who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him". Go CHA P. XVI. Of Good Works. OOD works are only fuch as God hath commanded in his holy word", and not fuch as without the warrant thereof, are devised by men out of blind zeal, or upon any pretence of good intention". Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trefpafs against thee, rebuke him: and if he repent, forgive him. Ver. 4. And if he trefpass against thee feven times in a day, and feven times in a day turn again to thee, faying, I repent; thou fhalt forgive him. Jofh, 7. 19. And Joshua faid unto Achan, My fon, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Ifrael, and make confeflion to him; and tell me now what thou haft done, hide it not from me. Pfal. 51. throughout. o 2 Cor. 2. 8. Wherefore I befeech you that ye would confirm your love towards him. See Gal. 6. 1, 2. 1, a Micah 6. 8. He hath fhewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Rom. 12. 2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Heb. 13.21. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will. b Mat, 15. 9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, Ifa. 29. 13. Wherefore the Lord faid, For. afmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and II. These good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifeft their thankfulness", ftrengthen their affurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profeffion of the gospel, ftop the mouths of the adverfaries", and glorify God', whose workman with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me: and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men. John 16. 2. They hall put you out of the fynagogues; yea, the time cometh that whofoever killeth you will think that he doeth God fervice. See 1 Sam. 15. 21, 22, 23. II. c James 2. 18, 22. Yea, a man may fay, Thou haft faith; and, I have works: fhew me thy faith without thy works, and I will fhew thee my faith by my works. Seeft thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? d Pfal. 116. 12, 13. What fhall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me. -I will take the cup of falvation, and call upon the name of the Lord 1 Pet. 2. 9. But ye are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye fhould fhew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. e 1 John 2, 3, 5. And here. by we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.-But who so keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. 2 Pet. 1. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. f 2 Cor. 9. 2. For I know the forwardnefs of your mind, for which I boaft of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. Mat. 5. 16. Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. g Tit. 2. 5. To be difcreet, chafte, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blafphemed. 1 Tim. 6. 1. Let as many fervants as are under the yoke count their own mafters worthy of all honor; that the name of God and bis doctrine be not blafphemed. See alfo Tit. 2. 9, 10, 11, 12. hi Pet. 2. 15. For fo is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to filence the ignorance of foolish men. i1 Pet. 2. 12. Having your conversation honeft among the Gentiles; that whereas they fhip they are, created in Chrift Jefus thereuntok, that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life'. III. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Chrift". And that they may be enabled thereunto befides the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the fame Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure"; yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in ftirring up the grace of God that is in them". speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they fhall behold, glorify God in the day of vifitation. Phil. 1. II. Being filled with the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift, unto the glory and praise of God. John 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye hear much fruit. k Eph. 2. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 1 Rom. 6. 22. But now being made free from fin, and become fervants to God. ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. III. m John 15. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Ver. 6. If a man abide not in me, he is caft for as a branch, and is withered: and men gather them and caft them into the fire. See Ezek. 36. 26, 27. n Phil. 2. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleafure. Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things through Chrift which ftrengtheneth me. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Not that we are fufficient of ourfelves to think any thing as of ourselves: but our fufficiency is of God, o Phil. 2. 12. Wherefore my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my prefence only, but now much more in my abfence, work out your own falvation with fear and IV. They, who in their obedience, attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are fo far from being able to fupererogate and to do more than God requires, that they fall fhort of much, which in duty, they are bound to do". V. We cannot, by our best works merit pardon of fin, or eternal life, at the hand of God, by reafon of the great difproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite diftance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor fatisfy for the debt of our former fins; but when we have done all we can, we have done, but our duty trembling. Heb. 6. 11, 12. And we defire that every one of you do fhew the fame dili. gence to the full affurance of hope unto the end.-That ye be not flothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. İfa. 64. 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that firreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou haft hid thy face from us, and haft confumcd us, because of our ini quities. See also 2 Pet. 1. 3, 5, 10, II. and 2 Tim. 1. 6. and Acts 26. 6, 7. together with Jude 20 and 21 verses. IV. p Luke 17. 10. So likewife ye, when ye shall have done all these things which are commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable fervants: we have done that which was our duty to do. Job 9. 2, 3.-But how and are unprofitable fervants'; and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit'; and, as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with fo much weaknefs and imperfection, that they cannot endure the feverity of God's judgment. VI. Yet notwithstanding, the perfons of believers being accepted through Chrift, their good works alfo are accepted in him", not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in God's fight"; fight"; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleafed to ac out works. Eph. 2. 8, 9. For by grace are ye faved, through faith; and that not of yourfelves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, left any man fhould boaft. Pfal. 16. 2. O my foul, thou haft faid unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord, my goodnefs extendeth not to thee. See alfo Tit. 3. 5, 6, 7. Rom. 8. 18, 22, 23. and chap. 35. 7, 8. r Luke 17. 10. See letter p in this chap. f Gal. 5. 22, 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentlcnefs, goodness, faith, meeknefs, temperance. t Ifai. 64. 6. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteoufneffes are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind, have taken us away. Pfal. 143. 2. And enter not into judgment with thy fervant: for in thy fight fhall no man living be juftified. Pfal. 130. 3. If thou, Lord, fhouldt mark iniquities: O Lord, who fhall ftand? See alfo Gal. 5. 17. and Rom. 7. 15, 18. VI. v Eph. I. 6. To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye alfo, as lively ftones, are built up a fpiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up fpiritual facrifices, acceptable to God by Jefus Chrift. Gen. 4. 4. And Abel, he alfo brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof; and the Lord had refpect unto Abel, and to his offering. With Heb. II. 4. w Job 9. 20. If I justify myfelf, mine own mouth fhall condemn me; If I fay. I am perfect, it fhall alfo prove me perverfe. Pfal. 143. 2. |