Christ doth, and fo we might be the faviours of the elect, as Chrift is? Which is moft abfurd to imagine. And,

(4.) According to Antinomian principles, What need was there that we should be justified at all? or, What place is left for the juftification of any finner in the world? For, according to their opinion, the juftification of the elect is an immanent act of God before the world was; and that eternal act of justification, making the elect as completely righteous as Christ himself, there could not poffibly be any the leaft guilt in the elect to be pardoned; and confequently no place or room could be left for any justification in time. And then it most follow, that feeing Chrift died in time for fin, according to the fcriptures; it must be for his own fins that he died, and not for the fins of the elect; diametrically oppofite to Rom. iv. 25. and the whole current of fcripture, and faith of Chrifti

ans.

It is therefore very unbecoming and unworthy of a juftified perfon, after Christ hath taken all his guilt upon himself, and fuffered all the punishment due thereunto in his place and room; instead of an humble and thankful admiration of his unparal leled grace therein, to throw more than the guilt and punish ment of his fins upon Chrift, even the tranfgreffion itself: and comparing his own righteoufnefs with Chrift's, to fay he is as completely righteous as Chrift himself. This is, as if a company of bankrupt debtors, arrefted for their own debts, ready to be caft into prison, and not having one farthing to fatisfy, after their debts have been freely and fully discharged by another, out of his immenfe treasure, fhould now compare with him, yea, and think they honour him, by telling him, that now they are as completely rich as himself.

I am well affured, no good man would embrace an opinion fo derogatory to Chrift's honour as this is: did he but fee the odious confequences of it, doubtless he would abhor them as much as we. And as for thofe now in heaven, who fell into fuch mistakes in the way thither, were they now acquainted with what is tranfacted here below, they would exceedingly rejoice in the detection of those mistakes, and blefs God for the refutation of them,

Error 8. They affirm, That believers need not fear their own fins, nor the fins of others; forafmuch as neither their own, or others fins can do them any hurt, nor muft they do any duty for their own good or fulvation, or for eternal rewards.

That we need fear no hurt from fin, or may not aim at our own good in duty, are two propofitions that found harsh in the

ears of believers. I fhall confider them feverally, and refute them as briefly as I can.

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Propofition 1. Believers need not fear their own fins, or the fins of others because neither our own, or others fins can do us any hurt.

They feem to be induced into this error, by misunderstanding the apostle, in Rom. viii. 28. as if the scope of that text were to affert the benefits of fin to juftified perfons; whereas he speaks there of adverfities and afflictions befalling the faints in this life. Universalis reftringenda eft ad materiam fubje&tam," loquitur enim de afflictionibus piorum. The subject-matter (faith Paraeus on the place) reftrains the univerfal expreffion of the apostle: for when he there faith, "All things fhall work to"gether for good;" he principally intends the afflictions of the godly, of which he treats there in that context. It may be extended alfo to all providential events; Omnia quæcunque eis accedunt forinfecus, tam adverfa, quam profpera: All adverfe and profperous events of things without us, as Eftius upon the place notes. Nothing is fpoken of fin in this text. And the apostle distributing this general into particulars, ver. 38. plainly fhews, what are the things he intended by his universal expreffion, ver. 28. as alfo in what respect no creature can do the faints any hurt, namely, that they fhall never be able" to feparate them from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jesus

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our Lord." And in this respect it is true, that the fins of the elect fhall not hurt them, by fruftrating the purpose of God concerning their eternal falvation; or totally, and finally to separate them from his love. This we grant, and yet we think it a very unwary and unfound expreffion, That believers need not fear their own fins, because they can do them no hurt: It is too general and unguarded a propofition to be received for truth. What if their fins cannot do them hurt, to fruftrate the purpose of God, and damn them to eternity in the world to come? Can it therefore do them no hurt at all in their present state of conflict with it in this world? For my part, I think the greatest fear of caution is due to fin, the greatest evil; and that Chryfoftome fpake more like a Chriftian, when he faid, Nil nifi peccatum timeo, I fear nothing but fin. Though fin cannot finally ruin the believer, yet it can many ways hurt and injure the believer, and therefore ought not to be mifreprefented as fuch an innocent and harmless thing to them. In vain are fo many terrible threatenings in the fcriptures against it, if it can do ús no hurt; and it is certain nothing can do ns good, but that which makes us VOL. IV.

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better and more holy: But fin can never pretend to that of all things in the world. But to come to an issue, fin may be confidered three ways.

1. Formally. 2. Effectively. 3. Reductively.

First, Formally, as a tranfgreffion of the preceptive part of the law of God, and under that confideration it is the most formidable evil in the whole world. The evil of evils, at which every gracious heart trembles, and ought rather to chufe banishment, prifon and death itlelf in the most terrible form, than fin, or that which is molt tempting in fin, the pleafures of it; as Mofes did, Heb. xi. 25.

Secondly, Sin may be confidered effectively, with respect to the manifold mifchiefs and calamities it produceth in the world, and the fpiritual and corporeal evils it infers upon believers themfelves: Though it cannot damn their fouls, yet it makes war against their fouls, and brings them into miferable bondage and captivity, Rom. vii. 23. It wounds their fouls, under which wounds they are feeble and fore broken; yea, they roar by reafon of the difquietness of their hearts, Pfal. xxxviii. 5, 8. Is war, captivity, feftering, painful wounds, caufing them to roar, no hurt to believers? It breaks their very bones, Pfal. li. 8. And is that no hurt? It draws of their minds from God, interrupts their prayers and meditations, Rom. vii., 18, 19, 20, 21. And is there no hurt in that? It caufeth their graces to decline, wither, and languish to that degree, that the things which are in them are ready to die, Rev. iii. 1. and Rev. ii. 4. And is the lofs of grace and fpiritual ftrength, no hurt to a believer! It hides the face of God from them, Ifa. lix. 2. And is there no hurt in fpiritual withdrawments of God from their fouls? Why then do deferted faints fo bitterly lament and bemoan it? It provokes innumerable afflictions and miferies, which fall upon our bodies, relations, eftates; and if fin be the cause of all thele inward and outward miferies to the people of God, fure then there is fome hurt in fin, for which the faints ought to be afraid of it.

Thirdly, Sin may be confidered reductively, as it is over-ruled, reduced, and finally iffued by the covenant of grace. Under this confideration of fin, which rather refpects the future, than prefent ftate, the Antinomians only refpect the hurt or evil of it; overlooking both the former confiderations of fin, which concern the prefent ftate of believers, and fo rafhly pronounce, Sin can do believers no hurt; an affertion tending to a great deal of looseness and licentioufnels. A man drinks deadly poifon, and is, after many months, recovered by the skill of an excellent

physician; fhall we fay, There was no hurt in it, because the man died not of it? Sure, thofe fearful twinges he felt, his lofs of strength and ftomach were hurtful to him, tho' he escaped with life, and got this advantage by it to be more wary for ever after. Tantum religio potuit fuadere malorum.

And then, for other mens fins, (which, they fay, we need not, fear), it is an affertion against all the laws of charity; for the fins of wicked men eternally damn them, disturb the peace, and order of the world, draw down national judgments upon the whole community, caufe wars, plagues, perfecutions, &c. which confiderations of the fins of others opened fountains of tears in David's eyes, Pfal. cxix. 136. caused horror to take hold upon him, ver. 53. and yet, if you will believe the Antinomian doc. trine, believers have no need to fear, much less to be in horror (which is the extremity of fear) for other mens fins. How is Satan gratified, and temptations to fin firengthened, upon the fouls of men, by fuch indiftinct, unwary, and dangerous expreffions as these are? A good intention can be no fufficient falve for fuch affertions as thefe.

Secondly, They tell us, That as the faints need fear no fin for any hurt it can do them, fo they must do no duty for their own good; or with an eye to their own falvation, or eternal rewards in heaven.'

Refutation. This, as the former, is too generally and indiftinctly delivered. He that diftinguifheth well, teacheth well. The confounding of things which ought to be diftinguished, eafily runs men into the bogs of errors. Two things ought to have been diftinguished here:

1. Ends in duties.

2. Self-ends in duties.

Firft, Ends in duties; There are two ends in duties, one fupreme and ultimate, viz. the glorifying of God, which muft, and ought to take the first place of all other ends: Another fecondary and fubordinate, viz. the good and benefit of ourselves. To invert thefe, and place our own good in the room of God's glory, is finful and unjustifiable; and he that aims only at himself in religion, is justly cenfured as a mercenary fervant, especially, if it be any external good he aims at; but fpiritual good, efpecially the enjoyment of God, is fo involved in the other, viz. the glory of God, that no man can rightly take the Lord for his God, but he must take him for his fupreme good, and, confequently, therein may, and must have a due refpect to his own happiness.

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Secondly, Self-ends must always be distinguished into. 1. Corrupt, or carnal felf-ends.

2 Pure, and fpiritual felt-ends.

As to carnal and corrupt felf-ends, inviting and moving men to the performance of religious duties; when thefe are the only ends men aim at, they bewray the hypocrify of the heart, and, accordingly, God charges hypocrify upon fuch perfons. Hol They have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds; They assemble themselves for ་་ corn, and wine," &c. God reckons not the moft folemn duties animated by fuch ends, to be done unto him. Zech. vii. 5. "Did ye at all taft unto me?"

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But, befide thefe, man hath a best self, a spiritual self, to regard in duty, viz. The conformity of his foul to God in holines, and the perfect fruition of God in glory. Such holy felfends as thefe, are often commended, but no where condemned in fcripture. 'Twas the encomium of Mofes, that " he had re"spect unto the recompenfe of reward," Heb. xi. 26. Thefe ordinate refpects to our fpiritual, best self, are so far from being our fia, that God both appoints, and allows them for great ufes, and advantages to his people, in their way to glory. They are, (1) Singular encouragements to the faints under perfecu tions, ftraits, and diftreffes, Heb. x. 34. and to that end Chrift propofes,them, Luke xii. 32. and fo the beft of faints have made ufe of them, 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. (2.) They are motives, and incentives to praife, and thankfulness, 1 Pet. i. 3, 4. Col. i. 12. (3.) They ftir up the faints to chearful, and vigorous industry for God, Col. iii. 23, 24. 1 Cor. xv. 58.

Now to cut off from religion all these spiritual, and excellent felf-respects, and to make them our fins, and marks of our by pocrify, is an error very injurious to the gofpel, and to the fouls of men. For, (1.) It croffes the ftrain of the gospel, which commands us to ftrive for our falvation, Luke xiii. 24, 25, Phil. ii. 12. Į Tim. iv. 16. (2.) It blames that in the faints as finful, which the fcripture notes as their excellency, and records to their praise, Heb. xi. 26.. (3.) It makes the laws of Chrifti anity to thwart, and cross the very fundamental law of our creation, which inclines, and obliges all men to intend their own felicity: And on this account, not only our Antinomians are blame-worthy, but others alfo, who are far enough from their opinion, who urge humiliation for fin beyond the staple; teaching men, they are not humbled enough, till they be content to be damned. (4.) It unreafonably fuppofes a Chriftian may not do that for his own foul, which he daily doth, and is