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nefs, and the practice of all religious virtues; SER M. this difference, I fay, is accounted for by the VIL different ftates and circumftances of the perfons to whom chriftianity and its laws were published. When our Saviour and his apoftles preached the gospel of his kingdom to infidels, the great aim was to perfuade them to believe and embrace it; upon this as a condition there was an offer of pardon of all their past fins, and Jefus Chrift, who had full power to do it, declareth them entered into a state of favour with God and of falvation; fo great virtue there was in believing against the prejudices of education, and in oppofition to the reproaches and many difadvantages which attended it at that time, that God was pleased to annex to it the promise of a free juftification. But when they were entered into the chriftian ftate, they were not to be understood to be without law, that is, without obligation to obedience to God, but under a law to Chrift; dead indeed to the law of works by him, but being united to him and putting themselves under his government, that they might bring forth the fruits of holiness unto God. The gospel, far from making void the eternal and immutable law of nature, enforceth it strongly, and addeth new motives to obedience; and this

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great

SER M. great truth, instead of being diminished or VII. weakened by chriftianity, is established, that

without holiness no man can fee God. Therefore to them who have received Christ Jefus the Lord, and are his profeffed difciples, the practice of righteoufnefs is ftill inculcated, and a patient continuance in well doing is made the condition of eternal life.

This is eafily intelligible, but it seemeth to be liable to feveral objections; as, first, that the fcripture no where intimateth any difference in the terms of acceptance and falvation declared to men, as if there were one law and way of justification for converts from infidelity to the chriftian Religion, and another for the profeffed difciples of Chrift. Nay, the Apostle Paul in explaining the doctrines of christanity to the Romans and Galatians, who were faints, and had long continued in their profeffion, as much appropriateth righteousness, or a title to the divine favour, to faith, as it is any where done in the whole New Teftament; he declareth the gospel to be a law of grace, and that according to it, our acceptance is of faith, that it might be by grace, intimating an infeparable connection between these two, and that faith is the fole established method for finners being juf

tified and obtaining access to God, and to the SERM. grace wherein we stand.

2dly, It is difficult to apprehend that the promife of juftification, or paffing from death to life, fhould at any time, or in any circumftances, be annexed to bare believing, or a naked affent to the truth of christianity as a divine revelation. It must always be fuppofed, that God dealeth with men according to their moral conduct, and doth not distinguish them by his favour, any other wife than in proportion to the virtue and goodness which is in their difpofitions and behaviour; confequently, the rewards of the gofpel were not annexed to mere believing; and if we suppose the confideration to be what is only praiseworthy in faith, namely, a fincere love of truth and goodness, with a diligent impartial inquiry; wherever that is found, it will be equally acceptable to God, in profeffed chriftians, as well as thofe who never before heard the gospel.

3dly, It is apparent from fcripture, and particularly from my text, that it is the will and commandment of God to men, even to christians, that they fhould believe on the name of Jefus Chrift. This is expressly required, as the apostle here telleth us, not of Jews and heathens only, when the gospel VOL. IV.

was

VII.

SERM. was first published to them, but of the proVII. feffed difciples of Chrift; not of them who

had not known the truth, as the inspired author fpeaketh in this very epiftle, but of them who had known it, and believed, and obeyed it; children, young men, and fathers, all the degrees and fizes of growth and proficiency in knowledge and in grace, of them who were born of God, and had by their faith overcome the world, and overcome the evil

one.

And it is farther plain, from a multitude of paffages in the epiftles, that faith is an active principle of religion; from it charity and virtue, in a great degree, derive their force and efficacy, in which therefore Chrif tians should constantly endeavour to build up themselves, and to have it daily more and more ftrengthened, that they may be prepared for every good work, and may grow up to perfection.

From all these confiderations, it would feem that the best and most confiftent way of explaining the fcripture account of faith, as it is our duty, the commandment of God to us, and of fo great virtue and efficacy to the acceptance of men with God, the most confiftent way, I fay, feemeth to be, that it is not an act of the understanding only, if it may be called fo, but of the will and affections, as

including

including all the difpofitions which are necef- SERM fary to a right and well grounded perfuafion, VII. fuch as a fincere affection to the truth, under the character of the truth, according to godliness, and an unprejudiced careful search, in order to discover it, and as including all the chriftian virtues in the root and principle of them; it is fuch a receiving Chrift as determineth the heart to walk in him, such a believing in him whom we have not seen, as to love him more than father, or mother, fuch a believing, though now we fee him not, as filleth the foul with joy in hope of his glory; in fine, it is a faith which purifieth the heart, and is made perfect by works of righteousness and charity, which are good and profitable to men, and which they who have believed ought to maintain, and will maintain, Titus iii. 8.

This leadeth us to a right understanding of the gospel doctrine of justification by faith. Any one who carefully attendeth to the writings of the apostle Paul, will fee that he fully afferteth and laboureth to establish it in oppofition to the Jews, who pleaded and hoped for righteousness and acceptance with God, only by the works of the law, which he reprefenteth and cenfureth after this manner, that they being ignorant of God's righteoufness,

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