Page images
PDF
EPUB

faid to the Jews, "I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you;" and then proceeds to tell them that this was the only reason why they believed not on him, and did not receive him: "How can ye believe who receive honour one of another, and feek not the honour that cometh from God only?" In these words it is afferted that none can believe on him unless his heart be friendly to God and to him; and that it is impoffible that any one should believe on Christ who is an impenitent enemy of God; which could not be true, if faith did not imply holy exercifes of heart: [John v. 40, 44.] That faith in Chrift implies holiness of heart, and is a holy exercife, is afferted by Chrift in his discourse with Nicodemus; [John iii. 18-21:] "He that believeth on the Son is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil; for every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be reproved. But he that doth truth cometh to the light." If every one that doth evil, hateth the light, and will not come to it, and loves darkness rather than light, is condemned, and he that believeth on Chrift ist not condemned; then believing is coming to the light, and loving it, or receiving the truth in the love of it, and doing the truth, or conforming to and practising it, in which holiness confifts. Surely nothing can be plainer and more ftrongly afferted than this is in thefe words.

Believing on Chrift is commanded as a duty, and therefore must be an exercise of the heart, and an holy exercife; for nothing can be the fubject of command but the heart or will, and nothing was ever commanded by God but holiness, and nothing elfe can be duty. Chrift preached, faying, "Repent and believe the gospel." He faid to his difciples, "Ye believe in God, believe also in me." He faid to the Jews, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent. The apoftle

John

John fays, "This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jefus Christ.” Therefore believing on Chrift is called "the obedience of faith,” and obeying Chrift is the fame with believing on him. "And being made perfect he became the author of eternal falvation to all them that obey him." The apoftle Paul obferves, that the juft lives by his faith; and fays, "I live by the faith of the Son of God." If faith was that by which he lived, it was his fpiritual, Christian life, which certainly is Christian holinefs. He therefore fays, "Faith worketh by love." Love is the fum of true holiness, but this is the efficacious, operative nature and life of faith, fo that the faith is wholly dead and inactive, the life and active nature of which is not love.

The apostle Paul fays, "Abraham was ftrong in faith, giving glory to God." If faith be not friendly to God, to the divine character, it does not, it cannot, give any glory to God, however ftrong it may be; but friendship to God is true love to God, and is a holy exercise of heart. Accordingly the apoftle James, fpeaking of Abraham believing God, fays, "By this he obtained the character of the friend of God." If there were no love or holinefs in faving faith, then an impenitent enemy of God might have as much of it, and be as ftrong in faith, as Abraham or any other man, and that too without any true difcerning or fight of the true character of Christ, and fpiritual things. "For every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light;" which is true of every impenitent, unregenerate perfon. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are fpiritually discerned." Therefore,

whofoever believeth that Jefus is the Chrift, or has faving faith, is born of God; has a new and holy heart given him of God; for with fuch a heart the fpiritual man difcerneth fpiritual things, and believeth unto righteousness.

Much more evidence might be produced from fcrip. ture to prove that faving faith is real gospel holiness;

· but

but as what has already been faid on this point does make it fufficiently clear, it is needlefs to add any more proof that, according to the law of faith, holiness, is as neceffary in order to an intereft in the promises and bleffings of it, as it is according to the law of works; which is the propofition propofed to be proved.

2.

The holiness which is neceffary in a compliance with the law of works and the law of faith, confifts in conformity to the fame law or rule of duty. It is therefore the fame kind of holiness, as there is but one law and rule of holiness. All holiness confifts in love to God and our neighbours, which, though expreffed in different words, and exercised in a different manner and circumstances, and to answer different purposes, yet it is effentially one and the fame thing, and is conformity and obe-, dience to the fame law.

Secondly. It is to be confidered wherein these two laws differ, and are opposed to each other.

This may be stated and explained in the following particulars.

[ocr errors]

1. According to the law of works, the perfectly holy and obedient offer to God their holinefs and works of obedience as the price of the favour and acceptance of God, and the reafon of their having his approbation and rewards, and God accepts and rewards them out of respect to their obedience and good works, as a testimony of his love of holiness, and pleasure in their obedience to him. Thus the holy angels were juftified by their works. Their perfect holiness and obedience was the price of the favour they obtained of God. They trufted in their own righteoufnefs to recommend them to God's acceptance, and the benefits of juftification and eternal life; and, in bestowing these upon them, God teftified his approbation of their character and works.

The law of faith is directly the reverfe of this. It opens a way for the pardon, juftification and eternal life of SINNERS, who have fallen under the curfe of the law, and are forever cut off from a poffibility of being juftified by the law of works. According to the law of faith, fin

ners

ners are pardoned and juftified by the atonement, righteoufnefs and merit of Jefus Chrift, and the holiness which they exercife is fo far from recommending them to the leaft favour on account of their moral worth and excellénce, that it wholly consists in what is implied in receiving these bleffings and all they want as a free gift to the infinitely guilty and ill-deferving, without money or price, from the hands of an infinitely gracious and bountiful benefactor.

By faith the finner comes to Chrift for all he wants, fenfible that by fin he has undone himself, and may juftly be caft off by God into eternal destruction; he confeffes his fins and ill defert, and heartily approves of the law of God, which condemns and curfes him, as juft, good and excellent, worthy to be maintained and honoured. He highly approves of the character of Chrift, in feeking and promoting the honour of God, by vindicating and honouring the law which finners had tranfgreffed and trampled under foot, by fuffering the curfe of it himself, in dying on the crofs, and obeying it perfectly. He is pleafed with the way of falvation by Chrift, in which the finner is humbled and faved by free grace, and not by works of righteoufnefs which he has done or can do ; and he is greatly pleased with the deliverance from all fin, and that perfect holiness which Chrift will beftow on all who believe in him; and he is fatisfied with that heaven and happiness, that glorious immortality, which Chrift has brought to light, and will caufe all believers fully and eternally to poffefs, as his purchase and free gift to them, though in themselves infinitely unworthy and ill-deferving. Thus the believer comes to Chrift as the apostle Paul did, defiring not to be found in his own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Chrift, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

This is the great, capital and moft ftriking difference and oppofition between the law of works and the law of faith, which, it is prefumed, will be clearly understood by every judicious, attentive perfon, and appear to be of great importance to be made and always kept in mind.

It may be useful, however, to fome, farther to explain and illuftrate this interefting and important point by the parable of the elder fon and the prodigal. The latter having rendered himself guilty, odious and wretched, by leaving his father's house, and foolish conduct, when his eyes were opened, and he saw how guilty, wretched and undone he was, and that all he wanted for his relief was to be had in his father's houfe, he determined to go and caft himself upon the goodnefs and mercy of his father, confeffing his folly and fin in abufing his father and leaving his houfe, and his utter unworthiness of the leaft favour. In this, and in receiving all he wanted from the free, undeserved kindness of his parent, was exercised and expreffed as real love to him and his family, as his elder brother had done, if he were as good and obedient as he represented himself to be. The latter recommended himself to his father's approbation and fayour by his conftant obedience and good deeds: the prodigal was covered with fhameful guilt, unworthiness and ill defert, and humbly and gladly receives all that is bestowed upon him as a free gift to an unworthy creature, who might juftly have been left to perifh without the least relief, having nothing to recommend him to favour, but every thing to the contrary. The, one brings and offers his works of obedience as the reafon why he should be favoured and rewarded, or as the price by which he had purchased the bleffings he defired and expected; the other has nothing but shame, guilt and wretchednefs, and feeks and accepts of his father's kindness in receiving him to his favour, and all the privileges, enjoyments and honours of his family, as a free gift to a moft ill-deferving fon, who could make no compenfation for the injury he had done. But in his friendly thought he had of his father, in his returning hence to him, confeffing his fin and unworthiness of any fa vour, and cordial acceptance of offered mercy, and gladly coming into his father's house and family, he exercised as real love and friendship to his parent and his family, and to the laws, business and enjoyments of his house,

[ocr errors]

as

« PreviousContinue »