SERMON XI.

EPHES. II. 8, 9, 10.

For by Grace are ye Sav'd, through Faith,and that not of your felves: it is the gift of God:

Not of Works, left any Man fhould boaft:

For we are his Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordain'd that we should Walk in them.

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N treating of thefe Words, I obferv'd three things very confiderable in them contain'd, which in their Order I propos'd to make the Subject of my Dif course.

I. The First of these, I then told you,was Grace, By which we are Sav'd.

II. The Second, Faith, through which we are Sav'd.

III. The Third, Good Works, of which we are not, but without which we cannot be Sav'd.

Of the First of thefe, Grace, and how entirely our Salvation depends upon it, and ought wholly to be afcrib'd to it, I at that time difcours'd at large, concluding that without all Controverfy, by Grace ye are Sav'd. By Grace, but That not Irrefiftible, Through Faith, but That not lale, but productive of Good Works, and those Good Works not Meritorious of, but yet necef fary to Salvation.

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Of which two laft therefore, namely Faith, the immediate Inftrument of Salva tion, and Good Works, the neceffary Quali fication of all that would be Sav'd, it remains in order now to treat.

II. Through Faith ye are Sav'd, and that not of yourselves, it is the Gift of God.

In which Words two things are Observ able.

ift, That Salvation is through Faith. 2dly, That this Saving Faith is not of ourfelves, it is the Gift of God.

The

The latter of which I fhall firft endeavour. to make good, because it seems to have been the Apostles primary and chief Intent, to fhew that whatever Subordinate means are to be us'd by Us, whatever Concurrent Qualifications are required of Us, towards the attainment of Everlafting Salvation, yet that whole great Work is principally owing to God's unmerited and unbounded Grace. That nothing might interfere with, or rob this free, infinite Love of God of any part of the Honour due to it, in contriving and carrying on, and perfecting the Salvation of Man, but that the firft Propofi tion in the Text might still hold good, notwithstanding all the Subfervient Attendance of Faith or Works, By Grace ye are Sav'd. Through Faith indeed immediately follows: but as the Promife of that Earthly Inheritance which was made to Abraham, as the Apostle tells us (Rom. 4. 16.) was of Faith that it might be of Grace: fo our Eternal Inheritance which was prefigur'd and fignify'd thereby, if it is, as we are here taught, through Faith, is fo, that it alfo might be by Grace. For to take off the too high Opinion that fome Men seem to have of Faith, we should understand that the very highest degree of it, even fuch as was in the Father of the Faithful himself, is far from being any Meritorious Caule of Juftification. Abraham

Abraham Believ'd and it was Counted to Him for Righteoufnefs,Rom. 4. 3. and again, Faith was counted to Abraham for Righteousness. v. 9. It was reckon'd, it was counted to him For, therefore it was not Righteousness. So that as there is no Merit in Works, fo neither is there in Faith; and tho' God does Justifie the Believing Man, it is not for the Worthiness of his Belief, but the Worthiness of him, in whom he Believes. In whom he Believes, and from whom alone it proceeds also that he does Believe. For let us give to Faith all the highest Elogies that are recorded of it, and very glorious things are fpoken of it in the Book of God; Let us own all its Victories which are so triumphantly display'd in the 11th Chapter to the He brews, and what is greater than all those, what the fame Apostle fpeaks of it in the Text, Through it ye are fav'd; yet that there may be no room for Doubt, but that Salvation is ftill entirely to be afcrib'd to Grace, we are at the fame time taught that this Faith, inftrumentally imploy'd in fo great a Work, is it felf of Grace, It is not of your. felves, it is the Gift of God.

Undoubtedly Faith, as Every good Gift and every perfect Gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, who of his own Will begat us with the Word of Truth. James 1. 17, 18. That is, who has given us

in his Word a full Revelation of the Truth, neceffary by all to be Believ'd in Order to Eternal Life. And fo far it is by all that. ever call'd themselves Chriftians agreed, that Faith is the Gift of God. That is, Objectively confider'd, containing the things Reveal'd by God, and propos'd to be Believ'd by Man, tho' undiscoverable before the Revelation, by the most exalted Powers of Human Understanding. Which neither Eye has feen, nor Ear heard, neither bath it enter'd into the Heart of Man to conceive; but God has reveal'd them to us by his Spirit. So far, I fay, even the Pelagians of Old, and the Socinians at this Day readily allow. But that there is any need of an Internal Operation of the Grace of God, any inward Motion of the Holy Ghoft towards creating in us a Belief of these things, they as abfolutely deny, arrogating to themselves a Natural Ability in themselves, without any Supernatural Affiftance to Believe the Gospel. Against both thefe Ancient and modern Denyers of the Grace of God, we are conftantly to maintain, that God the only giver of all good Gifts, gives us Faith alfo, the chiefeft of all his Gifts, and That not only by Revealing the Deep things of God, which none but the Spirit of God has ever Searched out or discover'd and propos'd as the matter of Our Belief, but also by ex