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were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; as it is, that being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.' And so of all the rest.

11. The Scriptures warn us with great emphasis, that divine truth constitutes a sublime system, and that it behooves us to comprehend and respect its divine proportion—not less than to possess with clearness its separate parts. In like manner, as I have repeatedly shown, the administration of this system of truth unto salvation-constitutes a sublime Economy, whose divine proportion is as real and as intelligible as any particular portion of the stupendous scheme. And in both cases that which is general and that which is particular, mutually affect each other; and the two divine systems mutually influence each other; and there results from their union a third and more exalted generalization, which is the highest form of knowledge; perhaps too high for us now, but which we perceive to be real, and to contain solutions, which are, as yet, beyond our reach. How continually are we obliged to reiterate the outlines of the plan of salvation, in order that we may feel the highest force of each part of it? In the same way the parts of this perpetual administration of salvation enter into its whole Economy. It is not merely names, and dates, and epochs, and helps to the memory: it is the recognition of an unbroken concatenation of God's working, the appreciation of a stedfast progress of that working in the development of his eternal counsel, that the words Adamic, Noacic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, signify when applied to ancient dispensations. And the very same thing is intended when we speak of the personal ministry of Christ-of the dispensation of the Spirit and the Gospel Church state; and again the very same touching the millennial and heavenly states, with all their wonders, which are still to come. What I urge is this insuperable concatenation between all the parts of this infinite Economythis sublime progress of the whole; the overwhelming grandeur and efficacy of the Knowledge of God attainable in this manner: and the intense relation of the whole aspect of divine things, thus exhibited, to the Covenant of Redemption as it involves, on one side, the glory of God, and as it reveals and applies, on the other side, the power of God unto salvation.

1 Rom., v. 10.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD,

SUBJECTIVELY CONSIDERED.

ARGUMENT OF THE SECOND BOOK.

THIS Second Book is devoted to the exposition of the work of God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, in the personal and direct application of the Knowledge of God unto the Salvation of individual men. It is the very action and crisis of the subjective consideration of the saving Knowledge of God. Every thing that has gone before, not only in the First Book of this Treatise, but in the whole of the preceding Treatise, is unto the work developed in this Book. Every thing which can follow is essentially determined by what is settled in this Book. Errors, even grave errors, heretofore or hereafter, might not be fatal: but any fatal error here is wholly destructive. For if our souls can but be saved, the rest is only secondary: but if we miss the way in the actual matter of being saved, the rest is utterly worthless. The reader can desire of me no better token, than that I take my own soul in one hand, and the light of life in the other—and bid him if he will bear me company, watch earnestly for the life of his own soul. In the First Chapter of this Book, which is the Sixth of this Treatise—the endeavour is to point out the exact manner in which we become personally interested in the salvation covenanted in Jesus Christ, and individually reap the benefit thereof, in being actually saved. Passing over much that is proved in this Chapter, the main thing established is, that a real and spiritual union is indissolubly established between the human soul and the Person of the Son of God: that, on our part, this is by means of Faith in the Divine Redeemer crucified for us-which Faith is the product of the work of God's Spirit in our soul-which work of God's Spirit is the result of our personal redemption by Christ: and that the invariable fruit of this union of the soul with Christ is our fellowship-communion—with him in Grace and in Glory-by means whereof we participate in all the blessings and benefits of the Covenant of Redemption. The Seventh Chapter, which is the Second of this Book, explains in a general manner the nature and effect of that great and decisive work of God in man, which is commonly expressed by the terms-Effectual Calling. In doing this, various incidental questions of the highest importance are discussed, such as the Natural Ability of fallen man to what is spiritually good-the nature of Free Will-the Gospel Call-what is required of man, and what he can do— the relation of certain states of the unrenewed soul to certain states of the renewed soul—the relevancy of the work of God and the nature of man to each

other; and the like. The main object being to demonstrate the reality, the nature, the manner, and the effects of a gracious, and effectual vocation by God of the soul of man unto Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost, through the divine Word; wherein our mind is savingly enlightened, our will is renewed, our conscience is sanctified, and a new heart is given to us; the result being our present reconciliation to God, and our endless salvation. The Eighth Chapter, being the Third of this Book, is devoted to the exposition of the scriptural doctrine of man's Regeneration; wherein the teaching of Jesus Christ on this subject is carefully considered, and the relation of the doctrine taught by him, to the spiritual system of the whole Scriptures, and to human experience, is pointed out; and various incidental questions, such as the state of the soul in Regeneration-the instrumentality of divine Truth therein, and the applicability of this way of salvation to infants, are discussed. The chief matters established being-that fallen men must perish unless they are restored to the image of God: that this restoration is accomplished by a spiritual and personal renovation of our fallen nature-by the Holy Ghost through divine Truth, in and for the sake of Jesus Christ the Mediator of the Covenant of Redemption, after the model of God himself: that man incurs this change, being passive in it, after a peculiar manner: the whole being a most sovereign and gracious act of God the Creator of man, and Saviour of sinners, the most remote known reason for which in the case of each individual, is God's free, special, and eternal love for his elect. In the Ninth Chapter, which is the Fourth of this Book, the doctrine of Pardon and Acceptance of Sinners is disclosed. Its position in the Plan of Salvation is settled—its special office is disclosedthe relations of each Person of the Godhead to the matter are explained—and God ¿cown to be most just and righteous in his gracious, complete, and gratuitous justification of regenerate sinners, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ whose righteousness imputed to us by God, is shown to be the sole meritorious ground of the act of the Father setting us free: and Faith in Christ crucified, wrought in us by the Holy Ghost, to be the sole channel and manner of our receiving that imputed righteousness. In the course of the general argument all the main questions of an incidental kind are examined; and at the close of it, the doctrines of Covenant, of Headship, and of Imputation, are discussed in their mutual relations, and their fundamental relevancy to Salvation by Grace. The Tenth Chapter, which is the Fifth of this Book, is employed in setting forth the manner in which all regenerate and justified sinners become by Adoption, sons and heirs of God: the nature, grounds, and effects of that most gracious act of God: and the relation of the whole matter to us-to the plan of Salvation-to the Persons of the Godhead-and to the Covenant of Redemption. The analogy between the treatment of the divine Attributes, and the Graces of the Spirit in us, is disclosed: the method of explaining our salvation pointed out by the Apostle Paul in Romans viii., is expounded and applied: our relations to sin, to the law, to God's providence, and to God himself, are shown to be wholly changed by reason of his adopting us as his sons: our inheritance of all the promises of God is exhibited: our heirship of God, and our joint heirship with Christ-are proved to embrace an indefeasible title, and a present partial possession and enjoyment of the whole work and glory of God as Creator, and as Redeemer-and of God himself as our crowning inheritance. And the great sub

ject is concluded with some brief statements concerning the principles both general and personal, and the method both abstract and practical, involved in it, and settled by it. The Eleventh Chapter, which is the Sixth of this Book, discusses the whole doctrine of Sanctification under four general divisions: in the first of which the relation of the work of Sanctification to the Plan of Salvation, and that of this grace to the great graces before explained, is disclosed: in the second, the nature and characteristics of this crowning grace, and the progress of it in the human soul, with the general exercises of the soul therein, and particularly with reference to Faith, to Repentance, and to our Love of God—are traced: in the third, the divinely appointed means of our progressive Sanctification are pointed out, and the manner of their use and influence explained: and in the fourth, the power of God in this dying unto sin, and renewing more and more in entire conformity to Christ, is vindicated-the relation of the Godhead, and each Person thereof to this work in the souls of the children of God is set forth—and the special relevancy of the death and resurrection of Christ to the perfection of the divine life in man, is proved and illustrated: the whole being an attempt to state and sum up the nature, manner, and extent of that complete conformity to God, for which all Christians are commanded to strive. In the Twelfth Chapter, which is the Seventh and last of this Book, the consummation of our communion with Christ in Grace, and the consummation of our communion with him in Glory in this life are explained, and the crowning benefits of the Covenant of Redemption bestowed on the children of God in this life, are set forth in their order, and in their connections. The attempt is made to trace the life of God in the soul of man-wholly through the domain of grace into the domain of glory; and to demonstrate the nature, reality, progress, and eternal results of the whole. In this way the First Fruits of Glory-the Earnest of the Spirit-the Sense of God's Love-Peace of Conscience-Joy in the Holy Ghost-Rejoicing in Hope of the Glory of God: also the nature and extent of the evidence which the soul may obtain and rest on: Spiritual Weakness— Distrust ---Doubt--Indifference-Backsliding--Self-delusion-Perseverance Assurance; together with the relation of death, and the resurrection, to the saints, and to the final triumph of the Mediatorial Kingdom-are brought successively under review. In this Book, therefore, Union and Communion with Christ-Effectual Calling-Regeneration-Justification-Adoption--Sanctification-and the consummation of Grace in the First Fruits of Glory, are discussed; and the Knowledge of God Subjectively Considered, is traced in its divine effects upon and in the human soul, from its first awakening to the consummation of grace: and the whole progress of the soul itself thus exercised, is disclosed, according to the measure of the grace given to me. The grand truths supposed to be established in this Book, stated systematically and in the most summary manner, are those which follow, namely:-That through the application of the benefits of the Covenant of Redemption, by the Holy Ghost, to sinners redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, they are united by Faith to the divine Saviour and being so united to Christ, have Communion with him both in Grace and in Glory :--That by a work of divine grace, executed by divine power towards us and in us, which is the result of God's special and eternal love for us, God draws us by his Word and Spirit, to Jesus Christ his Son our

Saviour, thus reconciling unto himself by him, all who are redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ :—That by a saving work of God's Spirit in the soul, through the instrumentality of divine Truth, and for the merits' sake of Jesus Christ, our fallen and depraved nature is renewed in the image of God, and the elect of God are thus Born Again :-That by a most gracious act of God, he sets all regenerate sinners free from sin and death, accepts their persons and services as righteous, and declares their full right to eternal life, solely on account of the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and received through Faith alone:— That all sinners thus regenerated and justified, are by a most gracious act of God the Father, for the sake and on the designation of Jesus Christ, Adopted as Sons of God, made heirs of all the promises of God, heirs of God himself, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, the Son of God:-That all these Adopted Sons and heirs of God are, through a constant and increasing Sanctification, fitted for the use and enjoyment of their boundless inheritance: which occurs through the virtue of the death and Resurrection of Christ, by the indwelling of the Word and Spirit of God in their hearts: they being enabled more and more through Repentance toward God and Faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, to die unto sin, to be renewed in the spirit of their mind, and to live unto righteousness:-That the children of God saved by Grace, led and taught by the Word and Spirit of God, besides enjoying all the Benefits of the Covenant of Redemption, which are bestowed on them through their Communion with Christ in Grace; may also enjoy, in this life the First Fruits of Communion with him in Glory, whereby they possess the earnest of their boundless and eternal inheritance, in a settled sense of God's love, in peace of conscience, in joy in the Holy Ghost, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.

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