of wicked men eternally damn them, disturb the peace and order of the world, draw down national judgments upon the whole com- munity, cause wars, plagues, persecutions, &c. which consider- ations of the sins of others opened fountains of tears in David''s eyes, Psal. cxix. 1S6. caused horror to take hold upon him, ver. 53. and yet, if you will believe the Antinomian doctrine, believers have no need to fear, much less to be in horror (which is the ex- tremity of fear) for other men's sins. How is Satan gratified, and temptations to sin strengthened upon the souls of men, by such indistinct, unwary, and dangerous expressions as these are ? A good intention can be no sufficient salve for such assertions as these.
Secondly, They tell us, ' That as the saints need fear no sin for
* any hurt it can do them, so they must do no duty for their own ' good ; or with an eye to their own salvation, or eternal rewards
Refutation. This, as the former, is too generally and indistinctly delivered. He that distinguisheth well, teacheth well. The con- founding of things which ought to be distinguished, easily runs men into the bogs of errors. Two things ought to have been dis- tinguished here ;
2. Self-ends in duties.
First, Ends in duties ; there are two ends in duties, one supreme and ultimate, viz, the glorifying of God, which must, and ought to take the first place of all other ends : Another secondary and subordinate, viz. the good and benefit of ourselves. To invert these, and place our own good in the room of God's glory, is sin- ful and unjustifiable ; and he that aims only at himself in religion, is justly censured as a mercenary servant, especially if it be any ex- ternal good he aims at ; but spiritual good, especially the enjoyment of God, is so involved in the other, viz. the glory of God, that no man can rightly take the Lord for his God, but he must take him for his supreme good, and consequently therein may, and must have a due respect to his own happiness.
Secondly, Self-ends must always be distinguished into,
1. Corrupt or carnal self-ends.
2. Pure, and spiritual self-ends.
As to carnal and corrupt self-ends, inviting and moving men to the performance of religious duties ; when these are the only ends men aim at, they bewray the hypocrisy of the heart, and accord- ingly, God charges hypocrisy upon such persons. Hos. vii. 14<. *' They have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howl- " ed upon their beds ; They assemble themselves for com and *' wine,'' &c. God reckons not the most solemn duties anim.ated
OF ANTI^JOMIANISM. 587
by such ends, to be done unto him. Zech. vii. 5. " Did ye at all ** fast unto me ?'""
But beside these, man hath a best self, a spiritual self, to regard in duty, viz. The conformity of his soul to God in holiness, and the perfect fruition of God in glory. Such holy self-ends as these are often commended, but no where condemned in scripture. It was the encomium of Moses, that " he had respect unto the re- " compence of reward," Heb. xi. 26. These ordinate respects to our spiritual, best self, are so far from behig our sin, that God both appoints and allows them for great uses and advantag-es to his people in their way to glory. They are, (1.) Singular encourage- ments to the saints under persecutions, straits, and distresses, Heb. X. 34. and to that end Christ proposes them, Luke xli. 32. and so the best of saints have made use of them, 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. (2.) They are motives and incentives to praise and thankfulness, 1 Pet. i. 3, 4. Col. i. 12. (3.) They stir up the saints to cheer- ful and vigorous industry for God, Col. iii. 23, 34. 3 Cor. xv. 58.
Now to cut off from religion all these spiritual and excellent self-respects, and to make them our sins and marks of hypocrisy, is an error very injurious to the gospel, and to the souls of men. For, (1.) It crosses the strain of the gospel, which commands us to strive for our salvation, Luke xiii. 24, 25. Phil. ii. 12. 1 Tim, iv. 16. (2.) It blames that in the saints as sinful, which the scrip- ture notes as their excellency, and records to their praise, Heb. xi. 26. (3.) It makes the laws of Christianity to thwai't, and cross the very fundamental law of our creation, M'hich inclines and ob- liges all men to intend their own felicity : and on this accoujit, not only our Antinomians are blame worthy, but others also, who are far enough from their opinion, who urge humihation for sin be- yond the staple ; teaching men they are not humbled enough, till they be content to be damned. (4.) It unreasonably supposes a Christian may not do that for his own soul, which he daily doth, and is bound to do for other men's souls, to pray, preach, exhort, and reprove for their salvation.
Error IX. * Tliey will not allow the new covenant to he properly ' nmde with us, but with Christ for us. And some of thein affirm % ' That this covenant is all of it a promise, having no condition upon < our part. They acknowledge, indeed, faith, repentance, and obe- ' dience, to be conditions, but say they are not conditions on our ' part, but on Chrisfs ; and consequently affirm, that lie repented^ ' believed, and obeyed for us^
Refutation 1. The confounding of distinct covenanf;s leads them
* Vide Saltmarsh of Free Grace, p. 126, 127.
588 THE SECOND APPENDIX.
into this error; we acknowledge there was a covenant properly made with Christ alone which we call the covenant of redemption. This covenant, indeed, though it were made for us, yet it was not made with us : It had its condition, and that condition was laid only upon Christ, viz. That he should assume our nature, and pour out his soul unto death, which condition he was solely concerned to perform; but besides this, there is a covenant of grace made with him, and with all believers in him : with him primarily^ as the head, with them as the members, who personally come into this covenant, when they come into the union with him by faith. This covenant of grace is not made with Christ alone, personally con- sidered, but with Christ and all that are his, mystically considered, and is properly made with all believers in Christ ; and therefore it as called their covenant, Zech. ix. 11. " As for thee, also, by the *' blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of *' the pit wherein is no water."" So when God entered into the covenant of grace with Abraham, Gen. xvii. 7. " I will establish '' my covenant (saith he) between me and thee, and thy seed after " thee." So when he took the people of Israel into this covenant, Ezek. xvi. 8. " I sware unto thee, (saith he) and entered into a " covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine.'"*