Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1841-02-17

people is represented Dy Inc marriage re-
,.,oo Now as there can be no marriage
-,;,hout the mutual consent Of the parties,
=. consent Of the sinner which is given
a. his believing, is necessary to his be-
.n;oc one with Christ, and to his right
!. ii The blessings Of the new covenant.
lanes says that, :" by works a man is
;,a6ed, and not by faith alone" And
his language seems to contradict that US
"a BY The apostle Paul. Yet there is no
opposition Of meaning. Paul brought for
,rard the case Of Abraham offering Isaac
and The scripture which saith Abraham
believed God and it was imputed to him
for righteousness to show that Abraham
was not justified by the deeds OF the law,
~, nv faith in Christ James brought the
,ame case and the same scripture to show
hat the faith by which Abraham was JUS
lied was not dead faith, but afaith which
necessarily includes good works.
5th, When does God justify2 The
.criplures teach Us that this act Of God is
performed in time. and at the same time
hat the sinner believes. There can be no
doub. Of this, since every unbelieying sin.
Der is condemned. and every believing
Inner is justified.
classification is before believing. then
II the justified are for time justified in
pnbelieE But classification follows after
believing, then all believers are for time
state of condemnation. But since
enher Of these positions can be true, it
pillows that justification and believing are
! The same time. To this the passage in
Jon viii. 1880. is brought as an objection.
For whom he did foreknow he also did
rsdestinate % Be conformed 10 the image
his Son thai be might be the frs, born
mong many brethren Moreover whom
le did predestinate them he also called !.
nd whom he called, them he also iustifi.
Ia; ard whom he justified them he also
lorifed." From this the objector infers
ernal Justification but he may as well
fer eternal calling, and eternal glori6ca.
pn. God did no doubt eternally purpose
Justify; but we must not tconfound the
brpose with the act. In the original, the
erbs are all 10 the indefinite tense and
bay as well be rendered in the present as
the past Thus whom he foreknows
also prcdestinates, whom he predesti-
aes them he also calls. whom he calls
hem he justi6es. and whom he justifes
hem he also glori6es. The design ofthe
assage is to show that the foreknowledge
redestina,ion, calling, justification anc
orihcalion, all relate 10 the same sub
let.
Again, the words of Christ, Matt. xii
637, may be supposed to teach tina. Coz
pes no, justify any until the day Of judg
ent. "For | say unto you that for eve
idle word which man shall speak h
ball give account at The day Of judgmen
OF BY thy words thou shalt be justified
ID by thy words thou shalt be condemn
/" And all those passages which speal
justification by works may be suppose
teach that Justification is progressive. Q
pat il is after faith. Abraham was be
ever long before he offered Isaac tn
york by which according to James be wa
pslied. These directors to the doctrin
bat justification takes place on believin
pay be ohviated by supposing, that as ju
6cation is declaration Of character, q
ghteous or unrighteous, this declaratio
made at different times and at difierel
bunals. At believing it is made at Ii
ar Of conscience. When faith is mad
anifest by works it is made before maj
the last day il will be made before Il
inverse.
But how does God justify? The al
yer to this question has in part been gi
b. But we further say. God prescrib
be rule, or condition, and imparts h
|essing. God in Christ performs Il
Pndi.ion. which constitutes perfect RICH
BUSINESS. God the Spirit reveals Chr
the soul, produces that faith by whic
IS Received, Witnesses with our spil
y we are the children Of God. and NON
into tho