The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preached at the merchant's lecture in…The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preach'd at the merchant's lecture in…

5. Much of this Carnality appears about such matters, when we are overintent to mould and square Gospel-truths and Doctrines by humane measures and models, and too earnestly strive to make them correspond: That is, when we aim, beyond what things can admit, to stretch (or rather to shrink and contract) God's Transactions with Men, unto the Scheme and Model of our own abstract Notions and Definitions, or of merely Humane, Civil or Political, Economies, Administrations and Transactions; such I mean as obtain among Men towards one another. And so labour to have the same measures take place throughout in reference to Divine things, as do in Humane. Whereby more than is needful, useful, (or indeed so much as possible to agree and quadrate) of Logic, Metaphysics; and of Civil and other Law is introduced into Theology. Illustrations indeed may be taken thence, but not Strict Measures. It is impossible sometimes they ⟨p. 48⟩should be so. Divers things are taken among Men in such Notions, as, in delivering the Doctrine of the Gospel cannot have a full and adequate place: They often will not exactly agree or correspond. As if in speaking of God's pardoning and justifying a Sinner, we should take our measures of Pardon and Justification strictly from what obtains amongst Men, we shall find a great difference and disagreement: For plain it is, that, according to Humane measures, the same Person cannot be both pardoned and justified. He that is pardoned cannot be justified, and he that is justified cannot be pardoned: But according to Divine and Gospel-measures both are truly said of the same Person: In the one case there is an Inconsistency, in the other a fair Agreement of the same things. He that is at an Humane Barr a justified Person, needs no Pardon, his Case admits of none: If he were justified, Pardon were absurdly talked of: And so if he were pardoned, that does plainly imply that he was not justified. It is quite otherwise if you bring these things to the Gospel, and God's dealing ⟨p. 49⟩with Sinners. I cannot now spend time in showing you distinctly how these things do lie, and are very capable of being accommodated in the Sinners case; some resemblance will appear, not an exact or entire Correspondency.

5. Much of this Carnality appears about such matters, when we are overintent to mould and square Gospel-truths and Doctrines by humane measures and models, and too earnestly strive to make them correspond: That is, when we aim, beyond what things can admit, to stretch (or rather to shrink and contract) God's Transactions with Men, unto the Scheme and Model of our own abstract Notions and Definitions, or of meerly Humane, Civil or Political, Occonomies, Administrations and Transactions; such I mean as obtain among Men towards one another. And so labour to have the same measures take place throughout in reference to Divine things, as do in Humane. Whereby more than is needful, useful, (or indeed so much as possible to agree and quadrate) of Logick, Metaphysicks; and of Civil and other Law is introduc'd into Theology. Illustrations indeed may be taken thence, but not Strict Measures. It is impossible sometimes they