have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ. By grace you are saved tbrough faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works least any man should boast Not by works of righteousness which we have done but by grace hath he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost But then it is as plain on the other hand that God will render to every man according to his deeds that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in the body according to what we have done whether it be good or bad That Christ will condemn all wicked Christians whatever their Faith be Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works and then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity What shall we say then to this matter both these Propositions must be allowed to be undoubtedly true We are justified by Faith we are saved by Grace without the Works of the Law and we shall be judged according to our works and shall receive what we have done in this body whether good or evil That is we are justified by faith justified freely by God's grace through the redemption which is in Christ Iesus and through faith in his blood and yet shall be condemned at the last Judgment if we live wickedly This is a matter of very great consequence to be plainly stated because a great many Christians encourage themselves in sin with vain hopes and eternally perish by a presumptuous Faith and Reliance on Christ. I. Now in the first place that whatever mistakes or misapprehensions Men may have about the nature of Faith and Justification may not endanger their Souls by encouraging them in sin I observe that we must reconcile the Doctrine of Justification by Faith without Works to our being judged by our Works not expound away the Doctrine of our being judged according to our Works to reconcile it to our Notions of Justification by Faith And there are manifest Reasons for this 1. Because it is as expresly taught in Scripture that we shall be judged by our Works as it is that we are justified by Faith and therefore we must not oppose our Justification by Faith to our being judged by our Works for that is not to expound Scripture but to confute one Scripture Doctrine by another to prove that we shall not be judged by our Works though the Scripture says we shall because the Scripture also teaches that we are justified by Faith without Works Now if it be allowable to reject any Scripture Doctrine or to confute one Doctrine by â—â—other we may with as good reason 〈◊〉 them both by each other and belâ—â—â—â— neither for if they can't be reconciled but we must deny one our being judged by our Works does as plainly prove that we are not justified by Faith without Works as Justification by Faith proves that we shall not be judged by our Works We must distinguish between expounding and reconciling Scripture and confuting it and therefore whatever we believe about Justification by Faith we must still confess we shall be judged by our Works For 2. There is great reason to expound Justification by Faith by our being judged by Works because when we are told in Scripture That God will render to us according to our deeds that every man must receive the things done in his body according to what he hath done whether it be good or bad These are plain proper expressions without any Figure or Metaphor in them and therefore are capable of no other sence than what the words at first view signifie We shall receive what we have done if we have done good we shall be rewarded if we have done evil we shall be punished good Men shall be received into Heaven and all wicked Men even wicked Believers as well as wicked Infidels shall 〈◊〉 cast into Hell this every Child understands to be the meaning of these Words and no other sence can be made of them and therefore since this is so plainly and so frequently taught in Scripture whatever we believe else we must believe this if we believe the Scripture But now when we read of being justified by Faith without Works every word is capable of very different sences and we know is expounded very differently by learned Men according to the different Hypothesis they intend to serve by it and then we must confess it is not so certain what is meant by Justification by Faith without Works as what is meant by being judged according to our Works at least so much must be allowed that we must prefer that sence of Justification by Faith which agrees with our being judged by our Works before any other interpretation which contradicts or overthrows this plain sence of a Future Judgment As for instance Some by justifying understand making just and righteous that to justifie the ungodly is to make a wicked Man good by the power and efficacy of Faith but then to justifie the ungodly without the Works of the Law or to make a wicked Man good without good Works does not found very well and therefore others more reasonably and more agreeably to Scripture understand justifying in a forensick sence for absolving acquitting declaring and accounting Men just and righteous and treating them as such that is imputing righteousness to them though in a strict and proper sence they are not inherently righteous And then this forensick Justification may either signifie our being justified at Baptism when by the profession of our Faith we are incorporated by Baptism into Christ's Church and are made the Members of his Mystical Body and have all our sins washed away in his Blood and come pure and innocent out of the laver of Regeneration and thus the most ungodly Sinners are justified by Faith in Baptism without Works or any antecedent righteousness of their own or else this Justification may be extended to the Future Judgment that at the last Day of Account we shall be justified acquitted absolved rewarded by Faith without Works but this does not agree very well with our being judged and receiving according to our Works the Scripture expresly teaches that we are justified by Faith without Works and that we shall be judged by our Works but never saith we shall be judged by our Faith which seems to make a great difference between being justified and being judged for if we are justified without Works and judged by our Works justified by Faith without Works but not judged not acquitted and rewarded by Faith without Works to be justified and to be judged cannot signifie the same
thing Thus when we are said to be justified by Faith some by Faith understand such a firm and steadfast belief of the whole Gospel of all that concerns the Person and Mediation of Christ the Expiation of his Blood his Resurrection from the Dead and Intercession for us in Heaven his Laws his Promises and Threatnings as renews and sanctifies our Nature governs our Lives conquers the World subdues the Flesh to the Spirit and makes us truly Divine and God-like Creatures the Sons of God not meerly by external relation but by a participation of his Nature Now this Notion of justifying Faith that we shall be justified by a living working Faith is very reconcilable with being judged by our Works for if we cannot be justified by Faith without Works if no Faith can justifie but that which is fruitful in all good Works then we may be judged by our Works since Holiness is essential to a justifying Faith Others by justifying Faith understand a reliance and recumbency on Christ for Salvation a receiving and embracing Christ and rowling their Souls on him as they are pleased to express it which when taken out of Metaphor can signifie no more than to hope and trust in Christ that he will save them and to be willing to be saved by him without any Works and Righteousness of their own Now if the bare Act of relying on Christ would justifie and save Men I cannot see how such Believers should be judged by their Works though Infidels may But this Antinomian Conceit of justifying Faith is not so plain and certain as it is that we shall be judged by our Works Not to dispute the Point now these Men may be mistaken in their Notion of justifying Faith but there can be no dispute made what the meaning is of being judged according to our Works Thus when we are said to be justified by Faith in opposition to Justification by Works it is matter of Controversie what is meant by Works Some think that when Works are rejected as contributing nothing to our Justification the Apostle means only the Works of the Ceremonial Law such as Circumcision and Sacrifices Washings and Purifications the Observation of New Moons and Sabbaths c. for this was the great Dispute St. Paul had with the Iews whether the Observation of the Mosaical Law were necessary to the Justification of Christians and in this sence the Apostle with good reason asserts our Justification by Faith without Works We are now justified by the Faith of Christ not by the Rites and Ceremonies of the Mosaical Law Others and with very good reason too not only reject the Works of the Ceremonial Law but also of the Moral Law from the Justification of Sinners not as if Sinners could be justified without good Works but that they are not justified by them that is that no Man is justified by the Merit of his own Works but by the Merit and Expiation of the Death of Christ. But though no Man is justified or saved for the Merit of his Works yet he may be judged according to his Works Though no Man shall be saved by the Merit of his good Works yet no Man shall be saved without good Works and wicked Men shall be damned for their evil Works which leaves room enough for our being judged according to our Works So that though we be not justified by Works but by Faith as St. Paul tells us yet we must be judged by our Works wicked Men shall be condemned for their Wickedness and none but good Men shall be justified and saved by the Merits of Christ and who are wicked and who are righteous shall at the Last Day be judged by their Works And indeed this is plainly confessed by those who contend most zealously foâ— Justification by Faith alone which makes this a very needless and impertinent Controversie as appears from their way of reconciling St. Paul and St. Iames. St. Paul tells us we are justified by Faith without the Works of the Law St. Iames tells us That by works a man is justified and not by faith only 2 Jam. 14. To reconcile these two great Apostles they tell us That the Man is justified by Faiâ—h and his Faith is justified by Works Now whether this be the true way of reconciling St. Paul and St. Iames I shall not at present dispute but it grants all that I desire that notwithstanding our being justified by Faith we shall be judged by our Works for whether a Man or his Faith be judged and justified by Works I think is the same thing for if the Man must be justified by Faith and his Faith justified by Works I doubt the Man cannot be justified without Works unless he can be jâ—stified by an unjustified Faith Before Fâ—ith can justifie the Man it must be justified itself and Faith must be justified by Works and what this differs from judging a Believer by his Works I cannot tell So that as many Disputes as there are about Justification by Faith we ought firmly to believe that we shall be judged by our Works for most of the Notions of Justification by Faith in opposition to our Justification by Works are very reconcilable with this Doctrine of being judged by our Works and those that are not are not so plain and certain as it is that we shall be judged by our Works 3. However since this is so plainly expressed in Scripture that there is no avoiding it nor any other possible sence to be made of it whatever our Notions of Justification be it is much the safest way to believe and expect that we shall be judged according to our Works that if we live wickedly we shall certainly be condemned at that Day and though we shall be acquitted and finally absolved by the Mercies of God and the Merits of Christ yet not without Holiness not without good Works not without partaking of the Divine Nature and being conformed to Christ our Head To entertain any other hopes will undo us for ever for we shall be very ill prepared to give an account of our Lives and Actions when our Lord comes to call us to an Account if we can possess our selves with such Notions of Justification as deliver us from the Fears of Judgment if we can perswade our selves that we shall not be judged according to our Works but by the Merits of Christ that we shall not receive the things done in the Body whether good or evil but shall receive the purchase of Christ's Obedience and Righteousness without regard to our own These are the dangerous Conclusions which some Men draw from their mistaken Notions of Justification and this is the great danger of such mistakes While Men acknowledge the Grace of God and the Merits of Christ in the Justification of Sinners and believe that they shall be judged according to their Works whatever other Disputes there may be there is no danger in them but if Men by some uncertain Reasonings can perswade themselves
careful of our Words CHAP. VII Concerning the Righteousness of the Future Iudgment and the Rule whereby we shall be judged ST Paul tells us That God will judge the world in righteousness which had been a terrible saying did Righteousness always signifie strict and severe Justice For who then could be saved But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Mercy Goodness Equity as well as Justice or Justice tempered with Equity and Mercy And what the Apostle adds That God will judge the World in Righteousness by that man whom be hath ordained that is by Christ Jesus proves that Righteousness signifies an equal kind and merciful Justice For Christ is a Mediatory King and a Mediatory Judge He judges between God and Man He sets Bounds and Measures to Justice and makes allowances for the folly and weakness of Human Nature and with a Soveraign Authority dispenses not only the Justice but the Mercies of God When God appoints the Great High-Priest and Mediator to be the Judge of the World all Mankind may expect a very merciful Judge for the High-Priest and Mediator must judge with Equity and Mercy or else he does not maintain his Character of Mediator when he judges and yet the Final Judgment is the concluding Act of his Mediatory Kingdom and therefore an Act of his Mediation We know not certainly how God will deal with the Heathen World who never heard of Christ and never had the Gospel preached to them but it seems to look very favourably on them that the Saviour of Mankind the merciful and compassionate Jesus is their Judge also which promises all the Mercy that their Condition is capable of and how much that is we cannot tell for the Saviour of the World must judge with Mercy and Equity not by the Rules of severe and rigoâ—ous Justice Of which more presently Leaving then the Heathen World to the Mercies of God which are over all his Works it more concerns us to enquire by what Rule Christ will judge us who have had the Gospel preached to us Now in general St. Paul tells us God will judge the secrets of men by Christ Iesus according to my Gospel 2 Rom. 16. that is by the Gospel which I preach The Gospel of our Saviour is the Rule whereby we shall be judged by which our Lives and Actions shall be examined and as the Gospel acquits or condemns any Man so he shall be acquitted or condemned at the last Judgment So that we need not go far to know what our Doom shall be we need not search into the secret and hidden Counsels of God the Gospel lies open before us and though we cannot find our Names there we may read our Sentence for God will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Iew first and also of the Gentile but glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Iew first and also to the Gentiles for there is no respect of persons with God 2 Rom. 6 7 8 9 10 11. What this good and this evil is the Gospel acquaints us and if we do what the Gospel commands we shall be acquitted and rewarded if we do what it forbids we shall be condemned So that we certainly know that all wicked Men who live in the wilful commission of any known sin shall be finally condemned Christ will at that Day profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity 7 Mat. 23. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 10. But the righteous shall shine forth like the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father And who these Righteous are St. Iohn tells us Little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous He that committeth sin is of the devil for the devil sinneth from the beginning for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God in this the children of God are manifested and the children of the devil Whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother 1 Joh. 3.7 8 9 10. This is very plain and so expresly taught in Scripture that every Man may as certainly know whether he shall be saved or damned at the last Day as he can know whether he be a good or a bad Man whether he doth righteousness or commits iniquity But most Men are conscious to themselves of so much wickedness that they don't love to hear of this For what will become of them if they must be rewarded or punished according to their Works What difference is there between the Law and the Gospel if they must still be judged according to their Works For what could the Law do more than condemn the wicked and reward the good But they are very Sound and Orthodox Believers they believe in God who justifieth the ungodly they believe in Christ and trust in him for Salvation and there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Iesus they expect to be justified by Faith to be saved by Grace and that without the works of the law And what has the Law then to do to condemn them who believe in Christ who have satisfied the Law in Christ who have fulfilled the Law in him who are washed from their sins in his Blood and are clothed with his Righteousness imputed to them Those who are not in Christ must indeed be judged by their Works but all true Believers are justified by their Faith and saved by Grace Now it must be confessed this is very expresly taught in Scripture that we are justified by Faith and saved by Grace and that without the Works of the Law By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifest being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets even the righteousness of God which is by faith in Iesus Christ Being justified freely by his grace thorough the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God That Abraham our Father was not justified by Works but by Faith That being justified by faith we
Future Judgment makes this necessary 3 dly Let us then consider how this matter may be reconciled that we are saved by Grace and justified by Faith in Christ and yet must be judged by our Works And this is very easily done for we shall be judged by our Works according to the Gracious Terms of the Gospel The Faith of Christ was never intended to give us a liberty in sinning or to excuse us from the necessity of a holy life and as far as the necessity of holiness is reconcilable with the Grace of the Gospel so far our being judged by our Works is reconcilable with our being saved by Grace upon the same Terms that the Gospel promises Pardon and Forgiveness we shall be pardoned at the Day of Judgment whatever the Gospel promises to reward shall be rewarded at the Day of Judgment and thus we are judged by Grace and by Works too This is easily understood by those who know any thing of the Gospel of Christ and therefore I shall at present but just mention it The Gospel of Christ promises Pardon of sin to true Penitents who are heartily sorry for their sins abhor themselves for them make restitution for the Injuries they have done to Men beg God's Pardon in the Name and Mediation of Christ and amend their Lives for Christ has made atonement and expiation for such Sinners and therefore at the Day of Judgment no Man shall be condemned for such sins as he has heartily repented of and reformed and this is to be judged by Grace as well as by our Works for the Law prescribes our Duty but promises no Pardon no not to Penitents this is owing to the Grace of God through the Merits and Mediation of Christ but though the Grace of the Gospel pardons true Penitents yet the same Gospel threatens eternal damnation against impenitent Sinners The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness To them who are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil And therefore impenient Sinners will be judged and condemned for their sins at the last Day by the Mediatour of the Covenant of Grace for the Gospel itself condemns them Thus the Grace of God that bringeth salvation and hath appeared unto all men teacheth us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world And therefore without holiness no man shall see God Heaven is the Reward only of good Men who live in the Exercise of all Christian Graces and Vertues and therefore good Men must be judged must be rewarded according to their Works and yet this is Gospel-Grace too for such a glorious Reward as Heaven is above the Merit of the most perfect Vertue in this World The best Man cannot challenge such a Reward from the Justice of God and therefore it is owing to Gospel-Grace the wages of sin is death but eternal life is the gift of God not the merit and desert of our Works through our Lord Iesus Christ. Especially when we consider that this great and perfect Reward is bestowed upon a very imperfect Vertue the Obedience of the best Men is very defective stained and sullied with Human Weaknesses Indiscretions Follies Ignorances Mistakes indecent Surprizes of Passion or coldness and flatness of Devotion and too often interrupted with wilful and scandalous sins such as nothing but Grace can pardon and therefore much more nothing but Grace can reward and therefore good Men are judged by Grace and rewarded by Grace though according to their Works We are all Sinners we are all obnoxious to the Justice of God would he be extream to mark what is done amiss but since a perfect Vertue is not to be expected from Mankind in this lapsed state God is pleased to accept of sincerity instead of perfection and through the Merits of Christ and Faith in his Blood to account him a righteous Man who sincerely loves and fears him and obeys his Laws though with the Weaknesses and Infirmities incident to Humane Nature So that our being judged by our Works signifies no more but that we are distinguished by the Good or Evil we do into good or bad Men according to the favourable allowances of the Gospel and then bad Men receive the just desert of their sins and good Men receive those Rewards not which they have merited but which the Grace of God and the Merits of Christ have prepared and purchased for them This is a plain account how Christians may be judged by their Works and yet saved by Grace and by Faith in Christ and the righteousness and equity of the last Judgment seems to entitle Heathens themselves thô they have no Covenant Right to it to some degrees of this Grace for I cannot think that God in judging the World will deal more rigorously and severely with Heathens than he will with Christians that he will demand most where he has given least which is contrary to our Saviour's Rule of Judgment and therefore I cannot but hope that Christ in judging of their Works will make the same favourable allowances to them which the Gospel makes to those who do believe in Christ that is to say that he will allow of the Repentance of a Heathen if it were sincere and hearty and did reform his Life as well as of the Repentance of a Christian that he will overlook the same Defects and Imperfections in the good Actions of Heathens who lived vertuous Lives who worshipped the One true God and observed the natural Rules of Sobriety Justice and Righteousness that he will in the Actions of Christians That if any Heathen should be found equally vertuous with the meanest Christian who shall be finally saved that Heathen at least will not be damned and indeed would seem to have reason to complain of unequal usage if he should St. Paul tells us both with respect to Jews and Heathens as well as Christians That God will judge the secrets of men by Christ Iesus according to the Gospel And if the Gospel be the Rule of judging all Mens Actions they must be all equally judged with respect to the Good or Evil of their Actions and be judged as the Gospel judges I grant the Heathens had no promise of Pardon upon their Repentance but yet all Mankind believed so well of the Goodness and Mercy of God that they hoped for Pardon upon their Repentance thus we find the Ninivites did and they had it and indeed it was this perswasion that taught them to pray to God and to offer Sacrifices which had been insignificant things had they not been perswaded that God both could and would pardon sin when Sinners repent Nor have the Heathens any Covenant Title to Salvation and yet they were generally perswaded that good Men shall be rewarded and the
not taught at all or only taught the Art of Living in the World by Labour and Industry that God might as well judge Men for being Rich or Poor when their Fortune is not at their own disposal but owing to their Birth or to prosperous or adverse Events of Providence as to judge Men by the different Degrees and Improvements of Knowledge Thus as for Faith some never heard of Christ at all or if they did it was only under the Character of an Imposter or of a Fable but never had the true Reasons of Faith explained to them others have been very ill instructed in the Faith of Christ and never had opportunity to rectifie their mistakes and yet as no Man is bound to know what Nature does not teach unless it be revealed to him so no Man is bound to believe what he has not so much as heard of nor to believe every thing he does hear without sufficient Evidence nor to receive the true Faith of Christ which he was never taught So that should God divide the World at the Last Day only into Believers and Infidels this would be a very unequal distribution because great part of the World never had the Faith of CHRIST preached to them and though Infidelity will condemn those Men who have been instructed in the Faith of CHRIST and would not believe yet it cannot in Reason and Justice be imputed to those Men who never heard of Christ. But now the Being and Providence of God and the Differences of Good and Evil are known to all Mankind Nature teaches this and therefore all Mankind are bound to know it and all Mankind may be judged by this Rule whether they know God and worship him as God and take care to do that which is good and to avoid the evil This account St. Paul gives us of it For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them For the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened 1 Rom. 18 19 20 21. And the same Apostle tells us That the Gentiles which have not the Law no Divine written Law do by nature the things contained in the law these having not the law are a law unto themselves which shew the work of the law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witness and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another 2 Rom. 14 15 16. So that all Mankind even Heathens themselves have a natural knowledge of GOD and of Good and Evil and therefore may be judged for what they know and condemned by God for transgressing those Laws of Righteousness for which their own Consciences condemn them for this leaves them without excuse And if God will judge the Heathens by their Works and condemn them for those sins they commit against the Light of Nature an equal Justice requires that Christians shall be judged by their Works also For is it equal to damn a Heathen for those Sins which a Christian may commit and be saved Will equal and impartial Justice allow that when a Heathen and a Christian are equally wicked the Christian shall be saved and the Heathen damned Is not this to accept the Persons of Men in Judgment to make a difference between the Men when there is no difference in their Actions And yet the same Apostle tells us There is no respect of persons with God for as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law 2 Rom. 11 12. And that this is the Rule of Judgment in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ according to the gospel v. 16. There is no other common and general Rule whereby all Mankind can be judged but only this to render to every Man according to his Works for there is nothing else for which Men must be judged that is common to all Men but the natural knowledge of God and the differences of Good and Evil Christians indeed know more than the Light of Nature taught Heathens and therefore have more to account for than Heathens have but if Heathens shall be condemned for their sins against the Light of Nature if they shall be judged according to their Works Christians have more reason to expect this for if God be a righteous and impartial Judge he cannot condemn one Sinner for his Sins and save another as wicked as he The nature of Vertue and Vice is the same in all Mankind whether Heathens Jews or Christians and deserves in itsself the same Rewards and Punishments if it be righteous in God to punish the Sins of Heathens it is righteous in God to punish the same Sins of Christians to render to all Men whoever they be according to their Works for this is to deal equally with all Men. 3 dly I add farther that nothing else is the proper Object of Judgment but the Good or Evil of our Actions and therefore if we be judged at all we must be judged for the Good or Evil we have done For does Judging signifie any thing else but Examining what Good or Evil such a Man hath done and rewarding or punishing him according to the Good or Evil he has done And therefore a righteous Judge cannot judge Men cannot reward or punish them for that which is neither Good nor Evil. Now is there any thing Good or Evil but Vertue or Vice What is Knowledge good for which does not direct and govern our Lives What is Faith good for which does not renew and sanctifie us Are there not very knowing and believing Devils Does not Faith and Knowledge make every sin we commit against Faith and against Knowledge the more inexcusable Does not our Saviour tell us That he who knows his master's will and does it not shall be beaten with many stripes What Merit or Vertue is there in a presumptuous reliance on Christ for Salvation to call him Lord Lord and not to do the things which he has commanded And can we think then that God will reward us for our Knowledge or our Faith and overlook all the Evils and Impurities of our Lives Will he reward us for that which deserves no Reward and not punish us for that which deserves punishment Is this to judge the World in Righteousness This is abundantly enough to prove that we must be judged according to our Works that we must receive the things done in the Body whether Good or Evil since the Righteousness of the
have Treasure in Heaven 19 Mat. 21. What is the meaning of this Does the Gospel preach Merit to us must we merit forgiveness by forgiving must we purchase Heaven with our Money Every body sees that this can be no Purchase because there is no Proportion in the value but though Charity cannot merit our Pardon yet it deserves some favour to be shewn it and God will be merciful to those who shew mercy though our Alms and Works of Charity cannot merit Heaven yet they make us Friends as our Saviour speaks and such Friends as will receive us into Everlasting Habitations They will make God and Christ our Friend who will bestow Heaven on us not as the Merit of our Works but out of Grace and Favour which such Acts of Charity deserve This is a plain account why our Saviour in the last Judgment takes notice of no other Works but Acts of Charity and shews us how we may be judged by our Works and pardoned and rewarded by Grace and if this will not convince us of the necessity of Charity it is in vain to urge any other Arguments 2 dly Another Rule and that a very righteous Rule of Judgment is that God will judge us according to our Receipts as our Saviour expresly tells us To whomsoever much is given of them shall much be required and to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more 12 Luke 48. As for the righteousness and equity of this our Saviour's Appeals to the Practice of Mankind they think it very reasonable to ask the more of him to whom they have committed much And we have no reason to complain of God if he deals with us as we think it just and reasonable to deal with one another There is no need to prove the righteousness of this Rule which all Men own and confess but the consequence of it deserves to be considered by Christians who have received so much more from God than the rest of Mankind have done for by this Rule at the Day of Judgment more will be required of us than of the rest of the World as we have received more Very few Christians seem to think of this they pity the rest of the World who they say are under the Law and a Covenant of Works by which no Man can be justified who is a Sinner as all Men are and therefore their Salvation is desperate but a little matter will save a Christian if he be a true Believer if they are but sorry for their sins and confess and bewail them before God as often as they commit them and trust in the Merits and Righteousness of Christ nay if they do but retract their wicked Lives with some dying Groans and Resolutions of living well when they know they can live no longer if they wish they had lived better when they come to die and promise that they would live better if they could live over their Lives again this will secure their Salvation and this is the glorious Priviledge they enjoy by being Christians this is Gospel-Grace this is the Purchase of Christ's Blood But not to enter into this Dispute which I have said enough of already certainly these Men are mistaken and these vain hopes will deceive them if our Saviour's Rule be true That to whom much is given of them shall be much required For has not God given more to us than he has to the rest of the World And is that a reason why he should ask less Let us briefly consider what God has done more for us than he has done for the rest of the World and see whether what God has done more for us does excuse us from any part of our Duty or rather whether it does not exact a more perfect Vertue from us The Gospel of Christ has given us a more perfect knowledge of the Will of God and of our Duty to him nay has given us a more perfect Law and Rule of Life has in many instances advanced our Duty above what the Law of Nature or the Law of Moses required at least above what the generality of Men thought they did require Now is this a reason why God should excuse us from doing our Duty because we know it better than other Men Or why God should expect less from us than from other Men because we know more This is directly contrary to what our Saviour tells us That servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes but he that knew not and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes 12 Luke 47 48. This seems a hard saying that he which knew not should be beaten at all but our Saviour does not by this understand a total ignorance but an imperfect knowledge which will excuse Men from such parts of their Duty as they were ignorant of if this ignorance was not their own fault but the more we know the more is our Duty enlarged and therefore as our Knowledge increases our Account must encrease with it and that will increase our punishment if we know the Will of God and disobey it Is there any use of Knowledge but to direct our Lives And could God then intend any thing in revealing his Will to us but that we should obey it The Jews had these vain Conceits they boasted in Circumcision and in their Knowledge of the Law and condemned the Heathen World for those sins which they themselves securely committed as if they should be saved in their sins because they knew the Law which forbids them but the ignorant Heathens should be damned for theirs But St. Paul very sharply and sarcastically exposes the folly of this in the Second Chapter to the Romans throughout the whole Chapter which I would desire you seriously to read and consider and then I need add no more about it The Gospel gives us a more abundant assurance of a future State and of the Rewards and Punishments of it than the World had before for life and immortality is brought to light by the Gospel and the more certain our Faith and Knowledge is of another World in all reason it may be expected to work more powerfully upon our Minds to conquer all the Temptations of this Life to terrifie us from every thing that is wicked to make us steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord as knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 The certainty of Faith is the strength and vigour of the Mind and therefore every new degree of evidence requires proportionable degrees of resolution activity caution and circumspection in doing our Duty and as this is reasonable to be expected so God does expect it from us The times of ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
the Prophets about this matter And though it cannot be denyed but that many Christians deceive themselves with the same vain hopes yet this is much more unpardonable in them because God has given a more undeniable proof of the evil of Sin and his irrecoverable displeasure against it then either Iews or Heathens had For can there be a more certain evidence of the evil of Sin than the Death of Christ He dyed for Sin and as the Apostle speaks condemned sin in the flesh 8 Rom. 3. Not only condemned Sin by his excellent Sermons wise Exhortations sharp Reproofs and terrible Threatnings while he lived in the Flesh but by dying in the Flesh by offering up his Body a Sacrifice for Sin Whatever Christ suffered was not upon his own Personal account but for Sin and therefore what he suffered was the just demerit of Sin or else he ought not to have suffered it in him God shews us what our Sins deserve Infamy Reproach and utmost Scorn and Contempt the Agonies of the Mind the Pain and Torments of the Body and Death it self it was Sin that was Crucified that was exposed to all this Shame and Suffering in the Person of our Saviour and therefore in his Sufferings we have a lively Image of the Evil and Deserts of Sin which is a more convincing and satisfactory Evidence then the fine and subtile Reasonings of Philosophy which some Men cannot understand and which none but purified Minds can feel And though God declared his great love to Sinners in giving his own Son to dye for them yet hereby also he expressed his irreconcileable hatred against Sin Sinners may be reconciled to God by the Death of Christ but Sin never can that is Condemned is Crucified in the Death of Christ. Christ expiated Sin and reconciles Sinners by killing and destroying Sin by putting it to shame and Death upon his own Cross And this is the Method of our reconciliation to God in Conformity to the Death of Christ we must be crucified with Christ must be planted into the likeness of his Death that is we must crucifie Sin in us we must crucifie the flesh with its affections and lusts we must die to sin the body of sin must be destroyed that we may no longer serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin as St. Paul Argues 6 Rom. and in several other places And do we need any other proof of God's hatred of Sin than that he gave his own Son to be a Sacrifice for Sin that Christ could not expiate our Sins without undergoing that Infamy and Scorn and Pain and Death which is the desert of Sin that the Death and Destruction of Sin is represented in that very Sacrifice which expiates our Sins and must be acted over again in us in the real Crucifixion and Death of Sin before we can have any Interest in the Expiation of Christ's Death And can there be a more powerful Disswasive from Sin than this Thus it is a mighty encouragement to Repent of our Sins and forsake them to be assured of Pardon and Forgiveness if we do Now whatever Reasons Iews and Heathens had to hope for Pardon upon their Repentance it is certain they had not that assurance which the Death and Sacrifice of Christ gives us We have now an express Covenant of Grace and Pardon sealed with the Blood of Christ who is that lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world and God cannot condemn repenting Sinners without denying the purchase of Christ's Blood that precious Blood of infinite Price and Value that Blood which our great High Priest hath carried into the Holy of Holies and which there pleads the Pardon of penitent Sinners at the Throne of Grace God cannot deny himself cannot deny his own Covenant cannot deny his Sons Blood which speaketh better things then the blood of Abel cannot deny our great High Priest who appeareth in the presence of God for us who died for us and now liveth for ever to make intercession for us and he who wants greater security than this must tell us what greater security Sinners can have then the Oath and Covenant of God and the Blood and Intercession of Christ. When I consider this matter with what infinite Wisdom God has contrived the Redemption of Sinners to cure the degeneracy of our Natures and to raise us to a perfect Vertue to bind us faster to himself in those soft and charming Fetters of Love to spur us forward with all the Zeal and Impetus that Hope and Fear and Indignation and Love the Passions and Paroxysmes of a divine inflamed Love can give us it amazes me to think that any Christians should flatter themselves that Faith in Christ will save them without Works that there is less need for them to be so exact and circumspect in their Lives that sin is not so damning a thing now since Christ has made atonement for it and reconciled God to Sinners as it was before Had they no Saviour indeed it would concern them to be very good when they must merit for themselves had they not such a meritorious Sacrifice for Sin and such a powerful High-Priest it would be a very dangerous thing to commit sin but now Christ has Righteousness and Merit enough for us all and we need none of our own nothing but Faith to apply his Righteousness to us Christ has pulled out the Sting of Sin that it cannot greatly hurt it cannot kill a Believer though it may slightly wound him a 〈◊〉 and draw some Tears of Repentance from him and that heals all again This if any thing in the World is to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness to be wicked because God is good to sin because grace does abound whose damnation is just I beseech you for the love of Christ and for the Honour of his Undertaking of his Death and Intercession for us to consider this a little better Consider what the Gospel teaches us to believe of Christ and how absurd and contradictious it is to say that such a Faith will save us without holiness and purity of heart and life Do you not believe That Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 2 Titus 14. And is it reasonable to think that our believing this will save us unless we be redeemed from all iniquity unless we be purified unless we be a people zealous of good works If Christ saves those who are not redeemed from all iniquity who are not purified who are not zealous of good works it is certain he must save those for whom he did not give himself or must save them contrary to his own intention of giving himself for them but however to believe that Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity does not seem to be such a Faith if our Faith be true as will justifie us without being redeemed from all