ESSAY" and giveth his Holy Spirit to all his Elect,

II.

to work in them that Faith with all other "faving Graces, and to enable them unto "all holy Obedience, as the Evidence of the "Truth of their Faith and Thankfulness to "God, and as the way which he hath appointed to Salvation.”

Nor can I fee any fufficient Reason why the Grace of Faith, as a Bleffing conferr'd, may be called the Condition of a following Bleffing, and yet Faith, confider'd as a Duty, may not be called a Condition of the fame Bleffing, fince both the Habit and the Act of Faith are the Effects of Divine Grace working in us and by us; and where Faith is propofed as a Duty, it is reprefented more evidently in a conditional way than where 'tis mentioned as a mere Bleffing.

And upon the fame account, Holiness and Perfeverance may be called the Conditions of our compleat Salvation in Heaven, because Holiness and Perfeverance are foregoing Bleffings and Duties, and compleat Salvation in Heaven is the final Privilege, Heb. xii. 14. Without Holiness no Man fhall fee the Lord. Matt. xxiv. 13. He that endures to the End fhall be faved. Nor doth Dr. Owen, nor other moderate Writers in this Controversy, refuse the ufe of the word Condition in fuch a Senfe..

What I have faid concerning the various Bleffings of the Gofpel or new Covenant, may be apply'd alfo to the Seals or Symbols of it, Baptifm

Baptifm and the Lord's Supper. Thefe are Seals on God's part, which he hath appointed for the Confirmation of our Faith, by the Help of our Senfes, and that he might give us, as it were, a real Pledge of the Performance of his Promifes. Thus Abraham received Circumcifion a Seal of the Righteousness. of Faith, Rom. iv. II. Thus we receive Baptifm as a Seal of our Regeneration by the Holy Spirit: Thus the Lord's Supper as a Seal of our Pardon and Life by the Crucifixion and Death of Chrift. But as great Privileges as they are, thus granted to us, we must remember they are alfo Duties to be performed by us, and are Seals on our part of our Engagement to be the Lord's. Nor have we any Reafon to expect the Comforts that arife from thefe fealed Bleffings of the Gofpel if we wilfully defpife and neglect the ufe of the Seals. And in this Senfe they may be called Conditions of the Privileges, and Comforts that are annexed to them.

I defire it here to be noted, that I fpeak not this to encourage and promote the common ufe of the word Condition in thefe Cafes; for it is no used in Scripture, except once in a Parable; and that not in the Original, but only in our Tranflation. The Text is Luke xiv. 33. where 'tis not at all to the purpose. of the prefent Controverfy: The Conditions there mentioned are not the Conditions of our Salvation, but quite another thing: The Defign

I

ESSAY fign of the Parable is to fhew that those who II. have not Courage to fight with their fpiritual Enemies, the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, must e'en make Conditions of Peace with them, that is, fit ftill and neglect Chrift and Religion.

Befides the Word Condition, (though it be an innocent and an ufeful and expreffive Word in the matter of Duty and Privilege) yet it hath been ill explained by fome Preachers, and worfe understood by fome Hearers, and thereby it hath given great Offence: I fay this therefore only to fhew that there is not fo much Herefy and Poifon in those four Syllables as fome learned Men pretend, and fome unlearned believe and fear. If any Man will fix fuch a rigid Senfe on the word Condition as is inconfiftent with the Grace of the Gospel, and then fay, the Gospel has no Conditions in it, I will not contend with him; for he speaks confiftently with himself, and with Scripture too; because Scripture does not use the Word: But if Condition be taken in a very plain and common Senfe for any one thing upon which another is fufpended, I do not know any Scripture that forbids the use of it, but fuch Texts as thefe, 1 Cor. x. 32. Give no Offence to-the Church of God. Rom. xv. 2. Please your Neighbour for his Good to Edification.

SECT.

SECT. II.

Queft. Is the Gospel a new Law? Whether Commands and Threatnings belong to the Gospel?

Anfw. The word Gofpel or vayyéniov, though it fignifies Glad Tidings in its original Derivation, yet it is ufed in Scripture fometimes in a larger Senfe, as well as fometimes in a more proper and limited one,

When 'tis used in its proper and limited Senfe it denotes a mere Declaration of the good Will of God for the Recovery of fallen Man: So the Texts before cited Gal, iii. 8. Heb. x. 16, 17. And fo 2 Cor. v. 19. where the Gospel is called the Word of Reconciliation, the Subftance of it is, that God was in Chrift, reconciling the World to himself, not imputing their Trefpales to them. So the first Gospel that ever was preached to Adam, after the Fall, was a free. Difcovery of Mercy, Gen. iii. 15. The Seed of the Woman fall bruife the Serpent's Head.

2

When the Word Gospel is ufed in its larger Senfe, it includes Predictions, Commands, Promises, Threatnings, Hiftories, Ex+ amples, and almoft whatever is neceflary, to enforce thofe Duties upon the Confciences of Men, which are as Means appointed, in ors der to partake of the Privileges. q

So the Gofpel contains in it Narratives of Matters of Fact, or Hiftories, Mark i. 1.

ESSAY
II.

The

ESSAY The beginning of the Gospel of Jefus Chrift, II. which feems to refer to all the following History of his Life and Death; and the four Hiftories of the Evangelifts are called Gospels, which Title (if not Divine originally, yet) has been the Language of the Church, thro' fo many Ages of Christianity.

The Word Gofpel contains, alfo, fome Doctrines, Col. i. 5. The Hope which is laid up for you in Heaven, whereof ye heard before in the Word of Truth of the Gospel. The Gofpel reveals Truths before unknown to Men. So Life and Immortality arè brought to Light by the Gofpel, 2 Tim. i. 10. i. e. Doctrines of the heavenly State.

Commands. 2 Cor. ix. 13. By the Experi ment of this Miniftration they glorify God for your profeffed Subjection to the Gospel of Chrift. This Subjection to the Gofpel, implies, that Liberality is commanded in it. Acts xvi. 21. Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift and thou shalt be faved. This is the Command given to the convinced Jailor.

Promifes and Threatnings, Mark xvi. 16. Preach the Gospel to every Creature; ke that believeth and is baptiz'd fhall be faved, be that believeth not shall be damned.

Predictions, particularly of the final Judg ment. Rom. ii. 16. God fhall judge the Secrets of Men by Jefus Chrift, according to my Gofpel. That is, according as I have preached.