Saviour, he that believeth in me, hath everlastin • life,' John vi. 47. Neo. And I pray you, Sir, what doth the law works threaten, in cafe of man's disobedience unto Evan. Why, the penalty, which the law works, in that cafe, threatneth, is condemnatio and death eternal: and this you have no cause at to fear, in cafe of your most defective obedience: f no man hath any cause to fear the penalty of th law, which he lives not under. Surely a man, th liveth under the laws of England, hath no caufe fear the penalties of the laws of Spain or France: ven fo you, that now live under the law of Chri! have no cause to fear the penalty of the law of wor (0). Nay, the law of works is dead to you; and there fore you have no more cause to fear the threats there of, than a living wife hath to fear the threats of h dead husband; nay, than a dead wife hath to fear th threats of a dead husband (p), Nay, let me fay ye more, Jefus Chrift, by his condemnation, and deat upon the cross, hath delivered you, and fet you fres from condemnation, and eternal death: as it is written, Rom. viii. 1. There is therefore now no con demnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus.' And faith Chrift himself, John xi. 26. Whofoever liveth ⚫ and believeth in me, fhall never die.' And thus you fee your freedom and liberty from the w, as it is the law of works. And that you may be e better enabled to stand fast in this liberty, whereith Chrift hath made you free; beware of conceivg that the Lord now ftands in any relation toards you, or will any way deal with you, as a man ader that law. So that if the Lord fhall be pleafed ereafter to beftow upon you a great measure of th, whereby you shall be enabled to yield an exact ad perfect obedience to the mind and will of God 7); then beware of conceiving that the Lord looks pon it as obedience to the law of works, or will in By measure reward you for it, according to the promifes of that law. And if in cafe, at any time hereafter, you be, by reafon of the weakness of your faith, and strength of temptation, drawn aside, and prevailed with, to fwerve from the mind and will of the Lord: then beware of conceiving, that the Lord fees it as any tranfgreffion of the law of works. For if you cannot tranfgrefs that law; then it is impoffible the Lord fhould fee that which is not: and if the Lord can fee no fin in you, as a tranfgreffion of the law of works; then it is impoffible that he should either be angry with you, or correct you for any fin, as it is a tranfgreffion of that law. No, to fpeak with holy reverence, (as I faid before) the Lord cannot by virtue of the covenant of works, either require any obedience of you, or give you an angry look, or an angry word; much less threaten and afflict you for any disobedience to that covenant (r). And therefore, whenfoever your confcience fhall tell you, that you have broken any of the ten commandments; do not conceive that the Lord looks upon you as an angry judge, armed with jaftice against you; much lefs do you fear, that he will execute his juftice upon you, according to the penalty of that covenant, in unjustifying of you, or depriving U 3 (a) Exact and perfect (r) See page 221. note comparatively, not abfo- (). utely. Chap. II priving you of your heavenly inheritance and givin you your portion in hell-fire. No, affure yourfelf, th your God in Chrift will never un-fon you, nor fpoufe you: no, nor yet, as touching your juftific tion and eternal falvation, will he love you ever a wh the lefs, though you commit never fo many or gre fins for this is a certain truth, that as no good, e ther in you, or done by you, did move him to justif you, and give you eternal life; fo no evil in you, done by you, can move him to take it away from you being once given (1) And therefore believe it, man whill vanceth, is evident from th holy fcripture,Pfal. Ixxxix 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. If hi children forfake my law and walk not in my judg 'ments, if they break my ftatutes, and keep no my commandments: the will I vifit their tranfgref 'fion with the rod, and thei iniquity with ftripes, ne nefs will I not utterly tak 'from him; nor fuffer m 'faithfulness to fail: m " covenant will I not break ' (S) The author fpeaks exprefly of the love of God, touching believers juftification, and eternal salvation, which according to the fcripture, he reckons to be given them already. And he afferts, That as no good in them, or done by them, did move him to love them, fo as to juftify them, and give them eternal life fovertheless my loving kind no evil in them, or done by them, fhall leffen that love, as to their juftification and eternal falvation; that, is, as himself explains it, move him to take eternal life (which includes juftification) away from them, being once given. This is moft firm truth: howbeit the more and the greater the fins of a believer are, he may lay his account with the more and the greater effects of God's fatherly indignation against him: and the corruption of human nature makes the adding of fuch a claufe, in fuch a cafe, very neceffary. What our author here ad nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.' And to deny it, is, in effect, t affirm, that God loves b lievers, as touching their juftification and eternal falvation, for their holiness; contrary to Titus iii, 5 Not by works of righte 'oufnefs which we have 'done, but according to his mercy he faved us :'Rom. vi. 23. The wages of fin is death, but the gift of God 'is eternal life, through Jefus Chrift our Lord: and that that love of his to them hilft you live, that as the Lord first loved you freely, will he hereafter heal your backflidings, and ftill em changeth according > the variation of their rame and walk; contrary › Rom. xi. 29. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.' But vhile the doctrine of the erfeverance of the faints tands, namely, That true believers can neither fall away totally, nor finally, neither from relative grace, nor from inherent grace; our author's doctrine in this point muft ftand alfo: and the fins of believers, how great or many foever they be, can never be of that kind, which is inconfiftent with a ftate of grace; nor of another than that of infirmities. See page 226. note (z). And how low foever grace is brought in the foul of a believer, at any time, through the preva-. lency of temptation; yet can he never altogether lofe his inherent holinefs, nor can he at any time live after the flesh. For, according to the fcripture, that is not the fpot of God's children; but he, who fo livés, neither is, nor ever was one of them, Rom. vi. 'How fhall we that are dead to fin, live any longer therein?' Verse 14. 'Sia fhall not have domi'nion over you: for ye are not under the law, 'but under grace.' Chap. viii. 1. Them which are in love Chrift Jefus, who walk not after flesh, but after the Spirit. See ver. 4. John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of God doth not commit fin: for his feed ' remaineth in him, and he cannot fin, because he is born of God.' "God forefaw what infirmities thou wouldst have before he gave Chrift this commiffion: and Chrift forefaw them before his acceptance of the charge. If their prefcience could not ftop God in his gift, nor cool Chrift in his acceptance, why fhould it now? -While they do continue, the love of God to thee is not hindered by them." Charnock, vol. 2. edit. 2. page 749. "Obferve a twofold diftinction, 1. Between God's love in itself, and the manifeftation of it to us. That is perpetual and one--without change, increase or leffening---: but the manifeftation of this love---is variable, according to---our more or lefs careful exercife of piety.---2.BetweenGod's love to our perfons, and God's love to our qualities and actions. A diftinction which God well knows how to make.---Parents, I am fure, are well skilled in putting this difference between the vices and perfons of their children those they U 4 hate, Chap love you freely, Hof. xiv. 4. Yea. He will you unto the end,' John xiii. 1. and altho' Lord doth exprefs the fruits of his anger tow you, in chastising and afflicting of you; yet do you imagine that your afflictions are penal proceed from hatred, and vindictive justice; and so as ment and fatisfactions for fins; and fo as the ginning of eternal torments in hell: for you, be (as you have heard) free from the law of works, fo confequently from finning against it, must nee likewife be freed from all wrath,anger,miferies, calam ties, afflictions, yea and from death itself, as (t) fr and effects of any tranfgreffion against that covena And therefore you are never to confefs your unto the Lord, as though you conceived them to ha been committed against the law of works; and making you liable to God's everlasting wrath, an hell fire neither muft you crave pardon and forgive nefs, for them, that thereupon you may escape th penalty neither do you either faft, or weep, mourn, or humble yourfelf, out of any conceit tha you fhall thereby fatisfy the juftice of God, and ap pease his wrath, either in whole or in part; and foe cape his everlasting vengeance. For if you be not u der the law of works; and if the Lord fee not fini you, as a tranfgreffor of that law; and be neithe angry with you, nor doth afflict you for any fin, as is a tranfgreffion of that law: then, confequently you have no need either to confefs your fins, or cray pardon for them, or faft, or weep, or mourn, or hu ble yourself for your fins, as conceiving them to any tranfgreffion of the law of works (u). : hate, thefe they love---the cafe is alike between God and the elect his love to their perfons is from everlafting the fame; nor doth their finfulness leffen it, nor their fanctity increase it: becaufe God, in loving their Ne confide perfons, never (u) See page 304. no (4). |