תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

How different are the style and notions, in this point, of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Jude, and St. John, from the current language of modern Christians in their devotion and ordinary conversation! Those apostles magnify God our Saviour, who raised and sent Christ to be a Saviour. The moderns make Christ their only Saviour: and by Saviour all mean, and all understand, Christ alone. Him they call upon to save them, and seldom think of, or mention any other Saviour, The Calvinists and Jansenists have exalted Christ above God our Saviour; and the Methodists, especially the Moravians, in their printed hymns, most commonly worship the Lamb, and in general omit God their Saviour.

CHAP. XXIV.

The persons, means motives, and rule of salvation, ΣΩΤΗΡΙΑ, ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΣ, salvation, saving, consi dered

GOD is our Saviour in the first and principal sense: see the last chapter..

Christ, and others, as God's ministers, and messengers, acting for him, and by his orders: see the last chapter.

John the Baptist taught the knowledge and way of salvation, by the forgiveness of sins, through, or be

cause of the tender mercy of God.' Luke i. 76, 77, 78. In this text are to be noted, the cause of salvation, viz. the tender mercies of God:' the way in which God is pleased to grant it, by the forgiveness of sins :' and the messenger by whom he declares it; John the Baptist.'

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

There is no other or different way of salvation than what Christ taught, nor any different teacher.' Acts iv. 12. The way of salvation is but one; and a different teacher must be a false teacher.

The gospel believed,' i. e. obeyed, is the rule of salvation to Jew, and to Gentile. Rom. i. 16.

'Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation,' as a mean. 2 Cor. vii. 10.

6

The gospel styled the word of truth, the gospel of salvation.' Eph. i. 15.

God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through, or by Jesus Christ;' the teacher of it by the gospel. 1 Thes. v. 9.

'God hath chosen' us to salvation by the sanctification of the spirit, and the belief of the truth,' 2 Thes. ii. 13. i. e. by holinesss, and belief of the gospel, the means of salvation; called the saving gospel.' Acts

xxviii. 28.

[ocr errors]

St. Paul suffered all things for the elects' sake, that they might obtain salvation;' 2 Tim. ii. 10: his example promoted their salvation. He suffered, dià T8s XXXT8s, for the elects' sake, not to purchase, but to encourage and confirm them in the way of salvation.

The holy scriptures are sufficient to make us wise unto salvation,' by our persuasion of their importance, as was taught by Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. iii. 15.

'God, from whom are all things,--leading many sons to glory, made Jesus Christ our chief guide to salvation,' and designed to perfect him as such, Heb. ii. 10, by his behaviour in his sufferings, for he learned obedience by what he suffered,' v. 8.

The long-sufferance' of God a mean of our salvation, if duly considered. 2 Pet. iii. 15.

The numberless multitude of all nations, &c. standing before God sitting on a throne,' cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation be ascribed to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb' (the teacher of that salvation). And all the angels who stood round the throne'-prostrated before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God (alone) 'saying, Amen;" Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, be ascribed unto God, for ever' and ever.' Rev. vii. 9, 10, 11, 12.

A great multitude with a loud voice, saying, Alleluja; salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, be given to the Lord, Jehovah, our God.' Rev. xix, 1.

These celestial multitudes of angels and others worshipped their God, who sat upon the throne, and ascribe salvation chiefly to him, who was the first and chief cause of salvation.

6

St. Paul calls the gospel the grace of God, which bringeth salvation,' Tit. ii. 11: for St. Paul knew the gospel to be a great instance of the grace or favour of God to men; which gospel came, or was published, by Jesus Christ, as the great rule of salvation.

6

ΣΩΖΩ, ΣΩΩ, to save. Christ, by the direction of an angel, was to be called Jesus, for he was to save his people from their sins;' Mat. i. 20, 21: which work he most diligently pursued in all his discourses, during his whole life and ministry, and, by his exemplary death. His whole ministry was one continued persuasive to his hearers, to embrace the gospel; and his death, the strongest persuasive to them to persist in it, even to death. He who hath endured to the end shall be saved.' Mat. xxiv. 13. Mark xiii. 13. Whosoever shall lose his life for mine, and the gospel's sake, this person shall save it.'

God sent his Son that the world might be saved,' Siaure not d'aurov, John iii. 17, that is, by his ministry, and not for his sake.'

[ocr errors]

Simon Peter was to speak words [the gospel] by which Cornelius and his house might be saved.' Acts xi. 13, 14. Some Jews laid such stress on the rite of

circumcision, as to affirm peremptorily, that without it persons could not be saved, chap. xv. 1; to whom St. Peter, after much debate, saith, ver. 11, ' We are persuaded, that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (ie, by the gospel) we shall be saved,' as they.

[ocr errors]

Acts xvi. 31, 32. The jailor asked Paul, What he should do to be saved?' And Paul said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy family; that is, be a disciple of Christ, &c. and then Paul spake to him, and all in the family, the words of the Lord,' that is, 'the gospel.

Rom. v. 8-11. St. Paul, comparing the means, or motives of our salvation, saith, If when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by Christ's death: much rather, being reconciled, shall we be saved, by his being raised to life;' that is, if considering the manner of a dying Jesus, his behaviour, we became reconciled to God: much rather ought our considering Jesus raised by God to life and rewarded, establish us in the way of salvation.

Rom. viii. 24, 25, 'We have been saved by hopefor what we see not (a future reward and happy state) we patiently hope for.' Salvation is promised on few, but weighty conditions, chap. x. 9, viz. If thou shalt acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ (Alexandrian), and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' These are the two first and principal motives to dispose us to embrace the Christian religion.

• God hath been pleased by preaching (which the world calls foolishness) to save them who believe,' 1 Cor. i. 21. vii. 16, The wife may save the husband or the husband the wife;' that is, by being instrumental in their conversion to the Christian religion. ix. 22, x. 33. St. Paul became all things to all, that he might save some.'

[ocr errors]

Chap. xv. 1, 2, The gospel by which ye are saved.' Jam. i. 21, The engrafted word, which is able to save souls.'

Ephes. ii. 4, 5, 7, 8, God rich in mercy for the

sake of his own great love διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αυτᾶ, wherewith he hath loved us; hath quickened us with Christ to demonstrate to future ages the exceeding great riches of his grace or favour.-For we are saved by his grace or mere favour.'

1 Tim. i. 15, A faithful word, and deserving all our acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world

to save sinners.'

[ocr errors]

—— ii. 3, 4, God, our Saviour, is willing, or desires all persons should be saved, and come to the full and thorough knowledge of the truth,' that is, the gospel.

iv. 16, St. Paul warns Timothy' to take heed to himself and his doctrine, and to continue doing so, that he might save himself and his hearers.'

2 Tim. i. 9, God hath saved us according to his own purpose or grace;' Tit. iii. 4, 5, the goodness and love of God our Saviour to mankind appeared,— according to his own mercy he saved us,-by the washing of a regeneration, and by the renewing of a holy spirit.'

Heb. v. 7, Christ' in the days of his flesh offered up prayers and intreaties to God, who was able to save him from death.'

vii. 25,

• Christ is able to save to the utmost all that are coming to God by him.'

6

Faith without works saveth not; there is but one lawgiver and judge, God, who is able to destroy.' James throughout. He that shall turn a sinner from the error of his way, shall save his own soul from death.' v. 20.

'Baptism saveth'-resembling the salvation of eight persons in Noah's flood. 1 Pet. iii. 20, 21.

If a righteous person is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear?' 1 Pet. iv. 18.

St. Jude, in his general epistle to all Christians, exhorts them, that as they were building themselves up in their most holy faith,' that is, taking pains to secure their own salvation; to keep themselves in the love of God,--and that they would save others

H

« הקודםהמשך »