William Law · 14 of 14

A DEMONSTRATION of the Gross and Fundamental Errors · Part 13

[Dem-559] Now this author does not expressly say all this is absolutely false, and not fit to be believed, but he only desires you to believe something, that will show it to be impossible to be true.

[Dem-560] For if our own morality, chosen by ourselves, is our highest good and reward both here and hereafter, it is impossible to be true, that we have no life but in the Son of God, or that eternal life is the gift of God to us through Jesus Christ, or that we are saved by grace, through faith, and not of ourselves.

[Dem-561] So that this author is not to be considered as one that has barely mistaken something in the nature of the sacrament, but as one that rejects the whole method of salvation through Jesus Christ, and will have no happiness or redemption from him here, or eternal life hereafter.

[Dem-562] When therefore he saith, "Do we not partake of the benefit of remission of our sins, by partaking of the Lord's Supper worthily?" I must answer, No; if the gospel be true. {Page 144.}

[Dem-563] This ought to have no more weight with you, than if Celsus or Porphyry, or Hobbs, had said the same thing. For since he makes our own morality, chosen by ourselves, to be our highest good, both here and hereafter, he as absolutely rejects our salvation through Jesus Christ, and denies the love and goodness of God towards us in Christ Jesus, to be our highest good, both here and hereafter, as ever Celsus or Porphyry did: and therefore can have no more right or pretense to explain any part of that salvation, which he has so totally denied, than they had. In the gospel, says he, no pardon of past sins is promised or given, unless to those just converted, renouncing their sins, and baptized into the Christian faith; or to those, who having sinned after baptism, actually amend their lives. This is to show you, that there is no remission of sins obtained by worthy partaking of the sacrament, if the gospel be true.

[Dem-564] Now in the gospel, our blessed Lord seeing their faith, "saith to the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee."

[Dem-565] Now here pardon of sins is given, directly contrary to this author's assertion, to one not converted and baptized into the Christian faith, but because of his and their faith that brought him on a bed.

[Dem-566] Again, of Magdalen, our Lord saith, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."

[Dem-567] Here you see again a plain confutation of this author's doctrine; for here remission of sins is actually given and declared to be due to love, and love is affirmed to be the measure of it.

[Dem-568] Therefore it is an undeniable doctrine of the gospel, that faith and love are certain means of obtaining remission of our sins; if therefore the sacrament is an exercise of our faith and love, then we have the utmost assurance from our savior's own words, that we thereby obtain remission of our sins.

[Dem-569] But this author has another argument against it, taken from our liturgy. In our public office, says he, "it is not supposed that the worthy partaking of the Lord's Supper does itself operate this forgiveness; but it is made part of a prayer to God, that they who have partaken of it, may obtain remission of their sins, &c. They are taught to pray thus, after the act of communion is over, which supposes that it is not already obtained." {Page 145.}

[Dem-570] Now if there was any truth or reason in this argument, it would follow, that our savior's apostles had obtained no remission of sins from him; and though he had chosen them out of the world, called them his friends, and declared his extraordinary love for them, and though they left all and followed him, yet he had not done that for them, which he had done for the sick of the palsy, and many others; for this reason, because he had taught and enjoined them a form of prayer, in which they were to pray for the forgiveness of their sins.

[Dem-571] For if it is rightly argued, that there is no remission of sins obtained by the use of the sacrament, because afterwards there is prayer made for the forgiveness of sins; then it must follow, that our savior's apostles could not have received any remission of sins, when he taught them to pray for it. It must follow also, that he never intended that they should be in the state of new converts, baptized for the remission of their sins, because then they could not without great absurdity have used that form of prayer which he gave them.

[Dem-572] It follows also, that the apostles could not have taught this form of prayer, or enjoined the use of it to their new baptized converts, because it would have been, according to this author, a proving to them, that they had not received the pardon of their sins by baptism.

[Dem-573] Now the inconsistency which this author finds in praying for the forgiveness of sins, and all other benefits of Christ's passion, after the reception of the sacrament, if the sacrament itself was a means of obtaining them, all this inconsistency and difficulty had been removed, if he had only known or acknowledged, that the Christian life is a progressive state, and that forgiveness of sins is a grace and benefit of Jesus Christ, bestowed upon us in the same manner as every other grace or degree of holiness, as a talent to be improved, as a seed to be nourished up by us to its full growth. And for this reason it is, that we are obliged to pray for every grace, and every virtue, that we have already received, because we had received it to grow up in us, and prayer or desire of it is the only soil in which it can grow.

[Dem-574] Thus he to whom God has already given the grace of penitence, for that reason prays for penitence; he that has already received of God the gift of faith, for that reason prays, Lord, help thou my unbelief; and he that is the fullest of righteousness, feels the greatest hunger and thirst after it.

[Dem-575] But according to this author's religion, he that has received the Spirit of God, cannot be supposed to pray for it; and yet according to the religion of the gospel, no one can pray for it, but because he has received it.

[Dem-576] I shall now add a word or two on what this author says in defense of the safety of his doctrine of the sacrament; though it should be erroneous.

[Dem-577] "It ought certainly," says he, "to be far from the thoughts of every Christian to lessen any privileges, or undervalue any promises, annexed by Christ to any duty or institution of his religion. It is an inexcusable carelessness to do it for want of due consideration. But this, I think, may with truth be said, that an error of this sort (should it be supposed) does not really hurt any Christian, nor alter the effect of the duty at all." {Pref., p. 5.}

[Dem-578] The safety therefore of his doctrine of the sacrament, supposing it to lessen and undervalue the benefits of it, is grounded upon this general proposition, which he takes to be a great truth, viz., "That to lessen or undervalue the privileges and promises annexed to any duty or institution by Jesus Christ, does not really hurt any Christian, or alter the effect of the duty at all."

[Dem-579] Now this doctrine directly leads to infidelity, for infidelity is nothing else but a lessening and undervaluing the privileges and promises annexed to faith in Christ.

[Dem-580] The scripture saith, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him"; and again, He sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. {1 John 4:10.} "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Here the privilege and promise of life, and atonement for our sins, is annexed to faith in Christ; but according to this author, it does you no real hurt, nor alters the effect of your faith at all, though you lessen and undervalue this privilege and promise of life, and atonement for your sins, offered to your faith in Christ Jesus.

[Dem-581] Is not this directly saying, that infidelity is as safe and beneficial to you, as a belief in the privileges and promises of the gospel? Is it not saying, that it is as beneficial to you to esteem Christ only as a carpenter's son, as to expect atonement and life from him, as the only begotten Son of God?

[Dem-582] It is said of our blessed Lord, that among those of his own country he did no mighty works, because of their unbelief. Now what was their unbelief? It was nothing but the infidelity which this author would prove to be harmless; it was only a lessening and undervaluing all those privileges and promises which our savior offered to those that would have a just sense of the value of them. Now if we lessen or undervalue any privileges and promises annexed to faith in Christ, or any other duty, such unbelief will certainly have the same effect upon us that it had upon those amongst whom Christ lived, it will hinder him from doing any mighty works among us, or in other words, render our knowledge and profession of him ineffectual to our salvation.

[Dem-583] Prayer and faith are amongst the greatest duties of the Christian life, and are the most powerful means of obtaining all the blessings of our salvation. Now to these two duties the greatest privileges and promises are annexed by Christ. The promise of the Holy Spirit is made to prayer. Now, according to this author, if you lessen and undervalue this privilege and promise annexed to prayer, if you grow indifferent about the necessity or benefit of the Holy Spirit, and fancy that you are sufficient of yourself for all the virtue that you want, all this does you no real hurt, nor alters at all the effect of your prayer.

[Dem-584] Again, another privilege annexed to prayer, is that of being heard in and through the name of Christ.

[Dem-585] "Hitherto," says our blessed Lord, "ye have asked nothing in my name; ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." {John 16:24.}

[Dem-586] Now if any infidel, to abate your zeal for, and confidence in this kind of prayer, should teach you, that no one can suffer any real hurt by lessening and undervaluing prayer in the name of Christ, and that it would have the same effect upon you, though you expected little or no good from it, the gospel would be preached to you, just as it is by this author.

[Dem-587] Again, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Now what is this believing, but an entire faith in the privileges and promises annexed to prayer?

[Dem-588] But if prayer is effectual because of this faith in the promises made to prayer, then everyone suffers a real hurt, and the effect of his prayer is altogether hindered by this want of faith, or by a lessening and undervaluing the privileges and promises annexed to it.

[Dem-589] But if this author's doctrine was true, it might then be said, in contradiction to the gospel, prayer does you as much real good when you have little or no faith in it, as when you have ever so much, and your believing is no help to your receiving.

[Dem-590] The scriptures attribute a kind of omnipotence to faith; thus, "All things are possible to him that believeth." Again, "According to thy faith, so be it done unto thee. Thy faith hath saved thee. Thy faith hath made thee whole." But according to this author, it must be said, that the want of faith does you no real hurt, that you will be healed and saved, and have all things done to you, in the same manner, whether you be faithless or believing.

[Dem-591] And on this foundation it is that he grounds your safety in receiving his doctrine of the sacrament, though he should have lessened and undervalued the benefits annexed to it. But you ought to observe, that you can have no safety in receiving his doctrine of the sacrament, unless it be safe for you to receive another gospel.

[Dem-592] Had the sick, the lame, the blind, and the deaf believed that which this author would have you believe, as safe doctrine, viz., that to lessen and undervalue the promises and privileges made to faith, could do them no real hurt, they had continued in their infirmities, merely for knowing Jesus Christ and the gospel as this author would have you know them.

[Dem-593] When two blind men ran crying after our savior to have mercy on them, "He saith unto them, believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened." {Matt.ix.30.} The poor woman that wanted to be healed of her infirmity, said, "If I may but touch his clothes I shall be whole.": upon this faith of the woman, our savior said, "I perceive that virtue is gone out of me; and turning him about, and seeing the woman, he said unto her, daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole." {Matt.ix.22}

[Dem-594] Now, had the blind men answered to our savior's question, No, Lord, we do not believe that thou canst give us sight; had the diseased woman said, I am so far from expecting to be healed by touching his clothes, that I don't believe he has the power of healing in himself; according to this author, their infidelity must have helped them to just the same benefit from Christ, as their faith did, notwithstanding that Christ himself ascribes it to their faith. For unless it be true, that their want of faith had helped them to the same benefit from Christ that their faith did, it cannot be true, that to lessen and undervalue the privileges and promises annexed to any duty, does you no real hurt, nor alters the effect of it at all.

[Dem-595] And therefore the safety which this author proposes to you, in lessening and undervaluing the privileges and promises annexed to the sacrament, is only the safety of infidelity, and such a safety as they are in, who lessen and undervalue the privileges and promises annexed to faith in Jesus Christ.

[Dem-596] And indeed herein he is, though inconsistent with the gospel, very consistent with himself. For if, as he has said, an uniform morality chosen by ourselves, is our highest good both here and hereafter; our highest good makes Christ as needless to us as the sacrament; for if this is true, you can no more need the benefits of a savior, than the benefits of a sacrament, and it can signify nothing to your happiness, whatever privileges and promises are offered to you in the gospel, because you want none, can receive none as a part of your happiness, because you have it all from yourself, both here and hereafter.

[Dem-597] So that if this minister of the gospel carries his point with you, if you believe his doctrines of the sacrament, upon the principles on which he teaches it, you may indeed retain something of the outward form of the sacrament, but must reject the whole salvation of the gospel

FINIS.