1 Jonas Schlichtingius was a Socinian author. He wrote " A Confession of Christian Faith, published in the name of the Churches which in Poland acknow- ledge one God, and his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit." It appeared in the year 1642. — Ed.
350 A VINDICATION OF
of itself; for the words of the 14th verse are, '"' The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." It is evi- dent beyond contradiction, that the expression, " full of grace and truth,"' is exegetical of his glory as the only begotten of the Father, which was the glory of his person, and not the doctrine of the gospel. And for the opposition that is made between the law given by Moses, and the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ, I shall yet rather adhere to the sense of the ancient church, and the most emi- nent doctors of it, which, if he knows not it to be concerning the effectual communication of real, renewing, sanctifying grace by Jesus Christ, there are enow who can inform liim; rather than that woful gloss upon them, — "His doctrine is called 'grace,' because accompanied with such excellent promises ; and may well be called ' truth,' because so agreeable to the natural notions of good and evil," — which is the confession of the Pelagian unbelief: but these things are not my pre- sent concernment. For the latter part of his discourse, in his oppo- sition unto the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, as he doth not go about once to state or declare the sense wherein it is pleaded for, nor produceth any one of the arguments wherewith it is con- firmed, and omitteth the mention of most of the particular testimonies which declare and establish it; so, as unto those few which he takes notice of, he expressly founds his answers unto them on that woful sub- terfuge, that if they are capable of another interpretation, or having another sense given unto them, then nothing can be concluded from them to that purpose, — by which the Socinians seek to shelter them- selves from all the testimonies that are given to his Deity and satis- faction. But I have no concernment, as I said, either in his opinions or his way of reasoning; and do know that those who have so, need not desire a better cause nor an easier adversary to deal withal.
In his third section, p. 279, he enters upon his exceptions unto tlie union of believers unto Jesus Christ, and with great modesty, at the entrance of his discourse, tells us, first, " how these men," with whom he hath to do, " have fitted the person of Christ unto all the wants and necessities of the sinner;" Avhich yet, if he denies God himself to have done, he is openly injurious unto his wisdom and grace. The very first promise that was given concerning him was, that ho should save sinners from all their wants, evils, and miseries, that might, did, or could befall them by the entrance of sin. But thus it falls out, when men will be talking of what they do not un- derstand. Again, he adds how he hath " explained the Scripture metaphors whereby the union between Christ and Christians is re- presented; but that these men, instead of explaining of those meta- phors, turn all religion into an allegory." But what if one should
THE PEECEDING DISCOURSE. 351
now tell him, that his explanation of these metaphors is the most absurd and irrational, and argues the most fulsome ignorance of the mystery of the gospel, that can be imagined ; and that, on the other side, those whom he traduceth do explain them unto the understand- ing and experience of all that believe, and that in a way suited and directed unto by the Holy Ghost himself, to farther their faith, obe- dience, and consolation ? As far as I perceive, he would be at no small loss how to relieve himself under this censure. The first thing he begins withal, and wherein, in the first place, I fall under his dis- pleasure, is about the conjugal relation between Christ and believers, which he treats of, p. 280. " As for example," saith he, " Christ is called a husband, the church his spouse; and now all the invitations of the gospel are Christ's wooing and making love to his spouse; — and what other men call believing the gospel of Christ, whereby we devote ourselves to his service, these men call that consent and con- tract, which make up the marriage betwixt Christ and believers. Christ takes us for his spouse, and we take Christ for our husband, and that with all the solemnities of marriage, except the ring, which is left out as an antichristian ceremony ; Christ saying thus, ' This is that we will consent unto, that I will be for thee, and thou shalt be for me, and not for another.' Christ gives himself to the soul, with all his excellencies, righteousness, preciousness, graces, and eminencies, to be its saviour, head, and husband, — to dwell with it in this holy relation ; and the soul hkes Christ for his excellencies, gi'aces, suitableness, far above all other beloveds whatsoever, and accepts of Christ by the will for its husband, lord, and saviour. And thus the marriage is completed ; and this is the day of Christ's espousals, and of the gladness of his heart. And now follow all mutual conjugal affections; which, on Christ's part, consist in delight, valua- tion, pity, compassion, bounty; on the saints' part, in delight, valua- tion, chastity, duty. But I have already corrected this fooling with Scripture metaphors and phrases."