OfSufficient and Egeual Grace. C. "How ? why no man is condemned (at leafl that bath the Gofpel) but " forwant ofit : For if it be only an infufed Faith that juftifieth then it " is the want of aninfufed Faith by which men are unjuflified: And if as "youfay, Infufed and effetlual or fpecial Faith , be all one, fire men. are ' condemned for want offpecial effectual Faith. R. His wordsare thefe againff Hord, l.Y. p. 156. [" Neither have I "everread or heard ittaught by any, that men(hall be damned for not be. "lieving fidè infufa; which is as much as to fay, becaufe God hath not " regenerated them; but either becaufe they refufed tobelieve, or elfe " if they haveembraced the Gofpel , for not living anfwerablethereun- ' to; which alto is in their power, quoad exteriorem vite ernendationem, though it be not in their power to regenerate their wills , and change " their hearts, any more than it is to illuminate their minds : Yet I never "read that anymans 'damnation was any whit the more increafed for "not performing thefe ads.] And again, page r70. [It is true there is a "Faith infufed by the Spirit of God in regeneration : But who ever " laid that any man was damned becaufe he doth not believe with fuch a "Faith? As much as to fay, that non regeneration is the meritorious "caufeof damnation. C. " Iain amazedat this, efpecially his fuppofng that no man everfaid s, that, which I thoughtno man of me had denied. B. I would think that hismeaning is, that men are not condemned for wantofGods infufingad, but theirown believing aá; or for the pri- vation of Infufion, but for the privation ofFaith; or of Faith, not quatenue infufed, butas they ought to have believed without infufion. But he was not fo wanting in accuratenefs, but that he knew how to have expreft himfelf, had that beenhismeaning : And then I know not howhis words-will confrtt with this fenfe, [I never read that any mans damnation wa..the more increafed for not performing thefe ails] where changing their ownhearts is one. [dnd whoever faid that any man was damned becaúfe he didnot believe with fuch a Faith.] Here it is the Faith at fuch which is fuppofed fpoken of the privation whereof is not the meritorious caul of damnation. And indeed though the power of this Faith would have been in us, had there beenno Sinor Saviour,yet there wouldhave been no obligation to believe in Chrift as Mediator :. And therefore if the Lawof Innocency had flood alone, even the want oían acquired Faith in Chrift would have been nofin. But this is the unhappinefsoffuch as mull read Controverfial Writings: There is no endof fearching after the Writersmeaning. But the thing it felt I think is plain, &c. that only an effectual fpecial Faithwill faveus: and it is fuch a Faithofwhich Chrift fpeaketh, Mat. 16.'16. He that be- lieveth and is baptized ¡hall be faved , and he that believeth not Pall be damned , (thoughhe believe with any other Faith whatfoever, which he calleth acquired.) Perhaps thishis opinion hath forcedependance on what he faith before (ibid.) "Hepunifheth the difobedient with eternal death. True: but "according to what Covenant? Not according to the Covenant of " Grace: that is only a Covenant for Salvation: but according to the " Covenant of the Law, the Covenant of Works.] Woful error and confufion. TheCovenant of the Law is almoft as bad a phrafe, as [the Covenant of the Covenant.] z. Gods Lawof Innocency was a Law and Covenant infeveral refpeds, 2. Sowas the Jewifh Law , which Paul meaneth by the Lawof Works. 3. So is theChriffian Lawof Chrift, and of Grace. Noman is now condemnedby the Jewifh LawofWorks as fuch it being ceafed 5 and never did it bind the Gentile world : The Law
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=