The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And these are some of those ways which have rendered the management of controversies in Religion scandalous and abominable, such as no wise or good man will meddle withal, unless compelled for the necessary service of the Church. For these things are openly false, and made use of with a shameful dishonesty to promote a corrupt design and end. When I find men at this kind of work I have very little concernment in what they say afterwards, be it true or false. Their rule and measure is what serves their own end, or what may promote the design and interest wherein they are engaged, be it right or wrong. And as for this man there is not any Article in Religion (the principal whereof are rejected by him) on whose account he doth with more confidence adjudge us ⟨p. 543⟩unto eternal ruin, than he doth on this of the satisfaction of Christ and the imputation of it unto them that do believe. So much darkness is their remaining on the minds of the most of men: so many inveterate prejudices on various occasions are they pestered withal, especially if not under the conduct of the same enlightening spirit, that some will confidently condemn others unto eternal flames, for those things whereon they place on infallible grounds, their hopes of eternal blessedness, and know that they love God and live unto him on their account. But this wretched advantage of condemning all them of Hell who dissent from them, is greedily laid hold of by all sorts of persons. For they thereby secretly secure their own whole party in persuasion of eternal Salvation be they otherwise what they will. For if the want of that Faith which they profess, will certainly damn men whatever else they be, and how good soever their lives be, many will easily suffer themselves to be deceived with a foolish Sophism, that then that Faith which they profess will assuredly save them, be their lives what they please, considering how it falls in with their inclinations. And hereby they may happen also to frighten poor simple people into a compliance with them, whilst they peremptorily denounce Damnation against them unless they do so.

shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And these are some of those ways which have rendred the management of controversies in Religion scandalous and abominable, such as no wise or good man will meddle withal, unless compelled for the necessary service of the Church. For these things are openly false, and made use of with a shameful dishonesty to promote a corrupt design and end. When I find men at this kind of work I have very little concernment in what they say afterwards, be it true or false. Their rule and measure is what serves their own end, or what may promote the design and interest wherein they are ingaged, be it right or wrong. And as for this man there is not any Article in Religion (the principal whereof are rejected by him) on whose account he doth with more confidence adjudge us