Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. Of intending our Souls Good by Duties we perform.
TRUTH. THough we ought to intend God's Glory as our supream End in all our Duties, and design therein the Expressing our Love and Gratitude to God for his Benefits, with a great Regard to publick Good: Yet we also lawfully may, and ought to strive after Grace, grow in it, and perform holy Duties and Services; with an Eye to, and Concern for our own spiritual and eternal Advantage.
ERROUR. No Man ought to propose to himself any Advantage, by any Religious Duty he performeth. nor ought he in the least intend the Profit of his own Soul, by any Christian Endeavours; it being vain and unlawful to do any thing with an Eye to our spiritual or eternal Good, though in subordination to God's Glory in Christ.
Proved that this is Dr. Crisp's Opinion.
What I have recited of the Doctor's in the last Chapter, will spare much Labour here. I will add a few Words, P. 150. There is nothing you can do, from whence you ought to expect any Gain unto your selves, &c. Christ hath redeemed us, that we should not henceforth live to our selves, but to him that died for us, &c. The Scripture is plentiful in this, that no Believer, for whom Christ died, should have the least Thought in his Heart of promoting or advancing himself, or any End of his own, by doing what he doth. Obj. But sure he intends only to exclude a Design of Meriting, or setting up our own Profit in opposition to God's Glory. A. No: He intends to forbid our intending our own Good, though in subordination to Gods Glory, and the laying no stress of meriting. For he saith, People may think here's a marvellous Discouragement to Persons, to do what God calls them to do, when they shall have nothing for it. I Answer, When there is a Spirit of Ingenuity, they shall be as industrious to glorifie God, and to do good to Men, as if they did it for themselves. They shall do as much for Good already bestowed, as if they were to procure it by their own Doing. Now you cannot suppose, Men can merit God's Glory by what they do: And he argues, that it is dis-ingenuous and vain, to intend our own Good at all. Saith he, There is no Discouragement, because you cannot propound to your selves any possible Gain; but whatever is a Spur, or Encouragement to Duty, is already freely and graciously provided to your Hand, &c. When you fall on Humiliation, Prayer, and Selfdenial, What do you look for? &c. Saith one, I get this by it, Prevention of many great Evils hanging over my Head, Another saith, Peace of Conscience, Joy in the Holy Ghost, Assurance of Pardon of Sin; these things would I get by attending on Ordinances, by serving God Day and Night, in that way he calls me out unto. I tell you plainly, there's none of all these things that conduce a jot towards the obtaining of any of these Ends you propose to your selves. P. 149. The World is grown to a miserable pass, that Obedience, Zeal, and Seeking after God, must be of no use at all, except a Man himself be a Gainer by his Obedience, &c. I say, except you will fall upon the Performance of Duties for the common Good and Benefit, without having any such Conceits, as what shall accrew to you thereby, you are not Persons yet come to have that common Spirit, and dead to the old Spirit, as becomes Christians. P. 425. When you labour by Prayer, and seeking the Lord, to prevail with God to take away his Displeasure, &c. and to procure such Good, &c. you serve not God now, you serve your selves, &c.
Wherein the Difference is not.
1. It is not whether we should principally aim at God's Glory in all we do. 2. Nor whether we should aim at a publick Good with great Concern. 3. Nor whether Gratitude to God deserves our utmost Service, and Love to him, should influence our Aims and Labours. 4. Nor whether we ought to renounce every Thought of purchasing from God, any Benefit for what we do. 5. Nor whether Carnal Selfishness, or seeking Pleasures, Riches, Honour, &c. above spiritual and eternal Good, be the undoing Sin of the World. All these I affirm.
Wherein the Real Difference is.
1. Whether the spiritual Improving, and saving our Souls, may be a Motive with us to our Religious Duties and Endeavours. This the Doctor denies and I affirm. 2. Whether our Souls Advantage be not so joyned with God's Glory, that we ought to intend them both, as the Scope of our Life and Labours.
The Truth Confirmed.
1. I have in the last Chapter, proved that our Graces and Duties do benefit us, and God hath appointed them to this End, that thereby we may obtain those Benefits; if so, we then despise God's Ordination, in not intending our obtaining the Benefits, when we act those Graces and Duties; and we obey his Will in doing them for that end.
2. All Promises and Threats in the Word, directed as Motives to Obedience are foolish, if we must not intend our own Good by our Obedience. How are they Arguments with the Will, to perswade from our own Advantage? if we must not aim at that Advantage in doing the Duty, I am perswaded to thereby: When Christ saith, Come to me and I will give you Rest, Mat. 11. 28. Must not I intend that Rest in coming to him? God saith, Turn to me and live, Ezek. 18. 32. Must not I turn to him for Life, or frustrate his Use of that Argument? The Devil will soon prevail with us to sinful Neglects, if he can thus enervate all the Pleadings of God with Men. The best Helps which God hath contrived for our Holiness and Diligence, are rendred vain, if we must have no Eye to the Advantages he hath promised to our Duties and Obedience. How should a Crown of Glory engage Ministers to Faithfulness, if they must not aim at it in their Labour, 1 Pet. 5. 2, 4. What Influence have such Pleas? If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us, 1 Tim. 2. 12. What Encouragement is it to suffer, if I must not suffer with an Eye to that reigning? The very Substance of the Bible proves this Point, Col. 3. 34, 25. 1 Tim. 4. 16, &c.
3. The Spirit of God approveth of holy Men's regard to their own Advantage. Heb. 11. 26. Moses had respect to the Recompence of Reward. And this is given as the very Cause why he esteemed the Reproach of Christ above the Treasures of Aegypt: For he had Respect, &c. Paul governed himself by these Regards: For if I do this willingly, I have a Reward. They do it to obtain a corruptible Crown, but we an incoruptible, 1 Cor. 9. 17, 24. That is, they are temperate, who strive for an earthly Crown; we are temperate and diligent to obtain an eternal Crown, 2 Cor. 4. 16, 17. For which cause we faint not, &c. for our light Affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory. Were all Doing for Life, and an Eye to gain by Service, such a legal and wicked thing, as some represent it, sure the blessed Jesus would have admonished his Disciples, and not answer them as he doth, Mat. 19. 27, 28, 29. Then answered Peter, and said unto him, behold we have forsaken all, and followed thee; What shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, verily, &c. Ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones, judging the twelve Tribes of Israel, &c.
4. The Doctor's Argument from the Vanity of proposing our own Gain by Labour and Duties, because all is fixed and given already; is to make the Decree an effectual Means to overthrow the Government of Christ, and brand all his Offers to Sinners with Weakness and Falshood. Should not poor Sinners pray as they can, abstain from Sin, consider and apply the Word with an Eye to Conversion? Why doth God call them to this? Should not they wait and strive to believe and repent, with an Eye to Forgiveness and escaping VVrath? VVhy else should God encourage them with an Offer of these upon such Terms; and tell the Unbelievers, that they refuse these Mercies by new Forfeitures? But by the Doctor's Scheme, the Elect may be idle, and the Non-elect do best when they despair; for there's no Connexion between these Benefits, and these Graces or Duties. And so the Non-elect are in the same Case with Devils, there being no serious Offer to them; nay, their Case is worse than Devils, for these Offers are made to them for no other Design, but to increase their Condemnation. Nay, every Sin of their's, is the Sin against the Holy Ghost; that is, every Sin is alike, the Unpardonable Sin, and not only that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. To say no more, Christ hath no Rule of distributive Justice, but his own eternal Purpose, and Men's Regards to his promised Benefits, are all forbidden, even when our Respect to them, is that which subserves his Government, and is supposed in all the Methods of it.
5. And why should we intend the Glory of God, the Service of Christ, or the Good of others? Are not these as determined as our own Good? Hath not God fixed and secured his own Glory? Doth Christ need our services more than our selves? Shall any other Persons receive more Good than God hath already given and provided for them? Why should we intend these in our Duties, more than our own Profit? the very same Reason excuseth from all, and so we ought to intend nothing at all. I could shew, had I Room, that we cannot sincerely aim at our Souls good, but we therein aim at God's Glory. Nor doth God ever require us to intend his Glory, but in a Concurrence with an Eye to our own Salvation.
TESTIMONIES.
You have seen in the last Chapter, the Assembly's and Congregational Elders Judgment; and that we are not the less under Grace, for being encouraged to do good by the Promises, &c. The Case is so plain, that I shall only give the Judgment of the greater part of those Reverend Divines whose Names are set in the Front of Dr. Crisp's Works, and interpreted by the VVeak to a contrary purpose than what they intended. These Divines, in the Preface to Mr. Flavel's Book against Antinomianism, (which they approve of) inform us; That to say, Salvation is not the End of any Good VVork we do; or, VVe are to act from Life, and not for Life; were to abandon the Humane Nature; it were to teach us to violate the great Precepts of the Gospel; it supposeth one bound to do more for the Salvation of others, than our own; 'twere to make all the Threatnings of Eternal Death, and Promises of Eternal Life we find in the Gospel of our blessed Lord, useless, as Motives to shun the one, or obtain the other: It makes the Scripture-Characters and Commendation of the most Eminent Saints, a Fault. Had I seen this sooner, it might have spared some of my Reasons.
The Grounds of the Doctor's Mistake.
Because we ought not to do any thing from Carnal Self-love, therefore we ought to do nothing from Rational and Spiritual Self-love. Because Christ redeemed us, that we may not live to our selves as our own Lords; therefore we must not, in obeying him, regard the Rewards he promiseth us, as he is our Lord. Because we must aim at God's Glory above all; therefore we must not at all intend our own happiness in the enjoyment of this God. Because we must aim at the good of others; therefore we must not aim at our own good. Because we should obey God from Gratitude and Love; therefore we should not obey him from any Hope, or filial Fear. Because God hath engaged to give Life and Happiness to the Elect, when they have finished their warfare and work; therefore they must not intend the obtaining that happiness, in any part of that work or warfare.