Chonoyterion he Sion. The refinement of Zion: or, The old orthodox Protestant doctrine justified, and defended against several exceptions of the Antinomians, methodically digested into questions, wherein many weighty and important cases of conscience are handled, concerning the nature of faith and repentance, or conversion to God: of his eternal love, and beholding of sin in his dearest children: of justification from eternity, of of [sic] preparations to the acceptance of Christ, of prayer for pardon of sin, and turning to God: of the gospel covenant, aud [sic] tenders of salvation, on the termes of faith and repentance. For the establishment of the scrupulous, conviction of the erroneous, and consolation of distressed consciences. By Anthony Warton, minister of the word at Breamore in Hampshire.

SECT. V. Christ is freely given, notwithstanding the Conditions that are required of us.

[Object.] BUt he objecteth again and saith, Yet methinks that Christ is here set forth upon some conditions, and not so freely given.

[Answ.] Yes he is freely given, that is, gratis, notwithstanding these conditions. For they are not meritorious, as in many compacts and Covenants that passe between man and man: but conditions, to which Christ and his me∣rits are freely offered, and given in the Gospel, through the meer mercy and goodness of God, and not for any merit, or desert of these conditions. I would know of these men, whether the Kingdom of Heaven, and the glory thereof be not freely given us of God? Yet I hope they will not deny, but that Faith, Repentance, and new Obedience, must go before tfie fruition and possessi∣on thereof, as conditions, or as things on our part to be performed, or else we shall never come there. What, doth not the Apostle set it down as a condition of our glorification, and salvation in Heaven? when he saith to the Collossians, Now hath Christ reconciled you in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and un∣blameable, and unreproveable in his sight, if you continue in the Faith grounded and setled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel? Like whereunto is that of the same Apostle, 1 Tim. 2.15. where he saith, that the woman notwithstanding the dolorous pains in child-birth, which God hath laid upon her, shall be saved, if they continue in Faith, and charity, and holiness with sobriety. The like conditi∣onals we meet with, Rom. 11.22. Rev. 3.20. and in divers other places of the new Testament. Whence these men who take upon them to be the only Patrons of free Grace may see how absurdly they reason, when they say, Grace is free; therefore nothing is required of us, antece∣denter,

to the receiving of Christ, or of justification, or of any other grace. For I would know of them, whether eternal life be not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the free gift of God, or a gift of Gods grace, as the Apo∣stle calleth it, Rom. 6.23. Now what will they say, that nothing is to be done of us, that we are neither to re∣pent, nor believe, nor to do any good works before we come to Heaven, that we may be saved by grace? If so, then let them profess themselves Libertines, or if they will not do that, let them take heed, that they do not lay down such Principles, whence Libertinisme may ne∣cessarily be inferred. For I would know of them, where, in all the Scripture, remission of sins is so granted by God that nothing is required of us neither Faith nor Re∣pentance? Where there is such an absolute grant, a man is tied to nothing; whence it will follow, that he may have remission of sins, and consequently be saved, al∣though he never believe, repent, nor amend his life, but live in sin all his dayes.

But that I may let them see wherein they do deceive themselves, Whereas they say, That grace is free, [Objection.] there∣fore nothing is required of us: but Christ is freely to be offered, and preached to all, even to those that live in sin, as well as to any others, without any conditions.

I answer, That they do deceive themselves and others with an equivocation. For when they say, grace is free, [Answer.] the meaning hereof is, that it is gratuita, free in regard of any recompence or satisfaction; and so freedome in this sense, is opposed to merit: but the meaning is not that we are, inde liberati à conditionibus fidei et resi∣piscentiae, thereby freed from the conditions of Faith, and repentance, without which there is no remission of sins, nor salvation to be had, no more then we are freed, ab officio gratitudinis erga Deum, from our duty of thank∣fulnesse towards God, after we are justified and in the state of grace. Yet thus do these men speak of freedom, when they say, grace is free, opposing freedom not to me∣rit, but to any bond of duty towards God, in the same

sense as St. Paul doth, when he saith, that a woman is free from the Law of her husband, when he is dead. Rom. 7.3.

Notes

• Heb. 12.14,
• Col. 1.22.