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DISCOURSE XXX.

The NATURE of falvation by CHRIST.

2 TIM. i. 9, 10.

Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling; not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus before the world began ;

But is now made manifeft by the appearing of our Saviour Jefus Christ; who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling.

He first thing that I take notice of, is, that

TH

the apoftle doth as it were, interrupt himself to make an ingenuous acknowledgment of God. For having but an occafion to speak of God, and of his goodness, refpectively to us; he doth interpose here a moft free and ingenuous acknowledgment, before he doth proceed in his argument, who hath faved us, &c.

I observe hence, that it becometh us, especially in what is faving and fovereign, to take notice of Go, and to acknowledge him : even there where we are concerned in point of duty; and have also a part to act. For the apostle is upon exhortation

to

to Timothy, to ftir up the grace of God; to use the grace, and to apply himself to God according to the ufe of the means and directions he is giving. Having occafion to mention God, he doth interpose these two verses, wherein he doth make acknowledgment of God, in things that are of a faving and fovereign nature and quality. This is obfervable; this is by us imitable: and indeed this is to follow the example of the holy fcripture, for the fcripture doth abundantly teach, that to God is owing as principally, fo primarily, whatsoever is of fovereign ufe or confequence to us. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten fon, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. John iii. 16. And Chrift is made to us of God, wisdom, righteousness fanctification and redemption, 1. Cor. i. 30. Him hath God raised up to be a prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Ifrael and remission of fin. Acts v. 31. God in Chrift reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing trefpaffes. 2 Cor. v. 19. It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do, Phil. ii. 13. It is creature-like to acknowledge God in all things : for in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts xvii. 28. And of him, and through him, and to him are all things, Rom. xi. 36. By him we were made, and for his will and pleafure we are and were created, Rev. iv. II.

But then it is alfo chriftian to acknowledge the gofpel-benefits. For the benefits of the gospel are fuperadded; they are over-plus, they are the gratuities of God; they are things beyond the dues, the circumstances of the creation of God. We might

have been God's creatures, made in his image; we might have been as he made us, or as we are ; and yet never invested with these gofpel liberties, immunities, and priviledges. Therefore especially in things that are of a sovereign nature, we ought to fee, and acknowledge God. I dare fay every good man doth this fincerely, and heartily, yea he is fo free in this matter, that notwithstanding some of these are misreprefented, and fufpected by their brethren, yet every one of them will heartily thank that person that will fhew him, how he may acknowledge God more than he doth. For my part, I do not believe it otherwife, in any ages of the world paft, (I speak of the chriftian world) I will not exempt, nor leave out them who have been incompetently branded for hereticks. I do not think any honeft man was ever faulty in this particular, to derogate from the grace of God, and to arrogate to himself for my part, I have not power. It is no prejudice to this great truth; but there is an injury done to the meaning and intention of those, who do thus diftinguish; and here lies all the difference. And if fo be you could thus diftinguish, there were an end of contradiction and dispute.

Confider God as the author of nature, confider him also as the giver of grace. All that we have refers to God, upon one of these accounts, or other. If some attribute to him that as the author of nature which others do as the giver of grace; however it is God that is acknowledged, and God as original, and it doth infer an equal engagement upon us to God; and they do not thereby leffen, neither is it

their intention to abate, or leffen the grace of God, or to free men from engagement and obligation to God; when they distinguish upon this account, the gifts of nature, and the gifts of grace; acknowledging God upon both accounts, the founder of intellectual natures, the invester of human nature with faculties, capacities and abilities; and the giver of it, the upholder, maintainer of it; the director of it: and then (applying himself to the neceffity of the lapfed cafe of man) reinforcing, recovering, reftoring him by a fuper-addition of grace. It is God in both cafes; God univerfally that is acknowledged; in both cafes acknowledgment is made, and obfervation given to the direction of wisdom. Commit thyself to the Lord, and lean not to thy own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he fhall direct thy paths, Pro. iii. 5, 6. Being fenfible that it is God that teaches the mind of man knowledge; that it is God that inftructs us more than the beasts of the field, Job xxxv. 11. That it is the infpiration of the almighty that gives understanding. For God inftructs the husbandman even to plow, and saw, Isa. xxviii. 26. and to do every thing in his feason, and to fit his foil with his grain, as the prophet Ifaiah hath obferved. And if he do the least,

no doubt he will do the greater: and if he hath done fo much, on the firft account of nature, and in purfuance of his firft creation; no doubt but he will do equally and proportionably in his fecond creation, the regeneration, and restoration of lapfed, and ruined man.

But

But to tell you the plain of the case. There are in the world, perfons of free minds and of ingenuous confideration, that think it an unadviseable thing to put the two great things of God so highly beneficial to men, to put them in an odious, and in an envious competition: I mean, the primary and original goodness of God, that is the perfection of his nature, and which makes him tender and compaffionate to us; and the other, the happy interpofition, mediation, and interceffion of our bleffed Lord and Saviour, which was a voluntary undertaking on man's behalf, which doth further procure grace, favour and acceptance. Now here is the thing, divide between these two; and what you attribute solely to one, you take away wholly from the other. But if you give me leave, declining an odious competition between these two tranfcendant and meritorious principles of good to all mankind, I will interpofe with a diftinction that we have in logick, that is mightily accommodate to this business.

There are two efficient, motive, impulfive caufes; that is, two motive principles, that do affect, dispose, and incline the efficient cause. There is that which doth inwardly affect and difpofe the agent within himself, viz. the rectitude or goodness of his own conftitution; this is a motive, impulfive cause from within: then there may be after an external motive and impulfive caufe, viz. the fight of fomething that doth highly please, and doth further excite and engage the agent to go on. When we distinguish these, I will attribute one to God, and the other to our Saviour. I will make the good

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