They give us a far different account of saving faith, and do not place it in a persuasion more or less of Christ's love to us, or a ma- nifestation in our consciences of the actual remission of our sins be- fore we had a being ; but in receiving Christ as the gospel offers him for righteousness and life.
They frequently call the people of God to the examination and trial of their interest in Christ by marks and signs : and accordingly furnish them with variety of such marks from the divei's parts or branches of sanctification in themselves.
They earnestly and every where press believers to strictness and
558 THE SECOND APPENDIX.
constancy in the duties of religion, as the way wherein God would have them to walk. They infer duties from privileges ; and there- fore the Antinomian dialect is a wild note which the generality of serious Christians do easily distinguish from the scripture-stile and language.
(2.) The experience and practice of the saints recorded in scrip- ture, as well as our contemporaries, or those whose lives are recorded for our imitation, do greatly secure us from the spreading malig- nity of Antinomianism. Converse with the living, or read the his- tories of dead saints, and you shall find, that in their addresses to God they still bless and praise him, for that great and wonderful change of state which was made upon them when they first believed in Christ, and on their believing passed from death to life ; freely acknowledged before God, they were before their conversion equal in sin and misery with the vilest wretches in the world : they heartily mourn for their daily sins, fear nothing more than sin, no afflictions in the world go so near their hearts as sin doth : they can mourn for the hardness of their hearts, that they can mourn no more for sin. They acknowledge the rods of God that are upon them, are not only the evidences of his displeasvu'e against them for their sins, but the fruits of their uneven walking with him ; and that the greatest of their afflictions is less than the least of their ini- quities deserve. They fall at their Father's feet as oft as they fall into sin, humbly and earnestly suing for pardon through the blood of Christ. They are not only sensible that God sees sin in them, but that he seeth such and so great evils in them, as makes them ad- mire at his patience, that they are not consumed in their iniquities. They find cause enough to suspect their own sincerity, doubt thq truth of their faith, and of their graces ; and are therefore frequent and serious in the trial and examination of their own states by scrip- ture marks and signs. They urge the commands and threaten- ings, as well as the promises, upon their own hearts to promote sanctification ; excite themselves to duty and watchfulness against sin ; they also encourage themselves by the rewards of obedience, knowing their labour is not in vain in the Lord : and all this while they look not for that in themselves, which is only to be found in Christ ; nor for that in the law, which is only to be found in the gospel ; nor for that on earth which is only to be found in heaven : this is the way that they take. And he that shall tell them their sins can do them no hurt, or their duties do them no good, speaks to them not only as a Barbarian, in a language they understand not, but in such a language as their souls detest and abhor.
Moreover, the zeal and love of Christ and his glory being kin- dled in their souls, they have no patience to hear such doctrines as so greatly derogate from his glory, under a pretence of honouring
OF ANTINOMIANISM. o59
and exalting him : it wounds and grieves their very hearts to see the world hardened in their prejudices against reformation, and a gap opened to all licentiousness.
But, notwithstanding this double antidote and security, we find, by daily experience, such doctrines too much obtaining in the pro- fessing world. For my own part, he that searches my heart and reins, is witness, I would ratlier chuse to have my right hand wi- ther, and my tongue rot within my mouth, than to speak one word, or write one Hne to cloud and diminish the free grace of God. Let it arise and shine in its meridian glory. None owes more to it, or expects more from it than I do ; and what I shall write in this con- troversy, is to vindicate it from those doctrines and opinions, which, under pretence of exalting it, do really militate against it. To be- gin tlierefore with the first and leading error.
Error I. That the justification of sinners is an immanent and eternal act of God, not only preceding all acts of sin, hut the xwry existence of the sinner himself, and so perfectly abolishing sin in our persons, that we are as clean from sin as Christ himself; ava/xasr^jror, as some of them have spoken. To stop the progress of this error I shall,
1. Lay down the sentence of the orthodox about it.
2. Offer some reasons for the refutation of it.
(L) That which I take to be the truth agreed upon, and asserted by sound and reformed divines, touching gospel-justification, is by them made clear to the world, in these following scriptural distinc- tions of it.
Justification may be considered under a twofold respect or habi- tude.
L According to God's eternal decree; or,
2. According to the execution thereof in time.
1. According to God's eternal decree and purpose; and in this respect grace is said to be " given us in Christ before the world •* began," 2 Tim. i. 19. and we are said to be " predestinated to " the adoption of children by Jesus Christ," Eph. i. 5.
2. According to the execution thereof in time, so they again distinguish it by considering it two ways :
1. In its impetration by Christ.
2. In its application to us.
That very mercy or privilege of justification, which God from all eternity, purely out of his benevolent love, purposed and decreed for his elect, was also in time purchased for them by the death of Christ, Rom. v. 9, 10. where we are said to be '^justified by his *' blood ;" and he is said to have " made peace through the blood " of his cross, to reconcile all things to himself," Col. i. 20. to be " delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification,'-
560 T»E SECOND APPENDIX.
Rom. iv. 25. Once more, " That God was in Christ recon- " ciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses," 2 Cor. V. 19. God the Father had in the death of Christ, a foundation of reconciliation, whereby he became propitious to his elect, that he might absolve and justify them. Again,
2. It must be considered in its application to us, which application is made in this life at the time of our effectual calling. When an elect sinner is united to Christ by faith, and so passeth from death to life, from a state of condemnation into a state of absolution and favour; this is our actual justification, Rom. v. 1. Acts xiii. 39. John V. 24. which actual justification is again considered two ways :