unworthy of this salvation whereof it hath pleased God in the Riches of his Grace to esteem us worthy therefore let it be your work to Rely upon and Rejoyce in this Grace and Favour against all the Suggestions of Satan and your own Heart touching your Weakness and Vnworthiness and let not these ore whelm you but rather plead them as the occasions by which Grace will be manifested and shew it self to be what it is Thus did Paul who when speaking of Christ's dying for sinners says 2 Tim. 1.1 of whom I am chief Thus David Psal 25.1 Luke 15.1 in begging the pardon of his sins says for they are great Thus the Prodigal I have sinned against Heaven and before thee Here is no mention of any Worthiness or Towardliness in them above others No there is none of this Stuff in any of their Pleas they quit all that to rely on Free Grace and meer Mercy they knew that to look for Salvation from any thing on this side that would be to forsake a Living Fountain and rest on a Cistern a broken Cistern and feeding themselves with Dreams and Fancies which when they a woke would leave them hardly bestead and hungry and therefore would by no means sit down under the shadow of that Gourd Vse 3. Thirdly Is it so thao we are saved by Free Grace and undeserved Favour Then by way of Exhortation be stirred up to Two Things First To be Adorers of it And Secondly Endeavour a walking suitable to it And First Is it so that we are saved by meer Grace Then magnifie and adore the Matchless Love of God in the discovery of his rich Grace to any of your Souls It is rich mercy that God would not betrust us with salvation in our own keeping but has laid it on the sure Foundation of his own Grace but the mercy is heightned and so might our Praise in that God has not only done thus for us but also revealed it to us Oh! The heighth and depth of this Love that what has been hid from Ages and is at this day hid from Millions of Souls should be revealed to such worthless Creatures that others should be left groping in their Natural Darkness seeking for help and find none And that God should make our way so clear is a mercy we can never admire enough Alas Had we a Thousand Hearts and every heart cut into Ten Thousand Peices and every peice capable of Admiring and Adoring this Love it were all too little But then Secondly As we must be adorers of it so we must endeavour a walking suitable to it where we Read That the Grace of God bringing salvation hath appeared unto all Men We see what Lesson it teaches 〈◊〉 2.11.12 That denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Beware of turning the Grace of God into wantonness when Ministers Preached up the Riches of Gods Grace don't think it is to bolster you in your Sins but that by a Sense of the Riches of Gods Grace your hearts might be drawn out to walk worthy of it unto all pleasing as the Apostle expresses it Pos 1.10 If it have not this effect then hear your dreadful Doom that thou art yet in the Gall of bitterness and bond of Iniquity And have as the Apostle told Simon Magus Neither Lot nor part in this matter 〈◊〉 8.21.23 Tho salvation is made sure to us by Grace Yet self-denial and duely walking is what we must press after as the matter of our Imployment in this Life and as that which clears up our further hopes of salvation by Grace in another And altho we are saved by Grace yet let us not sin that Grace may abound Let us take heed of that for that would be a horrid conclusion To take encouragement to sin from the Freeness of Gods Grace would be a baâ—e requital Salvation by Grace requires another Guess kind of requital than this a requital of the highest Love Gratitude and Obedience that can be manifested Any Ingenious Spirit must needs confess that it is highly base and ingrate to requite Evil for Good seeing we are saved by rich free Grace and meer Mercy Let the Apostles Exhortation to the Romans prevail with you I beseech you therefore Brethren by the Mercies of God Rom. 1â— that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your Reasonable Service Oh! be intreated by that matchless mercy of Free Grace that you don't trample upon God's Love but seeing we have such Promises of Life and Salvation by Grace be Honouring of it in a walking suitable to it Oh who would Abuse Love by taking Liberty from the Freeness of God's Grace to sin Who among you is not ready to blame Judas for betraying so good a Master And who would not abhor the Conspiracy of such a Subject whose Life his Prince hath spared of meer Grace The Prophet Ezra argues thus with the People Ezra â— after their Deliverance out of Bondage Seeing that our God hath punished us less than our Iniquities deserve should we again break thy Commandments Let us Reason thus with our own Souls seeing God in the Riches of his Grace is inclined to save such a worthless Creature as I am and to bring me to the Glory and Dignity of Saints and Angels shall I go on to sin against such Endearing Love as this Some says an Holy Man of God please themselves with a strange kind of Doctrine such as never entred into the mind of God That seeing they are saved by Grace they may live as they list in Rebellion to God and Godliness following Iniquity with greediness and yet go to Heaven Certainly had God opened such a Gap to Wickedness He could never have justly complained of the Deluge of Impiety that overflows the World Far be it from the Holy God whose Purity abhors Impiety to allow such Licentiousness No no God's Aim in the Large Discoveries of his Grace is to make you and I and every Soul in Love with it and to fall down in highest Adoration before it For when the Soul is truly made sensible of the Free Grace of God in Christ it makes that Soul cry out in Joseph's Language Gen. 39 9. Oh how shall this Soul thus saved by Grace dare to sin against the God of all Grace Oh that this might be the continual Frame of our Souls that the God of Grace may have no Cause to complain of us as of Israel Deut. 32.6 Do ye thus requite the Lord O Foolish People and unwise Salvation laid on its Right Foundation SERMON II. EPH. II. 8. For by Grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God HAving finished the former part of the Text wherein we have proved the Doctrine of Salvation by Grace we come to see the way God takes in conveying this Salvation down to us through Faith
hold it my faith will fail if thou put me not under thine everlasting Arms. You know reflection upon sin and sinful practises oft raises a very great Storm in the Soul Now as ever you 'd have this Tempest becalm'd be frequently entreating God to strengthen your faith whereby you may couragiously confide in the wise and faithful conduct of our skilful Pilot the Lord Jesus who himself steers at Helm that he may as he has undertaken set us safe a shore in the Haven of Eternal Happiness By grace are we saved through faith Hence I note that God's grace does so save that first we must be true Believers it is Believers alone that partake of grace grace and faith must not be severed in the matter of salvation God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son that whosoever believed on him they and no other are to have everlasting life Look as in the Covenant of the Law do this and live no deed no life so in this Covenant of the Gospel wherein the Lord promises for Christ to pardon sin to justifie to accept to eternal life here it may be said no faith no portion in the promises of God in the grace of God in Christ Jesus for look as Plaisters unapplied so is Christ unbelieved on God doth so save us sinners in our selves that first he makes us through Christ applied righteous and worthy of salvation worthy in regard of his just acceptation seeing that the Lord doth so justifie us of grace that we are also made just in the Redemption we learn to view and contemplate on that admirable Mistery of Reconciling Justice and Mercy in Christ here we see how Gods Justice and Mercy accord in one First There is all Justice in respect of Christ whose Soul felt the Indignation of God in that extremity that his Body touched therewith sweat as it were great drops of Blood who was wrackt and broken even with cruel Torments by the hand of God for our sins Phil. 2.8 and was humbled even to that death of the Cross 2dly There is all Mercy to us it is Mercy High Rich Mercy that the satisfaction of Christ should be ours that all he did should be accounted as done by our selves and then Oh what Rich Mercy is it that Christ the satisfier should be given and bestowed upon us this is Mercy with a witness our Souls may cry Oh the heighth and depth of this matchless Mercy but I pass on By Grace ye are saved through Faith and that not of your selves hence I note that nothing which we are or do does merit our salvation or is a cause procuring it unto us The Apostle counts all his indwelling Righteousness Phil. 3.7 8. conformable to the Law Dross and Dung that which was not fit to be trusted in nor accounted of Oh what can this Righteousness do which is in us as Water in a muddy Channel you must needs confess there is little power in that to work salvation which if the strength of God should not for his mercies sake uphold it would be quenched uncessantly we have nothing in us to merit salvation the best of our performances being attended with a great deal of sin and weakness Here some will object and say If nothing of ours can merit or procure salvation for us why then does God promise life everlasting to works as if ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall live if ye sow to the spirit ye shall reap of the spirit life everlasting I Answer There are some Conditions simply conditional that may very well stand with grace First Such are those Conditions wherein men only intreating we promise and undertake to do a matter or bestow a kindness on them as go with me to such a Place and you shall partake of such Pleasures or Profits or come to me such a day I will give you such a sum of mony where is Merit in this case A Beggars receiving an Alms argues no merit in the Receiver but meer grace in the Donor We count that he who only receives a Benefit he doth nothing for it it comes freely Indeed he doth somthing naturally in receiving but nothing morally by way of merit for the thing received But Secondly There are other Conditions which have the Reason of a Meritorious Cause as when Men don 't only intreat or desire but deserve upon Contract what is promised as do my work well and I will pay you faithfully Of this kind are these Cenditions contain'd in the Law Do this and live As for those in the Gospel they are only bare and simple Conditions which deserve nothing yet must intercede and precede the bestowing of Eternal Life Again some Object That Life Everlasting is a Reward and that Rewards are deserved I answer All Rewards are not due upon nor given for Desert there is a Reward given by Grace for the Apostle says To him that worketh the Reward is counted not of Grace but of Debt Intimating that some often receive very Liberal Rewards only upon the Free Grace and Favour of the Giver and a Reward of Grace imports thus much that what Reward Men have of God even upon the Account of their best Services it is but a Gratuity no Debt upon Desert But it may be further objected That which is given according to Works is deserved by Works therefore so is Eternal Life I answer That indeed which is given according to Works as the meritorious Causes thereof that may well be said to be deserved by Works but now Eternal Life is not so given but is bestowed according to Works as they are Testimonies of our Faith whereby we rest and rely alone on Christ for Life and Salvation and for whose sake only believed on they expect Eternal Life From these Objections we learn to see the Pride and Arrogance of Mankind who when they come to deal with God would have a Value put upon their own Performances we would have a Value put upon every thing upon our Coming upon our Asking upon our Believing As if Christ was beholding to us for our accepting of him So naturally fond are we of resting upon any thing that looks like our own Performances Ah Sirs how little a hole will Self-Righteousness creep in How fain would we have somewhat whereof to Glory But Vse 2. Secondly Hence we also learn to see how our Religion magnifies the Grace of God and debases Man to manifest Tokens of the true Religion For that Religion which sincerely defends the Grace of God and only rejoyces in the Advancement of that not in the setting up the Works of prov'd Man so pernicious to the Glory of God which pulls down the Pharisaical Feathers wherewith Men pride themselves and so exalt Grace and the Freeness of it as not daring to thrust in any thing of their own whereby to lessen his Glory but willingly ascribing all to his Free Grace and Undeserved Favour This only is the true Religion
By Grace are ye saved through Faith That is as I told you in the Explication of the words by Christ believed on or Faith on Christ for you must always take it with the object we are not to place Righteousness in our Act of believing for by our believing we add nothing to our justifying Righteousness but do only apply it as wholly derived from Christ alone John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath Life We are not to take up our Standing partly in the Act of Faith and partly in the Object of faith making up as a Holy Man now with the Lord was wont to say a Righteousness partly from our selves and partly from Christ But we are by Faith to go out of our selves unto Christ for our whole sole and Justifying Righteousness The Scripture does not ascribe our Justification to the Act but wholly to the Object of Faith not to our believing but to Christ believed c. Now Faith being thus taken with the Object we may hence note by way of Doctrine or Observation That the Free Grace of God and Faith may stand together They don't one take away the other Faith hath been always Requisite as the the Instrument to apprehend and take Christ our Righteousnoss that so we might in God's sight be Justified This as the Apostle tells us the Scripture plainly holds forth 〈◊〉 12. The Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the Promise by Faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe And it is said God so loved the World that he hath given his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should have Everlasting Life 〈◊〉 16. Where we see Faith to be brought in as the Instrument without which neither the Promise can be appropriated nor Salvation attained When the Jaylor cryed Sirs what must I do to be saved You hear what Answer is given to the Question Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 30 And therefore as the Righteousness of Christ hath been bestowed upon Men so it is true That Faith hath been all along appointed as the Receiver thereof Faith as one well notes is our Modus Habendi it is the Way and Means by which we come to have God and Christ and an Interest in Salvation by Grace We cannot have the Son but by Faith nor be in Christ but by believing but here some may object what I have already said namely That the grace of God cannot stand with any thing in man how then may such say can it stand with Faith I answer It is true that the grace of God does not brook any thing inherent in man and of man and yet notwithstanding may well agree with faith for faith is not of man no not in man by nature for says the Apostle all men have not faith 2 Thes 3.2 but it is only in Renewed Men and Women and in them as a gift of meer grace 2dly Faith does not justifie as it is an inherent quality in us but as it apprehends Christ Jesus the Redeemer 1 Cor. 3.30 who is made of God to us Wisdom and Righteousness and Purity God does not justifie us because of any antecedent act of Faith we have lying by us and which we could produce as a price as it were and a meritorious means of our Justification God justifies us by working Faith in us and therefore the Apostle says it is of faith Rom. 4.16 that it might be of grace thus you see that Faith is not at all prejudicial to the free grace of God And this is not the only Reason because that faith is given of grace for then all the gifts of the Holy Ghost might come likewise into the Article of Justification For 3dly Faith receives only and shews to God that righteousness of Christ which God hath given ond only for that thing received and not for the receiving that it seeks to be justified Oh that these great Truths which are the fundamental Points in our Religion were more advanced by Ministers and admired by Hearers 4thly Faith receiving Christ stands with the free grace of God because it is of Grace that the believing soul laying hold on Christ is justified for the Law knows not this Righteousness but bids us bring one of our own it is therefore of the Lords grace that we have faith to lay hold on the Righteousness of his Son so that it is clear that the free grace of God and faith may stand together hence by way of Use it is so that free grace and faith may stand together and that faith is tho' not our righteousness yet of singular use and excellency in that it apprehends the righteousness of Christ and for that righteousness seeks to be justified Oh then magnifie and adore the free grace of God for this gift if it had not been for faith Christ and our souls would have never met we had never tasted any preciousness in him nor have been led out in desires after him Oh therefore be bowing your selves before the Lord for the gift of Faith bestowed on you tho withheld from others But 2dly Seeing faith tho it be instrumental yet it is not causal in the matter of our Justification let this reprove those who would put in claim for justification on account of their faith as if that were materially or influentially causal of Justification Faith it self as it is the Believers Act comes under the notion of a work it may be necessary therefore to consider what part it is that faith holds in this matter lest whiles we exclude works as inconsistent with grace I mean as a procuring cause of our Salvation we make a work of faith it is the Office or Work of Faith to make the soul live wholly on the fulness of another and to get emptied of it self to apprehend that righteousness by which grace justifies therefore such are highly reproveable who presume upon coming to God with price in their hand they never truly received the gift of Faith for that comes empty handed to God and leads the soul to God as a forlorn worthless Creature looking for justification and salvation from nothing on this side the free grace of God True faith moulds the soul into the frame of spirit old Jacob was when he cried Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies it bows down under a sence of its own nothingness which is fixed upon Christ's fulness But 3dly It is so that faith though not causal is very instrumental in the matter of justification and salvation Oh then as ever you would suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations â—sa 66.11 as ever you would see any beauty or loveliness in faith or reap comfort and satisfaction by the abundance of faith beg earnestly that God would strenghen your faith imitate the man in the Gospel who cried Lord I believe Mark 9.23 help my unbelief q. d. Lord I cannot