Hen, ScoiiELL, C/fi: Pari.
TO
THE COMMONS OF ENGLAND,
IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED.
Sirs, That God in whose hands your breath is, and whose are all j'our ways, having caused various seasons to pass over you, and in them all manifested that his works are truth and his ways judgment, calls earnestly by them for that walking before him which is required from them who, -with other distinguishing mercies, are inte- rested in the specialty of his protecting providence. As, in a view of present enjoyments, to sacrifice to your net, and burn incense to your drag, as though by them your portion were fat and plenteous, is an exceeding provocation to the eyes of his glory ; so, to press to the residue of your desires and expectations by an arm of flesh, the designings and contrivances of carnal reason, with outwardly appear- ing mediums of their accomplishment, is no less an abomination to him. Though there may be a present sweetness to them that find the life of the hand, yet their latter end will be, to lie down in sorrow. That you might be prevailed on to give glory to God, by steadfastness in believing, committing all your ways to him, with patience in well-doing, to the contempt of the most varnished appearance of carnal policy, was my peculiar aim in this ensuing sermon.
That which added ready willingness to my obedience unto your commands for the preaching and pubhshing hereof, being a serious proposal for the advancement and propagation of the gospel in another nation, is here again recommended to your thoughts, by
Your most humble Servant
In our common Master,
J. Owen.
March 8, 1G4.9.
VOL. VIII. 14
SERMON lY.
THE STEADFASTNESS OF THE PROMISES, AND THE SINFULNESS OF STAGGERING.
"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief." — Rom. iv. 20.
In the first chapters of this epistle, the apostle, from Scripture and the constant practice of all sorts of men of all ages, Jews and Gen- tiles, wise and barbarians, proves all the world, and every individual therein, to "have sinned and come short of the glory of God;" — and not only so, but that it was utterly impossible that, by their own strength, or by virtue of any assistance commimicated, or privileges enjoyed, they should ever attain to a righteousness of their own that might be acceptable unto God.
Hereupon he concludes that discourse with these two positive as- sertions:—
First, That for what is past, " every mouth must be stopped, and all the world become giiilty before God," chap. iii. 19.
Secondly, For the future, though they should labour to amend their ways, and improve their assistances and privileges to a better advantage than formerly, " yet by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God," verse 20.
Now, it being the main drift of the apostle, in this epistle, and in his whole employment, to manifest that God hath not shut up all the sons of men hopeless and remediless under this condition, he imme- diately discovers and opens the rich supply which God, in fi.'ee grace, hath made and provided for the delivery of his own from this cala- mitous estate, even by the righteousness of faith in Christ ; Avhich he unfoldeth, asserteth, proves, and vmdicates from objections, to the end of the 3d chapter.
This being a matter of so great weight, as comprising in itself the sum of the gospel wherewith he was intrusted, — the honour and ex- altation of Christ, which above all he desired, — the great design of God to be glorious in his saints, — and, in a Avord, the chief subject of
212 THE STEADFASTNESS OF THE TROMISER,
the embassage from Christ to him committed (to wit, that they who neither have, nor by any means can attain, a righteousness of their own, by the utmost of their workings, may yet have that which is com- plete and unrefusaljle in Christ, by beheving) ; he therefore strongly confirms it in the 4th chapter, by testimony and example of the Scripture, with the saints that were of old; — thereby also declaring, that though the manifestation of this mystery were now more fully opened by Christ from the bosom of the Father, yet indeed this was the only way for any to appear in the presence of God, ever since sin entered the world.
To make his demonstrations the more evident, he singleth out one for an example who was eminently kno-wn, and confessed by all to have been the friend of God, — to have been righteous and justified before him, and thereon to have held sweet communion with him all his days ; to wit, Abraham, the father according to the flesh of all those who put in the strongest of all men for a share in righteous- ness, by the privileges they did enjoy and the works they did perform.
Now, concerning him the apostle proves abundantly, in the begin- ning of the 4th chapter, that the justification which he found, and the lighteousness he attained, was purely that, and no other, which he before described; to wit, a righteousness in the forgiveness of sins through faith in the blood of Christ. Yea, and that all the privileges and exaltations of this Abraham, which made him so signal and eminent among the saints of God as to be called " The father of the faithful," were merely from hence, that this righteousness of grace was freely discovered and fully established unto him; — an enjoyment being granted him in a peculiar manner by faith of that promise wherein the Lord Christ, with the whole spring of the righteousness mentioned, was enwrapped. This the apostle pursues, with sundry and various inferences and conclusions, to the end of verse 1 7, chap. iv.