the jury find the prisoner innocent, and he is acquitted; sometimes they
find him guilty, and he is forgiven. The former is an act of justice;
the latter, an act of mercy. No earthly court can go farther; no earthly
court can justify the guilty. But God is able, through the wonderful
economy of substitution and atonement revealed in the gospel, in the same
court, from the same throne, by the same law, and in the same sentence,
to proclaim full pardon and free justification to the sinner. By virtue
of the obedience and suffering of Christ on his behalf, he is at once
forgiven and justified. Faith unites us to Christ, and gives us an
interest in him, as our Mediator, who “bore our sins in his own body on
the tree.” “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man to
whom God imputeth righteousness without works:—Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man
to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
The righteousness by which the sinner is justified infinitely transcends
all other righteousness in earth or heaven. It is the righteousness of
the Second Adam—an invaluable pearl, to which all the members of Christ’s
mystical body are equally entitled. It is the pure gold of the gospel,
which cannot be mixed with the works of the law, or derive any increase
of value from human merit. It lies upon the very surface of evangelical
truth, like oil upon the water. It is the righteousness finished upon
the cross—a complete wedding garment furnished by the Son of God, which
the sinner has only to put on to be prepared for the marriage supper of
the Lamb.
How cold and cheerless is the doctrine of the mere moralist, leaving the
poor sinner wallowing in the mire, and weltering in his blood, with
nothing but his own works to depend upon for salvation! But the doctrine
of justification through the satisfying righteousness of Jesus Christ
warms the heart, and quickens the soul of the believer into a new and
heavenly life. Here is our deliverance from the curse of the law. Here
the relation between us and Adam is annihilated, and another relation is
established between us and Christ. Here is the sea into which our sins
are cast to rise no more. “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to
them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
spirit;” and they may boldly say—“O Lord, I will praise thee; for though
thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest
me!”
II. The ground of our justification now claims a more particular
attention.
This is a subject of the greatest importance; for if we build upon the
sand, the whole superstructure inevitably falls, and great must be the
fall thereof. The Jews, being ignorant of God’s righteousness—the
righteousness of faith—went about to establish their own, which was by
the works of the law. Let us examine these two foundations—the
righteousness which is of the law, and that which is of faith.
What sort of righteousness does the law demand, as the ground of our
acceptance with God? It must originate in the heart. It must be
commensurate with life, and not a broken link in the chain, for he that
offendeth in one point is guilty of all. It must be so comprehensive as
to include all your duties to God, your neighbor and yourself. It must
engage all the powers of your mind, without the least imperfection, in
thought, word, or deed. The coin must be pure gold, of full weight and
measure, and bearing the right and lawful stamp. “Cursed is every one
that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do
them.”
“But what saith the righteousness which is of faith?” “Believe In the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” “He that believeth shall
never be confounded.” “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
every one that believeth.” “He hath magnified the law, and made it
honorable.” “He hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us.” This is the doctrine which answers all our questions,
removes all our guilty fears, and opens to us a path of hope in the
valley of the shadow of death. The justifying righteousness of Christ is
as deep as the misery of man, as high as the requirements of God, as
broad as the commandment, and as long as eternity. It is sufficient for
all them that believe, and able to save unto the uttermost. It is a
deluge which covers the mountains of transgression, and bears the
believer securely in the ark. It comes to the sinner, shut up under the
judgment of God, and reads to him the article of his manumission. I hear
it addressing the guilty in the following language:—
“I saw the Son of God coming forth from the bosom of the Father, and
uniting himself to the nature of man. I saw the mighty God manifested in
the Son of Mary, and lying in a manger. I beheld some of his blood shed,
as an earnest to the law, when he was eight days old. I stood in the
garden of Gethsemane, when he drank the cup of trembling mingled and
presented by his Father’s justice. I was with him on Calvary, when he
blotted out the handwriting of Eden and Sinai, and nailed it to his
cross—when he finished the redemption of man, and spoiled the powers of
darkness, and sealed with his own blood the covenant of peace, I beheld
him descending to the lower parts of the earth, and lying under the
sinner’s sentence in the grave. I beheld him rising in the same human
nature, with the keys of death and hell in his hand, and the crown of the
mediatorial kingdom upon his head. I beheld him ascending to the
right-hand of the Father, leading thy captivity captive, and entering
into heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for thee. And
now I see him in the midst of the throne, as a lamb newly slain; and the
merit of his sacrifice, as a sweet-smelling savor, fills the heaven of
heavens. On thy behalf he has honored the law, satisfied the claims of
justice, and opened a new and living way, whereby God can be just, and
the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.”
Thus the question is answered—“How should man be just with God?” Sinners
are “justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus.” “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith,
without the deeds of the law.” This is the key-stone of the gospel, and
the strength of the arch of salvation. The only way to obtain acceptance
with God is by grace; “and if by grace, then it is no more of works.” In
the justification of the sinner, Divine grace and human works can no more
be mixed together than oil and water, for they belong to different
covenants. Christ came into the world, not to repair the old covenant,
but to be the mediator of a new covenant, established upon better
promises—not to mend the leaky and sinking vessel of the law, but to
build and launch a new ark of salvation, and rescue the shipwrecked and
the drowning. The law could not save. The law is holy, but we are
unclean. The law is spiritual, but we are carnal. The law is righteous,
but we are guilty. The law is good, but every imagination of the
thoughts of the heart of man is evil, and only evil, and that
continually. The law will not consent to a compromise with the sinner,
will not relax its claims upon him, nor in any way accommodate itself to
his fallen condition. Its power to condemn is commensurate with its
authority to command.
Thus we see how it is that no man can be justified by the deeds of the
law. We are not under the law, but under grace. Were we under the law,
the deeds of the law would be sufficient for our justification. The law
demands obedience; obedience satisfies the law. Between obedience and
the law there is perfect correspondence and harmony; the one gives what
the other asks. There is also a perfect agreement between grace and
faith. Grace bestows freely, without money and without price; and faith,
having nothing to pay, receives humbly and thankfully. Grace, by
bestowing, acquires great glory; faith, by receiving, obtains great
happiness. God confers blessings according to the riches of his grace;
sinners receive according to the strength of their faith. Faith and the
law cannot agree at all, for both are seeking and receiving; neither can
works and grace agree, for both live by communicating. Therefore “by
grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ye are justified
through the righteousness and merit of Christ, who became your
substitute, and both obeyed the law and suffered the penalty in your
stead.
This view of the ground of a sinner’s justification is everywhere
sustained in the Holy Scriptures. “By the obedience of one, shall many
be made righteous.” “By the righteousness of one, the free gift came
upon all men, unto justification of life.” “The obedience of one,” and
“the righteousness of one,” in these two sentences, signify the same
thing. Again: “He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him.” “In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
his grace.” “All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions; he
was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon
him, and with his stripes we are healed.”
The perfect obedience of Christ, and his meritorious death, were both
necessary, as the ground of a sinner’s justification. Neither would have
been sufficient without the other. His obedience would not answer
without his death; for the law which had been broken must be honored; and
the penalty which had been incurred by the sinner must be endured by the
Substitute. Neither would his death answer without his obedience; for it
is the obedient, and not the punished, that the law justifies; he who
keeps the precept, and not he who endures the penalty. It is only by
satisfying both claims on our behalf, that Christ “of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
When it is said we are justified by faith, it is not meant that there is
any merit in faith, any justifying efficacy; but that faith is the
condition on which we are justified for the sake of him who obeyed and
suffered for us—the Divinely appointed means by which we appropriate the
merit of his obedience and suffering. It is by the eye of faith we see
the excellency and adaptation of Christ’s righteousness and merit; and it
is by the hand of faith we take and put on the wedding garment provided
for us, and thus prepare ourselves for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Faith is the bond which unites us to Christ, by virtue of which union we
are justified. Faith is the wedding ring by which the poor daughter of
the old Amorite is married to the Prince of Peace. She is raised from
the greatest poverty and degradation to unspeakable opulence and honor,
not because of the intrinsic value of the ring, though it is a golden
one; but on account of the union which it signifies between her and her
Beloved. “He that hath the Son hath life.”
“But faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may
say—Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy
works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that
there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was
not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his
son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works? And by
works was faith made perfect; and the scripture was fulfilled which
saith—Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for
righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. Ye see, then, how
that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also
was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the
messengers, and sent them out another way? For as the body without the
spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” {256}
We have noticed the nature and ground of justification; in these words of
the Apostle, we have the evidence of justification. The same doctrine
was preached by our Saviour:—“For by thy works thou shalt be justified,
and by thy works thou shalt be condemned.” Works justify only as the
fruit of faith. A faith that does not produce good works is inefficient
and worthless. It is not the faith which justifies the ungodly. What is
it that justifies a man in a court of law? The goodness of his cause?
No, verily. A man of common sense will not think of making a long speech
to the jury, without adducing any evidence of the truth of his
statements. My fellow sinners, if your cause is good, why do you not
prove it? Why not bring forward your evidence? Why not act in this
supremely important case as in every other? If you have justifying
faith, let us see the fruit in a sanctified life. “Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.”
In this world, every man receives according to his faith; in the world to
come, every man shall receive according to his works. “Blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors, and their
works do follow them.” Their works do not go before them to divide the
river Jordan, and open the gates of heaven. This is done by their faith.
But their works are left behind, as if done up in a packet, on this side
of the river. John saw the great white throne descending for judgment,
the Son of Man sitting thereon, and all nations gathered before him. He
is dividing the righteous from the wicked, as the shepherd divideth the
sheep from the goats. The wicked are set on the left-hand, and the awful
sentence is pronounced—“Depart from me, ye accursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!” But the righteous are
placed on the right-hand, to hear the joyful welcome—“Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world!” The books are opened, and Mercy presents the packets that
were left on the other side of Jordan. They are all opened, and the
books are read wherein all their acts of benevolence and virtue are
recorded. Justice examines the several packets, and answers—“All right.
Here they are. Thus it is written—‘I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I
was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; I
was naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in
prison, and ye came unto me.’” The righteous look upon each other with
wonder, and answer—“Those packets must belong to others. We knew nothing
of all that. We recollect the wormwood and the gall. We recollect the
strait gate, the narrow way, and the Slough of Despond. We recollect the
heavy burden that pressed so hard upon us, and how it fell from our
shoulders at the sight of the cross. We recollect the time when the eyes
of our minds were opened, to behold the evil of sin, the depravity of our
hearts, and the excellency of our Redeemer. We recollect the time when
our stubborn wills were subdued in the day of his power, so that we were
enabled both to will and to do of his good pleasure. We recollect the
time when we obtained hope in the merit of Christ, and felt the efficacy
of his blood applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And we shall
never forget the time when we first experienced the love of God shed
abroad in our hearts. O, how sweetly and powerfully it constrained us to
love him, his cause, and his ordinances! How we panted after communion
and fellowship with him, as the hart panteth after the water-brooks! All
this, and a thousand other things, are as fresh in our memory as ever.
But we recollect nothing of those bundles of good works. Where was it?
Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee; or thirsty, and gave thee
drink; or a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and clothed thee? We
have no more recollection than the dead, of ever having visited thee in
prison, or ministered to thee in sickness. Surely, those bundles cannot
belong to us.” Mercy replies—“Yes, verily, they belong to you; for your
names are upon them; and besides, they have not been out of my hands
since you left them on the stormy banks of Jordan.” And the King
answers—“Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
If the righteous do not know their own good works; if they do not
recognise, in the sheaves which they reap at the resurrection, the seed
which they have sown in tears on earth, they certainly cannot make these
things the foundation of their hopes of heaven. Christ crucified is
their sole dependence for acceptance with God, in time and in eternity.
Christ crucified is the great object of their faith, and the centre of
their affections; and while their love to him prompts them to live
soberly, and righteously, and godly, in this present evil world, they
cordially exclaim—“Not unto us, not into us, but to thy name, O Lord,
give glory!” Amen.
SERMON XX.
THE SHIELD OF FAITH.
“_Above all_, _taking the shield of faith_, _wherewith ye shall be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked_.”—Eph. vi. 16.
THE Christian is engaged in a warfare, “not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness”—or wicked spirits—“in high
places;” who go about like roaring lions, seeking whom they may devour;
assailing the servants of Christ even on their high places—their Pizgahs,
their Tabors, their Olivets; swarming up from the sea of corruption
within and around us, like the frogs in Egypt, and entering into our very
bed-chambers and closets of devotion.
These spiritual adversaries must be opposed with spiritual armor; and the
apostle has here given us a complete set of weapons for fighting, and a
complete panoply for defence. The Roman armor consisted of several
parts, all of which St. Paul makes use of figuratively, to represent the
several Christian graces by which we resist our subtle, deceitful, and
invisible enemies. As the articles to which he alludes constituted a
complete coat of arms, and the soldier was not prepared for the field
without the whole; so the Christian graces which they represent are all
of them important, “that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto every good work.” Some of these heavenly qualities may
appear brighter at particular times in one Christian than in another; but
the whole list is indispensable to every spiritual warrior. Abraham may
excel in faith, Moses in meekness, Job in patience, Daniel in courage,
Peter in zeal, Paul in humility, and John in love; but each must have the
entire armor, though different occasions may require the use of different
articles in the catalogue. That you may be able to stand in the evil
day, you must have the shoes of peace, to preserve your feet; the girdle
of truth, to strengthen your loins; the helmet of hope, to defend your
heads; the breastplate of righteousness, to cover your hearts; the sword
of the Spirit, to cut your way through the columns of the foe; “And above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked.”
It is only to this article last mentioned, that we would now call your
attention; in the consideration of which, let us notice, _first_, The
nature of faith; and _secondly_, Its importance and utility as a shield.
I. There are many passages in the word of God which show the excellency
of faith; but there is only one passage which contains an exact
definition of faith; and that you will find in the first verse of the
eleventh chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews:—“Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”—or, as it
may be read—the confidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things
not seen. I am surprised that divines have taken so little notice of
this passage, in treating of the nature of faith. Generally, they wander
in the wilderness without a guide; they put out to sea without compass,
chart, or helm. Some of them make faith every thing, and others make it
almost nothing. According to the apostle’s definition, it consists of
these two things:—a conviction of the truth of the gospel testimony
relative to things invisible, and a confidence in the character and word
of the invisible Testifier. This is a common-sense definition. Here is
no mystification or obscurity. In this way the term faith is understood
by all men. In the ordinary transactions of business, we seldom mistake
each other on this subject; why should we in the great concern of
salvation pending between us and God?
Here is a man who has a note for an amount sufficient to support him
comfortably, were he to live a thousand years. Still he appears very
unhappy—full of doubts and fears about his future subsistence. Ask
him—“Friend, what think you of that note? is it genuine?” “O yes,” he
replies, “I am perfectly satisfied that it is genuine.” “What is the
reason, then, that you are not more cheerful and happy?” “Alas, I have
no confidence in the bank.” The man is without faith. True, he
believes—he believes that the note is not a counterfeit—he is well
satisfied of its genuineness; but such a belief is not sufficient, while
he is suspicious of the bank—produces no change in his feelings or his
conduct. But if, in addition to his conviction of the genuineness of the
note, he could be satisfied of the goodness of the bank, then you should
find him quite another man. These two things united constitute
faith:—Believing the truth of the gospel respecting things unseen; and
trusting in the power and faithfulness of God, through our Lord Jesus
Christ, to fulfil his promises. This is the faith that justifieth the
ungodly; this is the faith that overcometh the world.
Now every one of you believes the truth of the gospel; but the promises
of the gospel, which are worthy of all acceptation, some of you have not
accepted—are no more influenced by them than if they did not belong to
you. The gospel contains a pearl of great price—“an inheritance
incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away;” but your confidence
in the promise is feeble and inefficient—does not lead you to prayer—does
not influence your conduct, so as to bring you in possession of this
heavenly treasure. You have no faith. You have one of the elements of
faith, but not the other. You have the belief, but not the
confidence—that part of faith which belongs to the intellect, but not
that which belongs to the heart. Therefore you are still poor, and
naked, and miserable.
The Holy Scriptures record many admirable instances of true faith; in
which confidence in the character, the providence, and the promises of
God, rises into the most perfect assurance. Behold those women on the
bank of the Nile. They are making a basket of bulrushes, and plastering
it with bitumen. Placing the infant Moses therein, they commit the frail
ark to the floods. Jochebed, why dost thou not fear that the child will
be drowned? “I believe the promises of God, I believe that he will do
good unto his people. I trust in him for the salvation of Israel.”
See that old man on mount Moriah. He has built a rude altar, and laid
fire and wood thereon. He has bound his own son—his only son—his
well-beloved Isaac, and is about to offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham,
stay thy hand. Wilt thou slay thy only son? Then what will become of
the promise? “My mind is easy. I will obey God. I believe he is able
to raise Isaac from the dead. I feel assured that he will return home
with me alive, and that from him will spring the Messiah.” So Abraham
determined to offer Isaac upon the altar, for he confided in the
promise—“In Isaac shall thy seed be called.”
We have another instance in the Centurion whose servant was healed by our
Lord. He had perfect confidence in the word of Christ, even though
Christ had given him no promise. “Only say in a word,” said he, “and my
servant shall be healed. Thy word created the world; thy word has
quickened the dead; and thy word can accomplish a cure without a journey
to my house.” This is an instance of remarkable faith; and our Lord
testified—“I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
Whatever the object of faith, it is always the same in its nature, though
not always the same in degree. Christ said to his disciples—“O ye of
little faith!” and the apostle saith of Abraham—“He was strong in faith,
giving glory to God.” Faith is represented in the Scriptures by a
variety of expressions, such as—believing the testimony of God—relying or
staying upon the Lord—waiting upon him—trusting in him—looking unto
him—coming to Christ—putting on the Lord Jesus—committing the keeping of
the soul to him, as unto a faithful Creator. These different expressions
denote the several modifications of faith, and its several degrees of
intensity; but they all fall under the apostolical definition noticed
above.