execution of eternal punishment, giving them yet more time and offers of repentance and offurther mercy. And fo he forgave Abab and Nineve upon their humiliation, Numb. 14. 19. Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people, according to the greatneß of thy mercy, and as thou baft forgiven this people from Egypt until now.

So Pfal. 85. 2, 3. Thou haft forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou baft covered all their fins: thou baft taken away all thy wrath. -Turnu O God of cur falvation, and caufe thine anger to scafe: wilt thou be angry with us for ever? So that they are two palpable errors here afferted by the objectcrs,viz.that there is no degree of pardon to fuch as are not faved; and that we are juftified when ever we have any degree of pardon. We may be fo far pardoned as to have grace given us effectually to be lieve, and yet our Juftification, or the Covenant-forgivenels of eternal punishment, is in order of nature after our believing, and not before it.

Errour 19. That our natures are as far from being able to believe in Chrift, as from being able to fulfil the Law of works, and to be justified by it; they being equaly impoffible to us; and as much belp i neceffary to one as to the other.

Contr. To be juftified by the Law of works, when we have once broken it, is a contradiction, and a natural impoffibility; as it is to be at once a finner, and no finner. But fo it is not for a finner to believe in Chrift: The impoffibility is but moral at moft; which confifteth not in a want of natural faculties of power, but in the want of a right depofition, or willingneß of mind.

And to fulfil the Law of God, and to be perfect for the future, is furely a far higher degree of fpiritual grace and excellency, than to be a poor, weak, fintul believer, defiring to fulfil it. Therefore our finful natures are much farther, off from perfection than from faith.

3. And though the fame Omnipotency do all Gods works (for all Gods Power is Omnipotency) yet it is not equally put forth, and manifefted in all his works; The moving of a feather, and the making of the world, are both works of Om nipotency, but not equal works or exertions of it.

4. And it is certain that in rerum nature, there is fuch a thing

thing as a proper Power given by God, to do many things that never are done; and that neceffary grace (which fome call fiefficient) which is not eventually effectual; for fuch Adam had (fuch Power, and fuch necessary grace or help) to have forborn his firft fin, which he did not forbear. And no man can prove that no tinal unbelievers, have had fuch power and help to have But it is certain that we believed, as Adam had to have flood. have not fuch power and neceffary grace, to have perfectly fulfilled all the Law.

Errour 20. That Faith juftifierb as an inftrument and only fo.

Of this I have written at large heretofore. An inftrument properly fo called, is an efficient cause: Faith is no efficient caufe of our Justification; neither Gods inftrument, nor ours: for we juftine not our felves inftrumentally: The known undoubted inftrument of our Juftification, is Gods Covenant or deed of gift, which is his pardoning at: They that fay it is not a Phyfical but a Moral inftrument, either mean that its marally called an inftrument, that is, reputatively, and not really ; or that it is indeed a moral inftrument, that is, effedeth our JKAification morally. But the latter is falfe; for it effecteth it not at all: and the former is falfe: for as there is no reason; fo there is no scripture to prove that God reputeth it to be what it is not.

All that remaineth to be faid is that indeed Faith in Chrift is an a&t whose nature partly (that is, one act of it) confifteth in the Acceptance of Chrift himself who is given to us for our Juftification and Salvation, by a Covenant which maketh this believing acceptance its condition. And so this accepting-act in the very effence of it, is fuch as fome call a receiving inftrument (or a paffive) which is indeed no inftrument, but an ac metaphorically called an inftrument (And in disputes metaphors muft not be ufed without neceffity; and to understand thera properly is to erre.) So that fuch an improper inftrument of JuAification Faith is, as my trusting my Phyfician (and taking him for my Phyfician) is the inftrument of my cure: And as my trafting my felf to the conduct of fuch aPilot, is the inftrument of my fafe voyage; or as my trusting my Tutor is the inftrument öf my learning; or rather as a womans marriage-confem is the in

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frument of all the wealth and honour which the hath by her husband. Indeed marriage may be better called the inftrument of it; that is, not her own confent (which is properly the re ceiving condition) but the consent and adual marriage by her busband: For be is the giver. And fo the Covenant is Gods justifying instrument, as fignifying his donative confent; and Baptifm is the inftrument of it, by folemn inveftiture or tradition; as the delivering of a Key, is the inftrumental delivery of the houfe.

The cafe then is very plain to him that is but willing to understand, vis, that Faith in its effence, is besides the affenting ađs, an accepting of an offered Saviour for our Justification, San&ification and Salvation, and a trusting in him: That this act of Faith being its effence, is the most apt for the use that God in his Covenant hath appointed it unto: because he will give us a Saviour freely, but yet not to be refused and neglected, bur to be thankfully and honourably received and used: That this pecial aptitude of Faith, or its very effence, is the reason why it is chofen to be the condition of the Teftament or Gift: That this fame effence and aptitude, is that which fome call its Receptive or Paffive Inflrumentality: That this effence and aptitude is not the neereft reason why we are juftified by it; for then Faith as Faith, and as fuch an ad or work of ours hould juftifie, and that ex opere operato; and that without or against Gods will. For if Gods will have interpofed, the fignifier of that wil must needs be the chief and nearest reafon : Therefore this act fo apt b ing by God made the condition of the Gift or Covenant, its nearelt and chief interest (I will not call it caufality) in our Juftification, is this office of a condition. Therefore in a word, we are justified by Faith directly as, or because it is the conditio præftita, the performance of the condition of the Juftifying act; and it was by Gɔd made the condition, because it was in its nature m ft apt thereto; which aptitude may be metaphorically called its Receptive Instrumentality: And that thus as it accepteth Chrift for Justification, Adoption, Sanctification and Glorifications to it is first the metaphorical inftrument of our part in Chrift; and but confequently the metaphorical inftrument of our title, to pardon, the Spirit and Heaven; and in no tollerable fenfe at all (how figurative COSYCI

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foever) is it any inftrument of Gods fentence of Juftification (which yet is all the Juftification acknowledged by the ufual defenders of Inftrumentality) faving as it may be faid to give us a right to it, by giving us conftitutive Juftification in the pardon of our fins.

And the Scripture never faith that Faith justifieth us, nor calleth it fuftifying Faith; but that we are justified by Faith, and most commonly [of Faith] for the ufuallcft phrafe is in wistas, ex fide, as it is ex operibus, when Juftification by works is denyed; which is not the meer Inftrumentality of works.

So that here is a double errour; 1. That Faith juftific:h as a true and proper inftrument: 2. And no other way.

Errour 21. That Faith cauferb Juftification, as it caufeth Sanctificatio; as much and as properly.

Contr. Faith caufeth not Juftification at all, but only is the condition of it: But Faith caufeth the acts of other graces by a proper efficiency; believing is a proper efficient cause of the wills volition, complacency, confent, (though but a moral efficient, because the liberty of the will forbiddeth the Intelle& to move it per modum nature.) And the wills confent produceth other acts, and phyfically exciteth other graces: Becaufe to love, and defire, and fear, and feek, and obey, are a&s of our own fouls, where one may properly caufe another: But to juftifie or pardon is an act of God: and therefore Faith equally procureth our right or title to Juftification and to Sanctification and Glorification; but it deth not equally eff:& them, 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and Spirit, perfecting holineß, &c. Not let us pardon and jufifie our felves. James 4.8. Cleanse your hearts you finners, &c. Ifa. 1. Wash you, make you clean,put away the evil of your doings; (not your guilt and punishment.) So only Chrift cleanfeth us from all fin and unrighteousness, 1 John 1.7, 9. Jude 21. Keep your felves in the Love of God. John 15. Abide in me. &c. 1 John 5.18. He that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, &c.

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Errour 22. That the Faith by which we are juftified, is not many phyfical a&is of the foul only, but one.

Errour 23. That it is only an aŭ of one faculty of the pul,

Contr.

Contr. The contrary is fully opened before, and proved at large elsewhere, and through the Scripture. Faith is (as Davenant well noteth), the act of the whole man: I was wont to fay of both faculties, I now fay of the three faculties which conftitute the foul of man, the Poteftative, the Intellective and the Volitive. And the Affent it felf is many acts (as acts are phylically specified by their objects) as is thewed. It is one moral act or work of the foul: Like trufting a man as my Phyfician, which is a fiducial confent that he be my. Phyfician, in order to the use of his remedies: Or as taking a man to be your Prince, Husband, Tutor, Master, &c. where he that will tell people that taking fignifieth but one phyfical act, would be ridiculous. And he that will tell people that only one phyfical act of one faculty is it that they must look to be juftified by, will be much worse than ridiculous.

Errour 24. That we are justified by Faith, not as it receivesh Chrifts perfon, but bis benefits or righteousness.

Contr. The contrary is before and after proved(and insisted on by Dr. Preston at large.) Indeed we receive not Christs perfon it felf phyficaky; but his perfon in the office and relation of our Saviour, as we muft chufe what perfon fhall be our Phyfician, before we take his medicines, or receive our health; but it is only a confent that he and no other, be our Phyfi. cian, which we call the taking of his perfon. And fo it is

here.

Errour 25. That it is one act of Faith which giveth us right to Obryst, and another to bis righteousness, and another to bis teaching, and another to bu Spirit, and another to Adoption, and to Hea ven, &c. and not the fame.

Contr. This is 1. Adding to the Word of God, and that in a matter near our chiefeft comfort and fafety. Prove it, or firm it not. 2. It is corrupting, fand perverting, and contradiding the Word and Covenant of God, which unitedly makeeth the fame Faith (without any such diftinction) the condition of all the Covenant-gifts, Mark 16. 16. John 3. 16, &c.

Errour 26. That though the fame Faith which justifierb dith be lieve in him as a Teacher, as a King and Judge,&c. yet it justifieth only quatenus receptio juftitiæ, as it is the receiving of Chrifts Righteousness.

Contr..