Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A31174
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Salvation laid on its right foundation, or, The free grace of God prov'd to be the only ground of, and to have the alone stroke in, the matter of our salvation being the sum of two sermons / preach'd to a county auditory by an admirer of grace, and the freeness of it.
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R. C.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing C113A; ESTC R34781
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22,006
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33
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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
people by Christ Gentiles as well as Jews In the Third Chapter he recapitulates or repeats his Doctrine to the Church of Ephesus begging that they may have the sense use and comfort of it in those troublesom times into which the Churches were soon cast In the Three last Chapters he exhorts them to all holy Duties as best suiting with that holy Doctrine he had delivered and if in these Church-rending Times this blessed Apostle were consulted withal as such a famous Oracle deserves we should be more free from that Soul destroying Errour of Arminianism on the one hand and from that Spirit of Prophaneness which turns the grace of God into Wantonness on the other hand In this Chapter of the Text the Apostle shews first what we are by nature 〈◊〉 3. ◠5. ◠3.2 scil dead in Trespasses and Sins Secondly What we are by grace that is saved as Firebrands pluck't out of the burning snatch'd or delivered out of a State of Nature and placed or set over into the Kingdom of Grace Thirdly Here is what Grace makes viz. fruitful in good Works By Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God The Apostle having in the aforegoing Verses shewed the Ephesians now quickned in Christ what they were by nature and giving every one of them to understand withal that God did only thus for the manifestation of the glory of his rich grace supposing that they would thus conclude if God hath done all for us out of our selves in Christ if there is nothing but his rich grace that may glory then it seems all our Salvation is of grace This conclusion the Apostle readily grants and lays down this Apostolical Doctrine more at large so as he pulls down every thing which would advance it self against this great truth of God and this he does by laying down the true causes of our Salvation positively in this 8th verse By Grace are ye saved Secondly By rejecting in the Verse following the false supposed Causes negatively not of Works we shall give you the Explication of the Words and so come to a Doctrinal Observation By Grace are ye saved Grace is put sometimes for the Favour of God sometimes for the Effect of God's Favour in us when the Apostle says Not I but the grace of God in me Here it is to be understood of the rich grace in God out of us which only stands in love good-will and kindness in Christ and Works and the new Creature which is the life of Grace are afterwards executed Now the favour of God is Two-fold First a more common and inferiour Grace Secondly a more special rich Grace not Grace derived from the Law but Rich Gospel Grace in which the New Testament with all the Benefits of it have their Foundation We are Saved there is a double Salvation for Man God is the Saviour of all He Saves Man and Beast but He is in an especial manner the Saviour of them that Believe Now this Salvation is to be considered two Ways either as begun or compleat Now He speaks roundly and fully of our Salvation from beginning to the ending as the Context clears against all Exception By Grace are ye Saved through Faith Faith is considered two Ways the one absolutely in it self as a Virtue and a Radical Virtue the other in Relation to Christ Thus we are here to understand it Faith on Christ Christ now believed on and Faith which is through Him are equipotent of equal Force taken both as one Faith therefore notes Christ applied in us by Belief these two you may see ranked under Grace as which can only stand with it Rom. 3.24 we are Justified freely by His Grace The Apostle comes to prevent the Corruption of Man thus surmising that if we are to be Saved by Faith then something is to be given to us why because we of our own free will Believed no tho of Faith yet you can't challenge any thing because it is not from any strength in you by which you Believed but the Lord He bestowed this upon you He drawed you or you could never have Believed and therefore the Apostle adds it is the Gift of God Whatsoever we can do it is not to be trusted upon nor rejoyced in because it is of God and this is your bounden Duty Ver. ◠as being Created to this very purpose That which we are not of our selves we must not boast our selves as deserving the same but our Salvation is not of our selves it is of God Whatsoever you are you are it of God His Grace makes you to differ and therefore we have no Cause or Matter to trust upon or rejoyce in not of your selves not by reason of any desert of Graces in us or good Works that come from us as is Confirmed in the Verse following Ver. 9. So then what we may collect and gather by way of Doctrine or Observation is this Doct. That the Free Grace of God or God's Free Favour is the Ground of our Salvation and the Reasons why God will Save his by meer Free Grace and undeserved Favour are these Rea. 1. First That in the Ages to come He might shew the exceeding Riches of His Grace in His Kindness towards us through Christ Jesus and that this is the very Reason the Apostle himself produces to Confirm the Doctrine of Salvation by Grace clearly appears by comparing the fifth Verse with the Seventh God Saves His by meer Free Grace and undeserved Favour because He will make way for the Manifestation of the exeeeding Riches of his Grace to after Generations Which Grace would have lain hid and never have been admired and esteemed if we were to be Saved either in whole or in part by our own Performances if the Saints as a Holy Man of God was wont to say were not Saved by Free Grace by meer Grace and nothing else they would make but poor Musick in Heaven for they would be ready to ascribe the Praise due to the Riches of God's Grace to their own good Works and look upon their Performances as their Saviours they would look upon what they have done as the procuring Cause that brought them thither and then you may easily imagine their would be but cold Singing before the Throne of God but little setting forth of the Riches of his Grace to lay Salvation upon any other Basis besides the Free Grace and Favour of God would be to frustrate the principal end of Man's Salvation namely the Glory of God's Grace which Attribute of all the rest he will not have Eclipsed nor Intrenched upon 't is so Divinely Sacred as not to admit the least Humane touch for which very Cause the Lord hath so contrived that blessed Design of his Glory That all boasting is shut out and no Flesh suffered to Glory in his Presence But if any thing in the Creature be intituled to the Causalty of Salvation Cor. 1. Flesh will