Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated, Title page – Errata
Gospel-Truth Stated and Vindicated.
Wherein some of Dr. CRISP's Opinions Are Considered; AND THE OPPOSITE TRUTHS ARE Plainly Stated and Confirmed.
BY DANIEL WILLIAMS.
LONDON, Printed for John Dunton, at the Raven in the Poultrey, 1692.
WE whose Names are subscribed, do judge that our Reverend Brother hath, in all that is material, fully and rightly stated the Truths and Errours mentioned as such in the following Treatise: And do account he hath in this Work done considerable Service to the Church of Christ: Adding our Prayers, that these Labours of his, may, as we hope they will, by the Blessing of God upon them, be a Means for the reclaiming of those that have been missed into such dangerous Opinions; and for the establishing those that waver in any of these Truths:
Wiliam Bates, Samuel Slater, John How, Abraham Hume, Vinc. Alsop, Nich. Blakey, W. Lorimer, John Reynolds, Edw. Lawrence, John Showers, Rich. Mayo, Nath. Taylor, Rich. Stretton, Tho. Kentish, John Quick, Nath. Oldfield.
Many more were ready to attest these Truths, but the haste of the Press prevents their Subscription.
TO THE READER.
A Dislike of Contention hath long restrained my engaging in this Work, tho oft sollicited thereto by several worthy Ministers. Peace is the Blessing which I chearfully pursue; and is, with the Truth, what I propose in this very Endeavour. I am convinced, after frequent Prayers, and serious Thoughts, That the Revival of these Errours, must not only exclude that Ministry as Legal, which is most apt in its Nature, and by Christ's Ordination, to Convert Souls, and secure the Practical Power of Religion; but also renders Unity among Christians a thing impossible. Every Sermon will be Matter of Debate, and mutual Censures of the severest kind, are unavoidable; while one side justly press the Terms of the Gospel, under its Promises and Threats, for which they are accused as Enemies to Christ and Grace; and the other side ignorantly set up the Name of Christ, and Free Grace, against the Government of Christ, and the Rule of Judgment. I believe, many Abettors of these Mistakes, are honestly zealous for the honour of Free Grace, but have not Light sufficient to see how God hath provided for this, in his rectoral Distribution of Benefits by a Gospel-Rule. By this Pretence, Antinomianism so corrupted Germany; it bid fair to overthrow Church and State in New-England; and by its stroke at the Vitals of Religion, it allarm'd most of the Pulpits in England. Many of our ablest Pens were engaged against these Errours; as Mr. Gataker, Mr.Rutherford, Anthony Burgess, the Provincial Synod at London; with very many others, whose Labours God was pleased to bless to the stopping of the Attempts of Dr. Crisp (by Name opposed by the foresaid Divines) Saltmarsh, Denne, Eaton, Hobson, &c. To the grief of such as perceive the tendency of these Principles, we are engaged in a new Opposition, or must betray the Truth as it is in Jesus. I believe many Abettors of these Notions, have Grace to preserve their Minds and Practices from their Influence: But they ought to consider, that the generality of Mankind have no such Antidote; and themselves need not fortifie their own Temptations, nor lose the Defence which the Wisdom of God hath provided against remissness in Duty, and sinful Backslidings. Who can wonder at the Security of Sinners, the mistaking the Motion of sensible Passions for Conversion, and the general abatement of exact and humble walking, when so many affirm, Sins are not to be feared, as doing any hurt, even when the most flagitious are committed? Graces and Holiness cannot do us the least good; God hath no more to lay to the Charge of the wickedest Man, if he be elected, than he hath to lay to the Charge of a Saint in Glory. The Elect are not governed by Fear or Hope; for the Laws of Christ have no Promises nor Threats to rule them by; nor are they under the Impressions of Rewards or Punishments, as Motives to Duty, or Preservatives against Sin, &c.
In this present Testimony to the Truth of the Gospel, I have studied Plainness; and to that end oft repeated the same things in my Concessions, to prevent the Mistakes of the less Intelligent, though I could not think it fit to insist a new upon all. To the best of my knowledge, I have in nothing mis-represented. Dr. Crisp's Opinion, nor mistaken his sence: For most of them he oft studiously pleadeth: Of each I could multiply Proofs, and all of them, be necessary from his Scheme, though not consistent with all his other occasional Expressions. His Scheme is this; That by God's mere Electing Decree, all Saving Blessings are by Divine Obligation made ours, and nothing more is needful to our Title to these Blessings. That on the Cross, all the Sins of the Elect were transferred to Christ, and ceased ever after to be theirs. That at the first moment of Conception, a Title to all those decreed Blessings is personally applied to the Elect, and they invested actually therein. Hence the Elect have nothing to do, in order to an Interest in any of these Blessings; nor ought they to intend the least good to themselves in what they do: Sin can do them no harm, because it is none of theirs; nor can God afflict them for any Sin. And all the rest of his Opinions follow in a Chain, to the dethroning of Christ, enervating his Laws and Pleadings, obstructing the great Designs of Redemption, opposing the very Scope of the Gospel, and the Ministry of Christ, and his Prophets and Apostles. The Doctor had not entertained these Opinions, if he had considered, that God's Electing Decree is no Legal Grant, nor a Formal Promise to us: The Decree includes the Means and the End, willing the first, in order to the last; and as it puts nothing in present being; so it barrs not God, as a Governour, to fix a Connexion between Benefits and Duties by his revealed Will: So if the Doctor had animadverted, That Christ's Sufferings were the Foundation of our Pardon, but not Formally our Pardon; For them our Sins are forgiven, when-ever they be forgiven; without them Sin cannot be forgiven, and they were endured, that the Sins of all the Elect, when Believers, should be forgiven. But yet they are not forgiven immediately upon, nor merely by his enduring those Sufferings; but there were, by Divine Appointment to interpose, a Gospel-Promise of Pardon; the Work of the Spirit, for a conformity to the Rule of the Promise in the Person to be pardoned, and a judicial Act of Pardon by that Promise on the Person thus conformed to the Rule thereof.
To clear this Point, Consider, 1. The Law is sometimes taken for the Preceptive part of God's Will, with the Sanction of the Covenant of Works. In this Covenant, Life was promised to sinless Obedience; and Death was threatned against every Sin, without admitting Repentance to Forgiveness. Upon the Fall, Life is impossible by the Law with this Sanction: And hence, to preach it to Sinners as a way of Blessedness, is sinful and vain, and no Saving Benefit is dispenced to any of us by this Rule. 2. The Gospel includes the Moral Preceptive part of the first Law, with some additional Precepts, which suppose our Apostate state; as Faith in an atoneing Saviour, and Repentance for Sin: These could not be enjoyned as Duties on innocent Man, by a Rule of Happiness and Misery; nor could they be necessary to his Right to Life, because they would suppose him a Sinner. The Gospel is taken in a large sence, when I say it includes all the Moral Precepts; but yet the Gospel doth so, and they are the Commands of Christ, as Redeemer, (to whom all Judgment is committed,) as well as the Law of the Creator. 3. The Gospel hath another Sanction to the Preceptive part of the Law, than the Covenant of Works had. Though nothing be abated in the Rule of Sin and Duty, yet Blessings are promised to lower degrees of Duty; and a continuance in a state of Deuth, with a barr to the Blessing, are not threatned against every degree of Sin, as the Covenant of Works did. Can any doubt this to be the Grace of the Gospel-Promise? Doth it promise Life to all Men, however vile and impenitent they be? Or doth it threaten Damnation, or a Continuance of it, on any true, penitent, believing, godly Man, because he is imperfect? This Change of the Sanction supposeth the Death of Christ, and his honouring the Law by his perfect Obedience; wherein God hath provided for his own Glory, while he promiseth Life, by Forgiveness, to imperfect Man; and yet he insists on some degree of Obedience, to which of his mere Grace he enableth us. This the Covenant of Redemption secures to the Elect, tho' the Grant therein is pleadable only by Christ, as the stipulating Party for us; and our personal Claim depends on the Gospel-Covenant, whereof Christ is Mediator. 4. This Gospel-Sanction determines as certain a Rule of Happiness and Misery, as the Law of Works did, though it be not the same: For while it promiseth Pardon to all believing, repenting Sinners, and declares a barr to pardon to the impenitent Rejecters of Christ, and Gospel-Grace; it fixeth true Repentance, and Faith unfeigned, to be the Terms of Pardon: So when it promiseth Heaven to the sincerely holy, persevering Believer; it fixeth sincere Holiness, and perseverance in Faith, as the Terms of possessing Heaven. Hence the Use of Faith, Holiness, &c. to these Benefits, is not from their Conformity to the Precept, but their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise: Our applying Christ's Righteousness, and relying on it, would no more Justifie us, than our sincere Holiness would Save us, were it not for this Gospel-Promise, That God will Justifie, for Christ's sake, all such as believe. 5. Hence, by Gospel-Grace, there is a great difference between perfect Faith, and utter Unbelief; between sincere Holiness, and formal Profaneness, or Wickedness: True Love to God, and prevailing Enmity; imperfect spiritual Duties, and rebellious Neglects, &c. By the Law of Works, nothing was Holiness, but what was perfectly so, &c. But read the Bible, if thou doubtest whether there is not a true Faith, Holiness, Love, &c. which be short of Perfection. 6. God, in the dispensing of Gospel-promised Blessings, doth judicially determine a Conformity to this Rule of the Promise: When he forgives, he judicially declareth a Man hath true Faith; when he admits into Heaven, he judicially declares a Man sincerely Holy and Persevering. As upon a view of his Guests, he cast out him that had not on the Wedding-Garment, viz. True-uniting Faith; so he judicially determined, That they who were not cast out, but admitted to share in the Marriage Feast, viz. made Partakers of Union with Christ, and the Benefits thereof, had True Faith, and not a mere Profession. As by keeping out the foolish Virgins, for not having Oyl in their Lamps, viz. the Spirit of Grace, and persevering Holiness: so by admitting the wise Virgins, he judicially declared they had a Spirit of Grace, and persevering Holiness. Can any think, that Forgiving, Adopting, Glorifying, or the conveyance of every other promised Benefit given on God's Terms, are not judicial Acts of God, as Rector? If so, doth he dispence these blindly and promiseuously, without any regard to our being Believers, &c. or no? Or whether our Faith be true or no? Any one would blush to affirm it. With respect to what's above declared, the Gospel is called a Law of Faith, a Law of Liberty, &c. and it especially insists on that sincerity of Grace and Holiness which the Rule of the Promise makes necessary in its Description of the Person whom it makes Partaker of its included Benefit. And the main of our Ministry consisteth in pressing Men to answer the Rule of the Gospel-Promises; and disswading Men from those things which the Gospel threatens shall hinder their Interest in all, or any of its Benefits; with an Aggravation of their Misery, if they be final Rejecters of its Grace. We call Men to be reconeiled to God, upon which we know God will be at peace with them: These things will help thy Conceptions, still remembring, that the Merits of Christ are the cause of this Gospel-Ordination: His Righteousness imputed, is the cause for which we are justified and saved, when we do answer the Gospel-Rule. And I exclude not this Righteousness, when I affirm, That the Righteousness of God, Phil. 3. 9. principally intends the Gospel-Holiness of a Person justified by Christ's Righteousness; both which, by Faith in Christ, all his Members shall be perfect in. The Grace of God is hereby stated as free as is consistent with his Government, and Judicial Rectoral Distribution of Rewards and Punishments; and none need the Riches of Grace more than I.
Reader, Note, That in this Book I still speak of the Adult, and not Infants. When I say, The Difference is not; I state my own Concessions, and mean not that the Doctor is in all these of my mind. Thou must expect to take up my full sence, by a view of several Chapters, and not only one; because sundry Chapters referr to the same Points, more or less: And forget not, That though the Doctor oft in his Book speaks to Men, as Believers; yet every thing is true of the Elect, viz. They have as much a Title to all Saving Blessings, only they do not know it. This was his Judgment. I have carefully avoided any Reflexion on Reverend Dr. Crisp, whom I believe a holy Man, and abstained exposing many things according to the Advantage offered, if by any means this Book may become useful to such as most need it. That the Father of Lights would lead us into all Truth and Love, is the Prayer of thy Servant in the Gospel,
London, May 4. 1692. D. Williams.
ERRATA.
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