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Morality not to be relied on for life. Or, A brief discourse, discovering the one thing wanting, which leaves the legalist short of life eternal. Delivered in a sermon on the lecture in Boston, May, 23d. 1700. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Four lines from Titus]
printed by B. Green for Benjamin Eliot, 1700
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. It convinceth us of the imperfection of our best duties, so as to remove our dependence on them, and make us to seek a pardon of their short coming, through' the blood of Christ. Faith makes us apprehensive that we can be accepted only in the beloved Eph. 1.6. It makes us to confess with the Church, ⟨p. 24⟩Isa. 64.6. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and profess with Paul, Phil. 3.8. I count all things but loss, and dung that I may win Christ. It lets us see, that if we rely upon them for their own worth, we are undone: that there is enough to be alleged against them, and that therefore there is a pardon to be sought in order to acceptance, according to, Psal. 130.3, 4. If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, who should stand? but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared. We therefore carry them to Christ, that they may be offered up with his sweet Incense, that so the dung of them may not procure them to be rejected.
2. It convinceth us of the imperfection of our best duties, so as to remove our dependance on them, and make us to seek a pardon of their short coming, thro' the blood of Christ. Faith makes us apprehensive that we can be accepted only in the beloved Eph. 1.6. It makes us to confess with the Church, ⟨p. 24⟩Isa. 64.6. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and profess with Paul, Phil. 3.8. I count all things but loss, and dung that I may win Christ. It lets us see, that if we rely upon them for their own worth, we are undone: that there is enough to be alledged against them, and that therefore there is a pardon to be sought in order to acceptance, according to, Psal. 130.3, 4. If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, who should stand? but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared. We therefore carry them to Christ, that they may be offered up with his sweet Incense, that so the dung of them may not procure them to be rejected.
3. It makes us to resolve our whole hope into the Righteousness of Christ, and a dependence on the free Grace of God. It makes us to do nothing at all with any opinion of meriting by it: we will do nothing, so as to expect that for the sake of our doing, we shall obtain any thing from God. Our Obedience is not put in the room of a Propitiatory Sacrifice, but only is presented as a Thank-Offering to God, in testimony of the infinite obligation laid upon us by his giving of his Son for us; we renounce all our own Righteousness in the bottom, that so we may be built upon that of Christ; as he, Phil. 3.9. Be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law, but that which is through' the faith of Christ. We acknowledge that these ⟨p. 25⟩Services are so far from deserving a reward, that it is only free grace that receives them of us; and that it is for Christ's sake that we are so received.
3. It makes us to resolve our whole hope into the Righteousness of Christ, and a dependance on the free Grace of God. It makes us to do nothing at all with any opinion of meriting by it: we will do nothing, so as to expect that for the sake of our doing, we shall obtain any thing from God. Our Obedience is not put in the room of a Propitiatory Sacrifice, but only is presented as a Thank-Offering to God, in testimony of the infinite obligation laid upon us by his giving of his Son for us; we renounce all our own Righteousness in the bottom, that so we may be built upon that of Christ; as he, Phil. 3.9. Be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law, but that which is thro' the faith of Christ. We acknowledge that these ⟨p. 25⟩Services are so far from deserving a reward, that it is only free grace that receives them of us; and that it is for Christ's sake that we are so received.
7. The legal Moralist is not only a stranger to, but an enemy of this faith. He acknowledgeth neither faith, but one that is Historical, and is contained in an Assent given to the Articles of Religion; as to the faith of recumbency on Christ, he looks upon it as a ridiculous thing, and entertains the Doctrine of it with scorn. He hath a Righteousness of his own, which he sets up in contradiction to the Righteousness of faith, that is revealed in the Gospel; and because these two are inconsistent, and the one of them will necessarily drive out the other; the pride of his heart maintains his own, and that will not suffer him to submit to the other. This was the folly and misery of those Jews, Rom. 10.•. They being ignorant of Gods Righteousness, and going about to establish their own Righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the Righteousness of God. And hence there is nothing more disgustful to such an one than the plain asserting of the Doctrine of such a faith, as carries the man entirely out of himself, and makes him to place his whole hope on the Righteousness of Christ for pardon and acceptance; and to rely altogether upon him for all the strength and assistance, whereby he may live and please God.
7. The legal Moralist is not only a stranger to, but an enemy of this faith. He acknowledgeth nother faith, but one that is Historical, and is contained in an Assent given to the Articles of Religion; as to the faith of recumbency on Christ, he looks upon it as a ridiculous thing, and entertains the Doctrine of it with scorn. He hath a Righteousness of his own, which he sets up in contradiction to the Righteousness of faith, that is revealed in the Gospel; and because these two are inconsistent, and the one of them will necessarily drive out the other; the pride of his heart maintains his own, and that will not suffer him to submit to the other. This was the folly and misery of those Jews, Rom. 10.•. They being ignorant of Gods Righteousness, and going about to establish their own Righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the Righteousness of God. And hence there is nothing more disgustful to such an one than the plain asserting of the Doctrine of such a faith, as carries the man entirely out of himself, and makes him to place his whole hope on the Righteousness of Christ for pardon and acceptance; and to rely altogether upon him for all the strength and assistance, whereby he may live and please God.
8. Hence it is for the want of this faith that his Morality must needs fail him, and leave him under condemnation in the great day. The absence of this spoils all the rest. Here then we have found out what is the one thing that is lacking, & in the lack of that, every thing else is deficient, and all his labour is lost. And the reason of all this is, because Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant, who hath alone made the atonement, and opened the way to life by his obedience, so that Justice and Mercy may meet together in the Salvation of Sinners; which, according to the tenor of the New-Covenant, can derive to none but by Faith in him, whose perfect righteousness hath made way for the acceptance of the imperfect but sincere Services of true believers.
8. Hence it is for the want of this faith that his Morality must needs fail him, and leave him vnder condemnation in the great day. The absence of this spoils all the rest. Here then we have found out what is the one thing that is lacking, & in the lack of that, every thing else is deficient, and all his labour is lost. And the reason of all this is, because Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant, who hath alone made the atonement, and opened the way to life by his obedience, so that Justice and Mercy may meet together in the Salvation of Sinners; which, according to the tenour of the New-Covenant, can derive to none but by Faith in him, whose perfect righteousness hath made way for the acceptance of the imperfect but sincere Services of true believers.
Hence what caution had Gospel Ministers need to use in their preaching up of moral duties? That it is their duty to preach them, and press them upon their hearers, is certain; otherwise they cannot be faithful in declaring the whole Counsel of God: and yet if they so preach them as to revive the Covenant of Works, to advance the Righteousness of man, and depreciate the Righteousness of Christ, they are far from being the Ministers of Christ, and are indeed the very betrayers of Souls to destruction, as far as in them lieth. Nor indeed do I know of ⟨p. 27⟩any thing which doth more threaten the undermining of true Christianity, and the bringing in of another Gospel, than the putting of Moral Virtues into a legal dress, and without any more ado, to commend them to us as the Graces of our Christian Religion. He who when he hath told men all the moral duties required in the Law of God, and laid them out according to the nature of them, as they were enjoined on them in the First Covenant, saith to them, this do and live, and doth not endeavour to show them that there is something more wanting, without which they are undone, will be found an enemy of Grace, and a murderer of Souls: nor would I have such a Ministers account to give in the last day for a thousand worlds.
Hence what caution had Gospel Ministers need to use in their preaching up of moral duties? That it is their duty to preach them, and press them upon their hearers, is certain; otherwise they cannot be faithful in declaring the whole Counsel of God: and yet if they so preach them as to revive the Covenant of Works, to advance the Righteousness of man, and depreciate the Righteousness of Christ, they are far from being the Ministers of Christ, and are indeed the very betrayers of Souls to destruction, as far as in them lieth. Nor indeed do I know of ⟨p. 27⟩any thing which doth more threaten the undermining of true Christianity, and the bringing in of another Gospel, than the putting of Moral Vertues into a legal dress, and without any more ado, to commend them to us as the Graces of our Christian Religion. He who when he hath told men all the moral duties required in the Law of God, and laid them out according to the nature of them, as they were enjoyned on them in the First Covenant, saith to them, this do and live, and doth not endeavour to shew them that there is something more wanting, without which they are undone, will be found an enemy of Grace, and a murderer of Souls: nor would I have such a Ministers account to give in the last day for a thousand worlds.
Let it be a Solemn word of Caution to all Sober and Moral men, to beware that you trust not in this for Eternal Life. The pride that is in your corrupt nature, will prompt you exceedingly hereunto, for the natural man would fain be seen and have something to boast of, that he may ascribe to himself; and the flesh pleasing Doctrines that are at this day vended on this account, will be very grateful to that pride, and nourish it in them. But take heed, there is one thing which, if when you have ⟨p. 28⟩done all, is wanting, you will be undone, and found to have laid out your Money for that which is not bread: What availed it this man in our Text, that he had kept all the Commands from his youth upwards? he still wanted that, the want whereof was his undoing. You live among men very Soberly & Abstemiously, you are no Drunkards, Gluttons, Gamesters Fornicators, &c. You do no man any wrong in your commerce, you are diligent in your Callings, honest and conscientious in your traffic, zealous in the Religious observance of the duties of worship private and public, and have the good word, and applause of your neighbours for these things: and if this be all that you can pretend unto, you have your reward; If you have not a better claim to Eternal Life than all this amounts to, you will not be able to stand in the Judgment; the righteous Judge will declare that he knows you not: your morality will be found no better than iniquity, and you must depart with the Workers of it. See then that now you get that one thing, else all will be lost, and your Souls perish for ever.
Let it be a Solemn word of Caution to all Sober and Moral men, to beware that you trust not in this for Eternal Life. The pride that is in your corrupt nature, will prompt you exceedingly hereunto, for the natural man would fain be seen and have something to boast of, that he may ascribe to himself; and the flesh pleasing Doctrines that are at this day vended on this account, will be very grateful to that pride, and nourish it in them. But take heed, there is one thing which, if when you have ⟨p. 28⟩done all, is wanting, you will be undone, and found to have laid out your Money for that which is not bread: What availed it this man in our Text, that he had kept all the Commands from his youth upwards? he still wanted that, the want whereof was his undoing. You live among men very Soberly & Abstemiously, you are no Drunkards, Gluttons, Gamesters Fornicators, &c. You do no man any wrong in your commerce, you are diligent in your Callings, honest and conscientious in your traffick, zealous in the Religious observance of the duties of worship private and publick, and have the good word, and applause of your neighbours for these things: and if this be all that you can pretend unto, you have your reward; If you have not a better claim to Eternal Life than all this amounts to, you will not be able to stand in the Judgment; the righteous Judge will declare that he knows you not: your morality will be found no better than iniquity, and you must depart with the Workers of it. See then that now you get that one thing, else all will be lost, and your Souls perish for ever.
FINIS.
