doned (or else we should yet perish) is not so perfe& as that Pardon and Juft fication in the conclufion of our lives, when all in that ever will be committed is forgiven abfolutely. 6. The kind of our prefens Juftification is imperfect, it being but in Covenant-title, and fome part of execution; the full and pe f& fentence and execution, being at the day of Judg.

ment.

I leave them therefore to fay [Chrifts Righteousness imputed to us is perfect; therefore we are as perfectly just and justified Christ] who know not what Imputation here is; nor that Chrifts perfonal Righteoufnefs is not given to us as proprie tors, in it felf, but in the effects; and who know not the dif ference between Felieving and blafpheming, and making our felves as fo many Chrifts to our felves; and that know not what need they have of Chrift, or of Fai.h, or Prayer, or of any holy endeavour for any more Pardon, and Righteousness or Juftification, than they have already: Or who thinke that David in his Adultery and Murder was as perfectly pardoned and justified as he will be in Heaven at laft: And in a word, who know not the difference between Earth and Heaven.

Eirour 12. That Christ justifieth us only as a Prieft : Or (fay others) only as otaying and fatisfying.

Contr. Chrift merited our Juftification in bis ftate of bumiliation, as the Mediator fubjected to the Law, and perfectly obeying it, and as a facrifice for fin. But this is not juftifying w. Chrift offered that facrifice as the High Priest of the Church or world: But this was not justifying w. Chrift made us the New Covenant as our King, and as the great Prophet of the Father or Angel of the Covenant, Mal. 3.1. And this Covenant giveth. us our pardon and title to impunity, and to life eternal; And Chrift as our King and Judge doth juftific us by a Judiciary Sentence, and alfo by the execution of that fentence: so that the relations moft eminently appear in our Juftification, are all excluded by the forefaid errour.

Errour 13. That we are juftified only by the first act of Faith; and all our believing afterwards to the end of our lives, are no juBifying acts at all.

Contr. Indeed if the queftion be only about the Name of Justifying, if you will take it only for our firft change into a

flate

ftate of righteouinels by pardon, it is true. But the following acts of Faith are of the fame ufe and need to the continuing of our Juftification, or fate of Righteousness, as the first a&t was for the beginning of it.

Errour 14. That the continuance of our Juftification need th no other conditions to be by us performed, than the continuance of that Faith on which it was bigun..

Contr. Where that firft Faith continueth, there our Juftification doth continue: But that Faith never continueth without fincere obedience to Chrift; and that obedience is part of the condition of the continuance, or not lofing our Juftification (as is proved before, and at large elsewhere) The Faith which in Baptifm we profefs, and by which we have our first Juftification or Covenant-right, is an accepting of Chrift as our Saviour and Lord to be obeyed by us in the ufe of his faving remedies; and we there vow and covenant future obedience. And as our marriage to Chrift, or Covenant-making, is all the condition of our first right to him and his benefits, without any other good works or obedience; fo our Marriage-fidelity, or Covenant keeping, is part of the condition of our continuance herein, or not loting it by a divorce, Jobn 15. Cal. 1.23. &c.

Errour 15. That Faith is no condition of our part in Christ, and our Juftification, but only one of Gods gifts of the Covenant; given with Chrift and Fuftification.

Errour 16. That the Covenant of Grace hath no conditions on our part, but only donatives on Gods part.

Errour 17. That if the Covenant had any conditions, it were not free. And that every cenlition is a meritorious caufe, or at least fome cause.

Contr. All these I have confuted at large elsewhere, and proved 1. That Faith is a'proper condition of those benefits which God giveth us by the conditional Covenant of Grace; but not of all the benefits which be any other way giveth us. It was not the condition of his giving Chrift to live and die for us; nor of his giving us the Goffel, or this Covenant it felf; nor ‹ of his giving us Preachers, or of the first motions of his Spirit; nor was Faith the condition of the gift of Faith it felf, because all thefe are not given us in that way, by that Covenant, but abfolutely, as God thall please. 2.That.<

T: 3.

2. That fome Promifes of God of the laft mentioned gifts, have no condition: The promifes of giving a Saviour to the world, and the promife of giving and continuing the Gospel in the world, and of converting many by it in the world, and of making them Believers, and giving them new hearts, and bringing them to falvation, &c. have no conditions. But these are promises made, fome of them to Cbrift only, and fome of them to fallen mankind, or the world in general, or predictions what God will do by certain men unborn, unnamed, and not defcribed, called the Elect. But all this giveth no title to Pardon, or Juftification, or Salvation to any one perfon

at all.

Remember therefore once for all, that the Covenant which I fill mean, by the Covenant of Grace, is that which God offereth men in Baptifm, by the acceptance whereof we become Cbriftians.

3. That Gods gift of a Saviour, and New Covenant to the world, are fo free as to be without any condition: But Gods gift of Chrift with all his benefits of Juftification, Adoption, &c. to individual perfons, is fo free as to be without and contrary to our defert; but not fo free as to be without any condition: And that he that will fay to God [Thy grace of pardon is not free if thou wilt not give it me, but on condition that I c cept it, yea or defire it, or ask it] fhall prove a contemner of grace, and a reproacher of his Saviour, and not an exalter of free grace. There is no inconfiftency for God to be the giver of grace to caufe us to believe and accept of Chrift, and yet to make a deed of gift of him to all on condition of that Faith and acceptance; no more than it is inconfiftent to give Faith and Repentance, and to command them: of both which the objecters themselves do not feem to doubt. For he maketh both his command, and his conditional form of Promife to be his cholin means (and moft wifely chofen) of working in us the thing commanded.

4. That a condition as a condition is no caufe at all, much lefs a meritorious caufe: But only the non-performance of it fufpendeth the donation of the Covenant, by the will of the Denor: Or rather it is the Donors will that fufpendeth it till the condition be done. And fome conditions fignific no more

than

than a term of time: and fome (in the matter of them, and not in the form). are a not-demeriting, or not- abusing the Giver, or not-depifing the gift: and some among men are meritoriom. And with God every act that is chofen by him to be a condition of his gift, is pleafing to him, for fome special aptitude which it hath to that office. This is the full truth, and the plain truth about conditions.

3

Errour 18. There is no degree of pardon given to any that are not perfectly justified, and that shall not be faved: But the giving of the Spirit fo far as to cause us to believe and repent, is Jome degree of executive pardon: Therefore we are juftified before we believe.

Contr. There is a great degree of pardon given to the world, before convertion, which fhall yet juftifie and fave none but Believers: Gods giving a Saviour to the world, and a New Covenant, and in that an universal conditional pardon; yea his giving them teaching, exhortations and offers of free grace; and his giving them life and time, and many mercies which the full execution of the Law would have deprived them of, is a very great degree of pardon. God pardoned to mankind much of the penalty which fin deferved, even presently after the first tranfgreffion, in the promise made to Adam, Gen. 3:15. Many texts of Scripture (which partial men for their opinions fake do pervert) do speak magnificently of a common pardon, which must be fued out, and made particular upon our believing. The world was before under so much impoffibility of being faved by any thing that they could do, that they muft have procured all to be done first which Chrift hath done and fuffered for them; which was utterly above their power. They that were actually obliged to bear the pains of death, both temporal, fpiritual and eternal; are now fo far redeemed, pardoned and delivered, that all the merit and satisfaction neceffary to actual forgiveness, is made for them by another, and no one of them all fhall perish for want of a Sacrifice made and accepted for them; and an universal conditional pardon is enacted, fealed, and recorded, and offered and urged on all to whom the Gospel cometh; and nothing but their obftinate, wilful refafal or neglect, can deprive them of it. And this is fo great a degree of pardon, that it is called often By fuch abe

folute

folute names, as if all were done; becaufe all is done which concerneth God as Legislator or Covenant maker, to do, before our own. Acceptance of it.

Suppofe a Prince redeem all his captive subje&s from the Turkith flavery, and one half of them fo love their state of bondage, or fome harlot or ill company there(yea if all of them do fo, till half of them are perfwaded from it) that they will not come away. It is no improper, nor unufual language to fay that he hath redeemed them, and given them a release, though they would not have it. That may be given to a man, which he never bath, because he refufeth to accept it; when the Donor hath done all that belongeth to him in that relation of a Donor; though perhaps as a Perfwader he might do

more.

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This is the fenfe of Heb. 1.3. When be bad by himself purged our fins (or made purgation of our fins) he fate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; that is, when hehad become a facrifice for fin, and fealed the Covenant by his blood.] For actual perfonal pardon was not given by him before our ac ceptance.

This is the plain fenfe of 2 Cor. 5.18, 19, 20. God was in Chrift reconciling the world to bimself, not imputing to them their trefpees (that is, purchafing and giving them a pardoning Covenant) and bath committed to us the word, and miniftry of reconciliation: Now then we are Embassadours for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrifts ftead to be reconciled to God.

John 1. 29, 36. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the fins of the world; (that is, as a facrifice for fin.) As Heb. 9. 26. Once in the end of the world be harb appeared to put away fin, by the facrifice of himself: (Though the facrifice as offered only, doth not actually and fully pardon it.) The fame as Heb. 10. 12. After be had offered one Sacrifice for fins for ever, fate down on the right band of God.be debt

So Matth. 18. 27, 32. He forgave him the debt 1 forgave thee all that debt... vix conditionally, and as David forgave Shimei.

Pfal. 78.38. He forgave sheir iniquity, and destroyed them not, he forgave the temporal punishment, and fufpended the

that is,

Stric

́execution