Query 7. A Holy Life and Free Grace
QUERY 7. — Does preaching the necessity of a holy life in order to obtain eternal happiness, have a dangerous consequence to the doctrine of free grace?
Ans. — The last of the two clauses of the eighth act of Assembly, being complained of in our Representation, is the first and main ground of this query. And before we give an answer to it, we crave leave to explain ourselves more fully as to the offence we conceive is given by that act.
Namely, it is that, in opposition to, and in place of the believer’s plea of Christ’s active righteousness, in answer to the law demanding good works for obtaining salvation according to the tenor of the first covenant — cut off, as we apprehend it, by the fifth act — ministers are ordered, in the eighth act, to preach the necessity of our own personal holiness, in order to obtain everlasting happiness. As also, our inherent holiness seems to be put too much on the same footing (as necessary to obtain everlasting happiness) with justification by the Surety. This frame of words, as follows, will well evidence it, namely: “Of free justification through our blessed Surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, received by faith alone; and of the necessity of a holy life, in order to obtain everlasting happiness.” Moreover, the great fundamental of justification is laid down in such general terms, that adversaries will easily agree to it. Without mention of the Surety’s righteousness, active or passive, or the imputation of either — especially since a motion in open Assembly to add those few but momentous words — imputed righteousness was slighted. And finally, the act is so little adapted to the end it was designed for, namely: — a testimony to the supreme Godhead of our glorious God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and against Arianism, especially since not the least intimation or warning against that damnable heresy is to be found in the act itself, nor was it made to that Assembly in passing it.
To the query, we answer that we cordially and sincerely admit that a holy life (or good works) is necessary, as an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty, and in obedience to his command: for this is the will of God, even our sanctification; and, by a special ordination, he has appointed believers to walk in them: necessary for glorifying God before the world, and showing the virtues of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvellous light: necessary as being the end of our election, redemption, effectual calling, and regeneration; for “the Father chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy; the Son gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works;”Tit 2.14 and by the Holy Spirit we are created in Christ Jesus for them: necessary, as expressions of our gratitude to our great Benefactor — for being bought with a price, we are no more our own, but henceforth, in a most peculiar manner, we are bound in our bodies and in our spirits, which are his, to glorify and by all possible ways to testify of our thanksgiving to our Lord Redeemer and Ransomer. To him “who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to death for us all;”Rom 8.32 to him “who humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, for us;”Phil 2.7 necessary as being the design, not only of the world, but of all ordinances and providences; even that, as he who has called us is holy, so we should be holy in all manner of conduct;1Pet 1.15 necessary, again, for evidencing and confirming our faith, good works being the breath, the native offspring and issue of it; necessary, for making our calling and election sure;2Pet 1.10 for though they are no plea, yet they are a good evidence for heaven, or an argument confirming our assurance and hope of salvation: necessary, to maintaining inward peace and comfort, though not as the ground and foundation for them, yet as effects, fruits, and concomitants of faith; necessary, in order to consider communion with God even in this life; for “if we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth;”1Joh 1.6 necessary, to escape judgments, and to enjoy many promised blessings; particularly there is a necessity of order and method, so that one must be holy before he can be admitted to see and enjoy God in heaven; that being a disposing mean, preparing for the salvation of it, and the king’s highway chalked out for the redeemed to walk into the city; Isa 35.8 necessary, to adorn the gospel and grace our holy calling and profession; necessary, further, for the edification, good, and comfort, of fellow-believers; necessary, to prevent offence, and to stop the mouths of the wicked; Psa 107.42 to win likewise the unbelieving, and to commend Christ and his ways to the consciences; necessary, finally, for the establishment, security, and glory of churches and nations.
Though we firmly believe holiness is necessary upon all these and more accounts, and that the Christian ought to live in the continued exercise of gospel repentance, which is one main constituent of gospel holiness, yet we dare not say that a holy life is necessary in order to obtain eternal happiness; for to say nothing of the more gross sense of these words (manifestly injurious to the free grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, by faith in whose righteousness alone we are appointed to obtain salvation, from first to last), what is still obvious enough, though we are far from imputing it to the Assembly — however they may be explained into an orthodox meaning — we cannot look at them as wholesome words, since they have at least an appearance of evil. They are such a way of expression, that Protestant churches and divines have industriously shunned their use on that topic, knowing the strong natural bias in all men towards seeking salvation, not by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, but by works of righteousness done by themselves; and also knowing the danger of symbolizing with Papists and other enemies of the grace of the gospel. Protestants choose to call holiness and good works necessary duties of persons who are justified and saved, rather than conditions of salvation; they choose to call them consequents and effects of salvation already obtained, or antecedents, disposing and preparing the subject for the salvation to be obtained, rather than any sort of causes, or proper means to obtain the possession of salvation. The Scripture, for the high praise and glory of sovereign grace, seems to have reserved this last honour peculiarly for faith. Scripture chooses to say that holiness is necessary in those who will be saved, rather than necessary to their salvation — that we are saved, not by gospel works, but rather to gospel works, as fruits and effects of saving grace; or that holiness is necessary to salvation, not so much as a means to the end, as a part of the end itself; this part of our salvation is necessary to make us fit for the other that is yet behind.
Therefore, since this [other] way of speaking of holiness with respect to salvation is, we conceive, without warrant in the holy Scripture, and dissonant from the doctrinal standards of our own and other reformed churches, as well as from the chosen and deliberate speech of reformed divines addressing these topics; and since it is at best but propositio male sonans, and may easily be mistaken, and afterwards improved as a shade or vehicle for conveying corrupt sentiments about the influence of works upon salvation; we can only reckon that preaching the necessity of holiness in such terms, would have some dangerous consequence to the doctrine of free grace. We are all the more confirmed in this apprehension, that at this day the doctrine of Christ and his free grace, both as to the purity and efficacy of it, seems to be greatly waning; and that Popery, with other dangerous errors and heresies destructive of it, are waxing. This certainly calls aloud to the churches of Christ, and to his ministers in particular, for all the more zeal, watchfulness, and caution, with reference to the interests of truth; and that is especially at such a time so that, cum hereticis nec nomina habeamus communia, ne eorum errori favere videamur.
In any case — certainly in framing acts and standards of doctrine — there is great need for delicacy in the choice of words. For the words of the Holy Ghost in Scripture, under which we include those which are equivalent to them in meaning and import, are an ordinance of divine institution for preserving the truth of the gospel. Once these are altered or varied, all the wisdom and vigilance of men will be ineffectual to that end. And it is well known, by costly experience to the churches of Christ, that falling in with the language or phrases of corrupt teachers, instead of serving the interest of truth (which never looks so good as in its own native simplicity) only grieves the stable and judicious, staggers the weak, betrays the ignorant, and instead of gaining, it hardens and opens the mouths of adversaries. And just because it is said in a text, “They do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible,”1Cor 9.25 that will not warrant the manner of speech in the query. For the word, in the original language, “obtain” signifies only to receive or apprehend, being accordingly rendered in all Latin versions we have seen, and in our own translation in the immediately preceding verse: “One receives the prize;” and even if the word did signify to obtain, in the most strict and proper sense, it could not serve the purpose unless it were meant of the believer’s obtaining the incorruptible crown, not by faith, but by works. An ill-chosen word in a standard may prove more dangerous to the truth, than one not so justly rendered in a translation with several other things on this topic. This might be made very evident, if it were not that we have been, we fear, tedious on it already.