Particular Salutations - Php 1:1-2 - Robert Hawker

"Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." [Philippians 1:1-2]

"'...to all the saints in CHRIST JESUS, Which were at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.' Saints, in scripture language, means regenerated sinners. Called to be saints, as the Apostle elsewhere terms it. 1 Corinthians 1:2. Similar to the Apostle Jude's expression; sanctified by GOD the FATHER, and preserved in JESUS CHRIST, and called, Jude 1. Reader! it is most essentially necessary to have this always in view, through the whole of this Epistle; yea, in all the inspired writings of the Apostles. For there are some things said in them which cannot have reference to the world at large; but are belonging to the Church of GOD only. And it is the grossest of all mistakes to make application to mankind in general of what belongs only to the saints of GOD. The Apostle's salutations is to the Church. Grace be unto you, and peace, from GOD our FATHER, and from the LORD JESUS CHRIST."

The gift to believe on Him - Philippians 1:29 - Robert Hawker

"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." [Philippians 1:29]

Reader! do not overlook that precious verse, and the doctrine contained in it, that it is given to the Church, in behalf of CHRIST, not only to believe on him, but also, if needful, to suffer for his sake. Yes! faith and fortitude are the LORD'S gifts, and not our graces. When a child of GOD believes to the salvation of his soul, the strength of that faith, and all the parts of that faith, are from the LORD. It is blessed to believe, blessed to be firm in that belief: blessed to believe always. But the largest portions of faith are all the LORD'S gifts. And wherein no man's faith differs from another, the diligent measures of grace are His, who is both the Author, and Finisher of faith. So that the strong in faith, when taught of GOD, in the exercise of it, will always rejoice in the great object of faith, the LORD JESUS; and not in themselves, from the fruits and effects of it. Oh! for grace both to believe in CHRIST; and, if needs be, to suffer for his sake.

Albert Barnes Denies Absolute Substitution

Here is an example of the "...as if..." language which false teachers use in order to deny that Christ owned the guilt of our sins when He was made a curse for us.

"...He did not so take human guilt upon him, that the words sinful and sinner could with any propriety be applied to him."

"...The sense of the passage before us is, therefore, that Jesus was subjected to what was regarded as an accursed death. He was treated in his death as if he had been a criminal. He was put to death in the same manner as he would have been if he had himself been guilty of the violation of the Law. If he had been a thief or a murderer; if he had committed the grossest and the blackest crimes, this would have been the punishment to which he would have been subjected. This was the mode of punishment adapted to those crimes, and he was treated as if all these had been committed by him. Or, in other words, if he had been guilty of all these, or any of these, he could not have been treated in a more shameful and ignominious manner than he was; nor could he have been subjected to a more cruel death. Since it has already been intimated, it does not mean that Jesus was guilty, nor that he was not the object of the approbation and love of God, but that Jesus’ death was the same that it would have been if he had been the vilest of malefactors, and that that death was regarded by the Law as accursed."

"...But what made the atonement so wonderful, so glorious, so benevolent; what made it an atonement at all, was that innocence was treated as if it were guilt; that the most pure, and holy, and benevolent, and lovely being on earth should consent to be treated, and should be treated by God and man, as If Jesus were the most vile and ill-deserving. This is the mystery of the atonement; this shows the wonders of the divine benevolence; this is the nature of substituted sorrow; and this lays the foundation for the offer of pardon, and for the hope of eternal salvation." Albert Barnes (Commentary on Galatians 3:13)

In response to this read William Rushton HERE.

"He knew they would be, because he decreed they should be" - John Gill

Providence, of which we are now about to treat, must be considered as distinct from praevidence, praevision, prescience, foresight, foreknowledge, and predestination; which all respect some act in the divine mind in eternity; and are no other than the eternal purposes and decrees of God, who foresaw and foreknew all persons and things that would be; he determining within himself that they should be; for "known unto him were all his works from the beginning", or from eternity; even all that would be done in time, from the beginning to the end of the world; he knew they would be, because he decreed they should be; this may be called eternal providence, virtual providence, providence in purpose; but providence in time, which is what is now under consideration and may be called actual providence, is the execution of whatsoever God has foreknown and determined; "Who worketh all things after the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11), the eternal will of God is the rule of his conduct in providence, according to which he proceeds in it; and his wisdom, which fixed his will, and therefore said to be the counsel of his will, presides, guides, and directs in the execution of it; which execution of it is called his working; wherefore providence is to be reckoned as his work. The wise man says, "There is a time to every purpose under the heaven"; whatever is done under the heavens in time, there was a purpose for it in eternity; and for the execution of that purpose a time was fixed; and at that time it is brought about by the providence of God; who "makes everything beautiful in his time"; in the time and season in which he appointed it to be done (Eccl. 3:1,11). Purpose and providence exactly tally and answer to each other; the one is the fulfillment of the other; "Surely, as I have thought", saith the Lord, "so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand" (Isa. 14:24).

JOHN FOREMAN (1792 - 1872) by John E Hazelton

JOHN FOREMAN (1792 - 1872)

by John E Hazelton, from "Hold-Fast!" A sketch of Covenant truth and witnesses, 1909, pp 146 - 148

JOHN FOREMAN was for upwards of 40 years pastor of the Church at Hill Street ChapeL Marylebone — a tall, stalwart, rugged man, with an iron constitution and of tremendous energy. When an agricultural labourer in the county of Suffolk he was called by grace; his first pastorate was at Cambridge, whence in 1827 he came to London. Although not a learned man, in the usual sense of that expression, he possessed varied general information, which he obtained by considerable reading, by intercourse with men, and by long and close observation. As a preacher he was distinguished by great plainness of speech and vigour of address; his sermons were often very instructive and impressive, and many of his thoughts grand and lofty. There was, however, considerable inequality in their value. His voice was strong and clear and, when he was warm in his subject, was exerted with great animation and rapidity of utterance. He was emphatic in declaring salvation to be entirely by grace and not in any sense or degree by works. Hence he had a great antipathy to what is termed the duty-faith scheme, which in his view, as it makes salvation depend on the exercise of faith as a moral duty, entirely enervates and destroys the character of the Gospel dispensation; changing a system of free favour and special distinguishing grace into one of condemnation and legal bondage. At the same time he was careful to maintain the necessity of good works, as the fruit of a gracious change of heart. His Remarks on Duty-faith, with a preface by James Wells, is a valuable production worthy of a reprint. It gives a fairly complete idea of his views of truth, and affords a sample of his style in writing and preaching. As an able minister of the New Testament, he distinguished carefully between the several covenants therein set forth, and faithfully described the various characters therein indicated. Careful and prayerful attention to the nature of these covenants, as set forth in various parts of the Old Testament especially, will clear away clouds of difficulties which often trouble young believers. He was tender and sympathetic in his addresses to the weak and tried, and careful and considerate to the lambs and nurslings of the flock. He was a remarkable proof of what the Divine Spirit can effect by the instrumentality of a plain, unlettered man, so far as the learning of the schools is concerned: Possessed of the smallest possible advantages of early education he had to make his way by dint of perseverance and self culture.

Part of a report published by his Sunday School during his pastorate has present-day lessons. "At the commencement of our school it was supposed by some of our friends that it was impossible to carry on the Sabbath school on free grace principles. The experiment, however, was tried, and our prayers have been answered — we have not to pronounce it a failure. Free-will and duty-faith have never formed a part of the creed of any of the teachers to our knowledge. We have always contended that life must precede action, and, consequently, have never been able to invite the dead to perform acts that belong alone to the living. The first chapter that was read in the school, in the hearing of the children, was John iii, in which is set forth the necessity of the new birth, and that alone by the invincible and omnipotent power of the Holy Ghost. Here we took our stand and from this point we have never swerved. The grand and glorious doctrines of free and distinguishing grace, as preached by our pastor, have ever been maintained as the truth within the walls of our school; and, although warm advocates for the use of means, we have never believed, much less taught, that there is any power or efficacy in them, but that they are oniy useful as made so by the Holy Ghost. The providing of suitable class books has been a matter of no small concern. A catechism was chosen, and others added after, besides reading and spelling books; but as years rolled on, one after another was given up, until we are left with the Bible only. This is our one class book for all who can put their words together."

The ground of the sufficiency of His work - Styles

Christ’s sufferings proportioned to His people’s guilt, the ground of the sufficiency of His work.

We believe that as the death of the Lord Jesus was penal (that is to say inflicted on Him in punishment for the sins of His people), His vicarious agonies were proportioned to their guilt, and that He suffered at the hands of impartial Justice what they in their own persons must otherwise have endured in the place of endless woe, and that thus the measure of His sufferings rendered His oblation gloriously sufficient for the great ends contemplated in the covenant of grace (Isa. 53:5, 8; Rom. 8:32; 2 COr. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18).

“My Lord, my love was crucified, He all my pains did bear, But in the sweetness of His rest, He makes His servants share.

“His blood was shed instead of ours, His soul our hell did bear, He took our sin, gave us Himself: What an exchange is here!”