After all this, with good reason might our
Lord say unto him, “This day is salvation come to this house; forasmuch as he
also is the son of Abraham;” not so much by a natural as by a spiritual birth.
He was made partaker of like precious faith with Abraham: like Abraham he
believed on the Lord, and it was accounted to him for righteousness: his faith,
like Abraham's, worked by love; and I doubt not, but he has been long since
sitting in Abraham's harbor.
And now, are you not ashamed of yourselves,
who speak against the doctrines of grace, especially that doctrine of being
justified by faith alone, as though it leaded to licentiousness? What can be
more unjust than such a charge? Is not the instance of Zaccheus, a sufficient
proof to the contrary? Have I strained it to serve my own turn? God forbid. To
the best of my knowledge I have spoken the truth in sincerity, and the truth as
it is in Jesus. I do affirm that we are saved by grace, and that we are
justified by faith alone: but I do also affirm, that faith must be evidenced by
good works, where there is an opportunity of performing them.
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