It is not probable that we shall have an end of contending in this Avorld, when men will not acquiesce in such plain determinations of controversies given by the Holy Ghost himself
The interpretation of this place, given as the meaning of the apostle, — that men cannot be justified by those works which they cannot per- form, that is, works absolutely perfect ; but may be so, and are so, by those which they can and do perform, if not in their own strength, yet by the aid of grace ; and that faith in Christ Jesus, which the apostle opposeth absolutely unto all works whatever, doth include in it all those works which he excludes, and that with respect unto that end or effect with respect whereunto they are excluded ; cannot well be supposed to be suitable unto the mind of the Holy Ghost.
Eph. iL 8-10. " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
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not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Unless it had seemed good unto the Holy Ghost to have expressed beforehand all the evasions and subterfuges which the wit of man in after ages could invent, to pervert the doctrine of our justification before God, and to have rejected them, it is impossible they could have been more plainly prevented than they are in this context. If we may take a little unprejudiced consideration of it, I suppose what is affirmed will be evident.
It cannot be denied but that the design of the apostle, from the beginning of this chapter unto the end of verse 11, is to declare the way whereby lost and condemned sinners come to be delivered, and translated out of that condition into an estate of acceptance tuith God, and eternal salvation thereon. And therefore, in the first place, he fully describeth their natural state, with their being obnoxious unto the wrath of God thereby; for such was the method of this apostle, — unto the declaration of the grace of God in any kind, he did usually, yea, constantly, premise the consideration of our sin, misery, and ruin. Others, now, like not this method so well. Howbeit this hinders not but that it was his. Unto this pui-pose he declares unto the Ephesians that they "were dead in trespasses and sins,'' — express- ing the power that sin had on their souls as unto spiritual life, and all the actions of it ; but withal, that they lived and walked in sin, and on all accounts were the " children of wrath," or subject and liable unto eternal condemnation, verses 1-3. What such persons can do towards their own deliverance, there are many terms found out to express, all passing my understanding, seeing the entire design of the apostle is to prove that they can do nothing at all. But another cause, or other causes of it, he finds out, and that in direct, express opposition unto any thing that may be done by ourselves unto that end: 'O hs Oih; TrXovgiog wv sv iXssi, verse 4. It is not a work for us to undertake; it is not Avhat we can contribute any thing unto: " But God, who is rich in mercy." The adversative includes an opposition unto every thing on our part, and encloseth the whole work to God. Would men have rested on this divine revelation, the church of God had been free from many of those perverse opinions and wrangling disputes which it hath been pestered withal. But they will not so easily part Avith thoughts of some kind of interest in , being the authors of their own happiness. Wherefore, two things we may observe in the apostle's assignation of the causes of our deliver- ance from a state of sin, and [of our] acceptance with God: —
1. That he assigns the whole of this Avork absolutely unto grace,
S5S ON JUSTIFICATION.
love, and mercy, and that with an exckision of the consideration of any thing on our part; as we shall see immediately, verses o, 8.
2. He magnifies this grace in a marvellous manner. For, — First, He expresseth it by all names and titles whereby it is signified; as g'Xsog, aydvn, %a^'e, xpn<^r(trni, — "mercy," "love," "grace," and "kindness:" for he would have us to look only unto grace herein. Secondly, He ascribes such adjuncts, and gives such epithets, unto that divine mercy and grace, which is the sole cause of our deliver- ance, in and by Jesus Christ, as rendered it singular, and herein solely to be adored: irXo-oaiog sv sXsn, dioc rrjv 'XoXkriv ayd'xriV v-TTsp- QdXXuv '^rXovros rijg -/^dpirog' — "rich in mercy;" " great love where- with he loved us;" " the exceeding riches of his grace in his kind- ness," verses 4-7. It cannot reasonably be denied but that the apostle doth design deeply to affect the mind and heart of believers with a sense of the grace and love of God in Christ, as the only cause of their justification before God. I think no words can express those conceptions of the mind which this representation of grace doth suggest. Whether they think it any part of their duty to be like- minded, and comply with the apostle in this design, who scarce ever mention the grace of God, unless it be in a way of diminution from its efficacy, and unto whom such ascriptions unto it as are here made by him are a matter of contempt, is not hard to judge.