The law and equity of the gospel, or, The goodness of our Lord as a legislator delivered first from the pulpit in two plain sermons, and now repeated from the press with others tending to the same end ... by Thomas Pierce ...

A PREFACE TO THE READER.

Christian Reader,

THô some Disputes are made Needful by needless Questions which are raised by a strife of Words; and thô when Malice, or Curiosity, Carnal Interest, or Ambition, have brew'd and broach∣ed such Doctrines, as are dishonourable to God, and his holy Gospel, or have a Ten∣dency to the Ruin of Church and State, The

greatest Lovers of Peace and Silence must so dispute against the Former, as by their Ar∣guments to assert and secure the Later; Thô the most peaceable Dr. Hammond, the Best of Men, and † The Divinest, (as two eminent Prelats have publickly stiled him from the Press,) thought it his Duty to be the Author of more Disputes and Defen∣satives, than I and my Betters have ever yet been, (as his Controversial Writings do make apparent, his second Volume being spent like the Eighth Volume of Erasmus) yet 'twere heartily to be w••sh'd such powerful Courses could be taken, as might prevent the every Cause and Occasion of them.

Experience tells us 'tis often easier, by Obstinate Silence to prevent, than by Reason to confute, or to shame an Error. And next to such a Resolved Silence, I know not any better Preventive of needless Controver∣sies and Questions, than our Medit••••ing on Questions which are not needless; But of great Consequence to be asked, and of greater Necessity to be Answered. And such as to which we ought to give our selves b whol∣ly. As c what we must do that we

may be sav'd? What is the certain d Di∣agnostick whereby to judge without Sin of our selves, and others? and as well of our present, as future state? What is that we call The Gospel? and wherein especially does It consist? What is it to be able to e com∣prehend with all Saints, the Breadth, and Length, and Depth, and Highth, and so to know the Love of Christ which passeth Knowledge? to know the Immensi∣ty of his Love, expressed to us (as by an Emblem,) by all the Dimensions of the Cross he was fastned to; Extended upwards, and downwards, and on Both the sides of it; a Type of the Fathomless love of Christ, whereof the Knowledge is supereminent, sur∣passing and transcending All other knowledges in the World. In so much that we may fit∣ly espouse our Apostles Resolution, f Not to know any thing in comparison of Je∣sus Christ, and Him Crucified; whereby is pithily represented The Law and Equity of The Gospel, which is the Summ of All the Theology a Faithful Steward needs Preach, to∣wards g the Saving of himself, and of Them that hear him.

And as in the Days of our Forefathers, when Christian Simplicity was at its purest, A vitious Life was justly reckon'd, not only the greatest, but the worst Haeresie in the World; So of Convictions, and Confutations, Reli∣gious Practices were the most Cogent. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (as St. Chrysostom some∣where calls them,) Convincing Syllogisms and Arguments, not to be answer'd by the A∣cutest, nor ever heartily gainsaid by the worst of men. And therefore as Controvert∣ed Doctrines have taken up much of my Time pass't, so These (I am sure) are the Grand Requisites, which 'twill be better to advance for the Time to come.

I easily guess what will happen, to me and others of the Old Stamp, (the envied Friends and Disciples of Dr. Hammond,) whilst we ingage in This Course of Preaching up Christ as a Legislator; and of celebra∣ting The Law, as well as the Equity of The Gospel; of walking evenly in our Doctrines 'twixt two Extremes; to wit Socinians on the one side, and Solifidians on the other. Even the same that befell the Antient Fa∣thers of the Church; who for distinguishing

the Persons or Subsistences of the Deity, were called Tritheites and Arians by the Followers of Sabellius; and yet were called Sabellians too, both by the Tritheites and the Arians, for not dividing the very Sub∣stance, or the Deity it self. So for teach∣ing that our Saviour did consist of two Na∣tures, they were branded as Nestorians by the whole Sect of the Eutychians; and yet were stiled Eutychians too by all the Gang of the Nestorians, for asserting that our Savi∣our was no more than one Person. After the very same manner; We, for holding the Necessity of impartial Obedience to Christ's Commands, and (by consequence unavoidable) a Necessity of Good Works, as Part of the means of our being saved, do commonly pass for Socinians in the Rash Censure of Solifidians; and yet are accompted Solifidi∣ans by the like Rashness of the Socinians, for our disclaiming All Merit in our Obedi∣ence and Good Works, as to the making Satisfaction to the Justice of God for our Transgressions; and for desiring with St. Paul, To be found only in Christ, not having our own Righteousness,

But That which is of God by Faith.

But we must not be afraid to assert and propagate The Truth, because there are who infer it from diverse Falshoods; Nor may we dishonestly let it go, for other mens hold∣ing it in unrighteousness. For for us to deny our Obligation to Good Works, because there are who do contend for the Merit of them; or for us not to own the perfect Ne∣cessity of Obedience, which does naturally tend to the Glory of God, because Socini∣ans own the same to his great Dishonour; or for us not to infer it from the Divinity of our Saviour, (as well as from the Perfe∣ction both of his Covenant and his Com∣mands,) because such Haereticks do infer it from their Denial of His Divinity, and of his Plenary Satisfaction for the Sins of the World; is just as bad as if the Christians should now begin to dogmatize, That there are Three distinct Gods, (the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,) because The Jews and The Mahomedans do constantly hold there is but ONE.

I shall therefore so order the following Parts of my Design, betwixt the Enemies of Truth upon either side, as to hazard the displeasure of both Extreams. But yet be∣cause I am convinc'd by the best Searches I can make, That the preaching up of Faith in its vulgar Notions, hath been generally the Cause of such a Carnal Security, as hath shrunk up those Sinews of Vertuous Living, wherein the strength of Religion doth chief∣ly stand; and that Men are made Infidels (not to say Atheists) in their practice, by no means more, than by their Errours a∣bout the Nature and the great Privilege of the Gospel, and so of their Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ; I shall give such a By∣ass to my ensuing Meditations, as may in∣cline them most strongly to the Advantages of Obedience, and strict Converse. Whe∣ther by solving such Objections, as still remain to be Consider'd; or by the clear∣ing of such Scriptures, as men have Ap∣petites to obscure; or by shewing the A∣greement, of such as may seem to contra∣dict, or else by pointing at such Instru∣ctions, as all the Premisses put to∣gether

shall chance to yield us.

And this I shall do, if God permit up∣on some future Opportunities; if This I pre∣sently lay hold on shall prove as worthy of Acceptation, as by Me it is well-intended. That it may, I think fit to premise before∣hand This Declaration: That if in any Thing I have spoken, I seem to have spoken some∣what Austerely; I have not done it with any particular Reflections, upon any man's Per∣son, alive, or dead. My Propositions are Universal, as well as True; and my Seve∣rities to the Guilty lye All in common. As many as find themselves concern'd, may make their personal and their private Applicati∣ons of my Reproofs; so as they carry it in their Memories, that I have made None at all. For the longer I live, the more I am of this Opinion, that Truth it self may be asserted, and Questions about it deci∣ded also, without reflecting upon the Per∣sons (thô we must intimate the Parties) from whom we differ.

And here I am tempted to take Occasion (where None is offer'd) to tell my Reader for his Service, (if I can rightly apprehend

it,) that when I am now and then consulted by a young Student in Divinity, and a Candidate for the Priesthood, what kind of Cynosure he shall steer by, when he is newly launching forth in the vast Ocean of Theology; I do not presently direct him, (as Dr. Steward at St. Germans directed Me,) to begin with Vincentius Lirinensis; to proceed with Baronius and The Magdebur∣genses; Then with the Fathers of the Church for the first Three hundred years; Nor do I presently ingage him in the Learned and E∣laborate and laudable Method of Mr. Dod∣well, whose Parts, and Piety, his Patience, and his Pains-taking, many Theologues may imitate, but few can equal; But first I tell him, that the shortest and surest way, whereby to make himself a sufficient and sound Divine, is (next to his reading and revol∣ving the Word of God,) to study the Works of Dr. Hammond; beginning with his Annotations, at least with his Paraphrase on the New Testament, His Practical Ca∣techism, and His Book of Fundamentals. For I have been long of this Opinion; that He whose important Office it is, to be a Lea∣der

of other men in the Way of Truth, and either not at all to err, or else to err as inoffensively, as 'tis possible for him to do in a state of Frailty, will find it Safest to be a Follower of the most Excellent Dr. Ham∣mond, who (if any man ever was) was a Circumspect Follower of Jesus Christ. To whom be Glory for ever and ever.

Notes

• a

  2 Tim. 2. 14.
• Iohannes Ox∣on in vitâ H. H. p. 45. et 53.
• †

  Humfredus Sarum in Ope∣rum Hammondi Vol. 4. p. 853.
• b

  1 Tim. 4. 15.
• c

  Acts 16. 30.
• d

  Matth. 7. 16, 19, 20, 21. Mark 16. 16.
• e

  Eph. 3. 18, 19.
• f

  1 Cor. 2. 2.
• g

  1 Tim. 4. 16.
• Philip. 3. 9.
• Rom. 1. 18.