The Scripture Gospel Defended, Conclusion – Postscript 1
[Concluſion.]
THe Reader may now perceive what abundance of great notional errours ſome men have corrupted the Doctrine of Juſtification with, by preſumptuous ſpinning webs out of their own fancies raiſing one errour out of another, departing from the Word of God.
I. A radical errour is, that the Law of Innocency made to Adam is it that juſtifieth us, by its …c h…c & viv…s, as fulfilling it in Chriſt.
II. Another is that: is that Covenant of perfection which Paul meaneth by the Law of Works and the fac hoc, &c. And that the Jews Law was ſuch as made Innocency its condition of life.
III. That the ſenſe of Adams Law was, [Do this by thy ſelf or another, or elſe thou or thy ſurety ſhall die.]
IV. That Chriſt did obey and ſuffer, merit and ſatisfy, in ſo full and ſtrict a repreſenting and perſonating every one of the Elect, as that they did and ſuffered it in and by Chriſt, in the ſence of the Law of Works, or in Gods account: and that it was not in the third perſon of a mediator, to communicate the Effects freely as he pleaſed by another Covenant. And ſo that Gods imputing righteouſneſs to us, is his accounting us to have done and ſuffered in Law ſenſe what Chriſt did. This is the root of all the reſt, ſubverting the Goſpel itſelf.
V. And ſo that God accounteth us to be Innocent, and never to have ſinned by Omiſſion or Commiſſion from birth to death, and to have all that is required to merit Heaven, becauſe we did it in Chriſt; and alſo to have ſuffered in Chriſt for our ſins, the curſe threatned to us, and (as the laſt objecter ſaith) eternal damnation equivalently: And ſo we had ſin and no ſin: And Chriſt muſt die and we muſt pray, for the pardon of that ſin, which in Gods account or imputation we never had.
VI. When the Text tells us that, [Faith is imputed to us for Righteouſneſs,] & that [Righteouſneſs is imputed to believers] that is, [They are accounted righteous according to the juſtifying Covenant of Grace, upon their believing in Chriſt, for his meritorious Righteouſneſs and Sacrifice, giving them, by the new Covenant their gracious relation, to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt, with right to further Grace and Glory, they tell us that [by Faith] is not meant [Faith] but [Chriſts Righteouſneſs,] and by [Righteouſneſs imputed to us,] is meant [Gods accounting us to have done all that Righteouſneſs by Chriſt which he did for us.]
Many more ſuch humane inventions corrupting our Faith (at leaſt in notion) too many fight for, as if they were neceſſary truths of God.
Poſtſcript.
REader, the Author of the following objections is Mr. Stephen Lob: I had thought not to have named him, till I ſaw but Yeſterday his Books of Free Grace, which I never before heard of, though it was printed almoſt ten year ago: It is ſo conſiderable a confutation of Antinomian errours that I commend it to thy reading.
And being my ſelf in great pain expecting death, and like to write in theſe Controverſies no more, that I have once more as a Speculator or Watchman blown the Trumpet to warn men of the danger of the Other Goſpel that ſubverteth the Goſpel of Chriſt, I have this Peace of Conſcience that the blood of the ſeduced will not be required at my hands.
And if that M.S. of Mr. Stone of New-England which Mr. Lob ſo praiſeth, may by him be yet recovered, I intreat his endeavour: In which I cannot doubt but Mr. Increaſe Mather will aſſiſt him, tho his name be prefixt among the twelve.
And I commend to ſome honeſt Bookſeller to reprint Mr. Thomas Welds Hiſtory of the New-England Antinomian Libertiniſm, it being out of preſs.
And I hereby intreat Mr. William Manning of Suffolk (if living) to Print the excellent Treatiſe of Juſtification of his which I have long ago read. And Mr. Samuel Clerk (Author of the Annot.) to Print his ſound Treatiſe (which I long ago read) on the ſame Subject.
And though my own Judgment be for the Imputation of Chriſts Paſſive, Active, and Habitual righteouſneſs, dignified by the Divine as the full and the ſole meritorious cauſe of all Grace and Glory, as making up the condition of his Mediatorial Covenant impoſed on him by God; Yet I intreat the Learned Reader to peruſe the Writings of thoſe great Divines that are for the Imputation of the Paſſive only (Urſine, Olevan, Paraeus, Scultetus, Wendeline, Beckman, and the reſt, with Camero, Placaeus, and all that party of famous French Divines who all effectually confute the falſe ſenſe of Imputation of the Active Righteouſneſs which Mr. Bradſhaw confuteth with many others (as if we had done it by Chriſt, and were our ſelves the Subjects of it, and are juſtified by that Law that condemneth us.)
Jan. 20. 1690. R.B.