1 P. clxxxi. l. 3. Our Saviour, &c.' Would his Lordship then say, that an habitual adulterer, a thief, a drunkard, or a perjurer, will be welcomed" by our Saviour, in the words here quoted; because he has performed acts of mercy to his fellow-creatures, and expressly on account of those acts?" know he would not. Some limitation therefore must be admitted, and the passage itself clearly shews, what that is. The acts of mercy are stated by the Judge to be done to him; because done to "these his brethren;" that is, not done to their féllow-creatures from any motive whatever, but from love of Christ, to those whom he owns, and will own at the day of judgment, as his brethren. "And "he stretched forth his hands towards his disciples, "and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father "which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and Our Saviour, in his awful description of the proceedings of "the last judgment, not only assigns eternal life to those, who have ⚫ performed acts of mercy to their fellow creatures, but expressly on account of those acts; Come, ye blessed of my Father, "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of "the world; for. I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat.""Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my "brethren, ye have done it unto me." Is it possible to read these passages of the New Testament, and to deny, that "works are clearly made the grand hinge on which our justification and salvation turn;" and not to be astonished that any person professing belief in the divine authority of the Scrip"tures, himself a minister of the gospel, should with marked severity inveigh against those teachers, who make "works the "grand turning point in the matter of our salvation," 6 Co "sister, and mother." Not that acts of mercy, to others, performed in faith, and love to God and man, will not be graciously accepted and rewarded. Yet nothing" availeth, in Christ Jesus, but faith which "worketh by love." The persons spoken of, in this account of the day of judgment, were professed believers; the question was, Had they the true and living "faith, which worketh by love?" "The "work of faith and labour," and liberality "of love" evidenced this to be the case, in respect of those on the right hand; the want of these fruits, in those on the left hand, shewed that they either had no faith, or had merely a dead faith. It might be said of the former, but not of the latter, "Seest thou "how faith wrought with their works, and by works was faith made perfect."" Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."2 It might also be said," By faith they obeyed;" "by "faith they wrought righteousness;" "by faith, they "obtained this good report." Salvation is wholly of the grace and mercy of God, in Christ, to believers; saving faith worketh by love; all who love Christ, love his brethren; "not in word and in tongue, but "in deed and in truth;" for they perform acts of mercy to them, as they have opportunity and ability; and so "prove the sincerity of their love." And "God is not unrighteous to forget their work and "labour of love, which they have shewed towards "his name, in that they ministered to his saints :'4 but as they honoured Christ on earth, he will thus 'Matt. xii. 49, 50. 2 Jam. ii. 22-24. 4 Heb. vi. 9-11. honour them, before the assembled world. The passage is perfectly conclusive against a dead and solitary faith, and every antinomian perversion of evangelical doctrines. But surely it does not prove, that works are clearly the hinge on which our justification and ¶ salvation turn;' or that works are the turning point in the matter of salvation.' Where is such language any where to be found in Scripture, or in our articles? "By grace are ye saved, through faith; ' and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: "not of works, lest any man should boast; for we "are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto "good works, which God hath before ordained, that "we should walk in them." Indeed few persons, on reading the former part of this chapter of the Refutation, in which so many things are stated very differently, concerning justification and salvation;2 would have expected such propositions as these towards the close of it. The necessity of good works is entirely as much established, by stating them, to be the distinguishing proof of a living faith," by which it may be as evidently known, as a tree discerned by the fruit:' as by making them 'the grand hinge on which our justification and sal'vation turn;' the turning point in the matter of 'salvation;' in diametrical opposition to the words of those articles which we all subscribe! P. clxxxi. 1. 23. Eph. ii. 8-10. True Churchman, p. 293. This author, &c.'s The dis 2 P. 100-102. 103-105. 111-114. 3 This author confounds justification and salvation throughout his work, which I have proved not to be synonymous terms, either in the apostelical epistles when applied to christians, of tinction between justification and final salvation, is every where implied in Mr. Overton's work, when good works are insisted on, as necessary to be per→ formed by justified persons; even though it be not formally made. As the words conditions required to be performed on our part, in order to obtain pardon and acceptance with God,' are not found in Scripture, or in our authorized books; a writer may omit them, without being chargeable with mistatements and misrepresentations. His Lordship calls faith, on our part, the condition of acceptance, and distinguishes it,' from the meritorious cause of justification; Mr. Overton connects faith and justification together by various other expressions: but he still distinguishes faith, from the meritorious cause of justification, even the righteousness and atonement of Christ. Repentance he would class with "the "things which accompany salvation," and good works he would call the fruits or evidences of living faith; still, however, insisting upon the necessity of them; and clearly enough distinguishing them from the meritorious cause of our acceptance... f P. clxxxii. l. 13. "But, &e. The language of in the publick formularies of our church; and that he is guilty of a variety of mistatements and misrepresentations, by not distinguishing between the meritorious cause of our salvation, and the conditions required to be performed on our part in order to obtain pardon and acceptance with God.' These condi'tions may be indispensable, and yet utterly destitute of merit; giving no claim from their own nature to the inestimable blessing of eternal happiness, but deriving all their efficacy and value from the merciful appointment of God, through the merits of • Christ.' * But Calvinistic ministers, with all their zeal to support the Scripture fully warrants all our zeal for salvation by grace through faith' alone;' if we do but carefully shew the nature and fruits of saving faith as distinguished from dead faith; for all good works spring from faith. If assigning to good works precisely the same place, which the scriptures and our articles do, be depreciating them, we depreciate them, and not otherwise. But if any Calvinists exclude them from their system, or do not allow them their due importance; or if they speak of them in language really depreciating, (for this is sometimes done,) the blame rests with the offending individuals: for this is no part of our system. Whether our language on the subject be inconsistent or not, others will judge. But though we hold good works essentially necessary to salvation, when time is given for performing them: we cannot allow them to be properly a condition of salvation; and must think ourselves fully authorized to avoid this unscriptural expression. We evidently adhere to the language of Scripture, and ⚫ doctrine of salvation through faith alone, and all their anxiety to depreciate the importance of moral virtue, cannot avoid the 'inconsistency of allowing that 'good works will in any sense be ' rewarded; that they are acceptable to God in Christ; absolutely requisite in order to our meetness for God's service and heaven," and that they will fix the degrees of our blessedness in eter.. nity; although they will not acknowledge good works to be a "condition of salvation. If good works be not a condition of 'salvation, salvation may be attained without them; but it is acknowledged that a man cannot be meet for heaven without good works; therefore a man may attain salvation without being meet for heaven.' 6 6 * Mark xvi. 16. John ili. 14-16. v. 24. Acts xvi. 31-36.`· Rom. i. 16, 17. Eph. iii. 8. |
