Section 1: Is the Gospel a Conditional Promise?

The general Nature and Substance of the Gospel is agreed on all Hands to be a Discovery of Divine Grace to sinful Man through a Mediator: But several Parties of Christians have raised endless Debates about the particular Form of it (namely) Whether it be a mere absolute Promise, or a Conditional Covenant: Whether it contain in it Commands and Threatenings or no: Or whether it be a New Law.

It is my Opinion concerning many of the Debates about our Religion, that they may be sufficiently determined for the Peace and Practice of Christians, by finding out the various Use of Words in common Language, and especially the Sense of them in the holy Scriptures, and submitting our Judgments and Consciences to this Sense of them, with a little reconciling Explication. And this noisy Controversy may, perhaps, come nearer to a Decision, if we will but honestly consult the Ways of speaking, that the Scripture uses in solving these three following Questions.

But before I propose them, I would beg one Favour of my Readers, and that is, as they run over these Pages, they would so far deny themselves of a common Custom, as not to examine and judge of this little Essay by any Systems or Orthodoxy in their Closet, or in their Head, but by the only System, out of which I have drawn it, the Holy Bible; for in the whole Composure of this Discourse, I have not consulted one Author besides; and I would choose to be read just in the same way in which I write, and to be judged by the same Rule. I proceed now to name the three following Questions.

Question 1. Whether the Gospel be an Absolute or a Conditional Promise?

Answer. The Gospel in its most general Sense may be described as a Declaration of the free Mercy of God, for the Salvation of fallen Man by a Mediator.

As Man by his Fall has lost the Image of God and his Favour, Salvation includes the Recovery of both these: It implies therefore Repentance, Regeneration, Holiness and Perseverance, as well as Justification, Adoption and Glorification; we must be saved from our Sins, as well as from the Wrath of God, if we are made truly happy. Jesus the Mediator saves his People from their Sins. Matthew 1:21. as well as delivers from the Wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1 last verse.

These several Blessings included in Salvation, though they are all bestowed freely by Grace, yet have a Connection one with another, and Dependence on each other; therefore some of them are represented as foregoing, others as following; some as Means, the others as the End. Faith, Repentance, Regeneration, Pardon, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification, Obedience, the Assistance of the Holy Spirit, and Perseverance, may all be esteemed as Means, with regard to the great and final Blessing of Glorification, which is the End; and indeed, every foregoing Blessing may be reckoned in some Sense, as a Means with regard to that which follows.

Again, some of the Blessings included in Salvation, are to be wrought in us, as Repentance, Sanctification, et cetera. Others to be only bestowed upon us, as Pardon of Sin, Adoption, Eternal Glory, et cetera. Those that are to be wrought in us, are sometimes set forth in Scripture, as Duties to be performed by us, to stir us up in a rational way to seek them; and those that are only to be bestowed upon us, are set forth as Blessings to be conferred in consequence upon such Duties performed; for God will save us still as intellectual Creatures, under a moral Government, and will have our rational Powers used in obtaining and possessing this Salvation; and therefore it is sometimes set forth as a proposed Agreement between two intelligent Beings, God and Man, and is called the New Covenant, a better Covenant, and the Word of Reconciliation. Hebrews 8:8. and 8:6. 2 Corinthians 5:19.

Upon these Considerations the Gospel or Covenant of Grace is sometimes represented as a mere Declaration of Grace, or an absolute Promise in Scripture, and sometimes as a conditional one. It is represented Absolutely in these Texts, Galatians 3:8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Heathen through Faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In you shall all Nations be blessed. Hebrews 10:16, 17. This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those Days, says the Lord; I will put my Laws into their Hearts, and in their Minds will I write them: And their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more. Though the Word Covenant does usually signify an Engagement on both sides, yet it is sufficiently evident, that in the Language of Scripture it does not always imply Restipulation or mutual Agreement; for it is applied to the Day and the Night, and their stated Courses, to the Beasts of the Field, as Inhabitants of this Earth, Jeremiah 33:20, 25. Genesis 9:9, 10.

All the Blessings of the Gospel, both the Means and the End, are represented in a way of free or absolute Donation by the Apostle Paul frequently. So Ephesians 2:8, 9. By Grace you are saved through Faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the Gift of God, not of Works, — for we are his Workmanship, et cetera. In other places of Scripture the Gospel is represented in a Conditional way, as Mark 16:15, 16. Preach the Gospel to every Creature, he that believes shall be saved. Matthew 11:28. Come unto me all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest, John 7:37. If any Man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink, 1 John 1:9. If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, et cetera. These are properly called conditional Propositions in a logical or rational View of the Relations of things.

And it may be observed, that those very parts of our Salvation which in one Scripture are commanded as Duties, in another are promised as Blessings. So Faith and Repentance are Duties required. Mark 1:15. Repent and believe the Gospel: They are Blessings bestowed, Philippians 1:29. To you it is given to believe, Acts 5:3. God has exalted him — to give Repentance: And it is easy to bring instances of the like Nature concerning several other parts of our Salvation.

Now according to the Distinctions I have laid down, the foregoing Blessings which are as Means, may be esteemed Conditions with regard to others which are as the End of them: So Justification and Adoption, as well as Faith and Repentance, and Perseverance, all which are as Means, may be called Conditions in regard of Glorification which is the last End. In that golden Chain of Salvation, Romans 8:30. Calling, Justification, and Glorification are three great Links. Whom he called, them he also justified: And whom he justified, them he also glorified. But all agree if we are not called, we shall not be justified: If we are not justified, we shall not be glorified. Thus every Blessing of Salvation that in the necessary order of Nature follows another, may be said to be suspended on that other, as a Condition without which it shall not be bestowed.

Again, those Blessings that are represented as our Duties, and are to be wrought in us, may be said to be Conditions with regard to consequent Blessings that are only conferred upon us: (for the word Condition, in its most common Sense, does by no means imply that it must be performed by our own Power, nor does it include any thing of a valuable Consideration or Merit in it.) And therefore in this Sense, Faith may be called a Condition of Justification, because Faith and Justification are connected together in Scripture, and Faith is represented as a foregoing Blessing, and as a Duty, Justification as a consequent Blessing, and a Privilege which is suspended upon it. Galatians 2:16. Knowing that a Man is not justified by the Works of the Law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified. So the Use of Water is a Condition of being made clean, so coming to the Fire is a Condition of being warmed, so the putting on a Garment is a Condition of being clothed, receiving a sealed Pardon is the Condition of a Prisoner's Release, committing the Body to a Physician is the Condition of a sick or dying Man's being healed: And in this Sense Faith is called a Condition of our Interest in Christ, by the Assembly of Divines in their larger Catechism under the Question, How is the Grace of God manifested in the second Covenant? Answer. The Grace of God is manifested in the second Covenant, in that he freely provides and offers to Sinners a Mediator, and Life and Salvation by him, and requiring Faith as the Condition to interest them in him, promises and gives his Holy Spirit to all his Elect, to work in them that Faith with all other saving Graces, and to enable them unto all holy Obedience, as the Evidence of the Truth of their Faith and Thankfulness to God, and as the way which he has appointed to Salvation.

Nor can I see any sufficient Reason why the Grace of Faith, as a Blessing conferred, may be called the Condition of a following Blessing, and yet Faith, considered as a Duty, may not be called a Condition of the same Blessing, since both the Habit and the Act of Faith are the Effects of Divine Grace working in us and by us; and where Faith is proposed as a Duty, it is represented more evidently in a conditional way than where it is mentioned as a mere Blessing.

And upon the same account, Holiness and Perseverance may be called the Conditions of our complete Salvation in Heaven, because Holiness and Perseverance are foregoing Blessings and Duties, and complete Salvation in Heaven is the final Privilege, Hebrews 12:14. Without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord. Matthew 24:13. He that endures to the End shall be saved. Nor does Doctor Owen, nor other moderate Writers in this Controversy, refuse the use of the word Condition in such a Sense.

What I have said concerning the various Blessings of the Gospel or new Covenant, may be applied also to the Seals or Symbols of it, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are Seals on God's part, which he has appointed for the Confirmation of our Faith, by the Help of our Senses, and that he might give us, as it were, a real Pledge of the Performance of his Promises. Thus Abraham received Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith, Romans 4:11. Thus we receive Baptism as a Seal of our Regeneration by the Holy Spirit: Thus the Lord's Supper as a Seal of our Pardon and Life by the Crucifixion and Death of Christ. But as great Privileges as they are, thus granted to us, we must remember they are also Duties to be performed by us, and are Seals on our part of our Engagement to be the Lord's. Nor have we any Reason to expect the Comforts that arise from these sealed Blessings of the Gospel if we wilfully despise and neglect the use of the Seals: And in this Sense they may be called Conditions of the Privileges, and Comforts that are annexed to them.

I desire it here to be noted, that I speak not this to encourage and promote the common use of the word Condition in these Cases; for it is not used in Scripture, except once in a Parable; and that not in the Original, but only in our Translation. The Text is Luke 14:33. where it is not at all to the purpose of the present Controversy: The Conditions there mentioned are not the Conditions of our Salvation, but quite another thing: The Design of the Parable is to show that those who have not Courage to fight with their spiritual Enemies, the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, must even make Conditions of Peace with them, that is, sit still and neglect Christ and Religion.

Besides the Word Condition, (though it be an innocent and an useful and expressive Word in the matter of Duty and Privilege) yet it has been ill explained by some Preachers, and worse understood by some Hearers, and thereby it has given great Offence: I say this therefore only to show that there is not so much Heresy and Poison in those four Syllables as some learned Men pretend, and some unlearned believe and fear. If any Man will fix such a rigid Sense on the word Condition as is inconsistent with the Grace of the Gospel; and then say, the Gospel has no Conditions in it, I will not contend with him; for he speaks consistently with himself, and with Scripture too; because Scripture does not use the Word: But if Condition be taken in a very plain and common Sense for any one thing upon which another is suspended, I do not know any Scripture that forbids the use of it, but such Texts as these, 1 Corinthians 10:32. Give no Offence to — the Church of God. Romans 15:2. Please your Neighbour for his Good to Edification.