Isary to justification. All works, indeed, are excluded, which are not evangelical, which are not -wrought through faith; and faith, equally with works, is excluded as the meritorious cause of our justification; which must be referred solely to the free grace of God, through Jesus Christ. But the faith by which we are justified, is " a faith working by love;" a faith, so sincere and lively, that it brings forth all the fruits of righteousness. Thus, then, good works are included in that faith which justifies as the principle from which they proceed. And therefore, though in the language of our Church, they "follow after justification," after we are accepted by God, on the exercise of a true and lively faith; yet, as our Church also affirms, they are "the fruits of faith, they spring necessarily from it;" and wherever they do not exist, we may conclude, there is not true and lively faith; and, of consequence, not that faith which justifies. 66 If good works, then, are necessary to our justification, why are we said to be " justified by faith only?" Obviously, because faith is the principle from which all good works must proceed. We cannot obey God, until we believe in his existence, his attributes, and his will; nor can we rely on the righteousness of Christ, as the Art. xii. only meritorious cause of our acceptance, and serve him as our Lord and Master, until we believe in his character and divine offices. Excluding then both faith and good works from all meritorious agency in our justification, and accepting pardon and salvation as the unmerited gift of God, through his Son Jesus Christ, we exclude all boasting, and give to God the supreme glory. Adore then, Christians, his infinite love, displayed to mankind through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ. "God," said the Apostle, "is the Saviour of all men';" rendering salvation possible to all who, in the humble and submissive spirit of faith, according to the lights which reason, which conscience, which traditional revelations, which the secret inspirations of God's Spirit afford, worship and serve him, " in whom they live and move and have their being." But God is " especially the Saviour of them that believe." They who are justified by faith in the blood of his Son, possess the peace of a conscience cleansed from guilt, the joy of a spirit purified from sin, the hope of an everlasting inheritance of glory-blessings which, in his inscrutable wisdom, he withholds, in this life, from the worshippers of his name, according to the feeble lights which reason sheds upon it. ⚫ 1 Tim. iv. 10, 66 Praise then your God, O Christians, for his infinite love, in justifying you freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;" for giving you peace, sanctification, everlasting life. These are blessings conditionally conferred upon you in baptism, when, made members of his body, you became partakers of his merits; and, as our Church declares, were "called into a state of salvation." All Christians, admitted into the Church or kingdom of God in baptism, are the elect of God. There is no election of individuals to everlasting life. The election, set forth in Scripture, is that of portions of mankind to the privileges of being God's people, in visible covenant with him. In thus conferring his spiritual favours in the present life, the Sovereign of the world "worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will';" having mercy on whom he will have mercy";" distinguishing, with the revelation of his will, and with his covenanted grace, certain portions of mankind, while the rest are left to the light of reason and nature. Thus, of old, the Jews are called, in Scripture, God's elect". And yet surely it will not be pretended that all the Jews were absolutely elected to everlasting life. And thus, now, the whole body of Christians, all the members of the universal Church, all who are admitted by bap Eph. i. 11. VOL. II. u Rom. ix. 18. * Is. xlv. 4. &c. &c. E tism into Christ's kingdom on earth, are called God's elect. The Apostles, in their epistles, addressing the whole body of Christians, in certain places, call them " saints," "elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father;" " predestinated to the adoption of children;” “justified and sanctified." And surely it cannot be supposed, that the whole body of Christians, who were thus addressed, were certainly elected, and predestinated to everlasting life; and that they could not forfeit their adoption, and fall from their justification and sanctification. On the contrary, these very Christians, thus elected, thus predestinated, justified and sanctioned, are exhorted to "make their calling and election sure;" to "see that they receive not the grace of God in vain ;" to "take heed lest they fall;" "lest a promise being made them, of entering into God's rest, any fall short, through unbelief"." This scriptural view of predestination, our Church sets forth in her 17th Article. The justification, then, which Christians received in baptism, being a conditional justification, will only prove external and nominal, unless they preserve it by that true and lively faith, which only bringing forth good works, finally justifies. See, then, how great are your privileges; and * Philip. i. 1. ' 2 Peter, i. 10. 1 Peter i. 2. v. 13. Eph. i. 5. 1 Cor. vi. 11. Heb. iv. 1. 11. how great is your danger of forfeiting them. The important inquiry is-have you a true and lively faith; a faith, vigorous in its principle; holy in its effects; universal, through the Divine Spirit, in its conquests over temptation and sin? Pursue this inquiry seriously, faithfully, without delay. Oh! delude not yourselves, where érror may prove fatal to fatal to your immortal interests. "Without Christ, God is a consuming fire." Happy, transcendantly happy are ye, if you possess that faith, which is a vigorous principle of that "holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord "." Justified by this faith, you shall have peace with God;" "his fatherly hand will ever be over you; his Holy Spirit will ever be with you; and led in the knowledge and obedience of his word," you shall rejoice in the hope of the glory that shall be revealed. With Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob;" with patriarchs and prophets, and holy men; and all the nations of the justified, of every age, and every nation (blissful prospect), you shall sit down in the kingdom of God." And the joyful subject of your contemplations and praises, for endless ages, shall be-the grace by which you were made partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light. 66 66 |