Justification Without Conditions, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Shewing the occasion of this Discourse, and the rise of the Controversie which is here debated.
SInce it hath pleased the Lord to reveal the riches of his Son unto me, and to make me a Steward and Dispenser of this Grace unto his People; the cheif design of my Ministry hath been to bottom my hearers upon Christ alone a1 Cor. ….11. Matth. 16.18. Eph. 1.20, 21: Isa. 28.16., that they might have no confidence in the flesh bPhil. 3.3, 9., but in that perfect and everlasting Righteousness which he hath wrought: For which end it hath been my care frequently and clearly to demonstrate to them, both the sole-sufficiency, and efficiency of Christ in the work of Mans Redemption; that he is able to save unto the utmost cHeb. 7.25., and that no work of ours, either before or after our Conversion, doth share with him in the glory of this atchievement. In a word, That there is no cause dforeign. Heb. 5.…. Causa nostr… cum Deo reconciliationis, nisi unica statuitur, nulla est. Calv. Opusc. p. 317. If you give not all, and fully, and alonely to Christ, you deny Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Doctor Bar… Martyr, Tr. of Justif.without God concurring with the precious and invaluable merit of his Blood, to present us holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in the sight of God. Which truth, as it shines clearer then the Sun, throughout the Scripture, so it appears unto me to be of greatest moment, when I consider the concernment thereof, both to God, and Christ, and to the precious souls of Gods Elect: I know nothing that gives so much glory unto God and Christ, as to proclaim him the onelyonly Saviour eHos. 13.4. Isai 43.11. & 49.26. & 60.16. John 5.23. Acts 4.12.; and that besides him there is none other, that we ow the whole work of our Salvation from the beginning to the end unto Christ alone; and surely, there is no point in the whole Doctrine of Godliness, which contributes so much to the Peace, Security fTutius vivimus quando totum Deo damus., and Fruitfulness of the Saints, as this doth: It affords the greatest encouragement to sinners to believe, to believers to hold fast their confidence firm unto the end, and to serve God with a willing minde, in Righteousness and true Holiness all the days of their life.
§. 2, Now though this truth be so evident, and my intentions in pressing it, such as have been mentioned, yet it hath hapned unto me (as unto many of my betters) to be mistaken, and by some of my own Profession, who insinuated into the people, That I taught a new Gospel, made Faith and Repentance to be needless things; for no other reason, that I know of, but because I dare not give them that honor which is due to Christ, in making them concauses with him in procuring our Peace with God, and in obtaining our Right and Interest in all the Benefits which he hath purchased; for they themselves are my witnesses (would they speak their knowledge, as to matter of Fact) that in all my Exercises, though usually something of Christ be the Doctrine which I handle, yet the use that I make of it, is to press men unto Faith and Holiness: Nay, I challenge all my Adversaries to say, that ever I positively spake so much as one syllable to lessen the esteem of Inherent Holiness, though I am not ashamed comparatively to say as the Apostle doth, That I count all things gOmnia quae▪ nunc Christianus & Apostolus ago & habeo— Non solum opera ante justificationem facta, verum etiam quae post justificationem fiunt. Zan. in Phil 3.8. Acts 24.16.but loss and dung, that I may win Christ Jesus, Phil. 3.8. But otherwise, I thank the Lord, if I should speak slightingly of Holiness, my own practise would condemn my Doctrine; For herein I exercise my self, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God, and towards men.
§. 3. It is needless to give the Reader an account of all the Oppositions which I have met with, in the course of my Ministery; nor are they worth the mentioning, seeing (as the Apostle hHeb. 12.4.speaks) I have not yet resisted unto blood, I shall onelyonly acquaint him with the rise of this present Difference, which hapned about three or four years since upon this occasion, handling those words, How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? Heb. 2.3. in the weekly Lecture, which I Preach in this City, I proposed this Question, Why the Gospel, and not the Law, is called Salvation, seeing Life and Salvation is the end of both? One Reason which I gave in Answer thereunto, was, Because the Law promiseth men life but conditionally, upon condition of their Perfect Obedience; which condition no man is able to perform, and consequently no man can attain unto Life and Happiness by means thereof; but the Gospel reveals a Salvation which is freely given unto Sinners, which God bestows upon such as have neither money to buy, nor worth to deserve it. This led me to speak more largely of the Difference between the Law and the Gospel, the First Covenant, which is a Covenant of Works, and the Second, which is a Covenant of Free-grace. Concerning the latter, I laid down this Thesis, That in the New Covenant there is no condition required on our parts to intitle us to the blessings of it. One Corollary which I drew from hence, was, That Faith is not the condition of the New Covenant. I cannot without too much tediousness rehearse my Explications of this Proposition, and I do the rather forbear it now, because in the process of this Discouse I shall have more opportunity to rescue my sense of them, from some common mistakes. I shall onelyonly inform the Reader of one Reason which I then gave for proof of the last Position, to wit, That Faith is not the condition of the New Covenant, and particularly of our Justification (which as Mr. W. calls it, is the Special and Noble-blessing of the New Covenant) in regard that our Controversie concerning Justification before Faith, grew first from thence. The Argument was to this effect. If Faith be the condition of our Justification, it must follow, That men are Believers before they are justified, (for the condition must be performed, before the benefit which is promised thereupon, can be received.) But men are not Believers before they are justified; the Scripture witnesseth, that the Subject of Justification is a sinner, or ungodly person, Rom. 4.5. & 5.8, 10. Now the Holy Ghost never calls Believers ungodly or wicked, but Saints, Faithful, Holy Brethren, Children of God, Members of Christ, &c.
§. 4. The next news that I heard, was, That all the Pulpits in the Town were filled with invectives against my Sermon. I must confess it surprised me with no little wonder, knowing that I had delivered nothing but what was consonant to the Scriptures, and wherein I was sure I had the suffrages of many godly and learned men, and those too, that are reputed amongst the more manly sort of our Protestant Divines. But that which I mused at most, was the usage of a Neighbor Minister, who though he heard not my Sermon; and although by reason of a like mistake, he had solemnly promised me not to clash against my Doctrine, until he had first conferred with me about it; yet shortly after, without giving me the least hint of his dis-satsfaction, he publickly complained to the people, what dangerouis Errors had been lately vented amongst them, suborned the words of the Apostle, Gal. 1.8. to pronounce me cursed, and charged the people not to hear them that do teach: (1) That the New Covenant is not conditional; (2) That Faith is not the condition of the New Covenant; or (3) That Justification goes before Faith. To let pass those odious Nick-names which my Neighbors, and others (who have been invited hither to disaffect the people towards my Doctrine) have frequently bestowed upon me (as Antinomian, New-Declarative, Troubler of Israel, &c.) which troubled me the less, when I remembred what Luther sayes,Luther on Gal. …, 29. He that will Preach Christ truly, and confess him to be our Righteousness, must be content to hear, that he is a pernitious fellow, and that he troubl…th all things, &c. And a little before, The faithful must bear this name and title in the World, that they are Seditious and Schismaticks, and the Authors of innumerable Evils, &c. And in another place, viz. on Gal. 5.11 Paul (saith he) taketh it for a most certain sign, that it is not the Gospel▪ if it be preached in peace. But that which grieved me most, was, That Satan had gotten such an advantage against my Ministry; for those insinuations prevailed so far upon the people, that many of my wonted hearers fell off, and re…ained from coming to my Lecture, for fear least I should perswade them to believe some other Gospel▪ then that which is revealed in the Scriptures: And how to remove this offence, so unjustly taken, I could not devise; for though I made things never so plain in Publick, thither they would not come; or if I had gone to them in Private, it had been but to little purpose, they being possessed (as one of them most uncharitably told me) that I had a design to vent new Doctrine in Publick, and to blanch it over with a fair construction in private. It came into my minde (as the most likely expedient to vindicate both the truth and my self) to desire those Reverend Ministers, who sometimes came unto my Lecture, That if they were dis-satisfied with what I had delivered, they would be pleased publickly to declare it, assoon as Sermon was ended, and show me wherein I had swerved from the truth. I hoped that by this means, we should have a clearer understanding of one another, and the people would be the better satisfied, when they had compared their Exceptions, and my Answers together. But hitherto I could never obtain this favor from them, though some of them have taken the Liberty to clamor lustily against me, behinde my back, and when I was safe enough from giving them an Answer.
§. 5. About April last (which was Anno 1652.) I came unto the Wednesdays Lecture in this City, where I heard a stranger *Mr. Warren of Hough…on in Hampshire.(whom I knew not) let fall sundry Passages, which I conceived to be very wide from the Orthodox Faith, as well as contrary to the Doctrine which I had lately delivered in the same place. It sounded harshly in mine ears, That the Elect themselves (to whom Christ was peculiarly given by the Father before the foundations of the world; for whom Christ gave himself a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling savor, whose sins he bare in his Body on the Tree, even to a full propitiation) had no right or interest in Christ, nor any more benefit by his death, then reprobates, till they did believe; and that they are but dreamers who do conceit the contrary. I know not what could be spoken more contradictory to many plain Scriptures, which shall be mentioned anone, more derogatory to the full atonement which Christ hath made by his Death, and more disconsolatory to the souls of men, in laying the whole weight of their Salvation upon an uncertain condition of their own performing: And therefore after the Exercise was fully ended, I desired the Minister that Preached, that with his leave, and the patience of the Congregation, I might remonstrate the insufficiency of his Grounds or Reasons, to uphold the Doctrine he had delivered; three of which I took more especial notice of. One was drawn from the parallel between the first and the second Adam, As men (said he) are not guilty of Adams sin, till they have a Being; so the Elect have no benefit by Christ, till they have a Being; whereunto he added those old Philosophical Maxims, Non entis non sunt accidentia, and, Accidentis esse, est inesse. Another was, That where there is no union, there can be no communion; but there is no union between Christ and the Elect, before they believe: Therefore the Elect have no communion and participation in the benefits of Christs death, before they have a Being, and do believe in him. The proof of the Assumption was managed thus. The union between Christ and the Saints is a personal union, which cannot be supposed till their persons have a Being. A third ground (upon which he laid the greatest stress) was to this purpose, The Elect have no benefit by Christ before they do believe, because God hath made a Covenant with his Son, That they for whom he died, should be admitted to partake of the Benefits of his death, by Faith.
§. 6. Whereunto my Replies were to this effect. I told him that I conceived his first Allegation made very much against him; For if the Righteousness of Christ doth come upon all the Elect unto Justification, in the same manner as Adams sin came upon all men to condemnation, as the Apostle shews it doth, Rom. 5. Then it must follow, That the Righteousness of Christ was reckoned or imputed to the Elect, before they had a Being, and then much more before they do believe in him; for it is evident that Adams sin came upon all men to condemnation, before they had a Being; for by that first transgression (sayes the Apostle, vers. 12.) Sin entered into the world. And more plainly, Death passed upon all men: The Reason follows, because in him, or in his loyns, all have sinned. Now as in Adam the foreign, that is, All that shall perish, were constituted sinners, before they had a Being, by reason of the imputation of his disobedience to them; so in Christ the foreign, All that shall be saved, were constituted righteous, his obedience being imputed unto them by God, before they had any Being, otherwise then in him as their Head and common Person.Mr. Burges of Justif. p. …80, …86. There is a late Writer who tells us, that there is not the same Reason for the imputation of Christs Righteousness to all the Elect before they believe; as there is for the imputation of Adams sin unto his posterity before they have a Being; Because (says he) the issues of the first Covenant fell upon Adams posterity in a natural and necessary way, but the issues of Christs death do come to us in a supernatural way. But this Reason seems to me to be of small validity; for the issues of Adams disobedience came not upon his posterity by vertue of their natural propagation; for then his sin should be imputed unto none, until they are actually propagated; and the sins of other parents should be imputed to their posterity as much as Adams, because they descend as naturally from their immediate Parents, as they do from Adam; so that the issues of Adams sin may be said to descend to his posterity in a supernatural way, i. e. By vertue of Gods Covenant which was made with him as a common person, in behalf of all his posterity; and in the same manner do the issues of Christs obedience descend unto Gods Elect, by vertue of that Covenant which was made with Christ, as a common person, in their behalf; and therefore unless they can shew any Proviso, or restriction in the second Covenant more then in the first, why life should not flow as immediately to the Elect from Christs obedience, as death did from Adams disobedience, the Argument will stand in force. But to return to my discourse with Mr. Warren: I added, That those Logical axioms, non entis, &c. have no force at all in the present Controversie: It doth not follow that Christs Righteousness cannot be imputed to us, before we have an actual created Being, because accidents cannot subsist without their Subjects; for as much as imputed Righteousness is not an accident inherent in us, and consequently doth not necessarily require our existence. Christ is the Subject of this Righteousness, and the imputation of it is an act of God. Now the Apostle hath observed, That God in justifying, and imputing Righteousness, calleth things that are not, as if they were, Rom. 4.17. As the Righteousness of Christ was actually imputed to the Patriarks before it was wrought; and our sins were actually imputed to Christ before they were committed; so I see no inconvenience to say, That Christs Righteousness is by God imputed to the Elect, before they have a Being.
§. 7. As to his second Reason before mentioned, I excepted (as I conceive but justly)
1. Against his calling our union with Christ a personal union, which seems to favor that absurd notion hSee D…. Chambers Animadvers. Sect. 11.…., That a believer loseth not onelyonly his own proper life, but his personality also, and is taken up into the Nature and Person of the Son of God. Divines do call our union with Christ, a Mystical and Spiritual union, because it is secret and invisible, to be apprehended by Faith, and not by Sense or Reason; but the Hypostatical or Personal union is proper unto Christ, in whom the Divine and Humane Nature do constitute but one Person.
2. Against his Assertion (proposed Universally,) That there is no manner of union between Christ and the Elect, before they do believe; for though there be not that conjugal union between them which consists in the mutual consent iConsensus facit matrimonium.of parties, yet is there such a true and real union, that by means thereof, their sins do become Christs, and Christs Righteousness is made theirs. God from everlasting constituted and ordained Christ, and all the Elect to be (as it were) one Heap or Lump, one Vine, one Body or Spiritual Corporation, wherein Christ is the Head, and they the Members; Christ the Root, and they the Branches; Christ the First Fruits, and they the residue of the Heap kHeb. 2.11. He that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified (i. e. they whose sins were purged by his blood) are foreign, whereunto some do make foreign, others foreign, to be the Substantive. Vid. Jun. Paral. l. 3. God by his Election from Everlasting …amed a new body of Humane race (opposit to the first, whereof Adam was the Head) and appointed Christ to be its Head, Diodat. on Ephes. 1.4. All our Divines do define the Catholike Church to be Ca…s Praedestinatorum, The whole company of Gods Elect.. In respect of this union it is, That they are said to be given unto Christ, and Christ to them; to be in Christ, Ephes. 1. That they are called his Sheep, his Seed, his Children, his Brethren, before they are Believers: And by vertue of this union it is, That the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, descends peculiarly to them, and not unto the rest of mankinde. But here I was assaulted with an Objection, which the Reverend Minister of the Parish was pleased to move from Rom. 16.7. Where Paul speaking of Andronicus and Junia, saith, They were in Christ before me: From whence he would infer, That none are in Christ, or united unto Christ before they do believe. Whereunto I returned no Answer, but humbly desired him to leave the manage of the Conference unto him that had Preached: I did the rather pass it over, in regard there is so little difficulty therein; for it is evident, the Apostle speaks there, not of their Spiritual union with Christ, which is invisible to man, for God onelyonly knows who are his, but of such a a Being in Christ, as is by External Profession and Church Communion lSee Diodate on Rom. 16.…; in which respect the whole visible Church is called CHRIST, 1 Cor. 12.12. And Hypocrites, as well as the Elect, are said to be in Christ, and to be Branches in him, John 15.2, 3. And thus it is acknowledged, that one is in Christ before another, according as they are called, and converted, whether really or in appearance: It doth not follow that the union of the Elect to Christ is successive, or that it is an act done in time, depending upon conditions performed by them.
§. 8. To prevent the like interruptions, I desired the Preacher to vouchsafe us the proofs of his third Ground (which in his Sermon he had but barely asserted) scil. That God hath made a Covenant with Christ, that the Elect should have no benefit by his death, until they do believe; which I have often heard affirmed, but never proved. Whereunto he replyed, That I should produce some Scripture which sayes, That the Elect have actuall benefit by Christ, before believing; wherein, if I had failed, it had been but a weak proof of his Assertion, for he having the Affirmative, the Confirmation of it lay on him. However I readily condescended to his demands, and proposed an Argument to this effect. They with whom God hath declared himself to be wel-pleased and reconciled, have actual benefit by the death of Christ: But God hath declared that he is reconciled unto, and wel-pleased with all those for whom Christ hath died, Ergo. To confirm the Assumption which was then denied, I alledged Matth. 3.17. (intending to have added divers other Scriptures, as 2 Cor. 5.19. Rom. 5.10, &c. when I had made out the force of the former place,) This is my beloved Son, in whom I am wel pleased. From whence I reasoned after this manner; If the wel-pleasedness of God, which is here declared, were not terminated to Christ personal, but to Christ mystical, then God was wel-pleased with all his Elect, (who are Christ mystical) when this voice came from Heaven, and consequently before many of them do believe: But the wel-pleasedness of God here declared, was not to Christ personal, Ergo. Here Mr. Good an Inn-keeper of this City put me that Question, which Mr. Woodbridge hath mentioned, Pag. 21. Whether God were wel-pleased with unregenerate men? To whom I did not Reply, as Basil did unto Demosthenes, the Clerk of the Emperors Kitchin, when he affronted him for opposing the Arrian Faction, foreign. Wishing from my heart, That all the Lords people were Prophets; that private Christians would labor for a more explicite Faith in the Grounds of Religion: And therefore I answered, That this and other Scriptures do plainly declare, That he is wel-pleased with his Elect in Christ, whilest they are unregenerate; though he be not pleased with their unregeneracy, or any of their actions in their unregenerate estate. Then Mr. Woodbridge interposed, That the place aforecited did not prove the actual reconciliation or wel-pleasedness of God towards his Elect, but onelyonly that he was wel-pleased with the person of Christ; or if we will extend it unto men, that then the meaning was, I will be wel-pleased, or I am wel-pleased, when I am wel-pleased, whensoever it is: Whereunto I returned no Answer, but desired the Congregation to judge how well this gloss did agree unto the Text. I am wel-pleased, i. e. I will be wel-pleased. To say God is not wel-pleased, when he himself sayes expresly, That he is, is not to interpret Scripture, but to deny it; such a liberty to alter Tenses and Forms of Speech at our pleasure, will but justifie the Jesuites *Hosius, l. 3. de Auth. Scrip. Pighius, l. 1. de Hier. Eccles. C…san. in Epist. ad Bohen. 2 & 7.blasphemy, That the Scriptures are but a Leaden Rule, and a Nose of Wax, which may be turned into any Form. In regard there were so many Speakers at once, to avoid confusion, I proceeded no farther in that Conference.
§. 9. The next day Mr. Warren came unto my Lecture; and after Sermon was ended, though he had nothing to except against my Doctrine, yet he offered me some other Arguments to confirm his own, scil. That the Elect have no benefit by Christ, till they do believe: To which I returned such Answers, as I conceived expedient, to clear the truth; without giving him the least offence in word, or gesture, that I was aware of, notwithstanding the provocations I received from him, both in the Language he gave me, abusing those words of our Saviour, Matth. 26.54. To compare himself unto Christ, and me unto Judas, &c. And in the challenges he made, to Dispute, Write, &c. whereunto I was willingly deaf, least our Doctrinal Differennce might prove a Personal Quarrel. His Arguments and my Answers I shall here omit, in regard the same were urged by Mr. Woodbridge with much more strength. The scanning of whose Book is my present intendment.
§. 10. On the Wednesday after (about half an hour before Sermon began) I was informed that Mr. Woodbridge was to Preach. In regard he was none of the Lecturers, I concluded he had abode in Town, and procured a turn purposely to blow the Coals, which Mr. Warren had kindled, and to foment the prejudices of the people, both against the truth, and my self. And therefore having begged direction of God, I was pressed in my spirit to go and hear him, and to bear witness to the truth, if it were opposed; and I bless the Lord his strength and assistance was not wanting to me. Had Mr. Woodbridge faithfully related the procedure of our Conference, I had not put my self to the trouble of this Reply. But seeing he hath represented my Judgement in this point, with the Grounds thereof, in so ill a dress, I shall endeavor to set those things strait, which are cast by him into such a crooked frame: And that I may omit nothing which makes for him, and against my self, I shall give the Reader my sence of his whole Book. But before I proceed to the examen of his Sermon, I must crave leave to premonstrate the Reasons of my Practise in this Publick Conference.