3. We may go a step farther yet. Men may differ from us, in their opinions as well as their expressions, and nevertheless be partakers with us, of the same precious faith. ’Tis possible they may not have a _distinct apprehension_, of the very blessing which they enjoy. Their _ideas_ may not be so _clear_, and yet their experience may be as sound as ours. There is a wide difference between the natural faculties of men, their understandings, in particular. And that difference is exceedingly increased, by the manner of their education. Indeed this alone may occasion an inconceivable difference, in their opinions of various kinds. And why not, upon this head, as well as on any other? But still, though their opinions as well as expressions, may be confused and inaccurate, their hearts may cleave to God through the Son of his love, and be truly interested in his righteousness.
4. Let us then make all that allowance to others, which were we in their place, we should desire for ourselves. Who is ignorant (to touch again on that circumstance only) of the amazing power of education? And who that knows it, can expect, suppose, a member of the church of Rome, either to think or speak clearly on this subject? And yet if we had heard even dying Bellarmine cry out, when he was asked, “_Unto which of the saints wilt thou turn?_” “_Fidere meritis Christi tutissimum_: It is safest to trust in the merits of Christ:” would we have affirmed that notwithstanding his wrong opinions, he had no share in his righteousness?
5. “But in what sense is this righteousness imputed to believers?” In this: all believers are forgiven and accepted, not for the sake of any thing in them, or of any thing that ever was, that is, or ever can be done by them, but wholly and solely for the sake of what Christ hath done and suffered for them. I say again, not for the sake of any thing in them or done by them, of their own righteousness or works. _Not for works of righteousness which we have done, but of his own mercy he saved us. By grace ye are saved thro’ faith.――Not of works, lest any man should boast_: but wholly and solely for the sake of what Christ hath done and suffered for us. We are _justified freely, by his grace, thro’ the redemption that is in Jesus Christ_. And this is not only the means of our _obtaining_ the favour of God, but of our continuing therein. It is thus we come to God at first: it is by the same we come unto him ever after. We walk in one and the same _new_ and _living way_, till our spirit returns to God.
6. And this is the doctrine, which I have constantly believed and taught, for near eight and twenty years. This I published to all the world in the year 1738, and ten or twelve times since, in those words, and many others to the same effect, extracted from the homilies of our church. “These things must necessarily go together in our justification, upon God’s part his great mercy and grace, upon Christ’s part, the satisfaction of God’s justice, and on our part, faith in the merits of Christ. So that the grace of God doth not shut out the righteousness of God in our justification, but only shutteth out the righteousness of man, as to _deserving_ our justification.”
“That we are justified by faith alone, is spoken to take away clearly all merit of our works, and wholly to ascribe the _merit_ and _deserving_ of our justification to Christ only. Our justification comes freely of the mere mercy of God. For whereas all the world was not able to pay any part toward our ransom, it pleased him, without any of our deservings, to prepare for us Christ’s body and blood, whereby our ransom might be paid, and his justice satisfied. Christ therefore is now the righteousness of all them that truly believe in him.”
7. The hymns published a year or two after this, and since republished several times (a clear testimony that my judgment was still the same) speak full to the same purpose. To cite all the passages to this effect, would be to transcribe a great part of the volumes. Take one for all, which was reprinted seven years ago, five years ago, two years ago, and some months since.
“Jesu, thy blood and righteousness My beauty are my glorious dress: Midst flaming worlds in these array’d With joy shall I lift up my head.”
The whole expresses the same sentiment, from the beginning to the end.
8. In the sermon on justification published nineteen, and again seven or eight years ago, I express the same thing in these words, p. 87. “In consideration of this, that the Son of God hath _tasted death for every man_, God hath now _reconciled the world unto himself, not imputing to them their former trespasses_. So that for the sake of his well-beloved Son, of what he hath done and suffered for us, God now vouchsafes on one only condition (which himself also enables us to perform) both to remit the punishment due to our sins, to re-instate us in his favour, and to restore our dead souls to spiritual life, as the earnest of life eternal.”