This is a Scheme of Chriftian Religion that fome Men have laid down to themfelves; and if it be a true one, then what becomes of the Exemplarity of Chrift's Life? what becomes of our Obligations to walk as he walketh? Why verily it all falls to the Ground. For fince (according to this Hypothefis) the very Defign of Chrift's Life was to fulfil all Righteoufnefs; and all that Righteousness of his is made ours by Faith; what need can there be of our fulfilling the fame Righteousness over again, by endeavouring to copy out Christ's Example in our Lives? I own that a great many good Men may have been bred up in the Ufe of fuchExpreffions ast hefe that I have now been mentioning, but yet abhor the Consequences that I would draw from them: For all that they mean by Chrift's Righteoufnefs being imputed to us, and made ours, is no more than this, that we are juftified and accepted by God purely and folely for the Merits of Jefus Chrift, and that not for any Righteousness of their own. But they own nevertheless that we are all bound, nay even under Pain of Damnation, to endeavour as much as we can to be virtuous in our Perfons, and to imitate our bleffed Lord in all the Inftances of Virtue and Holinefs that he hath fet before us. Now if this be all their Meaning, God forbid that any Man fhould open his Mouth against it; for it is undoubtedly the Scrip ture ture Doctrine, tho' the Words whereby they exprefs their Meaning are very improper and unfcriptural. But I would never difpute with any one about Words, where we agree in the Senfe. That which I oppose, and which all Men, that have any Regard to the Honour of the Gofpel, and the Intereft of Souls, muft be concerned to oppofe, is the Antinomian Principle, that is to fay, that the Righteousness of Christ's Life is fo imputed to Believers, as to ferve inftead of their own Righteousness; that Christ's perfect Obedience to the moral Law hath discharged us from all Obligation to the Obfervance of it. So that provided we do apply this his Obedience, this his Righteoufnefs to ourselves by Faith, there is no need of our being righteous as he was righteous, and framing our Lives after his holy Example. This, I fay, is both an absurd and a pernicious Doctrine, and not to be endured among Chriftians. If I should fet myself to fhew you this at large, and expofe this Doctrine in all the Parts and Confequences of it, and to fhew how contradictory it is to the Account which the Scripture gives of this Matter, I fhould fpend more of my Time, and of your Patience, than I am now willing to do. And therefore I will only remark two Things concerning it, and which are very obvious. First, it fuppofes Chrift not to have performed that which he came into the World to do. Secondly, it fuppofeth that he came into the World with a very ill Defign. Firft, I fay, this Doctrine difparageth Chrift's Undertaking, and fuppofeth him not to have done that which he came into the World to do. For did not our bleffed Saviour come into the World for this End, that he might redeem us from all Evil and Mifery, and put us into a State of real Happiness? There is no Body doubts of it. And now is not a State of Sin and Wickedness a State of Slavery to the Devil and our own Lufts, and a very great Evil? Nay, is it not the greatest Evil in the World? No Body, that hath any serious Senfe of Things will deny it. But now, according to the aforefaid Doctrine, that the Righteousness of Chrift is fo imputed to Believers, that they are thereby accounted righteous without being fo in their own Perfons; and that this is all the Righteousness required to qualify us for Heaven: I fay, according to this Doctrine, after all that Chrift hath done or fuffered for Believers, they may remain in this evil State for ever; they may continue all their Lives long under the Tyranny of vicious Habits, and be perfect Bondmen to the Devil, (if vile Affections and Lufts can make a Man fo) and go fo into the other World. Chrift hath 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 likewise by his Life covered them over with an external Robe of Righteoufnefs. 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 fuppofed 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 Rightcoufnefs 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 Phyfician; 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 ourfelves thereto in our Practice, doth not only render Chrift imperfect or unfuccefsful 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 ferve 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 should 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 fhould commit, fhould be put to his Account, and they should 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 fhould with the greatest Confidence and Affurance imaginable, apply all thofe Benefits, all thofe Privileges to |
