Confutation of Errors of Daniel Williams, Section 4
Sect. IV. Of the Nature of the Covenant of Grace.
Mr. Williams, tho he hath suck'd in Arminian Notions, could never possess himself of Arminian Accuracy and Learning, and tho he was given to Books ever since he was five Years Old, and Regularly Admitted into the Ministry at eighteen, so Great his Proficiency in Divinity as not only to Attone for what would have been in another an Irregularity, but to make it very Regular, yet it must be acknowledged that, in his hast to the Theological English System, he skip'd over his Logick, as is manifest from the Description he hath given of the Covenant of Grace, which he doth with a great Deal of Formality, and Pomp. For Placing himself in his Doctors Chair, He very Gravely Asks;
Q. What is the Covenant of Grace? And in Answer he saith, By Covenant of Grace I mean, the Way that God hath Ordained to Apply to Sinners that Salvation, which is Prepared by Christ, and which he wil… Enable the Elect to Comply with; which being to the Question Qaid Sit. one might reasonably Expect to find in it somewhat of the Nature of a Covenant in General, and what doth in special constitute it a Covenant of Grace. But not a word of these things; not a word of the Genus of the thing defined; nor of it's Specifick Difference, or of what is Proper and Peculiar to the Covenant of Grace, Distinguishing it from other Covenants. It is (saith he) a way Ordained of God to Apply Salvation unto Sinners. But doth the Word [Way] denote to us any thing of the Nature of a Covenant, or what word in the whole Answer Import what is Peculiar to a Covenant of any kind or sort? Here is a Covenant, which, so far as we can Judge of it, is without any Parties Covenanting, yea, without any Pact, or Agreement, or Terms and Conditions; and may as aptly Contain in it the Nature of what is Distinct from a Covenant of Grace, as well as the Nature of such a Covenant. And if I Guess Right, the Account he gives of the Covenant of Grace in Particular is much the same with what the Gentlemen at Racow, give of Religion in General, which is in these words, Religio Christiana est Uia a Deo per Jesum Christum Monstrata, vitamaeternam Consequendi, and who can with any tolerable Appearance of Reason say that the Christian Religion is not the Way, that God hath ordained to Apply to Sinners that Salvation, which is Prepared by Christ; and which he will Enable the Elect to Comply with? The same may be said of Preaching the Word, of Faith in Christ, of the Blessed Sacraments, and the like things of another kind. For, these are ways, Ordained of God to Apply salvation unto Sinners, and according to this Definition (seeing cui convenit Definitio, ei Convenit et Definitum) they must all of them be Covenants of Grace. Now, if Faith be the Covenant of Grace, what is it's Condition? If the Sacraments be the Covenant of Grace, what are it's Seales? This is one Specimen amongst many of Mr. Williams his Profound skill in Logick; I say amongst many other which in Faithfull Rebuke's, High Applauses of the man, and Rude Demands, may Provoke some one or other to expose; and and the rather, if Possible, to Provoke the more Learned and Grave Fathers of our way, to Consider what manner of man it is, to whose Conduct they have tamely submitted themselves.
But to make the most of what he saith of the Gospel Covenant in this chapter, it amounts to no more than that the Remission of Sins is Promised to Faith and Repentance; or that the Benefits of the Covenant are Promis…d to all that submit to the Terms of it. Gospel Truth. p. 68, 69. That the use and Interest of Gospel Conditions is, but in a Degree from the conformity of them to the Praeceptive Part of the Law, but chiefly from their Conformity to the Rule of the Grace of the Promise, p. 58.
How to Explain this Distinction between the Rule yf the Precept; and the Rule of the Grace of the Promise, I cannot see how it can be done better than it is by Wolzogenius, one of the Fratres Poloni, who hath very exactly Delivered the Socinian (which I take to be Mr. Williams his) Sense, to this Effect. In every well constituted Government there are Laws, or Rules of Two sorts. The First are such as show the Subjects Duty, what he must do, and what he must not do.—Then there are Rules, by which Rewards are Proposed for the Encouragement of Obedience.—Haec duo Legum genere reperiuntur etiam in Regni Christi —For Christ (saith he) is our King, but so that he is at the same time our Father and Faithful Pastor. His Promises are Limited by certain Conditions; and yet these Conditions are not over-rigidly insisted on in those Cases, where somewhat of Ignorance, or other Infirmities intervenes. The Promise of Eternal Life Requires an Observation of his Commands; but he knowing our Frailties will not Impute to us our Daily Sins, if so be there Remain in us a Sincere and Upright Heart, True Repentance, and a Certain Purpose of Amendment. Wolzog. Instruct, ad Util. Lect. lib. N. T. cap. 4. & 6.
That this is Mr. William's Sense appears clearly on an Observing how much he Insists on the Rule of the Grace of the Promise, as it accepts of our Faith, Repentance, and sincere Obedience for the sake of Christ, notwithstanding our many Frailties, Failings and Infirmities.
Mr. Williams.
The main of our Ministry consists in pressing Men to Answer the Rule of the Gospel, &c. Pref. to Gosp. Tr. p. 9. The Blessings promised on the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace, are meerly of Grace: They be for another's sake, and not our own, p. 57. The Gospel Promise being the Way which Christ Appoints to Dispence Saving Benefits to Sinners, must have the same Rules with the Covenant of Grace:—This Gospel promiseth its Benefit to such as do Believe—It Invests Believers in those Saving Benefits.—p. 65, &c. This Convenant is the War, &c.
Father Alsop.
His Description of the Covenant is this; A Promise of the Pardon of Sin, and Eternal Life to those, who believe, and obey the Gospel. [A more full Description than Mr. Williams gives in his Answer to the Question, What is the Covenant of Grace? yet saith Father Alsop] A Description so liable to Exceptions, that it Describes neither the whole of the Covenant, nor a New Covenant, nor (upon the matter) any Covenant at all.
1. This Description gives us little, very little of the True Covenant of Grace: For, (1.) Tho he thinks to put us o…t with a Promise of Pardon, and Life to those, who believe and obey, the true Covenant of Grace, hath given us a Promise of that Faith, whereby we may believe, and of that New Heart, whereby we are Enabled to obey the Gospel. And first we have a Promise of the Right Faith, made to us in the True Covenant, John 6. 37. Eph. 2. 8.—We have a Direct and Express Promise too of the New Heart, Ezek. 36. Heb. 8. 10.—
2. As it Describes not the whole of the Covenant, so it Describes not the Nature of a New Covenant, &c.
3. Upon the matter it's no Covenant of Grace at all. For, (1.) A Promise of Pardon and Life upon Condition of Believing and Obeying, is neither better, nor worse than a Threatning of Condemnation and Death, to them who Believe not, and Obey not. It may with equal right be called a Threatning of Death; as a Promise of Life: It's no more a Covenant of Grace, than a Covenant of Wrath. Anti-Sozzo. p. 580, 581, &c.
There are other Notions in the Writings of Mr. Williams confuted by what is in Father Alsop's Anti-Sozzo, which at this time I Forbeare to mention, tho a Small Invitation will draw them out, and a great deale more in Some Points of weight wherein he Differs from the most Emiment Reformers; under whose shaddow according to his Deceitfull ways he Endeavours to shelter himself, whilst it is his Vnwearyed Labour to subvert the common Faith of Protestants. In the mean time I do solemnly Protest (to use Father Alsop's own words) That as I have no Personal Quarrel with this Gentleman, so I have not willingly wronged his Discourse in the smallest Instance: The worst I wish him, is, That he may Seasonably Repent of his Injurious Dealing, and his Unworthy Treatment of those Persons, who have Deserved well of Religion and the Commonwealth of Learning, and not ill of himself, particularly of his Ungenteel, not to say Unkind and Unchristian Carriage towards that Learned, that Holy, that Modest and Humble Mr. Sylvester, between whom and Mr. Baxter he Sneakingly, and with Unmanly Flattery, worm'd himself into the Good Old Gentleman's Opinion, and by unwearied Begging, Prevail'd to be the Man to supply his Absence at Pinners-Hall Lecture, to the End he might make his way the more Plain and Easy for the thrusting himself into the same Lecture on the Decease of that Great and Good Man, and have the better opportunity to play those Pranks he has since done, to the breaking once an Hopeful Union; and according to his Irish Practices, cause Divisions amongst you to the great Dishonour of God, the Reproach of Religion, the Ruine of Mens Souls, as well as to the Grief of the most Godly, and Triumph of the Wicked and Profane.
All that remains, were to do Right to your Merit, and to Testify the Esteem I have for your Learning and Piety, tho wholly unknown to you, but that I am informed there is a Person, who hath out of Duty to God, Veneration for Holy Ministers, and Kindness to the Generation of the Righteous, undertaken it; and who I doubt not will express the same concern for the Vindication of your Pastoral Wi…dom and Conduct, as might be expected from,
SIR, Your Vnworthy Brother, and Servant.
End of the text · Vincent Alsop, Confutation of Errors of Daniel Williams (1698)