First upon my asserting the necessity of Good Works he adds, A very suspicious Word, which methinks these Men should be afraid to name. And why so? We do acknowledge ⟨p. 119⟩that we do not seek for Righteousness by the Works of the Law. We design not our Personal Justification by them, nor to merit Life or Salvation, but betake our selves unto what even Bellarmine himself came to at Last as the safest Retreat, namely the Merits and Righteousness of Christ. But for Attendance unto them, Performance of them, and fruitfulness in them, we are not afraid nor ashamed at any Time to enter into Judgment with them by whom we are traduced. And as I have nothing to say unto this Author who is known unto me only by that Portraiture and Character which he hath given of himself in this Book, which I could have wished for his own sake had been drawn with a mixture of more Lines of Truth and Modesty; so I know there are not a few, who in the Course of a Vain Worldly Conversation, whilst there is scarce a Back or Belly of a Disciple of Christ that blesseth God upon the account of their Bounty or Charity, (the Footsteps of Levity, Vanity, Scurrility, and Profaneness, being moreover left upon all the Paths of their haunt) are wont to declaim about Holiness, Good Works and Justification ⟨p. 120⟩by them, which is a ready way to instruct men to Atheism, or the scorn of every thing that is professed in Religion. But yet 2. He shows how impotent and impertinent our Arguments are for the Proof of the Necessity of Holiness. And as to the first of them from the Commands of God, he saith, that if after all these Commands, God hath left it indifferent whether we obey him or no, I hope such Commands cannot make Obedience Necessary. Wonderful Divinity! A Man must needs be well acquainted with God and himself who can suppose that any of his Commands shall leave it indifferent, whether we will obey them or no. Yea, but will he damn Men if they do not obey his Commands for Holiness? Yes, yes, no doubt he will do so. Yea, but we may be notwithstanding this Command Justified and Saved without this Holiness; False and Impertinent. We are neither Justified nor saved without them, though we are not Justified by them, nor saved for them.
First upon my asserting the necessity of Good Works he adds, A very suspicious Word, which methinks these Men should be afraid to name. And why so? We do acknowledge ⟨p. 119⟩that we do not seek for Righteousness by the Works of the Law. We design not our Personal Justification by them, nor to merit Life or Salvation, but betake our selves unto what even Bellarmine himself came to at Last as the safest Retreat, namely the Merits and Righteousness of Christ. But for Attendance unto them, Performance of them, and fruitfulness in them, we are not afraid nor ashamed at any Time to enter into Judgment with them by whom we are traduc'd. And as I have nothing to say unto this Author who is known unto me only by that Portraicture and Character which he hath given of himself in this Book, which I could have wished for his own sake had been drawn with a mixture of more Lines of Truth and Modesty; so I know there are not a few, who in the Course of a Vain Worldly Conversation, whilst there is scarce a Back or Belly of a Disciple of Christ that blesseth God upon the account of their Bounty or Charity, (the Footsteps of Levity, Vanity, Scurrility, and Prophaneness, being moreover left upon all the Paths of their haunt) are wont to declaim about Holiness, Good Works and Justification ⟨p. 120⟩by them, which is a ready way to instruct men to Atheism, or the scorn of every thing that is professed in Religion. But yet 2. He shews how impotent and impertinent our Arguments are for the Proof of the Necessity of Holiness. And as to the first of them from the Commands of God, he saith, that if after all these Commands, God hath left it indifferent whether we obey him or no, I hope such Commands cannot make Obedience Necessary. Wonderful Divinity! A Man must needs be well acquainted with God and himself who can suppose that any of his Commands shall leave it indifferent, whether we will obey them or no. Yea, but will he damn Men if they do not obey his Commands for Holiness? Yes, yes, no doubt he will do so. Yea, but we may be notwithstanding this Command Justified and Saved without this Holiness; False and Impertinent. We are neither Justified nor saved without them, though we are not Justified by them, nor saved for them.
