The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-09-01
Justification.
3CRIBED TO SEVEN CAUSES


In examining the New Testament, we
find that man is said to be Justified
by faith" Rom v, /; Gal. ill.,. 24.)
Justified freely by his grace" from.
iii, "A; Titus iii, ~ Justified by his
blood" from. V, 81 justified by
works. Games ii, 81, "a, 25.) "Justi-
fed in or by the name of the Lord
Jesus" Il Cor. vi. III Justified by
Christ" (Gal. ii, 16.) "Justifed by
knowledge" lisa. Iii, ~ cit is God
that justif1es." (Rom. iii, 33), viz, by
these seven means-by Christ, his name,
his blood, by knowledge, grace, faith,
and by works. Are these all literal? Is
there no room for Interpretation here?
He that selects faith out of seven must
either act arbitrarily or show his reason;
but the reason does not appear in the
text He must reason it out; he must
infer it. Why, then, assume that faith
alone is the reason of our Qualifications
Why not assume that the name of the
Lord alone is the great matter, seeing
his name els the only name given I'M
der heaven by which any man can be
saved;' and men "whO believe receive
the remission of sins by his name;" and,
especially, because the name of Jesus,
or of the Lord, is more frequently men
toned in the New Testament, in refer
ence to all spiritual blessings, than any
thing else! Call all these causes or
means of justification, and what then?
We have the grace of God fer the NOV
ing cause, Jesus Christ for the efficient
cause, his blood the procuring cause,
knowledge the disposing cause, the
name Of the Lord the immediate cause,
faith the formal cause, and works for
the cencurring cause.
For example: gentleman on the sea-
shore describes the wreck of vessel at
some distance from land, driving out
into the ocean, and covered with a mis-
cradle and perlshing sea-drenched crew.
Moved by pure philanthropy, he sends
his son in a boat to save them. When
the boat arrives at the wreck, he invites
them in, upon this condition-that they
submit to his guidance. A number of
the crew stretch out their arms, and,
selling the boat with their hands, spring
into it, take hold of the oars, and row to
land, while some, from cowardice, and
others, because of some difficulty in
coming to the boat, wait the expectation
Of a second trip; but before it returned,
the wreck went to pieces and they all
persisted. The moving cause of their
salvation who escaped was the goodwill
of the gentleman on the shore; the son,
who took the boat, was the efficient
cause; the boat itself, the procuring
cause; the knowledge of their perishing
condition and his invitation, the dispos-
ing cause; the Selling the boat with
their hands, and springing into it, the
immediate cause, their consenting to
his condition, the formal cause; and
their rowing to shore, under the guild
ance of his son, was the concurring
cause of their salvation. Thus men are
justified or saved by grace, by Christ,
by his blood, by faith, by knowledge,
by the name of the Lord, and by works.
But of the seven causes, three Of which
are purely instrumental, why choose
one of the instrumental, and emphasize
upon it as the justifying or saving cause,
to the exclusion of, or in preference to,
the others? Every one in its own place
is essentially necessary.
If we examine the word 8a0ed in the
New Testament, we shall find that we
are saved by as mdny causes, though
some of them differently denominated,
as those by which we ere said to be JUS
titled Let us see: we are said to be
saved by grace (Eph. ii. Sd saved thro'
this life, (Rom. V. 8, 1913 saved through
faith, Eph' ii. 8; Acts xvi. 81 J saved by
baptism, Il Peter iii. d; or by faith and
baptism, Mark xvi, 49, or by the wash |
ing of regeneration and renewal of the |
Holy Spirit, s(Titus iii. SD or by the gos-
pei, Il Cor. XIV. - or by calling upon
the Lord, and enduring unto the end,
Acts H. 81; Rom. x 10; Matt x. %. } |
Here we have salvation ascribed to |
grace, to Jesus Christ, to his death and ,
three times to baptism,
either by itself or in conjunction; once
with faith, and once with the Hely Spi-
it; to works, or to calling upon the
Lord, or to enduring to the end. To
hese We might add other phrases near
y similar, but these include all the eaus-
IS to which we have just now alluded