The Scripture Gospel defended, and Christ, grace, and free justification vindicated against the libertines…

They erroneously hold, that nothing can be called a Condition of one Gift of the Covenant, which is not a Condition of all: Whereas God hath many Antecedent Gifts before any Condition be so much as imposed: Without any Condition, he gave us our Being, and gave us a Saviour, ⟨p. 25⟩and the Gospel, and the conditional Covenant, and offers of Grace: And why may not the reception and use (or not rejecting) of a former Gift of Grace, be made a condition of the giving of more? To him that hath, shall be given: may not Faith be the gift of God, and yet be the condition of Justification and Salvation? LXVI. They erroneously hold, that when a man is once justified, the continuance of his justification is Absolute, and hath no imposed conditions: contrary to Christs own words, Joh. 15. and many plain texts of Scripture. LXVII. They erroneously put Free Grace and Free Will in such opposition, as if nothing could be an act of Free Grace, which imposeth any condition on Free Will: which is true, if by Free Will they mean Freedom of Natural sufficiency, as Free without Grace from vicious habits and inclinations; for we have no such Free Will: But these men know not what Free Will is, nor distinguish Freedom from Prohibitions, and from Constraint, and necessitating predeterminating efficient Premotion, from Moral Freedom. LXVIII. In some points forementioned about Faith and Justification, the unapt Words and Methods of some Reformers give them advantage; But Dr. Crispe and the gross Antinomians, take Faith to be neither Cause nor Condition of Justification, but merely the receptive belief, that we are Justified already (before we were born); so that Faith justifieth only in our consciences, which is but to be conscious that we are Justified. LXIX. Accordingly Dr. Crispe maintaineth, that Election and Justification are known only by two means, The Spirit within revealing it, and Faith receiving it; that is, The Spirit inwardly saying, ⟨p. 26⟩Thou art Elect and Justified, and Faith believing this; so that neither of these Justify us, but only make us know it. LXX. They mistake the meaning of the Witness of the Spirit; As if it were but an inward Inspiration and Impulse equal to a voice, saying, Th•u art Elect and Justified;