Section 8.

SECTION 8.

Showing what is God’s work, and what is our own; how Christ saves us, and how we work out our own salvation.

FIRST SCALE.

Containing the weights of FREE GRACE.

The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live, John 5:25.

I am come, that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly, John 10:10.

You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2:1.

You being dead in your sins, &c, hath he quickened together With him, Colossians 2:13.

Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, John 3:3.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, &c, so is every one that is born of the Spirit, John 3:8.

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but, &c, by f8 the word of God; and this is the word, which by the Gospel is preached unto you, 1 Peter 1:23, 25. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, James 1:18.

Christ our passover is sacrificed for us, 1 Corinthians 6:7.

The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin, 1 John 1:7.

By one offering he hath perfected for ever [in atoning merits] them SECOND SCALE.

Containing the weights of FREE WILL.

Awake, thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light, Ephesians 5:14.

Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, &c, ye have no LIFE in you, John 6:53.

Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life, John 5:40.

Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead, &c. Strengthen the things that remain, and are ready to die, Revelation 3:1, 2.

Every one that loveth — every one that does righteousness, is born of God, 1 John 4:7; 2:29.

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you. For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble, 1 Peter 5:6, 5.

Wherefore, &c, lay apart all filthiness, &c, and receive, f8 &c, the ingrafted word, James 1:19, 21. Whosoever believeth, &c, is born of God [according to his dispensation,] 1 John 5:1. As many as received him, to them [of his own gracious will] gave he power to be. come the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, John 1:12. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Faith cometh by hearing [which is our work,] Galatians 3:26; Romans 10:17. They [the Bereans] received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so; therefore many of them believed: [i.e. received,” the ingrafted word,” that are sanctified, Hebrews 10:14.

He by himself purged our sins. Of the people there was none with him, Hebrews 1:3; Isaiah 63:3. [Here the incommunicable glory of making a proper atonement for sin is secured to our Lord.]

He put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Hebrews 9:26.

Ye are sanctified, &c, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, 1 Corinthians 6:11.

Surely one shall say, In [or through] the Lord have I righteousness and strength, Isaiah 45:24.

I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only, &c. My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness, and thy salvation all the day, Psalm 71:15, 16.

My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, Isaiah 51:5.

I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off; and my salvation shall not tarry, Isaiah 46:13.

God sent his Son Jesus to bless you, in turning, &c, you from your iniquities, Acts 3:26.

Him [Christ] hath God exalted to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins, Acts 5:31.

Be it known unto you, that through this man [Christ] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, Acts 31:38.

Not by works of righteousness and by that means were “born again” according to the Christian dispensation;] Acts 17:11, 12.

Purge out the old leaven [of wickedness] that ye may be a new lump. (Ibid.)

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded, James 4:8.

Let us go on unto perfection. This one thing I do, &c. I press toward the mark, Hebrews 6:1; Philippians 3:13.

Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

[The word in vain refers only to a temptation of David when he “saw the prosperity of the wicked,”] 1 Peter 1:22; Psalm 73:13.

Put away the evil of your doing from before mine eyes, Isaiah 1:16.

If a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, 2 Timothy 2:21.

In every nation he that worketh righteousness is accepted of Him, Acts 10:35.

Then [when thou dealest thy bread to the hungry, bringest the poor to thy house, &c,] then shall thy righteousness go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward, Isaiah 58:8.

Whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, 1 John 3:10.

The Lord rewarded me [David] according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands, 2 Samuel 22:21.

I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments, Psalm 119:59, 60.

Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, Acts 3:19.

which we have done; but of his mercy he saved us, Titus 3:5.

And this is the name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness, Jeremiah 23:6.

Them that have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Peter 1:1.

CHRIST is made unto us of God, &c, righteousness, 1 Corinthians 1:30.

Even for mine own sake will I do it, Isaiah 48:11.

No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost — the Spirit of faith, 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:13.

I will put my Spirit within you, Ezekiel 36:27. I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, Acts 2:17.

Hear me, O Lord, that this people may know, &c, that thou hast turned their heart back again, 1 Kings 18:37.

A new heart will I give you, &c. I will take away the stony heart, &c, and I will give you a heart of flesh, Ezekiel 36:26.

The preparation of the heart in man is from the Lord. Thou wilt prepare their heart, [the heart of the humble,] Proverbs 16:1; Psalm 10:17.

The Lord will give grace and glory, Psalm 84:11.

Exceeding great and precious promises are given us; that by these you might be partakers of the Divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4.

Arise: why tarriest thou? Wash away thy sins; calling upon the name of the Lord, Acts 22:16.

Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 5:20.

He that does righteousness is righteous, even as he [Christ] is righteous, 1 John 3:7.

Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it [the place about to be destroyed] they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, Ezekiel 14:14.

The righteousness of the RIGHTEOUS shall be upon him, Ezekiel 18:20.

I will for this be inquired of, &c, to do it for them, Ezekiel 36:37.

Your heavenly Father will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him — to them that obey him, Luke 11:13; Acts 10:32.

Repent and be baptized, &c, [or stand to your baptismal vow,] and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, Acts 2:38.

Take with you words, and turn to the Lord.

Turn ye even to me with all your heart, Hosea 14:2; Joel 2:12.

Harden not your heart: rend your heart:

make you a new heart, for why will ye die?

Psalm 95:8; Joel 2:13; Ezekiel 18:31.

Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee, in that, &c, thou hast prepared thine heart to seek God, 2 Chronicles 19:3.

No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Ib.)

Having therefore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, 2 Corinthians 7:1.

The Lamb’s wife hath made herself ready.

Be ye also ready, Revelation 19:7; Matthew 24:44.

Come, for all things are now ready, Luke 14:17.

The Lord will wait to be gracious, Isaiah 30:18.

Be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, Isaiah 41.

10.

Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, lsa. 41:10.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you, Ezekiel 36:25.

I the Lord do keep it [the spiritual vineyard] lest any hurt it. I will keep it night and day, Isaiah 27:3.

I will give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes, Ezekiel 11:20.

David my servant shall be king over them; and, &c, they shall walk in my judgments, Ezekiel 37:24.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto the good works which God [by his word of command, by providential occurrences, and by secret intimations of his will, wrohtoimase] hath before prepared, that we should walk in them, Ephesians 2:10.

God hath saved us, and called us with a holy CALLING; not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before the world began, 2 Timothy 1:9.

Wait on the Lord, &c: wait, I say, on the Lord, Psalm 27:14.

David encouraged himself in his God, 1 Samuel 30:6. They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, Isaiah 40:31.

Cursed is the man that maketh flesh his arm, Jeremiah 17:5. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee, Psalm 55:22.

Wash ye, make you clean, Isaiah 1:16. O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved, Jeremiah 4:14.

Keep thyself pure, 1 Timothy 5:22. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life, Proverbs 4:23.

What does the Lord require of thee but, &c, to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8. And Enoch f9 set himself to walk with God, Genesis 5:24.

He that saith he abideth in him, [God manifested in the flesh,] ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked, 1 John 2:6.

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy, Galatians 6:16. That they might set their hope in God, &c, and not be as their fathers, a stubborn generation, &c, that set not their heart aright, &c, and refused to walk in his law.

But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity, Psalm 78:7, 10; 26:11.

The grace of God; that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that we should live soberly, &c. Give diligence to make your CALLING sure. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?

Titus 2:11, 12; 2 Peter 1:10; Hebrews 2:3.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, Hosea 6:3.

They shall not find me, &c, for that they did I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord, Jeremiah 24:7.

I will put my fear in their hearts, Jeremiah 32:40.

The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, Deuteronomy 30:6.

I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, Jeremiah 31:33.

We love him, because he first loved us, 1 John 4:19.

By grace ye are SAVED, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8. It is of faith, that it might be by grace, Romans 4:16.

Not for thy righteousness, &c, dost thou go and possess their land, Deuteronomy 9:5.

Not of works, lest any man should boast, Ephesians 2:9.

Thou hast hid those things from the wise and prudent, [in their own eyes,] and revealed them unto babes, Luke 10:21.

not choose the fear of the Lord, Proverbs 1:29.

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, Deuteronomy 10:16.

Let every man be swift to hear, &c. Receive with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls, James 1:19, 21.

Thy word have I hid in my heart, Psalm 119:11.

The Father loveth you, because ye have believed, John 16:27.

Believe, &c, and thou shalt be SAVED, Acts 16:31. Receive not the grace of God in vain, 2 Corinthians 6:1. Looking diligently lest any man fail of [or be wanting to] the grace of God, Hebrews 12:15.

Inherit the kingdom, &c, for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat, &c, Matthew 25:34.

Charge them, &c, to do good, &c, that they may lay hold on eternal life, 1 Timothy 6:17, &c. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them?

Hosea 14:9. None of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand, Daniel 12:10.

If I am not mistaken, the balance of the preceding scriptures shows that Pharisaism and Antinomianism are equally unscriptural; the harmonious opposition of those passages evincing, (1.) That our free will is subordinately a worker with God’s free grace in every thing but a proper atonement for sin, and the first implanting of the light which enlightens every man that comes into the world: such an atonement having been fully completed by Christ’s blood, and such an implanting being entirely performed by his Spirit.

(2.) That Honestus is most dreadfully mistaken, when he makes next to nothing of free grace and her works.

(3.) That Zelotes obtrudes a most dangerous paradox upon the simple, when he preaches finished salvation in the Crispian sense of the word. And (4.) That St. Paul speaks as the oracles of God, when he says, “God worketh in you, &c, therefore work ye out your own salvation.”