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

Thirdly, ¹they oppose our love to Christ to our own Duties; that is, to the most proper and natural expression of our love to him: Herein Dr. Owen places the chastity of our affections to Christ; ⟨p. 609⟩(which you know is a great marriage duty) in not taking any thing (as our own righteousness) into our affection and esteem; for those ends and purposes for which we have received Christ; and God forbid that any Christian should, for our own Righteousness and Duties, cannot be our Mediators and Advocates: What then is the difference? Why it is only this: The Doctor places the Righteousness of Christ, in the room of our righteousness, to be not only the foundation, but the condition of the Covenant of Grace, and then makes it an expression of our chaste affection to Christ, quite to thrust out our own righteousness, and to allow it no place in our Religion: He makes Christ all to us, and leaves no room for any thing else, and then warns us upon our vows of chastity, not to take any thing into Christ's place; Whereas, as he has ordered the matter, we must take our own righteousness into Christ's place, or else cast it quite away; for there is no other place left for it: But is it not very strange, that when our Saviour hath made our obedience the principal expression of our Love to him: These men should make such a competition between our Love to Christ, and our Obedience? should put ⟨p. 610⟩such jealousies into peoples heads: What great danger there is of their own Duties and Righteousness; lest they should prove like foolish Lovers,² who, when they are to woo for the Lady, fall in love with the Hand-maid. Men dote upon Duties, and rest in the naked performance of them, (that is, in doing good) which are only Hand-maids to lead to Christ. Is not this to persuade people, that our love to Christ consists in something more refined, and spiritual than obedience? Which will quickly teach them to love Christ without obeying of him, and not run the hazard of doting on duties.

Thirdly, ¹they oppose our love to Christ to our own Duties; that is, to the most proper and natural expression of our love to him: Herein Dr. Owen places the chastity of our affections to Christ;