Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

by Works, whenever he uses that Word in a moral Senfe *.-Still it remains to be answered, how our Faith can be imputed to us for Righteoufnefs? But I hope the Answer cannot now be difficult. Faith in Chrift is naturally productive of Evangelical Obedience. It induces us to accept the gracious Offers of the Gospel, and to comply with the Terms proposed in it; and, by this Means, enables us to obtain the Promifed Rewards.-St. Paul then is never to be understood, as oppofing Faith to Gospel Righteousness: fince that can no way intitle us to Chrift's Heavenly Kingdom, but by making us good Subjects to him upon Earth. But Faith is opposed to univerfal and perfect Righteousness, and declared fufficient to fupply the Want of it. In short, fuch a Belief of the Doctrines, as makes us obedient to the Laws of the Gospel, shall attone for all our Offences against the more rigorous Law of Right Reafon.-St. James, on the other hand, means by Good Works, a fincere Obedience to the Evangelical Law; and he therefore affirms, with great Reason, that Faith without Works is dead.

Ir may be proper to take Notice, while I am upon this Subject, that, however the Mcral Excellence of Faith depends on the Man

F 2

ner

So in other Places he underlands by Works, Universal Obedience to the Jewish Law; fuch an Obedience as is not confiftent with any the minuteft Deviation; much lefs with enormous Sins, tho' afterwards repented of and forfaken.

ner in which it is acquired, yet the Good Ef fects of it do not. A Belief of the Doctrines of Chriftianity, tho' perhaps merely the Effect of Education, and altogether unfupported by rational Arguments, may yet be of great and excellent Use in enlightening Men's Minds and reforming their Manners.-Capacity and Opportunity for a diligent Examination may make it our Duty to try the Principles of our Religion, and to fearch them to the very Bottom. But I am forced to agree with a late Writer, however I may differ from him in other Things, that fuch an Inquiry is not ordinarily to be expected. The Bulk of Mankind have in all Ages taken their Religion upon Truft. This may have been partly their own Fault: but, in fome Degree, it cannot well be otherwife.-Should any one try the Experiment with a rude, honeft, illiterate Chriftian, and lay before him, in as plain a Manner as poffible, the Evidences for and against his Religion; he might indeed perplex, but he would find it very difficult to inform him. Such a Procedure could have no other Effect with Men unus'd to Thought and Reflection, but only to unsettle all their Principles, and to tear up their Prejudices and their Virtue together. If it be thought fafer for fuch Perfons only to ftudy the Evidence on the Side of Revelation, this can by no means amount to a rational Search; fince,

right or wrong, they are fure to be convinced.-After all it must be confeffed that the State and Circumftances of the lower Part of the World' do not ufually qualify them for Researches of this Nature. The Authority of Wife and Good Men is often the best Argument they are capable of difcerning: and yet this Argugument would hold, with equal Strength, for any Established Religion, that ever existed.— But notwithstanding the Generality of Chriftians believe on weak and infufficient Grounds; notwithstanding many of them have acquired their Faith without any Merit of their own: yet fo long as their Belief has the fame Influence on their Practice, the Efficacy of that Practice can thereby fuffer no Diminution. Though their Faith be lefs meritorious, yet the Virtue fpringing from it will, on that Account, be neither leis valuable, nor less rewarded.

I HAVE only to add that Faith, in a more reftrained Senfe, is fometimes confidered as the Means of Salvation.-That this Word frequently fignifies an actual Reflection upon God's Promiles, and a firm Belief that he will certainly perform them, is what I have already obferved in the preceding Section.— In this Senfe the Propofition I am now maintaining is more peculiarly true; both because our Opinion of God's Veracity eminently conduces to our moral Improvement; and because no

[blocks in formation]

Opinions can influence our Actions, unless they. are frequently prefent to our Minds.-Upon the whole, I prefume it fufficiently appears,, that Faith is the beft Means to make us boly, and by confequence, to make us happy: that, though it will not work in us Univerfal Righteousness; it is fufficient to engage our Complyance with the gentler Terms of the Gospel, and therefore fufficient to procure Sal

vation.

N

SECT. III.

ECESSITY is a relative Word i implying an infeparable Connection either natural or factitious, between the Terms 10 related. To affirm therefore that Faith is neceflary, is a Manner of fpeaking not fufficiently determinate. Before it can be known. what Truth there is in fuch an Affirmation, the particular Ends must first be specified, to which this Neceflity is fuppofed to belong.Now we may fay, in general, that Faith is neceffary for our Admiffion into Chrift's Kingdom; either his Kingdom upon Earth, or his heavenly Kingdom. In other Words thus; Without Faith in Chrift we can neither enter into Covenant with him, nor enjoy the Bene

fits

fits of that Covenant: we cannot obtain the peculiar Privileges of his Church and People, either in this Life, or the Life to come. These being evidently diftinct Ends, will require a diftinct and feparate Confideration.

THE Privileges peculiar to the Members of the Christian Church, during their Continuance here on Earth, are either external or internal. A Man is faid to be admitted to the outward Privileges of the Church, when he is fuffered to partake in her public Worship, and to join with her in a public Obfervance of the pofitive Inftitutions of Jefus Chrift. The inward Advantages belonging to Christians are thofe powerful Affiftances of the Holy Spirit, which our Lord himself has graciously promifed to his own peculiar Flock and People. Both the one and the other are Means of Grace, that is Means of Improvement in Christian Virtue, and indeed receive their whole Value from this fingle Confideration.— By what Rules, and in what Measures the Spirit of God is communicated to Believers, and how large a Share of Faith is requifite to entitle us to it; are Points neither easy, nor needful to be determined. If we apply to the Scriptures, we fhall only meet with general Declarations; if we apply to Reason, we fhall foon be convinced, that thefe Things are entirely out of her Province -I fhall only, therefore, confider the Faith of a Chriftian, as it is relative

F 4

« AnteriorContinuar »