560

ON GRACE AND FAITH.

to some precepts of Christ, or a false judgment as to some circumstance attending ourselves; and that may produce some error in practice: there may be instances in which the infirmity of human nature, and the surprise or force of a temptation, may betray a man into particular miscarriages, contrary to the general bent and tenor of his heart and life: But there cannot possibly be, in the conduct of any true believer, an habitual, allowed, and customary disobedience to any one commandment of our blessed Redeemer.

This you must first admit as a necessary preliminary; and when it is admitted, you may very securely build upon it this great truth, that "whosoever hath such a faith as this, shall certainly be saved." Whatever his former guilt may have been, though ever so various, ever so long continued, ever so aggravated; though crimes had been committed, From which he could never have been justified by the law of Moses *, but would have been doomed by it to an infamous Death without mercy +: Yet on exerting such an act of faith in Christ, the believer immediately stands a justified person before God, previous to any good works of his own: Yea, though he should die before he have an opportunity of performing any, in this case, (which, if ever it happen, is by the way the only case in which good works are not, according to the gospel-covenant, necessary to an actual admission into heaven) an omniscient God calls the things that are not as if they were 1, and accepts those fruits of holiness which he discerned in their root or their bud, though he did not afford time for their coming to maturity. And if life be spared, the believer continuing such, continues in a state of favour and acceptance with God, though there may be remaining imperfections in him; and though he may see reason to complain, that he cannot do the things which he would, but that the Law in his members struggles against the law of his mind §, yet he shall finally be saved, whatever diffi.. culties are to be broken through, and how long soever his trials may continue: And his salvation as a believer is as certain, from the whole current of the word of God, as the condemnation of the unbeliever, which we proved above. He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life ||; he hath it already in its beginnings and earnests, and he shall ere long rise to the complete possession of it. For Christ Gives unto his sheep

Acts xiii. 39. § Rom. vii. 23.

+ Heb. x. 28.

||John iii. 36.

Rom. iv. 17.

eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hand *. But it is of importance that I add,

3. That after all, a believer is not to ascribe his salvation to the merit and excellency of this faith itself, but entirely to the merit and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the free grace of God, as manifested in it."

We know it is the constant doctrine of the New Testament, that God Hath made us accepted in the Beloved t; and that Of him we are in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption ; So that we are Justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in him §. And if we should pretend to say that we are accepted of God for faith, as the meritorious cause of that acceptance, we must contradict the whole course of the apostle Paul's argument, especially in the fourth chapter of his epistle to the Romans, where he strongly contends that Abraham was not justified by works, because if he were, he would have something to glory in before God ||. Now if he had been justified by faith, as his own meritorious act, there would have been as much room for him to have gloried in that, as in any work whether of ceremonial or moral obedience.-And in the same epistle he declares again, where he is speaking of the salvation of God's chosen remnant, that If it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwise work is no more work ¶: The meaning of which plainly is, that no man can at once be justified by grace and by works: And on the same principles we may also say, no man can be justified by the merit of faith, and yet by grace. If therefore it evidently appear from the text, and our farther reasoning upon it, that our justification and acceptance with God is to be ascribed to grace, all pretence of merit in the act of believing must of course be given

up.

To

This will indeed farther appear, if we consider what it is that faith does in order to our being justified. You very well know it is represented in scripture, as receiving Christ. as many as received him, to them gave he power (or privilege) to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name **. Now it must be fragrantly absurd to talk of resting upon an act, whereby we do indeed receive and rest upon another. And therefore however inaccurately some may have ex

*John x. 28.
Rom. iv. 2.

† Eph. i. 6.
¶Rom. xi. 6.

1 Cor. i. 30. ** John i. 12.

§ Rom. iii. 24.

TO THE

CHURCH AND CONGREGATION

OF

PROTESTANT DISSENTERS

AT ROWELL,

TO WHOM THE SUBSTANCE OF THESE SERMONS WAS PREACHED, AND AT WHOSE DESIRE THEY ARE PUBLISHED.

My Dear Brethren and Friends, beloved in our common Lord, WHEN I first preached these plain sermons to my own congregation, which I here offer to your perusal, I was much surprised at the request which several of them made, that they might be printed: But I was yet more surprised, when, after having delivered the substance of them in one discourse at Rowell some time after, you so unanimously and affectionately made that request your own. I apprehended, that though the many excellent treatises we have on this subject already, might excuse my backwardness to comply with the first motion of this kind; yet absolutely to have refused your repeated solicitation might have appeared disrespectful to my good friends, and perhaps have looked like some unwillingness to bear my testimony to this great and important doctrine, in an age, in which the credit of many evangelical truths seems to be fallen very low.

I am really sorry I have delayed this little service so long; but it was chiefly owing to my desire of finishing my Sermons on Regeneration, which indeed cost me more labour than I at first apprehended. That seemed a business of such importance, that I knew not how to interrupt it: But as they are now almost printed off, I send out these discourses as a kind of supplement to them; and therefore they are printed in a form very fit to bind up with them. The delay is more excusable, as salvation by grace is not a subject which grows out of date in a few months. This glorious doctrine has been the joy of the church in all ages on earth; and it will be the song of all that have received it in truth throughout the ages of eternity, and be pursued in the heavenly regions with evergrowing admiration and delight.

I cannot conclude this short address, without congratulating you on the abundant goodness of God to you as a church, in bringing among you that worthy and excellent person*, under whose pastoral care you are now so happily placed. I know he is a faithful witness to the truths of the gospel, and rejoice in that rich abundance of gifts and graces which render him so fit to state and improve them in the most advantageous, as well as most agree

*The Rev. Mr. Jonathan Saunderson.

able and delightful manner. I hope and believe, that the grace he so humbly owns his dependance upon, will add happy success to his labours: And I heartily pray, that you and neighbouring churches may long be happy in him: and that God, who has by such various and gracious interpositions in your favour, expressed his paternal care of you, may still delight to dwell among you. May he multiply you with men like a flock, daily adding to his church among you such as shall be saved! May your souls continually rejoice in his salvation! And may you ever walk worthy of the Lord, and prove, by the integrity and purity, the spirituality and usefulness of your whole behaviour, that this grace of God which brings salvation has entered with power into your hearts; and that it is your care and delight to improve it, as well as to hear of it! To contribute to this blessed end, by this or any other attempt of cordial love and faithful respect, will be an unspeakable pleasure to,

My dear Friends,

Your very affectionate Servant

In the bonds of our common Lord,

Northampton, Sept. 1, 1741.

P. DODDRIDGE.