the covenant of grace, and the proper parties therein; and confequently the proper condition thereof. And though many excellent Divines (for whole character I have a very great reverence and regard) have reprefented it as a mutual bargain between GoD and man, with ftipulation and reftipulation; yet, without difparagement to them, I owe more regard to our excellent Standards, agreeable to the word of God (to which I own myfelf folemnly bound) wherein, it is held forth as a covenant that "was made with Chrift as the fecond "Adam, and in him with all the elect as his feed." And if God and Chrift be the parties, we may thence confider what are the proper terms, or what is the condition thereof, and by whom performed. Hence our Standards bring in faith, not as the proper condition of the covenant, but as the condition (or mean) to intereft us in Chrift; and fo, as a part of the divine method in the application of the covenant, and a promise thereof, "He promifing and "giving his holy Spirit to all his elect, to work in them that faith."I know that many found Divines, who either never ufed, or have gone off from this way of fpeaking in our Standards, concerning the covenant of grace, as ftanding between God and Chrift, have explained themselves into the moft orthodox and found fenfe; yet, I am perfuaded, that the general receding from this good old way and manner of speaking, and the confounding of the parties contracting in the covenant of grace, namely, GOD and CHRIST, with the parties confenting in a day of power, and brought into the covenant, namely, elect believers; together with the confounding of the proper condition of the covenant, with the proper qualities of the covenanted; and even the covenant itself, with the manner of its manifeftation, and the method of its application; and the not duly attending and adhering to our Standards, in this and the like matters, is at the root of a great deal of miftaken views, even among thofe that would feem to be the moft zealous efpoufers of our excellent Confeflion and Catechifms. My principal defign, efpecially in the fixth part of this book, was to rid marches between the Law and the Goipel, Juftification and San&tification, &c.; from the confounding whereof, many erroneous apprehenfions and pofitions do proceed. And, abftracting from what may be called poetical licence, I have endeavoured, in my manner of expreflion, to keep clofe by the form of found words, the feriptures of truth, our received Standards, and the fentiments of the most eminent orthodox Divines. -- I am not fond of novelties, new schemes of doctrine, nor new ways of fpeaking, which I find fome late writers have run into, in the heat of their difputes; fuch as, "That the fins of believers, though in "a juftified ftate, bring on them a liablenefs to the threatened and "deferved punishment, from the penal fanction of the law."-That "believers are under the threatening of eternal death and wrath.' That they are under the penal fanct on of the moral law.”—That "they ought to be influenced in their obedience by the threatenings "and fears of hell, which are filial, and of falling into cternal wrath; and by the fear of lofing their fonfhip, and being difinherited.". That "their obedience, as fuch, and good works have the promile of life " and 66 C4 and glory annexed to them, &e." Thefe, and the like expreffions, feem to import fome new scheme of divinity, fome new notions of doctrine, and new modes of speaking, not known in our Standards. In oppofition to which, I prefer the truths, and ways of expreffing the fame, which are laid down in our excellent Confeffion of Faith and Catechifms, plainly founded on the fcriptures of truth, and which we in this church are ftrictly and folemnly bound to maintain: The language whereof, on these points, seems to have another fort of a found, while it is there declared, "That these that are juftified, can never fall "from the state of juftification; yet they may, by their fins, fall under "God's fatherly difpleasure 1.-That they are delivered from the moral law as a covenant of works, fo as thereby they are neither juftified nor condemned 2.- That they are freed from the guilt "of fin, the condemning wrath of God, and the curfe of the moral "law 3.-That juftification doth equally free all believers from the "revenging wrath of God, and that perfectly in this life 4.-That "they are to yield obedience to God, not out of flavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind; and, being delivered out of "the hands of their enemies, are to ferve the Lord without fear, in "holiness and righteousness, before him, all the days of their life 5.— That the perfons of believers being accepted through Chrift, their "good works are alfo accepted in him, he looking upon them in "his Son, &c." 6 There are a part of our Form of Sound Words, worthy to be confidered and compared with the former different found above-mentioned, in order to try if they can make a confort. But it is not my work to enlarge on these things at prefent; only, it is upon thefe, and the like pofitions in our Standards, that the foundation of the most of the following Sonnets is laid, not upon any new notions. I fear, indeed, the tendency of fome new phrafes, expreffions, and pofitions, that have been spread abroad, befide these now mentioned; fuch as, 1. That finners must leave their fins, in order to come to Chrift:" Whereas it is certainly a fafer way of speaking, to say, "That finners "must come to Chrift, that he may fanctify them, and take away their "fins; his name being JESUS, because he faves his people from their fins." Or rather, to ufe the words of our Confeflion, namely, "That their duty, with refpe&t to faving faith, lies in accepting, "receiving, and refting upon Chrift alone for juftification, SANCTIFICA"TION, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace." 7The former way of fpeaking, in contradiftinction from this, tends to make people think their falvation depends partly on themselves, and partly upon Chrift. 2. "That gofpel repentance is neceffary as a condition, in order to our juftification in the fight of God," Whereas it is fafer to ftand by the words of our Confeffion; "That repentance is not to be rested in as any fatisfaction for fin, or any caufe of the pardon thereof, 1 Confeffion of Faith, chap xi. fect. 5. 2 Larger Catechifm, queft. 97. 3 Confef, chap. xx. fect. 1. 4 Larger Cat. quest. 77. 5 Confef. chap. xx. .3. 6 Ibid. chap. xvi, fect. 6, 7 Ibid. chap, xiv. feâ, 2. which is God's act of free grace in Chrift; and yet is of fuch neceffity "to all finners, that none may expect pardon without it," no more than they can expect pardon without amendment; for only "He that "confeffetb and forfaketh fhall find mercy:" and yet who will fay, that this amendment of life is a neceffary condition, in order to our juftification? 66 3. That unbelievers are not under the commanding power of "the covenant of works; why, because they are not obliged to seek "juftification by their own works;" as if the fecking juftification, that way, were the precife form of that covenant; whereas Adam might have been justified by his works, though he had never fought justifica tion that way; fince, as hath been well cleared by others, "The an◄ nexing of the promise of life, and threatening of death, to the pre66 cept, and making perfect obedience the covenant-condition upon "which these were fufpended," was the precife form of the covenant of works; and not man's being obliged to feek or aim at justification by his works, which was but a confequent thereof: for, if he had fulfilled the condition of that covenant, or yielded that perfect obedi ence, to which life was thus annexed, without feeking or aiming at any thing elfe, but the pleafing and glorifying of God, he had been juftified by his works. Hence, even these that are obliged to seek life, and juftification by the obedience of another; yet while they do it not, but remain in unbelief, they abide under the commanding, as well as the condemning power of the covenant of works; that is, under an obligation to perfect obedience, upon pain of death, and the forfeiture of eternal life and all title thereto, by reason of their want of that obedience, and the violation of that covenant : hence our Standards make it the privilege only of believers, "That "they are not under the moral law as a covenant of works, to be "thereby either juftified or condemned t:" Which plainly fays, not only that the moral law was turned into the form of a covenant of works, by its being made a covenant of life and juftification upon doing, and of death and condemnation upon not doing; but also, that as unbelievers are under the condemning power of that covenant, which condemns the difobedient to eternal death for their fins ; fo they are under the commanding power of that fame covenant, which justifies all that can and do obey it, and would justify them also, if they had the power, and did yield obedience to it, in the manner it requires; which is not fo with the believer, who, though he had a perfonal righteousness in perfection, as he will have it in heaven, yet there is no connection between it and his juftification, or title to eternal life, which is to him the gift of God through Jefus Chrift; he being brought under another covenant, which makes his title to life ftand upon another foundation: but now, to free unbelievers from being under the commanding power of the covenant of works, is, in my opinion, to free them alfo from the condemning power of it; for, if they were not under obligation to the command of it, how * Confeffion of Faith, Chap. xv. Sect. 2. † Ibid. Chap. xv. Se&. 3. Ibid. Chap. xix. Sect. 6. could they juftly be condemned by it for want of obedience thereto, or tranfgrefling thereof? Where no command, no tranfgreffion; whereno tranfgreffion, no penalty. Nay, Reader, the debt stands upon their head, though they be infolvent debtors and bankrupts; and that is the very thing that makes them need to feek the active, as well ar paffive obedience of Chrift (who, as Surety, came to fulfil the righte oufness of the law only as a covenant of works) for their juftification and eternal life: whereas, if they were not under obligation to the command of the covenant of works, I fee no need they would have of Chrift's active obedience in their room. Our old way of fpeaking hath been to this purpose, That all men are under a covenant of works intirely, fo long as they remain cut of Chrift, and fo out of the covenant of grace; and that they need his complete righteousness, both of doing and fuffering, for their juftification; and it is not meet that we be driven out of the good old way, by new quirks and fophifms. 66 4. Another way of fpeaking, that I find amidst these late altecrations or debates, is, That "faith having its chief feat in the will, "doubting is not contrary to faith; and that, to efpoufe the definition "of faith that paft current at the Reformation, or among the Refor66 mers, is a receding from our Standards." As the Reader will find fome little hint concerning faith in the following SONNETS, fo I agree cordially with our Standards in their definitions of faith; and alfo think that the complex affurance therein mentioned (including that of fpiritual fenfe as well as faith, that which is reflex as well as direct) "is not of the effence of faith, or fo of the effence of it, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it." But I am not fond of confining faith to the will as its chief feat; but rather, with the learned and judicious Dr. OWEN, judge, "That it is feated in the understanding, as to its "being and fubfiftence; and in the will and heart, as to its effectual working;" which makes it, under the conduct of the Spirit of faith, to be a 6. cordial aflent to the divine teftimony concerning Christ," who can be no otherwife believingly received by us, but in a word, or as offered in the gospel. Far lefs am I fond of making faith confiftent with doubting is its nature, (though faith and doubting may both be in the fame fubject) feeing Chrift hath fet them at odds, faying," thou of little faith, wherefore didft thou doubt?" Where I fee the believer may have doubts: yea, and be wholly over-run with them, because he hath unbelief; and yet his faith and doubting differ, as faith and unbelief do. But leaft of all am I fond of making our Standards clafh with the doctrine of our Reformers; efpecially feeing our Ailembly 1647, in their acts receiving thefe Standards, declared, "That upon due examination thereof, they were found to be "moft agreeable to the word of God; and in nothing contrary to the received doctrine of this Kirk :" which was the doctrine of the Reformation, and of other reformed Churches, on thefe points.Several other new and ftrange ways of fpeaking are interfperfed among Confeffion of Faith, Chap. xviii. fest. 3. fome fome late writings, but it was not my purpose to infift fo long as I have done upon these matters. 66 Serious Reader, I fhall only add here, that my principal defign, in the following SONNETS, was to commend Chrift to your foul; especially as he is the Lord your righteoufnefs. And, I hope, you know that I cannot hyperbolize, or exceed in the commendation of Chrift's righteousness alone, as the matter of our juftification before God. I think it worth the remarking here, how ftrict and accurate the words of our Confeffion are, in excluding all works from having any fhare in this matter, faying, " Thefe whom God effectually calleth, he alfo freely juftifieth; not by infufing righteoufnefs into them, but by pardoning their fins, and accounting and accepting their "perfons as righteous; not for any thing wrought in them, or done "by them, but for Chrift's fake alone; not by imputing faith itself, "the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience, to them, as their righteoufnefs, but by imputing the obedience and satisfac❝tion of Chrift unto them, they receiving and refting on him by faith; "which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God." * Reader, in all your mental debates, or verbal altercations about these things, and this fubject in particular, feriously bethink yourfeif what is like to be your opinion thereof, when you come to die, and are about to face the awful tribunal of a juft and holy God. And, in all fuch points of eternal moment, ever think that part the safeft, which doth leaft humour man's pride, and moft exalt God's glory; fince the fcope of the gofpel is, to fhut out boafting, to bring in felfdenial, and to magnify the righteoufness of Chrift, by which he hath magnified the law, and made it honourable; and in the true and lively faith of which, all true peace, heart-holinefs, and practcial godliness is rooted, Rom. v. 1. Acts xv. 9. Titus iii. 5.8. Gal. iii. 16. 19. Many oppofers of this doctrine in their lives, have owned it as the best divinity at their death, and before it; fuch as Bellarmine, who was not alone in his Tutiffimum eft, &c. It is the fafcft way to reft upon "the mercy of God in Chrift alone for falvation." Reader, whatever other apologies this book has formerly been prefaced with † (as to the manner in which many lines in it are written) fhall be here altogether dropt and forborn. I now difinifs it as it is, under the conduct of divine providence, to take its hazard in the world; fince it has already ferved its apprenticeship under feveral impreflions, and gone through both kind and hard ufage; through good report and bad report. It never promised much to them that feck nothing but pleasure and fatisfaction to their fancy; but I have heard, * Confeffion of Faith, chap. xi. fec. 1. What follows is all the Preface ufually of late prefixed to the fmall copy of the GOSPEL SONNETS. |