leaned too much to Popery or Judaism, others to An- 1669. tinomianism and Libertinism, some again to Pelagianism and Socinianism, and others, lastly, to Manichæism and Fatalism; all very dangerous errors: and abundance of learned sophistry having been used in perplexing the plain and natural sense of the divinely inspired writers; and several hypotheses moreover invented purely to serve a turn, which did but the more still obscure what they pretended to clear up, and set at a wider distance those whom they laboured to reconcile by their strained and metaphysical subtilties; they not only disagreeing about what was meant by justification, but even by faith and by works, and indeed about every term that is made use of either by St. Paul or by St. James when they speak to this point: and so feigning one apostle to write concerning a first, and the other concerning a second justification; or else one concerning a justification before men only, and the other concerning the same before God; one concerning a true, the other concerning a false faith; with a multitude of other groundless inventions, utterly foreign to the minds of both the said apostles; and many foolish contests having been startled about words, that could have no other end but to raise a dust; there could nothing come forth more seasonably, if well done, than a treatise of this nature.

and motives

Wherefore, there having been such a fierce conten-The causes tion raised concerning this article, by the writers of of his writcontroversy, for about twenty years of confusion in ing it. church and state, not to mention what had passed before that time in other countries; our author having been then about five years in holy orders, according to the church of England, when by the restoration of

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1669. the right heir to sit on the throne of his father, the church with him was restored to her former rights; though he then wanted above three years of thirty, thought it, however, time for him now to fix his principles, by going up to the very source, and by taking a fair review, according to the holy Scriptures and primitive antiquity, of such a point, as had evidently contributed to several great revolutions, not only in the church, but also in the kingdoms and states of the world; and might, he thought, yet contribute to more: and a point also which was of the utmost consequence to be rightly understood for the guidance of conscience.

A particular obliga

To the consideration of which, he was still in a tion laid more particular manner engaged by certain circumconsider stances of life; for among the first flock that was this contro- committed to his charge at St. George's near Bristol,

upon him to

versy.

His preparation for

there were not a few wandering sheep, which had been misled into strange paths, through their not understanding the terms of the evangelical covenant, and by the unwarrantable confidence of false intruding shepherds were in the extremest danger of being lost. For the reduction of these he preached a sermon against the prevailing antinomian opinions, upon St. James ii. 24. which leading him gradually to a deeper inquiry into this matter, was, as I gather from his premonition to the reader, the first occasion of this discourse.

Whereupon he read over the New Testament, but writing it. more especially the Epistles, with this view, consulting the ablest commentators as he went along, and weighing their arguments indifferently, without re

1 Vid. Tull. Epist. ded. ad Justifi. Pauli, et Sleidan. Com. &c.

spect to the party, or communion they lived in. And 1669. still, for farther satisfaction of what was believed by the primitive Christians, in this great concern for obtaining a title to eternal happiness, he omitted not to consult the best writers of antiquity and venerable lights of the church. With the same view was the Liturgy, the Articles, and the Homilies of our church read by him; and diligently compared with their established rule, the written word of God, together with the truly ancient and catholic interpretations thereof. This let him into several other controversies, as depending upon this, and particularly obliged him to a survey of the times of reformation, and of the methods that were then taken both at home and abroad, as also of the principal characters of the first reformers; and being thus qualified, he set himself thoroughly to reexamine this cause, which gave birth to the Reformation.

which he

lecting ma

terials.

Upon this review then of the controversy, as it The method stood both betwixt papists and protestants, and be- took in coltween protestants one among another, he, for his own satisfaction, digested under proper places or heads, all that he could find material in any of them, relating to this evangelical dispensation. And this he did not only that he might form a right judgment upon them, but that he might be more capable of discharging the duty of his place, and of bringing in some others likewise to the discernment and acknowledgment of the truth; which was hereby made so very clear to him.

came to

But being sensible that too much had been written How he in English upon this subject; and that most of what write in was written was to little purpose, except to divide and distract people's minds; he therefore drew

up in

Latin.

1669. Latin a short Harmony of the Apostles as to this head, that it might be thoroughly considered by the men of learning and capacity, reasonably supposing, that if they were set right in this great article, it would be more easily propagated among the vulgar and unlearned. For this end, he submitted his performance to the censure of his learned friends, and (as in duty he thought himself chiefly bound) particularly to his worthy diocesan; to which at length after mature deliberation upon the whole, and thinking it over and over again many times, he put his last hand, being then in the thirty-sixth year of his age, and sent it abroad into the world with their approbation, that it might serve as a manuduction to the candidates of divinity, who were to be set apart to instruct others.

The general scope and design of

this trea

tise.

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XVIII. This book consisteth of two parts or dissertations; the first of these explaineth and defendeth the doctrine of St. James; and the other clearly, I think, demonstrates the agreement and harmony of St. Paul with him, in this fundamental point of our faith and hope. But more particularly his aim and design in the first dissertation is to shew, "That good works which proceed from faith, and are conjoined with faith, are a necessary condition required "from us by God, to the end that by the new and evangelical covenant obtained by and sealed in the "blood of Christ the Mediator of it, we may be jus"tified according to his free and unmerited grace.' For it is observable, that he every where throughout this treatise openly renounceth all pretence to any manner of merit of our own works; even so far as scarce to acknowledge that person for a Christian who

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should advance or defend merit, properly so called; 1669. and nothing can indeed be more plain, than that in the whole affair of our salvation, and process of divine justification, he attributeth all to the meritorious obedience of the holy Jesus, as the blessed Author and Finisher of it. Of which obedience, his most precious death is, by our most excellent harmonist, declared to be the consummation and utmost completion: and to it are here ascribed the very greatest and highest things, that it was even possible for him to express. More particularly,

caution in

treating this

justifica

Of this meritorious obedience of Christ for us sin- His great ners, he plainly and roundly says, that this alone hath given satisfaction to the divine justice; that this alone point of rendereth the most holy and most righteous God pro- tion. pitious to sinful men; and that this alone is the efficacious cause of God's promising and offering us pardon and eternal life upon so very reasonable and equitable a condition, as in the Gospel is set forth. And he constantly moreover teacheth, both in the very Treatise and in the Apology for it, "That no man can, without divine grace, and the assistance of the Holy Spirit, as flowing forth from the precious side "of the crucified Jesus, perform the condition of the Gospel-covenant." And, in a word, he most severely anathematizes the Pelagian heresy, as it is received by the Socinians and others, for derogating from the grace of God, and ascribing too much to the power of man in his fallen estate: and most frequently celebrates the praise of this divine grace so perfectly according to the mind of St. Paul, and the declaration of the church of England, both in her Articles and Homilies, that it may well be doubted whether any one can do it more.

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