This is a wonderful sermon from Adam Clarke that is just as applicable and
Biblically sound today as it was when it was originally preached in the 19th
century. Even today, Christian preachers utilize elements within Clarke's
sermon which have their origins in Biblical orthodoxy. It's an excellent
sermon and if you have the time, I urge you to read it. Christians will be
greatly enlightened and inspired by Clarke's sermon.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION BY FAITH PROVED;
OR,
AN ANSWER TO THE IMPORTANT QUESTION,
"What must I do to be saved?"
by Adam Clarke, LL. D. F. S. A.
SECOND EDITION
Father, thy word is past; man shall find grace.
And shall grace not find means?---
Atonement for himself, or offering meet,
Indebted and undone, HE none can bring.
Behold ME then; me for him, life for life,
I offer.
-- Paradise Lost, B. iii. 1. 227.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR JOSEPH BUTTERWORTH AND SON, FLEET-STREET; AND SOLD BY T.
BLANSHARD, CITY-ROAD, W. BAYNES, PATERNOSTER ROW; AND H. FISHER, AND T.
KAYE, LIVERPOOL; AND J. COOKE, ORMONDQUAY, M. KEENE, COLLEGE-GREEN, AND A.
HAMILTON, WHITEFRIARS STREET DUBLIN
1819
[PRICE 1 s.. 6d.]
[Transcriber Note: Several pages preceding the final paragraph
below of the Advertisement were missing in my copy of this discourse
by Adam Clarke. Please note also that where Clarke inserted Greek text
into this discourse, which was followed by its English equivalent, I
have made no English spell-out of the Greek text, omitting it
altogether from this electronic edition. -- DVM]
How a man may obtain and retain the favour of his Maker? how a
sinner may be reconciled to his God, and be saved from his sins? have
appeared to him questions of the highest importance, and he has
attempted their discussion in the following pages. He has not
pretended to examine systems of religion in detail, but merely the
plans of what may be called initiatory salvation. On the awfully
important subject of the Question in the text, he lays the result of
his own researches and convictions before his Readers. It is true that
they will all be found to issue in what is commonly called Orthodoxy.
But he begs leave to say that they have not arrived at this issue by
any sinuous ways. The conclusion is the spontaneous natural result of
the principles laid down, and the reasonings founded upon them. With a
heart full of charity for all mankind, and with respect and reverence
for the good and pious of every denomination, he dismisses the whole,
with the fullest conviction that the doctrine of justification by
faith, through the atoning sacrifice of that Eternal Word which was
manifest in the flesh, is the only way by which a fallen soul can
regain the favour, and be restored to the image, of its Maker; and be
at last brought, through the sanctification of the Divine Spirit, to
the ineffable glory of God.
Millbrook,
Dec. 25, 1815
A
DISCOURSE
&c. &c.
What must I do to be saved? -- Acts xvi. 30.
To spread the gospel through the world, God employed certain
persons who were called apostles, persons sent, i. e. immediately from
God Himself; and from Him alone they received their commission, which
was as extensive as the habitable world: for it was delivered in these
words: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature." This, they appear to have understood in the most literal
sense; and therefore thought of nothing less than carrying the glad
tidings of salvation, by Christ Jesus, to every nation of the earth,
to which the Providence of God should open their way.
It was necessary that, in the first planting of the gospel, these
messengers of God should be able to mark extraordinary interpositions
of Divine Providence in their favour; and should be furnished, as
occasion might require, with miraculous powers: and this we find was
the case. God did, by extraordinary providences, mark out their way,
and enabled them to work a variety of beneficent miracles which at
once pointed out the nature of the gospel which they preached, and
were a confirmation of its doctrines.
Of those peculiarly providential calls, we have a remarkable
instance in the chapter before us; by which the apostles were
prevented from going to a certain place in Asia Minor, where they
wished to preach the gospel, and were sent to another of which they
had not thought. "Now, when they had gone through Phrygia, and the
region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the
word in Asia; after they were come to Mysia, they essayed to go into
Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not. And they, passing by
Mysia, came down to Troas: and a vision appeared to Paul in the night;
there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over to
Macedonia, and help us." ver. 7--9. This was an interposition of
Providence, which, to them, had no equivocal voice; and they
immediately endeavoured to reach Macedonia, assuredly gathering that
the Lord had called them to preach the gospel to the inhabitants of
that place.
The nighest way from Troas in Mysia, where they then were, was to
run across the top of the AEgean sea, nearly from East to West, which
we are informed they did; and thus came by a straight course by
Samothracia to Neapolis, and thence to Philippi, which appears to have
been, at this time, the chief city of that part of Macedonia; though
two hundred and twenty years prior to that, when Paulus AEmilius had
conquered Macedonia, he made Amphipolis the chief city of that
division of the country, which lay between the rivers Strymon and
Nessus. Near this city the Jews, who, for the purpose of merchandise,
frequented these parts, had an oratory, or place of prayer, this place
Paul, with Silas his companion, visited on the sabbath days, and
preached the gospel to the Jews and proselytes who assembled there;
and with such good success, under the influence of that Spirit which
was their constant Helper, that several persons were converted; among
whom the most remarkable was Lydia, a seller of purple, from the city
of Thyatira, in Asia Minor.
In their occasional attendance at this place, they were greatly
disturbed by a young woman, who had a spirit of divination; and who
was maintained by some persons of that city, to whom she brought
considerable gains by her soothsaying: this woman continually followed
the apostles, saying, " These are the servants of the most high God,
which show unto us the way of salvation," ver. 17. All this was
strictly true; but it was a testimony very suspicious in such a case;
and was given with that subtilty and cunning which are peculiar to the
great deceiver, who never bears testimony to the truth but when he
designs to injure it. He well knew that, in the Jewish law, all magic,
incantations, magical rites, and dealings with familiar spirits, were
strictly forbidden: he therefore bore, what was in itself, a true
testimony, that he might ruin the credit of the apostles. By such a
testimony, from such a quarter, the Jews would be led to believe that
the apostles were in compact with these demons; and that the miracles
which they worked, were performed by the agency of these wicked
spirits; and that the whole was the effect of magic; and this would
necessarily harden their hearts against the preaching of the gospel.
On the other hand, the Gentiles, finding that their own demon bore
testimony to the apostles, would naturally consider that the whole was
one system; that they had nothing to learn, nothing to correct; and
thus, to them, the preaching of the apostles must be useless.
In such circumstances as these, nothing could have saved the credit
of the apostles but their dispossessing this woman of her familiar
spirit; and that in the most incontestable manner: for, what could
have saved the credit of Moses and Aaron, when the magicians of Egypt
turned their rods into serpents, had not Aaron's rod devoured their's?
and what could have saved the credit of these apostles, but the
casting out this spirit of divination with which, otherwise, both Jews
and Gentiles would have believed them in compact? Paul being grieved,
and probably on these accounts, turned to the spirit, and commanded
him in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her; and he came out in
the same hour; and from thenceforward the young woman was rendered
totally incapable of acting the part she had before done; and the
source whence her masters had derived so much gain was now most
evidently closed up. This inflamed them to madness; therefore
violently seizing the apostles, they dragged them before the
magistrates, and accused them of turbulent and seditious designs. The
magistrates, without acquainting themselves with the merits of the
case, ordered their clothes to be rent off, and to scourge them. When
this was done, and it appears to have been executed with as little
mercy as justice, they were thrust into prison; and the jailor
receiving the strictest charge to keep them safely, put them into the
dungeon, and made their feet fast in the stocks, ver. 18-24.
These outward afflictions, however severe; contributed nothing to
the diminution of their peace and joy: they had a happiness which lay
beyond the influence of those changes and chances to which sublunary
things are exposed. They were happy in God, though in the dungeon, and
their feet fast in the stocks: and at midnight, while all the rest had
forgotten their cares in sleep, Paul and Silas prayed, and sang
praises to God, ver. 25. While thus employed, requesting grace to
support themselves, and pardon for their enemies, praising God that He
had accounted them worthy to suffer shame for the testimony of Jesus;
God, by an earthquake, and loosing the bands of the prisoners, bore a
miraculous testimony of approbation to His servants; and showed, in a
symbolical way, the nature of that religion which they preached; for,
while it shakes and terrifies the guilty, it proclaims deliverance to
the captives, the opening of the prisons to them that are bound; and
sets at liberty them that are bruised. The prison-doors were opened,
and every one's bands were loosed; yet so did God order it in His wise
providence, that not one of the prisoners attempted to make his
escape! God never can work a miracle to defeat the ends of civil
justice; many of those who were here confined, were no doubt offenders
against the laws, and should be judged by the law which they had
broken.
The jailor, who was responsible for the safe custody of all who
were under his care, seeing what was done, supposing that the
prisoners had escaped, and knowing that his own life would be the
forfeit, choosing rather to die by his own hands, than by those of
others; (for this sort of suicide was a heathen virtue,) drew out his
sword, and was just going to kill himself, when Paul perceiving what
was about to be done, cried with a loud voice, Do thyself no harm; we
are all here! Astonished at these circumstances, he called for a
light, (for these transactions took place at midnight,) and seeing
what was done, and that a supernatural agency was most evident;
fearing for his life, and feeling for his soul, he fell down before
Paul and Silas; and having brought them out of the dungeon, he
addressed them in the language of the text, every word of which is
most solemn and emphatic, "O Sirs! what must I do that I may be
saved?" Whether this strong enquiry refer to personal or eternal
safety; or whether it relate to the body or soul in a state of danger;
it is a question the most interesting and important to man.
As it has been supposed that the jailor asked this question in
reference to his personal safety alone, and that it had no reference
to his soul; it may be well to spend a few moments on the
consideration of this point.
The jailor had seen, notwithstanding the prison doors had been
miraculously opened, and the bands of all the prisoners loosed, that
not one of them had escaped; hence he could not feel himself in danger
of losing his life on this account; and, consequently, it cannot be
his personal safety about which he enquires. He could not but have
known that these apostles had been, for some time, preaching at
Philippi what they called the doctrine of salvation; to this the
Pythoness had alluded, "These are the servants of the most high God,
which show unto us the way of SALVATION," ver. 17. And he knew that it
was for casting the demon out of this young woman that they were
delivered into his custody: all this is sufficiently evident. The
Spirit of God appears to have convinced his heart that he was lost,
was in a state of the most imminent spiritual danger, and needed
salvation; and therefore his earnest enquiry was, how he should obtain
it. The answer of the apostles shows, that his enquiry was not about
his personal safety; as his believing on the Lord Jesus could have had
no effect upon that in his present circumstances; for as none of the
prisoners had escaped, and he saw that this was the case, neither he
nor his family could have been in personal danger: and if they had,
the answer of the apostles would have been as impertinent on that
ground, as his question was, had it referred to personal danger, when
he must have been convinced that nothing of the kind existed. I
conclude, therefore, from the circumstances of the apostles, the
circumstances of the jailor, his question and their answer, that his
enquiry concerned the salvation of his soul, and not the safety of
his body; and, being taken in this point of view, it is the most
momentous that can interest or arrest the attention of man.
I shall now enquire, taking up the subject in this sense,
I. What is implied in being saved?
II. How this salvation can be attained?
I shall not occupy any time in giving the various acceptations of
the term salvation, or being saved; as I suppose it to apply here
simply to the salvation of the soul; and shall only observe generally,
that it signifies a being delivered from imminent danger, or impending
ruin. The word therefore necessarily implies, 1. Danger, without which
there could not be deliverance: and, 2. Salvation or deliverance from
that danger.
The danger to which a soul is exposed, is that of dying in a state
of sin, falling under the wrath of God, and perishing everlastingly.
The cause of this danger is having sinned against God by breaking
those laws, on the obedience of which God promises life and
blessedness; and on the breach of which He threatens death, temporal
and eternal. That all human souls have sinned and come short of the
glory of God, I shall not wait here to prove; the Scriptures assert
it; and it is incontrovertibly proved by matter of fact. That all come
into the world with a a disposition that strongly stimulates them to
vice, and makes them averse from virtue, is not less evident. Hence it
follows, that in consequence of their personal transgressions, they
are exposed to endless punishment; and in consequence of their impure
and unholy nature they are incapable of the enjoyment of eternal
glory: these I judge to be truths, equally asserted by the Scriptures,
and strongly corroborated by reason.
To be saved therefore, implies the being delivered from all the
guilt of all sin or transgression; from all the power or influence of
sin, so that it shall have no more dominion over them; and from all
the impurity of all sin, so that the soul shall be a fit habitation of
God through the Spirit; and be capable of an eternal union with Him in
the realms of glory.
I shall not enter here into a consideration of the question, When
are these different degrees of salvation to be attained? but only
assume that maxim in which all Christians are agreed, that unless the
soul in the day of the Lord be found saved from all the power, guilt,
and contamination of sin, it cannot inherit an eternal state of glory.
Therefore the second question, the consideration of which is the
chief object of this discourse, presses itself strongly on our notice,
viz.
II. How can human beings who have sinned against God, by breaking
His laws, and whose nature is depraved and polluted, be thus
delivered, and thus saved? or, in other words, "How can a man be
justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?"
Job xxv. 4.
To effect this, five ways have been proposed by men;
1. By the law of works: or the merit of obedience to the law of
God.
2. By works of supererogation; including voluntary sufferings,
rigid discipline, severe austerities, uncommanded mortifications of
the body; together with the patient endurance of the unavoidable
miseries attendant on human life.
3. By penal sufferings in the life to come, such as those
purgatorial fires, imagined by the church of Rome; and the pretended
emendatory infernal punishments, which make a principal part of the
doctrine both of the ancient and modern universal Restitutionists.
4. By the metempsychosis or transmigration of souls; as a portion
of moral evil is supposed to be detached from them in each of the
bodies which they successively animate.
5. By the mere benevolence of God, who may, it is affirmed, without
any consideration except that of His own innate eternal goodness, pass
by the sins of a transgressor, and bestow on him eternal glory.
These five, as far as I can recollect, include all the schemes of
salvation which have been invented by man. Some of these profess to be
derived directly from the Sacred Writings; others by implication from
those writings; and others from reason, and the opinions of ancient
philosophers.
As every thing which concerns the eternal state of the soul must be
deemed of infinite importance; it will be necessary to examine the
reasons of each of these proposed schemes, in order to see whether any
of them be calculated to effect the purpose for which it is adopted;
and afford a sure ground to support a sinner's expectation of pardon
and final glory. And if; on examination, these should be found either
inefficient or inapplicable; whether the method proposed by St. Paul,
in his answer to the jailor, viz. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, be
free from the objections to which the others are liable; and whether
it possesses such evidence of infallible efficiency, as may be justly
deemed sufficient to vindicate the ways of God with man, and support
the mighty expectations which the Sacred Writings authorize men to
build upon it.
As each of these systems has its partisans and supporters, it will
be necessary to examine them separately, considering in this
examination, the principal reasons by which they appear to be
respectively supported.
I. The first is, that man by sincere obedience to the law of God,
may merit pardon and eternal life.
1. In order that a man may be obedient, or merit by obedience, or
by works; there must be some rule of life or law, laid down and
prescribed by his Maker, the precepts of which he is to fulfill, in
order to claim the salvation referred to in the question.
2. It must appear that this law, or rule of life, has been so
strictly, conscientiously, and universally observed, as to justify the
claim founded on obedience to its precepts.
1. This law, or rule of life, must be found in the original state
of man: or, in other words, that law which we may presume his Maker
imposed on him when He gave him his being: for it would be absurd to
suppose that God formed any intelligent beings without a law or rule
of life, when we know that He formed them to show forth His glory:
which they can do no otherwise than by exhibiting in actions, those
virtues derived from the perfections of God. And those actions must be
founded on some prescription or rule. No creature of God, whether
intellectual, animate or inanimate, is without a law, rule of life, or
prescribed mode of being, according to which it is governed,
influenced, and exists; such laws being the source of harmony, order,
and consistency in all the works of God.
What our blessed Lord calls the FIRST and greatest commandment,
must be the law in question, viz. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all
thy strength." This law may be thus shortly paraphrased, "Thou shalt
love God with all thy HEART;" all thy affections shall be fixed on and
concentrated in Him. "Thou shalt love Him with all thy soul;" thy
whole heart shall be devoted to Him: thou shalt consider Him the great
object and end of thy being. "Thou shalt love Him with all thy MIND;"
thy understanding shall be occupied with Him and His attributes: all
thy intellectual as well as thy animal powers, shall be employed by
Him, and for Him. He shall be the grand subject on which, through
which, and in reference to which, all thy rational powers shall be
incessantly employed. "Thou shalt love Him with all thy strength;" all
these powers, at all times, to the utmost of their respective limits,
and with the utmost of their separate energies, shall be employed in
doing His will, and promoting His glory. No power or faculty shall
ever be unemployed; and none shall ever be exerted but to show forth
His excellencies and praise.
The very nature of man's creation must show that this was the law
or rule of life by which he was called to act. This law is suited to
the nature of an intelligent being; and as man was made in the image
and likeness of God, this law was suitable to his nature; and the
principles of it must have been impressed on that nature. It was the
law of man, or the rule to regulate his internal and external conduct,
when he came from the hands of his Creator; when as yet he had neither
associate nor descendant. When he had descendants, and society was
formed, a second law, flowing from the first, was given him to
regulate his spirit and conduct in reference to that society of which
He was a part; and hence our Lord, with the strictest precision, adds,
"The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
There is no greater commandment than these; and on these hang all the
law and the prophets;" both the law of Moses afterwards given, and all
the declarations of the prophets, being founded on those grand
principles, love to God, and love to man. And hence every promise, and
every threatening in the whole book of God, relative to the merit and
demerit of human actions.
Now, the obedience in question must be obedience to this law; and
the salvation in question must be, if it be at all, the result of such
an obedience as this law requires.
Let it be observed, that such a law, to such a being, can admit of
no deviations; it requires a full, perfect, and universal obedience;
and an obedience performed with all the powers and energies of body
and soul. I have fixed on this original law, as demonstrably the most
proper; and leave out of the consideration the Mosaic law, whether
ritual, ceremonial, or moral; as well as all other laws or rules of
life, derived or deducible from these. On this part of the question,
it is by the law of his creation that man stands or falls. With what
was given afterwards, the scheme of salvation, which is now under
examination, has nothing to do.
Let it be observed also, that no being is capable of fulfilling
such a law, unless its nature be entirely pure and holy; the slightest
degree of moral imperfection, the smallest irregularity of passions or
appetites, would taint the required sacrifice; and mar and ruin the
service. As man came pure and perfect out of the hands of his Creator,
he was capable of observing this law; to him, in this state, there was
nothing difficult, nothing grievous. He was made under this law; and
He was made equal to it in all its requisitions and demands. Obedience
to this was his duty; and we may add it must have been his delight;
and that in which his happiness consisted; for no superior state of
blessedness can be conceived: for He who loves God with all his
powers, and serves him with all his energies, must be unutterably
happy.
But does it follow that man, in this pure and perfect state,
fulfilling at all times the sublime duty required by this law, could
merit an eternal glory by his obedience? -- No. For he is the creature
of God; his powers belong to his Maker: He owes him all the services
He can perform; and, when He has acted up to the utmost limits of his
exalted nature, in obedience to this most pure and holy law, it will
appear that he can make no demand on Divine justice for remuneration;
he is, as it respects God, an unprofitable servant; he has only done
his duty, and he has nothing to claim. In these circumstances, was not
only man in Paradise, but also every angel and archangel of God.
Throughout eternity, no created being, however pure, holy, submissive,
and obedient, can have any demands on its Creator. From Him its being
was originally derived, and by Him that being is sustained; to Him,
therefore, by right, it belongs and whatever He has made it capable of
He has a right to demand. As well might the cause be supposed to be a
debtor to the effect produced by it, as the Creator, in any
circumstances, be a debtor to the creature.
To merit salvation, is to give an equivalent for eternal glory:
for; if a man can be saved by his works, his claim is on Divine
justice; and if justice make a commutation of eternal glory for
obedience, then this obedience must be in merit, equal to that glory.
Justice demands what is due; it can require no more; it will take no
less. Man's obedience therefore, performed in time, which, however
long, is only a moment when compared to eternity, must be considered,
on this doctrine, equal in worth to the endless and utmost
beatification which God can confer on an intelligent being, which is
absurd. Therefore no being, by obedience in time, can merit an eternal
glory.
Again, to merit any thing from God, we must act as beings
independent of Him, and give Him that on which He has no legal claim;
for as we cannot purchase one part of a man's property, by giving him
another part of his own property; so we cannot purchase from God any
thing that is His own, by that to which He has an equal claim. To
merit glory, therefore, a man must not only act independently of God,
but also with powers and energies of which God is neither author nor
supporter; for the powers which He has created, and which He upholds,
are already His own; and to their utmost use and service He has an
indefeasible right. Now, man is a derived and dependent creature; has
nothing but what he has received; cannot even live without the
supporting energy of God; and can return Him nothing that is not his
own; and therefore can merit nothing. On this ground also, the
doctrine of salvation by the merit of works, is demonstrably both
impossible and absurd.
Once more, to perform acts infinitely meritorious, man must have
powers commensurate to such acts: to merit infinitely, requires
infinite merit in the acts; and infinite merit in the acts requires
unlimited powers in the agent; for no being of limited and finite
powers, can perform acts of infinite worth: but man, in his best
estate, is a being of limited powers, wholly dependent, even for
these, on the energy of another; consequently, cannot perform acts of
infinite worth; and therefore can in no way whatever merit, by his
obedience or his works, that infinite and eternal weight of glory of
which the Scriptures speak. On the ground, therefore, of the dependent
and limited powers of man, the doctrine of final glorification, by the
merit of works, is self-contradictory, impossible, and absurd.
All the preceding reasoning is founded on the supposition that man
is in a state of purity; having never fallen from original
righteousness, and never sinned against his Creator: and even in those
circumstances we find that his pure and spotless obedience cannot
purchase an endless glory.
But, we must now consider him in his present circumstances; fallen
from God; destitute of that image of God, righteousness and true
holiness, in which he was created; and deeply guilty through
innumerable transgressions. To him, in this state, the question, "What
must I do to be saved?" is of infinite importance; as, through his
sinfulness, he is unfit for heaven: and, through his guilt, exposed to
the bitter pains of an eternal death. In his mouth, the question
resolves itself into several: 1. How shall I be delivered from the
power of sin, that it may no longer have dominion over me? 2. How
shall I be delivered from the guilt of sin, that it may no longer
oppress my tortured conscience? 3. How shall I be delivered from the
pollution of sin, and be prepared for, and entitled to, everlasting
glory?
Will any man say to this alarmed and despairing sinner, "Thou must
purchase thy pardon, and the kingdom of heaven, by a life of
righteousness: God requires obedience to His law; and that, joined to
sincere repentance, will induce Him to forgive thy iniquities, and
admit thee at last to His eternal glory." Of what avail are such
sayings? can this satisfy his soul, or quiet the clamours of his
tormented conscience? He feels himself incapable of any good; his
inward parts are very wickedness; and, though he can will that which
is right, yet how to perform it, he finds not. Can even fond hope lay
comfortable hold on such directions as these? But, as this question is
too important to admit of hasty and unauthorized conclusions; we must
examine the ground of the hope which is held out on these terms.
Though man's state has changed, his duty is not changed; he is
still under the same law; it is as much his duty now to "love God with
all his heart, soul, mind, and strength," as it was the first moment
he came out of the hands of his Creator. What was his duty then, must
be his duty through the whole course of his being. To fulfill this
original law, required a pure and holy soul, untainted by sin, and
unbiased by iniquity. But, instead of a heart filled with holiness
and love, he has now that carnal mind which is enmity to God; a mind
that is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. To him,
therefore, this obedience is utterly impossible; he cannot cleanse his
own infected nature; and he cannot undo the criminal acts which he has
already committed; and, having broken the Divine law, the wrath of God
abideth on him. We have already proved that the most pure and perfect
obedience cannot purchase glory; and the same arguments will prove,
that the most perfect obedience cannot purchase pardon. Man owes every
moment of his existence, and the full and constant exercise of all his
powers, unto God. Could he even now live as pure and as perfect as an
archangel, this would be no more than his duty; and, in point of duty,
it would only be available for the time in which it was done; for, as
every creature owes to its Creator the utmost service it can possibly
perform through every moment of its being; therefore this obedience
does not merit any thing in reference to the future: and if it have
sinned, cannot atone for the past: the time in which it has sinned,
must stand as an eternal blank, in which all its obedience was due,
and in which none was performed. The non-performance of its duty, is
such a high degree of criminality, as to obliterate its title to the
Divine protection, support, and happiness; and the sins which it has
committed, instead of obedience, have exposed it to all the penalties
of the laws which it has broken.
It appears, therefore, that even granting this fallen creature
could live, from the present, a life of unspotted holiness; yet this
could be considered in no other light than merely the obedience due to
the Creator, and could have no tendency to blot out past
transgressions. There is, therefore, no hope to any sinner from the
doctrine of justification, or salvation by works. And, taken in any
point of view, it is demonstrable, that no obedience to God, even from
the most perfect creature, can merit any thing and that works of
merit, and works of supererogation, are equally impossible and absurd:
none can do more than he ought; and none, by doing his duty, can have
claims upon his Maker.
I need add nothing here, except the testimony of our own church, in
her 13th article, where she says, "works done before the grace of
Christ, and the inspiration of His Spirit, are not pleasant to God;
forasmuch as they are not of faith in Jesus Christ; neither do they
make men meet to receive grace; or, (as the school authors say,)
deserve grace of congruity: yea, rather, for that they are not done as
God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they
have the nature of sin." That this doubt of our pious reformers was
legitimately founded, has been sufficiently demonstrated in the
preceding reasonings.
II. The second scheme of salvation is founded on works of
supererogation, voluntary and involuntary sufferings, &c. By
supererogation, I mean doing more than is required; being more
obedient than the law of God demands, and thus forming a stock of
extra-meritorious acts; so that a man has not only enough for himself,
but has a fund of merits, which a certain church professes to have the
power to dispense to those who have few or none. On the preceding
point I have proved that it is impossible for any created dependent
being to do more than its duty; how pure and holy soever that creature
may be: and under the same head, it is proved that no fallen creature,
in its lapsed state, can even perform its duty without supernatural
and gracious assistance and, consequently, that the doctrine of works
of supererogation is chimerical and absurd. On this part of the scheme
there is, therefore, no necessity to extend the argument. Another
testimony from our church, article 14th, will set this matter in a
strong light: "Voluntary works beside, over and above God's
commandments, which they call works of supererogation, cannot be
taught without arrogancy and impiety: for, by them men do declare,
that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do;
but that they do more, for His sake, than of bounden duty is required:
whereas Christ saith plainly, ' When ye have done all that are
commanded of you, say, We are unprofitable servants.' The arrogancy
and impiety, and we may add the ignorance, manifested by this doctrine
are truly without parallel.
What remains to be considered, is the merit of sufferings; their
capability to atone for sin, and their tendency to purify the soul.
I presume it will he taken for granted that there was no suffering
in the world previously to the introduction of sin: suffering is an
imperfection in nature; and a creature, in a state of suffering, is
imperfect because a miserable creature. If an intelligent creature be
found in a state of suffering, and of suffering evidently proceeding
from the abuse of its powers; it necessarily supposes that such
creature has offended God, and that its sufferings are the consequence
of its offence, whether springing immediately from the crime itself,
or whether inflicted by Divine justice as a punishment for that crime.
As sufferings in the animal being are the consequence of derangement
or disease in the bodily organs, they argue a state of mortality; and
experience shows that they are the predisposing causes of death and
dissolution. Derangement and disease, by which the regular performance
of natural functions is prevented, and the destruction of those
functions ultimately effected, never could have existed in animal
beings, as they proceeded from the hand of an all-perfect and
intelligent Creator. They are, therefore, something that has taken
place since creation; and are demonstrably contrary to the order,
perfection, and harmony of that creation; and consequently did not
spring from God. As it would be unkind, if not unjust, to bring
innumerable multitudes of innocent beings into a state of suffering or
wretchedness; hence the sufferings that are in the world, must have
arisen from the offences of the sufferers. Now, if sin have produced
suffering, is it possible that suffering can destroy sin? We may
answer this question by asking another: Is it possible that the stream
produced from a fountain can destroy the fountain from which it
springs? Or, is it possible that any effect can destroy the cause of
which it is an effect? Reason has already decided these questions in
the negative. Ergo, suffering, which is the effect of sin, cannot
possibly destroy that sin of which it is the effect. To suppose the
contrary, is to suppose the grossest absurdity that can possibly
disgrace the understanding of man.
Whether these sufferings be such as spring necessarily out of the
present constitution of nature; and the morbid alterations to which
the constitution of the human body is liable from morbidly increased
or decreased action: or whether they spring, in part, from a voluntary
assumption of a greater share of natural evil than ordinarily falls to
the lot of the individual, the case is not altered; still they are the
offspring and fruit of sin; and, as its effects, they cannot destroy
the cause that gave them birth.
It is essential, in the nature of all effects, to depend on their
causes; they have neither being nor operation but what they derive
from those causes; and, in respect to their causes, they are
absolutely passive. The cause may exist without the effect; but the
effect cannot subsist without the cause: to act against its cause is
impossible, because it has no independent being, nor operation; by it,
therefore, the being or state of the cause can never be affected. Just
so sufferings, whether voluntary or involuntary, cannot affect the
being or nature of sin, from which they proceed. And, could we for a
moment entertain the absurdity, that they could atone for, correct, or
destroy the cause that gave them being, then we must conceive an
effect wholly dependent on its cause for its being, rise up against
that cause, destroy it, and yet still continue to be an effect, when
its cause is no more! The sun, at a particular angle, by shining
against a pyramid, projects a shadow, according to that angle, and the
height of the pyramid. The shadow, therefore, is the effect of the
interception of the sun's rays, by the mass of the pyramid. Can any
man suppose that this shadow would continue well defined, and
discernible, though the pyramid were annihilated, and the sun extinct?
-- No. For the effect would necessarily perish with its cause. So, sin
and suffering; the latter springs from the former: sin cannot destroy
suffering, which is its necessary effect; and suffering cannot destroy
sin which is its producing cause: Ergo, salvation by suffering is
absurd, contradictory, and impossible.
III. Penal sufferings, in a future state, are supposed by many to
be sufficiently efficacious to purge the soul from the moral stains
contracted in this life; and to make an atonement for the offences
committed in time. This system is liable to all the objections urged
against the preceding, and to several others peculiar to itself: for,
if there had not been sin, there had not been punishment. Penal
sufferings, inflicted by Divine justice, are the desert of the crimes
which require justice to inflict such punishments. If the sufferings
inflicted by this Divine justice be supposed to be capable of
annihilating the cause for which they are inflicted; if they
annihilate the cause, they must be greater than that cause, and
consequently unjust; because, in that case, the punishment would be
greater than the offence. Such penal inflictions could not proceed
from a righteous God.
But the ground of this system is absurd: we have no evidence from
Scripture or reason, that there are any emendatory punishments in the
eternal world.
The state of probation certainly extends only to the ultimate term
of human life. We have no evidence, either from Scripture or reason,
that it extends to another state. There is not only a deep silence on
this, in the Divine records; but, there are the most positive
declarations against it. In time and life, the great business relative
to eternity is to be transacted. On passing the limits of time, we
enter into eternity; this is the unchangeable state. In that awful and
indescribable infinitude of incomprehensible duration, we read of but
two places or states; Heaven and Hell; glory and misery: endless
suffering, and endless enjoyment. In these two places, or states, we
read of but two descriptions of human beings: the saved and the lost;
between whom there is that immeasurable gulf, over which neither can
pass. In the one state we read of no sin, no imperfection, no curse:
there, all tears are for ever wiped away from off all faces; and the
righteous shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." In the
other, we read of nothing but "weeping, wailing, and gnashing of
teeth;" of "the worm that dieth not;" and of "the fire which is not
quenched." Here, the effects and consequences of sin appear in all
their colourings, and in all their consequences. Here, no dispensation
of grace is published; no offers of mercy made; the unholy are unholy
still; nor can the circumstances of their case afford any means by
which their state can be meliorated; and we have already seen, that it
is impossible that sufferings, whether penal or incidental, can
destroy that cause, (sin,) by which they were produced.
Besides, could it be even supposed that moral purgation could be
effected by penal sufferings, which is already proved to be absurd, we
have no evidence of any such place as purgatory, in which this
purgation can be effected: it is a mere fable, either collected from
spurious and apocryphal writings, canonized by superstition and
ignorance; or it is the offspring of the deliriums of pious
visionaries, early converts from heathenism, from which they imported
this part of their creed: there is not one text of Scripture,
legitimately interpreted, that gives the least countenance to a
doctrine, as dangerous to the souls of men, as it has been gainful to
its inventors: so that, if such purgation were possible, the place
where it is to be effected cannot be proved to exist. Before,
therefore, any dependance can be placed on the doctrine raised on this
supposition, the existence of the place must be proved; and the
possibility of purgation in that place demonstrated. The opinion of
our own church on this, and its kindred doctrines, should be heard
with respect: "The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardons,
worshipping, and adoration, as well of images as of reliques, and also
invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded
upon no warranty of Scripture; but rather repugnant to the word of
God." -- Article xxii.
As to the atonement which is to be made to Divine justice, by
enduring the torments of the damned, for ages numerable or
innumerable, it is not found in the letter of the Divine oracles, nor
by any fair critical deduction from that letter. Purgatory, professing
to be an intermediate place, previously to its examination, has a sort
of claim on our attention; but when this profession is examined, it is
found to be as unreal a mockery, as the limbus [border, hem] of
vanity, from which its ideal existence has sprung. But the doctrine of
the final extinction of the fire that is not quenched, and the final
restoration of all lapsed intelligences, has no such claims; it
appears before us as a formal contradiction of every scripture which
relates to that awful subject; founding itself on meanings which have
been extracted from Greek and Syriac words, by critical torture; and
which others, as wise as the appellants, have proved these words, in
such connections, cannot bear.
But we must take up, and view this subject in another light. We
have already seen that every intelligent being owes the full exercise
of all its powers to its Creator, through the whole extent of its
being: and if such creature do not love and serve God with all its
heart, soul, mind, and strength, through the whole compass of its
existence, it fails in its duty, and sins against the law of its
creation. Now, it cannot be said, that beings, in a state of penal
sufferings, under the wrath and displeasure of God, (for, if they
suffer penally, they must be under that displeasure,) can either love
or serve Him. Their sufferings are the consequences of their crimes,
and can form no part or their obedience. Therefore, all the ages in
which they suffer, are ages spent in sinning against this first and
essential law of their creation; and must necessarily increase the
aggregate of their demerit, and lay the eternally successive necessity
of continuance in that place and state of torment. Thus it is evident,
that t his doctrine, so specious and promising at its first
appearance, is essentially defective; and contains in itself the seeds
of its own destruction. Besides, if the fire of hell could purify from
sin, all the dispensations of God's grace and justice among men must
have been useless; and the mission of Jesus Christ most palpably
unnecessary; as all that is proposed to be effected by His grace and
Spirit might be, (on this doctrine,) effected by a proportionate
continuance in hell-fire: and there, innumerable ages are but a point
in reference to eternity; and any conceivable or inconceivable
duration of these torments, is of no consequence in this argument, as
long as, at their termination, an eternity still remains.
This system, therefore, can give no consolatory answer to the
question, "What shall I do to be saved?" as it is itself essentially
destitute of evidence; deficient in the validity of its adduced
proofs; and, consequently, incapable of affording conviction to the
enquiring mind.
IV. The doctrine of the metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls,
has been adduced as affording a stable ground on which the hope of
final salvation might be safely built. This doctrine is attributed to
Pythagoras; but it is likely that he derived it from the Egyptians or
Indians, who professed it long before his time; and among the latter
of whom it is an article of faith to the present day.
It is on the ground of this doctrine that the bramins refuse to
take any animal food, or destroy any living creature; as they suppose
that the soul of an ancestor or relative may be lodged in fish, fowl,
or beast. This doctrine not only allows men another state of probation
after this life, but many such states; for in every body, especially
human, through which, according to this opinion, the soul passes, it
has an opportunity of acquiring those virtues by which it may be
assimilated to the Divine Being; and afterwards be absorbed into the
Divine essence.
The Pharisees among the Jews were certainly not only acquainted
with this doctrine, but held it as an article of faith. It appears in
the question of the disciples to our Lord, John ix. 2. Master, who did
sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Is his blindness
a punishment on his parents for their sins? or did he sin in some
other body, that he is punished with blindness in this? Though this
doctrine is hinted at in this and some other places in the Bible; yet
it is no where taught in that sacred book. It is not a doctrine of
revelation; nor does it appear to have any foundation in reason. There
are no facts in nature from which it can be inferred; and I am not
acquainted with any arguments in philosophy, by which it can be proved
to be either possible or plausible. Yet it has a greater show of
simplicity and probability than the doctrines of emendatory
punishments in hell; or of purging fires in an intermediate state. And
were I to become a volunteer in faith, I could reconcile the
metempsychosis to my reason, much sooner than I could any of the
preceding systems. But this scheme also fails in several essential
points: --
1. It has nothing in Scripture to support it.
2. It is not a doctrine that sound philosophy can espouse; because
it is incapable of any kind of rational or metaphysical proof.
3. Could it be shown to be probable, it would not answer the end
proposed; as it is absurd to suppose that a soul by becoming
brutalized, could be refined and purified; or that by animating a body
with bestial inclinations, it could acquire habits of virtue; or that
by passing through so many mediums, it could make atonement for past
transgressions; while in every state it was committing new offences;
or, that these temporary degradations could be considered an adequate
price for eternal glory. For, in this, as in all preceding cases, we
are to consider that there are -- 1. Crimes which require an
atonement. 2. Impurities which require purgation. And, 3. A state of
endless felicity which must be purchased: and it is obvious that in
each of these respects this doctrine, weighed in the balances, is
found wanting.
V. The fifth opinion, which is by far the most plausible, is this:
That God, through His own mere benevolence, may pardon sin, purify the
soul, and confer everlasting bliss; and, therefore, to the sincere
inquirer in the text it may be said, God is a Being of infinite
benevolence; trust in His goodness, endeavour to live soberly and
virtuously for the future, and doubt not that He will take you at last
to His eternal glory.
This is specious; [erroneous] and by such assertions many have
been, and are still deceived. For who can doubt that He, whose name is
mercy, and whose nature is love, will not, from His endless
benevolence, forgive a miserable sinner; and take, when earnestly
solicited, a sincere penitent to an everlasting state of blessedness?
Doubts on this point have been deemed irrational and absurd; and the
assertion that salvation cannot be obtained in this way, has been
regarded as little less than blasphemy. To see the merits of this
scheme, the reader must consider that it is not God's benevolence or
mercy in or through Christ which is here spoken of; but benevolence or
mercy in itself; and acting from itself; without any consideration
whatever to any thing done by the person himself; or by any other in
his behalf: for this scheme supposes that God does this merely through
the impulse of His own benevolence or goodness.
What God can do in the exertion of any one of His attributes, is
not the question: but what He can do consistently with all the
perfections of his nature. We know that He is omnipotent; and as
omnipotence is unlimited, and unconfined, it can do every thing that
is possible to be done: but, notwithstanding, it does not do all that
is possible to be done; for it is possible, in the illimitable vortex
of space, to create unnumbered worlds; but this is not done. It is
possible to change, in endless variety, the worlds and beings already
made, and give them new modes of existence, new qualities, other forms,
habits, &c. &c. by successive infinite changes; but neither is this
done. Thus we see that the existence of attribute or perfection in the
Divine nature, does not necessarily imply the exertion of that
attribute or perfection, in any work suitable or correspondent to the
nature of that attribute.
All the Divine perfections are in perfect unity and harmony among
themselves: God never acts from one of His attributes exclusively; but
in the infinite unity of all His attributes. He never acts from
benevolence to the exclusion of justice; nor from justice to the
exclusion of mercy. Though the effect of His operations may appear to
us to be in one case, the offspring of power alone; in another, of
justice alone; in a third, of mercy alone; yet, in respect to the
Divine nature itself; all these effects are the joint produce of all
His perfections; neither of which is exerted more nor less than
another. Nor can it be otherwise; nor must we by our pre-conceived
opinions, or to favour our particular creed, set the attributes of God
at variance among themselves; or "wound one excellence with another."
God, therefore, can do nothing by the mere exercise of His
benevolence, that is not perfectly consistent with His justice and
righteousness.
Should it be said that, because God is infinitely good, therefore
we may expect that He will save sinners, from this consideration
alone: I answer, that God is infinitely just; and therefore we may
expect that He will, on that consideration, show mercy to no man! Now,
the argument in the one case is precisely as good and as strong as in
the other; because the justice of God that requires Him to punish
sinners, is equal to His mercy, which requires Him to save them. And
this argument is sufficient to show, that the exercise of the mere
benevolence of God is no ground to hope that He will save sinners: for
humanly speaking, considering the apostate condition of this sinful
world, and the multiplied rebellions and provocations of men, it is
more natural to suppose, that, if any attribute of God can be
exercised exclusively of the rest, it must be, in this case, His
justice; and if so, the destruction of the whole human race must be
inevitable. The conclusion in one case is as warrantable and
legitimate as in the other. Here, therefore, we gain no ground; but
are obliged to retire from the consideration of this subject with the
fullest conviction that salvation, on this hypothesis, is wholly
impossible.
To the objection, that "as the king has the royal prerogative to
pardon those who are convicted and condemned by the law; and that he
can, without any impeachment of his character, as the fountain of
justice and supreme magistrate in the land, display his royal clemency
in remitting capital punishments, pardoning the guilty, and restoring
him to his primitive condition, with all the rights and privileges of
civil society;" it may be answered, that it is never supposed that the
king acts thus from the mere impulse of his clemency; though the words
de gratia nostra speciali, et ex mero motte nostro, (of our special
grace, and mere motion,) be sometimes used; yet it is always
understood that for every act of this kind "there are certain reasons
and considerations, thereunto him inducing:" and these reasons and
considerations are such as in his own opinion, and that of his
counsellors, are a sufficient vindication or his conduct. Sometimes in
the pardons themselves, these reasons are stated, ad instantiam
dilecti et fidelis nostri A. B. pardonavimus C. D. "at the earnest
entreaty of our beloved and faithful friend A. B. we have pardoned C.
D." &c. or Nos -- de avisamento et assensu Dominorum Spiritualium et
Temporalium, ac ad specialem requisitionem Communitatis regni nostri
Angliae, in presenti Parliamento nostro existentium, pardonavimus et
relaxavimus A. B. "We -- by the advice and consent of the Lords
Spiritual and Temporal, and at the special request of the Commons of
our kingdom of England in the present Parliament assembled, have
pardoned and forgiven A. B." &c.
At other times, the king enumerates a great variety of reasons why
he should do this; at first, the consideration that vengeance is the
Lord's, and he will repay. 2. A consideration of the passion of Christ
for transgressors. 3. Filial piety towards the blessed virgin: and,
lastly, the consideration of innumerable favours received from the
hand of God; as in the case of a royal pardon granted to several
traitors by Hen. VI. See Rymer, Vol. IX. page 178.
Add to all this, that such clemency is not extended, where
something cannot be pleaded in arrest of justice; something that may
be said to lessen the iniquity and enormity of the crime. And it may
likewise be added, that no wise and prudent king ever resorts to the
exercise of this prerogative of his crown, where the circumstances of
the case will not justify him both in the sight of equity, and in the
sight of his people. For, as Sir Henry Finch says, "The king has a
prerogative in all things that are not injurious to the subject: Nihil
enim aliud potest rex, nisi id solum quod de jure potest; for the king
can do nothing but that which is according to law." Finch, lib.
lxxxiv. 5. Hence, "the power of pardoning offences is entrusted to the
king on a special confidence that he will spare those only, whose
case, had it been foreseen, the law itself may be presumed willing to
except out of its general rules; which the wisdom of man cannot make
so perfect, as to suit every particular case." 1 Shaw 284.
The king, therefore, was ever supposed to use his royal prerogative
in pardoning offences, according to the spirit and design of the law:
and never to pardon him whom the law would condemn, all the
circumstances of his case having been foreseen.
Now we may rest assured that God never does any thing without
infinite reason and propriety; and requires nothing but through the
same. His benevolence was the same under the Mosaic law that it is
now, or ever can be, as He is unchangeable; yet we find that under the
Mosaic law He required sacrifice, and would not remit any offence
without this; and for this conduct He must have infinite reason, else
he had not required it; thus we see that during that dispensation, His
own infinite goodness, separately considered, was no reason why He
should remit sin; else He had gratuitously done it without requiring
sacrifice, which bears all the appearance of a requisition of justice,
rather than a dictate of mercy.
Again, God can have no motive relative to His kingdom or throne, to
forgive a transgressor; for He is infinitely independent: therefore,
no reason of state can prevail here, nor even exist; and as to any
thing that might be found by equity to plead in arrest or mitigation
of judgment against the rigorous demands of justice, this also is
impossible; for God's justice can have no demands but what are
perfectly equitable: His justice is infinite righteousness, as totally
distant from rigour on the one hand, as from laxity or partiality on
the other. Again, surely nothing can he alleged in extenuation of any
offence committed by the creature against the Creator. Every sin
against God, is committed against infinite reasons of obedience, as
well as against infinite justice, and consequently can admit of no
plea of extenuation. On all these considerations, there appears to be
no reason why God should exercise His eternal goodness merely, in
remitting sins; and without sufficient reason He will never act.
Should it he farther said that the wretched state of the sinner
pleads aloud in the ears of God's mercy, and this is a sufficient
reason why this mercy should be exercised; I answer, as before, that
his wicked state calls as loudly in the ears of God's justice, that it
might be exclusively exercised; and thus the hope from mercy is cut
off. Besides, to make the culprit's misery, which is the effect of his
sin, the reason why God should show him mercy, is to make sin and its
fruits the reason why God should thus act. And thus, that which is in
eternal hostility to the nature and government of God, must be the
motive why He should, in a most strange and contradictory way,
exercise His benevolence to the total exclusion of His justice,
righteousness, and truth! Hence it appears that no inference can be
fairly drawn from the existence of eternal benevolence in God to
answer the solemn enquiry in the text; nor to afford a basis on which
any scheme or human salvation can be successfully built.
As these five schemes appear to embrace all that can be devised on
this subject; and on examination each of them is proved to be
perfectly inefficient, or inapplicable to answer the purpose for which
it is produced; we may therefore, conclude that no scheme of human
salvation, ever invented by man, can accomplish this end: and the
question What must I do to be saved? must have remained eternally
unanswered, if God in His boundless mercy, in connection with all His
attributes, had not found out a plan, in which all His perfections can
harmonize, and His justice appear as prominent as His mercy.
VI. I come, therefore, to the scheme proposed by the Almighty, and
contained in the apostle's answer to the terrified jailor, Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
In order to see the force of the apostle's meaning, and understand
the propriety of his exhortation, we must endeavour to acquaint
ourselves with the Person of whom he speaks. "Believe," says He, " on
the Lord Jesus Christ." From this answer, it is certain the apostle
intimates that the believing, which He recommends, would bring from
the Person, who is the Object of his exhortation, the salvation after
which the jailor enquired. And as trusting in an unknown person for
his eternal welfare would be a very blind and desperate confidence; it
was necessary that he should be informed of the Author, and instructed
in the principles, of this new religion, thus recommended to his
notice; and, therefore, it is immediately added, ver. 32. that they
spake the word of the Lord unto him, and to all that were in his
house, [Greek: the doctrine of the Lord] all the teaching that
concerned Jesus Christ, and the salvation which He came to dispense to
mankind.
From the specimens we have of the apostle's preaching in the book
of the Acts, as well as in his Epistles, we cannot be at a loss to
find what the doctrine was which he preached both to Jews and
Gentiles: it was, in general, Repentance towards God, and faith
towards our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts xx. 16. And of this Jesus, he
constantly testified, that although He was the most high and mighty of
beings, yet He died for our offences, and rose again far our
justification.
But who is this Person in whom he exhorts the jailor to believe,
and who is here called the Lord Jesus Christ? That there has been much
controversy on the subject of this question in the Christian world, is
well known; and into it I do not propose at present to enter: I shall
simply quote one text from this apostle's writings, on which I shall
make a few remarks, in order to ascertain what his views of this
Person really were: and the conclusions which we must necessarily draw
from these views. The text is, Coloss. i. 16, 17. By him were all
things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible or
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers; all things were created by him, and for him; and he is
before all things, and by him all things consist.
Four things are here asserted:
1. That Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe; of all things
visible ad invisible; of all things that had a beginning, whether they
exist in time or in eternity.
2. That whatsoever was created, was created FOR himself: -- that He
was the sole end of His own work.
3. That He was prior to all creation; to all beings whether in the
visible or invisible world.
4. That He is the Preserver and Governor of all things for by him
all things consist.
Now, allowing St. Paul to have understood the terms which he used,
he must have considered Jesus Christ as being truly and properly God:
-- l. Creation is the proper work of an infinite, unlimited, and
unoriginated Being; possessed of all perfections in their highest
degrees, capable of knowing, willing, and working infinitely,
unlimitedly, and without control: and as creation signifies the
production of being where all was absolute non-entity; so it
necessarily implies that the Creator acted of and from Himself: for,
as previously to this creation, there was no being, consequently He
could not be actuated by any motive, reason, or impulse, without
Himself; which would argue that there was some being to produce the
motive or impulse, or to give the reason. Creation, therefore, is the
work of Him who is unoriginated, infinite, unlimited, and eternal: but
Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things; therefore, Jesus Christ
must be, according to the plain construction of the apostle's words,
truly and properly God.
2. As, previously to creation, there was no being but God;
consequently, the great First Cause must, in the exertion of His
creative energy, have respect to Himself alone: for He could no more
have respect to that which had no existence, than He could be moved by
non-existence to produce existence or creation. The Creator,
therefore, must make every thing for himself.
Should it be objected, that Christ created officially, or by
delegation, I answer, this is impossible; for, as creation requires
absolute and unlimited power or omnipotence, there can be but one
Creator, because it is impossible that there can be two or more
omnipotent, infinite, or eternal beings. It is therefore evident, that
creation cannot be effected officially, or by delegation for this
would imply a Being conferring the office, and delegating such power;
and that the being to which it was delegated, was a dependent being,
consequently not unoriginated and eternal. But this, the nature of
creation proves to be absurd -- 1. The thing being impossible in
itself; because no limited being could produce a work that necessarily
requires omnipotence. 2. It is impossible, because if omnipotence be
delegated, he to whom it is delegated had it not before: and He who
delegates it ceases to have it, and consequently ceases to be God; and
the other to whom it is delegated, becomes God; because such
attributes as those with which he is supposed to be invested, are
essential to the nature of God. On this supposition God ceases to
exist, though infinite and eternal; and another, not naturally
infinite and eternal, becomes such; and thus an infinite and eternal
Being is produced in time, and has a beginning, which is absurd.
Therefore, as Christ is the Creator, He did not create by delegation,
or in any official way. Again, if He had created by delegation, or
officially, it would have been for that Being who gave him that
office, and delegated to him the requisite power; but the text says
that all things were made BY him and FOR him, which is a demonstration
that the apostle understood Jesus Christ to be the end of His own
work; and truly and essentially God.
3. As all creation necessarily exists in time, and had a
commencement; and there was an infinite duration in which it did not
exist; whatever was before or prior to that, must be no part of
creation; and the Being who existed prior to creation, and before all
things, all existence of every kind; must be the unoriginated and
eternal God: but St. Paul says, Jesus Christ was before all things;
ergo, the apostle conceived Jesus Christ to be truly and essentially
God.
4. As every effect depends upon its cause, and cannot exist without
it; so creation, which is an effect of the power and skill of the
Creator, can only exist and be preserved by a continuance of that
energy that first gave it being: hence God, as the Preserver, is as
necessary to the continuance of all things, as God, as the Creator,
was to their original production; but this preserving or continuing
power is here attributed to Christ; for the apostle says, and by him
do all things consist; for, as all being was derived from Him as its
cause; so all being must subsist by him, as the effect subsists by and
through its cause. This is another proof that the apostle considered
Jesus Christ to be truly and properly God, as he attributes to Him the
preservation of all created things, which property of preserving
belongs to God alone; ergo, Jesus Christ is, according to the plain
obvious meaning of every expression in this text, truly, properly,
independently, and essentially, God.
Taking, therefore, the apostle as an uninspired man, giving his own
view of the Author of the Christian religion; it seems, beyond all
controversy, that himself believed Christ Jesus to be God: but,
considering him as writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
then we have, from the plain, grammatical meaning of the words he has
used, the fullest demonstration that He who died for our sins, and
rose again for our justification, was God over all: and as God alone
can give salvation, and God alone remit sin, hence with the strictest
propriety the apostle commands the almost despairing jailor to believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he should be saved.
In examining the preceding schemes of salvation, we have already
seen, that God cannot act from one attribute exclusively; that He can
do nothing without infinite reason; and that when He acts, it is in
and through the infinite harmony of all His attributes.
In the salvation of the human soul, two attributes of God appear to
be peculiarly exercised; viz. His justice and His mercy; and to human
view, these attributes appear to have very opposite claims;
nevertheless, in the scheme of salvation laid down in the Gospel,
these claims are harmonized so, that God can be just, and yet the
"justifier of him that believeth on Jesus." In this scheme " Mercy and
Truth are met together; Righteousness and Peace have kissed each
other."
From St. Paul's doctrine concerning Christ, as the Saviour of men,
we may learn what it was which he wished the jailor to believe, viz.
1. That this glorious Personage, who was the Creator, Preserver,
Owner, and Governor of all things, was manifested in the flesh, and
suffered, and died, to make an atonement for the sins of the world: for
it is most evident from all the apostle's writings, that he considered
the shedding of Christ's blood in his death, as a sacrificial offering
for sin; and he ever attributes the redemption of the soul and the
remission of sins, to the shedding of this blood. 2. That His life was
offered for the life of men; and that this was a sacrifice which God
Himself required; for Christ was considered "THE LAMB OF GOD which
takes away the sin of the world." 3. That all the Law and the Prophets
bore testimony to this; and that He, as a sacrifice for sin, was the
end of the Law, for righteousness, [Greek: for justification,] to
every one that believeth.
That God manifested in the flesh is a great mystery, none can
doubt; but it is what God Himself has most positively asserted, John
i. 1--14, and is the grand subject of the New Testament. How this
could be, we cannot tell: indeed the union of the soul with its body is
not less mysterious; we can just as easily comprehend the former as
the latter: and how believers can become "habitations of God through
the Spirit," is equally inscrutable to us; yet all these are facts
sufficiently and unequivocally attested; and on which scarcely any
rational believer, or sound Christian philosopher, entertains a doubt.
These things are so; but how they are so, belongs to God alone to
comprehend: and as the manner is not explained in any part of Divine
Revelation, though the facts themselves are plain; yet the proof and
evidences of the reasons of these facts, and the manner of their
operation, lie beyond the sphere of human knowledge.
From what has been said, we derive the following particulars: -- 1.
That the Word, which was with God, and is God, became flesh, and
tabernacled among us: this is a truth which we receive from Divine
Revelation. 2. That God never does any thing that is not necessary to
be done; and that He never does any thing without an infinite reason:
-- these are truths, also, which we learn from the perfections of the
Divine Nature. 3. That God has required the incarnation, and passion
of Jesus Christ and this the Sacred Scriptures abundantly declare. 4.
That this would not have taken place, had it not been infinitely
reasonable, and absolutely necessary, we learn from the same
perfections. 5. That the sacrifice of Christ, thus required by God,
was infinitely pleasing to Him, and completely proper to accomplish
the end for which it was appointed: -- this is evident, from its being
required; for God can require and devise nothing that is not pleasing
to Himself, proper in itself; and fit to accomplish the end for which
it was required. 6. That, as the sacrifice of Christ was required to
take away the sin of the world, we may rest assured that it was proper
to accomplish that end; and that God, in the claims of His justice and
mercy, is perfectly pleased with that sacrifice. 7. That, as the
dignity of Jesus Christ is infinitely great and glorious; so all His
acts have an infinite merit; because they are the acts of a Being
absolutely perfect. 8. That, though His passion and death could take
place only in the human nature which He had associated with His
Divinity, for in that "dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;"
yet this association stamped all the acts of that manhood with an
infinite value. 9. And, as these sufferings, &c. took place in human
nature, and were undergone on account of all those who were partakers
of that nature, therefore they were sufficient to make atonement for
the sins of the whole world; and are, to the Divine justice, infinite
reasons, why it should remit the sins of those in whose behalf these
sufferings, &c. were sustained. When, therefore, a sinner goes to God
for mercy, he goes, not only in the name, but with the sacrifice of
Christ: this he offers, by faith, to God; that is, he brings it with
the fullest confidence, that it is a sufficient sacrifice and
atonement for his sins; and thus he offers to Divine justice an
infinite reason why his sins should be blotted out. To this faith can
attach itself without wavering; and on this, God can look with
infinite complacency and delight. And it follows, that the man whose
business it is to make known the way of salvation to perishing
mortals, can say with the utmost confidence to every genuine penitent,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and THOU shalt be saved."
This scheme is of God's own appointment: by it His law is magnified
and made honourable; from its very nature it must be effectual to the
purposes of its institution; and is liable to none of the objections
with which all other schemes of salvation are encumbered. By it, the
justice of God is as highly magnified as His mercy. "What the Law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God" has done by
"sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, [Greek:
as a sacrifice for sin,] condemned sin in the flesh." Rom. viii. 3.
And thus our salvation is of grace; of the free mercy of God, in and
through Christ; not of works, nor of sufferings, that any man should
boast; and thus God has the glory to eternity while man enjoys the
unspeakable gift, and the infinite benefits resulting from that gift.
In this scheme of redemption we see a perfect congruity between the
objects of this redemption, and the redemption price which was paid
down for them. The objects of it are the human race; all these had
sinned and come short of the glory of God: it was right, therefore,
that satisfaction should be made in that same nature, either by
receiving punishment, or paying down the redemption price. Now we have
already seen that, bearing the punishment due to a crime, is no
atonement for that crime nor can answer any of the purposes of that
original law which God gave to man in his state of innocency: and we
have also seen, that no acts of delinquents, however good they may be
supposed, can purchase blessings of infinite worth, or make atonement
for the past. Hence, it is absolutely impossible that the human race
could redeem themselves; and yet, justice and the fitness of things
required that the same nature which sinned should be employed in the
work of atonement. Behold, then, the wisdom and goodness of God!
Christ assumes human nature: -- that it might be free from blot,
stain, or imperfection; it is miraculously conceived, by the power of
the Holy Spirit, in the womb of a Virgin; and, that it might be
capable of effectually performing every redeeming act, GOD was
manifested in this flesh. Here, then, we see the same nature suffering
which had sinned; and we see all these sufferings stamped with
infinite merit, because of the Deity who dwelt in that suffering
humanity. Thus Christ was man, that he might suffer and die for man;
and He was GOD, that the sufferings and death of the man Christ Jesus
might be of infinite value! The skill, contrivance, and congruity of
this system, reflect as high honour on the wisdom, as on the mercy of
God!
It has been stated in the commencement of this discourse, that men,
by their personal transgressions, are exposed to eternal punishment;
and, in consequence of the impurity or infection of their nature, they
are incapable of enjoying eternal glory; and, therefore, to be saved,
must necessarily imply the being delivered from all the guilt of all
sin, and from all its impurity; so that the soul shall be a proper
habitation of God through the Spirit; and be capable of an eternal
union with Him in the realms of glory. How, therefore, are these
purposes to be effected by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ? St.
Paul says, Galat. iii.22. "The Scriptures hath concluded all under
sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them
that believe." Now, the promise not only comprehends the incarnation
of Christ, but also the blessings to be communicated through that
incarnation. These blessings may be all summed up in these three
particulars; 1, Pardon of sin; 2, The gift of the Holy Spirit, for the
purification of the heart; and, Eternal life, as the consequence of
that pardon and purification. Now Christ, by His sacrificial death,
has purchased pardon for a condemned world, and reconciliation to God;
for, "God was, in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself; not
imputing their trespasses unto them." 2 Cor. v. 19. And we "have
redemption in his blood, the forgiveness of sins." Eph. i. 7. When
reconciled to God, and thus brought nigh by the blood of Christ, we
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is a fruit of the death,
resurrection, and ascension, of our Lord. Psal. lxviii. 18. Eph. iv.
8. And this Spirit, which is emphatically called the HOLY Spirit,
because He is not only infinitely holy in His own nature, but His
grand office is to make the children of men holy, is given to true
believers, not only to "testify with their spirits that they are the
children of God," Rom. viii. 16.; but also to purify their hearts; and
thus he transfuses through their souls His own holiness and purity; so
that the image of God in which they were created, and which by
transgression they had lost, is now restored; and they are, by this
holiness, prepared for the third benefit, the enjoyment of eternal
blessedness, in perfect union with Him who is the Father and God of
glory, and the Fountain of holiness. This pardon and reconciliation,
this holiness and purity, and this eternal glory, come all in
consequence of the incarnation, passion, death, resurrection,
ascension and mediation of Christ; and this complete restoration to
the image and likeness of God is the utmost salvation the soul of man
can possess; and being brought to eternal glory; the utmost
beatification of which a created intelligent being is capable. And as
it has been demonstrated that no scheme of salvation ever invented by
man can procure or produce these blessings; and as the word of God
shows that all these things are provided by the Christian system; we
may confidently assert that there is no name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved: neither is there SALVATION in any
other. Acts iv. 12; and, with the same confidence we can say to every
sinner, and especially to every genuine penitent, "Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The exhortation itself appears
so very rational, and the basis on which it is built so very solid,
that all difficulties in the way of faith or believing are completely
removed; so that it seems as impossible, on this ground, not to
believe, as it seemed before to credit the possibility of being saved,
even through this scheme; because it has been too often recommended
unaccompanied with those considerations, which prove it to be the
first-born of the goodness, wisdom, justice, and mercy, of the God and
Father of ALL.
On a review of the whole of the preceding argumentation, it maybe
objected to this doctrine, as it was to St. Paul, its first systematic
defender, "You make void the law through faith." To which we reply as
he did: God forbid! Yea, we establish the law.
Whether we understand the term law as signifying the rites and
ceremonies of the Mosaic institution; or the moral law which relates
to the regulation of the manners or conduct of men; the doctrine of
salvation by faith establishes this law. All the law of commandments,
consisting of ordinances, had respect to Christ, who alone was the
Object and the End of this law; and, by His passion and death, the
whole of its sacrificial system, in which its essence consisted, was
fulfilled and established.
As to the moral law, this also is fully established by the doctrine
of salvation by faith: for, the faith essential to this doctrine works
by love; and love is the principle of obedience, and he who receives
salvation by faith, receives, at the same time, power from God to live
in obedience to every moral precept; and such persons are emphatically
termed the workmanship of Christ, created anew unto good works. They
are born of God, and his seed remaineth in them; and they cannot sin
because they are born of God. Being freed from the dominion, guilt,
and in being of sin, they have their fruit unto holiness, and the end
everlasting life; and, in a righteous life, they "show forth the
virtues of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvellous
light." The very thoughts of their hearts are cleansed by the
inspiration of God's Holy Spirit; so that they are enabled perfectly
to love Him, and worthily to magnify His name." They show the work of
the law written in their hearts, by living not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit. The very Spirit which is given them, on their
believing in Christ Jesus, is the Spirit of holiness; and they can
retain this Spirit no longer than they live in the spirit of
obedience. He, who is saved by grace through faith, not only avoids
every appearance of evil; but lives an innocent, holy, and useful
life. Hypocrites, Pretenders to holiness, and Antinomians of all
sorts, have no interest in this sacred doctrine: they neither know its
nature, nor power; before such swine, God will not have His pearls
cast; they "are of their father the devil, for his lusts they will
do." Let not the doctrine suffer on their account; they have neither
lot nor part in this matter; if they hold this truth in their creed,
they hold it in unrighteousness.
We have already seen that the law given to man in his state of
innocence was most probably this: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all
thy strength." As he not only broke this law by his first
transgression, but also lost the power to fulfil it; the object of God
in his redemption, was not merely to provide pardon for the breach of
this law, but to restore him to that Divine image which he had lost;
hence the Gospel proclaims both pardon and purification; and they that
believe are freely justified from all things, and have their hearts
purified by faith. Thus the grand original law is once more written on
their hearts by the finger of God; and they are restored both to the
favour and to the image of their Maker. They love Him with all their
powers; and they serve Him with all their strength. They love their
neighbour as themselves, and consequently can do him no wrong. They
live to get good from God, that they may do good among men. They are
saved from their sins, are made partakers of the Divine nature, escape
the pollutions that are in the world; and being guided by His counsel,
they are at last received up into His glory.
Now, to Him, who is able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to
the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion an
power, both now and ever. Amen."
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