4. For conclusion of this tragical consideration, I would request all such as sit in judicature, specially in causes criminal, to call to mind, or suffer me to be their remembrancer of a grave saying, delivered by a great prelate in the high court of parliament, "That severity without instruction is a kind of tyranny." More particularly my humble request is, that with good leave I may put such in mind as judge seditious, turbulent, or enormous practices, (or censure fellones de se,) that they shall mightily condemn themselves by judging them, unless they be as forward withal to quell the erroneous doctrine (whether by laws ecclesiastical or civil) whence the former practices spring, as that kind of sedition, stubborn disobedience, disloyalty, scandalum magnatum, or privy conspiracy, under whose heavy burden this state and church doth now sigh and groan. These and divers other like branches of the devil's service are as true and proper effects, or natural issues, of the forementioned preposterous belief, or doctrine of special faith or division of all mankind into two sorts, as Christian charity, humility, obedience, penitency or contrition of spirit, are of the true and well-grounded belief of Jesus Christ and of him crucified.

5. The best instructions that can be given for rectifying the former errors is that of our apostle, Rom. iv: (though we follow the interpretations or hints of those writers whom these zealots most admire) He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him

that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. vv. 20—25.

CHAP. LII.

That Justification consists not in one single Act. In what sense Fides est Fiducia is true.

1. MUST we then with the Romish church admit of

a first and second justification? one, by Christ's death; another, by his resurrection from the dead? or 276 two imputations of his righteousness? Surely neither justification nor imputation of Christ's righteousness consists in one single act; both admit divers degrees or parts, or rather contain a long process. The best way to assoil the difficulty proposed, will be, first, to set forth the proper effects or duties of our belief, as it is terminated to Christ's death and sufferings; secondly, the proper issues or effects of our belief of his resurrection from the dead. We believe that by his death our sins, even the sins of the world, were taken away. That Adam, and all that came of him, were thus far redeemed by him, as to be set free de jure, from the bondage of Satan, and purchased as a peculiar people to himself. Thus we often read, that we are redeemed by his blood, shed on the cross; that is, by that one sacrifice of himself the ransom of mankind's redemption was fully paid. Of this, all men are bound to have full assurance, and in respect of this general it is truly said, fides est fiducia, faith is a confidence in the blood of Christ. And thus firmly believing, our faith is imputed or reckoned to us for righteousness, as it was to Abraham.

2. But many may be redeemed from captivity, and

of their former captivity, or no great desire to be transported out of it, into a safer soil. Some, with Gryllus in the poet, desire rather to continue swine, than to be retransformed into the image of God. And unto these Christ's death is not available, shall not be imputed, unless it be to their greater condemnation. But from the general confidence that Christ hath redeemed us from the bondage of Satan and curse of the law, the church our mother hath wisely and piously ordained, that all professing Christianity, yea infants born of Christian parents, or others exposed by their incredulous parents to the tuition of the church, shall be forthwith transported out of the hemisphere of darkness into the sphere of light, to be visibly ingrafted into the mystical body of Christ. The duty whereto all such as are thus transported are bound, is to promise and vow obedience unto Christ as to their sole Lord and Redeemer, "to forsake the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh, and to fight manfully under Christ's banner unto their lives' end," that is, to take up their cross and follow him; and as he died for them, so to be ready to lay down their lives for the brethren, if need require, in his service; or, to use our apostle's words, Phil. ii. 5-8, to put on the same mind which was in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Another, not altogether so diverse, as rather the same immediate and formal effect of our belief in Christ's bloody sacrifice on the cross, is daily to offer up the sacrifice of a broken heart, of an

humble and contrite spirit. And for offering this sacrifice, every man must in part be his own priest and confessor, that he may be partaker of the blessing and grace of the High Priest of our souls, from his heavenly sanctuary where he sits at the right hand of God.

CHAP. LIII.

Christ's Parable, Matt. xii. 43, &c., applied. Two Degrees of Reconciliation: the first active, or but mere grammatically passive; the other, real passive. So, correspondently, two Branches of Justification: the one, from Christ's Death; the other, from the Benefit of his Priesthood daily participated to us.

1. To proceed thus far in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and of him crucified, and in the practice of Christian duties concomitant to such knowledge, is more, I am afraid, or rather fully persuaded, than most of such as take upon them to seal assurance to themselves and to others of their salvation (by marks and tokens of the elect of their own coining) have rightly got by heart. And yet to rest secure upon these grounds, though learned by heart, of their personal salvation or irreversible estate in grace or in God's favour, doth open a gap unto hellish hypocrisy, which our Saviour himself hath commanded us to beware of, or rather to shut it out, as it is in that parable, Matt. xii. 43-45: When the unclean spirit gone out of out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and

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of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

For the right application of this parable to the Jews, with whom our Saviour there disputes, as also unto men of this and former ages, I refer the reader to Jansenius and Maldonate in their learned comments upon this place, but especially to Jansenius.

2. Thus much is sufficient to our present purpose, and thus much is most clear, that it is not the sweeping or garnishing of the heart, or emptiness of such vices as do reign in the hearts of infidels, and give Satan possession of them, (all which may be wrought by the serious consideration of Christ's death, passion, and by the imputation of his merits,) that can secure us from further assaults of Satan to our final destruction. Rather, for us to presume upon these without experiments, without a continual guard upon our own souls, is but as if a man having beaten his adversaries out of his house, should set up his staff or sword, or other instrument of war, without the door, to entice his enemy by this opportunity to make forcible entrance when he is least aware. To what end then doth the contemplation of Christ's death or the imputation of his merits serve us? do these beget no portion or degree of any certainty of our estate in Christ, or of salvation? Yes, they always bring forth a certainty, though not of faith, yet of hope, that God in his good time will accomplish these good beginnings, and crown them with more than a moral, with an experimental certainty or assurance of our estate in grace. For regulating our persuasions in this point, there can be no better rule than that of our apostle, Rom. v. 1, 2: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith