Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated, Appendix – Index
THE APPENDIX.
I Shall here repeat what I delivered in Pinners-Hall-Lecture, which some Persons seemed greatly to resent; and I leave it to any impartial Man to judge, from what I have described as Dr. Crisp's Opinion, whether I charged Men of his Persuasion with Falshood.
After I had fully acquitted Men of my Judgment, from Pelagianism, Socinianism, and Arminianism, which the Antinomians accuse us of; I added, with these Men, It's not enough that we hold, That we were from Eternity elected to Grace and Glory; unless we add, That we were actually United to Christ, and Justified from Eternity, and in the Womb. It's not enough, that we say, Christ did, in the Covenant of Redemption, undertake to save the Elect in his appointed way and time; unless we add, That there is no other Covenant for the Application of Christ's Benefits; wherein God requires Faith and Repentance, as the indispensible Means of our Pardon. It is not enough, that we own, That Christ absolutely Redeemed the Elect, so as to purchase Saving Graces, as well as Benefits, to be infallibly theirs; unless we add, That all others are in state of Devils; as having no real Offers of Life on Gospel-Terms; nor is their Salvation possible, if they will repent and believe: It will not please them, that we affirm, The Punishment of our Sins; yea, the Guilt of them, as an Obligation to Punishment, were laid upon Christ, our Sponsor; unless we add, That our Sins themselves in their blot and filthiness, were also transacted on Christ. It is not enough, that we own, That the Righteousness of Christ avails us as much as if it were personally our own; yea, was always intended for us, and is so imputed to us, as to be the Foundation of, and Security for our Pardon and Right to Life; and no Atonement for Sin, or purchasing Price of Life, can be demanded from us; unless we also add, That God esteemed us to have done and suffered, what Christ did and suffered. It sufficeth not, that we say, That we are Justified only by Christ's Merits, as the sole procuring Cause, or Righteousness for which we are Justified: unless we deny, That Faith and Repentance are the indispensibly required Conditions or Qualifications of those Persons to whom the Merits of Christ are applied for Justification. It will not serve, that we assert, That Justifying Faith, must be a Reliance on Christ, as Priest, and sole Atonement: unless we deny, That Faith must be also a fiducial Acceptance of a whole Saviour; i. e. of Christ, as Prophet, Priest and King. It's not enough, that we say, We are upon Repenting and Believing, put into a Justified state, hefore any other Work: unless we add, That our Obedience to particular Precepts do not benefit us; and that God doth not judicially approve of our sincere Actings, as according to the Rule of the Gospel-Promises of those Benefits. It is not enough, that we say, The absolute Promises are made to Christ, for the be nefit of the Elect, and pleadable by him; unless we deny, That the Gospel is an authoritative Command on Men to Believe, and that under the Gospel-Sanction of Life and Death: So that he that believes, stall be saved; and he that believeth not, shall be damned. It will not please, that we say, That Christ purchased all Grace for us, and by his Spirit worketh all Grace in us; unless we add, That he Believed, Repented, and did all for us, so as we have nothing to do in order to Salvation. It's not sufficient, that we own, The Grace by which we do any Duty, is from Christ; and the Good promised to any Duty, is for the sake of Christ: unless we deny the ordained Connexion betwixt that Duty and that Benefit. They say, We set up Man's Righteousness, if we tell Men that they must be holy, and do good, and take comfort therein, as an Evidence of Grace, and of their Title to Christ, and as answering the Rule of the Gospel-Promises, though we assert, They must be Members of Christ, and accepted through him; or they cannot partake of any Saving Benefits thereby. It is not right, that we say, God sees no Sin in Believers, so as to cast them out of Covenant, nor out of a Justified-state, for it; unless we add, That God sees no Sin at all in them, as theirs, when they most offend. It's not enough, that we affirm, That Sin committed, shall not eventually damn a Believer, because he shall by the Spirit be brought to Repentance; unless we add, God is never angry with Believers for Sin; nor ever corrects them, as guilty of it. With these we are Legal Preachers, if we urge Faith and Repentance in order to Pardon, though we declare that Faith and Repentance are the Gifts of Christ; and Pardon is not the Effect of these Graces, but of the Promise in the virtue of Christ's Blood, or of his Blood applied for Forgiveness by the Promise. We are Legal Preachers, if we perswade to Holiness, as the way of Salvation by the Ordination of Christ; though we affirm, that it is no way out of Christ; nor but with a respect to Christ, for whom it is accepted, as what answers the Rule of the Gospel-Promise. How are we decried as Legal, if we urge Threatnings, though as Motives to close with Christ, and to walk in him▪ Which being used to this end, and the threatned Evil being avoidable on Gospel-Terms, and pressed on fallen Man for his recovery; they are Gospel, and not Legal Threatnings. It's not enough, That we assert and press Assurance; unless we affirm, That Justifying Faith, is nothing but Assurance. It's not enough, we say, That we need the Spirit, to discover to us our inherent Grace, and to assist Conscience in it's Sentence, That Grace is inherent; unless we add, That we must not try our State, and conclude of it by Gospel-Marks of Sanctification; but depend on an inward Voice of the Spirit, saying, Thy Sins are forgiven; which we must believe, if it agree but to the general Word, viz. Christ came to save Sinners; and believing this is all that Saving Faith the Gospel speaks of. Herein I have, in part, described the state of the Case between them and us. It's true, there are some small Differences among the Orthodox, in Wording some of these things: But shall we hereby give Advantage to such Errours as overturn the Gospel and Dominion of Christ, under the abused Pretext of Exalting Christ, and Free Grace? Bear with this, which for the sake of Christ, and dying Religion, I have ventur'd to declare: not for the Irritation of any, but the Edification of all, especially some mistaken, well-meaning People. Conscience binds me not to palliate, though I fore-see Reproach from some, who would do well to remember the Caution the Spirit of God thought needful to such as boasted of a Faith without Works, and still it appears too pertinent; If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's rereligion is vain, Jam. 2. 26.
SOME General Heads.
THE Elect are Children of Wrath, till effectually called, Page 4
The filth of Sin not transacted on Christ, p. 10
The Act of laying Sins on Christ, is not the discharge of the Elect, p. 17
Mens Sins their own, and not Christ's Sins, p. 25
Our Sins laid on Christ, before he was nailed to the Cross, p. 29
Christ not abhorred by the Father, p. 33
No change of Person between Christ and the Elect, p. 41
Christ's Mediatorial Righteousness not subjectively in us, and how imputed, p. 42
Believers not as Holy as Christ, p. 46
The Covenant of Grace explained, and what a Condition is, p. 53, 57.
The Covenant of Grace Conditional, p. 63
Faith not a Perswasion that my Sins are pardoned, &c. p. 75
Prevailing Enmity, a Hindrance to our present Interest in Christ, p. 85
The Elect not united to Christ without Faith, p. 93
What Union with Christ is, p. 100
Justification not before Faith, p. 105
Repentance necessary to Pardon, p. 114
Sinners have much to do to be saved, p. 129
The Gospel hath Threats and Promises, p. 133
Holiness and Good Works necessary to Salvation, p. 139
They are profitable, and God pleased, &c p. 142, 143, 144
Our own Good should be intended, p. 155
Assurance by Gospel-Marks, and not by an inward Voice, p. 165
God Chargeth Sin on Men, and they should repent for repeated Pardon, p. 175
Sin may hurt Believers, p. 184
God afflicts for Sin, p. 192
Sincere Holiness not Dung, p. 199, 102
Christ doth not repent, &c. for us. p. 211
Conditional Proposals of Benefit on terms of Duty, Gospel-Preaching, p. 213
To excite Fear in sense of Danger, not Legal Preaching. p. 228
Christ more Exalted by the former Truths, than by Dr. Crisp's Opinions, p. 235
The Free Grace of God not honoured by Doctor Crisp, though more Freeness be asserted by him, than by these Truths, p. 239
Part of a Sermon at Pinner's-Hall, Anno 1691.
The Edition of Dr. Crisp's Works I refer to, is the last, Anno 1690.
FINIS.
End of the text · Daniel Williams, Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated (1692)