I can assure his Son, that he was the first Puri­tan that ever held such Doctrin as this; and I heartily wish he may be the last. He that can believe that there is no true Righteousness, no true Love of the Brethren, no such thing as Simplicity of Heart, or that the wickedst Man alive may be as sincere as the most rege­nerate; he may call himself a Puritan, but he is a wild one, yea, he is a Ranter rather than a Puritan. He that can believe these things to be true, must also confess, that there is no difference between the clean and the unclean, him that sacrificeth and him that sacrificeth not; as is the Good so is the Sinner, and he that sweareth as he that seareth an Oath: For if there be not a difference between them, as to those things before named, especially as to Sincerity and uprightness of Heart (which is the great Evangelical Perfection) there is no dif­ference at all; then one Man is as good as another, and one shall be saved as soon as another, and (as the Consequence of this) no Man need be sollicitous whether he be sincere and cordial or no, because Hypocrites shall fare as well as the most upright Persons. From this one thing we may see whether this Author doth not de­serve the Name Antinomian. He is very angry, I perceive, that any should call him so; but this one Instance alone is sufficient to demonstrate, that he is of that number. As before he beat down all holy Duties and Services, so here he shews himself a down right Destroyer of all inherent Righteousness, yea, he takes away the Di­stinction between Righteousness and Unrighteousness: So that if [Page 35]ever there was an Antinomian under Heaven, we may conclude that he was one, notwithstanding he declines the Title.

VII. Another Position of this Author is, That God is not angry with any elect Person before or after he is converted. If we tell Believers, saith he, That except they perform such and such Duties, except they walk thus and thus holily, and do these and these Works, they shall come under Wrath, at least God will be angry with them; What do we in this but abuse the Scriptures? These are his very Words, pag. 559. and yet the Scriptures assure us, that God's anger was kindled against Moses, Ex. 4.14. And Moses himself saith, that the Lord was angry with him, Deut. 4.21. And we read that the Lord was very angry with Aaron, Deut. 9.20. and in several other places we read, that even holy Men have, by their Sins, provoked him to Anger. Notwith­standing this, the Doctor tells us, that it is abusing of Scripture, to say that God is angry with them for their Sins; for he is angry with no elect Person for Sin, nay, though he commits never so many Sins, and those never so great and heinous. They are his own WordsVol II. Serm. 9. page 363, 364., Let me speak freely to you, and in so doing tell you that the Lord hath no more to lay to the charge of an elect Person yet in the height of Iniquity, and in the excess of Riot, and committing all the Abomi­nations that can be committed, I say, even then, when an elect Person runs such a Course, the Lord hath no more to lay to his Charge, than God hath to lay to the Charge of a Believer; nay, God hath no more to lay to the Charge of such a Person, than he hath to lay to the Charge of a Saint triumphant in Glory. This is very high, you will say: But we know the Man, and his bold way of speaking. It is not his confident asserting that proves any thing; though 'tis certain that he thought the contrary, else he would have never been so high and daring. He began to be listned to by some People in his days, and took heart thence to say any thing. Such is that which he utters here, That God hath no more to lay to the Charge of an elect Person before his Conversion, although he lives in the height of Sin, and commits all the Abomination that it is possible for him to commit, than he hath to lay to the Charge of a Triumphant Saint in Glory; which you cannot but grant was most presumptu­ously said, if you consider that of S. Paul, Eph. 2.13. Now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. These Words were spoken to the Saints which were at Ephesus, and to the saithful in Christ Jesus, as you read, Ch. 1.1. But these Saints were great Sinners once, they were idolatrous [Page 36]Gentiles, they in time past walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience, Ch. 2.2. And had God no more to lay to the Charge of these Ephesians, when they were in this state, than he had to charge the Saints in Heaven with? Yes certainly; Remember, saith the Apostle, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus, ye, who sometimes are far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ, v. 12, 13. for he is our peace, v. 14. And it follows, he abo­lished in his flesh the enmity, v. 15. Observe it, before they were converted they were Strangers and Aliens, they were without Christ, without God, without Hope, they were at Enmity with the Father and the Son; and was there no more to be laid to their Charge at that time, than to be glorified Saints above? When they were without Christ, in the time of their Unregeneracy, and living in all Excess of Riot, were they not only in God's Favour, but as much as the Saints in Glory? How then was Christ their Peace? How is it said they were reconciled? v. 16. Reconciliation supposes falling out, it implies being at enmity. Those who are now reconciled and made Friends, were once Strangers and Enemies; and were they at that very time Favourites of God, yea, as great Favourites as the blessed glorifi'd Spirits? Who hath the Confidence to say this but Dr. Crisp? And who hath a Heart to believe it but one that dis-believes the plain Testimony of holy Scripture? This same Chapter affords yet a farther Confutation of this wild Notion, Among whom (i. e. the Children of Disobedience, mentioned in the fore-going Verse) we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, Ch. 2.3. The Apostle here saith of himself and other Converts, that while they were in their unregenerate State, while they walked in the Flesh, and fulfilled the Lusts of it, they were under the Wrath of God, they were by nature, i. e. by reason of their natural and unregenerate State actually under the divine Displeasure and Anger. There is a time when elect Persons are Children of Wrath: Whilst they conti­nue unbelievers, the wrath of God abideth in them, as 'tis expresly said in John 3.36. S. Paul, the Ephesian Saints, and all the Elect of God, while they remain in their natural Corruption, are liable to this Wrath: While they continue unconverted, they are at Enmity with God; therefore their Sins are charged upon them as long as [Page 37]they are such, which is quite opposite to the Doctor's Assertion.

Next, let us consider an elect Person after his Conversion, con­cerning whom our Writer pronounceth thusVol. I. Serm. 2. pag. 15., Though a Believer, after he be a Believer, doth sin often, yet God no longer stands offended and displeas­ed with him, when he hath once received Christ. His reason is, because if Christ bore our Iniquities, he also bore the Displeasure of God for them; and though God be displeased at Sin in Believers, and hates and abhors it, yet he is not offended and displeased with the Persons of Believers, who commit that Sin, because they are justified. Here we most readily grant, that those who are justified are clear from the Imputation of all Sin, according to that of S. John, The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleans­eth us from all sin, Ep. 1. Ch. 1. v. 7. His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, 1 Pet. 2.24. Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. Whence that of the Apostle is true, There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, Rom. 8.1. And that Challenge is unanswerable, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? v. 33. For, as the Apostle adds, It is God that justifieth; a Believer, as he is looked upon in Christ, and consequently justified, hath no Guilt charged on him. He that holds the Doctrin of Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, must hold this; for in Justification our Sins are imputed to Christ, and his Righteousness to us: If so, a Believer, a justified Person hath no Sin charged on him by God. But how is this to be understood? Namely thus, It is not charged upon him to his endless Peril, to his utter Destruction: This is the true meaning, and there is no other. Sin shall never be so laid to his Charge, as that he shall be condemned for it, as that he shall have such a Doom passed upon him, as shall consign him to everlasting Punishment. But the Sins of Believers may be, and are so charged upon them in this life by God, that he is greatly displeased with them, and shews himself angry against them for the commission of them. This is the true stating of this Point, the mistaking of which is the very root of Antinomianism. A Father will not disinherit his Son for his Fol­lies and greater Miscarriages but he is displeased, highly displeased with him, and gives him assurance of it by some remarkable To­kens of that Displeasure: He is his Father, and consequently loves him, and deals with him as with a Son: Wherefore he deprives him not of his Inheritance, but he testifieth his Anger against him by some severe curbing and checking him, by withdrawing, per­haps, his usual Maintenance, and inflicting some Penalty upon him. [Page 38]This is a true Representation of the present Case: A Believer, a Child of God falls into Sin, whereupon his Heavenly Father is dis­pleased with him, and he manifests his Displeasure by afflicting him, by exercising him with some temporal or spiritual Cross: He doth not, he will not deprive him of his everlasting Inheri­tance in the World to come, but in this Life he lets him know and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that he hath forsaken the Lord his God. Though regenerate and holy Persons do not finally fall away, yet they may incur the Divine Wrath and Displeasure; God often­times withdraweth the Light of his Countenance from them, they are forsaken for a time, God writeth bitter things against them, the Arrows of the Almighty stick fast in them. They who will not acknowledg this, must disown the Bible, especially they must expunge out of it what is recorded there of those eminent Saints, Job and David. But God loves them whilst he thus shews himself displeased with them, for this is a certain Maxim, that Anger and Love in God towards his Children, may be at the same time. God makes even his dearest Children sensible of this Truth, that he can be incensed against them though he is their Father, that his Displeasure is consistent with his Fatherly Love. The Anger which he sheweth towards Believers, never proceeds so far as to an utter forsaking of them in this Life, it never reacheth to eter­nal Punishment hereafter. Thus he doth not lay their Sins to their Charge; but in an other way he doth, i. e. he often punisheth them for them with great Severity, yet so, as that he always in the midst of Judgment remembers Mercy.

VIIII. This reminds me of another Assertion of the Doctor, namely, that God never punisheth any Believers for their Sins. This indeed is the natural Consequent of his former Position; for if God be not displeased with them for their Sins, it is not probable he will inflict any Punishment upon them for them. But though, I having shewed how groundless the first of these is, the second must needs fall to the ground of it self; yet I will insist a little upon this, to let you see what are the Sentiments of this Gentle­man, and to shew you more particularly how little Foundation they haveVol. I. Serm. 2. pag. 17.. God doth never punish any Believer, after he is Believer, for Sin, he saith. AfterwardsPage 18., to that Question which he pro­pounds, Are not the Afflictions of Believers for their Sins? He answers No; and soon after he saith, God, afflicting a Be­liever, hath no respect unto Sin, as if he did afflict for Sin. And he [Page 39]is going, you may perceive, into his old way of ridiculing, when he speaks thusVol. I. Serm. 11. pag. 170., It may be in Affliction, and when the Rod of God is fallen upon thee, thy Heart will be ready to raise such Thoughts as these in thee, Now God will be even with me, now shall I smart for my Transgressions: And certainly such Thoughts do rise in very good and holy Men, whatever this Writer intimates to the contrary: Whereby he doth but discover his prophane and ludicrous Spirit, calling their Afflictions God's being even with them. But to pass this by, as a thing so usual with him, I shall take notice of the Rea­sons which he offers for what he saith. God, saith he, punisheth no Believer, and is angry with no Believer, none that is in the Cove­nant, because his Sins were all pardon'd from Eternity. If this be a Reason, then why doth he confess that the Believers among the Jews, who he acknowledgeth were under the Covenant of Grace, were punished for their Sins? Being under the Covenant of Grace they were justified, and they were justified from Eternity Now, they that were so, cannot, he saith, have any Punishment inflicted upon them; how then came it to pass, that these Believers were punishedVol. II. Serm. 2. page 258.? Justice you know, saith he, follows Sin at the heels: Where it finds Sin, there it executes. Justice finding Sin now and then upon the Jews un­der that Covenant, as it met with their Sins upon them, so gave now and then a Lash to them for their Sins. Hence you have those many Complaints of God's Justice in plaguing them always. It was Justice, because there was Sin, which was their own, and was charged upon themselves till the Sacrifice came, and there­fore their Judgment was just. Here he grants, that the Jewish Be­lievers, who were saved by Christ as well as we, were punished and plagued for their Sins: And if you ask him why they were thus severely used, and why Believers under the Gospel fare bet­ter, that is, have no Punishment inflicted on them; He lets you know this was the reason, viz. That the Sin of the believing Jews was their own, and was charged upon themselves, because the Sa­crifice Christ Jesus was not yet come. And is this any good Rea­son, think you, when the Doctor so often acknowledgeth, that Christ offering himself as a Sacrifice, was accounted by God as done from all Eternity, and God laid the Sins of all Believers that ever should be in the World on Christ, from all Eternity? If this be true, (as we do not deny it) how comes he to contradict him­self, and say, that the Sins of those Jewish Believers were charged on themselves till the Sacrifice came? The Value and Efficacy of [Page 40]Christ's Blood reached from Eternity to all succeeding times, and therefore the Jewish Believers, as well as the Christian, were to partake of it, and find the blessed Effect of it. Wherefore, if Christian Believers are not punished for their Sins, it follows that the Jewish ones were not (which he absolutely denieth, as you have heard); for they were both of them justified from Eternity, which he saith is the ground why they are not capable of having any Penalty inflicted upon them for their Sins. Hence it appears, that the Doctor is at Self-Confutation again: He forgets his own Principles and will not argue according to the very Proposi­tions which he had laid down himself. What rational Person will attend to what such a one saith?

In other places he assigns this as a Reason why God doth not afflict or punish any believer for Sin, namely because Christ bore all the Punishment due to Sin; and if he bore all, we can bear none. God would not punish Christ and Believers too. This seems to be a plausible Reason, but it hath no solid Foundation. It is indeed a mere Fallacy, which I prove thus; To argue after this manner, Christ bore all Punishment due to Sin, therefore Believers have none to bear, is Sophistical, because the antecedent Proposition speaks not of the same bearing of Punishment that the consequent Propo­sition speaks of. The one speaks of bearing Punishment as that Punishment was a full Satisfaction to God for Sin, but the other speaks of bearing Punishment as 'tis the Desert of Sin. Here is a vast difference between these two; Christ alone the Son of God, bore all Punishment for Sin in the former Sense, i. e. he made complete Satisfaction to his Father for all the Sins of Believers, by his bearing the Punishment due to their Sins; so that after him, no Believer can ever be punished in this manner. But they may be punished in the other Sense, that is, God may afflict them with Crosses and Distresses, both Spiritual and Bodily, because of their Sins, because they have deserved the Divine Displeasure and An­ger. Though Christ bore all Punishment due to Sin, as it was satisfactory to God's Justice, yet the Faithful may justly bear a Load of Punishment, because they bring it down upon themselves by their Demerits, by their wilful transgressing of God's Laws. Thus you see how deceitful and false the foresaid Argument is. A Man cannot argue thus, If Christ bore all the Sufferings due to Sin, then we must bear none. Here is no good Consequence, because Christ bore the Punishment of Sin one way, and we bear it an­other: He bore all the Punishment as he was Mediatour, and fully satisfi'd for Sin, but we may bear some Punishment as it is the [Page 41]due Reward of our Transgression, though we cannot satisfie Di­vine Justice thereby. Our Sufferings are not to satisfie for our Sins; Christ did that, and he alone, and we cannot pretend to any such thing. We must let that alone for ever. But notwith­standing this, God inflicts Punishments upon us for our Sins, as the just Desert of them, and he is pleased to turn these Punish­ments into fatherly Corrections and Chastisements, so that they prove the greatest Kindnesses and Favours that can be bestowed upon us. Thus you see that God punisheth both Christ and Be­lievers, but to a different End: The one suffered that God's Wrath against Sinners might be appeased: The other suffer that Sin may not go uncontroled, that it may not be encouraged by Impunity, and that these sharper Medicins may be conducible to their spiritual Health, and yield the peaceable fruit of righteous­ness to them that are exercised thereby, Heb 12.11.

But you will say, they are called Chastisements in this Chapter, and not Punishments; therefore why do I call them by this latter Name? I have very good warrant for doing so; for I find the Af­flictions and Sufferings of God's People are called both Punish­ments and Chastisements in Scripture, and shall I be blamed for give­ing that Denomination to them which is given them in Scripture? We learn from this holy Book (which is to be our Judg in this matter) that God punisheth Believers, yea, and that he punisheth them for Sin, both which this Preacher denieth, and consequently denies the Word of God. Is it not clear from the express Words, that the Afflictions which are laid on the Godly, are Punishments, and that these Punishments are for their Sins? One would think no Man that ever read the Bible, could have the face to deny this: For the Holy Spirit, in these Sacred Writings, doth not speak of this matter obscurely and doubtfully (as in some other Cases) but directly, plainly, and in such Words as 'tis impossible (without Wilfulness) to mistake. I will punish you yet seven times more for your sins, said God to his own People the Jews, Lev. 26.18. And we know, that among them there were Believers as well as Unbe­lievers: So that these Words were spoken promiscuously to them both, to let them know that if either of them wilfully sinned, and thereby provoked God, they should be punished, and that Punish­ment should be for their Sins. This you will find twice repeated afterwards in this Chapter (v. 24, 28.) to convince you of the Truth and Certainty of it. It is indeed mentioned with some Va­riation in the latter place, as thus, I will chastise you seven times for your Sins, which acquaints us, that these Punishments are also Cha­stisements [Page 42](as I shall shew you anon): But still it is expresly said, that they are for our Sins, which is the main thing we are now proving from the Sacred Writ it self. This is farther evident from Ezr. 9.13. where we find Ezra confessing in his Prayer, that all which was come upon them, was for their evil deeds, and for their great trespass. I ask, Did this holy man dissemble with God, or no? Did he openly tell him a Lie, or not? You will be unwil­ling, I suppose, to assert the former: Wherefore by acknowleg­ing the latter, you own this for a truth, that God punisheth his own People for their Sins, that all which comes upon them, i. e. all their Distresses and Calamities which befall them, are for their evil Deeds, and for their great Trespasses. This is farther manifest from Lam. 3.39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Here the Prophet suggests a Reason, where­fore a Man, even a holy Man, a Believer (for we must grant such to be included here, and all Commentators have granted it) should not complain, should not murmur and repine against God, although his Sufferings be never so great, namely, because these are the Pu­nishment of his Sin, they are justly inflicted on him by God for his manifold Offences, they are the deserved Recompence of his Mis­doings; therefore he ought patiently to accept of the Punishment of his Sins. This is the meaning which the best Expositors gene­rally six upon these Words, and which hath occasion'd our Tran­slators to render them as you see they have done. Complaining upon his Sin (as the Original hath it) is the same with complain­ing for the Punishment of his Sin: Whence it appears, that God hath regard to the Sins of his People, when he afflicteth or punish­eth them, which is the thing the Doctor denies. The same may be plainly infer'd from Amos 3.2. You only have I known of all the fa­milies of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. If it be said that the Hebrew Word is not [punish], but [visit upon], yet it is enough for the present purpose, that [visiting up­on] is the usual Phrase, in the Old Testament, for [punishing], as those that are conversant in the Original know very well; and that is the reason why in so many places it is translated so. Visit­ing upon and punishing are looked upon as the same. Besides, it is said here, that this Visitation is for their Iniquities, which plainly shews, that it is in the way of Punishment, that is, it is sent by God as the Desert of their Iniquities. You only have I known, therefore I will punish you, you shall not escape my Wrath and Ven­geance in this World, because you deserve it more than others; your Sins are more heinous and provoking than these of the Gen­tile [Page 43]World, whom I have not known, to whom I have not ma­nifested my self in so gracious a manner, therefore you, of all Persons, shall feel the Effects of my Displeasure. But now, on the contrary, our new Teacher turns the Words thus, You only have I known, therefore I will not punish you for your Iniquities; I see no such thing as Sin in you, or if I do, I am not displeased with you for it; you can never offend me, though you commit Sins of the most horrid Nature imaginable; I am never angry with any Be­liever or regenerate Person, and therefore I never have any eye to their Sins (be they never so great) when I send Calamities up­on them. Thus you see, by the Doctor's Comment, that Text of Scripture is absolutely null'd, and may be reazed out of the Bible. But we are not obliged to attend to this perverse Comment of his, and therefore this Text remains still entire, and is a Witness of the Doctors erroneous Assertions, and a palpable Confutation of them.

Sundry other places might be produced to this purpose, but it is altogether superfluous and unnecessary, seeing the whole Tenden­cy of the Prophets, in their Writings, is this way: They threaten and pronounce the Wrath of God even against his own People for their Sins, and they frequently call upon them to shun and remove the Divine Indignation, by repenting of their evil Doings, and forsaking their Sins; which is a manifest and undeniable proof of what this Writer rejects, viz. That God had regard to their Sins and Offences, in sending Punishment or Affliction. I will add only one plain Text out of the New Testament, 1 Cor. 11.30. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. That the Apostle here speaks of Believers and holy Men, is not to be doubted, because in the next Verse but one he acquaints us, that these Persons, when they are thus judged, are chastned of the Lord, that they should not be condemned with the World. It is clear then, that they are not of the number of the World, they are not among the condemned, and therefore are the Elect and Believers. Of these S. Paul saith, Many are weak and sickly, and many sleep; they are afflicted by God with bodily Diseases and Maladies, yea, and these bodily Distempers prove mortal to them. What is the reason of this? Whence procede these severe Strokes of God's Hand? What is the true Cause and Origin of them? The Apostle assures you, that it was their irreverent Behaviour at the Lord's Supper, their eating and drinking unworthily, their not discerning the Lord's body, as you read in the fore-going Verse. Whilst they did so, they did eat and drink judgment to themselves, as you read in the same Verse: [Page 44]For that it ought to be translated Judgment, is plain, both from the Greek Word [...], and from what follows in v. 31, 32. If we would judg our selves, we should not be judged: but when we are judg­ed, we are chastned, &c. This Judging here refers to the Judgment spoken of before, which is translated Damnation, but ought not to be so; for it is absolutely against the Apostle's meaning in this place, where being judged is opposed to being condemned, or damned with the world; and therefore the Word cannot be ren­dred Damnation. But the Judgment which the Corinthian Be­lievers did eat and drink to themselves, was no other than these corporal Afflictions and Penalties here meant, being weak, and sick­ly, and sleeping the Sleep of Death. And that which procured these bodily Distempers, and Death it self was (as hath been said before) their unworthy eating and drinking of Christ's Body and Blood. This was the cause of it; for this (as it is in the Greek), i.e. for this cause many were weak and sickly, &c. Their irreverent and unworthy partaking of the Sacrament pulled down these Judgments upon them; for so they are called here. So great a Sin justly de­served this Punishment. Their ungodly Behaviour was the cause of their being thus severely dealt with. God sent Sicknesses and mortal Diseases among the Saints of Corinth for their Sins. They were judged, they were punished for these.

Thus you see, that from this, as well as from the fore named Texts of Scripture, it is most evident, that the Afflictions and Distresses wherewith God visits his Servants are the Desert of their Sins and Miscarriages. This is the Doctrin of the New Te­stament as well as of the Old. For this cause they are thus and thus punished or chastised. Who then would believe this Prea­cher, when he tells his AuditorsVol. II. Serm. 9. pag. 363., He should be loth to put any new and strange things into their Minds that are not fully consonant to the Mind of God recorded in the Scripture? Judg you whether any Credit is to be given to him when he thus speaks, seeing it is so plain, that this is a new and strange Doctrin, which he here labours to put into his Hearers Minds, and which is so far from being consonant to the Mind of God in the Scriptures, that it is altogether repugnant to it. I do say that God always hath respect to Sin, when he punisheth, as perhaps in the Case of Job, his Af­flictions and Sufferings might be sent to try him, and to set him forth to the World an eminent Example of Patience. So in the Instance of the blind Man, John 9.2. it was not because of his Sin that he was born blind, but that the Works of God should be made [Page 45]manifest in him, that Christ's miraculous Power might be exerted in the curing of his Blindness. But, bating such rare Instances as these, it appears from the general Tenour of Scripture, that Sin is the Cause and Source of Punishment. It is the usual and con­stant Method of Heaven to inflict temporal Evils, because of Trans­gression: And we have the universal Testimony of the inspired Writers for this. I will not here nicely dispute about the Na­ture of Punishment, I will not curiously enquire whether those Af­flictions, wherewith God exerciseth his chosen Servants, be Pu­nishments in the most strict and proper Sense. I do not pretend to assert any such thing (therefore let me not be mistaken and mis­represented here); for what is in the strictest sense a Punishment, cannot be a Chastisement; but the Affliction of the Godly is of this latter kind: Therefore I speak here only of the general No­tion of Punishment, and I say this, That the Calamities and Af­flictions which befal good Men, are thus far Punishments, namely, as they are the Recompence of their Faults, and the just Guerdon of their Mis-doings. To punish one, is to inflict some grievous thing upon him, because he hath done amiss, because he is a Transgressor. Punishment ever supposes a Fault. Thus even the Children of God, the holiest Persons are faulty, and thereby of­fend God: Whereupon he chastiseth them, as a provoked Father doth his Children, for the Faults which they have committed: And this I call Punishing them, because the Rod is laid upon them in way of a punitive Correction; it is inflicted for their Sins, and also to wean them from their Sins. This is the true Nature of God's afflicting Believers; it is a mixt thing, made up of Punish­ment and Chastisement. As it carries Severity with it, and is sent for Sin, so it is a Punishment, and is stiled (as you have heard) by S. Paul a Judgment (which sounds higher than Punishment): To which purpose he quotes that of the Old Testament, The Lord shall judg his people: And he adds, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. 10.30, 31. Even God's People, even believers are liable to this, and find it sometimes exceeding dreadful. But then, it is as true that the Afflictions of the Faith­ful, being accompanied with God's Love and fatherly good Will to them, are upon that account Chastisements. This is certain, that they must not, they cannot be called Punishments, if you mean by this Name any thing of Harm and Mischief, any thing of real Evil and Damage. They are no Punishments in this respect; for though they are inflicted on the Godly because of their Sins, yet they are designed by God for their good, for their real Benefit and [Page 46]Advantage: They prove by his Grace the choicest Favours and Blessings to them. And they must needs do so, because they are instrumental towards the taking away of their Sins, which are the only Curses. By this, saith the Prophet (i. e.) by the Calamities which God sent (as appears from the foregoing Verse), Shall the iniquity of Jacob (God's People) be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin, Isa. 27.9.

And here, I pray let me observe something to you from this Text, to confirm what I have deliver'd before. I told you that Christ bore the Punishment of Sin, and that the Faithful also do the same, viz. When God lays his afflicting Hand upon them: And therefore that of the Doctor is but a Sophistical way of Ar­guing, Christ underwent the Punishment due to Sin, therefore Be­lievers are never punished for Sin. It doth not follow, because there is (as I shew'd you) a great difference between Christ's bear­ing of Punishment and a Believers bearing it: Which may be far­ther illustrated from this place of Scripture, where the Holy Ghost, speaking of the grievous Afflictions and Sufferings of the Godly, acquaints us what is the happy Fruit of them, viz. The purging and taking away of their sins. But one might object thus, It is Christ's Blood that cleanseth, that purgeth us from all Sin, he alone is the Lamb of God that takes away the Sins of the World: How then can Iniquity be purged, how can Sin be taken away by the Af­flictions and Chastisements which God exerciseth his Servants with? If Christ's Blood alone purgeth Iniquity, if he and none else takes away Sin, it is impossible the Sufferings of the Saints should do it. This is just the Arguing of the Doctor; Christ (saith he) suffered Punishment for Sin: How then can Believers smart for their Sins? He may as well say, Christ purged away the Iniquity of Believers, Christ, and he only took away their Sins, how then can they be purged and taken away by the Afflictions which they suffer? Yes, they may very well; for the Holy Ghost expresly saith as much, By this shall the Iniquity of Jacob be purged, &c. i. e. the Iniquities and Sins of Believers are purged and taken away by Afflictions, as proper Means appointed by God for that End; but they are purged and taken away by Christ and his Blood, as the efficient meritiorious Causes. There is this great difference be­tween the one and the other. And so I shew'd you likewise the different manner of Christ's being punished, and of a Believer's being punished; which, if you consider, you will easily grant, that they are both of them consistent. You see why I call the Afflictions of Believers Punishments, not that there is any Satisfaction made by [Page 47]them (that wholly belongs to Christ), not that they are harmful and mischievous to them, not that God designs their Ruin by them (for I have shew'd you, that they are the Instruments of their greatest Good), but because in God's afflicting of them, he hath respect to their Sins, he sends Calamities and Distresses to them, as the Penalty of their Mis-doings: Which I have shewed you is consonant to the Word of God in the Scriptures. I know that they are not strictly Punishments, because they are of a mixt Na­ture, and I have granted as much: And moreover, I am ready to lay aside the Word [Punishment] if it be offensive, and to use the Word [Affliction] or [Chastisement]; only this must be annexed, that this Affliction or Chastisement is sent for Sin. This is all I aim at in this part of my Remarks, and I could not prevail with my self to quit this without betraying the Truth, as it is revealed in the Scriptures. Whence you may judg how close the Doctor keeps to this infallible Rule, when he utters such Words as theseVol. I. Serm. 11. pag. 170., When God brings Afflictions upon thee, he doth not remember any Sin of thine: they are not in his Thoughts towards thee: And again,Vol. II. Serm. 2. pag. 258. The Lord never pours out Wrath as the Desert of his People.

IX. It is not only asserted by him, that God is not offended or displeased with Believers, much less punisheth them for their Sins; but he holds likewise, that God is not pleased with any of their Gra­ces or Duties, or whatever good thing they do, although these pro­ceed from the Holy Spirit, the Author of all Goodness. In sun­dry of his Sermons you'll find this often maintained by him (so that 'tis endless to quote the particular places) that Christ alone pleaseth the Father, Christ's Righteousness only is acceptable; but as for Believers, they can do nothing that is pleasing to God. And the Reason which he gives in many places is this, because all that they do is mixt with Sin and Pollution, which will rather pull down Wrath upon them, than be acceptable to him who is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity.Vol. II. Serm. 6. pag. 322. There is not, saith he, one righteous Action a Man doth perform, but he doth therein a new throw Dirt in the Face of God, by that Action of his; because Sin, as the wise Man saith, is Abomination to the Lord. To which I answer, Thugh the most righteous Duties of the Faithful be mixt with Sin and Defilement (which cannot be denied) yet this hinders not their being acceptable to God. For first, they are such as the frail [Page 48]and imperfect Nature of Believers is capable of performing. God hath not made them Angels, but Men, and though he hath san­ctified them, yet it is his good Pleasure that there should always be in them some Remains of Sin. Their imperfect state in this Life will not admit of what is higher and better, and therefore God vouchsafeth to accept their Services and Performances, though they be not devoid of all Defilement: He is pleased with the sincere (but imperfect) Endeavours of his Servants: Where there is a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not, 2 Cor. 8.12. Secondly, the Actions of holy Men are pleasing to God, because they come from the holy Spirit. This blessed Sanctifier gives Worth and Value to all the Services of Believers: So that as they proceed from him, they cannot but be accepted of God the Father and are very va­luable and precious. This even Mr. Bridg (the Doctor's Contem­porary, and a Man of the Congregational-Persuasion, and no Idoli­zer of Works, it is certain) expressed thus, There are two things in every Duty or Service: There is something of God's, and some­thing of a Mans own: Something of the Spirit, and something of a Mans own. A Man must not trample upon them as to the Point of Sanctification (i. e. as they proceed from the Spirit of Holiness) for then he should speak Evil of the Spirit, whose Works they are. They have the Image of Christ upon them, they are precious Metal, and therefore must not be trampled upon; for (as he had said be­fore) a Man tramples and treads upon the Dirt, but he will not trample upon Mony, upon Gold and Silver: Why? Because that is a precious Metal, or hath the Stamp or the Image of the Prince upon it. So he in a Sermon entituled The Spiritual Life, p. 51, 52. Christian Services then are no Dirt, as they come from the Spirit of Purity: yea, they are clean and pure, and precious in God's sight; because he delights in whatever flows from the Sacred Fountain. This is an other Reason why our Services, though mixed with Per­fections and Corruptions are pleasing to God. He must needs accept that which is his own. Thirdly, They are accepted for Christ's sake, in whom God the Father is well pleased, as he him­self hath declared. It is Christ that makes our Righteousness to be accepted, by offering to his Father his own spotless and com­plete Righteousness. You shall not hear Dr. Crisp say one Sylla­ble like this throughout his whole First Volume of Sermons, where he had often occasion to mention this: He will not in any of those Discourses acknowledg that that Duties and Performances of Be­lievers please God, and are acceptable to him, and are of any [Page 49]Prevalency with him, but he designedly beats down the contrary Assertion. Yet behold, such is the Prevalency of Truth, that at last he is brought to acknowledg this very thing which he before opposed, that he Works of the Faithful are pleasing to God, and acceptable to him through Jesus Christ.Vol. II. Ser. 1 pag. 232. Though Faith in Christ, saith he, the Filth and Dung of our Works is extracted by Christ; and he presenting the same purged by himself alone, they become accepted with God. And he grants as much in another place; for he expresly saithPag. 322., It is true, Christ doth purge away all the Fil­thiness both of Righteousness and Unrighteousness in Believers. And whereas he adds, But he doth not purge away the Filthiness of their Righteousness, that this Righteousness may prevail with God to lay Iniquity upon Christ; this is a vain Sur­mise of his, and never enter'd into the Heads of those Persons whom he means when he saith, They would be accounted the greatest Protestants. They intend nothing like this, but only that (as he saith himself, and at the same time confutes himself) Christ purg­eth away the Filth of the most righteous Actions of Believers, that they may be accepted in the Beloved as Services, p. 322. Now he acknowledgeth what he was so loth to do before, now he con­fesses they are acceptable to God for Christ's sake; whereas before he termed them throwing Dirt in the Face of God. He saw without doubt that there was a necessity of revoking such foul and scanda­lous Language as this, because so many plain Texts of Scripture utterly condemn it, and expresly aver, that the holy Actions of the Righteous and Faithful are pleasing and acceptable unto God. Encoh had this testimony, that he pleased God, Heb. 11.5. There will I accept them, saith God by the Prophet Ezekiel, Chl. 20. v. 40. speaking concerning the times of the Gospel. I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, Rom. 12.1. He that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable unto God, Rom. 14.18. And when the Apostle saith, Without faith it is impossible to please God, Heb. 11.6. it is included, that by Faith we may please him. Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, saith the same inspired Author, Heb. 12.28. Is it not evident from all these places, that the Services and Per­formances of the faithful Servants of God, are not throwing Dirt in his Face, but are grateful and delightful to him? Though they are mingled with Sin, yet they are not rejected of God, because they are the best they can perform in this imperfect State, because they flow from the Spirit of Grace, and because they are purged [Page 50]from all Filth by the perfect Righeousness of Christ. For these Reasons all the Servants of the most high ought continually to of­fer up Spiritual Sacrifices by Jesus Christ, and to discharge the seve­ral parts of their Duty with Chearfulness and Rejoycing; for God accepteth their Offerings and Services, and is delighted in them.

But how doth the contrary Persuasion (which is expresly main­tained in a great part of the Doctor's Book) damp all Religion, and destroy all Christian Performances, and consequently makes way for Irreligion and Prophaneness? Nothing we do, saith this Au­thor, though it be never so good, is acceptable to God: and nothing we do, though never so bad, is offensive to him, or provokes his Dis­pleasure, or brings down Calamities upon us, if we once be Be­lievers. If this doth not discourage and even destroy all Religion, it is impossible to tell what doth. Is not God pleased with our ho­lest Duties, then why should we take pleasure in them? For we ought to be pleased with nothing but what is pleasing to God. Do not wicked Actions and ungodly Practices incense the Divine Ma­jesty, then how naturally will this excite Men to commit such A­ctions which they know are wicked and ungodly, but which they also know can never procure the Divine Displeasure? The short is, no Believer, no Saint need be troubled in his Conscience for any Sin whatsoever which he hath committed, nor can he fell any Con­tent and Joy in his Breast after he hath dome his Duty: For the good Works of Believers do not please God, and their evil ones do not displease him. Yea, Believers while they do their best Works are throwing Dirt in God's Face: Then surely while they do their worst things, they do so much more; and yet all this time they provoke not God's Anger in the least. That Man is bereft of all Sense and Understanding, who saith this doth not open a wide Gap to Licentiousness and Prophaneness. Judg then whether the Dr. was in good earnest when he saidVol. I. Serm. 9. pag. 136., I speak not against doing any Righteousness according to the Will of God revealed, yea, I wish that Mouth were for ever stopp'd, that is open to blame the Law, and to discourage People from walking in the Commandments of God. Judg whether Antinomianism be not the High-way to Libertinism, though this Author, and those of his Persuasion endeavour to make us believe the contrary.

X. And Lastly, an other wild Position which these Sermons maintain, is this, that all is done from Eternity, and so nothing is to be done now. He often tells his Auditors, your Business is done to [Page 51]your hand already: Therefore there is no need of begging for Faith, or any other Grace, or for Forgiveness of Sin, or any other Spiri­tual Priviledg: These are all granted already, and not to be done now. He frequently inculcates this, and inVol. II. Ser 8. The Title of the Sermon is, Our Sins are already laid on Christ. one whole Sermon together insists upon it, viz. that God's pardoning Sinners and justifying the Ungodly are not now or hereafter to be done: they are not pre­sent or future, but were dispatched long ago, even from Eternity: Whence he infers, that we must not look for Remission of Sins or Justification in this Life; we are not to be concerned in any such thing now, we need not be sollicitous about it, for it is past and over: All is done from Eternity. But this is a gross Mistake, and the con­trary is true, all is not do ne from Eternity, but a great deal is done in time, a great deal that concerns our Justification and Pardon. We must distinguish then between the Act of God from Eternity, bhis decreeing to pardon Sin and the Act of God in time, or God's applying of the Decree. These are two different things, and we must look upon them as so: The neglect of which hath bred a great Mistake and Error in this Author and his Abettors: For whilst they confound these two, they shut up the whole Transa­ction of Man's Redemption and Salvation in the eternal Decrees, and so 'tis no wonder that they conclude all is done from Eternity, and thence draw very dangerous Inferences. But to prevent this, we must reckon these two as distinct Acts of God, viz. His de­creeing from Eternity to pardon such and such Persons, and his actual performing of this, or the exerting and applying of the eter­nal Decree. There is Justification in Sentence and Decree, pro­nouncing of Persons just and innocent from all Eternity: And there is also a Justification in Execution, when the Persons are actually pardoned and discharged. Now, no Man is actually pardoned and justified till he believeth: And the reason is, because Christ's Righteousness can not be actually applied without Faith; for this is the only Instrument which appllieth it to the Soul. Besides, Con­version and actual Justification go together, and are never separated: Whom he did predestinate, them he calleth; and whom he calleth, them he also justifieth, Rom. 8.30. This is part of the golden Chain of Sal­vation, as Mr. Perkins, and other Divines have called it; but it is to be observed, that our Doctor never so much as takes notice of it, or once makes mention of it, though he had constantly an occasion to do it, treating of Justification and the Order of it so frequently. There can be no reason given of his omitting it, but this, That he was sensible this famous Text of S. Paul would ruin his Cause; [Page 52]for here the Apostle acquainting us with the Method of Man's Salvation, tells us, that whom God from Eternity predestinated, i. e. decreed to justifiy and sanctifie, them he in them called, i. e. effe­ctually converted, and at the same justified, i. e. actually discharg'd them from the Guilt of their Sins. You see here, that all the bu­siness of Man's Salvation is not done from Eternity, whatever the Doctor dreameth: There is a Calling, there is a Converting, as well as a Predestinating: There is a Justifying in time as well as a Decreeing it before the Foundations of the World. Though there be not a first and second Justification in the Sense of the Popish Doctors, who hold there is this double Justification in this Life, yet there is a twofold Justification in another Sense, that is, in re­spect of the Decree of Justification, and in respect of the Actual Justi­fying of a Person in time: the one was before all time, the other is in this present Life, and is attended with Regeneration, Conver­sion, and Sanctification. It was the determinate Council of God, that such and such Persons should be pardon'd and justified in time: It was also prefixed in the Eternal Decree of Election, that the same Persons should be effectually called, and born again by the Spi­rit, and be endued with inward Holiness. This is to be done in this Life, therefore all was not done from Eternity.

Indeed the Elect of God were not properly justified from Eter­nity; but the Decree then was only passed by God, that they should be justified afterwards: It was determined that Christ should come, and take away their Sins, and that there should be an Accom­plishment of the Decree in the actual Justification of those that believe. This is that which fell from the Doctor's own Lips and Pen by chanceVol. II Serm. 8. pag. 353, 354., God saith he, had all this (that is, the Persons and Transgressions of all Men) at once in his Eye; and having this Plat­form before him, as if all were then in being, he sets down his own Act of his Royal Assent (for he had compared God's Decree to the Royal Assent given by a King to an Act), that for every such Per­son as he had chosen, and for every such Transgression that should be committed at such and such a time, by such and such Persons, he would accept of such a Christ whom he would fit to bear their Trans­gressions. Here you see he expresses it as a future thing, that God would accept of Christ; and what is that, but to pardon Sinners for his sake? And so he doth, before he is aware, acknowledg that very thing which before he denied, and that very stifly. In an other place you will find him confessing the same; after he had in, several of his Sermons maintain'd, that none are justified and [Page 53]discharged from their Sins now in time, but all was done long be­fore; he at length submits to this, which is the real truth, but which he had boggled at so longVol. II. Serm. 9. pag. 360.. As the Elect, saith he, were in the Eye of the Lord before they had a real Existence and Being, so all their Iniquities were laid on Christ from Eternity: But it must needs be granted, that the particular Application of this Grace to Persons, that the Lord hath laid mine Iniquities and thine Iniquities upon Christ individually, must needs be in time. Indeed this is his way very often; he takes a great deal of pains to rear up a Notion, and then of a sudden pulls it down again. He had in other Dis­courses frequently asserted, that all the business of Justification was already done and past; and yet now he holds it is not done and past, but that it is in time: In this present Life the Lord lays Ini­quity upon Christ, and thereby justifies the Ungodly. And this Justification is, when God enables us to believe in Christ, his only begotten Son, and to apply his meritorious Righteousness to our selves. Wherefore we are highly concerned in this business; we are to examin the Truth and Reality of our Faith, which is the Hand wherewith we receive Christ, the appointed Instrument whereby we apply his Righteousness: And we ought also to search into our Hearts and Lives, and see whether we be renewed and reformed, and whether the Graces of the Holy Spirit be implant­ed in us; for we cannot know that we are justified, unless we be sanctified, though our Justification depends not upon our Sanctifi­cation. Thus you cannot but apprehend, how the Doctor's first Assertions, mention'd under this Head, teach Men to neglect their present Concern and Duty, and to rest wholly upon what is past; yea, they falsly teach them, that those things are past, which are not yet come; whereupon they grow careless and secure, and de­scend into Hell with a groundless assurance of entring into Heaven.

Thus the Foundations of his Discourses being laid open, we see how weak, yea, how rotten they are. And the Superstructure is like the Foundation, infirm, unsound, unsafe, like to prove mis­chievous and dangerous. All religious Performances are marri'd. all the Duties of Christianity fall to the ground, if once we come to be persuaded of these following Propositions (which are the main Contents of his Book), That a Man may have a Part in Christ, and yet be destitute of Faith; that Fear and Dread, and consequently Watchfulness, are useless in Religion; that we ob­tain no present Blessing, nor can hope for any future one by Prayer; that Godly Sorrow, Humiliation, and Repentance, are of no [Page 54]Advantage to us, towards the turning away of God's Wrath; that the sincere Endeavours (if there were any such thing) of righte­ous Men, can afford no matter of Comfort and Rejoycing to them; that the holiest Persons can do nothing that is pleasing and accept­able to God, yea, that they throw Dirt in his Face as often as they pray, mourn, repent, or do any other religious Action; that God never takes notice of Sin in his Servants, so as to inflict any Pu­nishment or Chastisement upon them for it; that the Sins of a Na­tion do not pull down Judgments upon them; that God is not dis­pleased or angry with a Believer, though he be guilty of Lying, Cheating, Oppression, Uncleanness, yea, Murder, or any other enormous and flagitious Act; that there are no outward Signs and Marks of true Grace; that a Reprobate and regenerate Person may be equally sincere; that Sanctification is no Evidence of a man's Justification; that neither good Works can do us any good, nor evil ones do us any harm. This is the Doctrin of our new Teacher, this is the Spirit of Antinmoianism, and it cuts the Nerves of all the Duties and Exercises of Christianity. If any Man be led by these Principles, he will have but little or no Inclinations to pray, to watch, to humble himself, to practise Mortification and Self-Denial, to repent of his former evil ways, and to lead a ho­ly Life, which are the things so often enjoyn'd and commanded by God in the Holy Scripture, especially in the New Testament, where we are assured, that they are indispensable Parts of the Chri­stian Religion, and the only way to eternal Bliss and Happiness. But the foresaid Principles, if they be throughly entertained, will not suffer us to do any of these things to any purpose: They all tend to this, that we should lay aside the Practice of Religion, and give our selves up wholly to Sloth and Security, yea, and live in all Excess of Riot, and make our Lusts the only Laws and Rules of our Lives.

It may be, many well-meaning Persons are deceived by the spe­cious Title of the Doctor's Discourses [Christ alone exalted], and they may imagin, that that Book cannot but be innocent, yea, very excellent, and design most glorious things, which hath so goodly a Front, which promiseth to exalt Christ, and him alone. But be not deceived by a fair Title, judg not of the Book by this, but scan the Book it self, and then you will know, whether the Title be deceitful or not. In plain Terms, you will know that it is; for Christ is never exalted and mangifyed, when Holiness and Righ­teousness are disgraced, when Christ's own Ways and Means are vilifed, and even destroyed. Doth he not deal deceituflly, when, [Page 55]though he gives unto Christ the things that are Christ's, yet he doth not give unto the ways of Christ the things that belong to them? Why doth he not speak plainly and honestly, and tell his Auditors this Gospel-Truth, that our Salvation is by Christ Je­sus alone, as the efficient and meritorious Cause; but that Prayer and other Ordinances of Christ's Appointment, and all our Graces and Duties, are Instruments, Helps, Means, and Wars to it? Why doth he not tell his Hearers, as a faithful Dispenser of the Word ought, That these are pleasing unto God, and are of themselves naturally serviceable to the great End of Salvation, for which God a ppoint­ed them? This would have been plain dealing, this would have been an impartial and faithful discharging of his Ministry, and this would have been a powerful Invitation and Encouragement to the undertaking and performing of those Evangelical Duties. But in­stead of this, he tells them again and again, that neither Faith, nor the rest of the Graces of the Holy Spirit, nor ay of our religious Actions and Performances have any thing to do in Salvation; that God is not pleased with them, and that he is not displeased with Believers when the contrary Actions are done by them: And ma­ny things of this Nature (of which I have given you a particular account before) he infuseth into their Minds, and thereby corrupts them.

I am sorry that I must go on to observe to you, that he is re­solved to pursue his Notion, whatever comes on it, and in order to that, you may see, that though Reason (our that is a small thing with him) or Scripture stand in his way, he being in his full Ca­rier, makes his passage through them: He runs counter to the ex­press Words of Holy Writ, whilst he pretends to keep close to it, yea, when he complains that others depart from it. He quarrels with Scripture where it is plain: He will not acknowledg, that a Man is justified by Faith, though S. Paul hath in so many indivi­dual Words said it over and over again; but he labours to pervert the Apostles Words, as you have heard before. This I desire the Readers of his Sermous to take notice of, and from this one thing to apprehend the pernicious design of his whole Book, which is to pervert the Words and Sense of the Holy Writings, and to lead Men from the true meaning of them into Error and Falshood. He values not S. Paul's Words, he maintains his Assertion in defiance of the Apostle: For this inspir'd Man assures us, that we are justi­fied by Faith; but Dr. Crisp saith, we are not: S. Paul saith his sin­cere and godly Conversation was ground of Rejoycing; but the Doctor absolutely denies it. He might as well have said in plain Terms, [Page 56] Paul, thou liest: He might as well have told us, that the Scripture it self is false. But, besides these already mentioned, there are other Instances of his miserable perverting the Word of God; as his mis interpreting and wresting the plain meaning of these fol­lowing Texts, Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that lead­eth unto life, Mat. 7.14. Forgive us our trespasses, Luke 10.4. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, 2 Cor. 5.17. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, Eph. 2.10. We know we are passed from death to life, because we love the brethren, 1 John 3.14. All which places any unprejudiced Eye may see are grievously strained and distorted by him, on purpose to serve his turn, and to patronize the Cause which he hath espous'd. Where­fore his Reader must always stand upon his Guard, when he finds him quoting a Text of Scripture; he must ever suspect him, lest whilst he cites a place, he wrests the true meaning of it, and even when he speaks Scripture, delivers things in direct Terms contrary to it.

And as he runs contrary to Scripture, so he contradicts and con­futes himself, which is a thing I have partly remarked already, and you must needs takes notice of it in other places of his Sermons, and makes this Inference from it, That a Man that frequently contradicts himself, cannot be believed. Besides those Instances before given, there might be many more produced; es­pecially the Fourth Volume (as 'tis called) of Sermons, which is lately printed, and was never published before, is as it were a Re­cantation of his former Discourses. As for Example; whereas the Doctor had said before, that the common Signs and Marks which Professors make use of, are no Evidences at all of their being in Christ, and particularly that Obedience is none; now he is of another mind, and saithVol. IV. Serm. 3. pag. 36. Obedience is a comfortable Evidence that we are in Christ; for our Fruit will shew upon what Root we grow. The Spirit then bears loud witness with our Spirit, that we are the Chil­dren of God, if the Fruit be right. Whereas, the Doctor, in some of his former Sermons, had told his Auditors, That religious Du­ties and Performances, and particularly Fasting and Humiliation, bring no Good to them, cannot avert the Divine Anger, or remove any Judgments that hang over them, or lie upon them, and that our best Services cannot please God; now you hear him deny all this in his last Sett of SermonsVol. IV. Serm. 7. pag. 76., We should, saith he, preconsider the Ends of a Fast, why God looks for it. The Ends of it are, First, the Humbling of the Soul; Secondly, the Pleasing of God; Thirdly, [Page 57]the Averting of Wrath. Would any Man imagin, that the same Person spoke this, who utter'd such strange things in Disparagement of Fasting, as I have set down under the Fifth Head of these Re­marks? And presently after he saithPage 77., God hath made this Duty of Fasting effectual for much Good. And afterwardsSer. 9. pag. 94., Our weak Performances, if they be sincere, are accepted in Christ the Beloved, and he proceeds to quote several Texts to prove it: But no such Lan­guage as this could we hear, when there was the greatest occasion for it. Whereas, before this high Flyer could not digest S. Paul's Doctrin of Justification by Faith, now he is become very OrthodoxSerm. 8. pag 85., It is Faith alone, saith he, justi­fieth: Works have no hand in that business; yet that Faith which justifies alone, stands not alone without Works; as if there could be a Faith in Men, and no Renovation of Life. Would you take this for the same Man that spoke those things which I have recited under my First general Head? Whereas, in his former Dis­course, he would not allow that there is any Motive in God from any thing we can do; and whereas you never hear him moving and encouraging his Auditors to any holy Enterprize and Performance, now he is in another strain; for having spoken of the Grace of Self-denial, he addsSerm. 8. pag. 88. Motives and Encouragements towards the attaining it; among the rest this is one, This Self-denial, saith he, invites Christ and his Spirit not to withdraw. It seems then, Christ and the Holy Spi­rit are invited and moved by what the Faithful do, which is quite contrary to what he had asserted before. And now in these last Sermons which are printed, he is much upon exhorting to Duty; he stirs People up, by several Considerations and Motives, to live well, and discharge the several Offices of Christianity. Thus, though it had been much more for the Doctor's Credit, if these last Sermons had not been added to the others, because they are Re­tractations of those before published; yet, on another account, it doth redound to his Credit and Honour, namely because he is so ingenuous as to speak Truth at last. In these late Discourses of Self-denial and Fasting, he speaks like other Divines, he is a very Orthodox Man. Now he hath left off his high Rants, he hath laid aside his strange Notions, he revokes his former Assertions, he overthrows all he said before, unless it be in the Tenth Sermon, where he is at his old Work again, and laughs at those who sayPage 98., Suppose a Sinner hath lived in all manner of licentiousness, before he may believe that Christ hath justified [Page 58]him, he must forsake, and find by reflection on himself, that he hath forsaken all his former evil ways, and must be stricken with inward Terrour, and feel the Pangs of the new Birth, as they call it, &c. Ob­serve that [as they call it], he is at the old trade of mocking at in­ward Grace and Righteousness: The new Birth is matter of Deri­sion to him; he would fain be at his Ridiculing again, and in so se­rious a matter as Regeneration too. Lord! What shall we think of this Man? Can we imagin that he ever intended good to the Souls of Men, when he thus irreverently speaks of this great My­stery of the Christian Religion, the new Birth?

What account may we give of this Self-Contradiction? It shews that the Doctor's Memory is very slippery, and that he forgets his former Assertions: Or rather this shews, that the Doctor was but in disguise, and personated another Man. This shews his Incon­stancy, and that he loves to go backwards and forwards, and wa­ver in these great Points. This shews the Inconsistency of his No­tions, and that he cannot make them hang together. This shews that he reasons and argues deceitfully; and makes use of Sophistry instead of Logick. This shews likewise the Prevalency of Truth, that it will forcibly make its way, even from the Mouths of its professed Adversaries. The short is, the Doctor's general way in his Sermons is to go out of the Road, to startle and amuse his Hearers with strange improbable Notions; but then at some other times he strikes into the plain beaten Path, and then you may hear him utter that which he was so backward to before, yea, which he had directly opposed. So that the best Excuse that can be made for him, is, that he contradicts himself; and yet, to say the Truth, this Excuse is as bad a one as may be.

Or perhaps some of these Sermons which we find printed last of all, were the first that were preached by him, as I remember the Doctor's Son intimates: And then we are to observe hence, that the Doctor began well, but was soon weary of it. The com­mon and generally acknowledged Truths of Christianity were thought too mean and vulgar by him: He resolved to strike out of the Road, and to seek some by-Paths; he had a mind to lay aside his old Divinity, and to take up a new one; and you see here the plain Effects of it, you behold the miserable Fruit of his Aposta­tizing from his first Principles. But if he had lived some Years longer, 'tis likely he would have retracted these Antinomian Te­nets, and have proved an honest Orthodox Man. That is all the hopes we have of him.

I will not take notice here of the Doctor's nauseous Repetitions, the same thing in the very same Words over and over again. A Man may pick out of the Two and Forty Sermons, Four or Five that contain all he hath said in the rest. I will not stand to observe how many bold and unwary Expressions he hath, and how he seems to de­light in them, which is worst. I will not rake into his rude and unsavoury Stile, which he is guilty of sometimes, and which is un­becoming the Mysteries of God, and renders those Holy things contemptible. I will not again call to mind (so as to insist here) how irreverently he speaks of the solemn Duties of Praying, Fast­ing, &c. and how he seems to affect a kind of Drollery when he treats of them. This is unworthy of a Christian Man, especially of a Gospel-Minister, and one that looks upon himself to be of the highest rank of Protestants. Certainly no Puritan but he, ever spoke of these Sacred things after that loose ridiculous manner. No Person, pretending to Gravity and Seriousness, did ever treat of serious Matters after that rate. Who could think that he who hath such Honey-Words sometimes, could disgorge such Gall and Bitterness? That he should jeer at Christian Duties and Graces, and at the very Foundation of all Christianity, the new Birth? Cer­tainly it will be no breach of Charity to say, that he is one of the Mockers and Scoffers of the last time, foretold by the Apostle.

But the main Quarrel we have with the Doctor is, that by this, and by his several wild Assertions which we have before particu­larly insisted upon, he disparageth, disgraceth, defameth Religion it self, and discourageth Men in the way of Holiness, and teacheth them to turn Christianity it self into Ridicule. Is Christ to be ex­alted thus, namely by throwing down all Christian Duties, and by treading them under feet? Must Christ be set up by pulling down his Ordinances, Worship, and Service? And are not these pulled down, when Men are persuaded to believe, that these are but throwing Dirt in God's Face? Is Christ exalted, when Faith and Re­pentance, and all Evangelical Works, which he himself hath com­manded, are despised and vilified? This is absolute Contradiction; it is exalting of Christ, and at the same time casting him down. When therefore the Doctor talks of exalting Christ (as he fre­quently does) he confronts himself, he is self-condemned. This attempt of the Dr. is just as if a Man or a Company of Men should present a Panegyric to the Sovereign Prince they live under, and highly extol his Acts of Grace and Mercy to them, and with a great many Words set forth how gracious a Prince he hath been to them, and yet in the same Panegyrick Oration vilifie his Laws, [Page 60]inveigh against his Decrees, and represent how unacceptable and un­necessary their Obedience to him would be. I appeal to any Man of Sense and Reason, whether these Persons may be truly said to magnifie and extol the King, or whether, on the contrary, it be not most evident that they debase and dishonour him. This is the very Case of the Doctor, and those Men we have been speaking of: They pretend to exalt the Lord Jesus, when they so often make men­tion of Free-Grace, but when they come to speak of the Duty which is consequent of it, they really disgrace and vilifie him, be­cause they do not own this as necessary in it self, and acceptable to him.

The Doctor's Son, in his Preface to his Fathers Sermons, under­takes to vindicate him, and in that he doth the part of a Son; but he should have done it so, that all the World might not see he hath done him wrong; for whilst he confidently asserts that his Father speaks the Language and Sense of Mr. Perkins, Pemble, Gouge, the Bishop of Armagh, Bishop Reinolds, Dr. Jacomb, Dr. Manton, and others he names; any one that is acquainted with the Writings of those Persons, knows very well that they were of a different Judg­ment from his Father, in the Point of Justification by Faith, and all those other Doctrins which these Sermons are full of. So that the truth is, in mentioning those worthy Persons he doth rather condemn than vindicate his Father and his Writings. How then can he utter these Words?Preface to the Reader. (as he doth) [Five Thousand and Two Hundred Discourses I have by me, taken from the Lips of several Gospel-Preachers, and not Six of them oppose my Fathers Doctrin]: When as 'tis well known, that the Ministers of the Presbyterian Persua­sion (whom he heretofore frequently heard) were wont in most of their Sermons, to oppose the Antinomian Principles; unless you will help him out, by saying that he took Notes only of what pleased him in the Sermons he heard. But I will not aggravate things as I easily might; for I am charitably inclin'd to believe that the Do­ctor himself might be a good Man, though he took a Course to make many bad ones. I do not think that he and some others of his Opinion, always design'd the coupling of Antinomianism and Libertinism together; but that which I suggest is this, that the scope of their Principles and Doctrins doth promote this Conjun­ction, and it is very difficult to sever them. I am far from pro­nouncing a damning Sentence upon all those who approve of this Author and his Writings. I declare, that I believe some who assert these Opinions, think and speak in this matter according to [Page 61]their Consciences and real Persuasions: And it pleaseth God that their own Principles and Maxims have not an Influence upon them in their Actings. They live better than these Sermons teach them; they do not follow the Conduct of their Principles. Hence it is that they are not discouraged from exerting all Virtues and per­forming all Duties, but are very diligent and fervent in them.

As for the Author himself, he being a Scholar, a Preacher, a Doctor in Israel, one that had some leisure to dive into these Points, and to search to the bottom of them, it may be thought by some, that he could not so strenuously and zealously maintain these Prin­ciples, and that in good earnest, and yet be a sincere Practiser of Virtue and Holiness. They rather are enclin'd to think, that he re­solv'd to defend this Hypothesis which he had taken up, thereby to gratifie his Disciples and Party in those days, who had a great O­pinion of him, and Mr. Saltmarsh, and such like Men. It may be this was the Temptation which this Man lay under (I do not, I can­not say it was; but many a good Man hath fallen by the like), per­haps he was invited by the good Opinion of his own Parts and Abi­lities, to try how he could maintain this Cause, and thereby gain to himself a select Party of Men who would applaud his Doctrin, and rejoyce to see it defended with some Pretence of Reason, and the subtile managing of some Texts of Scripture. Some have thought (I cannot say how truly) that this push'd him on to these unhappy Undertakings, whereby it comes to pass that his Errors have been propagated, and within these few Years, by the reprint­ing of his Works more than ordinarily entertained. When I ob­served this, I saw it would be Charity to the World, to let them know what kind of Book this is, and to give them notice of the Danger of it. I must needs say, I was very loth at first to enter upon this Task; I had read most parts of the Book at several times, and never had any Thoughts of publishing my Sentiments about it. I had so good an Opinion of some things in these Sermons, that I could not be induced to make any Reflections on the Author for the ill ones I saw mixed with them. But when I consider'd again, that the Good in these Writings might be Hurt by the Evil, or rather cause it to be swallow'd down with it for Good, I saw there was a Necessity of making some Animadversions upon these Discourses, that Persons might not be endamaged by their unwary Reading, much more by their unadvised Embracing of his erroneous Do­ctrin. For tho, it is true, to a wise and considerate Reader, this Book is an Antidote against its own Poyson, because the Author of it doth so often deny what he before asserted; yet I was sensible [Page 62]that weak and unwary Readers would be apt to suck in the Venom without making use of the Antidote, unless it was plainly told them which is the one and which is the other. I grant indeed, that in some places he hath corrected and qualified what he deliver'd be­fore; so that we may safely entertain it: But as he is to be praised where he doth this, so it is to be lamented that he falls into his for­mer Errors again, and is as peremptory and dogmatical in them as ever. This extorted from me these foregoing Remarks, which I here offer to the World, and beseech the God of Heaven that they may be useful to those good Ends which I designed them for.

Towards the Conclusion I might take notice, that now of late the Doctrin of Free-Grace is the great and almost only Subject which is preached upon in the Assemblies of those that favour the Antino­mian way. Seldom in any of the Meetings of that Party is there any thing treated of but this. And 'tis certain, that a more noble and excellent Subject they cannot choose, the same which the Doctor so often insists upon with much Warmth and Affection, and for which he deserves the Praises of all good Men. I wish all who have the Care of Souls would frequently make it the Matter of their Discourses in the Pulpit, otherwise they will be as blame­able as the Doctor, and they will be so far from exalting of Christ, that they will set up their Graces and Duties above him. But that which I contend for is this, That Christ alone may have the Pre­eminence; that he may be acknowledged the sole Author and Fi­nisher of our Faith and all other Graces; and likewise that these Graces having him for their Donor, may not be despised, neglected, and vilified by us; that we ought to look upon them as necessarily requisite, in order to Salvation and Happiness, and that accordingly we must be daily examining the Truth and Sincerity of them, and endeavour to increase and improve them, that we may adorn the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by an exemplary Conversation, that others seeing our good Works, may glorifie our Fa­ther who is in Heaven. See how the Apostles, how Christ him­self preached: They preached Free-Grace, but not that only. Neither therefore ought it to engross the whole Discourses of the Preachers of the Gospel at this day, although it be the most prevailing To­pick that can be used. Let us mind how our Saviour and his Apo­stles address'd themselves to Men; let us observe how the Scri­pture deals with them. This useth not this one Motive wholly, but hath others of another kind, such as these, the Commands and In­junctions of him who is our Sovereign Lord, the great and precious Promises, the Threatnings of God's Wrath against Sinners, the [Page 63]Evils that attend a vitious Life, the inward Deformity of Sin, and its Contrariety to the Divine Nature, the innate Excellency and Beauty of Religion, the Pleasures and Advantages of Holiness, the Easiness of Christ's Yoke, the Rewards that attend it both here and hereafter. The Scripture moveth Men to a conscientious Dis­charge of their several Duties, by such Arguments and Inducements as these, as well as by that of Free-Grace. And if you hear a Hundred Sermons, or read as many Books wherein the contrary Doctrin is maintain'd, look upon these Discourses and Writings as Impostures and Cheats, and down-right Delusions. At this day nothing is heard from some Preachers Mouths but Free-Grace; this one Argument takes up all their Discourses, and none else. But I must tell them, that though this be a most prevalent Motive, yet it must not always be used, so as to exclude others. This is evident, undeniably evident from the Scripture of Truth, and therefore there is no resisting it. Those that preach the Gospel must not be partial in delivering the Truths of it, they must learn of S. Paul to keep back nothing that is profitable unto their Hearers, Acts 20.20. They must communi­cate to them the whole Will of God without Reserves, and not preach upon one Doctrin with the Neglect and Omission of the rest.

This was the Fault of the Doctor, as his Sermons testifie: And this is the Fault of some others at this day. I would only ask this, Are the Sinners of this Age so ingenious above all that were before them, that they must have nothing but Free-Grace preached to them to win and reclaim them? No Man that sees what sort of Men there are in the World, can easily believe this. But rather some of the Preachers of this Age are so indulgent and fond above all that were before them, that they choose out this Subject to tickle the Ears of their Hearers, and will not make use of any other. It may be partly imputed to this, that so many of those who are their Auditors, differ so little from other Folks, that they are as vain, as proud, as covetous, as unmortified as the rest of Mankind: The excellent Doctrin of Free-Grace being not back'd with a severe inculcating of their Duty, and of the absolute Necessity and Acceptableness of performing it, they are not careful of their Lives and Manners, but throw themselves upon the Mercy of Christ, with a gross Neg­lect of what they are to do, and of what is indispensably required of them. It may be observed, that since this Doctrin of Free-Grace hath been wholly preached, the Hearers of it have generally been more loose and extravagant in their outward Carriage than before. They are told, (and that most truly) that Christ is exalted by the [Page 64]preaching of God's Free-Grace to Sinners; but they are not told al­so, and that very frequently, that Christ is exalted by a holy Life; that Christ is honour'd by a religious Conversation; that Christ is ex­toll'd and magnifi'd when his Servants walk worthy of the Gospel, and make it their Study to live according to his righteous Laws and Rules; that Christ is glorifi'd, as well as his Father, when they bring forth much Fruit. Let Ministers preach of Free-Grace as af­fectionately as they can; but then let them not disparage and ex­clude a holy Life; nay, let them positively declare that there is a Necessity of being religious and holy, of doing our Duty, and of obeying God's Commands, in order to the obtaining eternal Hap­piness. Let them not cry up Grace so as to depress Holiness; as if these two were inconsistent; whereas indeed they are not, but are very nearly alli'd. All is from Grace, i. e. from the good Will and Bounty of God in Christ, even our Holiness, even our Living ac­cording to God's Will. This is from God, and therefore he that disparages this, speaks against Grace. Sanctification is the Gift of God, and therefore is by Free-Grace: Whence it is evident, that these two must not be oppos'd one to the other.

As for the Doctor, with whom our business is at present, I know he often saith, he preacheth nothing that may be a Disparagement or Hindrance to a religious and holy Life, and the Performance of our particular Duties; and he seems to wonder that any Man should think otherwise of him. But it is as clear as the Sun shine­ing at Noon-day, that his Arguments and Discourses generally tend that way, and that they will (if they be imbraced) certainly damp all religious Enterprizes. And this Design is the more effectually carried on, because the Doctor all the while pretends to exalt Christ. This is a subtile Contrivance of the old Serpent, under the Name and Pretence of Free-Grace, and of the Exalting of Christ, to throw down all Holiness and Religion. The Devil was for the Exalting of Christ, when he carried him up to the lofty Battlements of the Temple, but with a design that he might be precipitated thence, and be destroyed. Antinomianism is such another Exalting of Christ; it is setting him on the Pinacle, lifting him up on high, with a purpose to cast him down head-long. This is no other than a Satani­cal and diabolical Extolling of Christ; such an Exalting of him as is attended with a Throwing down of Christianity. I wish deluded Souls would once see this, and know that Satan is in more Shapes than one; that he can appear (as here he doth) like an Angel of Light; that he can enervate the Gospel, and destroy Christianity even when he seems to exalt them. I beseech thee therefore, Good [Page 65]Reader, beware of these Men and of their Writings, as thou wish­est well to thy self, as thou tendrest the Salvation of thy Soul. Take heed of those pestilent Principles which are wont to delude Men by the specious Name and plausible Title of Free-Grace Fix this on your Minds to secure you from Danger; that although there is no concurrence of our personal Righteousness with Christ's Righteousness in the Matter of Justification, yet this personal and inherent Righteousness is requisite in order to Salvation, and that Faith and Repentance are Conditions of the new Covenant. The Dr. indeed tells you, thatPage 82. Man hath no tye upon him to perform any thing whatsoever on his part, as a Condition that must be observed on his part, and there is not one Bond or Obligation upon Man to the fulfilling of the Cove­nant, or partaking of the Benefits of it. But nothing is more opposite to Scripture, where Faith and good Works are represented as the necessary Qualifications and Conditions of Happiness.

This was the Doctrin of the English Puritans, as any one may satis­fie himself by consulting their Writings. Mr. Fenner, who was of that number, speaks their Persuasion thusChrist's Alarm to drowsie Saints, II. Part, p. 100., Another End of good Works (for he had been mentioning some Ends of good Works before) is to qualifie us for Heaven. We cannot be qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven, unless we be holy and godly in Christ Jesus, except we have our Conversations honest, as becometh Saints. After­wards he saithPag. 101., We maintain a Necessity of good Works, and as great a Necessity of them as the Pa­pists; only we beat down the Merit of them, that no Man may think to be saved by Works; as a Reverent Divine said, We teach People Ho­liness and Righteousness and good Works; as if there were no way to be saved but by these: And again, we teach, that there ought to be as much hanging on the Grace of God, as if we could shew no more to be saved than the vilest Drunkard or Adulterer. This, I say, was the Doctrin of the Puritans, they stedfastly asserted, that though Faith and good Works are not the Condition of God's bestowing Christ's Righte­ousness on us, and justifying us, yet they are the Conditions and Qualifications of our Salvation, and that no Man hath any reason to believe that he hath a part in Christ, and shall be made happy by him, unless he performs these Conditions required in the Gospel. This is fully and plainly asserted by an other emi­nent Man, who was a known Friend to Puritans; his Words are well worth the transcribingMr. Calamy's Godly Man's Ark, Serm. 5. p. 149., It is worth the observing, saith he, that all the Promises of [Page 66]Life and Salvation are conditional: Happiness is entail'd upon Holiness, Glory upon Grace. You shall read in Scripture of the Blessings of the Gove­nant, and of the Bond of the Covenant, of the Blessings of the Promises, and of the Condition of the Promises. If ever you would assure your selves of your Interest in the Blessings of the Covenant; you must try your selves by your sincere performance of the Condition. Thus Christ is promised to none but such as believe, Pardon of Sin to none but such as repent, and Hea­ven to none but such as persevere in well doing. Pag. 158, 159. Af­terwards most admirably, You must study, saith he, the condition on which Christ is promised. It is cer­tain Christ is not tendered absolutely, without any Condition. Those Texts which declare the Freeness of the Offer of Christ, do also mention a Con­dition to be performed by those that will have him. Object. But doth not the mentioning of a Condition take away the Freeness of the Ten­der of Christ? Answ. By no means; the reason is, because this very Condition is the free Gift of God. Quest. But what is the Condition upon which Christ is promised? Answ. There is (if I may so speak) Conditio praeparans seu disponens, & Conditio applicans, the Con­dition required to the preparing and disposing us for an Interest in Christ, and the Condition applying Christ to us, and bringing him into our Possession. The former is the Sight of our Sins, the Sense of them, and a real Willingness to part with them. There is no Man qualified, according to the Gospel, to rest upon Christ for Pardon of his Sins, who is not really willing to part with them. The latter is Faith, which therefore is the proper Condition of the Gospel, upon which Christ is tendered: And this Faith is not a bare receiving and taking of Christ; for there are many who take him, and mistake him. But this taking and receiving of Christ hath these Properties, &c. And afterwards, Page 171. All Promises of Life and Salvation are conditional. Con­ditional Promises are the Fruit of Free-Grace as well as absolute ones. It is Free-Grace which enables us to perform the Conditions, and Free-Grace which moved God to promise such great Mercies upon such Con­ditions. And speaking of the Conditional Promi­ses, he saithPag. 171, 172., They are of great use to quicken a lazy Christian, and to encourage him to Diligence: For no Man can obtain the Blessing promised, but he that performs the Condition enjoyn'd. They are rare Touch-Stones to try our Interest in the Promises; for he that neglects to perform the Condition, cannot challenge an Interest in the Blessing promised upon the performing of it. Again, There are no Promises so absolute, as to exclude all Endeavours on our part. God will do the things promised for us, but by us. We work, but it is God that worketh all our Works in us and for us. [Page 67]Absolute Promises are Foundations of Industry, as well as conditional. Thus this Author hath very solidly and substantially shewed the the Truth and Usefulness of this Doctrin, viz. That our Graces and Works are the Conditions of our Salvation. This is the strain of the whole Scripture, and hath been irrefragably proved and de­monstrated by several excellent Writers of the Church of England; but this ample Testimony of Mr. Calamy, and that other of Mr. Fenner, both of Puritanical Principles, will be more cogent with those I have to deal with at present, and therefore I have transcribed them from those Authors, and set them down fully. It hath been often said, that this Doctrin smells of Popery, or Ar­minianism at least. But behold! Here it is asserted by those who were neither Papists nor Arminians, or ever suspe­cted to be so, unless it were by oneA Vindication of the Protestant Do­ctrin of Justifica­tion, &c., who lately calls all his Non-conforming Brethren (that are not Antinomians) Arminians: He is the first Man that hath dealt thus uncharitably with them, and hath falsly branded them with a Title which all the World knows they have no right to, and which they are great Abhorrers of. The Doctor's Son, who saith, he hath some Thousands of Sermon-Notes by him, hath, without question, some that he took at Aldermanbury, at Mr. C—'s Lecture there: I advise him to look them over again, and see whether some Heads of the fore-mentioned Do­ctrin preached by that Person be not among them. And when he is looking, it may be he will meet with something of Dr. Owen (whose Auditor he was) to the present purposeDr. Owen, Of Justification, p. 264., Christ undertook, saith he, that those who were taken into the New Covenant should be enabled to comply with the Terms of it, fulfil its Conditions, and yield the Obedience required therein. And perhaps he will find this Pas­sage of a certain Preacher at the Merchants Lecture in Broad street, viz. Mr. Cole's Dis­course of Faith, p. 43. That Christ, to complete our Justification, hath purchased for us Strength and Abi­lity to perform the Condition of the New Covenant. This we assent to, saith that Writer, and this all sober Men agree in, that the Gospel Covenant hath Conditions annexed to it, and these Conditions are to be performed, through the Aid and Assistance of the Spirit, by all those who attain to eternal Life and Blessedness. No Man alive can perform them fully, but our blessed Lord's com­plete and sinless Righteousness is accepted of God, and expiates for our Infirmities and Sinfulness. Wherefore let us rely wholly on the perfect and meritorious Obedience of our Redeemer, expecting [Page 68]to be saved by and for that alone. Yet let us understand what the Lord requireth of us, viz. To do justly, and to love Mercy, and to walk humbly with our God, to discharge our Duty conscientiously in the several Parts of it, to adorn our Profession by a holy and upright Conversation, and to pray unto God that we may be strengthned to perform this. Let us abhor the Doctrin of those Men who dis­courage us from doing this, and speak deridingly and scoffingly of the Duties and Graces which are required of us, and who separate Justification from Sanctification. Dr. Crisp is guilty of this through­out his whole Book: Therefore, Christian Reader, be very wary in reading this Author, and make it thy humble Prayer to God, that thou mayest be able to discern the Snares that are laid for thee by him and his Followers, and that thou mayst be so wise and pru­dent as to escape them. See now S. Jude's Words verified, There are certain men crept in unawares, turning the grace of our God into wantonness and licentiousness, depraving and debauching the Holy Religion of Christ Jesus. Wherefore, with great Fervency, im­plore the Divine Aid, that thou mayst not be corrupted and sedu­ced by the wanton and licentious Doctrins of these Men, especially of this Author, who hath mingled them with his Sermons every where: And the rather be very careful to reject these gross Errors, because they are so highly dangerous and pernicious, that is, because they are repugnant to the whole strain of the Bible, because they vilifie the Institution and Appointment of God himself, because they oppose the great Design and End of the Gospel, which is Holiness of Life, because thereby they eclipse God's Glory in the World, because they set open a Door to Libertinism and Pro­phaneness; in a Word, because they overthrow the Gospel which preacheth Sanctification as well as Justification.

Thus you have my Animadversions, and the Design of them: I hope, through the Divine Blessing, they will prove advantageous and successful.