An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

I suppose them injured and abused to some tune,¹ after they have in terminis asserted the Necessity of Obedience from strong, invincible, Scriptural Arguments, they are yet charged with destroying the Necessity of an holy Life. But, saith the Author, All this is not one syllable to the purpose; for the Question was about its necessity to salvation; if we be justified and saved without it, it is not necessary. I answer, Here we have Justification and Salvation confounded; Obedience follows after Justification, as we heard but now from our Church, but precedes Salvation: But to pass that; Is nothing necessary to Salvation but what justifies? Is not Sanctification necessary to Salvation, and yet distinct from Justification? and how then are we saved without Obedience? But, saith the Author, Where is the Sanction of this Law? Will he damn those that obey not, ⟨p. 147⟩and save those that do obey? If after all those Commands God hath left it indifferent, Obedience is not necessary: But what a strange Supposition is this! Commanded and yet left indifferent? It is utterly impossible; no man will say so so much as of an Humane Command: No doubt at all, but God will damn the rebellious, and save the obedient; yet our Obedience no way clashes with Christ's Righteousness, neither is Eternal Life given us for Obedience, as if it merited the same. What follows in the Author, Will the Father elect and the Son redeem none but those who are holy? is a very strange Question: Will they? as if the Book of Life were yet unwritten, and the Blood of Atonement yet unshed: The Father hath elected us, that we should be holy, Eph. 1.4. and how can he elect us being such? The Son gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works, Tit. 2.14. and how could we be holy before? However, no disregard is cast upon Holiness, which, though it do not antecede Election and Redemption, yet it sweetly streams and issues from thence; and Believers are obliged to follow after it, as they will ⟨p. 148⟩answer the End of Election and Redemption; And whilst they are passing on in that pure way, I dare be their Bondsman, that they shall not be met with any such monstrous Conceit, as if Holiness, which is exaltative of free Grace, were destructive of it.