The
Course of Faith, or
The Practical Believer Delineated
By John Angell James, 1852
Faith in Relation to JUSTIFICATION
A pardoned criminal who had been once condemned by the
laws of his country to an ignominious death—is an affecting and interesting
object to look upon. To see him walking abroad, in the full
possession of liberty, who had so recently been loaded with fetters in a
dungeon; enjoying the light of heaven—after having been shrouded with
darkness, relieved only by the few straggling rays that came through the
iron gratings of his cell; surveying the beauties of creation—in place of
looking on the cold, dank walls of his prison-house; rejoicing in the
consciousness of freedom and life—in lieu of brooding over the gallows and
death; delighting in the society of his family and friends—in exchange for
the sullen converse of fellow-criminals and jailers; feeling, in short, that
he was again a citizen, with all his rights and privileges, as a man and a
member of the community—after having been stripped of them all. What a
change of circumstances! What an ineffably delightful reverse! How many
reflections does it excite! We think of his past sin and misery in his
felon's character—of the mercy of the sovereign in reprieving him—of his own
felicity in being spared—of his gratitude to his pardoner—of his future
obligations to perform the duties of a good citizen.
There, in that case, is the representation, and but a
faint one too, of the situation of every real Christian. He too was a
sentenced criminal—but now is a pardoned criminal. He has sinned and
been condemned—but has repented, has believed, and is pardoned. His
forfeited life has been restored. The fountain of mercy has been opened to
him; a reprieve has been bestowed. From an enemy, an outcast, and a criminal
against God—he has become a friend, a servant, a child, of God. What a
transition—how wondrous in itself! How much more wondrous in the method of
accomplishing it! THAT we now proceed to consider.
What is justification?
This is an unspeakably momentous question. The term itself suggests this;
its ordinary import is deeply important. It implies guilt—and expresses
pardon. Its importance is learned also from the large space it occupies and
fills on the page of Scripture. The most valuable of all Paul's epistles, I
mean that to the Romans, and also the one to the Galatians, were written to
unfold it. No one can understand the New Testament, or the gospel scheme of
salvation, who does not comprehend it. Immense consequence then attaches to
the question, What is that justification, which is the subject of apostolic
teaching?
Justification is not any change in our moral nature—that
is regeneration. Justification is a change of our relation to God.
Nor is it our being made personally just, for it is admitted
we remain sinners, and we cannot therefore be both personally righteous and
unrighteous at the same time. Nor is it any impression or persuasion on our
own minds that we are justified. It is not uncommon for a certain
class of religionists to speak of their having been justified at such a time
and place, when all they mean is, that then and there they obtained a sense
of pardon.
Justification is not anything which according to
the Popish and Puseyite notion takes place in and by baptism. It is
not effected at the font through the priestly ministrations of the priest,
when as we are told, the guilt of original sin is taken away by the
sacramental grace conferred with the baptismal fluid. The New Testament
conveys no such notion as this.
Justification, we say at once, is substantially
the same as pardon. The two words convey the same, or nearly the same idea.
The apostle appears to use them convertibly, where he says– "However, to the
man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is
credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the
blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." Rom.
4:5-8. "In these verses," says Wardlaw– "the forgiveness of iniquity,
the covering of transgression, the non-imputation of sin, are
evidently considered as amounting to the same thing with the imputation
of righteousness; and this also is the same as justifying the ungodly—for
David is represented as describing under one set of phrases the blessedness
which the apostle expresses by the others." Still, as the apostles in the
language of the New Testament so generally employ the word justification
rather than the word pardon, there must be some reason for this, which I
think is to be found in the two following considerations.
First—The word justification, while it means pardon, is
used to convey the idea of the method by which this pardon is bestowed; that
is, pardon in a way of righteousness. So that the word embraces both
the blessing and the way of its bestowal, according to the demands of the
law.
Secondly—It denotes a general and permanent state
of pardon, and not merely a particular act. By justification we are
brought into a new and permanent relation—a state of favor with God.
Justification is our introduction into this abiding condition; so that
though pardon may be needed, and may be granted to us in this state from day
to day; justification cannot be said to be repeated day to
day. By justification we pass from the state of an enemy into that of a
child. In this view of it, it is equivalent with adoption, and in this
condition we may and do receive the paternal forgiveness day by day, though
not the judicial clearance. Justification is the act of the judge relieving
us from the sentence of condemnation, and bringing us into a state of
favor; and subsequent acts of pardon are the expressions of the father, in
passing by our transgressions. Still we repeat, the two terms mean
substantially the same thing—justification is pardon. They are certainly
never enumerated together as two distinct blessings. We never read of pardon
and justification. I know it has been common with some of the old
divines to represent them as distinct; to consider justification as given to
us on the ground of Christ's active obedience, and pardon on the
ground of his passive obedience, or sufferings unto death. No such
distinction, however, is made by the apostles. There is no need for our
being more minute in our distinctions than these inspired men. Our being
introduced into a state of pardon through the atonement of Christ, is
justification.
It has been usual to call this a legal transaction—a
proceeding in a court of law. Perhaps it would be more correct to consider
it as an exercise of royalty—the putting forth of kingly prerogative, in
extending mercy to a rebellious subject—the act of the executive in the
Divine government in reprieving a criminal out of regard to something done
to satisfy public justice.
Such, then, is justification—the opposite to
condemnation—the act of God's boundless mercy in forgiving all the
transgressions of the penitent believer, for the sake of the atoning
sacrifice of his beloved Son; and restoring the once guilty transgressor to
the favor of God, and the hope of eternal life. Well might David in a
kind of rapture exclaim– "Blessed," or as the abruptness of the original
more emphatically expresses it– "O, the blessedness of the man to whom the
Lord imputes not iniquity, whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is
covered!"
In considering this subject accurately and fully, four
things are to be taken into consideration:
1. The meaning of justification, or the blessing
it designates, pardon.
2. The ground on which justification proceeds—the
death of Christ as an atoning sacrifice for sin.
3. The source from which justification flows—the
mercy of God.
4. The instrumental cause or means of
justification—faith in Christ.
In this present chapter, we have to do with the latter,
or the connection of
faith with our justification.
If we are to be pardoned in a righteous way—it is plain
we cannot be forgiven on the ground of a righteousness of our own, for we
have not a speck of righteousness. None but a perfect obedience could be
accepted by the law, as the ground of justification; and if we had that to
offer, there would have been no sin, and therefore no need of pardon. Where
there is no sin—there can be no forgiveness. Up to the time of his
justification, the sinner is supposed to have been living in sin, and
therefore has no works at all to offer as a satisfaction to Divine justice,
on the ground of which he can be received into a state of favor. Hence the
reiterated declaration– "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight—for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:20.
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law." Rom. 3:28. "To him who works not—but believes on him that
justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Rom. 4:5.
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law—for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Gal. 2:16. "Not of works,
lest any man should boast." Ephes. 2:9. "Not by works of righteousness which
we have done—but according to his mercy he saved us." Titus 3:5. In all
these passages, and in others that might be quoted, it is most distinctly
and emphatically declared, that justification does not proceed on the ground
of our works.
There is but one other ground on which righteousness can
proceed, and that is FAITH. And this is as explicitly declared as
that other. To quote all the passages of God's Word on this subject would be
needless. In addition to those already given we may introduce the following.
"The just shall live by faith." Rom. 1:17. "Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:1. "By grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves—it is the gift of God."
Ephes. 2:8. "It is of faith, that it might be by grace." Rom. 4:16. It is,
then, impossible not to see the high place which faith occupies in the
business of our justification. But what is this place? What is its office?
How does it justify?
We may put this first of all negatively, and show
how faith does NOT justify.
Faith does not justify of and by itself, as an act of our
mind—as that for the sake of which, viewed in the light of a meritorious
cause, God grants us forgiveness of sins. It is by faith,
not for faith, we are justified. There is an expression which
looks as if faith itself, as an act of ours, constituted our
justifying righteousness. "For what says the Scripture? Abraham believed
God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Rom. 4:3. "We say that
faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness." Rom. 4:9. "He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God—and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness." Rom.
4:20-22. Now it might seem to an ordinary and unreflecting reader, that the
apostle intended by this mode of expression to convey the idea that
Abraham's faith, of and by itself, constituted his righteousness—that
his strong confidence in the Divine testimony was accepted in lieu of works,
and as tantamount to a complete obedience to the Divine law. This is the
view which Luther seems to take in his celebrated commentary on the epistle
to the Galatians. But if this be true in reference to Abraham, it is equally
true in reference to all believers who are his spiritual seed, and their
faith is also their righteousness. And if this be true, it will
appear that as faith is an act of ours—and so a work of ours—and we are
justified by works after all. True, it may be said, this is only a mental
work. No matter, it is still a work. This, on general principles, makes it
clear that the apostle could not intend that believing was accepted
instead of doing, and constituted that righteousness on the ground of
which Abraham was justified.
The preposition rendered in our translation "for
righteousness;" might and should be rendered "unto righteousness." By
believing on Christ as God's righteousness, or God's method of
justification, a man becomes truly righteous—comes into the state of a
righteous or justified man. We have the preposition so rendered in several
places where the same subject is discussed. "The gospel is the power of God
unto salvation." Rom. 1:16. "Even the righteousness of God which is
unto all those who believe." Rom. 3:22. "For with the heart man
believes unto righteousness." Rom. 10:10. This is the signification
of the phrase in the verse before us, which should have been translated in
the same way. The expression "unto righteousness" is elliptical, and
signifies "unto the receiving" of righteousness, or in order to his
becoming righteous. In the different French translations the meaning of the
original is properly expressed– "a justice;" that is to say, unto
righteousness. And in the same way in the Vulgate– "ad justitiam," to
or towards righteousness.
That faith itself, as an act of our own mind, is not the
justifying righteousness, is demonstrably evident from the very phraseology
of many passages that speak of belief and righteousness in the same place;
"Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus
Christ, unto all and upon all those who believe." Rom. 3:22. Here
righteousness is supposed to be one thing and faith another. Righteousness
is what we need in order to justification; faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
as testified in the gospel, is the means through which we receive this
righteousness.
Our believing then, is not the righteousness—but is the
means by which we become righteous. Can language more explicitly show that
righteousness and faith are two different things for two different purposes,
though both are enjoyed by the same people, and both equally necessary? In
like manner the apostle says– "For with the heart man believes unto
righteousness." Rom. 10:10. Here it is necessarily implied that faith is not
righteousness—but that it is the means through which we receive
righteousness. Nothing can be a greater corruption of the truth than to
represent faith itself as accepted instead of righteousness, or to be the
righteousness that saves the sinner. (See Haldane's Exposition of the
Romans.)
Nor are we to understand that faith justifies us, as a
mere condition of pardon, in the same way as repentance is a condition of
pardon. God requires in the man who would be forgiven and restored to his
favor—sincere contrition and confession, and the forsaking of his sins– "Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let
him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God,
for he will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7. "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins." 1 John 1:9. Now these things are
conditions of pardon, yet we cannot with propriety and precision say– "We
are justified by confession, sorrow, and repentance." Justification is the
office and business of faith. There is a fitness, not indeed a meritorious
one—but a natural one; that is, a fitness in the nature of believing, to
accomplish this great end—our justification before God. For observe the
nature of faith—it is "the confidence of things hoped for." We remark then
that,
1. Faith believes our NEED of justification.
It credits the testimony of God concerning our
condemnation by the law. No man will concern himself at all about pardon
until he is convinced of sin. Here is its first exercise, to believe that
"all the world has become guilty before God." "That all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God." That we are "all by nature the children of
wrath," that this curse of God upon sin is no slight one—but an everlasting
separation from his presence. It is only by a belief of God's Word we know
what sin is—in its nature and consequences. Reason may discern that all is
not right with us—that there is some disorder in the soul; but it knows
nothing of the cause, the virulence, or the extent of the malady. It is
revelation that lays open all this to us, that discovers to us our entire
corruption; that shows us our alarming state, and our dreadful need of
spiritual recovery.
Here then is the first lesson which faith learns, and a
most humbling one it is—that we are in a fearful state of condemnation, by
the law we have broken—that we are exposed to the wrath to come, to the
bitter pains of eternal death—and that we need instant and adequate relief.
True, this is not at this stage, saving faith; and if this were all a man
believed, he would never be saved by it. Many do thus believe in the law,
who never go on to believe the gospel, and have nothing more than the faith
of devils—who believe and tremble. But though this is not itself a saving
act, yet it precedes it. A man must believe he is lost—before he will be
concerned about being saved.
2. By faith the sinner looks out of himself—away from
himself, for the GROUND of his justification.
This is faith's second step, or office. It turns away
our attention from ourselves. As long as a man is only looking into himself,
to discover what he can find there, to stand between him and the God whom he
has offended—he has not a particle of true faith in him. While he is saying,
What can I DO, he is turning away from the gospel testimony. Here we
must recur to what has been already said—that faith is objective in its
nature. It turns its eye outward, not inward. Its consideration is not what
it can draw out of the soul—but what it can draw into it. When Noah
was called to be saved from the waters of the deluge, he was to look away
from his own resources; when the manslayer fled from the avenger of
blood, he was called to look away from his own means of defense; when the
serpent-bitten Israelites were saved from the venom of the poisonous
serpents, they were called to look away from their own skill in the art of
healing; when the cripple that lay at the beautiful gate of the
temple asked alms of Peter and John, he was called to look away from his own
misery and destitution. Precisely thus it is with the sinner seeking
justification, he must look away from himself; and it is the especial
business of faith, to lead him away from himself.
If justification were by works, he must be intent upon
himself—look into his soul—calculate his resources—measure his ability. This
is the course of multitudes—until they come to have a clearer view of God's
way of saving them. Their whole attention is concentrated on themselves,
they think of nothing but themselves. But when taught by the Spirit of God,
all is changed, they now see and feel that they are nothing, and can do
nothing for their own justification. They find they are in debt by millions,
and have nothing to pay; that they are condemned by the law, and have no
means of averting the sentence; that they are hungry and have no bread; sick
and no medicine. This is a glorious achievement of faith, to reveal to the
sinner his utter poverty and helplessness—to strip him of all his proud
self-sufficiency and independence—to bring him to a deep sense of his
helplessness and hopelessness.
But let it be still remembered, he is not even when
brought thus far, arrived at the point of safety. He may believe all this,
and perish after all. This is faith—but of a vague, general, incomplete
nature; and if it stops here, it would not constitute a real reception of
the gospel.
3. Faith confides fully and unhesitatingly in Christ.
It not only sees there is no righteousness any where else—but it sees there
is righteousness alone in Christ. Faith not only leads a man to look
away from self—but to look to Christ. Noah not only looked away from his own
resources—but he looked to, entered into, the ark with confidence, for he
believed God's word. The manslayer not only looked away from his own
strength—but looked to the city of refuge, and fled to it with confidence of
safety. The serpent-bitten Israelites not only looked away from their own
skill in the art of healing—but looked to the brazen serpent with
confidence. The cripple not only looked away from himself—but gave heed to
Peter and John, expecting with confidence to receive alms. In all these
cases, there was confidence, reliance, expectation—in short, a true, firm
belief of the reality and sufficiency of the promised relief. Not only a
sense of need and of utter helplessness and hopelessness in themselves—but
an assured, hopeful, peace-giving dependence upon the provision of God's
mercy in Jesus Christ.
So it is with him who really credits the gospel—he looks
away from self, and concentrates all his attention upon Christ. There is in
his mind such a belief of the Divine testimony concerning him, as leads him
by an act of the will, to commit his soul with perfect confidence into the
hands of Christ! Such a confidence not only renounces the sinner's own
righteousness—but receives and depends upon Christ's! It not only says– "I
cannot be accepted for my own works," but– "I can be accepted
in the beloved." In turning away from self, and rejecting all
self-righteousness—it does not stand in blank desolation, in ignorant
solicitude, in hopeless despondency—looking here and there in vain for a
tower of help. But it sees direct before its eye the cross of Christ rising
up in all its grandeur and glory, as the sole means of reconciliation with
God! It hears the voice of love and mercy issuing from it– "Look unto me and
be saved!" It feels hope, springing up within the bosom, of acceptance with
God, and exultingly exclaims– "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of
all acceptance—that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners!" "He
is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him." "I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded he is able to keep that which I
now commit to him." This—this is faith—justifying faith—saving faith;
committing the soul to Christ—confidence in Christ.
Thus the soul goes outside of itself—into Christ. It is
thus united to him; and in virtue of that blessed union, obtains an interest
in all that is in him, for the salvation of his people. Now, the merit of
Christ's obedience unto death, passes over to the account and benefit of the
person who is thus brought into vital union with him. Now, the member
receives all the vital influence of the Divine Head to which it is joined.
Now, the branch derives the life of the true vine into which it is
grafted. Now, the stone receives the support of the sure foundation
on which it rests.
These are your doings, heaven-bestowed faith! These are
your triumphs and your trophies—precious faith, wondrous gift of God! The
prison door has been broken open—the fetter has been struck off from the
condemned criminal—the sentence of death has been cancelled—the royal
clemency has been bestowed—and the pardoned man, redeemed by sovereign
grace, walks abroad, singing as he goes– "There is now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus! Therefore, since we have been justified
through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!"
We are now prepared to see the force, as well as the
meaning, of the apostle's language already quoted– "Therefore it is of
faith, that it might be by grace." Rom. 4:16, and also of the parallel
passage– "By grace you are saved through faith." Ephes. 2:8. GRACE
means free favor on God's part—as opposed to debt. What is owed in the way
of justice, cannot possibly be given in the way of grace.
Salvation is all of grace from beginning to end. It is
grace viewed as a whole, and grace in all its details. Election is of
grace. Regeneration is of grace. Sanctification is of grace.
Preservation is of grace. Justification is of grace. So says
the apostle– "That being justified freely by his grace, we should be made
heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:7. How clearly and
impressively does grace appear in this method of our pardon, and reception
into the favor of God—by the mere belief of Divine mercy—the mere act of
confiding ourselves into the hands of Christ. That one act of confidence
makes and marks the wondrous transition from a state of condemnation—to a
state of justification! No lengthened service carried on through a series of
years—no toilsome pilgrimages—no bodily macerations—no munificent
offerings—no ascetic performances—no lofty moralities—no rigid
self-denials—in which the mind may boast, and say– "See what I have
done to merit the favor of God!"
No! Nothing of the sort– "ONLY BELIEVE" is the language
of Christ. Can there be anything less meritorious—anything which more
clearly demonstrates that it is all of grace, than this unmeritorious
condition of our acceptance with God? And yet, can anything more honor God?
What confidence in his truthfulness, mercy, and love, does that act of
committal imply. To throw ourselves upon his promise, whatever may have been
the number and aggravation of our sins—even at the last hour—it may be after
a long life began and continued in crime, like that of the penitent thief
upon the cross—to believe that God's mercy can and will reach us there—to be
confident that—
"The guilt of twice ten thousand sins
One moment takes away!"
O what a triumphant confidence in the mercy of God, and
the efficacy of the Savior's blood! It exalts God as high—just as it lays
the sinner low!
But here we just stop to meet and remove an objection.
"How," say some– "can justification be of grace, if it is granted to us for
the sake of an atonement? Does not the idea of a satisfaction to God's
justice, destroy the idea of free favor?" Not at all. If the atonement were
made by the offender himself enduring the full penalty of the law,
his deliverance would be a matter of right, and there would be no grace in
it. Or if the sufferings of another could avail for the offender, and he
himself were to provide the substitute, and it were a substitute which the
injured party were under any obligation to receive, and could not honorably
or equitably refuse—his deliverance in that case also might be matter of
right, and there might be no grace in it. Or, if God were by any
consideration of justice obliged to provide a substitute, and to send
his Son to die as an atonement for us, grace would be excluded.
But when the whole scheme was a matter of pure Divine
benevolence—when God might have punished the sinner in his own proper
person, and not have allowed of substitution at all—when he freely gave Him
up to die upon the cross for us—and when this was in no sense designed to
render him appeased—but only to harmonize his mercy with his justice, grace
is as rich, as full, as free, as if no atonement had been necessary. No,
grace shines out, a thousand times brighter through the medium of the cross,
than it would have done without it. How rich, how wonderful that mercy,
which, when there seemed no way for its consistent manifestation except by
the death of Christ– "Spared him not—but freely gave him up for us all." The
cross of Jesus, while it is the meridian glory of Divine justice, is
no less the noon-tide splendor of Divine mercy also.
The view we have taken of justification enables us to
correct some errors which have been entertained upon the subject. We see the
preposterous absurdity of the antinomian notion of eternal
justification. A believer, they say, is justified from all eternity, because
he is elected to this state. On this principle he was created from
all eternity. This is such an utter confusion of God's purposes and his
acts, that it is a wonder such an offspring of human folly should ever have
existed. If we are justified by faith, how can we have been justified
before it?
Equally erroneous are they who would in any sense hold
the 'merit of human actions' in the sight of God, as is the case with the
Roman Catholic Church. The following are the decrees of the Council of
Trent, the last General Council of the Roman Catholic Church, and therefore
the perpetual law of that apostate religion– "If anyone shall say that men
are justified either by the imputation of Christ's righteousness alone, or
only by the remission of sins, to the exclusion of grace and charity, which
is poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit, and which is inherent in
them; or that the grace by which we are justified is the favor of God
alone—let him be accursed!"
"If anyone shall say that the good works of a justified
man, are in such sense, the gift of God, that they are not also his worthy
merits; or, that he being justified by his good works, which are wrought by
him through the grace of God, and the merit of Jesus Christ, of whom he is a
living member, does not really DESERVE increase of grace, eternal life, the
enjoyment of that eternal life, if he dies in a state of grace; and even an
increase of glory—let him be accursed!"
Such, and so awful and daring, is the contradiction of
that dreadful religion—to the plain letter and pervading spirit of the Word
of God. This is the corner-stone in the foundation of that huge fabric of
falsehood and error!
Perhaps it will be thought by some that the language of
the apostle James, in which he seems to contradict Paul, sustains the
doctrine of the church of Rome. In reply to this we say, if both were
inspired, there can be no real contradiction between them. There must be a
medium to be found somewhere. True it is that Paul says– "A man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law;" and equally true that James says–
"That by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." It will be
noticed at once by any reflecting mind that the two apostles have two
different classes of people in view. One of them—the class to whom Paul
addresses himself, consisted of the Judaising zealots who perverted
the gospel by insisting upon the works of the law as the ground of
justification. The other class—to whom James addressed himself,
consisted of those who abused the doctrine of justification by faith
alone, to sanction the neglect of duty and the performance of good works.
And moreover, as the two writers deal with two classes of people, so they
discuss two subjects—Paul is speaking of the justification of a sinner—James
the justification of a Christian. Paul uses the word justification in
its own generally accepted meaning of receiving the sinner into a state of
favor and acceptance with God—James uses it in application to the Christian
in the sense of his being approved as a believer. Paul shows how a man
becomes justified—James shows the necessity of works to prove the
reality of his faith, or to demonstrate that a man is a believer. So that
there is no contradiction—but the most entire harmony between them; and
neither Paul nor James affords any countenance to the fundamental and
destructive error of the Church of Rome—that the pardon of a sinner is by
the works of the law.
But the view given of justification by faith reveals also
the Puseyite error of baptismal justification. This, as we
have already hinted, is a commonly received opinion among the Tractarian
party, that the grace communicated by priestly hands in baptism, conveys
remission of sins—as well as regeneration. Yet is it somewhat difficult to
conceive how sins can be remitted before they are committed, if we except
original sin. I submit with deference whether baptismal justification is not
necessarily implied in the sponsorial service of the Church of England, as
performed in the baptism of infants. In that service the sponsor personates
the child, and believes for, or in the name of, the infant. The child
believes thus by proxy; in other words, he exercises faith through his
representative. Now the Word of God assures us that faith and justification
are ever united; consequently the infant is in all cases justified as well
as regenerated in baptism. The priest obtains and confers regeneration,
while the sponsor obtains and confers justification. At least, this is how
it strikes me.
How have men by their traditions made void God's
ordinances. In what clouds and darkness have they veiled his glorious
doctrine of justification by faith. How have human systems been thrust
between the sinner and the cross, and the eye which should see nothing but
the latter, has been made to rest upon the former; and the poor benighted
soul is left on the way to eternity to stumble over the errors which have
been cast in his path by those who should be his guide to everlasting life.
How much does this great fundamental Protestant Christian
doctrine deserve our attention. This was the means by which apostles
converted the world in the beginning of the Christian era. It was the
perversion of this truth which called forth that terrible anathema of the
apostle– "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we
said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you
than that you have received, let him be accursed." Gal. 1:8, 9. Why these
thunder claps of holy indignation—why these lightning flashes of excited
zeal—but to terrify and blast, and strike dead the man who would pervert the
doctrine of justification, which Paul thus identifies with the gospel of
Christ.
The apostle while he sets open the gate to anyone who
would come to the tree of life with simple faith, places this cherub with a
flaming sword to repel the daring intruder who would approach to cut it down
and plant the 'poisonous tree of error' in its place. This was the doctrine
with which Luther, more than by any other means, effected the Reformation of
the sixteenth century. This was the doctrine so dear to our Puritan and
Nonconformist forefathers; a doctrine which I fear some among us begin to
think belonged rather to a Puritan age, than it does to our own. In the
religious sentimentalism—in the superstitious formalism—in the subjective
mysticism—in the speculative theology—in the demand for, and homage to,
talent and genius, which characterize our age, there is a danger of this
glorious truth being lost sight of. Protestants, in some instances, are
growing tired or ashamed of their Protestantism. The descendants of the
Puritans are casting aside their Puritanism; not merely its uncouth
phraseology, its scholasticism, its bad taste, and its formal creeds—but its
substantial doctrines, its vital piety, and its earnest devotion. The next
step in this declension is for Christians to outgrow their Christianity.
We have a modern subjectivity rising up which, as we have
already remarked, aims to substitute an intuitional consciousness for simple
faith, and to give us an inward light, in place of the objective glory of
the Sun of Righteousness. Men are casting off the old nomenclature of the
Bible, and with the terminology, will soon give up the theology which it
expresses. We are not advocates for much that is antiquated in the divines
of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. But still how much of sound
theology, of apostolic doctrine, of Scriptural truth, is found under that
old-fashioned dress. The noble thoughts and lofty views of such men as
Luther and Melancthon, Calvin and Knox, Cartwright and Ainsworth, Howe and
Owen—are not to be set aside as worthless and childish—men who studied the
Bible in circumstances which, if not so favorable as our own for critical
exegesis, were eminently conducive to their obtaining large and
comprehensive views, deep experience, and earnest life—men to whom it was
likely the secret of the Lord, the mind of the Spirit—would be largely
imparted. Let us then hold fast the substantial truths which those men held,
not indeed because they held them—but because they are the true sayings of
God.
There are not only certain doctrines we cannot part
with—but certain terms in which they are expressed, which we must ever
retain; and among these is that grand and glorious word, or rather phrase,
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. O, may there be none among us, to whom, in these
modern days, this great Protestant truth when sounded forth from the pulpit
begins to savor of an antiquated Puritanism, and who would think that they
were retracing their steps to the age of the Covenanters, if found reading
or writing a treatise on this momentous topic.
How can the sinner now live—how can the believer now
walk, except by faith? The holiness, justice, and mercy of God; the
authority of the Divine law; the nature of sin; the mediation of Christ;
justification; sanctification– remain upon the pages of revelation like the
sun, and the moon, and the stars upon the skies of heaven; and the
mountains, and the rivers, and the seas, and the valleys upon the earth—the
same through all the changes of society, and all the revolutions of time.
The piety of that age will depart, in which justification by faith and
sanctification by the Spirit, cease to be the life of men's souls. These are
the bread of life, and like the bread of our bodies, though it may be a
little improved in the preparation, more separated from the chaff and more
finely kneaded, yet must it be the same wheat, however the grinding and
winnowing of it may be altered for the better.
How fully, how satisfactorily, and how delightfully does
this subject answer the great question, which in all ages has perplexed the
troubled conscience, agitated the anxious heart, and baffled the ignorant
judgments, of the human race– "How shall man be just with God?" To
find an answer to this question all sorts of devices have been invented.
Even the heathen have had dim notions of guilt, which have struck their
scorpion-stings into their bosoms, for they knew that– "They did things
worthy of death." Mysterious presentiments of judgment to come, equally
intolerable, inscrutable, and unmitigable, have harrowed up their soul, and
forced upon them the solemn inquiry– "What can we bring to the Lord to make
up for what we've done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling
calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of
rivers of olive oil? Would that please the Lord? Should we sacrifice our
firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls?" Micah 6:6-8. And they
have answered the question according to the suggestion of their own fears;
and hence the long train of bloody rites, penances, and sacrifices, which
superstition has invented, and the idolatrous nations have practised—but
without any other effect, than to make them still more guilty and more
miserable.
But no sooner do we open the Scriptures of truth, and
consult the oracle of God, than all this ignorance is removed from our
mind—the yearnings of our heart are satisfied—the perturbations of our
conscience are calmed—and we are restored to peace and hope by that wondrous
language– "We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through
faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his
forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it
to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one
who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26. There the
great and solemn problem is solved—solved in a way that dissipates every
fear, and sets the anxious heart at rest. There God appears as just to
himself, as he is merciful to us—while he forgives all our sins, receives us
to his favor, and treats us as righteous. O, the depth of the riches, both
of the wisdom and knowledge of God, in that wondrous scheme, of which the
cross is the center and the symbol. Man, though a sinner, just with God; yet
at the same time, the law magnified—moral government upheld in all its
perfection—and God's attributes of truth, holiness, and justice, no less
conspicuously manifested, nor less brightly glorified, than his mercy.
How happy is, or might be, the justified man. What
melody, passing all the power of music, whether of earth or heaven, is there
in those words already quoted– "Being justified by faith, we have peace with
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Peace with God now; the glory of God hereafter; and the present rejoicing of
hope in prospect of the wondrous, ineffable, inconceivable, future! Such
privileges are too deep to sound with mortal lines—too dark, through
excessive brightness, to view with feeble sense. It not only does not yet
appear what we shall be—but what we are. We can as little
comprehend all the present, as we can know all the future. What language can
help us to draw out all the privileges contained in that one word–
JUSTIFICATION; that one phrase– AN HEIR OF GOD; that one blessing– PEACE
WITH GOD?
O you that read these pages—are you justified? Have you
good reason to believe that this is your state? Then rejoice—what could
worlds of wealth do for you in the way of making you richer or happier than
you are? How little—how base—how insignificant—how valueless—do all the
objects of human ambition or avarice appear, when put beside these spiritual
blessings in heavenly things and places in Christ Jesus. And what are all
your sorrows, your cares, and your losses—when viewed in the light of this
happy condition? Tell me of your poverty and many privations—I will reply,
"Yes, but then, think of your justification!" Tell me of your disappointed
hopes and blasted schemes– "Yes, but think of your justification!" Tell me
of your change of circumstances and the painful contrast of the present with
the past, and all that you once expected for the future– "Yes, but think of
your justification!" Tell me of your friends departed, and your now lonely
and desolate condition, "Yes, but think of your justification!"
Thus to every tale of want or woe, where that tale comes
from the lips of a believer in Christ—I will bring up that one sweet,
soothing melody for the troubled spirit– justification by faith! Cast
whatever we may into the scale of our afflictions—it is but the small dust
of the balance, when set over against this one eternal weight of blessedness
that fills the other scale. He who is really pardoned, received to God's
favor, delivered from the wrath to come, and entitled to eternal life,
should be ashamed to imagine that there is or can be a tear in the eye,
which this blessing cannot wipe away—or a pang in the heart, which it cannot
assuage. A pardoned criminal—a man just delivered from the prison and the
gallows, and raised to the hope of some future glory and honor which are but
just before him, may not be supposed to think much of a few present
privations and inconveniences– everything is mercy to him. Such, believer,
is your condition; and in addition to this, you are going on from the
peace of God now—to the glory of God hereafter! This is your song now
in your weary pilgrimage– "Grace, grace!" At every step renew that sweet
melody! Soon, even that blessed song will be dropped, for one more blessed
still, and you will go through eternity, singing– "Glory, glory!"
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