The True Nature of the Gospel, Chapter 7

The True Nature of the Gospel · Chapter 7

p. 41CHAP. VII.

The Arguments us'd by the Apologiſt, to prove the Goſpel to be a new Law, examin'd. That from the Precepts, Commands urg'd, and Threatnings denounc'd in the New Teſtament, nothing can be concluded to this Purpoſe.

IT is now very eaſy to anſwer my Reverend Brother's Arguments, and with one gentle Stroke to wipe off all his Citations, ſince they all are eſtabliſh'd meerly upon the Ambiguities of the word Law. Such reaſoning is very fallacious, to endeavour to prove the Goſpel to be a new Rule of Duty, fortified with a Sanction, becauſe we find it to be nam'd a Law, both in the Scriptures and Humane Writings: for the Sum of the whole Demonſtration amounts to no more than this, a Law is a Law, the Goſpel is a Law, therefore the Goſpel is a Law; which is a pretty way of arguing, and without p. 42doubt unanſwerable. But the clearing the Senſe of the Terms, anſwers all without any more to do; which I think I have done, and the more largely, becauſe I would do all the Juſtice to a bad Cauſe as could reaſonably be ask'd, and allow to it the fulleſt Scope and Play poſſible. I have therefore offer'd Arguments for it my ſelf, I have conſider'd what might be alledg'd, I have produced thoſe Scriptures which with any colour may be urg'd to prove the Goſpel to be a new Law, omitted by my Learned Brother; and yet as aware that they might be ſummon'd, I have brought them in, and endeavour'd to clear their Words from that falſe Meaning which might be faſten'd on them to ſo ill a Purpoſe. I ſhall now particularly conſider thoſe which he brings, and ſhew that they do not prove the Matter in Diſpute.

His firſt ſet of Scriptures are ſuch as expreſs the Goſpel to be either giving Precepts, and iſſuing out Commands, and preſcribing what is our Duty; or reproving the Negligent, or threatning the ſtubborn Offenders, or promiſing Bleſſings on the Condition of ſuch Duties perform'd as are requir'd. It would make this Diſcourſe too large, which is, I know not how, grown under my Hands to a greater Bulk than I firſt deſign'd, if I ſhould particularly examine every Text; it will be enough to ſhew, that however there are Precepts and Commands in the Books of the New Teſtament, yet theſe are not properly the Goſpel, but parts of the Law, only employ'd in its Service; that the Threatnings denounc'd do not properly belong to the Covenant of Grace, (for what hath Love, and Mercy, and Favour, to do with Wrath, and Juſtice, and Expreſſions of Vengeance?) but it uſeth the Miniſtry only of a violated Law, whoſe proper Office it is to threaten the Diſobedient, to condemn the Unbelieving and Impenitent Sinner, and to demand Juſtice againſt him. If I alſo ſhew at laſt that thoſe places of Scripture (which look like Promiſes of Bleſſings to us, on condition that we perform the commanded Duties) viewed nearly, prove to be no more than ſo many Declarations of the Connexion of the Bleſſings of Grace; and that as Faith is the firſt beſtow'd, it goes not alone, but is attended with a numerous Off-ſpring: When all this is done, then the right Senſe of thoſe Texts which ſeem to infer to be a Condition of our Juſtification by this Evangelical Law, will be fully clear'd; the meaning of the alledg'd Scriptures will be ſo plain, as it will appear that they do not ſo much as look towards the favouring that Opinion of the Goſpel being a new Law, for which they are produc'd.

That the Precepts which the Goſpel employs, are not any Parts of it ſelf, but borrowed from the Law, will be undoubted, if we conſider what is their Nature and Uſe. They are deſign'd as the Rule of our Actions; they inſtruct us what to do; they draw the Lines of our Duty, and ſet the Limits of our Obedience; and all this is the proper Office of the Moral Law, which it compleatly diſcharges, without calling in any Aſſiſtance. It is the eternal and unalterable Rule of Manners, and a Doctrine directing the whole Conduct of p. 43Humane Life: There is no Defect in it, which it was needful to ſupply by another new Law; to aſſert that, would be to impeach the Wiſdom of God as deficient, as not knowing at firſt all that was Good and Righteous, and neceſſary to be commanded to his Creatures, and to be done by them; or as ſo ſhort in its Foreſight, as not able to diſcern at the firſt all the Duties which Men were bound to perform in the Circumſtances of their State, but was oblig'd afterward, taught by Experience, to ſupply the Failures by a new Law, or by an Addition of new Precepts ſuted to Man's preſent ſtate of Sin, Weakneſs and Miſery. If then the Moral Law did not comprehend in it all Precepts of Duties, it would not be God's Law, for his is perfect; he is not like ſhort-ſighted Men, who cannot foreſee what the Conſequences of a Law made by them may be within the Compaſs of one Age; nor whether Circumſtances of Affairs altering, it may not prove hurtful or unneceſſary; and therefore all Governments find themſelves oblig'd to repeal old Laws, or to add ſome Clauſes to ſute them to a preſent Poſture of Affairs, or to make new Ones to repair the Defects, to which all Humane Wiſdom in her beſt Proviſions is obnoxious, for want of a certain Foreknowledg of the Future. But who can have ſuch a Thought of God, that theſe Infirmities of a Man ſhould ever befal him in making his Laws, that he ſhould be forc'd, tho not to repeal what he had made ſo many Ages before, yet to promulgate a new one, with additional Precepts accommodated to the preſent Caſe of his miſerable Creature Man? And as it is repugnant to God's Perfections to make new Laws, ſo it would infer that his antiquated Law was imperfect, and ſo no Rule; and this would unavoidably follow, if any Duties are to be perform'd which it neither regulates, nor gives any direction about them. But Chriſt tho as Mediator he is no Law-giver, yet perfectly knows the Nature of the Law given at Mount Sinai; that the Law contains all Duties, for he makes the Sum of it to conſiſt in Love to God, and in a due degree of Love to our ſelves, and in loving our Neighbour, Matth. 22. 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40. Then one of them which was a Lawyer, asked him a queſtion, tempting him, and ſaying, Maſter, which is the great Commandment in the Law? Jeſus ſaid unto him, Thou ſhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind. This is the firſt and great Commandment. And the Second is like unto it, Thou ſhalt love thy Neighbour as thy ſelf. On theſe two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Now it will be very difficult to give an Inſtance of any Duty which we owe to him our Great Creator, or to our ſelves, or to Men our Fellow-Creatures, which are not included in one of thoſe two Tables, or to name a Precept which may not be reduced to them. The Scripture alledg'd is the more demonſtrative for this Reaſon, that our Lord Chriſt's Anſwer is to a Man enquiring concerning his Duty; and then, if at any time, there was occaſion to mention this new Law, and to have told him the additional Precepts, had there been any ſuch things. But Chriſt ſends him p. 44to the Moral Law, as comprehending all that Man was to do, and as a perfect Rule of Duty ſufficient compleatly to inſtruct him. And indeed what more can be requir'd of Man, than to love God with all the Powers and Faculties of his Soul, and to love himſelf as he ought to do, and his Neighbour in like meaſure?

When Chriſt alſo comes into the World, and was made under the Law, which never had before, nor will ever have again ſo glorious a Subject, it is this Law he not only explains in its ſpiritual and comprehenſive Meaning, but obeys it, and therein fulfils all Righteouſneſs, Mat. 5. 17. Think not that I am come to deſtroy the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to deſtroy, but to fulfil. Mat. 3. 15. And Jeſus anſwering, ſaid unto him, Suffer it to be ſo now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all Righteouſneſs. Then he ſuffered him. And what! is that Law imperfect, which was the Rule of the moſt perfect Obedience that ever was, and which excell'd that of Angels? Are any Precepts wanting in it? how then did Chriſt compleat all Righteouſneſs in the moſt exact obſervance of it? Well then, if the Law be perfect, there is no Duty but what comes within the Verge of its Authority, and what it enjoins under the ſevereſt Penalties; and no Precepts were given even by Chriſt himſelf, but what particularly appertain to it, and not to the Goſpel as a new Law: It is not only our Schoolmaſter to bring us to Chriſt, but it commands to believe on him; for Faith in God (and Chriſt is ſo) is contain'd in its firſt Precept: it not only ſhews us our Sin, and convinceth us of our Miſery and loſt State; but when we have believ'd, tho it be no longer a condemning, vexing, tormenting Law, yet 'tis a commanding One ſtill: It is a Rule of Gratitude, it preſcribes, that we ought to be thankful to Chriſt in all Returns of Love and Duty, it is the Rule of all that Holy Life of a Chriſtian, which is the Fruit of Faith, and which is call'd Evangelical Obedience, not becauſe it is ſo to the Goſpel, but in reſpect of thoſe Principles of Faith and Love from which it flows, in reſpect of the Evangelical Motives which animate and encourage it. It is not hurried on by legal Terrors, nor prick'd forward by ſharp-pointed Threatnings, but is ſweetly drawn and enliven'd by the Promiſes. It is not the Fruits of Fear, but the genuine Effects of the heartieſt Affection to Chriſt, and of the moſt earneſt Deſires and ſolicitous Cares to pleaſe him.

I know that it will be ſaid, That tho thoſe Precepts in the Goſpel, which command and direct Moral Duties, appertain to the Moral Law, yet Faith in Chriſt the Redeemer, and Repentance, do not ſeem to be in the leaſt ſo much as hinted in any of its Commands: For ſince the Law was given as a Rule of the Actions of Holy and Innocent Creatures, who needed not a Redeemer, there could be no occaſion to command them to believe on One; and Adam in his State of Integrity, was no more oblig'd to ſuch a Faith, than the Bleſſed Angels are to believe on the Saviour of loſt and wretched Men. And ſince Repentance is a Duty too, which preſuppoſeth the Perſon engag'd to it, to p. 45be an Offender, and guilty, How could it be commanded to a Creature who had never ſinned? How could it be a Duty for him to own his Crime with Shame and Sorrow, who never yet had tranſgreſſed, or prevaricated in his Obedience? Since therefore Faith in Chriſt, and Repentance, are Duties which ſuppoſe the Man to be a Sinner, it would ſeem that ſuch Precepts are not implied in a Law given to him before his Fall; but are the proper Precepts of a ſecond Remedial Law, which God hath provided for the Relief and Help of this miſerable Creature.

This I muſt confeſs looks very plauſible at firſt ſight, and the Argument ſeems to be ſtrongly concluſive. But if we conſider the Nature of Faith, it will be manifeſt, that it was not only commanded to Adam in Innocence, and that it was his Duty, but that it is abſolutely neceſſary to every holy and good Creature: For if we take it as an Act of the Mind, aſſenting readily to all that God reveals, as infallibly true, it is that to which every Creature in the right Conſtitution of his Being, is indiſpenſably oblig'd. It is the Duty of Angels themſelves to believe that Jeſus is the Son of God, that he is the Saviour of Elect Men; that the Pardon and Juſtification of a Sinner, is by his Blood and Righteouſneſs alone; that God's Juſtice is ſatisfied by the Sacrifice of his Son. For all theſe Truths being publiſh'd, and made known by God for the Illuſtration of his infinite Mercy among all his rational Creatures; and that the Praiſes of his Free Grace might reſound as well in the Songs of Angels, as from the Mouths of Men; it is needful, and required as a Duty from them both, who are to honour God in the Celebration of all his Attributes, that they heartily believe all theſe Truths of the Goſpel, in which alone God's Perfections of Mercy and Grace do illuſtriouſly ſhine forth. And as for Man in Innocence, though it was not in expreſs Terms required from him to believe the Goſpel not yet revealed to him, or to act Faith on Chriſt undiſcovered; yet ſuch a Command was included, and implied in that general one, that he ſhould without any Doubt or Heſitancy give Credit to all that God ſaid: and that as he was to believe the Sincerity of God's Promiſe, and the Reality of his Threatnings when the Covenant of Works was made with him, and without doubt he acted ſuch a Faith; ſo by the ſame Precept he was commanded and bound to believe every word which God afterward ſhould ſpeak to him, and without ſcrupulous diſputing preſently aſſent to thoſe Truths which were to be reveal'd, aſſoon as it appear'd to him that they were ſo. So that indeed the Belief of the Goſpel, and Faith in Chriſt Jeſus, were comprehended in this general Precept of Believing in God: and indeed Chriſt himſelf tells us ſo, and uſeth it as an Argument why they ſhould act Faith on him, becauſe they were oblig'd to it by the ſame Command which required them to believe on God; John 14. 1. Let not your Heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe alſo in me. If we regard too the other Act of Faith, which is a firm Reliance of the Soul upon God, and heartily truſting of him, and chearfully committing all our p. 46Concernments, our Life, our Happineſs, all we enjoy or hope for, to his faithful Love and Care; this was certainly our firſt Father's Duty, and given in Precept to him in the Law, as well as the other of aſſenting to all that God declared as undoubtedly true. And indeed, if it was Adam's Duty in his Primitive Condition to believe in God, it was commanded by the Law; for that only could make it become ſo. And what! can we ever wildly imagine, that our firſt Father was not bound to act Faith on God his Creator, and conſtant Benefactor, and upon whom he was to have a perpetual Dependance, or he could not live a moment? What! can we think, that to have rejected God's Word as of ſuſpected Truth, to have refuſed, or but to have ſuſpended his Aſſent to it when propos'd, had been no fault in him? That to have diſtruſted God, to have renounced Dependance on him, would not have been a Crime the greateſt as could be committed by him? But all this is the unavoidable Conſequence of this Aſſertion, That the Precept of Faith is not in the Law; for neither would Faith have been a Duty, nor Unbelief a Sin to Adam, had not the Law, which was the only Rule of his Obedience, commanded the one and forbidden the other. Were it not for this, he might have been a ſtubborn obſtinate Unbeliever without being a Sinner; when on the contrary, it appears from the ſhort Relation of his Apoſtacy, that Unbelief was his very firſt Sin. For what is Faith, but to truſt in God upon his Word and Promiſe for all our Life and Happineſs? and what is Unbelief but to diſtruſt him? And was not Adam, while flouriſhing in his State Innocence, a real and ſincere Believer? and ſo long as he perſiſted in acting Faith, did he not continue to be happy? And was it not the Neglect of the due Exerciſe of Faith, which at laſt plung'd him into the Depths of Miſery and Deſpair? As long as he believed God, and entirely confided in him; as long as he lived in conſtant Dependance upon the Love and Care of his Creator; as long as he thankfully acknowledged, that he received all the Bleſſings of Life as the Fruits of his Bounty; as long as he truſted in God upon his Word, that he would not only continue them unto him, but beſtow greater to come, which by the Promiſe he had reaſon to hope for and expect; all this time he liv'd by Faith, and his Days were clear and happy, and it was Unbelief made all his Glories ſet in a gloomy Evening. It was this begun his Apoſtacy, not exerciſing Faith any longer, he would throw off his Dependance upon God, and ſeek to be bleſs'd in ſome new and fond Way of his own. He indulg'd a ſurmizing Thought, that God, whoſe ſolemn Promiſe he had ſo freſhly heard, either could not, or was not willing to make him ſo happy as he aſpir'd to be, and that he refuſed to advance him to thoſe degrees of Bliſs, of which he fancied himſelf capable: And thus he ceas'd acting that Faith in God, on which depended his Life and Bleſſedneſs; he disbelieved God, and believed the Devil his greateſt Enemy, and ſinned, and died. And I know not but that he deſerved the Execution of the Sentence and Curſe pronounced againſt him, more by his Unbelief than by Eating the Apple: And p. 47that even the Law of Works condemn'd him as much for that Sin, as for the outward Act of his Diſobedience. Ay, but it will be ſaid, All this doth not prove that Faith in Chriſt was commanded by the Law, and required of him as his Duty. No, it is enough that Faith in God was ſo, to prove that the Precept belongs to the Law. For if it is ſufficient to argue from the Law's not directing this its own commanded Act, to ſuch an Object as Chriſt the Redeemer, that therefore it gives no Precept and Command of Believing, but that it is the peculiar Office of the Goſpel to do ſo; that becauſe this particular Kind of Faith is not ſpecified, and this Way of Acting it on Chriſt particularly expreſs'd, that therefore the Duty of Believing comes not within the Limits of its Commands: I might at this rate of Arguing, prove that the Act of Eating the fatal Fruit was no Sin, becauſe not expreſly forbidden by the Law; for that regarded it as a thing indifferent, as indeed it was before the Prohibition: and yet this deſtroying Act of his was a Sin, and forbidden by the Law, tho not in a particular Precept, yet as involv'd in that great One, which commanded him to obey God in whatever he ſhould require.

It doth not therefore by any conſequence follow, that the Goſpel is a new Law becauſe it commands Faith as a Duty, and threatens Unbelief, ſince the old Law had done the ſame before, and the Goſpel only imploys its Precepts, and applies them to its own Deſign and Uſe. To ſay that we are enjoin'd in the Goſpel to believe on Chriſt as the Redeemer, to deliver us from Sin and Death, will not weaken the Force of the Argument urg'd; for the Act even of this Faith is commanded by the Law, and is its proper Precept: That which belongs to the Goſpel, is to direct this Act to an Object ſuted and proportioned to help us in the Miſery of our preſent ſinful State. Adam was by the Law commanded to believe, and truſt in God for the Preſervation and Continuance of him in Happineſs. And we are commanded to truſt in the ſame God for the Reſtoring this loſt Happineſs, and our Recovery of it again. The Act and Object of Faith, is the ſame (Chriſt being God), and all the Difference is only made by that which is the Circumſtance (tho a deplorable one) of our own Perſons. But this will not alter the Nature of the Faith it-ſelf; for if ſo, then according to the Variety of theſe ſad Caſes and Exigences wherein we truſt on Chriſt, our Faith would alter to a different Nature. Since then the Faith of Adam, which the Moral Law commanded him to act on God, was a Truſt in him that he would preſerve his innocent Creature in all the Bleſſedneſs of his primitive Condition; and the Faith of a Sinner coming to Chriſt for Life, is a Truſt in the ſame God, (he being the ſecond Perſon of the Divinity) that he will reſtore his wretched Creature to its loſt Happineſs, the Faith is the ſame in both Inſtances as to the Nature of it, (tho the Circumſtances of the Perſons are different:) and therefore if our firſt Father was by the Moral Law commanded to believe on God, the ſame Precept requires, and obligeth Sinners to believe on the eternal Son of God.

p. 48I know that with a ſcornful Smile it will be ſaid, that it is an abſurd Aſſertion to affirm the Precept of Faith to belong to the Law, when the Command of believing on Chriſt is perpetually repeated in the Goſpel, which only diſcovers this Saviour of Sinners. It is granted, that we meet with this Precept in all the Books of the New Teſtament; but then the Objectors muſt alſo grant, that we find there too the Precepts of loving Chriſt, of abandoning all things, and denying our ſelves for his Sake, of loving our Enemies, of the Obedience due from Children to their Parents, of the ſincere Service which Servants owe to their Maſters: and now if the Goſpel is not a New Law in requiring theſe Duties, which were all commanded by the old one, it will no more be a new Law for commanding us to believe, ſince this hath been demonſtrated to be a Precept of the old Law as well as any of the other. All therefore which can be inferr'd is, that the Goſpel borrows theſe Precepts from the old Moral Law, (and then they are not properly its own Commands) and employs them in its Service, and for the Intereſts of our Salvation; or to ſpeak briefly and clearly, in the Words of the Holy Ghoſt himſelf, Gal. 3. 19. the Moral Law is in the hands of Chriſt our Mediator, and made by him to ſubſerve his gracious Deſigns.

The other pretended peculiar Precept of this new Law, is Repentance; and if I then prove, that by virtue of the old Law, which was a perfect Rule of Duty, this alſo was enjoin'd, and Sinners oblig'd to it, this will evince, that neither this is the proper Command of the Goſpel. It cannot be denied, that all which is juſtly due from one Perſon to another, is required in the Moral Law; for it is a compleat Rule of Righteouſneſs. It can as little be diſputed that an hearty Acknowledgment of the Wrong with Shame and Sorrow, from a Man who hath injur'd another, is due to the offended Party; and common Reaſon and Juſtice doth engage Men to this, tho no other Reparations can be made. The owning then of our Offences with the moſt inward Mourning, and deepeſt Deteſtation of them, is much more due to God, our Sovereign and Supream Lord, tho we are incapable by all this of making him the leaſt Satiſfaction. To confeſs a Fault, and to expreſs a real Trouble for having done it, is indeed among Men a making ſome amends to the wronged Perſon; for it is ſome Security that he ſhall not be hurt by a ſecond Injury: But all our Sorrow, and Confeſſion of Sins with Tears, cannot in any degree ſatisfy, nor repair the Diſhonour and Indignity offer'd unto God. It is yet our Duty to throw our ſelves at his Feet, to expreſs an Abhorrence of our hainous Rebellion againſt him; and it is a Duty to which we are bound as Creatures to our Maker, and Subjects to our Soveraign, who is Lord over all, God bleſſed for ever. But what! it will be ſaid, doth the Law require Repentance when it made no Propoſals of Pardon for the Crime? Doth it require a ſorrowful Acknowledgment of the Fault; and yet the whole Deſign of it is, that all this ſhall do the Offender no good, ſince it provides not the leaſt Relief for the penitent Sinner? p. 49To what purpoſe is ſuch a Command, when tho the Sinner ſheds floods of Tears, and mourns out a Life laſting to Eternity of Ages, there is yet no Remedy tendred by this Law to prevent his being eternally miſerable? Yes, for all this, ſuch a Command of Repentance in the Moral Law, is not only to great purpoſe, but abſolutely neceſſary: for to own to God, with Shame and Sorrow, the Injury we have done him by our Sins, is a Duty which we owe to him our offended Soveraign, tho he had never promis'd to forgive us; nay, tho he had plainly declar'd that he would never be reconcil'd. It is a Duty then to which Adam, after his Fall, was bound by the ſame Law which he obey'd in his Innocency; to which he was bound, when amaz'd with all the Horrors of a deſpairing Mind, looking for nothing but Vengeance and Ruin from the Anger and arm'd Power of the Almighty. It is a Duty to which he was tied before any new Covenant of Grace made, and before God had reveal'd any Thoughts of Favour to him, or any Purpoſes of Grace in that firſt Promiſe of the Seed of the Woman breaking the Serpent's Head. If then it was Adam's Duty to repent, before he had receiv'd any Promiſes of Mercy, there muſt be ſome Precept obliging him to it: ſince that, and Duty, mutually infer one another, no Precept could it be of the Goſpel, for that was not yet proclaim'd, and therefore it muſt be the proper Precept of the Moral Law, which was the thing to be prov'd.

If any one will peremptorily deny Repentance to have been Adam's Duty before God had promis'd Mercy, the ſame Perſon muſt conſequently aſſert, that it was no Fault in him to run from God; that he did very well in excuſing himſelf, in throwing the great Part of the Guilt upon God, in ſtanding upon his own Juſtification; and that if he had continued an obdurate harden'd Wretch, if he had acted as a bold deſperate Rebel, and inſtead of confeſſing his Crimes, and expreſſing his Sorrow, had further dar'd and outbrav'd offended Juſtice, he had been innocent in all this, and had not in the leaſt broken any Precept of the Law, nor tranſgreſs'd the Bounds of his Duty. For if Repentance was not commanded before the Goſpel publiſh'd, then the worſt Impenitence in Adam would have been no Sin, becauſe forbidden by no Law.

I know very well that Arminius boldly affirms all this;aaEpiſtola Arminii ad Utenbogardum in Epiſtolis praeſtant. viror. Epiſt. 70. pag. 131, 132. Edit. 2. Amſtel. 1684. That the Covenant of Works being broken, the Law was abrogated too, and that God no longer required Obedience from his ſinful Creature, till he brought in a new Law, which is the Goſpel, commanding Faith and Repentance; and that God accepts this Obedience to the Precepts of this his new Law, inſtead of perfect Obedience to the old violated Moral Law. But I know too very well, that moſt prodigious and amazing Abſurdities will be the natural Products of p. 50this monſtrous Opinion. It will follow, that the firſt Sin dethron'd God, not only out of Man's Heart, but out of his Seat of Majeſty in Heaven too, until to regain his Crown and Dominion, and for the recovery of his loſt Sovereign Power, he was forced to condeſcend to treat with his Rebels upon lower Terms, and to propoſe a new and milder Law, accommodated to the weaker Circumſtances of their State. Thus God loſeth his Soveraignty by the Diſobedience of his Creature, and his Laws ſignified ſo little, that they were all repeal'd and diſannull'd, when Man would obſerve them no longer. And who can once think that the Great God ſhould loſe his Power to command, when his Creatures refus'd any more to obey him, and that Man by becoming a Rebel, ſhould ceaſe to be a Subject; and that therefore a new Law, giving new Precepts, and propoſing other more moderate Conditions, was abſolutely needful to adjuſt the deſperate Affair, and to ſet all things right again?

Adam alſo by his Fall having, according to the Aſſertion of Arminius, broken all Ties and Bonds of Obedience, if before the Promulgation of the Goſpel or new Law to him, he had blaſphem'd God, had ſworn and forſworn, had diſſembled kindneſs to his Wife with the deepeſt Oaths, while he had nothing in his Heart but Thoughts of Malice, and Deſigns of Revenge againſt her for betraying him to ruin, had moſt barbarouſly murder'd her, and afterward kill'd himſelf, he yet had not ſinned in all this; becauſe before the new Law given, he was oblig'd to no Duty. Believe this who will, for my part I cannot.

And now, what is the Ground of this deſperate Aſſertion? Why truly only this, That becauſe the Law once broken, there were no longer any Promiſes made to the Obedience of a Sinner; therefore the Covenant between God and Man was entirely vacated, and ſo the Sinner was no longer bound to obey, till a new Law came with other Precepts of Faith, and making Promiſes to lower degrees of Duty; and then upon this new Account the Creature ſtands bound again. Now all this is founded upon one grand Miſtake; which is, that our Obedience to God is eſtabliſh'd upon his Covenant with us; and that the only Tie upon us, are Promiſes or Threatnings: Whereas our Duty to God immediately reſults from the infinite Greatneſs of his Being, which is therefore ſupream, and hath an undoubted Right to command, and from the unalterable Relation of a Creature to his Maker. So that Adam, as ſoon as he had Exiſtence, was preſently bound to obey God in all that he would command him, tho he had made no Promiſe to him of any Reward. And if God had plac'd him in a diſmal Deſart, inſtead of ſettling him in Paradiſe; if he had ſharpen'd his Life with Sorrows and Miſeries, in the room of thoſe Bleſſings and Comforts which he enjoy'd, yet he might have commanded him all that he pleas'd, and it would have been his Duty to have paid a ready Obedience. And this clears the Difficulty lying in our way, that tho the Law made no Promiſes to Sinners, as the Goſpel doth, yet that hinders it not from commanding and engaging them to repent; for by what I p. 51have prov'd, it appears, that Promiſes do not lay the Foundation of a Duty, but are only the Encouragements of it. Well then, tho Adam ſaw not any thing in the Law to renew Life to a Penitent Offender, tho he could not read in it one Syllable of a Pardon, yet the ſame Law which requir'd Obedience of him, commanded after he had ſinn'd, to repent, and return to his Duty; tho he had no hopes of ſucceeding in it, and had no aſſurance that a juſtly provoked and angry God would forgive, and deſcry'd not the leaſt Promiſe ſhining in Heaven to favour him.

And as it was Adam's Duty to repent, ſo it is the Duty of all Men now living upon Earth: A Duty, to which Heathens who are not under the Diſpenſation of the Goſpel, to whom this new-ſtil'd Law never came, who never heard a word of its pretended Precepts or real Promiſes, are indiſpenſably oblig'd. Whence have they this binding Precept of Repentance? From the Goſpel? How can that be, when the leaſt Sound of it never arriv'd to their Ears? It muſt therefore neceſſarily be a Precept and Command of the Moral Law to them, which more or leſs is manifeſted to all, even the moſt ſavage and barbarous Nations of the Earth.

The Deſign and Office of the Law doth alſo manifeſt, that the Precept of Repentance doth properly belong to it: For it was not only appointed as a Rule of Obedience to Adam, but God certainly knowing that Man would fall into a State of Sin and Death, intended the Law for the Conviction of Sinners, to ſhew them their Sinfulneſs and Danger, Rom. 3. 19, 20. Now we know that what things ſoever the Law ſaith, it ſaith to them who are under the Law; that every Mouth may be ſtopped, and all the World may become guilty before God. Therefore by the Deeds of the Law, there ſhall no Fleſh be juſtified in his ſight: for by the Law is the Knowledg of Sin. Rom. 7. 7. He deſign'd it to rouſe and alarm the poor negligent Creatures. And now if it convinceth them of Sin, its malignant Nature and direful Effects, it conſequently tells them, that it is their Duty to bewail their Miſcarriages, which bring all Miſeries upon them, and to reform their evil Courſes, and to turn from Sin to God. This the Law preacheth to Men, and theſe are the natural Dictates of it in their Conſciences; and it is impoſſible to perſwade them (till God comes with the Power of his Grace, and works Faith) againſt putting their Confidence in their Sorrow and repenting, to obtain Pardon by it, and againſt truſting to their Reſolutions of living better for the future; and againſt their fond Preſumption of being juſtified for their endeavours of Amendment, Theſe legal Principles are natural in Men, they ariſe not from the Goſpel, for that inſtructs us to put our whole and entire Confidence in Chriſt, and his Righteouſneſs alone; they muſt then ſpring from the Law, and conſequently Repentance, which this Law not only urgeth Men unto, but moveth them to build their Hopes of Life upon it, muſt be one of its Precepts. The Law commands it, the Goſpel as a Proclamation of Grace, and p. 52an Offer of Pardon only, invites and encourageth it.

Thus it is ſufficiently prov'd, that Sinners were by the Moral Law oblig'd to own their Sins with the moſt bewailing Expreſſions of Grief, tho that Law gave them no Encouragement and Hope; and that Adam after his Fall was engag'd to this Sorrow and Contrition, before any promiſe of Pardon and Acceptance tendred. If we now conſider the other and chiefeſt part of Repentance, it will be evident that this was not only requir'd of the Father of Mankind fallen, but that it was his Duty, and what he practis'd in all the time of his Innocence and flouriſhing Condition: For what is Repentance mainly, but an hearty abhorrence of Sin, join'd with a moſt careful Avoidance of it, and a moſt firm Reſolution againſt it? Now this was as ſurely in Adam, when continuing the ſame upright Creature which God had made him, as it is certain that then he was holy, Holineſs and hatred of Sin being altogether inſeparable; and therefore unleſs we will ſuppoſe our firſt Father to have been unholy in his original Being, we muſt not doubt of his daily acting of this principal and moſt conſiderable part of Repentance. I call it ſo, becauſe it is that which to bring forth the other is appointed: for we are not commanded to mourn, and to bewail our Follies and Miſcarriages, meerly for the ſake of vexing and tormenting our ſelves, or as if by the inward Anguiſh of our Souls, we were to do Penance to pacify a diſpleaſed God; but all this trouble of Mind for Sin, is intended and requir'd to imbitter it to us, and to render us vile in our own Eyes, and to throw us humbled before the Throne of Grace. For tho we are Sinners, and poor and miſerable, yet we are naturally proud, and therefore a Senſe of our Sin and Miſery is requiſite to bring down our haughty Spirits; tho we alſo daily feel the diſmal Miſchiefs of Sin, yet our deprav'd Natures render us too prone, and readily inclin'd unto it; and therefore a piercing Sorrow is neceſſary to bring us to that true Repentance of which I am ſpeaking, which conſiſts in hating Sin, and turning from it. It is but needful that an aking Wound make us ſenſible of the malignant Miſchief of Sin, to render it the Object of our higheſt Averſion. Well then, it is hatred of Sin, and an hearty reſiſtance of it, which is the laſt and chiefeſt Act of Repentance, ſince our Sorrow is deſign'd only to produce this Effect, and ſo after all to hate Sin; and moſt carefully to avoid it, is moſt truly to repent of it. And this Repentance our firſt Father, even in his Innocence, acted to a higher degree than we do, ſince his deteſtation of Sin was greater; and till the ſad Moments of his Fall, he oppoſed it more firmly and ſucceſsfully.

But it will be objected, Repentance ſuppoſeth the Perſon to have ſinn'd, and therefore a Precept of it to Adam in his Uprightneſs was altogether needleſs. No not at all, for a Precept to oblige Man to what is due and juſt, is neceſſary for him in every Condition; and nothing can be more due than to acknowledg a Wrong done: And what is Repentance, but an hearty owning p. 53and lamenting the higheſt Injury offer'd to God by our Sins? And beſides, God in making a Law, gave ſuch a perfect Rule as was ſufficient to bind Man to his Duty in all Circumſtances of his Caſe; and therefore it was not only modell'd to oblige him to perfect Obedience, but to ingage him to repent when he had fail'd of his Duty.

Well, but ſome may argue againſt what I before ſaid concerning Faith's being a Precept of the Original Law given to Adam, that tho it is true, that Faith in God is required in the firſt Commandment, yet there is no Faith in a Redeemer expreſs'd. What then? It is yet plainly implied, ſince this our Redeemer is God, and therefore a general Command to truſt on God at all Times, and according to the various Neceſſities of our State, muſt include a Precept to believe on Chriſt the Redeemer, when the ſad State of our Caſe doth require it.

Ay, but the Law (will they object) was given to Man in Innocence, and therefore only tied him to ſuch Acts of Obedience as were proper to that Condition; and therefore ſuch Duties which reſult from Man's being a Sinner, ſuch as Faith and Repentance, were not inclos'd within the compaſs of this Law. Yes, but they were, and that for the ſame Reaſon as ſuch Duties which ariſe from the preſent Relations which Men bear to one another, which are the Conſequents of Adam's Fall, are comprehended in the Precepts of the Moral Law. By this a Slave is obliged to perform Service to his Maſter; and yet if Man had not ſinned, there had been no ſuch thing as Slavery. By this alſo Judges are bound to do Juſtice in puniſhing Malefactors, and yet in Man's Primitive State of Integrity, there were no Rogues and Villains, nor any need of Judges or Sheriffs.

This is ſtrange indeed (it will be ſaid) to deny the Goſpel to be a Law commanding Faith and Repentance, when nothing is more frequently inculcated and earneſtly urg'd in the Sermons of Chriſt, and the Writings of the Apoſtles, than that Sinners ſhould repent, and ſhould believe on him. 'Tis readily confeſs'd; but yet from what hath been argued, it muſt be own'd, that theſe are Precepts of the Law made uſe of by the Goſpel, and encourag'd by its Promiſes. We are not preſently to faſten every thing on the Goſpel, ſtrictly taken, as it is the Word of Salvation which we find in the Books of the New Teſtament; and becauſe Chriſt and his Apoſtles give us Rules of Holineſs, immediately name the Goſpel a New Law. For after this rate of Reaſoning, we may infer too that it is a Book of Lives, becauſe the Life and Death of our Saviour, and the Acts of the Apoſtles, are recorded in it; that it is the Levitical Law, becauſe the Apoſtle Paul, in his Epiſtle to the Hebrews, inſiſts on ſo many Particulars of it. That it is the Ceremonial Law, becauſe the ſaid Apoſtle circumcis'd Timothy, Act. 16. 1. That it is a Sacred Chronicle, and the Annals of the Church, becauſe it contains the Hiſtory of the Beginnings and firſt Progreſs of Chriſtianity. Thus if we frame Arguments by theſe Meaſures, we may make the Goſpel any thing that we pleaſe, or would fancy it to be.

p. 54I have thus (as I think) clear'd the Difficulty which ariſeth from our finding the Precepts of Faith and Repentance, ſo frequently enjoin'd in the New Teſtament, and have demonſtrated that all ſuch Inſtances will not ſerve the Purpoſe of evincing the Goſpel to be a new Law. The next Rank of Arguments to be broken is this, that it is alledg'd that the Goſpel denounceth Threatnings againſt unbelieving and impenitent Sinners, and makes general Promiſes, that every one who believes and repents, in obedience to its Command, ſhall certainly be ſav'd. If I now then prove that theſe Threatnings are not of the Goſpel, but that it only leaves the Sinner, who by Faith hath no Intereſt in Chriſt, to the condemning Sentence of the Law, without any Defence or Plea, or the leaſt Excuſe for himſelf: And if I alſo prove, that the Goſpel makes no ſuch univerſal Promiſes of Eternal Life to all Men, on condition they believe, I ſhall then clear the Way through my Reverend Brother's firſt thick Set of Arguments, form'd from twenty Texts of Scripture enumerated by him.

One plain Text of Scripture evinceth, that the Goſpel judgeth and condemneth no Man, but leaves the unbelieving Sinner to a fair Trial at Law, and to make the beſt of it that he can. 'Tis what Chriſt, who came to ſave Sinners, and perfectly knew his own Deſign and Work, tells us, John 3. 17. For God ſent not his Son into the World to condemn the World; but that the World through him might be ſaved. What could he have ſaid more to aſſure us, that in the Declaration of the Goſpel he did not threaten Death, but promiſe Salvation to Sinners, whom the Law menac'd, and who were condemn'd by its Sentence; that he came not as a new Legiſlator, to give new Laws, and to pronounce a fatal Doom againſt thoſe that diſobey'd them, but to reſcue poor ſentenc'd Criminals from the rigorous Judgment of the Law, and to aſſure them of a Pardon? He came not to condemn the World, but to ſave all thoſe whom God had appointed to Life, and conſequently to believe on him. But if Chriſt had brought in a new Law, with Precepts and Threatnings, then one Deſign of his coming had been to condemn the Diſobedient. Our Bleſſed Redeemer took an effectual Care that we ſhould not have ſuch a Thought of him; and therefore he repeats the ſame Aſſertion, John 12. 47. And if any Man hear my Words, and believe not, I judg him not; for I came not to judg the World, but to ſave the World. He doth not threaten, much leſs judg and condemn an Unbeliever: He knew that Salvation of Sinners was the Work which he came into the World to perform, and that the Office of a Judg did not belong to a Mediator. He accordingly diſowns it, and leaves to the Law its proper Duty, which is to paſs Sentence of Death on every Sinner, who cannot plead the Blood and Righteouſneſs of Chriſt for his Diſcharge; and this all Unbelievers dying in that woful Condition are uncapable to do. Thus the Goſpel condemns no Man, but it is the Law; and thoſe who believe not, ſhall be judg'd by it, for violating its juſt and righteous p. 55Commands, and are expos'd defenſleſs and liable to Juſtice. Thoſe who believe not on Chriſt, are preſently condemned by the old Law in force againſt them who have in the leaſt Inſtance diſobey'd it; and there is no need that any Sentence of a new Law ſhould be paſs'd againſt them to this Effect. If any ſhould deny the Argument, I am yet confident they will have a regard to the expreſs Words of Chriſt himſelf, which are to the ſame Pupoſe, John 3. 18. He that believeth on him, is not condemned; but he that believeth not, is condemned already, becauſe he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God. What is this but to ſay, that he introduced no new Law to condemn the wretched and deſperately loſt Sinner for not believing on him, ſince he was before condemned for the Offences committed againſt the Moral Law? But it will be urg'd, What is more frequently pronounc'd by Chriſt and his Apoſtles, againſt all Unbelievers, than an unavoidable Ruin and Damnation? ſuch Threatnings are almoſt as thickly ſcatter'd in the New Teſtament, as the Promiſes of Grace. What then! will it thence follow that the Goſpel, which is a Doctrine of Grace, is alſo a dreadful threatning Law? No certainly, for theſe two are altogether inconſiſtent. All then which can be concluded, is only this, that the Goſpel repeats the Threatnings of the Law, to ſhew Sinners their Danger if they do not believe. This Goſpel only tells them what ſevere Meaſure they will have from a violated Law, if they are not inclos'd within the compaſs of the Mediator's Favour and Bleſſings. It plainly and ſincerely declares to them, that they can expect nothing but certain Death from a Law which kills the Sinner, if they refuſe the only healing Remedy which Chriſt offers. Thus it is told to a Patient, That he will certainly die, if he takes not the preſcrib'd Phyſick: And yet who will ſay that this Threatning is any part of the Medicine? Thus the Phyſician pronounceth Death to a Man, who when mortally Sick, wilfully refuſeth to obſerve his Directions. And how abſurd is it from this to imagine, that he who came to cure, deſign'd to murder him, when it is only the Diſeaſe, and his own Obſtinacy, which have this fatal Effect?

'Tis true indeed, that an Unbeliever's Guilt is aggravated by his Contempt of the Goſpel; and by rejecting Mercy, and deſpiſing the Riches of God's Grace, he lays himſelf open to a ſeverer Sentence, brings an heavier Ruin on his Head, and ſharpens his own Puniſhment. For as the Fire of Hell is the Wrath of God, and the avenging Furies of Conſcience, thoſe Flames will burn with more fierceneſs in a Soul, which makes terrible Reflections how while it lived in this World, it ſlighted that Grace and that Redeemer, by which others were ſaved. Thus a Pardon offer'd to Rebels, doth not condemn them for not accepting it; the Refuſal only leaves them expos'd to the Severity of the Law, by which the unpardon'd Offender is judg'd and condemn'd: Tho indeed the Criminal recalling to mind the Pardon once offer'd him, and his own obſtinate Contempt of Mercy, will, with greater Horrors of Soul, at the p. 56Place of Execution, curſe his own Folly and Madneſs, as the Cauſe of his infamous Death.

There now remains nothing more than to ſhew, that the Promiſes of Eternal Life made to the Believer, and the Ruin denounc'd againſt every Unbeliever, do not prove the Goſpel to be a new Law; and that ſuch Expreſſions as theſe, which we ſo often meet, He who believes ſhall be ſav'd; and except you repent, you ſhall all likewiſe periſh, do not ſpeak Faith and Repentance to be properly commanded by the Goſpel, nor promiſes Pardon and Juſtification, on condition theſe Precepts are obey'd, nor threatens Death if they are neglected. That it is not the Goſpel, but the Law which threatens Death, I have already proved; that the Promiſes of the Goſpel are not made unto Men, on condition of Obedience perform'd to it, is evident from this, that if they were ſo, they would not differ in their Nature from the Promiſes of the Law, and ſo the Covenant of Grace would be a Covenant of Works: which if the Apoſtle Paul ſays true, (as I really believe he doth) is a flat Contradiction, Rom. 11. 6. And if by Grace, then is it no more of Works: otherwiſe Grace is no more Grace. But if it be of Works, then is it no more Grace; otherwiſe Work is no more Work. For the Promiſes of the Law were made to Men, on condition that its Precepts were obey'd. If now the Promiſes of the Goſpel are alſo made to Men, on condition that its Precepts are obey'd, then the Promiſes, both of the one and the other, are of the ſame Nature and King, being both made to Obedience. It is but a poor ſhifting Evaſion, to ſay, that there is a great difference, becauſe that the Law requires perfect unſinning Obedience, and the Goſpel inſiſts only on lower degrees of Duty: for this will not ſo much as prove the Obedience to be of different Kinds, but only of greater or leſſer Meaſures, which, as every one knows, doth not alter the Species. But if it ſhould be granted, that Obedience to the Law is of a various Nature from that enjoin'd by the Goſpel, yet the Promiſes made to them both muſt be of the ſame Kind, for both of them are Works: ſince to obey a Precept, is to do a Work, or I know not what to make of it; and all the Difference then is, that the Promiſes of the Covenant of Works were made to Obedience to the old Law, and the Promiſes of the new Covenant of Grace were made to Obedience unto the new Law. Both are Promiſes to the Obedience of Laws, and the two Laws will be diſtinguiſhed no otherwiſe, than that the one proves to be older than the other by many Ages. And thus the Goſpel will be only the ſuperannuated Law of Works reviv'd, with ſome Abatements of its requir'd Duties. And if this be not as utterly falſe as there is Truth in the Scriptures, (as I am ſure there is) let all unprejudic'd Men judg. And yet this abſurd Confuſion of Law and Goſpel, is the unavoidable Conſequence of this Annertion, that the Goſpel promiſes Juſtification and Eternal Life to Men, on condition they perform the Obedience which it commands.

p. 57If alſo from this Propoſition, He that believeth ſhall be ſaved, we argue that the Goſpel is a new Law, promiſing Life upon the obſervance of this its Precept, it will follow, that God in the promulgation of this new Law, offers Life univerſally to all Men, to Tartars, Negroes, and the Savages in America; to all the Nations from Peru to Japan, on condition they obey the Command of the Goſpel, and believe and repent: For if God in giving his Moral Law to all reaſonable Creatures, ſaid univerſally to Angels and Men, Do this, and you ſhall live; by the ſame Rule, if the Goſpel is a new Law, God ſpeaks generally to all Men, Believe, and you ſhall live. Now from this, two amazing Abſurdities will naturally ſpring; the one is, that God ſhould by this his new Law promiſe Pardon and Life, on condition they believe on his Son, to People who have never heard that there is ſuch a thing as the Chriſtian Religion in the World, nor ſuch a Perſon as Chriſt, and to whoſe Ears not ſo much as the ſound of his Name ever arriv'd. Doth this become the Wiſdom of God to act ſo prepoſterouſly? How can we think that the Depths of that Knowledg, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Rom. 11. 33. hath ſuch ſhallow Deſigns, as to proclaim a Pardon to all Men, on condition they believe, and yet to make no Proviſion that the leaſt Syllable of this gracious Proclamation ſhould ever come to their Ears? It is alſo as repugnant to the Wiſdom and Goodneſs of God, to promiſe a Pardon to all Men, on condition they believe, when he knows that the Performance is impoſſible to them all, by their mere natural Powers deprav'd as they are; when he knows alſo, that without his All-conquering Grace they cannot believe and repent: To promiſe to them all Life, on condition they do ſo, and at the ſame time to reſolve to withhold this Grace from the greateſt part of Mankind, without which it is impoſſible for them to do it, what is this but to illude Men? For any one to offer Food to a Wretch, who hath not a Limb whole, ſtarving in a Dungeon, on condition that he would come up and receive it, and yet refuſe to put forth a Finger to give him the leaſt lift, what would this be but to mock him, and to make a ſport of his Miſery? To avoid theſe Abſurdities, the Arminians, who do not want Wit or Reaſon to diſcern the Conſequences of their Opinions, as boldly own and maintain them: And as they aſſert, that God offers and promiſeth Life to all, on condition they perform Obedience to this new Law; they ſpeak conſiſtently with themſelves, and affirm too, that all Men have ſufficient Means afforded them to do it, and that God gives them Helps enough to enable them to believe if they will, and whenever themſelves pleaſe. If we are then fond of any Arminian Opinions, we muſt take the whole Syſtem of them together, and aſſert roundly, as they do, without mincing the Matter, what hath an inſeparable Connexion with a falſe Propoſition: for there are Conſequences among Errors, as well as Truths; and as the one are chain'd, the other are link'd together.

p. 58We may then be certain, that theſe Expreſſions in Scripture, [He that believeth, ſhall be ſav'd; but he that believeth not, ſhall be damn'd, Mark 16. 16. And whoever believeth on Chriſt, ſhall receive remiſſion of Sins, Acts 10. 43. And except you repent, you ſhall all likewiſe periſh, Luke 13. 5.] which are urg'd by my Reverend BrotheraaMr. Lorimer's Apology, Chap. 2. Sect. 1. pag. 22., do not ſignify that God paſſeth his Word to all Men, by a new Law eſtabliſh'd among them, that if they obey it, and believe and repent, they ſhall aſſuredly be ſaved: for God always ſpeaks the Purpoſes of his Mind, and none of his Words contradict his Heart; but he never decreed, either abſolutely or conditionally, that all Men ſhould be eternally happy; for if he had, he would have taken effectual Care that they ſhould be ſo, ſince the Intents of his Mind and Will always obtain infallibly their deſir'd Effect.

If we alſo underſtand that Expreſſion, He who believes, ſhall be ſav'd, that it is promis'd to all, that on the performance of this Condition they ſhall be thus eternally bleſs'd; then by the ſame Rule we muſt ſay, that eternal Death and Ruin is threaten'd to them, on condition they do not believe. But the Threatnings of this Wo are not denounc'd againſt Men for not believing, but as due to them for not perfectly obeying the Law of Works; and their Unbelief only leaves them in that periſhing Condition wherein they were born, as I have prov'd before, tho, as I ſaid, their Unbelief aggravates the Miſery, and inflames the Anguiſh of it.

But what meaning then muſt we apprehend theſe Scriptures to bear? Why truly they have the ſame Senſe as that Text in Heb. 12. 14. Follow Peace with all Men, and Holineſs, without which no Man ſhall ſee the Lord. What! is Holineſs the Condition of obtaining the Beatifical Viſion? No; tho it doth naturally diſpoſe the Soul, and make it meet for and capable of this bliſsful Enjoyment. No more therefore is meant, than that Holineſs, and this Viſion of God, are inſeparably join'd together, and that no unholy Soul can poſſibly come to his Preſence and Sight. Thus it is alſo true, that he who believes, ſhall be ſav'd; which imports no more than this, that all Believers are ſav'd, and none but they; and that there is ſuch an unchangeable Connexion between the Bleſſings of the Goſpel, that Faith, Repentance and Holineſs, are indiſſolubly faſten'd with Pardon, Juſtification, and Eternal Life, in the ſame Perſon; or in a Word, that God juſtifies and ſaves no Man, but whom at his own due appointed Time he makes a Believer, brings him to Repentance, (I ſpeak in this of Adult Perſons) and ſanctifies his Nature: and whoever aſſerts this, is no Antinomian, nor ſo much as like to ſuch an execrable Monſter, however invidious Names are flung about as thick as Stones in the Streets.

p. 59I might inſiſt more largely on this Argument, but I begin to think that the Conſideration of it will more properly belong to another Diſcourſe, wherein I deſign, with the Aſſiſtance of my Lord Jeſus Chriſt, (who hath help'd me in this, beyond the natural Abilities of my own Mind, to him be all the Glory) to prove, that the Covenant of Grace doth not promiſe nor confer the Bleſſings on condition of performing Duties requir'd.