Imatges de pàgina
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as it follows, ver. 21. " a foolish people, and

without understanding, which have eyes and "fee not, which have ears and hear not." If they underflood and believed the truth they profefs, they could not go on thus frowardly in the ways of their own heart. If they realized the glory of God, the infinite value of his favour, that nothing can be against men if he be for them, and nothing for them if he be against them; they must have concluded, that at all times, in all places, and in every poffible circumftance, it is wrong and unfit to deviate from duty. "Were we thoroughly convinced of the "amiableness of the divine character, we could

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not surely avoid imitating it, where such imi"tation is within our power. But the incon"fiftency and abfurdity of our conduct confifts, "rather in acting contrary to our own concef"fions and declarations, than to any fixed abid"ing fentiments of our minds. And we have 66 not after all fuch a real sense of the amiableness "of the divine perfections, as by our readiness "to take it for an undoubted truth, and to pro"fefs it to others, we feem to have (p)."

3. None rightly believe that Christ is a Saviour, who have not fuitable conceptions from what he faves. And none can have fuch conceptions, without perceiving the goodness and excellency of the gofpel falvation. Damnation and falvation are difcerned by the believer to be what they really are. The firft, is therefore apprehended by him, as more terrible than the most cruel tortures man can devise and the laft, as

(p) Bulkley's Sermons, Lond. 1752. p. 132.

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infinitely better than any contrary good, which the devil or the world can prefent to pervert his choice. Compared with thefe, the gain of fin, and lofs of obedience, appear to him lefs than nothing, and lighter than vanity.

Saving faith always produces a personal application of these truths. When an awakened finner rightly understands and believes the threatenings of God's law, he must believe, that he himfelf, in particular, is under the curse. And if we understand and believe the gospel, we muft of confequence believe, I fay not that our fins are forgiven, but that however great our guilt and depravity has been, or ftill is, Chrift is perfectly able to fave us. God attefts, not only that the gospel falvation is a reality, and good in itfelf, but that it is good for us in our prefent circumftances, and calls and invites us to attend to it as fuch. Hence it is written, Prov. xxii. 19. "That thy truft may be in the LORD, I have "made known to thee this day, even to thee, " &c." And Job v. 27. "Lo this, we have

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fearched it, fo it is: hear it, and know thou "it for thy good." Accordingly, the fpirit when he works faith, impreffes on the heart a fense of our own concern in what we believe, and difpofes us to be fuitably affected: fo that the foul, though it was paffive in receiving that light which produced faith, does not remain fo. Right views of the gospel falvation, neceflarily engage to improve it, in the manner, and for the ends, for which it was revealed. Seeing that in it, which answers his neceffities,, the finner must needs defire it, choose it, and reft and rely upon it. What he firmly believes good for himself in particular, yea, better for him than any thing

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else, must operate on his will and affections, in proportion to its apprehended goodness, and excite him to follow after it, though at the expence of other things that appear of inferior value. It is no objection to this, that many are abandoned profligates, who yet have fome impreffions of the happiness of good men, and faintly with to poffefs it. For, though a lot among the faints, viewed in a certain point of light, appears to them defirable; they reject it, when confidered as connected with felf-denial, mortification, and a life of holiness, fondly flattering themfelves with fuperior pleasure in gratifying their unruly appetites. One, who would gladly purchase a commodity, may notwithstanding scruple the price demanded, through rating it lower than its worth. When temptation prevails, fome enticing fenfual good, or fome alarming evil, appears, at the initant of choice, more worthy immediate regard, than the gospel falvation. And thus it could not appear, if the gospel salvation was at that inftant believed to be, what it really is. With good reafon therefore, the Scripture often reprefents faith, as the grand prefervative against finning, whether from dread of fuffering, or profpect of gain. 2 Cor. iv. 16, 18. " For which cause we "faint not, but though our outward man perish,

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yet the inward man is renewed day by day. "While we look not at the things which are "feen, but at the things which are not feen; for "the things which are feen are temporal, but "the things which are not seen are eternal.” Heb. x. 36, 37, 38. “For ye have need of pa"tience, that after ye have done the will of "God, ye might receive the promise. For yet "a little while, and he that fhall come, will

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come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall "live by faith." See alfo Heb. xith chap. To know any thing to be greatly defireable, and yet not to defire it; or to be extremely dreadful, and yet not to dread it, and to do our utmost to avoid it, is contrary to human nature.

This neceffary connection of faith and obedience, is by no means confiftent with the Arminian fyftem. Yet fome of the ableft Arminian divines, conftrained by the force of truth, have gone far in acknowledging it. I fhall only refer

to two.

"To fay that evidence propofed, apprehended " and confidered, is not fufficient to make the "understanding to approve, or that the greatest "good propofed, and the greatest evil threatned, "when believed and reflected on, is not fuited "to engage the will to chufe the good, and re"fufe the evil, is in effect to fay, that which "alone does move the will to chufe and to re"fufe, is not fufficient to engage it fo to do; "that which alone is requifite to make me un"derstand and approve, is not fufficient to do "fo; which, being contradictory to itself, must "of neceffity be falfe." Whitby's five Arminian Points, 2d edit. p. 211.

"What we really believe to be our chiefest "good, will still be chofen. And what we ap"prehend to be the worst of evils, will, while "we continue under that conviction, be refused "by us," ib. p. 212.

"Could we, with the eyes of faith, look up "to the throne of God, the heavenly Jerufalem, " and difcern the innumerable company of an"gels, &c. a man would no more part with his

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inheritance above, for the fhort enjoyments of fin, than he would fell the reverfion of an earthly "crown, for one morfel of meat." Bishop Sherlock's Sermons, vol. I. Difcourfe 14. p. 373. of the first edition.

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§ 4. I acknowledge my argument would be incomplete, if deliverance from the dominion of fin, conformity to the image of God, and devotedness to his fervice, Weinheshment not effential branches of falvation. A perfuation of future mifery, may reftrain from grofs immoralities: Et love muft be produced by the perception of what is amiable. Men can neither be bribed, nor frighted into love. But, in truth, Jefus died not only to deliver from the wrath to come, but to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. Now, can falvation, in this view, be perceived to be what it really is, tranfcendently lovely, and defirable while the perfon, who thus perceives it, commits all manner of wickedness with greedinefs, or, at least, instead of hungering and thirsting after righteoufnefs, allows himself in the habitual prefumptuous neglect of certain difficult or unfafhionable duties? If flavery and bondage appear irksome and unfupportable; will one contentedly continue under them, and when he may, refufe to be made free? Can one, who counts fin the worst of evils; inftead of hating it, delight in it, hold it faft, and refufe to let it go? He who only takes it upon truft, that honey is fweet, may foon be baffled out of it. But if one has tafted that fweetnefs, all the eloquence of a Tully, would not perfuade him that it was bitter. Even fo, he who knows the tranfcendant excel

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