make you feel that he must do something for you that you cannot do for yourselves; and when he has made you feel this very sensibly, and brought you to cast yourselves on his mercy as perishing sinners, he will then "work in you to will and to do of his good pleasure, and the work of faith with power"-You will believe with all the heart to the saving of your souls; and will know too those deep relentings of soul for all sin, and most of all for the sin of unbelief, in which consists that repentance which is unto life. May God of his mercy bring you all to know this experimentally, and to know it speedily. Amen and Amen. WITHERSPOON'S ESSAY ON JUSTIFI CATION. It was by an oversight that a continuance of extracts from Witherspoon's Treatise on Regeneration, was intimated at the close of the portion of that Treatise which appeared in our last number; the last extract being the concluding part of the Treatise. We have reason to believe that the portions of the very able and interesting discussion of the important subject of Regeneration, which have appeared in the numbers of our work for more than a year past, have not only been acceptable to our readers generally, but to some exceedingly opportune and edifying. We now commence the republication of another essay by the same writer, which we have always regarded as his master piece in reasoning. He dedicated it to the well known and eminently pious Mr. Harvey, shortly after the appearance of the celebrated and popular work of that author, entitled "Theron and Aspasio;" and it was intended, as is stated in the dedication, to supply a deficiency in that work-a reply haps that he would be forgiven. He was plainly commanded to attempt both duties at once, and immediately. to the objection, that Justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ leads to licentiousness of practice. This objection is still often urged; and it is repelled in this essay in a manner which is really unanswerable. The essay admits of divisions that will not materially affect the argument, and we propose to insert a few pages in each of our numbers, till we shall have gone through the whole. An Essay on Justification. All the works and ways of God have something in them mysterious, above the comprehension of any finite understanding. As this is the case with his works of creation and providence, there is no reason to expect it should be otherwise in the astonishing method of the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ. From this their mysterious nature, or rather from the imperfect measure and degree in which they are revealed to us, they are admirably fitted for the trial of our ingenuity, humility and subjection. They are all of them, when seriously and impartially inquired into, holy, just and good; but at the same time, not beyond the cavils and objections of men of prejudiced, perverse and corrupt minds. The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, among whom he had never been in person, at great length establishes the fundamental doctrine of the gospel, that sinners are justified by the free grace of God, through the imputed righteousness of a Redeemer. To this doctrine men do by nature make the strongest opposition, and are, with the utmost difficulty, brought to receive and apply it. We may well say of it in particular, what the same apostle says of the truths of God in general, that "the natural man doth not receive them."* * 1 Cor. ii. 14. It is therefore highly necessary to prevent or remove, as far as possible, the objections that may be brought against it by the art or malice of Satan, who will, no doubt, bend the chief force of all his engines against this truth, knowing that the cordial reception of it is a sure and effectual, and indeed the only sure and effectual means, of destroying his power and influence in the heart. Accordingly we find the apostle, in the sixth chapter of the above named epistle, and first verse, supposes an objection made against this doctrine in the following terms "What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound ?" To which he answers, by rejecting the consequence with the utmost abhorrence, and in the strongest manner affirming it to be without any foundation. From the introduction of this objection by the apostle, we may either infer, that there were, even in these early days, some who branded the doctrine of redemption by the free grace of God with this odious consequence; or that he, by the inspiration of the Almighty, did foresee that there should arise, in some future periods of the Christian church, adversaries who would attempt to load it with this imputation: or that the doctrine is indeed liable, on a superficial view, to be abused to this unhappy purpose, by the deceitful hearts of men who are wedded to their lusts. It is probable that all the three observations are just; and the two last render it a peculiarly proper subject for our attention and consideration at this time, and in this age. It is well known that there are many enemies of this doctrine, of different characters and of different principles, who all agree in assaulting it with this objection-that it weakens the obligations to holiness of life, by making our justification before God depend entirely upon the righteousness and merit of ano ther. And so far, I think, we must join with the adversaries of this doctrine, as to lay it down for a principle that whatever belief or persuasion, by its native and genuine tendency, weakens the obligations to practice, must be false. And I will also assert, in opposition to some modern infidels (though some may think that my cause might avail itself of the contrary opinion) that a man's inward principle, or the persuasion of his mind, hath a necessary and unavoidable influence upon his practice. So that, if I am not able to show that justification through the imputed righteousness of Christ, is so far from weakening the obligations to holiness, that, on the contrary, the belief and reception of it, as its necessary consequence, must make men greater lovers of purity and holiness, and fill them with a greater horror of sin than any other persuasion on the same subject, I am content to give up the cause. I hope we may be indulged a candid hearing on this subject, as experience does not seem to be unfavourable to the doctrine I am essaying to defend. If it appeared in fact that its friends, upon a fair and just comparison, were more loose in their practice than their adversaries of any of the opposite opinions, it would be a strong prejudice against it; or rather, if this were always the case, it would be * That is to say, so far as it can be applied to practice, and so far as it is real or prevalent above its opposite; for there are many truths of a religious nature which men think they believe sometimes, but which yet their corrupt passions often make them doubt of; and these doubts are nine parts in ten of their lives obversant to their minds, as a vindication of such may be said to act in contradiction their licentious practice: in some sense, to their principles; but they are principles either not really believed, or, which is the same thing, not habitually recollected; and none can expect that men will firmly believed, if it be forgotten, or at act upon a principle, though once ever so the time of action entirely out of view. an unquestionable evidence of its falsehood. But doth not the con trary appear on the very face of the world? Are not the persons who profess to deny their own righteousnesss, and hope for justification through Christ, ordinarily the most tender and fearful of sinning themselves, and the most faithful and diligent in promoting the reformation of others? And do not all careless, profane and sensual livers, almost to a man, profess themselves enemies to this doctrine? I could almost appeal to any one who hath the least experience of, or commerce with the world, whether he would expect to find, upon a strict search and inquiry, the worship of God more constantly attended, the name of God more regularly called upon in families, children and servants more carefully instructed and more dutifully governed, a greater freedom from levity, profanity, unchastity, pride, malice, or insincerity of conversation, amongst the friends or enemies of this doctrine? So true is this, that they commonly have the appellation of the stricter sort given them, by which is certainly understood, at least an apparent strictness of life and manners.* I am not ignorant that it is the usual refuge of those who are evidently dissolute in their own lives, to allege, that there is indeed an appearance of this, but that it is no more than appearance, being all hypocrisy. It would be going out of the way to enter upon a large refutation of this slander. Therefore acknowledging, that, no doubt, whatever number of hypocrites there are in the world, and there are too many, they must herd amongst, or attach themselves to the society of, the best part of it; I observe, that the general charge of hypocrisy is only thrown out at a venture, is a judging of the heart, and by the very supposition, contrary to appearances, justified, for the most part, by a steady perseverance. Whereas, usually the whole merit of those who bring the accusation, is that of being uniformly wicked, and not so much as professing what it was their indispensable duty both to have professed and practised. As therefore experience doth not hinder, or rather as it warrants us to affirm, that those who expect justification by free grace are, of all others, the most holy in their lives; I propose to show, that it must be so, and that this is but the native fruit, and necessary consequence of their principles. What has induced me to this attempt, is not only the calumnies of enemies, but the weakness or treachery of professed friends. These last injure the truth often, in two different ways. Some speak in such a manner as to confirm and harden enemies in their opposition to it: they use such rash and incautious expressions, as do indeed justify the objection which the apostle rejects with so great abhorrence; and in the heat of their zeal against the self-righteous legalist, seem to state themselves as enemies, in every respect, to the law of God, which is holy, just and good. Others, on the contrary, defend it in such a manner, as to destroy the doctrine itself, and give such interpretations of the word of God, as, if they were just and known to be so, the objection would never have been made, because there would not have been so much as an occasion given to it.* But of all the pretended Christians, one sort are worthy of the highest contempt, who, acknowledging the truth of this doctrine, call it dangerous, and are backward to teach or publish it, lest it should be abused. Would such * I have often thought, that there cannot be a stronger argument, that the explanation commonly given by the Calvinists, of the passages of Scripture on this subject, is just, than the apostle's supposition of an objection of this nature arising from it. For if the explication of some others, were supposed to be the obvious meaning of the text, and were substituted in its room, as all just definitions may be without inconvenience, the apostle's words, "What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" would be quite unnatural and absurd. weak, half-thinking mortals, be wiser than God? Hath he published it, and shall we throw a veil over it, to remedy the rashness of his proceeding? Do the Scriptures reveal, and are we backward to "testify the gospel of the grace of God ?" All the works of God are capable of being abused; that this may be so likewise the apostle supposes. It is, however, not the less useful or important; only let us endeavour to vindicate it from the false charge of favouring or encouraging licentiousness of life. This I would willingly do in such a manner, as to assert while I defend it; to maintain the doctrine itself, while I show not only its innocence, but its usefulness in practice. The words of the inspired apostle are, "God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ?" In which he affirms, that the grace of God abounding in the gospel, is so far from being an encouragement to sin, that it destroys the power of sin, and removes the inclination to it, so far as it prevails. The language is very strong, "We that are dead to sin."-It seems to put us in mind of the total effectual breach of relation between a dead man, and the objects with which he was formerly connected in life: they are nothing to him, nor he to them; he neither loves them, needs them, nor uses them. So in proportion as the grace of God offered through Christ in the gospel is received and applied, sin is mortified in the heart; thus says the apostle elsewhere, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." This, which is indeed the language of the Scripture throughout, is not merely denying the accusation, but establishing the contrary truth, the influence of this doctrine upon purity of heart and life, which we find the apostle also • Gal. vi. 14. asserting in the middle of his reasoning upon the point, " Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."* In the prosecution of this subject, it will be necessary, first, in a few words, to state that doctrine against which the objection is made. It may be delivered in Scripture language thus, "That all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. That every mouth must be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God.-Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall be no flesh justified in his sight.-But we are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God has set forth as a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.-Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith.-Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." The doctrine asserted in the above and other passages of Scripture may be thus paraphrased: that every intelligent creature is under an unchangeable and unalienable obligation, perfectly to obey the whole law of God: that all men proceeding from Adam by ordinary generation, are the children of polluted parents, alienated in heart from God, transgressors of his holy law, inexcusable in this transgression, and therefore exposed to the dreadful consequences of his displeasure; that it was not agreeable to the dictates of his wisdom, holi • Rom. iii. 31. ness are not awakened, but strengthened and confirmed. For this purpose be pleased to attend to the following observations; in all of which I desire it may be remembered, even where not expressly mentioned, an opposition is intended between the principles and views of a believer in Christ, who rests his hope on his imputed righteousness, and those who act on any contrary principle. (To be continued.) ness and justice, to forgive their sins without an atonement or satisfaction: and therefore he raised up for them a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who, as the second Adam, perfectly fulfilled the whole law, and offered himself up a sacrifice upon the cross in their stead: that this his righteousness is imputed to them, as the sole foundation of their justification in the sight of a holy God, and their reception into his favour: that the means of their being interested in this salvation, is a deep humiliation of mind, confession of From the Christian Observer of June last. guilt and wretchedness, denial of themselves, and acceptance of pardon and peace through Christ Jesus, which they neither have contributed to the procuring, nor can contribute to the continuance of, by their own merit; but expect the renovation of their natures, to be inclined and enabled to keep the commandments of God as the work of the Spirit, and a part of the purchase of their Redeemer.* This short account of the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness will be further illustrated and explained in the progress of this discourse, intended to show, that in those who do cordially embrace it, the obligations to holi The intelligent reader will probably perceive, that I have expressed the above doctrine in such general terms, as not distinctly to take a part in the differences that are to be found among some authors, as to the way of explaining it, and particularly as to the nature of faith. The reason of my doing so is, that I would willingly rather reconcile than widen these differences; and because it is my firm persuasion, that however some think it justest, or wisest, or safest, to express themselves one way, and some another, yet all who have a deep and real conviction, that they are by nature in a lost state, and under the wrath of God, and that there is no salvation in any other but in Christ, are, if they understood one another, at bottom, or at least in all things any way material, entirely of the same opinion. Accordingly the reader will, I hope, find that the reasoning in the following pages may easily be applied by them all without exception. VOL. IX.-Ch. Adv. ΤΕΜΡΤΑTION. "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to Oh! words of great and gracious power! Oft, when I feel disturbing doubt, It is not more than I can bear. SU |