Christian Classics
‹ System of Doctrines, contained in Divine Relation, Explained and Defended. Shewing Their Consistence and Connexion with Each Other. Vol. I.
Contents
Section VI. Concerning Saving Faith. · Part 1Section VI. Concerning Saving Faith. · Part 2Section VI. Concerning Saving Faith. · Part 3Section VI. Concerning Saving Faith. · Part 4Section VII. On the Sinner's Justification by Faith in Christ. · Part 1Section VII. On the Sinner's Justification by Faith in Christ. · Part 2Section VII. On the Sinner's Justification by Faith in Christ. · Part 3Section VIII. On the Covenant of Grace.Section IX. The Manner of the Dispensation of the Covenant of Grace, and the Preaching of the Gospel.Section X. That all true Believers, do persevere in Faith and Holiness, to the End of Life, and cannot fail of eternal Salvation.Section XI. Concerning Believers’ Assurance of Salvation.Section XII. On the Doctrine of Election.Section XIII. Whether any of the Redeemed arrive to Perfect Holiness in this Life.Section XIV. Concerning Death; a Separate State; the General Resurrection and Judgment; and the eternal State of Happiness or Misery. · Part 1Section XIV. Concerning Death; a Separate State; the General Resurrection and Judgment; and the eternal State of Happiness or Misery. · THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.Section XIV. Concerning Death; a Separate State; the General Resurrection and Judgment; and the eternal State of Happiness or Misery. · IMPROVEMENT.Section I. General Observations concerning the Church of Christ.Section II. Concerning the Officers of a Church.Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 1Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 2Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 3Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 4Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 5Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 6Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 7Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 8Section III. On the Public Institutions y Ordinances and Worship oj the Church. · Part 9Section IV. Concerning the Discipline of the Church.Chap. VI. On Christian Practice. · Part 1Chap. VI. On Christian Practice. · REFLECTIONS.Chap. VI. On Christian Practice. · CONCLUSION.A Treatise on the Millennium.Dedication.Introduction.Section I. In which it is proved from Scripture, that the church of Christ in to come to a state of prosperity in this world, which it has never yet enjoyed; in which it will continue at least a thousand years. · Part 1Section I. In which it is proved from Scripture, that the church of Christ in to come to a state of prosperity in this world, which it has never yet enjoyed; in which it will continue at least a thousand years. · Part 2Section I. In which it is proved from Scripture, that the church of Christ in to come to a state of prosperity in this world, which it has never yet enjoyed; in which it will continue at least a thousand years. · Part 3Section II. In which it is considered, in what the Millennium will consist, and what will be the peculiar happiness and glory of that day, according to Scripture. · Part 1Section II. In which it is considered, in what the Millennium will consist, and what will be the peculiar happiness and glory of that day, according to Scripture. · Part 2Section II. In which it is considered, in what the Millennium will consist, and what will be the peculiar happiness and glory of that day, according to Scripture. · Part 3Section II. In which it is considered, in what the Millennium will consist, and what will be the peculiar happiness and glory of that day, according to Scripture. · Part 4Section III. In which is considered which thousand years of the world will be the Millennium, and when it will begin.Section IV. In which is considered, what events are to take place, according to Scripture Prophecy, before the beginning of the Millennium, and to prepare the way for it. · Part 1Section IV. In which is considered, what events are to take place, according to Scripture Prophecy, before the beginning of the Millennium, and to prepare the way for it. · Part 2Section IV. In which is considered, what events are to take place, according to Scripture Prophecy, before the beginning of the Millennium, and to prepare the way for it. · Part 3Section IV. In which is considered, what events are to take place, according to Scripture Prophecy, before the beginning of the Millennium, and to prepare the way for it. · Part 4Section IV. In which is considered, what events are to take place, according to Scripture Prophecy, before the beginning of the Millennium, and to prepare the way for it. · Part 5Section IV. In which is considered, what events are to take place, according to Scripture Prophecy, before the beginning of the Millennium, and to prepare the way for it. · Part 6

Samuel Hopkins · 4 of 48

Section VI. Concerning Saving Faith. · Part 4

If saving faith did consist in mere speculation, and the heart had no concern in it, and no degree of disposition and exercise of that were implied in believing, it could not be required as a duty, or unbelief condemned and forbidden as a sin. For that in which the heart has no concern, and which does not imply any exercise of disposition or will, is neither virtue nor vice, sin nor : It has no moral good or evil in it; and cannot be the subject of command or prohibition, of blame or commendation. But whatsoever implies exercise of the heart, and depends upon the disposition of that, and in any measure consists in this, is morally right, or wrong, or sin, and must be commanded or forbidden. As therefore saving faith implies the whole of christian obedience and , it must be considered not only as a duty, but as comprising the whole of it; And unbelief must imply the contrary, and therefore be wholly criminal.

Agreeably to this, we find men are commanded in scripture to believe on Jesus Christ; and this faith is every where represented as a duty. It is needless to mention all the particular passages of scripture which prove this, to the attentive reader of the Bible; the following are sufficient to establish this point. Jesus, came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “ ye, and believe the gospel.” “Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” “Ye believe in God, believe also in me.” “And this is his commandment, that ye should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ.”

On the contrary, unbelief is considered as a great sin. Our Saviour blames and condemns the Jews for not believing on him, and ascribes it to the corrupt and wicked disposition of their hearts. And unbelief is ascribed wholly to an evil heart, and forbidden in the epistle to the Hebrews. “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Our divine Teacher not only represents unbelief as a sin of the first magnitude, but as comprehending all the sin of which men are guilty under the gospel. “And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, because they believe not on me.” “Not to believe the record God has given of his Son, is to make him a liar.” To slight and reject Jesus Christ, which is unbelief, as it is opposed to faith, is the greatest sin of which man can be guilty; and every sin which men commit under the gospel, is unbelief, or a sin of unbelief, as it carries in it opposition to Christ, and a rejection of him. Therefore, as saving faith, taken in its full latitude, comprehends all gospel duty or evangelical , so unbelief involves all the sin which men commit under the gospel.

III. From the above account of saving faith, we learn, that the interest of is secured and promoted in the salvation of sinners by faith in Jesus Christ.

The doctrine of by faith alone, has been objected to and opposed by many, as a doctrine tending to licentiousness, and encouraging men to neglect good works and an holy life, depending on their faith to save them. But this objection has been formed wholly from ignorance of the doctrine, and misunderstanding it, not knowing what is implied in saving faith.

It is true, that many have abused this doctrine, and expected to be saved by a spurious, dead faith, without works and of life; but this affords no argument against the doctrine, rightly understood; for there is no truth of the gospel which is not liable to be misunderstood, and abused to bad purposes, and which has not been so abused. Such there were in the days of the apostles, whose dangerous mistake and wicked abuse of this doctrine, the apostle James exposes and confutes, by shewing what saving faith is, viz. That true , and all the virtue and life contained in good works, is implied in saving faith and comes into the nature of it; and that faith which does not imply, and is not all this, will not save; but is a vain dead faith. This is the faith which has been described in this section, as has been shewn, by explaining what this apostle says upon it.

If faith implies the whole of evangelical , then men cannot be and saved by faith without ; and of heart and life is as necessary, as it could be, were they by the works of the law.

There is as real exercised in approving of the holy character of Christ, and the way of salvation by him, and in receiving him, submitting to him, and trusting in him, as there can be in obedience to law, as a of works. There is as real love to the law of God, and conformity of heart to it, in approving and trusting in the of Christ, for pardon and salvation, which consists in his honouring the law, by suffering the penalty of it, and obeying it, as there would be in obeying the law perfectly, as our own , were this possible.

IV. It appears from what has been said on this subject of saving faith, that the apostles, Paul and James, are perfectly consistent, wherein they have been, by some, thought to differ. Their consistence and agreement will appear, only by observing, that the apostle Paul means the same thing by “faith which worketh by love,” which the apostle James does, by faith which operates by works, and by works is made perfect, as the working life of faith. By this living, active, holy faith, implying all the good works and gospel obedience of a christian, James says, a man is , and cannot be by any other kind of faith, which does not include all this. Paul says, a man is by faith, and that this faith operates by love, as the life and active nature of it, in which all the and good works of a christian are implied and consist. In this they perfectly agree, and assert the same thing in different words. The apostle Paul opposes this faith to the works of the law, to obedience to law as a of works, as the price of the favour of God; and it has been shewn above, wherein the difference and opposition between these consist: therefore it is needless to repeat it here. The apostle James says nothing relating to the works of the law; and speaks only of those works which are implied in faith and christian obedience, or the obedience of faith.

V. From the view we have had of saving faith, we may learn why pardon of sin and salvation are in the Bible promised to the least degree of true and christian obedience, in whatever way it be exercised; such as love to God, or to our neighbour, and to our fellow christians; to hungering and thirsting after , humility, , a forgiving spirit, &c.—The reason is, not because evangelical in the least degree of it, is only a sign of faith, as something distinct from it; but because it is saving faith itself, and is that in the exercise of which the soul does unite itself to Christ: For every holy exercise of the christian has the nature of saving faith in it, as has been shown. Every act of gospel is connected with pardon and salvation, as it is an act of faith, and implies in it a believing in Christ, and acceptance of pardon and salvation, as a free, undeserved gift.

Therefore, any person may know that he has saving faith, if he have evidence that he does exercise any degree of real , in any branch of it.

VI. We may hence see why saving faith is the gift of God; and in what respect it is so. The apostle Paul says, “By are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” “For unto you it is given, in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” The disciples of Christ prayed him to increase their faith.

Christ says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me, draw him. It is written in the Prophets, And they shall all be taught of God.—Every man therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” And he said to Peter, when he professed his faith in him, as the Son of God, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Faith is the gift of God, as is his gift, because they involve each other, and are really the same. If saving faith did not imply , and were not itself, it would be no more the gift of God, than any of the natural exercises of unrenewed men, and in no other sense: For there would be no more opposition to it in their hearts, than to any thing else whatsoever. It is the of saving faith which puts it out of the reach of the unrenewed man, and all the difficulty of believing on Christ lies in this, and this is the only ground of the opposition of the mind to saving faith. This difficulty and opposition to believing, therefore, cannot be removed in any possible way, but by “Taking away the stony heart, and giving a new heart, by which men are created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, being saved by the washing of , and renewing of the .” This point is illustrated by what has been observed in the preceding section, on divine illumination.