66 Νο abundant cause to consider them in us proportionable supports: this light; yet I apprehend that it weapon formed against us shall is not the import of the expression prosper, and every tongue that in this place. It rather implies that ariseth against us in judgment we nothing could prove injurious in the shall condemn ;" and when we have event to professed Christians, pro- been tried we shall come forth as vided their conversation were con- gold purified from the furnace. sistent with their principles. And Changes may likewise take place we may apply this general instruc- in the church: many who have been tion to various cases. useful to us may be removed, and There may be wars and rumours among them the very "ministers of war, famines, pestilences, revo- by whom we believed;" nay, such lutions, and distress of nations with persons as we most looked up to perplexity; yea, the sun shall be may "forsake Christ, having loved turned into darkness, the heavens this present world;" or become shall be rolled up as a scroll, the zealous teachers of destructive heelements shall melt with fervent resies. But if our conversation be heat, and the earth with all its consistent with our profession; our works shall be burnt up: but none own experience of the Lord's faithof these events need alarm the con- fulness, and the sanctifying efficacy sistent Christian: For "what shall of his word, will preserve us from separate us from the love of Christ? fatal effects, and teach us, by such Shall tribulation, or distress, or per- events, to be more watchful, and secution, or nakedness, or peril, or simple in our dependence on divine the sword? Nay, in all these things grace. we are more than conquerors through Some persons may be perplexed him that loved us." Rom. viii. 35 with difficulties, in respect of cer-39. "God is our refuge and tain points of doctrine; but if they strength; a very present help in truly embrace the salvation of Christ trouble: therefore we will not fear and walk worthy of it, they will be though the earth be removed, and at length led to establishment in the mountains be carried into the the truth. "If any man will do the depths of the sea." Psalm xlvi. 1, 2. will of God, he shall know of the Affecting changes may likewise doctrine, whether it be of God." take place in our families: our be- An upright heart and an obedient loved relatives may be torn from will, directly tend to free the mind us, our friends alienated, and our from the clouds of various preju property lost; poverty, contempt, dices and passions, to produce teachand sickness, may oppress us; and ableness, and to improve spiritual we may fall under unmerited cen- discernment; and there are numer sure and reproach, so that even our ous promises of divine teaching to brethren may mistake our case and persons of this description. But character, as Job's friends did his: they "who love darkness rather but "if our conversation be as it than light, because their deeds are becometh the gospel of Christ," evil," are given up to strong delunone of these things can hurt us. sions, and fall into final condemnaThe Lord will enable us to rejoice tion. in the testimony of our conscience; Difficulties also occur to many, in he will plead our cause, and vindi- determining whether they be in a cate our reputation; he will not state of salvation or not; nor are leave us comfortless, but will afford they able, after much self-examina 616 ON A CONVERSATION BECOMING THE GOSPEL. tion, to decide the important ques- becomes the gospel? Is not the tion. To these likewise we may conversation of a vast majority diasay, "Only let your conversation metrically opposite to the spirit and be, as it becometh the gospel of precepts of our holy religion? Who Christ;" and this will have a can imagine that Christ will own powerful, though gradual efficacy, such men as his true disciples? in producing the desired satisfac- Who can doubt, but that it will be tion. "Then shall ye know, if more tolerable for Sodom and Goye follow on to know the Lord." morrah in the day of judgment, "For the path of the just shineth than for them? more and more unto the perfect There are persons who say, day." When you instruct us in our duty, The exhortation before us also we regard you; but we are not inpoints out, to those who are labour- fidels, we have always believed the ing to do good in their families and doctrines of Christianity.' But let connexions, or in a more extensive me ask you, have these doctrines sphere, the grand method of obtain- properly influenced your heart and ing the desired success; and when life? If they have not, then surely the interest of the gospel in any you have believed in vain! You place seems greatly declined; the would say to an Antinomian proconsistent conduct of the few who fessor of justification by faith alone, adhere to it, will have the hap- who lived an immoral life," Know, piest effects in promoting a revival. O vain man, that faith without Finally, some persons are harassed works is dead." Beware then lest with apprehensions of future trials you slide into Antinomianism of a and temptations, or with the dread more reputable kind. Faith and of death; but let all such trembling practice are not like grapes tied believers attend to the apostle's upon a vine branch, but like grapes exhortation; and they may rest as- growing upon a living vine. True sured, that the grace of the Lord faith receives the doctrines of the Jesus will be sufficient for them; gospel into the heart, where they and his strength be perfected in produce a change in the judgments, their weakness. "For I am per- dispositions, and affections; thus suaded that neither death, nor life, the tree becomes good, and good nor angels, nor principalities, nor fruit is the genuine consequence. powers, nor things present, nor This is real Christianity: and all things to come; nor height, nor that comes short of this, however depth, nor any other creature, shall distinguished, is a mere name, nobe able to separate us from the love tion, or form. But if we have thus of God, which is in Christ Jesus received the gospel, we shall be our Lord." conscious that we have in many Seeing we address ourselves to things fallen short of a becoming those only, who expect to be thought conversation. Let us then humbly Christians, the exhortation may be seek forgiveness of the past, and applicable to every individual. Let beg to be enabled henceforth so to a becoming conversation prove that abide in Christ, "that we may you are Christians in reality. But bring forth much fruit," " and walk alas, what gloomy reflections crowd worthy of God, who hath called into the mind, when this subject us to his kingdom and glory."— comes in our way! Do the gene- Amen. rality of nominal Christians live as 617 THE WARRANT AND NATURE OF FAITH IN CHRIST CONSIDERED, WITH SOME REFERENCE TO THE VARIOUS CONTROVERSIES ON THAT SUBJECT. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.-Acts xvi. 31. INTRODUCTION. may also be properly noticed. Pious men, who never intended to form a To those who are convinced that all party, have been so grieved by witmen are lost sinners, in absolute nessing the fatal effects of prevailing need of a Saviour, and that all errors, and so haunted with the things are ready in Jesus Christ for dread of more extensive mischief; the complete salvation of every be- that they have been driven into the liever; a more important question opposite extreme, as the only effeccan scarcely be proposed, than that tual remedy. Thus, able and valuawhich relates to the warrant and ble persons, in their zeal for or nature of saving faith. At first sight against certain opinions, write more indeed the subject appears very like special pleaders, than calm ineasy and a reflecting person, con- quirers after important truth. Their versant with the Holy Scriptures, arguments are consequently often and unacquainted with controversy, inconclusive: their opponents reawill seldom be much perplexed with dily discover where they are most difficulties respecting it. But men vulnerable: and then by acting the have so bewildered themselves and same part, they lay themselves each other by speculations, and con- open to similar retorts. In the troversies have been so multiplied mean while the minds of numbers and managed; that the simple tes-are perplexed instead of satisfied: timony of Scripture is frequently and much disputation about matters disregarded, or even wrested from stated in Scripture with great simits obvious meaning to establish plicity and perspicuity, serves to preconceived opinions: while the cherish a sceptical spirit among the authority of men is appealed to, in more unconcerned witnesses of the support of evident deviation from contest. writers. the plain meaning of the inspired In the early part of the present century, the doctrine of justification These are obvious sources of mis-by faith in the Son of God was comtake and perplexity; and another paratively but little attended to in 618 WARRANT AND NATURE OF FAITH IN CHRIST. this country: and the honoured in- his condemnation as a transgressor struments, whom God employed to of the holy law, before he can berevive a more general knowledge of lieve in Christ to salvation; whereas it, were naturally led to insist on allowing it, or submitting to it, seems the important subject with peculiar to be all that is absolutely necesearnestness, and in the most ener- sary, though not all that is desirable getic language. Some of them were or attainable. In other instances so fully engaged in active services, likewise they do not seem sufficias to have little leisure for study: ently to distinguish between seeing and if they sometimes dropped an and believing. They appear to me expression, in the vehemence of an at least, not to make sufficient alhonest zeal, which was capable of lowance for the imbecility of natural misconstruction: every candid man capacity in numbers; their want of must acquit them of intending any education and habits of reasoning; thing unfavourable to practical god- the erroneous and partial instrucliness, which they eminently pro- tions afforded them; the effects of moted and exemplified. But men custom, prejudices, and associated arose afterwards, who attempted to ideas; and the small degree of life, establish unscriptural systems on a faith, and grace, which may subfew of their detached expressions, sist along with a large proportion of and on their fervent addresses to error and inconsistency. They aslarge and affected auditories; or at cribe many things merely to natural least to support such systems by principles, excited by the common their authority: and very respecta- influences of the Spirit, which the ble persons have been led to pa- Scriptures represent as the effect of tronize and sanction their mistakes. renewing grace. They reject, as Indeed this was no more than re- wholly selfish, such exercises of acting the same scenes which had faith in Christ and cries for mercy, been exhibited by the first reform-as the word of God in its obvious ers from popery, and some of their meaning unreservedly encourages; successors, in whose writings the and sometimes they seem to intisubstance of almost all the contro- mate, that an almost total disreversies of these late years was fully gard to our own happiness is esdiscussed. sential to true grace. They do not While matters were taking this in all instances clearly distinguish turn in England, some eminent di- that wise and holy self-love, which vines in North America*, who had God originally implanted in our deeply studied these subjects, and nature, to which he renews us by had abundant opportunity of ob- grace, which is the measure of our serving the practical effects of the love to others, and which seeks its different opinions, attempted with happiness in the enjoyment of God great ability to stem the torrent. alone; from that carnal, apostate,and But in doing this, they seem rather foolish self-love, which is the conseto have gone too far, and to have quence of the fall, affects indepenthrown impediments in the sinner's dence on the Creator, and seeks its path, when endeavouring with gratification from the creature.-In trembling steps to come unto the short, some of their principles, if cargracious Saviour. Perhaps they in- ried to their full and legitimate consist unduly on the necessity of a sequences, would condemn many as man's seeing the justice of God in false professors, whom God will * President Edwards, Dr. Bellamy, &c. own as real though weak believers; and thus "they quench the smoking tion; and thus they perplex the flax, and break the bruised reed." minds of awakened sinners with Perceiving that "while men slept, doubtful disputations, till “the devil an enemy had sown tares in the comes, and takes the seed out of field;" they seem to have been too their hearts, lest they should believe earnest to root up the tares, and to and be saved." have been in danger of rooting up These things being so, we need the wheat also: not duly recollect- not greatly wonder, if they, who ing, that they cannot be wholly se-justly consider the gospel as glad parated in this world, but must be tidings of free salvation to the chief left" to grow together until the of sinners, take the alarm: and if harvest." any of them, in the warmth of their On these grounds a general pre-zeal, drop incautious expressions, judice has prevailed against their capable of misconstruction and perwritings; and the very important version to bad purposes, it is no instructions contained in them, more than has generally occurred which equal, and perhaps exceed to similar cases. And should a any thing published in modern by-stander, who has derived much times, have been comparatively dis- instruction from the writings of seregarded: so that few derive from veral persons, engaged on all sides them those advantages, which they in these controversies, endeavour, are eminently suited to afford; es- in the spirit of meekness, to state pecially to the pastors of the church, what he considers as the scriptural in respect of the essential difference medium on the controverted points; between genuine experimental reli- he surely need not be apprehensive gion, and every kind of counter-lest such men should say, "Who feit*. At the same time a contro- made thee a ruler and a judge over versy has been strenuously main- us?" tained in another part of the church In the quiet recess of his study, (in its present lamentably divided the author of these pages has long state)," Whether it be the duty of and seriously examined the subsinners to believe in Christ?" "Änd ject; and he has carefully noticed whether ministers ought to exhort the effects of the several opinions, and invite them to believe?" Nor on the spirit and conduct of those can it be denied that the reasonings who maintained them, and on the of those, who have taken the nega- minds of such as were mere specta tive side in this dispute, have a very tors of the contest. And several perbad tendency. They deter minis- sons, who have favourably received ters from addressing their hearers his other publications have expressin the manner which the Scriptures ed a wish for his explicit sentiments exemplify; they quiet the consci- respecting it. He therefore feels ences of the careless and irreligious, himself in some respects required as if neglect of Christ and his sal- to give the result of his inquiries, vation were their misfortune, not and to assign his reasons for differtheir crime: they advance princi-ing in a measure from those, who ples, which render it necessary for have written on both sides of the men to know themselves converted, question. He is well aware, that before they begin to pray for spiri- great candour, caution, and impar tual blessings, or to apply for salva- tiality, are requisite so to state his views as to give no just offence to See that admirable work, Edwards on the Affections. any party concerned. He has well |