SER M. tred of fin and iniquity. The apostle tells us, that CX. GOD in the juftification of a finner "declares his "righteoufnefs;" but should he justify men upon other terms, this would not "declare his righteouf"nefs" and love of holiness, but rather an indifferency, whether men were good and righteous or not. For a bare affent to the truth of the gofpel, without the fruits of holinefs and obedience, is not a living, but a dead faith, and fo far from being acceptable to GOD, that it is an affront to him; and a confident reliance upon CHRIST for falvation, while we continue in our fins, is not a justifying faith, but a bold and impudent prefumption upon the mercy of GOD, and the merits of our SAVIOUR; who indeed " juftifies the ungodly," that is, thofe that have been fo, but not thofe that continue fo. And if GOD fhould pardon finners, and reward them with eternal life, upon any other terms than upon our becoming "new creatures," than upon fuch" a faith as is made perfect by charity," that is," by keeping the commands of GOD;" this would be fo far from declaring his righteousness, and being a teftimony of his hatred and displeasure against fin, that it would give the greatest countenance and encouragement to it imaginable. ་་ Secondly, it is likewife very reasonable, that fuch a faith, that makes us "new creatures," and is perfected by charity, and keeping the command"ments of GOD," fhould be the condition of juftification in order to the qualifying of us for the pardon of our fins and the reward of eternal life; that is, for the favour of GOD, and for the enjoy ment ment of him. To forgive men upon other terms, were to give countenance and encouragement to perpetual rebellion and disobedience. That man is not fit to be forgiven, who is fo far from being forry for his fault, that he goes on to offend; he is utterly incapable of mercy, who is not fenfible that he hath done amifs, and refolved to amend. No prince ever thought a rebellious fubject capable of pardon upon lower terms than thefe. It is in the nature of the thing unfit that an obftinate offender fhould have any mercy or favour fhewn to him. And as without repentance and refolution of better obedience, we are unfit for forgiveness, fo much more for a reward; as we cannot expect God's favour, fo we are incapable of the enjoyment of him without holiness. Holiness is the image of God, and makes us like to him; and 'till we be like him, we cannot fee him, we can have no enjoyment of him. All delightful communion and agreeable fociety is founded in a fimilitude of difpofition and manners, and therefore fo long as we are unlike to GOD in the temper and difpofition of our minds, and in the actions and course of our lives, neither can GoD take pleasure in us, nor we in him, but there will be a perpetual jarring and difcord between him and us; and though we were in heaven, and seated in the place of the bleffed, yet we should not, nay we could not be happy; because we fhould want the neceffary materials and ingredients of happiness. For it is with the foul in this refpect, as it is with the body; though all things be eafy without us; and no cruelty be exercis'd upon us, to give torment and vexation to us, yet if we be inwardly difeafed, SERM. CX. CX. SER M. diseased, we may have pain and anguish enough, we may be as it were upon the rack, and feel as great torment from the inward disorder of our humours, as if we were tortured from without. So it is with the foul, fin and vice are internal diseases, which do naturally create trouble and discontent, and nothing but diverfion, and the variety of objects and pleafures which entertain men in this world, hinders a wicked man from being out of his wits, whenever he reflects upon himself; for all the irregular appetites and paffions, luft, and malice, and revenge, are so many furies within us; and though there were no devil to torment us, yet the disorder of our own minds, and the horrors of a guilty confcience would be a hell to us, and make us extremely miserable in the very regions of happiness. So that it is neceffary that our faith fhould be "made perfect by charity," and that we should become "new creatures; "not only from, the arbitrary conftitution and appointment of GOD, but from the nature and reason of the thing; because nothing but this can difpofe us for that bleffedness, which GoD hath promised to us, and prepared for us. Faith confidered abstractedly from the fruits of holiness and obedience, of goodness and charity, will bring no man into the favour with GoD. All the excellency of faith is, that it is the principle of a good life, and furnifheth us with the best motives and arguments thereto, the promises and threatnings of the gospel; and therefore in heaven, when we come to fight and enjoyment, faith and hope fhall ceafe, but charity never faileth; for if it fhould, heaven would would cease to be heaven to us, because it is the S ER M. CX. very frame and temper of happinefs, and if this difpofition be not wrought in us in this world, we shall be altogether incapable of the felicity of the other. You fee then what it is that must recommend us to the favour of GOD; the real renovation of our hearts and lives, after the image of him that created us. This must be repaired in us, before ever we can hope to be restored to the grace and favour of Gop, or to be capable of the reward of eternal life. And what could GoD have done more reasonable, than to make these very things the terms of our falvation, which are the neceffary causes and means of it? how could he have dealt more mercifully and kindly with us, than to appoint that to be the condition of our happiness, which is the only qualification that can make us capable of it? I will conclude all with that excellent paffage in the wisdom of Solomon, chap. vi. 17, 18. " The very true beginning of wifdom is the defire of "difcipline, and the care of difcipline is love, and "love is the keeping of her laws, and taking heed "to her laws is the affurance of incorruption. The fum of what I have faid upon this argument amounts to this, that upon the terms of the gofpel we can have no hope of the forgiveness of our fins, and eternal falvation, unless our nature be renewed, and the image of GOD, which is defaced by fin, be repaired in us, and we be " created in CHRIST unto good works;" that no faith will avail to our juftification and acceptance with Gop, but that SERM which is "made perfect by charity," that is, by CONTENTS. |