* kon, that though divers very valuable men have had remarkable
* failings, yet that, upon the whole, it is better they have lived, and
* been known in the world, than that they should not have lived, or
* have lived obscure.
' The truth is (which we have often considered) that though the
* great doctrines of the christian religion do make a most coherent,
* comely scheme, which every one should labour to comprehend and ' digest in his mind ; yet when the gospel first becomes effectual for ' the changing men's hearts, it is by God's blessing this or that pas-
* sage which drops : The most disceni not the scries and connection ' of truths at first, and too little afterwards.
' Upon that view of Dr. Crisp's writings we have had since the ' publication, we find there are many things said in them, with that ' good savour, quickness, and spirit, as to be very apt to make good < impressions upon men's hearts ; and do judge, that being greatly
* affected with the grace of God to sinners himself, his sermons did
* thereupon run much in that strain. All our minds are little and ' incomprehensive ; we cannot receive the weight and impression of ' all necessary things at once, but with some inequality ; so that ' when the seal goes deeper in some part, it is shallower in seme ' others.
' If some parts of Dr. Crisp's works be more liable to exception, ' the danger of hurt thereby seems, in some measure, obviated in « some other: As when he says, Pag. 46. Vol. I. Sanctijication of ' Ufe, is an inseparable companion with thejustipcatio^a of a person ' h tJ^efree grace of Christ. And Vol. IV'. p. 93. TJiat in respect ' of the rules of righteousness, or the. matter of obed'mice, "WC are ' under the law still ; or else we are lawless, to live every man as " seems good in his own eyes^ which I Imow 7io trne Christian does ' ^0 much as think.
• In like manner, whereas, in Vol. II. Serm. 15. and pej^haps
* elseivhere^ the doctor seems to he against evidencing our justifica^ ' tion and union to Christy by our sanctijication and new obedience ; *■ zee have the truth of God in this matter plainly delivered by him, ' Vol. IV. p. 36. when he teacheth, that our obedience is a comfort- ' able evidence of our being in Christ ; and on that, as well as on ' many accounts^ necessary.
* The difference between him, and other good men, seems to lie « not so much in the things which the one or the other of them be- ' lieve, as about their order and reference to one another ; where, it ' is true, there may be very material diffei'ence : But we reckon, « that notwithstanding what is more controvertible in these writings, « there are much more material things, wherein they cannot but
< agree, and would have come much nearer each other, even in these « things, if they did take some words or terms which come into use ^ on the one or the other hand, in the same sense ; but when one « uses a word in one sense, another uses the same word (or under- « stands it, being used) in quite another sense, here seems a vast
< disagreement, which proves, at length, to be verbal only, and ' really none at all : As let by condition, be meant a deserving cause, ' (in which case it is well known civilians are wont to take it) and ' the one side v^^ould never use it, concerning any good act that can « be done by us, or good habit that is wrought in us, in order to ' our present acceptance with God, or final salvation. Let be meant ' by it somewhat, that, by the constitution of the gospel-covenant, « and in the nature of the thing, is requisite to our present and « eternal well-being, without the least notion of the desert, but ut- ' most abhorrence of any such notion in this case ; and the other ' side would as little refuse it. But what need is there for contend- ' ing at all about a law-term, about the proper or present use ^ whereof, there is so little agreement between them it seems best to ' serve, and them it offends. Let it go, and they will well enough ' understand one another. Again, let justification be taken for ' that which is complete, entire, and full, as it results at last from
* all its causes and concurrents ; and, on the one hand, it would ' never be denied, that Christ's righteousness justifies us at the bar ' of God in the day of judgment, as the only deserving cause ; or ' afl^irmed, that our faith, repentance, sincerity, do justify us there, ' as any cause at all. Let justification be meant only of being jus- ' tified in this or that particular respect; as for instance, against ' this particular accusation, of never having been a believer: And ' the honest mistaken prefaccr Mould never have said, O horrid ! ' upon its being said, Christ's righteousness doth not justify us in ' this case : For he very well knows, Christ's righteousness will 'justify no man that never was a believer. But that which must ' immediately justify him against this particidar accusation, must
^ be proving, that he did sincerely believe ; which shews his interest
* in Christ's righteousness, which then is the only deserving cause
* of his full and entire justification.
' There is an expression in Vol. I. p. 46. That salvation is not ' the end of any good work we do, which is like that of another ; we ' are to act from life, not for life. Neither of which are to be ' rigidly taken, as it is likely they were never meant in the strict ' sense. For the former, this reverend author gives us himself the ' handle for a gentle interpretation, in what he presently subjoins ; ' where he makes the endof our good works to he the manifestation
* of our obedience and subjection ; the setting forth the praise of the *■ glory of the grace of God; which seem to imply, that he meant ' the foregoing negation in a comparative, not in an absolute sense ; ' understanding the glory of God to be more principal; and so, ' that by end, he meant the very ultimate end: So for the other, it ' is likely it was meant, that we should not act or workyor life only, ^ without aiming and endeavouring that we might come to work '■from life also.
' For it is not with any tolerable charity supposable, that one ' would deliberately say the one or the other of these in the rigid ' sense of the words; or that he would not, upon consideration, ' presently unsay it, being calmly reasoned with. For it were, in ' effect to abandon human nature, and to sin against a very funda- ' mental law of our creation, not to intend our own felicity : it were ' to make our first and most deeply fundamental duty, in one great ' essential branch of it, our sin, viz. To take the Lord for our God : ' For to take him for our God most essentially includes our taking ' him for our supreme good ; which we all know is included in the
* notion of the last end ; it were to make it unlawful to strive against