dience; for they are the Gift of free Grace; but they are Motives and Reafons exciting, and encouraging our Obedience. Therefore, our Election is not proved by our Sanctification, or real Holiness. Our real Holincfs proves, that our Election is made fure; but our Election itself is proved by the free Grace of God, and our Chriftian Profeffion. 272. From all this it follows; that we, as well as the Chriftians of the first Times, may claim, and appropriate to ourselves, all the forementioned antecedent Bleffings, without any Doubt or Scruple. In Confidence of Hope, and full Affurance of Faith, we may boldly fay, the Lord is my Helper, and come with Boldnefs to the Throne of Grace. Our Life, even eternal Life, is fure to every one of us in the Promife of God, and the Hands of our Lord Jefus Chrift. And the Business of every Chriftian is not to perplex himself with Doubts, and Fears, and gloomy Apprehenfions; but to rejoice in the Lord, and to do the Duties of his Place chearfully and faithfully, in the affured Hope of eternal Life, through Jefus Chrift; to him be everlasting Glory and Praise. Amen. 273. VI. From the preceding Collection of Texts we may gather; That fome of the Expreflions, whereby the antecedent Eleffings are fignified, fuch as elect, juftify, fan&tify, &c. may be ufed in a double Sente; namely, either as they are applied to all Chriftians in general, in relation to their being tranflated into the Kingdom of God, and made his peculiar People, enjoying the Privileges of the Gofpel: Or as they fignify the Effects of thofe Privileges; namely, either that excellent Dif, pofition and Character, which they are intended to produce, or that final State of Happinets, which is the Reward of it. It would be too tedious to examine, in this View, all the Expreffions, or Phrafes, whereby antecedent Bleffings are fignified. The Student in ScriptureKnowleage may eafily pafs a Judgment upon them by thefe Rules. Where-ever any Bleffing is affigned to all Chriftians, without Exception; wherever it is faid, not to be of Works; where-ever Chriftians. are exhorted to make a due Improvement of it, and threatened with the Lofs of God's Bleffing, and of eternal Life, if they do not, there the Expreflions, which fignify that Bleffing, are to be understood in a general Senfe, as denoting a Gofpel Privilege, Profeffion, or Obligation. And in this general Sente, "faved, elect, chofen, justified, fanctified," are fometimes ufed; and "Calling, Called, Election," are, I think, always ufed, in the New Teftament. But when any Bleffing connotes real Holinefs, as actually exifting in the Subject, then it may be underfood in the fpecial and eminent Senfe; and always must be understood in this Senfe, when it implies the actual Poffeffion of eternal Life. And in this Senfe "faved, elect, chofen, juftify, fanctify, born of God," are fometimes ufed. Mat. xx. 16, "Many are called, but few are chofen," [who make a worthy Ufe of their Calling]. Mat. xxiv. 31, "He fhall fend his Angels, with a great Sound of a Trumpet, and they fhall gather together his Elect." xii. 36, 37, "In the Day of Judgment, by thy Words thou shalt be justified, and by thy Words thou shalt be condemned." 1 Thef. v. 24, "Ihe God of Peace fanctify you wholly," &c. 1 John ii. 29, "Every one that doth Righteoufnels is born of him." iv. 7, "Every one that loveth, is born of God," in the eminent Senfe. દ 274. Here 274. Here it fhould be carefully obferved; That 'tis very common, in the facred Writings, to exprefs, not only our Chriftian Privileges, but alfo the Duty, to which they oblige, in the Prefent, or Preterperfect Tenfe; or, to fpeak of that as done, which only ought to be done, and which, in Fact, may poffibly never be done. Mal. i. 6, "A Son ho-. nours [ought to honour] his Father." Mat. v. 13, "Ye are [ought to be] the Salt of the Earth: But if the Salt have loft his Savour," &c. Rom. ii. 4, "The Goodnefs of God leads [ought to lead] thee to Repentance," vi. 2, 11. viii. 9. Col. iii. 3. 1 Pet. i. 6," Wherein ye [ought] greatly [to] rejoice." 2 Cor. iii. 18, "We all with open Face, [enjoying the Means of] beholding as in a Glafs the Glory of the Lord, are [ought to be, enjoy the Means of being] changed into the fame Image, from Glory to Glory." Cor. v. 7, "Purge out the old Leaven, that ye may be a new Lump, as ye are [obliged by the Chriftian Profeffion to be] unleavened.". Heb. xiii. 14, "We feek [we ought to feek, or according to our Profeffion we feek] a City to come." 1 John ii. 12-15. iii. 9. v. 4, 18. And in other Places. [246 Note, 206 Note]. 275. But my chief Intention is to establish a double Juftification, or Salvation; for which we have the cleareft fcriptural Evidence. However, at prefent it fall fuffice to obferve; That there is a Juftification and Salvation by Faith alone, without the Deeds of Law, or any Works of Righteousness, Rom. iii. 28. Ephef. ii. 8, 9, 10. And there is another Juftification, or Salvation, which is not without Works, but is the Iffue of a holy and obedient Life. James ii. 24, " By Works a Man is juftified, and not by Faith only." Mat. xii. 36, 37, "In the Day of Judgment, by thy Words thou shalt be juftified." Mark xiii. 13, "He that shall endure unto the End, the fame fhall be faved." Phil. ii. 12, "Work out your own [or one anothers] Salvation with Fear and Trembling." Heb. v. 9, "Chrift is become the Author of eternal Salvation to them that obey him." And the whole New Teftament bears Witnefs, that only they who live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent World fhall be faved and juftified in the Day of our Lord. Now this Difference of being juftified without Works, and being juftified by Works, is fo eflential, and irreconcileable, that it neceflarily conftitutes two Sorts of Juftification, or Salvation. 276. I. The first or fundamental Juftification. This has Relation to the Heathen State of us Gentile-Chriftians; and confifts in the Remiffion of Sins, and in our being admitted, upon our Faith, into the Kingdom and Covenant of God; when, with regard to our Gentile State, we were obnoxious to Wrath, and deferving of Condemnation. This is of free Grace, without Works. For how wicked foever any Heathen had been, or now has been, upon Profeffion or Faith in Chrift, his former Wickedness neither was, nor is, any Bar to his Admittance into the Kingdom of God, nor to an Intereft in its Privileges and Bleffings. Nay, further; our prefent common Salvation, or Jultification, is fo of Grace, and reaches fo far, that in Cafe any profeffed Chriftian has lived difagreeably to the Rules of the Gofpel; yet upon his Repentance and Return to God, his Intereft in the divine Grace, and the Pardon of Sin, ftands good; notwithstanding his former evil Life. This I call the first Juftification, or Salvation, by which we are invested in all the prefent Privileges of the Gofpel; and in refer Dd3 ence ence to which we are faid in Scripture to be "elected, adopted, saved, justified, washed, sanctified, born again, born of God," &c. 277. Concerning this firft Juftification, or Salvation, I briefly obferve, (1.) That it was confirmed to the first Converts, and in them, as the first Fruits, to us, by the miraculous Gifts of the Spirit, which were poured out upon them. (2.) That we receive this perpetual Benefit from it, that we, who are defcended from Chriftian Parents, are born in a juftified State, born holy [126, 127], born Members of the Family and Congregation of God, intitled to all the Bleffings, and Privileges of it, according to the original Grant of the Covenant, Gen. xvii. 7. (3.) 'Tis this firft Juftification, and the Bleffings included in it, that is, (not conferred upon us, but) fealed and confirmed to us in Baptifm, as what we have a Right to, in Virtue of the forefaid Covenant. See the Note upon Rom. vi. 3. (4.) Upon Account of this first Juftification, we are faid to be, in the Prefent Tenfe, what we are defigned to be, or what our Principles have a proper Tendency to make us; as, "ye are wafhed, ye are fanctified," &c. [274.] (5) 'Tis with regard to this firft Juftification, that we are faid to be reconciled, or changed to God, in reference to our Heathen State [117.] (6). 'Tis by Virtue of this firft Juftification, that we enjoy the Benefit of Repentance, and the Forgivenefs of Sin, after we are taken into the Church and Covenant of God. And therefore the Forgiveness of Sins, to those who are in the Church and Covenant of God, comes under the fame Rules with the firft Juftification, (for it is the fame Juftification continued, or repeated,) and is of Grace, not of Works, as it neceflarily muft. See Rom. iv. 6-8. Luke xviii. 9—14. Or, in other Words, 'tis in Virtue of the firft Juftification, that our prefent Life is a Day of Grace, the Grace of our firft Juftification, or the Benefit of Repentance and Pardon, being continued throughout our whole prefent Life, and giving us the Opportunity and Means of obtaining eternal Life. (7.) From all this it appears, that this first Juftification doth not terminate in itfelf, but is in order to another: which we may call. 278. (II.) Final Juftification, or Salvation. This relates to, and fuppofes, our Chriftian State; and confifts in our being actually qualified for, and being put into Poffeffion of, eternal Life, after we have duely improved our first Juftification, or our Chriftian Privileges, by patient Continuance in Well-doing, to the End, under all Trials and Temptations. 279. VI. A careful Attention to the preceding Collection of Texts will give us a clear and diftinét Notion, what thofe Works are, which St. Paul excludes from Juftification; and what that Juftification is from which they are excluded. By Works, excluded from Juftification, or Salvation, he doth not mean only ceremonial Works, or ritual Obfervations of the Mofaic Conftitution: For he exprefsly excludes Works of Righteoufnefs, or righteous Works, Tit. iii. 5, "Not by Works of Righteoufnefs which we have done, but according to his Mercy he faved us." Now this fets afide, not only ceremonial Works, but all Acts of Obedience properly moral.-Again; by Works, or Works of Law, excluded from Juftification, the Apoftle doth not always mean mean only finlefs, perfe&t Obedience. For I do not find that any, the moft rigid Jew, ever infifted upon that, as necellary to Juftification : Indeed, the Apostle may argue fro mthe Nature of Law, as it requires finlefs, perfect Obedience, in C nfutation of the Jew, who, not duly confidering the Nature of Law, infifted that the Gentiles ought to put themselves under the Law of Mofes. But certainly, by Works or Deeds of Law he doth not always mean only finlefs, perfect Obedience. In fhort; the Works, excluded from Juftification, are any Kind of Obedience, perfect or imperfect, which may be fuppofed a Reafon for God's bestowing the Privileges and Honours of the Gofpel upon the Heathen World. [Note on Chap. III. 20.] Thofe Privileges and Honours were bestowed out of pure Mercy and Goodness, without Regard to the foregoing good or bad Works of the Heathen World. No doubt, every good and virtuous Action is pleafing to God, and approved by him; and the eminent Piety of Cornelius might be a Reafon why, of all the Heathens, the Gofpel was firft preached to him, Acts x. 4, 5. But no Perfon, whether Heathen or Jew, was taken into the Church or Family of God, only for his being a virtuous Perfon. Becaufe had he in Times paft been ever fo wicked, upon his Faith, he had a Right to the Privileges and Honours of the Gofpel. Confequently, the Works, which are excluded from Juftification, refer to the prior State of Chriftians, and to their first Juftification; when they were taken into the Church or Kingdom of God, and had their paft Sins forgiven them. This first Juftification was not of Works: That is to fay, There was no Retrofpect, no ftating Accounts with regard to a Man's paft Conduct; nor was any Perfon admitted into the Church and Covenant of God only because he had been a good Man, nor any Perfon, profeffing Faith in Chrift, rejected, because he had been wicked and ungodly; but this Juftification of the believing Heathen was of mere Grace, according to the Counfel and Purpose of God's own Will, without Regard to what the Heathen had been before his Converfion. So that no Man, upon his being raifed to the Honours and Privileges of the Gofpel, could glary, boat, or pretend Self-fufficiency, or Self-dependence in procuring those Honours or Privileges, Ephef. ii. 9. 280. That Works, excluded from Juftification, must be Works done in the State prior to a Perfon's Converfion: and that the Juftification they are excluded from is the first Juftification, is further evident: Becaufe after Converfion, when a Man is become a Chriftian, and with Regard to final Juftification, Works are exprefsly required. For without Holineis," or Works of Righteoufnefs, the Gofpel conftantly declares, "no Man fhall fee the Lord *." 281. But yet, obferve; Works of Righteoufnefs are fo infifted upon in our Chriftian State, now that we are taken into the Kingdom of God, that if any Chriftian fhould neglect the Performance of them, there is ftill Room, in this Life, for Repentance. For our Lord and his *Note, St. James meaneth this final Juftification, or Salvation, when he faith, (Chap. ii. 14, 24.) That a Man is not faved, or justified, by Faith alone without Works. his Apoftles, not only called Men to Repentance, in order to their firft Juftification; but the Apostles, and our Lord after his Afcenfion, exhort wicked Chriftians, fuch as were Members of the Gospel Church, to Repentance, in order to their final Juftification. 2 Cor. xii. 21. Rev. ii. 5, 16. i. 3, 19. While the accepted Time and the Day of Salvation continues, we enjoy the Benefit of Repentance. We are in a State of Pardon during Life, which is the Day when we hear the Voice of God's Mercy, Heb. iii. 7. And the Language of his Mercy to every Sinner is the fame as our Saviour's to the Woman, John viii. II. "Neither do I condemn thee: Go, and fin no more." But it must be carefully obferved, That this Favour is granted, not to indulge Wickedness, but mercifully to enlarge the Poffibility of our Salvation. For, whatever our prefent Privileges are, we fhall for certain perish eternally, unless we forfake Sin, and practife univerfal Holinefs. And fuch is the abounding Mercy of God, that he will receive and pardon us, at what Time foever we fincerely return unto him. Only remember; That the longer that Return is delayed, the more our Hearts will be hardened, our Salvation will become lefs poffible, and we fhall still be nigher to curling, Heb. vi. 8. 282. VIII. It is alfo evident, from the foregoing Collection of Texts, what that Faith is, which gave a Right to the first Juftification, or an Admittance into the Kingdom of God in this World. Certainly it was fuch a Faith as was confiftent with a Man's perishing eternally: Because he might be admitted into the Church upon a Profeffion of that Faith, and yet remain a wicked Perfon, and be loft for ever. This was evidently the Cafe of Simon the Sorcerer; who, though his "Heart was not right in the Sight of God," (Acts viii. 21.) though he was in the "Gall of Bitternefs and Bond of Iniquity," Ver. 23. Yet it is faid, Ver. 13, That " he believed, and was baptized." Confequently, that Faith must be the general Faith, which is common to all Chriftians, good and bad; or Faith confidered fimply and feparately from the Fruits and Effects of it. It was that general Profethon of Faith in Jefus Chrift, as the Meffiah and Saviour of the World (which included a Profeffion of Repentance, and which indeed ought to have been fincere), upon which the Apoftles baptized the first Converts. It is in. this Senfe, that "we are all the Children of God by Faith in Jefus Chrift," Gal. iii. 26. And this Faith, in the Nature of Things must be absolutely neceffary to our Adoption, or being taken into God's Family. For as our being begotten, or born again, regenerated, or made the Children of God, is of a fpiritual or moral Nature, and relates to the Improvement of our Minds in Wifdom and Goodnefs, if a Perfon were entirely ignorant of the Grace of God, or refufed to affent to it, and accept of it, 'tis plain he could be begotten to Nothing; or could not be begotten at all; for there would be no Foundation of the spiritual Relation between God and fuch a Perfon. The Means, by which we are begotten, or regenerated, to the Chriftian ftate, or the Seed of which we are born, is the Word of God, James i. 18. 1 Peter i. 23. Now where the Word of God is not received, but rejected; that is, where a Perion doth not profefs Faith in it, but remains ftill in Unbelief, 'tis evi dent |