CHAPTER X. 363 to answer the demands of any law for righteousness or justifiéa- tion. But still in other scriptures we are told, it must be such a faith as works by love, purifies the heart, and wheresoever there is opportunity, it produces the fruits of holiness in our lives ; and thereforegood works in this senseare needful to secureour justi- fication, as well as they are verynecessary, on many accounts, to honour God in this world, and to make us meet for final salva- tion. Thus the free grace of God in our justification is honour- ed, and yet holiness is effectually secured in all them that are 'saved. VI. To conclude this head, let it be remembered, that since faith and repentance, and holiness of heart and life, are all necessary, in order to our salvation under the gospel, it isof infi- nitely'more''importance to see to it, thatwe pursue and practise this faith, repentance and holiness, than to be nicely and criti- cally skilled in adjusting the logical relations of these christian virtues toour salvation, or our justification, or in ranging them artificially in their proper place and order. The most skilful, most zealous, and most Orthodox person, will certainly fall shórt ofjustification and salvation, if he has not these good qualities of faith andholiness found in him ; and the weakest in knowledge shall be justified and saved, in whom these dualities and cha- tacters are found. CHAP. X.The Commencement of the Christian Dispensation; or, when was Christianity set up in the World. I. This last and best dispensation of grace, viz. the chris- tian religion was not properly setup in theworld, during the life of Christ, thoughhe was the illustrious and divine Author mid Founder of it : And the reason is plain andobvious, viz. because many of the peculiar glories, duties and blessings of it, as they are described in the Acts, and in the sacred epistles, did really depend upon those facts, which had no existence in Christ's own life-time, viz. his death, resurrection, ascension, and exalt- ation. It was not proper therefore, that Christ should publicly preach these doctrines of his atonement for sin, of faith iu his blood, of his royalties and intercession in heaven, and our living upon them, &c. in too plain and express a manner in his own life-time, because it would have given too much offence to his hearers ; and his wisdom taught him to preach the truths of his gospel to men, as they were able to bear it; Mark iv. 33. John xvi. 12. Il. 'Therefore it was but seldom that he mentioned these things in his own personal ministry ; and it was but just at the end of his life, that he instituted the second sacrament, or the Lord's- supper, which discovers plainly, and in most express lan- guage, the blessed doctrine of his atonement for sin ; and it was
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