Substance of the Gospel Truths

Substance of the Gospel Truths, for Which Mr. Boston Made His Noble Stand, in the Case of the Marrow of Modern Divinity

Thomas Boston, 1676–1732

1. IT is the duty of all that hear the gospel, upon the revelation of Christ therein, without looking for any previous qualification in themselves, instantly to believe in him for salvation, both from sin and wrath, that only by so doing, will persons be enabled in a gospel manner to forsake sin—that it is inconsistent with the method of gospel grace, and absolutely impossible, for a man to forsake his sins, in a way of gospel repentance, (which kind of forsaking only can please God), until the Spirit determine him to come to Christ as a Prince and Savior exalted to give repentance and remission of sins.

2. That though there is no universal atonement, yet in the word there is a warrant given to offer Christ to all mankind, whether elect or reprobate, and a warrant to all freely to receive him, however great sinners they are, or have been.

3. That in justifying faith, there is a real persuasion in the heart of the sinner, that Christ is his; and that he shall have life and salvation by him, and that whatever Christ did for the redemption of mankind, he did it for him in particular; which persuasion is founded (not upon the uptaking of one's real regeneration, as the reflex assurance is, but) upon the promise of Christ in the gospel, made to sinners of Adam's family as such; and so there is resting upon him alone, for the whole of salvation.

4. That the gospel strictly taken, is only a declaration and promise, containing glad tidings of a Savior, and all grace, mercy and salvation in him to sinners—that all precepts, particularly those enjoining faith and repentance, belong to the law—that as believers, holiness has no causual influence upon his everlasting happiness as a federal and conditional means thereof; but the perfect righteousness of Christ as a surety, is the believer's plea both with respect to law and justice, and that whether as to the purchase, or actual obtaining the possession of everlasting happiness.

5. That believers being heirs of Heaven, though they ought to be powerfully minded to obedience to the law as a rule, by a view of the excellency of their inheritance of God in Christ, by their having the begun possession of this inheritance, and by the sure hope of the perfect possession thereof, being secured by free grace, through the blood of Christ; yet they ought not be influenced to obedience, by hopes of obtaining the possession of that inheritance, by any good works done by them; and that though believers are to entertain a holy dread of the majesty of God, and his power to cast into Hell, and of the awfulness of his threatenings and judgments against sin and sinners, and to consider from these, the due desert of their sins; and though they ought to be influenced by the feeling or fear of afflictions in this life, temporal and spiritual, considered as the discipline of the covenant, sent by a kind Father on a kind design, to the study of habitual improvement of the blood and Spirit of Christ, for the mortifying of remaining corruption, and exercising gospel holiness; yet they ought not to be excited to obedience by any fear, that God shall for their sins actually cast them into Hell; but ought always to believe their full security against falling into the pit, in order to influence them to a more cheerful obedience.

6. That believers are, through Christ, altogether delivered from the law as a covenant of works; the asserting of which, does no way infer their being loosed from the law as a rule of life; and that though all unbelievers are under the law as a covenant of works, yet it does not follow that they are obliged to seek justification by their own righteousness; nay, all of them are obliged to seek justification by the blood of Christ alone, without the works of the law.

7. That there is a wide difference between the law as a rule of life, and as a covenant of works—that believers are not under the law as a covenant of works, but are under it, as it is the law of Christ, or a rule in the hand of a Mediator; that therefore a believer cannot sin against the law as a covenant of works, but only against it as a rule of life—that God cannot see sin in a believer, as committed against the law as a covenant, but only as committed against the law as a rule of life; that therefore God can have no vindictive or legal anger at them for their sins, but only a fatherly anger and displeasure; that therefore, believers ought not to mourn over, or confess their iniquities, in a legal manner, viewing them as committed by persons under the covenant of works; but ought to confess and mourn over them, as sins done against a reconciled father, and breaches of his law as a rule of life.

8. That the grace of the gospel is so far from loosing men from the obligation of the law as a rule of life, that it adds more weighty and powerful incitements to obedience, than any thing which the law itself can afford.