The Free Grace of God

VINDICATION

OF THE

EVANGELICAL DOCTRINE OF MAN’S SALVATION

THE FREE GRACE OF GOD,

FROM THE

CHARGE OF PROMOTING LICENTIOUSNESS.

BY MR. ABRAHAM TAYLOR,

MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL.

Romans 5:20, 21; 6:1, 2.

Where sin abounded, grace much more abounded; that as sin has reigned to death, so grace might reign, through righteousness, to eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid: how shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer in it?

No one, who owns the Scriptures, ever had the face to charge God with injustice, for condemning the morning stars to blackness and darkness. He might, without any stain to his honour, have left the whole race of sinful men to destruction; for they, after transgression, have no more claim to his favour, than the devils; but he was pleased to choose a remnant of them, in whose salvation he might make known the riches of his grace. That this might be done without injury to his other perfections, he appointed Christ to be the Redeemer, to satisfy his justice, and so to procure for those for whom he died, a freedom from all evil, and a title to all good. The salvation of sinners, whether we regard it, in its platform from eternity, or in its being actually brought about in time, or in its entire completion at the great rising day, is all by the grace of God, and on account of what Christ has done and suffered, and is not in the least owing to any thing which is in man, or is done by him. The revelation which gives an account of man’s salvation by grace, is what is properly styled the gospel of God; and when men hear the evangelical doctrine opened and unfolded, unless the Holy Spirit leads them to the knowledge of the truth, they either rise up with rage against it, or they abuse it. Conceited mortals, who are for working out their salvation by their own strength, cannot bear that the glory of it should be given entirely to the grace of God, and not partly to their feeble endeavours; therefore they are filled with hatred against the doctrine of grace, and wickedly and maliciously charge it with opening a door for licentiousness; and in drawing this spiteful indictment against the glorious gospel of the blessed Jesus, it is to be feared, they have been not a little strengthened by the odious consequences, which are sometimes attempted to be deduced from it, by such as wrest it, to countenance their immoralities. These, because they do not care to leave their sins, or to practice the difficult duties of repentance, self-denial, and mortification, have been ready to say, that if salvation is by grace, they shall certainly be saved, seeing they are elected, however they live; but herein they discover their great ignorance of the design of God, in the Christian scheme of salvation, which was not barely to debase man, and to exalt Christ, but to advance holiness.

Salvation, taken in the general, is ascribed to the grace of God, in the sacred volume; and further, all the principal parts of it, such as election, justification, regeneration, and effectual calling, and the consummating our happiness, are declared to be from grace. If we consider the heirs of salvation as chosen by God, and predestinated to eternal glory, it is from his sovereign grace; it is expressly said, " God has chosen us in Christ, before the foundation of the world; having predestinated us to the adoption of children, through Jesus Christ, to himself, according to the sovereign pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace," Eph. i. 4, 5, 6. If we regard those who are redeemed from wrath, as having their sins forgiven, and being justified, it must be granted, that it is because of the active and passive obedience of Christ, imputed to them, and is the reward of his merit; but if we bear in mind, that it was grace which provided a righteousness of infinite value, and which imputes it to us, we cannot wonder to find it declared in Scripture, that "in Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God’s grace;" that "we are justified freely by grace, through the redemption purchased by Christ, and, being so, are made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life," Eph. v. 7. If we view such as are delivered from the power of indwelling sin, as born again, as turned from darkness to light, and as effectually called, we must, if we believe the authority of God’s word, own that they are indebted for their regeneration, their conversion, and their holy vocation to free and efficacious grace, and sovereign distinguishing mercy. The Scriptures of truth have told us, that it is "God the Father, who, according to his abundant mercy, has begot us again to a lively hope, and to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and never fading;" that it is "according to his mercy that he saves, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit;" that "it is through the tender mercies of our God, that the day-spring from on high has visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace;" that it is God "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the foundation of the world, but is since made manifest by the appearing of Christ in the flesh," 1 Pet. i. 3; Tit. iii. 5; Luke i. 78, 79; 2 Tim. i. 9, 10. If we let our thoughts go on to the consummating of the design of God and Christ, in perfect blessedness being conferred on those who are justified and sanctified, we must still confess that they are indebted for the crowns of glory, which they will wear in the country of light, to abundant mercy and rich grace; for we are assured, "that grace must reign through righteousness to eternal life,’’ Romans v. 21; vi. 23, and that this, let it be ever so great a blessing, is the free gift of God: so that whether we consider our salvation as it was decreed by God before time, as it was purchased by Christ, in the fulness of time, as it is begun in the day of God’s power, or as it is completed when we leave the body, we must own that it is all of grace, and is the gift of grace.

It cannot be denied, but that the glorious doctrine of free grace has been abused, by men of wicked principles, and vile practices. Some, before the apostles had finished their warfare here on earth, endeavoured to "turn the grace of God into wantonness," who are most severely condemned by Peter, in his second epistle, and by Jude in his epistle, both which were written on the same occasion: the former of these has the following expressions, 2 Pet. ii. 9,10, 12-14, 17-19: "The Lord knows how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment, to be punished, chiefly them that walk after the flesh, in the lust of uncleanness: they shall perish in their own corruption, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness: they count it pleasure to riot in the day time; having eyes full of the adulteress, and which cannot cease from sin: to them the mist of darkness is reserved for ever, for when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure, through the lusts of the flesh, those who for a while escaped from them who lived in error; whilst they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of sin." The other inspired writer has given us the reason of his inditing his epistle, Jude 3, 4, in the following words: "It was needful for me to write to you, and to exhort you, to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints; for there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness." Before the good apostles had sealed the truth with their blood, the Gnostics and Nicolaitans had crept in among Christians, before they were aware, who were ungodly pretenders, that were forward to talk of the free grace of God, in great swelling words of vanity; but abused it by making it a handle for loose practices; for they held, that fornication and adultery were things lawful, and that it was no sin to equivocate, or to conform occasionally to the heathen ceremonies, and they practiced all manner of abominable wickedness. These had their impiety from Simon Magus, the father of almost all heresies. This impostor, who pretended he was the supreme God, who appeared differently, as the Father, as the Son, and as the Spirit, in different dispensations, lived in avowed fornication with one Helena, a common prostitute, whom he had brought from the stews; and he gave out that she was the first product of his mind; that by her he made the angels, who had hitherto usurped the government of the world, and had not behaved well: he asserted, that the authors of the Scriptures were inspired by these angels, and consequently that they were not worthy of regard: he therefore allowed such as believed in him and Helena, to live as they pleased, persuading them not to mind the threatenings of the law, and saying that salvation was only by grace, and that good works were not necessary, there being no essential difference between the things commanded in the Old Testament, and the matters there prohibited thus, by promising men liberty, he made them the servants of sin; for his followers ran into all manner of impurity. We see, that the abusing the doctrine of grace, was one of the abominations of the first heretic that infested the church, after the appearance of our Saviour in the flesh; his corrupt tenets, as to this, were embraced by all the several sects, which took the proud, vainglorious title of Gnostics, or enlightened persons, men of deep knowledge, and which prevailed very much in the second century. This wicked abuse of a most holy doctrine, is what was not confined to those early ages; the churches of Christ have often been pestered with a generation of vipers, who are for turning the grace of God into wantonness. When the devil has not been able to run down this comfortable doctrine, by open opposition, he has employed his missionaries to disgrace it, by drawing odious consequences from it. Some impure persons can talk much of free grace; nay, they may affect to be more zealous for the love of God in election, than many who have felt the blessed effects of it, and may scarce be able to bear to hear of any other truth: these, though they may speak great swelling words, about free, rich, sovereign grace, yet have no part or portion in it; but are in the gall of bitterness, and under the bond of iniquity, as well as Simon, the first founder of their impiety. They are really enemies to Christ, and they wound him in the house of his friends; and, unless they are brought to repentance, and to the acknowledgment of the truth, their condemnation will be more severe than that of ignorant creatures, who knew none of the truths of the gospel.

If we consult the oracles of truth, we shall find, that the purpose of God, in electing persons, and in predestinating them to life, was, that they might be holy; and there will be no need to multiply passages, tending to prove this, if we carefully consider the following noble rapture, which the apostle Paul, inspired with holy joy, uttered, in the beginning of his epistle to the saints at Ephesus; "Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly things in Christ, according as he has chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace; by which he has made us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, and the forgiveness of sins; in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated, according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we should be to the praise of his glory, who have trusted in Christ," Eph. i. 3-7. 11, 12. Nothing can be more express than this admirable passage, to prove the absolute freeness of election and predestination: it is expressly asserted, that we are chosen by God in Christ, and predestinated to the adoption of children, according to the good pleasure of his will; nay, his sovereign pleasure; for it is according to the counsel of him that works all things, or certainly and infallibly brings all things about, after the purpose of his will; we are chosen in Christ, and are pre-ordained to the privilege of a change of state by adoption, which is merited and purchased for us by Christ. Now, the end of God, in choosing us, and predestinating us to the grace of adoption, was, that we might be holy and without blame before him in love; and that we might be to the praise and the glory of his grace. The end of God’s choosing us was, that we might be holy; and does his act in electing us, give us a liberty to frustrate, as far as in us lies, the end of his choice? Certainly every one, who would show himself to be the elect of God, ought to comply with the end, which he had in view, in choosing him to honour, glory, and immortality. What God has joined together, let not vain man pretend to separate; and, indeed, it will never be separated, by those who are really the subjects of electing love; otherwise we must allow, that God has purposed something in vain, which is a thought too shocking and blasphemous to be admitted, concerning a Being of infinite wisdom and power. Our obligation to holiness is not weakened, but strengthened, by considering that those whom God, out of his sovereign pleasure, chose and ordained to life, he also designed should be holy. Accordingly it is matter of fact, that the generality of such as have embraced the doctrine of absolute election, have been most exemplary in their walk, being sensible that they ought to comply with the end of God, as well as enjoy the privileges he has laid out for them; whereas too many of those, who would be for tying God’s choice to their foreseen faith and good works, as conditions moving him thereto, take care, by their want of faith, and neglect of good works, to show, that they either are not of the number of God’s elect, or have not yet felt the blessed effects of it. A frothy temper of mind, with respect to things sacred, and an unwary conversation, have too commonly been the scandalous badges of such, as must needs have it, that they are chosen by God, for foreseen faith and holiness, and have been the most eager to prate against the true Scripture doctrine of absolute election, with lying and malicious words, by representing it as calculated to promote looseness of life.

It must, indeed, be owned that some profane sinners have abused this doctrine, and have broken in upon the connexion that there is between the initial parts, and the sure marks of salvation in this life, and the completion of it in the life of glory. But, whatever unruly sinners may imagine, the end will never be bestowed, where the means appointed to bring about that end, nay, which are the beginning of what is to be brought to an end, are entirely thrown aside. Therefore it is mere rant for a hair-brained sinner to say, if I am elected to salvation, I shall be saved, let me live as I list; if I am a chosen vessel, sin shall not hinder my happiness. This is nothing but rumbling talk; it is no better sense than if a man should say, if I am elected, I shall be saved, though I should never be brought into a state of salvation; or, I shall be saved, without salvation; only in this last way of speaking, the nonsense is so apparent, that it strikes even upon the most dull apprehension. Supposing a man was to break a limb, and should refuse to have it set, and was gravely to argue, that his times are in God’s hand, and that if it is determined he shall live without being lame, it shall certainly be so with him, though he uses no means; or supposing a man was to be ready to famish for hunger, and was burnt up with thirst, if he should say, that if he is to live strong, and in health, he assuredly will, whether he takes sustenance or not; supposing such cases, should we not reckon persons, who thus chatter, to be directly mad, or to be mere idiots? Certainly we should, when yet they speak only with reference to the comforts of this life. Surely then it is worse than mad, because the matter is of vastly greater importance than the case of this natural life, for any to pretend, that as eternal life is the gift of electing love, it can be obtained without the use of the means which God has determined should be used, and without the grace he actually works in all that he saves. Without holiness, there is no proof of election, therefore absolute election does not lessen our regards to holiness. If persons say they are elected, let them prove they are partakers of the blessings which result from the grace of election by a holy life; for all that are chosen by God to salvation, are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Whoever draws this absurd consequence, that if he is elected, he shall be saved, though he does as he will, gives the greatest ground to suspect that he never experienced the love of God; and if he belongs to the election of grace, when he is actually gathered in, he will have very different thoughts, and will be filled with shame and humiliation for having done any thing to disgrace such a holy doctrine.

Justification, in the sight of God, is for the sake of Christ’s active and passive obedience, imputed to a sinner, and received by faith; which is not from himself; but is the gift of God, and is bestowed upon him, and wrought in his heart, whenever the merit of the Redeemer is applied to him. Faith, which is created in the soul of every one who is brought to live in Christ, and to be under him, as a head of righteousness, as it is made use of, by the Holy Spirit, in justification, is wholly and only employed, in looking to Christ as a priest, dying for sin, and in trusting in the merit of his sacrifice, and which he offered up: it looks to Christ as satisfying justice, answering the demands of the law, as a covenant of works, and suffering death: it regards him as the only priest, deputed and appointed by God to save sinners, and as the only one who can carry away sin, and can appease God, by bearing the weight of infinite wrath; it respects Christ as an infinite person, one of almighty power, to go through what he undertook, and of boundless merit, to procure everlasting happiness; it beholds him in his bloody death, and in his exquisite sufferings, as enduring the utmost shame, and the most acute pain, in his body, and as suffering inexpressible torments in his soul; it flies to him for refuge, from the tempest of divine indignation; it receives him as the only Saviour; and it rests and relies upon him, for the free and full forgiveness of sin, for deliverance from condemnation, for justification before God and acceptance in his sight, and for a right and title to the favour of the Most High, and to eternal life. This is the work of faith, as it is employed in justification; but the enemies of this doctrine know well enough, that they who are advocates for the infinite merit of Christ being the sole cause of a sinner’s deliverance from misery, and his being found by God in peace, maintain, that though faith, as it is used in justification, is only employed in looking to, and trusting in Christ as a priest, dying for sin, yet, with different views, it receives Christ in his other offices: it receives him as a prophet, for it assents to the truth of all the glorious doctrines which he has revealed; and it relies on him for spiritual illumination, to know more of God’s will, about the duties which are to be performed by all who profess him: it likewise receives him as a king, for it submits to his authority, and obeys his commands; it follows him as he is the Captain of salvation, and it chooses him as a Sovereign, to rule in the heart, to subdue lust, and to rout the armies of indwelling corruption. Faith relies on Christ as a Priest, for justification and acceptance with God; but though this is one prime part of its work, yet this does not take in the whole notion of that grace; it depends upon Christ as the great Prophet, who can make wise to salvation, and can lead his people into the knowledge of all truth, and can impress their hearts with a lively belief of what he is pleased to discover; and it trusts in him, as an exalted Saviour and a King, for strength, to be steadfast in the belief of the great truths revealed in Scripture, and to be zealous in the defense of them, for power to practice holiness, to proceed in the paths of piety, to renew repentance, and to engage in the great duties of mortification and self-denial; and for might to struggle against indwelling sin, to overcome the alluring temptations and the evils of the world, and to maintain a continued conflict against the powers of darkness. Though faith, as made use of in justification, does not do all this, yet this is the faith which is wrought in the hearts of all who are justified freely by grace, through the redemption purchased by Christ; and will any be so hardy, or so foolish, as to say, that this promotes licentiousness? Far otherwise; it brings a man to submit to Christ’s institutions, and to rely on him for aid to perform them better than he can by his own power.

If any should be so weak as to say, that being new-created and regenerated by the Spirit’s efficacious operations, being turned by his almighty power from darkness to light, and from sin to holiness, and being sanctified by him, has a tendency to check persons in making a progress in the Christian course, it must be owned to be a mere folly to go about to argue with, and answer such a person. If any make this doctrine a handle to be lazy and indolent, in the performance of what is good, it is a sign that they pretend to what they know nothing of. Our spiritual life is from the quickening power of the Holy Ghost, and is not from our own wills; but then we should consider, that we are not raised from a death in sin, that we may remain inactive, and we are not made alive to righteousness, that we may indulge idleness. The Spirit enlightens our minds, renews our wills, and purifies our affections; not that we may be slothful and negligent, but that we may "be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." The apostle Paul’s advice was this; I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what is the good, the acceptable, and the perfect will of God. Abhor what is evil, cleave to what is good; be not slothful in your work, but be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, Rom. xii. 1, 2, 9, 10, 11. The grace of the Holy Spirit, by which we are regenerated, we say is efficacious, irresistible, and not to be frustrated: now, can it be thought that this grace is bestowed, that we may continue inactive, as to what is good? This would be to suppose it efficacious, without accomplishing its design; irresistible, and yet defeated; not to be frustrated, and yet to be in vain. We are, by nature, in the dark grave of corruption, and we can no more raise ourselves, and bring ourselves into the light than a carcass, which has lain long in the dormitories of the earth, can throw off the clods which are heaped up over it, or unlock the door of the vault that contains it; and we are dead in trespasses and sins, and can no more put forth the acts of a new life, than the shattered parts of a body reduced to dust, can reunite and regain an union with the immortal soul. It is the Spirit, who, when we lie buried in corruption, and are dead in sins, quickens us, and effectually says, Arise, awake, come forth, and shine, for Christ will give you life; and his end in doing this is, that we may walk as children, of the light, and may act wisely and circumspectly. The apostolic doctrine was as follows; "You were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord; walk as children of the light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." It is said, "Wake thou that sleepest, and rise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee life." See then "that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as those who are wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil," Eph. v. 7-9, 11, 14-16. It is the Spirit’s design in giving us life, that we may show we are alive, by acting with diligence, caution, wisdom, and circumspection, in avoiding all things which are of a sinful and mean nature, and by pursuing after those things which are good and commendable; so that the doctrine of our regeneration and conversion being owing to his efficacious and irresistible grace, can never countenance laziness or looseness.

We grow in grace, and persevere by virtue of strength derived from Christ. He who was truth itself, declared, that without his aid, we can never proceed, when he said to his disciples: "You cannot bear fruit, unless you abide in me: I am the vine, you are the branches; he that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing," John xv. 4, 5. We can do nothing which is good, unless we derive strength from Christ, by virtue of our union with him; but it would be odd, if it was to follow, that we must do nothing, because we are in Christ, and are upheld and nourished by him. We must wait on Christ, or trust in him for persevering vigour; and, if we expect aid from him, we must be in a watchful posture; then it will be with us, according to what is promised to such as rely on Christ, in Isaiah’s prophecy: "The youths shall faint, and be weary; and the vigorous young men shall utterly fail: but such as wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with the wings of eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint," Isa. xl. 30, 31. Such as depend on their own strength, shall soon faint and tire, and die, if they are left to themselves; but such as wait upon Christ, such as rely upon his power, will renew their strength. When they do this, it is not that they may lie down and sleep by the way, but that they may be active and industrious in duty, that they may mount up towards heaven, with a towering sprightly motion; such as is that of the lively eagle when scorning the ground, she soars aloft; that they may run in the paths of duty, which are truly the paths of honour, without being weary, or being obliged to drop for want of spirits; that they may refresh themselves with continued walks within the sacred inclosures of pure religion, where are the most refined pleasures, without being faint, or being forced to sit down tired, without a prospect of being able to recruit their vigour. If we are once ingrafted into Christ, we shall go on in his strength, in the way of holiness, and we shall be kept by his power, so that we shall never totally or finally fall from grace; of this he himself assured us when he said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand," John x. 27, 28. This does not excuse us from keeping up a constant watch against the motions of indwelling corruption, and the temptations of the infernal powers; for if we lay aside our guard, we may fall into sin, and so provoke our beloved and our friend, to withdraw himself and be gone, and then our feet will stumble on the dark mountains of desponding thoughts and distrusting fears. The sure encouragement we have to hope that we shall be kept by the power of Christ, through faith to complete salvation, is far from giving a license to carelessness and indolence; we may, indeed, wickedly make it a handle for these; but then, if we belong to God, we expose ourselves to the smart of his fatherly rebukes. Trust in Christ’s power, is a grace of an active nature; and, if we go on in his strength, it must be in a way of holiness: therefore a lively faith, instead of making us lazy, will put us upon being "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord;" and the more, "because we know that our labour of love shall never be in vain in the Lord," 1 Cor. xv. 58.

If they who trust in Christ for righteousness and life, are favoured by the Holy Spirit, with an assurance of their having a share in the love of the Redeemer, this has a tendency to make them more fervent and active in true obedience, and so does not promote licentiousness. Assurance of salvation is a deep sense and a lively taste of the divine love, joined with a firm persuasion of Christ’s good will to us, whereby we are enabled to look back on what we are by grace, and to see that God is our Father, that Christ is our Redeemer, and that he will save us with an everlasting salvation: this presupposes faith, and cannot be without it; but it is not essential to true faith at all times, but it is bestowed in a way of sovereignty. Assurance is from the Holy Spirit; and, in giving it to a Christian, he affords him a true insight into the treasures of the grace of God, and the love of Christ; he enables a child of God to plead his adoption, with a filial confidence; for we are told, Gal. iv. 6, that because we are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, enabling us to cry, Abba, Father:" he witnesses with the spirit of a saint; for we are informed, Rom. viii. 16, that "the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God:" and he seals up, to a believer, his interest in the love of God, and in the earnest of the heavenly inheritance: for it is declared, 2 Cor. i. 13, 14, 22; Eph. iv. 30; 2 Cor. v. 5, that "by the Holy Spirit, who is the earnest of our inheritance, we are sealed to the day of redemption." The assurance of salvation, which is from the witnessing and sealing of the Spirit, makes us more holy. It cannot be thought, that he who is infinitely pure, will, or can encourage looseness; where he takes up his abode, there must be much faith and love, humility and fear, self-denial and uprightness, holiness and purity, circumspection and watchfulness. Such therefore, as boast of assurance, and yet can take their swing in sin, are only vain and impudent pretenders. Assurance sets the Christian’s graces in a clear light, and checks every thing contrary to God; and, as it is the earnest of heaven, it will make all who are blessed with it more heavenly, and consequently more holy. When it is thus with believers, fervour and vehemence, zeal and courage, love and patience, will fill their breasts; and, inspired with heavenly vigour, they will pass on from strength to strength, till they set their feet on the eternal hills, where they shall know faintness and weariness no more. The Scripture has sufficiently guarded us against abusing the gospel doctrine of assurance. The apostle Paul has showed us, what improvement we ought to make of assurance of God’s love in the following passages, Rom. xiii. 11. 14; Eph. iv. 29-32; 1 Cor. xv. 58. "Knowing the season, that now it is high time for us to wake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed: the night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light; let us walk decently as in the day, not in revels and carousals, not in sleep and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put you on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no carnal provision for lusts: Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but what is good, to edify profitably, that it may minister grace to the hearers; and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom ye are sealed to the day of redemption: let all bitterness and wrath, and anger and clamour, and evil-speaking, with all malice, be thrust from you; and be you gentle one to another, tender-hearted, and ready to do acts of kindness, as God in Christ has been gracious to you. Be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, seeing you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." The great apostle John, when he had spoken of the hope and assurance which believers have, that when they come to be for ever with the Lord, they shall possess joys ineffably great, and pleasures which in this state of imperfection they cannot fully know, inferred, that they should purify themselves, as Christ is pure; or that they should strive to be as like their glorified Head, as is possible, before they put off the body of sin and death: his words are," Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be; but we know, that when He shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is: and every man that hath this hope in him, purifies himself, even as he is pure." We must judge of the tendency of assurance of God’s love by what the apostles of our Lord have said concerning it, who had large degrees of it; they declared, that it is a motive to holiness. If any then prate about their assurance, who are presumptuous sinners; we must look upon them to be either frontless liars, or else wild giddy-headed creatures, who take the freaks of enthusiasm to be the Holy Spirit’s motions.

Without holiness, no one can have a well grounded hope of heaven. Heaven is the inheritance of all believers, not by a natural right in themselves, but by God’s free gift, through Christ; but though it is a free gift through Christ, yet none can conclude he has a title to it without holiness; or say, it is his, before he has something wrought in him to prove it so. A man must have some ground for his faith, else it is presumption; and he must have some reason for his hope, otherwise it is ridiculous, and a mere delusion. There is no taking of heaven by force for sinners. In one sense, Mat. xi. 12, indeed, there is a taking of heaven by violence; holy souls, filled with zeal and ardour, and inflamed with earnest desires, take heaven by force; but it is by weapons of God’s providing: they win their way, but it is by Christ’s aid; and they do marvelous things, but it is by the Holy Spirit’s help; and they reap the spoils of the victory, which the Redeemer has obtained for them. Unholy men can never scale the battlements of heaven, for they have no strength of their own to do it; and not only the frowning cherub, with the flaming sword, guards the avenues to it, but an angry God stands their irreconcilable enemy, to keep them out. Holiness is the indelible character which Christ sets upon all that are his; without this, we may have a delusive irrational hope of heaven, but it will greatly injure us, and can never help us. A false hope in a sinner renders all admonitions unsuccessful; and, till his vain confidence is shaken, he will not believe he needs conversion. An ill-grounded hope is the great engine of the devil to destroy souls, and it is worse than no expectation; for they will, of all men, be most miserable, who expect to be saved, and yet, when the breath has left their bodies, find themselves damned. When the wicked amuse themselves with vain expectations, the arrow of death strikes them to the heart, and makes an end of them before it is feared, and their hope is disappointed by the king of terrors. They who are strangers to holiness, have but few thoughts about their eternal state, and seldom consider what will become of them when they die; and, if they are forced to hear of their mortality, they please themselves with slight apprehensions of God, as a Being of all mercy: but, alas! when their souls go out of their bodies, the devil, who is the harbinger of misery, will drag them to the seats of darkness, where they will be prisoners without hope for ever. What will it profit men, if they fancy they shall go to heaven, if they wake, after they have slept the sleep of death, lying in the bowels of hell, with sights of who before their eyes, and inexpressible horror in their minds? None should say they hope for heaven, if they are not holy; for without holiness they can have no proof of their title to it.

Without holiness, none can do the work of heaven, or perform the duties required there. One part of the work of heaven is to behold the glorious face of God, and to stand continually before him. What are the morning stars, and the spirits of just men made perfect, doing in heaven? Are they not taken up in viewing the perfections and excellencies of God, and in admiring his attributes; such as his wisdom, power, truth, goodness, and especially his love to sinners. But what could unholy persons do there? They will not now give God any entertainment in their thoughts: and, as they have no intellectual eyes to behold his glory, so they are not fit to come into his presence; they are neither acquitted from their guilt, nor cleansed from their pollution; how then can they stand before the pure unspotted Majesty of God, who cannot look upon sin without the highest indignation, and the severest hatred? Praise is a principal work to be performed in the happy world above; this is what the saints offer to him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb who redeemed sinners by his blood, with the highest strains of holy rapture. It will be their constant work to fall down before the throne, and to sing the praises of the divine persons, with the most raised and pure affections; and it will he the fulness of their joy to sound forth hallelujahs for ever. Now, men void of holiness have no inclination to praise the Most High; can they rejoice that God reigns, and has a dominion of which there is no end, when they are only set upon rebellion against him? Can they shout for joy, that he has a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and that he is exalted above all things, when they are inclined stubbornly to spurn at his authority? Can they compass his royal seat with songs of melody, when they would, if they were able, thrust him from his throne? Can they follow him with cheerful acclamations, when they are for setting their mouths against him? Can they extol his honour; when they delight to reproach his sacred name? It would be against all sense and reason to say, that without holiness any could compass the throne of God, in heaven, with anthems of praise. The putting forth of perfect love, and unconfined affections to God, is a work of heaven. The apostle Paul has told us thus, 1 Cor. xiii. 8-10, "Love never fails; as to other things, whether they are prophecies, they shall fail; or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall vanish away; for we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but as soon as that which is perfect shall come, what is in part shall be done away." Prophecies, or gifts of explaining Scripture, shall fail; tongues, or an ability of expressing the inward conceptions of the mind, in different languages, shall cease; and the knowledge of spiritual things, which we gather up from tedious methods of reasoning, and by framing in our minds such apprehensions of divine truths, as hold up some analogy to sensible objects, shall vanish and pass away, and give place to what is clear, easy, certain, and void of all mistakes; but love to God never fails, it will continue for ever. What is this love in its perfection but the gratitude of heavenly spirits to God, their benefactor, who is superlatively excellent, predominantly sweet, infinitely blessed, and supremely amiable in himself? This love of souls to God in heaven, is without all weakness, mixtures, damps, and pull-backs; it twists and binds them to God, all the selfishness of their wills is lost, and they are entirely resigned to his will. Now, is not this incompatible with an unholy disposition? Can they be united to God, who hate him, and refuse subjection to his laws all the time they are here? Can they clasp about him, as the chiefest good hereafter, who prefer the very dust of the earth before him in this life? Certainly not; none can act any grace, in its perfection, in heaven, which he has not, in its root and principle, on earth; every grace will be perfected in heaven, but no new grace is begun there. Can carnal sinners have ardent love to God, and cleave to him when their affections are set against him? Can they find a predominant delight in him, when their hatred against him is blown up to the highest pitch? Can they have pleasure in his holiness, when their souls are full of burning lusts? We must not so far deny our reason, as to say that men can both love and hate God, both obey and oppose him, both find sweetness in him and invidiously rise up against him, both take delight in his holiness, and feel pleasure in sin. If men have no satisfaction in meditating on God, and in conversing with him in their thoughts, now, when he is distant, and removed out of their sight, they would take no delight in him, if they were brought to stand before the presence of his glory, and to behold the brightness of his face in the country of vision above.

APPLICATION.

Let us stand at the greatest distance from all sin: whatever we are convinced is forbidden by God, in his holy law, let us start from: let us forsake the lusts of the flesh, or avoid all open and scandalous disorders; but let us not be content with this, lest we should be only like whited tombs, which make a fair show without, but within are full of rottenness and corruption; let us, at the same time that we mortify the desires of the flesh, crucify the imperious and dangerous lusts of the mind; let us not give way to pride, malice, envy, hatred, and self-seeking: when in many things we all offend, let us not entertain light thoughts of sin, much less give way to transgress presumptuously; let us be deeply humbled, that we so often provoke the Most High, by sinning in thought, in word, and in deed; let us hate and abhor sin, and look upon it to be most abominable, because it is odious to a God of infinite goodness, occasioned the groans, agonies, and death of a kind Saviour, and tends to bring ruin on our immortal souls; let us condemn ourselves, that we have committed what is of so hurtful a nature; let us be filled with godly sorrow for sin, and take a holy revenge upon it; let us, by the help of the Spirit, turn from it to God; and, as we sin daily, let us delight to renew our work of repentance every day we live: let us never comply with any thing which is evil, which a corrupt age has made customary, but let us take pleasure in that singularity, which is commendable, which is to stand off from every thing that has a tendency to dishonour God, to wound the peace of our own consciences, and to discredit that pure religion which we profess.
     Let us practice all moral duties, and Christian graces; let us act justly, warily, and honestly in our dealings with men let us make conscience to perform all our promises, to make good all our engagements, and to be faithful to every trust committed to us: let us be temperate in our using the things which are appointed for the support and comfort of life; moderate in our pursuit of the world, and wary and careful to provide things honest in the sight of all men; let us be humble in our carriage and deportment, and be amiable in our behaviour; let us be even in our temper, if we are compassed about with prosperity, patient in adversity, in bearing ill treatment, and enduring insults, and ready to forgive all personal injuries; let us be resigned to the will of God, whatever condition of life he may involve us in, and desire, in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content; let us love mercy, and be ready to show pity to any in distress; let us relieve the wants of others, as we are able, and do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith: let us show benevolence to all mankind, even to those whose principles and practices we may most detest; and let us not oppress any, if we have it in our power: let us show great love to our Christian brethren, and manifest true affection to all who are children of the same Father, professors of the same faith, and travelers to the same land of rest.
     Let us make conscience to act with sincere piety towards God; let us receive the important truths which he has revealed in his word, and, with zeal regulated by knowledge, hold them fast, when they are denied and contested, by such as are strangers to the wisdom which is from above; let us stand up for all that tends to secure the honour of free grace, to exalt Christ, and to promote holiness, and keep our loyalty, our faith, and love to the King of Zion, the Captain of our salvation; let us search the Scriptures, and inform ourselves about the mind and will of our heavenly Father; let us walk in all the ordinances and institutions of the Most High, blameless; and be careful to perform the duties we owe immediately to God, and pay the worship which he requires; let us be frequent in meditation, and constant in prayer, and engage in the several parts of worship required of us, in due place and proper season; let us not omit private religion, and let us keep ourselves from the view of men, in secret duties, as much as possible; let us take care that the voice of prayer is heard in our families, and the morning and evening sacrifice of praise is offered up in our houses; let us keep holy the day of the Son of man, and not forsake the assembling of ourselves for the public worship of God upon it; let us delight to offer up social worship to our God and our King, and to join with others in compassing his altar with our supplications, and to attend on his word preached, and hear the joyful sound; let us, if we are in church fellowship, keep our solemn vows, honour them who have the rule over us, and speak to us the word of life, watch over one another, and celebrate the supper of our Lord, remembering his death with faith, love, thankfulness, godly sorrow, and holy joy; let us labour to engage in that ordinance, and in all the parts of worship, with life and vigour, with circumspection and fervour, and without formality and deadness, without slightness and unconcernedness, that so the words of our mouths, and the meditations of our hearts, may be pleasing to that God whom we serve.
     When we do the things mentioned, let us not give way to the insolent vanity of thinking to make God our debtor, or to purchase heaven; but, when we have done most, let us be ready to own, that we are unprofitable servants, in having done no more than our duty, and that we are, in part, unfaithful servants, as we omit many things, we are obliged to; let us, in all we do, whether of a moral, civil, or religious nature, act from a principle of love to God, with a regard to the rule which he has given us, in his word, and with a sincere desire to advance his glory, whose we are, and to whom we are indebted for all the blessings pertaining to life and godliness; let us, under a sense of our weakness and ignorance, be frequently applying ourselves, by prayer, to the God of all grace, that he would bring us to know our duty, and would enable us constantly to perform it, that so we may credit religion, and may adorn the profession we make of his name, as well as expect salvation as the gift of grace, and the reward of Christ’s purchase.
     Let us, at the same time that we renounce all confidence in the flesh, and cast aside all trust in our own performances, rely on Christ for assistance to keep the faith, to run our race, and to fight the good fight; let us determine, that in Jesus, who is the Lord Jehovah, our Saviour and our God, we will have strength, as well as righteousness; let us comfort ourselves with considering that he is unchangeable in his truth, to make good his promises, that he is ever present with us, to guard us, that he knows all our wants, and is infinite in wisdom, to order all things for our good, that he is almighty in power, to defend us against enemies, and to finish his own work in us, and that he is boundless in goodness, mercy, and compassion, to bestow upon us all things that tend to our happiness and well-being: having such a glorious Captain of salvation, and such a powerful Leader, to the peaceful provinces of immortality, let us go through the wilderness of this world, leaning upon him our beloved and our friend; and we need not fear but that he will enable us to act as becomes the gospel, and to bring credit to the doctrine of grace, which we profess, by doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly and piously with our God; and then "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we shall appear with him in glory:" and, as the sincere followers of the Lamb, shall sit together with him in heavenly places; where crowns of glory will circle our brows, and palms of victory will grace our hands; where the white attire of innocence will deck us, and the glittering array of light will adorn us; and where pleasures, grown to full perfection, will always regale us, and joys, substantial and sincere, will to eternity delight us.
     To the Father of mercies, who, out of his sovereign pleasure, chose us to salvation, before the foundation of the world, that we might be holy and blameless before him in love; to the Son, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; and to the Holy Spirit, who changes the whole frame of our minds, that we may walk in newness of life; to these three divine Persons, but the one supreme God, whom we adore, be honour, praise, and glory, in all the churches, now, henceforth, and for ever more Amen.

ENDNOTES:

[1] See especially the learned Mr. Ridgley’s body of Divinity, vol. i. p.236. col. 2. 240. co1. 1.

[2] See the same useful work; p. 277, col. 2. 231, col. 2.

[3] I do not know any writer who has better stated this matter, than that great and judicious divine, Mr. Charnock: him I have chosen to follow, taking a liberty to use some of his expressions. His own words I shall here give, (see his Works, vol. ii. p. 70-72, first edition.)

[4] The reader may see most of the topics, which are briefly mentioned under this head, largely insisted on, by the excellent Mr. Charnock, on the necessity of Regeneration, p. 36-44, in the second volume of his works.