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Salvation by the Covenant of Grace:

A

DISCOURSE

On ROMAN s xi. 5, 6.

Even fo then, at this prefent time alfo, there is a remnant according to the election of grace: And if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwife grace is no more grace: But if it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwife work is no more work.

INTRODUCTION and DIVISION,

HE Apoftle complains in the preceding chap

the way of falvation: I bear them record, fays he, Rom. x. 2, that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; for being ignorant of God's righteoufnefs, i. e. of God's way of faving finners merely thro' Jefus Chrift, and going about to establish their own righteoufnefs, that is, endeavouring to fave themfelves by their own good works [fo called] they have not fubmitted to the righteoufnefs of God-to that faith in Chrift, which makes finners righteous before God: for Chrift, adds he, is the end of the law for righteoufnefs to every one that believeth, Rom. x. 4; That is, [fince the fall] it is the very design of the [Adamic] law, [the law of innocence given to finless Adam; yea, and of the Mofaic law, when it is confidered as written in ftones, and decorated with fhadows or types of good things to come,] to bring men to believe in Chrift for juftification and falvation; as he alone gives that pardon and life, which the law [of innocence] fhews the want of,

[and

N.B. The parts of this difcourfe, which are enclosed in brackets, are the additions that guard or ftrengthen the old fermon which my opponent calls for; and the parts contained between the two hands, are the paffages, which he has extracted from it, and publifhed at the end of his Finishing Stroke.

[and which the Mofaic law, abstracted from gofpel-promifes, points unto,] but cannot poffibly beltow.

The Apostle refuming the fame fubje&t in the chapter out of which the text is taken, comforts himself by confidering, that altho' Ifrael in general was blinded, yet all were not loft. Old Simeon and Anna had feen the Salvation of God, and had departed in peace. Nicodemus, a doctor in Ifrael, had received the doctrine of the new birth and falvation by faith. Three thousand Jews had been pricked to the heart by penitential forrow, and filled with peace and joy by believing in Jefus Chrift. And even at this prefent time, lays the Apostle, there is a remnant according to the election of grace: That is, There are fome, who, like Nathaniel and Nicodemus] cafting away their dependance on their own righteousness, are numbered among the elect, according to that gracious decree of God, He that believeth fhall be faved, &c. Mark xvi, 16.

From thence the Apostle takes occafion to fhew, that pardon and falvation are not, in whole or in part, attained by [the covenant of] works, but merely by [the covenant of] grace. A remnant of thofe felf-righteous Phatifees is faved, [not indeed by their felf-righteoufnefs,] but by the covenant of grace, [according to which we must equally part with our felf-righteoufnefs and our fins.] And if by [the covenant of] grace, then it is no more. [by that] of works, whether of the ceremonial law [of Mofes,] or of the moral law [of innocence perverted to Pharifaic purpofes;] elfe [the] grace [of Chrift] is no longer grace [bestowed upon a crimi nal:] The very nature of [+ gospel-] grace is loft.

And

+ I fay gospel-grace, because it is that which the Apostle means. It may with propriety be diftinguished from the original grace which Adam had before the fall,and which Deifts and Pharifees till fuppofe themselves poffeffed of. Some people imagine that if our firft parents had well acquitted themselves in the trial of their faithfulnefs, their reward would not have been of grace; they would (trictly speaking) have merited heaven. But this is a

And if it be [by the covenant] of works, then it is no more [by gofpel-] grace; elfe work is no longer [the] work of a finlefs creature,] but the very nature of it is deftroyed [according to the first covenant, which requires perfect conformity to the law in the work, and perfect innocence in the worker.]

Having thus opened the context, I proceed to a more particular illuftration of the text; and that I may explain it as fully, as the time allotted for this difcourfe will permit.

FIRST, I fhall premise an account of the two covenants: The covenant of works, to which the Pharifees of old trufted, and [most of] the Roman Catholics, with too many falfe Proteftants, ftill truft in our days: And the covenant of grace, by which alone a remnant was faved in St. Paul's time, and will be faved in all ages.

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SECONDLY, I fhall prove, that the way of falvation BY FAITH ONLY, or, which is the fame thing, BY THE COVENANT OF GRACE, is the ONLY WAY that leads to life, according to the fcriptures and the articles of our church, to whofe holy doctrine I fhall publicly fet my feal.

THIRD

miftake. From the Creator to the creature, all bleffings are, and muft for ever be of grace, of mere grace. Gabriel himself enjoys heaven through free grace. Unlefs fome gracious promife interpofes, God may this inftant put an end without injuftice, not only to his glory, but to his very exiftence. Should you ask what difference there is, between original and gospel grace; I anfwer, that original, Adamic grace flowed from God, as Creator and Preferver, to innocent, happy creatures. But gofpel grace, that for which St. Paul fo ftrenuously contends in my text, flows from God, as Redeemer and Comforter, to guilty, wretched mankind: And here let us take notice of the oppofition there is, between Pharifaic and Evangelical obedience, between the works of the law and the works of faith. The former are done with a proud conceit of the natural ftrength, which man loft by the fall; and the latter, with an humble dependance on divine mercy through the Redeemer's merits; and on the Supernatural power beftowed upon loft mankind for his fake. When St. Paul decries the works of the law, it is merely to recommend the works of faith; and yet, O the dreadful effects of confulion! Many fuppofe, that he pours equal contempt upon both.

THIRDLY, I fhall endeavour to fhew the unreasonableness and injuftice of thofe, who accufe me of" preaching against good works" when I preach falvation thro' the covenant of grace only.

FOURTHLY and laftly, after having informed you, why [even] good works cannot deferve falvation in whole or in part; I fhall answer the old ob jection "If good works cannot [‡ properly merit us heaven,] why fhould we do them? There is no "need to trouble ourselves about any."

FIRST

+ The following propofitions, contain the fum of our doctrine concerning merit.-(1) All proper worthinefs, merit, or defert of any divine reward, is in Chrift, the overflowing fountain of all original excellence.--(2) If any of the living water of that rich fpring is received by faith, and flows through the believer's heart and works, it forms improper worthinefs, or derived merit; becaufe, properly fpeaking, it is Chrift's merit ftill-(3) Original merit anfwers to the first gofpel axiom, and derived worthiness to the fecond. (4) According to the first covenant we can never merit a reward, because, of ourselves as finners, we deferve nothing but hell. But (5) according to the fecond covenant, by God's gracious appointment and merciful promife, we can, improperly speaking, be worthy of heaven, through the blood of Chrift fprinkled upon our hearts, and through his righteoufnefs derived to us and to our works by faith.-(6) Hence it is, that God will give fome, namely impenitent murderers, blood to drink, for they are worthy, they PROPERLY deferve it; while others, namely, penitent believers, fhall walk with Chrift in white, for they are worthy, they IMPROPERLY merit it. Rev. xvi. 6. and iii. 4.

An illuftration taken from a leaden pipe full of water, may fhow how it is poffible, that unworthy man fhould become worthy, through the righteoufnefs which Chrift fupplies believers with. Strictly speaking, water does not belong to a pipe, any more than merit or worthinefs to a believer: for a pipe is only a number of dry sheets of lead folded together: But if that dry, leaden pipe really receives fome of the water, which a river fupplies; I make myfelf ridiculous by afferting, that the man who hints, there is water in the pipe, confounds the elements, feeks to dry up the river, and is guilty of a dreadful philofophical herely.

The word Merit is abfolutely nothing to Mr. Wefley and me; but the doctrine of faithful obedience in Chrift, and of the gracious rewards with which it fhall be crowned for his fake, contains all our duty on earth, and draws after it all our blifs in hea ven. Therefore, only grant us truly the fecond gofpel-axiom :

FIRST PArt.

I begin by laying before you an account of the two covenants, that God entered into with man. The firft was made with Adam, when he was in a ftate of innocence in paradife. The condition of it, which is impoffible to fallen man, was eafy before the fail. It runs thus: Do this and live: The man that does thefe things, fhall live by them, Rom. x. 5. That is, " if "thou [who art now a guiltlefs, holy and perfect creature] yieldeft a conftant, univerfal, and per"fect obedience to the moral law," now summed up in the ten commandments," thou shalt be rewarded "with glory and heaven. But if thou faileft in any one particular, whether it be in thought, word, or deed, thou shalt furely die, Gen. ii. 17, for curfed "is every one, that continueth not in ALL things, written "in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. to.]

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Nor does this covenant make any allowance for deficiencies, or pafs by one tranfgreffion great or little, without pronouncing the threatened curfe; Whofoever fhall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all, James ii. 10. That is, All the curfes denounced against thofe, who break the covenant of works, hang upon his guilty head.

This firft covenant we have all broken in our first parents, for [in Adam all die]-By one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned, Rom. v. 12. We are then all born [or conceived] in fin; Pfalm li. 5; and confequently we are by nature children of wrath,

D

Eph.

grant us, that God has not appointed his creatures to endless punishments and heavenly rewards out of mere caprice:-grant us, that, while the wicked fhall PROPERLY DESERVE their OWN (and not Adanı's) place in hell, the righteous fhall improperly BE WORTHY TO OBTAIN THAT WORLD, where they shall be equal to the angels, Luke xx. 35-grant us that man is in a ftate of probation, and fhall be recompenfed for, and according to what he has done in the body, whether it be good or bad:-In a word, grant us the capital doctrine of a day of retribution, in which God fhall judge the world in wifdom and righteoufnefs, not in folemn folly or fatanical hypocrify; and we afk no more. This note is a key to all the doctrines, which we maintain in the Minutes, and explain in the checks.

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