up of , is the gr<.'atost, mo.st glorious, and admirable effect that
ever infinite wisdom, goodness, |)ower, and love wrought and produced, or will dv so unto eternit}'. And those on whom he reflects design nothing, do nothing in this matter, but only endeavour, according to the measure of the gift of Christ which they have received, to de- claie and explain what is revealed and taught in the Scrii^ture
THE PRECEDING DISCOURSE. S35
thereof; and those -Nvho exceed the bounds of Scripture revelation herein (if any do so) we do abhor. And as for those who are united unto Christ, although we say not that they need not fear missing of salvation, seeing they are to be brought unto it, not only through the exercise of all graces, whereof fear is one, but also through such trials and temptations as will always give them a fear of heed and diligence, and sometimes such a feai- of the event of things as shall combat their faith, and shake its fimiest resolves; yet we fear not to say, that those who are really united imto Jesus Christ shall be assuredly saved; which I have proved elseANl\Are beyond the fear of any opposition from this author, or others like minded. Fourthly, He adds " Hence they ransack," etc. But what is the u-ieaniuo- of these expressions? Doth not the Scripture declare that Clnist is God as well as man ? Doth it not build all our faith, obedience, and salvation on that consideration? Are not the properties of the di%ine nature everywhere in the Scripture declared and proposed unto us for the iugenerating and estabhshing faith in us, and to be the object of, and exercise of, all grace and obedience? And is it now become a crime that any should seek to declare and instruct others in these things from the Scripture, and to the same end for Avhich they are inerein revealed? Is this, with any evidence of sobriety, to be tra- auced as a " ransacking the boundless perfections of the divdne nature, to dress up the person of the Mediator"? Is he a Christian, or doth he deserve that name, who contemns or despiseth the consideration of the properties of the divine nature in the person of Christ (see Isa. vi. 1-4; John xii 41; Isa. ix. 6; John i. 14; Phil. ii. 6, etc.), or shall think that the grace or excellencies of his person do not prin- cipally consist in them, as the human nature is united thereunto? Fifthly, " They consider all the glorious effects of his mediation." All the effects of Christ's mediation, — all the things that are spoken of the gospel, etc., do all of them declare the excellency of the per- son of Christ, as effects declare their cause, and may and ought to be considered unto that end, as occasion doth requue ; and no otherwise are they considered by those whom he doth oppose. Sixthly, But the end of these strange principles and practices, he tells us, is, '' That all our hopes may be built, not on the gospel covenant, but on the person of Christ." But I say again, What is it that this man in- tends? What is become of a common regard to God and man? Who do so build their hopes on Christ as to reject or despise the gosj^el covenant, as he calls it? — though I am afraid, should he come to explain himself, he vdll be at a loss about the true nature of the gospel covenant, as I find him to be about the person and grace of Christ. He telleth us, indeed, that " Not the person of Christ, but the gospel, is the way." Did we ever say, '" Not the covenant of
336 A VINDICATION OF
grace, but the person of Christ is all we regard?" But whence comes this causeless fear and jealousy, — or rather, this evil surmise, that if any endeavour to exalt the person of Christ, immediately the cove- nant of the gospel (that is, in truth, the covenant which is declared in the gospel) must be discarded? Is there an inconsistency between Christ and the covenant? I never met with any who was so fearful and jealous lest too much should be ascribed in the matter of our salvation to Jesus Christ; and when there is no more so, but what the Scripture doth expressly and in words assign unto him and affirm of him, instantly we hav^e an outcry that the gospel and the covenant are rejected, and that a " dispute lies between the person of Christ and his gospel-" But let him not trouble himself; for as he cannot, and as he knows he cannot, produce any one word or one syllable out of any writings of mine, that should derogate any thing from the ex- cellency, nature, necessity, or use of the new covenant; so, though it may be he do not, and doth therefore fancy and dream of disputes between Christ and the gospel, we do know how to respect both the person of Christ and the covenant, — both Jesus Christ and the gos- pel, in their proper places. And in particular, we do know, that as it is the person of Christ who is the author of the gospel, and who as mediator in his work of mediation gives Ufe, and efficacy, and estab- lishment unto the covenant of grace; so both the gospel and that covenant do declare the glory and design the exaltation of Jesus Christ himself. Speaking, therefore, comparatively, all our hopes are built on Jesus Christ, who alone filleth all things; yet also we have our hopes in God, through the covenant declared in the gospel, as the way designing the rule of our obedience, securing our acceptance and reward. And to deal as gently as I can warrant myself to do with this writer, the dispute he mentions between the person of Christ and the gospel, which shall be the foundation of our hope, is only in his own fond imagination, distempered by disingenuity and malevolence. For, if I should charge what the appearance of his ex- pressions will well bear, what he says seems to be out of a design, influenced by ignorance or heresy, to exclude Jesus Christ, God and man, from being the principal foundation of the church, and which all its hopes are built upon. This being the sum of his charge, I hope he will fully prove it in the quotations fiom my discourse, which he now sets himself to produce; assuring him that if he do not, but come short therein, setting aside his odious and foppish, profane de- ductions, I do aver them all in plain terms, that he may, on his next occasion of writing, save his labour in searching after what he may oppose. Thus, therefore, he proceeds, p. 205 : —