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SECT. VI.

How the believer recovers peace of conscience.

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E have now feen in what way the believer is reconciled to God, and delivered from condemnation. It will not be improper however alfo to confider how he recovers peace of confcience, and how his heart and life are governed in his after walk. This will ferve more fully to illuftrate the influence and operation of the truths of the gospel. There is even a neceflity for doing fo on two different accounts: I. That, as has been fhewn above at confiderable length, every true penitent is deeply and inwardly fenfible of the evil of fin in itself. He is not merely afraid of wrath, but fees the impurity and pollution of his own heart. Suppofing therefore, will the intelligent reader fay, this great diftinction thoroughly established, his relief is but half accomplished. There may be no more condemnation for him in the law of God, for the breach of which fatisfaction has been made and accepted; but he is only fo much the more liable to the condemnation of his own confcience. He muft ftill fuffer the reproaches and challenges of his own mind, which make fo great a part of the mifery of a guilty ftate.

This receives additional ftrength, from a fecond confideration, that as he is juftified by faith, he hath peace only through the blood of Chrift, This is not from himfelf, and may be thought to leave him, so to speak, in point of state and character, in point of pollution and defilement, juft as before; nay, the extraordinary, unfolicited, undeferved grace of God, may be thought to increafe his felfcondemnation, and fet the malignity of his rebellion in the strongest light. And indeed fo far this is true, that the free grace of God was intended, and does ferve to produce a growing humiliation of mind and felf-abafement, as well as an admiration of the love of God in Chrift Jefus. As the tendernefs of a parent is an image which God hath very frequently made ufe of, to fhadow forth his own infinite compaflion, I will borrow from it an illuftration of the two remarks juft now made. Suppofe any child has of

fended a parent by a grofs inftance of undutiful behavior, for which he hath been feverely reproved, and for fome time kept at a diftance: if the parent forgives him, and receives him again into his favor, does not his being thus freed from the fear of fuffering, leave full room for his concern at the offence? And does not a fenfe of his father's love melt his heart more for having grieved fuch a parent, than any terror upon his mind for the punishment of the crime? He is immediately covered with confufion; and if there be in him any spark of ingenuity, he is no fooner forgiven of his father, than the tide of his affections returns back with full force, and he can hardly forgive himself.

But notwithstanding this, as Chrift by his fufferings and death delivered us from the wrath to come, fo by the fhedding of his precious blood, the heart is alfo, as the fcripture expreffes it, fprinkled from an evil confcience. On this important fubject, which leads us to the great principles of the fpiritual life, the following particulars are recommended to the ferious attention of the reader.

1. Through Jefus Chrift, and the whole of his undertaking as Mediator of the new covenant, the glory and honor of God is moft admirably promoted, and a perfect reparation made to his holy law which had been broken. This must needs be highly pleafing to every convinced finner. As the juftice of God is thereby fatisfied, fo confcience, which is God's vicegerent, and as it were pleads his caufe, is fatisfied by the fame means. The ground of a finner's diffatisfaction with himfelf, is the dishonor done to God. Muft it not therefore please and fatisfy him to fee this difhonor fo perfectly removed, and fo much of the divine glory fhining in the work of redemption. All the divine perfections appear there with diftinguifhed luftre; and muft not this be highly refreshing to the pardoned criminal? The very holinefs and juftice of God, which before were terrible to him, are now amiable. He alfo contemplates and adores the divine wisdom, as it is to be feen in the crofs of Chrift. We are told, that even the celeftial hofts have new difcoveries of the wifdom of God in this great defign of providence, "To the intent that now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places,

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"might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of "God."* How much more must the interested believer, with peculiar complacency, approve and adore it? But, above all, if that love and mercy which reigns through the whole is glorious to God, muft it not be delightful to the Chriftian? God is love; and his tender mercies are over all his other works; but creating and preferving goodness are fhaded and eclipfed by redeeming love. It is the theme of the praises of heaven, where Christ, as the object of worship, is represented as appearing "like a Lamb that "had been flain."

2. Believers have peace of confcience through Christ, as their redemption through his blood, ferves for their own humiliation and felf-abasement, for the manifestation of the evil of fin, and the vileness and unworthinefs of the finner. Nothing could be fo well contrived as the doctrine of the cross, in its purity and fimplicity, to ftain the pride of all human glory. We are particularly called to deny ourselves, and to derive our worth and ftrength from our Redeemer, in whom "it hath pleased the Father, that all "fulness should dwell," and from whofe fulness all his disciples muft "receive, and grace for grace." No hope of mercy but through him. "I am the way, and the truth, " and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by "me."t "Neither is there falvation in any other for "there is none other name under heaven given among "men, whereby we must be faved." No accefs to the throne of grace or acceptance in worship, but through him: "In whom we have accefs with boldnefs and confidence, "through the faith of him. And whatsoever ye do in "word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, "giving thanks to God and the Father by him."* No hope of ftability in duty, of usefulness, or holiness of converfation, but by the continued exercife of faith in him. "Abide in me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear "fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can

* Eph. iii. 10. † John xiv. 6.

• Col. iii. 17.

Acts iv. 12. || Eph. iii. 12

ye, except ye abide in me....I am the vine, ye are the "branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can "do nothing."*

Hard fayings and humbling doctrine indeed! But this is appeafing to the confcience; for as confcience condemns us as guilty and undeferving, this condemnation is ratified in every particular by the gofpel. Thefe very circumftances in this doctrine, which provoke the hatred, or inyite the contempt of worldly men, do but fo much the more endear it to the convinced foul; and he says from the heart, "It is highly juft and reasonable that God alone "fhould be exalted, and that he, through our Redeemer, "fhould have the whole praife of our recovery and falva"tion." Agreeably to this it will be found, that the apoftles, in celebrating the grace of God, feldom omit an exprefs condemnation of themfelves, and a renunciation of all merit of their own, which indeed in every paffage on this fubject is manifeftly implied: "For by grace ye are "faved, through faith; and that not of yourfelves, it is "the gift of God: not of works, left any man fhould boast: ❝for we are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto "good works, which God hath before ordained that we "fhould walk in them.† Whereof I was made a mini❝fter, according to the gift of the grace of God given un"to me, by the effectual working of his power. Unto "me, who am lefs than the leaft of all faints, is this "grace given, that I fhould preach among the Gentiles the “unfearchable riches of Chrift.",

3. Believers have peace from the challenges of an evil confcience, through Chrift, as they have an absolute affurance of being delivered from the power of fin, and effectually enabled to glorify him with their fouls and with their bodies, which are his. This must be the most earnest defire of every convinced finner. He breathes after deliverance from the bondage of fin: the more he hath felt the weight of his chains, the more he longs to be free. This is infeparable from genuine convictions, on the principles Eph. iii. 7, 8.

* John xv. 4, 5• † Eph. ii. 8, 9, 10. VOL. I.

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above laid down. How much muft it contribute to compose the confcience, to know that this defire fhall certainly be accomplished? However much caufe he may have to condemn himself for his past provocations, or to dread the weakness of his own refolutions of future amendment, he knows and trufts in the power of his Redeemer. He knows that henceforth he fhall not ferve fin, that its dominion fhall be gradually broken through life, and entirely deftroyed at death. As the end of Chrift's coming was to glorify his heavenly Father, he knows that the glory of God cannot be promoted by leaving the finner under the bondage of corruption, and therefore that he fhall be purified, and made meet to be a " partaker of the inheritance "of the faints in light."

If we look with care and attention into the New Teftament, we fhall perceive that there is a clofe and mutual connection between our juftification and fanctification, and that both are reprefented as the fruit of our Redeemer's purchase: "There is therefore now no condemnation to "thofe that are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the "flesh but after the Spirit: for the law of the Spirit of life "in Chrift Jefus, hath made me free from the law of fin "and death: for what the law could not do, in that it was "weak through the flefl, God fending his own Son in "the likeness of finful flefh, and for fin condemned fin in "the flefh."* All the bleffings of falvation are reprefented as following one another in a continued chain or feries, not one link of which can poffibly be broken: "For whom "he did foreknow, he alfo did predeftinate to be con"formed to the image of his Son, that he might be the "first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he "did predeftinate, them he alfo called; and whom he call"ed, them he alfo juftified; and whom he juftified, them "he alfo glorified." There is a cleanfing and purifying virtue in the blood of Chrift, as well as an infinite value in the way of purchase and atonement: "For if the blood "of bulls, and of goats, and the afhes of an heifer fprinkling the unclean, fanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; † Rom. viii. 29, 30.

* Rom. viii. 1, 2, 3′′

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