*'3- -* 
 
 T_,IBRA_RY 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 PRINCETON, N.J. 
 
 Case, ^.C^O._ 
 
 Shelf, ) 3c?-~ Section . . . 
 
 Book, N®- 
 
 1 
 
GLAD TIDINGS 
 
 TO 
 
 Perishing Sinners: 
 
 ORj 
 
 THE GENUINE GOSPEL 
 
 COMPLETE WARRANT FOR THE UNGODLT ^ 
 TO BELIEVE IN JESUS. 
 
 By Rev. ABRAHAM BOOTH. 
 
 Nothing is requifite, in order to a participation of Chrift and his 
 Benefits, but a grant from God. mr. j. hervey. 
 
 God juftifieth the ungodly. This is that expreifion which hath 
 ftirred up fo much wrath among many, and on account whereof 
 fome feem to be much difpleafed with the Apoftle himfelf. 
 
 DR. 
 
 S3. 
 
 J. OWEN. *-\. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PRINTED BY STEPHEN C. USTICK: 
 
 Sold at No. 79, North Third Street. 
 
 1797. 
 
 & 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 1 HAT the fubjecl: here difcuffed is of fufficient 
 importance to demand ferious attention, whether the 
 principle defended be true or falfe, muft be admitted by 
 every competent judge ; becaufe of its intimate connec- 
 tion with the doctrine of juftification before God : for 
 that has ever been confidered, by our mod eminent 
 Proteftant writers, both Lutherans and Calvinifts, as 
 an article of the greatefl: moment. Thus, for inftance, 
 Dr. John Owen : * In my judgment, Luther fpake 
 
 * the truth when he faid, To lofe the article of Jufl'ifca- 
 
 * tion, 'would at once be the lofs of the 'whole Chrijiian 
 ' faith. And I wifh he had not been a true prophet, 
 
 * when he foretold that, in the following ages, the doc- 
 4 trine hereof would be again obfcuredV — The leading 
 principle maintained in this Publication, is clofely con- 
 
 * Doclrine of "J ' unification. General Confidertions, p. IO3. Glaf- 
 gow, 1760. Thus, alfo, that celebrated foreigner, Witsius : 
 1 Diffundit fe Juftifkationis doclrina per totum theologiae corpus, 
 ' et prout fundamenta hie, vel bene, vel male, ja&a funt, eo uni 
 
 * verfum asdificium vel folidius augufliufque afcendit, vel male 
 
 * ftatuminatum foedam minitatur ruinam.' Oecon, Fad. Lib. 
 III. Cap. viii. § 1. 
 
« PREFACE. 
 
 necled alfo, with Chriflian experience, with devotional 
 practice, and with general obedience to God. The 
 ' better that principle is under flood, and the more its 
 practical influence is felt ; the more benign will its 
 genuine tendency appear, with regard to peace of con- 
 fcience, and liberty in devotional duties ; to the habi- 
 tual exercife of holy affections, and a courfe of confor- 
 mity to the divine commands. It is, by the Author at 
 leaft, confidered in this light. 
 
 That prudence and caution are necefTary, however, 
 in dating and defending the fentiment here adopted, the 
 Writer prefumes, will be acknowledged : becaufe it 
 is a kind of middle point, between Arminianifm, and 
 Antinomianifm — between feeking acceptance with God, 
 as it <were t by the works of the laiv* ; and renouncing 
 obedience to the divine precepts, as if they had loft 
 their obliging power, or as if our perfonal obedience 
 were of no importance in any refpecl. The former of 
 which is pernicious legality ; the latter, deflructive licen- 
 tioufnefs. Whether the Writer have handled the fub- 
 jedr. with all that wifdom and care, which its delicacy 
 and importance demand, he dares not affert : but, with 
 fincerity he can declare, that the difcumon of it has 
 been attended with much thought, and with frequent 
 prayer. 
 
 * Rom. ix. 32. - 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 Though the Author detefl the real principles of what 
 is properly called Antinomianifm ; though, many years 
 ago, in the mod public manner, he laboured to explode 
 thofe pernicious principles* ; and though, in the prefent 
 Performance, he have endeavoured to guard againft being 
 mifunderitood ; yet he is not without fufpicion, that 
 fome of his readers will be ready to confider the main 
 pofition defended, as having a licentious caft. But, 
 fhould that be the cafe, he is prepared for it, fo as to 
 be neither offended, nor furprifed. Nay, while fully 
 perfuaded that there is no jufl ground for fuch a conclu- 
 fion, he will confider it as a prefumption in favour of 
 the point maintained. Becaufe it is evident, that the 
 doctrine of grace, as preached and recorded by Paul, 
 was treated in a fimilar manner f. He has long been 
 of opinion, that whoever exhibits the true glory of divine 
 grace, and the high importance of Chriftian duty, accord- 
 ing to the apoftolic pattern ; will be confidered by many 
 as an Antinomian, and by fome as an Arminian. Does 
 a minifter of the gofpel difplay the abfolute freenefs, 
 the infinite riches, and the allfufficiency of that grace 
 which is revealed in Jefus Chrift, as an immediate 
 ground of encouragement for the vileft of finners to 
 confide in him ? the doctrine will be ftigmatized by 
 
 * See The Death of Legal Hope, the Life of Evangelical Obedi- 
 ence, Secft. VII. Edit. 3d. 
 f Rom. iii. 8, 31. vi. 1, a, 3, 15. ix. 14—34- 
 
 A 2 
 
^ x PREFACE. 
 
 multitudes, as manifeftly licentious. Does he, as mini- 
 (terial duty requires, warmly infiit, that, be the profeiTed 
 articles of any one's theological creed ever fo fcriptural; 
 yet, if he be not habitually mindful of the divine precepts; 
 if he keep not the example of Chrifl: in view ; if his 
 heart have not an heavenly turn ; he is a (hanger to the 
 power of evangelical truth, and unworthy to be called 
 a Chriftian ? his preaching will be orfenfive to the mere 
 formalift ; be cenfured as uncharitable; and reproached, 
 by fome, as deteftably legal. 
 
 The grand principle here defended, is far from being 
 novel ; it having been adopted by many Proteftant writers 
 of high reputation in the churches of Chrift : from fome 
 of whom, and efpecially from Dr. John Owen, a 
 number of quotations appear in the following work. To 
 the producing of which quotations the Author was 
 induced, partly for the fake of that argument which 
 they contain, in proof of his main point; and partly 
 to evince, that the fentiments here maintained have 
 been efpoufed by perfons of the firir. eminence, among 
 profeiTed Chi iftians of Calviniflic principles. 
 
 That the number of quotations, from the mod: re- 
 fpectable Calviniftic authors, with regard to the leading 
 pofition, might have been greatly increafed ; every one, 
 much acquainted with their theological writings, rauft 
 acknowledge. ' Mr. David Wilson, when vindicating 
 
PREFACE. Vli 
 
 various Writers, denominated Popular Preachers, 
 againft the attacks of grofs mifreprefentation, of illiberal 
 cenfure, and of farcaftical contempt ; in fpeaking rela- 
 tive to the main fubjedr. of the following pages, fays : 
 ■ They [the Popular Preachers] were very ready to 
 « acknowledge, that thofe who are mod punctual in the 
 1 external performance of religious duties, are frequently 
 1 in a far more dangerous condition than publicans and 
 ' harlots, or thofe who lead the raoft wicked and flagi- 
 ' tious lives ; becaufe, through the corruption of their 
 
 * own hearts, all their duties, religious fervices, endea- 
 1 vours and attainments, are too often made fubfervient 
 
 * to the gratification of their pride, and the cherifhing 
 1 of thofe prefumptuous hopes and imaginations whereby 
 
 * they are hardened in their oppofition to the true grace 
 
 * of God manifefted in the gofpel. And they were 
 ' equally ready to own, that the fovereign mercy of 
 
 * God, with regard to believers at firft converfion, does 
 
 * (till prevent every good action, motion, or qualifica- 
 ' tion in them ; every thing that can be fuppofed to have 
 
 * the leaft tendency to qualify them for the divine ap- 
 
 * probation — They affirmed, that the foundation of a 
 
 * finner's confidence and comfort lies, not in any good 
 
 * works performed by him ; in any confcioufnefs of his 
 
 * own fincerity ; or any experience of a gracious and 
 
 * fanclifying work of the divine Spirit upon his own 
 
 * foul; but wholly without him, in the promifes and 
 
 * teftiraony of God in the gofpel — To maintain, that 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 ' finners are juftified freely, through the righteoufnefs of 
 *■ Chrift imputed, and apprehended by faith alone ; and 
 ' yet afTert, that no man has a fufficient warrant to rely 
 ' upon that righteoufnefs alone for juftification — as exhi- 
 
 * bited in the word of the gofpel, till he is firft confcious 
 ' of his own godlinefs and fincerity ; is in effect to affirm, 
 ' that though finners in general mutt be juftified freely by 
 
 * grace, through the imputed righteoufnefs ; yet no fin- 
 
 * ner in particular ought, or has any warrant to believe, 
 
 * that he is, or ever can be juftified in that manner, or 
 ' without a righteoufnefs of his own ; or, at leaft, fome- 
 ' thing in and about himfelf, upon which he may with 
 
 * fafety bottom an affurance of the divine favour, and his 
 
 * own justification and falvation *.' 
 
 Though the Author be fully perfuaded, that a denial 
 of the pofition maintained, is inconfiftent with the ge- 
 nuine gofpel, and with thofe principles on which every 
 truly pious man proceeds in his prayers, reflecting 'ac- 
 ceptance with God ; yet he is far from concluding, that 
 no one is a real difciple of Chrift, who does not expli- 
 citly avow that pofition. For he has learned, from 
 experience and obfervation, that perfons will fometimes 
 d'ifpute againft a particular fentiment, the truth of which 
 is habitually implied in their prayers, and its importance 
 
 * Palamons Creed Reviewed and Fxamined, Vol. I. p, 1 95, 
 
 196. Vol. II. p. ioz, 100. 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 tacitly acknowledged in their oivn experience. To this 
 effect is the following language of Dr. Owen, refpecling 
 certain oppofers of the doctrine of juftification merely by 
 grace, through an imputed righteoufnefs : ' I doubt 
 « they oftentimes difpute themfelves beyond what they 
 « can well abide by, when they return home unto a fedate 
 
 * meditation of the ftate of things between God and 
 
 * their own fouls — I had rather learn what fome men 
 1 really judge about their own juftification, from their 
 
 * prayers, than their writings. Nor do I remember, 
 
 * that I did ever hear any good man in his prayers, ufe 
 
 * any expreffions about juftification, pardon of fin, and 
 
 * righteoufnefs before God, wherein any plea, from any 
 ■ thing in ourfelves, was introduced, or made ufe of — 
 
 * Whereas we may, and ought, to reprefent unto God 
 
 * in our ^applications, our faith, or what it is that we 
 
 * believe herein ; I much queftion, whether fome men 
 
 * can find in their hearts to pray over and plead before 
 
 * him, all the arguments and diftinctions they make ufe 
 ' of to prove the intereft of our works and obedience in 
 
 * our jufiification before him ; or enter into judgment with 
 ' him, upon the conclufions which they make from them 
 ' — I judge no men upon the expreffions that fall from 
 1 them in polemical writings ; wherein, on many occa- 
 
 * fions, they do affront their own experience, a nd contra- 
 ' diet their own prayers — To believe the doctrine of 
 « [juftification by the imputed righteoufnefs of Ch rift,] 
 ' or not to believe it, as thus or thus explained, is one 
 
X HREFACE. 
 
 ' thing ; and to enjoy the thing, or not enjoy it is another. 
 ' I no way doubt, but that many men do receive more 
 ' grace from God, than they underftand, or will own ; 
 
 * and have a greater efficacy of it in them, than they 
 ' will believe *.' 
 
 That no plaufible reafons may be advanced, in oppo- 
 fition to his main thefis, the Author does not fuppofe. 
 But, as the writer juft quoted obferves ; * It is a known 
 ' rule, That a truth, well eftablifhed and confirmed, is 
 
 • not to be queftioned, much lefs relinquished, on 
 ' every entangling fophifm, though it mould appear 
 1 infoluble +:' 
 
 Goodman's Fields, 
 London, May 17, 1796. 
 
 * Doflrine of Jujlification, p. 8, 19, 20, 62, 2']%. y 279. GlafgOW 
 Edit. f Utfupra,^. 457. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 Introduction - 13 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The genuine go/pel a complete warrant for the moji ungodly 
 per/on to believe in J ejus. 2 7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 No degree of holinefs previoufly necefary, to warrant 
 our believing in Jefus Chrift. - - 81 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Objections anfwered. - - * J 37 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The falutary and practical tendencies of the principle main- 
 tained. - - - - 203 
 
GLAD TIDINGS 
 
 TO 
 
 Perifhing Sinners, 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 w 
 
 HETHER any holy difpofition in the heart 
 of a firmer be previoufly neceffary to warrant his believing 
 in Jefus Chrifr. ? Or, whether, for that purpofe, the 
 gofpel itfelf, detached from every confideration of a pre- 
 paratory fanctifying influence, be completely fufHcient ? 
 are queftions on which the minifters of religion, and the 
 profefTors of godlinefs, are greatly divided. The for- 
 9ier fentiment is charged, by fome, with Arminian 
 legality : the latter, by multitudes, with Antinoniiniart 
 licentioufnefs. That is difcarded, as follering phari- 
 faical pride, as veiling the glory of fovereign grace, and 
 as corrupting the gofpel of Jefus Chrift. This is detefted, 
 as encouraging prefumptuous hope, as inimical to true 
 virtue, and as averfe to Supreme authority, expreiling 
 itfelf in divine law. So oppofite are the views of pro- 
 B 
 
H INTRODUCTION. 
 
 felTed Chriftians, relative to this momentous article of 
 our enquiry ! 
 
 After much thought on the fubjecl, T cannot but 
 conclude, however, That the genuine gofpel is a complete 
 warrant for the mojl ungodly per/on to believe in J ejus ; 
 and that no degree of holinefs is neeejfary for that purpofe. 
 This pofuion, though treated by great numbers as a 
 licentious principle, and as pregnant with dangerous 
 confequenees, I confider as a capital article of revealed 
 truth, and as efTential to the genuine gofpel. I adopt 
 it, as exprefllng an important fact, in which the perfec- 
 tion of our Lord's vicarious work, the honour of divine 
 grace, and the peace of diftreffed confeiences, are deeply 
 concerned : to the proof and illuftration of which, the 
 following pages are devoted. ^ 
 
 To prevent_miftak.es it is proper to be obferved, that, 
 by an holy difpofition is not meant, a fpeculative know- 
 ledge of religious duty; a conviction of fpiritual danger ; 
 or a defire of immortal happinefs : for thefe, though 
 they accompany, do none of them come under the 
 notion of an holy difpofition. Thefe may all exiit, 
 more or lefs, in the minds, the confeiences, and the 
 hearts of finners, without any principle of true fanclity. 
 But, by an holy difpofition is intended, a bias of the 
 will, a propenfity of the heart, or a tendency of the affec- 
 tions, in favour of divine authority, and of conformity 
 
INTRODUCTION. IJ 
 
 to the divine image. — By believing in Jefus Chrift, I do 
 not mean a firm perfuafion of his being the promifed 
 Mefiiah, and that the Chriftian religion is from God, 
 though that perfuafion be prefuppofed ; nor a mere 
 a/Tent to any particular propofition, however true, or 
 important ; nor yet an aflurance of perfonal intereft in 
 Chrilr, as the only Saviour of finners : but relying upon 
 him as revealed in the doclrine of grace, for pardon, 
 peace, and every fpiritual blefling. 
 
 Again : The queftion is not, whether fanctlf ing 
 influence, and real holinefs, be previously necefiary to 
 final felicity ? for that is admitted in its failed fenfe. 
 Partly, becaufe -without holinefs no onejhull fee the Lord ; 
 and partly, becaufe without holinefs, intellectual hap- 
 pinefs is impomble, — Neither is the inquiry, Whether a 
 pious turn of heart be neceiXary to communion tnkh God, 
 in the performance of devotional fervices ? for that com- 
 munion, on the part of a ChtiiHan, is nothing elfe "but 
 the exercife of holy affections toward God, as manifeft- 
 ing himfelf in Jefus Chrift — Nor, whether an holy ten- 
 dency in the will be neceffary, as an evidence of on r 
 having already believed in Jefus ? for that is cheerfully 
 granted. — Nor, yet, whether a divine influence, attend- 
 ing evangelical truth, be necefiary to a finner's fel/eving 
 in Chrift ? for that is an important article of the Chrif- 
 tian faith. — But the queftion to be difcufTed, is ; Whe- 
 ther the Gofpel itfelf he a complete warrant for- //' 
 
l6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ungodly per/on to believe in Jefus, without any holy difpo- 
 fition king necejjary for that purpofe ? 
 
 By the term go/pel I here intend, the doclrine offal- 
 ^ation by grace, through Jefus Chrijl : which doclrine 
 is, in the mod emphaticai fenfe, good news, or glad 
 tidings ; agreeable to the natural import of the word 
 <M>?t.x/oT, as ufed by the Evangelifts and Apoftles. 
 Relative to which particular, I will here introduce a 
 few extracts from Dr. George Campbell. Thus, 
 that learned Author: * This term, (to ivxyytnov) agree- 
 
 * ably to its etymology, from e$ bene and ayytxia nuncium, 
 
 * always in claifical ufe, where it occurs but rarely, 
 
 * denotes either good news, or the reward given to the 
 
 * bearer ofgoodnews — The Greek verb tu*yyt\i£u f when 
 
 * firft ufed by the Evangelifts, — conveyed to their coun- 
 4 trymen only one and the fame idea, which is precifely 
 ' what the phrafe to bring good tidings conveys to us. 
 ' The appropriation of the word to the religious infti- 
 '• tution called the gofpel, is of later date, and has gradu- 
 
 * ally arifen out of the former ufage. When etymology 
 
 * and ufe perfectly coincide, we cannot be too literal in 
 ' our interpretations ; when they differ, which does not 
 ' feldom happen, the latter is to be followed, and not 
 « the former — The firft meaning of the word (uayytKiw) 
 'then in the New Teftament, efpecially in the Gofpels, 
 
 * is, as has been obferved, good news ; a lignification 
 
 * which, though always implied, is not always what is 
 
INTRODUCTION. 1 7 
 
 « chiefly intended : and therefore the word cannot, 
 « without a facriiice of propriety, be uniformly fo ren- 
 
 * dered. The name, from being expreflive of an eminent 
 
 * quality in the difpenfation introduced by the Mefliah, 
 
 * and from being mod: frequently applied to it, came 
 
 * gradually to ferve as a name for the difpenfation itfelf. 
 ' When it is thus employed, it is in our tongue properly 
 ' rendered go/pel — This [literal and primitive] fenfe 
 
 * ought to be retained in the verfion, when the word, 
 ' fjctyytxtcv is conflnied with a noun ferving to limit or 
 
 * explain its nature ; as to wayyixicv rat s/p»v«c, the good 
 
 * news of peace ; to uuyyixiiv t»? tsuvitetas, the good news 
 1 of the reign. It was obferved, on the explanation of 
 ' the word gctrixua, that the Chiiftian economy was 
 ' foretold under the denomination of the reign of God, and 
 
 * the reign of Heaven; and I may add, in the typical lan- 
 
 * guage of the Pfalms, the reign of David — To wctyysxtcv 
 ' ™s ;t*P' TO s T° y ®* sy > is the good news of the favour of 
 ' God : to tixtyytxiw r«% ?uT»fias vy.av^ the good news of 
 
 * your falvation. The words in the common verfion, 
 
 * the gofpel of your falvation, are mere words, and coa- 
 
 * vey no meaning to Englifh ears. The word always 
 
 * may, and commonly Jhou/d, be rendered geod news, 
 
 * and not gofpel, — when it is confrrued with nnpicra-a-, I 
 ' proclaim or publiih — (The word) xipvffVf/r, rendered to 
 'preach, is derived from »»pu|, rendered preacher ; 
 ' whence alfo %%fvyp.x, rendered a preaching. The pri- 
 ' mitive v-<-.\-% fignifies properly both herald and common 
 
 B 2 
 
IS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ' crier — The verb K»pv<nrt>v is accordingly to cry, pvblijh, 
 \ or proclaim authoritatively, or by commiflion from ano- 
 ' ther, and the noun Ktipvy/u* is the thing publi/hed or pro- 
 ' claimed — The verb Ktipv<ro-a> occurs in the New Tefta- 
 
 * ment about five and twenty times, always in nearly the 
 i fame fenfe : I proclaim, pradico, palam annuncio — This 
 
 * may be called the primitive fenfe of the word ; and in 
 4 this fenfe it will be found to be ofteneft employed in 
 '- the New Teftament — Though announcing publicly 
 
 * the reign of the MeiTiah, comes always under the deno- 
 
 * mination, K»fvmet 9 no moral inftruftions, or doctrinal 
 
 * explanations, given either by our Lord, or by his Apof- 
 
 * ties, are evtr, either in the Gofpels, or in the Ads, 
 
 * fo denominated — Let it be alfo obferved that, in all 
 ' the quotations in the Gofpels, from the ancient Pro- 
 1 phets, neither the word x»po-«r&!, nor any of its conju- 
 
 * gates, is applied to any of them befide Jonah. What 
 
 * is quoted from the reft, is faid to have been fpohen, 
 
 * or foretold, or prophefied, but never preached. Jonah's 
 ' prophecy to the Ninevites, on the contrary, is but 
 € twice quoted ; and it is in both places called x-ttpoyy-a, 
 < rendered preaching, properly cry, or proclamation — It 
 
 * was a real proclamation which God required him to 
 
 * make through the flreets of Nineveh*.' 
 
 * The four Gofpeh, Vol. I. Differtat. V. Tart i. § i, 8, io, 
 II, 16. Part V. § 2, 7, 8. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 The gofpcl then, is good news, or glad tidings. It 
 is that mod interefting part of facred Scripture which is, 
 by infpired writers, denominated the truth — the 
 word of the kingdom — the word of God's grace — the 
 word of reconciliation — the word of righteoufnefs — the 
 word of life — the word of falvation — glad tidings of the 
 kingdom, or of the reign — glad tidings of Chrijl — glad 
 tidings of the grace of God — glad tidings of peace — glad 
 tidings of falvation — the doiftrine of God our Saviour — 
 ihegloriyus glad tidings of Chrift — and the glorious glad 
 tidings of the bleffed God*. — It is alfo denominated, 
 The word of faith — the faith once delivered to the 
 faints — the mofl holy faith — and the faith in Chrif f . — 
 The publication of the gofpel, by the Apoftles, is called, 
 Preaching, or proclaiming Chrijl — proclaiming Chriit 
 crucified — preaching the crofs — proclaiming peace, by 
 Jefus Chrifl — proclaiming forgivenefs of fins, through 
 Jefus (Thrift — proclaiming the unfearchable riches of 
 Chriit. — bringing glad tidings of peace — and bringing 
 glad tidings of good things %. — Such is the gofpel, and 
 fuch the preaching of it, as reprefented by the infpired 
 
 * Gal. iii. I. Matt. xiii. 19. Ads xx. 32. 2 Cor. v. 19. Heb. 
 v. 13. Philip ii. 16. Acts xiii. 26. Matt. iv. 23. Rom. i. 1, 16. 
 Ads xx. 24. Eph. \i. 15. i. 13. 2 Cor. iv. 4. 1 Tim. i. ji. 
 Titus ii. 10. 
 
 f Rom. x. 8. Jude 3. 2C. Ads xxiv. 24. 
 
 \ Adsviii. 5. 1 Cor. i. 18, 23. Ads x. 36. xiii. 38. Eph. 
 iii. 8. Biom. x. 15. 
 
2© INTRODUCTION. 
 
 writers ! all which unite in the general notion of joy 
 
 FUL NEWS. 
 
 Let us now fee how an ancient ecclefiaftical author 
 defcribes it. Thus Chrysostom fpeaks, as quoted 
 and tranflated by Mr. Kervey. * The gofpel compre- 
 1 hends, a difcharge from punifhment ; a remifiion of fins; 
 ' the gift of righteoufnefs ; the endowment of fandtifica- 
 ' tion; redemption from every evil; the adoption offons; 
 f the inheritance of heaven; and a mod endeared, a con- 
 ' jugal relation to the infinitely majeftic Son of God. 
 ' All thefe divinely precious privileges preached, pre- 
 « fented, vouchfafed, to the foolifh, to the difobedient, 
 « to enemies *.' — * The go/pelf fays Luther, < is the 
 « doctrine concerning the incarnate Son of God, who 
 ' was given to us, without our deferts, for peace and 
 < falvation. It is the word of falvation, the word of 
 « grace, the word of comfort, and the word of joy \.' 
 
 The gofpel, then, properly and ftrictly fo called, is 
 the do&rine of divine grace. As fuch, it is contradiitin- 
 guifhed to the precepts and prohibitions of divine law, 
 which are the doctrine of human duty. But, relative to 
 this diftindtion, and the contrafted light in which the 
 law and the gofpel are placed by it, the following quo- 
 tation from Witsiu s may not be improper. Thus that 
 
 * Thercn and Afpafw, Vol. III. p. 3»I. Edit. 5th.. 
 
 f Loci Cammuna, Clafs II. Loc xiv. p. 69. Londini, 1651. 
 
INTRODUCTION*- 21 
 
 eminent writer : ■ The law, here, denotes that part of 
 ' the divine Word which confifts of precepts and pro- 
 
 * hibitions ; with the promife of a reward to be conferred 
 ' on thofe who obey, and a threatening of punifhment 
 
 * on the difobeclient. The go/pel (ignifies the doctrine 
 'of grace, and of complete falvation in Jefus Chrift, 
 ' which ele6t finners fha!l receive by faith. Every pre- 
 
 * fcription, therefore, of virtues and of duties ; all exhor- 
 ' tattoos and dehortations ; all reproofs and threatenings ; 
 ' all promifes, likewife, of reward to perfect obedience, 
 
 * belong to the law. To the go/pel pertains every thing 
 
 * that can minifter hope of falvation to finful man : that 
 
 * is, the doctrine of the Perfon, the offices, the (rates, 
 ' the benefits of Jefus Chrift ; and all promifes to which 
 ' are annexed the pardon of fin, and the pofTeiTion of 
 
 * grace and of glory, to be obtained by faith in Chrift. 
 
 * This is the mod ftrict notion of each word ; to which, 
 ' through the whole of this difputation, regard mud be 
 « paid — If we underftand the word go/pel ftrictly, as it 
 ' is the formula of the Teftament of Grace, which con- 
 
 * fids of mere promifes, or an abfolute exhibition of fal- 
 « vation in Chrift; then, properly fpeaking, it prefcribes 
 
 * nothing as duty; requires nothing ; commands nothing: 
 ' no, not even believe, trujl, hope in the Lord, and fuch 
 
 * like. But it reports, declares, and figniiies to us, what 
 
 * God in Chrift promifes ; what he will do, and is about 
 1 to perform. All prefcription of duty belongs to the 
 
 * law ; as, after others, the venerable Voetius has. 
 
22 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ' excellently well proved. This mull by all means be 
 
 * held, if, with all the Reformed, we would fteadily 
 
 * defend the perfection of the law, as including all vir- 
 ' tues, and all the duties of holinefs *.'• — This diftinc- 
 tion between the law and the go/pel, fhictly underitood, 
 appearing to be both juft and important, is regarded in 
 the following pages. 
 
 Still further, however, to confirm and illuftrate the 
 neceffity of keeping this distinction in view, it may be 
 obferved ; that the law of God originated in his relation 
 to men, as moral agents ; and in his neceiFary dominion 
 over them, of which it is a natural expreffion : but the 
 go/pel, in his royal, fupreme prerogative ; it being the 
 refultof his mere, fovereignpleafure. Theybn^rconfiders 
 them as rational creatures that are bound to obey : the 
 latter, as guilty creatures, who deferve to fuffer. The 
 precepts of divine law are the language of frern autho- 
 rity : the doctrines of the go/pel are the voice of conde- 
 fcending mercy. In that, juftice unfhe.aths the fword, 
 and demands vengeance : in this, mercy exhibits pardon, 
 and proclaims peace. Divine law, is the awful minijfra- 
 tlon of death\, as the defert of fin : the qverlafting gof. 
 pel is the good news of life, as the effect of boundlefs 
 grace. That, by a righteous charge of guilt, and of 
 deferved ruin, Jlops the mouth\ ; this, by proclaiming 
 
 * Animadverf. Inn. C. xv. §1,9. 
 | 2 Cor, iii. 7. I, Rom. iii. 19. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 2$ 
 
 free pat don, opens the lips in gratitude and pvaife. 
 God, in the law, addrefTes men agreeably to their per- 
 fonal deferts, their character, and their (late : in the 
 go/pel, according to the riches of his own grace, the 
 diverfity of their fpiritual wants, and the vicarious work 
 of Jefus Chrift. In divine law, the Mod High exhi- 
 bits himfelf, as inverted with abfolute dominion, as 
 flaming with eternal purity, and as unchangeably abhor- 
 rent of moral evil : in the go/pel, as condemning fin in the 
 Jleflj of his own incarnate Son * ; as pardoning iniquity, 
 in its greatly diverfiiied forms ; zsjujlifying the ungodly ; 
 as the just Gael and the Saviour, f. 
 
 Hence it appears, that, in addreffing finners, refpecting 
 their immortal concerns, neither the announcing of dan- 
 ger, nor the enforcing of duty, is publifhing the go/pel, 
 properly fo called. Becaufe it is admitted by all, who 
 are converfant in thefe things, that ivayytxiov, go/pel, 
 denotes glad tidings. Such is its natural and proper, 
 its delightful and emphatical meaning. It is moft com- 
 monly employed, in the New Teftament, with an imme- 
 diate reference to the grace of God, and the work of 
 Chrift, as they appear in the falvation of finners. Very 
 feldom is it ufed by the Apoitles, to denote the Chrifiian 
 fyfiem at large; but, with a few exceptions, in its grand, 
 
 * Rom. viii. 3. 
 
 f Exod. xxx.lv. 6, 7. Rom. iv. 5. Ifaiah xiv. 21. 
 
24 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 appropriate, and emphatical fenfe, for that part of revealed 
 tTuth which refpecls the bleffings of falvation, by mere 
 grace, through Jefus Chrift. Preaching the go/pel, 
 therefore, is proclaiming glad tidings of falvation for the 
 guilty, the unworthy, and the perifhing. 
 
 Now, the terms laiv, precepts, commands, exhortations, 
 threatenings, and others of a fimilar kind, are expreffions 
 of an extremely different meaning, from that of the 
 word go/pel. To affert, therefore, the authority of God 
 in his laws, whether moral or pofitive ; to defcribe the 
 awful fituation of unregenerate tinners ? to warn them 
 of their extreme danger ; to inculcate, for fuitable pur- 
 pofes, an impartial regard to all the divine precepts ; 
 and to inilft, that an habitual want of obedience to the 
 known commands of Chrift, leaves a perfon deftitute of 
 evidence that he either loves him, or believes in him ; 
 though of ejjential importance, in the courfe of a public 
 miniilry, ought never to be confidered, ftriclly fpeaking, 
 as preaching the go/pel It may be all true ; it may be 
 all proper ; it may be all neceffary in its place ; and yet, 
 not having the nature of glad tidings in it, be very 
 different from the gofpel. 
 
 The word go/pel, having long been commonly ufed 
 without any determinate meaning ; except, either a 
 denoting the Chriftian fyftem, or fome doctrine, or 
 precept, pertaining to Chriflianity ; and having, become, 
 by modern ufe, a kind of technical term in divinity ; is- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 2$ 
 
 applied, in the moft promifcuous manner, to all forts of 
 religious doctrine, that are confidered by their abettors 
 as warranted in the facred writings. The public minifter, 
 and the private profefTor, whatever their theological 
 creed may be ; are equally pleafed with concluding, 
 that the one preaches, and the other hears, the go/pel : 
 though, frequently, neither of them have any fixed or 
 diftincT: notion under the term ; and even though their 
 views of Chriflianity render it nearly akin to Deifm. 
 It were to be wifhed, therefore, either that, inftead of 
 the old Saxon word go/pel, the expreffions glad tidings 
 had been ufed in our vulgar tranflation of the New Tefta- 
 i&ent ; or that the former term were univerfally under- 
 flood in its original fenfe, as denoting good news. For, 
 were that the cafe, it is highly probable, there would 
 be more knowledge, and lefs of felf- deception ; relative 
 to this momentous affair. 
 
C 27 ] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE GENUINE GOSPEL A COMPLETE WARRANT FOR 
 THE MOST UNGODLY PERSON TO BELIEVE IN 
 JESUS. 
 
 1 O prove this pofition, a great number of paflages 
 might be extracted from the facred Records ; a variety 
 of which, as being more directly to the purpofe, and 
 expreiling kindred ideas, I will here produce under the 
 following arrangement of particulars. 
 
 The condefcendlng and gracious characters which Chrifl 
 bears. ' The Mediator between God and men — The 
 
 * Surety of a better teftament — A great High Prieji — 
 1 The good Shepherd— The Saviour*. 9 
 
 The great and merciful defign of our Lord in becoming 
 incarnate. c The Father fent the Son to be the Saviour 
 
 * of the world — The Son of man is come to feek and to 
 
 * fave — He (hattfave his people \? 
 
 The characler and fi ate of thofe whom our Lord came 
 to fave. * Sinners — the ungodly — enemies to God — the 
 
 * I Tim. ii. 5. Heb. vii. 22. iv. 14. John x. 11. a Tim. i. 10. 
 f i John.iv. 14. Luke xlx. 1.0. Matt. i. ai. 
 
-8 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 1 dead in fin — the children of wrath — the accurjed — the 
 l kJt*S 
 
 The work which Chr'fl performed, the fifferings he 
 -underwent, and the benefits to fmners thence refilling. 
 
 * He hath made him to he fin for us, who knew no fin ; 
 ' that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in 
 ' him — He was wounded for our tranfgreilions ; he was 
 
 * bruijed for our iniquities : the cbafifement .of our p eace 
 c was upon him ; and with his Jlripzs we are healed. 
 
 * All we like fheep have gone aftray ; we have turned 
 
 * every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on 
 
 * htm the iniquity of us all — Chrift our paffover is 
 
 * facrijiced for us — Chrift died for our fins — We have 
 ' redemption through his blood, even the forgiven efs of 
 
 * fins — Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the 
 { law, being made a curfe for us — Whom God hath 
 'Jfet forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, 
 
 * to declare his righteoufnefs for the remiflion of fins that 
 ' are paft, through the forbearance of God : to declare, 
 ' I fay, at this time, his righteoufnefs ; that he might be 
 € juft, and the jufifier of him which believeth in J efus — 
 
 * When we-were enemies we were reconciled to Go d by 
 < the death of his Son — Chrift hath once fvffered for fns, 
 « the Juft for the unjuft, that he might bring us to God 
 
 * i Tim. i. 15. ' Rom. v. 5, 8, 10. Eph. ii. I, 3. Gal. iii. 
 10, 13. Luke xix. 10. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 20/ 
 
 < — Being now juftified by his blood, we fhall be favecl 
 
 < from wrath through him — By the obedience of One (hall 
 * many be made righteous — Jefus, who, of God, is 
 1 made unto us wifdoin, and nghieoufntfs, and fanclifca- 
 ' tion, and redemption* .' 
 
 This teftimony of God, refpecling the gracious 
 darafters which Chriit bears ; the merciful defign of his 
 appearance in the world ; the Jlate of thofe whom he 
 came to fave ; and the <worh which he performed for. 
 that purpofe ; very ftrongly encourages the guilty, the 
 ungodly, and the altogether unworthy, to believe in 
 Jefus. For, as it is manifefr. that he did not aflame his 
 condefcending and mediatorial characters, come into 
 the world, and expire on a crofs, to Hive the innocent, 
 or the righteous, but Jinners — the ungodly — the jujily 
 accurfed ; fo individuals of that defcription mud: be 
 the only perfons with whom, as a Saviour from eternal 
 ruin, he has any concern. 
 
 The allfifficiency of Chrijl, of his work, and of dj vine 
 grace, to fave the mojl ungodly turetch that lives. ' This 
 4 is his name whereby he fhall be called, jehovah our 
 
 ' RIGHTEOUSNESS The MIGHTY GoD Look UHtO 
 
 1 Me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth : for I 
 
 * 2 Cor. v. 21. Ifa. liii. 5, 6. I Pet. ii. 24. 1 Cor. v. y* xv." 
 3. Col. i. 14. Gal. iii. 13. Rom. iii. 25, 26. v. 10. 1 Pet. iii,. 
 18. Roai. v. 9, 19. 1 Cor. i. 30. 
 
39 T HE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 * am God ; and there is none elfe — Neither is there 
 
 * falvation in any other ; for there is none other name 
 ' under heaven given among men whereby we mufl be 
 1 (lived — How much more fhall the blood of Chrift, who 
 ' through the eternal Spirit offered himfelf without fpot 
 
 * to God, purge your confcience from dead works to ferve 
 
 * the living God ? — If through the offence of one many 
 
 * be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by 
 ' grace, which is by one man, Jefus Chrift, hath 
 8 abounded unto many — The judgment was by one to 
 e condemnation ; but the free gift is of many offences 
 1 unto ju ftm" cation. For if by one man's offence death 
 
 * reigned by one ; much more they which receive abun- 
 
 * dance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs, fhall 
 ' reign in life by one, Jefus Chrifl — He is able tofave 
 4 them to the uttermost that come unto God by him 
 «■ — The blood of Jefus Chrifl his Son cleanfeth from 
 
 * all Jin — Though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall 
 < be as white as fnow ; though they be red like crimfon, 
 1 they fhall be as wool — All manner of fin and blafphemy 
 1 [except the blafphemy againit the Holy Spirit,] fhall 
 
 * be forgiven unto men — Who is he that condemned* ? 
 « It is Chrift that died ; yea rather, that is rifen again, 
 « who is even at the right hand of God, who alfo maketh 
 1 intercjjion for us — He entered in once into the holy 
 
 * place, having obtained eternal redemption for us — By 
 ' one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are 
 
FH BELIEVING IS JE3US. 3 1 
 
 * fanclified — Ye are complete in Him, which is the Head 
 ' of all principality and power*. 
 
 Who, now, that maturely confiders thefe infallible 
 attentions to the dignity of our Lord's Perfon, the 
 perfection of his obedience, the depth of his penal 
 fufferings, the vicarious nature of his whole work, and 
 the exuberance of divine grace ; can doubt the fuflRci- 
 ency, either of Chriil or of grace, to r avethe mod: vile 
 and miferable of men ? Or who, being fatisfied of that 
 fact:, can forbear to view it as a delightful and powerful 
 encouragement, for the ungodly to believe in Jefus ? 
 
 Preventing mercy, end the free pardon of enormous 
 offenders. * I was found of them that fought me not ; I was 
 ' made manifeft unto them that ajked not after me — The 
 ' Gentiles, which followed not after right eoufnefs, have 
 ' (iti7;}tf5e} received righteovfnefs, even the iighteouf- 
 
 * nefs which is of faith — There was a man named 
 ' Zaccheus, who was the chief among the publicans, 
 
 * and he was rich. And he fought to fee Jefas who he 
 
 * was ; and he could not for the prefs, becaufe he was 
 « little of ftature. And he ran before, and climbed up 
 
 * into a fycamore tree to fee him : for he was to pafs that 
 
 * Jer. teiii. 6. Ifa. ix. 6. xiv. 22. Ads iv. 12. Heb. ix. 14. 
 Rom. v. 15, 16, 17. Heb. vii. 25. I John i. 7. Ifa. i. 18, 
 Matt, siii 31. Rom. viii. 34. Heb. ix. 12. x. 14, Col. ii. 10. 
 
$2 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 * way. And when Jefus came to the place, he looked 
 ' up, and faw him, and faid unto him, Zaccheus, 
 ' make hafle, and come down ; for to-day I mnjl abide at 
 ' thy houfe. And he made hafle, and came down., and 
 ' received him joyfully — But thou haft not called upon me, 
 1 O Jacob ; but thou haft been weary of me, O Ifrael. 
 ' Thou haft not brought me the fmall cattle of thy burnt 
 ' offerings ; neither haft thou honoured me with thy 
 ' facrifices. I have not caufed thee to ferve with an 
 ' offering, nor weaiied thee with incenfe. Thou haft 
 
 * bought me no fweet cane with money, neither haft 
 
 * thou filled me with the fat of thy facrifices : but thou 
 1 haft made me to ferve with thy fins, thou haft wearied 
 1 me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am he that blotteth 
 ' out thy tranfgreffwns for mine own fake, and will not 
 ' remember thy fins — For the iniquity of his covetoufnefs 
 
 * was I wroth, and fmote him : I hid me, and was 
 
 * wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his 
 
 * heart. I have feen his ways, and will heal him ; / 
 
 * will lead him alfo, and re/lore comforts unto him, and to 
 1 his mourners* .' 
 
 What a wonderful exhibition is here, of fovereign, 
 free, and all fufficient mercy ! It extends to the moft 
 cainal and covetous, the moft ungrateful and worthlefs 
 of men. It precedes every good motion of their wills, 
 
 * Rom. x. 20, ix. 30, Luke, xixa — 6. Ifa. xliii. %%— 25. ivii. 
 17. 18. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 33 
 
 and every virtuous affection of their hearts. It waits, 
 neither for any reformation of exterior conduct, nor 
 the leaffc melioration of internal character. It finds,. 
 them under the power bfftrong dl.tfetfion to God, and 
 with the gain of extortion in their iniquitous hands. 
 Fraught with every fpiritual Meffing for thofe who 
 deferve to periih, it pardons their crimfon crimes, and 
 foftens their obdurate hearts. It gives a new turn to 
 their wills, and elevates their affections to holy objects. 
 It fills them with fpiritual comfort, directs their feet 
 into the way of righteoufnefs, and makes them new 
 creatures. Such divinely gracious declarations, and 
 well authenticated facts, mufr, therefore, warrant the 
 mod ungodly perfon to regard this unparalleled mercy, 
 and to believe in Jefus Chrifr. 
 
 The fovereignty, the riches, and the plenitude of divine 
 goodnefs, revealed tojinners under the notions of love, of 
 mercy, and of grace. ' I will have mercy on whom I will 
 
 * have mercy, and I will have compaffion on whom I 
 
 * will have compaffion — Even fo Father, for fo itfeemed 
 
 * good in thy fight — I befeech thee mow me thy glory. ■ 
 
 * And he faid, I wil make all my goodnefs pafs before 
 ' thee ; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, 
 ' and will fhow mercy on whom I will Jhow mercy — 
 
 ' And Jehovah palfed by before him, and proclaimed, 
 •JEHOVAH, JEHOVAH GOD, merciful and 
 
 ' GRACIOUS, LONG5UFFERING, ABUNDANT IN GOOD- 
 
34 FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 
 
 ' NESS AND TRUTH; KEEPING MERCY FOR THOUSANDS, 
 
 ' FORGIVING INIQUITY, AND TRANSGRESSION, AND 
 
 * sin — Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be 
 4 gracious unto you , and therefore will he be exalted, 
 4 that he may have mercy 'Upon you — God is love, — Behold, 
 4 what manner of love the Father hath bellowed upon us ! 
 ' — God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten 
 ' Son, that whofoever believeth in him mould not perifn, 
 \ but have everla(Hng life — Herein is love ! not that we 
 4 loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to 
 
 * be the propitiation for our fins — He that fpared not his 
 ' own $on, but delivered him up for us all, how fhall h^ 
 
 * not with him alfo freely give us all things t — God 
 'commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we 
 1 were yet sinners, Chrift died for us — How excellent 
 i is thy loving kindnefs, O God ! therefore the children 
 ' of men put their truft under the fhadow of thy wings 
 4 — We have redemption through his blood, the forgive- 
 
 * nefsof fins, according to the riches of his grace — God, 
 
 * who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he 
 
 * loved us — -According to his abundant mercy — They 
 
 * who receive abundance of grace — Where fin abounded, 
 
 * grace did much more abound : that as fin hath 
 4 reigned unto death, even fo might grace reign, 
 
 * through righteoufnefs, unto eternal life, by Jef.is 
 
 * Chrift our Lord — The grace of our Lord was exceed- 
 
 * IMG abundant — To the praife of the glory of his 
 
THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 35 
 
 1 grace — That, in the ages to come, he might fliow the 
 ' exceeding riches of his grace* .' 
 
 With what an air of fupreme authority, and of abfo- 
 lute dominion, does the Eternal here fpeak ! He 
 manifeitly confiders himfelf as acting quite in character, 
 when exercifing, or withholding mercy, according to 
 his own fovereign pleafure. He neither does, nor can, 
 confider himfelf as a debtor to any man. The whole of 
 our fpecies, being immerfed in guilt, and obnoxious to 
 ruin, equally lie at divine mercy, for all their happinefs 
 and all their hope. — But, while maintaining the dignity 
 of his chara&er, and the fupremacy of his ov/n will, in 
 the beftowment of fpiritual bleifings on guilty creatures ; 
 he reveals his goodnefs in the molt encouraging manner : 
 which goodnefs, exprefTed under the different notions of 
 love, of mercy, and of grace, he reprefents as an ejjential 
 part of that divine glory which, to the ancient Jewim 
 church, was denoted by the fublimeit of all names, 
 JEHOVAH. His love is here defcribed and cele- 
 brated, as ardent — excellent — 'wonderful: nay, he 
 himfelf feems to delight in its peerlefs excellence ; for 
 he not only manifefts, but recommends it, in the death 
 of his own Son, to finners. His mercy, as rich 
 
 * Rom ix. 15. Exod. xxxiii. 18, 19. xxxiv. 6, 7. John iii. 16. 
 I Johniv. 10. Rom. viii. 32. v. 8. Pfalm xxxvi. 7. Eph. i. 7. 
 h. 4. I Pet. i. 3. Rom. v. 17, 30, 31. 1 Ti%.i. 14. Eph. i. 6. 
 ii. 7; 
 
36 FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 
 
 plenteous — abundant. His grace as rich— exceedingly 
 rich — abundant— fuper abundant — exceedingly abun dant — 
 and reigning. Surely, then, his love, his mercy, and 
 his grace, being thus revealed in facred Scripture, and 
 thus commended to finful, miserable, unworthy creatures ; 
 the ungodly muft be completely authorifed to believe in 
 Jefus. For what are this inference, and the preceding 
 premifes, taken together, but faying with David ; How 
 excellent is thy loving kindnefs, God! therefore the 
 children of men put their trujl under the fhadow of thy 
 wings ? 
 
 The fparing and pardoning mercy of God, beyond all 
 parallel^ and all praife. l My people are bent to back- 
 
 * Aiding from me : though they called them to the Mod 
 ' High, none at all would exalt him. How mail I 
 ' give thee up, Ephraim ? how fhall I deliver thee, 
 
 * Ifrael ? how mail I make thee as Admah ? how (hall I 
 ' fet thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within me ; 
 ' my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute 
 « the fiercenefs of mine anger ; I will not return to 
 ' deftroy Ephraim : for I am GOD, and not man 
 ' — Scarcely for a righteous man will one die : yet per- 
 
 * adventure, for a^ooJman fome would even dare to die. 
 ' But God COmmendeth his love toward us, in that, 
 ' while we were yet sinners, Chrifl died for us — Let 
 ' the wicked, forfake his way, and the unrighteous man 
 4 his thoughts : and let him return unto die Lord, and 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 37 
 
 * he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he 
 ' -will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not 
 
 * your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, faith 
 
 * the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the 
 ' earth, fo are my ways higher than your ways, and my 
 1 thoughts than your thoughts — Who is a God like unto 
 1 thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and paffeth by the tranf- 
 ' greflion of the remnant of his heritage ? he retaineth 
 ' not his anger for ever, becaufe he delighteth in 
 ' mercy. He will turn again, he will have compqjf.on 
 
 * upon us; he \v'\\\fubdue our iniquities-, and thou wilt 
 
 * caft all their Jin s into the depths of the fe a*.' 
 
 So numerous are our offences, and *fo violent our 
 provocations, that, were not the blefled God equally 
 fuperior to us in goodnefs, as he is in power ; and in 
 pardoning mercy, as he is in wifdom ; we could not 
 have the lead ground of hope. Among men, when a 
 breach of private friendmip has taken place, the aggref- 
 for, being confcious of the injury which he has done, is 
 commonly very backward to admit, that the aggrieved 
 party has any benevolence for . him. Thus it is with 
 finners, when their confciences are awakened, in regard 
 to God. Extremely backward they are to admit, that 
 there is forgivenefs with God, for fuch aggravated 
 
 * Hofea xi. 7, 8, 9. Rom. v. 7, 8. Ifu. Iv. 7, 8, 9. Mkah 
 vii. 18, 19. 
 
 D 
 
3 S THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 crimes as theirs. To relieve the tMreffed foul, by obvi- 
 ating this very common and preffiug difficulty, the 
 Great Sovereign condefoends, in the paffoges before us, 
 .tacitly to admit, that, were he like us, neither pardon- 
 ing nor fparing mercy would ever be exercifed toward 
 any of Adam's offspring. But he is GOD, and not mak. 
 His thoughts, relative to pardoning mercy, are not mir 
 thoughts; nor his 'ways, refpecting that important 
 affair, like our way*. Offences, comparable to a debt of 
 only fifty pence, are often fckh difficulty forgiven by us ; 
 while he, through the blood of atonemeat, freely obli- 
 terates a debt of ten thmfsnd indents. Among mortals, 
 it is an inftance of love extremely rare, that any one 
 fhould lay down hi* life, even for a good man, of a 
 public benefactor ; but God recommends his love to us, 
 in that, while toe were yet Jinners, and his enemies, he 
 fent his own Son to die for us. Far from regulating the 
 manifestations of his companion, according to the prmy 
 inftances of human kindnefs ; he not only bieffes, but 
 aftonifhes, by the difplays of his matchlefs favour to 
 finners. — Yes, God Jf love ; and, therefore, he 
 delight eth in mercy. What, then, could be more encou- 
 raging ; or what, by neceflary confequence, could more 
 ftrongly atfhorife, a guilty, ungodly, perifhing wretch, 
 to rely on the Lord Jefus, in whom itofeoujrdlefs 
 mercy is manifefled ? 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 39 
 
 On this delightful and important fubject, Dr. Owen 
 expreiTes himfelf as follows : « This forgivenefs that is 
 
 * with God, is fuch as becomes him ; fuch as is fuitable 
 
 * to his gr^.tnefs, goodnefs, and all other excellencies 
 
 •■:s nature ; fuch as that therein he will be known 
 ' to he God, What he fays concerning fome of the 
 ' works of his Providence, be JIM, and know that I am 
 
 * God; may be much more faid concerning this great 
 
 * effect of his grace ; Still your fouls, and know tlmt he is 
 « God. It is not like that narrow, difficult, halving, 
 1 and rn macl-ed, forgivenefs that is found among men, 
 *• when liny fuch thing is found amongft them. But it 
 « is full, free, bottomleis, boundlefs, abfolute j fuch as 
 
 * becomes his nature and excellencies. It is, in a word,, 
 ^forgivenefs that is with Gor>, and by the exercife 
 ? whereof he will be known fo to be — God himfelf doth 
 ' really feparate and diftinguifli his forgivenefs from any 
 J thing that our thoughts and imaginations can reach 
 
 * unto j and that becaufe it is his, and like himfelf. It 
 
 * is an object fox faith alone ; which can reft in that 
 
 * which it cannot comprehend. It is never fafcr, than 
 > when it is, as, it were, overwhelmed with mjiniiemfs — 
 4 Were not forgivenefs in God fome what beyond what 
 
 * men couM imagine, no Hem could be faved. Thfe 
 
 * hi*iklf expreiTeth, Ifaiah Iv. 7, 8, 9. They are, rfs 
 ' is plain in the context, thoughts of forgivenefs, and ways 
 
 * of pardon, whereof he fpeaks. Thefe, our apprehenfions 
 
 * come fiiort of: we know lktk, or nothing,' vixhi 
 
4-0 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 4 infinite largenefs of 'his heart in this matter. He that he 
 c fpeaks of, is an impiotfly wicked man, and a man of 
 ' deceit, and perverfe wickednefs. He whofe defign 
 
 * and courfe is nothing but a lie, fin, and iniquity. Such 
 
 * an one as we would have little or no hopes of; that 
 ' we would fcarce think it worth our while to deal 
 ' withal about a hopelefs converfion ; or can fcarce find 
 
 * in cur hearts to pray 'for him ; but are ready to give 
 £ 'him up, as one profligate and defparate. But let him 
 
 * turn to the Lord, and ,he (hall obtain forgivenefs. 
 
 * But how can this be ? Is it poflible there can be mercy 
 
 * for fuch an one ? Yes ; for the Lord nvill multiply to 
 
 * pardon. He hath forgivenefs with him to outdo all 
 ' the multiplied fins of any that turn unto him, and feek 
 
 * for it. But this is very hard, very difficult for us to 
 
 * apprehend. This is not the way and manner of men : 
 
 * we deal not thus with profligate offenders againft us. 
 4 True, faith God : but your nvays are not my ways. I 
 
 * do not act in this manner like unto you j nor as you 
 
 * are accuftomed to do — For the moif. part, when we 
 
 * come fro deal with God about forgivenefs, we hang in 
 { every briar of difputing, quarrelfome unbelief. This 
 
 * or that circumif.ance, or aggravation ; this ©r that unpa- 
 
 * ralleled particular, bereaves us of our confidence. 
 
 * Want of due confideration of Him with whom we 
 ' have to do, meafuring Him by that line of our own 
 'imaginations, bringing Him down to our thoughts and 
 < our ivays, is the caufe of all our difquietments. Be^ 
 
FOR' B'ELIEVINO !N JF.SU9. 4I 
 
 * caufe we find it hard to forgive our pence, we think he 
 1 cannot forgive tJ:nis. But he hath piovidcd to obviate 
 
 * fuch thoughts in us, (Hofea xi. 9.) I will not execute 
 < the f.erccnefs of my wrath ; 7" iv'ill not return to dejlroy 
 
 * Ephrdm ; for I am GOD, and not man. Oui 
 
 * fatisf.iCr.ion in this matter, is to be taken from his 
 
 * nature. Were He a man, or as the fons of men, it 
 t were impolEble that, upon fuch and To many provoca- 
 
 * tions, he mould turn away from the fiercenefs of his 
 
 * anger. But he is God-. This gives an infinitenefs, 
 '* and an inconceivable loumUijjtieJi, to the forgivenefs 
 c that is with him ; and exalts it above all our thoughts. 
 
 * and ways*.' 
 
 Thus Mr. Char nock, with reference to this parti- 
 cular : ' That fear that Adam had, when, frighted at. 
 1 the voice of God, he hid himielf among the trees of 
 •■the garden, hath remained in part with his pofterity, 
 
 * when they reflect upon their crimes. We meafure 
 
 * the nature of God by the qualities of our own ; and 
 < becaufe we are not forward to remit men's offences 
 
 * againit us, we are apt to imagine that God hath not 
 « clemency enough to pardon the faults committed 
 
 * againft him. Kence it is that perfons, deeply hum- 
 4 bled under a fenfe of' the curfes of the law, are ready 
 
 * to lick op the duft under the feet of Chrift, and behold- . 
 
 * 0,i :■'.; H.^rcJ .;;;.</ Thirtieth Pfuhn, p. 22C, 221, ZZZ', 
 D 2 
 
4 2 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 ' ing an abfolute neceffity of him, are with much ado 
 
 * brought to believe. Though the defign of God in 
 
 * fetting out Chrifr. for a propitiation be declared to 
 ', them, the fufHciency of his merit, the acceptation of 
 ' it by God, the fruits others have found of it, that the 
 
 * defign of Chrift's coming was to eafe thofe in that 
 ■ condition ; yet they are hardly induced to lay afide thofe 
 1 jealoufies they have of God — When men are foundly 
 ' convinced of the nature and evil of fin, they become 
 ' vile in their own eyes. Their fin galls them ; the 
 
 * law terrifies them ; the notions of God's juftice are 
 '■ awakened in them, and lie clofe to them. They are 
 
 * fenfible of the degeneratenefs and rebellion of their 
 « nature : they think God cannot but hate them, and 
 
 * they expect from him only the feverity of a judge : 
 ' and when evangelical mercy is declared, it feems incre- 
 ' dible to them, becaufe it exceeds their nature and dif- 
 
 * portions. The greatnefs of the mercy proffered makes 
 1 them ftagger : they believe not God to be {o merciful, 
 4 becaufe they cannot be fo ; (for in all conditions of 
 
 * men, it is natural to limit God according to their own 
 
 * petty dimenfions ; and not elevate their thoughts to his, 
 
 * but judge of his thoughts by theirs :) and although his 
 
 * mercy is above the mercy of a creature, we are apt 
 ' to think his nature as incapable of a largenefs as our 
 « own. Since man has become vain in his imaginations, 
 « he is apt to meafure divine things according to thofe 
 
 * principles which are in his own fancy. Hence God 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 43 
 
 * calls to men, to forfake their thoughts, their difparaging 
 
 * conceptions of him ; fince his thoughts were different 
 
 * from theirs, as much as the heavens from the earth. 
 
 * (Ifaiah lv. 7, 8.) He had higher thoughts of good to 
 ■ them, than either they had for themfelves, or could 
 
 * think God had for them*.' 
 
 The promifes of the New Covenant are fpiritual, and 
 exprejfed in the alfolute, or unconditional form. ' Tins 
 4 is the covenant that I will make with the houfe of Ifrael 
 
 * after thofe days, faith the Lord ; I will put my laws 
 
 * into their mind, and write them in their hearts : and 
 ' I will be to them a God, and they (hall be to me a 
 1 people : and they mail not teach every man his neigh- 
 ' bour, and every man his brother, faying, Know the 
 
 * Lord ; for all (hall know me, from the lead to the 
 < greateft. For I will be merciful to their unrighteouf- 
 ' nefs, and their fins and their iniquities will I remember 
 
 * no more f .'. 
 
 This Covenant provides for all its objects thofe two 
 capital bleftings, juftification and fan edification : with 
 which glorification is, by divine conflitution, infeparably 
 connected ^. "Well might the Apoftle fpeak of the 
 covenants of promise |( : for the language of this fcedral 
 
 * Works, Vol. II. p. 457, 468. 
 
 fHeb. viii. ic, II, 12, Jer. xxxi. 31 — 34. 
 
 \ Hoatt. viii. 29, 3c. |j Eph. ii. 12. 
 
44 THE GOSPEL A WARRAKT 
 
 engagement is that of mere grace, and all in the form of 
 absolute promifes. / wilt, and they Jhall, k Jehovah's 
 mode offpeaking, on this momentous occafion. All' 
 the covenantees, it is here afeertained, {hall be rendered 1 
 both wife and holy,. in order to their being happy* But: 
 the promifed wifdom and holinefs, it is very obfervable,- 
 are plainly reprefented as flowing, from that mercy 
 which pardons the guilty. A free, fail, and everlaiBng 
 forgiveneis, though the laft particular mentioned, is 
 ncvenhelefs introduced in fuch a manner as evidently 
 »hows, that it moul<i be f.rjl {ought, at the hand of 
 fovereign mercy— fought by fmoers, not as already 
 pofTeiTtng any degree of faaclity, but in "order to it. / 
 will put my laws into their mind, and write tkem in rfcif 
 hearts — All f ball know me — For / wilL he. merciful td 
 their mrighieoafnefs, and their fins and their iniquities will 
 Iremml-erno more. This is perfectly agreeable to that 
 delightful and comprehensive faying. ; There is forgi-venefs 
 with Thee, that thou mayest be feared. — Now, 7 
 this divine Covenant including the grand principles of 
 evangelical truth ; containing all the blelTings which 
 perifhing f.nners want j and exhibiting thofe bletfings ii> 
 unconditional promifes, or as matter of mere grace ; it 
 feems not only natural, but neceftary to conclude, That 
 the ungodly are completely warranted by this gracious 
 constitution, to believe in Him, who bears the character 
 of its Mediator an.d Surety *. 
 
 * Keb. vii, 23. viii, 6. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 45 
 
 Mr. James Hervey, after having produced the 
 language of the New Covenant, proceeds thus : * Where 
 ' are your conditions in this draught ? Where are any 
 ' terms, required of impotent man ? Is it not d\\ promife, 
 1 from the beginning to the end ? That repentance, and 
 
 * that faith, for whofe conditionality you plead, are they 
 
 * not both comprehended in this heavenly deed ? and 
 ' comprehended under the form of llejjings vouchfafed, 
 
 * not of tajks enjoined ? Does the contract run in this 
 ' manner ? / require and command. Or in this drain ? 
 ' I grant and bejlow. The Lord fays, / will put my 
 
 * laws ; / will write them. The work fhall not be 
 « laid on my creatures, but done by myfelf. They fiall 
 
 * be my people, and I will remember their fins no more. 
 1 What ? provided they perform fuch and fuch duties. 
 
 * I read no fuch claufe. • I fee no fuch provifo. All is 
 1 abfolutely free ; dependent on no performance of ours ; 
 ' but flowing from fovereign, fupreme, felfinfluenced 
 
 * goodnefs *.' — Thus Dr. Owen : * The Covenant of 
 
 * God is not fufpended on our will, or on any conditions 
 
 * to be performed by us ; but has all its virtue and efTecT, 
 « from the authority, the fidelity, and the grace of God 
 
 * himfelf. For it is an abfolute promife of grace ; nor 
 ■ is there any condition of the Covenant, which is not 
 < contained in the promife itfelf f.' 
 
 * Eleven Letters to Mr. J. Wesley, p. 1 70, 1 7 1. See alfo, 
 p. 171,174, 175, 1/6. 
 
 f Theologoumena, L. III. C. i. § 6. Brem. Vide WiTSil Oecon. 
 Fed. L. III. C. i. § 8 — 18. ASla Synod. Dordrecb. Pars III. p. 312. 
 
4^ 1"*B (feO-SPPL A WAR-RATM* 
 
 Graehus proclamations. < Ho ! every one that thhfteth, 
 1 come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: 
 
 * yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and with ^ 
 « out price. Wherefore do ye fpend money for that 
 
 * which is not bread ? and your labour for that which 
 ' f&tisfieth not ? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat 
 1 ye that which is good, and let your foul delight ititlF 
 ' in fatnefs. Incline your ear, and come unto me : hear, 
 
 * and your loul fhaH live : and I will make an everlafting 
 
 * covenant with you, even the fure mercies of David — 
 
 * "Wifdom hath buikled her home,- Ihe haih hewn out 
 
 * her feven pilars: (he-hath killed her bealfe ; Hie hatti 
 
 * mingled her wine ; me hath alfo furnifhed her table. 
 
 * She hath fent forth her maidens ; me crieth upon the 
 
 * higheft places of the city, Whofo isftmple, let him turn 
 
 * in- hither ! As for him that wanteth underftanding, 
 « foe faith to him, Come, eat of my, bread, and drink of 
 
 * trie wine which I have mingled — Jefas ftood and cried, 
 
 * faying, If any man thirftki him come wrto me and drink*.* 
 
 < N^w fche proof of my pofition becomes more ftrong 5 , 
 as&more evident. For here we have direclr, loud, and 
 fefenin addreffes, to guilty and miierable creatures that 
 are perilling in- their fins — addrefTes, in the form of 
 proclamations, from the Father of mercies, and the God 
 of all grace, to the fooli/h, the flawing, and. thofe that 
 
 * Ifa. lv. i, », 3. Prov. ix. I — $. 
 
PjOR believing IN JESUS. 01 
 
 have 4iQ money ; but, like the Prodigal, arc feeding on 
 fwinifh hufks, and peri/hing with hunger. Thefe are 
 the patentees in the heavenly grant : for to them the 
 proclamation is, * Ho / .every one that thirftethycom* ye 
 4 to the waters ; and he that hath no money : yea, coine 
 f to my richly furnifhed table, there gratuitously to feed 
 ' on royal dainties, which are the provifions of my 
 
 * grace. '- — It is not eafy to conceive of any proclamation 
 from the Court of Heaven, that "could have been more 
 happily adapted to remove difooura^gement from a def- 
 ending mind ; or to obviate doubts, refpecling the 
 ungodly being warranted to believe in Jefus Chrift. 
 
 Rind invitations, tv'tnning perfuajlcns, and importunate 
 intreaties. * Look unto Me, and be ye faved, all the 
 f ends of the earth — Come unto Me, all ye that labour 
 
 * and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft — The 
 
 * Spirit and the bride fay, Come : and let him that 
 ,' heareth fay, Come : and let him that is athirft come : 
 ' and zvhafoever will, let- him take of the water of life 
 ' freely — Go out quickly into the ftreets and lanes of 
 ' the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, 
 6 and the halt, and the blind—Go out into the highways 
 
 * and hedges, and compel them to come in — VJtperfuade 
 
 * men — We are ambafiadors for Chrift, as though God 
 
 * did beseech you by us ; we pray you in Chri/l y s 
 *Jlead, Be ye reconciled io God. For he hath made him 
 
4^ THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 1 to be fin for us, who knew no fin, that we might be 
 * made the righteoufnefs of God in him *.' 
 
 In thefe divine teftimonies we behold, what the 
 Pfalmift calls, The maryellov s loving hindnefs of Godf . 
 For here we have, not only the mod gracious and 
 
 "V- 
 
 reiterated invitations, but the moft attractive perfuafions, 
 and the moft earned folicitations— of whom ? Why, of 
 thofe who are far from a (late of fanctity : being blind 
 to their fpiritual interefts ; ftrongly difajfecJed to God ; 
 abfolutely incapable of providing for their own happinefs, 
 not being able either to work, or walk ; the moft wretched 
 of mankind ; and little better than a nuifance to civ?! 
 fociety. For what purpofes P To accept of rejl, m 
 Chrift, for their fouls : to be reconciled to God : and to 
 be guejls at a royal banquet. — Yes, here we have, not 
 only the Apoftles of Chrift, but Chrift himfelf\ and, in 
 his Ambafiadors, even the divine Father ; inviting, 
 perfuading, intreating the polluted, impoverished, perifh- 
 ing wretches, to regard the vicarious work of Jefus, as 
 the only ground of their juftification ; and the plentiful 
 provifions of divine grace, as containing all they want 
 for their complete happinefs. Thefe invitations, there- 
 fore, may be juftly confidered as a direct and perfect 
 warrant, for linners of every nation, and of every 
 
 * Ifa. xlv. 22. Matt. xi. 28. Rev. xxii. 17. Luke xiv. 
 21, 23. 2 Cor. v. 11, 20, 21. 
 f Pfalm xvii. 7. xxxi. 21. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 49 
 
 charatfer, who are indulged with the joyful news, to 
 believe in Jefus. 
 
 The perfeel readimfs, and the facrea 1 pleafure, with 
 which the Father of mercies receives returning profligates. 
 « He arofe and came to his Father. But when he was 
 1 yet a great way of, his Father faw him, and had com- 
 
 * pajion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and hijfed him. 
 
 * And the fon faid unto him, Father, I have finned 
 « againft heaven and in thy fight, and am no more wor- 
 « thy to be called thy fon. But the Father faid to 
 « his fervants, Bring forth the bed robe, and put it on 
 ' him ; and put a ring on his hand, and fhoes on his 
 « feet : and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; 
 
 * and let us eat, and be merry. For this my fon was 
 
 * dead, and is alive again ; he was loft, and is found. 
 
 * And they began to be merry *.' 
 
 What an admirable defcription of divine, paternal 
 mercy ; and how agreeable to the gracious import of 
 thofe delightful paffages that were laft reviewed ! The 
 parable which contains this exquifitely tender and 
 charming reprefentation of pardoning mercy and free 
 acceptance, was defigned by our Lord to vindicate his 
 own conduct againil the objections of fcribes and Phari- 
 fees ; to rebuke the pride of felfrighteous confidence ; 
 
 * Luke xv. 20 — 24. 
 E 
 
SO THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 to encourage perfons of the mod profligate characters 
 to apply for mercy ; and to afTure them that, in fo 
 doing, they fhall not be difappcinted. Difappoinied I 
 no : for, be their tranfgreflions ever fo many, or their 
 demerits ever fo great, oar Lord reprefents the divine 
 Father, as compaiTionately meeting each profligate upon 
 his return ; as embracing him, with parental affection ; 
 as palling an act of oblivion upon all his enormous 
 offences ; as inverting him with the robe of righteoufnefs ; 
 as adorning him with the beauties of holinefs ; and as 
 admitting him into the celeftial family : all which is 
 done, without one unbraiding word, and with fupreme 
 delight. — The Prodigal came, fays Mr. Hervey, 
 4 with no recommendation, either of drefs, of perfon, or 
 
 * of character. None but his nakednefs, his mifery, 
 ' and an acknowledgement of vilenefs ; which had every 
 ' aggravating, not one extenuating circumftance. Yet 
 ' he was received — received with indulgence — received 
 
 * with careffes — and, without flaying to provide any 
 ' handfome apparel of his own, was clothed with that 
 < befl robe, the robe of a Savioui's righteoufnefs *.' 
 Such is divine companion ! Such that forgivenefs which 
 is with God I and fuch encouragement is there for the 
 mofc notorious profligates to believe in Jefus ! 
 
 Blejfmgs, requejled by faints, and bejlowed by the Lord, 
 fur his own fake— for the fake of his goodnefs, vfhis mercy, 
 
 * The r on and Afpafio, Vol. III. p. 312, 313. • 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 51 
 
 and of his name. For his own fake. * I, even T, am 
 1 he, that blotteth out thy tranfgremons for mine own 
 < fake — For mine own fake, even for mine own fake, 
 ' will I do it*.' — For the fake of his goodncfs. ' Ac- 
 
 * cording to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy 
 
 * goodnefs fake, O Lordf !' — For the fake of his mercy. 
 ' For thy great mercies 3 fake thou didft not utterly 
 
 * confume them, nor forfake them — Redeem us for thy 
 
 * mercies' fake ! — Save me, for thy mercies 7 fake J.'-— 
 For the fake of his Name. * Do not abhor us, for thy 
 
 * Name's fake ; do not difgrace the throne of thy glory ! 
 
 * — I had pity, for my holy Name — I do not this for 
 
 * your fakes, O houfe of Ifrael, but for my holy Name's 
 1 fake — For my Name's fake will I defer mine anger, 
 ' and for my praife will I refrain from thee, that I cut 
 
 * thee not off — I will fanctify my great Name, — when I 
 1 have been fanclified in you — For thy Name's fake, O 
 ' Lord, pardon my iniquity ; for it is great — Help us, 
 
 * O God of our falvation, for the glory of thy Name — 
 
 * Do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy Name's 
 
 * fake— O Lord, though our iniquities teftify againfl us, 
 « do thou it for thy Name's fake ! — For thy Name's fake, 
 
 * lead me and guide me — He leadeth me in the paths of 
 1 righteoufnefs, for his Name's fake — Quicken me, O 
 
 * Lord, for thy Name's fake- -He faved them for his 
 
 * Ifa. xliii. 25. xlviii. II. f Pfalm xxv. 7. 
 
 $ Neh. iz. 31. Pfaknsliv. 26. vi. 4. 
 
5 2 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 ' Name's fake -The Lord will not forfake his people, 
 * for his great Name's fake *.' 
 
 It is hence apparent, that God, in the beftowment 
 of blefTings on the children of men, is not influenced by 
 the purity of their hearts, the piety of their lives, or the 
 woithinefs of their characters; but by a regard to his 
 own eternal perfection ; to the fupreme excellence of 
 his own revealed Name ; and to the everlaPung honour 
 of his own immenfe goodnefs. No : the blelTings of 
 lalvation, on whomfoever conferred, are never to be 
 confidered as diitinguifhing worth, and rewarding merit ; 
 but as defigned to difplay the riches of divine mercy, 
 and the glory of the divine character, by relieving the 
 wretched, and faving the unworthy. — Now, the Divine 
 Majefty having revealed himfelf as exercifing mercy, 
 and granting fpiritual blelTings, for his onvnfake ; the 
 polluted, ungodly, and perifning finner is completely 
 warranted to rely on that mercy, as manifeited in the 
 atonement, for pardon, acceptance, and peace, inde- 
 pendent of every other confideration. This perfectly 
 fuits, not only the apellate Itate of man, but the peerlefs 
 majelty of God. For as he is poiTelTed of boundlefs 
 Being ; as all creatures received their exiltence from 
 
 * Jcr. xiv. %I. Ezek. xxxvi. ai, 12. Ifa. xlviii.9. Ezek. 
 xxxvi. 23. Pf. xxv. 11. lxxix. 9. cix. 21. Jer. xiv. 7. Pf. 
 xxxi. 3. xxiii. 3. cxlmV II. cvi. 8. I Sam. xii. 22. Sec alio 
 Jolh. vii. 9. Extk. xx. 9, 14, %%, 44. 
 
TOR BELIEVING IN' JESUS. 53 
 
 his power, and are entirely dependent on hispleafure; and 
 as the fum total of all created exiftence is but an atom, 
 in compaiifon with him ; fo he acts perfectly agreeable 
 to his own character, in making himfelf the ultimate 
 end of his whole conduct, and in all things confuting 
 his own glory. 
 
 The palTages here produced, being all extracted from 
 the Old Teftament, are quite fuitable to that revelation 
 which God made of himfelf under the Jewifh (Economy ; 
 and to the import of his name JEHOYAH, by which 
 he made himfelf known to the chofen tribes. For that 
 Name was, in a peculiar manner, his own * : by which 
 he was diitinguimed, as the only Object of Ifrael's wor- 
 fliip and as their King, from all the Deities and Sove- 
 reigns of the ancient Heathens. This moft Auguffc 
 Name, together with its glorious import, he pro- 
 claimed to Mofes in the moft folemn and command- 
 ing manner f : to which Name, and its comprehenfive 
 ilgnificancy, reference is apparently had in many of the 
 texts juft adduced. Mofes, on a very forrowful occafion, 
 regarded it, as affording the mod: powerful plea with God, 
 on the behalf of Ifrael, when they had greatly offended, 
 and were threatened with extermination %. Jofhua, 
 too,hasrecourfe to the fame fublime Character, in pleading 
 
 * Exol \\. 2, 3. Pfalm lxxxiii. 18. 
 
 ■J EwkL xxsiii. i3, 19. xxxiv. 5—8. J Numb. xiv. 17—20. 
 E 2 
 
54 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 the caufe of Ifrael at his Maker's footilool, when they 
 were under the tokens of divine anger *. The facred 
 import of this Name was, to the ancient faints, like a 
 Jlrong tower f , or an impregnable fortrefs, for the 
 encouragement and confidence which they derived from 
 it. Really to underftand the fruitful fignificancy of it, 
 was always attended with confidence in the God of 
 Ifrael. For it is written, They that know thy Name 
 will put their trujl in thee\. — Now, if the revealed 
 character of God, under the Old CEconomy, was preg- 
 nant with encouragement for miferable finners to rely 
 on his mercy for pardon and falvation ; it cannot be 
 fuppofed that evangelical truth, under the Chriitian 
 fyltem, is lefs favourable to the caufe of human hope.— -- 
 Relative to the name JEHOVAH, Dr. Owen fays: 
 ■ To be known by this Name ; to be honoured, feared, 
 
 * believed as that declares him, is the great glory of God. 
 ' And {hall this fail us ? Can we be deceived trufring in 
 
 * it, or expecting that we (hall find him to be what his 
 « Name declares ? God forbid || !' 
 
 Spiritual blejfings alfolutely free and irrevocable gifts. 
 1 Being juftrfiedjWy, by his grace — The grace of God, 
 
 * and the gift bygraee, which is by one man, Jefus Chriit, 
 « hath abounded unto many — The free gift is of many 
 
 * Jojh. vii. c. f Prov. xviii. 10. i Pf. is. ic 
 
 !j On CKXX fy'rtr, p. I??. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 55 
 
 ' offences unto justification — They which receive abun- 
 
 * dance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs — By 
 « the righteoufnefs of One, the free gift came upon all 
 
 * men unto juftification of life — The things that are 
 ' freely given to us of God — Wine and milk, without 
 ' money , and without price — The gift of God is eternal 
 ' life, through Jefus Chrifl our Lord — He that fpared 
 
 * not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how 
 1 ill all he not with him alfo freely give us all things — 
 ' Thou haft received gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious 
 t alfo — The gifts and calling of God are without repen- 
 1 tance *.' 
 
 How admirably adapted is the (Economy of Redemption 
 to our apoftate ftate ! Are we miferable ? God is mer- 
 ciful. Are we unworthy ? God is gracious. Are we, 
 to the Iaft degree, impoveriflied ? God is immenfely 
 bountiful. The fpiritual bleflings which he confers, are 
 ahfolutely free gifts ? and gifts, we know, are not pur- 
 chafed, but beftowed : not obtained upon conditions to 
 be performed, but received as matter of mere favour. 
 The bleflings of divine grace were not intended to recog- 
 nife moral worth, but to relieve the indigent ; not 
 defigned to indicate holy qualities in the receiver, but 
 to difplay generofity in the giver. — When we rer]e<5t on 
 
 * Rom. iii. 24. v. 15,16, 17, 18. 1 Cor. ii. 12, If a . l v . 1, 
 Rora. vi. 23. viii. 32. Pf. kviii. 18. Rom. xi. 27. 
 
5^ THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 the perfonal dignity of Chrift, as the Son of God ; on 
 the unchangeable intereft he had in his Father's love ; 
 and on the Father delivering him up to an execrable 
 death for mere linners ; we ceafe to wonder that, with 
 Him, he freely beftows all fpiritual blemngs, without 
 any regard to worthinefs in them on whom they are 
 conferred. Becaufe the gift of Ch'rifl: himfelf is the 
 grand evidence of God's love to finners ; incomparably 
 greater than that of authorifing the ungodly to believe 
 in Jefus, or than that of his giving heaven to faints. 
 
 Divine love, mercy, and grace, directly oppofed to works 
 and worthinefs of every kind, and of every degree. * Herein 
 
 * is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us — It 
 1 is not of him that willeih, nor of him that runneth, but 
 ' of God that fhoweth mercy — Not of works, but of him 
 ' that calleth — To him that workcth is the reward not 
 
 * reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that work 
 
 * eth not, but bejieveth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, 
 
 * his faith is counted for righteoufnefs. Even as David 
 
 * alfo dtfcribeth the blefTednefs of the man, unto whom 
 
 * the Lord imputeth righteoufnefs without works — 
 
 * Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace ; to the 
 
 * end the promife might be fure to all the feed — By 
 1 grace ye are faved, through faith ; and that not of 
 
 * yourf elves : it is the gift of God : not of works, left 
 
 * any man mould boaft — Not by works of righteoufnefs 
 
 * which we have done, but according to his mercy he 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 57 
 
 ' faved us — Who hath faved us, and called us with an 
 ' holy calling, not according to our works, but according 
 ' to his ovjn pu pofe and grace, which was given us in 
 1 Chrift Jefus before the world began — If by grace, 
 ' then it is no more of works : otherwife grace is no more 
 * grace : But if it be of works, then it is no more grace : 
 otherwife work is no more work *.' 
 
 This oppofition between divine mercy, and human 
 works ; the grace of God, and the worthinefs of man ; 
 is very obfervable, and extremely important. For the 
 contrafted view that is here given of thefe particulars, is 
 far from being an incidental thing. We do not find it, 
 in the Apoftolic Writings, once or twice only ; and 
 that with reference to articles of comparatively fmall 
 confequence ; but, in many places, in an argumentative 
 manner, and relative to bleflings of the highejl moment. 
 The fentiment, therefore, which is conveyed by this 
 contrafted form of expreflion, is to be conlidered as a 
 grand principle of the apoftolic doctrine ; and this mode 
 of fpeaking, as the current language of Infpiration, 
 relative to thofe capital bleflings, election, converfion, 
 pardon, and juftification. 
 
 Now, refpedHng the objects of God's eternal choice, 
 their converfion to Chrift, their complete forgivenefs, and 
 
 * 1 John iv. 10. Rom. ix. 16, II. iv. 5, 6, 16. Eph. ii. 8, 
 9. Titus iii. 5. % Tim. i. 9. Rom, xi. 6. 
 
5$ THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 their perfect acceptance with the Moft Holy ; the reafonings 
 of Paul, where this kind of language is ufed, plainly 
 mow, that his defign was entirely to exclude, not only 
 all merit flriifrly fo called, but all comparative worthinefs. 
 Yes, he intended to prove, that God, in the beftow- 
 rnent of thefe bleiTings, has not the Ieair. regard to per- 
 gonal holinefs, or moral worth, in the favoured objects 
 of his kindnefs ; but confiders them as equally unworthy 
 with thofe who finally perifh. Nay, in the laft of thefe 
 inftructive paflages the Apoftle proves, profeffedly and 
 in a formal manner, that grace and wot ks, or divine 
 favour and comparative human worthinefs, are fo oppo- 
 fite one to another, that it is impofTible for them to con- 
 cur in procuring the fame bleiTings. So that whofoever 
 confiders himfeif as diflinguimed from others, by virtuous 
 habits or pious performances, and thence derives encoH- 
 ragement to look for acceptance with God through the 
 imputed righteoufnefs of Chrift, confounds the moft 
 oppofite ideas relating to an affair of the higheft moment ; 
 rejects the determination of Paul ; and rauft be mifera- 
 bly difappointed. — I faid, comparative human nvor- 
 thinefs : for that is all which the nature of the cafe admits. 
 Becaufe worthinefs of divine blefiings, in a ftrict, legal, 
 abfolute fenfe, and efpecially as to apoflate creatures, is 
 impofiible. Confequently, the gofpel, in which this 
 contraft between grace and works is thus frequently 
 formed, muft be confidered as authorifing the ungodly 
 to believe in Jefus. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 59 
 
 Divine fidelity engaged, that none of ihofe <who believe in 
 Chrijl jhall be a "/appointed. * JP'hofcever belie veth in him 
 
 * Jkall not perifi, but have eternal life — He that believ- 
 
 * eth on the Son hath everlijling life — Him that corneth 
 
 * to me I will in no wife cajl out — / will give him refl — 
 
 * Whofoever liveth and believeth in me Jhall never die — 
 
 * He that believeth and is baptized, Jhall l/e faved — 
 
 * Whofoever believeth on him Jhall not be ajhamed*. f 
 
 That divine fidelity is here pledged, for the ever- 
 laftingfecurity of all who really believe in Jefus, will not 
 be difputed by thofe that maturely confider the gracious 
 declarations, and revere the facred Writings. It is 
 equally clear, that thefe pafTages exhibit the Lord 
 Redeemer as free for miferable finners, of every nation, 
 and of every character, to whom the glad tidings come. 
 For the language is not, He that is difpofed to keep the 
 divine commands — He that has performed conditions — 
 Whoever is comparatively worthy — and believeth in 
 Chrift : but, He that believeth — Whofoever believeth, 
 Confequently, this exhibition of Chrift, and that afTu- 
 rance of complete falvation to all that believe in him, 
 attelt the fatf: for which I contend. 
 
 Acts and precedents of divine mercy, in pardoning the 
 greatejl offences, and in faving the vilejl of fnners. 
 
 * John iii. 15. 16, 36. yj. 37. Matt. si. 28. John x. zi. 
 Markxvi. 16. Rom. ix. 33. 
 
60 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 4 Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor 
 4 effeminate, nor abufers of themfelves with mankind, 
 4 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, 
 
 * nor extortioners, fhall inherit the kingdom of God. 
 * 'And such (ti^t*) were fome of you : but ye are 
 4 warned, but ye are fanclifled, but ye are juitified in 
 
 * the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our 
 4 God — We ourfehes alfo were fometime foolifi, difo- 
 4 bedient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleafures, 
 4 living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another, 
 4 But when (ot*) the kindnefs and love of God our 
 4 Saviour toward man appeared ; not by works of righte- 
 4 oufnefs which we have done, but according to his 
 4 mercy he faved us — Dead in trefpafTes and fins ; 
 4 wherein, in time paft, ye walked according to the 
 
 * courfe of this world, according to the prince of the 
 4 power of the air, the fpirit that now worketh in the 
 1 children of difobedience : among whom we all had 
 4 our converfation in time pad in the lufts of our flefh, 
 4 fulfilling the defires of the flefh and of the mind ; and 
 4 were hy nature the children of wrath, even as others. 
 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love 
 4 wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in 
 4 fin, hath quickened us together with Chrift, (by grace 
 
 * ye are faved;) and hath raifed us up together, and 
 4 made us fit together in heavenly places in Chrift 
 4 Jefus: THAT in the ages to come he might Jhew 
 4 the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnefs toward 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 6l 
 
 « us through Chrtfl Jefus—l was there a blafphemcr, and 
 
 < a perfecutor, and injurious* : but I obtained mercy, 
 « becaufe I did it ignorantJy in unbelief. And the grace 
 
 < of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and 
 ■ love which is in Chrift Jefus. This is a faithful faying, 
 « and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came 
 
 * into the world to fave finners ; of whom / am chief. 
 
 * Howbeit, for this caufe I obtained mercy, that in me 
 
 * THE CHIEF (t puree) Jefus Chrijl might Jhew forth all 
 « long-fuferingy for A PATTERN to them which 
 
 ' SHOULD HEREAFTER BELIEVE IN HIM TO LIFE 
 ' EVERLASTING f. 9 
 
 That thefe inftances of faving mercy were entered on 
 divine record, as afls and precedents of the Court of 
 Heaven ; and, under that very notion, are to be regarded 
 by finners in all future ages, the texts themfelves inform 
 us. Now, as thefe authenticated fads difplay the riches 
 of reigning grace, in faving fome of the mod abominable 
 characters that ever lived ; and as thefe inftances of 
 fuperabounding, fovereign mercy to profligate, impious 
 wretches, were intended by Jefus Chrift as a pattern of 
 his own procedure in following times ; they muft be 
 confidered as warranting the moft deteftably vile to 
 
 * Beza here exclaims, * Behold, what preparatory deferts the 
 ' Apoftle produces !' 
 
 f i Cor. vi. 9, 10, ii. Titus iii. 3 3 4, 5. Eph. ii. 1 — 7. 
 I Tim. i. 13 — 16. 
 
 F 
 
62 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 believe in our Almighty Saviour. For it is not eafy to 
 conceive of more flagitious characters, than fome of thofe 
 that are here fpecified. Yet they were encouraged to 
 believe in Jefus. On him they relied, and were not 
 difappointed. — Did but thofe profligates who, by a 
 courfe of enormous offences, are funk into a kind of 
 hardened defpair, underftand the defign of thefe acts 
 and precedents, they would no longer fay, with fome 
 in the Prophet, There is no hope : no ; for ive have 
 loved jlr angers, and after them will we go *. For the 
 plenitude of that revealed provifion which fovereign 
 mercy has made to relieve the chief of finners, is, as 
 one obferves, * A firm bottom of comfort againft the 
 
 * guilt of the moft bloody and crimfon fins. Becaufe 
 < free grace is not tied to any rules : it may do what it 
 
 * pleafeth f/ confidently with the rights of juflice. 
 
 Do the infpired writers teach, that awful judgments, 
 inflicted on the rebellious Ifraelites, were committed to 
 facred record for cur admonition ^, and to guard usagainfr. 
 fin ? they alfo inform us, that the juftification of Abra- 
 ham by faith, and without works, was recorded for our 
 inftruclion §, refpecling that capital blefiing of divine 
 grace. Nay, Paul afTures us, that whatever things were 
 written aforetime, were written for our learning : that 
 
 * Jer. ii. 25, 
 
 f Dr. Sfurstowe's V/dh of Salvation, p. JI. 
 
 \ I Cor. x. 11. § Rom. iv. 23, 24. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 63 
 
 we, through patience ', and comfort of the Scriptures, might 
 have hope *. On this ground, therefore, we may 
 fafely conclude, that the numerous particular in fiances 
 of divine forgivenefs, which (land recorded in holy 
 Scripture, were intended to encourage hope in the guilty 
 bread, and to produce reformation in the profligate life. 
 Have we, for example, undoubted reafon to conclude, 
 that perfect pardon was gracioufly granted, to Lot for 
 his drunkennefs and incefl — to David, for his adultery 
 and murder — to ManafTeh, for his outrageous and mon- 
 
 Jlrous wickednefs — to publicans and profKtutes, for their 
 extortion and impurity — to Peter, for denying his Lord 
 with imprecations and perjury — to a crucified robber and 
 rufHan, for his obduracy and hlafphemy, of which he was 
 guilty but a little before he expired on a gibbet — to any 
 of the Jews, for the unparalleled crime of crucifying 
 Mefliah, the Son of God— to Saul of Tarfus, for blaf 
 
 pheming Chrifr. and murdering the faints — and to the 
 Philippian Jailor, for his perfection and intentional 
 
 f elf murder f ? — all thefe facts proclaim in our ears, 
 THERE is forgiveness with god, that he may be 
 feared ! Their language, to the mofl impious and 
 
 * Rom. xv. 4. 
 
 f Gen. xix. 31—38 a Sam. xii. 2 Chron. xxxiii. Mntt. 
 xxi. 31. 32. Luke vii. 29, 32 — 50. Matt, xxvii. 74. Mark 
 xiv. 71. Matt, xxvii. 44. Mark xv. 32. Luke xxiii. 39 — 43. 
 xxiii. 34. xxiv. 47. A6h ii. 41. iv. 4. A<5U ix. 1. xxii. 4. 
 xxvi. 10, IX. xvi. 27 — 34. 
 
64 THE GOSTEL A WARRANT 
 
 abandoned, is, Let the wicked forfake his way, and the 
 unrighteous man his thoughts : and let him return to the 
 Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, 
 for he will abundantly pardon. — I will conclude 
 this particular in the following words of Dr. Owen : 
 ' I may fafely fay, that there is no fm y no degree of fin, 
 
 * no aggravating circumjlance of fin, no kind of continu- 
 Q ance in fin, (the only fin excepted) but that there are 
 ' thofe in heaven who have been guilty of them*.' 
 
 The riches of pardoning mercy, and the benefits of favlng 
 grace, are the joy, the glory, and the fang, of believers on 
 earth, and of the beatified In heaven. * Blefs the Lord, 
 
 * O my foul, and forget not all his benefits ! Who for- 
 
 * giveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy difeafes 
 
 * — I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy tranfgreflions, 
 
 * and as a cloud thy fins : return unto me ; for I have 
 ' redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord 
 
 * hath done it : Jhout, ye lower parts of the earth, : 
 
 * break forth into finglng, ye mountains, O forefr, and 
 ' every tree therein : for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, 
 
 * and glorified himfelf in Ifrael — I will greatly rejoice in 
 
 * the Lord, my foul (hall be joyful in my God. For he 
 
 * hath clothed me with the garments of falvation, he 
 ' hath covered me with the robe of righteoufnefs — Who 
 
 * is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and 
 
 * On the cx x x Pfalm, p. 147. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 6$ 
 
 1 pafTeth by the tranfgreflion of the remnant of his heri- 
 1 tage ! — God foibid that I mould glory, fave in the 
 ' crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift — We joy in God, 
 
 * through our Lord Jefus Chrift — Rejoice in the Lord 
 
 * alway : and again I fay, Rejoice — Of Him are ye in 
 
 * Chrift Jefus, who of God is made unto us wifdom, 
 
 * and righteoufnefs, and fan&ification, and redemption : 
 
 * that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let 
 1 him glory in the Lord — Blejfed be the God and Father 
 
 * of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which according to his abun- 
 K Jaiit mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope — 
 
 * They Jung a neiv fong, faying, Thou art worthy to take 
 
 * the book, and to open the feals thereof : for thou waft 
 
 * {lain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out 
 ' of every kindred, and people, and tongue — Joy jhall 
 i be in heaven over one finner that repenteth — There is 
 ' joy in the prefence of the angels of God over one finner 
 
 * that repenteth*.' 
 
 That the grant of complete pardon, and the enjoy- 
 ment of fpiritual peace ; the hope of everlafting happi- 
 piDefs, and the eternal fruition of heaven ; mould excite 
 joy, and produce praife, there is no reafon to wonder : 
 efp-;ciaily, when the bkflednefs included in thefe incom- 
 
 * Pfalmciii. 2, 3. list. xliv. 22, 23. Ixi. 10. Mitrah vii. 18. 
 Gal. vi. 14. Rom. v. ir. Philip, iv. 4. 1 Cor. i. 30, 31, j 
 I Pet. i. 3. R-cv. v. 9. Luke xv. 7, 10. 
 
 F 2 
 
.66 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 parable benefits is confidered as the fruit of mere fove- 
 reign favour, through the blood of Jefus ChriiT: ; which 
 is manifeftly the cafe here. But, in proportion as the 
 forgivenefs of our fins, and the acceptance of our perfons, 
 are confidered as depending on conditions performed, 
 or on qualifications obtained, by us ; there is reafon of 
 joy in our own exertions and worthinefs * : which is 
 diametrically contrary to the apoftolic doctrine of falva- 
 tion by grace f . For the language of every real believer 
 is, Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name 
 give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's fake ijl. The 
 gratitude, therefore, the joy, and the exultation of 
 fcriptural faints, for fpiritual Weffings, infer the point for 
 which I am pleading. 
 
 "The eternal def i gn of God, in the work of falvalion by 
 Jefus Chrifl, tuas to manifefl, exalt, and for ever to glorify 
 his oivn grace, in rendering the unworthy everlaflingly 
 happy. * For my Name's fake will I defer mine anger, 
 «■ and for my praife will I refrain from thee, that I" cut 
 * thee not off — Help U3, O God of our falvation, for 
 4 the glory of thy Name — Having predeftinated us to 
 « the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift to himfelf, 
 *- according to the good pleafure of his will, to the 
 
 ' PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE In whom 
 
 * Rom. iv. 9-, f Rom. iii. 27. I Cor. iv. 7. Eph. ii. 5 — 9, 
 \ Pfalm cxv. 1. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 67 
 
 ^alfo we have obtained an inheritance — that we fliould 
 
 * be to the praife of his glory — Ye were fealed with that 
 
 * Holy Spirit of promife, which is the earned of our 
 4 inheritance, until the redemption of the purchafed 
 4 pofleflion, unto the praife of his glory *.' 
 
 As, in that mod wonderful of all works, redemp- 
 tion, the defign of God was to manifeft, illuftrate, 
 glorify, his own grace ; as the glad tidings of falvation 
 by Jefus Chrift reveal that grace, in connection with its 
 defign ; and as no do&rine deferves the name of gofpsl, 
 which does not exhibit the grace of God, as abounding, 
 reigning, glorious — worthy of everlafting admiration 
 and praife ; the genuine gofpel muft be confidered as 
 encouraging, inviting, warranting, the moft ungodly to 
 believe in Jefus. For divine grace, in election, redemp- 
 tion, regeneration, and juftifkation, has no concern 
 with any befides the abfolutely unworthy. To this its 
 very nature, and the defign of God in difpenfing the 
 bleffings proceeding from it, are completely adapted. 
 Its very nature. For it is not merely grace, though as 
 fuch it muft be fovereign ; but it is grace with a glory 
 around it — The glory of his grace, is the language of 
 Paul. Now, an efTential part of its mod mining, illuftrious, 
 glorious qualities muft confift, in its being abfolutely free, 
 and infinitely rich. The former, as to its objects ; the 
 
 * Ifa. xlviii. 9. Pfalm Ixxix. 9. Eph. i, 5, 6, II— 14, 
 
68 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 latter, as to its benefits : and both, as providing for the 
 altogether vile. The defign of God in difpenfing the blef 
 fings proceeding from it. This was, we are here exprefsly 
 informed, not, ultimately, our happinefs, though that 
 be a great defign ; much lefs the rewarding of human 
 worth ; but his own praise — the praife of his own 
 glory — and the praife of the glory of his grace. 
 
 * If there be any pardon with God,' fays Dr. Owen, 
 « it is fuch as becomes him to give. When he pardons, 
 
 * he will abundantly pardon. Go with your halfforgive- 
 ( nefs, limited, conditional pardons, with referves and 
 
 * limitations unto the Ions of men : it may be, it may 
 6 become them ; it is like themfelves. That of God is 
 
 * abfolute and perfect ; before which our fins are as a 
 
 * cloud before the Eaft wind, and the riling fun. 
 
 * Hence he is faid to do this work, with his whole heart 
 i and with his whole foul — This forgivenefs is in or with 
 
 * God, not only fo as that we may apply ourfelves unto 
 
 * it, if we will, for which he will not be offended with 
 ' us ; butfo, alfo, as that he hath placed his great glory 
 ' in the declaration and communication of it : nor can 
 
 * we honour him more, than by coming to him to be 
 
 * made partakers of it, and fo to receive it from him. 
 ' For the mod part, we are, as it were, ready, rather 
 ' to fleal forgivenefs from God, than to receive from 
 ' him, as one, that gives it freely and largely. We 
 ' take it up, and lay it down, as though we would be 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 69 
 
 « glad to have it, fo God did not, as it were, fee us take 
 
 * it : for we are afraid he is not willing we fhould have 
 f it indeed. We would (teal this fire from heaven, and 
 ' have a (hare in God's treafures and riches, almofl 
 ' without his confent. At ieaft, we think we have it 
 
 * from him agre, with much difficulty ; that it is rarely 
 
 * given, and fcarcely obtained. That he gives it out 
 
 * with a kind of unwilling w'lllingnefs ; as we fometimes 
 ' give alms without cheerfulnefs : and that he loofeth fo 
 
 * much by us, as he giveth out in pardon. We are apt 
 
 * to think, that ive arc very 'willing to have forgivenefs ; 
 
 * but that God is unwilling to beftow it ; and that, 
 1 becaufe he feems to be a loofer by it, and to forego 
 ' the glory of infli cling punijloment for our fins ; which, of 
 
 * all things, we fuppofe, he is mod loth to part withal. 
 
 * And this is the very nature of unbelief But, indeed, 
 
 * things are quite otherwife. He hath, in this matter, 
 1 through the Lord Chrift, ordered all things, in his 
 1 dealings with finneis, to the praife of the glory of his 
 4 grace. His defign, in the whole myftery of the gof- 
 ' pel, is to make his grace glorious, or to exalt pardoning 
 
 * mercy. The great fruit and product of his grace is 
 1 forgivenefs ; the forgivenefs of finners. This God 
 
 * will render himfelf glorious in, and by. All the praife, 
 
 * glory, and worfhip, that he defigns from any in this 
 
 * world, is to redound unto him by the way of this grace, 
 
 * as we have proved at large before*.' 
 
 * On *e Hundred and Thirtieth Pfalm, p. 22J, ZZ6. 
 
7{0 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 God condefcends to reprefent himfelfas taking fublime 
 delight j in the esercife of pardoning mercy, in lejlowing the 
 blejfings of grace, and in making his people completely happy, 
 
 * He delighteth in mercy — Yea, I will rejoice over them 
 ' to do them good, and I will plant them in this land 
 « afTuredly, with my whole heart, and with my whole 
 i foul — It [the beftowment of fpiritual bleffings] mall 
 
 * be to the Lord for a name, for an everlajling Jtgn that 
 ' mall not be cut off — As the bridegroom rejoiceth over 
 
 * the bride, fo ihall thy God rejoice over thee — I will 
 ' rejoice in Jerufalem, and joy in my people — I will 
 ' cleanfe them from all their iniquity whereby they have 
 
 * finned againft me ; and I will pardon all their iniqui- 
 ' ties whereby they have fmned, and whereby they have 
 ( tranfgrefTed againft me. And it mall be to me a name 
 
 * °fj°y> cipraife, and an honour, before all the nations 
 1 of the earth, which fhall hear all the good that I do 
 ' unto them — The Lord thy God in the midft of thee is 
 1 mighty : he will fave, he will rejoice over thee with 
 
 * Joy : he will refl in his love, he will joy over thee with 
 *Jinging — The Father faid to his fervants, Bring — 
 
 * hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; and let us eat, 
 ' and be msrry. For this my fon was dead, and is 
 ' alive again ; he was loft, and is found. And they 
 
 * began to be merry — // was meet that wejhould mah 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 7 1 
 
 1 merry., and be glad : for this thy brother was dead, 
 « and is alive again ; was loft, and is found*.* 
 
 Is the Father of mercies reprefented as having engaged, 
 by tivo immutable things, for the final fe cur ity of his peo- 
 ple, in order that they who fee for refuge to the hope fet 
 before us might h&vejlrong confolationf P it is in allufion 
 to the moll folemn ailurances which men can give of 
 their fidelity one to another. So here, in condefcen- 
 fion to the weaknefs of our capacities, and in allufion to 
 our modes of exprefling the moft lively fenfations of joy, 
 he exhibits himfelf as poiTefiing human affections, and 
 fpeaks as if his own unchangeable felicity were increafed, 
 by liberally difpenfing fpiritual bleilings, and by render- 
 ing the wretched completely happy. This, as obferved 
 under a former particular, is expreflive of marvellous 
 loving hindnefs ; and moft ftrongly adapted to fhow, 
 that the needy, the ungodly, the perifhing finner, has 
 no reafon to fufpect the glorious God of reluctance to 
 beftow the bleflings of grace. No : he gives with a 
 liberal heart, and a bountiful hand. To pardon freely ; 
 gracioufly to confer fpiritual benefits ; and, if I may fo 
 fpeak, to do it with divine delight ; are a conduct wor- 
 thy of his character, as denominated love ; and for the 
 honour of our Lord's mediation . Becaufe love delights 
 
 * Micah vii. 18. Jer. xxxii. 41. Ifa. lv. 13. brir. 5. hcv. 19. 
 Jer. xxxiii. 8, 9. Zeph. iii. i 7 . Luke xv. 22, an. 24, «. 
 f Heb. vi. 15—18. 
 
72 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 in the happinefs of its objeas ; and Chrift is glorified ia 
 the falvation of thofe who are juftly condemned. Surely 
 then, the genuine gofpel muft warrant the ungodly to 
 believe in Jefus, by whom the character, the counfels, 
 and the perfections of God, are made known to finners. 
 
 As the preceding, with fimilar particulars, confHtute 
 that comprehenfire and gracious meflage which is called 
 the gospel; we muft now confider, To whom, by 
 divine command, thefe glad tidings were fent — The 
 ftate and character of thofe to whom the Apoftles pro- 
 claimed the joyful news — And their immediate defign 
 in making the gracious proclamation. 
 
 To whom, by divine command, thefe glad tidings were 
 fent. ' Go ye, and teach all nations — Go ye into all the 
 
 * world, and proclaim the glad tidings to every creature 
 
 * — Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to 
 ' fuffer, and to rife from the -dead the third day : and 
 4 that repentance and remiflion of fins fhould be preached 
 ■< in his name among all nations, beginning at jferufalem J.' 
 
 After our Lord's refurrection from the dead, his 
 commiflion to the Apoftles, for preaching the gofpel, 
 was extenfive as the human fpecies. The middle wall 
 of partition, between|Jews and Gentiles, being demolifhed, 
 
 * Matt, xxviii. 18. Mark xvi. 15. Luke xxiv. 47. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 73 
 
 thofe firft miniftera of Chrifl: were not only per- 
 mitted, but required, as Providence gave opportunity, 
 to proclaim the glad tidings wherever they came, wi:h- 
 out any exception of nation, of rank, or of character. 
 Yes, the prerogatives connected with carnal defcent 
 from Abraham, the Covenant made at Sinai, and the 
 Mofaic (Economy, being all abolifhed ; thofe Ambaf- 
 fadors of Heaven were commanded to publiih pardon, 
 and proclaim peace, through Jefus Chrift, among all 
 nations, beginning at Jeruialem. 
 
 Thejlate and char after of thofe to whom the Apoflles 
 proclaimed the joyful news. * When they knew God, 
 ' they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; 
 
 * but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolifn. 
 1 heart was darkened. Profefling themfelves to be wife, 
 1 they became fools ; and changed the glory of the 
 
 * incorruptible God, into an image made like to corrup- 
 1 tible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beafts, and 
 
 * creeping things. Wherefore God alfo gave them up 
 < to uncleannefs through the lufts of their own hearts, 
 
 * to difhonour their own bodies between themfeJves : 
 ' who changed the truth of God into a lie, and wor- 
 ' fnipped and ferved the creature more than the Creator, 
 
 * who is blefTed for ever. Amen — And even as they 
 
 * did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God 
 ' gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do thofe things 
 
 * which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighte? 
 
^4. THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 ' oufnefs, fornication, wickednefs, covetoufnefs, malici- 
 
 * oufnefs ; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malig- 
 ' nity ; whifperers, backbiters, haters of God, defpiteful, 
 ' proud, boafters, inventors of evil things, difobedient to 
 ' parents, without underftanding, covenant-breakers, 
 « without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful : 
 < who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which 
 
 * do (uch things are worthy of death, not only do the 
 
 * fame, but have pleafure in them that do them — We 
 ' have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they 
 « are all under fin. As it is written, There is none 
 
 * righteous, no not one; there is none that underftandeth, 
 
 * there is none that feeketh after God. They are all 
 ' gone out of the way, they are together become unpro- 
 
 * fitable ; there is none that doeth good, no not one. 
 ' Their throat is an open fepulchre ; with their tongues 
 ' they have ufed deceit ; the poifon of afps is under 
 
 * their lips : Whofe mouth is full of curfing and bitter - 
 c nefs ; their feet are fwift to fned blood : definition 
 e and mifery are in their ways ; and the way of peace 
 « they have not known : there is no fear of God before 
 
 * their eyes *.* 
 
 What a melancholy moral portrait is this ! How 
 flrong the colouring, and how dark the (hades ! Jews 
 and Gentiles, without difference, are here defcribed, 
 
 * Rom. i. 21 — 32. iii. 9 — 18. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 7£ 
 
 as bearing characters the mod deteftable ; and as being 
 in a (Lite the mod awful. Yet this defection comes 
 from the hand of one, whofe heart was fraught with 
 benevolence to his own fpecies, efpecially to his coun- 
 trymen ; and from a pencil which could not give an 
 exaggerated reprefentation. Of fuch characters, in the 
 eftimate of Heaven, did the nations confift, when the 
 ApoiUes, as minillers of divine truth, received their 
 high commiflion. Yes, to a world thus defperately 
 degenerate, and thus lying in wickednefs, w r ere thofe 
 Ambafladors of Chrift fent with tidings of falvation. 
 To this abominably wicked world they exhibited the 
 crucified Jefas ; preaching pardon, and announcing 
 peace, through his atoning blood. For, if pardon be 
 not publifhed, if peace be not proclaimed in the name 
 of Jefus, the gofpel, ftriclly fpeaking, is not preached. 
 As, therefore, it is hard to conceive of characters more 
 hateful, of perfons more criminal, or of a (bite more 
 awful, (except in the cafe of judicial blindnefs, or of 
 blafphemy againft the Holy Spirit;) than thofe hers 
 defcribed ; the minifters of Chrift, if they would act 
 agreeably to ouf Lord's commiflion, and to the apoftolic 
 pattern, mud proclaim glad tidings to the vileft of men. 
 
 Their immediate deflgn In making the gracious procla* 
 matlon to fuch Impious and profligate characters. i Preach 
 * the gofpel to every creature. He that belleveth and is 
 « baptized (hall be faved ; but he that behc-velh not fhail 
 
j6 THE GOSPKL A WARRANT 
 
 * be damned. — Many other figns truly did Jefus in the 
 
 * prefence of his difcipies, which are not written in this 
 ' book : but thefe are written, that ye might believe that 
 1 Jefus is the Chrifr, the Son of God ; and that believing 
 
 * ye might have life through his name — The revelation 
 ' of the myflery, which was kept fecret fince the world 
 ' began, but now is made manifeft, and by the Scriptures 
 
 * of the Prophets, according to the commandment of 
 
 * the everlafting God, made known to all nations for 
 ' the obedience of faith — That the Gentiles by my mouth 
 'mould hear the word of the gofpel and believe — Our 
 
 * teftimony among you was believed-<-Many of them that 
 « heard the word believed — So we preach, and fo ye 
 
 * believed*. 3 
 
 Here we have the pofition to be confirmed, in very 
 nearlytheexprefslanguage of infpiration. For the Apoftles 
 were commanded to proclaim the glad tidings of falva- 
 tion. Chrifr, his work, and the grace revealed by him, 
 confHtute the fubitance of thofe glad tidings, which were 
 to be publifhed in all nations, and to every creature. 
 The nations were in the moil deplorable ftate of of igno- 
 rance, of depravity, and of wickednefs. To them, 
 however, the joyful proclamation was made, that it 
 
 • Mark xvi. 15, 16. John xx. 31. Rom. xvi. 25, 26. Acts 
 xv. 7. 2 Theff. i. 10. Acts iv. 4. I Cor-, xv. ii. See alfo 
 A6h xviii. 8. ' Rom. i. 15, 16. x. 16. Luke xxiv. 25. A<5ts 
 viii. 12' I Cor. iii. 5. Heb. iv. 2. 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 77 
 
 might be credited by individuals, without exception ; 
 and it was by the divinely gracious report * that faith 
 came. But the facts revealed in that report could not 
 be really believed, without relying on Jefus Chrift as 
 the only and allfufficient Saviour. Confequently, the, 
 genuine go/pel is a complete warrant for the mojl ungodly to 
 believe in Jc/us. 
 
 Let us epitomife the preceding particulars, and bring 
 them into one view. Here, then, we have, The 
 condefcending characters which our Lord bears — His 
 defign, in coming into the world : which was to fave 
 finners, even the moft wretched and worthlefs — The 
 work which Chrift performed, the fufferings he under- 
 went, and the benefits to finners thence refulting — 
 The allfufficiency of his work, to fave the moft guilty 
 and vile — Preventing mercy, and the free pardon of 
 enormous offenders — The fovereignty, the riches, and the 
 plenitude of divine grace — The fparing and pardoniug 
 mercy of God, beyond all parallel and all praife — The 
 promifes of the New Covenant unconditional — The 
 moft gracious proclamations to thofe who are ftarving — 
 The kindeft invitations, the moil; winning perfuafions, 
 and the moft preffing intreaties, of thofe that are perish- 
 ing, to regard the provision which grace has made for 
 the utterly deftitute — The perfect readinefs, and the 
 facred pleafure, with which the Father of meucies 
 
 * Rom. x. 17. 
 G 2 
 
7.8 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT 
 
 receives returning profligates — Bleflings requeued by 
 faints, and beftowed by the Lord, for his own fake— 
 for the fake of his goodnefs, of his mercy, and of his 
 Name — Spiritual bleflings abfolutely free and irrevocable 
 gifts — Divine love, mercy, and grace, directly oppofed 
 to works and worthinefs of every kind, and of every 
 degree — Divine fidelity engaged, that none of thofe who 
 believe in Chrift. (hall be difappointed — Acts and prece- 
 dents of divine mercv, in pardoning the greateft offences, 
 and in faving the vilefl: of finners — The riches of 
 pardoning mercy, and the benefits of faving grace, are 
 the joy, the glory, and the fong, of believers on earth, 
 and of the blefTed in heaven — The eternal defign of 
 God, in the work of falvation by Jefus Chrift, was to 
 manifeft, exalt, and for ever to glorify his own giace, 
 in rendering the unworthy everlaftingly happy — God 
 eondefcends to reprefent himfelf as taking fublime delight, 
 in the exercife of pardoning mercy, in befrowing the 
 bleflings of grace, and in exalting his people to complete 
 felicity — Thefe wonderful facts, and gracious truths, 
 with others of a fimilar kind, conflitute that gofpel which 
 the Apoflies, in purfuance of divine command, pro- 
 claimed to both Jews and Gentiles---The nations were 
 then extremely impious, profligate, and wicked — And, 
 finally, the gracious proclamation was made to the 
 wicked world that it might be credited, by finners of 
 every characler, in all nations j and that, believing in 
 
FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS. 79 
 
 Jefus Chrifr, they might receive pardon, enjoy peace, 
 perform obedience, and have everlafting life. 
 
 By this abftracl: of evangelical truth it muff, I think, 
 appear, to every intelligent and impartial reader, that if 
 the teftimony of God to an apoftate, guilty, and 
 wretched world, concerning his incarnate Son, and 
 relative to the riches of his own grace, be not a fuffici- 
 ent warrant for the mofr. ungodly perfon upon earth to 
 believe in Jefus ; it is not eafy to conceive of any divine 
 declarations which could have been made, that would 
 have authorifed any of thofe whom the Scriptures call 
 Jinners, or the guilty in a perifhing condition, to believe 
 in Chrift. 
 
 Leaving my reader to confider the foregoing para- 
 graphs in their connection one with another, I mall only 
 add ; If the gofpel be not a complete warrant for the 
 mofr. ungodly to believe in Jefus, it rauft be either 
 becaufe the grace revealed in it is not equal to their wants ; 
 or becaufe they are tacitly forbidden, while deftitute of 
 holinefs, to treat him as the Saviour. Not the former : 
 for the grace revealed is rich, abundant, exceedingly 
 abundant, and allfufjicient. Not the latter; for the 
 ungodly, as we have already feen, fo far from being 
 prohibited, are invited to Chrift, zndea,neftly intreated, 
 by a confideration of his vicarious death, to be 
 
80 THE GOSPEL A WARRANT, &C. 
 
 reconciled to God *. — If the gofpel did not warrant the 
 ungodly to believe in Jefus, it could not have anfwered 
 its name — it could not have been glad tidings, to a 
 world fo extremely degenerate, corrupt, and criminal, 
 as all the nations were, when the Apoftles received 
 their divine commiffion to proclaim falvation to Jews 
 and Gentiles, without exception, through Jefus Chrift. 
 — If the gofpel do not authorife the mod: ungodly to 
 believe in Jefus, it feems impoilible for them to credit 
 the gracious report under its natural andfiroper character: 
 it being denominated the glad tidings, becaufe it 
 reveals a Saviour for finners that are in a perishing 
 Jlate. But, of all the finners on earth, thofe only are in a 
 perishing date, who are entirely deftitute of true god- 
 linefs ; for the word of Infallibility frequently reprefents 
 the' godly, as in a Jlate of fahatlon f . Nor is the gof- 
 pel itfelf really believed, any. further than the Saviour 
 exhibited by it is the object of our depen dance. 
 
 * Ifa. xlv. 22. lv. I. Matt. xi. 28. a Cor. v. 20. 
 f Matt. v. 3, 4, 8. John v. 24.. vi. 40, 54. x. 27, 28, 29. 
 Rom. xiii. ji. Eph. ii, J, 8. Philip, i. 6. 
 
V 
 
 . CHAPTER II. 
 
 NO DEGREE OF HOLINESS PREVIOUSLY NECESSARY, 
 TO WARRANT OUR BELIEVING IN JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 VV HEN a firmer is burdened with guilt, and 
 rilled with appreheniions of eternal ruin, his language is, 
 6 I'/hat -Jhall I do to befaved P or, Hoivfiall I efcape the 
 wrath to come ? Being ignorant of that righteoufnefs 
 which the gofpel reveals for the juftification of the 
 ungodly, he labours to obtain acceptance with God by 
 his own efforts : till, being better acquainted with the 
 purity of the law, the holinefs of God, and the corruption 
 of his own heart, he defpairs of being juftiried by the 
 works of the law.- 
 
 To a perfon thus convinced of fin, and apprehenfive 
 of danger, one mould fuppofe the glad tidings of fovereign 
 grace, and the doctrine of complete falvation by Jefus 
 Chritt for the chief of finners, would be embraced with 
 all pofiible readinefs. Experience and obfervation 
 prove, however, that awakened finners are frequently 
 backward to receive encouragement from the glorious 
 gofpel. This arifes, not from any defecl: in the grace 
 it proclaims, or in the falvation it brings ; not becaufe 
 
82 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 the alarmed (inner is under any neceflity, or in any 
 diftrefs, for which it does not reveal complete relief; 
 but becaufe he does not behold the glory of that grace 
 which reigns triumphantly in it, and the defign of God 
 in making the rich provifion. He wants to find himfelf 
 fome way diJl'inguiJJoed from others, as a proper object 
 of mercy, by holy tempers and fanctified affections. 
 This is his grand embarrafTment. In other words he 
 confiders himfelf as not fufficiently humbled, under a 
 fenfe of fin ; as not having a fuitable abhorrence of it ; 
 and as not poiTeffing thok fervent breathings after holinefs, 
 which, as he fuppofes, are neceiTary before he can be 
 warranted to believe in Jefus, with a well grounded hope 
 
 offuccefs* Thus the finner, though oppreffed with 
 
 guilt, and earneftly defirous of falvation, oppofes the 
 defigns of divine grace, by ardently feekmg for holy 
 qualifications, and perfonal worthinefs, as prerequifite 
 to faith in Jefus Chrifl ! But, that no degree of holinefs 
 is previously neceffary, to warrant our believing in the 
 Lord Redeemer, I fhall in the following paragraphs 
 endeavour to prove. 
 
 Under what confideration, then, is any degree of 
 holinefs in the heart of a finner necefTary, before he 
 believe in Jefus ? As conftituting jtar/ of his jufiifying 
 rigteoufnefs ? This cannot be, without admitting, that 
 
 * See my Reign of Grace, Chap- iv. p. 84, 85. Edit. 4th. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. £3 
 
 acceptance with God is, in fome degree, by our own 
 righteoufnefs. — As the Jl'ipuJated condition of acceptance 
 with Chrift ? If fo, a finner, on performing that condi- 
 tion, may claim Chrifl, and all fpiritual bleiTmgs in 
 him, as matter of paclitional debt. * For, as Dr. 
 Owen fays, * where one thing is the condition of 
 
 * another, that other thing muft follow the fulfilling of 
 
 * that condition : otherwife the condition of it, it is 
 
 * not *.' Yes, whether the condition prefcribed be 
 greater or lefs, the punctual performance of it mufl give 
 a legal title to all the bleflings annexed to that condition: 
 which, in the cafe before us, would be to obtain justifi- 
 cation by the works of the law. — As the qualification 
 for obtaining an inter efl in Chri/i, or a participation of 
 his benefits ? But, neceflary as a pious turn of heart is, 
 to evince that we are partakers of Chrift ; it is not 
 either an holy difpofition, or faith itfelf, by which- we 
 cltc.in an intereft in the bleiTings of our Lord's media- 
 torial work. No ; that exalted privilege is not oltained 
 by us, but freely granted of God, in the decree of 
 election f . For the fubftitution of Chrift, and the 
 whole of his vicarious work, very ftrongly imply, that all 
 the elect: were interefted in him before they poffefTed 
 either faith, or holinefs. Nay, genuine faith, and real 
 fanciity, ought ever to be confidered, not as the caif, 
 
 * Doiirine of Jtf if cation, Chap. I. p. 1 24. Glafgow, 1 7 60. 
 t John xvii. 2, 6, 9, II, 24. Eph. i. 3 — 7. 
 
.$4 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 but as the fruits and evidences, of that intereft. Ye 
 Believe not, becanfe ye are not of myfroeep — He hath chofen 
 us in him before the foundation of the world, that <zve 
 JJjould be holy and without blame before him in love *. 
 Befides, were any degree of holinefs the requifite quali- 
 lification for an intereft in Chrift, it mud be equally fo 
 refpecling justification by him : which, again, brings us 
 us to the works of the law, as being remotely the pro- 
 curing caufe of our juftifieation before God. — As a 
 Jlimulus, urging an application to Jefus Chrift ? But, 
 friendly as every holy difpofition in the heart of a con- 
 verted (inner is, to communion with Chrift, and to 
 general happinefs ; no principal offanctity can, with 
 propriety, be confidered as a requifite motive to our 
 firft believing in him. Becaufe holinefs, in the whole 
 of its nature, is as manifeftly fpiritual health, as depra- 
 vity and guilt, are moral difeafe f : and every iinner, in 
 his firft believing on Chrift, regards him as the great 
 Phyfician — as the Lord that healeih J. But is it ufual 
 for either health, or the commencement of it, rather 
 than difeafe, and the danger attending, to excite an 
 ardent defire after a fkilful and companionate phyfician ? 
 — As charaderifing the only perfons to whom, by divine 
 authority, the gofpel can be addrefTed ? Then the 
 Apoftles muft be confidered as having preached falvation 
 
 * Jchnx. 26. Eph. i. 4. 
 
 f Pf. cili. 3. Ifa. liii. 5. Pf. vi. 24. I Pet. ii. 24. Hofea 
 xiv. 4. 
 $ Mat. ix. 12. Markii. 17. Luke v. 31. ExocL xv. 26. 
 
TO FAITH IM JESUS. 85 
 
 in the name of Jefus, to the church only ; not at all to 
 the world : whereas their commiflion was, 'as we have 
 already feen, Proclaim the glad tidings to every crea- 
 ture. — As neceffary to preferve the Tinner, after he 
 believes in Jefus, from abuftng revealed mercy ? But, as 
 I perceive no fcriptura! evidence of any one really 
 believing in Chrift, and yet, in the general courfe of his 
 conduct, abufing divine mercy ; fo we have the mofr, 
 exprefs, infallible information, that the grace of God 
 winch bringeth fatvation teaches to deny ungodlinefs ; 
 that faith in Jefus works by love to God and man ; that 
 faith without works is dead, and no better than that 
 of devils. — But let us examine the fubjeci- more at large. 
 
 Every holy difpofition is, to a certain degree, true 
 holinefs. On fuppofition, therefore, that it- be neceflary 
 for a (inner to poffefs any meafure of real fanccity, in 
 order to warrant his reliance on Chriit. ; it may be 
 juftly demanded, What moital fhall determine the 
 requifite quantum P Or who fhall fay, Thus much is 
 neceffary, and no more ? Nor, confidently with the 
 doctrine of juftificauon entirely by an imputed righteouf- 
 nefs, and merely in a way of grace, is it eafy to fay, as 
 appears by the preceding induction of particulars, for 
 what purpofe it can be neceflary. 
 
 An holy difpofition, in any cafe, or in the leaf! 
 degree, is a difpofition to itniverfal and perfe3 holinefs. 
 •H 
 
86 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 For as there cannot be the leaft holinefs, where there 
 is no fir.cere affection for God ; fo, all holinefs radically 
 confids in love to him, as revealed in Jefus Chrift. 
 Confequently, if the contrary of our pofition be true, 
 no finner can warrantably believe in Jefus, until he be 
 cordially difpofed to perform all the divine precepts, 
 and have the root of perfect holinefs in him. But, 
 were any minifter of the word, when fpeaking of Jefus 
 Chrift. as the Saviour of linners, exprefsly to fay ; 
 ' You, and you only, who are heartily difpofed perfectly 
 * to keep the law, are warranted to believe in Chrift ;' 
 it would, I prefume, be efteemed a ftrange kind of 
 gofpel, and little fhort of an infult on the cliitreffed con- 
 fcience. 
 
 As we cannot conceive of holinefs exifling in any 
 'creature, that is entirely deftitute of love to God ; nor 
 of God being loved by any creature, that does not 
 know him ; fo, neither will the Scriptures permit us to 
 conclude, that any of Adam's degenerate offspring ever 
 knew and loved the true God, except as revealed in the 
 Mediator. Nor will the Bible warrant our fuppofing, 
 that finners ever love the Supreme ; or that they cordi- 
 ally approve the true character of God : before they 
 believe in Chrift, as exhibited in the gofpel. There is 
 forgivenefs with Thee, that thou mayeji he feared — We 
 Icve Nim, hecanfe he jirjl loved us. For though he 
 deferve the profoundeft reverence, and the warmeft 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 87 
 
 affe<flion, for what he is in himfelf ; it is as manifefting 
 his glory in Jefus Chrift, that we either fincerely love, 
 or truly revere him. 
 
 If, by an awakened finner, it be admitted as a fact, 
 and believed as a doctrine, that no one is authorifed to 
 depend on Chriir. for pardon and peace, until pofTefTed 
 of an holy difpofition ; he mud neceffarily be more 
 folicitous to find evidence of that important requifite 
 exitting in his heart, than to underftand and believe 
 what the gofpel fays concerning Chrift. For fuch a 
 perfuafion mud: unavoidably direct his attention to the 
 virtuous inclinations he defires to feel, and the righteous 
 works he willies to perform ; rather than to the riches 
 of revealed mercy, and to the allfurHciency of the 
 Redeemer's work. This mode of proceeding mud, 
 therefore, while it fofters his legal pride, embarrafs his 
 pained confeience : which effects are equally foreign 
 from the genius of evangelical doctrine, and from the 
 nature of true faith. 
 
 Our Lord, not being the Saviour of man, as man ; 
 or of man, as holy ; but of man, as depraved, guilty, and 
 condemned', it apparently follows, from the nature of 
 the cafe, that if Chrift, under his graeioufly faving 
 character, ever be regarded at all, in a way of depen- 
 dence ; the finner mud, in his firft application to him, 
 confider himfelf as totally bafe and worthlefs. But, 
 
&8 HOLINESS NOT A PR EREQUISITE 
 
 did he pofTefs the lead degree of true fanclity, that 
 would be a falfe efHmate of his own characler. For 
 holinefs is no other than intellectual beauty, moral worth, 
 and fpiritual excellence. It is that by which angels are 
 principally diftinguifhed from devils : and, confequently, 
 any degree of it muff, conflitute a moft important differ- 
 ence, in flate and characler, between them that poffefs 
 it, and thofe who are entirely unholy. 
 
 According to the fentiment here oppofed, no one is 
 authorifed to believe in Jefus, until he is horn of Go J : 
 for fuch only, have any degree of real holinefs. Be 
 the confcience of a finner, therefore, ever fo much 
 burdened with guilt, he mufl have fome evidence of his 
 being a neiv creature, before he can confider the gofpel 
 as exhibiting any relief, or as revealing a Saviour in 
 whom he may confide. Confequently, if, while poffeffed 
 of thefe views, and acting confidently with them, he 
 were to believe in Jefus ; it mufl be under the notion 
 of his being already a child of God, and of his pofTefling 
 true holinefs. — But, were any man, profeffing faith in 
 Chrift, exprefsly to declare, * That it was under the 
 
 * notion of his previoufly pofTeffing a neiv heart, or a 
 ' fincere love to holinefs, that he firft believed in Jefus 
 
 * Chrift ;' even though his exterior conduct were ever 
 fo regular, many of thofe who deny the pofition for 
 which I plead, would be ready to fufpecl him of felfde- 
 ception. For they, I prefume, would be very appre- 
 
TO' FATTK IN JESL'S. 89 
 
 henflve, , that his notions were felfrighteous, and his 
 hope delufive. But if, previous to believing in Chrift, 
 and in order to warrant a dependence upon him, there 
 muft be an holy turn of heart ; why mould the perfon 
 fuppofed fall under a fufpicion fo harm ? If it be a fact, 
 that none but thofe who are previoufly born of God, 
 and fincerely difpofed to keep his commands, are encou- 
 raged, by the gofpel, to believe in Jefus Chrift ; it 
 cannot be either unlawful, or improper, fiom them, 
 under that very character and conJideration t to place 
 their firft reliance upon him. Becaufeit is acting confif- 
 tently, by applying the principle to practice. Whereas, 
 for perfon s to maintain, that fome degree of holinefs is 
 previoufly neceffary to warrant our believing in Chrift ; 
 who, neverthelefs, in their firft application to him, con- 
 fider themfelves as in danger of eternal ruin, and abfo- 
 lutely unworthy, are inconiiftent. 
 
 The principle againft which I contend implies, that 
 finners muft be cordially reconciled to the true character 
 of God, as revealed in the Mediator, before they rely 
 on Chrift, and before they believe the gofpel. But 
 this is contrary to the apoftolic doctrine. For, as it is 
 by the gofpel only, that the true character of God is 
 made known to men ; fo the grand mean of reconciling 
 the hearts of finners to God, is the doctrine of our 
 Lord's vicarious work. This we are taught, by the 
 following admirable pafTage : All things are of God r ivha> 
 H 2 
 
<)'0 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 hath reconciled us to himfelf by Jefus Chrifl, and hath 
 given to us the mini/try of reconciliation : To wit, that 
 God was in Chrifl, reconciling the world unto himfelf, not 
 imputing their trefpajfes unto them ; and hath committed 
 -unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are 
 ambajfadors for Chrifl, as though God did befeech* , by 
 7ts : we pray * , in Chri/Psflead, be ye reconciled to God* 
 For he hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin ; 
 that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him f .. 
 Agreeable to which view of the delightful words, is the 
 following language of Dr. Owen : * The great work 
 
 * of them who are Ambaffadors for Chrifl, to befeech men, 
 ' in his fie ad, to be reconciled unto God; is to reveal the 
 '.will and love of the Father, in making him to be fin 
 
 * for us, who knew no fin, that we might be made the 
 « righteoufnefs of God in him J.' Thus alfo Mr. Char- 
 nock : * The reconciliation here fpoken of, was the 
 ' matter of the Apoftles' difcourfes and fermons ; and 
 
 * The following criticifm is, I think, worthy of notice ; and 
 is laid before the judicious reader for his determination. * The 
 
 * pronoun yon is not in the Greek. The Apoftle is not here 
 
 * urging the believing Corinthians to be reconciled to God ; for 
 1 he confidered them as already reconciled : but he is fetting 
 
 * before them the apoftolic meffage to the world at large, as 
 1 appears from the foregoing Verfe ; and therefore the fupple- 
 ' ment ought to be men, or the ivorld? Mr. Maclean's Chrifis 
 Commijpon to the Apojlles, p. 85. 
 
 f 3. Cor. v. 18— air 
 
 \ Recommendatory Preface to Mr. Eyre's Free Jufljfi 'cation of a 
 $j;iner. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 91 
 
 1 the great argument they ufed to convert the world to 
 
 ■ God *. 
 
 The gofpel, flri&ly fo called, is the doctrine of 
 reconciliation to God, as a righteous governor, by the 
 death of his own incarnate Son ; and it is through 
 believing the teftimony of God refpecling the death of 
 Chrift, that the hearts of finners are firft reconciled to 
 God, as appearing under his true character. For, 
 faithful and gracious as that divine tefHmony is, it can 
 have no fuch influence on the will, any further than it is 
 believed. — Remarkable is that faying ; If when we. 
 were enemies , we were reconciled to God by the death of 
 his Son, much more, being reconciled, we fhall be faved 
 by his life f. Let us review the admirable declaration. 
 Reconciled w hen we were enemies. Confequently, 
 while yet in our fins, in unregeneracy, and in fpiritual 
 death. Reconciled to God; as a righteous governor ; 
 as maintaining the rights of eternal juftice, and the ho- 
 nours of the holy law. Reconciled to God by the 
 death of his son; he being made ft n, and made a 
 curjefor us \. In his vicarious death, Jin being con- 
 demned § and punifhed, the Mod High folemnly fan cli- 
 Jied his great name || ; or, in the mod emphatical man- 
 ner, declared himfelf, his government, and his method 
 
 * Works, Vol. II. p. 170. Edition 1690. 
 
 f Rom. v. IC. \ 2 Cor. v. 21. Gal. iii. 13, 
 
 § Rom. viii. 3. |[ Ezek. xxxvi. 23. 
 
9 2 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 of faving finners, to be fupremely holy. Much more 
 being reconciled. This is contrafted with, when 
 we were enemies. The teftimony of God con- 
 cerning the death of Chrift, being, through the divine 
 influence, underftood and believed ; the reconciliation 
 made by the blood of Jefus, between God as a juft fove- 
 reign, and us as guilty fubje&s of his dominion, is 
 received * ; the revealed character of God is approved ; 
 and we are cordially reconciled to him. We Jhall be 
 favedby his life: that life which, as our high prieft in 
 the heavenly fan6tuary, he ever lives to make intercefjion 
 for us \. Our divinely gracious Jefus devotes his life,, 
 though in a different way, the fecond time for the happi- 
 nefs of his people. Having expiated their guilt on the 
 crofs, by which he reconciled them to God when they 
 were enemies ; and they, in the prevailing turn of their 
 hearts, being reconciled to the character, the grace, the 
 dominion of God ; he lives, as a priejl on his throne \ 
 to intercede for them, and fubdue their enemies ; to 
 fuperintend all their concerns, and to fecure their final 
 felicity. 
 
 Admitting the fentiment againft: which I militate, no 
 one either does or can believe on Jefus Chriit, until 
 poffened of fubftantial reafon to confider himfelf as free 
 from condemnation^ and as an heir of immortal happinefs : 
 
 * Rom. v. 10. y.ctraxxwyw. f Heb. vii. 2,5. 
 
 | Zech. vi. 12, I J. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 93 
 
 for, thatfuch is the flate of each regenerate perfon — of 
 every one diflinguifhed and adorned by true holinefs, is 
 plain from the tenour of divine Revelation. To be a child 
 of God, by regeneration ; to have pious affection toward 
 God, and a cordial inclination to keep his commands ; 
 are, in the eftimate of Scripture, evidences of a fafe 
 flate, and afcertain everlafling felicity to all that are fo 
 diflinguifhed *. Yet, on the hypothefis oppofed, fuch 
 mufl be our flate and character, before we are warranted 
 to believe in Jefus ! 
 
 That this is a juft reprefentation of the cafe, appears 
 from the writings of an Author who ftrenuoufly main- 
 tains the reverfe of that for which I plead. Thus he 
 fpeaks : * A hearty fubmiiTion to, and acqu'iefcence and 
 ' delight, in the law of God, rightly underftood, and fo 
 ' a true hatred of fin, mud take place in order to any 
 
 * degree of true approbation of the gofpel, and faith 
 
 * and trufl in Chrift — The finner who comes to Chrifl 
 ' for falvation, comes as a true penitent ; and that repen- 
 1 tance — is neceffary to this faith.* — Now, that delight 
 in the law of God, rightly underflood ; a true hatred of 
 fin, and real penitence, aie evidences of regeneration, 
 and of genuine holinefs, will fcarcely be denied. It is 
 equally clear, admitting the doctrine of final perfever- 
 ance, that perfons of fuch a character are fafe, as to 
 
 * I John iii. 1. 2. 
 
94 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 eternity : and yet, according to our Author, fuch muft 
 every one be, before he may dare to believe in Jefus ! 
 — Afterwards, however, which proves my affertion, 
 the very fame Gentleman reafons in the following man- 
 ner. « That men are naturally dejlitute of every degree of 
 1 that which has the nature of true holinefs, is moft evi* 
 ' dent from Scripture ; in that the promifes of falvation 
 « are every where made to them who exercife the leajl 
 
 * degree of this, or of that which is oppofite to fin : and 
 ' fuch have the characler of good and holy perfons, in 
 
 * distinction from others. Now, if the leajl degree of 
 
 * goodnefs intitles a man to falvation, and denominates 
 ' him a good man ; then all men are naturally, wholly, 
 
 * without any degree of this, and fo wholly corrupt ; 
 ' for all men are reprefented as naturally in a (late of 
 ' condemnation, and wholly deftitute of that which is 
 ' necelfary in order to their falvation *.' 
 
 Were anymeafure of holinefs previoufly neceflary, to 
 warrant our believing in Jefus Chrift ; pardon of fin, and 
 peace with our offended Sovereign, mould be exhibited 
 in a gofpel miniftry, as before obferved, to none but thofe 
 who are already born of God: becaufe none but they 
 pofTefs the lead degree of genuine fanctity. Nay, the 
 gofpel mould be preached to regenerate perfons, as fuch ; 
 no other being authorifed to rely on Jefus, as revealed in 
 
 * Mr. S. Hopkins's Two Dlfcourfes, p. 23, 24, 106. Ben- 
 nington, 1793. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 95 
 
 in it. But, would this anfwer the gracious defigns of 
 our Lord's command, Preach the go/pel to every creature? 
 Preaching the gofpel is, as already obferved, proclaiming 
 glad tidings to guilty, depraved, and ruined creatures — 
 tidings of pardon, of peace, and of falvation, through 
 Jefus Chrift. Preaching the gofpel, is preaching Chriit 
 himfelf, or bearing a public teftimony to his gracious 
 gracious character, and perfect work. Preaching the 
 gofpel, therefore, is proclaiming falvation by fovereign 
 grace — is exhibiting Jefus, not as willing to fupply the 
 deficiencies in upright characters ; nor, merely, as grant- 
 ing afliftance to perfons already in the way to heaven ; 
 but, as the only, the allfurhcient, the abfolutely free 
 Saviour of the condemned, the worthlefs, the loft. 
 
 Again : Did the Apodles preach Jefus Chrift, or 
 did they proclaim pardon and peace through his blood, 
 to thofe only whom they confidered as really penitent, and 
 as having an holy turn of heart? The reverfe is a fact: 
 for, as we have before feen, they were commifTioned to 
 proclaim glad tidings to the profligate, impious, and 
 wicked world. Thofe, however, who are truly peni- 
 tent, and pofTefTed of real holinefs, are not of the world, 
 but of God; being manifeftly called out of their natural 
 (late. -When Paul was preaching to his Jewifh brethren, 
 of whom he had a painful fufpicion that, while they 
 wondered at his teftimony, they would reject it and 
 perifh in their unbelief — even thofe Jews, who after- 
 
$6 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 ward are faid to be filled with envy, to contraditl and 
 llafpheme; his language was, Be it known unto you there- 
 fore, men and brethren, that through this illuftrious Jefus 
 is preached unto you the forgivenefs of fins : and by him 
 all that believe are juflified from all things, from which 
 ye could not be juflified by the law of Mofes*. Now, as 
 it would be a dangerous miftake to fuppofe, that Paul 
 declared the fins of thofe ungodly Jews to be already 
 forgiven, and their perfons jufKfied ; fo it would be 
 inconfiftent with the nature of his gracious declaration 
 to imagine, that he did not confider them as authorifed, 
 by his infallible teftimony, immediately to believe in 
 Chrift for pardon and acceptance with God. — I will add, 
 is it fuppofable that Paul and Silas confidered the Philip- 
 pian jailor as born of God, and poffefTed of true holi- 
 nefs, when, in anfwer to his important query, they faid; 
 Believe on the Lord Jefus, and thou fhalt befaved? There 
 is not, that I perceive, the lead reafon for any fuppo- 
 fition of that kindf . 
 
 As it was under the character of a priefl, that Chrift 
 expiated guilt, and made reconciliation ; fo, when a 
 finner firfl applies to him, though it be for the bleffings 
 of falvation in general, yet his eye is principally fixed 
 on pardon and peace. Juftifying faith, fays Dr. Owen, 
 * refpecteth Chrift in his prieflly office alone, as he was the 
 
 * Ads xiii. 38, 39, 40, 41. 45> 4^, $0- 
 f See Reign of grace, Chap. V. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 97 
 
 ■ furety of the Covenant, with what he did in the dif- 
 « charge thereof. The confideracion of "his other offices 
 
 ■ is not excluded, but it is not formally comprifed in 
 « the objecT: of faith as jujlifywg * . — Thus alfo Mr. 
 Charnock : * When the venom of fin begins to work 
 1 in the confcience, and the thunder of the law alarms 
 
 * it to judgment, and the punifhment due to fin is pre- 
 
 * fented in the horrors of it ; the queftion immediately 
 
 * is, Whether there be any remedy, and where ? How 
 
 * forgivenefs of fin is to be attained ? The only remedy 
 ' is propofed in Chrift, and Chriit. as a facrifice. It is 
 1 not Chriit rifen, or afcended, or exalted : not Chriit, 
 ' only as the Son of God, or the head of angels: not 
 1 Chriit, as the creator of the world, or by whom all 
 ' things confi(t : but Chriit, as anfv/ering the terms of 
 ' the nrft Covenant ; as difarming juftice ; and this he 
 
 * did, as a facrifice. By this he bore the curfe ; by 
 ' this he broke down the partition wall ; by this he 
 
 * joined apoftate man and an offended God. This iq 
 4 that true faith pitcheth on, daily revolves, and daily 
 1 applies to. This is the JrJ} objecl: of the foul, Chriit 
 < made fin; Chriit bearing the punifhment ; ChrWfidfi- 
 
 * tuted in the room of the offender — This is that which 
 
 ■ pacifies God ; and only that which pacifies God caa 
 ; pacify the Confcience f .' 
 
 * On Jufrfcation, Chap. III. f IVorh, Vol. II. p. S4$i 
 
9^ HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 Js It congruous, then, to fuppofe, that a criminal, 
 when feeking pardon of fin and peace lot his confcience, 
 muit neceiTarily apply for them under the notion of his 
 previoufiy pofTerling a pious turn of heart ? Yet, whoever 
 is perfuaded, that any degree of holinefs is abfolutely 
 neceflary to warrant his believing in Jefus, cannot but 
 regard the atonement, if, confidently with his principles, 
 he ever do regard it, under the notion of his being 
 pofTelTed of the requifite fanclity. — Were the atonement 
 of Chrilr entirely rejected, and were he revealed as 
 willing to affift only the weak, but well difpofed, in 
 fa'vlng themf elves ; then, indeed, it might be efteemed 
 rational to conclude, that whoever is authorifed to 
 depend on him for help, muff be well qualified, by holy 
 inclinations and ffrenuous exertions. But, for thofe 
 who confider the death of Chrifi: as vicarious and expia- 
 tory ; or as constituting the only ground cf hope for 
 pardon and peace ; to maintain, the neceility of holinefs 
 as warranting our dependence on that very death, is 
 extremely ir.coniiftent. For, according to the fentiment 
 oppofed, though the death of Jefus be, confefTedly, an 
 atonement ; and though, by the very nature of the cafe, 
 it could be intended for none but the guilty ; yet, before 
 any of that criminal character be permitted to regard it 
 with affiance, they mud be holy. 
 
 £.s no one can be thoroughly perfuaded, that, in order 
 to faith in Chrift for pardon and acceptance, an holy 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. (jy 
 
 difpofition is abfolutely necefTary, without being anxioufly 
 concerned to obtain the important reqnifite ; fo, no 
 fooner does he conlider himfelf as pofTelling that requi- 
 site, than it becomes to him the primary fource of peace 
 Yes, his firft encouragement and hope arife, — not from 
 the atonement of Chrifl ; not from revealed mercy ; 
 nor from the teiKmony of God concerning his incarnate 
 Son, and the work, performed by him ; — but, from the 
 change which has taken place in his own heart ; from 
 the holy tendency of his will ; from the difference which 
 fibfifls between himfelf and others, that are altogether 
 unworthy. Confcious that fome degree of moral worth 
 attaches to his character, and considering this asprevioufly 
 necefTary to warrant a fmner's dependence on Chrilt ; 
 his hrii hope is derived, not from divine grace, as revealed 
 in the gofpel ; but from his own holinefs, as required by 
 the law : which is directly contrary to the grand prin- 
 ciples of evangelical truth. 
 
 Our Lord fays, As Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the 
 vjildemefs, tvenfo mujl the Son of man be lifted up : that 
 whofoever believe th in himjloould not peri/h, but have eternal 
 life *. Now here, it is evident, our divine Inftruclor 
 teaches us to confider the dying ftate of the Ifraelites, that 
 were bitten by the riery ferpents, as an emblem of our 
 periihing condition by fin : the brazen ferpent, elevated 
 
 * John in. 14, 15. 
 
JGO HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 on a pole, as a type of himfelf expiring on the crofs : 
 the looking of wounded Ifraelites to the brazen ferpent, 
 as emblematical of condemned finners depending on his 
 own death ; and the perfect recovery obtained, by 
 viewing the artificial ferpent, as emblematical of that 
 falvation which is through faith in his atoning blood. 
 To this, perhaps, there may be an allufion, when Jeho- 
 vah fays; Look unto me, and be yefaveci, all the ends oj the 
 earth *. We may infer, however, that as the wounded 
 Ifraelites, without any preparative, except a fenfe of 
 danger be fo denominated, were authorifed to look at 
 the brazen ferpent, with an expectation of complete 
 recovery ; fo finners, while destitute of every holy 
 qualification, and as impelled by an apprehenfion of 
 eternal ruin, are warranted to believe in Jefus Chriir, 
 with hope cf complete falvation; 
 
 Very emphatical is the language, and exceedingly 
 jich is the grace which appears, in the following paffage. 
 When tve were yet without flrenglh, in due time Chrifl 
 died for the ungodly. For fear cely for a righteous man 
 will one die : yet peradventure for a good man fome would 
 even dare to die. But God commendcih his love toward 
 
 * Ifa. xlv. 22. Faith in Chrifl crucified, fays Dr. Owen, is 
 < a looking unto him, (ifa. xlv. 2 2. kv. I.) anfwering their looking 
 * unto the brazen ferpent, who were flung with "fiery ferpents. 
 ' TQhn iii. 14, I J.' On Jufifcaiion. General Confederations. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. IOI 
 
 us, in that, while nve were yet finners, Chrifldiedfrus *, 
 — In the work of redemption by Jefus our Lord, there 
 arc two particulars on account of which the love of God 
 to men is principally celebrated by the infpired Writers : 
 which particulars are, the feuding of his only begotten Son, 
 and the delivering him up to death for siNNERsf. It is 
 to the latter of thefe that Paul directs our attention, in 
 the text before us. Here we have a mode of expreflion 
 that is very uncommon ; and, confidering of whom the 
 Apoftle fpeaks, it is truly wonderful; Go^/commendeth 
 his love ! He exhibits its brighteft beauties ; he prefents 
 to our view its moil winning attraclives ; he difplays it 
 in the mod furpriling and charming point of light. As 
 if he mould fay ; * Such is my love ! So free, fo fervent, 
 
 * fo fruitful of benefits, and fo becoming my infinite 
 1 excellence, that I confider the manifestation of it, as 
 
 * the chief glory of all my ways refpecling the fons of 
 ' men ! to whom I recommend it, in a peculiar man- 
 
 * ner, as the eternal fource of their happinefs, and as 
 
 * the principal fubject of their delightful meditation.' — 
 God commendeth his love toward us. Wonderful 
 faying ! That reafonable creatures ought ever to confider 
 divine benevolence as the fountain of their felicity, is 
 plain to every thinking perfon : but that the Mod High 
 mould fpeak of recommending his love, even though 
 
 * Rom. v. 6, ;, 8. 
 
 f John iii. 16. Matt,xxi. 37- Rorn - yi "- 3-- 1 Johh.iii. 16. 
 
 I 3 
 
1*2 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 it were to angels, is truly amazing ! How much more 
 wonderful, then, to hear him fpeak of commending his 
 love to men — to polluted mortals — to criminals, wh© 
 deferve perdition ! 
 
 But how, or in what way, does the Supreme com- 
 mend his own philanthropy? Not by pailing an act of 
 indemnity in favour of thofe who lothe fin,' and love 
 holinefs. Not by juftifying thofe who have performed 
 qualifying conditions, and by giving heaven to faints. 
 Nor does he recommend his love to men, in pardoning 
 their offences, accepting their perfons, and bellowing 
 immortal happinefs upon them, by the mere exertion of 
 Jus royal prerogative and fupreme dominion. No : 
 refpecling thefe particulars, the admirable text is entirely 
 fiient. But it was by fending his own Son, and by 
 giving him up to death for us, when we were yet with- 
 out strength, to perform any thing truly good; 
 while ive were yet sinners, or entirely deftitute of 
 every amiable quality ; and while we were abfolutely un- 
 godly in the turn of our hearts, andthecourfeof our lives. 
 In other words, a detedable compound of depravity and 
 guilt, of weaknefs and unworthinefs. Of fuch a nature 
 is that apoftate itate in which we were, when God com- 
 mended his love to us, by the gift of his incarnate Son ; 
 and by Jefus falling a victim, in our ftead to eternal 
 juilice ! 
 
TO FAITH IN JESVS. IO3 
 
 Again : It is worthy of obfervation, that Paul does 
 not fay, God commends his mercy, or his grace; but, 
 which is yet more emphatical, delightful, and wonderful, 
 his love. It deferves alio to be remarked, that the 
 Father's giving or fending of his own Son, and the volun* 
 tary death of Jefus for us, are mod commonly afcribed to 
 the love, not the mercy or the grace, of the Father, and 
 of the Son * : but the bleflings beftowed for the fake 
 of Chriit, are more commonly reprefented as flowing 
 from grace or mercy. — Meicy, grace, and love, are 
 different modifications of goodnefs ; which may be thus 
 diftinguilhed. Mercy, is goodnefs to the miferable ; 
 grace, is goodnefs to the unworthy; and love, is goodnefs " 
 delighting in the happinefs of its objects. When God has 
 completely delivered his people from all the penal effects 
 of their apoftacy, they will no longer be the objects cf 
 his goodnefs, under the firict notion of mercy; becaufe 
 .mercy has regard to mifery. When they are perfectly 
 free from all the unworthinefs attending depravity and 
 guilt, they will no longer be the objects of divine good- 
 nefs, under the apoflolic notion of gracef : for grace, in 
 the writings of Paul, refpects the unv/orthineis oiifinful 
 creature. But faints will ever be the blefTed objects 
 of divine goodnefs, under the - delightful notion of 
 love. Holy angels are the objects of divine goodnefs* 
 under the notion of love; but not of mercy, or of 'grace, in 
 
 » John ili . 16. I John iii. 16. iv. 9, 10. Gal. ii. so. 
 Eph. v. 2, 25. Rev. i. 5. 
 
 f Rom. iii. 24. iv. 4. ix. 5, 6. Eph. ii. 5 — 9. 
 
104 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 the apoftolic fenfe of thofe terms, when ufed refpeding 
 Tinners. 
 
 Relative to this diirinclion, Dr. Goodwin fays ; 
 Love is * a defire to communicate good, the chiefed 
 \ good, unto the creature ; but mercy , it is to pull the 
 
 * creature out of a depth of mifery — So that mercy fuper- 
 ' addeth this to love, that it reipecls the creature in 
 
 * ?nifery. Parents, they love their children, fimply as 
 c they are their children ; but if they be fallen into mifery, 
 
 * then love works in a way of pity — It is not mercy 
 « only, — but [the Apoftle] alfo mentioneth love ; 
 ' — becaufe that mercy only refpecteth mifery , as I faid 
 ' before : it goes no further, fimply as meicy, than the 
 ' relieving thofe that are in mifery — Mercy caufeth a 
 ' king to pardon a traitor : but if he mail take this trai- 
 ' tor and advance him to the higheit dignity, place him 
 
 * with him in the throne, as it were ; this mull: needs 
 ' be from love too ; this is fuperadding, in that refpect, 
 ' unto mercy — God's love, it is the greateft thing of all 
 
 * the reft ; it is more than all his benefits. The love of 
 
 * Chrift was more than his fufferings ; and his fufferings 
 
 * were more than his benefits : and the love of God, it is 
 1 more than all his gifts, yet he hath given great things 
 ' to us, and done great things for us. Amor eft primum 
 1 donum ; his love is ihejirjl gift, as one well faith : in 
 
 * the gift of which all things elfe are yours. . The gift of 
 « his Son, it was a great gift ; but it was founded in 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. TO£ 
 
 ' his love. He fo loved the world, that he gave his only 
 
 * begotten Son. Though we, being finners, need mercy, 
 1 (that is the next thing we want) and therefore we 
 
 * look to it, O mercy, mercy ! becaufe we apprehend 
 
 * eurfeKes in mifery : but do you look beyond mercy, 
 
 * and look to love ; which is a greater thing to you than 
 f mercy ; raifeth and enlargeth mercy ; and, when 
 1 mercy hath done with you, will do more, or as much 
 
 * for you as mercy hath done, and guideth mercy— 
 
 * Love is a defire to communicate good unto us — Mercy 
 ' refpecteth us as we are fallen into fin and mifery— 
 
 * And then that of Grace, — it adds but this, zfreenefs 
 1 unto both. Love and mercy freely bellowed, that is 
 ' called grace, in either *.' 
 
 Mr. Charnock, thus: * Love is a perfection of a 
 
 * higher ftrain than mercy : mercy may be prevalent, 
 
 * where love is abfent — This fgoodnefs of God] under 
 
 * the name of his love, is rendered [or given as] the fole 
 1 caufe of the redeeming death of the Son : it was to 
 
 * commend his love with the highefl: glofs, and in fo 
 4 lingular a manner that had not its parallel in nature, 
 1 nor in all his other works, and reaches, in the bright- 
 < nefs of it, beyond the manifefted extent of any other 
 
 * attribute. It mud: be only a miraculous goodnefs that 
 
 * On Eph. ii. 4, 5, 6. Worts, Vol. I. Part II. p. 129, T30, 
 
106 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE » 
 
 'induced him to expofe the life of his Son to thofe diffi- 
 ' culties in the world, and death upon the crofs, for 
 ' the freedom of fordid rebels. His great end was, to 
 I give fuch a demon Mration of the liberality of his nature 
 1 as might be attractive to his creature, remove its fhak- 
 i ings and tremblings, and encourage its approaches to 
 ' him. It is in this he would not only manifejl his love, 
 ' but ajjiime the Name of LOVE. By this name the 
 ' Holy Ghoft calls him in relation to this good will 
 ' manifefted in his Son : God is love. In this is 
 ' manifefled the lave of God[toivards us, becaufe that God 
 ' fent his only begotten Son into the ivorld, that ive might 
 ' live 'through him, Ke would take the Name he 
 'never exprefTed himfelf m before. HewasjEHO- 
 ' vah, in regard of the truth of his promife : fo he 
 ' exprefTed himfelf of old. He is goodness, in regard 
 « of the grandeur of his affection in the million of his 
 ' Son : and therefore he would be known by the namr. 
 < of LOVE now, in the days of the gofpei*.' 
 
 If, then, the higheft demonftration of divine favour j 
 that which, in the eftimate of God himfelf, is the grand 
 recommendation of his love to men ; confiLt in his giving 
 Jefus to die for us while we were yet finners, ungodly, 
 and without flrength ; we may fafely conclude, that 
 
 * Works, Vol. II. p. .333- Vol. I. Difcourfi on the Goodnefs of 
 God. 
 
T^ FAi?H '!s JESUS. IO7 
 
 the fentiment ,.nnot be to the praife of the glory 
 
 of his grace. For, how incongruous it is to fuppofc, 
 that though the bleffed God recommend his love to us, 
 confidsred as mere Tinners ; and though it is in Chrift 
 only, as dying for mere finncrs, that the admirably glo- 
 rious properties of divine love are to be feen ; yet, before 
 thofe very finners for whom Chrift died, and to whom 
 God recommends his love, are permitted to believe in 
 Jefus, and to behold the wonderful excellencies of that 
 amazing Jove, they muft have fome degree offpiritual 
 jlrengih — they muft become godly — they muft be real 
 faints / for all thefe ideas attach to every one that 
 poiTeiTes the leaf! meafure of true holinefs. God, in the 
 death of Jefus, recommends his love to Jinners, or the 
 ungodly ; yet they muft ceafe to be fuch before they 
 regard it! — Should any perfons of fo bafe a character 
 prefame to approach the dying Jefus as their only hope, 
 the ungracious genius of that principle againft which I 
 contend cries in their ears, Procul 6, procul ejle profani : 
 Hence, far hence,, ye profane ! 
 
 Had the glorious God been reprefented as recom- 
 mending his love to the penitent, the upright, the virtuous ; 
 we might have concluded, ihat none but perfons of 
 thofe amiable chaia&ers were authorifed to regard Chrift 
 with dependence, and with expectation. But, had that been 
 the cafe, the love of God to us could not, with propriety, 
 have been fo contrafted, as it is here, with the love of 
 
108 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 one man to another. For finners love thofe that love 
 them * ; and the Apoftle admits, that, for a good man, 
 fome one perhaps may even dare to die. Befides, on 
 that fuppofition, the divine Father might have been 
 viewed, and would certainly have been confidered by 
 diftrefTed fouls, as commending his love to reclitudc, to 
 virtue, to holinefs, rather than to finners ; and the abfo- 
 lutely unworthy would have had no ground of hope.--- 
 Whereas, If Chrifl died for us while ive toere yet finners ; 
 and if God, by that very fact, more than by any other 
 effect of divine goodnefs, commend his love to us ; we 
 ought, furely, to confider the eternal Father as recom- 
 commending the crucified Jefus to us, while we are yet 
 finners — recommending him, as an allfufHcient Saviour 
 for the raoft guilty ; as perfectly fuitable to the circum- 
 ftances of the mod: needy ; and as completely free for 
 the mod unworthy. Thus he is revealed in the glad 
 tidings : and what is believing in jefus, but relying upon 
 him, or treating him, according to this view of his 
 character ? God himfelf, in the death of Chrift, com- 
 mending his love to mere finners % the ungodly muft be 
 warranted thankfully to regard that recommendation, 
 and to believe in the Son of God. 
 
 Chrift is made JanBiJi 'cation to all that are truly con- 
 verted-)-. Every holy difpofition, therefore, in the 
 
 * Luke vi. 32. f I Cor. i. 30.' 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. IOQ. 
 
 heart of a firmer mult be received from him. Ought we, 
 then, to fupport the affirmative of what is oppofed, to 
 confider our Lord as aclually made fanctifkation to any 
 finner, who is not authorifed to believe in him ? or 
 imagine that an ungodly perfon mud receive holinefs 
 from Jefus Chrift, in order to warrant his dependence 
 upon him ? So to do, would confound the ftate of 
 believers with that of unbelievers ; would invert the 
 order of things in the method of grace, and be attended 
 with various abfurdities. — Does the Moil Holy fanclify 
 any finner ? it is as the God of peace * : but he bears 
 that delightful character, only as reconciling the world 
 to him/elf by the death of Chrift. For, as Mr. Char- 
 NpCK obferves, * God only fanclifies as a God of peace 
 
 * — Would we be perfect in every good work ; would we 
 do the will of God ; would we have every thing wel- 
 
 * pleafing in his fight wrought in us ? then we mould go 
 
 * to him as a God of peace f .' — ' Sanclirlcation,' fays Dr. 
 Owen, ' is a fruit and ejfecl of that peace with [God,] 
 
 * which he hath made and prepared for us, by Jefus 
 ' Chrift. For he was in Chrift, reconciling the world 
 1 unto himfelf, deftroying the enmity which entered by 
 ' fin, and laying the foundation of eternal peace. From 
 « hence it is, that he \v'\\\ fanclify us, or make us holy; 
 < without a refpect whereunto he would no more do fo, 
 
 * i ThelT. v. 23. 
 
 f Heb. xiii. 30, 21. Works, Vol. II. p. 223. 
 
 K 
 
IIO HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 4 than he will fanclify again the angels that have finned ; 
 1 for whom there is no peace made, nor atonement *. , -~ 
 Muit it not be neceflary, then, for finners to regard the 
 atonement of Chrift as allfufficient, in whfch the divine 
 Father appears under that gracious character, the God of 
 peace ; in order to a well-grounded expectation of ever 
 pofTeffing the leaf! degree of true holinefs ? 
 
 Coming to Chrift, and believing on him, are the fame 
 thing ; as appears from the words of our Lord himfelf. 
 He that cometh to me,Jha!I never hunger ; and he that 
 believeth on me, Jhall never thirjl f . Now, the Scripture 
 informs us, that the wrath of God, or the curfe of the 
 law, abides on him v/hp believes not in Chrift. £. But 
 will the Bible authorife our fuppofing, that any one 
 pofTeffed of true holinefs is under the wrath of God? 
 Yet that is evidently implied in the hypothefis here 
 oppofed, when compared with the awful declaration juft 
 produced. 
 
 Our Lord fays, As the branch cannot bear fruit of 
 itfelf, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except 
 ye abide in me §. According to the phrafeology of 
 Scripture, to be in Chrift,' mod commonly denotes vital 
 union with him, acceptance before God, and complete 
 
 * Dlfcourfe concerning the Holy Spirit, B, IV. Chap. I. § 8. 
 f John vi. 35. \ John iii. 36. § John xy. 4. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. I I I 
 
 freedom from condemnation *. Privileges, thefe, which 
 are not enjoyed by unbelievers. No ; there mud be 
 faith in the blood of J ejus f , before any one can be juftly 
 confidered as thus united to him, and thus accepted of 
 God. — If, notwithstanding, the reverfe of what I main- 
 tain be true, there not only may, but there abfolutely 
 must be the fruits of righteoufnefs, before there can be 
 vital union with Chrifl: : nay, before a finner can be 
 permitted to regard the gofpel, as revealing a Saviour in 
 whom he may confide. Becaufe, in whomfoever an 
 holy difpofition is implanted, it will, more or lefs, exert 
 itfelf in pious affections, and righteous conduct : which 
 mud be confidered in the light of fpiritnalyW/zV. — I faid, 
 vital union ; like that of a living branch to a flourifning 
 vine. For, fo far as I have obferved, it is allowed by 
 all who are converfant in thefe affairs, that, previous to 
 believing in Jefus Chrift, there is no fuch. union between 
 him and any finner. 
 
 The Scriptures teach us to confider all unbelievers as 
 in a ftate of enmity to God, and of fpiritual death. 
 To the unbelieving, we are alfo intormed, nothing is pure; 
 but even their mind and confeience are defiled \ . The 
 affirmative, however, of what I deny, fuppofes that 
 finners mud be alive to G©d — the friends of God — and 
 
 * 2 Cor. v. 17. Eph, i. 6. Rom. viii. 1. f Rom. iii. 25 
 \ Titus i. 15. 
 
J 
 one 
 
 112 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 have fome degree of fpiritual purity, before they obtain 
 permiflion to believe in Jefus. For I think it is demon- 
 flrable, that he in whofe heart any holy difpofition 
 refides, is neither under the dominion of difaffection to 
 God, nor in fpiritual death, nor deftitute of fpiritual 
 purity. 
 
 Under whatever characters Chrift is reprefented as 
 confidering his people, with reference to their legal and 
 moral irate, when he gave himfelf a ranfom for them ; 
 under the very fame characters are unconverted perfons 
 warranted to believe in him. For we cannot fuppofe 
 without abfurdity, that Chrift died for men under 
 character, and that they muft depend upon his death 
 under another. Now it is plain, from the Records of 
 Infpiration, that thofe whom Cnrlft came to fave, and 
 for whom he died, were confidered by him, as guilty—* 
 as ungodly — as enemies to God — as extremely depraved — 
 ss the chief of Jlnners — zsjufilly condemned — and as lojl*. 
 Confequently, fuch being their native characters, and 
 fuch their awful ftate, they muft believe in him at firft, 
 not as qualified perfons, but as perifhing wretches ; not 
 as adorned with the beauties of holinefs, but as lothfome 
 with the pollution of hell. How ftrange, how incon- 
 gruous, the following polition : Chrift came, and expired 
 
 * i Tim. i. 15. Rom. v. 6, 8, 9, 10. Johniii. 3, 5. Titus 
 iii. 3. Gal. in. 10, 13. Luke xix. 10. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. II3 
 
 ©n a crofs, professedly to favejinners — the ungodly — 
 the enemies of God, and To on ; yet, before any of them 
 can warrantably believe in him for falvation, they nauft 
 be under the influence of 'a pious difpofition — they mull: 
 pofTefs a principle of univerfal holinefs I In other words, 
 they mult ceafe to be, in a fcriptural fenfe, thofe cha- 
 racters which Chrifl intended to relieve, when he gave 
 himfelf a ranfom for many — when he was made fin, and 
 made a curfe ; before they are authorifed to place the 
 lead confidence in him ! 
 
 I faid, in a scriptural fenfe : becaufe they who 
 pofTefs the leaft degree of true holinefs, are not, either 
 in the Old or the New Teftament, denominated, abfo- 
 lutely, Jinners, the ungodly, the hjl, and fo on ; but the 
 reverfe. Yes, notwithftanding their numerous and crimi- 
 nal imperfections, with regard to inherent holinefs and 
 perfonal obedience ; they are characterifed, Thofe that 
 know the Lord— fear the Lord — love the Lord—ferve 
 the Lord : the righteous — the upright — the perfect : 
 difciples, believers, faithful brethren, fons of God, faints, 
 and fo on. For every one that pofTeiTes any meafure of 
 real holinefs, is born of God ; and is, therefore, deno- 
 minated according to his new flate, even while he 
 
 K 2 
 
U4 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 perceives abundant reafon for daily abafejnent before 
 God *. 
 
 It was the defign of our Lord, in his admirable para- 
 ble of the Prodigal, and in that of the Publican f, to 
 inform us, Under what ckaracler, or under what confi- 
 derat'wn of ourfelves, we muft apply to God for pardon, 
 for peace, and for falvation. What, then, are the moit 
 prominent features of thofe two parabolical perfons, 
 when viewed as coming to God for acceptance ? The 
 Prodigal appears as a ragged, filthy, ftarving wretch ; 
 who, impelled by mere neceflity, returns to his Father, 
 without any recommendation of perfon, or of character ; 
 and as deferving to be for ever exheridated. The 
 Publican, fmitten with a fenfe of enormous guilt j far 
 from confidering himfelf as pofTeffing any holy dilpo- 
 fition ; and harraffed with apprehenfions of eternal ruin ; 
 appears as a criminal who deferves to be damned, and 
 who dares not lift up his eyes to heaven, even when he 
 cries for mercy through an atonement. Surely, then,, 
 thefe characters, and the fcope of thefe parables, are 
 far ficm teaching, that finners muft have fome degree of 
 
 holinefs before they be authorifed to believe in Jefus 
 
 Nay, in the parable of the Pharifee and the Publican, 
 
 * Job. i. i, 8. ix. 20, ai, 30, 31. xl. 4. jSii. 5, 6. Pf. 
 cxxx. 3, 4. cxliii. 2. Prov. xxiv. 16. Rom. vii. 15. — viii. 
 I, 2. 1 John i. 8, 9, 10. 
 
 f Luke xv: II— 32. xviii. 10—14." 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. II 5 
 
 our Lord fo defcribes the former as to fhow, that whoe- 
 ver approaches God, with a view to jufifcation before 
 him, under any other character than that of a miferable 
 ftnner ; 01 as encouraged by any other confideration, 
 than that of mercy revealed in the atonement ; is charge- 
 able with felfrighteous pride, and fure to meet with a 
 fatal difappointment. 
 
 I faid, with a view to justification before God : 
 for this is the fingle point under confideration. Becaufe 
 it was that for which our Lord reprefents the Pharifee 
 and Publican, as addrefling the Mod High; and becaufe 
 ifr is that which an awakened (inner principally feeks, in 
 hisfirfl application tojefus Chrift. — Has a perfonbelieved 
 through grace P has he already received the atonement ? 
 and is he approaching the throne of divine mercy for a 
 frefh application of pardon, with reference to the imper- 
 fection of his duties, the daily operation of his corrup- 
 tions, and the backflidings of which he is confeious ? 
 Or, does he apply for larger meafures of fanctifying 
 influence ? he may come to God as one of his difobe- 
 dient children, or as a feeble and very imperfect follower 
 of Jefus Chrift, crying, Abba, Father. Nay, when 
 lamenting over his indwelling depravity and actual tranf- 
 greffions, he may even fay ; God, I thank thee, that I am 
 not as other men, that are profligates in their conduct ; 
 thai^are dead in fin ; or that are feeking to ejlabli/h their 
 own righteoufnefs. For the Pharifee, in this parable, is 
 
T l6 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 not cenfured, merely becaufe he thanked God for the 
 difference which fubfiffed between himfelf, and the profli- 
 gate part of the world ; but becaufe he placed that differ- 
 ence to the account of his juflification before God. In 
 that refpecl, the chafte lady, and the vile proftitute ; the 
 mod virtuous characters, and the greateft profligates, 
 are completely on a level ; having only one common 
 ground of hope — the vicarious obedience of Jefus Chriji. 
 
 It rauft, I think, be granted, that when a finner firit. 
 believes in Jefus, lie is concerned chiefly about pardon 
 and acceptance with God. But, if fo, the fpirit of 
 thofe inflructive parables to which I advert, abfolutely 
 forbids our fuppofing, that any degree of holinefs is 
 required of a finner, to warrant his dependence on 
 Chrift. We will, however, for the fake of argument, 
 admit the contrary. We will fuppofe that a finner, 
 under a perfuafion of his pofTeiTing fome degree of true 
 fan&ity, applies to the glorious Jefus ; and that he 
 addreffes God in prayer, for juftification, agreeably to 
 this view of himfelf. What, then, will be the fpirit of 
 his addrefs at the throne of Eternal Majefty ? Mud it 
 not, either exprefsly or implicitly, be as folio ws I « God, 
 1 I thank thee, that I am not as the multitude of other 
 « men ! Once, indeed, I lived in difobedience, and 
 < loved fin : but now it is otherwife, as to the turn of 
 « my heart, and the courfe of my life. Having a pious 
 « difpofition,- my will is under an holy bias ; which leads 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 117 
 
 ' me to revere thy authority, and to keep thy commands. 
 
 * Thus porTefling the requifite divinely prcfcribed to all 
 « thofe that would acceptably believe in Jelus, and 
 
 * through his merits obtain juftification ; I cannot doubt, 
 
 * either of acceptance with thee, or of admiffion into 
 1 thy eternal kingdom.' — This, or fomething fimilar, is 
 the genuine language of every one who, in his devotional 
 addreffes relative to jitjlification, proceeds on that ungra- 
 cious principle which I oppofe ! There is reafon to 
 think, however, that many who warmly difpute for the 
 principle, entirely defert it in prayer; and would even 
 be mocked to hear a religious addrefs to the Deity, 
 refpecting juftification, formed upon it. — But, if the 
 principle in queftion be an article of divine truth, it muft 
 be of great importance : for it enters deeply into the 
 doctrine of juftification. Why fhould it not, then, by 
 all that embrace it, be avowed in their folemn prayers 
 for pardon and acceptance, efpecially by thofe who, 
 with the Pharifee, confider themfelves as pofTeffing the 
 requifite holinefs ? Why does it not make a confpicuous 
 appearance in their devotional practice ? To fcruple the 
 propriety of fuch an avowal, is an implicit condemnation 
 of the principle itfelf. 
 
 Remarkably pertinent, relative to this particular, is 
 the following language of Dr. Owen. The Pharifee 
 afcribes * all that he did to God. God, I thank thee : 
 < although he did all [he mentions,] yet he owned the 
 
I 1 8 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISIT3 
 
 * aid and afliftance of God, by his grace, in it all. He 
 4 efteemed himfelf much to differ from other men, but 
 ' he afcribed it not unto himfelf that fo he did. All 
 ' the righteoufnefs and holinefs which he laid claim unto, 
 ' he afcribed unto the benignity and goodnefs of God. 
 1 Wherefore he neither pleaded any merit in his works, 
 1 nor any works performed in his own Jlrength, without 
 ' the aid of grace. All that he pretends is, that by the 
 ' grace of God he had fulfilled the condition of the Cove- 
 ' nant, and thereon expected to be juftified. And 
 « whatever words men mail be pleafed to make ufe of in 
 1 their vocal prayers, God interprets their minds accord- 
 ' ing to what they truft in, as unto their juftification 
 ' before him. And if fome men will be true to their 
 1 own principles, this [prayer of the Pharifeej is the 
 1 prayer which, mutatis, mutandis, they ought to make.*.' 
 
 Paul, when proving the doctrine of juftification by an 
 imputed righteoufnefs, and v/hen adducing the cafe of 
 Abraham as quite in point, thus interrogates and replies; 
 How was it (the Patriarch's faith, or that in which he 
 believed) then reckoned? When he was in circumcifion? 
 Or in uncircumcifion ? Not in circumcifion, hut in uncir- 
 cumcifion f . The Apoftle's defign in thefe queries and 
 anfwers was to evince, that juftification before God is of 
 mere grace, by an imputed righteoufnefs ; and that no 
 
 * Dotirine of Juftification, Chap. XVII. f Rom. iv. 10. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. I I O. 
 
 duty performed by us, nor any holinefs wrought in us, 
 has the lead influence in procuring that ineftimable 
 blefling. Adopting the infpired Writer's manner of 
 fpeaking, I may, therefore, interrogate and anfwer thus : 
 How, then, is the vicarious obedience of Chrift imput- 
 ed to a fmner ? When he is poiTelTed of true holinefs ? Or 
 when he is confidered as ungodly ? Not when in the for- 
 mer > but while in the latter ftate : for the text is exprefs, 
 He thatjuflifieth the ungodly*. Confequently, no degree 
 of holinefs is previoufly necefTary to warrant our believ- 
 ing in Jefus Chrifl: : becaufe it would be abfurd to con- 
 fider any perfon as ungodly, who poiTeiTes the leaft 
 meafure of real holinefs. 
 
 They ivho are in health need not a phyfician, but they 
 that arefick ; is a maxim of common fenfe, as well as 
 of Scripture. Now Chrift is the phyfician of fouls, 
 whofe difeafe confifts in depravity and guilt. To fup- 
 pofe, therefore, that finners muft pofTefs any meafure of 
 true holinefs, before they are warranted to believe in 
 Jefus ; is equally incongruous as to maintain, that a 
 patient mud be in a convalefcent ftate, before he can, 
 with propriety, apply to a phyfician. For, I prefume it 
 muft be admitted, that when any finner becomes polTeiTed 
 of holy inclinations, he is, in a moral fenfe, convalefcent. 
 His recovery is begun : and taking the doctrine of perfe- 
 
 * Rom. iv. 5. 
 
T20 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 verance for granted, certain to be completed. But is it 
 congruous to fuppofe, that any finner mould have Tub- 
 ftantial reafon to conclude upon his own final happinefs, 
 as the fentiment oppofed implies, before he be authorifed 
 to believe in Jefus Chriit ? 
 
 The Scripture teacheth, that real holinefs is the fruit 
 of evangelical truth underftood and received *. But 
 the fentiment againft which I contend implies, either, 
 that the gofpel may be received, without relying on 
 Chriit ; or, that holinefs may exifl in the heart of a 
 finner, who does not believe the truth : neither of which 
 can be fupported by the word of God. Not the former : 
 for the genuine gofpel is the teflimony of God concern- 
 ing Chrifl. It is a revelation, and an exhibition, of his 
 Perfon and offices ; of his grace and work f . He 
 therefore, who receives the gofpel, or admits the glad 
 tidings into his heart J ; receives Chriit himfelf §, who 
 is the fubftance of thofe joyful tidings. — Not the latter : 
 for while a perfon difbelieves that which, by way of 
 eminence, is called the truth, he remains difaffedted 
 to God, and virtually makes him a liar ||. It may be 
 fafely concluded, therefore, that fuch an one has no 
 holinefs in him. 
 
 * Matt. xiii. 23. John xvii. 17, 19. Eph. iv. 24. Gr. 
 f Gal. iii. I. \ Rom. vi. 17. x. 10. Adts viii. 37. 
 
 § John i. 11, 12. Col., ii. 6. || 1 John v. 10. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 121 
 
 The mod remarkably gracious proclamations and invi- 
 tations to Tinners, that (land recorded by the infpired pen, 
 may here be pleaded. Proclamations : Ho, every 
 one that thirjleth, come ye to the waters, and he that 
 hath no money I Come ye, buy, and eat ; yea, come, buy 
 wine and milk without money and without price I and fo 
 on. Jefus Jlood and cried faying, If any man thirjl, let 
 him come unto me and drink ! — IVifdom hath builded her 
 houfe, Jhe hath hewn out her feven pillars : Jhe hath killed 
 her beajls ; Jhe hath mingled her wine ; Jhe hath alfo 
 furnijhed her table. She hath fent forth her maidens : 
 Jhe crieth upon the high eft places of the city, Whofo isjimple, 
 let him turn in hither : as for him that wanteth under/land- 
 ing, Jhe faith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of 
 the wine which I have mingled* '. — Invitations : Go 
 out quickly into the Jlreets and lanes of the city, and bring 
 in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the 
 blind — Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel 
 them to come in — Come unto me all ye that labour and are 
 heavy laden, and I will give you reft — The Spirit and the 
 bride fay, Come : and let him that heareth fay, Come : and 
 whofoever will, let him take of the water of life freely \. 
 -r-To thefe proclamations and invitations,that gracious 
 
 * Ifa. lv. I, 2, 3. John vii. 37. Prov. ix. 1—5. 
 f Luke xiv. 21, 23. Matt. xi. 28. Rev. xxii. 17. 
 L 
 
122 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 fromise may be annexed; Him that cometh to Me, 
 I will in no wife cajl out * . 
 
 On reviewing the divinely gracious proclamations, 
 invitations, and promife, juft adduced, we obferve the 
 following defcriptive characters : Every one that thirfleth 
 after happinefs, and feeks it — not in Chrift, and in the 
 enjoyment of fpiritual blefHngs provided by fovereign 
 mercy ; but, in the purfuit of fenfual gratifications, of 
 temporal riches, of fecular honours, of philofophical 
 acquifitions, of fuperftitious obfervances, or of accep- 
 tance with God by his own righteoufnefs ; which are 
 not bread, and cannot fatisfy f. — He that hath no money ; 
 no recommending qualification, or moral worth — The 
 Jimple, and thofe that are void of underflanding ; the 
 ignorant and wicked — The poor, the maimed, the lame, 
 and the Hind ; mere mendicants, that are in the flreets 
 end lanes of the city — Thofe, in the country, that are in 
 the highways, and under the hedges ; travellers, without 
 exception, and the mod miferable vagrants — Thofe, 
 finally, that are burdened with guilt, and have fought 
 relief, in methods of their own devifing, but have not 
 found it. 
 
 * John vi. yj. 
 
 f Vide Vitringam in Jefawm, $5, I, 2, 3. Mr. Her- 
 vey's Tbcron and AJpnfto, Vol, III. p. 338. Mr. T. Boston's 
 Works, p. 227, 845- 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. I 23 
 
 We further obferve, with furprife and joy, that our 
 divine Lord, far from overlooking thefe outcalts of 
 fociety and refufe of mankind, gives the following order 
 to his miniftering fervants ; Compel them, by forcible 
 arguments and winning perfuafion, to come in, and be 
 guefts at my table. Or, as it is elegantly exprefTed by 
 an evangelical writer ; * The mdfengers are fent, not to 
 < the manfion-houfes'of the rich, or the palaces of the 
 
 * mighty ; but to the highways and hedges : where mifery 
 ' mourns, and poverty pines, and bafenefs hides her 
 'head*.' — Nay, the supreme lord himfelf, as it 
 were in perfon, condefcends to addrefs the guilty, the 
 impoverifhed, the periihing creatures ; and his language 
 is, * Ho, every one ! be his iniquities ever fo many, his 
 
 . * depravity ever fo great, or his guilt ever fo enormous. 
 ' Come to the waters ; to the fource of fupplies, where 
 
 * plenty is provided for the ufe of thofe that are frarving. 
 
 * Come and take freely, of the wine, and the milk, and 
 
 * the water of life — of all the bleffings provided by grace, 
 ' for the relief of fpiritual indigence, for the peace of 
 
 * diftreffed confciences, and for the healing of difeafed 
 
 * fouls. Come, come, yea come ! Think not that your 
 « poverty and rags, your crimes and your guilt, prohibit 
 ■ accefs to the ftorehoufe of fpiritual bleffings, or forbid 
 
 * expectation of being relieved by reigning grace. For 
 < I folemnly afiure you, that all the benefits of fovereign 
 « mercy were intended, only for the guilty — the depraved 
 « the utterly deflitute : — for thofe only, who have 
 
 * HE.RVEY, Theron and Afpafio, Vol. III. p. 3 1 1. 
 
124 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 * nothing but the revelation of my grace, to keep them 
 ' from dcfpair now ; nor any thing befides the provifions 
 
 * of that grace, to preferve them from damnation here- 
 
 * after. Whoever, therefore, on the credit of my royal 
 
 * proclamation, or on the fidelity of my irrevocable 
 f promife, applies for relief, fhall not, upon any conii- 
 
 * deration of his paft provocations, or of his prefent 
 
 * pollution, be rejected. Rejected I nothing lefs. For, 
 ' to the praife of the glory of my grace, he [hall find accep- 
 ' tance, and have falvation.' 
 
 To maintain that a finner, before he can warrantably 
 believe in Jefus, mult have fome degree of holinefs, is 
 contrary to the apoftolic doctrine of juflification before 
 God. To this particular I have, indeed, repeatedly 
 adverted : but it is of fo much importance, as to deferve 
 a more diflinct confideration. The principle, then, is 
 inconfiftent with the apoftolic doclrine of juftification by 
 mere grace ; with the characler of thofe whom God 
 jufKfies ; and is adapted to encourage boa/ling. 
 
 It is incmififlent ivlth j unification hy mere grace. 
 Relative to this affair, the language of Tnfpiration is, 
 Being jufiified freely by his grace, through the redemption 
 that is in Jefus Chrift *. No words, equally few, could 
 more ftrongly exprefs the moft perfectly gratuitous jufti- 
 
 * Rom. iii. 24. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. 125 
 
 fication of a firmer, than thefe, Freely, by his grace * 
 and it is an axiom with Paul, That whatever blemng is 
 of CRACE, it is not of works ; other wife grace is no more 
 grace : and that, whatever blefling is of works, it is not 
 of grace ; other wife work is no more work*. — Nor 
 ought it here to be objected, either, That the fentiinent 
 cenfured refpects, not exterior conduct, but the (late of 
 the heart : or, That the holinefs intended is an effect 
 of divine grace. Not the former : for what is exterior 
 conduct, refpecting the affairs of religion, in which the 
 heart is not right with God ? It may fatisfy the perfon 
 himfelf ; it may pleafe his neighbours ; it may be hyvKir. 
 crify ; but it is not righteoufnefs. — Not the latter : i 
 the Pharifee in the parable, even when pleading his own 
 righteoufnefs for juitilication, thanked God for preferving 
 and affifling grace f. — * No words can be found out,' 
 fays Dr. Owen, * to free our jufUfication before God 
 ' from all refpect unto any thing in ourfelves, but only 
 ' what is added exprefsly as the means of its participa- 
 
 * tion on our part, through faith in his blood, more empha- 
 « tical than thofe here ufed by the Apoftle J, freely 
 
 * by his grace. And with whom this is not admitted 
 1 as exclufive of all works or obedience of our own ; 
 ' of all conditions j preparations, and merit ; I fhall def- 
 1 pair of ever expreflingmy conceptions about it intelli- 
 1 gibly unto them §.* 
 
 * Rom. xi. 6. f Luke xviii. ir. f Rom. iii. 24. 
 
 § Doarine of Juftification, Chap. VI. 
 L 2 
 
126 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 With the character of thofe whom God jujl'ifies. 
 Thus it is defcribed by the Apoftle : To htm that ivork- 
 eih, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 
 But to him that ivorketh not, but belicveth on him that 
 juflifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteoufnefs *. 
 He that ivorketh not — the ungodly ; fuch is the character 
 of him that believes in Jefus, and whom God gracioufly 
 nidifies ! But if themere finnerbe not authorifed to believe 
 in Jefus ; if any degree of holinefs be previoufly neceffary 
 to faith in him ; I do not perceive how it can be confi- 
 dered as a fact, that God juftifies him who ivorketh not, 
 or any that are ungodly. Let us again hear Dr. Owen, 
 cxpreffing himfelf as follows ; * To fay, he who ivorketh 
 
 * not, is jtiftifled through believing ; is to fay, that his 
 ' works, whatever they be, have no influence into 
 
 * his juftification ; nor hath God, in julHfying him, any 
 
 * refpect unto them. Wherefore he alone who nvorketh 
 1 not is the fubject of juftification ; the perfon to be jufti- 
 
 * fied. That is, God confidereth no man's works, no 
 
 * man's duties of obedience, in his juftification ; feeing 
 
 < we are juftifiedyjvf/y by his grace. And when God 
 ' afHrmeth exprefsly, that he juftifieth him who ivorketh 
 i not, and that freely by his grace ; I cannot underftand 
 
 * what place our works, or duties, of obedience, can 
 
 < have in our juftification. For why mould we trouble 
 
 * ourfelves to invent of what confideration they may be, 
 
 * Rom. iv. 4, 5.- 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. I 2"j 
 
 * in our juflific'ation before God, when he himfelf affirms 
 
 * that they are of none at all? Neither are the words 
 « capable of any evading interpretation. He that worheth 
 1 not, is he that worketh not, let men fay what they 
 1 pleafe, and diftinguifh as long as they will. And it is 
 
 * a boldnefs not to be juftified, for any to rife up in oppo- 
 
 * fition to fuch exprefs divine teflimonies, however they 
 ' may be harneffed with philofophical notions and argu- 
 1 ings ; which are but as thorns and briars which the 
 1 word of God will pafs" through and confume. 
 
 ' But the Apoflle further adds, in the defcription of 
 ' the fubject of juftiflcation, that God jujl'ifieth the un- 
 ' godly. This is that expreffion which hath ftirred up 
 
 * fo much wrath among many, and on account whereof 
 
 * fome feem to be much difpleafed with the Apoflle him- 
 
 * felf. If any other perfon dare but fay, that God 
 
 * jujl'ifieth the vugodly ; he is prefently reflected on as 
 ' one that, by his doctrine, would overthrow the neceffity 
 
 * of godlinefs, holinefs, obedience, or good works. 
 
 * For what need can there be of any of them, -if God 
 
 * jufHfieth the ungodly P Howbeit, this is a periphrafis of 
 
 * God, that he is he who jujl'ifieth the ungodly. This 
 e is his prerogative and property. As fuch he will be 
 ' believed and worfhipped ; which adds weight and em- 
 1 phafis unto the expreffion : and we muft not forego 
 < this teftimony of the Holy Ghofr, let men be as angry 
 1 as they pleafe. But the difference is about the mean* 
 
128 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 ' ing of the words. If fo, it may be allowed without 
 ' mutual offence* though we mould miflake their proper 
 
 * fenfe. Only it muft be granted, that God jiiftifieth the 
 
 * ungodly. That is, fay fome, thofe who formerly nvere 
 6 ungodly ; not fuch who continue ungodly when they 
 1 are juftified : and this is moit true. All that are 
 
 * juftified, were before ungodly : and all that are juftified, 
 
 * are at the fame inftant made godly. Bat the queftion 
 ' is, Whether they are godly or ungodly, antecedently, 
 
 * in any moment of time, unto their juf if cation ? If they 
 
 * are confidered as godly, and are fo indeed, then the 
 ' Apoftle's words are not true, that God jufHfieth the 
 
 * ungodly : for the contradictory propofition is true, 
 ' God jufHfieth none but the godly. Wherefore, although 
 ' in, and with, the juflification of a finner, he is made 
 ' godly ; for he is endowed with that faith which puri- 
 
 * fieth the heart, and is a vital principle of all obedience, 
 
 * and the confeience is purged from dead works by the 
 
 * blood of Chrifl ; yet, antecedently unto his juftifica- 
 
 * tion, he is ungodly, and confidered 'as ungodly ; as one 
 ' who ivorketh not ; as one whofe duties and obedience 
 1 contribute nothing to his juflification. As he worketh 
 'not, all woiks are excluded from being the caufe ; 
 
 * and as he is ungodly, from being the condition, of his 
 
 * juflification— Not this, or that fort of works ; not 
 ( this, or that manner of the performance of them ; not 
 
 * this, or that kind of intereft in our juflification ; but 
 ' all works of what fort foever, and however performed, are 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. I2Q 
 
 x excluded from any kind of confideration in our juftifi- 
 
 * cation, as our works or duties of obedience. 
 
 1 It will be faid, That our perfonal obedience is by none 
 
 * ajferted to be the right eoufnefs whereby we are juflified 
 ' before God, in the fame manner as it was under the 
 1 Covenant of works. But the argument fpeaks, not 
 
 * as unto the manner, or way, whereby it is fo ; but to 
 1 the thing itfe/f If it be fo in any way or manner, 
 ' under what qualifications foever, we are under that 
 ' Covenant frill. If it be of works any way, it is not of 
 ' grace at all — All is now refolved into the merit of Chrif, 
 
 * upon the account whereof alone, our own perfonal righte- 
 
 * oufnefs is accepted before God unto our juflificatioru 
 
 * The queftion is not, On what account, nor for what 
 
 * reafon, it is fo accepted ; but whether it be, or no : 
 
 * feeing its fo being is effectually conftitutive of a Cove- 
 
 * nant of works *.' 
 
 The fentiment is adapted to encourage boa/ling. This, 
 r however, is directly contrary to the apoftolic doctrine. 
 For Paul ailures us, that, by God's method of juftifying 
 finners, all boafting, even in comparative worthinefs, is 
 entirely, and for ever excluded. Thus he interrogates 
 and determines : Being jujl'ified freely by his grace, through 
 the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus — Where is boajling, 
 
 * Doarine of Jujtifcatwi, Chap. XVIII, XIII. 
 
I30 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 then ? It is excluded. By 'what law ? Of works ? Nay ; 
 but by the law of faith — By grace are yefaved, through 
 faith ; and that not of your f elves ; it is the gift of God : 
 not of works, lejl any manfhould boafl *. According to 
 the dcxftrine of Paul, a justified firmer, with reference to 
 the moment preceding his juftification, has no more 
 ground to think well of his perfonal qualifications, or 
 to applaud his own exertions, relative to that affair ; 
 than his unhappy neighbour has, who is dying under a 
 curfe, and finking into final ruin. — But, admitting that 
 any degree of holinefs be necefTary to warrant a finner's 
 dependence on Chrift, it muft be fo to juftification 
 through faith in his blood : becaufe it is in virtue of 
 perfonal fandtity that he is qualified for believing ; and, 
 confequently, for the imputation of our Lord's vicarious 
 obedience to him. His own righteoufnefs being thus 
 efTentially necefTary, muft fhare in the honour of his 
 juftification. Surely, then, whoever is thus prepared 
 for the benefit of an imputed righteoufnefs, muft have, 
 in comparifon with others that are not fo qualified, 
 caufe of boaflin^. 
 
 For, as Dr. Owen argues, ' If we are in any fenfe 
 ' juftified [by our perfonal righteoufnefs J in the fight of 
 ' God, we have whereof to boajl before him. We may 
 < not have fo abfolutely, and with refpect to merit ; yet 
 
 * Rom. iii. 24, 27. Eph. ii. 8, 9. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. . I3I 
 
 ' we have fo comparatively, and in refpect of others, who 
 
 * cannot make the fame plea for their juftification. But 
 
 * all boafling is excluded : and it will not relieve, to fay, 
 
 * That this perfonal righteoufnefs is of the free grace and gift 
 1 of God unto fome, and not unto others ; for we maft 
 1 plead it as our duty, and not as God's grace — Boafling 
 
 * is excluded. Apparent it is from hence, and from 
 ' what [the Apoftle] affirms concerning Abraham *, 
 ' that a great part, at lead, of the controverfy he had 
 1 about juftification, was, Whether it did admit of any 
 ' H*vx»trit, or KttuxHfjiv, in thofe that are justified? — 
 
 * Boa/ling, in our language, is the name of a vice, and 
 ' is never taken in a good fenfe. But xat^Ma-zc, or 
 
 * **v%nf** 9 the words ufed by the Apoftle, are of an 
 
 * indifferent fignification ; and, as they are applied, 
 1 may denote a virtue, as well as a vice. So they do, 
 
 * Heb. iii. 6 f . But always, and in all places, they 
 
 * refpect fomething that is peculiar in, or unto, whom 
 
 * they are afcribed. Wherever any thing is afcribed 
 
 * unto one, and not unto another, with refpeft unto any 
 ' good end, there is a.fundamentum xctv»x7ta>c, a founda- 
 
 * tionfor boafling. All this, faith the Apoftle, in the 
 
 * matter of our juftification, is utterly excluded. But 
 « wherever refpect is had unto any condition, or qualifica- 
 4 tion, in one more than another, efpecially if it be of 
 
 * Rom. iv. 2. f See alfo Rom. xv. 17. 1 Cor. i. 31. 
 Gal. vi. 14. with many other places. 
 
132 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 1 works ; it giveth aground of boafl'mg, as he affirmeth, 
 « Rom. iv. 2. And it appears, from comparing that 
 
 * Verfe with this, [Rom. iii. 27.] that wherever there 
 
 * is any influence of our own works into our juftification, 
 ' there is a ground of boajiing. But, in evangelical jufti- 
 ' cation, no fuch boafting in any kind can be admitted. 
 ' Wherefore, there is no place for works, in our juftifica- 
 ' tion before God : for if there were, it is impoiTible 
 * but a x*u%hp.* 9 \boafllngj~] in one kind or other, before 
 6 God or man, muft be admitted *.' — I have enlarged 
 the more on this particular, that the reader may perceive 
 how nearly the principle oppofed relates to the doctrine 
 of j uftification ; and how much this capital doctrine is 
 corrupted by that principle. 
 
 Once more: Suppofing it necefTary for every finner 
 to pofTefs more, or lefs, of true holinefs, before he be 
 authorifed to believe in Chrift ; it is hard to conceive 
 how any one ever can believe in him. This, perhaps, 
 may appear by the following confiderations. Whoever 
 believes in Jefus, relies on him as redeeming finners 
 from the curfe of the law, and the damnation of hell, 
 No one, therefore, depends upon him, till convinced 
 of fin, and apprehenfive of danger. Now, as nothing 
 but fin expofes men to prefent condemnation, and final 
 ruin ; fo it is that only which renders them filthy, and 
 
 *' Do&rine of Jujlif cation, Chap. VI. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. I33 
 
 rile, and worthlefs. The more any one, therefore, feels 
 his want of deliverance from the wrath to come ; the 
 more keenly fenfible he mutt be of his complicated guilt, 
 his great bafenefs, and his abfolute unworthinefs, in the 
 ilght of God. While, confequently, he is perfuaded, 
 that fome degree of holinefs is previoufly neceffary to 
 warrant his reliance on Jefus Chrift; he mull: either 
 labour to reform his life, to amend his heart, and to 
 obtain fome righteoufnefs of his own, as the pedeftal on 
 which to (land when laying hold of Chrift, or fink in 
 defpair : and, in either cafe, he is far from believing on 
 the Son of God. — Thus, while earneftly defiring an 
 intereft in Chrift, and confidering himfelf as defritute of 
 the requifite holinefs, he, as the Prophet fpeaks, labours 
 in the very Jire, and wearies himfelf for very vanity. 
 Having fuch views of himfelf, and of the character 
 under which only he is warranted to believe in Jefus ; 
 neither the gofpel, with its cheering declarations ; nor 
 the Mediator, with his immenfe fulnefs of bleflings and 
 of grace, can afford him the lead relief; they being 
 quite out of his reach. Becaufe, till confcious of an 
 holy difpofition, or a pious turn of heart, he neither 
 does, nor can confider himfelf as one toward whom the 
 gofpel wears a fmiling afpect ; or as authorifed to take 
 the lead encouragement from it. On the hypothecs 
 oppofed, therefore, nothing but embarrafTment, and 
 painful difappointment, are likely to attend him. — But 
 were he, by ftrenuous efforts, to obtain a perfuafion, 
 M 
 
134- HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE 
 
 that his inclinations have taken a virtuous turn ; that his 
 internal character is greatly improved ; and, under this 
 confederation of himfelf, to conclude, That now he may 
 believe in Jefus Chrift ; what muft be thought of his 
 conduct ? Why, that he is ignorant of the gofpel ; that 
 he is of the works of the law * ; and, that the pains he 
 has taken have produced a good conceit of himfelf, 
 rather than prepared him for faith in Jefus Chrift. So 
 inimical to folid peace and real holinefs is the fentiment 
 which I oppofe, that, according to the different ftate of 
 a perfon's confcience, it has a natural tendency, either 
 to elevate with felfrighteous pride, or to deprefs with 
 defponding fear. The former, if the great evil of fin be 
 not perceived, and the confcience drowfy : the latter, 
 if the mind be enlightened, and the confcience tender. 
 For, as Dr. Owen has well obferved, c The more fpiri- 
 ' tual any man is, the more he fees of his unfpiritualnefs 
 1 in his fpiritual duties + . 
 
 [ On this hypothefis there is, indeed, nofuch thing as 
 go/pel, or glad tidings, for any of thofe whom the Scrip- 
 tures denominate, Jinners — the ungodly — the lofl — thofe 
 who are in the way to final ruin. Becaufe, according 
 to the principle again ft which I plead, all the revealed 
 relief by Jefus Chrift, is directed to thofe only whofe 
 hearts are under an holy bias. But the facred Writers 
 
 * Gal. iii. 10. f On the cxxx Pfalm, p.'34J. 
 
TO FAITH IN JESUS. I35 
 
 are far from pronouncing perfons of that character, the 
 ungodly t or the hjl : and they are equally far from 
 teaching, that creatures, pofTofling any degree of true 
 fanctity, are in danger of eternal perdition. For it is 
 abfurd to fuppofe, that our divine Sovereign will ever 
 fend holinefs to hell : or that the fubjects of truly pious 
 difpofitions are in the road to ruin. 
 
 Whereas, if we confider the infpired Writings as 
 exhibiting a full, free, and everlafting falvation, by Jefus 
 Chriir, for the chief of finners ; if we confider the tefti- 
 mony of God concerning his incarnate Son, as a com- 
 plete warrant for the moft guilty and ungodly to believe 
 in him ; there is a revealed foundation of hope for the 
 vileft of men, even when they have the ftrongeft con- 
 viction of that being their proper character. The word 
 of grace, refpecting the perfect work of Chrift, being 
 viewed in this light, is defervedly, and by way of fin- 
 gular eminence, called, the glad tidings. For, bo 
 the wants of a finner ever fo many, and his unworthinefs 
 ever fo great, the allfufficient Jefus is prefented to 
 view, as encouraging his immediate dependence, and as 
 rejecting none that apply to him. Agreeably to which 
 Mr. Hervey fays ; * Nothing is requifite, in order to 
 4 a participation of Chrift and his benefits, but a grant 
 * from God*.' — It is not under the notion, of being 
 
 * Theron and AJpaf'O) VoL II. p. 374. Note. Edit. 5th. 
 
1$6 HOLINESS NOT A PREREQUISITE, &C. 
 
 elected to eveilafting life; of pofTeiTing any virtuous 
 difpofition ; of being, by good habits or qualities, 
 diflinguiihed from other men ; of being well humbled 
 for fin ; or of being deeply awakened in confcience, that 
 tinners mud firft believe in Jefus. No : but as tranf- 
 greiTors ; as in a periming (tate ; and as having nothing 
 to preferve them from defpair, except what the Scrip- 
 ture fays concerning Chrift, his offices, and his grace. 
 It is, at leaft, in this view of the gofpel, and of Jefus as 
 revealed by it, that the writer of thefe pages either 
 enjoys peace, or expects felicity. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 1 37 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 AGAINST the fentiment for which I plead, 
 and in opposition to the courfe of my reafoning, it has 
 been ftrenuoufly urged ; ' Repentance includes an holy 
 * difpofition, and mull precede faith in Chart.' — But, 
 fuppofing the priority of repentance to faith were granted, 
 it would infer no valid objection to the principle here 
 defended : except it were proved, that repentance 
 rauft precede, as constituting an efTential part of the 
 finner's warrant to believe in Jefus. That, however, 
 is not likely to be foon evinced. 
 
 In what light, then, is true repentance to be confi- 
 dered ? As a change of mind, or after-thought ? This, 
 indeed, feems to be the literal import of the original 
 word piTdvoiet : and that, we acknowledge, precedes 
 faith in Jefus Chriit. For while a fmner is either 
 Stupidly inattentive to his immortal intereSts, or expecting 
 justification by his own obedience, he will not come to 
 ChriSt. — As a convicHon of fin, attended with apprehen- 
 fions of eternal ruin ? This alfo, it is readily granted, 
 precedes faith in ChriSt. For, whoever believes in Jefus, 
 M 2 
 
I38 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 regards him as the only Saviour from divine wrath : 
 reflecting the danger of which, a conviction of fin mud 
 precede. Nay, we are led, by the language of Scripture, 
 to confider believing in Chrift, as no other than feeing 
 to the hope fet before us, that we may efcape the wrath to 
 come *. That conviction of fin and fenfe of danger, 
 mould not be confidered, however, as inducing God to 
 give, but as inclining us to receive : not as exciting the 
 Father of mercies to forgive our offences, or the com- 
 panionate Jefus to juftify our perfons ; but as impelling 
 us to accept the provifion which fovereign grace has made 
 for the entirely deflitute. Befides, neither that change 
 ef mind, nor this apprehenfion of danger, can be juftly 
 confidered as an holy difpofition : becaufe they refpect 
 the flate of the intellect, and of the confcience ; not 
 that of the heart. Or, if the heart be affected, it is no 
 otherwife than as a new turn is given to the operation of 
 felf-love : which, fimply and abfolutely confidered, has 
 no holinefs in it, 
 
 Muft repentance, then, be viewed under the notion 
 of forroiv for fin, and aver/ion to it, confidered as an 
 oppofition to divine authority, and as a contrariety to 
 divine purity ? This, indeed, is that repentance which 
 is connected with pardon and falvation. But then it 
 maybe juftly queried, whether it was ever found in any 
 
 * Heb. vi. 18. Matt. iii. 7. 
 
OBJECTION'S ANSWERED. 139 
 
 finner before he believed in Jefus Chrifl : as the follow- 
 ing confiderations, perhaps, may fhow. 
 
 Repentance, under this notion of it, is manifeftly a 
 fruit of fincere efleem for the dominion of God, 
 and of love to his infinite excellence. Bccaufe no one 
 can be cordially grieved for oppofing a government, 
 which he does not efteem ; nor for his paft averfion to 
 excellence, which he does not admire. But the Scrip- 
 tures will not permit our concluding, that thefe pious 
 affections are poffeffed by finners, before they receive 
 the truth, and believe in Chrifl. If we really love and 
 revere God, it is becaufe he jirfi loved us ; becaufe there 
 is forgivenefs with him ; becaufe that love, as exprefTed 
 in the gift of his own Son, and that forgivenefs, through 
 the atonement, have been more or lefs revealed to us, 
 in the glad tidings of reconciliation. — All men, when 
 their confciences are alarmed, being pained with appre- 
 henfions of eternal deftruclion, will forrow for the confe- 
 quences of fin ; but none befides believers in Jefus mourn 
 over and abhor its intrin/ic evil. 
 
 Genuine forrow for fin, and felfabafement before God, 
 are clofely connected, in ancient prophecy, with faith 
 in the bleeding Immanuel, and with reconciliation to 
 our offended Sovereign ; rather, they are confidered 
 as effecls of that faith and reconciliation. For thus it is 
 written ', I will ejlablijh my covenant with thee; and thou. 
 
14° OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 Jhalt know that I am the Lord: that thou mayejl remember, 
 and be confounded \ and never open thy mouth any more, 
 becaufe of thy fiame, when i am pacified toward 
 THEEyor all that thou haft done, faith the Lord God — / 
 ivillpour upon the houfe of David, and upon the inhabitants 
 of jferufalem, the Spirit of grace and of f applications : and 
 they fhall look upon me whom they have pierced, and 
 theyfhall mourn for him, as one mournethfor his only f on, 
 and fhall bein bitterness for him, as one that is in bitter- 
 nefs for his Jirflborn. To which may be added the 
 following words : I have farely heard Ephraim bemoan- 
 ing himfelf, thus ; Thou haft chaflifed me, and I was chaf- 
 tifed, as a bullock unaccuftomed to the yoke : turn thou me, 
 and I fhall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God, 
 Surely, after that I <was turned, I repented; and af- 
 ter that I <was inflrucled, I J mote upon my thigh: I ivas 
 afhamed, yea, even confounded, becaufe I did bear the 
 reproach ofmyymth *. 
 
 Here we have genuine forrow for fin, confidered as 
 rebellion againft Jehovah's government, and as abhor- 
 rent from his purity. Here we behold a remembrance 
 of part offences paining the confcience, and fliame fuffu- 
 fing the cheeks ; confulion producing filence and grief 
 almoft breaking the heart. Whence is it, then, that 
 inveterate rebels are thus affected, and adamantine 
 
 * Ezck. xxu 62, 63. Zech. xii. 10. Jer. xxxi. 18, 19. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I43 
 
 hearts thus melted ? Not from denunciations of divine 
 vengeance ; nor from apprehenfions of endlefs perdition: 
 but from knowing, as taught by the Spirit of grace, the 
 import of that fublime name, Jehovah * ; from look- 
 ing to the pierced Mefliah ; and from God being recon- 
 ciled to them. Yes, not only mercy revealed to the 
 guilty, but faith in the divine teftimony, a believing 
 regard to the dying Jefus, and converfion to God, are 
 prefented to view as producing repentance. 
 
 That the manifestation of divine benignity toward our 
 apoftate fpecies, is friendly to holy forrow ; and that 
 the exercife of human compaflion towards difarTe&ed 
 neighbours, has a natural tendency to produce reforma- 
 tion, we are taught by the following remarkable words. 
 The goodnefs of God leadeth thee to repentance — If thine 
 enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirjl, give him drink : for 
 info doing thoujhalt heap coals ofjire on his head f. Are 
 the exercife of divine kindnefs, in the courfe of common 
 Providence, and the puny efforts of human compalTion, 
 for the relief of diftrelTed fellow-creatures, adapted to 
 produce repentance and reformation in their different 
 objects ? then, furely, we may conclude, that the bound- 
 lefs benignity of God, revealed in the gofpel of our fal- 
 vation, muft be incomparably better fitted, to excite an 
 
 * Exod. xxxiv. 5, 6, 7. Ifa. xlv. 21. 
 f Rom. ii. 4- ^ii. 20. 
 
I42 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 abhorrence of fin, conciliate the affections to God, and 
 produce a feries of holy obedience. 
 
 Further : True repentance is the gift of Chriit, con- 
 fidered as the afcended Sovereign and Saviour of his 
 church. As it is written, Him hath God exalted, with 
 his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give 
 repentance to Ifrael, and forgivenefs of f ins *. Repen- 
 tance and pardon, being here fo intimately connected, 
 and both of them reprefented as the gifts of Jefus Chrift ; 
 we are led to conclude, that real repentance for fin, and 
 faith in the blood of Chrift, coexift ; that godly forrow 
 fuppofes and includes faith in revealed mercy ; and that 
 both of them are the fruits of fovereign grace. 
 
 Dr. Owen, when fpeaking of humiliation for Jin, 
 exprefTes himfelf as follows. « There is a refped in it 
 « to the love of God ; and this breaks the heart of the 
 ' poor returning Tinner. Sorrow from the law, fhuts 
 « itfelf up in the foul, and ftrangleth it. Sorrow from the 
 < love of God opens and caufeth it to flow forth. Thoughts 
 
 * of finning againft the love of God, managed by the 
 « Holy Ghoft, what mail I fay ? their effe&s in the 
 « heart are not to be expreffed — True humility confifts 
 
 * more in believing, than in being fenfible of fin — Let 
 « there be no miftake : there can be no evangelical fenfe 
 
 * Ads v. 31. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I43 
 
 * of fin, and humiliation for it, where there is not union 
 ■ with Chrift. Zech. xii. 10 — It is the foul's appli- 
 ' cation to God for forgive r.efs, and not its fenfe of fin, 
 
 * that gives unto God the glory of his grace — No repen- 
 
 * tance is acceptable with God, but what is built, or 
 4 leans, on the faith of forgivenefs — God exprefsly 
 
 * declares in the Scripture, that the forgivenefs that is 
 1 'with him, is the foundation of his prefcribing repen- 
 
 * tance unto man. One inflance may fuffice, Ifa. lv. 7 
 ' — Legal repentance, which precedes gofpel faith, and 
 1 is without it, is neither a difpofition, preparation, nor 
 ' condition of our juftification *.' 
 
 Thus Mr. James Hervey: * Repent ye, and believe the 
 ' gofpel. This may be the meaning of the exhortation. 
 ' Repent; relinquifh all your wrong notions, relating to 
 ' the way and manner of finding acceptance with the 
 
 * Deity. Believe the gofpel; which opens a mod unex- 
 
 * peeled avenue, for the communication of this bleffing. 
 
 * Which brings you glad tidings of a falvation, fully 
 
 * procured by the incarnate God, and freely offered to 
 
 * the unworthy finner. The word, you know, is fxtru- 
 ( yon<7i : which, in its primary fignification, denotes not 
 ' fo much a reformation of conduct, as a change of 
 1 fentiment. — Suppofe it to fignify a reformation of 
 
 * On the Hundred and 'Thirtieth Pfalm y p. 54, 6$, 64, 1 3 7. 
 T "0. Doarine of J unification. Chap. I. 
 
144 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 * conduct ; the meaning then maybe as follows. Repent ; 
 
 * forfake all your vices, and all your follies ; mortify 
 « -every evil temper, and renounce every evil way. In 
 
 * order to render this practicable, believe the go/pel ; 
 «, wherein a Saviour is preached and difplayed. Who 
 
 * makes peace for fuch offenders ; reconciles them to 
 i God ; and obtains eternal redemption for them. This 
 ' will fweetly withdraw your affections from iniquity, 
 « and fweetly attach them to the bleffed God. Whereas, 
 
 * without this powerful expedient, you will never be 
 
 * delivered from the pleafing witchcraft of your lufts. 
 
 * Sin will always have the dominion over you, fo long 
 
 * as you are under the laiv, and not under grace, 
 1 Repentance, thus understood, is not the condition of 
 
 * obtaining falvation, but the fruit of fahation it/elf — / 
 
 * came , not to call the righteous, but Jinners to repentance. 
 ' Manyperfons, I am apt to fufpect, miftake the meaning 
 
 * of this fweet pafTage ; and turn the freely jlonving 
 ' benefits of the gofpel, into the rigorous requirements 
 
 * of the law. They reckon, our Lord^s calling to 
 
 * repentance, is like a fchoolmafter calling the youths to 
 4 their tafk ; or like a houfeholder calling his fervants 
 
 * to their work. Whereas, it is like Jofeph, the governor 
 « of Egypt, calling his brethren, each to receive a fait 
 < of apparel, and all to partake of his hofpitable banquet. 
 « Chriit, as a Saviour, is the greateft of benefactors. 
 
 * When, therefore, he calls to repentance, his intention 
 « is, not to demand, but to bellow; not to enjoin, but 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I45 
 
 * to impart. He is exalted, fays the Apoftle, fo give 
 1 repentance*. 
 
 Thus Mr. Thomas Boston ; ■ The fuhjecl: of true 
 ' repentance is a convinced, believing, foul. An uncon- 
 
 * vinced (inner cannot be a true penitent ; for what the 
 1 eye fees not, the heart rues not. Neither can an 
 
 * unbelieving (inner be fo ; for without faith the heart 
 
 * may be rent for fin, but not from it — Faith is the 
 
 * fpring and fource of repentance : fo that though the 
 
 * graces of faith and repentance are given together and 
 ' at once, in refpect of time; yet, in the order of na- 
 i tare, faith goes before repentance, and the acting of 
 
 * faith goes before the exercife of repentance : and he 
 
 * that would repent, mufl firft believe in Chrift, that 
 
 * he may repent — Then, it is not gofpel doclrine, That 
 
 * Chrift will receive none but true penitents ,• or that none 
 
 * but fuch have a warrant to embrace Chrift, by faith — 
 i For fenfible finners to think that they dare not, and 
 
 ought not, to believe and embrace Chrift, till they be 
 ■ more deeply humbled, and do more thoroughly repent of 
 ' their fins and, in a word, be more Jit to receive him ; is 
 
 « but a gilded deceit, and a trick of the falfe heart The 
 
 f more faith, th» more repentance; as, the fuller the fpring 
 « is, the dreams run with the more vigorous current +.' 
 
 * Eleven Letters to Mr. J. Wesley, p. n 4 , nj. Tberon 
 and Afpafto, Vol. III. p. 330, 331. Note, Edit. Jth. 
 f Works, p. 608, 609, 610. Edinb. 1767. 
 
 N 
 
1^.6 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 It is objected, * Though it be not necefTary for a 
 ' (inner to Inonv that he is born again, before he believe 
 ' in Jefus Chiiit ; yet regeneration itfelf mufr. precede 
 ' faith. For the heart of a finner being naturally in a 
 ' date of enmity to the divine Character, he will never 
 
 * turn to God, while in that fituation, for pardon and 
 
 * acceptance. '--In anfvver to which, the following par- 
 ticulars are propofed for consideration. 
 
 Before this objection can be juftly confidered as valid, 
 it mud: be evinced, not only, that regeneration precedes 
 faith ; but alfo that it is neceiTary to authorife a linner's 
 reliance on Jefus Chriii. : than which, few fentiments 
 are more foreign from the genuine gofpel. 
 
 Regeneration mufl precede faith. This, though aflumed 
 as a certain fact:, may be juftly doubted : for the page 
 of Infpiration does not warrant our fuppofing, that any 
 one is born of God, before lie believes in Jefus Chrid ; 
 or, that regeneration is effected by the Holy Spirit, 
 without the word of grace. For we are taught, by the 
 facred. Writers, to conlider the word of truth, with 
 regard to adults, as the mean of regeneration, and of 
 many other happy effects. They teach, for inftance, 
 That it is the injlrument of enlightening the mind, of awak- 
 ening the cotifcience, and of foftening the heart. « The 
 
 * Works, p. 608, 609, 610. Ebinb. 1767. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I47 
 
 ' entrance of thy word giveth light — The word of God 
 
 * is quick and powerful, and (harper than any two edged 
 ' fword, piercing even to the dividing afunder of foul 
 
 * and fpirit, and of the joints and marrow — Is not my 
 
 * word like as fire ? faith the Lord ; and like a hammer, 
 4 that breaketh the rock in pieces *.' — That is the inflru- 
 rnent, or feed, of regeneration. l The dead fhall hear 
 
 * the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear (hall 
 « live — The words that I fpeak unto you, they are fpirit, 
 
 * and they are life — In Chrift Jefus I have begotten 
 
 * you through the gofpel — Of his own will begat he us 
 
 * with the word of truth, that we mould be a kind of 
 
 * nrftfruits of his creatures — Being born again, not of 
 
 * corruptible feed, but of incorruptible, by the word of 
 4 God, which liveth and abideth for ever f .' — That 
 they only, ivho believe in Chrifl, are the children of God. 
 ? As many as received him, to them gave he power to 
 ' become the fons of God, even to them that believe on 
 
 * his name — Ye are all the children of God by faith in 
 
 * Chrift Jefus — Whofoever believeth that Jefus is the 
 
 * Chrift, is born of God %.' — That it is the mean, in the 
 hand of the Spirit } of conver/ion, of fanclifi cation, and of 
 falvation. Of conversion : * The law of the Lord 
 
 1 is perfect, converting the foul — He called you by our 
 
 * Pf. cxix. 130. Hjb. iv. 12. Jer. xxiii. 29. 
 f John v. 25. (Vide Lam pium in Ice) John vi. 36. I Cor. 
 iv. 15. James i. 18. 1 Pet. i. 23. 
 
 \ John i. 12. Gal. iii. 26. 1 John v. 1. 
 
I48 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 * gofpel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jefus 
 
 * Chrift.' Of sanctification : 'He that received 
 ' feed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word, 
 ' and underftandeth it ; which alfo beareth fruit — Sanc- 
 ' tify them through thy truth : thy word is truth — That 
 « they alfo might be fan edified through the truth — Thanks 
 ' be to God, that whereas you were the fervants of fin, 
 ' ye have obeyed, from the heart, the model of doctrine 
 1 into which ye were delivered — The new man, which 
 ' after God is created in righteoufnefs and holinefs of 
 ' the truth — Ye have purified your fouls in obeying the 
 « truth, through the Spirit.' Of salvation : ' The 
 
 * gofpel of Chrift — is the power of God unto falvation, 
 « to every one that believeth — The engrafted word, 
 
 * which is able to fave your fouls *.*•• 
 
 We are further taught, That the primitive Chrlftians 
 loved one another for the fake of evangelical truth. ' The 
 
 * Elder unto the elect, lady and her children, whom I 
 ' love in the truth : and not I only, but alfo all they 
 ' that have known the truth ; for the truth's fake, which 
 « dwelleth in us, and mail be with us for ever — The 
 
 * Elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in 
 
 * the truth.' — That they confidered one another as happy, 
 
 * Pfalm xix. 7. 2 Theft", ii. 14. Matt. xiii. 23. John 
 xvii 17, 19. Rom. vi. 17. (See Doddridge on the phice.) 
 F.ph. iv. 24. ("tj»j &\y, S-ti uc) I Pet. i. 22. Rom. i. 16. 
 James i. 17. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWER! ;\ M9 
 
 and rejoiced in that happiivfs, in proportion as they lived 
 under the influence of divine truth. « I rejoiced greatly 
 1 that I found of thy children walking in truth — I re- 
 joiced greatly, when the brethren came and teftified 
 1 of the truth that is in thee, eve,n as thou walked in 
 
 * die truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my 
 ' children walk in truth — Demetrius hath good repoit 
 
 * of all men, and of the truth . itfelf *►' 
 
 Once more : The Apojlks frequently defcribe merely 
 nominal Chrijlians, and ungodly perfons in general, by their 
 not induing, not loving, or not pojfejflng, the truth. 
 i They received not the love of the truth, that they might 
 
 * be faved — That they all might be damned who be- 
 
 * lieved not the truth — Men of corrupt minds, and 
 
 * deftitute of the truth — If God, peradventure, will give 
 
 * them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth — 
 
 * Ever learning, and never able to come to the know- 
 
 * ledge of the truth — If we fay that we have no fin, we 
 
 * deceive ourfelves, and the truth- is not in us — If we 
 < fay that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and 
 
 * his word is not in us — He that fairh, I know him, 
 
 * and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, aod the. 
 1 truth is not in him f.' 
 
 * i John i. 2, 4. 3 John i. 3, 4, iz. 
 
 f 2 Theft", ii. 10 IZ. I Tim. vi. 5. 2 Tim. ii. 25. iii. 7; 
 I John i. 8, 10. ii. 4. 
 
 N 2. 
 
1$0 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 Such is the language of Infpiration, relative to the 
 high importance of revealed truth, in the great plan of 
 falvation by Jefus Chrift ! Hence it appears, that few 
 things are more evidently contained, or more ftrongly 
 afferted in Scripture, than the inftrumentality of divine 
 truth in the regeneration of iinners. It is there defcribed 
 as the honoured mean, as the feed of God*, by which 
 the Holy Spirit effects the regeneration, the fanctifica- 
 tion, and the confolation ofthofe that are faved. But 
 it is impoflible for us to conceive of the mind being 
 enlightened, of the cpnfcience being relieved, of the 
 \viil being regulated, and of the affections being purified, 
 by the word of truth, any further than it is believed. — 
 T conclude, therefore, that regeneration is not, in 
 order of time, previous to faith in Chrift. Confequently, 
 as they are the ungodly whom the Spirit regenerates by 
 the truth, fo perfons of that character are warranted 
 to believe in Jefus. 
 
 // is not requifite for a /inner to know that he is born 
 again, before he believe in Jefus Chrijl. But, if it be a 
 fact, that regeneration itfelf is previously necelTary to 
 faith in Chrift ; whoever is perfuaded of that fact, and 
 ardently concerned about his eternal happinefs, cannot 
 forbear to inveftigate the ftate of his own foul, refpecting 
 regeneration, with much the fame folicitude as if he 
 
 • I Pet. i. 23, 24> 25. I -John iii. 9. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I5I 
 
 confidered being born again, under the notion of his 
 warrant to rely on Jefus Chrift • and thus his conference 
 mult unavoidably be embarralTed, refpecling hispermiiTion 
 to believe, until he become perfuaded of his regeneration. 
 Nay, on fuppofition that the heart muft be renewed, 
 previous to believing the gofpel, and to any degree of 
 dependence upon the atonement ; it fecms as if iinners 
 ought always to inquire into the ftate of their own hearts, 
 and to have evidence of their being renewed by divine 
 influence, before they can, without preemption, expedl 
 the lead benefit from Jefus Chrift. — I faid, without 
 prefumption. For, according to the fentiment here 
 oppofed, it would be prefumption — it would argue a 
 criminal forwardnefs, in any one to rely on Chrift for 
 acceptance with God, before he perceived the marks of 
 regeneration attending his tempers and condudt. — It is 
 readily granted, that the hearts of finners are, by nature, 
 Jlrongly difaffeded to the divine Chara&er ; and that, 
 while under the power of this enmity, they are far from 
 God. But the energy of the Spirit applying the word 
 of reconciliation to their hearts, the truth is believed, 
 and their enmity fubdued, in the fame inftant. According 
 to that faying, Te flail know the truth, and the truth 
 Jhall make you free — free, from guilt on your confeiences, 
 and from reigning enmity in your hearts. 
 
 Still further to prove and illuilrate the inflrumentality 
 of divine truth, in the regeneration and fanctification of 
 
I£2 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 finners, the following quotations are pertinent. Thu3 
 Mr. Charnock : * We are new-created by the Spirit of 
 < God infufing faith into us — Faith is of abfolute neceffity 
 « to regeneration — The go/pel is the inflrument whereby 
 « God brings the foul forth in a new birth. The fcripture 
 « doth diftinguifti the efficient and inftrumental caufe, by 
 « the prepofitions ««, or «£, and /,«. When we are faid 
 ' to be born of the Spirit, it is (John iii. £.) eie Tmyua-ror, 
 ' (1 John iii. 9.) «* ©soy ; (1 John v. 1.) never J 1 /* 
 ' TrvtfuaTo?, or Si* Qtov : but we are no where faid to be 
 ' born of the word, or begotten of the word ; but eP/« 
 
 * xcyov , by, or w/VZ», the word, (1 Pet i. 23.) and /-« 
 « fi;*»ex/oi,, (1 Cor. iv. 15.) I have begotten you 
 
 * through the gofpel. The prepofition ex, or i%, ufually 
 
 * denotes the efficient, or material caufe ; <?ia, the infra- 
 ' m<?«/, or means, by which a thing is wrought. Sin 
 ' entered into the heart of Eve by the word of the devil ; 
 
 * grace enters into the heart by the word of God. That 
 ' entered by a word of error ; this by a word of truth. 
 
 * Te are clean through the word I have fpoken to you : 
 
 * (John xv. 3.) whereby our Saviour means the word 
 
 * outwardly preached by him ; for it was the wordjpoken 
 « by him. Not that it had this efficacy of itfelf, but as 
 
 * an inftrument of their fanftification, rendering them 
 
 * ready to every good work. The holinefs therefore 
 c which it begets, is called the holinefs of truth : (Eph. 
 
 * iv. 24.) oppofed to the ivib-vjuiuis t»? «7r«T»?, lujis of 
 1 deceit, Verfethe twenty-fecond. Lufts grow up from 
 
OCJECTION* ANSWERED. 153 
 
 * error and deceit ; and holinefs of the new man grows 
 « up from truth— If the Spirit quicken, [or excite fpiritual 
 ' diligence,] it is by fome gofpel precept ; if it comforts, 
 
 * it is by fome gofpel promife; if it ftartlcs, it is by fome 
 1 threatening in the word : whatfoever working there is 
 ■ in a Chriftian's heart, it is by fome word dropping 
 « upon it — The Spirit makes the word, not only the fire 
 < to kindle the foul, but the bellows to blow : it is firlt 
 
 * life, then livelinefs to the foul. It is through the word 
 ' he begets us, and through the word he quickens ns : 
 ' Thy word hath quickened me. It is by the word God 
 ' gathers a church in the world ; by the fame word he 
 ' fanclifies it to greater degrees. (Eph. v. 26.) It is 
 ' the feed whereby we are born ; the de<zu whereby we 
 ? are refrefhed. As it is the feed'of our birth, fo it is 
 ' the milk of our growth, 1 Pet. ii. 2* J 
 
 Thus Dr. Owen : f This [regeneration] is wrought 
 
 * by the word. 1 Pet. i. 23. We are born again, not 
 1 of corruptible feed, but of incorruptible, by the word of 
 1 God. Wherein, not only the thing itfelf, of our 
 4 regeneration by the word, but the manner of it alfo, is 
 
 * declared. It is by the collation of a new fpiritual life 
 
 * upon us, whereof the word is the feed. As every life 
 
 * proceeds from fome feed, that hath in itfelf virtually 
 ' the whole life to be educed from it, by natural way9 
 
 * Warks, Vol. II, p. 43,509, 155, 158. Edit. ad. 
 
154 OBJECTIONS. ANSWERED. 
 
 * and means ; fo the word in the hearts of men, is turned 
 ' into a vital principle, that, cherifhed by fuitable means, 
 ' puts forth vital acts and operations. By this means 
 
 * we are born of God, and quickened, who by nature, 
 
 * are children of wrath; dead in trefpajfes and fins. So 
 « Paul tells the Corinthians, that he had begotten them, 
 
 * in Jefus Chrijl, by the gofpel — It is the inftrument of 
 ' God for this end ; and mighty and powerful, through 
 
 * God, it is for the accomplifhment of it*.' 
 
 The fame excellent Author, when fpeaking of fanc- 
 tif cation by the truth, fays : « There is a great anfwera- 
 « blenefs and correfpondency, between the heart of a 
 ' believer, and the truth that he doth believe. As the 
 
 * word is in the gofpel, fo is grace in the heart : yea, 
 
 * they are the fame thing varioufly exprelTed. (Rom. vi. 
 ' 17.) Tou have obeyed from the heart, it? ov 7rac9</v9-»T« 
 
 * rycrov JWtf^wc, the form of doctrine delivered unto you. 
 
 * As our Tranflation doth not, fo I know not how, in 
 
 * fo few words, to exprefs that which is emphatically here 
 
 * infinuated by the Holy Ghoft. The meaning is, that 
 
 * the doclrine of the gofpel begets the form, figure, 
 1 image, or likenefs of itfelf, in the hearts of them that 
 ' believe. So they are cad into the mould of it. As is 
 
 * the one, fo is the other. The principle of grace in 
 
 * the heart, and that in the word, are the children of 
 
 . * On Heb. ii. 2, 3, 4. p. 1 7 8. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I55 
 
 * the fame parent, completely refembling and reprcfent- 
 1 ing one another. Grace is a living word, and the 
 4 word \sjigured, limned grace. As is regeneration, fo 
 
 * is a regenerate heart : as is the docli ine of faith, fo is 
 
 * a believer. And this gives great evidence unto, and 
 
 * affurance of the things believed— ^Firft, the truth is in 
 4 Jefus : then it is expreffed in the word. This word, 
 
 * learned and believed, becomes grace in the heart, every 
 
 * way anfwering unto the Lord Chrift his image, from 
 
 * whom this transforming truth did thus proceed. Nay, 
 ' this is carried by the Apoftle yet higher, namely, unto 
 
 * God the Father himfelf, whofe image Chrift is, and 
 
 * believers his, through the word, 2 Cor. iii. 18. iv. 6 
 
 * — Regeneration doth not, in order of time, precede 
 
 * the foul's intereft in the forgivenefs that is with God, 
 
 * or its being made partaker of the pardon of fin. I fay 
 
 * no more but that it doth not precede it in order of 
 
 * time ; not determining which hath precedency in order 
 ' of nature. That, I confefs, which the method of the 
 ' gofpel leads unto, is, That abfolution, acquitment, or 
 
 * the pardon of fin, is the foundation of the communi- 
 
 * cation of all faving grace unto the foul ; and fo pre- 
 < cedeth all grace in the finner whatever — It is hence 
 
 * evident, that an affurance of being regenerate, is no 
 4 way previoufly neceffary unto the believing of an inter- 
 
 * eft in forgivenefs ; fo that although a man have not the 
 
 * former, it is, or may be, his duty to endeavour the 
 
 * latter. When convinced perfons cried out, What 
 
I56 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 * Jloall ive do to be favedP the anfwer was, Believe, and 
 ' andyouflmllhefo. Believe in Chrift, arid in the remif- 
 1 fion of fin by his blood, is theji>j? thing that convinced 
 
 * finners are called unto. They are not directed firfl: to 
 
 * fecure their fouls that they are born again, and then 
 
 * afterwards to believe. But they are firft to believe, 
 
 * tha£ the remiffion of fin is tendered to them in the 
 
 * blood of Chrift ; and that by him they maybe jufHfied 
 
 * from all things, from -which they could not be juftified 
 
 < by the law. Nor, upon this propofition, is it the 
 ' duty of men to quefUon whether they have faith, or 
 ' no, but actually to believe : and faith, in its operation, 
 
 * will evidence itfelf. See Ads xiii. 38, 39*.' 
 
 Again, he fays : ' The whole matter of fan&ification 
 ¥ and holinefs is peculiarly joined with, and limited unto, 
 
 * the doclrine, truth, and grace of the gofpel : for holinefs 
 
 * is nothing, but the implanting, writing, and realifin^ 
 
 * of the gofpel in our fouls. Hence it is termed cs-/ot»? 
 « t«c aU$tt*s, (Eph. iv. 24.) The holinefs of truth ; 
 ' which the truth of the gofpel ingenerates, and which 
 
 * confifts in a conformity thereunto : and the gofpel itfelf 
 
 < is «A«-S-e<« n kut* tvg-ifi(iay 9 (Tit. i. 1) The truth 
 6 which is according to godlinefs ; which declares that 
 ' godlinefs and holinefs which God. requiieth. The 
 
 * prayer alfo of our Saviour, for our fanclification, is 
 
 * On the Hundred and Thirtieth Pfultn, p. 160, l6l, 339, 349. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I 57 
 
 * conformed thereunto, (John xvii. 17.) Sandify them 
 1 in (or by) thy truth; thy word is truth : and he fanc- 
 
 * tifled himfelf for us, to be a facrilice, that we might he 
 
 * fantlified in the truth. This alone is that truth which 
 
 ■ makes us free ; (John viii. 12.) that is, from fin and 
 
 * the law, unto righteoufnefs in holinefs. It belongs 
 1 neither to nature, nor the law, fo as to proceed from 
 ' them, or to be effected by them — There neither is, 
 ' nor ever was in the world, nor ever mail be, the lead 
 ' dram of holinefs, but what, flowing from Jefus Chrilt, 
 « is communicated by the Spirit, according to the truth 
 
 ■ and promife of the gofpel. There may be fomething 
 
 * like it, as to its outward ads and effects, (at leaft, fome 
 1 of them ;) fomething that may wear its livery in the 
 1 world, that is but the fruit of men's own endeavours, 
 1 in compliance with their convictions ; but holinefs it is 
 i not, nor of the fame kind or nature with it *J 
 
 Refpecting the word of truth as the inftrument of 
 regeneration, it has, to the following purpofe, been 
 objected : * They who confider divine truth as the 
 ' mean of regeneration muft grant, that it is by the Holy 
 ' Spirit the word is introduced into the mind, in order 
 < to its having fuch an effect — That fome operation of 
 
 * Difcourfe concerning the Holy Spirit, B. IV. Chap. i. § 8. 
 See Mr. T. Scott's EJays on the moji 1/npcrt mi Subjecls in Rcli* 
 gion, p. 21. 
 
 o 
 
*58 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 * the Spirit on the underflanding takes place, in order 
 ' fo to change it, as to receive the word — And, that 
 ' this operation precedes the entrance of fight into the 
 f mind. Confequently, that the change by which the 
 c mind is prepared to receive the light, is not effected 
 
 * by means of the word : and yet, in that very change 
 4 men are loin of the Spirit *,' 
 
 According to this view of the fubject, the word of 
 truth, having no influence, is of no ufe, in the work of 
 regeneration ; the falutary and important change being 
 produced entirely without it. Either, therefore, by 
 thofe exprefTions, lorn again, the objector muff intend 
 fomething very different from what is meant by them in 
 Scripture ; or he is not far from ccntradi&in'g the 
 exprefs determination of infpired Writers : as appears 
 by various paflages already adduced — To imagine that 
 a preparation of the mind, merely to receive the truth, 
 is a change fo great as to anfwer thofe emphatical 
 expreffions, regeneration, born again, born of the Spirit, 
 lorn of God, and a neiv heart ; is, I think, very unwar- 
 rantable. Becaufe, on that fuppofition, the change 
 denoted by being bom of the Spirit, takes place merely 
 in the intelleB, or thinking faculty; not at all in the 
 will, or the heart. But, whatever light any perfon may 
 have in his miad, the Scriptures never teach us to confider 
 
 * Mr. S. Kopkins'j Two D'ifcourfes, p. 112, 113. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 159 
 
 him as bom of the Spirit, except his heart be renewed, 
 To as to Jove God and approve of his ways. Nay, iKe 
 Author himfelf confirms my afTertion, by elfewhere 
 faying ; l This regeneration of which I am fpeaking 
 
 * con fids in a change of the tuill, or heart — I have good 
 
 * grounds to afl'ert, that in regeneration the tvill, or 
 < heart is the immediate fubjeel of the divine operation, 
 
 * and fo of the moral change that is effected thereby f .* 
 Though I — under/land all myjleries, and all knowledge, — 
 and have not love, I am nothing. The glorious God, 
 however, is not loved by apoflate creatures, unlefs as 
 Fevealed in Jefus Chriit, and by the gofpel. 
 
 It is too haftily afTumed, that the mind is prepared to 
 receive the light of fpiritual knowledge, previous to the 
 truth having any influence upon it. For, may not the 
 Holy Spirit, without any antecedent operation, apply 
 divine truth, or the fenfe and meaning of che word ; fo 
 as to enlighten the underftanding, imprefs the confeience, 
 and affect the heart ? May not that omnipotent Agent, 
 without any previous preparation, attend his own word 
 with fuch energy, as to irradiate the mind, fubdue the 
 will, and give a new turn to the whole foul ? Nay, do 
 not the fcriptural paiTages already produced, naturally 
 lead us to conclude, that this, with regard to regenera- 
 tion, is a fact ? If there be not an aptitude in the word of 
 
 * Page 57, 5 3. 
 
*6o OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 truth, as an inftrument in the hand of God, to produce 
 this great moral change, why is that word compared to 
 light? called a two-edged /word, and reprefented as giving 
 lift P When the Apoftle fays, I had not known fin but 
 by the law ; and, the Jaw worheth wrath* ; does he 
 not intend to inform us, that the divine precepts, and 
 their awful fandtion, are means by which the Holy 
 Spirit convinces of fin, and alarms the confcience ? So, 
 when David fays, Thy word hath quickened me; and 
 when our Lord prays, Sanctify them through thy truth \ ; 
 rnuft we not confider them as teaching, that the woid 
 of grace is the mean of producing comfort, and of pro- 
 moting holinefs ? When Paul fpeaks of life and immor- 
 tality being brought to light by (^<«) the go/pel; and of 
 Gentiles being made partakers of the promife in Chrift by 
 the go/pel 'J; does he not intend to reprefent the doc- 
 trine of redemption by Jefus Chrift, as the great mean 
 by which that light, and this promife, came to be enjoyed 
 by us ? Why, theg, mould we affix a different fenfe to 
 fimilar language, refpe&ing the work of regeneration, in 
 the texts before adduced, from the writings of Paul, of 
 James, and of Peter ? Why, when the word of truth, 
 or the gofpel of divine grace, is reprefented as that by 
 which finners are born again — as the very feed of regene- 
 ration — fhould the words receive a qualified interpre- 
 
 * Rom. vii. 7. iv. 15. f Pfalm cxix. 50. John xvii. 
 
 I", yg. 4 ^ Tim. i. 10. Eph. iii. 6. 
 
OBJECTION ^ ANSWERF.D. l6l 
 
 ration ; Co as to mean fomething, winch the Author to 
 whom I advert does not conftder as regeneration, pro- 
 perly fo called ? — To be of the truth ; to be of faith ; 
 and to be of God* ; are various forms of expreffion, 
 to exhibit the fame fpiritual character in different points 
 of light. Is anyone reprefented as of God? he is to 
 be viewed as born of the Spirit. Is he fald to be of 
 faith P we muft regard him as believing in Jefus. Is 
 he defcribed as of the truth ? we muft confider him as 
 having received the gofpel, and as living under its influ- 
 ence. But, according to the objection under our notice, 
 a perfon may be of God, yet neither be of faith, nor 
 of the truth. 
 
 Befides, for an awakened finner to be perfuaded, 
 that regeneration is prior to faith in Jefus, and that it 
 is effected without the instrumentality of divine truth ; 
 is adapted to give an injurious direction to his prayers 
 and his expectations, refpecting that affair. The former: 
 becaufe if he pray agreeably to that idea, it will be for 
 fomething under the notion of regeneration, in which 
 the knowledge of Chrift, and a regard to his atonement, 
 have no concern. Confequently, for fomething which 
 leaves him at a diflance from wifdom, and from happi- 
 nefs. — The latter: becaufe, neglecting the teftimorry 
 
 * John xviii. 37. I John iii. 19. Gal. iii. 9. John viii, 
 47. I John iii. 10. iv. 3, 6. v. 19. 3 John II. 
 
 O 2. 
 
l63 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 of God concerning Jefus, he will be ready to look for 
 fome fecret, and enthufiaiHcal impulfe, to produce the 
 important change. Two evils, thefe, of no fmall con- 
 fluence, in whomfoever they are found. 
 
 Once more : This Author himfelf, I think, mud 
 admit, that Satan laid the foundation of his kingdom 
 among men, by the ufe of language replete with infernal 
 falfehood. But, if fo, it cannot be abfurd to maintain, 
 that the fpiritual dominion of Chrifl, in the hearts of 
 finners, commences under the falutary operation of 
 divine truth. If the father of lies, by words of deceit, 
 without any previous phyfical influence on the mental 
 powers, polluted the imagination, obfcured the under- 
 standing, and corrupted the heart of Eve, when in her 
 primitive (late, and under a (trong bias to obedience; 
 which, I prefume, this Writer will acknowledge : why 
 ihould he deny, that the Holy Spirit, by the word 
 of truth, without any preparatory agency on the foul, 
 enlightens the mind, impreffes the confcience, and gives 
 a new turn to the heart, of one that is dead in fin ? 
 
 That our firft parents, in their innocent ftate, were 
 under a powerful predilection for whatever was morally 
 right, rauft be allowed ; except we deny their being 
 created in a date of complete rectitude : and that no 
 divine agency upon their minds, or their will, was 
 e -loyed to produce a compliance with Satan's temp- 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERER. 0J 
 
 tation, muft be granted ; unlcfs the Moft Holy be impi- 
 oufly confidered as the author of (in. The propenfitics 
 of their nature, therefore, in favour of communion with 
 God, and of obedience to him, we may juflly conclude, 
 were not lefs powerful than thofe in the hearts of their 
 degenerate offspring are, to objects quite the reverfe. 
 Confequently, as the fir ft inclination to evil, in the 
 human heart, when perfectly pure, was produced, with- 
 out any previous phyfical influence, by the lie of Satan ; 
 we are led, by analogy, equally as by the language of 
 Scripture, to confider the firft holy tendency, in a heart 
 that is totally corrupt, as produced by the truth of God, 
 without any preparatory agency. 
 
 This argument from analogy is the more obfervable, 
 as it arifes from the only fact of the kind, that ever did, 
 or ever will take place among men. It may be rendered 
 more conclufive, however, by remarking; that though 
 the Scriptures teach us to confider depravity as firft 
 produced in the holy hearts of our paradifiacal proge- 
 nitors, merely by the operation of Satan's falfehood; yet 
 the fame infallible Writings lead us to conclude, that 
 evangelical truth is only the mean of renewing depraved 
 hearts, or of turning them to God. Were it demon- 
 ftrated, therefore, that the vigour of holy tendencies, 
 in the pure nature of our original parents, was much 
 lefs than that of depravity, in the hearts of their pofte- 
 rity ; we might, neverthelefs, adopt a principal of rea- 
 
164 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 foning, repeatedly employed in the writings of Paul, 
 and fay : If the language of deceit, from the lying lips 
 of Satan, without any previous influence, was capable 
 of corrupting an holy heart, and of producing actual 
 difobedience ; much more * is divine truth, in the hand 
 of the Sacred Spirit, able to renew depraved hearts, and 
 to produce a courfe of obedience. 
 
 The Author to whom I refer, ftili further objects ; 
 
 * There mud be knowledge and approbation of the di- 
 ' vine character and law, and a fight and fenfe of the ill 
 
 * defert of fin, before there can be any true knowledge 
 
 * of the Mediator and faith in him — It is certain 
 
 * to a demon ft ration, that they who are not heartily 
 ' reconciled to God and his law ; and do not hate fin, or 
 
 * abhor themfelves for it, do not know, and are not 
 ' reconciled to the grace of God through Chrift : nor 
 ' can they attain to the latter, if not firft brought to the 
 
 * former ; but will remain eternally enemies to both \\* 
 — Here we have, if I miftake not, various ungarded 
 afTertions, which corrupt the gofpel, and have a perni- 
 cious tendency. 
 
 There mujl he knowledge of the divine character , before 
 there can be any true knowledge of the Mediator. But 
 
 * Rom. v. 9, 10, 15, 17. Heb..ix. 13, 14. 
 
 f.'Mr HiSM'S! ' ?• ^' r - "-■ *•>. 24j *5- Note. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 1 65 
 
 whence is that knovledge of the divine character to be 
 derived? From the glad tidings of falvation ? That is 
 contrary to the principle on which this Author manifefUy 
 here proceeds. For, according to his theology, the 
 divine character muft be known and approved, before 
 the gofpel be either known or underftood — before we 
 have the lead fpiritual acquaintance with Jefus, or any 
 dependence on his atoning death, for pardon and peace. 
 This, however, is apparently contrary to the folio wiug 
 divine declarations. No man knoweth the Sen, lid the 
 Father; mitbtr knowefb any man the Father, fave the Son, 
 and he to whom the Son will reveal him — The only 
 begotten Son, who is in the bofom of the Father, he hath 
 declared him — To give the knowledge of the glory of 
 God, IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST — We all, in ah 
 unveiled face* , beholding as in a glafs the glory of 
 the lord, are changed into the fame image f. Thefe 
 infallible fay tags plainly denote, that the divine character 
 neither is, nor can be known by us, except as revealed 
 in the Perfon and work of our great Mediator. But, 
 were the pofition on which I animadvert founded in fact, 
 we fhould have little occalion for the glad tidings of 
 falvation, and the death of Jefiis, in order to learn the 
 true character of God. 
 
 * etV3tXiX3t>>0/J.{J.lVa TT^7U>7ltC. 
 
 f Matt. xi. 27. John i. 18. 2 Cor. iv. 6. 2 Cor. iii. 18. 
 
l66 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 Whence, then, if not from the doctrine of redemp- 
 tion, is the knowledge under confideration to be derived ? 
 Not, furely, from the works of creation, and of common 
 Providence. For then, with the ancient Heathens, we 
 mud feek the Lord, if haply we may feel after him, like 
 men groping in darknefs, that we may find him *. — Or, 
 muft finners, by ftudying the abfolute purity, the exten- 
 five demands, and the tremendous curfe of Jehovah's 
 fazu, become acquainted with the divine character l 
 This, indeed, feems to be our Author's meaning : and 
 it is readily granted, that the true nature of the law 
 being well underftood, farniihes, in certain refpeBs, a 
 knowledge of the divine character^ For, by that fyftem 
 €>f moral duty, and its penal fanction, we are informed 
 of the aWolute dominion, the flaming purity, and the 
 punching juftice of God. Thefe, however, confHtute 
 only apart of his character : and we muft either know 
 more of his peerlefs excellence, and fupreme perfection, 
 than the law reveals, or have neither confidence in him, 
 nor peace of confeience — neither hope, nor holinefs. 
 
 The character of God which muft be known, in 
 order to our prefent fan 6riii cation and future happinefs, 
 reveals much more of his eternal excellence than is dis- 
 played in the moral precepts, and in their awful fancrion. 
 For they who are not acquainted with this character, 
 
 ' Acts xvii. %j. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANJUFRED, 167 
 
 except fo far as the violated law has taught them ; have 
 no more knowledge of it than Adam had, immediately 
 after his firft offence, and before divine mercy was re- 
 vealed. Our original father, at that unhappy moment, 
 knew enough of his Maker's character to fill him with 
 terror, and to drive him from the divine prefence ; but 
 norhing at all that excited efteem or veneration, confi- 
 dence or love ; nor yet repentance, or genuine forrow 
 for fin, and felf abafement before his affronted Sovereign. 
 For we find that he, and his partner in difobedience, 
 were thoroughly difpofed, had it been in their power, 
 to have exculpated themfelves, by charging the blame 
 upon others. The woman ivhom thou gave/I to be with 
 me, Jhe gave me of the tree— -The ferpent beguiled me — 
 were their pleas ; without any confeflicn of guilt, or any 
 petition for pardon. Having no knowledge of the divine 
 character, befides that which fuited the Jaw of their 
 creation, and their (late of innocence, they could have no 
 hope, till mercy was revealed: and, among finners, 
 where there is no hope, there is no holinefs — no abhor- 
 rence of fin, as to its intrinfic eviJ ; nor any genuine 
 felf-aba fement before Gcd. * For, a fenfe of religion, 
 * without hope, is a ftate of phrenzy and diffraction ; 
 « void of all inducements to love and obedience *.' 
 
 * Bp. SHEHLOCK'j Ufc and Intent of Prophecy, p. 69. London, 
 1726. 
 
l68 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 It is in virtue of evangelical truth, of gracious promifes, 
 and of hope, that the hearts of Tinners are fan&ified. 
 For thus it is written ; Ye have purified your fouls in 
 obeying the truth, through the Spirit — Whereby are 
 given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes : that 
 by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature — 
 Having these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe 
 ourf elves from all fdthinefs of Jlijh and fpirit, perfecting 
 holinefs in the fear of God — We Jhall be like him, for tve 
 flmll fee him as he is : and every man that hath this hope 
 in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure* — 
 Does the mod holy bellow any meafure of fanc~tifying 
 influence on depraved creatures ? it is becaufe there is 
 forgivenefs with him, and as the Go d of peace. For thus 
 the Apoftle prays ; The very God of peace, or the God 
 of peace himfclf, fanclify you wholly f . But, under that 
 amiable character, he does not appear, except as in 
 Chrifl, and as reconciling the nvorld unto himfelf\. — We 
 may fafely conclude, therefore, that he whofe know- 
 ledge of the divine character is derived merely from the 
 law, knows little more of the glorious God than maybe 
 learned from what is denominated, Natural Religion; 
 and is far from having, either that profound refpect for 
 him, of which this Author fpeaks, or any degree of 
 confidence in him. We are afTured, however, that 
 
 * i Peter, i. 22. 2 Pet. i. iv. 2 Cor. vii. 1. I John. iii. 
 2, 3. f 1 Theff. v. 23. I 2 Cor. v. 19. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 1 69 
 
 confidence in God is con netted with a knowledge of his 
 character. For thus it is written ; They that know thy 
 Name will put their trujl in thee*- 
 
 In what manner, then, is the character of God 
 reprefented by the pen of Infallibility, fo as to exhibit 
 encouragement fur finners to trull: in him? Thus the 
 Eternal proclaims his mod fablimeName, and explains 
 its comprehenfive import: Jehovah pajfed by before 
 him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, God, mer- 
 ciful and gracious, long-fuffering and abundant in goodnefs 
 and truth; keeping mercy for thoufands, forgiving iniquity, 
 and tranfgrejfion, and fin, and that will by no means clear 
 the guilty \. Here the Moil: High appears, as it were, 
 in perfon, profefledly to publifh the import of his own 
 moft glorious Name ; that Name, for the fake of which 
 he pardons offences, and performs his promifes ; that 
 Name, for the honour of which he difpenfes the richelt. 
 bleffings on his chofen people, and inflids the moft awful 
 punifhments on his hardened enemies :(:. — Again, the 
 King Eternal fays, There is no God elfe beftdes me ; A 
 just God and a Saviour ; there is none beftdes me. 
 
 * Pfalm ix. 10. 
 
 f Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. See Chap, xxxiii, 18, 19. 
 
 { Pfalm xxv. 11. xxxi. 3. lxxix. 9. cix. ai. cxliii. II. 
 Ifaiah xlviii. 9, II. Ezek. xxxvi. 21. Numb. xiv. 17, 18. 
 Pfalm cxv. 1. Ezek. xxxvi. aa, aj. Jofhua vii. 9. Ezek. 
 xx. 9. 
 
 P 
 
170 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 Look unto Me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth ^. 
 Now, in thefe ancient oracles, which exprefsly declare 
 the divine character, that character appears to be as 
 rich with fovereign grace, as it is bright with eternal 
 holinefs ; and as alluring with pardoning mercy as it is 
 tremendous with puniihing juftice. But where, except 
 in the crofs of Chriii, are the grace and holinefs, the 
 mercy and juftice of God, united and realifed, according 
 to the venerable import of thefe characters ? Or how, 
 except by the doctrine of redemption, fhall we behold 
 the crofs of Chrift, as exhibiting the divine character? 
 Such, however, is that Name, by which the Great 
 Invifible will be known by all his people : under which 
 Name, he will be trufted and loved, adored and obeyed. 
 
 The following declarations alfo, 'enter deeply into the 
 divine character, as revealed to the ancient Jewifh church. 
 Thou art a God of pardons ; gracious and merciful, flow 
 to anger, and of great hindnefs — There is for given efs with 
 Thee that thou mayefl be feared : and it is with a direct 
 view to the divine character as thus defcribed, that the 
 people of God are heard, in a tranfport of joy, to 
 exclaim ; Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth 
 iniquity, and paffeth by the tranfgrejjion of the remnant of 
 his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, becaufe 
 
 * Ifaiah xlv. ai, aa. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I 7 I 
 
 h: deljghteth in r, t r.-y *i — Thus is the infinite God 
 charaeterifed in the Old Tcilament: .nor can we fuppofe 
 that his efTential goodnefs, and pardoning mercy, are 
 lefs confpicuous in the New. No: there he is charac- 
 terifed, The Father of mercies — the God of all grace — 
 the God of love — the God of hope — and the God of peace -\. 
 Nay, the difciple whom Jefus loved, gives the divine 
 character in two firigle words. To denote the glory 
 of fupreme holinefs, he fays, God is light: and, molt 
 emphatically to exprefs the infinitude of divine goodnefs, 
 he fays, once and again, God is love J. In each of 
 thefe delightful and comprehenfive fayings, the Apoftle 
 has a direct regard to thofe difcoveries which the Eternal 
 has made of himfelf in the work of redemption by Jefus 
 Chrift. — God is light : God is love. Thefe two 
 ideas united, conditute a character fupremely beautiful, 
 and fupremely venerable — a character, which encourages 
 confidence, excites hope, and commands reverence. 
 This character expreffes, in the mod fublime and concife 
 manner, the import of thofe ancient oracles already 
 produced, from the writings of Mofes, and of Ifaiah. 
 They that knoiv God, as thus revealed, wi// put their 
 trvfl in him. 
 
 * Nehem. ix. 17. (Margin). Pfalm exxx. 4. Micah. viji. 
 j8. 
 
 f % Cor. i. 3. Rom. xvi. 2a Heb. xiii. 20. 1 Pet. v. 10. 
 % Cor. xiii. II. Rom. xv. 13. 
 
 \ 1 John i. 5. iv. 8, i6 v 
 
1/2 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 Sinners mujl approve the divine charatler — mujl be 
 heartily reconciled to God and his law ; before they can be 
 reconciled to the grace of God through Chri/l. But, if 
 they be fo reconciled, previous to believing in Jefus, 
 and to a view of revealed mercy, it fhould feem as if 
 they had not much occafion for either faith, or grace, 
 or Chiift. Becaufe it mult be admitted, that perfons 
 of fuch piety are already accepted of God, bear his 
 image, and are in the way to heaven. A fmall degree 
 of affiftance from Chrift, and from grace, may be necef- 
 fary, perhaps, to expedite their progrefs in the heavenly 
 road j on which, without regarding fovereigri mercy 
 and atoning blood, they have fo happily entered; and to 
 render them a little more comfortable under the afflictions 
 with which they meet. But, certainly, as they already 
 approve the divine character, and have made fuch 
 advances in fanclification ; they cannot beiieve in Chrifl: 
 as juftifying the ungodly, nor confider themfelves as 
 entirely unworthy. Becaufe, on a comparifon with 
 unregenerate perfons, who have always conftituted a 
 vaft majority of mankind, their moral worth is very 
 great. For they who approve the divine character, 
 and are heartily reconciled to God and his law, mult be 
 viewed by all the world, as the cordial friends, and the 
 willing fervanis of God. — On the principles of this 
 Author, therefore, we may fafely alTert, that their hearts 
 are holy, their character honourable, and their itate 
 fecure, without any dependence on fovereign grace, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I 7^ 
 
 and without believing in the great Mediator : fo that 
 they are actually in the way to heaven, without regarding 
 either grace, or Chrift. Eternal election does not more 
 firmly afcertain the future holinefs of its objects, than 
 being * heartily reconciled to God in his law,' fecures 
 the everlafting felicity of all thofe to whom that charac- 
 ter belongs, Becaufe, being fo reconciled, they are in 
 pofTeffion of that holinefsy without which, no onejhall fee 
 the Lord : and, confequently, in a ftate of preparation 
 for the heavenly worl(^ There is not, there cannot 
 be any more danger of God abandoning thofe to ever- 
 lading peidition, who are become his cordial friends; 
 than there is of his reverfmg the decree of election. Are 
 multitudes of oiur fpecies under a divine curfe ? it is as 
 rebels againft God, as habitually difappro'ving of his 
 character, and as difaffeffed to his law. Are numbers 
 configned over to final ruin ? it is as enemies to God, as 
 hating his character, and as averfe to his government. 
 For, as a certain writer fays, c Nothing that loves God 
 « can perifh.' 
 
 Nor, on our Author's- principles, is it only in a future 
 ftate, that the characters under confideration are fure of 
 bleffednefs. For, previous to any reliance, either on 
 divine grace, or on Jefus Chrift; and even before they 
 are permitted to rely on the one or the other; they rauft 
 have a confiderable degree of true happinefs. Becaufe 
 it feems impolTible for any reafonabl e creature to I 
 P 2 
 
174 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 really miserable, wherever he exift, while he « approves 
 ' the divine character, and is heartily reconciled to God 
 
 * and his law.' For fuch an one voluntarily fanctifies 
 the name, the perfection, the government of God*. 
 He fincerely unites with faints on earth, and with 
 angels in heaven, in loving and adoring the Supreme. 
 As a fincere approbation of the character and govern- 
 ment of God is, in every ftage of our exigence, efTential 
 to human happinefs ; and as, wherever, in the wide 
 creation, fuch an holy approbation is more or lefs 
 wanting, there is a proportional degree of guilt and 
 mifery ; fo happinefs is, by divine eonftitution, attached 
 to that approbation, and muft attend the perfon who 
 
 * is heartily reconciled to God and his law.' — Nor is 
 this the language of mere theory: for every belieyer 
 knows by experience, that, whatever his afflictions and 
 trials may be, he always feels himfelf happy, when con- 
 fcious of his being ' heartily reconciled to God and his 
 ' law.' While that is the cafe, he imitates our Perfect 
 Pattern ; and his language is, Not my willy but thine be 
 done. But the fuppoiition of any one fo approving the 
 divine character, being fo reconciled to the government 
 of God, zndfanclifymg the Lord God in his heart, before 
 he believes the gracious gofpel, or depends on Jejiis 
 Chrift, is an opinion abfolutely unfounded. 
 
 * Lev. x. 3. Ifa. viii. 13. xxix. 23. 1 Pet. iii. 15. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 175 
 
 The reafon of ao holy difpofition, or a virtuous turn 
 of heart, being requifite, previous to faith in Jefus Chrift, 
 is thus exprefTed. « The neceflity of the finner's exer- 
 4 cifing virtue, antecedent to his juftification, and in 
 
 * order to it, is not becaufe he needs any wonhinefs of 
 ' his own, or can have any ; but becaufe by this alone 
 
 * can his heart be fo united to the Mediator, as to be 
 1 the proper ground of his being looked upon and treated 
 
 * as fo far One with him, as that his merit and righte- 
 
 * oufnesmaybeproperlyimputed to him, or reckoned in his 
 favour, fo as to avail for his pardon and juftification *.' 
 
 That the principle which I oppofe has a natural ten- 
 dency to feed felf-righteous hope, in the heart of a 
 formalift, and to harrafs the awakened finner with def- 
 ponding fear, has been already obferved. This 
 pernicious tendency principally arifes, from its corrupt- 
 ing the doctrine of juftification before God. For, under 
 the influence of this anti-evangelical fentiment, our 
 Author very plainly maintains, That fomething befides 
 the righteoufnefs of Chrift, as revealed in the gofpel, and 
 freely imputed to him that believes, is abfolutely necef- 
 fary to juftification. That fomething, he tells us, is 
 virtue, and the cxercife of it — to an eminent degree ; 
 as we have feen under the laft objection. This virtue 
 he exprefsly pronounces necefTary, antecedent, and in 
 order to juftification, But if fo, the Moft High does 
 
 * Mr. S. HoPKINs'j Tivo Difcourfes, p. 32, 33. Note. 
 
17^ OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 not, as Paul reprefents him, juftify the ungodly *. No : 
 it is the finner as become truly virtuous, or as pofTefTed 
 of moral worth. — In ftrong contradiction to himfelf, 
 however, this Writer fays ; Not that the finner * needs 
 any worthinefs of his own, or can have any.' But, is 
 nothing to be called tvorthinefs, which does not enable 
 a man to claim acceptance with God, as a. legal debt ? 
 Or is he afhamed of the term worthinefs, while he retains 
 the thing ? For what is the exerdfe of virtue? what is 
 an approbation of the divine character ? what is an hearty 
 reconciliation to God and his law, but moral nvorthinefs? 
 Whatever our Author may think or fay of thefe things, 
 the generality of others, I doubt not, will confider them 
 as exceedingly amiable, as morally excellent, as worthy 
 the greateft faint, and as highly approved by the Mod 
 Holy. — While this Author utterly renounces the doc- 
 trine of Roman Catholics, reflecting the merit ofcondig- 
 nity f ; he feems to approve their notion of merit, with 
 regard to congruity. That notion, hov/ever, was held 
 in deteftation by our old Proteftant writers, both Lu- 
 therans and Calvinifts, as inimical to the doctrine of 
 Scripture ; and is defervedly exploded by the Thirteenth 
 Article of the Church of England. 
 
 It is only by the exercife of this virtue, that the heart 
 ef a finner can be fo united to Chr'tfl, as to be the ground of 
 
 * Rom. iv. 5. f Tifo Bifcourfes, p. 30, 31. Note. 
 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 177 
 
 his righteoufnefs being imputed, for pardon and j unification* 
 The only ground, then, on which our Lord's obedience 
 can be imputed to Tinners, is, — not their having been 
 cbofen in him, before the foundation of the world ; not 
 his relation to them, under the character of a fubftitute ; 
 nor the vicarious nature of his perfect work ; but, their 
 o wn virtue, their excellent moral qualities, or the good- 
 nejs of their own hearts in cleaving to Jefus Chrifl ! Yes, 
 they having the virtue to efteem Chrifl:, God has the 
 benignity to love them. But, as their virtue is not quite 
 complete, he, to manifeft his delight in virtue, and to 
 fupply its imperfections, grants them the benefit of our 
 Lord's imputed righteoufnefs. Thus our own obedi- 
 ence becomes a pedeftal, on which the righteoufnefs of 
 Chrifl: may (land exalted ; and whence, having fuch an 
 excellent bafis, it appears to great advantage ! For, 
 according to this dogma, it is by the co-operation of 
 human worthinefs, and of divine grace, that finners 
 obtain both pardon andjufHfication. 
 
 Never, to the bell: of my recollection, did I meet with 
 a more palpable corruption of that capital article, jfujli- 
 fication before God, by any writer who did not explode 
 the doctrine of imputed righteoufnefs, than that in the 
 words to which I refer ! The doctrine of our Author, 
 in this refpect, is indeed too nearly akin to that of the 
 Schoolmen, and of the council of Trent. For thus Dr. 
 Owen, relative to the Popifh doctrine of acceptance 
 
I78 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 with God. « This [firft] juflification, they fay, is by 
 'faith; the obedience and fatisfaction of Chrifl: being 
 « the only meritorious caufe thereof. Only they difpute 
 
 * many things about preparations for it, and difpofttions 
 ' unto it. Under thofe terms the council of Trent 
 ' included |he doctrine of the Schoolmen about merit um 
 1 de congruo % .' > — Thus, alfo, Mr. James Hervey, 
 when addrefling Mr. J. Wesley : * What can be meant 
 
 * by, Chrifl fhall profit you nothing, if he be circumcifed? 
 ' If ye make circumcifion, or any thing whatever, 
 
 * befides the righteoufnefs of Chrifr, neceffary to your 
 
 * acceptance with God, ye (hall receive no advantage 
 
 * from all that the Redeemer has done and fuffered. 
 
 * This is to halt between works and grace* between 
 
 * Chrifl: and felf : and fuch divided regards, he will 
 1 interpret as an affront, rather than an acceptable homage > 
 
 * Indeed, this is, in Chriftians, the grand apoftacy. 
 
 * By this they deny the fufhciency of their Saviour's 
 
 * raoft confummate righteoufnefs — and muft expect no 
 
 * falvation, but by doing the whole law. — If any one fay, 
 ' that man is jufr'ified only by the imputation of ChrijT s 
 
 * righteoufnefs, or only by the remijfwn of fins, without 
 
 ' THE CO-OPERATION OF INHERENT GRACE AND HOLY 
 
 1 love, let him be accurfd. Thus dogmatizes, and 
 s thus anathematizes, that Mother of falfehoods, 
 
 * Do firine ofjujiifi cation, Chap. V. Vide CkEMNITIUM, Exam. 
 ConcU. Trident, p- 156. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I 79 
 
 * [the Church of Rome, in the Council of Trent.] 
 1 Choofe now your fide. For my part, I renounce 
 
 * and abjure the proud and iniquitous decree. If you 
 f perfilf. in your prefent opinion, there will be an apparent 
 1 harmony between youifelf and Rome, but an effential 
 
 * difference between yourfelf and Afpafio *.' 
 
 The necejjity of thejinner's exerc'ifing virtue, antece- 
 dent to his j unification, and in orde r to it; and fo on. 
 How contrary this to the language of Tnfpiration, 
 relative to a finner's acceptance with God ! of which 
 the following pafTages are a fpecimen. * The Pharifee 
 
 * flood and prayed thus with himfelf : God, I thank 
 4 thee, that I am not as other men are — The Publican, 
 
 * (landing afar off, would not lift up fo much as his eyes 
 1 to heaven, but fmote upon his breaft, faying, God be 
 i merciful to me A sinner. I tell you this man went 
 ■ down to his houfe juflified rather than the other. 
 ' For every one that exalteth himfelf,' by pleading his 
 own virtuous exercifes, * (hall be abafed; and he who 
 6 humbleth himfelf/ by fincerely confefling that he is 
 abfolutely unworthy, and by cafting himfelf at the feet 
 of fovereign mercy, * fhall be exalted — I am notafhamed 
 
 * of the gofpel of Chrift ; — for therein is the righteoufnefs 
 1 of God revealed/ not from one exercife of virtue to 
 another, but « from faith to faith — The righteoufnefs of 
 
 * Eleven Letters to Mr. J. Wesley, p.. 6a, 256. 
 
iBo OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 * God without the law,' which requires the exercife of 
 virtue, is manifefted— even the righteoufnefs of God ; 
 
 * which is,' notby virtue, but < by faith of Jefus Chrift, unto 
 < all, and upon all them that believe — Being juftified/ 
 not as exercifing virtue, but < freely by his grace — 
 ' That he might be juft, and the juftifier/ not of him that 
 is virtuous, but * of him that believeth in Jefus/ all 
 finful as he is. ' Where is boafiing then ? It is excluded. 
 
 * By what law ? of works, or virtue ? Nay, but by the 
 
 * law/ or doctrine ? of faith. Therefore we conclude, 
 
 * that a man is juftified without the deeds of the law/ 
 01 the exercife of virtue — « If Abraham was juftified by 
 ' works/ or thro' the co-operation of his own virtuous 
 exercifes, * he hath whereof to glory ; but not before God. 
 
 * For what faith the Scripture ? Abraham believed God, 
 
 * and it was counted to him for righteoufnefs. Now to 
 
 * him that worketh/ in the exercife of moral virtue, 
 
 * is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But 
 
 * to him that worketh not/ nor is difHnguimed by virtuous 
 exercifes ; * but believeth on him that juftifieth the un- 
 ' godly/ and therefore entirely deftitute of all true 
 virtue ; * his faith is counted for righteoufnefs. Even 
 
 * as David defcribeth the bleffednefs of the man, unto 
 
 * whom God imputeth righteoufnefs without works,' 
 or virtuous exercifes of the heart and life: c Saying, 
 ' BleiTed are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, and 
 ' whofe fins are covered. BlefTed is the man to whom 
 the Lord will not impute fin — If they which are of the 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. l8l 
 
 * law,' or of moral virtue, ' be heirs, faith is made 
 
 * void, and the promife of none effect — Therefore it is/ 
 not of moral virtue, but * of faith, that it might be by 
 
 * grace,' independent of our own virtue ; to the end the 
 
 * promife might be fure to all the feed — As many as are 
 
 * of the works of the law,' or of moral virtue, ' are 
 
 * under the curfe — What things were gain to me, thofe 
 
 * I counted lofs for Chrift. Yea, doubtlefs, and T 
 1 count all things but lofs for the excellency of the 
 ' knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord : for whom I 
 ' have fuftered the lofs of all things, and do couni them 
 
 * but dung, that I may win Chrift, and be found in him, 
 ' not having mine own righteoufnefs, , or moral virtue, 
 1 which is of the law ; but that which is through the 
 ' faith of Chrift, even the righteoufnefs which is of 
 ' God by faith — The Gentiles which followed not after 
 
 * righteoufnefs ;' were not concerned about moral virtue; 
 
 * have received* righteoufnefs, even the righteoufnefs 
 
 * which is by faith. But Ifrael, which followed after 
 
 * the law of righteoufnefs, hath not attained to the law 
 1 of righteoufnefs. Wherefore ? Becaufe they fought 
 
 * it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law ;' 
 or in the exercife of moral virtue, and by obedience to 
 ceremonial inftitutes f . 
 
 * KxTiXseoS, apprebendcrunt. Vulgate, Montanus, Gro- 
 T1US. 
 
 fLukexviii.il — 14. Rom. i. 1 6, 17. iii. ai — 28. iv. 
 3 — 16. Gal. iii. 10. Philip iii. 8, 9. Rom. ix. 30, 31.3a. 
 P 
 
l82 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 A little to illuftrate the laft of thefe paffages, it may 
 be obferved ; That though our Tranflators have ufed 
 the word attained, in each member of the contrail here 
 formed ; the original terms employed by the Apoftle 
 are different, and mud in this connection have different 
 meanings. The Jews followed after the law of righteouf- 
 nefs ; they earnellly fought acceptance with God by 
 their own obedience. But, notwithftanding all their 
 exertions, they did not attain (ov* t<p$-*rt) to the law 
 of righteoufnefs ; or to righteoufnefs and j unification by 
 the law. Whereas the Gentiles, being inveloped in igno- 
 norance, and funk in fenfuality, followed not after 
 righteoufnefs ; had little or no concern about acceptance 
 with God, x and righteoufnefs for that puq^ofe. But, 
 though thus inattentive to their immortal interefts, they 
 have received, (xarih*£i) as a free gift *, that righteouf- 
 nefs which the gofpel reveals f , even the righteoufnefs 
 which is by faith. — To attain righteoufnefs, denotes dejire, 
 dtjign, exertion, for that end. Thefe, Paul informs us, 
 the Gentiles had not : and therefore he ufes a word 
 anfwering to the term received. The Jews dejired 
 righteoufnefs, aimed at righteoufnefs, purfued righteouf- 
 nefs, andfucceedednot: the Apoftle, therefore, employs 
 terms correfponding to the words, attained not %. 
 
 * Rom. v. 17. f Rom. i. 16, 17. 
 
 \ Of* i<pd-anrt. Thus Beza on the text : ■ <$ht<encn feBabaw 
 1 tur. t* P* ef/aitovT*. Ubi igitur opera prseparationis ? — Gentes 
 ' cnim non modo non fe&ahantur legem juftitiae, fed etiam earn 
 
OBJCTIONS ANSWERED. I 83 
 
 4 Nothing,' fays Dr. Owen, * feems to be more con- 
 4 trary unto reafon, than what is here made manifeft 
 
 * by the event. The Gentiles who lived in fin and 
 
 * pleafure, not once endeavouring to attain unto any 
 4 righteoufnefs before God, yet attained unto it upon the 
 4 preachingofthegofpel. Ifrael, on the other hand, which 
 
 * followed after righteoufnefs, diligently in all the works 
 
 * of the law and duties of obedience unto God thereby, 
 1 came fhort of it, attained not unto it. All preparations, 
 1 all difpoftions, all merits, as unto righteoufnefs and 
 
 * justification, are excluded from the Gentiles. For in 
 
 * all of them there is, more or lefs, a following after 
 4 righteoufnefs ; which is denied of them all. Only by 
 
 * faith in Him who jujtijieth the ungodly, they attain 
 
 * righteoufnefs, or they attained the righteoufnefs of 
 4 faith. For to attain righteoufnefs by faith, and to attain 
 
 * the righteoufnefs of faith, ,u c the lame thing. Where- 
 
 * fore, all things that are co.nprucd any way in following 
 
 ' fugiebantatque illi bellum indixera;it. i With this, his Note on 
 I Tim. i. 13. may be compared ; where, among other things, 
 he fays, ' En merita preparations quas profert Apoiiclus ! — 
 4 M'fericordla fum donatus, »x.4»-3-h. Hoc non video qui poffis 
 
 • Latine, fervato ordine, paflivo verbo, explicare : nam miferatus 
 4 nonnifi active dicitur. Vulgata, Mifricordiam Dai c*nfscut«$ 
 
 * fum — Erasmus, Mfericordlam adeptus fum. Neutra intcrc*e- 
 4 tatio mihi fatis placuit. Dicimur enim ea eonjequi et adfplfci 
 1 que captamtu At Pauhis Chriftum non modo non quaxebat, 
 4 fed etiam crudelimme perfequebatur.' Vid- Calvinum in 
 loc. 
 
184 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 ' after righteoufnefs , fuch as are all our duties and works, 
 
 * are excluded from any influence into our juftification. 
 ' And this is expreffed to declare the fovereignty and 
 
 * freedom of the grace of God herein ; namely, that we 
 
 * are juftified > /ra > /y by his grace, and that on our part all 
 ■ boafting is excluded. Let men pretend what they 
 
 * will, and difpute what they pleafe, thofe who attain 
 
 * unto righteoufnefs and juftification before God, when 
 
 * they follow not after righteoufnefs ; they do it by the 
 ' gratuitous imputation of the righteoufnefs of another 
 
 * unto them *.' 
 
 Where, now, either in the preceding, or in any other 
 paffages of holy Writ, (hall we find our Author's doc- 
 trine, refpecling * the neceflity of a finner's exercifing 
 ' virtue, antecedent to his juftification, and in order to it ?* 
 Where, in the Oracles of God, is that union with Chrift , 
 which conftitutes the proper ground of his righteoufnefs 
 being imputed to us, reprefented as arifing from the 
 exercife of our own virtue ? Or where, in the infpired 
 Volume, do we perceive any thing faid, about the hearts 
 of fmners being united to Chrift, previous to faith in 
 him, and juftification by him ? Nay, our Author himfelf 
 feems to contradict this, by elfewhere faying; * He who 
 
 * bclieveth not in Chrift, is notfo united to him and in him, 
 * as that his merit and righteoufnefs — -may be properly 
 
 * DoSrine of Jujtlf cation, Chap. XVII I. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 1%$ 
 
 1 imputed to him, or reckoned to his account — The Son 
 ' of God, who is equal with God, and is God, — is ready 
 « to pardon and fave all that come unto him ; to which 
 
 * all, even the mofl guilty and vile, are freely invited*.' 
 
 ■ They, whom our Lord invites, and whom the gof- 
 { pel encourages to believe in him, are defcribed as 
 
 * labouring under a burden ; as thir/ly, and fo on.' True : 
 but muft we confider that burden, or this thirfl, as the 
 mark of a gracious change having taken place in their 
 hearts; as an holy qualification for acceptance with 
 Chrift ; or as authorifing them to believe in him ? If fo, 
 the gofpel, as already proved, mould be preached to 
 none but thofe who are born of God — that are, to a 
 confiderable degree, fandHfied — that are already in the 
 way to heaven ; and thofe who are, in Scripture, deno- 
 minated finners, have no encouragement. Whereas, 
 our Lord's commiflion was ; Preach the gofpel, or pro- 
 claim the glad tidings, to every creature: and his invi- 
 tation is, Come, and take freely — without money and ' 
 without price. 
 
 The burden which is here meant, by our compan- 
 ionate Saviour, feems to be no otherthanfrz////, opprefling 
 the confcience j of which the awakened finner labours 
 to get rid, by means of his own devifing: and the thirjl, 
 
 * Tivo Difcourfts, p. 15, 91, 92, 
 
 P 2- 
 
1%6 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 an earned defire ofhappinefs, in the attainment of fuch 
 objects as cannot afford it. Now, a burden and a thirfl 
 of this kind are frequently experienced by thofe who 
 are unregenerate, and far from having the leaft degree of 
 holinefs. Cain, for example, the firftborn of woman, 
 Felt that burden, and complained of it, as too heavy for 
 him to bear*; though he was, and continued to be, an 
 enemy to God. Judas, alfo, experienced the ^weight of 
 that burden, to an intolerable degree; funk under its 
 preffure; and perifhed without remedy f. Whence it 
 appears, that the deeped fenfe of guilt, and the mod: 
 alarming apprehenfions of eternal juin, are, detached 
 from other confiderations, no evidence of love to God; 
 no proof of fan&ifying influence; nor any indication 
 that the fubjecls of them are in the way to holinefs and 
 happinefs. — Yet, as Dr. Owen has well obferved, 
 « Some, finding this fenfe of Jin, with thofe other things 
 * that attend it, wrought in them, in fome meafure, begin 
 ' to think, that now all is well : this is all that is of them 
 ' required. They will endeavour to make a life, from 
 ' fuch arguments of comfort as they can take from this 
 ' trouble. They think this aground of peace, that they 
 « have not peace. Here fome take up before converfion, 
 « and it proves their ruin. Becaufe they are convinced 
 ' of fin, and troubled about it, and burdened with it, 
 « they think it fhall be well with them. But, were not 
 
 * Gen. iv. 13. f Matt, xxvii. 3, 4, 5, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I 87 
 
 c Cain, Efau, Saul, Ahab, Judas, convinced of fin, and 
 « burdened with it ? Did this profit them ? Did it intcreft 
 ' them in the promifes ? Did not the wrath of God over- 
 ' take them, notwithstanding ? So it is with many daily: 
 
 * they think their conviclion is converfton; and that their 
 
 * fins are pardoned, becaufe they have been troubled — 
 
 * For a foul to place the fpring of its peace or comfort in 
 
 * any thing of its own, is to fall fhort of Chrifr, and* take 
 
 * up in/elf. We rauft not only be jujlificd, but glory in 
 « him alfo. (Ifa. xlv. 25.) Men may make ufe of 
 
 * the evidence of their graces; but only as a medium to 
 ' a farther end: not as the rejl of the foul, in the leafr. 
 
 * And this deprives men's very humiliations of all gofpel 
 
 * humility. True humility confifts more in believing, 
 
 * than in being fenfible of fin. That's the foul's great 
 
 * felfemptying and abafing: this may confift with an 
 1 obflinate refolution to fcramble for fomething upon the 
 1 account of felfendeavours */ 
 
 Is the heavy-laden finner invited to Chrift ? it is, not 
 as qualj/ied by being burdened, but as guilty and peri/h- 
 ing, that he mud apply to the Saviour ; taking all his 
 encouragement fo to do, from the teftimony of God 
 concerning Jefus. — As to a thirjl of happinefs, it is na- 
 tural to intelligent beings : nor does it feem poffible for 
 any creature to pofTefs rational exigence, without defir- 
 
 * On the Hundred and Thirtieth Pfalm, p. 62, 6$. 
 
ioo OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 ing its own happinefs. But the clivine Oracles have 
 informed us, that finners may hunger for that which b 
 not bread, and thirft for that which cannot fatisfy. 
 
 Mr. Tilling hast, in anfwer to this objection, fays : 
 
 * When Chrift bids thofe that are weary and heavy-laden 
 
 * come to him, doth it therefore follow, [that] he ex- 
 
 * eludes all others? I grant, fuch are to come : and 
 fuch are moft backward and afraid to come, and there- 
 
 1 fore called. But doth it follow, therefore, that no 
 1 other mud: come ; and that thefe, and only thefe, are 
 
 * called ? If a prince fend forth [a] proclamation to a 
 ' company of traitors, to come in, and he will pardon 
 ' them ; and becaufe he knows that there are~fome few 
 
 * among them, that are fo fenfible of what they have 
 
 * done, and brought themfelves into by their rebellion, 
 
 * that they will never come upon this general proclama- 
 ' tion, but, for fear, will run away ; he therefore fends 
 
 * particularly to thefe, by name, Tou, and you, who 
 
 * dare not come for fear of being hanged; Come, I will 
 
 * pardon you, and you j doth it therefore follow, becaufe 
 1 they have a call, as it were by name, therefore now all 
 
 * the reft, who have a general call are excluded ? So 
 
 * here. — But this fain would I know, What is the 
 
 * ftate and condition that fouls are then in, when they 
 « are thus weary and heavy-laden ? Are they in the ftate 
 ' and condition of finners, or not ? Righteous, or un- 
 
 * righteous ? One [of thefe] they muft be. If you fay, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 189 
 
 * they are not Jinners, but righteous perfons ; then I 
 
 * alk, How came they [to be] thus ? Is it by their 
 
 * being weary and heavy laden, barely ? Or is it by 
 
 * their applying of the promife ? If it be by their being 
 ' weary and heavy-laden, then what need you prefs them 
 
 * to come to Chrid for judification ; when as they have 
 
 * the fame by this their qualification ? If it be by applying 
 ' the promife, or having it applied to them ; then it will 
 
 * follow, that, notwithstanding this their qualification, 
 ' that they arejimiers, and fo remain until they apply 
 ' the promife, or have it applied to them*.' 
 
 Thus, Mr. Thomas Boston : ' The third men- 
 tioned (Ifa.lv. 1.) [mud: not] be redricled to a 
 
 * grac ious third, a third after Chrid and his righteoufnefs. 
 
 * For fome, at lead, of the thirjling ones, to whom the 
 ' offer is there made, are /pending money for that which 
 
 * is not bread, and their labour for that which fatisfeth 
 ' not. But it is evident, that finners duly feniible, who 
 1 are thirding after Chrid and his righteoufnefs, are not 
 
 * fpending their money and labour at that rate ; but, 
 
 * on the contrary, for that which alone is bread, ai 
 
 * fatisfeth ; namely, Jefus Chrid, the true bread, which 
 1 came down from heaven. Wherefore, the thirft there 
 ■ meant, mud needs comprehend, yea, and principally 
 ' aim at, that third after happinefsand fatisfadion which, 
 
 * Six Treaties, p. 67, 68. London, 1663. 
 
I90 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 1 being natural, is common to all mankind. Men, 
 4 pained with this third, do naturally run, for quenching 
 1 thereof, to the empty creation, and their fulfome lufts : 
 6 and fo they fpcnd money for that which is not bread, and 
 1 their labour, for that which fatisfieth not ; finding 
 
 * nothing there that can fatisfy that their appetite, or 
 
 * thirft — As little is the folemn gofpel-offer (Matt. xi. 
 '28.) reftri&ed to a certain fet of men endowed with 
 i fome laudable qualifications, going under the name of 
 ' labouring and being heavy-laden : the which do, indeed, 
 
 * denote the rejlleffnefs natural to the finful foul of man, 
 
 * fpending its labour/or that which fatisfieth not. Our 
 
 * father Adam left his whole family with a confcience 
 
 * full of guilt, and a heart full of unfatisfied defires. 
 ' Thus we naturally having a reftlefs confcience, and a 
 
 * reftlefs heart, the foul as naturally falls a labouring for 
 
 * reft to them. And it labours in the barren region of 
 
 * the fiery law, for a reft to the confcience ; and in the 
 ' empty creation, for a reft to the heart. iW, after all, 
 
 * the confcience is ftill heavy-laden with guilt, — and the 
 
 * heartisftill under a load of unfatisfied defires. Soneither 
 f||he one, nor the other, can find reft indeed. This is 
 1 the natural cafe of all men : and to fouls thus labouring 
 1 and laden, Jefas Chrift calls, that they may come to him, 
 
 * and he will give them rejl : namely, a reft for their con- 
 ' fciences, under the covert of his blood ; and a reft to 
 
 * their hearts, in the enjoyment of God through him*.' 
 
 * Works, p. 227, 228. See alio, p. 84J. Note, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I9I 
 
 It has, with fome degree of confidence, been de- 
 manded ; ■ Whether, if finners mutt not come to Chrift 
 
 * as penitent, and as poflefling an holy difpofuion ; they 
 
 * are to believe in him, as impenitent, and as under the 
 
 * reigning power of their depravity V But this, like fome 
 other objections, is not pertinent. For the quefHon is, 
 What is the proper warrant for a finner to believe in 
 Jefus ? Not, What is the Jiate of his heart, in the mo- 
 ment when he firfl believes ? — Or, if the objection did 
 apply, it might be anlwered; Neither as a penitent, nor 
 as an impenitent finner : but merely under the character 
 of one that is guilty and perifhing. It was for fuch that 
 Jefus died : it is to fuch the tidings of falvation were 
 addreffed by the Apoflles : and, therefore, fuch are en- 
 couraged to believe in Chrift. The objector might, 
 confequently, with equal reafon have afked ; Whether, 
 in a public miniftry, falvation by the Redeemer fliould 
 be exhibited to penitents, or to impenitents ; to thofe 
 that have fome degree of holinefs, or to thofe who have 
 none? and then the anfwer would have been ; To nei- 
 ther thofe, nor thefe, refpectively as fuch : but to all of 
 them, without exception, as deferving condemnation 
 and final mifery. Nor is there any reafon to doubt, 
 whether he to whom, by divine 'authority, falvation 
 through Chrill is preached, be warranted to believe in 
 him. 
 
I9 2 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 It has been objected, < To affert that Tinners, while 
 ' deftitute of holinefs, are warranted to believe in Chrift; 
 
 * is to maintain, that they are authorifed to expecl the 
 
 * felicity of heaven, while their native love of fin conti- 
 
 * nues in all its force, and while they are hardened 
 ' rebels againft God.' But there is a great and palpable 
 difference between perfons, while in their native ftate, 
 being authorifed to believe in Jefus ; and their being 
 warranted, while in that condition, to expetl final hap- 
 pinefs. Yet this objeclion proceeds on a fuppofit/on, 
 that whoever is encouraged by the word of grace to de- 
 pend on Chrift ; is, at the very fame inftant, merely on 
 the fame ground, and while an unbeliever, equally au- 
 thorifed to expert everlafting life. : which is a grofs mif- 
 take. For he that believes in Chrift, relies on him as 
 
 jiiftifying the ungodly: but he who, on fcriptural grounds, 
 hopes for future felicity, expecls it as a believer ; as in 
 a juftified ftate; as having a turn of heart, in fome 'de- 
 gree fuited to the employments and enjoyments of hea- 
 ven. Becaufe, -without holinefs 9 no onejloallfee the Lord. — 
 Did Paul, for inftance, believe in Jefus ? it was under 
 the confideration of himfelf, as a blafphemer 9 a perfecutor, 
 and the chief ofjinners*. Did he rejoice in hope? it 
 was, as having received the atonement \ ; as bearing the 
 image of Chrift ; and as having a fpiritual relilh for 
 
 * I Tim. i. 13, 14, 15. f Rom. v. I, 2, II. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I93 
 
 heavenly things. The /inner believes : the believer 
 hopes. — Nor can any man believe in Chriil, and continue 
 a rebel againft God : for fovereign mercy, when it 
 relieves the confeience, alters the bias of the heart, and 
 forms the character anew. God, in the excrcife and 
 manifeftation of pardoning grace to rebels, makes them 
 his friends. Thus divine goodmfs leads to repentance, to 
 holinefs, and to hope of everlafting happinefs. There 
 Is forgive nefs with God, that he may be feared. 
 
 1 If we maintain that the ungodly are warranted to 
 »' believe in Jefus, there will be great danger of encou- 
 
 * raging a fuperflcial, Antinomian faith. Becaufe guilty 
 ' creatures, under the power of their depravity, are 
 
 * much more likely to approve the character of Chrifl, 
 
 * when reprefented as willing to receive the altogether 
 
 * unholy ; than if he were confidered as receiving none 
 
 * but thole who are cordially difpofed to perform the 
 
 * divine precepts.' 
 
 That the fentiment for which I plead, may be profti- 
 tuted to licentious purpofes; and that, in certain inftances 
 it probably has been fo abufed, will be admitted. But, 
 be that as it may, Jefus mud either be fo exhibited in 
 a public miniftry, as to fuit the character, the ftate, the 
 circumftances of apoftate creatures, or there is no gofpel 
 for them. Befides, the mifapplication of any doctrine, 
 affords no argument againft, either its truth, or its impor- 
 ts 
 
*94 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 tance : becaufe the raoft excellent doctrines, and the 
 plaineft. pafTages of Scripture, have been frequently 
 abufed to execrable purpofes. 
 
 This objection feems to imply, that a felfrighteous 
 turn of heart, and pharifaical pride, make no part of 
 human depravity. For it apparently fuppofes, that 
 there is little or no danger of finners treating Chrifl 
 with difrefpect, except by confidering him as the minijler 
 of Jtn: or, of their oppofing the defigns of divine grace, 
 in any way > befides that of Iicentioufnefs. But it appears, 
 from Scripture, from experience, and from obfervation, 
 that finners are naturally and ftrongly inclined to feel; 
 juftification by the ivoris of the lanv; that a violent pro- 
 penfity to cherim the notion of felf-worthinefs, is an 
 efTential part of their natural depravity ; and that the 
 difrefpect with which Chi ill: is generally treated by them, 
 arifes principally from that quarter. Yes, their low 
 thoughts refpecling the evil of fin, and the high opinion 
 they form of their own character, are the chief fource 
 of that neglect with which they treat the divine Jefus, 
 and of all their oppofition to faving grace. Nay, fo 
 univerfal, and fo predominant is this propenfity to felf- 
 worthinefs, that, for one who abufes the fentiment here 
 defended, by converting it into an occafion of fin ; ten 
 ihoufand may be juftly confidered as dishonouring Chrifr, 
 and as rebelling againft God, under the pernicious 
 influence of that principle which I oppofe. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 1 95 
 
 It is a great miflake to imagine, that ungodly men 
 are fo ready to adopt the fentiment for which I contend. 
 Certain it is, from the hiftory of our Lord's miniflry, 
 and from the writings of Paul, that few things in the 
 preaching, either of Chrifr, or of the Apoflle, were fo 
 ofFenfive to perfons of refpe inability among the Jews, as 
 the doctrine which they preached, relative to pardon 
 and acceptance with God. The difcourfes of Jefus, 
 refpecting divine grace, were extremely ofFenfive to the 
 Scribes, the Pharifees, and the reputedly devout in 
 general. But, had the tenour of our Saviour's preach- 
 ing, or of his converfe among the people, been contrary 
 to the principle here avowed ; it is not fuppofable that 
 the Jews would have fo frequently complained of him, 
 and objected againfl his conduct, as they did. Witnefs 
 the following fayings: Why eateth your AT after with 
 publicans and Jinners ? — Behold — a friend of publicans 
 andfinners ! — Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and 
 Jinners ? — This man, if he were a prophet, would have 
 known who, and what manner of woman this is thai 
 toucheth him ; for Jhe is a Jinner — This man receiveth 
 Jinners, and eateth with them — They murmured faying , 
 That he was gone to he guejl with a man that is afn- 
 ner*. Now, it is evident, thefe murmur ers and objec- 
 tors were the reputedly devout ; fhofe who confidered 
 
 * Matt. ix. II. xi. 19. Luke v. 30. vii. 39. xv. a. 
 xix, ?. 
 
1 9^ ©EJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 themfelves, and were confidered by others, as poflefling 
 virtuous difpofitions and holy zeal : yet they were thofe 
 to whom our Lord addreffed himfelf in the following 
 manner ; Verily I fay unto you, That the publicans and 
 the harlots, the raoft profligate of both fexes, go into the 
 kingdom of heaven before you. For John came unto you 
 in the way of right eoufnefs, and ye believed him not; but 
 the publicans and the harlots believed him; and ye, when 
 ye hadfeen it, repented not afterward that ye might believe*. 
 
 Such was the treatment of Jefus, by the raoft refpec- 
 table part of the public ; and fuch was his language 
 concerning thofe who, under the fair pretext of zeal for 
 Kolinefs, rejected his doctrine, and perfecuted his per- 
 fon ! With reference to whom, when arguing on their 
 felfrighteous principles in vindication of his own conduct,, 
 he fpake three admirably gracious Parables at the fame 
 time, which Luke has recorded f. — Now, can it be 
 fuppofed, with any appearance of probability, that the 
 felfrighteous Jews would have caft fuch reflections on 
 the chara&er of Chrifl, as a public teacher, if he had 
 infilled on any degree of perfonal holinefs, as previously 
 necefTary to faith in revealed mercy, as the only ground 
 of acceptance with God ? Had our Lord, in the courfe 
 of his miniftry, from time to time afiured them, that 
 every one mult, prior to receiving his teftimony of 
 
 * Matt. xxi. 3*, 32. f Luke xv. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 197 . 
 
 pardoning mercy and believing in him, be heartily difpofed 
 to keep the commands of God ; they could not, with 
 any fliadow of reafon, have raifed fuch a clamour againfl 
 his doctrine and conduct. 
 
 That the miniitry of Paul was perfectly confident 
 with the fentiment here defended, appears from thofe 
 objections with which he meets, .and from the anfv/ers 
 which he leturns. ' Thus, for example: Some affirm that 
 we fay, Let us do evil, that good may come — Do we then 
 make void the law through faith ? — Shall we continue in 
 Jin, that grace may abound? — Shall we fin, becaufe <we are 
 not under the law, but under grace * P — Such were the 
 objections: and they imply, That, in the estimation of 
 thofe v/ho made them, the doctrine of Paul, implicitly, 
 or by neceffary confequence, vacated the authority of 
 God in his law — That believers, being delivered from 
 the law, as a covenant, or as prefcribing the condition 
 on which everlafting life is to be obtained, may fafely 
 continue in Jin — That fuch continuance in the practice 
 of fin, would illujlrate the riches, and manifefl the glory , 
 of divine grace — And that, by accumulating moral evil, 
 the highefl good would be promoted. 
 
 To fuch various and formidable objections was the 
 doctrine of Paul confidered, by multitudes, as juftly 
 
 * Rom. iii. j, 8, 31. vi. 1, 15. 
 
I98 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 expofed ! objections, however, which he repelled with 
 abhorrence, and refuted with eafe. But, could any 
 perfon of common undemanding, with the leaft appear- 
 ance of propriety, have made thefe objections to the gofpel 
 which Paul preached, if he had taught, That an holy 
 turn of hearty a difpojition to perform the commands of 'God \ 
 or the exercife of virtue, is previonfly neceffary to war- 
 rant a finner's dependence on Jefus Chrift for pardon 
 and peace ? Common fenfe, and a moment's reflection, 
 forbid the thought. For, on that fuppofition, he rauft 
 have laid the foundation of expecting any fpiritual benefit 
 from Chrift, in the previous., perfonal hohnefs of every 
 firmer who applies to him : which would have fubverted 
 the whole of his doctrine, reflecting the juftification of 
 finners before God. — Has it been ufual — I appeal to 
 the intelligent reader — has it been ufual, in modern 
 times, for the doctrine of religious teachers to be 
 charged with fuch confequences, or to be oppofed by 
 fuch objections \ when it was notorious, that they firmly 
 infifted on the neceflity of every one exercifmg virtue, 
 or porTeffing fome degree of true holinefs, in order to 
 warrant a reliance on Jefus Chrift for pardon and ac- 
 ceptance ? Was any teacher of religion ever charged 
 with making void the lanv ; or with implicitly faying, Let 
 us do evil, that good may' come; by thofe who heard his 
 difcourfes, or perufed his writings, in which he main- 
 tained, that no fmner is authorifed to believe in Chriit, 
 until he is d'ifpofed to obferve the divine precepts? Surely 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I99 
 
 not! or, if a fact, the objedor's conduct mud be confi- 
 dered as the efTufion of mental imbecility, as a violent 
 paroxyfm of prejudice, or as the virulence of deliberate 
 malice. 
 
 But if, on the contrary, we underftand Paul as 
 maintaining, That Chrift, with all his fulnefs of jfpi- 
 ritual bleilings, is free, perfeBly free for the vileft ; if we 
 confider him as encouraging the chief oi finners, merely 
 under the character of perifhing wretches, to rely on 
 Jefus for their immediate acceptance with God, and as 
 giving them aflurance that, in fo doing, they mail not 
 be difappointed ; if we further confider the Apoftle as 
 teaching, that the juftification of finners is merely, en- 
 tirely, abfolutely on the ground of our Lord's vicarious 
 obedience imputed ; then we perceive the true fource of 
 thefe objections. For that doctrine, in the eyes of all 
 whofe hearts are leavened with legal pride, will ever be 
 treated as an infult on moral virtue ; as inimical to the 
 divine law ; and as having the mod licentious tendency. 
 The fame do&rine, it is apparent, is oppofed by fimilar 
 objections in our own times : but, Wifdom is jujlified of 
 her children. 
 
 The principle for which I plead will be further 
 confirmed, if we take into confideration thofe replies 
 which the Apoftle made in defence of his doctrine. 
 How, then, does he anfwer the unfounded and calum- 
 
2DO OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 niating objections ? Not by faying, * No : I never af- 
 ' ferted, I never meant, that finners may believe in 
 
 * Chrift, for pardon and peace, before they are difpofed 
 ' to obferve the divine precepts. I always taught, that 
 ' they muft love God, or be virtuoufly inclined to per- 
 ' form his will, before they can acceptably believe in 
 
 * Chrift.' — But, inftead of replying in that manner, his 
 anfwers are ? It is aflanderous report ; and the damna- 
 tion of thofe who raifed it is juft — God forbid! yea, we 
 ejlablijh the law — God forbid! howfhall we that are dead 
 to fin, live any longer therein ? God forbid ! know ye not, 
 that to whom ye yield yourf elves fervants to obey, hisfervants 
 ye are to whom ye obey; whether of fin unto death, or of 
 obedience unto righteoufnefs ? But God be thanked, that 
 though, before ye believed in Jefus, ye were the fervants, 
 or flaves, of fin ; yet ye have obeyed from the heart that 
 
 form of doclrine which was delivered you** 
 
 Here we fee, that Paul repels and refutes the objec- 
 tions, by ftrong negations; by mowing the abfurdity of 
 thofe grounds on which fome of them proceed ; and by 
 denouncing the judgment of God againft all thofe who 
 dared, out of hatred to evangelical truth, malicioufly to 
 flander the apoftolic miniftry. Tt mould be obferved, 
 however, that the Apoftle does not give the leaft intima- 
 tion of his doctrine having been mifunderftood, relative 
 
 • * Rom. iii. 8, 31. vi. 3, 15, 16, 17. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 201 
 
 to the moral Jlate of thofe whom' he encouraged to 
 believe in Jefus, for the remiflion of fins, and acceptance 
 with God. — To prove that none can juflly confider 
 themfelves as having already believed in Chrift, except 
 they be cordially difpofed to holy obedience, his replies 
 are pertinent and ftrong : but they do not in the leaft 
 imply, that finners muft have fome degree of holinefs, 
 or that they muft exercife virtue, before they are war- 
 ranted to believe in him. The want of obferving this 
 obvious diftinction, feems to be the principal reafon of that 
 confufion which often attends the ideas of ferious perfons 
 on this important fubjecl ; and of thofe miftakes into 
 which they fall, relative to the true ground of a finner's 
 application to Chrifl, by which their confciences are 
 frequently fo much embarrafTed. 
 
 Once more: It may, perhaps, be objected; 'The 
 
 * principle defended infers the doctrine of general redemp- 
 
 * tion. y To this I anfwer, in the words of Dr. Owen. 
 1 Many difputes there are, whether Chr'ijl died for all 
 1 individuals of mankind, or no. If we fay No, but only 
 
 * for the elect, who zxtfome of all forts : fome then tell 
 
 * us, we cannot invite all men promifcuoufly to believe. 
 4 But why fo ? We invite not men, as all men ; no man, 
 ' as one of all men ; but all men as finners : and we 
 
 * know that Chrift died for finners. But, is this the frfi 
 « thing, that we are, in the difpenfation of the gofpel, 
 ' to propofe to the foul of a finner, under the law, Thai 
 
202 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 4 Chrijl died for him in particular ? Is that the begin- 
 4 ning of our meflage unto him ? Were not this a ready 
 4 way to induce him to conclude, Let me then continue 
 4 in fin, that grace may abound ? No : but this is, in 
 
 * order of nature, our firft work ; even that we have had 
 4 in hand. This is the beginning of the gofpel of Jefus 
 
 * Chrift. This is the voice of one crying in the wildemefs, 
 
 * Prepare ye the way of the Lord. There is a way of 
 
 * reconciliation provided. God is in Chrift reconciling 
 4 the world to himfelf There is a way of acceptance: 
 4 there is forgivenefs with him to be obtained. At this 
 4 threjhold of the Lord's houfe, doth the greateft part 
 
 * of men to whom the gofpel is preached fall and perifh ; 
 
 * never looking in to fee the treafures that are in the 
 
 * houfe itfelf ; never coming into any fuch ftate and 
 
 * condition, wherein they have any ground or bottom to 
 
 * enquire, Whether Chrift died for them, in particular* 
 4 or no ? They believe not this report, nor take any 
 4 ferious notice of it. This was the miniftry of the 
 4 Baptift; and they who received it not, rejected the 
 4 counfelof Go d concerning their falvation ; and fo perifhed 
 4 in their fins. This is the fum of the bleffed invitation 
 4 given by Wifdom : and here men ftumble, fall, and 
 4 perifh. Luke vii. 10. Prov. ix. I — 5. i. 29, 30V 
 
 * Qntbt Hundred and Thirtktb Pfalm, p. 250. 
 
PRACTICAL TENDENCIES, ScC. 203 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SALUTARY AND PRACTICAL TENDENCIES OF 
 THE PRINCIPLE MAINTAINED. 
 
 1 HE truth, as it is in Jefus, being the dodlrine 
 according to godlinefs *, cannot but be adapted to practi- 
 cal purpofes ; and, therefore, muft have a falutary 
 influence on the hearts of all thofe who really believe it. 
 Of this nature is the fentiment for which I plead; as, 
 perhaps, may appear by the following conliderations. 
 
 It has a natural tendency to humble felf-righteous pride, 
 by annihilating all dijlinclions among men, rfpecling the 
 ground of their acceptance with God. Now this is per- 
 fectly agreeable to the genius of evangelical truth, and 
 to the nature of MefTiah's kingdom ; as appears by the 
 following prophetic Oracle, relative to the miniftry of 
 John the Baptift, and the commencement of golpel 
 times. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, mahejlraight in 
 the defert a highway for our God. Every valley fhall be 
 exalted, and every mountaim and hill Jhall be made low: 
 and the crooked fiall be made flraight, and the rough places 
 plain: and the glory of the Lord Jhall be revealed, and all 
 
 Mi 
 
 * Eph. iv* 21: • I Tim. vi. 3. Titus i. 1. . 
 
204 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 Jlefhy on one common level, and without the lead regard 
 to difference of character, Jhall fee it together; for the 
 mouth of the Lord hath fpohn it *. 
 
 As vain man nvoulcj, he wife, though born lihe a ivild 
 ajfes^s colt \ ; fo proud man would be righteous, though 
 guilty befoxe-Ood, and obnoxious to ruin. If, however, 
 the divine law be equitable, fmners are juftly accurfedj; 
 and, if their condemnation be righteous, they cannot 
 have the lead: hope, except through fovereign mercy. — 
 A fmall degree of difference from others, with regard 
 to exterior character, is commonly confidered, notwith- 
 ftanding, as recommending to the favour of God, and 
 as furriifhing a ground of hope, through Jefus Chrift. 
 Now, in whomfcever this perfuafion prevails, the gofpel 
 is underft ood as directing all the relief it reveals, to the 
 qualified, the virtuous, the worthy : not the guilty, the 
 vile, and the wretched. It is confidered, therefore, 
 not as adapted to humble the proud heart, and to relieve 
 the pained confeience ; but as maintaining a proper dis- 
 tinction between different characters, and as paying a 
 juft regard to human worth. While, confequently, to 
 multitudes, who think themfelves comparatively righte- 
 ous, it minifters food for felf importance; it leaves 
 others, who confider themfelves as the chief of finners, 
 without the lead foundation of hope.— The principle, 
 
 * Ifa. xl. 3, 4, 5. f Job xi. 12. | Gal. iii. 10. 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 205 
 
 however, for which I contend, has a directly contrary 
 tendency : for, in prophetic language, it levels moun- 
 tains, and elevates valleys. Or, in the words of our 
 Lord, it abafes thofe that are exalted, and exalts thofe 
 that are abafed*. Becaufe it maintains, that there is 
 the very fame ground of encouragement, and to an equal 
 degree, for men to belive in Jefus, whether they be 
 efleemed moral, or profligate ; pious, or profane. 
 
 // is mo/1 happily fuited to relieve thofe who are held in 
 thefnare of defpona\ency , by forbidding defpair in the viltjl 
 wretch that lives. Many there are, we have reafon to 
 think, who, having, for a long courfe of time, violated 
 the dictates of confeience, by indulging their word pro- 
 penfities ; having, in multiplied inftances, acted contrary 
 to friendly advice, to their own refolutions, promifes, 
 vows ; and having, perhaps, been the manifeft occafion 
 of ruin to various others ; implicitly fay, with thofe in 
 the Prophet, There is no hope: no; for we have loved 
 fir angers, and after them will we go\. Thus, in a kind 
 of full en defpair, they harden their confeiences; in order 
 to enjoy, for a while, the pleafures of fin, without con- 
 troul, and without remorfe. Perceiving no reafon for 
 hope, they endeavour to difcard fear. Having no con- 
 ception that there is forgivenefs with God, for perfons in 
 \ 
 
 * Matt.' xxiii. 12. Luke xiv. II. xviii. 14. 
 
 t Jer- "• 25'. • . 
 
206 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 their fituation ; or that fuch enormous offenders may 
 find acceptance through Jefus Chrift ; they rum on to 
 final ruin. For, where there is no hope of efcaping 
 evil, there are no efforts to guard againft it. 
 
 The doctrine for which I plead, is, however, adapted 
 to break the deftruclive fnare, by exhibiting a ground 
 of hope. ■ Yes, the gracious gofpel, confidered as a com- 
 plete warrant for the ungodly to believe in Jefus, encou- 
 rages the mod: profligate, and the mof} criminal, to 
 regard the atonement of Chrift as allfffficient. ' There 
 4 is not,' as one obferves, * a mofe effectual remedy 
 4 [againft defpondency,] than the confideration of the 
 4 freenefs of the grace of God in Chrifl and the promifes: 
 4 which are not made to fuch as deferve mercy, but to 
 4 fuch as want it; not to righteous perfons, but to fin- 
 4 ners; not to the whole, but to the fick — Of all the 
 4 way s : and experiments to bear up a finking fpirit, 
 4 there is no confideration like this, That from the 
 « beginning to the end of our falvation, nothing is prima- 
 4 rily active but free grace. This is a firm bottom of 
 4 comfort againft the guilt of the rnoft bloody and crim- 
 4 fon fins: becaufe free grace is not tied to any rules: 
 4 it may do what it pleafes*.' It belongs, indeed, t© ; 
 the very nature of grace, properly fo called, to be afvfo- 
 lutely free and fovereign, in all its beftowments: for 
 
 * Dr. Spurstowe's Wells of Salvation opened, p.JO, 51. 
 
OF. THE DOCTRINE. 207 
 
 where there is defert, whether intrinfic or pactional, 
 the operation of grace necefTarily ceafes, and, if recti- 
 tude prevail, that of equity takes place. 
 
 It is admirably fitted to excite hope and produce comfort 
 in thofe who, though not Junk in defpondency, are deeply 
 dijlreffed by a fenfe of guilt, of depravity, and of untuor- 
 thinefs. Are the confeiences of men alarmed, by a^ 
 conviction of fin, and an apprehenfion of deferved wrath 
 for pair, offences \ Are finners, being acquainted with 
 their own hearts, confeious of ftrong propenfities to evil, 
 and of numerous criminal imperfections attending their 
 beft performances ? they confider themfelves as altoge- 
 ther vile. Difcerning nothing in their hearts, nor any 
 thing in their lives, which deferves the name of holinefs ; 
 but, on the contrary, much that feems to mark them 
 out for deflruction ; they have nothing to remove their 
 painful fears, or to relieve their burdened confeiences, 
 except what the gofpel fays concerning divine mercy, 
 as manifeited in Jefus Chriir. He being revealed, 
 however, as perfectly fuitable to their wants, and as 
 completely free for their acceptance; they are prefented, 
 by fovereign grace, with an allfufficient Saviour for 
 their immediate dependence. Confiding in the tefti- 
 mony'of God as true, and receiving the provifion of 
 his grace as a free gift; they find relief, and enjoy peace. 
 Nor does the comfort obtained arife from reflecting on 
 the manner in which they believe, but from that grace 
 
2 °8 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 which the gofpel reveals, andrfrom the allfyfficiemy of 
 Jefus in whom they truft. 
 
 I* » of great importance to the real Chriftian, in times 
 of Spiritual darknefs and of difcouragement. Has he, by 
 the power of indwelling fin, or through the force of 
 Satan's temptations, loft that peace which arifes from a 
 view of intereft in Jefus Chrift ? Is he incapable of 
 approaching God with a filial confidence, crying, Abba 
 Father P he recurs to this truth, as the firft fpring of his 
 encouragement, and, under the chara&er of a Jinner, 
 applies to Chrift afrefh. It being fixld in his mind, as 
 a leading principle of revealed truth, that the moft 
 ungodly are authorifed to believe in Jefus ; and that no 
 degree of previous holinefs is necefTary for that purpofe ; 
 he cannot, even in his worft condition, but confider 
 himfelf as within the verge of that encouragement. As, 
 therefore, it is by faith in Chrift that he derives hope ; 
 and as, under the influence of hope, fpiritua4-erideavour$ 
 are excited ; fo, in this procedure, not only peace of 
 confcience, but prayer and watchfulnefs, brotherly love 
 and felf-denial, communion with God and heavenly 
 mindednefs, are promoted. 
 
 I3effdes, under the practical influence of this principle, 
 he will not be fo liable to deceive himfelf, with regard 
 to his real ftate in the fight of God ; by inferring his 
 regeneration from any religious impulfes which he has felt, 1 1 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 2CO. 
 
 or from any ftarts of devotional affection which he may 
 experience. No: he will be difpofed to form a conclu- 
 fion, refpecting his general character, in the eftimate of 
 Omnifcience, from the habitual regard which he pays, 
 to the atonement, the authority, and the example, of 
 Jefus Chrift. For though it muft be admitted, that 
 every real Chriftian is led by the Spirit of God*; and 
 though, by the word of truth, that divine. Agent produce, 
 excite, and maintain devout affections in the foul ; yet 
 we ought never to confider fubftantial evidence of true 
 godlinefs, as arifing from fecret impulfes, however 
 ftrong ; nor from tranfient flames of religious affection, 
 be they ever fo high : but from the general frame of the 
 heart, refpecting the glorious God, as revealing himfelf 
 in Jefus Chrift. 
 
 // is of great moment in the Chriftian' s daily ivalk tvith 
 God. The reafon is, it has a powerful tendency to 
 promote an habitual regard to the word of grace and the 
 atonement of Chrift, as the only fource of fpiritual 
 peace. The Chriftian, being confcious of daily con- 
 tracting frefh guilt, confidering his tranfgreflions, and 
 his numerous imperfections in religious duty, as attended 
 with peculiar aggravations, arifing from his knowledge 
 of the divine will, the blelTings he enjoys, the profeiTion 
 he makes, and the character he bears j it is only by an 
 
 * Rom. viii. 14. 
 R 2 
 
210 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 habitual dependence on the atonement of Chrifl, that 
 peace is maintained in his confcience, and that he feels 
 the operation of evangelical motives to obedience. This, 
 if I miftake not, is perfectly congenial to that grand 
 maxim of Infpiration ; The jujljhall live by faith * : 
 fhall derive all his peace, and perform all his obedience, 
 through faith in the atoning blood, the gracious doctrines, 
 the precious promifes, and the fuperintending Provi- 
 dence f, of Jefus Chrifl: J. 
 
 // leads to^ holy obedience, andfurnijhes with cogent mo- 
 tives to the performance of it. Paul, when exhorting 
 fervants to adorn the doclrine of God our Saviour, fays ; 
 The grace of God that bringeth fahation hath appeared to 
 all men, without exception, as to national diftindtion, 
 or moral character ; teaching us that, denying ungodlinefs 
 and worldly lujls, ivejhould live foberly, righteoujly, and 
 
 * Hab. ii. 4. Rom. i. 17. Gal. iii. II. ii. so. 
 
 f Matt xxviii. 18. Eph. i. %%. 1 John v. 4. Heb. xi. 
 
 pajfim. 
 
 \ The following words of Calvin deferve regard. ' Fidei 
 4 fundamentum facimus gratuitum promiflionem, quod in ipla 
 ' proprie, fides confiftat. Tametfi enim Deum per omnia vera- 
 c cem effe ftatuat, five jubeat, five prohibeat ; five promittat, 
 ' five minetur, juffa etiam ejus obedienter excipiat, interdi&a 
 ' obfervet, ad minas animadvertat ; proprie tamen a promiflione 
 * hie 1 pit, in ipfa conjlat, in ipfam dejinit. Vitam enim in Deo 
 4 quaerit, qure non in mandatis, aut poenarum edictis, fed mife- 
 4 ricordias promiffione reperitur, eaque nanvnh gratujta ; quoniam 
 « conditionalis, qua ad opera noftra remittimur, non aliter vitam 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 211 
 
 godly , in this prefent world *. On this very interesting 
 paflage, Mr. Hervey thus paraphrafes and remarks: 
 ' The grace of God; his infinitely free favour, — which 
 
 * fcorns to be fhackled with conditions, or meanly de- 
 
 * pendent on human endeavours — This grace, requiring 
 ' nothing of the creature, but bringing f ah ation y fpiritual 
 
 * and eternal falvation, finifhed by the incarnate Creator, 
 
 * and free for the chiefeft of finners. This grace, being 
 1 revealed in the gofpel, being difcerned by faith, and 
 ' thus appearing in luftre, and with power, to all men — 
 
 * To men of every rank, every age, every character ; 
 
 * making no difference between the fervant and his 
 ' matter; between the ruddy (tripling and the hoary fire ; 
 ' between the vile proflitute and the chafte veftal ; but 
 
 * opening its inexhauftible ftores, to be received by one 
 
 * as well as the other — This grace, does what ? Caufe 
 4 Antinomianifm, or practical ungodlinefs, to come in 
 
 * with a full tide ? Quite the reverfe. It repreffes it like 
 
 * an immoveable barrier. It teaches us to deny, to re- 
 ' nounce ungodlinefs, all ungodlinefs : not only external, 
 ' grofs abominations, but worldly lufli alfo ; every vici- 
 ' ous inclination, and every irregular defire. Farther, it 
 
 « promittit, quam fi perfpickmus efle in nobis fitam. Ergo, 
 ' nifi fidem tremere ac vacillare volumus, illam falutis promiflione 
 1 fulfiamus oportet : quae a Domino ultro ac liberaliter, potiuf- 
 4 que miferise noftra quam dignitatis refpe&u offeratur.' Injlitut. 
 L. III. Chap. ii. § 29. 
 * Titus ii. II, 12. 
 
212 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 4 teaches us to live foberly, with regard to ourfelves ; 
 4 righteoujly, towards our neighbours ; and godly to our 
 
 * Creator. 
 
 4 The original word is particularly beautiful andfigni- 
 
 * ficant. It is not Tetcrat/, prefcribeth, by way of rule ; 
 
 * nor t7riT*<r9-a 9 enjoineth, by way of authority ; but **>- 
 4 ftuwo-et, teacheth, by way of inftruction ; pointeth out 
 4 the effectual method of obeying the precepts, and con- 
 4 forming to the rule. A tyrant may command his 
 1 flave to write, or make a profciency in writing. 
 4 A kind tutor forms him to it ; mows him how to do 
 4 it ; and renders what would otherwife be an irkfome, 
 4 perhaps, an impracticable tafk, both eafy and pleafant. 
 4 So this grace, clearly manifefted in the underft anding, 
 4 and cordially apprehended by the will, renders every 
 4 duty of holinefs both practicable and pleafant : it gives 
 4 us a heart, and a hand, and ability, to exercife our- 
 4 felves unto univerfal godlinefs **' 
 
 Dr. Owen, when directing tinners to regard that 
 forgivenefs which is with God, as the firft fource of their 
 encouragement, fays ; 4 This is the only way and means 
 4 to enable you to obedience, and to render what you 
 4 do therein acceptable unto God. It may be, that fome 
 4 of you are under the power of convictions, and have 
 
 * Eleven Letters to Mr. J. Weslzy, p. 179, 180. 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 2 I 3 
 
 1 made engagements unto God to live unto him, to 
 
 * keep yourfelves from fin, and to follow after holinefs. 
 ' It may be, you have done fo in afflictions, dangers, 
 1 fickneiTes, or upon the receipt of mercies : but yet you 
 
 * find that you cannot come unto any {lability, or confif- 
 
 * tency, in your courfe. You break with God and 
 
 * your own fouls, which fills you with new difquietments; 
 
 * or elfe hardens you, and makes you fecure and negli- 
 ' gent : fo that you return unto your purpofes no oftener, 
 
 * than your convictions, or afflictions, befal you anew. 
 
 * This condition is ruinous and pernicious, which nothing 
 ' can deliver you from, but this clofing with forgivenefs. 
 ' For, all that you do without this, however it may 
 « pleafe your minds, or eafe your confciences, is not at 
 ' all accepted with God. Unlefs this foundation be 
 
 * laid, all that you do is loft. All your prayers, all 
 ' your duties, all your amendments, are an abomination 
 
 * to the Lord. Until peace is made with him, they are 
 ' but the acts of enemies, which he defpifeth and abhor- 
 
 * reth. You run, it may be, earneftly ; but you run 
 
 * out of the way : you drive, but not lawfully, and (hall 
 
 * never receive the crown. True gofpel obedience is 
 « the fruit of the faith of forgivenefs. Whatever you 
 1 do without it, is but a building without a foundation ; 
 « a caftle in the air. You may fee the order of gofpel 
 « obedience, Eph. ii. 7 — 10. The foundation mud be 
 
 * laid in grace; riches of grace, by Chrift, in the free 
 « pardon and forgivenefs of fin. From hence mufl the 
 
214 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 ' works of obedience proceed, if you would have them 
 ' to be of God's appointment, or find acceptance with 
 ' him. Without this, God will fay of all your fervices, 
 f worfhip, obedience, as he did to the Ifraelites of old, 
 ' (Amos v. 21 — 25.) / defpife all; rejecl it all: it is 
 ' not to him, nor to his glory. Now, if you are under 
 ' convictions of any fort, there is nothing you more 
 
 * value, nothing you more place your confidence in, 
 ' than your duties : your repentance, your amendment : 
 ' what you do, and what in good time you will be. Is 
 
 * it nothing unto you, to lofe all your hopes and all your 
 ' expectations, which you have from hence ? To have 
 ' no other reception with God, than if all this time you 
 
 * had been wallowing in your fins and lufts ? Yet thus 
 
 * it is with you, if you have not begun with God on 
 ' his own terms ; if you have not received the atonement, 
 «'in the blood of his Son ; if you are not made partakers 
 4 of forgivenefs ; if your perfons are not pardoned, all 
 
 * your duties are accurfed, 
 
 ' This alone will give you fuch motives and encou- 
 4 ragements unto obedience, as will give you life, 
 « alacrity, and delight in it. You perform duties, ab- 
 « (rain from fins ; but with heavinefs, fear, and in bon. 
 
 * dage. Could you do as well without them, as with 
 4 them ; would confcience be quiet, and hope of eter- 
 ' nity hold out ; you would omit them forever. This 
 4 makes all your obedience burdenfome ; and you cry 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 21$ 
 
 * out in your thoughts, with him in the Prophet ; 
 ' Behold, what a <wenrlnefs it is ! The fervice of God is 
 ' the only drudgery of your lives ; which you dare not 
 
 * omit, and delight not to perform. From this wretched 
 ' and curfed frame, there is nothing that can deliver you 
 
 * but this clofing with forgivcnefs. This will give you 
 
 * fuch motives, fuch encouragements, as will greatly 
 
 * influence your hearts and fouls. It will give you free- 
 
 * dom, liberty, delight and cheerfulnefs, in all duties 
 ' of gofpel obedience. You will find a conftraining 
 t power in the love of Chrift therein : a freedom from 
 
 * bondage, when the Son truly hath made you free. 
 4 Faith and love will work genuinely and naturally in 
 
 * your fpirits ; and that which was your greatefl burden, 
 
 * will become your chiefeft joy. (2 Cor. vii. 1.) 
 
 * Thoughts of the love of God, of the blood of Chriit, 
 « or the Covenant of Grace, and fenfe of pardon in 
 
 * them, will enlarge your hearts, and fweeten all your 
 
 * duties. You will find a new life, a new pleafure, a 
 < new fatisfa<5Hon, in all that you do *.' 
 
 It it peqfeclly confijlent with the necejfity of true holinefs, 
 to confitute the Chrijlian character, and to evidence the 
 Chrijlian faith. Does any one afk, What is my warrant 
 for believing in Jefus Chrill ? The anfwer is, Not any 
 thing done by you, not any thing wrought in you ; but 
 
 * On the Hundred and Thirtieth Pfalm, p. 262,263, 264. 
 
2l6 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 the word of grace, or the tefHmony of God concerning 
 Jefus. — If the queftion be, What is the evidence of my 
 having believed in Chrift, as jufUfying the ungodly ? 
 regard mufl be had to the prevailing turn of your heart, 
 refpecting the riches of his grace, the allfufficiency of 
 his work, and the plenitude of his authority : an habi- 
 tual approbation of which, conftitues evidence to a per- 
 fon's own confcience of real faith in him. — If the quef- 
 tion be, What is neceffary to render a profejfion of that 
 faith credible to others ? then the anfwer is, As faith 
 worketh by love, and as faith without works is dead; fo 
 a profeffion of faith in Jefus, not attended with fruits of 
 love to his name, is entirely vain : and all pretences of 
 love to Chrift, without obedience to his commands, are 
 equally futile. For thus it is written, If ye love me, keep 
 my commandments — He that hath my commandments and 
 keepeth them, he it is that loveth me — If any man love me, 
 he will keep my words — He that loveth me not, keepeth 
 not my fayings — This is the love of God, that we keep his 
 commandments — This is love, that we walk after his com- 
 mandments — He that faith, I know him, and keepeth not 
 his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him*. 
 — Carefully to diftinguifh, between that which authorifes 
 our believing in Jefus, and that which evidences our 
 faith in him, is of the higheft importance. Becaufe, 
 
 * John xiv. 15, 21, 23, 24. I John v. 3. 2 Joho 6. 
 I John ii. 4'. 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 217 
 
 maintaining that holinefs is previoufly neceflary to the 
 former, favours of felfrighteoufnefs, intrenches on the 
 honours of divine grace, and embarrafles the awakened 
 confcience: while it is evident, that a denial of its utility, 
 refpecling the latter, contradicts the affeitions of Tnfpi- 
 ration, verges upon licentioufnefs, and tends to Antino- 
 mianifm. 
 
 Relative to thefe particulars, to fome articles of 
 ChriiKan experience, and to the (late of unconverted 
 finners ; I mall conclude the whole with various extracts 
 from Dr. Owen. Thus, then, that judicious Author: 
 
 * Our foundation in dealing with God, is Chrifl: alone; 
 
 * mere grace, and pardon in him. Our building is in 
 
 * and by holinefs and obedience ; as the fruits of that 
 
 * faith by which we have received the atonement. And 
 1 great miftakes there are in this matter, which bring 
 ' great intanglements on the fouls of men. Some are 
 
 * all their days laying the foundation, and are never able 
 
 * to build upon it, unto any comfort to themfelves, or 
 ' ufefulnefs to others : and the reafon is, becaufe they 
 « will be mixing with the foundation (tones, that are fit 
 
 * only for the following building. They will be bring- 
 
 * ing their obedience, duties, mortification of fin, and 
 
 * the like, unto the foundation. Thefe are precious 
 < ftones to build with, but unmeet to be firft laid to 
 1 bear upon them the whole weight of the building. The 
 « foundation is to be laid, as was faid, in mere grace, 
 
 S 
 
2I $ PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 < mercy, pardon in the blood of Chrift. This the foul 
 
 * is to accept of, and to reft in, merely as it is grace; 
 ' without the confederation of any thing in itfelf, but 
 ' that it is finful and obnoxious unto ruin. This it finds 
 s a difficulty in, and would gladly have fomething of 
 ' its own to mix with it. It cannot tell how to fix-thefe 
 1 foundation (rones, without forae cement of its own 
 
 * endeavours and duty : and becaufe thefe things will 
 4 not mix, they fpend a fruitlefs labour about it all their 
 4 days. But, if the foundation be of grace, it is not at 
 ' all of works: for, otherw/fe, grace is no more grace. 
 ' If any thing of our own be mixed with grace in this 
 1 matter, it utterly deftroys the nature of grace; which, 
 ' if it be not alone, it is not at all. But doth not this 
 ' tend to licentioufnefs? Doth not this render obedience, 
 
 * holinefs, duties, mortification of fin, and good works, 
 ' needlefs ? God forbid ! yea, this is the only way to 
 
 * order them aright unto the glory of God. Have we 
 
 * nothing to do, but to lay the foundation ? yes, all our 
 ' days we are to build upon it, v/hen it is furely and 
 
 * firmly laid. And thefe are the means and ways of 
 
 * our edification. This, then, is the foul to do, who 
 
 * would come to peace and fettlement. Let it let go 
 ' all former endeavours, if it have been engaged unto 
 ' any of that kind: and let it alone receive, admit of, and 
 ' adhere to mere grace, mercy, and pardon; with a full 
 4 fenfe that, in its felf, it hath nothing for which it 
 ' mould have an interefl in them, but that all is of mere 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 2 i O 
 
 « grace, through Jefus Chiifr. Other foundation can no 
 
 * man lay. Depart not hence, until this work be well ' 
 ' over. Surceafe not an earned endeavour with your 
 
 « own hearts, to acquiofce in this righteoufnefs of God, 
 1 and to bring your fouls unto a comfortable perluafion 
 ' that God, for Chr'ijl his faLe, hath freely forgiven you 
 
 * all your fins. S'.ir not hence, until this be effe&ed. 
 
 * If you have been engaged in another way ; that is, to 
 
 * feek for an interefr. in the pardon of fin, by fome endea- 
 
 * vours of your own ; it is not unlikely but you are filled 
 
 * with the fiuit of your own doings : that is, that you 
 
 * go on with all kind of uncertainties, and without any 
 ' kind of conftant peace. Return, then, again hither : 
 
 * bring this foundation work to a bleffed ifTue in the 
 » blood of Chrift ; and, when that is done, up and be 
 ' doing. 
 
 ' You know how fatal and ruinous it is, for fouls to 
 ' abufe the grace of God, and the apprehenfion of the 
 
 * pardon of fins, in the courfe of their obedience to 
 ' countenance themfelves in fin, or the negligence of 
 ' any duty. This is to turn the grace of God into 
 
 * wantonnefs, as we have elfewhere at large declared. 
 
 * And it is no lefs pernicious, to bring the duties of our 
 ' obedience; any referves for them; any hopes about 
 ' them, into the matter of pardon and forgivenefs, as 
 ' we are to receive them from God. But thefe things, as 
 < they are diftind in themfelves, fo they mud be diftinctly 
 
220 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 s managed in the foul : and the confounding of them, 
 
 * is that which difturbs the peace, and weakens the 
 ' obedience of many. In a confufed manner, they 
 
 * labour to keep up a life of grace and duty ; which will 
 
 * be, in their places, conjoined, but not mixed or com- 
 ' pounded. Firft, to take up mercy, pardon and for- 
 ' givenefs, abfolutely on the account of Chrift; and then 
 
 * to yield all obedience in the Jlrength of Chrift, and 
 1 for the love of Chrift, is the life of a believer*.' 
 
 f They that believe forgivenefs in a due manner, 
 
 * believe it for the ends and purpofes for which it is 
 
 * revealed of God — If God reveals any thing for one 
 1 end and purpofe, and men ufe it quite unto another; 
 i they do not receive the word of God, nor believe 
 
 * the thing revealed, but fteal the word, and delude 
 
 * their own fouls. Let us then weigh, to what end 
 ' and purpofes this forgivenefs was firft revealed by 
 
 * God ; for which alfo its manifeftation is ftill continued 
 ' in the gofpel. We have fhewed before, who it was 
 ■ to whom this revelation was made, and what condi- 
 1 tion he was in, when firft it was made unto him. A 
 
 * loft, wretched creature, without hope or help, he was: 
 
 * how he mould come to obtain acceptance with God,' 
 « he knew not. God reveals forgivenefs unto him, by 
 
 * Chrift, to be his all. The intention of God in it was, 
 
 * Gn the Hundred and Thirtieth Pfalm, p. 300, 30I, 30a. 
 
Or THE DOCTRINE. 221 
 
 * that a Tinner's all fhould be of grace. (Rom. xi. 6.) 
 
 * If any thing be added unto it, for the fame end and 
 
 * purpofe, then grace is no more grace. Again, God 
 ' intended it as a new foundation of obedience, of love, 
 1 and thankfulnefs. That men mould love, becaufe for- 
 ' given ; and be holy) becaufe pardoned, as I have 
 
 * fhewed before ; that it might be the righteoufnefs of 
 ' a finner, and a fpring of new obedience in him, all to 
 
 * the praife of grace, were God's ends in its revelation *.' 
 
 ' Self-condemnation and abhorrency do very well 
 ' confift with gofpel judication and peace. Some men 
 
 * have no peace, becaufe they have that, without which 
 
 * it is impoffible they mould have peace. Becaufe they 
 
 * cannot but condemn themfelves, they cannot entertain 
 
 * a fenfe that God doth acquit them. But this is the 
 ' myftery of the gofpel, which unbelief is a ftranger 
 
 * unto. Nothing but faith can give a real fubfiftence 
 
 * unto thefe things, in the fame foul, and the fame time, 
 ' It is eafy to learn the notion of it, but it is not eafy to 
 ' experience the power of it. For a man to have a 
 
 * fight of that within him, which would condemn him, 
 
 * for which he is troubled ; and, at the fame time, to 
 4 have adifcovery of that without him, which will juftify 
 
 * him, and to rejoice therein ; is that which he is not 
 ' led unto, but by faith in the myftery of the gofpel. 
 
 * On the Hundred and Thirtieth Pfalm, p. 239. 
 S 2 
 
222 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 ' We are now under a law for jtijllficatlon, which ex- 
 
 * eludes all boafting, Rom. iii. 27. So that though we 
 ' have joy enough in another, yet we may have, we 
 ' always have, fufficient caufe of humiliation in ourfelves. 
 ' The gofpel will teach a man to feel fin, and believe 
 
 * righteoufnefs, at the fame time. Faith will carry 
 
 * heaven in one hand, and hell in the other ; mewing 
 
 * the one deferved, the other purchafed. A man may 
 
 * fee enough of his own fin and folly, to bring Gehen- 
 ' nam e Ccelo, a hell of wrath out of heaven ; and yet 
 
 * fee Chrift bring Ccelum ex Inferno, a heaven of bleffed- 
 ' nefs out of an hell of punifhment. And thefe muft 
 ' needs produce very diverfe, yea contrary effects and 
 ' operations in the foul : and he who knows not how to 
 ' aflign them their proper duties, and feafons, muft 
 
 * needs be perplexed. The work of felf-condemnation, 
 ' then, v/hich men in thefe [painful exercifes] cannot 
 ' but abound with, is, in the difpofition of the Covenant 
 
 * of Grace, no way inconfiftent with, nor unfuited unto, 
 
 * justification, and the enjoyment of peace, in the fenfe 
 
 * of it. There may be a deep fenfe of fin, on other 
 ' confiderations befides Bell. David was never more 
 ' humbled for fin, than when Nathan told him it was 
 
 * forgiven : and there may be a view of hell, as deferved; 
 
 * which yet the foul may know itfelf freed from, as to 
 
 * the ijfue — A deep fenfe of the evil of fin, of the gui!t 
 . * of [a] man's own fin, is no way inconfiflent with gof- 
 
 * pel afTurance of acceptance with God through Chrifr^ 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 223 
 
 « and of forgivenefs in him. By a fenfe of the guilt of 
 ' fin, I underftand two things ; a clear conviction of fin, 
 
 * by the Holy Ghoft faying unto the foul, Thou art the 
 ' man: and a fenfe of the difpleafure of God, or the 
 
 * wrath due to fin, according to the fentence of the law 
 ' — Deep forrow for fin is confident with aflurance of 
 ' forgivenefs : yea, it is a great means of prefervation 
 
 * of it. Godly forrow, mourning, humiliation, con- 
 
 * tritenefs of fpirit, are no lefs gofpel graces, and fruits 
 
 * of the Holy Ghoft, than faith itfelf; and fo are con- 
 
 * fiftent with the highefl: flourifhings of faith whatever. 
 *■ It is the work of heaven itfelf and not of the ajfurance 
 
 ' of it, to wipe all tears from our eyes — Sorrow, abfo- 
 1 lutely exclufive of the faith of forgivenefs, is legal, and 
 « tendeth to death. AfTurance, abfolutely exclufive of 
 1 godly forrow, is preemption, and not a perfuofion from 
 
 * him that calleth us. But, gofpel-forrow, and gofpel- 
 
 * affurance, may well dwell in the fame breaft, at the 
 
 * fame time. Indeed, as in all worldly joys there is a 
 
 ■ fecret wound ; fo, in all godly forrow and mourning, 
 « confidered in itfelf, there is a fecret joy and refrefh- 
 1 ment. Hence it doth not wither and dry up, but 
 
 ■ rather enlarge, open, and fweeten the heart. I am ' 
 ' perfuaded, that, generally, they mourn mojl who 
 
 ' have mojl ajfurance. All true, gofpel mourners, will 
 « be found to have the root of affurance fo grafted in them, 
 1 that, in its proper feafon (a time of trouble) it will 
 
 * undoubtedly flourifh. 
 
224 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 1 A deep fenfe pf the indwelling power of fin, is con- 
 < fiftent with gofpel afTurance. Senfe of indwelling 
 
 * fin will caufe manifold perplexities in the foul. 
 
 * Trouble, difquietments, forrow, anguifh of heart ; 
 ' exprefling themfelves in fighs, mourning, groaning for 
 ' deliverance, always attend it. To what purpofe do 
 * o you fpeak, to a foul hghly fenfible of the reftlefs power 
 1 of indwelling fin, concerning ajfurance P " Alas, faich 
 " he, I am ready to perifh every moment ! My lufts 
 " are ftrong, active, reftlefs, yea outrageous : they give 
 " me no reft, no liberty, and but little fuccefs do I 
 " obtain. Ajfurance is for conquerors ; for them that 
 " live at reft and peace. I lie groveling on the ground 
 " all my days, and muft needs be uncertain what will 
 M be the iflue." — But when fuch an one hath done all 
 
 * he can, he will not be able to make more woful com- 
 
 * plaints of this matter, than Paul hath done before him, 
 
 * Romans the feventh : and yet he clofeth the dif- 
 ' courfe of it v/ith as high an expreflion of ajfurance, as 
 
 * any peifon needs to feek after *. It is not ajfurance, 
 c but enjoyment, that excludes this fenfe and trouble. 
 
 * But, if men will think they can have no afTurance, 
 
 * becaufe they have that, without which it is impoffible 
 ' they mould have any, it is hard to give them relief. 
 ' A little critfe of fait of the gofpel, caft into thefe bitter 
 ' waters, will make them fweet and wholefome. Senfe 
 
 * Rom. vii. 24. viii. 1. 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 225 
 
 ' of the guilt of fin, may confiit with faith of its pardon 
 
 * and forgivenefs in the blood of Chrift. Godly for- 
 ' row may dwell in the fame heart, and the fame time, 
 ' with joy in the Holy Gho(t : and groaning after deli- 
 ' verance from the power of fin, with a gracious per- 
 ' fuafion, that Jin Jhall not have dominion over us, becaufe 
 ' we are not under the law, but under grace*.' 
 
 1 Known holinefs, is apt to degenerate into felfrighte- 
 
 * oufnefs. What God gives us, on the account of 
 i fanclification, we are ready enough to reckon on the 
 
 * fcore of ' jujlification. It is a hard thing to feel grace, 
 
 * and to believe as if there were none. We have fo 
 
 * much of the Pharifee in us, by nature, that it is fome- 
 ' times well that our good is hid from us. We are 
 ' ready to take our corn and wine, and beftow them on 
 1 other lovers. Were there not in our hearts nfpiritu- 
 
 * ally fenfible principle of corruption ; and in our duties 
 ' a difcernible mixture of felf; it would be impoilible we 
 
 * ihould walk fo humbly with God in a Covenant of 
 
 * Grace and pardoning mercy. It is a good life, which 
 
 * is attended with a faith of righteoufnefs, and zfenfe of 
 1 corruption — Oftentimes, holinefs in the heart is more 
 
 * known by the oppofition that is made there to it, than 
 ' by its own prevalent working : the Spirit's operation is 
 
 * known by the flefh's oppofition. We find a man's 
 
 * Ut fopra, p. 279—283. 
 
226 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 ' ftrength by the burdens he carries, and not the pace 
 
 * that he goes. wretched man that I am / nvhojhall 
 1 deliver me from the bady of this death ? is a better evi- 
 ' dence of grace and holinefs, than, God I thank thee, 
 
 * / am not as other men. A heart prelTed, grieved, 
 ' burdened, not by ih^ guilt of fin only, (which reflects 
 ' with trouble on an awakened confcience) but by the 
 ' clofe adhering power of indwelling fin, tempting, 
 
 * feducing, foliciting, hindering, captivating, conceiving, 
 « reftlefsly difquieting ; may from thence have as clear an 
 ' evidence of holinefs, as from a delightful fruit-bearing. 
 ' What is it that is troubled and grieved in thee ? What 
 ' is it, that feems to be almoft killed and deftroyed ; 
 ' that cries out, complains, longs for deliverance ? Is it 
 
 * not the new creature ? Is it not the principle of fpiri- 
 ' tual life, whereof thou art partaker ? I fpeak not of 
 
 * trouble and difquietments for fin x committed ; nor of 
 
 * fears and perturbations of mind, left fin fhould break 
 « forth to lofs, fhame, ruin, difhonour ; nor of the con- 
 ' tending of a convinced confcience, left* damnation 
 « mould enfiie ; but of the fpirit againft fin, out of a 
 
 * hatred and a lathing of it, upon all the mixed confi- 
 ' derations of love, grace, mercy, fear, the beauty of 
 
 * holinefs, excellency of communion with God, that are 
 ' propofed in the gofpel. If thou feemeft to thyfelf to 
 
 * be only pqffive in thefe things ; to do nothing, but to 
 
 * endure the alTaults of fin ; yet if thou art fenfible, and 
 < ftandeft under the ftroke of it, as under the ftroke of 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. ll"] 
 
 ' an enemy, there is the root of the matter. And as 
 ' it is thus, as to the fubftance and being of holinefs, fo 
 
 * it is alfo as to the degrees of it. Degrees of holinefs, 
 ' aie to be meafured more by oppofition, than felf cpera- 
 
 * tion. He may have more grace than another, who 
 
 * brings not forth fo much fruit as the other ; becaufe he 
 
 * hath more oppofition, more temptation : and fenfe of the 
 
 * want of all, is a great fign of ' fomenvhat in the foul — 
 
 * It is certain, whilft we are in the flefh, our duties will 
 ' tafte of the vefTel whence they proceed. Weaknefs, 
 ' defilements, treachery, hypocrify, will attend them. 
 
 * To this purpofe, whatever fome pretend to the contrary, 
 1 is the complaint of the church, Ifa. Ixiv. 6. The 
 i charF, oftentimes, is fo mixed with the wheat, that 
 « corn can fcarce be difcerned. And this know, That the 
 
 * more fpiritual any man is, the more he fees of his unfpiri- 
 i tualnefs in his fpiritual duties. An outfideperformar.ee 
 ' will faiisfy an outfide Chriftianity. Job abhorred 
 
 * himfelf mo(t, when he knew himfelf beft. The clearer 
 
 * difcoveries we have had of God, the viler will every 
 1 thing of self appear. Nay, further, duties and per- 
 ' formances are oftentimes very ill meafured by us ; 
 
 * and thofe feem to be^fr/?, which indeed are lajl ; and 
 
 * thofe to be lajl, which indeed are^/f/y?. I do not doubt 
 
 * but a man, when he hath had diftraclions to wreftle, 
 
 * withal ; no outward advantage to further him ; no 
 « extraordinary provocations of hope, fear, or for row, 
 « on a natural account, in his duty ; may rife from his 
 
228 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 ' knees with thoughts that he hath done nothing in his 
 ' duty but provoked God: when there hath been more 
 ' workings of grace, in contending with the deadnefs 
 ' cafl on the foul by the condition that it is in ; than 
 ■ when, by a concurrence of moved natural affections, 
 ' and outward provocations, a frame hath been raifed 
 ' that hath, to the party himfelf, feemed to reach hea- 
 ' ven : fo that, it may be, this perplexity about duties, 
 
 * is nothing but what is common to the people of God, 
 ' and which ought to be no obftruction to peace and 
 ' fettlement *.' 
 
 ' Take heed of fpending time in complaints, when 
 < vigorous actings of grace are your duty. Fruitlefs and 
 
 * heartlefs complaints, bemoanings of themfelves and 
 « their condition, is the fubftance of the profeffion that 
 
 * fome make. If they can object againit themfelves, and 
 1 form complaints out of their conditions, they fuppofe 
 « they have done their duty. I have known fome who 
 
 * have fpent a good part of their time, in going up and 
 « down from one to another with their objections and 
 « complaints. Thefe things are contrary to the life of 
 <:faith — Yet fome, I fear, may pleafe themfelves in fuch 
 
 * a courfe, as if it had fomewhat of em'mency in religion 
 « in it. Others, it may be, drive the fame trade in their 
 
 * thoughts, although they make not, outwardly, fuch 
 
 * On the Hundred Thirtieth Pfalm, p. 343, 544. 345- 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 22 
 
 * complaints. They are converfant, for the mofl part, 
 ■ with heartlefs defpondings : and, in fome, they are 
 « multiplied by their natural confiUations, or diflcmpers. 
 1 Examples of this kind occur unto us every day — We 
 1 muft fay, then, unto fuch heartlefs complainers, as 
 
 * God did to Jofhua, Get you up : why lie you thus upon 
 
 * your faces P Do you think to mend your condition by 
 1 tui/hing it better, or complaining it is fo bad ? Are 
 1 your complaints of want of an intereft in forgivenefs, 
 1 a fan c"Hfied means to obtain it ? not at all. You will 
 
 * not deal fo with yourfelves in things natural or civil. 
 1 In fuch things you will take an induitrious courfe for 
 
 * a remedy, or for relief. In things of the fmallefr. 
 
 * importance in this world, and unto this life, you will 
 1 not content yourfelves with ivi/hing and complaining. 
 1 As though induftry, in the ufe of natural means, for 
 ' the attaining of natural ends, were the ordinance of 
 
 * God ; and diligence in the ufe of fpiritual means, for 
 
 * the obtaining of fpiritual ends, were not ! — Do you 
 
 * ufe diligence, ftudy, endeavours, all diligence ; diligence 
 1 at all times, in all ways by God appointed ; all manner 
 i of diligence, within and without, in private and public, 
 ' to this end and purpofe ? Do you ftudy, meditate, 
 
 * pray, watch, fart, neglect no opportunity, keep your 
 ' hearts, fearch, try, examine yourfelves, fly tempta- 
 
 * tions, and occafions of cooling, deadening, and (tilling 
 
 * grace ? Do thefe things abound in you ? Alas^ you 
 
 * cannot do thus; you are fo weak, fo indifpofed. But, 
 
 T 
 
2 3° PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 < alas, you will not ; you will not part with your eafe ; 
 
 < you will not crucify your Ms ; you will not ufe all 
 
 * diligence: but mufl come to it, or be contented to 
 
 * fpend all your days in darknefs, and to lie down in 
 4 forrow. 
 
 * Thus do men frequently mifcarry. Is it any news 
 
 < for perfons to bewail the folly of their nature and 
 ' ways, in the morning and evening; and yet fcarce (land 
 4 upon their watch any part of the day, or in any occa- 
 1 lion of the day ? Is this giving all diligence ? Is this 
 
 * working out our falvation with fear and trembling ? 
 « And may we not fee profefTors, even indulging to 
 
 * themfelves in ways of vanity, folly, wrath, envy, floth, 
 1 and the like ; and yet complain at what a lofs they 
 
 * are, how unquiet, how uncertain ? God forbid it 
 1 mould be other wife with you ! or that we mould 
 1 endeavour to fpeak peace unto you, in any fuch a 
 ' frame ! A To hear of a perfon, that he walks flothfully, 
 4 carelefsly, or indulgeth his corruptions ; and to find 
 
 * him camplaining, that he is at a lofs, whether he have 
 4 any interefr. in pardon, or no ; to give, or tender, 
 
 * comfort to fuch mourners, without a due admonition 
 1 of their duty to ufe diligence, in the ufe of means, for 
 ' to help on their deliverance out of the condition wherein 
 i they are, is to tender poifon unto them — Spiritual 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 23I 
 
 * peace and floth, will never dwell together in the fame 
 
 * foul and confcience*. 
 
 ' Men living under the profejjion of religion, and not 
 
 * experiencing the power, virtue, and efficacy of it in 
 ' their hearts ; are, whatever they profefs, very near to 
 ' Atheifm ; or, at lead, expofed to great temptations 
 
 * thereunto. If they profefs they know God, but in 
 
 * works deny him, they are abominable, and dij obedient, 
 
 * and, unto every good ivori, reprobate. Let fuch men 
 
 * lay afide tradition and cuftom ; let them give up 
 
 * themfelves to a free and rational confederation of things; 
 1 and they will quickly find that all their profeflion is but 
 
 * a miferable felfdeceiving ; and that, indeed, they be- 
 1 lieve not one word of the religion which they profefs. 
 
 * For, of what their religion affirms to be in themfelves, 
 1 they find not any thing true, or real — He that pro- 
 
 * feffeth the gofpel, avows that the death of Chrift doth 
 4 crucify fin; that faith purifieth the heart; that the Holy 
 
 * Ghoft quickens, and enables the foul, unto duty ; that 
 
 * God is good and gracious unto all that come unto him; 
 
 * that there is precious communion to be obtained with 
 ' him, by Chrifr ; that there is great joy in believing. 
 
 * Thefe things are plainly, openly, frequently infilled on 
 < in the gofpel. Hence the Apoftle preffeth men unto 
 
 * obedience, on the account of them ; and, as it were, 
 
 * Utf«J>ra*jp. 362, 363, 306, 307. 
 
232 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 ' leaves" them at liberty from it, if they were not fo. 
 ' Philip, ii. 1, 2. Now, if men live long in the pro- 
 1 feffion of thefe things, faying that they are fo, but 
 
 * indeed find nothing of truth, rWity, or power in them ; 
 
 * have no experience of the effects of them, in their 
 ' own hearts or fouls ; what (table ground have they of 
 
 * believing any thing elfe in thegofpel, whereof they can- 
 
 * not have an experience? A man profefTeth that the 
 
 * death ofChrid will mortify fin, and fubdue corruption. 
 
 * Why doth he believe it ? becaufe it is fo affirmed in 
 thegofpel. How, then, doth he find it to be fo ? 
 
 * Hath it this effect upon his foul, in his own heart ? 
 
 * Not at all : he finds no fuch thing in him. How, 
 ' then, can this man believe that Jefus Chrift is the Son 
 ' of God, becaufe it is affirmed in the gofpel ; feeing 
 4 that he finds no real truth of that which it affirms to 
 1 be 'in himfelf I So our Saviour argues, John iii. 12 
 s — Of all dangers, therefore, in profeflion, let pro- 
 
 * feffors take heed of this ; namely, Of a cnfwmary, 
 1 traditional, or doctrinal owning fuch truths, as ought 
 »^to have their e/fecls and accomplifiment in themj elves, 
 1 whilfl they have no experience of the reality and effi- 
 ; cacy of them. This is plainly to have a form of god- 
 ' linefs, and to deny the power thereof; and of this fort 
 
 * of men do we fee many turning Atheii! s, fcoffers, 
 
 * and open apoffates. They find, in themfelves, that 
 ' their profefTion was a lie; and that, in truth, they had 
 
 * none of thofe things which they talked of. And to 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 233 
 
 * what end fhould they continue longer in the avowing of 
 ' that which is not ? Befides, finding thefe things 
 
 * which they have profefTed to be in them, not to 
 *befo; they think, that what they have believed of 
 1 things that are ivithouWhem, are of no other nature, 
 
 * and fo reject them altogether *.' 
 
 * Men live in fin, and therefore they do not believe 
 
 * forgivenefs of fin. Faith in general purifies the heart. 
 
 * Our fouls are purified in obeying the truth; and the life 
 
 * is made fruitful by it. Faith worketh by works, and 
 1 makes itfelf perfect by them : and the doctrine con- 
 1 cerning forgivenefs, hath a fpecial influence into all 
 
 * holinefs f — No man can, then, believe forgivenefs of 
 
 * fin, without a detection and relinquishment of it — 
 
 * All that own the gofpel rauft acknowledge this princi- 
 
 * pie ; The real belief of the pardon of fin, is prevalent 
 ' with men not to live longer in fin. But now, what are 
 
 * the greatefr. number of thofe who pretend to receive 
 « this truth ? Are their hearts purified by it ? Are their 
 
 * confciences purged ? are their lives changed ? Do they 
 « deny all ungodlinefs and worldly kits > Doth for- 
 
 * givenefs teach them fo to do ? Have they found it 
 
 * effectual- to thefe purpofes ? Whence is it, then, that 
 1 there is fuch a bleating, and bellowing J, to the con- 
 
 * Utfupra,?. 157, 158, 159. 
 
 f A<5isxv. 19. 1 Pet. i. 22. Jameson. %%. Titus li. a' 
 13. \ iJSam.- xv. 14. 
 
 T 2 
 
234 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 * trary amongst them ? Some of you are drunkards, 
 
 * fome of yoa fwearers, fome of you unclean perfons, 
 ' fome of you liars, fome of you worldly, fome of you 
 ' haters of all the ways of Chjift, and all his concern- 
 
 * ments upon the earth : proud, covetous, boaflers, felf- 
 
 * feekers, envious, wrathful, backbiters, malicious praters, 
 1 flanderers, and the like. And mall we think, that fuch 
 
 * as thefe believe the forgive nefs of fin ? God forbid ! 
 ' Again ; Some of you are dark, ignorant, blind, utterly 
 ' unacquainted with the myftery of the gofpel ; nor do 
 
 * at all make it your bufinefs to enquire into it. Either 
 ' you hear it not at all ; or, negligently, flothfully, 
 4 cuflomarily, to no purpofe. Let not fuch perfons 
 
 * deceive their own fouls. To live in fin, and yet to 
 
 * believe the forgivenefs of fin, is utterly impoilible. 
 
 * Chrift will not be a minifter of fin, nor give his gofpel 
 « to be a doctrine of licentioufnefs, for your fakes. Nor 
 
 * mail you be forgiven, that you may be delivered to do 
 
 * more abominations *. God forbid ! 
 
 * If any mail fay, u That they thank God, they are 
 " no fuch publicans as thofe mentioned : they are no 
 " drunkards, no fwearers, no unclean perfons, nor the 
 " like ; fo that they are not concerned in this confidera- 
 " tion : their lives and their duties give another account 
 " of them :" then, yet confider further, That the 
 
 * Jer. vii. 10. 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 235 
 
 ' Pharifees were all that you fay of yourfelves ; and yet 
 
 * the greateft defpifers of forgivenefs that ever were in 
 ' the world ; and that becaufe they hated the light, on 
 
 * this account, that their deeds were evil. And for 
 
 * your duties, you mention, what, I pray, is the root 
 « and fpring of them ? Are they influenced from this 
 
 * faith of forgivenefs, you boafr. of, or no ? May it not 
 
 * be feared, that it is utterly otherwife ? You do not 
 
 * perform them becaufe you love the gofpel, but becaufe 
 ' you fear the law. If the truth were known, I doubt 
 
 * it would appear, that you get nothing by your believing 
 
 * of pardon, but an encouragement unto fin. Your 
 
 * goodnefs, fuch as it is, fprings from another root. It 
 
 * may be, alfo, that you ward yourfelves by it again ft 
 
 * the ftrokes of confcience, or the guilt of particular 
 ' fins. This is as bad as the other. It is as good be 
 4 encouraged unto fin, to commit it ; as be encouraged 
 
 * under fin, fo as to be kept from humiliation for it. 
 I None under heaven are more remote from the belief 
 
 * of grace and pardon, than fuch perfons are*.' 
 
 * Confider, [ye unconverted and thoughtlefs crea 
 
 * tures !] that you zrejinners, great finners, cinfed fin 
 ' ners. Some of you, it may be, worfe than innumer 
 ' able of your fellow finners were, who are now in hell 
 
 * God might long fince have cad you off everlaftingly 
 
 * Ubifufira, p. 1Z* n 238- 
 
2$6 PRACTICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 4 from all expectation of mercy, and have caufed all 
 ' your hopes to perifh : or, he might have left you alive 
 
 * and yet have refufed to deal with you any more. 
 
 * He could have caufed your fun to go down at noon* 
 
 * day, and have given you darknefs inftead of virion. 
 
 * He could refpite your lives for a feafon, and yet fzvear 
 ' in his wrath, that you mould never enter into his reji. 
 
 * It is now otherwife : how long it may be fo, nor you, 
 
 * nor I, know any thing at all. God only knows what 
 
 * will be your time, what your continuance. We are 
 
 * to fpeak whilfl it is called to-day : and this is that, for 
 ' the prefent, which I have to offer unto you ; God 
 
 * declares that there is forgivenefs with him; that your 
 
 * condition is not defperate, nor helplefs — Some of 
 
 * you, it may be, are old in fins, and unacquainted 
 ' with God: fome of you, it may be, have been great 
 
 * finners, fcandalous finners : and fome of ytm, it may 
 
 * be, have reafon to apprehend yourfelves near the grave, 
 ' and fo alfo to hell. Some of you, it may be, have 
 
 * your confciences difquieted and galled: and it may 
 
 * be, fome of you are under fome outward troubles and 
 ' perplexities, that caufe you a little to look about you : 
 ' and fome of you, it may be, are in the madnefs of 
 ' your natural ftrength and lulls ; your breajls are full of 
 1 milk, and your bones of marrow, and your hearts of iin, 
 
 * pride, and contempt of the ways of God. All is 
 
 * one : this word is unto you all; and I (hall only mind 
 
 * you, That it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of 
 
OF THE DOCTRINE. 237 
 
 * the living God. You hear the voice, or read the words 
 ' of a poor worm ; but the meflage is the mejfage, and 
 ' the word is the word, of Him who fhaketh heaven 
 
 * and earth. Confider, then, well what you have to do; 
 ' and what anfwer you will return unto Him who will 
 ' not be mocked*.' 
 
 ' If you are, then, refolved to continue in your pre- 
 
 * fent condition, I have no more to fay unto you. / 
 
 * am pure from your blood; in that I have declared unto 
 
 * you the counfel of God in this thing ; and fo I mull: 
 1 leave you to a naked trial between the Great God and 
 
 * your fouls, at the laft day. Poor creatures ! I even 
 
 * tremble to think, how he will tear you in pieces, when 
 ' there Jhall be none to deliver! Methinks, I fee your 
 1 poor, deflitute, forlorn fouls ; forfaken of lulls, fins, 
 ' world, friends, angels, men ; trembling before the 
 
 * throne of God, full of horror, and fearful expectation 
 
 * of the dreadful fentence. Oh ! that I could mourn 
 
 * over you whilft you are joined to all the living ; whilfl 
 
 * there is yet hope ! Oh, that in this your day, you 
 
 * knew the things of your peace f !' 
 
 * Ubifupra, p. 244, 34^, 249- t H>id. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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