The True Nature of the Gospel, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The general Deſign of this Diſcourſe, is not to promote Controverſies, or to propagate Quarrels, but to maintain the Truths of the Goſpel in their firſt native Purity. The State of the Queſtion concerning the Goſpel's being a Law.
I Am ſo far from inventing, or defending any new dividing Opinions, to trouble the Peace of the Churches, that I heartily lament the fatal Diſturbances which are produced by them; and inſtead of fomenting the prevailing Heat of our Contentions, or blowing a Fire which is but too great, I would willingly contribute all my poor Endeavours to quench the Flames. It is not therefore out of an humour of Diſputing that I engage in this Debate, nor to promote the Intereſt of a Party: I know no Intereſt, and by the Grace of God will never eſpouſe any, but that of Chriſt and his Goſpel. It is an apprehenſion of the Injury offered to this, which is the Motive of my undertaking its Defence. It is the Intereſt of wronged Truth that I aſſert, which all who love, have indiſpenſable Obligations to vindicate. It is the pure Goſpel, by ſo many various Attaques aſſaulted, that I ſtand to guard; and which being Eternal, tho it may be invaded, yet can never be oppreſs'd nor ſink for want of Support, tho my Strength prove unequal to ſo great a Performance. It is that Goſpel which was taught by our Lord Chriſt, and his Apoſtles, which was own'd in the firſt and beſt Ages of the Primitive Church, and is now profeſſed in all the Confeſſions of Faith of the Reformed; which not all the Arts, and Power, neither of Rome Heathen, nor which is worſe, Antichriſtian, were able to extirpate; which not two Ages ago was recovered out of the Darkneſs of Antichriſt by the firſt Reformers, and vigorouſly aſſerted by them, againſt all the Subtleties and cunning Evaſions, both of Papiſts and others, to ſhift off the Force of Truth; and is from thoſe our worthy Anceſtors of the Proteſtant Religion deliver'd down to us; which was ſeal'd by the Blood of Martyrs, which was maintained againſt all the Powers of the Earth arm'd for its Ruin; and is, and will be (I doubt not) by a greater Power preſerved to ſurvive the Aſhes of the World, though it is in more danger of being betray'd by its pretended Friends, than ever it was of being conquered by an open War of its declared Enemies.aCredita Res, capti que dolis, Lachrymiſ que coactis, Quos ne que Tydides, nec Lariſſaeus Achilles, Non Anni domuere decem, non mille Carinae. Virgil. Aeneid. l. 2. V. 196. And indeed the Antichriſtian Party gain a greater Advantage by Proteſtants ſtarting ſuch new Opinions, which ſeem to favour their Errors, than ever they could by their open and undiſguiſed oppoſition to the Truth. For not to debate whether the Jeſuits have not a great Hand in promoting theſe Controverſies, who can eaſily turn themſelves into all Shapes to gain their Ends; yet 'tis certain they rejoice, and triumph in our Diſſentions; where, whatever the Succeſs be, they are ſure of an Advantage. For if theſe Erroneous Doctrines of Juſtification prevail among the People, they are brought ſo much the nearer to Popery; or, if Truth prove victorious, as (I do not at all doubt) it will in the End, yet by the firſt ſtarting theſe diſputable Opinions, a hopeful Union among Proteſtants is broken, and thoſe troublers of Iſrael have ſhattered us to pieces, and may bring us within a Point of our Ruin; and ſo what they unſucceſsfully attempted by Power and Perſecution, they will effect (if God doth not avert) by our own ſad Diviſions.
It is this oppos'd Goſpel which I love and value above all things, and by the help of my Lord Jeſus Chriſt, I will defend its pure Truths entire and unmangled. And as it is this Goſpel which teaches me not to treat any of its Miniſters with inſolent Contempt, however I may differ from him, in my Sentiments, ſo I will endeavour to obſerve its Dictates, in avoiding all baſe and ſcurrilous Reflections (being but the Follies of an impotent Paſſion) when I write for thoſe Truths which are calm, peaceful, and gentle, Jam. 3. 17. And indeed ever ſince the Light of common Reaſon began to dawn upon my Mind, as well as ſince God gave me a greater, I always abhorr'd that Method of managing Controverſies in Religion, wherein Arguments are mingled with Invectives, and the Deficiences of Reaſon made up with Calumnies and Reproaches. Tho the double injury done both to Truth, and my Friend, the one of which is equally inſulted with an haughty fierceneſs, as the other is openly affronted, might tempt a Man of the greateſt Moderation to ſome paſſionate Reſentments; yet nothing ſhall move me from my fixed Reſolution of not being angry. I write not from an Humour of Strife, nor for Pride and vain Glory, but for Truth, and therefore ſhall concern my ſelf no further than I find that to be intereſted; which if I thought to be on my Learned Brother's Side, I ſhould be ſo far from conteſting it with him, that I would join in the Defence. This Truth lies between us, and ſhould not be loſt in a crowd of angry Words; tho this is the Fault of moſt Diſputes in Religion, and is a Reproach to what we all profeſs, that when Philoſophers and Heathens diſcours'd their different Opinions with a Calmneſs of Mind, we Chriſtians, for whom our Great Lord died, that God might be reconciled to us, and we to one another, are inflamed with all Paſſions, becauſe we do not think and ſpeak the ſame Things. We every one of us diſpute, becauſe we think we are in the right, when we ſo order the loud Diſputation, that Truth which ſpeaks ſoftly cannot be heard, its ſtill Voice being drowned in the Clamour of our Contentions. Now then that nothing may diſturb a Serenity of Mind, which ought to be in a Perſon who argues not for Intereſt, but purely for the Truth, I ſhall only conſider in my Reverend Brother's Diſcourſe, what carries the Face and Appearance of Reaſon, without ſuffering my Thoughts to be diverted or rufled by his Invectives. In a Word, I will not change a Defenſive War for the common Intereſts of our Chriſtian Religion, into a private Quarrel, ſince it is not any Man's Perſon, but the Truth which I have undertaken to vindicate. And indeed the Reputation for Piety and Learning of thoſe whom he inſults, is ſo glorious, that any Attempt to defend them is altogether needleſs. As for Bradwardine and Dr. Owen, on whom he is pleas'd to beſtow ſome diſadvantageous Remarks, they are ſo great Names, and have deſervedly obtain'd ſuch an high Eſteem among Men, that they are equally above his little Reflections, as beyond any Endeavours I can imploy for their Vindication. They are both known Champions againſt two the moſt malignant Hereſies which ever infected the Church, Pelagianiſm, (to which that of the Arminians is very nearly related) and Socinianiſm. And as for Mr. Marſhal, that very Book which our Author ſo much vilifies, diſcovers a pious Heart, joined with a cloſeneſs and conſiſtency of Thought. And all who know that other worthy Perſon, againſt whom his Paſſion is more furiouſly fired, muſt give his Character very different from that, by which, with an unſucceſsful attempt of Wit, he endeavours to repreſent him. But as in Debates of Religion, all little Efforts of Wit (if I had any) would be very unſutable and impertinent; I ſhall only ſeriouſly argue the Cauſe in queſtion by Scripture and Reaſon, ſince alſo I do not think that People are oblig'd to miſpend their Time to read long Diſcourſes, to entertain themſelves unprofitably with thoſe perſonal Reflections, with which ſuch are uſually ſtuff'd, more than with Arguments; ſince it doth not concern them to know, whether ſuch or ſuch a Man be ſo wiſe and ſo rational as he is apprehended to be, or ſilly and ridiculous, but only what is Truth, and the Danger of … in the Faith, which may be clear'd to them in very few words: I … accordingly ſtudy brevity and plainneſs as much as ever I can; and ſhall reduce my following Diſcourſe to as narrow a Compaſs as poſſible, and ſo conſider in that of the Learned Mr. Lorimer no more than what ſeems moſt to the Purpoſe. I will not at all affect Niceties, or ſubtile Evaſions; and indeed any Opinion which needs them, and I know not how many perplexing Diſtinctions to maintain it, may very well be ſuſpected: for Truth never ſeeks Corners to hide in, nor can endure to be ſet in a falſe Light, but loves to appear in its pure native Brightneſs. And it is our Duty, who by Office and Commiſſion, as Miniſters of Chriſt, are to teach the Goſpel to the People, that we do not ſcatter Miſts about them, as if throwing Duſt in their Eyes was the way to clear their Sight; that we do not amuſe them with new Terms fetch'd from the Civil Law, and make it neceſſary for them to ſtudy Juſtinian, Bartolus, and Cujacius; to read the Pandects and the Codes, that they may know how they are juſtified. This, inſtead of inſtructing, would be to confound thoſe whom we are to lead into the Truth, by the cleareſt Expreſſions of God's Holy Word, and to inform them in the plaineſt manner that we can.
What I have propoſed to my ſelf to debate in the preſent Diſcourſe, is, Whether the Goſpel be a new Law? Without multiplying words, which doth but obſcure the clearneſs of Things, the Queſtion in diſpute is not, Whether the Goſpel be a new Law, if by that Word is meant a Doctrine of Grace newly reveal'd, after the Covenant of Works was broken, wherein God hath declared in what Order and Manner he will ſave guilty condemned Sinners. If by a new Law no more is meant than this, it is preſently granted, and the Controverſy is at an end. What is denied is this, That the Goſpel is a Law commanding new Precepts, as Conditions of obtaining its Bleſſings, and eſtabliſhed with a Sanction, promiſing Life and Happineſs to the obſervance of them, and threatning the Neglect.
Tho according to the Laws of a Diſcourſe, I ſhould firſt urge Arguments to prove, that the Goſpel is not ſuch a Law; yet my firſt Deſign being to anſwer the Reverend Mr. Lorimer's Apology, I ſhall firſt ſhew how little to his Purpoſe he eagerly catches at the word Law, whereever he can meet with it in the Scriptures, or in the Writings of Men.
And firſt I ſhall demonſtrate, that where-ever the Goſpel is nam'd a Law, either in the Old or New Teſtament, only a Doctrine of Grace is to be underſtood by it.