Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

Temptation returns, which Chrift Jefus hath most strictly forbid, let every such Man know that thefe Sins of his are not the Effects of Weaknefs and Infirmity, but are the Fruits of a wicked unfanctified Heart. And till his Mind and Spirit be transformed into a better Frame, fo transformed that it hath Influence upon his whole Life and Conversation, so as to make that holy and regular, as to the main Course of it, he is not to think himfelf in the Number of God's Children, or any ways qualified to receive the Rewards of good Men in the Life to come. Whofoever seriously applies himself to forfake his Sins, and to lead a holy and a Chriftian Life, fhall certainly (thro' the Grace of God, which is never wanting to fuch Persons) compass his Purposes and Designs. Sin fhall not have Dominion over him, but Rom. 6. be fhall in all things be Conqueror, thro' Chrift 14. 8.37. that loveth us. But for a Man ftill to be convinced of the Evil of his Ways, and yet ftill to continue in those Ways, is an Argument of a trifling Soul, which hath never yet fincerely fet itself to feek God, or its own Salvation.

5. The laft Head I shall treat of, as an Occafion of Mens Deceits about the Terms of their Salvation is this, the mifinterpreting and mifapplying fome Words and Phrafes of Scripture which do fummarily exprefs the Duties required of us in order to our attaining everlasting Happinefs, in fuch a Manner,

as

as to make them confift with a careless or wicked Life.

There are abundance of Inftances to be given under this Head. But I fhall here only take Notice of those two famous things by which the Writers of the New Teftament are every where accustomed to express the whole of a Chriftian's Duty. Sometimes in that Book all that Chrift and his Apostles are faid to require of Men in order to their future Happiness, is only a True Faith; and fometimes only Repentance. Thus as for Mark 16. Faith; our Saviour faith, that Whosoever believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved; but whofoever believeth not, fhall be damned. St. Rom. 3. Paul tells us over and over again, that by 28.5.1. Faith only we are juftified. The Confequence

16.

[ocr errors]

now that is drawn from hence is, that whofoever hath true Faith, fhall certainly be faved, fuppofing that he die in that Condition: And indeed this is undeniably true; as true as the Gofpel is. But now abundance of Men have fuch a Notion of true Faith, as may very well confift with a bad Life. For it is in their Account either a bare believing of the Truths of the Gospel, or a believing as the true Catholick Church (for fo the Papifts call the Church of Rome) believes, or a Refting and Reliance upon Chrift, and him only, without any Merits of their own, or fuch an Application of Chrift's Righteousness and Merits to themselves in particular, as that they are perfuaded they

are

are the Elect of God, and that all the Promises of the Gospel do belong to themfelves. I pray now confider, how eafy it is for a Man to have any of thefe kinds of Faith, and yet continue to be a wicked Man. And it is evident, that the Generality of 1 Chriftians in the World have no other Noition of Faith, but what may be reduced to fome one of these four which I have now named.

Thus again, fometimes all that is required in the Gospel to our Salvation, is expreffed by the Word Repentance. Repent, for the Mat. 3. 2. Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Except ye Luke 13. repent, ye ball all likewife perish. Repent, 3, 5. and he baptized for the Remiffion of your Sins. Whenfoever a Sinner repent's he shall find Acts 2.38. Mercy, &c. But now how eafy a Matter is it, as things are commonly apprehended, for any Man among us to have true Repentance? I pray, what do moft Men take Repentance to be, but this; a being heartily forry when we have done amifs, and wifhing we had not done it? And indeed the Word imports no more in our English Language. Every Man who hath done a thing which he is forry for, and wifhes was undone, may be truly faid to repent of it, as we use the Word. Now fince it is plain that the Holy Scriptures require no more of any Man in order to his Salvation, but either Faith, or Repentance, or, at most, Faith and Repentance together, how easy

[blocks in formation]

is

is it for any Man, tho' otherwife very bad and wicked in his Life, upon very flender Grounds, to believe that he hath both these Qualities? For who can hinder fuch a Man, when he finds in himself that he believes the Gospel, and is heartily defirous to enjoy all the Benefits of Chrift's Paffion, and is forry for his Sins paft, and wishes that he had lived a better Life, and purposes to do fo for the future (nay, and dies with those Resolutions :) I fay, who can hinder fuch a Man from having an Expectation of all the Mercies of God that are made over to true Believers, and true Penitents in the Gofpel?

All this is very true. But then these People run upon this great Miftake all the while, and they ought frequently to be put in mind of it, viz. that they apply thefe Words, Faith and Repentance, to quite other Purposes than the Scripture defign'd them: They conftrue them in a quite different Senfe and Meaning than they were intended. For certainly the Scripture juAifying Faith, as appears by undeniable Arguments, is only fuch a Faith, as, together with the Belief of Jefus Chrift, produceth a new Creature. And certainly the Scripture Repentance is only fuch a Repentance, as, together with the being forry for our Sins, produceth a thorough Reformation of our Manners. Now where-ever these two things are effected, that Man is fure

of

of going to Heaven: But if either of thefe be wanting, the Man has only the Sound of the Words for his Title to Heaven, but he wants that which is the true Meaning of them.

This, then, is the Conclufion of the whole Matter. Whoever doth Righteousness is righteous, and therefore let no Man deceive you. It is in vain to think of any other Method of going to Heaven, but the plain common Way, that is as old as Mankind, and bears date with the first Discoyery of God's Will to them: And that is nothing else but a holy, virtuous, religious Life; a hearty Fear, and Love, and Truft in God; a fincere Belief of all his Revelations; and, together with that, a fuitable Converfation in all Sobriety, and Righteoufnefs, and Godliness. This is to be righteous as Chrift is righteous; and without this, all our other Speculations and Contrivances for the fecuring our future State, will prove perfectly vain and ineffectual.

The thing is fo plain, that we are very unthinking Creatures if ever we be deceived as to this Matter; efpecially fince we have fo many Cautions given us by Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles, not to suffer our felves to be deceived with any vain Words. Eph. 5. 6. But, and if we will be deceived, yet nevertheless (as the Apoftle tells us) God will Gal.6.7. not be mocked. There are no Tricks to be He eafily fees thro' all

put upon him.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]
« VorigeDoorgaan »