y Luke xviii. 13. ^ Zech. xiii, 1. * Rom. x. 3.
blessings promised to the penitent, and to the obe- dient, we very wilhngly allow : and on proper occa- sions we are glad to bring forward those promises, in order to encourage men to repent and obey : but that men are justified by their repentance or obedience, or in any other way than by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we utterly deny. And we declare that, if men seek to be justified in any other way, "Christ shall profit them nothing*"."
And do we, in affirming these things, deviate at all from what we read in the Holy Scriptures ? Does not our blessed Lord expressly say, " 1 am the way, the truth, and the life ; no man cometh unto the Father but by me''?" He tells us plainly, that "he who be- lieveth on him, hath everlasting life ; and that he who believeth not, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him**:" and again, " He that believeth, shall be saved ; and he that believeth not, shall be damned ^" To the same effect also is the testimony of his Apostles : we find them invariably directing penitents to believe in him as the only, and effectual, means of obtaining acceptance with God. When the jailor came in to Paul and Silas, trembling, and crying, "Sirs, what shall I do to be saved?" the an- swer given him was, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ^" Instead of varying their directions according to the different characters they addressed, they affirm, in the strongest manner, that " there is no other foundation whereon any man can build s," " nor any other name whereby any man can be saved^" And when they saw in any a dispo- sition to unite the observance of some ceremonial or moral duties as a joint ground of their hope, they warned them plainly, that their salvation must be "wholly of grace or wholly of works';" and that, if they relied in any measure upon their works, " they were fallen from grace," they were " become debtors to do the whole law," and that " Christ was become of
•» Gal. V. 2. c John xiv. G. ^ John iii. 36.
« Mark xvi. 16. f Acts xvi. 30, 31. el Cor. iii. 11.
'' Acts iv. 12. i Rom. xi. 6.
2000.] THE churchman's CONFESSION. 415
no effect unto them^ ;" with respect to them " he was dead in vain^"
Offensive as these statements are, and reprobated as being of a hcentious tendency, wherein do they differ from om- own acknowledgments ? We pray that God would " restore to his favour them that are penitent ;" but how, and in what manner, do we expect that restoration to be accomplished ? Is it uncovenanted mercy that we ask ? Or is it according to our own good works that we desire to find accept- ance ? No ; we profess that our reliance is altoge- ther on God's promises as they are revealed in the Gospel ; " Restore us, accordi?ig to thy promises de- clared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord.'' Among the promises to which we may be supposed to refer, the following must certainly be numbered : *' Look unto me, and be ye saved""." " Come unto me, and I will give you rest"." "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out"." " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin p." "All that beheve, shall be justified from all things 'i." " Though your sins be as crimson, they shall be white as snow^" But whatever the promises be, whether their reference to Christ be more or less plain, we are assured, that it is in him, and in him alone, that the promises are confirmed to us ; for the Apostle says, " All the pro- mises of God IN Him are yea, and in Him amen'." It is in Christ alone that God can " be just, and at the same time the justifier of sinners' :" and therefore when we plead that promise, that " if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness''," we can expect its accomplishment in no other way than through faith in Christ.