Chapter 46

40.חשב; λογιζομαι.

41.1 Sam. i. 13. Neh. xiii. 13. 1 Cor. iv. 1. 2 Cor. x. 11. Rom. viii. 18.

42.2 Sam. xix. 19. Ps. xxxii. 2. 2 Tim. iv. 16.

43.Num. xviii. 27-30. Job xiii. 24. Rom. ii. 26. Philem. 18.

44.Expository Discourses on Gen. xv. 1-6. Also Calvin’s Inst. bk. iii. ch. xi. § 7.

45.Inst. bk. iii. ch. xi. § 2.

46.p. 510.

47.Lev. xvi. 21.

48.Lev. i. 4, 5.

49.That faith is a holy duty is evident, because it never obtains, except where the bent, or bias of the mind has been changed by the Holy Spirit; yet it is like all the other works of man, imperfect, and might be stronger. That it is necessary in every action is clear, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin; both because it is the work of an enemy, and because it cannot be accepted, having no reference to Christ. Faith is always accompanied by other holy traits of character, as repentance, love, patience, humility, and the like. The reason of which is evident; for faith is an act of the renewed man, and all the other graces must accompany. But it is even less holy than love; “now abideth faith, hope, charity, (love)—the greatest of these is charity.” It is incapable of procuring by its righteousness our justification, because imperfect. If it were the holiness of the duty of faith, which justifies the man before God, we should read of a justification by love, patience, humility, or holiness in general. No such declaration occurs in the scriptures, but the reverse; “for by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified,” which is manifestly spoken not merely of the corporal energy, but of the action taken with the intention.If the righteousness of the duty of faith justifies, there could be no propriety in saying that we are “justified by Christ,” or his righteousness; there would have been no need of a Saviour, and all the sacrifices of former days were useless.If we are to depend upon the righteousness of our believing for our justification, the believing in Christ will be of no importance, because Christ is then not our Saviour; in proportion as our hopes are founded upon our own holiness, they are withdrawn from Christ.—This will also destroy the righteousness of faith, for if it be useless there can be no holiness in believing.If the holiness consist not in the act of believing, but in the disposition of the believer, and if it is for this, that he is justified; salvation is then a debt, not grace; we have whereof to boast; we are justified by the deeds of the law; the offence of the cross has ceased; and Arians, Socinians, Unitarians, and Deists are seeking justification also in the same way.That repentance, and holiness are necessary tosalvationis true, because every man who is justified is also sanctified; and that faith, considered as a holy duty, is necessary in the same manner, is equally true; but faith is also useful in ourjustification, and in a manner, in which, it does not appear, that repentance and holiness can be.To say that they are conditions of salvation is to speak ambiguously; that we cannot be saved without them, is as certain as that we cannot be justified, without being also sanctified; but to say, that by performing them a title to happiness is vested in us, is to rob Christ of his glory, and to put the crown on man’s head. Besides, the condition of holiness is not accomplished till death, and as the condition of our justification is not performed till then, we are never justified in life, which is plainly contrary to the scriptures.

If the righteousness of the duty of faith justifies, there could be no propriety in saying that we are “justified by Christ,” or his righteousness; there would have been no need of a Saviour, and all the sacrifices of former days were useless.

If we are to depend upon the righteousness of our believing for our justification, the believing in Christ will be of no importance, because Christ is then not our Saviour; in proportion as our hopes are founded upon our own holiness, they are withdrawn from Christ.—This will also destroy the righteousness of faith, for if it be useless there can be no holiness in believing.

If the holiness consist not in the act of believing, but in the disposition of the believer, and if it is for this, that he is justified; salvation is then a debt, not grace; we have whereof to boast; we are justified by the deeds of the law; the offence of the cross has ceased; and Arians, Socinians, Unitarians, and Deists are seeking justification also in the same way.

That repentance, and holiness are necessary tosalvationis true, because every man who is justified is also sanctified; and that faith, considered as a holy duty, is necessary in the same manner, is equally true; but faith is also useful in ourjustification, and in a manner, in which, it does not appear, that repentance and holiness can be.

To say that they are conditions of salvation is to speak ambiguously; that we cannot be saved without them, is as certain as that we cannot be justified, without being also sanctified; but to say, that by performing them a title to happiness is vested in us, is to rob Christ of his glory, and to put the crown on man’s head. Besides, the condition of holiness is not accomplished till death, and as the condition of our justification is not performed till then, we are never justified in life, which is plainly contrary to the scriptures.

50.This is what is generally styled, by a diminutive word, Acceptilatio gratiosa,which is an accepting a small part of a debt, instead of the whole; a sort of composition, in which, though the payment be inconsiderable, yet the debtor’s discharge is founded thereon, by an act of favour in the creditor, as though the whole sum had been paid.

51.These works they speak of asTincta sanguine Christi.

52.“Abraham believed God and it was imputed or counted to him for righteousness.” This passage of Scripture is found with little variation also in the Epistle to the Galatians (iii. 6.) and in the Epistle of James (ii. 23.) and in each of the places it seems to have been introduced in support of its context from the first book of Moses. (xv. 6.)Moses is giving at that place a visionary (as we suppose) correspondence between Jehovah and Abraham; in which the Lord promises to the patriarch to be his “shield and exceeding great reward,” and upon Abraham’s complaining that he was childless, his attention is directed to the stars, and he is told that it will be equally impracticable to number his posterity, and then follow the words “Abraham believedin[53]the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.”Here it is given as an old-testament proof of that which has been a little before asserted “that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,” but because this doctrine would seem to make void the law, the apostle states this objection, then denies it with abhorrence, and introduces for his support Abraham’s justification before God, “if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory, but not before God; for what saith the scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”In the letter to the christians of Galatia he aims to bring them back from depending on their obedience to the moral and ceremonial laws, to a reliance upon Christ for salvation, he declares that “by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” in the sight of God; and that christians are “dead to the law,” “seek to be justified by Christ,” and “live by the faith of the Son of God.” He asserts “if righteousness come by the law then Christ is dead in vain.” He charges the Galatians with folly. After having heard, seen, and experienced the doctrines of the Gospel, its extraordinary and ordinary spiritual powers, to go back to dead works would argue something like fascination. And then to show that the Gospel mode of justification by faith was not peculiar to the Gospel he quotes from the book of Genesis these words; “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”The apostle James reprehends such as profess to be believers and yet are not careful to maintain good works; such professions of faith are less credible than the fruits of holiness; “showmethy faith without thy works, and I will showtheemy faith by my works.” Faith without works he pronounces to be dead, not merely inoperative, but destitute of a living principle. He then introduces Abraham’s example of offering up Isaac as a proof of his faith; this work being a manifest effect of his faith in God, justifies, in the sight of all men, his character as a believer, “and the scripture” he says “wasfulfilledwhich saith Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.” The offering up of Isaac, having taken place several years after it had been said that “Abraham believed God,” was an undeniable evidence of the truth, and a fulfilment, of that scripture.Abraham’s faith here mentioned has been understood as implying both the act of believing God’s promises and his yielding to the call of God by emigrating, &c.[54]which faith, and its fruits, though an imperfect righteousness, was, it is alleged, by the favour of God accepted as a justifying righteousness.But the apostle here contrasts faith with works, and denies a justification before God to be attainable by our obedience, consequently his introduction of Abraham’s justification by his good deeds would have destroyed his own argument.Others[55]understand Abraham to have been justified on the account of the mere act of believing: and this has been confined to his faith in the one promise of a numerous posterity.That the Lord[56]“in judging Abraham will place on one side of the account his duties, and on the other hisperformances, and on the side of his performances he will placehis faith, and by mere favour value it equal to a complete performance of his duty, and reward him as if he were a perfectly righteous person.”Faith is the mind’s assent to external evidence; faith thus strictly considered as an act, is man’s act, as much so as any can be, and as the understanding at least in its application to the evidence must be accompanied by the consent of the will, here is every thing that is necessary to constitute a work, and accordingly it is commanded as a duty, the neglect of which is criminal. If it be thus that faith justifies the believer in the sight of God, then there is no propriety in saying we are not justified by works, and if it were possible still less in adducing the example of Abraham’s justification by that which was no more than a duty to prove that we cannot be justified by works, “Christ being the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believeth.” If man can be so justified boasting is not excluded he has whereof to glory.But the design of the apostle was to show that Abraham himself one of the holiest of men with all his good deeds, and implicit obedience to divine commands was not justified for his own holiness or godliness, for that is the opinion he is combating, but by what he calls faith. When the things which we are required to believe are of a spiritual nature, the “carnal mind” requires to be freed from its prejudices before it will “receive them,” and because supernatural aid is necessary to such minds and all naturally possess them, such “faith” must unquestionably be “the gift of God” in a sense higher than that of every other species of faith exercised under the support of Divine Providence. If faith is a gift of God it merits nothing for us, can never create an obligation on Divine justice for remuneration, and so can never be ajustifyingrighteousness.In his epistle to the Galatians that which he terms a being “justified by faith” he also denominates a being “justified by faith in Christ” so that his justifying faith is not merely a belief of the truth of what God has spoken, but is connected in some manner with Christ, and that it is not the mere act of believing in Christ which is the ground of such justification is plain from this, that he expresses the same thing by the words, “being justified by Christ.” If it is true that we are justified by faith, and also justified by Christ, it must be meant in different senses, and to give effect to these words thus differently connected, it seems necessary to suppose the righteousness of Christ as the meritorious cause or ground of justification, and faith the instrumental. “To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his name,” or at least as the concomitant of it, where all other requisites exist as well as grace for its production.It is not theholiness of his faiththat is accounted for righteousness to him: faith is a holy duty but not more so than some others, and not so much so as love, “now abide faith, hope, love, and the greatest of these is love;” nor are christians ever said to be justified by love, joy, peace, patience, or by any other grace, except by faith. From whence it follows that it is not the holiness of faith for which the believer is justified, and yet that there is some property not common to any other grace or duty, which must be concerned in our justification; and no doubt it is because faith lays hold on him for whose sake alone we can be justified.Or faith may be put for its object, as the words fear, hope, joy, and love are; God is our fear, our hope, &c. “Thy faith hath saved thee,” it was not her faith, but its object, Christ’s power, that healed her.The seed which was promised embraced Christ, whose day Abraham saw afar off; so this faith had the Redeemer for its object. In the epistle to the Galatians there follow the quotation these words, “as many as are of faith are the children of Abraham,” these are called his spiritual seed, and believe in Christ, now if all who believe in Christ are thereby the children of Abraham, and Abraham their father or pattern of faith, his faith must have been of the same kind. There could have been little propriety in giving a faith of any other kind as a pattern to those who are to believe in Christ that they may be “justified by his blood.”

Moses is giving at that place a visionary (as we suppose) correspondence between Jehovah and Abraham; in which the Lord promises to the patriarch to be his “shield and exceeding great reward,” and upon Abraham’s complaining that he was childless, his attention is directed to the stars, and he is told that it will be equally impracticable to number his posterity, and then follow the words “Abraham believedin[53]the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Here it is given as an old-testament proof of that which has been a little before asserted “that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,” but because this doctrine would seem to make void the law, the apostle states this objection, then denies it with abhorrence, and introduces for his support Abraham’s justification before God, “if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory, but not before God; for what saith the scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

In the letter to the christians of Galatia he aims to bring them back from depending on their obedience to the moral and ceremonial laws, to a reliance upon Christ for salvation, he declares that “by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” in the sight of God; and that christians are “dead to the law,” “seek to be justified by Christ,” and “live by the faith of the Son of God.” He asserts “if righteousness come by the law then Christ is dead in vain.” He charges the Galatians with folly. After having heard, seen, and experienced the doctrines of the Gospel, its extraordinary and ordinary spiritual powers, to go back to dead works would argue something like fascination. And then to show that the Gospel mode of justification by faith was not peculiar to the Gospel he quotes from the book of Genesis these words; “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

The apostle James reprehends such as profess to be believers and yet are not careful to maintain good works; such professions of faith are less credible than the fruits of holiness; “showmethy faith without thy works, and I will showtheemy faith by my works.” Faith without works he pronounces to be dead, not merely inoperative, but destitute of a living principle. He then introduces Abraham’s example of offering up Isaac as a proof of his faith; this work being a manifest effect of his faith in God, justifies, in the sight of all men, his character as a believer, “and the scripture” he says “wasfulfilledwhich saith Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.” The offering up of Isaac, having taken place several years after it had been said that “Abraham believed God,” was an undeniable evidence of the truth, and a fulfilment, of that scripture.

Abraham’s faith here mentioned has been understood as implying both the act of believing God’s promises and his yielding to the call of God by emigrating, &c.[54]which faith, and its fruits, though an imperfect righteousness, was, it is alleged, by the favour of God accepted as a justifying righteousness.

But the apostle here contrasts faith with works, and denies a justification before God to be attainable by our obedience, consequently his introduction of Abraham’s justification by his good deeds would have destroyed his own argument.

Others[55]understand Abraham to have been justified on the account of the mere act of believing: and this has been confined to his faith in the one promise of a numerous posterity.

That the Lord[56]“in judging Abraham will place on one side of the account his duties, and on the other hisperformances, and on the side of his performances he will placehis faith, and by mere favour value it equal to a complete performance of his duty, and reward him as if he were a perfectly righteous person.”

Faith is the mind’s assent to external evidence; faith thus strictly considered as an act, is man’s act, as much so as any can be, and as the understanding at least in its application to the evidence must be accompanied by the consent of the will, here is every thing that is necessary to constitute a work, and accordingly it is commanded as a duty, the neglect of which is criminal. If it be thus that faith justifies the believer in the sight of God, then there is no propriety in saying we are not justified by works, and if it were possible still less in adducing the example of Abraham’s justification by that which was no more than a duty to prove that we cannot be justified by works, “Christ being the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believeth.” If man can be so justified boasting is not excluded he has whereof to glory.

But the design of the apostle was to show that Abraham himself one of the holiest of men with all his good deeds, and implicit obedience to divine commands was not justified for his own holiness or godliness, for that is the opinion he is combating, but by what he calls faith. When the things which we are required to believe are of a spiritual nature, the “carnal mind” requires to be freed from its prejudices before it will “receive them,” and because supernatural aid is necessary to such minds and all naturally possess them, such “faith” must unquestionably be “the gift of God” in a sense higher than that of every other species of faith exercised under the support of Divine Providence. If faith is a gift of God it merits nothing for us, can never create an obligation on Divine justice for remuneration, and so can never be ajustifyingrighteousness.

In his epistle to the Galatians that which he terms a being “justified by faith” he also denominates a being “justified by faith in Christ” so that his justifying faith is not merely a belief of the truth of what God has spoken, but is connected in some manner with Christ, and that it is not the mere act of believing in Christ which is the ground of such justification is plain from this, that he expresses the same thing by the words, “being justified by Christ.” If it is true that we are justified by faith, and also justified by Christ, it must be meant in different senses, and to give effect to these words thus differently connected, it seems necessary to suppose the righteousness of Christ as the meritorious cause or ground of justification, and faith the instrumental. “To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his name,” or at least as the concomitant of it, where all other requisites exist as well as grace for its production.

It is not theholiness of his faiththat is accounted for righteousness to him: faith is a holy duty but not more so than some others, and not so much so as love, “now abide faith, hope, love, and the greatest of these is love;” nor are christians ever said to be justified by love, joy, peace, patience, or by any other grace, except by faith. From whence it follows that it is not the holiness of faith for which the believer is justified, and yet that there is some property not common to any other grace or duty, which must be concerned in our justification; and no doubt it is because faith lays hold on him for whose sake alone we can be justified.

Or faith may be put for its object, as the words fear, hope, joy, and love are; God is our fear, our hope, &c. “Thy faith hath saved thee,” it was not her faith, but its object, Christ’s power, that healed her.

The seed which was promised embraced Christ, whose day Abraham saw afar off; so this faith had the Redeemer for its object. In the epistle to the Galatians there follow the quotation these words, “as many as are of faith are the children of Abraham,” these are called his spiritual seed, and believe in Christ, now if all who believe in Christ are thereby the children of Abraham, and Abraham their father or pattern of faith, his faith must have been of the same kind. There could have been little propriety in giving a faith of any other kind as a pattern to those who are to believe in Christ that they may be “justified by his blood.”

53.The quotations of Paul and James follow the lxx. in omitting thein.

54.Hammond.

55.Whitby. Macknight.

56.Macknight.

57.This opinion was propagated soon after the reformation, by Andr. Osiander, who lived a little before the middle of the sixteenth century.

58.This opinion was propagated soon after by Stancarus, in opposition to Osiander, whom Du Pin reckons amongst the Socinians, or, at least, that after he had advanced this notion, he denied the doctrine of the Trinity.[See Du Pin’s eccl. hist. sixteenth century, bookiv.chap.6.]

59.This is commonly calledfiducia,and as such, distinguished fromfides,by which the former is generally expressed.

60.In this respectfaithis contra-distinguished fromscience;accordingly we are said to know a thing that is contained in an axiom, that no one, who has the exercise of his understanding, can doubt of, viz.that the whole is greater than the part; or, that a thing cannot be, and not be at the same time, &c. And every thing that is founded on a mathematical demonstration, is included in the wordscience;to which we may add occular demonstration. Now these things are not properly the object of faith, or the assent we give to the truth hereof, is not founded barely upon evidence, in which respect faith is distinguished from it; for which reason we call it an assent to a truth, founded on evidence.

61.Truth in the abstract is not the object of faith, but that which is true. The word of God when represented as the object of faith is not to be understood of words and letters, nor even of axioms and propositions, nor is the Divine veracity, though certainly confided in, the object of faith, or that which is assented unto. The promises which the old testament-believers had, and reposed in, were not the objects of faith, but the things which they saw afar off, and which were the ground of their rejoicing. When we are required to believeonJesus Christ, it is not his human, not his Divine nature, not his person, nor even his mediatorial character which is the object of our faith; for any of these alone could be no ground of confidence of salvation, or hope, much less produce joy in the believer. Every thing essential to our salvation must be considered, as the object of our faith; the mercy of God, the love of Christ, the purpose and the act of offering, and accepting the sacrifice to Justice of our sins, and the warrant to us to fix our hope and trust in this atonement; the firm conviction of the truth of these things may be denominated faith.Yet this conviction, or free assent of the understanding is not the faith, which accompanies salvation; if we can suppose it possible, that there should not be a corresponding impression made upon the will and affections.With the heart man believeth unto salvation.In this expression the heart is not put for the intellectual, but moral powers, and must not be understood as if the will assumed the office, peculiar to the understanding, of judging of evidence; but only that the assent of the understanding must be of such a kind, and to such a degree, as to produce a decisive co-operation of all the powers of the man, both of soul and body, to be saved in the way, and by the means discovered.Such an effort for salvation supposes the bent, or bias of the mind to be inclined towards God, and his glory. And certain it is, that the work, or act of believing, depends so much upon the moral state of the man, that although he may assent to every article of faith, and desire an interest in the advantages of religion, he never believes with the heart in the sense above mentioned, until this charge has been wrought in him. On this account faith may well be denominated the work or gift of God, for he only, according to the scriptures can effect this change.Yet it is not because there is any defect in the evidence of these important truths; nor because of any natural, that is physical, defect of the intellectual powers of man, that he does not believe the Divine revelation; but because his affections are pre-occupied, and his inclinations directed into another channel, whereby he is unwilling to apply himself unto these truths, and is prejudiced against the holiness, which is required, and the self denial that is necessary to attain the blessings of salvation.

Yet this conviction, or free assent of the understanding is not the faith, which accompanies salvation; if we can suppose it possible, that there should not be a corresponding impression made upon the will and affections.With the heart man believeth unto salvation.In this expression the heart is not put for the intellectual, but moral powers, and must not be understood as if the will assumed the office, peculiar to the understanding, of judging of evidence; but only that the assent of the understanding must be of such a kind, and to such a degree, as to produce a decisive co-operation of all the powers of the man, both of soul and body, to be saved in the way, and by the means discovered.

Such an effort for salvation supposes the bent, or bias of the mind to be inclined towards God, and his glory. And certain it is, that the work, or act of believing, depends so much upon the moral state of the man, that although he may assent to every article of faith, and desire an interest in the advantages of religion, he never believes with the heart in the sense above mentioned, until this charge has been wrought in him. On this account faith may well be denominated the work or gift of God, for he only, according to the scriptures can effect this change.

Yet it is not because there is any defect in the evidence of these important truths; nor because of any natural, that is physical, defect of the intellectual powers of man, that he does not believe the Divine revelation; but because his affections are pre-occupied, and his inclinations directed into another channel, whereby he is unwilling to apply himself unto these truths, and is prejudiced against the holiness, which is required, and the self denial that is necessary to attain the blessings of salvation.

62.Faith, according to the beloved disciple John, and the great St. Paul, is thebelief of the truth; thebelieving that Jesus is the Christ; or a givingcredit to the record that God gave of his Son. These definitions are all of the same import, and are all divine. Being dictated by the Spirit of God, they cannot be contradicted by any, although some have glossed upon them, till they have brought in a sense diverse from the inspired writers. This faith, when it isreal, as distinguished from that uninfluential assent to the gospel, which crowds, who hear it, profess to have, is an effect of thedivine influence in us; hence it is said to beof the operation of God; and that it iswith the heartman believeth unto righteousness. As the righteousness by which the sinner is justified, is the sole work of Christfor him, so this is the work of the Holy Ghostin him, and no less necessary in its proper place; it being that, without which a sinner cannot apprehend, receive, and rest upon Christ for eternal life. By faith, as before observed, he becomes acquainted with the glories of the character of Jesus, the fulness of grace in him, and the suitableness and perfection of his righteousness; in consequence of this faith, he admires the Saviour’s personal excellencies, flies to him, ventures all upon him, and rejoices in him. These, to speak plainly, are all so many effects of faith. The sinner must have a view of the Saviour’s excellency,beforehe will admire it. He must be persuaded, that Christ is the only safe refuge,beforehe willflyto him. He must know that there is in Christ sufficient matter of consolation,beforehe willrejoicein him. Of all these he is entirely satisfiedby faithin the testimony of God: subsequent to which is hiscoming, orflyingto him,trustingin, orventuringall upon him,rejoicingin him, &c. e. g. Joseph’s brethren heard that there was corn enough in Egypt; they believed the report: this was faith; upon this they went down for a supply. Doubtless this was aneffectof their faith; for had they not believed the tidings, they would never have gone. So a sinner mustbelievethat Christ is a full and complete Saviour,beforehe willrunorflyto him. Sense of misery, and faith in his sufficiency, are the main stimulus. Or, I am sick, I hear of an able physician, I believe him to be so, upon which I apply to him: myapplicationto him, and mybeliefof his character, are as distinct as any two things can be: mytrustingmy life in his hands, is an effect of mybelievinghim to be an able physician. This distinction is obvious in the sacred writings, as well as in the nature of things.He thatcomethto God, mustbelievethat he is. Here is a manifest distinction betweencomingandbelieving.I apprehend that the same distinction should be observed, betweenbelievingin Christ, andreceivinghim. If so, it will follow, that “to receive Christ in all his offices, as a prophet, a priest, and a king,” is not properlyfaith, but aneffectof it, and inseparably connected with it. It is certain that a man must believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that he sustains these offices, before he can or will receive him in this light. Christcame unto his own(meaning the Jews)but his own received him not. This refusing toreceivehim was not unbelief, but an effect of it. Hence should you be asked, why they did not receive him? The answer is ready,becausethey did not believe him to be the Christ. Nothing is more plain than that unbelief was the grandcausewhy they rejected him. On the other hand, nothing is more evident, than thatreceivingChrist, is an effect ofbelievingin him. And should you ask the man who defines faith, “a receiving Christ in all his offices,” why he thus receives him? he himself will be obliged to observe this distinction; for the only just answer he can give you is, “because I believehe sustains them.”Thus we see that faith is entirely distinct from the righteousness which justifies; at the same time it is indispensably necessary, answering great and good purposes. Under its influence the sinnerfliesto Jesus, the hope set before him, and trusts his immortal interest in his hands, being perfectly satisfied with his adorable character. Faith is also the medium of peace and consolation. You may with equal propriety attempt to separate light and heat from the sun, as peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost,from the faith of God’s elect. The degree of Christian consolation may be greater or less, according to the strength and influence of faith. At one time the believer may have an inward peace and tranquility, which is exceedingly agreeable. At another time he may be favoured with what St. Paul callsjoy unspeakable and full of glory. At another, guilt may rob him of his comfort, and separate between him and his God. Such are his exercises in the present state of things. But he is far from making a righteousness of hisframes,feelings, orexperiences. The distinction between these he well understands. Therighteousnessby which he expects to be justified, is the work of Christ alone; thefaithby which he is enabled to receive it, isof the operation of God; the consolations that he enjoys are from this glorious Christ, in believing, or through faith: all as different as A, B, and C. His dependence for acceptance with God is neither on his faith nor experiences, but on Christalone. At the same time he cannot conceive it possible, for a poor, wretched, undone sinner to be enabled to believe in Christ for eternal life, and notrejoice. A view of the glories of his person, and the fulness and freeness of his grace, cannot fail of introducingstrong consolation.STILLMAN’S SERMONS.

I apprehend that the same distinction should be observed, betweenbelievingin Christ, andreceivinghim. If so, it will follow, that “to receive Christ in all his offices, as a prophet, a priest, and a king,” is not properlyfaith, but aneffectof it, and inseparably connected with it. It is certain that a man must believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that he sustains these offices, before he can or will receive him in this light. Christcame unto his own(meaning the Jews)but his own received him not. This refusing toreceivehim was not unbelief, but an effect of it. Hence should you be asked, why they did not receive him? The answer is ready,becausethey did not believe him to be the Christ. Nothing is more plain than that unbelief was the grandcausewhy they rejected him. On the other hand, nothing is more evident, than thatreceivingChrist, is an effect ofbelievingin him. And should you ask the man who defines faith, “a receiving Christ in all his offices,” why he thus receives him? he himself will be obliged to observe this distinction; for the only just answer he can give you is, “because I believehe sustains them.”

Thus we see that faith is entirely distinct from the righteousness which justifies; at the same time it is indispensably necessary, answering great and good purposes. Under its influence the sinnerfliesto Jesus, the hope set before him, and trusts his immortal interest in his hands, being perfectly satisfied with his adorable character. Faith is also the medium of peace and consolation. You may with equal propriety attempt to separate light and heat from the sun, as peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost,from the faith of God’s elect. The degree of Christian consolation may be greater or less, according to the strength and influence of faith. At one time the believer may have an inward peace and tranquility, which is exceedingly agreeable. At another time he may be favoured with what St. Paul callsjoy unspeakable and full of glory. At another, guilt may rob him of his comfort, and separate between him and his God. Such are his exercises in the present state of things. But he is far from making a righteousness of hisframes,feelings, orexperiences. The distinction between these he well understands. Therighteousnessby which he expects to be justified, is the work of Christ alone; thefaithby which he is enabled to receive it, isof the operation of God; the consolations that he enjoys are from this glorious Christ, in believing, or through faith: all as different as A, B, and C. His dependence for acceptance with God is neither on his faith nor experiences, but on Christalone. At the same time he cannot conceive it possible, for a poor, wretched, undone sinner to be enabled to believe in Christ for eternal life, and notrejoice. A view of the glories of his person, and the fulness and freeness of his grace, cannot fail of introducingstrong consolation.

STILLMAN’S SERMONS.

63.See Quest.lxxx.

64.See page39, ante.

65.See Quest.lxxix.

66.See Quest.lxxviii.

67.Vide Vol. I. page 279, in note.

68.Vid. Turrett. Theol. Elenct. Tom. 2. Loc. 16. § 7.

69.See Quest.lxxviii.

70.See Whitby’s Disc. &c. page 541, in which he quotes Arrian, as giving the sense of Epictetus, Lib. 1. cap. 9. Lib. 3. cap. 5, 24, 26, 36, &c.

71.Vid. Cic. de natura Deorum, Lib. 2.Nullus unquam vir magnus fuit, sine aliquo afflatu divino.

72.See Gale’s court of the Gentiles. Book 3. chap. 1. and chap. 10. and Wits. de Occon. Fæd. 461-463.

73.See Vol. II. page 489. & seq.

74.Vid. G. J. Voss. de Hist. Græc. page 22.

75.See Gale’s court of the Gentiles, Part III. book 1, chap. 1, 2. which learned writer having, in some other parts of that work, mentioned several things that were praise worthy, in some of the philosophers, here takes occasion to speak of some other things, which were great blemishes in them; and, in other parts of this elaborate work, proves that those who lived in the first ages of the church, and were attached to their philosophy, were by this means, as he supposes, led aside from many great and important truths of the gospel; of this number Origen, Justin Martyr, and several others. And he further supposes, that what many of them advanced concerning the liberty of man’s will, as to what respects spiritual things, gave occasion to the Pelagians to propagate those doctrines that were subversive of the grace of God; and that the Arian and Samosatenan heresies took their rise from hence. See Part III. Book 2. chap. 1.

76.The natural knowledge of God and his goodness, gives some encouragement to guilty creatures to repent of their sins, and to return to God by a general hope of acceptance, though they had no promise of pardoning grace. And this was the very principle upon which some of the better sort of the Gentiles set themselves to practise virtue, to worship God, and endeavour to become like him.I do not say, that natural religion can give sinful men a full and satisfying assurance of pardon upon their repentance; for the deepest degrees of penitence cannot oblige a prince to forgive the criminal: but still the overflowing goodness of God, his patience and long-suffering, notwithstanding their sins, may evidently and justly excite in their hearts some hope of forgiving grace: and I think the words of my text cannot intend less than this, that God has not left them without witness, when he gave them rain from heaven, when he satisfied their appetites with food, and filled their hearts with gladness. What was it that these benefits of their Creator bore witness to? Was it not that there was goodness and mercy to be found with him, if they would return to their duty, and abandon their own ways of idolatry and vice. Surely, it can never be supposed, that the apostle here means no more than to say, that the daily instances of divine bounty in the common comforts of life, assured them, that God had some goodness in him, and blessings to bestow on their bodies; but gave them no hope of his acceptance of their souls, if they should return and repent never so sincerely. The Ninevites themselves, when threatened with destruction, repented in sackcloth and ashes; for, said they, Who can tell but God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Nor were they mistaken in their hope, for God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and he repented of the evil that he had threatened, Jonah iii. 5-10. And there is yet a more express text to this purpose, Rom. ii. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? And if God leads us to repentance, by a sense of his goodness, surely he gives hope that our repentance shall not be in vain: and though, perhaps, I could not affirm it with boldness, and certainty by the mere light of reason, yet I may venture to declare, upon the encouragement of these scriptures, that if there should be found any sinner in the heathen world, who should be thus far wrought upon by a sense of the goodness of God, as to be led sincerely to repent of sin, and seek after mercy, God would find a way to make a discovery of so much of the gospel, as was necessary for him to know, rather than such a penitent sinner should be left under condemnation, or that a guilty creature should go on to eternal death in the way of repentance. Cornelius the Centurion, who feared God, who prayed to him daily, and wrought righteousness, according to the light of his conscience, had both an angel and an apostle sent to him, that he might receive more complete instruction in the matters of his salvation. Acts x. 1-6. and from 30-35.“ Dr. Watts.

I do not say, that natural religion can give sinful men a full and satisfying assurance of pardon upon their repentance; for the deepest degrees of penitence cannot oblige a prince to forgive the criminal: but still the overflowing goodness of God, his patience and long-suffering, notwithstanding their sins, may evidently and justly excite in their hearts some hope of forgiving grace: and I think the words of my text cannot intend less than this, that God has not left them without witness, when he gave them rain from heaven, when he satisfied their appetites with food, and filled their hearts with gladness. What was it that these benefits of their Creator bore witness to? Was it not that there was goodness and mercy to be found with him, if they would return to their duty, and abandon their own ways of idolatry and vice. Surely, it can never be supposed, that the apostle here means no more than to say, that the daily instances of divine bounty in the common comforts of life, assured them, that God had some goodness in him, and blessings to bestow on their bodies; but gave them no hope of his acceptance of their souls, if they should return and repent never so sincerely. The Ninevites themselves, when threatened with destruction, repented in sackcloth and ashes; for, said they, Who can tell but God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Nor were they mistaken in their hope, for God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and he repented of the evil that he had threatened, Jonah iii. 5-10. And there is yet a more express text to this purpose, Rom. ii. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? And if God leads us to repentance, by a sense of his goodness, surely he gives hope that our repentance shall not be in vain: and though, perhaps, I could not affirm it with boldness, and certainty by the mere light of reason, yet I may venture to declare, upon the encouragement of these scriptures, that if there should be found any sinner in the heathen world, who should be thus far wrought upon by a sense of the goodness of God, as to be led sincerely to repent of sin, and seek after mercy, God would find a way to make a discovery of so much of the gospel, as was necessary for him to know, rather than such a penitent sinner should be left under condemnation, or that a guilty creature should go on to eternal death in the way of repentance. Cornelius the Centurion, who feared God, who prayed to him daily, and wrought righteousness, according to the light of his conscience, had both an angel and an apostle sent to him, that he might receive more complete instruction in the matters of his salvation. Acts x. 1-6. and from 30-35.“ Dr. Watts.

222.It has been, perhaps correctly, asserted that repentance is neither a duty discoverable by the law of nature, nor the written law of God; because it is unfit, that a law, appointing death for the violation of its precept, should also discover to the culprit a way of escape from its own penalty incurred.But there existed purposes of mercy before the law was made; these have been revealed by a gracious Sovereign; the condition of men, as prisoners of hope possessing competent evidence of the compassion of the Lawgiver, points to repentance. Sacrifices in former ages discover not only a consciousness of guilt, but a glimmering hope at least, of pardon. It is possible that these were the offspring of tradition among the Gentiles, rather than the deductions of the light of nature. But in either way, sorrow for sin is a duty founded on the will of God.It is therefore a duty, perfectly reasonable, and expressly revealed on the sacred page. The strength to perform it is from the King of Providence and Grace.There is necessary in its production a discovery of guilt, liability to misery, and entire helplessness. The general belief, or profession of these truths, does not prove in event to be a cause adequate to produce a total change in a man’s views, pursuits, desires, aversions, labours, joys, and sorrows. There is necessary some deep sense, or strong conviction of guilt. This, with respect to its proximate cause, may originate in various ways; by reflecting on the Divine Sovereignty and Majesty; by a solemn contemplation of the excellency and loveliness of the moral perfection of Deity; by an affecting sight of his goodness and mercy to the individual in particular; by attending to the awful subject of Divine Justice, seen in the sufferings of Christ, or anticipated in the future judgment, and final sufferings of the damned. Such convictions are produced in great mercy to the individual, how dearly soever they cost him, whether the prostrated idols, on which the sensual affections were fastened, were companions, friends, relations, honour or wealth. Disease, approaching death, or any thing which shall dissolve the unhallowed attachment to earth, may by the Divine blessing produce this change, the glory of which will always really belong to Divine grace, which works unseen.The bitterness of such sorrows is sometimes extreme, when he who wounded alone can cure. The effects of it are subsequently salutary, both to deter from sin and to strengthen the party’s faith.The degrees of penitential sorrow are extremely various in different converts. He who has been convinced of gospel truths step by step, and has been in the same manner brought to the love and fear of God, and to a universal conscientiousness, may have grounds of peace and comfort equally safe, as he whose convictions have been the most sensible; for not their height but their fruits prove them to be genuine.

But there existed purposes of mercy before the law was made; these have been revealed by a gracious Sovereign; the condition of men, as prisoners of hope possessing competent evidence of the compassion of the Lawgiver, points to repentance. Sacrifices in former ages discover not only a consciousness of guilt, but a glimmering hope at least, of pardon. It is possible that these were the offspring of tradition among the Gentiles, rather than the deductions of the light of nature. But in either way, sorrow for sin is a duty founded on the will of God.

It is therefore a duty, perfectly reasonable, and expressly revealed on the sacred page. The strength to perform it is from the King of Providence and Grace.

There is necessary in its production a discovery of guilt, liability to misery, and entire helplessness. The general belief, or profession of these truths, does not prove in event to be a cause adequate to produce a total change in a man’s views, pursuits, desires, aversions, labours, joys, and sorrows. There is necessary some deep sense, or strong conviction of guilt. This, with respect to its proximate cause, may originate in various ways; by reflecting on the Divine Sovereignty and Majesty; by a solemn contemplation of the excellency and loveliness of the moral perfection of Deity; by an affecting sight of his goodness and mercy to the individual in particular; by attending to the awful subject of Divine Justice, seen in the sufferings of Christ, or anticipated in the future judgment, and final sufferings of the damned. Such convictions are produced in great mercy to the individual, how dearly soever they cost him, whether the prostrated idols, on which the sensual affections were fastened, were companions, friends, relations, honour or wealth. Disease, approaching death, or any thing which shall dissolve the unhallowed attachment to earth, may by the Divine blessing produce this change, the glory of which will always really belong to Divine grace, which works unseen.

The bitterness of such sorrows is sometimes extreme, when he who wounded alone can cure. The effects of it are subsequently salutary, both to deter from sin and to strengthen the party’s faith.

The degrees of penitential sorrow are extremely various in different converts. He who has been convinced of gospel truths step by step, and has been in the same manner brought to the love and fear of God, and to a universal conscientiousness, may have grounds of peace and comfort equally safe, as he whose convictions have been the most sensible; for not their height but their fruits prove them to be genuine.

77.Grace here is put for repentance, and not the immediate influence on the soul.

223.Τελεσος.

78.Αρλος.

79.The word isκαταρτισαι;which signifies to give them an internal disposition or fitness for the performance of the duties which they were to engage in,Heb.xiii. 21.

80.It is a true observation which some have laid down in this known aphorism, Nemo repente fit turpissimus.

81.See Whitby’s discourse, &c.page 463.

82.See Vol. I. Page 469.

83.See Vol. I. page 481, and page 135-138.

84.See Vol. II. page 170, 171.

85.See Vol. I. page 477, & albi passim.

86.See Vol. I. page 437.

87.See Page11,12, ante.

88.See Vol. II. page 473-479. Quest.lv.

89.See Page30, ante.

90.The words areου δυναται αμαρτανειν.

91.See Whitby’s Discourse, &c. Page 67, 68, 463.

92.See page213,214, ante.

93.See several other scriptures, in whichμηis taken adversatively, Matt. xxiv. 35. Gal. i. 7. Rev. ix. 4.

94.See Vol. II page 333-335.

95.It is a known maxim in logic, Suppositio nihil ponit in esse.

96.Εαν υποστειληται.

97.It is certain, that the particlesτις, אשר,and others of the like import, are often left out, and the defect thereof is to be supplied in our translation: Thus it is inJob xxxiii. 27.where the Hebrew word, which might have been renderedand he shall say,is better renderedand if any say, &c.and inGen. xlviii. 2.instead ofhe told Jacob,it is better renderedone told Jacob,orsomebodytold him; and inMark ii. 1. τις,which is left out in the Greek text, is supplied in the translation, in which we do not read itafter days,butafter some days.See Nold. Concord. Partic. Page 41, 42. in which several texts of scripture are produced to the same purpose, and among the rest, this inHeb. x. 38.which we are at present considering as what ought to be renderedif any one draw back.In this and such like instances we may observe, that the verb personal has an impersonal signification, or that which is properly active is rendered passively; soEccl. ix. 15. זמצא בהis not renderedand he found in it, &c.butnow there was found in it;many other instances of the like nature are to be observed in the Hebrew text in the Old Testament; and sometimes this mode of speaking is imitated by the Greek text in the New. I might also observe, with respect to the scripture under our present consideration, that the learned Grotius observes thatτιςought to be supplied, and consequently the text ought to be rendered as it is in our translation, if any man draw back,which he observes as what is agreeable to the grammatical construction thereof, without any regard to the doctrine we are maintaining, with respect to which, he is otherwise minded.

98.To give countenance to this sense of the wordimpossible,they refer to some scriptures, in which it does not denote an absolute impossibility of the thing, but only that if it comes to pass it will be with much difficulty. Thus it is said, Acts xx. 16.that the ApostlePaul hasted, if it were possible for him to be atJerusalemthe day of Pentecost;where his making haste argues that the thing was not in itself impossible, but difficult. AndRom. xii. 18.we are exhorted, if it be possible, as much as in us lieth, to live peaceably with all men;which shews that it is hard indeed so to do; nevertheless, we are to use our utmost endeavours to do it, which does not argue that the thing is in itself altogether impossible. And there is another scripture they bring to justify this sense of the words inMatt. xix. 23-26.in which our Saviour’s design is to shew the difficulty of a rich man’s entering into the kingdom of heaven, which he compares to acamel’s going through the eye of a needle;by which very few suppose, that the beast, so called, is intended, but a cable-rope, which is sometimes called acamel;thus the Syriack[99]and Arabick versions translate the word:And a learned writer observes, that the Jews, in a proverbial way, express the difficulty of a thing by that of a cable-rope’s passing through the eye of a needle, See Buxt. Lex. Talmud. Pane 1719. and Bochart Hiero. Part. 1. Lib. 2. Cap. 3. And byneedleis not meant that which is used in working, but an iron, through which a small rope may be easily drawn; though it was very difficult to force a camel or cable-rope through it; therefore they suppose our Saviour is not speaking of a thing which is absolutely impossible, but exceeding difficult; and this may be inferred from his reply to what the disciples objected, who then can be saved,when he says, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.And to apply this to the scripture under our present consideration, they suppose that the apostle, when he speaks of the renewing of those persons to repentance, does not intend that which is absolutely impossible, but that it cannot be brought about but by the extraordinary power of God, with whom all things are possible.

And a learned writer observes, that the Jews, in a proverbial way, express the difficulty of a thing by that of a cable-rope’s passing through the eye of a needle, See Buxt. Lex. Talmud. Pane 1719. and Bochart Hiero. Part. 1. Lib. 2. Cap. 3. And byneedleis not meant that which is used in working, but an iron, through which a small rope may be easily drawn; though it was very difficult to force a camel or cable-rope through it; therefore they suppose our Saviour is not speaking of a thing which is absolutely impossible, but exceeding difficult; and this may be inferred from his reply to what the disciples objected, who then can be saved,when he says, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.And to apply this to the scripture under our present consideration, they suppose that the apostle, when he speaks of the renewing of those persons to repentance, does not intend that which is absolutely impossible, but that it cannot be brought about but by the extraordinary power of God, with whom all things are possible.

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