in supposing their doctrine necessarily implies that Christ iMtli me^ rited that we might merit. And Judaism to the lieight in saying, their doctrine necessarily supposes that Christ hath not purchased a right of' life to any. What can a Jew say more ? Ah, Mr. C. can you read the words I have here recited out of blessed Bur- roughs, Owen, Pemble, Perkins, Davenant, Downame, yea, the whole assembly of reverend and holy divines, with multitudes more, (who have all with one mouth asserted faith to be the condition of the new covenant required on man's part in point of duty • and that men must believe before they can be justified ; which is the very same thing with what I say, that it is an antecedent to the benefit of the promise) and not tremble to think of the direful charges you here draw against them ? The Lord forgive your rash presumption. Fourthly^ Whereas you say, Christ hath, in our stead, perform- ed the conditions of life, and that there remains nothing but a pro- mise, &c. you therein speak in the highest dialect of * Antinomian- ism. Hath not Christ, by his life and death performed the condi- tions of life in our stead? Yet you yourself confess, that pardoning mercv is, in order of nature, consequent to our believing; certainly- then there is something more to be done beside the mere making or being of a promise : there must be the effects of the promise in our hearts, yea, the effects of those absolute promises of the first grace, Ezek. xxxvi. Jer. xxxii. Or else, notwithstanding Christ's performance of redemption on his part, we can neither be justified nor sared. For I do not think you intend to lay the condition of repentance, or believing upon Christ, who, in the new covenant, hath laid them upon us, though, in the same covenant, he graci- ously undertakes to work them in us : and yet your words sound in that wild Antinomian note.
Objection^ But, I suppose, you take my notion to be as self-re^ pugnant as your own, M'hen I say faith is an antecedent condition to justification ; because I also say, this grace is also supernaturallv wrought in us, and ig not of ourselves. This staggers you, and ig the very stone you stumble at all aloTjg this controversy ; for in your sense, p. 34. every condition is meritorious, by condignity, or congruity.
Reply, First, What do I say more in all this than what those worthies before-mentioned, do expressly affirm.'* Doth not Dj*. Owen (the man whom you deservedly value) make conditions both in Adam's covenant and the new, with this difference, that Adam's covenant required them, but the new covenant effects them in all the foederates? Sir, We take it for no contradiction to assert, That the planting of the principle, and the assisting and exciting of
Saltmarsh of free grace, p. 1 26, 1 2*
534; VIXDICIARUM vr^DEX.
the acts of faith, are the proper works of the Spirit of God, and are also contained in the absolute promises of the new covenant, Ezek. XXX vi. 26, 27. Jer. xxxii. 39, 40. And yet faith, notwithstanding this, is truly and properly our work and duty ; and that upon our believing or not believing, we have, or have not, an actual interest in Christ, righteousness, and life. For though the author of faith be the Spirit of God, yet believing, is properly our act, and an act required of us by a plain command ; 1 John iii. 23. This is the command of God, That ye believe. And if its being wrought in God's strength makes it cease to be our work, I would fain know what exposition you would give of that place, Phil. ii. 12, 13. Worlc out your oicn salvation, <^'C.Jhr it is God that worlceth in you both to will and to do. And as this faith is truly and properly our work, though ^^Tought in God's strength (for it is not God, but we that do believe) so it is wrought in us by him (by our own confes- sion) before the application of pardoning mercy, which is consequent in order of nature thereunto : and therefore hath the true nature of an antecedent condition, which is that I contend for ; and did you but understand your own words, you would not contend against it.
Object. 2. Oh, but say you, p. 34. every condition is meritorious, either by way of coiigruity, or cond'ignity.
Reply^ This is your ignorance of the nature of a condition, with which I find you as unacquainted, as with the nature of a covenant. A condition, whilst unperformed, only suspends the act of the law, or testament ; it being the will of the testator, legislator, or donor, that his law, or testament, should act, or effect, when the condition is performed, and not before : But it is not essential to a condition, to be a meritorious, or impulsive cause, moving him to bestow the benefit for the sake thereof A man freely gives another, out of his love and bounty, such an estate, or sum of money, which he shall enjov, if he live to such a year, or day, and not before ; is this quando dies veniet, this appointed time the meritorious, or im- pulsive cause of the gift ? Surely no man will say it ; but that it is a causa sine qua non, or a condition suspending the enjoyment of the gift, no man will deny, that knows what the nature of a condi- tion is. An act meritorious, by way of congruity, is that to whicli a reward is not due, out of strict justice, but out of decency, or some kind of meetness. Merit of condigiiity is a voluntary action, for which a reward is due to a man, out of justice, and cannot be denied him, without injustice; our faith is truly the condition of the new covenant, and yet we detest the meritoriousness of it, in either sense.
Object. 3. But you object my words to me, in my Method of Gra^e, where I assert the impossibility of believing without the efficacy of supernatural grace, p. 102, 103.
VINDICTARUM VINDFA'. 5S5
Reply. Sir, I own the words you quote, and am bold to chal- lenge the most envious eye that shall read those Hnes, to shew me the least repugnancy betwixt what I said there, and what I have said in my Vindicicc Lcgis^ c^-c. p. 9. of tlie Prolegomena ^ and p. 61. of that book. You shew your good-wiil to make an advantageous thrust, but your weapon is too short, and can draw no blood. But leaving these weak and impertinent cavils, let us come to your solution of my arguments, p. 98. by which I proved the conditionality of the new covenant. My first argument was this :
Arg'um. 1. If we cannot be justified, or saved, till we believe^ and are justified when we believe; then faith is the condition on which those subsequent benefits are suspended, ^-c.