Defense of the Gospel Truth, Testimonies 1 – Testimonies 2
TESTIMONIES that 1st the GOSPEL is a LAW.
Our Divines in the Synod of Dort. say, par. 2. p. 104. Ex sacris literis, &c. It'sCalvin and Wittichius see before, Syned of Dort. acta Synodi. evident from the Scriptures, that some are judged and condemned for Sins committed only against the Light of Nature, who yet are excused for not performing the Law of Faith, through invincible Ignorance, which Excuse can have no place where God publisheth this Law, and men are required to obey it. Many other places from this Synod might be added.
Willet saith, p. 888. We exclude not every Law, but the Law of Works; butWillet Synopsis papismi the Law of Faith is not the Law of Works. And p. 635. The Publican finding Mercy, and departing justified, no doubt had also an express purpose in himself for ever to forsake his Sin, for otherwise he could not have been justified, nor found remission of Sin; for this is the Law and perpetual Rule of Forgiveness, Ezek. 18. 21.Steph. de Br…is, in Rom. 3. 27. Hooker of N. England.
Lex evangelica clamans, the Gospel-law cries, Believe, and thou shalt be saved.
Hooker of Effect. Calling, p. 338. saith, I answer, not believing in the Lord Christ is not a Sin against the Moral Law, but it is a Sin against the Law of the Gospel, as he proves fully.
Saith p. 328. Hereto agree the words of the Apostle, Rom. 3. 27. where theB…lkley of… Covenant, Apostle distinguisheth between the Law of Works and the Law of Faith; by the Law of Works understanding the Moral Law, by the Law of Faith understanding the Gospel, &c. he adds, Here are two distinct Laws, having two distinct Commandments, as two distinct Conditions of the two Covenants. This he proves at large.
P. 102, to 122. proves the Law as given to Israel was the Gospel CovenantMr. Ball of the Covenset forth by Mr. Ash. for Substance: P. 113. saith, Faith in Christ is not commanded in the Moral Law, as it was engraven in the Heart of Adam in the state of Innocency, but as it was given to Israel, to be a Rule of Life to a People in Covenant, it was presupposed and commanded.
Lib. 2. Cap. 1. proves at large, that God published a new Law as Redeemer toLawson Theopolitic. Man upon his Fall.
P. 17. Christ will proceed at the Day of Judgment according to a double Law, Dr. Wallis of God's Sov…raignty.the Moral Law, and the Law of Faith; the Moral Law saith, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the Law to do it. Now by this Law we are all cast; but the Law of Faith affords to Mankind a mitigation of the Moral Law, and begins where the other ends, God having sent his only begotten Son to this end, that whosoever believes on him should not perish (notwithstanding the Condemnation of the Moral Law) but have everlasting Life. Much like the favourable Law amongst us, which affords the Benefit of Clergy, &c. P. 19. Those therefore whom Christ shall then acquit, are acquitted by the Gospel, or Law of Faith; those whom he condem…s, he condemns by both Laws.
P. 230. They that really believe Forgiveness in God, do thereby obtain Forgiveness.Dr. Owens on Ps. 130. Believing gives an interest in it, it brings it home to the Soul concerned. This is the inviolable Law of the Gospel; Believing and Forgiveness are inseparably conjoined. P. 139. he saith, Repentance was no Duty to Adam in Eden, it is none for the Angels in Heaven, nor for the Damned in Hell, what then may be the Language of this Appointment? O Sinners! come and deal with God by Repentance, &c. It's true, many do deceive themselves, they raise themselves unto an expectation of Immunity, not on Gospel-grounds: But God deceives none, whoever comes to him on his Proposal of Repentance, shall find Forgiveness. It's said of some, He will laugh at their Calamity, &c. But who are they? Only such as refuse his Call to Repentance, with the Promises of Acceptation annexed. See p. 254.
P. 375. Faith is the only Condition of the Covenant of Grace, which is thereforeDownam on Iustif. called the Law of Faith.
P. 7. The Covenant of Grace, the Apostle calls it the Law of Faith, and it isSedgwick of the Covenant. especially expressed thus, He that believes shall be saved.
P. 308. The Precept of Believing is a Gospel-Precept only, and the Punishment for Unbelief is threatned and inflicted in relation to the Gospel; as he oft shews at large, and in p. 10. instanceth in five things a great difference between Faith in Adam and Gospel-Faith, one of which is, that tho' there was a kind of Faith in Adam, yet it was not to be the Condition of that Covenant, &c. But the Faith required in the Covenant of Grace comes in purposely as the Condition of Life, and Justification for the Sinner.
P. 18. Oh saith the Law, such Duties have been omitted, such Sins have beenDr. Jacomb on Rom. 8. committed, such Sabbaths have been prophaned, &c. such Tenders of Grace have been slighted, (Here (saith he) the Gospel▪ Law comes in as an Accuser too.) And p. 55, & 553. You must so confide and rely on Christ's one most perfect and all-sufficient Sacrifice, as yet withal to be careful that you, on your part, do perform those Gospel-Conditions, which God enjoins and requires of you, in order to Remission, Justification, and Glorification, &c. The whole Business of Merit and Satisfaction lies upon Christ, but as to Believing and Repenting, the two grand Gospel-Conditions, they lye upon your selves, (with respect to the Act, tho' not the Power) and must be done by your selves; yea, and the doing of these is as necessary on your parts, under the notion of Conditions, as suffering and dying was on Christ's part under the notion of Merit: And it is most certain, that the latter without the former will not profit you, because Christ never designed to impute, or make over his Merit to any, further than as they should make good these Conditions of Faith and Repentance. P. 553. he shews the Rock of Popery is to trust in these as Merits, and the Rock of Antinomianism is to deny that respect to Holiness, Obedience, Faith, and Repentance which is due to them, as Means and Conditions. P. 157. you read Rom. 3. 27. the Law of Faith, and the Law of Works, very opposite and contrary Laws.
P. 610. Unbelief is disobedience to the Law of Faith, when discover'd to Men; Mr Charnock, 2 …ol.therefore it is our Sin (not the Sin of Heathens, as that is disobedience to any Law) which is against that Law when revealed and known. See p. 314. The Law of Christ requires Belief in the Satisfaction he hath wrought, for the Law of Christ is not as the Law at the Creation was, &c. p. 683.
P. 190. Vocatur lex, &c. The Covenant of Grace is called the Law of Faith, Turretin Instit. Theol. par. 2. Mr. M. Mead Early Obedience.because Faith is therein prescribed to us as the Condition of the Covenant.
P. 146. There is a legal necessity that he that continues in his Lusts and Unregeneracy must perish, and that because of the Will and Law of God. As God wills the Salvation of all that will turn to God and obey him, so he wills the Damnation of all that will not, but hold fast their Lusts and refuse to return. As He hath made a Law, that whosoever will come to Christ, and take up his yoke, shall find rest to his Soul, and shall livefor ever; so He hath declared it as peremptorily, that he that slights Christ, and will not hearken to him, nor obey him, shall be utterly cast off. P. 148, 102, 103. It is He that with the Father hath established this, as the great Condition of Salvation, bearing the Yoke. So that it is the standing Law of Heaven, whoever will be saved, must take up Christ's Yoke: This is the way to Blessedness, and there is no other. Bear the Yoke of Christ and be blessed, cast that off, and he will cast you off; submit and be saved, reject it and Christ will reject you: This is the unalterable Condition of Salvation, and there is no other. Things are so settled in the eternal Compact between the Father and the Son, about the Case of Man, that the Blood of Christ it self cannot stead us, nor the Mercy of God (infinite as it is) benefit us, without this Condition be performed by us. P. 202. In the day of Judgment God will not proceed with Men upon Election and Reprobation, but upon Obedience or Disobedience to his Law, Rom. 2. 7, 8, 9, &c. God will vindicate the justice of his Proceedings in that day, by making the Word the Rule of his Judgment to all that are under it, Ioh. 12.48. P. 165. God hath not absolutely promised Salvation and Eternal Life to any, but he hath annexed it to certain Dispositions and Qualifications, without which we shall never share in the Blessing promised. P. 119. Mat, 5. 8, &c. P. 72. None can be saved by all which Christ hath done and suffered, but upon these Conditions, and they are Self-denial, Faith, Repentance, taking up the Cross, Obedience; these are the unalterable Conditions of Salvation, and these Conditions of Salvation are the Yoke of Christ. These Passages of this worthy Divine amount to no more than what Dr. Ames saith.
P. 189. Bellarmin objecting Mat. 11. 29. My yoke is easie; Ames answers, Pro Ames Bellarm. E…er. Tom. 4. lib. 6. cap. 7.lege, &c. There's nothing said in these words concerning the Law, simply taken, and the perfect observation of it; but they speak of the Gospel, that is, of Faith and new Obedience, that's the easie Yoke of Christ. I could bring an hundred places out of Dr. Manton, wherein he calls the Gospel a Law, and proves it.Mant. most frequently. See 2 Serm▪ o… Rom. 8.
Altingius proves, that the Repentance required of us is a Gospel▪ Command, and not required by the Law. Peraeus, Peter Martyr, yea, Chamier himself, affirm the Gospel to be a Law of Faith. Indeed who deny it, except a few Lutherans, who also deny the Doctrine of Perseverance, and three or four …ranaker Divines, who are followed by several of the Cocceians, but not by all of them? See more Proof of this under the next two Heads. I shall subjoyn the Assembly of Divines. Q. What doth God require of us, &c? A. To escape the Wrath and Curse of God, due to us for Sin: God requireth of us Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance unto life,Assembly of Divin…s … …. with the diligent use of all the outward means, whereby God communicates to us the Benefits of Redemption. Reader▪ 1. Is not that Sign or Instrument whereby God requires these things, to this end, a Law of God? What's a Law if that be not? Is it the Counsel of a Fellow-Subject? No, it's God's commanding Act, he requires these. 2. Doth God require these of us to this end in the Law of Adam, or in the Gospel? Was innocent Man to escape the Curse due to him? No, it was not upon him; that Law did not suppose him undone; it must then be the Voice of God by the Gospel to fallen Man. The Gospel enjoyns these Duties to this end, with a Promise that we shall not fail of this end, if we omit none of these Duties. Here's the Gospel-Law.
II. TESTIMONIES that the GOSPEL hath its proper Threatnings.
P. 90. The best Perswasion we can arrive at, concerning the Spiritual ConditionD. Owens, on Heb. c. 6. v. 9. of any, leaves room for Gospel-Threatnings, &c. And p. 91. Whatever we (Ministers) may conceive of the state of any such, they are not to baulk or wave the delivery and pressing of any Evangelical Warnings, or the severest Threatnings contained in the Gospel. P. 91. Others should not think they are hardly dealt with, when they are prest and urged with the severest▪ Threatnings of the Gospel▪ See him on Cap. 4. Heb. v. 1, 2. P. 217, 180, 181, 182, on Ps. 130. p. 266. he On Ps. 130.that believeth not shall be damned: That's a hard word, many men cannot endure to hear of it; they would not have it named by their good-wills, &c. But let not men deceive themselves; this is the softest word that Mercy and Love it self, that Christ, that the Gospel speaks to despisers of Forgiveness, &c. Mr▪ Mead: It'sEpist. before the Almost-Christian. sad, but certain, that the Gospel inflicts a Death of its own, as well as the Law.
P. 121. There be many Threatnings annexed to the Covenant of Reconciliation,Gilaspie, Ark of the Covenant. Threatnings of Gospel-Vengeance to the Transgressors of the Covenant, but there are no Threatnings in the Covenant of Suretiship, nothing denounced against the man Christ, &c. How many places might I collect from Mr. C's Father?Mr. Chancy of …. P. 124. Ye Unbelievers! your Curse is doubled, and your Condemnation is the Condemnation. Iohn 3. 19. the Law pronounceth a Curse for breaking of it, but the Gospel a far greater for not receiving Christ, and your Life and Salvation which is offered to you through him. P. 303, This Gospel-Iustice, which is the most terrible.
P. 309. The Gospel is so far from promising Life, by the Death of Christ, to… on the Cov. impenitent and unbelieving persons, that it threatens and seals Death, and Wrath, and Condemnation to them, Iohn 3. 36, 18, &c. If you read the Canons of the Synod of Dort. you'l find Evangelii minas, the Threatnings of the Gospel. ThisActa …. par. 1. p. 313. point is so obvious in all orthodox Writers, that I forbear more Testimonies. But why are Gospel-Threatnings a Bull? No doubt, because the Gospel is foreign, glad tidings. And indeed, is it bad news that Sinners shall be saved, if they repent and believe, and many shall believe? Will nothing be glad tidings, but that they shall be saved, tho' they neither repent nor believe? This indeed was a Message unfit for God to send; and tho' Mr. C. calls it a Bull, Christ hath solemnly declared, as the Lord of the N. Testament, that they who believe not, the Wrath of God abideth in them. This cannot be a Threatning of Adam's Law, for those Threatnings respected every Sin. It is true; the Unbeliever is damned for other Sins, by rejecting Christ, but what makes those Sins damning to him in the event, notwithstanding the Offers of Life? Is it every Sin will do this? Will a vain Thought exclude a man from Pardon, as much and as surely as final Unbelief? Surely no: But yet the Threatning of Adam's Law denounced Death against any Sin, as much and as certainly as against final Infidelity, and so did not appropriate Death to Infidelity, as the Gospel-Threatning doth. Besides, is it an abiding of Wrath on us, which Adam's Law threatned? No, it was the first bringing of Wrath on them that were free before.