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A DEFENCE

OF

THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.

A DEFENCE

OF

THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST;

SHEWING TRUE GOSPEL HOLINESS FLOWS FROM THENCE; OR, MR. FOWLER'S PRETENDED "DESIGN OF CHRISTIANITY" PROVED TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN TO TRAMPLE

UNDER FOOT THE BLOOD OF THE SON OF GOD, AND THE

IDOLIZING OF MAN'S OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS;

AS ALSO,

HOW WHILE HE PRETENDS TO BE A MINISTER OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, HE OVERTHROWETH THE WHOLESOME DOCTRINE CONTAINED IN THE TENTH, ELEVENTH, AND THIRTEENTH OF THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES OF THE SAME, AND THAT HE FALLETH IN WITH THE QUAKER AND ROMANIST AGAINST THEM.

1 PET. II. 4 — “Disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious."

A PREMONITION TO THE READER.

GENTLE READER, THAT thou mayst not be tired with longing to know what errors and doctrines destructive

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to Christianity Mr. Fowler in his feigned Design of Christianity" hath presented the world withal, and that thou mayst even in the entry see that which more fully is shewn in the house-namely, of the contradiction that is in his book to the wholesome doctrine of the church of England, while he stands a minister of the same, I have thought convenient, instead of an epistle, to present thee with those doctrines contained in his, and that are refuted by the book that thou hast in thy hand; the which also I hope will be a sufficient apology for this my undertaking.

HIS DOCTRINES ARE THESE:

1. That the first principles of morals, those first written in men's hearts, are the essentials, the indispensable and fundamental points or doctrines of the gospel, pp. 8, 281, 282. 2. That these first principles are to be followed principally as they are made known to us by the dictates of human nature; and that this obedience is the first and best sort of obedience we Christians can perform, pp. 8-10. 3. That there is such a thing as a soundness of soul, and the parity of human nature in the world, p. 6. 4. That the law, in the first principles of it, is far beyond and more obliging on the hearts of Christians

pp. 7-9.

than is that of coming to God by Christ, pp. 7-10. 5. That the precept of coming to God by Christ, &c., is in its own nature a thing indifferent, and, absolutely considered, neither good nor evil, 6. That Christ's great errand in coming into the world was to put us again in 7. That John the Baptist, the angel that was possession of the holiness we had lost, p. 12. trine, and so also did Malachi the prophet, p. 13. sent to Zacharias and Mary, preached this doc8. That Christ by saving us from sin is meant, from the filth, and from the punishment as a connot first, his saving us from the punishment, but work when he was come was to establish only sequence of that, pp. 14, 15. 9. That Christ's an inward real righteousness, p. 16. 10. That Christ's fulfilling the law for us was by giving more perfect and lighter instances of moral duties than were before expressly given, p. 17. 11. That Christ's doctrine, life, actions, miracles, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again to judgment are also preached to establish us in this righteousness, chap. 2-8. 12. That it is not possible a wicked man should have God's pardon, p. 119. 13. That it is impossible Christ's righteousness should be imputed to an unrighteous man, p. 120. 14. And that if it were, he boldly affirms it would signify as little to his happiness while he continueth so, as would a gorgeous and splendid garment to one that is almost starved, p. 120. 15. For God to justify a wicked man &c. would far more disparage his

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justice and holiness than advance his grace and kindness, p. 130. 16. He saith, men are not capable of God's pardoning grace till they have truly repented them of all their sins, p. 130. 17. The devils, saith he, have a large measure of these attributes of God, as his power, knowledge, &c., p. 124. 18. That Christ did himself perform as our example whatever he required of us to do; yea, that he trod himself every step of our way to heaven, p. 148. 19. The salvation of Christ, first, consists in curing our wounds, (our filth ;) and, secondarily, in freeing us from the smart, p. 216. 20. That pardon doth not so much consist in remission as in healing-to wit, our filth, p. 216. 21. Faith justifieth as it includeth true holiness in the nature of it; it justifieth as it doth so, p. 221. 22. That faith which entitles a sinner to so high a privilege as that of justification must needs be such as complieth with all the purposes of Christ's coming into the world, &c.; and it is no less necessary that it should justify as it doth this, p. 222. 23. He wonders that any worldly man should be so difficultly persuaded to embrace this account of justifying faith, p. 222. 24. There can be no pretence for a man to think that faith should be the condition or instrument of justification as it complieth with only the precept of relying on Christ's merits for the obtaining of it, p. 223. 25. It is, saith he, as clear as the sun at noon-day, that obedience to the other precepts must go before obedience to this, p. 223. 26. He shall be his Apollo that can give him a sufficient reason why justifying faith should consist in recumbency and reliance on Christ's merits for the pardon of sin, p. 224. 27. He will take the boldness to tell those who are displeased with this account of justifying faith, that in his opinion it is impossible they should once think of another, p. 225. 28. The imputation of Christ's righteousness consisteth in dealing with sincerely righteous persons as if they were perfectly so, &c., p. 225. 29. The grand intent of the gospel is to make us partakers of inward real righteousness, and it is but secondary that we should be accepted as before, p. 226. 30. It is not possible, he saith, that any other notion of this doctrine should have truth in it, p. 226. 31. Whatsoever is commanded by the customs of the place we live in, or commanded by superiors, or made by any circumstances convenient to be done, our Christian liberty consisteth in that we have leave to do them, p. 242.

32. For our refusing to comply with these can hardly proceed from anything than a proud affectation of singularity, or at best from superstitious scrupulosity, p. 242. 33. Those ministers hinder the design of Christianity that preach up free grace and Christian privileges otherways than as motives to obedience, and that scarce ever insist upon any other duties than those of believing, laying hold of Christ's righteousness, applying the promises, &c., p. 262. 34. But to make the Christian duties to consist either wholly or mostly in these, &c., is the way effectually to harden hypocrites, p. 262. 35. Those ministers do nothing less than promote the design of Christianity that are never in their element but when they are talking of the irrespectiveness of God's decrees, the absolute promises, the utter disability and perfect impotency of natural men to do anything towards their own conversion, p. 262. 36. He is the only child of Abraham who in the purity of his heart obeyeth those substantial laws that are by God imposed upon him, p. 283. 37. There is no duty more affectionately commanded in the gospel than that of almsgiving, p. 284. 38. It is impossible we should not have the design of Christianity accomplished in us, &c., if we make our Saviour's most excellent life the pattern of our lives, p. 296. 39. To do well is better than believing, p. 299. 40. To be imitators of Christ's righteousness, even of the righteousness we should rely on, is counted by Mr. Fowler more noble than to rely thereon, or trust thereto, p. 300.

Reader, I have given thee here but a taste of these things; and by my book but a brief reply to the errors that he by his hath divulged to the world; ay, though many more are by me reflected than the forty thou art here presented with.

God give thee eyes to see, and a heart to shun and escape, all these things that may yet come to pass, for hurt, and to stand before the Son of man.

Thus hoping that this short taste may make Mr. Fowler ashamed, and thee receive satisfaction touching the truth and state of this man's spirit and principles, I rest,

Thine to serve thee in the gospel of Christ, JOHN BUNYAN.

From Prison, the 27th of the 12th month, 1671.

SIR,

A DEFENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.

HAVING heard of your book, entitled, "The Design of Christianity," and that in it were contained such principles as gave just offence to Christian ears, I was desirous of a view thereof, that from my sight of things I might be the better able to judge. But I could not obtain it till the 13th of this 11th month, which was too soon for you, Sir, a pretended minister of the word, so vilely to expose to public view the rottenness of your heart in principles diametrically opposite to the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. And had it not been for this consideration, that it is not too late to oppose open blasphemy, such as endangereth the souls of thousands, I had cast by this answer as a thing out of

season.

Two things are the design of your book1. To assert and justify a thing which you call inward, real righteousness and holiness.

2. To prove that the whole, the grand, the only, and ultimate design of the gospel of Christ is to begin and perfect this righteousness.

Into the truth or untruth of both these, as briefly as I may, I shall at this time inquire.

First, therefore, a little to examine the nature of your holiness and righteousness, as yourself hath described the same.

"It is," say you, "so sound a complexion of soul as maintains in life and vigour whatsoever is essential to it, and suffereth not anything unnatural to mix with that which is so; by the force and power whereof a man is enabled to behave himself as a creature endued with a principle of reason, keep his supreme faculty in its throne, bring into due subjection all his inferior ones, his sensual imagination, his passions, and brutish affections."

You add further, "It is the purity of the human nature, engaging those in whom it resides to demean themselves suitably in that state in which God hath placed them, and not to act disbecomingly in any condition, circumstance, or relation."

You say, moreover, " It is a divine or godlike nature, causing a hearty approbation of, and an affectionate compliance with, the eternal laws of righteousness, and a behaviour agreeable to the essential and immutable differences of good and evil," p. 6.

Further, you call it "a principle or habit of soul, originally dictates of human nature," p. 8. "A disposition and temper of the inward man, as powerfully incline it to regard and attend to, affectionately to embrace and adhere to, to be actuated by and under the government of, all those practical principles that are made known either by revelation, nature, or the use of reason,"

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"It is," say you, "a healthful complexion of soul, the purity of the human nature," &c.

ANSW. These are but words; there is no such thing as the purity of our nature, abstract and distinct from the sinful pollution that dwelleth in us, Rom. vii. 24. It is true, a man may talk of, and by argument distinguish between nature and sin, but that there is such a principle in man, (since Adam's fall,) a principle by which he may act, or that Christ's whole gospel-design is, the helping forward such a principle, is altogether without scripture or reason. There is no man by nature that hath any soundness in him, no, neither in soul or body; his understanding is darkened, his mind and conscience are defiled, his will, perverted and obstinate-"There is no judgment in his goings," Isa. i. 6; lix. 6—10; Tit. i. 15; Ephes. iv. 18. Where now is the sound and healthful complexion of soul? Let the best come to the best, when we have mustered up all the excellences of the soul of man as man, nought shall we find there, but the lame, the blind, the defiled, the obstinate, and misled faculties thereof. And never think to evade me by saying, the graces of the Spirit of God are pure; for with them you have nothing to do; your doctrine is of the sound complexion of soul, the purity of the human nature, a habit of soul, and the holiness we lost in Adam, things a great way off from the Spirit of grace, or the gracious workings of the Spirit. You talk indeed of a divine or godlike nature, but this is still the same with your pure human nature, or with your sound complexion or habit of soul, and so must either respect man as he was created in the image or likeness of God, or else you have palpable contradiction in this your description. But it must be concluded that the divine nature you talk of is that, and no other than the dictates of the human nature, or your feigned purity thereof, because you make it by your words the selfsame; it is the purity of the human nature, it is a divine or godlike nature.

2. But you proceed to tell us of a degree, it is so sound and healthful a complexion or temperature of the faculties, qualities, or virtues of soul, as maintains in life and vigour whatsoever is essential to it, and suffereth not anything unnatural to mix with that which is so.

ANSW.-If, as was said before, there is no

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