Page images
PDF
EPUB

the Flesh. If our Works are Virtuous and Good, confonant to the Rule of God's Holy Word, favouring and tafting not of the Flesh but of the Spirit, then we may affure our felves that the Holy Ghoft dwells in us, and has confecrated us by his inhabitation to be a Temple to himself; and if so, let us ever Worship, ever Obey, ever Listen to him and never Grieve him, and withall let us give all Praise and Thanks to our Lord and Saviour Chrift, for the gracious Exchange that he has made with Us, by taking of Us our Flesh, and sending to Us his Spirit! But if we find by this impartial Examination, that by our Sins, if we have not quite driven this Bleffed Spirit out, yet we have juftly provok'd him to depart, let us ferioufly confidering the Infinite danger that inevitably follows his withdrawing from us, Mortifie all thofe Deeds of the Flesh which ye have heard describ'd by the Apostle, caft out those impurities that grieve, and offend him, and fo cleanse our hearts that they may be fit Manfions for the God of Purity to continue and refide in. Ever Praying in the words of Holy David and our own Church, O God make clean our Hearts within Us, which is the just preparation for the Next Petition, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from Vs.

To which Holy Spirit, together with &c.

SERMON X.

SERMON X.

Ephef. II. 8, 9, 10.

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

Not of Works, left any Man fhould boaft:

For we are bis Workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordain'd that we fhould Walk in them.

I

T is a folemn Charge of St Paul to Titus, whom he had made Bishop of Crete, and left there to provide all things that might conduce to the Edification of that Church, Thefe things I will P 3 that

that thou affirm conftantly, that they which have believ'd in God, might be careful to maintain good works, Tit. 3. 8. And it is equally the Duty of every Minifter of the Gospel to take care, that as the Neceffity of Good Works fhould always be urg'd and prefs'd as indifpenfable Qualifications, fo alfo that Faith fhould at the fame time have its juft Prerogative afferted, of being the proper and immediate Inftrument of Salvation. But further and chiefly to take efpecial heed, that how great share foever either Faith or Good Works may claim, or in what manner foever they may be allow'd to contribute to this great Work, yet in the End all fhould be entirely afcrib'd to Grace, To the exceeding Riches of God's Grace, in his kindneẞ to us, through Chrift Jefus, Ephef. 2. 7.

For if we are fav'd through Faith, yet it is by Grace, neither is that Faith of our felves, it is the Gift of God. And tho' God has made Holinefs the Condition of Happiness, and in order to that has before ordain'd that we Should walk in good works, yet is Our Salvation not of Works, left any Man fhould boaft: left any Man fhould fondly imagine, that He could merit by them, or of Himfelf be able to perform them; for if we do them, this is alfo the Gift of God, it is because We are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus to Good Works.

We

We have therefore here before us to confider three things, of which if we can by God's affiftance give a clear and fatisfactory Account, it will be of excellent Ufe both to the compofing the Differences, which have so much divided the Church of Christ, and alfo to the directing Ourselves in the fure Way, how by a True Faith and Willing Obedience we may attain to the End of Our Hopes, even the Salvation of Our Souls, and all this To the Praife of the Glory of his Grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, Ephef. 1. 6.

I. The firft of thefe is Grace, By which We are fav'd.

11. The fecond is Faith, Through which We are fav'd.

III. The third is Good Works, of which We are not, but without which we cannot be fav'd.

I. Firft By Grace are ye Sav'd. The Truth of which Propofition to deny, is to deny the whole Gofpel exprefsly called by St Paul Acts 20. 24, 32. the Gospel of the Grace of God, and the Word of his Grace.

But this Word Grace has feveral fignifications in Scripture, yet all of them, or at leaft as many of them as can any way re

[ocr errors][merged small]

late to the Text we have in hand, may be reduc'd to these two.

ft. First Gods undeserved Love and Fa your to Mankind.

2dly. Secondly the gracious Effects of that Love and Favour, The gifts flowing from it. Or briefly, In Gratiam Dantem & in Gratiam Datam, The Grace that Gives or the Grace that is Given, that is, the Grace that is in God from all Eternity, and in time from him Reveal'd in the Covenant of the Gofpel, or That Grace which he for ever continues to communicate to Man, thereby exciting him by Faith to Accept, and by Obedience to Perform the Conditions of that Covenant.

ft. The firft of thefe, the Grace that is in God is no other than God Himself, confider'd as freely willing from all Eternity, firft the Being and then the Well-being of all his Creatures. For as there is Nothing in God which is not God, fince He is a Being purely fimple and uncompounded, We may fafely say that this Grace, the inexhauftible Fountain of all Derivative Goodness, diffufs'd thro' the whole Creation, is his very Nature, his Effence, his Adorable Self; which is no more than St John fays, when he tells us, that God is Love. Nay among the wifer Heathens

[ocr errors]

them

« PreviousContinue »