223

EATH OF CHRIST CONECESSITY OF A GOOD THE CAUSE, THE OTHER LVATION.

r IV.)

MANS VI. 1.

men? Shall we continue in sin, abound? God forbid.

ul, in the texts which are usually question from his epistles, did not faith, accompanied with wickedness and in salvation, may be considered, I The next inquiry is, if he did not at did he mean? His words we cannot Mat other sense can we fairly put upon to excuse or avoid the sense which we Now it is but justice to every writer to the writes to be understood by those to writing is immediately addressed, and that

the circumstances and situation of the he directly accosts, much more than the s and situation of those who may come at he has written, in some remote age and intry. There are no ancient writi Sallowance is more wanted than in d, nor in any part of his writings m

faith. It would be to say what his next words unsay, and contradict. The most therefore that this text, "the just shall live by faith," can amount to is, that though good works be necessary and be performed, yet, after all, it is not by them, otherwise than as they are the proof of faith, but by that faith itself, that the just shall live. Again: though it be true that Saint Paul in this epistle concludes "that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law," yet in the same epistle he had before told us, that "God will render to every man according to his deeds; to them, who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jews first, and also of the Gentiles." Therefore, his expression concerning faith, in the third chapter of this epistle, though strong, must not be so construed as to make the author assert the direct contrary of what he had asserted just before in the second chapter. Again: four chapters of this very epistle, viz. from the twelfth to the fifteenth inclusive, are occupied in delivering moral precepts. Let no one therefore say that moral precepts are indifferent, or that moral practice, i. e. the conduct which these precepts enjoin and enforce, is unnecessary-I mean in the judgement of the writer whose authority is here pleaded. Nor is it possible to reconcile with this opinion the two following texts, taken out of the same epistle : "The wages of sin is death;" chap. vi. verse 23. live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye, through the spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live;" chap. viii. verse 13.

" If ye

The same species of observation applies to the epistle to the Galatians; in which epistle, it is true, that the Apostle hath used concerning faith these very strong terms: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ; that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Nevertheless, in another place of this same epistle, we have the following plain, clear, and circumstantial denunciation: "The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these-Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." No words can be more positive than these, and the last words are the most positive of all, “shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Sinners like these may have been justified in a certain sense; they may have been saved in a certain sense; that is, they may have been brought into a state of justification or salvation for the present; but they shall not be finally happy, "they shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

In the epistle to the Ephesians, we acknowledge the same observation, namely, that the Apostle hath spoken strong things concerning faith; yet hath at the same time, and in the same writing, most absolutely insisted upon a virtuous life, and most positively declared that a life of sin will end in perdition. Concerning faith, he hath said this: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift

of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Concerning a life of sin, he makes this declaration. After having enumerated certain species of sins, he adds these cautionary words, which show his opinion as manifestly as words can show it: "Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things, even the sinful practices before recited, cometh the wrath of God the children of disobedience."

upon

To conclude: What the Apostle might particularly mean by the several expressions concerning faith, which have been quoted, is another question; but that he did not mean to state or teach that a life of endeavour after virtue, if that be what we understand by good works, could be dispensed with; or that a life of continued unrepented sin would end in salvation by means, or for the sake of any belief in Christ's religion, I think most evident, and would be so, although we were not able to settle, to our satisfaction, the first question, namely, what it was he did mean. I say, the negative proposition is most evident, unless we can be brought to suppose, that Saint Paul delivered a doctrine contrary to that of our Saviour and of the other Apostles, destructive of one declared end of the christian institution itself (and the end and design of any system of laws is to control the interpretation of particular parts); and lastly, what is most improbable of all, at the same time and in the same manner, directly repugnant to what he himself has solemnly asserted and delivered at other times and in other places.