Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated, Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII. Of the Honour of the Free Grace of God.
I Shall briefly consider whether Dr. Crisp's Opinion, or the described Truths, do most exalt the Free Grace of God. To this end I shall touch on these Heads.
1. We must be sure it is the Free Grace of God we speak of: This is the Love, Mercy and Benignity of God to Sinners. To conceive aright of this, Note, That it is not every thing that Man can fancy, to be Free, or Grace, or Free Grace; that is, the Free Grace of God: No, it must be a Grace free, becoming the Nature of God, suitable to all his other holy Perfections, consistent with his Dominions, executing it self in the VVay and Instances appointed by his VVisdom; limited to the Objects, both for Number and Qualifications, as described by his VVord; and serving all it's glorious Purposes of Redemption. This is the Free Grace of God: The Grace of God in Truth, Col. 1. 6. The true Grace of God, which Peter had at large described, 1 Pet. 5. 12. This Grace consists with an Atonement made by Christ; with the Threatnings denounced in the Gospel; with the Ruine of all unbelieving, apostate, ungodly Sinners; with God's peremptorily insisting on Gospel-Terms, in the Distribution of Benefits; or else it would clash with his VVord, &c. It's not less the Free Grace of God, because it is not so free as we may dream it is: As some do fancy, it would have been more Free Grace, if he had not exacted a Dying-Sacrifice; or if it had alike extended to all sinful Men, as well as some; or included Devils, as well as Men; or made the Elect perfectly holy and happy as soon as born, excluding all Labour, Pain, Sin and Sorrow. But we see such Free Grace is not the Free Grace of God; though it seems more Free, or more Grace, to vain Surmisers, it is not Free as, if it dispensed Privileges by no certain Rule; and that God is as free to forgive and save the Impenitent, as the Penitent.
2. VVhat I have stated as Truth, doth acknowledge and exalt this Free Grace of God. I have affirmed, and would admit the fullest Expressions to testifie, that in these is the Free Grace of God in Truth. Of mere Grace he elected some certain Sinners to Life, upon no moving, fore-seen Condition; but yet to obtain it through Sanctification of the Spirit to Obedience, and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus. Of mere Love to Sinners, no way deserving it, he gave his Son to die for them; who also undertook to bring all the Elect to Salvation, in the way appointed between the Father and him: He, without any thing in Man to deserve it, gave his Gospel; and thereby offereth, in the virtue of his Son's Blood, Pardon, and Eternal Life, to every one that will repent, and truly believe; and no penitent, persevering Believer shall miss of Life by a failure of this Promise: He freely and of mere Grace bestows Faith and Repentance; yea, gives his Spirit to create these, and any other good VVork, in worthless, vile Sinners: And though he will not forgive any that finally refuse to believe and repent, nor save any ungodly, barren, apostate Man; yet Pardon and Life are his free-Gift, and no Grace or Duty merits them, they being no more than the required Conditions or Means of our partaking them, as the Gifts of God, through Christ; and so hereby he honours his own Government, and no way indulgeth the boastings of Men.
3. The Opinions of Dr. Crisp, as they differ from these Truths, do not exalt the Free Grace of God: His Notions may seem more to represent an unlimited Grace as blind, and so more suitable to wicked, foolish Men: But it is not agreeable to the holy Nature, nor just or wise Government, or the revealed Will of God; but greatly reflects on God's Grace, beyond what I will mention. Is it the honour of God's Grace, that all the Graces of the Spirit should be needless to promised Benefits, when he promiseth those Benefits to them? Is it the Grace of an holy God, not to esteem a Man filthy by the greatest Abominations, and yet abhorr his own Image in his Saints, as Dung? Is it the Free Grace of God, to account an Elect Person, in the heighth of his VVickedness, as pure and as lovely as a Saint in Glory; and yet with-hold his Spirit from him many years? Is it the Grace of God, to leave his Precepts without any Sanction, when he removed the Curse of the Law? Never to express any displeasure, when most provoked; yea, when he doth correct? To have no regard to Good or Evil in Men, in his judicial Distributions? To leave Men so Imperfect in a VVorld of Temptations, and State of Tryal, free from all fear of Caution, and to have nothing in them to influence their Perseverance and Holiness, except a Principle of Gratitude, though their Love be weak? Can it be the Grace of God, that his Subjects must have no Eye to his Rewards or Threats; fear none of his Displeasure when they offend; be confident of the Pardon of the worst Offences, before they confess a Fault; never fear a Rebuke for, or Hurt in or by any Sin; yea, condemn any trouble on that account, though he blame the contrary, and his Spirit causeth these Relentings? Is it the Free Grace of our God, which renders him a Respecter of Persons in his judicial Acts, as the Ruler and Judge of the VVorld, because he bestows Grace as an Act of Sovereignty? It cannot be his Free Grace, who hath so wisely contrived the Kingdom of his Grace, that he prevents Idleness and Neglect in Men, as well as Boasting; that he makes the Sinner speechless, for being his own Undoer, by wilfully refusing Christ, as well as he secures the acknowledgment of his Free Mercy by all that are saved. Can that Grace be his, which nullifies all his Threats, weakens the Authority of all his Commands, turns all his Pleadings with Men into empty VVords; nay, direct Fallacies? Is it the Grace of God that overturns the stated Order wherein Grace exerts it self, becoming all the Perfections of God? God's Grace first calls, and therein unites us to Christ; first quickens, then dignifies; first gives Faith, then Forgives, &c. But by the Doctor's Opinion, this Order is in…erted; all Privileges are applied to the Sinner, before Grace hath made any Change on the Sinner. It's not the Grace of God, which …ets up his Decree in Opposition to his revealed VVill, Acquits whom he declares Condemned, Enervates the Ministry, Seareth the Conscience, Encourageth Spiritual Sloth, Discourageth Obedience, Reproacheth God…iness, gives Advantage to the Tempter, Destroys the Rule of Judgment, and Opposeth the general, and plain scope of the Scripture, the Experience of Saints, and the Nature of Man, as Rational, as well as his Relation to God, as a Subject, in the way to an Eternal State. It cannot be God's Free Grace, which renders Men as safe for Eternity, if they never heard the Gospel, as by hearing of it; for if they be united to Christ, and pardoned in the Womb, they need the Gospel only for Assurance, but not for Title; to change their Apprehensions, but not their State. How many more (and some grosser) Objections might be offered against that being the Free Grace of God, which Dr. Crisp and his Followers speak of as Free Grace? I desire to live, adoring the Riches of that Grace, that freely elected to Grace and Glory in Christ (as the great Means of accomplishing this Purpose) so many apostate Sinners; that freely offers Life to the worst Enemies, on Gospel-Terms, with so much help, as leaves the Blood of the Impenitent on their own Heads; that freely bestows the Spirit, to work the Dead and Ungodly to an Obedience to the Terms of the Gospel; that freely gives, by the Promise for Christ's sake, Pardon to the penitent Believer; and such amazing Dignity to such as he enableth to persevere in Faith and Holiness, as the Rule of the Promise doth require. This Grace I adore, and own the best to merit nothing to forfeit all; yea, to deserve Hell by the Law of Works: And I do renounce all that Saints have, or do, as any Atonement for Sin, or Purchasing Price of the least Benefit, much less of Salvation. But yet I disown any Free Grace to be the Free Grace of God which overturns his Benefits from being Motives to Duty; denies the total neglect of Duties, with their contrary Evils from being a Barr to our Interest in those Benefits which by the Gospel he promiseth to those Duties; and requires those Duties, in order to this Rectoral Distribution of Blessings, it being wisely provided for in the Dispensation of this Grace, that he may Rule and Judge us according to his Relation to us, and according to our rational Nature, in a state of Tryal, for a future Condition.
READER, There are other Mistakes of Doctor Crisp's, which I might instance; as, his Notion of the Nature of our Union with Christ, as if we were One Natural Person with him: His Difinition of the New Creature, as if it stood only in our New Relation to Christ. P. 90. The strange difference he makes between the way of Salvation before Christ's time, and since. P. 254, 255, 256, 258. Their Sins were pardoned, on Condition of Doing, not given for all Sins at once; much Dust left, and they were subject to Lashes for Sin; but now the Covenant is contrary in all these respects. How contrary to the Sense of the Assembly and Elders at the Savoy, ch. 11. a. 6. The Justification of Believers under the Old Testament, was in all these respects one and the same with the Justification of Believers under the New Testament. He forgets that most of his Proofs be fetch'd from the Old Testament, as Ezek. 16, &c. Jacob loved in the Womb, &c. and seems not to distinguish the Covenant of Grace, and that of Peculiarity. But these, with other Errours, I pass by,