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

The Author enquiring,¹ what influence the obedience and death of Christ have upon our acceptance with God, resolves it thus: All that I can find in Scripture is, that to this we owe the Covenant of Grace. Christ's Blood is called the Blood of the Covenant, because it did seal and confirm the Covenant. I answer, Christ's Blood did indeed seal and confirm the Covenant: But is this the all of it? Socinus will own as much as this comes to; Sicuti alicujus animantis sanguine fuso foedera antiquitùs sanciebantur, ²& confirmabantur, ita Christi silii sui sanguine foedus suum novum atque aeternum, quod nobiscum per ipsum Christum pepigerat, sancivit & confirmavit Deus: Thus he, telling us too, that it is therefore called, Sanguis aeterni foederis: To the same purpose speaks the Racovian Catechist, with others of the same Tribe: But the Scripture tells us more of the Blood of Christ, That we are justified by his blood, Rom. 5.9. But, saith the Author, we are said to be justified by his Blood; that is, by the Gospel-Covenant, which was confirmed with his Blood: This is a ⟨p. 460⟩strange way of interpreting Scripture: We are justified by his blood; that is, by the Gospel: We may as well go on to verse 18. and say, justification of life is by the righteousness of one; that is, by the Gospel: And to verse 19. and say, We are made righteous by the obedience of one; that is, by the Gospel: And from thence we may go on at the same rate with other Scriptures, as, He hath washed us from our sins in his own blood, Revel. 1.5. that is, in his own Gospel: The blood of Jesus Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot to God, shall purge your consciences from dead works, Heb. 9.14. that is, the Gospel shall do it: This is my blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins, Matth. 26.28. that is, this is my New Testament of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of fins: Rather than make such work with Scripture; we were as good let the Blood of our dear Lord stand there, as it ought, in its justifying Glory: We are justified by Christ's blood; that is, by the Gospel: And is Christ's Blood the Gospel? Or where in all the Scripture is the Blood of Christ so taken? The Scripture rarely, if ever, speaks of