to distinguish the use of it; for in the natural and proper sense, it plainly implies making men just, that were unjust; godly, that were ungodly; upright that were depraved; as the apostle expresseth himself, 1 Cor. vi. 11. "And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." In the other use of the word, which some call a lawsense, it refers to Christ, as a sacrifice and propitiation for sin, as in Rom. v. 9. "Much more then being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him: and 1 John,ii.1, 2. If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Which, though a great truth, and most firmly believed by us, yet no man can be entitled to the benefit thereof, but as they come to believe and repent of the evil of their ways; and then it may be truly said, that God justifieth even the ungodly, and looks upon them, through Christ, as if they had never sinned; because their sins are forgiven them for his beloved son's sake. Not that God looks on people to be in Christ that are not in Christ; that is, that are not in the faith, obedience, and self-denial of Christ; nor sanctified, nor led by his spirit, but rebel against it; and instead of dying to sin, through a true and unfeigned repentance, live and indulge themselves daily in it; for they that are in Christ, become new creatures; old things are passed: away, and all things with them become new. Wherefore we say, that whatever Christ then did, both living and dying, was of great benefit to the salvation of all that have believed, and now do, and that hereafter shall believe in hin unto justification and acceptance with God: but the way to come to that faith is, to receive and obey the manifestation of his divine light and grace in their consciences, which leads men to believe and value, and not to disown or undervalue Christ, as the common Sacrifice and Mediator. For we do affirm, that to follow this holy light in the conscience, and to turn our minds, and bring all our deeds and thoughts to it, is the readiest, nay the only right way to have true living and sanctifying faith in Christ, as he appeared in the flesh, and to discern the Lord's body, coming, and sufferings aright, and to receive any real benefit by him, as their only sacrifice and mediator: according to the beloved disciple's emphatical passages,-If we walk in the light, as [God] is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. And because this people say, that Christ's outward coming and sufferings profit not to their salvation, that live in sin, and rebel against this Divine light, some have untruly and uncharitably concluded, that they deny the virtue and benefit of Christ's coming and sufferings in the flesh, as a sacrifice for sin. Whereas we only deny and oppose a false and dangerous application of them. in and to a disobedient state. For we believe Christ came not to save men in their sins, but from their sins; and that those that open the door of their hearts at his inward and spiritual knocks, (to wit, the reproofs and convictions. of his light and grace,) have their consciences sprinkled with his blood (that is, discharged. from the guilt of them) from dead works to serve * John, iii. 20, 21. 1 John, i. 5, 6, 7. † 1 John, i, 7. the living God: and that so far only as mem come by faith, repentance, and amendment to be Christ's, Christ is theirs; and as he has an interest in their hearts, they have an interest in his love and salvation; that is, so far as they are obedient to his grace, and take up his cross, and follow him in the ways of meekness, holiness, and self-denial, so far they have an interest in Christ, and no further. And here there is no condemnation indeed to them that are in Christ Jesus, because such walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For we have seen a shoal or sand here, that we fear many thousands have split upon, which we desire to avoid, and are earnest that others may beware of it also, viz. that because Christ died a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, by which he put mankind into a capacity of salvation, and has given every one a talent of grace to work it out by; they presume upon the sacrifice, and sin on, without a thorough repentance, reformation, and conversion to God, not dying with Christ to the world, but living in it, according to the lusts and spirit of it. Such as these may be assured, that where Christ is gone they shall never come; for, says the blessed apostle, God sent his Son to bless us, by turning every one of us from the evil of our way. So that the contrite, humble, meek, and self-denying people, are those that have the true and full benefit of Christ's coming, suffering, and mediation, and of all those holy ends for which God his Father anointed and gave him to the world, viz. to be the way, truth, and life; light, leader, and saviour; to be a king, priest, prophet, sacrifice, sanctifier, and mediator. Being sensibly felt of all such to reign over their hearts, teach them God's royal law, give them saving knowledge, and to mediate, atone for, sanctify, and justify them in the sight of God his Father for ever. By all which it is evident to any moderate inquirer that we acknowledge Christ in his double appearance; as in the flesh, of the seed of Abraham, so in the Spirit, as he is God over all, blessed for ever. Wherein is a full confession to him both as a blessed person, and as a divine principle of light and life in the soul; the want of which necessary and evident distinction, occasions our adversaries' frequent mistakes about our belief and application of the Scriptures of truth concerning Christ, in that two-fold capacity. For it is not another than that eternal Word, light, power, wisdom, and righteousness, which then took flesh, and appeared in that holy body, by whom they have received, or can receive any true spiritual benefit. They holding, light is only from him, forgiveness only through him, and sanctification only by him. So that their ascribing salvation from sin and death eternal to him in this age, who now appears by his holy Spirit to their souls, as before expressed, cannot render him no Saviour in that age, or make void the end and benefit of his blessed appearance then in the flesh on earth, or his mediation now in glory, for those that believe in him in this age. Whose doctrine pierced, whose life preached, whose miracles astonished, whose blood atoned, and whose death, resurrection, and ascension confirmed that blessed manifestation to be no less than that of the Word God, (the life and light of men,) manifested in the flesh, according to the apostle Paul, for the salvation of the world:* and therefore properly and truly was the Son of Man on earth, and is now as truly the Son of * John, i. 4--9, 1 Tim. iii, 16. Man in glory, as the head of our manhood, which shall also be glorified, if we now receive him into our hearts, as the true light, that leads in the way of life eternal, and continue in well-doing to the end. Of Good Works. Perversion. Thus it is the Quakers set up works, and meriting by works, like the Papists; whereby justification by faith in Christ is laid aside. Principle. By no means: But they say, with the apostle James, ch. ii. that true faith in Christ cannot be without works, any more than a body can live without a spirit; and that where there is life, there is motion, and where there is no divine life and motion, there can be no true faith; believing being a fruit of divine life. Nay, by the comparison, if they were separable, works being compared to the spirit, they would have the better. The very believing is an act of the mind, concurring with God's working in or upon the mind, and therefore a godly work. And no sooner is true faith begotten in a soul, but it falls to working; which is both the nature, and in some respect, the end of it. Nor yet do we say, that our very best works, proceeding from the true faith itself, can merit; no, nor faith joined with them, because eternal life is the gift of God. All that man is capable of believing or performing, can never properly be said to merit everlasting blessedness, because there can be no proportion (as there must be in case of merit) between the best works that can be performed in the life of man, and an eternal felicity. Wherefore all that man can do, even with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, can never |