covenant unto men; and of thele antecedent conditions, there are likewife two forts which must be carefully diftinguished. 1. Such antecedent conditions which have the force of a meritorious and impulfive caufe, which being performed by the proper ftrength of nature, or, at most, by the help of common, affifting grace, do give a man a right to the reward or bleffings of the covenant. And in this fense we utterly disclaim antecedent conditions, as I plainly told you, p. 61. of my Vindiciae, &c. Or,

2. An antecedent condition fignitying no more than an act of ours, which, though it be neither perfect in every degree, nor in the least meritorious of the benefit conferred, nor performed in our natural ftrength; yet, according to the conftitution of the covenant, is required of us, in order to the bleffings confequent thereupon, by virtue of the promife: And, confequently, the benefits and mercies granted in the promife, in this order, are, and must be fufpended by the donor or difpoter of them, until it be performed Such a condition we affirm faith to be. But here again, faith, in this fenfe, the condition of the new covenant is confidered;

1. Effentially; or,

2. Organically, and inftrumentally,

In the first confideration of faith, according to its effence, it is contained under obedience, and in that refpect we exclude it from juftifying our perfons, or entitling us to the faving mercies of the new covenant, as it is a work of ours; and fo I excluded it, p. 133. of my Method of Grace, which you ignorantly or wilfully mistake, when, in your reply, p. 88, 89. you object against me: Faith, confidered in this fenfe, is not the condi tion of the covenant, nor can pretend to be so, more than any other grace. But,

We consider it organically, relatively, and (as most speak) inftrumentally, as it receives Christ, John i. 12, and so gives us power to become the fons of God; it being impoffible for any man to partake of the faving benefits of the covenant, but as he is united to Christ "For all the promises of God are in him "yea, and in him amen," 2 Cor. i. 20. And united to Chrift no man can be, before he be a believer; for Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith, Eph. iii. 17. Upon which fcriptural grounds and reafons it is, that we affirm faith to be an antecedent condition, or caufa fine qua non, to the faving benefits of the new covenant; and that it must go be ore them, at least in order of nature, which is that we mean, when we fay faith is

the antecedent condition of the new covenant. And thofe that deny it to be fo, (as the Antinomians do, who talk of actual and perfonal juftification from eternity, or at least from the death of Chrift), muft confequently affert the actual juftification of infidels; and not only disturb, but deftroy the whole order of the gofpel, and open the fluices and flood-gates to all manner of licentioufnefs.

And thus our pious and learned divines generally affirm faith to be the condition of the covenant. So* Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs, Faith (faith he) hath the honour above all other graces, to be the condition of the fecond covenant; therefore it is certainly fome great matter that faith enables us to do. • Whatsoever keeps covenant with God, brings ftrength, tho' ⚫ itself be never fo weak: as Sampson's hair. What is weaker than a little hair? yet, because the keeping that, was keeping covenant with God; therefore even a little hair was fo great Atrength to Sampfon. Faith then, that is the condition of the covenant, in which all grace and mercy is contained, if it be kept, it will cause strength indeed to do great things.'

And as this excellent man, Mr. Burroughs, is in this fenfe for the conditionality of the new covenant, fo are the most learned and eminent of our own divines. Dr. Edward Reynolds †, affigning the differences betwixt the two covenants, gives this for one: They differ in the condition (faith he); there legal obedience, here only faith; and the certain confequent thereof, repentance. There is difference likewife in the manner of performing thefe conditions: For now God ⚫ himself begins firft to work upon us, and in us, before we move or flir towards him. He doth not only command us, ⚫ and leave us to our created strength to obey the command; but he furnisheth us with his own grace and Spirit to obey ⚫ the command.'

Of the fame judgment is Dr. Owen : Are we able (faith • ‡ he) of ourselves to fulfil the condition of the new covenant? Is it not as eafy for a man by his own firength to fulfil the ⚫ whole law, as to repent and believe the promise of the gofpel? This then is one main difference of these two cove nants, That the Lord did in the Old only require the condition; now in the New, he also effects it in all the foede

* Mofes's Self denial, p. 288.

Dr. Reynolds, his Life of Chrift, p. 512,

Dr. Owen's Treatife of Kedemption, book 3. chap. 1. p. 103. 104. And in his Tract of juftification, p. 299, &c.

rates, to whom the covenant is extended.' This is the man you pretended to be against conditions.

Mr. William Pemble *, opening the nature of the two cove nants, faith, The law offers life unto man upon condition of perfect obedience; the go pel offers life unto man upon another condition, to wit, of repentance and faith in Chrift. And after his proofs for it, faith, From whence we conclude firmly, That the difference between the law and the gospel, affigned by our divines, is moft certain and agreeable to the fcriptures, viz. That the law gives life unto the juft, upon condition of perfect obedience in all things; the gofpel gives life unto finners, upon condition they repent, and believe in • Chrift Jefus.'

Learned and judicious Mr. William Perkins + thus, The ⚫ covenant of grace is that, whereby God freely promifing Chrift ⚫ and his benefits, exacts again of man, that he would by faith ⚫ receive Chrift. And again, in the covenant of grace two things must be confidered, the substance thereof, and the con dition. The fubftance of the covenant is, That righteouf nefs and life everlasting, is given to God's church and people by Christ ‡. The condition is, That we, for our part, are by ⚫ faith to receive the forefaid benefits; and this condition is by grace, as well as the fubftance.'

That learned, humble, and painful minifter of Chrift, Mr. John Ball §, flating the difference betwixt the two covenants, fhews, that in the covenant at Sinai, in the covenant with A braham, and that with David, that in all thefe covenant-expreffures, there are for fubftance the fame evangelical conditions of faith and fincerity.

Dr. Davenant thus: In the covenant of the gospel it is otherwife; for in this covenant, to the obtainment of reconci liation, juftification, and life eternal, there is no other con 'dition required than of true and lively faith, John iii. 16. Therefore juftification, and the right to eternal life, doth de pend on the condition of faith alone.'

Dr. Downame * harmonizeth with the reft in these words:

* Pemble of juftification, fect. 4 chap. 1. p. 214, 215, 216, 217. + Perkins order of caufes, chap. 31. p. 17.

Reformed Catholic of juftification, p. 570.

Mr. J. Ball of the covenant of grace, ch, I. Of the new covenant. p. 198,

Davenant de juftific. Act. cap. 30.

** Tract. 1. of juftification, b. 6. chap, 8. fect. 10. and b. 7. chap. 2. fect 6.

6

That which is the only condition of the covenant of grace, by that alone we are juftified: But faith is the condition of the covenant of grace, which is therefore called lex fidei. Our writers (faith he) distinguishing the two covenants of God, that is, the law and the golpel, whereof one is the covenant of works, the other the covenant of grace, do teach, That the law of works is that which to juftification requireth works as the condition thereof: the law of faith that, which tó ju'ftification requireth faith as the condition thereof. The former faith this, Do this, and thou fbalt live; the latter, Believe in Chrift, and thou shalt be faved.'

But what ftand I upon particular, though renowned names? You may fee a whole conftellation of our found and famous divines in the affembly, thus expreffing themselves about this point. 'The grace of God (fay they) is manifefted in the fecond covenant, in that he freely provideth, and offereth to 'fingers a Mediator, and life and falvation by him, and requiring faith as the condition to intereft them in him, promiseth and giveth his Holy Spirit to all his elect, to work in them that faith, with all other faving graces, and to enable them to all holy obedience, as the evidence of the truth of their faith,' &c. *.

I could even tire the reader with the teftimonies of eminent foreign divines, as Cameron, de triplici foedere, Thef. 82. Urfinus et Paraeus, explicatio Catech. Queft. 18. de foedere. Wendeline, Chriftian Theology, lib. 1. cap. 19. thef. 9. Poliander, Rivet, Wallaeus, and Thyfius, the four learned profeffors at Leyden, Synopf. Dif. 23. fect. 27. &c. And as for thofe antient and modern divines, whom the Antinomians have corrupted and mifreprefented, the reader may fee them all vindicated, and their concurrence with thofe I have named, evidenced, by that learned and pious Mr. John Craile, in his Modeft vindication of the doctrine of conditions in the covenant of grace, from p. 58. onward; a man whofe name and memory is precious with me, not only upon the account of that excellent fermon he preached, and thofe fervent prayers he poured out many years fince, at my ordination; but for that learned and judicious treatife of his against Mr. Eyre, wherein he hath caft great light upon this controverfy, as excellent Mr. Baxter and Mr. Woodbridge have alfo done, But, alas! what evidence is fufficient to fatisfy ignorant and obftinate men!

Sir, It pities me to fee the lamentable confufion you are in;

* Larger catechif. 4 to. London, 1648. p. 8.

you are forced, by the evidence of truth, to yield and own the fubftance of what I contend for: you have yielded the covenant to be confequently conditional, in p. 84. of your Reply; you have also as plainly yielded that the application of pardoning mercy unto our fouls, is in order of nature, confequent unto believing, p. 31. of your Reply. From both which conceffions, in your own words recited, this conclufion is evident and unavoidable, viz.

That no adult perfon, notwithstanding God's eternal election, and Chrift's meritorious death and fatisfaction, according to the conftitution and order of the new covenant, can either be juftified in this world, or faved in the world to come, unless he first believe.

For if the application of pardoning mercy unto our souls is in order of nature, confequent unto believing, (as you truly affirm it to be) then, according to the conftitution and order of the new covenant, no application of pardoning mercy can be made to our fouls before we believe. And if it be evident (as you fay it is, p. 84.) that unto a full and complete enjoyment of all the promifes of the covenant, faith on our part is required; then, as no man can be actually juftified in this world, fo neither can he be faved before, or without faith, in the world to come. And if you did but fee the true fufpending nature of faith, which you plainly yield, in these two conceffions; you would quickly grant the conditional nature of it: for what is the proper nature and true notion of a condition, but to fufpend the benefits and grants of that covenant, in which it is fo inferted? And thus the controverfy betwixt us is fairly iffued. But I doubt you understand not what you have here written, or are troubled with a very bad memory; because I find you in a far different note from this, in p. 103. of your Reply, where you fay,That if Jefus Chrift fulfilled the law, and purchased heaven and happiness for men, (as all true Protestants hitherto have taught) then nothing can remain, but to declare this to them, to incline them to believe, and accept it; and to pre• fcribe in what way, and by what means they fhall finally come to inherit eternal life. To affirm, therefore, that faith and • repentance, are the conditions of the new covenant required of us, in point of duty, antecedent to the benefit of the promife, doth neceffarily fuppofe, that Chrift hath not done all for us, nor purchased a right to life for any; but only made · way that they may have it upon certain terms, or (as feme fay) he hath merited, that we might merit: but the conditions of the covenant are not to be performed by the head and