teousness, that is, endeavouring to fave themselves by their own good works [fo called, by works which, ftrictly speaking, deferve rather to be named pharifaical than good; ] they have not fubmitted to the righteoufness of God. to that faith in Chrift, which makes finners righteous before God: for Chrift, adds he, is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth, Rom. x. 4; That is, [fince the fall] it is the very defign of the [Adamic] law, [the law of innocence given to finlefs Adam; yea, and of the Mofaic Jaw, when it is confidered as written in ftones, and decorated with fhadows or types of good things to come,] to bring men to believe in Chrift for juftification and falvation as he alone gives that pardon and life, which the law [of innocence] fhews the want of, [and which the Mofaic law, abstracted from gofpel-promises, points unto,] but cannot poffibly bestow. The Apoftle refuming the fame fubject in the chapter out of which the text is taken, comforts himself by confidering, that, altho' Ifrael in general was blinded, yet all were not loft. Old Simeon and Anna had seen the falvation of God, and had departed in peace, Nicodemus, a doctor in Ifrael, had received the doctrine of the new birth and falvation by faith. Three thousand Jews had been pricked to the heart by penitential forrow, and filled with peace and joy by believing in Jefus Christ. And even at this prefent time, fays the Apostle, there is a remnant [of my country-men faved] according to the election of grace: That is, There are fome of them, who, [like Nathaniel and Nicodemus] catting away their dependance on their own righteoufnefs, [and trufling only in Chrift's merits] are numbered among the elect, according to that gracious decree of [election in Chrift, which] God [has fo clearly revealed] in the covenant of grace, He that believeth shall be faved, &c. Mark xvi. 16. † From (2) † My fentiment concerning election, is thus expreffed by a great Calvinift minifter, "In the written word a decree of God is found, "which fhews who are the chofen and the faved people; He that "believeth From thence the Apostle takes occafion to shew, that pardon and falvation are not, in whole or in part, attained by [the covenant of] works, but merely by [the covenant of] grace. A remnant of thofe felf-righteous pharifees is faved, [not indeed by their felf-righteoufnefs,] but by the covenant of grace, [according to which we must equally part with our felf-righteousness and our fins.] And if by [the covenant of] grace, then it is no more [by that] of works, whether of the ceremonial law [of Mofes, Jor of the moral law [of innocence perverted to pharifaic purposes ;] elfe [the] grace [of Chrift] is no longer grace [bestowed upon a criminal] The very nature of [‡ gofpel-]grace is loft. And if "believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved. The chofen people there"fore are a race of true believers, convinced by God's fpirit of their << ruined estate, endowed with divine faith, by which they seek to "Chrift for help; and seeking do obtain pardon, peace,and holiness.” The Chriftian World Unmasked. Second Edit. p. 186. Judicious chriftians will probably agree here with this pious divine, if he does not deny: (1) That in the divine decree of election the word BELIEV ETH, excludes from the election thofe who have caft off their first faith, or have made shipwreck of the faith: And (2) That the word IS BAPTIZED, implies proffing the faith in word and work; or making, and standing to, the baptifmal vow, which respects not only believing the articles of the chriftian faith, but also keeping God's holy will and commandments. (3) † I say gospel-grace, because it is that which the Apoftle means. It may with propriety be diftinguished from the original grace which Adam had before the fall, and which deifts and pharifees ftill fuppofe themselves poffeffed of. Some people imagine, that if our first parents had well acquitted themselves in the trial of their faithfulness, their reward would not have been of grace; they would (ftrictly speaking) have merited heaven. But this is a mistake. From the Creator to the creature, all bleffings are, and muft for ever be of grace, of mere grace. Gabriel himself enjoys heaven thro' free grace. Unless fome gracious promife interpofes, God may this inftant put an end without injuftice, not only to his glory, but to his very existence. Should you afk what difference there is, between criginal and gofpel grace; I anfwer, that original, Adamic grace naturally flowed from God, as Creator and Preferver, to innocent, happy creatures. But gospel grace, that for which St, Paul fo ftrenuously contends in my text, fupernaturally if it be [by the covenant] of works, then it is no more [by gofpel grace; else work is no longer [the] work [of a finlefs creature,] but the very nature of it is deitroyed [according to the first covenant, which requires perfect conformity to the law in the work, and perfect innocence in the worker.] As if the Apostle had faid, There is fomething fo abfolutely inconfiftent, between being faved by [the covenant of grace, and being faved by [that of] works, that if you fuppofe either, you of neceffity exclude the other: for what is given to works [upon the footing of the firft covenant,] is [improperly fpeaking] the payment of a debt [which God, by his gracious promife, contracted with innocent mankind without the interpofition of a Mediator:] whereas [gofpel-] grace implies [not only] a favour [Arictly Speaking unmerited [by us; but also an atoning facrifice on the Redeemer's part, and a damnable demerit on our own] fo that the fame benefit cannot, in the very things, be derived from both [covenants.] Having thus opened the context, I proceed to a more particular illuftration of the text; and that I may explain it as fully, as the time allotted for this difcourfe will permit, FIRST, I fhall premife an account of the two covenants: The covenant of works, to which the pharifees of old trusted, and [most of] the Roman catholics, with too many falfe proteftants, fill trust in our days: And the covenant of grace, by which alone a turally flows from God, as Redeemer and Comforter, to guilty, wretched mankind: And here let us take notice of the oppofition there is, between pharifaic and evangelical obedience, between the works of the law and the works of faith. The former are done with a proud concest of the natural firengtk, which man loft by the fall; and the latter, with an bumble dependence en divine mercy thro' the Redeemer's merits; and on the fupernatural power beftowed upon loft mankind for his fake. When St. Paul decries the works of the law, it is merely to recommend the works of faith and yet, O the dreadful effects of confufion in Babel people fuppofe, that he pours equal contempt upon both. a remnant was faved in St. Paul's time, and will be faved in all ages. SECONDLY, I fhall prove, that the way of falvation BY [obedient] FAITH ONLY, or, which is the fame thing, BY THE COVENANT OF GRACE, is the ONLY WAY that leads to life, according to the fcriptures and the articles of our church, to whofe holy doctrine I fhall publicly fet my feal. THIRDLY, I fhall endeavour to fhow the unreafonableness and injuftice of thofe, who accuse me of "preaching against good works" when I [decry pharifaic works, and] preach falvation thro' the covenant of grace only. FOURTHLY and lastly, after having informed you, why [even] good works [truly fo called] cannot † [properly] deferve falvation in whole or in part; I hall anfwer the old objection of [fome ignorant] papifts, [and pharifaical proteftants] "If good works. "cannot [properly merit us heaven,] why should do them? There is no need to trouble ourselves "about any." 68 we FIRST (4) † I prefer properly to abfolutely, the word which I formerly ufed; becaufe abfolutely bears too hard upon the fecond gospel axiom, and turns out of the gofpel the rewardable condecency, that our who'e obedience, even according to Dr. Owen, bath unto eternal life, thro' God's gracious appointment. (5) I fay now properly merit us heav n, and not fave us, get us heaven, or procure us heaven, expreffions which occur a few times in my old fermon; becaufe [taking the word merit in its full and proper fenfe] the phrafe “ cannot merit us heaven," leaves room to defend the neceffity of evangelical obedience, and of the works of faith, by which we fhall be faved, not indeed as being the first and properly meritorious caufe of our falvation, (for to afcribe them that honour would be to injure free grace, and place them on the Mediator's throne) but as being the fecondary inftrumental caufe of our juftification in the great day, and confequently of our eternal falvation. Nor does the expreffion properly merit us heaven clash with such fcriptures as thefe When the wicked man turneth from his iniquity, he fall fave his foul alive Save fome with fear Save thy bufband Save thy wife-We are faved by bope. Work out your own falvation. He that converteth a finner fhall fave a foul from death Thy faith bath faved thee In doing this thou shalt fave thyfelf, and them that hear thee. FIRST PART. I begin by laying before you an account of the two [grand] covenants, that God entered into with man. The first was made with Adam, when he was in a state of innocence in paradife. The condition of it, which is exceffively hard, [nay, abfolutely impoffible] to fallen man, was eafy before the fall. It runs thus: Do thee. A preacher fhould do juftice to every part of the fcripture. Nor fhould he blunt one edge of the fword of the fpirit, under pretence of making the other fharper. This I inadvertently did fome times in the year 1762. May God endue me with wifdom that I may not do it it in 1774! I find it the niceft thing in practical, as well as in polemical divinity, fo to defend the doctrine of God's free grace as not to wound that of man's faithful obedience, and vice verfa. These two doctrines fupport the two gofpel axioms, and may be called the breasts of the church. A child of God, instead of peevishly biting the one or the other, fhould fuck them alternately and a minister of Christ, inftead of cutting off either, fhould carefully protect them both. : Should any one object, that if Calvinifm is fupported by the Rev. Mr. Berridge's diftinction between Ir and Ir [fee the fifth Check, 2d part:] the gospel-axioms, about which we make fo much ado, have not a better foundation; fince they depend upon a diftinction between original merit and derived merit. I reply, that the distinction between legal Ir and evangelical Ir, is unworthy of Chrift, and not lefs contrary to fcripture, than to reason, and morality. On the contrary, the diftinction between original or proper merit, and derived or improper worthiness, far from being frivolous, is fcriptural, I fee IV Check, p. 65, &c.] folid, highly honourable to Chrift, greatly conducive to morality, very rational, and lying within the reach of the meaneft capacity. be This will appear from the following propofitions, which contain the fum of our doctrine concerning merit.-(1) All proper worthiness, merit, or defert of any divine reward, is in Chrift, the overflowing fountain of all original excellence. (2) If any of the living water of that rich spring is received by faith, and flows thro' the believer's heart and works, it forms improper worthiness, or derived merit; caufe, properly fpeaking, it is Chrift's merit ftill.—(3) Original merit anfwers to the first gospel axiom, and derived worthiness to the fecond. (4) According to the first covenant we can never merit a reward, be. caufe, of ourselves as finners, we deserve nothing but hell; and that covenant makes no provifion of merit for hell-deferving finners.-But (5) according to the fecond covenant, by God's gracious appointment and merciful promife, we can, improperly speaking, be worthy of heaven, thro' the blood of Chrift fprinkled upon our hearts, and thro' his righteoufnefs derived to us and to our works by faith.—(6) Hence it |