hath indeed by his Death delivered them from his Father's Wrath, and the outward Punishment they were obnoxious to for their Sins; and he hath likewife by his Life covered them over with an external Robe of Righteousness. But ftill, for any Thing he hath done to the contrary, that venomous Nature of theirs may still remain, and they may carry it with them into Heaven, where, notwithstanding all the Glories they may be prefumed to been-circled with, will be a Plague and a Torment to them for ever. Either therefore Chrift must be supposed to have intended the deftroying of all Sin and Naughtiness out of Men, as well as that it fhould not be imputed to them, to have meant the furnishing their Souls with an inward real Righteoufness and Purity of their own, as well as the cloathing them with a Righteousness of his; or else he hath but done them half that Kindness which he pretended to have defigned them when he came into the World He is but half a Physician; he hath palliated our Sores and our Diseases, but he hath not removed them.

But, Secondly, The Doctrine that afferts that the Life of our Saviour was not defign'd for an Example to us, but to be a fulfilling of the Law for us, fo that thereby we are excufed from our Obedience to it; the Doctrine that afferts that the Righteousness of Chrift's Life is made fo much ours by

Faith, that we need not conform ourselves thereto in our Practice, doth not only render Chrift imperfect or unsuccessful in his Undertaking, which was that I faid before; but,which is far worse, makes it look as if he came into the World with a very ill Defign. This is a most blafphemous Confequence, but really it cannot be avoided; for let any Man fay, Suppose a Man had really a Defign to serve the Interefts of the Devil's Kingdom, and to promote and encourage all forts of Vice, and Wickedness, and Debauchery in the World; How could he do it more effectually than by this Method, namely, to poffefs the World that he was fent from God, and that he was fent with this Intent, that by the Innocency of his Life he might make amends for the Wickedness of theirs; that all his Virtue, and good Qualities, and laudable Deeds fhould be as much theirs, and they fhould be as much rewarded for them, as if they had done them themselves, tho' in the mean time they did not one of them, nor any thing like them; and that all the Crimes they should commit, should be put to his Account, and they fhould never answer for them, he having once for all paid the general Score of the Sins of Mankind. Only this Condition he strictly required, that they fhould firmly believe all this, that they should with the greateft Confidence and Affurance imaginable, apply all thofe Benefits, all those Privileges

to

to themselves, that they should from their very Hearts difclaim all good Deeds of their own, and throw away every Rag of their own Righteousnefs, and fhrowd themselves entirely under the Robes of his Righteoufnefs. If they did but this, all was fafe, nothing should hurt them; no Sin, no Habits of Sin, tho' never repented of, fhould do them Mischief. On the contrary, if they thought of any other Terms of obtaining God's Favour, they were under a great and dangerous Miftake. I fay, how could any Man do a greater Differvice to all Piety and Virtue, and all the Interefts of true Religion? How could any Man take a more effectual Courfe to deftroy the Fear of God from among Men, and to let in a Flood of Impiety and Wickednefs to over-fpread the Earth, than to preach fuch a Doctrine as this, fuppofing he had the Means to make himfelf believed? And yet, according to the Principles before laid down, such as this in Effect must be the Doctrine of our bleffed Saviour. I dare fay there is none that calls himself a Chriftian, can be so bad as to own these Confequences; but yet I do not fee how the Antinomian Doctrine in this Matter can be acquitted of them.

Well; but it will be faid, Are there not Texts of Scripture that do plainly feem to countenance this Antinomian Doctrine, as you call it? Doth not St. Paul say, That to all Believers their Faith is imputed for

Righte

Righteousness without Works? And doth not the fame St. Paul fay, That he defires not to be found in his own Righteousness, but in the Righteousness which is of God by Faith? What will you fay to thefe Texts?

you,

Why, I fay, give me but Leave to lay thefe Texts fairly before and then you yourselves fhall judge whether they make any thing for the Doctrine I am now difputing againft. I am indeed the more willing to take thefe two Texts into Confideration, because those I am now dealing with have them always in their Mouths, and do in a manner lay the whole Strefs of their Caufe upon them.

The firft Text is in Rom. ch. 4. ver. 22. There St. Paul tells us, that Abraham's Faith was imputed to him for Righteousness; and that it was not written for his fake alone, that it was fo imputed to him, but for us alfo, to whom it fhall be imputed, if we believe on him that railed up Jefus from the Dead.

Now from this Text, fay they, it is plain, that Faith is imputed to all Chriftians for their Righteoufnefs: Nay, more than that, the Apostle tells us in the fixth Verse of this very Chapter, that the Blessednefs of Chriftians is defcribed by this, that Righteousness is imputed to them without Works. So that here is a Righteousness imputed, and a Righteousness imputed without Works: How then dare we speak

any

any thing against an imputed Righteoufnefs?

I answer, Nobody, that I know of, fpeaks any thing againft imputed Righteousness in the Apoftle's Sense, but only against Christ's Righteoufnefs, and Virtue, and Innocence, and holy Conversation being fo imputed to us, as that there is no need of our Righteoufnefs, and Virtue, and Innocence, and holy Converfation, which I am fure was not the Apostle's Senfe, nor ever entred into his Mind. But I pray confider this Text a little more narrowly, and be not carried away by the Sound of a Word. St. Paul here tells us, that Abraham's Faith was accounted to him for Righteousness, in the 3d Verfe. In the 5th Verfe, that it was reckoned to him for Righteousness. And in the 22d Verfe, that it was imputed to him for Righteoufnefs. All these Phrases mean the fame Thing. But is it here said, or is it faid any where else, that Christ's Righteoufnefs was reckoned, or counted, or imputed to Abraham for Righteousness ? Nay, is it faid any where in the whole Scripture, that Christ's Obedience or Righteoufnefs fhould be accounted or imputed to any Men in the World for their own Righteoufnefs? Not a Word of it. There is a vast Difference (if any Body will mind) between these two Propofitions or Expreffions; To a true Believer his Faith is reckoned or imputed for Righteousness; and this,

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