You then undertake to shew, that confessing our sins, is a condition of justification, and that a confidence in the love of God, is not a condition. Some of your words are, “This, good Sir, give me leave to say, is the greatest nonsense and contradiction possible. It ♦is impossible you can understand this jargon yourself, and therefore you labour in vain to make it intelligible to others. You soar aloft on eagle’s wings, and leave the poor people to gape and stare after you.”
♦ “it” replaced with “is”
This is very pretty, and very lively. But it is nothing to the purpose. For we are not now speaking of justification: neither have I said one word of “the condition of justification” in the whole tract to which you here refer.
“In the next place (say you) if we are saved (finally you mean) only by a confidence in the love of God.”――Here I must stop you again; you are now running beside the question, on the other hand. The sole position which I here advance is this: true believers are saved from inward and outward sin by faith. By faith alone the love of God and all mankind is shed abroad in their hearts, bringing with it the mind that was in _Christ_, and producing all holiness of conversation.
IV. 1. I am now to consider, what has been lately objected, with regard to the _nature_ of saving _faith_.
The author last mentioned “cannot understand how those texts of St. _John_ are at all to the purpose.” _1 John iii. 1._ _Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of |God|._ And chapter iv. 19. _We love him, because he first loved us._ I answer 1. These texts were not produced in _the appeal_, by way of proof, but of illustration only. But 2. I apprehend they may be produced as a proof, both that Christian faith implies a confidence in the love of God, and that such a confidence has a direct tendency to salvation, to holiness both of heart and life.
_Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of |God|!_ Are not these words an expression of Christian faith? As direct an one as can well be conceived? And I appeal to every man, whether they do not express the strongest confidence of the love of God? Your own comment puts this beyond dispute. “Let us consider attentively and with grateful hearts, the great love and mercy of God, in calling us to be his sons, and bestowing on us the privileges belonging to such.” Do you not perceive, that you have given up the cause? You have yourself taught us, that these words imply “a sense of the great love and mercy of God, in bestowing upon us the privileges belonging to his sons.”
The apostle adds, _Beloved, now are we the sons of |God|; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is._
I suppose no one will say, either that these words are not expressive of Christian faith; or, that they do not imply the strongest confidence in the love of God. It follows, _And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure_.
Hence it appears, that this faith is a saving faith, that there is the closest connexion between this faith and holiness. This text therefore is directly to the purpose, in respect of both the propositions to be proved.
The other is, _We love him, because he first loved us_. And here also, for fear I should fail in the proof, you have drawn it up ready to my hands.
“God sent his only son――to redeem us from sin, by purchasing for us grace and salvation. By which grace we――thro’ faith and repentance have our sins pardoned――and therefore we are bound to return the tribute of our love and gratitude, and to obey him faithfully as long as we live.”
Now, that _we have our sins pardoned_, if we _do not know_ they are pardoned, cannot bind us either to love or obedience. But if we do know it, and by that very knowledge, or confidence in the pardoning love of God, are both bound and enabled to love and obey him, this is the whole of what I contend for.
2. You afterwards object against some other text which I had cited, to illustrate the nature of saving faith. My words were, “Hear believing _Job_, declaring his faith, _I know that |my| Redeemer liveth_.” I here affirm two things, 1. That _Job_ was then a believer. 2. That he declared his faith in these words. And all I affirm, you allow. Your own words are, “God was pleased to bestow upon him a strong assurance of his favour――to inspire him with a prophecy of the resurrection, and that he should have a share in it.”