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ANNUAL SERMON S.

SERMON

I.

The Doctrine of GRACE cleared from the Charge of Licentioufness : Preached at a Wednesday's Evening Lecture in Great-Eaftcheap, Dec. 28, 1737.

T

I TIM. VI. 3.

And to the doctrine which is according to godliness.

HE apostle Paul well understood the doctrine of the gospel, and its natural tendency to influence the lives of men; and was very much concerned for the honour and credit of it; that the converfations of profeffors might be as became it, and that they would in all things adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour. He was very defirous of inftructing men of the meaneft capacities, and in the lowest fituation of life; as fervants, to behave agreeably to their masters, that the name of God, and his doctrine, be not blafphemed, ver. 1, 2. He charges Timothy to teach these things, and exhort men to their duty; and adds, ver. 3. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, &c. plainly intimating, that the words of Chrift, or the falutary doctrines of the gofpel, perfectly accord with practical godliness; and that a diffolute life and conversation is very disagreeable to them. My view in reading these words is to vindicate the doctrine of grace from the charge of licentioufnefs, and to prove it to be a godly doctrine, and tending to godly edification; or that it is, as expreffed in the text, a doctrine according to godliness. The method I fhall take in treating on this fubject, will be as follows:

VOL. I.

B

L. I fhall

I. I fhall explain what is neceffary in the propofition,

"That the doctrine of

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grace is according to godliness."

II. Confider the charge of licentiousness, which is brought against it, and the nature of it.

III. Make fome conceffions concerning the abuse of the doctrine, by evil and wicked men.

And,

IV. Prove that the doctrine itself is pure and innocent, and free from the imputation of libertinifm.

I. I shall explain what is neceffary in the propofition, "That the doctrine of grace is according to godliness." By the doctrine of grace, I mean that fyftem of evangelical truths which is commonly called Calvinistical; as, that God has from all eternity loved fome of the human race, and has chofen them unto everlafting salvation, by Jefus Chrift; that he has made a covenant of grace with his Son on the behalf of the chofen ones, which is abfolute and unconditional; that Christ in the fulness of time affumed human nature, fuffered and died, to redeem a special and peculiar people to himself; that by bearing their fins, and all punishment due unto them, he has made full fatisfaction to the justice of God; that a finner's justification before God is only by the righteousness of Chrift imputed to him, without any confideration of works done by him; that pardon of fin is only through the blood of Chrift, and for his fake, according to the riches of his grace; that God fees no fin in his juftified and pardoned ones, fo as to condemn them for it; that regeneration and converfion are by the powerful and efficacious grace of God; and that those who are effectually called by grace, fhall persevere to the end, and be eternally saved. This is the doctrine of the Bible, of the fcriptures given by inspiration of God, and which are profitable for dorine; for explaining, ftating, and defending this doctrine. This is the doctrine of Chrift, which if a man brings not with him, who pretends to be a preacher of the gospel, he is not to be received, nor bid God-fpeed. This is the doctrine of the apoftles we are ftedfastly to continue in and abide by; and is fummarily comprised in that excellent chain of truths, Whom he did foreknow, he also did predeftinate, to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also juftified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified. By

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* 2 Tim. iii. 16.

2 John 9, 10.

• Acts ii. 42.

Rom. viii. 29, 30.

By godliness I understand not any particular grace, or the exercife of it; which feems to be the sense of the apostle, when he fays, Add to patience godlinefs, and to godliness brotherly kindness; nor the whole of internal religion only; though that is the main and principal part of godliness, and is what an inspired writer means, when he obferves, that bodily exercife profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things; but by it I understand the whole of practical religion, both external and internal, the exercife of every grace, and the discharge of every duty which is what the apostle defigns, when he thus concludes; Seeing then that all these things fhall be diffolved, what manner of perfons ought ye to be, in all boly converfation and godliness?

By the doctrine of grace being a godly doctrine, or a doctrine according to godliness, I mean, that godliness is the very life and foul of it; that it runs through every part of it, and is breathed by it; that it is the truth which is after godliness"; that there is a perfect harmony and agreement between them; the mystery of Chrift, of his perfon, and grace, being the great mystery of godliness; and that nothing more powerfully and effectually teaches and engages men to deny ungodliness, and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly, in this prefent evil world', than the doctrine of the grace of God, which bringeth the news of free and unconditional falvation by Jefus Chrift.

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II. Though fuch is the nature and tendency of the doctrine of grace, a charge is brought against it, as encouraging looseness of life, and opening a door to libertinifm; and it is urged, that "if God has chofen fome infallibly to falva“tion, and made a covenant with them in Chrift, to give them grace and glory, in an abfolute and unconditional way; if Chrift has redeemed them by his blood, and they are juftified alone by his righteoufnefs, and being "called by his grace shall never perish; then they may live as they list, and "take their whole fwing of fin, fince their ftate is fafe and unalterable." But this charge is no other than a fuggeftion of Satan; the reasoning is borrowed. from him; the argument is an aping of him; it is shaped according to his plan; and perfectly agrees with what he said to our Lord; If thou be the Son of God, caft thyfelf down; for it is written, He fhall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, left at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone *: which is, as if he should say, "if this is the cafe, thou mayest do " what thou wilt with thyself, no damage can arife unto thee, no hurt can be "done thee." Moreover, Satan never more transforms himself into an angel of light, than when he fets up for a preacher of holiness, in oppofition to the doctrine of grace; nor do his minifters ever more act the fame part, than when

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under the guife of ministers of rigteoufnefs, or preachers of good works, they endeavour to undermine and fap the foundations of gofpel-doctrine. This charge fprings from malice and ignorance; and it is hard to fay which is the moft predominant in it; the men that bring it, are, as concerning the gospel, enemies for our fake', and do as Diotrephes did, prate against us with malicious words; their carnal minds being enmity against God, and whatsoever is fpiritually good; and being without any spiritual discerning of the things of the Spirit of God, they pronounce them foolishness, and speak evil of the things they understand not. The charge is false and groundless, and to be treated as mere flander and calumny, and must be rejected with the utmost abhorrence and indignation; and ought to have no other answer than what the apostle gives; What shall we fay then, Shall we continue in fin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How fhall we that are dead to fin, live any longer therein"? However, this ferve fomewhat to relieve and alleviate our minds under this horrid and heavy charge, that it is no other than what was levelled against Chrift and his apostles. The fpiteful and ignorant Jews charged our Lord with being an Antinomian, both in doctrine and practice; in doctrine, as appears from his vindication of himself; Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil•: In practice, as is evident from those words of his; John came neither eating nor drinking, and they fay he hath a devil; he is an unfociable man, he will not be converfed with in any form: The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they fay, Behold, a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and finners; but, adds he, Wisdom is juftified of her children. And that the apostles of Christ were treated after this manner, is plain from what the apostle Paul fays; And not rather, as we be flanderously reported, and as fome affirm that we say, Let us do evil that good may come, whofe damnation is just. All which fhould confirm us in the doctrine of grace we hold and maintain as true; fince the fame objections are made unto it, as were to the doctrine of Chrift and his apoftles.

III. It will be allowed, that the doctrine of grace may be, and has been abused by evil and wicked men. The apostle Jude speaks of fome men in his days, who were turning the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs: where by the grace of God is not to be understood the love and favour of God fhed abroad in the heart by the Spirit; for that can never be turned to fuch a purpose, it always working in a contrary way, as it did in David; Thy loving-kindness, fays he, is before mine eyes, and I have walked in thy truth': nor the principle of grace wrought in the foul by a divine power; for that being of a fpiritual nature

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lufteth against the flesh, and can never be turned into it: But by it is meant the doctrine of the gofpel, which, though lafciviousness is not in the nature of it, nor has it any natural tendency to it, yet wicked men μs, transfer it from its original nature, defign, and use, to a foreign one: Juft as unlearned and unstable men, who have no fpiritual understanding of the word of God, nor any scheme of truth consistent with it, wrest the scriptures to their own destruction. But then, as the scriptures are not to be thought the worse of, because of these mens wresting them; so neither is the doctrine of grace a whit the lefs to be valued, because it is abused by ill-difpofed men. Let the characters of the men that turn the grace of God into lafciviousness, be enquired into ; and first, they appear to be ungodly men, arces, men devoid of the fear and reverence of God, and devotion to him; who are not worshippers of him. Now who are they that neglect the private and public worship of God? Who are they that walk abroad in the fields on Lord's-days? or take their horfes and ride, feeking their own pleasure? Who are they that frequent taverns and public houses, when they should be attending the house of God? Are these the men who are commonly called Calvinifts, the afferters of the doctrine of grace? Should the examination be strictly made, the above perfons will be found, if not to a man, yet by far the greatest part, Arminians, if capable of giving any account of their religious fentiments. And Secondly, the other part of their character looks with a dreadful aspect upon, and plainly points out those who are on the other fide of the question; denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jefus Christ. Who are the deniers of Chrift's perfon, of his proper deity and equality with the Father, of his plenary fatisfaction and expiatory facrifice, of his imputed righteousness, and the efficacy of his blood? The deniers of these things are the men that turn the grace of God into lafciviousness; either by afferting it to be a licentious doctrine; or by treating the doctrine of special grace in a wanton and ludicrous manner, fcoffing at it, and lampooning it; or by making the doctrine of grace univerfal, extending it equally alike to all mankind, and thereby harden and encourage men in fin.

Again: Be it fo, that some who have notionally received and profeffed the pure doctrine of grace have abused it to vile purposes; the doctrine itself is not to be rejected on that account, but the abufers of it. The best things in the world may be ill ufed by wicked men; yea, even the perfections and providences of God. Mercy is a perfection of the divine nature, and what God delights in God is merciful, and therefore, fays a profane finner, I will take my fill of fin, and doubt not, if I have but opportunity at laft to fay, "Lord have mercy on me," all will be well. God is patient, long-fuffering, bears with finners, and does not stir up all his wrath immediately: What effect has this upon them?

t2 Peter iii. 16.

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