A Fresh Antidote Against Neonomian Bane, Letter
To my old Acquaintance Mr. John Humphry.
Reverend Sir,
THE former Civilities that I have receiv'd from you, in ſending your Books concerning the Doctrine of Juſtification to me, which I always read, and ſeriouſly conſidered, knowing you to be a Man of Thought, and plain-hearted, ſine fuco, which ſome Men are too much ſtarch'd with. Theſe, I ſay, firſt engaged me in this Undertaking, for which I muſt crave your Excuſe, [looking upon this as the beſt Returns] that I am your Apponent in the Doctrine you have deliver'd in the ſaid Books, and laboured ſtrenuouſly to defend; for you know the old proverbial Saying, Amicus Plato, Amicus Ariſtotiles ſed magis Amica Veritas; I hope you will not (nor Mr. Clerk, whom I join with you as one that pleadeth the ſame bad Cauſe,) have any reaſon to complain of uncivil Treatment; for if you find any thing pungent, it is not in relation to your Perſons, but to ſuch things in your Tenents, which I conſcienciouſly take to be very pernicious to the grand Truths of the Goſpel, that I have, thro' the Riches of the Grace of God thankfully receiv'd, and not a little experienced the Conſolations in Days of great Trial and Temptation, and therefore can't ſee any reaſon from all that you or your Copartner in this Controverſie hath ſaid, to part with thoſe great Doctrines which you oppoſe, nor any way approve of the new Scheme which you and others have held forth to the World of late; I need not tell you how contrary it is to the Doctrine of our firſt Reformers, to the Experiences of the moſt eminent Chriſtians, and how greedily ſwallowed by Men of Popiſh, Arminian and Socinian Principles.
There was two things, eſpecially of weight with me, that obliged me to this labour. 1. The publick Intereſt and Concern of the Kingdom and Goſpel of Chriſt in the World, which I deſire to have a moſt ſpecial regard unto; inſomuch, that the leaſt and moſt favourable that I can ſay of the Propagators and Promoters of your Opinions in this Neonomian Doctrine, is, that they have been only applauded Captains by Men of blinded Minds, and corrupt Principles, for the conducting of the People back again into our Spiritual Egypt, which thro' the tender Mercies of the moſt High, they began to be delivered from by the Reformation; and if we once come to this, that the Doctrine of the Imputation of Chriſt's Righteouſneſs is as incredible a thing as the Doctrine of Tranſubſtantiation, as your great General hath aſſerted, and your ſelf have inſinuated, we may ſay, Good night to the Proteſtant Religion; and to the Papiſts or Atheiſts (as now moſt appears in the Iſſue) take all. I need not inſtance how apt Men of your Principles have been to diſpence with all the parts of inſtituted Worſhip, inſomuch, that it is a hard thing to know what is Sin by your new Law; but I ſhall not expatiate as I could upon this Point. The ſecond thing that had not a little Influence upon me, was, the Commiſeration that I can't but have to your own Soul, and the Souls of others, looking upon your Deviation from the Truth in theſe great Points to be by Fundamental Errors, and ſuch as endanger the Eternal Life promiſed in the Goſpel, if a Man live and die in the Cordial Belief and Embracement of them, and may be juſtly reckoned among the ſtrong Deluſions which God doth judicially give up thoſe to who receive not the Truth in the Love of it. It may be you may have read a Pamphlet, entitled, A true Relation of the chief Paſſages between Mr. Anthony Wotton, [the firſt Propagator of Neonom. in England, ſo far as I can find] and Mr. George Walker, An. Dom. 1611. uſ que ad An. 1615. by George Walker, for the vindicating himſelf from ſome Imputations laid upon him by Mr. Thomas Gataker. Wherein amongſt other remarkable Accounts that he gives of the unſound doctrinal Opinions which he faithfully oppoſed, and the moſt unfair Dealings he met with from Mr. Gataker, and ſome others, in countenancing of Wotton's Doctrine, and prevaricating in thoſe Controverſies. P. 25. He hath this Relation: One thing I cannot omit, which was a ſtrong Motive to move divers godly People in London to abhor Mr. Wotton's Opinions; That was the ſharp Cenſure which that holy Man of God, Mr. Alexander Richardſon, gave againſt them on his Death-bed, and which Mr. John Barlow did report to divers from his Mouth. Mr. Richardſon being ready to leave this World, Mr. Barlow, who had often before reſorted to him for Direction in his Studies, [as divers young Divines did, ſome of which he mentions, P. 6.) and Reſolution of Doubts in many Points of Divinity, was at that time preſent with him, and told him that he had heard me the Sabbath before propounding the Doctrine of Juſtification, to be laid open out of Rom. 5. and to be maintained againſt Papiſts, Socinians, and other Hereticks; ſome of which were of late revived in the City, and withal deſired to know his Judgment concerning Mr. Wotton's Opinions, who denied Chriſt's fulfilling the Law for Juſtification of Believers, and the Imputation of his Righteouſneſs, and held Faith to be imputed in a proper Senſe without a Trope. Mr. Richardſon anſwered and ſaid, Take theſe Words of me a dying Man; I have read, and well weighed Mr. Wotton's Papers, and Opinions, and I know them to be ſo peſtilent and dangerous, that whoſoever liveth and dieth in the Belief of them, ſhall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Commend me to Mr. Walker, and deſire him from me (as being my laſt Requeſt to him) to be couragious in the Cauſe of God, and for that ſaving Truth, which he hath undertaken to maintain againſt thoſe dangerous and deadly Errors lately ſet on foot by Mr. Wotton. This Meſſage being delivered unto me before divers Witneſſes, ſome of which are alive to teſtifie it, did much encourage me, and make me more bold to lay open the Abominations of Mr. Wotton's Opinions publickly in my Sermons, without Fear or Regard of the Slanders and Revilings of his factious and furious Diſciples. This was An. 1613.
Now ſuppoſing that you will not lay much ſtreſs upon the Judgment of one of the moſt holy, ſerious and learned Divines ſince the Reformation, as it appears ſuch weighs little with you; let me be ſo bold as to ask you one Queſtion, Whether upon the matureſt Conſideration you do believe you ſhall in your dying Hour dare to venture your Eternal State upon the Bottom that you have laid? And Laſtly, Altho' I am ſo much diſſatisfied in your Doctrine, that I muſt needs acknowledge your plain-heartedneſs in the Defence of your Doctrine, (as alſo Mr. Clerk's) yet you do not endeavour to cover and obſcure the Meaning and true Deſign of the Doctrine of Neonom. but have given it to us unmask'd in its proper Colours; Viz. That the genuine and proper Nature thereof lyes in the ſetting aſide of the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and the Imputation thereof, to the Juſtification of a Sinner before God, and to advance the inherent Righteouſneſs of Man into the Room and Place thereof. Moreover I muſt acknowledge you have done right to Truth in what you ſay of the Union that the Nonconformiſts made between Presbyterians and Independants, that they were extreamly out in it. And likewiſe in the plain Proof that you have made, that it is moſt abſurd to hold and aſſert, that the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt is imputed in ſe, and in the Effects too, and that there can be no mixed Medium; either we muſt hold that the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt is imputed in ſe and per ſe to us for Juſtification, or the Effects thereof only in our inherent Obedience, for the Reaſons you give with full Demonſtration. To ſay no more of this now, but only that I think you have effectually ended Diſcord upon that Point; Sir, I ſhall no longer detain you from the enſuing Diſcourſe, but ſubſcribe my ſelf.
Yours in all Truth and Faithfulneſs, J. C.